It doesn't hurt to ask! You just may need to chase out the bugs...

It doesn't hurt to ask!

My mother acted like every store she visited was the flea market.  Growing up this mortified me to no end.  She always haggled prices, or asked, “Is this the best you can do?”.  Shopping at the mall with my mother felt more like an episode of “Lets Make a Deal” than a simple shopping trip. While I agreed that at a garage sale this was perfectly acceptable behavior (although rarely did I try it), who went around asking the calendar kiosk if they could have a BOGO special? Nancy Marie did!

As I’ve grown up a little, got a lot more confident, and had to start stretching my money across more than retail excursions I too have become that person. After all, it doesn’t hurt to just ask, does it?!

While you don’t always get what you offer sometimes you can get even more than expected. My recent acquisition of packing crates proved that idea just this past week.

I’ve been eyeing old crates for a while but couldn’t accept the price tags on those found at the antique stores.  Working at a farm, we have lots of wooden packing crates.  For shipping, storage, decoration or just because! I began noticing they were everywhere, but being my first two weeks on the job I wasn’t quite confident enough to ask if I could buy them.

Finally, one bold morning I asked if they would consider selling any, or, if not, where they got them. “Buy them? There’s two in the lawn that we forgot about that have been rotting away- take those!”. I could have hugged that farmer (and told him so!). 

Alone, truly weathered by the elements were two wooden packing crates.  Maybe not vintage, but outside long enough to pass as! After using a very long stick to chase out some spiders and other creepy-crawlers I packed them into the truck, squealing with excitement the whole time.

Yes, that green bag was left by a dog's owner trying to hide the evidence behind my boxes!

I cleaned them up with some light sanding to get rid of dirt and debris.  While I’m not sure if they’re going to get painted, lined, or something else I’m pleased-as-punch to use them to display my treasures for now.  Remember, a project is never really finished…

My rewards in the bank! The Buffalo Bank that is...

My rewards in the bank! The Buffalo Bank that is...

I have some new woes being a working girl.  Yes, woes of a WORKING GIRL! The woe-iest woe has been the neglect of my blog.  After a lot of deliberation and courage I took a completely different direction in my career.  I left a large organization to work a multi-tiered role at a family owned and operated farm and vineyard.  This change, while exciting, has been exhausting! As I’m getting the hang of my new schedule, I’m going to do my best to continue my hobby-passions in vintage and such.

Usually in celebration of a promotion I’ve been presented with a gift of encouragement and recognition of my hard work.  For my first management role, a proper watch.  For my first national role, an amazing designer trench coat (a very generous reward indeed!). And while I had been eyeing a TUMI brand luggage piece for the next rung on that ladder my upward path changed. Not that my path will be any less rewarding, but the rewards are very different than those offered by the large organization. Rather than a ladder it’s more of a wild path I’ll be traveling with a lot of turns and half of it still untraveled.

So how do you, responsibly, reward this change? I already “invested” in the practical, durable shoes needed for my uniform of jeans and t-shirt every day. So what to get a tour coordinator/cow train driver/wine sales/wedding coordinator/CSA helper…

Rather than something needed for the job, my loving finance appealed to my heart- with vintage. Remember my post on still banks? Remember that Buffalo bank in the window in Leesburg? You know, the one that inspired the love for those little banks? That was way too expensive to buy? Well…it’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine!!!!

After having it in the window for a couple years the price became much more realistic. So with me turning away from “corporate life” and taking the risk to follow something I love, this gift was the perfect congratulations.

I also must make a tiny correction.  It’s ours, not just mine.  Another flashback, remember that post on not being a ball hog and sharing?  Turns out, with Evan’s Oma being deeply ingrained in our collection (literally, ½ of the collection of 4) he’s really into these things too. After presenting me with the gift he began talking about how we need a shelf to display our collection.  I’m sharing this hobby too, which means I’ll also have a partner to hunt with.

I already have a great idea for a display shelf made of packing crates. Stay posted for that project….