Shopkeepers Journal                                                       [ We are a homeschooling family with five children, ages  9 - 19. As of today, February 21, 2007, Rachel (our oldest) is 19, Nicole is 17, Matthew is 14, Amy is 12 and John is 9.   [Rachel and Nicole have both graduated from school.]   This section is like a journal of what goes on here.. . . Embarrassing moments...... how the kids are learning while they work...... our ideas... etc. I don't know how often I can write, I'd love to do it everyday, but I'll try for at least once a week. (Note: If you are new to this site, I suggest you start reading this page from the bottom and work your way up.) Jim (Dad)                 Sharon (Mom) Children:  Amy             John       Nicole  Matthew              (Rachel is away at college)                                                        August 17, 2007      Our store has been sold. On July 5, 2007, we closed our doors and walked away. We were tired and worn out. The store sold very quickly, it seemed like within days. We are still waiting for the closing date but are very excited for the new owners.  They plan to re-open and have some great ideas for the future. This makes me remember when we first bought the store from John and Jane Kipp. They trained us for one week. This was a husband and wife who had adult children and grandchildren. It was amazing to learn from them. One thing I thought was particularly special about them, is this: They did not let the store entirely consume their life. Every night, at around 5 pm. Jane would go into the kitchen and begin preparing a nice home cooked dinner (meat and potatoes). She would then serve it to her husband. They both sat in chairs behind the cash register and watched the 6 o'clock news while they ate their supper and waited on an occasional customer. . . . .  I never forgot this. Each new owner will make it "theirs" in their own way. They will create tremendous memories and enjoy the legacy of passing on, to each successive owner, the joy of having the opportunity  to own their very own country store. We've enjoyed our time and want to thank our customers for your loyal patronage. God bless. February 21, 2007      One week ago, on Wednesday, February 14th, we had quite a storm. There were blizzard warnings. Schools and government offices closed. The highways were shut down. Snow fell steadily all day and night, giving us approximately, a total of 30 inches (according to reports on the radio). This on top of the snow we already had, brought five feet and higher snowbanks all over the area. It was something!              A local snowplowing company ran out of their own reserve of fuel and bought their gas from us.  It was a never-ending battle for the men who had to clean the streets, parking lots and driveways. Some people were "snowed in" for a few days.  All schools had been closed for three days straight. I am amazed that we didn't lose power.            On Friday, the snow had compltely stopped. I had to drive to Burlington.  When I drove through the famous town of "Stowe," it was absolutely beautiful. That is quite a village! Tourists were all over the place. People were walking down the streets with skis in their hands. (gentle smiles).     It is beautiful here in Vermont. Care to visit?     Onto other news........ Rachel graduated from college a few weeks ago. We are very proud of her!     It has come to my attetion, that one of our very own residents has just had her third baby. She now has three sons. I am delighted for her and for her husband.     I don't work in the store anymore. I am just doing the accounting work from home. It is nice NOT to be needed quite as much as before! Did anyone see me hobbling around on crutches over the past couple of weeks? My legs were completely worn out and one of my ankles was swollen. I am much better now, but walking slowly.  I wonder if this has something to do with all my encounters with falling down stairs, slipping on ice, tripping and the like? (gentle smiles). Just call me the "clumsy" shopkeepers wife......... November 10, 2006      During the last week or so of October, we had our first snowfall of the season. I was delighted. The three youngest children looked out  the window, sqealed with delight and then quickly put on their snowsuits and raced outside.     It was only snowing a little bit and there was some rain mixed with it. We ended up getting about an inch or two of snow. ........ Do you know what those children did? They grabbed their "radio flyer wagon" and raced through the yard making snowballs out of every speck of snow on our two acres of land. I mean, they cleaned the entire yard of snow...........     The children began building snowmen.........One after another.... more and more..... until they had about 10 snowmen lining each side of our driveway. People were driving by and waving. . .Some gave them a "thumbs up."  Others called out "You're doing a great job!"     Then it happened.............. A photographer from the Newport Daily Express newspaper stopped to take their picture. It was in the paper on October 26, 2006. I was proud of them.     It was amazing to see 20 snowmen surrounded by green grass.  One lady even came by, later, to touch them to see if they were "real."     Over the next several days, all the snow melted, except for those snowmen. They were troopers. They lasted through drizzling rain and warm days. They finally melted.........     But their legacy lived on. So many people came into the store and talked about those snowmen. One gentlemen even told me this:     "I was at work and all the guys were saying - 'Hey, Did you see all those snowmen in Charleston?' "     One dear lady had taken pictures and brought copies into the store for us to keep.     I wonder what the children will do when the next snow hits?      October 30, 2006      Nana, who works in our store a few days a week, is away. She left the state for about a week and left me here to work in her place (shudder). I was scheduled to work from 2 - 4 pm on Monday and Tuesday. I was trying to figure out a way to get through it........ now let me explain...... I am a "die-hard" homemaker....... Never worked a day of my married life (19 years of it) and actually thought the concept of Peg Bundy in "Married with Children" was funny. You know, how she would sit on the couch all day and then jump up to dust when her husband drove in the driveway?     The few times I had to work this shift before Nana took over, I would come home shaking, mumbling things that even I didn't understand and everyone would look at me and say "What's the big deal?" (They have no compassion.....)      So I found a solution:     The children brought projects so they would sit quietly and not "act up." This was a huge relief to me. Nicole and I planned to sew aprons. She brought a DVD of the program "Gilmore Girls" and we sat quietly, and peacefully (contented sigh) and sewed while sitting behind the register waiting on customers. It was lovely.........     Now I have to tell you about the show "Gilmore Girls." When it first came out, I saw an occasional preview on TV and I was mortified. "We are NEVER watching that show!" I would proclaim to the children. "And that woman calls herself a MOTHER?" I could not fathom how a mother could talk to her daughter the way that woman could. I would wince every time a preview would air. Once and awhile I would catch my girls watching it. I think they were around 13 and 14 at the time (just before we moved here and bought the store). Now, mind you, they weren't doing it behind my back. They would just innocently turn it on and asked what I thought of it............ (sigh)......... I actually liked it............ It gave me many chances to say: "Children shouldn't act like that!" or......... " A mother should not talk that way!"........... We enjoyed it.  So to sit and watch Gilmore Girls with my 17 year old daughter, Nicole, while we worked and hand-sewed aprons was..........well......relaxing....... Just don't ask me to work again..... Nana can't leave the state anymore.........     You are probably wondering how I managed to work so much in the store the first year we got here............. Well, you never saw me shaking...... You didn't see me muttering to myself........ You didn't see my mind turn to mush..... and, Thank the good Lord, you never saw the state of my home while I was neglecting it. October 20, 2006      Wondering why our store is so low on candy bars?......... I ate them all. September 7, 2006      I just did the funniest thing..... I am at home and the children are outside playing. I am wearing a nice comfortable bathrobe.  Yes, I am dressed! But I was a little cold. I love being home and wearing my robe in my comfortable house. But I actually walked outside onto our front porch before I realized I was still wearing my robe! I would rather not be seen that way (grins). However, this reminds me of something. Sometimes, customers will come into our store in their pajamas. We think it is adorable! One lady is so elegant - she is older and she will come in wearing a "housedress" or nightgown.  She buys her milk and bread and is so kind and friendly. The pajamas these customers wear are pefjectly "acceptable" for wearing in public. They are well-covered and look comfortable. I sincerely appreciate how they come into our store, dressed in their house clothes,  and I smile..... It makes me think they feel at home here! September 1, 2006      Has anyone tried that new soda from the Pepsi company? It's called "Jazz." Don't you LOVE that name? Whoever thought that up is a marketing genius and I'll tell you why......... Nicole and I were in the supermarket the other night and we were getting tired. We shopped late at night so practically no one was there (we ended up looking at almost every product and buying things we didn't know existed!! It was fun!). ...... Anyway, as we were about to finish up, I decided to get a drink. So I called out to her "Hey, you want a Jazz??" I was going to grab one for myself and thought she'd like it too. She likes the black cherry and I like Strawberry. Now don't let the word "diet" soda fool you. This stuff is delicious!! (grins). It is also an extremely fun word. ........ JAZZ. ........ I can just hear all the teenagers coming up with some new slang words: Teen slang: "We're just kicking up the jazz" Meaning:  " We are drinking jazz soda." Okay, so I made that up...... but I can just imagine them saying it!!     By the way, if you haven't tried jazz, we should have some in the store soon..... ..... Still praying for missing teen........... July 31, 2006      Early this morning, Jim called me and woke me up out of a deep sleep. Normally he never does that unless there is some kind of emergency. He wanted me over at the store right away. A search party was being formed to locate a missing teen. Jim wanted to help. I quickly took my shower, sent Nicole to the store until I could get over there, called Nana upstairs to serve breakfast and start school with the younger children, and gave grandpa full instructions to handle the morning errands. Then I ran over to the store. I watched as Jim walked down the street where all the men were gathered. . . Then settled myself down in the store to work and wait.....          Jim came back a few hours later. He needed to get back to work in the store. Many of the men were heading back out there to search. I noticed, in our local paper, that a picture of this missing teen was on the front cover. We are all so worried about him. . . .     Back at home, Nana was making a joke about whether or not she should grab a quick shower. Nicole explained it to her best: "Around here, you could be given 10 minutes before you're sent to Cincinnati," she joked. "You have to always be ready. We never know what is going to happen. So take that shower while you have a chance!" She smiled. This dear daughter of ours is used to running to help whenever needed. It seems like we are always "on call" for something, whether it be for emergency errands, help someone who is sick, or whatever it may be, we have learned to live Like "firemen" - always ready.     When I came back to work at 6 pm, we turned on the news. Jim mentioned that the story would be on. He said helicopters were in the area and a news team had been on the scene. I was waiting on a few customers when the story began......... We all stopped what we were doing. The customers turned and looked at the television screen. I stopped ringing the register. Jim came out of the kitchen, leaned on an aisle shelf and watched. Our children looked up and stopped their playing. A few customers walked in the store and then stopped in their tracks to watch. We all viewed the story with sadness and reverence........... We are all praying for the teen and his family...... July 20, 2006      We have been busy reorganizing one half of our store. All the old shelving has been ripped out. Many customers walked in, wondering what we were up to! Then Grandpa came in with new shelves and wall units, and with the help of Jim and Matthew, set them all up. Next, Nana and Nicole started loading those shelves with our newest attraction - videos, DVD's and Playstation games. We now have a large selection of movies for your enjoyment. Very soon I hope to post pictures of all the work that has been done. . . . .     In front of our cash register counter, there is a large ice cream freezer. This is a very old freezer that needs to be "defrosted" from time to time. Right now, it looks like there is a ton of "snow" all over it. So the children have devised an exciting way to remove it.. This is what they do:     They grab empty candy bar boxes, reach into the freezer and shovel out piles of "snow" with a cup or other instrument. They load up their "boxes," smile mischievously, and run outside to our porch and get to work.  They take the "snow" and form it into snowballs. Then they throw them across the street at their Uncle's yard to make all their cousins laugh. They do this over and over again, with my full encouragement, (grins) until all the "snow" is removed from our freezer. June 3, 2006      When we first got here, we used to accept "empties." Everyone knows what that is right? 5 cents for each can or bottle? Well, I was told that a new redemption center had opened right here in Charleston. So we closed ours off and told everyone to go there. I think it's wonderful. A few weeks ago, the children and I were doing some spring cleaning at the store, around the property and such. Matthew managed to fill up several bags of empties and we drove down to the "West Charleston Redemption Center" and exchanged them all for cash. I love that place. It is in a garage of someone's home and it is such a nice place. I would rather go there than anywhere else. Anyway, we  had tons of bags full of soda and empty beer cans. What I couldn't understand was: If our store doesn't accept returns, where did we get all those beer cans? I think I'll ask Jim........     Lately, Jim has been teasing me about my work at the store. This is what is happening: I always sit in a chair and either read or sew. I notice when customers come in but I rarely notice when they are standing at the counter waiting for me to ring them up. Eventually, I look up and see an impatient person and then I jump up and apologize. So I think I have come up with a solution. (No, I'm not going to stop sewing or reading......-grins-) I want to get one of those bells. Like you see at a hotel front desk? It has a button on the top and you just tap it. And we can have a note on it that says, "If Mrs. White is working tonight, make sure you ring this bell for service." Anyone know where I can get one of those bells?      April 10, 2006      I ordered a ton of ice cream today. It should all be delivered by Thursday. I can't wait!! It is so nice to see that freezer full of so many different kinds of ice cream! We are also re-stocking the candy isle. All the new candy should be here on Thursday as well!     I fell down the stairs again.......... (sigh)........ I know, I know. It's been a long time since it last happened, but it's still a shock to me. It happened here at home. I was upstairs with my oldest girls and we were having a good time talking, then I headed down towards the kitchen. But at the first step, I lost my balance and went all the way down to the bottom (like 15 steps). It was quite painful (grins).     The children told me they heard a "bang" then a "thump" then...... "thump...thump.....thump.....thump.....thump..... thump.....etc." And they just stood there in shock. "Is Mom Dead?" One of them thought. The other said, "Who pushed Mom!!" (aren't they silly children?). But I was okay. I stayed as still as I could until all the sharp and horrifying pains subsided so I could make sure nothing was broken before I got up.  Rachel (who was home visiting from college) walked downstairs and asked if I needed help. We were planning to go shopping. She had just gotten dressed. "Well," she said smiling. "I guess we're not going out now!!"     I went straight to bed in agony. The children took good care of me. For the rest of the day, whenever I had to use the stairs, one of them went in front of me in case I fell again. Nicole was nice enough to hold onto me as we went down the stairs together. ......     So if you see me walking a little slower than usual in the store, and maybe I look a bit disheveled? Just know,  I should be better in about a week or so. Isn't that how long it takes for major bruising and spraining to heal?? (grins). March 21, 2006      What I love about our country store is that so many people know us. I finally made an appointment to get a new pair of glasses.  When I told the receptionist my name, she actually knew exactly who I was! She said something like, "Sharon White who owns the corner store?" I said yes. Boy, you can't hide from anyone! (grins). Anyway, she even personally delivered one of the pairs of glasses I bought because I was having trouble getting out. (I bet she's reading this - Thank you!)     It is tax season right now. I have been doing everyone's taxes. I'll show up for work at night and find a stack of paperwork from various customers and notes for me to prepare their tax returns. I take them home, do them on my computer and call them to let them know they're ready and all they have to do is come into the store to pick them up. Some of these people. . . I don't even see them. (grins). One of my customers was applying for a bank loan and the bank officer noticed my signature (as the tax preparer) on his return and said, "Oh, I know her!" (smiles.) Where does a person go to hide around here? (grins).     The only real problem about everyone knowing us, is that once in a while I try to go to a pizza shop in Derby (Village Pizza). They have this enormous sheet pizza that the children love. But if people are driving by and notice one of us walking out of there with a pizza, they run back here to West Charleston and tell on me (to my husband Jim, who makes pizza too!). (grins). He just smiles though, and I get teased for a few days........ I think I can take it.........     I better run. Lots to do............ like taking a nap...... reading a good book...... or eating........ (grins).      March 3, 2006      Is anyone going to the town meeting? I can't wait! I've never been to one before so I am going to sit and listen and bring my sewing. I'll bring some of the children with me so it will be an educational experience for them. (grins). Hope to see you there!     . . . It is extremely cold today. But I prefer winter over summer. I can't stand bugs and heat so winter is the perfect time of year for me. Obviously, living in Vermont is the right choice for me!  Anyway, I pulled the van out to the middle of the driveway so it would be closer to our front door. I wanted to warm it up a bit before we drove over to the store earlier today to pick up Nicole from her shift. However, there is something wrong with my car door. I can open it from the outside without any problem. But when it is very cold, I cannot open it from the inside. I have to use the passenger side door to get out. . . Okay, so I pulled the van into the middle of the driveway and then tried to open my door. Of course it wouldn't open. Then I tried to get out of my seat to head out the passenger side. But I was stuck!! The end of my coat was stuck in the door!! So I had to take it off, jump out the other side . . . freeze..... and then open my door and pull my coat out. Then....... (sigh). . . Put it back on and run into the house to get the children. It was not pleasant. . . The children are amused however, and that's all that matters. (grins).     