SAYING GOODBYE TO A GREAT MAN AND AN AMAZING FRIEND

I have mentioned a few times before that my husband and I have been working for a local, all around good and natural miniature cattle farm called Happy Mountain Farm for the last 2 years.

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How we came to be part of this family was nothing less than fate.  Curtis and I had been engaged for about 6 months and we were very busy planning all the details of our wedding.  One night we decided to watch a movie called "Food Inc."   I highly recommend it to those of you who haven't had the chance to see it.  Food Inc. is a documentary literally exposing the mass meat industry for all its corrupt ways.  Literally friends, with tiny hidden cameras, you can see exactly how companies you see every day at the grocery store really treat their animals.  It was horrifying!  After watching this movie, Curt and I decided it was important to find a local farm to purchase our meat from.  Just a week later was the yearly grand opening of the Puyallup farmers market, and we figured this would be the place to find some good resources.  

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Good resource indeed, because we wound up meeting the Gradwohl family, who would not only become our employers, but also our extended family.   Both Curt and I recognised Michelle Gradwohl from our own local farmers market in Des Moines, she had been selling meat there for years.  After telling her that we recognized her from Des Moines, she then told us that Happy Mountain wouldn't be able to be at the Des Moines farmers market that year due to not having anyone to work it.   Curt and I wished her luck and went on our way.    As were walking through the market, I had to slap Curtis on the arm.   "Hey, we should work the Des Moines market for them!  We could use some extra money for our wedding and were passionate about supporting local farms."  Curtis completely agreed with me, so we marched our happy butts right back over there and said.  "We would like to work for you and help you keep the Des Moines Market!"  Just our luck, the owner of the farm Richard was there and he hired us on the spot!

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After working for a summer selling beef at our local farmers market, we had fallen in love with our farm and the farmers market community.  Richard and his family quickly adopted us as part of their family and we enjoyed every moment we spent working for the farm.  This year, we not only returned to the Des Moines Farmers Market but we also picked up 4 other local farmers markets.  Being on the farm has become an every day event, whether its been to pick up product, drop off product or to just swing by and say hi to our extended family and all the animals.

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Richard has taught us so much about the farming industry and we've really found this tender part in our hearts for him.  Honestly, hes one of the farming industries best kept secrets.  He's been creating his own breeds of cattle for over 30 years.  Out of the 26 different breeds of miniature cattle in the world he has developed 18 of those breeds on our farm.  Not only do we use some of the cattle to produce healthy meat for our local community, we also sell these mini cows as pets!  Each one of our cows has a name and is treated just about as good as it gets.  In return, we can offer some of the most healthy and delicious meat for the mind, body and spirit!

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Today, we lost this incredible man who has developed this amazing farm and who has touched all our hearts.  After five days at the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical, Richard Gradwohl passed away peacefully with his son by side, due to a massive stroke and brain hemorrhage he had early Sunday morning.

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  His family has been so strong in facing this horrible situation, but honestly I just can't help but feel so broken hearted.  Richard was someone, I looked forward to see on a daily basis.  He was a significant part of mine and Curtis' life, and it hurts to have to let go of this relationship that we have come to love and depend on.   The hardest thing about loosing someone you love is the absence of those little routines and quirks that just make life worth while and special.  I am always going to miss Richards little round belly, and the way it jiggled when he laughed.  I will miss his iconic greeting of "Heeeelllooooo" when ever he would see us and his "Keep Smilin" whenever we would leave.

I will miss sitting out front of the farm store with him, sipping soda and telling stories (breaks he would call them).  Ill miss his face when he would laugh really hard.  Ill miss him shuffling around the farm.  Ill miss him talking sweetly to the cows.  Ill miss him calling me "Georgia" just to wrile me up.  Ill miss his constant support and help.  Most of all, I'm just really going to miss him.

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So farewell to my employer.... teacher.... and friend. 

I feel so fortunate to have been part of your life and legacy, and I'm so happy that I was able to spend some of your last normal hours with you Saturday night and to have given you a big hug before you left.  You were very much a big part of my heart and I am really going to miss you.

I hope we meet again one day.

To read more about Richard and some of the amazing things hes done, visit;

Here

and

Here

If you would like to learn more about Happy Mountain Farm, visit;

Happy Mountain Farm

DEAR PHOTOGRAPH

Hi friends! 

 Have any of you seen this website?   The nostalgia tickles my old soul and reminds me that in this ever changing world,  there are still a few things that will remain the same.  Not only are those things tangible, but they also live inside our memories.  This site makes me want to dig through boxes and boxes of old photos and take a road trip back to all those places I remember.

