Thursday, June 28, 2007

New Shop Announcement!!!

So, after much deliberation, I finally decided that I need to sell some of my beads. I usually buy stuff in bulk, so I can get the cheapest price, but then I end up with stuff that I will probably never use. Rather than pack it all up to NC, I opened a new shop last night on Etsy. I named it "DornickLagniappe" {which is a Louisiana term for a little something extra}. I will be selling stuff there for just a little over my cost, which will make it a great bargain for people just starting out, or just looking for a few focal pieces, or strands of stones. I'll never be buying things just to sell, so if you see something you want, you better grab it since chances are I won't be offering it again. Please do check it out when you have a minute. I'm sure you'll find something you need.

I'll be back tomorrow, so have a Happy Thursday! xxoo ♥ & peace ~ Kathy

Remember ~ "One Woman's Trash Is Another's Treasure"

P.S. I took the music off ~ I think it was causing problems for a lot of people.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Friends & Critters

I just had to share this with all of you today. My Mom found this when she was going through some boxes of pictures and things she had saved from when I was a kid. She e-mailed me this today. I must have written it in 2nd or 3rd grade. It just goes to show how some things never change. I still love to write stories, tell stories, draw & color. But most of all, my love for critters started when I was very young. I hope you enjoy my little story, obviously my teacher did {hee hee}. I was such a good student!

Well, I bit the bullet and cut almost all of my hair off! eeekk ~ I love it though. Although, I have a slight resemblance to "Harry Potter" when I have no makeup on and just my reading glasses. Still in all, I can't believe I was never brave enough to cut my hair until now. Actually, I didn't cut it, but got it cut at a salon. I'll have to share a picture later.

I managed to get several new things made and listed in the shop today, so please do check them out when you get a minute. My most favorite thing is this awesome little wrap bracelet. I just love how it turned out and it's just so perfect for every day ~ Bohemian & funky, like me:
Plus, it's named so appropriately "That's A Wrap".

I talked with my bestest friend Sharon at length today. We just yaked & yaked for over an hour. She convinced me that I need to come spend a weekend with her soon. She lives right on the beach in Florida and we just walk & talk for hours collecting shells and listening to the peeping of the gulls & splashing of the seas. I promised her I would come soon and I will. So Sharon, when you read this post, you'll know I meant it :0)

When you sit back & think about it, Friends & Family are all you really have that mean anything. Everything else is just lagniappe {except dogs, of course}. Anyway, I need to go get dinner ready & fill a few orders. I hope everybody is having a wonderful Tuesday!

xx00 ♥ & peace ~ Kathy

"Friends are the flowers in the garden of life"

Monday, June 25, 2007

Doctor Visits, Thrifting & Giving Back

Hey everybody! I changed out the music for the week. This week we'll be listening to "Lonely Won't Leave Me Alone" by The Arlene's. It's another song from the "Look Both Ways" soundtrack. I love that whole CD. All of the music is just awesome. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
You will need to have some type of player installed on your computer to listen, either "Quicktime" or "Real Player" which are both free downloads from the Internet.

So today I had to go to the Doctor and get some of my little moles removed. I guess I inherited those from my Daddy and the older I get the more they pop up and, in not so desirable places. I hate going to the Doctor, but now I feel better. He said everything looked fine and he was pretty certain that everything was okay {*yay*}. Then I went & visited with my friend Pam, whom I just love to death, then to Dillard's to see if I could find some cute tops, which I did find a couple. But I ended up with a new purse and, of all things, a bracelet. The bracelet is really awesome and I got some ideas from it, of which I will be making tonight and listing in the shop. Of course, I would never copy anything since I just hate when people do that. But, I did get another idea of something to use on my spring bracelets. I think they will turn out really cool. I did make this little fellow yesterday and I love him to death. He is just awesome. Of course, he sold almost immediately, but I can make 2 more: Isn't he awesome! I just love carved bone pendants and beads. They are just so detailed and different. Each one is individually handcarved, too.
I think it's getting ready to rain out. I hear the thunder starting to rumble. I hope it comes a good down pour and waters the grass and all my plants outside. It sure makes it convenient for me :0) I have my new shoes on. They were waiting by the door when I got home. They are really comfie, but so far not as comfie as my old trusty Teva's. I'm sure they need breaking in, which I hope to be doing lots of soon.

