Craft Fair Lady

Yesterday I was in my first ever craft fair. I did this to try and sell Phebe's jewelry and prints that she so wonderfully donated to my cause, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Oh and if you didn't know about this, which I'm 99.99% sure you all do, please donate! I'm trying to raise $3,200 and I'm about 40% there. Let me know if you need the link. I'm not computer-savvy enough to put the link here. I know, I know, it's probably easy. Whatever. 

So I'm here to share with you a couple of things I learned at my first craft fair. Some things I did cuz' I'm wicked smart like that, and some things I didn't do because I'm NOT wicked smart like that. Pretty simple.

*Make sure you get there early enough. I did not. I thought I had ample time to set up the stuff but whew. It took me forever and I was still bent over my table setting things up at least 5 minutes after it began. 

*Bring your own table cloth. I remembered last minute to pick one up on my way there. Which, well, conveniently was located in the grocery store, the same grocery store with a Dunkin' Donuts right in it. Perfect.

*That brings me to the next point. Bring coffee. It's a long day of being in one spot for the most part.

*Try and make connections with the person who is in charge of placing you in a location. Luckily, I work with the woman who was in charge and she put me in a sweet spot. Yay Beth.

*Bring your own tape. It just has to happen.

*Bring candy to lure customers over. This was something I did...I know, I know, I should probably quit my day job because that was such a good move....and I will admit, this ad ploy is along the same exact lines as sugar cereal at a child's eye level. I'm totally totally against all that advertising to kids thing, but this is for a good cause, people. Kids come over to get an Andes mint, parents have to follow them, etc. etc. You know the rest. It worked maybe once. That's more than zero.

*Because 100% of the proceeds went to LLS, I had to make it 150% clear that was the case. I made a fundraising thermometer that showed the customers where I was fundraising-wise. Unfortunately I don't think many people looked at it, but it sure did give me something to do every other hour...fill it up with some red marker. And what a satisfying feeling...like vacuuming over a really dirty spot and you hear all the crap go through the hose. No? Just me? 

*This is probably my number one suggestion I have for all the craft fair people out there. DO NOT, and I mean, DO NOT make eye contact with your customers UNLESS they inquire first. I give you this tip from a customer's perspective. I can't stand it when I go up just to look and the person behind the counter says, "Isn't that beautiful?" Ugh. Just leave me alone! I heard the woman next to me do that to every customer and I felt so bad for those people. If I had it my way, I'd make all the vendor people go away and leave me be with the stuff. If I needed the person, I'd ring a bell, or give a signal, or something. But just leave me alone!

So there it is. Really, the reason I wrote this whole blog was to get to that last point. Just leave them alone. They didn't do anything to deserve the abuse. 

Oh and also, if you haven't already....donate? Still looking for that 60%!! My site is http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/wdw10/jaquelin.hubbard@gordon.edu

I'm not savvy but we'll see if that works...thanks!

Quote Unquote Goofs

This past weekend I hung out with my whole family. It was wonderful. So I was told by my brother that when lil' Phebe is asked why she's so goofy, she tells whoever it is that she has 2 goofy aunts....that would be my sister Phebe and me, thank you very much:) So I am so so proud. Be a great student? Cool. Stylish? Cool. But be goofy? She's gotta be. And yes, I'd like to think (and I definitely know) that I have a ton to do with that. Well, I decided to take a walk down memory lane, if you will, and found in the archives some smash hits.

Showing off our newly-painted fingernails...

Precious...

This was one of about a million...

This was the second of about a million...

NAGSHEAD...

Lil' Pheebs being influenced hardcore by both her "goofy" aunts:)...

An early morning photo shoot on the beach...

We had a lot of early mornings together this particular year...

Obviously we took this picture because we were both wearing the SAME EXACT THING! I adore this picture.

Yet another NAGS HEAD photo. We're so awesome.

You earn a high five if you notice anything similar between this picture and the last picture...

ANOTHER early morning...

Going to a cousin's wedding...

Awesome.

AND.....this was the past weekend. At the ECHO museum in Burlington VT. It was good stuff. SHE is good stuff...

I love Olive Garden and I love Phebe's bow on a headband but I love Phebe a thousand times more...

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Phebe. She's a girl. She's a goof. And she's my niece.