I even tear up at some of the captions.

 Dear Photograph, 

 I told you there would be better days

 Joel Witte

Dear Photograph,

 If I could turn the corner in 1942 and walk right into my mother, I’d ask her “May I walk beside you one more time?”

Love, your daughter

Dear Photograph,

Grandma loved this beach.

Dan Perry

Dear Photograph,

He was a wonderful man and she grew up to be a wonderful woman.

Anonymous

Dear Photograph,

Dad never took a picture of me, ever. Then I noticed his reflection in the glass.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

Anonymous

 

Dear Photograph,

Disney will always be magical, no matter what age.

Leslie Kalbfleisch

Dear Photograph,

There’s a reason we had to paint these stairs blue. They just weren’t as colorful without these two.



Dear Photograph,
Oh, how the views change.
Suzanne Danziger

"BEEP BEEP" From THE LITTLE ROAD!

KNOCK KNOCK

Knock Knock.

Who's There?

Police.

Police Who?

Police Let Me Come In These Beautiful Doors!

Pure architectural beauty

You can't help but love the whimsy of Art Nouveau.

I love color, but there is something about a shiny black door.

I love the color play with the turquoise side panels

And I love the house number and monogram.

Someone needs to tell me where I can find these house numbers!

Are they stick on or stencils?

I might have to get creative with my front door..... Hmmmm  I wonder if my home owners association would mind if I painted my front door LIME GREEN!?

Another must have.   :O)

All these fun pictures and links to their home pages can be found on my Pinterest Boards.

"BEEP BEEP" From The Little Road

HOLD TIGHT FRIENDS

I am joining the ranks of hundreds of sad bloggers that have had all their pictures wiped off their blog by Google Plus.   My husband and I have started the restoring process, but we are going to have to re upload the pictures one blog post at a time.   So sorry for the sad inconvenience friends.  Id much rather be spending my time writing you about happy fun things and all the DIY projects we've been doing around here..  Unfortunately all the stomping, crying and cussing I've been doing the last 12 hours really won't bring the pictures back.

Tragic I say, tragic.....

Beep Beep!   from The Little Road!

THIS SILLY RED SHEET

Sometimes I really do think I'm Superman!!

I can do it all!

I can juggle a full time job, starting this new business, working 4 farmers markets a week, volunteering for a really amazing charity for a really amazing girl, remodeling my home, spending quality time with loved ones, and on top of it all JUNKING!

But honestly........

Sometimes I just need a nap!!!!!

Secretly though... I really love the disguise.
(And the nerdy glasses!)

BEEP BEEP FROM THE LITTLE ROAD!

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM

Oh, I tried so hard to get this post in before midnight, but just couldn't.

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful, loving, uplifting, inspiring, and supportive Mom in the world!

Go get that free grand slam today at Denny's

Cuz you're a grand slam of a Mom!

XOXOXO

 

ETSY LOVE ~ ROVER

I'm not usually one who gets a kick out of putting clothing on animals.  I've done it a few times to my cat Tula just to pick on her for a little bit.  This doggy clothing shop called ROVER on ETSY just tickles my funny bone.  If I had that little English Bulldog that I want, Id buy him this little pea coat.  Its so cute!

CHEERS!



IMPROVISED 4TH OF JULY DECORATIONS ON THE CHEAP!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY FRIENDS!

Curtis and I are so excited for today's festivities!  Our little "Casa Del Playa" is one of the BEST places to be on the 4th of July.  From our little beach we can see 3 to 5 firework shows!  Every year we invite our friends and family over for potluck, bonfire, and fireworks!  It's always such a blast.

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It's been a while since we've had friends over to our house.  We've been in a constant state of remodeling and the house is never quite up to par and were honestly just too tired!  So Curtis and I worked our bums off this week finishing a bunch of projects and getting the house to a some what reasonable state.  So needless to say, we wanted to keep everything very simple this year for 4th of July.  Were having some friends and family over for a potluck and we've picked up a rotisserie chicken and a few goodies from our farmers market. 

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As we were getting things together this morning, I started remembering all these things I have hiding around the house that I could pull out real quick to do a little decorating!

(Excuse the low quality photos, the batteries in my camera died, so I took these with my phone!)

I pulled out an awesome 4 tiered serving set that Curtis and I snagged of Craigslist for $15 for our wedding!

I also love how my fun Ikea dandelion chandelier looks just like a big firework!

