What have Brenda and I been up to....?????

What, oh, what, has been going on here on the Oregon Coast? And where have we been? And how could we be gone so long......??? Huh? Huh?

Well, we have a dandy excuse....really, we do! Here is a tease:


And here? Another glimpse:

A more direct approach, maybe?


Can you read the window? Here is the final shot.....

(We haven't gotten to the flower beds yet.......but that is coming soon!).

YEP!! We did it!! After 12 years of talking about it, we now have a SHOP!! On the Oregon Coast!! Primitives, Folk Art, Vintage Wares, Candles, Soaps & Altered Art. We are officially open now, and we are loving it!! Every minute of it! So, you see, we haven't forgotten about you all, we have had our nose to the grindstone for the past four months!

We actually started this in December,but it took awhile to get it together. We found the perfect little shop, and then had to wait until we could take possession of it, then they had to do some inside work.....then we finally got to it! After a lot of cleaning....lots of painting.....and lots of sewing, and making candles.....well, we opened up, and are busy, busy, busy. We have stocked the shop totally ourselves, and plan to keep it that way, if at all possible. It will take a bit, but we hope to have it stuffed to the gills before the start of summer. So, if any of you are here on the Oregon Coast and hit Florence, come and see us! We are the only Primitive shop here!

Well, I will share more pictures with you later! I just wanted to let you know that we are here, and that I am back in Blogland! I have missed you all, and will be busy catching up on everyone and everything. I tried to keep up as we were working on the shop....but, it seems that I would just get lost? And then I would read and read and read? And nothing would get done? I even timed myself one day...and turned the timer off when it rang, and read and read and read....needless to say, I got nothing done!

Trashy Swap and....what can I say?......

nothing!! Absolutely nothing!!! So.....here is where I will start!!!!

Hope that everyone had a Wonderful Holiday Season!! We had a wonderful one, and now, with the first two months of 2010 over, I can say that it is looking good for a wonderful year!!!

So, onto the TRASHY SWAP, which was another of Char at The Pickled Pepper Patch's swaps! I totally love her swaps! This swap was: we had to go to our local Thrift Store, find at least three things, and redo them.....primmed to the max! My Swap Partner this time was Cheryl from Prim From Scratch! Oooohhhhh, my gosh.........how awesome of a partner was she? Need I ask? TOTALLY AWESOME! Check out the goodies below.....and no, I will not share......sorry Mom...I know that you raised me better than that.....but geez.......these are mine........mine, mine, mine!! And, yes, you did hear a little stamp of a foot there.....I am really sorry, and will take a Time Out in a bit. But, right now....check out my goodies!!!
I got a Food Screen!! A Food Screen!!! I have wanted one Forever!!!! (okay, since I saw my first one......which seems like forever!) Cheryl told me that she had to take flowers off of it.....and I am so thrilled that she took the time to do that! I tell you, as I pulled out all the goodies she sent...it was like she read my mind! The Star Box, is perfectly primmed, as well! I love the color, and the way that the mache peeks through in spots. Aged to perfection! (Am I gushing? LOL). I love the match holder as well......I have never done one for me, and I have the perfect place for it! And right next to it will go the darling needlework sampler....I love the warm, primmed tone of it! It is amazing how the primming can just warm a room! The candle smells yummy, and the lotion....oh my....this is one of my most favorites.......I opened the jar.....got a whiff, whipped a finger through....and I was instantly transported to a tropical island...not the grey, windy, wet Oregon Coast that was outside my window!

Thankyou for the goodies, Cheryl!! And Thank you Char for hosting the swap!!

Gettysburg Homestead Exchange!

You should see the goodies I received!! I am so thrilled!! For those who didn't know...Mary at Gettysburg Homestead had a Christmas Exchange, and I signed up. I haven't done an exchange in ages.....and so decided to go for it!

Last week, I was greeted by this HUGE box when we got home! It was unbelievable!! OH, I should tell you, that Char from The Pickled Pepper Patch, was my swap partner. And, for those of you who don't follow her blog? You HAVE to go and Follow her! She has the greatest tutorials you have ever seen! Need to have some inspiration? She's the one!! Anyway, back to my box! I was headed to bed, and Max brought in the box from the deck and said..."Oh, Jan? Before you head to bed? Maybe you should check the mail?" I said "tomorrow"...he said, "No, really, today"....so I reversed direction and lo and behold...there the box was, in all it's glory!


So, grabbed a pair of scissors and went to work.....and could not believe my eyes, and I pulled goodies out of the box!



First these handstitched pillows and the waayyy too cute Elf Stocking:


And then these darling handstitched pillow ornies:

I found this....(this was her "Thrift Store Find"...she said that they were baby themed boxes! Who would have thought? She remade them into this awesome stacking set with the grungy lamp....she even grunged the bulb) Can this girl create or what?