Trying to work with Buckley...coming along a little slower, but it's comin'.

Oh...and also, well...I've already started, along with sister Phebe, to positively influence Ruby to be a goof. She's already got it. This was Ruby's 1-day birthday. No time to waste, people.

Stuffs

*I am sitting here, just having inhaled yet another 2 ibuprofen and am icing my knee. I have runner's knee. Or, patella tendinitis. Poo. I knew that I had been running a ton, and I should have been taking a break, but lo and behold I didn't and look at me now. So I write this on Monday....I have an alumni basketball scrimmage on Saturday and a half-marathon on Sunday. My sister and niece and parents are coming to watch the scrimmage and then we're all headed to Maine for the half-marathon. UGGGHHHHHH there's still a chance that my patella will TELL-a everything to be okay. Hardy har har.

*Speaking of really bad jokes, I'm so good at coming up with them. My wacky 6-year-old niece Phebe is here in Vermont for the weekend (WHOOP WHOOP for sure) and my brother told me that when asked why she's so goofy, she responds by explaining that "her 2 aunts are goofy." I am so proud of her:) Spreading the charm. So anyway, one of our favorite things to do this trip is make up and tell jokes. Let's just say I'm pretty darn good at them. Just a little play on words. Here, I'll teach you.

1. Think of something random in life. Let's say...pepperoni.

2. Good. NOW, you have to figure out what other word rhymes with it, maybe PART of the word is in it, whatever. I've decided that "only" sounds like the last part of that word.

3. Think of a silly question, joke-style, having to do with both of those things.

4. What did the lonely eater say about his pizza? "Hands off, this pizza is pepperONLY mine!"

Oh, and you can share that with your friends if you'd like. ....Hm....I should probably write a book.

*So I've shared my 75-year-old tendencies in here before. Let me share another one. So this weekend, and you know this if you're on Facebook a good amount, both of my nieces AND my nephew are in Vermont. This is the first time this has happened since Rubix Cube's birth. And my oh my there's a lot of cute involved. So it's my mom and dad, otherwise known as Nema and Grampa, then my brother and sister-in-law, their 2 kids, my sister and brother-in-law, their daughter, and me. Oh and Satchmo. Can't forget him. So I'm sitting back, alongside my parents, the grandparents, thinking....oh my kids have grown up and have their own families. There's so much greatness and chaos going on. Oh I'm so happy. You know how the grandparents automatically have that proud, big family feeling? Well I definitely am thinking the same thing. I think that when I have my own family maybe I won't be on the sidelines with my parents thinking that; I'll be busy with my own kids, being on their my-kids-have-grown-up-and-have-their-own-families radar. 

*And that brings me to my next thing, WHY should I be so in-a-rush for this whole having a family of my own business? Because everyone else is doing it? Yes. "Well if everyone else decided to jump off....." Yes, yes I would.

*Yesterday in the church building (we were there for Ruby's official baptism and entry into the kingdom of God WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP), lil' Buckley points to the stained-glass window and says, "Momma that's so bootiful." Oh Buckley. No one is cuter.

*So yeah, I'm Rubester's godmother. And I'm supposed to be a good model for her and teach her to love and follow Jesus. Ha. Don't need to tell me that twice. Although....does this mean I have to stop partying hardy every night? Because you know me. I can be real rebellious.

*I can stand next to Ruby's crib and watch her sleep for minutes and minutes. Oh wait, I just did. She's a real-life cabbage patch kid. With a million times more awesomeness in 'er.

*I participated in donut-on-a-string on Friday at Landmark's halloween party. And I'm just saying, I'm Pretty. Darn. Good.

*Saturday morning during class we could get 2 points added to our final grade if we came in dressed up. I was a slacker and didn't do anything, although I was covered in navy blue so I was planning on saying that I was the color navy blue. Fortunately, a classmate came through with an extra Santa costume that was just laying around. I am a pretty awesome Santa. AND my final just went up 2 points. It's a win-win for everyone.

*Today is my last day in Vermont with my family. Shouldn't there be a law against having to go to work when your whole family, who is not all together normally, is together under one roof? This is going to continue for another day without me and I have to go to  work. So blah.

*I will leave you with another made-up joke. What did the ant say to his friend ant when they were getting some food? No, you have the first pick, Nick. Get it? Get it? Tell your friends.