Broc came over last night to look through stuff that I have packed up for Goodwill. He is moving into his own apartment this weekend and needs a few odds & ends. I had several sets of glasses and a few pots and pans, but his favorite finds from the boxes were a pair of Birkenstocks & some Snake Skin Cowboy Boots that Wayne was throwing out. I'm glad that kid is "thrifty" like me {for the most part anyway}. I always feel like I'm giving back when I shop at thrift stores. Like I leave a little piece of my heart when I leave there {hence the picture for today}. I did stop by one today and picked up this great little purse for $1. It will be perfect for parties. It is all embroidered on both sides and on the bottom, but the chain handle is my favorite part, I guess because it's so like "Jewelry":
Well my little friends, I need to get going and decide what I'm fixing for dinner. The diet is still going good, although I could not resist the Seafood Cannelloni last Saturday Night. It's just so good. I've been paying for it ever since. I've been really really good since then, so I hope I burned it away. Hope you are all having a great week so far! Happy Tuesday!!!
xxoo ♥ & peace ~ Kathy
The truth is, that it is natural as well as necessary, for every man to be a vagabond occasionally.

~ Samuel H. Hammond

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Oh Happy Day ~

I just woke up in a really good mood today and feel like making stuff, doing stuff & listing stuff in the shop. Etsy has been really slow lately {site problems} and my sales have suffered because of it. It's not a bad thing though, because I know sales will pick up again and it's given me some time to do some other things, catch up on some things and visit with some friends. I had lunch yesterday with one of my sweet little friends, Jackie and then visited with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Pam. At the end of the day I realized how much I love them both and will miss them dearly when I move. And this evening we are taking my Mom & Step dad to dinner for a belated "Father's Day". I'm so looking forward to it. I hope we are not rushed out of the restaurant. I hate it when you are paying good money for dinner and feel like you are expected to jump up and leave as soon as you're done because there are people waiting for tables. So today, I'm saying "to bad". We are staying as long as we want and nobody is going to intimidate me.

This is one of the things I made this morning. It's another "Daisy Head Maizy" necklace. They are really popular and each one is a little different: I just love it! I also have to share my new shoes that I just bought from "Zappos.com". They will be most perfect for hiking and wading in creeks to look for rocks & "mud puppies". I can't wait to get them. I have an old pair of "Teva's", but they are getting a little worn and the new ones are supposed to have better arch support. I just have this thing about having my foot enclosed in a shoe. It makes me claustrophobic. So, I wear sandals all the time and in winter I mostly wear clogs, so I can get my foot out fast, in case it stops breathing or something. I know, it sounds strange, but I've already decided that I'm not normal:

I debated on getting them in one of the pretty colors that are available, but I decided that the black would probably stay cleaner & be more practical. After all, I'm not getting them to make a fashion statement. They will be here Monday, so I'll let you know how comfie they are.

Well all my little peeps, I hope you are enjoying the new look of my blog {another thing I finally got done while Etsy was being troublesome}. I'll be changing the music every Monday, so send me your requests. I'll be an on-line blogger D.J. of sorts. Have a happy, happy weekend and always remember to "Love One Another". xxoo ♥ & peace ~ Kathy

"Then give to the world the best you know And the best will come back to you"
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Look Both Ways & Concentration ~

So today I have a combination {quote & picture} that I'm sharing with you. I hope you enjoy it, I certainly do. And by now you are asking "what is that song playing & where did it come from". Well my little friends, it's from the Soundtrack "Look Both Ways", which is an awesome movie. It's an Australian movie that we watched a few nights ago on the "Sundance" channel. So if you are ever looking for a great little movie to watch, I would suggest it highly. And, the soundtrack is ultra awesome. Every song is really really good. I'm going to share another one in a couple of days, after everybody gets a chance to hear this one playing now. Of course, you can always stop it after you've heard enough, just by clicking on the little "square" button. Even the artwork on the CD is awesome:
So today while I'm listening to my new CD, I'm doing laundry and using this new stuff that I got @ Target. It is 3X ultra concentrated and you only have to use a tiny cap full for a whole load of wash. I just didn't see how such a small amount {which is less than what I take in NyQuil sometimes, but I'll save that story for a later post} can get my cloths clean. I guess I'm just old school and used to pouring in at least a cup full of detergent for each load. Everything looks & smells clean so far, so I guess it's working. I really like the idea of "less is more" and the more things I can do to contribute to a healthier & cleaner environment I'm all for. I don't know if I'm totally bought in to the whole "Global Warming" thing, but I do know that there are things everybody can do to make the world a better place. So the next time you need laundry detergent, give this a "spin". I promise you will feel better about doing laundry:


And so my friends, I'm off to do some Taxes {I said it, so now I've committed}. The very last ones for this year. Or, I may just watch this again:
Hope you all have a great Thursday!
xxoo ♥ & peace ~ Kathy


Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Tuesday's Gone With The Wind....

