food, crochet, merriment
came tumbling down!
So as it happens in projects such as these, we started talking about how much more open the kitchen would feel if it were…ummm… you know, open. So one thing led to another and before we knew it, the wall was down. Just like that.
Crow bars and sledge hammers seem to be these guys’ best friends.
Kind of exciting to see things just wished for one moment…
and coming true the next.
This place is awesome. This disappearing wall is awesome.
These guys are awesome!
Oh, my goodness–how long it’s been since I’ve had the time to put anything new…or let’s face it, anything at all in my pretty little Gracious Rain Shop.
But the day has come, and now, after weeks of prep and focus, I finally have enough items to stock the digital shelves.
There’s still not a bazillion items, just enough I’d say. But you can be sure that what is in there, was hand made with all the love and care I could muster.
Perhaps you’ll see it in the stitches, somehow. Perhaps you feel it in the pretty little models that turned up magically and posed so politely.
At any rate, I do hope you’ll stop by the Gracious Rain Shop and check it out. Maybe something will just leap out at you and call your name. I do hope so!
If you’re so inclined, please leave a kind word or two, a tweet, a pin or a Facebook “like.” All of it helps to spread the word.
We’re baaack!
And…I’ll love you forever.
100 Happy Days #54
Ahhh…here we are again, at that lovely time of year. My absolute favorite, to be exact. Leaves changing and falling everywhere. The holidays approaching. That nippy cool snap in the air. But with all this loveliness also comes the musty furnace coming on at night and the cool air coming on in the day. It’s a balance from hour to hour to not roast or freeze. At our house, sometimes all these changes brings an occasional bout of scratchy throats for the big and little folks.
Must be time to whip up a batch of Honey Spice Throat Drops! Yummo.
Now, I need to tell you–if you venture out and make your own throat drops using this recipe, please, PLEASE go HERE first and find out what Hard Crack Stage actually is for your area at this time of year. It’s not hard to figure out, but it is different everywhere and changes with the weather and moisture in the air. It’s pretty aggravating to follow the directions and have the same temperature I use actually not set up, or worse, burn in your area. Do the test and your drops will work.
Mine were a tad more sticky this time because it was raining outside while I was making them. I should have cooked them a minute or two longer. But they still tasted great and did the job.
Yee haw. I love these things!
 100 Happy Days #48
Oh, this old, sweet, silly, heroic, ridiculous red van.
As you may remember, it tried very hard to die a few months back which led to some exciting, unheard of behavior on my part.
But then, what to do with the red van…hmmmmmm?
Well, it didn’t seem prudent–or respectful for that matter, to just send it off to the junk yard to be crushed up into tuna cans.
No, no. That wouldn’t be right.
So, we had a very kind man come and tow it to the shop for one last fix up.
And what do you know? For less than $100 it is up and running just fine…
and on to it’s new home with a sweet new family that promised to love it nearly as much as we have.
Good-bye old girl.
You’ve held a special place in our hearts.
We’ll never forget you.
Note: This post was all good and fine until the driver’s side door mechanism went out, totally freaking out the sweet people who wanted to give our old girl a new home. So, sadly…she is being put to rest and recycled. Well, no one can say we didn’t try.
I’ve decided that whenever I feel a twinge of guilt over it, I’ll just go for a drive in my little Ruby.
That should help.
100 Happy Days #44
My lovely pale pink roses that used to be a deep, exotic violet. But since I don’t know enough about roses to make them behave properly–they’ve gone completely wild and have a mind of their own. I think I might just like them better–in spite of that…or perhaps because of it. Sometimes wild is exactly what something needs to be, don’t you think?
Sitting outside in the back for the very first time this summer. Breathing in the fresh, warm air and watching my pretty mountains just sitting there too…as they certainly should.
Looking up at the lonely little choke cherry tree, that likely won’t bare any fruit at all this year. The birdies will be sad about that for sure. The willow that has grown next to this tree for a million years was removed last week–had to be done–but still, I wonder if our lone tree will be brave enough to carry on without his old friend. I suppose we’ll see.
Just the right amount of sun and water for this girlie–also a first for the year. Finally, finally warm enough for the swimsuit and sprinkler to come out. Oh, she’s a brave one with a hose, this girl. The ice cold mountain water would send most kids screaming indoors–but not this water baby. She squeals at every shower and runs right back through for more. Like her mama that way.
Mr. Beany having his first–I think–experience with an ice cube. He licked and licked and then stopped suddenly. Tongue freeze, no doubt. Then he acted mad at me the rest of the afternoon, turning his back whenever I’d talk to him…the pill.
A warm summer breeze blowing just sturdy enough to give the wind chime a run for it’s money. It was fun to hear and nearly as fun to watch. I imagine a wind chime has a lot of waiting to do in it’s lifetime–for just the right breeze to set it free.
And what about you? What things are you loving today? Hmmmm?
:}