For my fellow country store owners out there, I have an idea I'd like to share. If you have small children who like to "take" whatever they want from the store, I've found a way to stop it. First of all, the children always ask permission, which is great. However, when Mom is busy answering phones, ringing the register and trying to talk to customers, children should not ask for candy or juice. But they do. (grins). So I've decided it would be much easier to give each of the children a "store spending allowance." That's right. I give them money so they dont' "take" anything from the store anymore. They now have to buy it themselves. The interesting thing is, that once I started this new program, none of the children take anything anymore. (grins). They are saving all that money instead!! (grins).     Better run............ January 25, 2006  (Later)      Okay, I asked Nicole if anyone noticed the "illustrated menus." This is what she said: " A couple came into the store and the wife looked down at the menus. She grinned profusely......... 'Honey,' She said to her husband. 'Look at this! There are cartoons all over this! It's like a masterpiece and it's only a menu!" (grins).  . . . .     I haven't seen Nicole's artwork yet, but she described one of them for me. . . She drew a lady sitting on the "West Charleston Corner Store" sign. She was leaning over and looking down. . . Below her, was a man who had "jumped" off the sign and landed on a pizza. (grins).     Nicole is a very talented cartoonist. And guess what? I get to be her Mom!! (grins) January 25, 2006      I printed up some more menus to put in the store. The only problem is that I didn't have any colored ink. They looked boring.......... So while the children and I worked at the store last night, we decided to take some markers and crayons off the shelf and decorate them. (grins). They look much better now and certainly attract attention. However, the most boring ones and the ones that look the most lame were done by me. (grins).     Matthew and Nicole are the artists. Matthew designed some spiderman ones with webs on them. They look fabulous. Nicole will decorate some of them today. I can't wait to see her creations. . . January 20, 2006     At this very moment, I am supposed to be cleaning my kitchen here at home, but I'd rather have a visit with you first! (grins).  Today, Nicole called from the store and said she wasn't feeling well. Her shift  was supposed to end in 15 minutes, so I told the younger children to put on their coats and we ran across the street to work the rest of her shift so she could go home. Jim arrived to take over a few minutes later and we were able to go home and make dinner. Nicole was feeling much better by then.     One thing I love about rural country stores is that not many people seem to be in a hurry. So, last night, when a customer paid for his items with change, and it took a long time for him to count it out, I was happy to wait. The store was full of young teenagers waiting in line. But they were really polite and patient as well. . .  I was proud of them.     I don't think I told you about this, but I may as well. . . (sigh)........ A few months ago, I was contacted by the producer of the televsion show "Wife Swap." They found this website and said it would be perfect to have such a family on their program. They called us a "strong family running a Vermont country store." Of course I was stunned, but there is no way I would ever do a show like that!! (horrors!) Just think about this for a moment...... honestly........ Would you really want to leave your precious children you love so much and your husband who adores you and be gone for two or more weeks? And then, to run someone else's family, not even knowing what you are going to get into? What about the lady who is taking over your family's life?? I would have a nervous breakdown! The producer told me how much they pay........ Okay, it's a ton of money, and I do mean a "TON." But still, no way!     Late last year, I was interviewed by a reporter from the New York Times. They were running a story on Vermont Country stores. Sure it's nice to talk to these people, but we are an independent lot. All Vermonters are. We like our privacy. ..... Minding our own business...... Keeping to ourselves...... Working hard to earn a living..... and raising our family. Any hint of "stardom" (gag), or "paparazzi" would drive me up a wall. .  . .     I better go clean my kitchen... (grins).... Have a great night! December  24, 2005     It's Christmas eve. I don't have to work in the store tonight, or on Christmas day, which is nice. Jim gave all of us the day off. He will work tomorrow on his own. The hours will be: 9 am to 4 pm. The Kitchen will be closed. I'm going to pick up Rachel and bring her home for a few days. . .     I was talking to some other country store owners and seeing how many days off a year they get. You know, do they ever close the store for an entire day? Some said for one day, others said for three. For us, we have never been closed in the 2 and 1/2 years we've owned the store. We might shorten the hours, but at this point, we don't feel right about closing completely. That might change when we are older and more weary. . .     Uncle Billy is a character. He is our only employee (other than our immediate family - Mom, Dad and children). He is Jim's brother. Billy is deaf in one ear. We have 2 miniature timers that are stuck to a cabinet door. This is what the guys use for all their cooking. Sometimes, You can see Billy bringing an order up front to a customer and he will be "wearing" a timer on his t-shirt. This is because he has other food cooking in the kitchen and while he is running around doing other things, he will be able to hear it go off. It's adorable. . .     Recently there was a major storm here. The power went out all over town, and. . . well, the state too. Jim had to close the store early. We watched the store out the window (from our house across the street) periodically. At one point, during the early evening, someone drove up to the store, got out of their car, noticed the store was 'closed,' and walked up to our ice chest. It was unlocked. The person actually stole a bag of ice. Can you imagine? They didn't even leave the money there. So Jim went over there and locked it up. Who would have thought someone would steal ice in the middle of winter? (grins).     I better run. Have a wonderful Holiday! December  7, 2005     I have to work every night in the store now. Rachel is away at college, so we had to change the shifts around. Everyone is asking about her. It is so nice.     Anyway, I worked last night and was just standing there, doing some paperwork. There were a few customers in the store. All of a sudden, the lens popped out of my eyeglasses and fell on the floor. Can you imagine how that must have looked? What if there had been a customer in front of me, talking to me? What a riot!!     I picked up my lens and tried to get it back into place, but I couldn't. A customer came up to the register and I had to wait on him, while squinting.     Finally, I managed to get the lens back in place, but it still fell out several more times. I'll have to get my Father to fix it.     I had the three youngest children with me, working last night. Amy (10) was dusting the shelves and sweeping. Matthew (12) did the trash and helped Jim with inventory. John (8) washed all the glass window displays. They were smiling and happy, working along and then a customer came in and stared at them. Jim smiled and said, (teasing of course)...... "forced labor." You know, because people always seem to think children have more fun playing? (grins).     We are getting  a new cash register. It should be here by the end of the week. ...............  We've added a few more things to the take - out menu. That reminds me, I have to print up several more copies to put in the store. I hope I can remember to do that tonight. . . .      September 3, 2005     There is a major gas crisis going on.  Gas prices are currently well over $3.00 per gallon. I used to think anything over $1.50 was outrageous! I never thought prices would be this high.     It seems the high prices have something to do with the hurricane that wiped out New Orleans and surrounding areas. For the past several days, we have been in contact with several gas stations in Derby and discussing the gas prices. It seems like each day, the price would go up and we would all talk to one another. Rachel has been calling most of them and talking to them.     Now because we are outside the "city" of Newport, and in a rural location, our gas prices have always been higher than those in Derby. Derby is located directly off the Interstate and has a tremendously higher amount of traffic and customers. The stations there also have enormous gas tanks. We, the rural -small -time store, have small tanks - thus we pay more for our gas, and have to charge more. So, when comparing prices with Derby, I expect my prices to be at least 7 cents if not more than them. If Derby goes up, I know my prices are going to skyrocket.  This happened the other day. Our regular unleaded gas was something like $2.69. Derby went up to $3.07 - $3.59. I was shocked. This is a problem and let me explain why:     We are the only gas station between Derby and Island Pond, on Route 105. This is a long stretch if someone were to run out of gas! Now if our prices are drastically lower than Derby, everyone is going to race over here to West Charleston and buy our gas. Sound like a good thing? Not in this case and I'll explain why. Our gas pumps are very old and, we just found out, it is impossible to change the regular unleaded gas prices to $3.00 or more. There is no $3.00 number in our pumps. Therefore, if we ran out of gas and had to order more, we would be paying our supplier far more than $3.00 and would not be able to sell any of it! See the problem? This is happening to small country stores all over Vermont.     Several customers have come in to tell us what is going on in surrounding communities. Some have even told us to "raise your prices quickly!"  