And this: OH! And some of her awesome Cinna-bun tarts...forgot to photo them...they went into all my tart burners, and the house smells sooooooo good!

I don't have my Christmas decorations up yet....I am way behind this year...but I do have Char's goodies up...

And my Pillows are at home on the couch
So, did I score or what? Thanks so much Char!!! It was so much fun! And, I hope your like your goodies as much as I love mine!!!

One more photo........

Here are a couple more photos from the Jazz Half Marathon that Brandi did last weekend! I just had to show them! They are of Brandi and her sister Dawn. I have never met Dawn, but I love her sister, and if she is anything like Brandi...(which I am sure she is), then I would love her too!!



What do you think? I would be saying "NOOOOO" if the weather first thing in the morning said I might get wet.....I'm thinking New Orleans Coffee and a Beignet. (I have never had a Beignet...but Brandi assures me she makes the BEST. Another reason I was very sad that we didn't get to GA.....I have always wanted to try one. I just know that I would be hooked...actually, just the thought makes me smile...so maybe I'm hooked already. Can that be possible? Thinkin' it might!)
But our Fearless Two...suck it up...and off they go.....running the streets of New Orleans..... OH!! Can you tell they are sisters?!!!

Happy Halloween!

This morning, I was awakened by a Text Message....It read 2:38:40!

It had come from Brandi...and the numbers? That is the time she ran...13.1 miles....Wow!! She has been running for a while now, and she has kept busy doing Marathons. Just lately, she did a 5k run, did the Buddy Walk (which they do every year as a family). She did a hear4hope, the Susan G Komen Run, and today the Jazz Half Marathon in New Orleans to benefit the Children's Hospital. (I hope I got that right). And, as you can see from the photos below...Alex is right there with her! When Jamie and Brandi were first together, Jamie said "Mom...you have to find Brandi a hobby". Brandi was fine with that too...I think...she never said "no", but then, maybe she couldn't? LOL

So, I undertook that mission...."Cross Stitch"? "Scrapbooking"? Well, Brandi found her hobby! That was where the Running came in!

Here is a photo of The Buddy Walk, which the family does every year:

From L-R...a friend, Brandi, Jamie and Alex in the wagon....(not sure who the other little one is)

Last week, it was the Susan G. Komen Run.....

Alex joins in.....(don't you love that head tilt?)

And here is a photo of Alex and her first 5k run with Momma...

Alex missed the run today...instead, she stayed home with Daddy....where I am sure that they spent the day watching football!

I am just in awe of her!

Meditation Rug

Good morning! Have you missed me?!!! I missed you all! I have been thinking that I needed to get back on and blog...(for all of you out there that have been holding your breath? You can let it out now! LOL).

I have been working on my hooking projects...(noooo, silly people...not on the street corners in my classic red dress and black fishnet hose.....), but on my RUG hooking projects. I joined the "10 Minutes A Day Rug Hooking" challenge...so far, so good. Not content to leave it at that? I also joined a "Meditation Rug" Challenge". April, who is in charge of the group....will give us a word on the 1st of the month, and we are to design and hook a 12" x 12" square. It lasts for 12 months, and at the end of the 12 months, we will all have a large rug, and it will be filled with items that mean something personally to us. I LOVED that idea! I said "SIGN ME UP"....and she did!!!

So, I needed to get some more fabric (bummer on that, right?), and then do some thinking, and then do some drawing.......we will be on square 3 on Sunday. So, I am right where I should be...fabric bought....and panicked and brain-dead......you see, I can think......I can (and have), draw out the lines and squares.....but I cannot make my mind up.....and I cannot DRAW!!! All of my hooking has been on pre-drawn Monks Cloth. So, last night.....with all the lines drawn on.........I put my pen to the fabric....and DREW! Yes, I did!!! And then, I CHOSE MY COLORS!! Uh huh....chose those puppies with nary a thought!!! (so, I will admit here...all the colors that I have? Are the Fall colors, my most favorite colors.....so really, it was almost a no brainer...., but I do like to think that I did more than put my hand in my basket of tangled worms, and yank out a handful....close my eyes and just grab one.....I mean really, why would I do that?).....Then, I put the hook to my backing...and I hooked....and while I hooked, I meditated about the first word, which is "Turning". Took a photo, as I promised one on the Forum I would...(a day late), and looked at the photo....it looked much better than the original work. You see.....I don't think I am a Primitive Hooker....or, to put it more bluntly...I DO NOT LIKE USING 1/4" strips......I have decided that I am a 1/8" hooker.....I just don't like what I did!! Of course, if I could just look at it through the lens.....LOL! What I have done previously is the 1/4", (or #8 cut), and I have done wool yarn. I will be studying this square....shall I keep it or not? I have just ordered lots of the smaller cut.....I may have to reverse hook it, as I just am not happy with it.....and I have lots more to do!!! Looking at the photo now...I probably should have trimmed the wool before taking the photo! But it is the general idea...although........sigh.......

