Here is my ezine for September and in the nick of time!  Happy Fall!

Fun Picture from my recent High School Girls Trip!
Left to Right, or Rather Around We Go….Jo Dallas, Leslie Arntzen, me and Kathy Rutan.

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #011…

September 30th, 2021
Watch for it every Thursday or every other Thursday or Saturday!
Actually, let’s be honest…watch for it whenever I get one finished hahahaha
Volume II  Issue 011

 

Once again it has been a crazy fun month!  It really kicked off with 3 of my high school friends coming to visit Ventura!  FUN FUN FUN.  Jo Dallas had asked me if she could come down from Bellingham for a week and hang out at the store.  For some reason, she LOVES working at the store….Let’s just call her CRAZY!

Of course, I said YES!  Then we invited Kathy Rutan to join us.  And we didn’t think she would say yes, but she did!  Then at my mom’s 85th birthday party, Jo & I were sitting with Leslie Arntzen and suggested she join us…she bought her ticket right then and there!  What a hoot!  Our first annual Sehome High School Girls Weekend was launched.  Well, let me clarify.  There used to be High School Girls trips quite a lot back in the 2000’s before our friend Jodi died of cancer in 2004.

I must share a story from one of my “100 best books” about Jodi before I proceed with this new batch of High School Girls Weekends (which by the way, I highly encourage all of you to do!  Whether it is High School Girls or High School Boys Weekend or a Coed mixture.  Wait a minute.  How fun would the Coed one be?).

This story is #50 from my 2nd 100 Best Book.  “eBay Money Making Madness”.

Here is the item that sold for A LOT of money!

That was the edited “polite” photo for my book.  Here is the fun one where we are all cracking up!  Although, we are missing Marline Gallman.  From Left to right in the FUN one back row first….Karen Harnden Haggen, Nancy Carver Walstron, JoLynn Leech Dallas, Jodi Cadman Chalfont, Lynn Dralle (me) and front row, Karen Young Bass and Monica Farrell Fetty.

OK!  Before we get to the present day “High School Girls Weekend” let me share an eBay score!  I bought these at an estate sale for $25.  Ended up selling for the best offer of $200.  Yipppeeee Skippppeeee!

Check out the auction here.

Glassware, in addition to flatware, are still some of the best categories to make real money on eBay.  Glassware is mostly unsigned so offers some real financial opportunity.  Same with flatware as it can take hours to research the pattern name.  Recently, I have found a super-easy way to identify both glassware and flatware patterns.  I will be sharing more about this in a new video that we are working on now.  ID4$.  Identification for Dollars.  Can’t wait to finish it!

Before the high school girls arrived, my mom called me on September 2nd and said, “I need you to post something on Facebook for me”.  OK…what?

Turns out that day would have been my mom and dad’s 65th wedding anniversary.  How crazy is that?  They waited 10 years to have kids just so you know that I am NOT 65 years old.  Hahahahaha!  Here is the Bellingham Herald newspaper clipping from 9/11/56.

How cute are they?  I sure miss my dad!

In wonderful news, we took 2nd place in the Best of Ventura Contest for Home Furnishings Store!  Thank you to everyone who voted!  We are so excited and honored!

As you know, we hired the best Instagram gal, Rachelle.  She is doing an amazing job.  Please Please Please follow us @LynnsConsignments on Instagram.  Check out some of her recent posts.

Lots going on at the store.  In fact, we have set dates for some classes!  OMG!  It is about time…..right?

We will do the Beginning Basic Annie Sloan Class on Sunday, October 24th from 11 to 2.  You can sign up here.

It has been so strange with my kids living in Marina del Rey.  I really do have an empty nest.  They didn’t really visit at all the first two months, but recently they have been showing up more & more and I must admit….I LIKE IT!

Houston rode his new bike ($4k) home after school from Santa Monica (where he teaches) last Friday night.  I was NOT happy about him riding part way in the dark, but he has assured me that he has super bright lights and reflective clothing.  Still not a FAN!  Here he is upon arrival!

Indy drove up to Ventura the next morning and we went out for a super fun dinner at Casa Bella with our favorite waiter Carl!  Here are the kids getting ready to leave after the weekend.  Cha Cha escaped twice around this photoshoot.

She went flying down the hill on the first escape chasing the birds.  Luckily, one of our neighbor’s front doors was open and she ducked in there.  YIKES!  The next time she went flying off of our concrete sidewall, fell about 12 feet, and landed right on her face.  Ughhhhh!  Luckily, she wasn’t hurt.  OH, the JOYS of puppy ownership!

