What complete and utter Joy these notes bring

My.Heart.Is.Full

 

 
 
 
 

Set your inner redneck free

& 

SHINE

:)

These lovely beauties will be available at the Country Girls Sale this next week

Hope to see you there!

XOXO

~Rain(e)

Save the Date! 

August 24th and 25th Country Girls Sale

We are having another sale this summer with the Country Girls

Come on by and say hi to Jeff and I,

 we would love to

meet ya!

~Raine

Finding joy...

It has been too long.  Guilt is hanging heavy

I suppose the fun part of having a blog is because both parties
(the author as well as the reader)
have relationship

It's our current culture trend (and I'm still trying to decide if I am a fan)

  Life continues to soar high and dip low
 I find myself short on air (because frequently I am holding my breath... unaware). 

I've been reading the book "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp.
I find it poetic and soul quenching.
Difficult to read at times but still thought provoking and encouraging.  I am on my own search to find "joy" and to bury the discontentment that so many times sinks its teeth into my fragile flesh.

Beginning a list of my own has been soul lifting.

How can we live in a spirit of discontentment when we have so much to be thankful for?

~Raine

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I "heart" new beginnings Internet!

The new year always invigorates me to be better, to try harder and to exercise (at least for a week or two!)

My operation organization hit snag after snag during the month of December.  Between working full time, trying to soak as much time in with my family as possible, and the general holiday "crazy"

NOTHING

was organized

(except left over food in my refer!)

Thank goodness I believe in new beginnings ;)

Also...on a sad note.  I lost five of my beautiful girls (AKA my hens) within one week of each other this December.

Apparently a Husky dog came into our backyard and broke into the hen house.  He ripped apart four of my babies before my lover was able to run him off (with a pitch fork no less).

I cried

alot.

Not but three days later, another one of our beauties went missing...a lovely hole was found in the chicken wire.

My lover set a live trap and two days later we found this.

he is SO cute!

I hate that.

Alas, even his most adorable masked face couldn't wash away my grief for my girls.

My lover relocated the "chicken killer"

to a far away land (it may even be Heaven but I didn't ask for the details)

To sooth my soul

(and make me look like the BEST mommy in the whole wide world)

I bought a baby bunny

~Raine

Light has come!

Heaven sent you to me

All the Worlds been praying

Who will save?

But who am I?

That here tonight

I hold the One

Who will bring us life

Hallelujah, we've been found

A Child is born to save us now

Jesus

This gives me goosebumps

every time

~Merry "Christ"mas season Internet~

Raine

respiration...inspiration...respiration...repeat

I love my kids! 

I love the way they laugh when we eat dinner around the table together.  

I love the way my 12 year old son makes a face when he has to hold his sister's hand while we pray.

I love the way we blast the music on the computer and dance around like crazy nut jobs.

I do not think that my life could be 

ever more sweet 

than it is right now

:)

My cup runneth over

Thank.you.Lord

Kiss your pixie folk for me today

~Raine

Finding the balance...

Hello Internet!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

I heart

Thanksgiving

It is the one holiday when you 

can hang around the house with family...

stuffing your face 

and no one looks at you funny

My operation organization was halted only somewhat with the holiday week

I was able to completely reorganize all our medications

our bed linen

and my sewing area.

I didn't take pictures of the before and after

(I think subconsciously 

I am afraid no terrified no scared silly of being judged)

But I did take a picture of my "helper" while I went through the linen closet

I was able to get rid of one big bag of things aka junk 

(it is not a ton...but you have to start somewhere)

I also went through my collection of vintage pillow cases

I kept every single one :)

Somethings are worth hoarding

This next week we hope to decorate for Christmas

which means I will be reorganizing our decorations

I'll keep you posted 

Until then,

Grab your son and make him dance with you in the kitchen

~Raine

Be wise and ORGANIZE

I'm drowning...

I don't know about you Internet but for some reason this Fall I feel like I'm drowning in my own house (throw me a rope and a coffee STAT!).

Could it be that a 1250 square foot home with SIX growing people is too small?

Perhaps.

When we bought out 1940's bungalow six years ago I was BEYOND thrilled.  
We had three small babies and one in the oven, a house with tons of potential and half an acre of land to call our own (complete with lilac trees).

I still like it...but I admit I don't LOVE it.

I have three girls...and one bathroom.  
Two of our lovelies share a room and the other two bedrooms are 8X9....
just large enough for one dresser and a bed (and yet they still always feel messy).  
My kitchen is not large enough for all of our dishes 
(and so things still live in boxes in our garage).  


