Beloved Storyteller, David Shelton

David Shelton is nationally beloved for his ability to hold an audience rapt with humorous and stirring tales that leave us feeling closer to God and to each other.

Own these performances in book, CD, or DVD format to enjoy in your home and share with your family:
~ The Great King
~ The Innkeeper's Dream
~ Root, Blossom, and Thorn

Now available in The Living Room.

Praying, partying, and sweeping up. Also: New books in The Living Room!

Pre-Script: Almost forgot to mention one of the highlights of today: Laurie Sperry dropped by and announced the very good news that the U.S. Post Office has signed a lease and will be moving into the current city hall building in the very near future, right on the border of our parking lot! Thanks to God for His favor on our community.
United States Postal Service approves long term lease for Kenmore Post Office

This morning, The Living Room hosted Kenmore Prayer Circle's prayer for the city, as we do every Friday morning at 8:30. It's always a blessing to consider how we are connected with others in the city, in the region, and around the world in prayer to our amazing God.

When we opened TLR at 10, it became like being at a party, so many people coming and going! I'm continually delighted by the many people who stop in on their way to or from Dr. Minahan's dental clinic (always raving about the wonderful care they receive there), from The Jewel Box (always proclaiming, "I love John!"), from Ichiban Teriyaki (sorry we've made some customers late for their pickup when they get distracted looking through The Living Room :^), and from Master Shin's TaeKwanDo. And of course, we love the folks who come through after shopping at Grocery Outlet, but they can't stay long because they've got food in the car that needs to get home to the refrigerator! Now they've found us, we know they'll be back :^)

One of our consignors, Olivia Cohnheim, came in with new swatches of fabric for those who might want to take their new purchases to Jeffries Upholstery for new covers [425-485-7363‎]. Can't you just imagine this beautiful old camelback sofa restored to its original splendor?

We also learned from Olivia that the little retro kitchen stool on sale in TLR for $20 was a wedding present to a Kenmore couple 62 years ago:

Good thing the afternoon slowed down, so I could take care of some of those little administrative details, like sweeping the alley and ordering more cupcakes from Kittyhugs Baking Company. One of our authors, Karen Olson, was so kind to keep an eye on the store while I was out back sweeping. Her two books, "The Nixons: A Family Portrait", co-authored with President Nixon's brother, Ed Nixon, and "The Platinum King: Andrew Olson's Story" are among the latest additions to our growing book shelf.

We are also glad to announce that Darren Twa's book, "God's Value System", is now available at The Living Room. Pastor Darren has developed a relationship seminar based on the principles found in the Gospels: What God values is sacrificial love for the benefit of others. The most potent example of this love is Jesus, God the Son, dying for us on the Cross. Twa's seminar opens up ways this truth can heal and bless our human relationships, as well. More information at this site: http://godsvaluesystem.com/seminars.html

Taking the topic from the sublime to the silly, I confess I get a little attached to certain items for the short time we have them in The Living Room. Among the pieces we said good-bye to this week were a couple of favorites: a lovely old writing desk and a 1929 Sparton Radio Cabinet:

Bring us your home furnishings shopping list!

So thankful for a Wednesday of many blessings as old friends and new gathered and mingled, as conversations, prayers, and visits ebbed and flowed through The Living Room. People came in with smiles, ideas, and shopping lists; went out with hugs, cupcakes, bracelets, and furniture :^)

Thanks to Sheila Amos for the wonderful floral valence. I've never seen such a long one, and it's going to be perfect over our eastern windows. Thanks to her husband and fellow Promise Player, Chuck Amos, who took the two electric typewriters away for cleaning, in prep for our ebay debut.



Thanks to Kathy, Margo, Kim and Robin for all showing up at once to keep me company while Elisha Ann is away at a conference. Your friendship and prayers were part of a memorable day in The Living Room. 


Thanks to all the shoppers and browsers who walked in to bless us with your presence.

Whose are These?

That's what I wonder as I prepare consigned furniture to sell to its new owner. That owner is out there, and it's our job to help them find this piece :^)

Reminds me of a poem that Winnie-the-Pooh wrote...hmmm, how did that go?...Thanks to the A.A.Milne fan who posted this gem on the internet so I don't have to rummage through book shelves to find our copy (the posting omitted the last line, so I hope I have remembered it correctly?):

"On Monday when the sun is hot,
I wonder to myself a lot,
Now is it true, or is it not,
If What is Which and Which is What?

On Tuesday when it hails and snows,
The feeling on me grows and grows,
And hardly anybody knows,
If Those are These or These are Those.

On Wednsday when the sky is blue,
And I have nothing else to do,
I sometimes wonder if it's true,
If Who is What and What is Who.

On Thursday when it starts to freeze,
And owl-frost sparkles on the trees,
How very readily one sees,
If These are Those, then Whose are These?

