How My Blog Got It's Name

I'm joining Cheryl at http://zany-mayd.blogspot.com/2010/12/welcome-one-all-for-fun-give-away.html for Her Every Blog Name has a story give-away. Stop over and check her out!

Well it really starts with how my business got it's name. I've been in several different antique malls and after some closing, some being too far away and sometimes not making the rent, my husband allowed me (he would say I just took over and filled it up!) to take over the last of his barns. We did some repairs, painted and power-washed it out and my little barn business was born about 8 years ago when my sister's kids were born.

My sister had twins-a boy and a girl. We were so excited after many years of her trying. She had one of each! My grandmother, my mom's mom wanted my sister Amanda to name the little girl after her-Ella. Because of some hurt feelings in the family, which I won't go in to, my sister didn't want to do that. My grandma was crushed (at one time she saw a birth announcement about a couple in another town who did name their daughter Ella and sent them a card in the mail telling them how wonderful it was that they had chosen Ella for their daughters name-complete strangers!). Eight years ago was before the name Ella really started to become popular!

So when my business(Barn) opened up -I chose Ella Mae's Barn Gathering. My grandma was elated. She would come to the sales and go around and tell everyone that she was Ella Mae -distracting everyone from buying, but she was so cute and so proud! I even had a shirt made for her to wear that says -I'm Ella Mae.

My grandma and I have always been close. I used to wear her high heeled red shoes when I was little (until my feet became bigger than hers) and she helped me design and sew many clothes including my prom dress with the belly button hole cut out(boy were my parents mad! but that's another story!). I was there for her when she divorced my grandfather, after 43 years of marriage. I often stayed with her, in her apartment, through 'our' teenage years together (she was married at 16 -so she became like one when I was in high school- dating again!).

She's an author and loves to write poetry and wonderful childrens' stories which have never been published (she wanted us to write Oprah so she could be on her show to get published!). So you can see -this was my way of making her feel a little special and famous (so to speak)!

Now you can understand why we were all so upset about her going to the nursing home-update-she got home a week ago last Thursday and is so much stronger and doing things for herself! So hopefully she will be able to resume her duties as our greeter -to announce to everyone -Hey-I'm Ella Mae!