And I Thought The Last Mess Was Bad

I cleaned up after the last mess, but then made an even bigger one.

I have been working night and day to get ready for the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair.  It is taking an incredible amount of time and energy, which is strange, because I've been doing shows for years now, and more or less have it down to a science, at least in the packing department.  So I was laying in bed last night thinking about the reasons why this show is so different.  Here's what I came up with:

1.  It's the first time we're doing this show and we want to make a good first impression

2.  It's a three day show (all our others are one or two days), so we need more inventory to sell

3.  It's a thousand miles away, so we need to sell more to cover the gas and the extra nights at the hotel

4.  Pete and I just downsized from an SUV to a station wagon, so we can't fit as much inside the car

It's become a giant puzzle for me to solve.  I am figuring out what to leave home and what to take, how much to take of one thing, what I can put under the car seats, what will fit in the car top carrier and so on and so on.  I bought some Space Bags -- those bags you vacuum pack sweaters in for the winter -- to pack patterns and wool in.  And I have decided to use Pete and Clara's ski bags for extra storage for soft stuff on top of the car, since the car top carrier only takes up half the roof.  We'll see how everything fits . . .  

So if you see a charcoal gray Subaru wagon speeding across the green fields of the Midwest with what looks like ski equipment tied to the roof, don't laugh -- wave!  It'll be me and Barb making our way to Grayslake.  Hope we see you there.