In the spring of 1965 the movie,The Sound of Music, was released. My parents decided that it was worth driving our large Catholic family over 150 miles to the big city of Omaha so we could see it at the Dundee Theater (which is still going strong today). This cinematic experience made an indelible impression on my thirteen-year-old self. The music, the sets, the costumes, the Austrian scenery were just stunning. When Julie Andrews (as Maria) enters that moonlit garden and meets up with Christopher Plummer (as Captain Von Trapp), the bar was impossibly raised on any future romantic moments. Since that day I have watched that film dozens of times. It never fails to charm me. 

Fast forward to the spring of 2018. This time my husband and I were driving over 200 miles to Kansas City to await the birth of our first grandchild. Violet Elaine Mathews was born about twenty-four hours after our arrival. Due to some difficulties during the birthing process Violet was in the ICU for several days after her birth so meeting her wasn't as straightforward as we had anticipated. When the moment arrived I felt like everyone said I would feel. Here was the most perfect child ever born! The intense love and joy I felt for her could not be contained by the Universe! 

My wait to become a grandmother had seemed much too long. My four sisters all had multiple grands and I had been feeling a little forlorn about my prospects. This created an overwhelming desire in me to connect with my new granddaughter. During that first visit she started to whimper and I instinctively began singing, My Favorite Things, a song from the aforementioned movie. I don't know why I chose that particular song. It is not really a lullaby but that's what happened and it worked. Violet immediately calmed down and she gazed up at me for the first time. 

"I'm going to love being your Nana, dear one", I thought. 

When I got to hold her for the first time and she clasped her tiny hand around my finger, I sang it again. Just like that My Favorite Things became "our" song. I now routinely sing snippets of it whenever I facetime with her or see her in person. In fact, on a recent visit, I was putting her to sleep at bedtime and I started singing it and she began to "sing" along with great emphasis on the chorus. Grandchildren are such experts at making moments magical.

A year later, I was setting up my Etsy shop to sell my paintings. One of the first things the Etsy folks require you to do is give your shop a unique name. I knew that I wanted to somehow dedicate my shop to Violet. I didn't want to use her actual name but I wanted the shop to represent the important role my granddaughter has in my life. 

'Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens..."  

Maybe, I thought, I could incorporate our song into my shop's name. Easier said than done. I wasn't the first person to have this idea. Who knew there could be so many permutations of "raindrops on roses"?  Should I try "bright copper kettles" or "warm woolen mittens"? No. It didn't look like it was going to work. After trying well over a dozen variations, I typed in "RaindropRosesStudio". Accepted!  I rushed to confirm before anyone else grabbed it.  My shop had a name... a subtle but meaningful nod to my precious girl. 

So that's how my shop got its name. It all started long ago in a dark theater with beautiful nun singing about her favorite things. Thank you, Julie Andrews, but most of all, thank you, Violet.

"I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad."