My Far Away Friend in Japan

It had been several days since I'd heard from my friend, Yuki, in Japan. She was not in the area of the devastation,  but of course she's been affected by it. She'd been very worried for her friend, and finally got a message from her that she is fine. In some way, haven't we ALL been affected by this disaster? I can't think of a way that we haven't. Emotionally, physically for some, certainly economically. I was telling my kids that not one thing that happens in the world has a means of NOT affecting us all. We affect other people's lives every day, whether we know it or not.
Below, is the last letter I received from Yuki, just today. I asked her if I could share it. It's truly amazing how small our world is. We're not really that far apart!  I actually "met" her from Etsy, and after back and forth visiting, it felt weird to say "goodbye forever". Like I've said, I hate goodbyes.
Here's her letter.

Dear my far away friend, Karen.

Since Sunday  I've been  feel bad, since I watch that terrible film on TV all day long,  tears,  headache, dizzy, nausea...and threw up..

But now feels good.  I'm a little sensitive of sight more than common people... I was very shocked with that film.. And I am a crybaby..


My husband came back to Nagasaki, but he went to Kumamoto on business, and
yesterday he back to Tokyo again.

We're OK.  I and Oniichan spend as usual.  We have warm food and drinks,
warm  bed  and take a hot bath as usual.

Tsunami warning  was released in Nagasaki.


I received e-mail from my friend lives in Iwaki Fukushima.

She is OK.  But now she is under the evacation order waiting at home.

She stays in her home with her friend. Fortunately, they have preserved
foods and soft drinks but no water.

She said to me she is worring about radiation exposure..

I pray for her no radiation exposure.
I attacted and send the vintage greeting  card  with e-mail for her with our
prayer.

The christmas card a boy holding a little lamb.  I think that card maybe
make calm her spirit.

Yes, that cute animals cards are smiling for me, I can relax.  They helps
me. I appriciate to artist's wonderful work.
I appriciate the rescue team with sniffer dogs camed from your country.I pray for the safety all of  them.
I want to visit you with my friend Satomi. Satomi is the name of  Fukushima
friend.
I read your blog  today.  Thank you for worrying about us.
Your far away friend YUKI

 To bring some smiles to your day, I want to share these two video clips that my husband got from a blog he loves to read, Challies. I hope it makes you smile!

Stunning isn't Always Fun

It's definitely been a stunning week. With the news of the devastation in Japan, everything has had a kind of almost paralyzing feel to it. Not a "without hope" feeling, but a "what's coming next" kind of feeling. Here in the Pacific NW, we had a bit of scare, waiting to see what would happen. Not anything compared to the suffering and loss in our neighbor's home.
We go about our day, hear news continuously, shocked and yes, stunned. Fun things or things we enjoy almost have a senseless feel. Kind of like the feeling you get when you're going through something awful, and still can laugh. You feel confused how you could smile when your heart is breaking.
Life is sometimes such a puzzle. A difficult one. The road is rough at times and smooth in others.
I've been watching a family via posts from their web site, going through the devastation of having their daughter get hurt in a car wreck and end up in a coma. I've been watching all this time (since November), the family pouring out their raw broken hearts, their struggles with their humaness, their ability to still say , "we trust God even in this", and I've wondered and hoped that I could be able to do this. I don't borrow trouble, but I believe the Lord will get us through our days, however they are numbered.
I need to not waste my time. I need to hug my kids more. I need to lay stuff down that burdens me, even unfair things. Especially unfair things. I need to trust my God even in the hard things.
I don't have to understand everything that happens, but I am called to pray, to hurt for the hurting.
Our world is small. I recently "met" a kind lady from Japan who I had conversed with back and forth. My first thought when I heard of the disaster for the Japanese people, was, "is Yuki ok?" almost selfish that out of the whole country there was only one person I could think. I did immediately write, not really expecting an answer, but right away, she did answer! Yes, she was fine, but very concerned, of course. She was fearful for her friend who she hadn't heard from, & I'm still hoping to hear back good news that yes, she did finally hear from her friend. I haven't heard yet.
But I can pray, and I do believe that God, who created this world, has a plan.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Little Excursions

