A Request for the Local Crowd . . .

Please join us a the store all day Wednesday (June 2) as we wish Charlotte Adkins a happy retirement on her last day at Marco's! If you're coming for either/both of the Make It/Take Its, please bring along some snacks to share. And if you're making a card for Charlotte, how about bringing along a second one unassembled so she'll have some projects to keep her busy!

Charlotte has been with us for the better part of ten years, first at the mail center and then at the store.  We hate to see her go – and we will envy her in the winter when she’s warm and comfy and we’re freezing (she’s heading to Florida).  So join us for a special day and help us say goodbye.

Apparently, I Can’t Spell . . .

I have never used spellcheck -- don't even know how to turn it on. But had to do some stuff on a computer at the store on Wednesday morning, and an e-mail came in there that I needed to answer. Apparently, spellcheck is turned on there . . .

Command Performance . . .

It still amazes me that over the years our store has become a vacation destination.  Seriously – we like to get away from Dayton.  But occasionally I’ll get an e-mail in advance from someone who is making the pilgrimage.

I got one about a month ago from Lynn Keller – she lives in Beaverton, Oregon, and was planning a cross-country trip.  Lynn and I have e-mailed back and forth since she discovered that we share the same alma mater.  She was stopping to visit family and friends along the way – first in Wisconsin, then near Cleveland (where she grew up), and finally in upstate New York.  And she wanted to make a side trip to our store (look at it on a map – Wisconsin to Dayton to Cleveland is a serious side trip) to see it in person and take in the Free Make It & Take It on Wednesday morning.

Oh yeah – Lynn had a special request.  She wanted to meet Zoe.

Zoe usually doesn’t come to the store on Wednesdays, but this was too good to pass up.  So in we came about 9:45 this morning – heard the usual “Zoe’s here” from the MITI crowd, and then saw a lady peek around some shelves, smile and wave.  It was Lynn . . .

I didn’t get my cell phone out fast enough to snap a picture when Lynn leaned down to greet Zoe and got a nice lick on the face.  They hit it off quickly and visited for quite a while.

Of course, Zoe thinks everyone who comes into the store is her new best friend, so she got distracted from time to time.

Cyberspace is amazing – Lynn rattled off several names that I know (from all over the country) that she corresponds with regularly.  Said she couldn’t bring herself to tell them where she was going today since none of them had been here before.

From one dog lover to another – thanks for stopping by, Lynn!

Patience Is a Virtue That I Don’t Have Today . . .

It's coming . . . it's coming . . . but I'm getting impatient!   The changeover is complete and the new website is active!  But it will apparently take up to a day or two for all servers to recognize it -- in the meantime, you'll still see the old one (like I am).  When you see this image on the homepage (I took this shot from the “staging site”), we will officially enter the "new" century . . .

A Gift for the Grandparents, and How to Keep a Four-Year-Old Occupied . . .

We are in Saint Paul, Minnesota this weekend at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.  Friday was setup day – and when Karen arrived, Sue Rothamel from USArtQuest had a surprise for her . . .

She brought a big balloon to display in the booth, complete with music when you touch the button.  Karen was thrilled – and then she had a “surprise” for Sue, who had misread the posts.  It’s a boy . . .

Then my smart-aleck comeback set Sue to work with a magic marker – I guess we’ll know in 20 years or so whether little Scott ends up growing the facial hair . . .

We haven’t been here for a few years, but our “experienced” local helpers were back on the job – Jan and Leo Viktora and their daughter Kristina were all over the booth helping us put everything in place.  Kristina brought her four-year-old son, Christopher.  Of course we put him to work, too . . .

And he entertained us in the process.  Christopher helped us bring shelves in, two at a time.  And all of our kids have gotten two-wheeler rides back and forth to the truck.  He also got a liftgate ride, but since I had a little trouble staying on a few weeks ago, I let Grandpa handle that one.

Kristina brought cartoons on the laptop for later in the day, but Christopher gets the credit for creating a good place to sit . . .

At Last, Pictures . . .

After four days, Scott & Alexis have finally posted photos of Karen & David’s new grandson. This is not a time for verbiage, so I will simply step aside. Presenting Scott Thomas David Ihle, born at 9:37 p.m. on Friday, May 7. 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 20” long.

The proud parents requested some time alone with their son before the grandparents invaded North Carolina. That said, I am shocked that Karen is still here, and even more shocked that she is heading to Minnesota for the show this weekend. Alexis’ mom didn’t last a day . . .

Dreams DO Come True . . .

Karen called me about 11:15 last night.  This is not a time when I am usually coherent, and I was prepared to be just a little bit snippy when I answered the phone.  But this was no ordinary phone call – Karen was flying high and needed no airplane.  Her lifelong dream had come true – she and David are grandparents.  Their son and daughter-in-law (Scott and Alexis) welcomed their son into the world about 9:15 Friday evening.  First child, and less than three hours of labor – amazing!  No particulars yet, but all are doing well.  Pictures and vitals will follow when they’re available.

Tweety Jill Comes to Marco’s

Every time I think I have seen it all, something new happens to my surprise and (often) delight.  I just got back from the store, where I was taking pictures from Day Two of Jill Haglund’s visit to Marco’s along with shots of next week’s Free Make It & Take It projects.  Just as I was finishing, I heard someone say “the bird is here”, and I had no idea what it meant . . .

This is what it meant – Pam Seitz had gone home to get her bird, Jasmine, to have its picture taken with Tweety Jill.  How fitting.

Jill came in on Thursday evening, and brought all kinds of boards and samples and such to show off her talents -- the masses were amazed.  And you just have to love someone who uses old Pepsi crates to cart her stuff around . . .

These pictures are from her “Tag Art” class on Friday afternoon.

And the store has many displays of Tweety Jill products.  Yes, they will be on the new website – as soon as I make sure that I have them all.  Every time I look, I see something new!