Barn House - 2009 Flea Market (Part 2)

Whew, we have finally made it out of The BH Flea Market Rehab!! And I have to honestly say that THIS show out of ANY of our shows just about killed us! I was operating on 3-4 hours of sleep per night for over a week, it was over 90 degrees every day, it was our biggest show to date, The BH Layering Effect was in FULL force, we were a "wee bit" behind schedule, almost ALL of our friends were coming over to camp, party, shop, etc...and the list goes on and on. Anyone with an analytical/logistical mindset might just ask why on Earth would they attempt to tackle SO MUCH all at once -- Are they crazy???
So, yes we are a little crazy. BUT, it's important to understand why we attempt to do certain things. You see, our cup overflows with inspiration and generosity from the people we call The Barn House Family and The Barn House Angels. SO, on occasion, we TRY to give a little tiny bit back and go the extra mile to do something a little special for the people who have been so kind to us.

Some of our most favorite people in the world are going to be in Spokane for The Farm Chicks show??? Let's throw a kick a$$ party to show our appreciation for the inspiration they have provided and their endless generosity!

Goodness! They are ALL coming to our house to bust their butts and make The BH Flea Market something incredibly over-the-top??? LET'S THROW A LITTLE PRE-PARTY...THEN AN AFTER-PARTY...THEN, THEN, THEN!

Well, I was talking to a friend from LA who just doesn't get WHY we would push ourselves to the limits like this. BUT IF you are fortunate to know any of these folks personally, you would toooootally get it. Many traveled hundreds (and hundreds) of miles to be a part of this experience. They saved their treasures just for our show...worked really hard...and most importantly, shined their gifts and light and love on us! We LOVE them and appreciate them more than I could possibly describe with words. The "problem" is...the more we try to "pay them back" or "pay them forward," they trump us with what they insist on bringing to the table!

For example, we extended an invitation to our friends selling with us to camp out on our property or stay here in the house during their visit. We thought it would be "cute" to have a little friendly competition for a tent decorating contest for those camping. THEN a "stunt" like this happens -- presented by the ever-so-talented Deb and Bob (DeBob) from Retreat...

It almost brought tears to my eyes...it was absolutely beautiful, But this is the thing -- THEY cooked US a delicious gourmet dinner at THEIR Estate (aka Taj MahTent) at OUR place! Now, I am sure this had nothing to do with the fact that we looked haggard, hungry and maybe appeared to need a place away from all the madness to relax a bit...but just had everything to do with what was in their hearts.

Needless to say -- They won the competition hands down! We had been trumped with their generosity, focus, dedication and hard work! Welcome to The BH Family, our new friends! :o)
The entire week and weekend seemed to be about who could trump the next with kindness...

...trump the next with beautiful displays...with funny stories that made the person next to them almost pee in their pants...
...with laughing the loudest... and with smiling more than the next person. AND there were The BH Crying Spells between true friends who felt something special in their hearts at various moments of the weekend. Now, usually it's me and Cindy and a couple of others...BUT, we had some newbies in "The BH Cry Baby Chair" this time (I won't call out any names)!!! IF you were here and were able to spend a few moments with The BH Family, you most likely witnessed something really special.

OH...and if you were here long enough you may have also witnessed a glitch that happened in my head from running in circles in the sun like a lunatic all day. At some point, I walked by the Tarte booth where several folks were congregating and enjoying the shade. Cindy gave me a look and said (very seriously), "Honey, you don't look so well...maybe you should sit down for a spell and have some water."

She was right (and Cindy knows me very well). By the end of the day I looked a HOT DISHEVELED MESS on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I had been stung by a bee before the show and my normally very attractive skinny ankle was swollen to the size of a tree trunk, I couldn't stop sweating, I probably smelled worse than I looked (hard to imagine), AND I had an After Party to think about!!

BUT, in true BH fashion, one Hot Disheveled Mess don't stop a BH Party!! It was certainly nothing an ice pack on a fat ankle, an ice cold shower AND an ice cold beer couldn't/wouldn't fix. See, we here at Barn House think about solutions and keep on steppin' -- HEE HAW!!! ;o)

J & J
The Boys of Barn House

P.S. - Our next show here at BH is very special -- Ma & Pa Willow (www.willownest.net) have already left Texas and will be bringing their finest treasures from their travels around the country!! If you follow the blogs on the Texas Shows, you know this is going to be some SERIOUS stuff!!! More to come on this special event here at Barn House!!!!

OH -- Today is Joe's ##rd Birthday!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!!!!