I salivate over people who have pantries 
(you have NO idea how hard it is not to have one when you have a large family).

I don't like to whine...
 (ok maybe I do like to whine just not in public)


 but.I.need.a.change.

So I either step up to the challenge and make these changes
or wallow in self pity and stare at magazines
(which breed in me a spirit of discontentment).

Now that winter is essentially upon us here in the Northwest, 
my goal is to organize different areas of my home.   
I will share my progress with you along the way 
and maybe some of my vintage hoarding will also end up for sale on here as well.  


I'm all about sharing the hoard.

If you need inspiration dear Internet....then get thee to a computer and join Pinterest!

Amazing ideas and ways to find inspiration.  
If you follow the link from my blog you can see my Pinterest boards.  
One is entirely devoted to fabulous reorganization ideas.

So put on some "pumping" music and play it loud... grab your garbage can and your gloves...get ready to dive into the thick of it...and say "Au Revoir"  to not being able to find your keys!!

~Raine~

Fabulous, Fabulous, Fabulous autumn weather
  

it demands that we accessories
with scarves.

This one ^ makes my heart skip a beat.

I will take one in every color please

(photo from "the Pleated Poppy"blog)

My most favorite movie

 (besides Pride & Prejudice)

naturally

Confessions of a Shopaholic

~They told me I was a valued customer, now they send me hate mail!~

Rebecca Bloomwood

Stay classy Internet...and accessories :)

~Raine

My girls make me exceedingly happy

I'm weird

But I'm O.K. with that

~Raine

Rhinestone - N- Rust

I've taken a few of our treasures over for the
Rhinestone-N-Rust Sale

You should check out there blog

(it's on the left hand side of your screen under the Cedarshack)

Because reading cool blogs
while sipping on coffee
is good for your health

Well...it's good for mine anyway :)

Kiss someone you love today Internet!

~Raine

cute three drawer dresser :)

love the covered wagon and the twisted rope detail...

would look fabulous repainted and in a little boys room

$20

love rusty ole ash buckets

$8

distressed shabby end table

$20

One day,

when I grow up...

I will have a real website with a store button :)

For now, you can catch me on facebook on our Ruffles and Rust page

or you can leave me a comment message here and I will connect with you.

~Raine

If you know me, you know that I am the pale fair maiden,the one in books who always has a parasol to keep the heat of the day off of her fair face.

(In my altered reality I'm pretty sure I'm also the maiden who falls

head over heals in love with Mr. Darcy) :)

Absolutely

falling.in.love

with Fall

When Summer kisses us goodbye and Autumn pours in with her vibrant colors, her cool mornings, and her warm evenings...my heart is happy.

~Raine

What a day!

Our first sale took place just three weeks ago

(I am still in recovery mode)

The lavender lemonade was a huge hit

the temps hit the mid 90's

which in Oregon is the equivalent of

10,000 billion gazillion

degrees....squared.

Thank you to all our customers

and to our new friends

I will be posting items available for purchase

in the near future

(which could mean next week or

in 18,000 hours, or 282 days, depending on my serum

Dutch Bros. levels)

Until then...turn to you left and

kiss whoever is sitting next to you!

~Raine

Our first sale

These pic's aren't the best (they are taken with my phone)

It does give you an idea though of our first booth

We went with the 10 x 10 size

and quickly discovered that our vintage

hoarding habit was a bit more than

we could handle....

For more pictures....check out Brandy and Amanda's blog

The link is on the left of your screen

under

The Country Girls

Back to the sale we go for

day #2

~Raine

Mom's hands...

These handmade beauties

were made by my amazing and talented

~momsie~

everyday she blesses me

P.S. The ruffled ball in the background

is an experiement gone wrong...

it will be at the sale too because I loath looking at it...hahaha

~Raine

Lilly's Bracelets

Our sweet daughter Lilly will be offering some of her handmade

bracelets at the Country Girls Sale this weekend

These are so much cooler than "silly bands" and they go with multiple outfits :)

Plus, all the money earned can go towards

Lilly's "texting" habit

God bless junior high girls

~Raine

My beloved...

My beloved is making a few of these most adorable

concrete finials for the sale this weekend

The wild garlic just might find it's way there too...

~Raine

Sneak Peeks

I "heart" this pillow

To be honest (I believe in honesty)

I did not make this pillow

it will however be available at our sale this next weekend

So come on over and give it a squeeze....

I know you want to :)

~Raine~