Yesterday,  people were flocking to gas stations all over Derby and lines were far enough back that customers waited more than 10 minutes to fill up their tanks. One gas station owner in Derby, told Rachel that he was running out of gas quickly and he didn't even know if he would be able to buy more. Another popular station completely ran out of unleaded and would have an "emergency delivery" that night. A couple of times a day, Jim had to measure our gas tanks to see how low our supply was getting. We were in a panic.     Now if you drive by our store, you will see what our son Matthew had to do. He took an old cardboard box and wrote in large black and red letters, "NO GAS" and posted it to our pumps. We did this last night. Rachel and Nicole watched me as I stood beside our computerized gas monitor. They saw me shut the pumps down and turn off the computer. It was a somber moment.      We cannot sell any more gas until we get a new kit to repair the problem with our pumps so we can charge the corrrect amount for the gas. A customer told us that another store in Orleans has also done this. If you drive around the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, today, you will find gas prices to be well over $3.39 per gallon for unleaded. And you may even see a few stores selling the gas for $2.69 or $2.99. But if you drive up really close and get to the pumps, you will see that these pumps are locked and closed............ Septermber 4, 2005     In the Caledonian newspaper (front page), there was a story about a store in Newport. They are closing their gas pumps down until the gas crisis is over. . . June 19, 2005     We just recovered from a major heat spell. (for about 2 weeks). It was so humid, it was unbearable. I finally bought a few air conditioners for our house. Then the cold weather came in and we said the traditional "Vermont joke" - "Summer is over, how did you like it?" (grins). It is now, nice and cool out and I am actually drinking hot chocolate.     Rachel told me about an article in the newspaper she read. The gentleman who wrote the article talked about air conditioners not being for Vermonters because we only have about 2 weeks of really hot weather. According to him, it's not worth the expense of buying an air conditioner for such a short period of comfort. In his mind, we should just "deal with it." After I just spent so much money on those things, I moaned and asked Rachel why she didn't tell me all this BEFORE!     Last night Amy was helping me at the register. Now remember, Amy is only 10 so she just sits and plays or reads a library book. (smiles). Anyway, there were several people in the store. I was standing at the register, just waiting. Then all of a sudden, the lense on my glasses fell out!! (horrors!!). I quickly ripped off my glasses and threw them in the pocket of my apron; just before someone walked up to the counter to buy a few things. My first customer wanted a Pack of "basic lights."     I turned around and grabbed basic reds.  Then looked at the package a little  closer and realized it was wrong and grabbed a yellow pack instead. I glanced over at Amy and smiled. She tried so hard not to burst out laughing. Then I casually handed the pack to the customer. I acted so carefully while trying not to squint my eyes to see what the cash register numbers were. How much change? What was the total, etc? But I think I managed without anyone getting suspicious! However, someone did look at me a little funny and asked if I had gotten contacts.     Anyway, when I got home, My father (who is visiting us for a few weeks) managed to do a temporary fix and they're just fine now.     Better run........ I'm going to read a story to the children before we have to work tonight.      May 13, 2005     We sell Vermont Maple Syrup produced by farmers right here in West Charleston. It comes in large containers which makes it hard to leave on the kitchen table. Pouring would be a mess. Well, I have to tell you, for the first time, I finally tasted this syrup! Before now, I've used syrup produced by large companies but now I'll only use the kind made by the locals! You wouldn't believe the difference in taste and quality! It is delicious!         I did learn some things and will share them with you: 1. First of all, pour the syrup directly into another container (such as a measuring cup with a spout). Don't try to use it right out of the bottle, it would cause some of it to spill and waste. 2. Once you've opened the syrup, you must refridgerate it. 3. To warm the syrup before use on your pancakes, try boiling some water in a small saucepan. Then place the measuring cup (holding the cold syrup) in the middle of the boiling water. Let sit for a few minutes until warm. Then serve. (Be sure to use a glass measuring cup. I shudder to think of what would happen if you used plastic!)     Okay, onto the latest news............ Rachel told me the funniest story last night. This elderly lady (who was very petite) bought a carton of milk and a 50 lb bag of dog food. This is what happened: Rachel: Can I help you out with that (points to the heavy dog food) Lady: Oh no, thank you. I can manage. This is the only exercise I get. Rachel: Are you sure? I dont' mind helping. Lady: Really, it's fine. I can do it. (She picks up the dog food). Oh, maybe you can carry out the milk for me? Rachel: (looks around, blushes). Sure. (She grabs the milk and follows the lady out to her car. Other customers stare and snicker. The lady is carrying this enormous bag of dog food and Rachel follows her with a tiny container of milk.) Lady: (gets to the car.) Thank you! Rachel: I feel really bad just carrying the milk. I would have helped with the dog food. Lady: Don't worry! It's fine. I wanted to carry the dog food. I really enjoy the exercise. Rachel: Ok, well have a good night!     Now when Rachel gets back into the store, another customer is waiting for her at the counter. He is buying some small items, like a can of soda and a candy bar. He says to her: Customer: Oh, can I get help out with these? Rachel: (grinning). No! Customer: (laughing). But you helped that lady with her milk. Rachel: (blushing). She wouldn't let me help with the dog food! I offered.     The funny thing is that if Rachel had attempted to lift that 50 lb bag of dog food, she would have fallen over and not even have been able to move it. She is weak. She would have made her younger sister Nicole carry it. (grins).     The other day, I was working the register. The children were playing on the front porch and I was trying to get my mind focused on what I was doing. (Ever get in a day- dreamy kind of mood and have trouble paying attention??) So this lady comes in and was going to pay for her gas. It came to $6.71. She put some money on the counter. It was a five dollar bill and two ones. Then she began digging around in her purse. This is where I got confused. I thought, perhaps she was looking for the change. Then I thought she hadn't given me enough money yet so I stood there waiting and smiling. She glared at me, then glared at the money, then glared at the total on the register. I had no idea what her "problem" was. She proceeded to dig in her purse. Who wouldn't have thought she was trying to get the change?? Finally, my senses returned and I realized that she had placed $7 on the counter and it was enough to cover the gas! I apologized profusely for not paying attention and quickly got her change. The lady didn't even smile. But I did, and wished her a good day! She glared at me again and practically RAN out of the store. (grins).      March 14, 2005     We finally painted the inside of our store. It looks so different! Jim and I had talked about doing it ourselves for such a long while, but who has time? We finally hired a local company and they did a fabulous job. The crew was such fun.     Oh!!!! One of our dear customers just had a baby!! It is a precious little boy and he is so beautiful. His Mother let me hold him for such a long time. What a treasure!!     Our little Amy is ill so I am having to keep her sitting still and snuggled up. She drinks lots of tea and hot soup. I better go and tend to my home duties! March 3, 2005     Obviously I haven't  written in quite awhile. One night, I came into work and found out that one of the local residents died. His name is Floyd Brown. I was just shocked. He was a longtime resident of West Charleston, and very involved in the town. He was a selectman. He also sang at Church. He had a guitar and just sang and played the old-time songs. I loved to hear him sing. It was hard to walk into the store, prepared to work and then find out he had died. I spoke to many of the customers about it. How do we fill this empty place in our community?  How can life go on when such things happen? Mr. Brown will be greatly missed. December 15, 2004     There is some kind of contest going on here in West Charleston. Jim has been encouraging everyone to put up holiday lights. You see, the family that owned our house before us, kept an incredible display up all year long, changing with the seasons. It is a hard act to follow. But Jim finally put lights up on our house and a little deer, in our front yard, who lifts its head up and down as if it is grazing on the snow and then looking up. A few of the gentleman customers who come in also have some great displays up, they tell us. We have to get in the van and drive around town one night, after we close the store and get a look at all the houses! We are really looking forward to it. I think this will be the third time Jim has ever gone anywhere in a year and a half? I am sure he will love it!     Did you know there was a post office right down the street from our store? Well, I walk there just about every morning. Have you ever seen me walking home backwards? (grins). It is quite a source of entertainment for some people around here. I can just imagine what people are saying: "Hey what's that crazy lady doing?" or "Isn't that the shopkeeper's wife from the corner store?? What is she doing??"     One person actually yelled at me, In jest of course, to stop it. (grins). But I will tell you the reason. When the wind is blowing in the direction I am walking in, it is quite painful. I have a slight case of Asthma and have trouble breathing. Then when the wind is hitting me in the face, I just can't stand it. So that's why I walk backwards so the wind doesn't get me. Okay? (grins). But a good benefit is that it gives my legs an incredible work out. Have you ever tried walking backwards in the snow and ice??     