I felt like screaming 'the sky is falling, the sky is falling!'...but then again, maybe I am taking this 'move' a little too hard.

For those of you who know what I am talking about - you have barely a week to clean the place out - with finds from 10-50% off! For those of you still in the clouds, check out a past blog on a favorite antique co-op of maybe thousands...millions?!

Anyhow, this is not a closing per se, but a simple move to the other end of town...Mayfair Antiques can be found at Salzburg Square in Amherst off of Route 101.

Evening everyone...my goodness did April get here in a hurry. I guess this is the opportunity to say goodbye and thank you as I was offered a full time writing gig with the NY Times - my own column - a very un-sex in the Townie kind of column. Thanks for reading and

catch me in the Times.....oh alright...

April Fools!

...I can dream can't I!?

Ok so it's late and my titles are either so painfully boring or just plain dumb nonsense. So what I want to tell you about is a great deal come March 24th & 25th at the Notchland Inn in truly romantic and tiny [the smallest town in NH by the way]Hart's Location, NH. Doesn't the town name alone beg you to go!

The northern sap has been running and just simply touring in and out in a day isn't enough. Take a peek at this Inn and just maybe you'll be convinced to spend the weekend...so check availability now and have something to look forward to come the end of March!

Afternoon everyone! Glad to be back and mostly unpacked from a week of camping up on Lake Ossipee, New Hampshire. Let me get settled a bit, and get ready for some reading! Talk soon...Kimberly

Morning Everyone...

Just writing again to let you know of my absence next week. We are heading up to Lake Ossipee to camp for the week. Stay tuned for the blogs of that area to be posted upon my return! Have a great week and keep writing!

Take Care
Kimberly

Evening Everyone!

Just back from the Outer Banks? Has anyone been there before? Never in my life would I imagine drinking my coffee each morning with wild mustangs, deer, rabbit, fox and even praying mantis'! All on a white sand beach with no roads, just four wheeling your way over 10 miles of soft beach, praying you don't get stuck and waste valuable wave time. Anyway, happy to be back and thanks for writing in, I will get to the Mailbag ASAP and ready up some other topics I have been working on....hope you've been having fun in New Hampshire!

'Talk' soon!
Kimberly

Hi Everyone!

Happy for me I am going on vacation for the next week, not so happy for you! Please keep writing, and keep me in touch with what you've been doing in NH! 'Talk' to you when I get back! Take Care

Kimberly

I was thinking about unique information to get to my readers heading North in the great state of NH. After all, it is ski season. The answer chased me down. Exits.

Everyone wants to get there quick. Work is out, play is on the agenda, and pit stops are a bummer. There are times I won't drink for hours just so I can make a 2 hour jaunt without stopping for the potty. And now that snow has fallen, the skiers and the sledders undoubtedly head north as soon as they can, whenever they can. If you're leaving today for an extra long weekend...take note that the roads are a wintry mix of snow, ice and rain...worth your while to have a long brunch and get going around noon.

Choosing the proper Exit is indeed an art - Does it have coffee? Goobers? Gas? Tylenol? ATM? Bathrooms worth a visit? Or does emptying the bladder in the breakdown lane seem less risky? The proper Exit will have the essentials, and let me tell you, the decision has become even more pertinent since having kids. When one has to pee, one has to pee. If one soaks through the pants, one soaks through the car seat, and if one soaks through the car seat, everyone's in tears. And it takes a long time to dry out a car seat.

Head north the safe way...please read on...

Route 3 North [also confusingly known as the Everett Turnpike in towns like Nashua or Merrimack, oh yeah and then it turns into 293 North around Manchester - the signs don't help - just drive straight]:

Exit 1 - Right over the border from Massachusetts. Exit 1 sits there like a candy bar begging to be ripped open. Don't do it. Especially on a Saturday. That's the Exit to NH's largest shopping extravaganza - everyone's out there, all the time. Drive past and wave...cross your legs and keep going till Exit 6...repeat Exit 6.

Exit 6...ahhhh, heaven. Exit 6 not only has a jazzed up Visitor's Center with spotless bathrooms, but also, gas, Green Mountain [ok so it's not my state] Coffee, and a Psychic Reader! Oh don't give me that,... I know that you know that you want to know if he's going to pop the question on your romantic ski weekend! She seems to be open all the time, and since I was a kid!

Exit 11 is a perfect solution to any problem. Less than a 1/2 mile off the Exit, in either direction, you have a Burger King with giant indoor kids play area, Gas and convenience store, a car wash [is looking good at the slopes an image thing?], Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts, and for those who want to slow down a bit and enjoy life's pleasures...the Common Man. If you don't know the Common Man, look for an upcoming blog...

Exit 12 - Avoid! There is no Northbound Exit to get back on the highway!

Route 293 North through Manchester:
Just keep going until the State Liquor stores, pass the Hooksett tolls [keep $.75 handy unless you have EZPass].