Houston seems to be enjoying his new teaching position at St. Monica’s Catholic High School in Santa Monica.  Pretty fun Instagram post of him for their Faculty Friday.  I have to laugh because when I took a screen shot of it, I also got an alert that Cha Cha was barking!  Hahahahaha….

I was on the eBay for Business Podcast with Griff on September 7th.  Here is a link to listen to it if you missed it.  He ALWAYS cracks me up!

After the interview, he suggested that I start my own Podcast.  He said, “You would be great at it and I would be happy to help you get it started”.  WOW!  What a nice compliment.  Then he sent an email that said “Thanks again for the great interview. You are a beguiling and engaging guest!”

WOW! How sweet!  For those of you who don’t know who Griff is he was the 3rd ever employee at eBay with Pierre Omidyar back in the early early days and he is UBER famous….. at least in the eBay world!  And I LOVE Griff.

Well, I am going to take him up on his offer and I am currently working on my first Podcast.  The title is…..”Lynn’s Latest” and we will discuss all things Lynn…eBay, travel, the store, my kids, Cha Cha etc.  So excited!  For the first episodes I am going to be playing the audio I recorded for my “100 Best Books”.  Watch for an email with a link soon!

With Houston coming out to visit and dragging Indy with him for a ride home, it was just a matter of time before Indiana came out on her own!  She has come out twice this month and I LOVE it.  She just left again this morning and she made me go to the gym on Monday night and Tuesday morning.  I am exhausted!  But so much fun to have a buddy to go to the gym with.

After our Tuesday night gym we did hit up Rum Fish & Vino for some Whole 30 Approved Dinner and a few “non-approved” cocktails.  Oh well, moderation!

This Friday night, Emma and Houston will be coming out to Ventura and Indiana will join us on Saturday.  Yippppeeeeee!  This calls for a dinner out on the town!  Can’t wait to have all 3 of them here at the same time!

Enough about my kids….although it was just National Daughter and National Son Day…so here are the pictures I posted of them.  With the hashtag, I WON!  I do feel so blessed to be able to call these amazing humans MINE!

OK, now seriously, enough about my kids!  Let’s check out another eBay score before I get to the rest of the girl’s weekend which happened way back at the beginning of September.

This super fun “orgy” vase sold for $135.71 and got shipped to Massachusetts. I think I paid about $20 for it at a local estate sale here in Ventura.  Check out the original listing here.

OK, it is finally time for a recap of the high girls’ weekend! Such a blast! They all arrived on Friday and we decided to leave the Santa Barbara airport and head up to Ojai for lunch. Why not? It was a beautiful day and I LOVE Ojai! Margaritas at the Mexican restaurant….nice way to start a vacation, am I right? or am I right?

On our way down the hill from Ojai, I got a face-time call from Tiki Jason.  WTF?  I can’t possibly answer that and navigate our way back to Ventura safely.  He usually just texts me.  Then I get a text from Sandy, Tiki and Staci are were at the store waiting for us!  What in the World? as my dad would say.  Too much excitement for my high school friends’ first day in Cali.  LOL!

We raced to the store and hung out with them for a bit.  Got a cool pic in the front window.  Soooooo Tiki for Jason right?

After all of that excitement, there was more to come!  That first night we did dinner at Casa Bella in downtown Ventura.

The funniest thing that has ever happened with one of the “flower ladies” who come by the table was that Leslie said “Congratulations!  Who gave those to you?”  She, mistakenly thought that the gal had just gotten engaged.  LOL….

You see, in Washington state, no one goes from table to table selling flowers.  HAHAHAHA….it was an epic mistake and I laughed my …. off.

The next morning, Saturday, we were getting up super early to head up to Paso Robles for a TRAIN concert!  OK, OK, for those of you who don’t know me, Train is my favorite band.  Has been for a really long time.  Patrick Monahan (the lead singer) is such a talented songwriter and amazing performer.

Check out this collage that Indy made me about 15 years ago when she was 7.  You can see the things that are really important to me in her art.  LOL!  USC, Travel, Relaxing, Train, and my kids.  Something I just noticed were the words, “dream, seek, soar,  imagine, grow, laugh and smile”.  It makes me super happy to know that my kids (well Indy) see that in me.  Those are the values that I want to instill in them.  Always dream, laugh, smile, soar, and grow!

