Twinkle Night...

... is just days away! 

{Monday, December 6th}

This is our customer appreciation &

fundraiser event rolled into one festive evening!

Always held on the first Monday in December.

The pressure is on... even more so than our 

Holiday Open House.

The Saturday before, at the close of the day,

I start taking apart displays... and rearranging...

and redecorating... the goal to make the 

shop look like a Christmas Wonderland in 

48 hours!

Door prizes wrapped, raffle prizes organized,

a treat ready for the little carolers & a buffet 

of Holiday treats wait to fill the old farm table. 

Looking back through old pictures of other

Twinkle Nights I realize that this is our
10th annual Twinkle Night! 

*** 

O.K. So now I have to come up with 

something a little extra special! 

I found a little inspiration from a 

store in MN.  Lori from
  Round Barn Potting Company

designed some really cool shirts to

sale at the Junk Bonanza and in her store.

Take a peek at her blog... you'll love it!  

 A wonderful customer came to my rescue &

this is the great design she came up with!

Now, I'm hoping I can find a printer
to be able to get them done in a week!

Hoping for a charcoal gray

thermal with cream writing.

We may have to compromise.

If we are successful I will post a

picture of the "real deal"! 

Off I go... lot's of 

" twinklin' " to do!

Here's wishing you all a

family shared, tummy filled,

full of blessings

Thanksgiving Day! 

'Tis the season for sharing...

... a little bit of  Holiday Cheer  is on it's way

to Amy of Cottageprims !

Thanks to all of you entered our little give away!

I hope when the season settles in for our winter's nap

that I'll have time to stop by and visit.

I truly wish you could of all been winners! 

Amy, I hope you enjoy a few little gifts
 from The Whistle Stop Country Store
in Nebraska! 

Where Snowmen make themselves
at home in the winter! I'm sure he'll be
happy in Pennsylvania too! 

I apologize for not getting this all posted in the time 

I said I would. This is the time of year

... when the pace of a shopkeeper catches up with me

... when I receive all the little "gifts" from the kids at school

coughs, sneezes, fevers... lovely gifts!

... 'Tis the season to share indeed!

I promise Amy, I have not sent any unwanted gifts!

100+ Follower's Celebration!

Sometimes you wonder if anyone

 really reads your blog. ???

I know a few fellow bloggers do for they

 always leave nice comments for me! 

At our Holiday Open House and the 

show at the Qwest I had several people 

say...

" I love reading your blog & your website!"

Wow... really!?

Sometimes when I press the 

"publish" button,  it's just like putting my

words & life's happenings in a diary that's stored in air.

Not really thinking that many are going to read it

... but, in fact many do! 

104+ do...

I've been so busy with the shows that I didn't 

notice that my blog has reached over 

ONE HUNDRED followers! 

I think it is time to celebrate with a 

surprise giveaway! 

Do you decorate more with 
SNoWmeN or SaNtAs for the Holidays?

Answer this question to
be entered for a chance to win a
Whistle Stop holiday SURPRISE!
 
Let people know about the give away
on your blog and I'll enter you twice!

Last day to enter
Friday, November 19th! 
Drawing will be held
Saturday, November 20th! 

Holidays...

Our Holiday Open House

& the Autumn Festival

have come and gone...

... and we survived!

  

Here are a few pic's from the shop and

the show at the Qwest in Omaha.

You can see more pic's of the show

and our shop's open house on our website.

A vintage lighted Santa greeted 

customers at The Whistle Stop.

A large cupboard we used for a 

wall between us & our neighbor 

at the craft show,

not really thinking it would sell. 

... on Saturday we were scurrying

 to fill the space! 

An old skate with black checkered

 laces shines light on Mr. Snowman.

It's just the beginning of our 

holiday season

@

The Whistle Stop.

More old, new and handmade will

fill the "SToP" each week! 

"Twinkle Night" is just 

a few short weeks away! 

Check the website

for plans soon!  

Holiday Open House...

... begins tomorrow! 

Ready or not!

Also the Autumn Festival at the

  Qwest Center in downtown Omaha. 

It's midnight and am I ready... 

not yet! 

Began the day trying to finish up some projects

in the garage when I heard a big crash... 

the wind blew our booth display over

that was staged out on our deck. 

And yes... it fell apart and had to be rebuilt.

So that put us a few hours behind.

It was 6:17 and we were just heading to

 storage to gather our goods... two trucks, a trailer

 and a car full to take to the show. We have 

to be done and out of there by 10:00! 

We did save some goodies for the shop too!

And more to come each Saturday! 

And yes... We did it!!!

Thanks to my boys & their girls who came

to help! They hauled and priced and displayed

until everything had a home under the tin roof. 

It looked pretty darn cute! Much more than 

I expected it to be. Truthfully I was so tired

that I was ready to just line up 

the stuff and call it a night. 

Their creativity shined through! 

I just hope now I can pull the shop together
by 10:00 tomorrow morning!
So much more to do!!!!
Displays to finish, counter to clear, patio
to decorate, things to be priced...
and the list goes on & on & on!
At this point we just do our best &
let go of the thought that it isn't just the
way we planned.  
 

We just hope that we've done a good 

enough job to put a smile on

our customers faces! 

That when they walk in the door

of our little bit of a country store,

 they'll feel like it's "Beginning to look

a lot like Christmas!" 

And they'll leave "whistling" a 

merry tune!

If I'm not smiling tomorrow...

it's because I'm sleeping on my feet! 

5:00 a.m. is going to come really early. 

Should I be writing this at midnight...

no! but, somehow it's therapeutic! :)

Night!