Live Free or Die is our motto for a reason. Where else have you seen the biggest liquor stores in your life, right off the highway? The Liquor Store Exits are a great place to get to a bathroom, not to mention fill the trunk of your car with libations to warm any chilled bones that occur later.

Route 93 North:
Exit 14 - Has it all...Gas, ATMs, vittles, and restrooms. Even a major grocer to fill the car now, rather than later. Easy off and back on.

Exit 20 - Home to the Tilton Outlets. Everyone knows what they can find at an Outlet Center. Moving on...

Exit 23 - Out of sight is a huge Dunkin Donuts and an Irving gas station with quick stop store, less than a minute off the Exit.

Now that you're in ski country I will leave you here...

If you decided to head Northwest up Route 89:
If you've traveled 89N you know that Exits are quite a stretch from each other, each distance growing wider as you near the Vermont border. There is no better place for everything than Exit 9 in Warner. Exit 9 has McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Subway, TCBY, and 2 gas stations with lots of pumps. There's a major grocer if you want something more healthy to nibble on - my choice is always a box of TLC multigrain crackers and a hunk of sharp cheddar. And take special note that the Mobil has a spic and span bathroom, that even the Duchess of York would hover over.

This marks the winter that our oldest son, and maybe our youngest son, will strap on those skis and hurl themselves down an icy mountain. And they're only, 6 and 4. My husband says it will be fine. I say meet me in the lodge with a drink. I've had 3 knee surgeries and likely more to come, so the idea of skiing down an ice laden, tree lined mountain scares the life out of me. Aren't mountains for hiking UP? All my woes aside, there is an exciting opportunity in NH to allow some older kids to make runs for free. If you have a fourth grader, or know one who loves fresh powder or halfpipes, then check out Ski NH's Ski Free program.

If it is a fifth grader pulling at your pant leg to strap on a board, then check out the brand new Ski Free Program encouraging them to get off the couch and out in the snow. Unlike the 4th Grade program, fifth graders' families are offered the passbook for a $20 shipping & handling charge,[and here's the wonderful part] $5 of which is donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of NH!

Ski New Hampshire [Ski NH], is our statewide association representing 37 alpine and cross country resorts throughout the state. They invite all NH 4th grade students to participate in the 6th annual Earn Your Turns program. The program was created and designed by the NH Association of School Principals and Ski NH. Their goal is to provide an incentive for young kids to develop skills such as research, reading and writing, by doing any project on the history of skiing in New Hampshire. Each fourth grader who completes an Earn Your Turns project, acquires a Ski NH passbook that contains free lift tickets and trail passes at all 37 member resorts of Ski NH.

For more information about Earn Your Turns and 5th Grader Passbooks, interested parents or fourth and fifth grade teachers should contact Alice Pearce, Executive Director, Ski NH, PO Box 10, North Woodstock, NH 03262 OR by phone at 603-745-3002 ext. 81, OR by email alice@SkiNH.com.

I like the challenge of a mission. Especially where it involves finding exactly what you want, and for barely any money. Better yet, I like the idea of recycling, reusing and reducing...and no, I am not busy hugging trees all day long,... I have surely thrown away the occasional labeled can, or put my melon rind in the trash when the compost pile seems miles away. Like anyone, I do what I can, and when I can, I do. Mother & Child makes many of these tasks quite effortless. Where else could I find pairs of children's used ice skates, in super condition, for my sister-in-law Sarah's 4 darling children? Where else can I trade forgotten baby clothes and toys, for countless Step 1 books for my reading 5 year old? And surely you know where a pregnant woman can shop her heart out, without emptying her purse? Yes, all this accomplished and for so little time and money at Mother & Child in Nashua, NH. Owner Karen Keegan says it best, "What matters most to me is the ability to bring parents together, create community, make high-quality, natural products available, and recycle perfectly good children's clothing."

With winter in mind, I pray you consider Mother & Child. An entire section is dedicated to snow suits, winter coats, hats, mittens, and even ice skates and oodles of boots. A common mother's response to purchasing big ticket items like winter clothes, often goes something like this..."they just out-grow them way too fast...hope this can last for two seasons." Mother & Child consigns gently used items that are in great condition. Nothing is accepted with obvious signs of wear, missing buttons or even slightly stained. The selection of sizes is astounding as well...be assured you can shop for your 9 month old, 3 year old and 9 year old in the same shop.

There are new gifts to be bought at Mother & Child which makes this consignment shop all the more special...know anyone pregnant? Need a new baby gift? The choices abound here. With names like Nature's Gate, Badger, and Tom's of Maine. What about nursing bras, christening gowns or organic cotton blankets? Mother & Child. I just love this place.

Now here's the icing as I like to say. Consigning here is as easy as buying a hot dog at Fenway. Bring in 30 items or less, receive a Consignor number and you're done. The items are inspected before they are taken in, and if you would like to donate the items that didn't pass Mother & Child's quality control, you can leave them in a 'donate' pile and the items will find their way to people who might not mind a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee. My boys know that we do not walk in there with any money. If we want to 'buy' something, we check our credit and use it accordingly. I feel like the barter system has been brought back to life here, and I cherish that my boys understand the community purpose and simple economics behind it. See you there!