I better run. It's getting late and the children are giggling. I wonder what they're up to............      December  15, 2004     An enormous shipment of ice cream came in the store today. We were running very low and I wanted to make sure we had a good selection. I haven't seen it yet, but I can't wait. I did, however, send Matthew to the store to pick me up a half gallon of "chocolate peanut butter" because I just couldn't wait until later!     I have errands to do tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to it. I would rather stay home (pout). [Did I mention that we live across the street from the store now?] But the weather is so nice. I love the snow. It is a bit cold in the morning. I had to run out at 7 this morning to help Jim "measure the gas" so we would know how much to order for the tanks. All I have to do is this: Sit in the store reading a book and wait on customers while Jim goes out in the cold and does all the work. (not too difficult.) grins. Jim has been  making me a pizza every night after work. He is so sweet. The children and I work at night and they have been watching all the Holiday specials on cable. We only have cable tv at the store, you  know, for the customers to watch the news and such? I just can't imagine having it here at home as well even though Jim is constantly suggesting it. I mean, who has time to watch TV?? Someone came in the store today and picked up a menu and then talked to Rachel about having me update the website. Whoever you are..... (grins). . . this is for you!!! I will try to keep up with it but it is rather hard with my extreme lack of motivation. I resolve constantly to write something once a week but it seems like I only get around to it once a month. Terrible of me, I know. I better run. The children are calling. I think Matthew is making french toast for supper. Jim is sleeping right now and I wanted to order food from Bill but Rachel won't let me (pout). She said it is too busy over there at the store. So I'll just settle for french toast and ice cream. Have a good night! November 1, 2004     I am surprised it hasn't snowed yet. But also a little disapointed. Jim has started baking muffins in the morning. He made me help him the first day, but then, after he realized how simple it was, he managed on his own. He also makes breakfast sandwiches and puts them in the food warmer where people can see them. It makes it much easier for him to work there in the mornings, by himself, without extra cooking. Did I mention I don't have to work much anymore? I am just delighted. I enjoy being in the store and helping, but not as much as I had to before. It seems like I have a lot more free time now!!     I don't really order food from our store too often, because I don't want to make the guys (Jim and Bill) work more than they have to. Bill is more easy going than Jim so he is very happy to help us.  Usually, when Jim is on break for the afternoon and just *happens* to fall asleep, I grab the phone and order a large pizza from Bill. (grins).     Our store has gotten a little bigger. There was a set of stairs,  inside, going up to our apartment. We just had them removed. I can't wait to see all the changes that follow!!     I am addicted to Hershey's "marshmallow whirl cups". They have marshmallow cream and chocolate ice cream. I eat at least one or two of them each day.     I am making cookies right now, for the store. So I better go check the oven. . . .I'm back. . . I just ate a cookie. I hope I can save some for the customers, but I don't know if it's possible. I ate three already since I started and the children are eating several when I'm not looking.     We actually went to an art gallery the other day. I managed to take all the children with me. We had such a great time. It is right in Derby, not far from here. The paintings are by local artists and I just loved it there. Nicole is an artist so it really inspired me to buy her some supplies. I can't wait to see all the new things she creates!     I did some research and managed to find some old pictures of our store. I created a "history" page here on the website and will do my best to get it all finished as soon as possible.     I better run and get some work done..........      July 30, 2004:     We did some of our errands this morning. It is not often I can take all five of the children out with me. Usually one or two are needed to help in the store. Jim has gotten used to doing most of the work without us and since Billy was here (our employee), I told the children to just go on ahead of me, wave goodbye to Daddy and walk out on the porch. (sly grin). He let us all go together and we were so happy. "Can you manage without us?" I asked sweetly. He said he could. But we were to hurry back.     I made Rachel drive. She has her learner's permit. And I had quite a time, reminding her of the rules. (heart attack). She does just fine, I am sure I overreact to be on the safe side. Like "we almost fell in that ditch.".... and "Hey, I know the speed limit says 35 but that means you go 25."....... Then someone passed us on the road. we looked over and it was this older lady. The children howled in the back seat. "Rachel drives slower than old people!!"..... I know Rachel would be happy to drive faster but I won't let her. Wait until she's a mother!!     Rachel is so funny but is in an "easily irritated mood" today. Nicole is in a "isn't it funny to aggravate Rachel" mood. (smiles). So Nicole was being silly and Rachel kept saying "get a restraining order." But they are smiling. When we got to the bank, I parked completely away from the building down about a block in an almost deserted parking lot. They always crouch under the seats and say I'm embarrasing them because we don't park in front of the bank like everyone else. But, I tell them, we need to go out of our way to avoid trouble - like car accidents.     When we parked, I made them all line up by age at the side of the van. They were mortified. But I had to have a little talk with them. They were not used to going out all together (it's been so long)... I was smiling of course and told them to be good at least until we got back to the van. Rachel is 16, she was at the head of the line all the way down to John, who is 7. Then we split up, each holding hands with someone, and went into the bank.     Now the children are being silly, except for our very mature Rachel, who came up to the teller line with me, while the children sat behind us on couches in the "lobby section." They were calling out to her "Rachel White", they taunted, knowing she wasn't in the mood for being annoyed, but she was smiling anyway. We've got to keep her laughing. Rachel and I turned around to see Nicole sitting in a chair and Amy standing up beside her. Amy was making a cute face and looked right at Rachel and said "We're RELATED TO YOU." I was laughing so much, but kept trying to tell the children it was just not proper to act that way in public. They had to be quiet, right? Then It was my turn at the teller and I had to ignore them..... (grins)         Well, I've got to get some cleaning done. July 14, 2004:     Summer is here and it is beautiful in Vermont! It is not very hot. The wind is blowing and the ladscape is incredible - no wonder they call it the "Green Mountain" state! Every afternoon the children have been playing in their little pool. This is kept by the back door near the store's kitchen. We see Dad or Billy (our only employee) working in there cooking burgers, onion rings and pizza. The scents in the air make one want some dinner. . . (smile). There is a screen door to the kitchen and Dad leans over on it or steps outside for a moment to watch the antics of the three youngest children. Today the water was cold so they played races and jumped into the pool. Then they raced back out and jumped in again. I sat nearby in a nice little chair with a good book. It was hard to concentrate with all the giggling going on and the constant splashing onto my glasses. (smile)     Yesterday as they played, a truck came and unloaded inventory through the kitchen, right past us. I kind of hid behind my book. (grins). Doesn't everyone have children playing in a pool at all the stores?     Nicole came running out, holding the American Flag in her hand. She told us it had blown off the front porch. We all raced after her. . . me with my book. . . the children dripping wet from the pool. . . and customers walking by to get into the store. She tried to put it back on the hook but with no success. Matthew proudly volunteered. He couldn't do it either because, he told me, his feet were too wet and he kept slipping on the porch railing. So off he went to put on his shoes, handing John the flag. All the children stood off in the distance, the wind blowing the flag in little John's hand. I had to run into the store, open the front door and tell Rachel to send someone upstairs to get my camera. (She was waiting on a customer). * See picture below *     I took several pictures and then Matthew was able to put the flag back in place. What a hero.............     When our fun was over, the children grabbed their shoes, their soaked towels and their dripping selves and raced up the front porch, through the store, past customers and upstairs to our apartment. I followed their wet footprints while Rachel grinned from the front register.                      June 24, 2004:      It has been such a long time since I last wrote. I'll try to catch you up on things...... On May 5, it was the one year anniversary of our store. That morning came and I thought about it briefly but then forgot about it. I went out to do a quick errand and when I came back into the store, there was a basket of beautiful flowers and a "congrats" balloon sitting on our counter. It was from one of our dear customers. She remembered....... How very sweet and kind. I was just so shocked and happy. Then the realtor came in, the one who helped us buy the store. He gave Jim a one -hundred- dollar bill and told us to give away coffee all month in remembrance of our anniversary! So we put a sign out front and all month long, coffee was FREE. Many people were so kind and wished us well.     