Every day pleasures.

There are days when the rain is coming down too hard for words and you are feeling sad and scattered.

Me contemplating my current work in progress.

All you can do, then, is find a small pleasure and let it soothe your raw edges. Like letting the Rain Chains do their Rain Thing. That can bring a smile on even the rainiest of days!
 

Would I call it Rain Chaining? 

What are your small pleasures? What brings less stress to you?

I still don't know what I'm doing, but I'm not going to stress about it!

The finished patio project (and a few random photos).

Alma's Ganache In A Cup.

 The deck is finished! After months of mud and building, we finally got some furnishings (thanks to Lowe's discount area and various thrift shops) and it is starting to look like the retreat I always wanted. But first, I tease you with some random pictures of Portland!

(cue evil laugh)

The empty cup is the remains of an Alma Chocolate's Ganache in a Cup. I was not about to stop to take a picture before I ate it.

Cherish Yesterday; Dream Tomorrow, Love Today.

 Outside of Alma's, I saw this wonderful sign sitting on the sidewalk.

I call this The Retreat.

 And now for the main event. :)

Candlesticks from Goodwill.

Perfect for dreaming and reading.

The Garden Gate

The Party Pavilion

Pretty lanterns light the way.

A vase from a friend's mother's estate sale.

Rain chains: elegant and relaxing.

The Saga of the Backyard.

The Charming Man and I never spent much time in our backyard, even though we had an enormous deck and a plethora of shady trees. It was always full of unpleasant insects and lacked any privacy.

This summer, we decided to renovate the back yard as a memorial to my beloved Grandmother. On the hottest day of August, some of the Charming Man's co-workers were kind enough to come help rip up part of the deck. Now the rest of it is gone and we are beginning on the journey to construction.

Here are pictures of what our back yard looks like now- your basic mud pit, but full of promise.

Soon it will be a Middle Eastern style retreat.