Purple Ranch at the Aspasians Art & Crafts Fair

Another amazing day for the Purple Ranch Hands at the Aspasians Art & Crafts Fair this weekend in Rockwall, Texas. We met a lot of great people and made some great contacts. I like doing shows where people come by and tell you how much they love lavender and how much they are happy to see us. If you happen to be near downtown Dallas on the 10th or 11th of May, you can come by and see us at the Swiss Avenue Historic Home Tour or the Brenham Maifest in Brenham, Texas. You can see more details on http://www.purpleranch.com/ on the Calendar.

Soul Sisters at Purple Ranch

As we pass through this life we will meet many people. Some people meet for a moment in time, some are for a season, some are for a lifetime. Some people have friends forever and some have fleeting friends. When you find your best friend, you know it. Brenda is just that friend. Bren and I have known each other since 2002 and were work friends....you know, the type of friend you see just at work and every once in a while you would go out to dinner or something. In 2005 when Bren was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, that all changed. Unbeknownst to us, we became Soul Sisters over her cancer. When Bren asked me why I was there during her chemo treatments, I thought that was odd.....why wouldn't I be there? I never thought twice about it. Friends shouldn't be there in only the good times, but also the bad.

I have 3 biological sisters and she has 2 biological sisters and 1 brother. It isn't like we were searching for another sibling, but that is just what happened. Since then we have cried together, prayed together, had our disagreements together, but most of all we have laughed together. Bren and I laugh at life, at ourselves, and at situations that arise. She knows what I'm thinking before I say it. When I hurt, she hurts. When she hurts, I hurt. When I act like an idiot, she tells me. So if you are wondering why I am so involved in Purple Ranch Lavender Farm; think Soul Sisters. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch Has Officially Signed Itself!

Today was a great day at Purple Ranch! We put up the 300 pound sign at the end of the driveway. I can tell you there was a lot of praying going on today while the sign was being pulled up into position. I just knew someone was going to lose a foot or something if it came crashing down. It wasn't long after we got it in place and there was quite the line of cars gualking at the butterfly in the air. Soon we will have a giant bee welded in the corner. It feels like we are official now with the sign in place. If you build it, they will come. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch Products

Since I showed you what a Purple Ranch Lavender Booth looks like, I thought perhaps you would like to see what some Purple Ranch products look like as well. Here you can see our lotions, body mister, linen spray, signature candle, liquid soap, soy candles, lavender wands, sachets, and culinary lavender. Of course you can see all of them at http://www.purpleranch.com/ as well. Got Lavender?

A Purple Ranch Booth

I know many of you are probably wondering...."what does an official Purple Ranch Lavender Farm booth look like?" Well I thought I would just show you. Here you will see our booth a few weeks ago in Tomball, Texas. Everyone in the family is very creative (except me of course since I didn't inherent the creative gene through my real blood line), so they all pitched in to create this very aesthetically pleasing booth, but the real genius was Cliff. Of course he is also the one who created the logo, the signage, the labeling, the webpage.....so it should come as no surprise that he designed the booth as well. Got Lavender?

Bluebonnets at Purple Ranch

I love spring in Texas! This is the best time of the year in the Lone Star State. The temperature isn't too hot yet and the humidity isn't soaring. The wildflowers are blooming all over the place....the sides of the highways, country roads, and of course at Purple Ranch. The Bluebonnet is the official flower of the State of Texas. Now some Yankees would think that it is just a weed, but true-blooded Texans know that it is anything but. Personally I don't know of one person who grew up here that doesn't have their photo taken in the Bluebonnets. So if you were ever wondering when is the best time to visit Texas.....yall just come on down in March or April and you will be surprised at what you see! Got Lavender?

A Purple Ranch Hand's Roots

Well as you know, the Purple Ranch Lavender Farm is a family affair. All the official Purple Ranch Hands are either blood related, marriage related or the best friend of someone in the Hand Family. Well I am one of the latters. My best friend is Brenda, you can see her blog at http://purpleranchlavender.blogspot.com/, and she is one of the blood relations. Anyway, I have been officially adopted into the family and I feel very blessed because of it. However, my roots do stem from another.....my Mom, Julie. My Mom currently lives in NM after many years in Texas, but she really loves the desert climate much better. Recently she and her husband Fred, were at my house in Dallas undergoing her 3rd cancer treatment for mestatized lung cancer. She is a very tough woman and has been through many trials and tribulations in her 70 years so cancer is no different. Stay strong Mom. I love you. Got Lavender?

Daily Tasks at Purple Ranch

It is a gorgeous day at Purple Ranch. It is in the upper 60s and sunny.....about time.....has been way too cold. We are doing daily tasks and chores such as blogging, strategizing new products, and doing farm organizing. Mom is making candles and Bren and Diane (who is the oldest Purple Ranch Hand kid) are packaging products as well. Among the fun, there are 5 dogs running around having a great day. Well not all puppies.....Hope, is not having a great day as she was "fixed" a few days ago and has to wear a cone on her head. Poor Hope. I will place flowers on Mandy Puppy's grave today at sunset........ Got Lavender?

The Infamous Purple Ranch Postcards

As the junior marketing executive of Purple Ranch Lavender Farm, one of my many duties is to hand write out "Thank You" postcards to people that visit the various fairs, events, and booths that we do once a month. I know this doesn't sound too difficult, but when there are over 600 people that visit your booth in 2 and half days, your hand starts to throb and ache after a while. The majority of the postcards thanked them for visiting and or purchasing from the Purple Ranch booth and to remember to visit us at http://www.purpleranch.com/ to order your products on line. Repetition can certainly be fun, but not always. If you happen to be a VIP: a Cancer Survivor, a Red Hatter, the Mayor, the Event Coordinator, or if you just chalked up a great conversation with Mamma Hand, I was asked to put a special note on the postcard. Whew, my hand still hurts! Until the next event......April 26th in Rockwall...... Got Lavender?