Category: Dane

Posted on

For no particular reason…

Here’s the February potholder…I would post a link to the pattern, but the site where I got it is gone. Do you suppose I’ll get arrested if I give it out anyway? That would definitely throw off my groove…

Here’s Lily being a magic baby and floating on air…

Daney boy playing with a blue hi-lighter. Can missionaries carry light sabers? Hmmmm…..

Baby Keni with her new sneaks–exhausted after all that running.

Wise baby Beckham…or is that Yoda?

Who can tell?

ward-campout-2008-9 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Laurie!

Posted on

Dane Dolls

Elder Dane

I’ve had enough people ask me about baby Kenny’s Uncle Dane Doll, that I thought maybe I’d show you up close. It’s been hidden away behind the “Door” tab with the other “secrets,” that the kids got for Christmas.

When Dane left for a mission to Lithuania in June the twins were only 6 months old. We wanted the babies to know his face so that when he comes home, he’ll be a bit familiar. So, the idea for the Dane doll came about.

Football Dane

The original pattern was for a kitten doll–which I made last year–from the Lion Brand yarn site. It was easy to change the colors and leave off the pointed ears and turn it into a human–in this case–Uncle Dane. I sewed a three stitch brown tie at his neck and a black tag on his shirt. The face was made from June Taylor Colorfast Sew-In Inkjet Fabric Sheets. It was so easy to just pick the face picture from my computer and run the fabric through the printer. I cut it out and sewed it right on to the crocheted doll head.

The babies love them!

Posted on

10 things that make me happy…

1. The snow coming down as I type. Our state always needs more water. So it’s a big deal to get all this new stuff. I just want to be snowed in at least once in my life.

2. Pink lights on a canopy bed. It’s very exotic and makes me feel particularly fancy somehow. Even if I’m just wearing a sweatshirt and jeans.

3. A baby girl who loves her monkey.

4. A baby boy who loves to laugh.

5. A baby “chomp” who could show up any day now. Maybe we’ll wake up one of these mornings and Lyndi will have a sweet, warm bundle all cuddled up with her. I suppose, in real life we’ll know when she decides that she’s truly coming. But since Lyndi is having a home birth–it could be a surprise for us–any time now.

6. A well attended puzzle on a wintery day.

7. Dear friends in a beautiful place.

8. A beautiful place

9. A pristine kitty

10. A letter from a happy boy in a very cold, faraway land.

*******

Be sure to check out the “Grateful List” tab. This will be our never-ending happiness list. Reply to this post and let us know what makes you happy. We’ll just keep racking them up until we get…oh, a million or so. :]  You can send as many, as often as you’d like.

Can’t get too much of this good thing!

How many is a million, anyway?

Posted on

Happy Thanksgiving!!

ThanksgivingWe here at Gracious Rain hope you have the happiest of Thanksgivings and that you eat so much turkey and cranberry sauce and potatoes and pie that you sleep for a week…well, no…then you’d miss all the cool sales tomorrow and that would be would be terribly counter-productive. Maybe, use moderation…

oh, forget it.

So, ok…go eat stuffing.

Dane Thanksgiving 08

My cute little son in Lithuania breaking dry bread for stuffing–8 hours ago–

because HE knows that some traditions must go on, even in a far away land.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Posted on

A Good Boy…

…in a far away place.

My son Dane is currently serving a full time, two year mission for the LDS church in Lithuania. He is having the time of his life. He loves the people and beautiful land and the companion he’s works with. He is struggling with the language, but it is coming along and he is determined to get better every day.

Dane in the Missionary Training Center

It is wonderful to read his letters and to know how happy he is–but as a mom…well, I never imagined how hard it would be to say good-bye to my boy. It was unlike anything I’ve ever done. I’m so proud of him…but man, I miss him.

With High School Pal–Justin Benson

I always imagined that it would be easy to be the “sturdy mountain woman” type about having him gone…but I’m more like a big, nerdy, cry baby.

Someone asks how he’s doing, and instead of answering…I cry. Someone tells me they’ve heard from him…I cry. We open his emails and read his weekly adventures…I cry. Ridiculous pattern here.

I have no doubt that this two year mission will be an incredible growing experience for all of us…especially his wussy mother.