On Friday, ... on Friday, ... oh bother, what did happen on Friday?"

"Who doesn't like cupcakes?" Thankfully, the answer is, hardly anyone!

We are so encouraged by the many people who come in and love our ecclectic shop. I should collect the comments and replay them when we need a boost:

"Are you the cupcake lady?"

"Hey, you do chair massage? I'm so up for that!"

"I love this place!"

"Oh, look! This is so cute!"

"So lovely!"

And my favorite today (said with enthusiasm), "Who doesn't like cupcakes?"

As readers, can you match the comments to our merchandise? (Some answers may be used more than once :^)

• Quality secondhand home furnishings, art, and books
  
• Original art and crafts
  
• Books by local authors
• Coffee, tea and treats
• And yes, chair massage!
  

Am I overlooking anything? Hmm, yes, the IBM Selectric! It's either a collectible or a boat anchor, depending on the buyer.

Friday is a good day for cupcakes, chairs, and lamps.

Quite the combo==cupcakes, chairs, and lamps==but that's what we have plenty of in The Living Room this Friday, Sept 18. Lemon, chocolate, and red velvet cupcakes. Brocade, oak, and green velvet chairs. Brass, wooden, glass, but no velvet lamps.
 
We're still enjoying the small happinesses of new steps. Today our credit/debit card reader came, and it works. A coffee bought by any other means would taste as good, but sometimes that card comes in handy, doesn't it? Just as long as we pay it off each month.

I've misplace my glasses, so here's hoping this blog entry doesn't have too many typos :^)

Looking forward to another day sharing life in The Living Room.

A busy day, even though we're closed Mondays

It was fun to be in the shop today, puttering around on Monday when we are closed. Shared a late breakfast of peach pie (not on our TLR menu, sadly) with one of our watercolor artists, Liz Marshall, and her dad, Bob Marshall, back from the Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival. As the day moved along, had a string of people drop by for coffee, tea, cupcakes, and a look around. Glad I was here for them!

When you are up in the Bothell/Kenmore area looking for good quality secondhand furniture, original art and gifts, along with coffee, tea, and a cupcake or such, here's what our sign looks like:

We're a hidden treasure worth seeking, to the west of Grocery Outlet at 67th and 181st in Kenmore, behind the old city hall. In addition to the market items on our sign, our book selection is small but growing. If you come by when we are closed, check to see if we're in here working; you'll be welcome to come on in. Check our google listing for coupons!


We've tweaked our open hours:
Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 6 pm
Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sundays and Mondays: Closed.
Also, our lovely shop is available for special events by appointment after or before hours.

Sunny weekends are good...for being out and about

One good thing about a sunny day when you are in the store and your customers are out in the sunshine is that you can catch up on paperwork and research. Aside from greeting a few friends in search of a good cup of coffee and a cupcake, Saturday was a good day for paperwork. And for learning about rattan furniture.

What do you think of this lovely 5-band rattan chair and ottoman? This vintage set is at least 40-50 years old. Older ones often have 6 to 10 bands. The style shows the influence of Austrian-American designer Paul T. Frankl. His Art Deco furniture, in rattan and other materials, helped launch the modern, streamlined look of the 1920's through the 1950's.

Did you know that, unlike bamboo, rattan is solid, and although it is as strong as iron, it becomes as flexible as a garden hose when you steam it? It is relatively lightweight (I'm pretty sure these cushions weigh more than the rattan). Designers have had lots of fun with these qualities, as you can see in the photos.

The chair and ottoman of this set fit together to form a chaise longue (or chaise lounge, as it's come to be called in America). Reminds me of deck chairs on cruise ships in old movies.






Sunday, we had a great afternoon at the Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival. Saw lots of beautiful, creative, and fun art, some of which we hope will be found in The Living Room soon. And we're so glad, now the festival is over, that Liz Marshall's pieces are back on our gallery wall:

Triple Treat Thursday...

Before my Thursday report, let me remind you to head to the 44th Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival, tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday, Sept 11-13, 2009. Be sure to look for Liz Marshall and her beautiful watercolors. Info at http://www.mukilteofestival.org/







SO, today: In the game of "Daddy, may I?", our little business got a big "yes" for 3 giant steps, plus some forward dancing:

1) Enjoyed climbing the 10' ladder and changing the reader board for the first time myself. Agile Noah did it the first time. Hope to get the photo up soon, but here's what it's about:

     "Consignment Gallery Art Gifts and Tea"
     "Cupcakes Brownies Scones Oh My"

(Thanks so much, Kim R., for handing me letters that dropped and for guiding the spacing, as I was too close to tell.)

These brownies when warmed remind me of those little molten chocolate cakes.

