Busting Tar Bubbles with the Twins

We enjoy taking long walks after dinner together, every chance we get.  We both love nature, and watching the seasons change.  And of course just spending time together doing something relaxing is always a plus for us, and a great way to get rid of a few calories as well.

 On one such walk to our favorite little creek close to Mary's house, we had a close up encounter with a beautiful bobcat.  Kind of scary to be that close and not even realize he was less than ten feet away from us. We were just standing there looking into the creek searching for George(a huge catfish that we named), and we caught sight of an adult bobcat, working his way down to the water for a drink.  Talk about a unexpected visitor to our quiet refuge, of course we were invading his habitat.  So we just quietly backed up, and gave him space and he went on his way.

The last time we went for a walk, we started talking about our childhood memories.  We don't share the same memories because we did not grow up together. We were both adopted to different families very young, and then found each other as adults.  So we have a lot of catching up to do.  So we share things from time to time.  One thing that we both did was of course the same thing that kids all over the states do every summer, catch lightning bugs.  Neither one of us had the cute little bug catchers that they sell now.  We used old glass Mason jars. Running around in the dark with a glass jar would absolutely horrify modern parents today.  But yet we had the best of times, and I don't ever remember dropping one of moms canning jars.  We both had sandboxes and good old fashioned mud puddles.  We knew how to enjoy the simple joys of getting dirty and not getting in trouble.  Maybe that is why we both love to play in the dirt aka garden work now.

The one thing that we both do not have in common was tar bubble popping. I knew what it was but had never experienced it.  Cathy introduced me to the joys of popping tar bubbles on our last walk.  It takes a special touch to get them to pop, and after a few tries I was able to get that satisfaction of hearing it go pop. I am sure we must have looked hilarious to anyone who happened to be watching us.  Two grown women in the middle of the road, on a hot day squatting down to pop as many tar bubbles as we could.  And of course laughing so hard the tears are running down our face. And you know what happens when you have tar junk on your fingers and you reach up to wipe your wet face.  You got it.... tar on the face too.  We came back home and had to do some serious scrubbing to get that stuff off,.  But oh what fun did we have on our evening stroll.  And really that is what it is all about for us, having fun.  Just the simple joy of spending time together as sisters and also learning about each others childhoods.

So the next time you get the chance, pop some tar bubbles and feel the simple joy of being a child again.

Till Next Time
The Twins

Moving Day Has Come and Gone

  We finally got Cathy all moved in!  All of the boxes are unpacked, and the Treasure Trove storage room organized.  Shelving added, room swept, and the TTT radio is in it's proper place.

The last week has been pretty crazy getting everything done, as I am sure anybody that has ever moved knows, nothing goes as planned. 20 years in one house can accumulate quicker than we thought.

 The moving van did not come on the day expected.  My sister Cathy wanted to stay at the house the first night to clean, and of course I had to help.  So armed with cleaning supplies, an air mattress, a coffee pot and her beloved pet cats Lizzie and Felix we went to the new home. We had power and water so it was all good, we however forgot a radio.  All of her electronics were on the truck of course lol.  We cleaned until about two in the morning.

 We got the air mattress all aired up and turned out the lights to try and sleep.  Which even as adults we act like teenagers, talking and talking, and giggling and giggling. And then I rolled over and when I did I bounced her right off the air bed onto the floor.  I had overfilled the air mattress and it was like a rock.  Don't know why one of us did not think to simply let some air out of it, so we could sleep more comfortably. So between the hard air mattress and the cats exploring their new home there was not much sleep that night.

  So now the house is pretty much in order, the furniture arrived and has been put in its proper place. The air mattress has been retired back to my closet.  Cathy and Greg are settling in to their new home and life in Southern Illinois, where the deer play in their backyard and Bandit the raccoon steals bird seed from the porch in the middle of the night. :)

Until Next Time

The Twins

The Twins Together At Last

We are so excited to announce the big move is just one week away.  Cathy is relocating to the same area as Mary.  We could not be happier, we have such big plans for us as sisters, as well as our business Twins Treasure Trove.

I recently made a trip to Chicago to help my sister Cathy pack up what she has of the Twins inventory, wow we went through the bubble wrap and boxes and coffee.  Took us almost a week to get everything properly boxed so that when the movers handled them nothing gets broke.  We do hate those kinds of surprises. 