Sometimes it seems like you do the same kind of work, day after day, and that's ok. But every once in awhile it is time to play a little! When I think of the last couple weeks, I've had a few "play days", doing things with other women. Artsy, fun stuff. It all kind of flows together though, because without some creativity in our lives, our homes would be a little dull, although, I have to admit, there is also something austere and beautiful about plain things, too. 
A month or so ago, my niece asked if I wanted to take a class with her on making flowers. Well, sure. I think mainly, I thought it would be fun to do something like this with my niece and my oldest daughter, besides learning something new. So, we had fun making these:

 

Then, yesterday I had the chance to go to Battleground to see my friend Lisa. Her and Sally were putting on the Mad Hatter's Tea Party in their shop, "Uncovered Ruby". And what a fun sale that was! I'm amazed at all the work they go to, with all the details and fun they ad to their sales! I love their shop! They have some amazing vendors who bring their wares in, and each vendor has their own creative style. If you've never been there, you need to visit. Sally and Lisa are very sweet shopkeepers!

While at the tea party, Denise, from Arts and Scraps (who by the way, is another sweet-heart of a girl) was teaching a little class on making this: 

Well, hers probably looked better, but, she was a good teacher! I even got home and had to try some more of those paper roses. Here are some more of my experiments:

These were so fun to make! If you live in the Battleground area (which I don't, but I sure do love the area!), you should visit her. She is very helpful and kind and creative!

Well, to round off the rest of my weekend (well, up to Saturday anyway), we took a drive to Astoria and Warrenton. I was going to do this yesterday, but with a Tsunami warning and all, I just didn't think it was a good day for heading in that direction. So, today we managed to go. 

First stop, was to pick up my youngest daughter's guitar. She had somehow damaged it in her travels to and from youth group activities, so we took it to this man (Thompson's Instrument Repair) who was recommended to us. This is one of those wonderful old shops that I just love! Randy and I were talking about how wonderful it is to find these little mom and pop type stores, that are so full of character, do good work, and are nice to patronize. This man had quite a repair job to do, and we were surprised how low his rates were! Don't you just love the store-front? The inside was even more wonderful, but I forgot to take pictures. 

OK, I know I'm getting long here, but bear with me. Our friends kept telling us we had to stop at this store, and we finally made it. Oh. My. It was awesome! Yes, Vintage Hardware at the Astor Hotel is something you MUST visit! It is packed with so many neat things! It is very well worth checking out, and once again, very friendly people. Can you tell I like nice people? 

See what I mean? You've got to go!

Edit: How in the world I omitted it, but it was good to see all the other fun ladies I've met over the years at the Vintage Gathering sales, and Uncovered Ruby, etc. Good to see you ALL!!!

Life on the Funny Farm

My daughter, Kristin, and I usually plan gardens around each other. We get the seeds, I usually start a lot of it in my greenhouse, she usually comes to help repot, then we split stuff up. It's fun and helps each of us.
This year she gave me 9 different tomatoes, I think around 6 peppers, all different things. 9 tomatoes Kristin? You're a crazy girl! She gave me a red and green cabbage too. This time I tried a system of a guy I saw on YouTube, and decided yo put a whole pkg of each in the little pot. I definitely didn't think they'd all start, but they did, and now we're the proud owners of way too many starts! I hate to let so many go to waste, but I'd probably have enough cabbage to supply a sauerkraut festival!
Today Randy, my 2 youngest, and 3 of my grandkids got out and played in dirt! Randy and Caleb (grandson) hauled horse manure with the tractor, then they dug holes and planted fruit trees, while my granddaughter (Talia, 3), planted potatoes.
I feel so blessed that family is so near, even my parents! They're just acres away! I can't imagine not being near family!

A Roof Over Our Heads!

