Here we go again!

 Hello friends! Sorry I haven't written to you in a while. There have been lots of changes with our shop and in our lives. First of all, we moved our shop to a new locale. This change will suit us much better. It was a tough choice to make, but we had to make it. Secondly, we have surrounded ourselves with a new group of friends. We moved into the "Carolina Country Peddler's Mall". Its such a wonderful place. I am sure you will love it as much as we do! So come out and see us. Our booth number is 139. Happy Easter and may God Bless You.

Signs of Autumn

Autumn. Chilly nights and sunny days. Bright orange pumpkins, candy corn, football games, county fairs, candy apples, funnel cakes, Halloween, harvest floats, homecoming queens, falling leaves and scarecrows. These are only a few of the things that I think of when I daydream about my favorite season. Excitement seems to fill the air, as with the beginning to any season I guess. Memories take me back to the days of when I was in grade school. My teacher would give out printouts of leaves, scarecrows and pumpkins to color. Those days also would include a Fall Carnival at school. Bobbing for apples, cake walks, and raffles would fill up the evening. At home, we would go pumpkin shopping, watch "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown", and "Raggedy Ann/Andy's The Glum Pumpkin". My brother's and I would also decorate the house with homemade chinese lanterns, construction paper black bats & cats, owls and real leaves that had fallen from the trees. Its just so special. Those were times I will never forget and I will definitely try to pass on those traditions with my neice and nephews. So, what does Autumn mean to you?

The Farmer in All of Us

There's something inside my heart that longs for the feeling of having been raised on a farm. Sometimes I daydream of what life must of been like in the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder and try to imagine myself in her day.  Being raised on the farm, I'm sure, was no picnic. Everyday must have been filled with chores, school lessons and very little time for play. What if today's lifestyle was nonexistant? Could we all survive in a world with no computers, cars, or cell phones? With the recent drop in the economy and the rising costs of living, I noticed the growing number of folks going back to some of the simple ways of living. One example is the raising of chickens in our backyards. The soothing cluck of the chicken is growing in our communities and we are finding out just how satisfying it is to collect our very own eggs. Another new craze is the 'home garden'. The rising cost of gasoline has driven up the cost of food so much, that folks have begun vegetable gardens. There's nothing like the feeling of walking out to your backyard and plucking a juicy, ripe red tomato off the vine and making a delicious sandwich. So think about it. Simple pleasures such as these, truly enrich our lives and can soothe our very soul. You might even surprise yourself with what you accomplish!

Spring Days

"Spring." How can I describe such a wonderful 'experience'. Yes, we should all experience 'Spring'. The bright and cheery colors that paint the landscape with a beauty beyond compare. The fragrant smells of all the blooming shrubs and flowers permeates our memory with scents long forgotten. Pastures full of green grass and tiny purple flowers sway in the gentle breeze. The sweet songs of birds calling their new mates, rises above the softly swaying of the treetops.The sound of busy bumblebees fills the air with their humming of a worksong. Butterflies dot the countryside, while dandelions stand tall in the warm afternoon sun. Sweet wysteria inches upward toward the sky,while a pink wild rose climbs across an old chimney posing for an admirers camera lense. Down the country road, a farmer awakens his old trusty tractor to till the sleeping soil.  As he finishes his last row, I hear in the distance the quiet, drifting call of a mother hen clucking to her baby chicks. Yes, Springtime has definitely bloomed and is all a glow with the Lord's goodness and light.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Simple Comforts of the Old Homeplace

Southern Comfort

The old homeplace. Just listening to those words evokes
thoughts of comfort, family, and memories. Golden days of simplicity, hard work, and family togetherness can leave me longing for a lifestyle that has all but vanished into the past. Sitting on the old porch swing sipping cold lemonade or listening to grandma tell us stories of her childhood as she rocked in the porch rocker, feed my soul with happiness. I hear plenty of folks talk of how hard work was in earlier times, yet they would never trade those days because its part of who they are.  The tough times made them appreciate the good times. As the generations that lived there before, the old homeplace still stands as a tribute to the past and all its glory. Although its aged, weathered and worn, it reminds me that comfort is usually found in the things that we treasure. For me, the remembrances of a simpler time, of days long past, and roads well traveled that lead me to the old homeplace, a true southern comfort.

New Address, New Start

Wow a new shop is emerging out of the Historic District of Hope Mills. Well its only partly new in location only.  Trade Street Primitives and Antiques is now located at 5548 Trade Street. We look forward to our Grand ReOpening on Good Friday, April 6, 10-6.  We have everything from wax tarts, garden flags, wax warmers, americana merchandise, greeting cards, and so much more. So come out and visit our new location and see what we have to offer. Our phone number is 910-429-0211. Looking forward to seeing you soon!  Have a Blessed Day and Happy Easter!

Watching Dreams Grow in 2012

What to do with a new year?  Choosing what to do with those 365 days can truly be troublesome, so I would like to challenge everyone to challenge themselves this year and grow a garden. It can be a large plot, a small group of pots on a patio or a hanging basket of tomatoes, but do this for yourself. You will enjoy the peace of mind it will give you and you can literally reap what you have sown. I already have set a few goals for myself as well as managed to create a couple for my husband too without him knowing about it. My first goal is to have a garden that produces plenty of vegetables to freeze, can and to share with my family. Then, when I complete my first goal, I want to say a prayer thanking the Lord for allowing me to overcome 2 Cancers and enable me to work the little plot of land I hold dear in my heart, my garden. May God Bless You and Your Gardens!      ~Tammy