We are looking forward to lots of fun unpacking and setting up our shop.  And I do mean fun, believe me when I say we can have fun doing anything as long as we are doing it together. Our store has less than normal inventory at the moment since half of it is boxed up for the big move  Once everything is unpacked, we are planning several outings for restocking our online store.  We have been busy working on some marketing plans.   We have recently opened a Pintrest account, as well as Wanelo so look for us there as well as our Etsy store.  We hope one day to have a bricks and mortar store, with a huge window for decorating with vintage finds. 

But most of all we want to have fun as sisters, oh don't get us wrong the business is an important part of who we are, but not the most important part.  We are sisters first and business partners second.   We hope to see you all in a couple weeks with an update on the big move.

Blessings

The Twins

Spring is Coming

  As we sit by our fires this winter season in an effort to keep warm and cozy, we are already planning our spring adventures.

  This spring will be different from all the others for the twins, we will finally be living in the same area.   Big sister is moving from Chicago with her husband to Southern Illinois. We are so excited we can hardly contain ourselves from jumping up and down and giggling like a couple school girls.  We have not lived in the same area in 47 years!

  The biggest plans aside from our business expansions, will be a big family garden.  Eating fresh food is so important to both of us, as well as providing nutritious meals for our families.  Most people do not know this but we both suffer from Fibromyalgia which makes just simple everyday activities difficult at times.    But put us together there will be no stopping us, not to mention our favorite place to be other than together, is outside with nature and plants.

  We already are in the planning stages of what we want to grow.  Of course we will plant a lot of the tried and true favorites, of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and onions.  Maybe some kale and definitely herbs.  This will be a challenge for Cathy as she does not have clay in her Chicago garden, so it will be interesting and funny too!  She will probably try to make pottery!

  We had a discussion on whether to put hay or straw on the garden.  We found out it is straw we should be using or we will have all kinds of stray grass growing.  Maybe for a smoothie? :)

  Whether our garden takes off or not remains to be seen. We will be prepared for a bumper crop for canning and freezing but even if we only get 2 tomatoes, we were able to spend time together which to us is what it is all about.

Happy Planning from the Twins

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We wanted to take time out from cleaning, wrapping and baking to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! 

We will be spending our holiday separately but we both will be with family which is a blessing. 

We await the smiles and hugs from our Grandchildren and to mingle with all of our relatives.

When all of the festivities are through we will await the end of 2012 and hope for a new start with family, togetherness, happiness and good health.  

This is our wish for all of you.

Be safe in your travels and visit us again when you settle back in.

Love and Laughter,

Cathy and Mary

Cooler Weather Is On The Horizon

As we watch the 10 day forecast, each day we see the numbers dipping towards the colder season.
Trying to prepare the right way is a little confusing. If you listen to the predictions for this winter here, they are saying because last winter was mild it is going to be a rough one.  But my sister Mary says that the woolly worms are not as big and not as dark and no stripes which means mild winter.
So, on the optimistic side.......I'm going with the woolly worms.

So many things to do to get ready.  Clean the fireplace, make sure the furnace has a new filter, put the garden to bed, bring wood closer to the house, cover the air conditioners, bring out the bags of sweaters and put the shorts in the bags for next summer (or the winter getaway I dream of).

Then into the kitchen to get creative with all of the veggies left from the garden.  Stewed tomatoes for the freezer, roasted tomatoes, sliced peppers for the freezer and prepare the herbs for the freezer too.

Since we are in the cooler weather mode, comfort foods come to mind.  Bringing out the big old Club pot for soups, stews, chili, hot apple cider and so much more.  Nothing tastes like homemade soup in a good old pot.  Maybe even some apple bread baking in the oven warming the house and making it smell so wonderful and feel so cozy!

We wish you all a happy, relaxing and festive cooler weather season.
Post back to let us know how you are preparing  :)

Rocking on the Porch

Every year we wait patiently for July or August when we can get together for our sister time.  During the waiting period we talk on the phone, chat on Facebook, text, or Skype.  We have all these ideas of what we want to do together when really just sitting on the porch rockers with a cup of coffee would be just fine.
This year we spent time together cooking, rocking on the porch, shopping for our Etsy shop, rocking on the porch, going to the county fair, out to dinner, out to breakfast (awesome french toast and really crunchy bacon), but the best moments were those quiet times while fishing and sitting on the rockers on the porch. Fishing not so quiet though with a few giggles trying to get the fish off the hook.

We can all get wrapped up in the hustle bustle, but just listening to the crickets, the hummingbirds and some one on one conversation can be so relaxing, a stress buster.

Spend time with your family and friends, listen to what is said and what is not said, laugh with them, love them, hug them and take time to rock on the porch.