We are getting a new roof! FINALLY! Well, we are getting one on our house, too, but the one I'm talking about is our little church building.  A few years ago, God gave us a church building. I'm not kidding. We'd asked to rent, borrow, lease, buy, and the answer was always no. The people who had it always said, no, sorry, they couldn't do it. This building was hardly ever used and it was in great need of some repairs, mainly the roof. We had been looking for a church home, had not found one we felt the Lord telling us, "This is it! This is home!" in, and finally, after about 9 months search, we found a local church that we all felt at home in, the kids found friendships in, all that.  Well, after we were at our new church home for about 4 months, we got a call from the people in charge of the little church. They wanted to give it to us. They instructed us to go get a lawyer, have a deed drawn, we pay for it, and they signed the deed. Gave it to us! Wow! Now what? We had a place to go, now what do we do? We felt like God was the one giving this to us, so we just followed through, and yep, for the last 4 years or 5 years, we've had a church.
Our first thought, was how do we use it? We decided to just open it up on Wednesdays for a Bible study, and we would still attend our other church on Sundays. Well, little by little, we've got a faithful group of friends attending, and it is something we just love! Yes, it's work, it's responsibility, it's commitment, but it's been a real blessing.

See the guy up in the belfry? That's my sweetheart!

It's above the road, so it looks way up there, doesn't it? This is one side view.

We actually had a vintage sale one Christmas in it, and have been asked MANY times if we would do it again. (Haven't actually got an answer from the guys over that one yet! They had to move a lot of pews!)  It was beautiful, all lit up, so old fashioned. We used the proceeds of funds to go towards a roof, but it wasn't nearly enough. Well, we finally were able to take the tarp off of the roof, and we are now waiting for the final 3 days of straight sunny days so that we can get it finished roofing. We'll probably even have a potluck or barbecue to celebrate. But in the meantime, I thought I'd show you the progress so far. We still have to paint the building, can't wait for the blue to go! It's going to be beautiful, don't you think? It's very primitive, very old, built in the late 1800s, and very well loved by us all. The neighbors are appreciating it's facelift, too, by the way! 
I am still amazed because I've always had a "thing" for this old church, and still feel really blessed that God would answer such a request!

Fun Funky Junk!

I think I get it from my mother. I sometimes pout. But today, I didn't have to pout, or beg, or anything! My husband is actually pretty good about junking with me. In fact, sometimes, he takes too long in a place junking, like he's gonna miss something. I complain sometimes, because I tend to think there's something better at the next stop. But he has been known to find some pretty neat things underneath something I walked right past!
We decided to finally finish our little bathroom, but I'm on a budget. We got a good deal on a regular type of vanity (but it has doors and drawers, something we never got finished on the one we had, and he got tired of putting it off). It has a golden oak finish, but we're going to darken it up with some stain. I decided that, since he's putting in the vanity, we may as well paint (which is a whole other job, because I had put wallpaper up and it's pretty much there to stay, so we are going through a recommended process of sealing, mudding it spackle, THEN painting.) He's taking it pretty well, so far. So, my daughter and I were sealing the wallpaper, and decided the medicine cabinet has to go, too. To shorten this story, yesterday, I got to thinking, "I believe the Junk Sisters are in Hillsboro this weekend!" I checked, and sure enough, they were. So before bed, I asked if he wanted to take me up there to look for a medicine cabinet. We had just looked the day before in some shops, and came up with nothing.
I don't know if it's because he got to take the day off from working on the bathroom, or because he was just as anxious as me to go junking, or if it's because we consider junking a date. He was awake before me and asked, "Are you ready to go?" Seriously, we're going to drive up? Instead of working on the bathroom? Well, sure, let's go!
And we were pleasantly surprised to find what we were looking for! Twice. And he bought both of them! Oh well, I'll be able to use the other one on my hot tub porch. I want it to look like a bathhouse anyway!
I had so much fun at the Junk Sisters Junk Salvation show! I am definitely dragging him to Puyallup (can't believe I had to look to see how to spell that!). It won't be too hard now! I've so far only gotten him as far as Uncovered Ruby and the Vintage Gathering sales, and that was only to help Kristin and I set up! But now, I think I've got him hooked! I love to broaden his junking scope a little! Hopefully, my daughter, Kristin, took my advice, and went up (since she was already heading to Beaverton) because she would have just melted over the vintage trailers at the show! So cute!
And you know what I think I love the best? The people! I saw some familiar faces all around, got some hugs, too. Once in a while you come across someone at these shows who've never had the opportunity to smile (I'm just assuming), but for the most part, everyone is very friendly, smiling, and happy to be surrounded by like-minded junk lovers and junk! (For some great photos, check out the Girl In Pink"s blog, she's got some awesome photos!)
So, what do you think, my favorite of the two cabinets is the dark one. I laughed when we got to the car with it, because we were standing there admiring it in the back of the car, when a man walked up and asked, "So, was it worth going to?" YES!! It was packed with all kinds of fun stuff, I tell him! He admired my cabinet, then said, "Looks like you'll have to replace the mirror though." Huh? No way, I'm not replacing the mirror! I like it like that! He just looked at me kinda of like I was a little kooky (which I am, but so are you if you read my blog) and shook his head. He just didn't get it. Maybe when he got inside his life changed! You think?

