Website juggling & What's for lunch?

We're going to back to the simplicity of making this blogsite the main website. The look has changed slightly and I have more control over the content (and I already know how to do it, so there's nothing new to learn right now).

Thanks for your patience while the changes are being added.

Oh, and lunch?
In addition to our regular hot lunch we're serving sandwiches on our fresh homemade bread.

We're also adding bagels, bran muffins, and several other healthy options. (Don't worry; we're keeping the decadent desserts, too.)

The Grafton 123 Coffee

The Grafton 123 Private Label Coffee is simply the best.
Exclusively blended and freshly roasted for The 123, our coffee is world-class.

Whole Beans are available for purchase at a competitive price.

also available:
Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans


The Grafton 123's new Web Store is currently in the planning stages.

Freaking Out with Formatting Part2

If you've been visiting regularly, you'll have noticed the growing pains of the blog format.
My main objective was to make the change from a 2-column to a 3-column format. Blogger (google) does not provide a basic 3-column template, so the change involves editing the HTML. I know absolutely nothing about writing code and the thought of changing the code makes me break out into a cold sweat. However, you'll notice that I am now the proud author of a 3-column blog! Go me!
Okay - I really can't take all the credit. I searched for -and finally found- a set of brainless directions that allowed me to continue to happily know nothing about writing code and still change the HTML code to get what I wanted.
I started this experiment with the Taylor County Blog. That transition was very easy. It was so easy, in fact, that it made me brave enough to try switching things around over here. This one -the Rounders3 template- was a bit more challenging, but, with a bit of personal help, I finally figured it out.
How did I do it?
IDS over at the Blogger Guide Blog walked me though the entire process. His instructions are the only ones that worked without hair-pulling and tongue-lashing. He even answered my comment-questions promptly and sent me personal emails to coach me along! How great is that?
Here's the link that takes you to the main page of all the 3-column template guides he has available.
If you've been trying to figure out how to go 3-column, then this is definitely the guide to use.

Granny Sue & The 123

I posted this same picture last fall, only the trees were bright red. I thought I'd capture the same scene this spring. The white blooms are just beginning to be replaced by young leaves.

I see this everyday when I'm down there working, but imagine my surprise when I saw this caboose over at Granny Sue's blog! And not only the caboose, but Granny Sue stopped by and took pictures of The 123! (Go to Granny Sue's post "Tale of a Tired Storyteller: Grafton")

I wasn't even there to meet her. She was on her way to Rowlesburg and it looks like, from the ladders against the side of the building in her picture, that PC had run off to the hardware store for something. I was at the high school for a baseball game. I hope to catch her in June when she visits again for a telling at Tygart Lake State Park.

The ladders were there for this:

Our temporary sign, just to let people know they can surf over here and see what all the activity is about; with all the outside work, it's obvious that something is going on.

Freaking Out with Formatting

If you come over here and see weird things happening to the format of this blog, let me assure you that it will -eventually- be okay.
I'm hoping for better than okay, so it may take me awhile.

If you check in often enough, you may see some pretty interesting colors, layouts, and designs.
I don't know how to make these changes without publishing every one of them....

Wish me luck; I may need it.

Construction Boredom and Blog Neglect

I've been neglecting this blog while I'm busy building the Grafton123.com site.

I just wanted to stop in with a quick update: Drywall hanging continues.

Not a very exciting update, huh?
No apologies; sometimes construction is boring and right now we are in a boring, plodding lull.

After the drywall and the painting comes tile. I get to lay the tile myself. While I'm at it, PC will be outside working on the entryway. I'll keep you up to date, but be sure to check out the main site often, as information is added everyday. If there's something you'd like to see over there, please let me know (mk@grafton123.com). You can put the information together yourself, or you can tell me what you'd like to see and I'll try and pull something together.

Also, I was thinking about it today as I was digging through my picture files: I know there are quite a few impressive photographers in town. If you have pictures from around the area, I'd appreciate it (a lot!) if you'd share. It might make the web site building a bit quicker (and certainly prettier).

Phase II

PC has been scraping out the last remnants of the demolition.

We are now entering phase two of the Coffee House project!

What that really means is:

1. I have quite a few pictures that I want to share. Some are just shots of miscellaneous stuff that we've found in and around The 123 that I've never posted on here before and
2. PC is doing prep work for the drywall. However, we don't expect to even think about hanging drywall until (hopefully early) February.
3. We've spent some time laying out the floor plan! This part is fun (mostly) because all the hard work that's gone into gutting out and cleaning up has (finally!) paid off. The work is not over, not by a long shot, but the reality of creating a great new Coffee House for downtown Grafton is beginning to cause a bit of excitement for PC and I. Construction is so much better than deconstruction! (Remind me I said that when we get a few months in.)
4. We're going to be -sometime before the end of January- hanging a very simple sign on the outside of the Coffee House. The sign will serve as the Official Announcement (yay!). A few folks already know what all the activity at The 123 has been about, but for those who don't, we'll simply be pointing them towards this website.
5. AND, because we'll be pointing Grafton folks towards this website, I am going to be moving this blog and replacing our home page with a basic summary page rather than this rambling-bloggity-blog. But don't worry; I'm not going anywhere. I will still be updating and adding to this Blog, but it'll just be linked off of the main site. I will try to keep the navigation easy by making links simple and prominent. Notice I said I will try. That means I need your help with feedback to let me know I'm not screwing anything up too bad. If it's easy to find, I'm happy. If you get lost and can't figure out where anything went, then I'm screwing it up. Please let me know both ways, but be sure to tell me if you find a problem that I've overlooked. I will keep my email linked, too. However, if I screw that up, too, my email is mk@grafton123.com or mk@mkstover.com.

Stay tuned for pictures...