There have been all kinds of funny, silly things that have happened and I regret that I did not write them here. I will try to do better.......     Something exciting happened this past weekend. A stranger came in and wrote some checks over the weekend. I was a bit suspicious but did not want to be unkind so we just hoped for the best. But when Monday morning came, I rushed to the bank to see if the checks were good. Of course not!! They had been written on a closed account. I called the police. They said this lady had been writing bad checks all over the county and they were going to arrest her. Can you believe it??? Horrors!!     Obviously my writing today is unclear, terrible, and boring. I better go and will hope to straighten out my thinking for another time of writing...... Later............ Rachel has been sick and in bed for the past few days so I have been doing most of her work, along with Jim and Nicole. It has been so hard. After doing so many errands and working so much, last night I was completely worn out and almost shaking. Jim was cooking in the kitchen talking to a customer. It was getting late. I went back there and said. "Hey, if you hear a loud thump, it means I fell over from exhaustion." (grins). . . But all is getting better. February 17, 2004:     I have been adding all kinds of new products to the mail order department of our store. I try to get on the computer early in the morning before the children get up and do most of the work. Jim has been letting me leave around 6:30 am or so! Yeah!!! And I have been scanning in pictures, getting codes for the credit card buttons and designing new pages. Have you "entered" our mail order department? The link is on our home page. Enjoy and please let us know what you think!  I better run. . . I hear the children waking up!! February 12, 2004:     I wanted to tell you a few things I remember from when we first got here. We came from a suburban neighborhood with a population of about 10,000 people. Here in West Charelston, however, It is very rural and from what I understand, the population is 400 or so. Quite a difference. It took us 5 hours to get here. We came with my parents, three vehicles and a u-haul. It was exciting. The first few days, Jim and I were doing a lot of errands. We needed some new mattresses, bureaus for the children, etc. So we checked out used furniture shops and found most of what we needed. Then it was off to the registry to get all the new registrations and licenses. In the meantime, whenever we brought something home, it went right through the store, in front of all the customers, to get up to our apartment! Imagine the commotion when we unloaded the u-haul!!     After a few weeks, John (age 5 at the time), was feeling homesick. He looked at me solemnly and said, "Mom, I want to go back to America." He thought we'd left the country!!!!! (ha ha ha ha ha!)     One day, the children and I wanted to explore. We decided to go across the street to check out the "river" that everyone was talking about. I grabbed Rachel and told her we had to "run" across the street. She, being too "cool" to do something so "childish", decided to just saunter, slowly, across the road, so, with a Motherly warning about the danger because of the enormous 18-wheeler trucks that fly by from out of nowhere, I went on ahead with the other children. The next thing we heard was the sound of pounding on the pavement. I turned to look. Rachel, in her high-heeled boots, was running across the street just as a truck came barrelling in her direction!! She was smiling broadly. Mother was right again. . .     On to my most recent embarrassment. . .As some of you know, I have been doing taxes. People have been coming at all times of the day and I race downstairs to get their paperwork. On one afternoon,(I was very tired), the girls rang me to come down to meet a tax client. I grabbed a folder and headed for duty. He was over near the video section at the bottom of our steps, waiting for me. Just before I reached the last few steps, somehow, I managed to slip and fall down those stairs, landing right on the floor. He was standing almost in front of me in total shock. I looked up at him and just smiled it off. "That was bound to happen." I told him, acting casual. I glanced over at my daughters who were working the register. They were rolling with laughter.      January 26, 2004:     Last Monday night, Jim was ready to go out again. This was his second time going anywhere since we've been here (in 8 months). There were times when he ran across the street to visit a neighbor, but a call from me and he had to run back over to make a pizza, or hot sub. One night he ran down the street to buy some much needed boots. Two people called to order pizzas. We told them "the cook is out, can you call back in about 20 minutes?" They were so forgiving! Very nice! And when they called back, they said, "Is the cook there yet?" (grins).     Well, Monday night, we closed the store at 9:30 pm, (as usual), packed up the children and piled into our van. It was very cold but we were dressed warmly. Jim had the greatest time driving again. He still doesn't know his way around but managed to get us to McDonalds in Derby. It was the only place open. We had a late night snack. The kids were so surprised and delighted. They had no idea what we were doing. I'll tell you how it happened. . .  I was upstairs with the children. Jim rang the bell (telling me to come down for closing). I headed downstairs and closed out the drawer and shut down the gas. Then I raced upstairs and told the children to put on their coats! They were stunned. "Where are we going?" They all wanted to know.    I told them Dad wanted to take a ride. It was beautiful outside (to look at - not the cold part - grins). We still have tons of snow which shimmers in the moonlight. It was amazing for us all to be in the car going somewhere again.  As we drove along, I pointed out some businesses that I shopped at, telling Jim about this place or that one. When we walked into McDonalds, it seemed everyone was staring. I still had my Vermont Lottery apron on (I wear it everywhere except for bed!) and there were even some people there who recognized us from the store! Jim thought that was so funny. The girls sat with me and the boys sat with Dad. I forgot to get Rachel a milkshake so I sent her and Nicole up to the register with some money. She wanted to keep the change. I just laughed. Isn't she amusing?     I know we'll do this again some night. Perhaps in the spring? What fun that will be! In the meantime, I guess it'll just be me and the children who get to go out. . . . January 15, 2004     It is 40 degrees below zero right now and I am very thankful to be able to stay indoors!! I am going to have some hot chocolate!      I don't know if we will get a lot of business today or not. We'll just have to wait and see.  .  .     December 30, 2003:     There is so much beautiful snow here. But it has been *dampened* by the rain. (grins). It's not quite as pretty now but still nicer than no snow, nonetheless. I have fallen at least four times. I will explain this for you in detail, since I know how very much you enjoy hearing about my embarrassing mishaps.....     Okay, I went out to do my errands with three of the children and by the time we got home it was a little dark outside. There were some bags in the car. I went in the store for a minute and then came back outside. I strolled across our front porch and headed down the stairs. As my boot hit the first step, I slipped and  went flying down to the ground,  landing on my hands and knees. Just then.... one of our customers drove up and saw this amusing spectacle of me trying to get off the ground. My entire dress, coat and gloves were covered in snow.....     Next.... on another day.. the children all raced into the house and I started to follow them (thankfully they don't seem to fall - it's just me!). As I began to walk I slid forward and landed flat on my side and elbow, with a tremendous thud. I am sure the gentlemen at the garage across the street got quite a laugh out of that one. (grins). I quickly got myself up, brushed off the snow and, holding my head up in the air, walked casually into the store as if that was my usual routine (fall, then walk, fall then walk.).......     Late one afternoon I was struggling to close the van door. It is very very heavy (at least to me.....). I stood firmly in the wet snow and attempted to pull the door shut. But instead of cooperating, the door yanked me onto the ground. (hmph!).  I attemped to shut the door several times, digging my heels deeper and deeper into the snow and finally after many falls, I managed to shut the door.     Okay, one more amusing tale.... Amy (who is 8) and John (he's 6) were each holding my hands one afternoon. We were walking across a supermarket parking lot. I was in the middle of them and told them to walk very carefully. As I was cautioning them, I slipped, went strait down as if squatting (still holding the children's hands who were perfectly fine) then stood back up. An onlooker thought I was just playing a game. I was smiling the whole time on my unsteady feet. But I managed to get back up, with the children protecting me, and we walked slowly into the store... The outdoors here are quite an adventure. December 10, 2003:     My parents came to spend the week with us over the Thanksgiving Holiday. They made dinner and even though the store was still open, we had a nice peaceful day. The dinner was delicious!  Some people were surprised that we were open all day. But one gentleman, around 9:00 Thanksgiving night, told Jim that he was just about out of gas and was getting worried (these are long rural country roads here), but saw our store light on and was surprised and grateful. He was able to get some gas and get home safely.     . . .  . Today was quite an experience. Early this morning, I was woken up out of a deep sleep by the sound of the telephone. It was one of our regular customers. He wanted to know if we were okay. Apparently it was 7:15 am and we were still sound asleep in bed!!!!!! The store is supposed to open at 6!! Jim and I were both horrified! It was the first time we've slept late since we've been here (in 7 months). When I went out to do some errands this afternoon, I bought 3 new alarm clocks. November 6, 2003:     I have a few things to tell you tonight...... Earlier today, I was walking the aisles, to make sure the children put all the new products away. Then I spotted the "Ramen Noodles".  