Sweet tThings to Ponder

I've been pretty busy this weekend. First, I caught a cold, so I figured, since I already don't feel that well, I may as well clean up my "Etsy store" a little. What a mess I can make in what was supposed to be my sewing room! But, I'm getting it reorganized. I have a LOT of fun things I've found that I've been trying to find the time to list in my Etsy and Artfire shops. So, I've been plugging away at it.
One thing that hurries me a long, is there are seasonal type things to list, and you must do it early enough. I got most of the Valentines listed that I wanted to, even some Easter while I was at it. Like I said before, I got these all in one box, from Karla in the Wallowas, I think her shop was called Jinglebobs. I want to go back. It was filled with awesome stuff! So, if you get to Eastern Oregon, be sure to stop in and see her!
Anyway, all the cards I've listed lately, were from her shop. They were all done by the same Oregon artist in the 40s. Kind of neat. Well, I had a nice lady from Japan email to see about getting several cards from me. In the course of our convos, I told her I had a lot of these, and I took photos and sent to her. So, I was going through the cards. There are a l ot of prototypes, not sure yet what I'll do with those. They feel like important history, do I want to "lose" them? They just seem special.
Well, in my searching, I came across one card that she had done for Hallmark. It was an anniversary card, and out of all these cards, it was one she had actually given to her husband on their anniversary! It reads:
"To My Hubby on our anniversary. Hubbies are fixers, cocktail mixers,
Lemon squeezers, try-to-please-ers, garden rakers, money makers,
Rodent killers, ashtray spillers, Yes, they do a lot, it's true,
To make wives love them like they do!
And honey it's sure plain to see The luckiest wife of all is ME!

She signed the card this way: "'cuz I love you more than anything, and you've made me happier than I've ever been in all my life...Virginia

Now, I wonder, was she thinking of him when she designed this card? Was he the one who inspired her in her work? Did she have a really hard life previously, and he was her hero, rescuing her from heartache? (I personally can relate to this, my husband of almost 26 years is my own rescuer, from one very hard few years of my young adult life!) Or maybe she had a wonderful childhood, didn't have any "lag" in happiness, but met her true love who made her even happier than she ever could imagine??
And where am I left, with this piece of history? If I gave it up, would anyone ever know that the one who signed the card to her husband, also designed the card? Do you see the huge responsibility before me? Yes, I'm taking it probably way too seriously, but, it's part of what junking is all about, isn't it? All this stuff has a history! A lot of it held memories for people!
I have an old primitive wood stool with the smoothest seat, that I got at a sale for $3. The older lady told me it had been her dads, and he sat on it for years at his store, he was a shopkeeper! My mind goes to the Laura Ingalls days when they sat around a wood stove and visited in those stores. My stool's not THAT old, but, you know, I have that piece of history. Every time my grandkids come and eat at my table, the grandsons always like to sit in that stool, and a flash goes through my mind, and smile in my heart, that this piece of history is still living out good times!