We got out of dodge early that morning, dropped off Cha Cha at Camp Love Paws in Carp (aka Club Med for Dogs), and headed up the coast.  We stopped off in Pismo for lunch, but unfortunately, it was Labor Day weekend and we couldn’t get anywhere near the beach or the restaurant we wanted to eat at.  Oh well!  We continued up the coast and I saw the signs for the “Madonna Inn”.  OMG!  I had always wanted to check that out!

We got off the freeway and headed into their parking lot.  What a trip!  We checked out the diner but it was an hour wait for a table.  No time for that!  Luckily, Jo Dallas found us 4 spots at the counter and we were all set.  Seriously, so much fun!  I LOVE road trips and spontaneous adventures and none are more fun than with girls you have known for over 40 years!  Crazy? huh?

Here we are at the lunch counter! and here we are checking out the pink dining room.  Can’t wait to go back and eat in that restaurant!  Gonna take my mom…she would LOVE it!

After lunch, we went to the gift store.  So much fun!  Somehow, Jo and I convinced all the girls to buy the robes that matched the Hotel’s carpet.  What a great keepsake from a super fun weekend.  Here we are all wearing our robes by the matching cow!  Oh, you gotta love your oldest and dearest friends that are UP for anything!

After the Madonna Inn, we headed up to our hotel in Paso Robles.  Did a quick change and met my super good friends from my May Company days, Brad & Beth, at a restaurant for Happy Hour before the concert.  What a whirlwind!  Just the way I like it!

B&B dropped us off at the concert. What an amazing venue! The Vina Robles Amphitheatre. Seriously! We had great seats and got to stand up in front of the stage the entire show. One of my favorite Train songs is “When I Look to the Sky…Something Tells me You’re Here with Me and you Make Everything Allright” because it reminds me of my sister.

I know I tell this story a lot, but it really defines me and my family. My little sister, Kiki, passed away at age 41 and left her two boys Zach and Kai (only 5 and 3 at the time). I miss her every day and wish I got to spend more time with my nephews.

Anyway, more on that later. Here are a few fun pics from the concert.

After the concert, we TRIED to head back to the hotel.  There was an accident in front of the exit so it took FOREVER to get an Uber.  Oh well!  I was a little drunk (I must admit) and decided that I MUST have a Mcdonald’s Cheeseburger.  How many of you have been there?  HAHAHAHA.

In any event, we walked over to McDonald’s, and try as we might (Thank you Leslie) they would not serve us without a car.  Well, seriously?  Who is going to drive after all that?  NO ONE!  Well, it turned out that my BFF from high school, Kathy Rutan had not had a drink all evening.  WAY to go KTR!

She drove me in the SUV about 2 blocks through the drive-through.  What a friend!  The next day another one of my friends posted this on Instagram and I couldn’t have laughed out LOUD more LOUDLY.  LOLOLOLOL LMAO…..What a great end to an EPIC NIGHT!

The next day we headed back to Ventura.  W did hit some thrift store in SLO (San Luis Obispo) and I found some GREAT stuff!  We ended up having lunch in Pismo Beach at the Beach…so much fun!  And made it to Club Love Paws just in time to pick up the Cha.  We decided to have a low-key night in Ventura.  Ate leftovers and watched a movie.

The girls were leaving the next day, but I had arranged for a super fun surprise.  Massages out on my deck.  Mimosas and a full breakfast cooked by yours truly!

I put the girls in an Uber around 3 pm. What a great end to a great weekend! Can’t wait for our annual High School Girl Friend weekend next year. We have already extended invites to some of our favorites and hope to have about 8 girls next time!

Just a heads up. We are hiring. I am looking for some part-time help to get us through the holiday season. Must be motivated, outgoing, and good with people and computers. Just respond to this email if you are interested.

So back to the story of my sister, Kiki, and my nephews who we call “the little boys” because quite frankly that is who they were when she passed.  Kai was 3 and Zach was 5…can’t get much littler than that.  The last time they were in Ventura was 2 1/2 years ago for Spring Break.  As y’all know, Covid hit and they haven’t been able to visit.  I get to see them here and there when I visit Bellingham, but there is just something so special about the times that they get to come to California to see us here.

SOOOOOOO, in amazing, great, awesome, fantastic, and fun news…. I just got a text from their dad and he is letting them come to visit for Christmas.  OMG OMG OMG….I am soooooo doing the happy dance!  Just bought their plane tickets and am trying to plan a Disneyland trip that won’t cost more than $5,000.  LOL.  Just kidding, but not really.

Here is a picture of them 7 years ago cracking crab on my mom’s deck with my dad, Indy, and my mom.  They were 8 and 6 then.  When they visit this holiday they will be 15 and 13.  I am going to put them to work in the store for a few days, so please stop by and say hi…they are so darling, well-behaved, and talented.  My sister would be sooooo proud!