These used to sell like crazy. But lately no one has been buying them. . . I finally understand why. . . Someone (one of my treasured children) priced them wrong. (huge grins) They are supposed to be thirty nine cents each, but they are marked $2.39! (shocker!!!) Well, we fixed that problem. They should sell just fine now....     During lunch time today, A customer got a slice of pepperoni and sausage pizza. Jim got it and then walked over to the register where I was. While I was ringing it in, I looked at Jim and said "Please send up 3 slices of cheese.". (You know what I mean, right? cheese pizza? for our children upstairs?? like we usually do almost everyday??) But apparently, he didn't know what I was talking about (duh!) and sent up three actual slices of American cheese. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!   ........ October 28, 2003:     The other day it was snowing here! I got up early in the morning and then headed downstairs. When I looked out the window, (behind the cash register) to turn on the gas pumps, I was shocked to see snow falling! It snowed all day and I loved it! . . . Today it is raining. I can't wait until it snows again!     The children have been sick. With five kids, it often goes through them one at a time. Well, the oldest two were sick this time and couldn't work. I sent them both to bed and we all waited on them. Anything they wanted, they just let us know.  "Fierce Grape gatorade"; "a special soup cup"; " An Arizona Iced tea". This was told to me on our intercom by one of the children. At first I said no but when they mentioned it was for "Rachel" (the sick one), I immediately sent it up! Anyway.... Rachel had a fever. I put a cold cloth on her head and she slept a lot. During the night, I would wake up and run in there to check on her. She would be sound asleep but still hot. So I would check her feet. If her feet are hot, then she is still sick, but if they are cool, then she is fine. Well, her feet were hot. All the next day, I kept checking her feet. I told her that in the old days, no one had a thermometer. Who needs one? We just check the feet (huge grins!).  She smiles and rolls her eyes at me. Today she was doing much better. When I came walking into her room, she yelled out:  "No, Mom. My feet are cold!!" But I checked them anyway. Yup... they were cold. She's all better.........     Surprisingly, Jim and I have done well working all these hours alone. I thought it would be hard. The girls always worked the afternoon shift so, while they've been sick,  I lost my long, delightful break (or, I should say, ...ahem.... my nap!).      I have not been in the mood lately to read so I've been sewing (while working the register.) I am working on a flannel toddler quilt. It is so cute with little bears and hearts on it. I am one of those people who can't stand to do nothing. Either I'm sleeping (grin) or I'm working. (or watching a show, or reading.................). But if you just "sit there". You will go crazy or get more tired than you already are. For instance, I had to take John (our 6 year old) to the denist for fillings. Now if you just sit there and watch, you'll probably "space out" and get very tired. If you read a magazine, it looks like you are an "unconcerned parent". (grin), So I sew.......     Oh, we got in some wonderful new products. All you have to do is walk in the door and look on top of our coke machine. It is fabulous! My children love it. (for those of you who can't come to the store........... We have stocked up on Radio Flyer tricycles, wagons, scooters and bikes!). We also have a new video rental company and the display they gave us is incredible. The whole system is computerized and we have .99  cent monday. You can also earn 1 credit for each rental, and after 10 rentals, your next one is free!     Did I tell you I lost those 5 pounds??? It was hard for the first few days - you know, giving up soda and snacks? But then I got used to it and I drink mostly water all day. It helps that I am too busy to eat............ October 16, 2003:      I am cleaning up the web site and trying to make it look better. I put some pictures up of the children but they were far too small. I'll have to re-scan them and try again. .  .  .     Oh, I should tell you about my favorite pickles. I love deli pickles. You know the refrigerated kind? Well, I found some from our health food distributor called "Bubbe's pickles". They are kosher and all natural - no artificial anything. Not even a trace of vinegar in them. They are so good. I wanted to sell them here but we don't have the space in the sales refrigerator so we keep them in the back. I believe we have some right now. If you want to see them, just ask, and we'll pull out a jar for you to take a look! September 6, 2003:                Did you know we have menus now? If you haven't already gotten a copy, come on in and get one.   Jim makes hot subs - meatball; chicken; or steak and cheese. We have pizza slices daily at lunchtime. I make spaghetti and meatballs with toasted cheesy garlic bread. I love to make this, because I always make extra and that's what we eat for dinner!     We have breakfast sandwiches and bagels in the morning and lots more! Did you know we even offer "kids meals?"      Better go...... the phone just rang..... hopefully its an order for spaghetti because I'm starving! August 17, 2003:     I started eating again. It was a big mistake. Now I cant stop (gasp!). I have been tasting all the new foods we carry. People will say "How does this taste?" or "have you tried this yet?" and because it is my job (sly grin), I have to test the product, right?     We have rice crispy treats with chocolate drizzled over the top. Anyone who can eat only one of these has amazing will power.     Pamela cookies are wheat free and dairy free but they taste incredibly delicious! Tonight I ran downstairs to grab a box but they were all sold out!     I made a batch of "Maple Grove Farm "orange cranberry muffins this morning and they were so good. But I stopped myself from eating a whole one because it was just too busy, and I am NOT going to eat in front of customers! We sold all but one of them.     I was staring at rows upon rows and aisles upon aisles of food and thinking of the different things I could make! Isn't it everyone's dream to live in a grocery store??     Everytime Rachel makes something new and I don't have a spare minute to go up to taste it, I tell her to "meet me on the stairs with a bowl and spoon" and I gobble down a few bites before returning to work. Yesterday it was organic shells and cheddar cheese. YUM!!!     Some very sweet and kind customers have dropped off bags of fresh produce from their gardens for our family to enjoy. So I have been telling Rachel to create new dishes to include the fresh veggies!     I think I'll make the children cucumber and cheese sandwiches for lunch tomorrow. Or wait....... was Rachel going to make egg noodles with zucchini?     Jim made a ton of pizzas tonight and I wanted to eat them! I have gone from eating a small vegetarian sub everyday to a large one (gasp! Horrors!). Will this obsession of mine continue???     Tomorrow I am going to try to avoid snacking. I am going to eat two small meals and drink lots of water. Oh, did I tell you that I gave up soda today? It was about 2 hours after I drank a cherry coke this morning. I had a "mystic" lemon black tea and a bottle of spring water. Hey, maybe that is why I ate soooo much!!! (gasp!!) I'll have to drink more.     People have been asking where the cookies are. You know,  "Amy and Mommy's cookies" that we make from scratch. I haven't done them because I was terrified I'd eat them ALL!! But I will make them tomorrow and I won't eat a single one. (Can we believe me??)     John is having a fabulous time playing with a computer game we sell, called "Firefly". It is the cutest thing which teaches phonics and spelling. The machine talks and everything. It is on the sales floor and other children come by to play with it as well.     We have these amazing old fashioned toys, which are recreated from years ago of what children used to play with. Like a "wooden mountain harmonica" a "penny whistle" a "kazoo", "Civil war drums" and a "fife." (Does anyone know how to play a fife? I haven't been able to figure it out.). I gave the children one instrument each (from off the shelf) for display purposes. They went out on the hill and had a genuine marching band!!! It was such fun. I played the wooden xylophone and also blew the wooden "train whistle" (which is the Neatest thing in the world!). It wasn't annoying or too loud or anything. - just right!     I have been reading "Good Old Days" Magazine. We haven't sold any copies yet. I think people have no idea what it is. It is such a rare, little known publication about memories from growing up during the "Great Depression.' I have such fun reading those stories, while sitting behind the register.     .......... Better go. I have been organizing the children's school books, they are so excited about starting school again. And I bought them a computer to share. We just don't have a desk to put it on (frown). Please excuse my spelling mistakes.  - Night! August 10, 2003:     I wanted to paint my nails.  (They keep breaking and I wanted to kind of strengthen them. There is nothing worse than a torn nail. It is quite painful.) So  I painted one hand and then later on in the day I did the other. Why? Because If Jim needed me downstairs, I would have ended up going down there with wet nails. How do you handle money like that? (grins).     I have gained about 5 pounds since I've been here and I'm not too happy about it. So I decided not to eat much. No snacks, etc. It worked well, I just had a lot to drink, it keeps away hunger pangs. I have been drinking a lot of cherry coke.  