2) Comcast Scott came! We now have phone and internet at The Living Room! Yay and thanks to God. 425-877-1074.

3) NW Merchant Services Stacia came! We are now signed up to take credit/debit cards, and hope to have that working by early next week. Another learning curve.

The dancing forward is all the wonderful people we were privileged to see in The Living Room today, coming in for visits, for walk-through's, for thoughtful pauses by favorite pieces, for cupcakes, for books, etc.

Praying you will know that your Friday is blessed in God's love,
Katie

Exploring north of the Cupcake Belt

Do a Google search on "cupcakes 98028" and you'll see a string of cupcake vendors forming a belt across Seattle/Bellevue at 47.64 degrees latitude. But what's available for cupcake lovers searching for "a little something", as Winnie-the-Pooh would say, in the far north? Say, at latitude 47.76 in Kenmore?*

Look closer on that google map and you'll find us. Currently we are the dot (reminiscent of a cupcake sprinkle) at the top of Lake Washington. Help us turn our dot into a "letter A" listing by using our "$3.50 cupcake + coffee" coupon on google maps: www.tinyurl.com/tlr-map.

I don't think you can find a better cupcake than Kittyhugs' lemon. But then, again, there's the chocolate...
Pair either with our fresh-brewed coffee and dig in.

It's a win-win :^)

Especially if you bike. [We are so thankful for our new bike rack!] Take a "north" off the Burke Gilman Trail at 68th Ave NE in Kenmore, and head for The Living Room just across Bothell Way NE in Kenmore Plaza off NE 181st and 67th Ave NE.

*I was determined to find actual latitudes for this important Cupcake Report, and finally found a great interactive map at http://forecast.weather.gov/ If you know of a better option, please let me know. My fascination with these technical details has been stirred. Guess that makes me a piqued geek.

-KTR

New music in The Living Room: "Step of Faith"!

Today, we moved a little bit faster in The Living Room, enjoying the lively harmonies of "Step of Faith", the debut CD of 3 very talented local women: Emily Swanby, Aliya Rose Kunz, and Brittany Menzies. Their voices soar, their harmonies ring, their rhythm moves your feet, and their lyrics lift your heart.

I'm home now, enjoying listening via their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/stepoffaith0 The production quality is just tops.

You can buy their CD online, but how much more fun to get it at The Living Room for essentially the same price because there's no extra shipping cost. And, of course, no waiting. Mention this blog when you buy Step of Faith's new CD at The Living Room and enjoy a coffee or tea at half price :^) 

(Cash or check only until we get our credit card processing set up. Thanks!)

Read more about Step of Faith online at their myspace or http://www.step-of-faith.com

We've invited Step of Faith to sing in person in The Living Room, so stay tuned for details.

"He put a new song in my heart, a hymn of praise unto our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."

Phone number coming to a Living Room near you!

Step by step, walking in the light or waiting for more. We're looking forward to the next step: phone and internet in The Living Room. Thursday, September 10, Lord willing. Meanwhile, we're sustaining ourselves on prayer, hope, and KittyHugs Baking Company cupcakes. New delivery September 3 at 10 a.m., just in time for morning tea. Come join us :^)

Small things that made my heart soar today

Oh, I am so happy. Silly, really, but let me enjoy a lighthearted moment over a simple, temporary thing. Look what happened down at TLR today:

That's right, the sun set in soft beauty! (If you enlarge the image, you can see our beloved Kenmore crows spelling out praises to God in the sky. I can't read it, of course, because it's in crow, but I'm sure that's what they are doing.)

Actually, the big news is that Larry Ormbrek of Sign Up Sign Company came and lettered our big overhead sign. I wanted to capture the moment, but my camera is not working. Thank God for friends who are over and above the norm, as Laurie Sperry was when I called and rousted her from a quiet evening at home to come and immortalize Sign Up Day. She got to TLR in the dusk in time to catch these pictures of my son Noah with a friend, Michael DesGrosseilliers, setting the sign in place. Laurie's very able photographer son, John Hieber, was kind enough to lighten the first and last images so you can see us, even though the evening was farther progressed than it appears:

 

 

After this next picture was taken, we took down the paper signs and put up our first reader board message. Hope to show you a photo of that in the next few days. Or, better yet, come by and see it in person :^)

 
 

  

I'm so giddy, we are ordering LEMON CUPCAKES from Kittyhugs Baking Company in addition to our usual scones. I remember when my 12-year-old son, Christopher, took his first bite of a KH lemon cupcake, he was heard saying to himself very matter-of-factly through a mouthful of frosting, "I don't see how it could be any better."

This morning, I prayed to release a sense of continual pushing and climbing and scrabbling. So, I'm doubly grateful for an evening when a major step was finished, amidst the support and fellowship of friends. Thanks to God and thanks to all!