My sister’s 52nd birthday would have been this coming Saturday, October 2nd.  Two years ago we had a 50th birthday party for her at my mom’s beach house.  Crazy that 9 years after she passed away from cancer that she could rally such a crowd.  That was my sister!  Full of life and I miss her so much!  Here we are at her 50th birthday celebration.

In a Kiki tribute for her 52nd birthday, I would like to share a few of my favorite photos. Thanks for indulging me.

The first one is Kiki and her boys taken before her hair fell out and about 8 months before she passed away.  The next one is on the grass at my house in Palm Desert.  I soooooo LOVE this photo.  The last two are her with Houston (Goosie) and Indiana.  She was my nanny when the kids were first born.  Her kids were born 10 years exactly after Houston and Indy.  Houston was 1996 and Zach was 2006.  Indy was 1998 and Kai 2008.  So weird…don’t you think?

Just a reminder of Our CURRENT HOURS:

Tuesday through Saturday 11 am to 5 pm
Sundays 11 am to 3 pm

We took in so much great stuff this week!  Please stop in and see us!  The best way to see new stuff before it sells is to follow us on Instagram.  @LYNNSCONSIGNMENTS Baby!  Please follow us NOW!

Here is a fun look at the new shipment of Baggu that just arrived.  We have pillow cases, bath  towels and all sorts of new Baggu reusable bags!

In addition, we are getting in some of the new baggu hats this week/next week.  They just shipped out of San Francisco.  Soooooo exciting!

We have also gotten in a ton of brand new pillows.  Our pillow aisle is waiting for you with lots of great original prices and markdowns!

For those of you who don’t know how our pricing works….on consigned items…Every 30 days the prices are marked down 20% for two markdowns.  The price tag will show dates and lower prices.  If the date has passed.  Lower price.  Here is an example.

Before I forget, in such amazing & exciting news, I have been shopping for a house for some time now.  One of my friend’s from high school, Marty, went with me this past Sunday to open houses.  Here are our dogs at breakfast before the search.

Here they are after the search.  A day of house hunting, open houses and crazy prices will do this to just about anyone….even a dog!

I must admit that this is how I have been feeling house hunting in this marketplace, but drum roll please! I made an offer on a darling house in the Montalvo area and it was accepted this morning! I am doing the happy dance and we have just bought a HOUSE!!!!! So exciting. We should close mid November, but I will probably wait to move in until after Christmas. I will keep y’all posted!

And, just one final eBay score! These two Cordon Bleu Coffee Mugs sold for my asking price of $67.99. Hard to believe isn’t it? Check out the auction for those mugs here.

For those of you interested in learning more about selling coffee mugs on eBay, I did write a pretty awesome eBook on how to do it. Check it out here.

Oh and one last picture of Carlos.  He has decided that my new “Madonna Inn” robe is the bomb and exactly where he wants to lay his head each night.  LOL!

October is Breast Cancer awareness month and in honor of that, one of our front windows will be PINK!  My grandmother was a survivor of not only breast cancer, but also breast cancer of the lungs and breast cancer of the hip bone.  This was years ago (back in the 1980’s) and I used to drive her to the Group Health facility in Seattle for her treatments.  She had an amazing Doctor (Dr. Toby) who had her take Tomoxifin and it literally saved her life.

Sandy, who works in the store, is also a survivor of breast cancer. All of my employees have become like family to me.  Here we are with Sandy at Dukes for dinner last week before an Improv show at Pepperdine with Colin Mochrie from Who’s Line is it Anyway?

We are so grateful for all of the breast cancer research that has allowed these two amazing women (my grandma & Sandy) to survive.  Sandy is donating this awesome HOT Pink Breast Cancer bike to the cause and we will be raffling off tickets to win it this month with 100% of all funds raised going to Breast Cancer Research.  Come on in and support this cause that is so dear to all our hearts!

Here is what that front window looks like so far….I know I know….I snuck a pink Christmas tree in there. LOL!

Take care and we hope to see you soon!  Sandy, Peggy, me and
Val!

Thanks for reading my ezines!  I appreciate it….as always!

eBay with Heart & Design with Heart……Lynn

 

P.S.  All of the professional photos I use on Instagram, Facebook and in these newsletters were taken by my friend Denise’s daughter, Jaclyn Sabo.  She is amazing!   To learn more about Jaclyn….https://www.jaclynszabo.com/

P.P.S.  If you have a friend who wants to sign up for this newsletter.