At first it was "cherry pepsi" but I drank all of it and we now have none in stock. Then I moved on to "cherry coke." That's almost gone. I'm now working on Dr. Pepper. (It doesn't leave much for customers to buy  -grin). I can't keep doing that so I thought I'd just have water all day. When I came down to work this morning, about an hour or so later, I was almost asleep in the chair. I quickly grabbed a caffeine infused can of soda, and perked right up. I suppose it is a necessity. . . .     Oh..... I was having fun this afternoon. Rachel and Nicole were working the register and I came downstairs on break. I walked up to the counter and "pretended" I was a customer. This is how it went......     ME:  "Yes, do you have any of those chewy granola bars?"     They both look at each other. "No, I'm sorry we don't" one of them said. I shook my head and told them it was in the aisle on the right, behind me. "You girls better get out here and start dusting the shelves, then you'll know exactly what we have!!!"     Anyway....... I had Amy dust the shelves after that......... (grin).     Oh....... someone came in today looking for water "in the gallon jug." Apparently we had none on the shelf and Jim was upstairs on break (so was Matt, who works the back room and knows everything about it). So I told the customer that I would go see. I looked in the crates and saw several gallons in the back room. But an enormous pile of empty (broken up) boxes were stacked neatly on top. So I threw them on the floor as fast as I could and grabbed a couple jugs of water then rushed out to the sales floor to give them to the customer. Then I called Matt and said "clean up the back room please" (grins).     Night.................              July 29, 2003:     I haven't written in awhile......... So I've got a little catching up to do here. We did a little remodeling in the store and now the ice cream machine is out of the kitchen and next to the deli case. That should keep it away from the heat of the pizza oven......... Okay.............. Today the cutest little boy came up to the counter (he told me he was free years old (get it? 3?)...... (grins) and he looked at our one - cent tootsie rolls on the counter and asked me (several times) "What's that, please? What's that, please???" So I, being the nice cashier that I am, told him it was a tootsie roll. He grinned at me at said, "Can I have one, please?" ..... he was just soooooo cute and so polite, I could not resist, so I handed him one and he was delighted!!     You have to hear this one........... The girls and I wear sandals all day, the kind that have straps over the top of your feet? And they leave marks on our feet. But Rachel also had dirt on her feet, from being barefoot part of the time. So later that night, John was sitting on the floor behind the cash register and I was sitting in a chair. I was slipping my sandal off and on to keep myself awake. Then John reached over and "helped" me by putting my shoe back on. But he paused...... then looked at my feet and said, "Mom? I think you have what Rachel has!"     Amy and I have started baking cookies together (from scratch). You know what confuses me around here? People call everything "homemade" but it is often a mix or something frozen they heated up. I always thought "homemade" meant you made it using your own recipe - from scratch. Anyway.......... Amy and I are having a great time making these cookies and they sell extremely well. We actually got a new stove for the deli kitchen and it is beautiful. It took me a few days to understand how it works - it is digital. So today, I was putting cookie dough onto the pan while Jim was cutting meat or something behind the deli counter. I was all alone. One customer was in the store with a little girl and they were browsing. All of a sudden I heard an alarm sound - like a beeping for a few seconds. I was startled then just went back to doing the cookies. When I turned around, I noticed the light had come on the oven to say it was "warmed up". It dawned on me that the alarm was a signal for the same thing. I was stunned and very loudly (to my great embarrassment), I called out "that's neat!!" As if Matt or Amy was nearby - but they weren't there! That customer just happened to walk by at the same moment and saw that I was a LOON talking to myself!! Can I be any more humiliated?? July 3, 2003:     It was around 5 pm and I was upstairs on break, when I decided I wanted a quick dinner.  I had to head back to work at 5:30. Rachel was working the register. I snuck downstairs in my bare feet, hoping there were no customers down there. I grabbed a "Sara Lee" pound cake from the freezer, a fruit salad from the deli case and then headed over to the dairy section for a cabot whipped cream (yum!!). Then the most horrible thing happened, as I stood there with all that food piled in front of myself. . . A customer walked in the door, and caught me shopping!!! I ran upstairs as fast as I could. When I got upstairs, I realized the cake had to defrost so I just ate the fruit salad with the whipped cream. It was scrumptious.  .  .         We are closing the store early tonight - at 9:00 so we can go see the fireworks!! This will be the first time Jim has gone anywhere in almost 2 months!! June 26, 2003:         I have humiliated myself again. It is 7:26 at night. (See how precise I am? - but notice what I did wrong......) Okay, I was on break, eating some nice, delicious soy ice cream (no we don't sell it in the store, but I wish we did!) and Rachel rang me to go downstairs. She and Nicole were working the register and it was packed. All I had to do was ring in a customer who was buying cigarettes but since it was so busy, I stayed and did a few more. Okay, the first person paid for gas and I rang it in wrong and had to re-do it. (I hit taxable and gas just isn't taxed). The guy just stared at me. I hope I did not annoy him. Then I took the five dollar bill he handed me and, ...... get this...... (sigh)..... dropped it on the floor! (gasp!!! horrors!!!) He must think I am the BIGGEST ditz ever!! Me?? I'm the one who bought the store, did all the paperwork to get it, filed all the license forms, wrote up the business plan and financial statements for the bank, and I can't even hold on to a five dollar bill??? It's just these long hours, right????  . . . . Hey. . . . How do you just DROP a five dollar bill?? I can't get over this! June 24, 2003:      We don't get very much sleep around here but we try to whenever we can. One day I told Jim I was going upstairs to check on the children. They were playing on the floor in one of the bedrooms. I laid down on the bed just for a second, started talking to them and the next thing I knew it..... It was 2 hours later and someone had just woken me up!!     Another afternoon I promised to watch a video with my youngest three. We were all excited, but right after the movie started, I was out cold.    Just before I take the children outside, I like to lay down for a minute, but the children always yell "Don't fall asleep!!!!"    There is nothing worse than being sound asleep when the bell rings. What's the bell, you ask? It's our intercom system and it means "get down here quick, we need help!" So I rush to a mirror, hope my hair is somewhat decent looking and that I have no pillow marks on my face, then I race downstairs.        So many times, particularly early in the morning, I am sitting in my chair behind the register and I lean on my hand, on the arm rest just for a few minutes. I don't know how many times I fall asleep like that but the bell from the front door always alerts me that a customer has entered, so I snap out of it and act casual, like I wasn't doing anything. . The other day, the bell didn't' ring, and I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep, when I heard a loud snap in my ear, I jumped and gasped out of sleep to find Jim standing over me laughing. He told me to go upstairs and take a nap.  I was delighted......... Do you want to know what we do for fun around here? When the store closes, we run upstairs and see who can fall asleep first. June 11, 2003:    Our picture was in the Chronicle today with a write up about our business. Talk about embarrassing!!!  (huge smile) ..... Tomorrow we begin training Nicole at the register. She's very excited.  Oh, hey, Amy and I had a great time, playing cards tonight behind the counter. We played Go fish. Then when the store got extremely busy, she went upstairs to get ready for bed. Last night, I read some stories to John and Amy behind the register. I read my favorite books of all time - Uncle Arthur Bedtime stories. They have the greatest, most adorable wholesome stories for children of all ages. If you are interested, we sell the books here in the store! Aren't  you delighted?? June 8, 2003:     Last night, a family came in to get some soft serve ice cream. The young boys were roaming around the store eating. One of the little ones dropped some of his ice cream on the front of his shirt, quite a mess. Rachel was at the counter and offered him a napkin to clean off his clothes. The boy said no thanks. Rachel tried to give him one anyway but he again declined. Finally, Rachel's mothering instincts kicked in and she said "look, either you clean off your shirt with this napkin or I'm gonna do it!" (I roared with laughter when I heard this one....) So he accepted the napkin like a good boy........ All for now. June 5, 2003:       The other day I was so tired (it was 6 in the morning) and had just finished making a batch of muffins from scratch. The children were still asleep upstairs and Jim was making the coffee. I took yesterday's muffins out of the basket and was heading upstairs to put them in our kitchen. I was in a hurry because customers were on their way into the store. I started running and then fell on my way up and landed on my hands!!! Yikes! ........ Have you wondered why I stopped making the muffins?? Try one of the Aunt Hannah's donuts instead (grins).     Last night Jim was on break, upstairs with some of the children. When we need him, we do one long ring on our phone/ intercom system and he'll come running. Often a customer needs a sub made, or wants something from the deli, like steak or hamburger. Well...... I rang him and then one of the children picked up the phone. I said, "tell Dad someone wants a soft serve ice cream". One minute later, Jim is running down the stairs. I smile. "I want strawberry, please."     All photos and writings on this website are copyrighted                  HOME