I didn't even plan that!

We picked up some yummy treats from the store, and our wonderful next door neighbor made us a fresh loaf of banana bread.  She's such a doll!  We also got these delicious strawberries from one of the local Farmers Markets Curtis and I work at.  They are currently marinating in sugar!  Yum!

Did a little decorating on my toes and pulled out these little cup cake wrappers and made some patriotic streamers with a little bit of twine this morning.  Aren't they cute and cheap to boot!

My husband and I were just going to set up a simple folding table in our entry way for all the potluck food.... but then I remembered I had a red and a star patterned table cloth tucked away in one of our linen bins!  I yanked those puppies out!  I pulled the star in from our outside patio.  The cute picnic basket and apple box I use as a display for my "Little Road" shop at the farmers market.  We picked up a few cheep flowers at the market and stuffed them in the middle, and put some drinking cups on on one side.  The sparklers we had left over from our wedding, and I put them in a vintage blue mason jar with a patriotic imprint on the front.  I've been collecting old mason jars forever so I just had this hanging around the house.  We also use mason jars for all our drinking glasses.  A few more mason jars to hold utensils, and there ya go!  4th of July decorations for only a few pennies!

Sometimes if you use your imagination, you can do a whole lot with what you've already got!

We always keep a few Costco packs of drinking glasses, paper plates and plastic utensils on hand for whenever we have events.  It saves a lot of time and energy in the long run!

Curtis and I pick up fresh peanuts at the Farmers Market every week.  (Alvarez Farms makes the best!)

I bought a bunch of these cute popcorn bags a while back when I was at the craft store.... I figured they would come in handy some day!

My Aunt is also a family junker and I found this great mason jar in one of her antique stalls at Auntie Mable's Country Store in Paradise California.

My husband LOVES Rainer cherries!  He waits all year for them and they just started showing up at our Farmers Market.  PS. I love my Le Creuset batter bowl!  I thought the cherries looked so pretty in it.

And a few more mason jars just for the fun of it!

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I hope all of you are having a wonderful day playing outside, eating and watching fireworks!

What kind of plans do yall have for today?!

CHEERS!



AN AMELIE INSPIRED WEDDING

Whoo, I've been so neglecting my poor little blog.  I do love you still, I promise!

Alright, enough schmoozing with the blog and lets get back on track!

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I'm pretty much completely in love with this wedding!

I think most everyone who has seen the french subtitled movie Amelie has fallen in love with the movie.  I love how this couple has incorporated so many of the fine details into their special day.

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I seriously just had a conversation with Curtis about how we should put our wedding clothes back on and do a creative photo shoot / video.  Sadly he told me that he thinks it's too late for us.  :O(

I may still have to wrangle him in for a creative video for one of our big anniversary's.

For those of you who have sadly never seen this movie.  I can't say how much you're missing out.  It's quirky, its fun, its lustful, its adventurous.  Amelie is the kind of girl we all wish we could be.  Completely in love with the wonder of life.

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So what an amazing idea to turn it into a wedding theme.

Even the little gnome had to make an appearance.

One gorgeous french cocktail bar!

The couple had their guests send in a snapshot of them selves with their RSVP card.  They cut them and fancied them in an Amelie style as place setting cards.  Genius!

And of course the Creme Brulee!!

The pictures are absolutely wonderful but check out the amazing video to go with it.

You can watch it HERE

(Sorry, I tried to attach it here but wasn't able to.)

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So dear readers, what would your wedding theme be?

CHEERS!

Credits:  Green Wedding Shoes

TO MY DAD

I'm sure there are many wonderful Dads in this world. Though, I have to say, my Dad takes the cake. Even if one were to try, there is not another single one like him.

Through the years my dad has taught me;

To live every day as a new adventure.

And to always make the most out of what little I've got.

To always share with others less fortunate.

To hold on tight to the ones you love and always ENJOY THE RIDE!

He taught me to always work hard and really enjoy the work I do.

He taught me to give people hell whenever possible!

And to take a snooze whenever there is a chance.

He taught me to find love in music!

He taught me that even in the worst of times, there is always something worth smiling about.

He taught me that the future should always include and have room for the ones you love.

He taught me that the best me is just........ plain ole me.

My Dad taught me that there will always be chalenges along the way.....

But that he's always got me.

The older and bigger I get, he always remains bigger than me.  I look up and admire him in every way possible.  I love my dad as I love the stars.  He is a happy twinkling inside my heart.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO YOU DAD!

XOXO