grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Little Custom Homes in Mississippi County, Arkansas

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Little Custom Homes, Bassett, Ar

It’s no secret I love to share all the interesting things happening in Mississippi County, Arkansas. That’s where I grew up and where my Momma still farms. Now we can add Little Custom Homes, LLC to the coolness.

How cute are these? The only thing missing is a puppy on each porch.

Am I right?

I’ve not officially toured these homes, but I’ve driven by them, stalked them from afar, and memorized the photos on the website. And while I’m not (yet) a tiny house dweller, these Little Custom Homes (company owned by Bill Denton) make me believe I could pare down my stuff to those can’t-live-without books belongings. So often, I feel stifled by stuff. Don’t you?Continue Reading

Exhausted from the Rain

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Exhausted from the rain.

This was supposed to be my “Savoring April” post. The one where I recap April. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted from the rain. And I’m happy to move on to May. I’m expecting TONS OF MAY FLOWERS. Aren’t you? April showers promise that much, you know.

We received around 15 inches of rain the past week which has resulted in flash flooding. The fierce storm is moving on across the country leaving death and destruction in its path. I’m always fascinated by the calm before the storm, not to mention the rainbow coloring the back end. Not that we’re done. If this morning’s wind and dismal skies are any indication, we seem to have more bad queued up.

Maybe T. S. Eliot got it right when he said April is the cruelest month.

For the most part, I can celebrate April. I savored the month with friends and family, book clubs and library events, and lots of time working in the garden in between rolling thunder. April brought a family reunion potluck and Easter ribs from the Rendezvous in Memphis. Like they say, you can’t beat that with a stick.

Here’s my recap in pictures.

Savoring April 2017
So a quick rundown for posterity.

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Grace Grits Reads: April 2017

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April Reads

Here we are at the end of April. I think these monthly book recaps I’ve begun doing make my days fly by even more quickly! Grace Grits Reads for April took me across the Pyrenees and deep into the “Wood Wide Web”. I visited with old Avonlea friends and sat bedside with Lucy Barton. ♬♪ Do you know the Pee-can man? the Pee-can man? the Pee-can man? ♬♪ I predict soon you will.

The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah

This was the first book I read in April, and it was FANTASTIC. I became so engrossed in this tale of two sisters during French occupation of WWII, I had a difficult time accomplishing much of anything other than reading. This was one of those beautifully written stories I didn’t want to end, all the more powerful because the people and events depicted were inspired by truth. When it did end, I had to sit with it for a while before starting another book.

This book made me: reflect, think, worry, weep at the end. I even lost weight because how could I eat when Isabelle was standing in food lines for pitiful rations? Read it if you haven’t already and ponder, what would you do?

My favorite sentence: “What good is safety if she has to grow up in a world where people disappear without a trace because they pray to a different God?”Continue Reading

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