On to other things.....Bob came home for a quick visit. We had a great time! It was good to see him, and catch up on things! Here is a shot of Bob and Grandma:
And Bob with Dad:
Now, Max is 6'.....so you can see that Bob is tall!

What else have been doing? Hmmm....life just goes by in such a blur! I'm not sure what all has been going on!

We have had a fairly regular visitor......This is Watts.....and as you know...you can't have October without a black cat or two! We awoke to rain and wind this morning. I love a good storm! However, the rain ended and the wind laid down...so Max thought he would get his walk in. That was about 1/2 hour ago. So.....he should be about a third to half done on his walk. Guess what? It just started to pour and the wind just hit again. My man is going to be wet! So, I think I will close this, light some candles (after all, why have a storm with no candles?), and do a bit more on one of my rug projects. What better way to spend a stormy day?

Life.....

Another day in the life of the Franklin Clan. A very interesting day...one that has us thinking.....

Max and I were awakened this morning by a voice having a conversation. It was coming from the Monitor that we have alongside the bed. The other part is next door at Mom F.'s house. And she was the one having a conversation. And she sounded very alert. So, after a minute or so of listening and not making out what she was saying, I got up and grabbed my sweats and headed next door. I was very quiet as I unlocked the door, and then found my way to the kitchen and flipped the light on. As I walked down the hallway, Mom said "That light is so bright". So, I ambled on in, and asked her if she was feeling okay. She said "yes". So then, I asked her who she had been talking to. (Now, you need to know that she had her glasses on). She said that she had been talking to a "girl", but the girl wouldn't answer her, so she had just put her glasses on to see her better, and it was at that time I had turned the light on and come on down the hall. I looked around the room, and by the door, which is where Mom said the girl was. No one. Only the clock blinking the time. So, I told her what time it was, and told her she could get a couple more hours of sleep, if she could. And, I'd be over later to check on her. She laid her head back and said "isn't that funny"....

I came home, told Max and we both went back to sleep for an hour. I went over about 8:00, and she was up waiting for her coffee to finish. So, while we waited for the coffee to finish, we talked about it. She told me that there had been 3 women at the foot of her bed. But no one would answer her. They just stood there looking at her. She could see 2 of them very clearly, but not the "girl" at the far end by the door. And then when I came in "they left". She said it was the "weirdest thing".

So, I have been a member of this family for 30 years. And we have done lots of traveling with Mom, and then the years in AZ, where she slept in the living room.....she had NEVER, and I mean NEVER talked in her sleep. (Now, Max does......, boy, does he....).

I came on home, and sat down with my coffee. The phone rang. It was Larrie, Maxs' cousin. He called to tell us that Verna, (the wife of Dad F.'s cousin), had died. He had just got the call. So we had a nice long chat, and then he told me the time that she had died. My hair stood up on my arms. So, I told him about Mom's "talk". And what time it was. The hair stood up on his arms. Then he was quiet for a minute, and said, "Eva is the last of the three left". The three, born in 1917, were Larrie's Mom, (Aunt Winnie, who died in 1999, I think), Verna, who died today, and Mom F. The three had spent lots of time together in their younger years, (they were all married to Franklin's). And had corresponded regularly until recently, when Verna couldn't really see to write, and Mom wasn't able to write very much either.

I went over and asked Mom if she had recognized the two women she had seen. She said she couldn't remember. But when I told her about Verna, she got a funny look, but wouldn't say anything else.

So....here is the rest of the story........when I came home from town, Mom was over here with Max...(we got her to stay for dinner....YAAAAAAAAAAA!!!), and she asked me who that lady was that died. I said "Verna"? She said she guessed. But she couldn't place who she was. And how was she related, and how did they know each other. I told her it was Dad's cousin's wife. And said "you and Verna wrote back and forth for years and years....and we stopped to visit her when we were traveling. She said "really"? Then, "I have no idea who she was". Max's face fell. My heart started to cry. How sad is that. I know that we are going to go through all kinds of stages. And Dad spoilt us. He died at 89, and was sharp as a tack minutes before he died. Now, as I type this, Max has brought her a plastic bag full of hard candy to choose her piece. He hadn't undone the tie. She is trying to figure out how it opens. Lord, this is so hard..............

And Verna? We are so going to miss you....................