Mother & Child Clothing and Gifts
Greystone Plaza, Amherst Street
Nashua, NH
603.886.6727
www.mothersays.com

I love to read the fliers preparing shoppers for early bird hours, late night specials and deals of day, to take place the Friday after Thanksgiving - commonly known as Black Friday. Toy shops opening at 5am, lines of parents waiting well before that, just to be assured that this year's crop of RoboRaptors do not sell out before little Johnny gets one. I am not one of the pack this day, but I do love a good deal. Forget the box stores, escape to my 10 best picks for shopping Black Friday 2005:

1. Antiques at Mayfair, Route 101A, Amherst NH - scores of dealers within two huge red barns, selling everything from weathervanes, florist frogs and mint condition biscuit tins. Even if nothing to purchase, this place is surely worth a day's browsing and wading amongst the nostalgia.

2. Toadstool Bookshop, Lordens Plaza, Milford NH - 603-673-1734.....[for those of you who have been to this blog before....the Blackbird is sadly,...dust, done for, gone-zo, closed its doors for good in the past month...my apologies for leading anyone excitedly down to Main Street Nashua for a good book and coffee - I never even got a chance to say good bye myself...] A wonderful shop with a knack for signing great author readings and packing in the locals. Don't miss out on December 27, at 7:00 PM...Please Meet Fantasy Author Robert Newcomb, author of Chronicles of Blood and Stone. Newcomb will sign Savage Messiah, the fourth book in the series, the first in a new trilogy.

3. The Casual Cat, 112 Route 101A, Amherst, NH 603-882-1443 - Come shop amongst a unique collection of artwork, fine crafts, jewelry, and pottery. The shop is small but worth every nook that's filled. A favorite photo for someone to give as a gift? Perfect, the Casual Cat is also a full service frame shop. Plus, Bess the cat lives here.

4. The Wine Society, 650 Amherst Street, Greystone Plaza, Nashua, NH 603-883-4114 - Not only is the staff extremely helpful in choosing wines, but you may also sample cheeses to pair with that bottle - the perfect host gift!

5. Zeb's General Store, Conway Village, North Conway, NH (800) 676-9294 - Who wouldn't want to fill bags at their 67 foot penny candy counter! Zeb's also only sells products made in New England, claiming they sell the largest selection of New England made specialty foods in the coutnry. Don't miss out!

6. Innisfree Bookstore, 312 Daniel Webstre Highway, Meredith, NH (603) 279-3905 - A bookstore with a fabulous children's section and frequent author readings. Its novelty gifts are quite unique as well.

7. The Alphabet Soup Company, 263 Union Square, Milford, NH 673-1033 - Shabby chic meets antique meets Country Living. Just my taste. Yours?

8. Brookdale Fruit Farm, Hollis, NH - Handmade fresh and dried floral arrangements, Christmas ornaments, and natural products abound. Or assemble your fresh fruit basket here!

9. Alapage, 175 Main Street, Nashua, NH, (603) 882-2441 - Gorgeous clothing and jewelry, plus some Carrie Bradshaw accessories. A wonderful shop for women.

and

10. New Hampshire Gold, Route 104 E, New Hampton, NH, Toll Free: 888-819-4255 - Products made in NH including maple syrup, incredible dried flowers and artichokes, chile peppers etc. Specialty products and inspiring displays. Right off Exit 23 on Route 93 North.

I am a yard saler at heart and if not for my friend Tina, I could even call myself the Yard Sale Queen, but she wins that title. But this yard sale princess wouldn't think to miss the annual Merrimack Boy Scout Troop 424 October sale, slated for Saturday the 1st in the parking lot of Zyla's on DW Highway. And locals know that Friday evening is an unadvertised sneak peek and opportunity to buy the loot!

I just dropped off another load of donations myself, and saw tens of bikes [for boys and girls, tots to teens], electronics, toys, gardening trinkets, more strollers than Babies 'R Us, and miscellaneous furniture.

As my boys are growing older, they are more interested in playing a full 9 innings of wiffle ball instead of just swinging at a few underhand tosses, so I am going to seek out and obtain used sports equipment. In the past I have seen moms and dads under siege by their grinning children, as they leave arms loaded with bats, balls, helmets, goalie pads, soccer nets, and whatever else could fit on the roof of the mini! It's crazy, but so much fun. All items are sold on a donation basis - some larger items sometimes having a ticket, but not often...so this is where the deals are.

And the great thing about the Boy Scouts running this sale, is that after they count up their profits, they take great care to distribute the donated items left, to places such as the Indian reservations, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and children's homes.

Take exit 12 off of Route 3 in Merrimack and head south on DW Highway. Zyla's is not more than a few miles down the road - you can't miss it. For more information call 578-5543. The sale runs from 8am to 5pm on Saturday - see you there!