I feel like I wasted the whole day. I'm waiting for the cable guy to show up and fix our cable box. I've become a slave to electronics. For the most part of the day, I worked on my website and my blog {how do you like it}, filled orders and made a few new things. It rained all day practically, for which I'm glad. Everything is just so "green". Plus, it helps to cool things off a little bit.

How do you like my picture for today! It's dedicated to all of the "whiners" in the Etsy forums. *Aaakkkk* I'm so tired of it all. I swore it off as of today {promise}. Never again will you see me in the forums, unless Etsy is having some problems and I just go there to find out what's going on in the "Bugs" section. Other than that, I say "get a life, people". I'm also tired of the people that send me convo's asking for my advice. I've given out honest advice to several people just to have them get snippy with me about it. Once again I say "get a life". If you think your stuff can sell, you don't need advice. If you ask for advice, you need to take it.

My little bird left the nest today and I missed him. When I got up, he was already gone. I went outside a few times when I thought I heard "peeping", but I never did see him. I hope he lives to be as old as he can in bird years. Now I'll just have to wait until some new babies arrive, which I'm sure won't be long.

I need to start dinner, so I'll talk to you tomorrow. Please be sure and click on the little video to the left "Cuteness Galore", you'll be glad you did. Happy Tuesday! xxoo ♥ & peace

"Find the thing meant for you to do, and do the best you can" ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Just Another Manic Monday...

It really wasn't that "manic" around here today, I just had that song playing in my head. I got a few things done, a few things packaged and mailed and a few orders filled for tomorrow's mailing. All in all, I just hung out with Ozzy & Lita and listened to the rain *Yay* it finally rained a little bit today. And boy are the frogs & crickets happy. It's almost deafening outside. We have a ditch behind our house and that's where all the little critters gather at night to sing "love songs". Speaking of "love songs", I caught these two love birds at it this afternoon. They were just right out on the bricks in front of everybody. That's what's so great about being an animal, you can be an exhibitionist and not get arrested:
They both just sat there while I took pictures of them. They usually run when they see me coming with the camera. I guess they are used to seeing me by now ~ they should be.

The little bird is still in his nest. Apparently his Mom & Dad sent some teachers today to try and get him to fly. There were about 10 little sparrows flying all around the birdhouse and chirping and flapping their wings. I watched them for a bit, but then it started raining, so I guess they'll try again tomorrow. I just love all of my little "critters". I feel like they are all my personal friends. That's why I loved my choice for "picture of the day". I hope you enjoy it, as well. Speaking of enjoying things, if you haven't heard him already, the winner of "Britain's Got Talent" this year is Paul Potts, an awesome opera singer. You can click on one of the pictures on the far left of my blog and the video will play at the top of the page. Please do check it out, you won't be disappointed.

It's time to go to bed, I have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday! xx00 ♥ & peace ~ Kathy

"Most of us will never do great things, but we can do small things in a great way" ~ unknown

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Happy Father's Day!

It was seven years ago today that we sprinkled my Daddy's ashes in Lake Maurepas {one of his favorite places}. He loved living on the river and being on his boat. Unfortuately, living on the river has a price, as you become one with the bad habits of living a life of leisure, which includes smoking, drinking and partying in excess. After years of living this way, it finally caught up with him at the very young age of 65. Cancer found it's way into his body and soul, leaving him a frail and painful existence. In his last days he lay in a hospital bed, pumped up with morphine and listening to "Pink Floyd". I brought all of his Pink Floyd cd's to the hospital and played them on his walkman until he crossed over to the "dark side of the moon". It seemed to calm him. He took his last breath to "comfortably numb", as my Sister and I stood at his beside and breathed a sigh of relif through a flood of tears. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him and wish he were here. I'm sharing this picture of him with you, just so you can see what I'm missing:

He and my Mother divorced when I was 18. She held a lot of bad feelings towards him and would always like to voice her feelings when I spoke lovingly and highly of him and she would always talk about how he "abandoned" us. Maybe he abandoned her, but he didn't abandon me. She would get upset because he would never hide his partying ways from us and we got to see him how he really was. Finally one day I pointed it out to her that she was the one that "picked" him, not me. It wasn't my fault that he was my Father, she had a choice, I did not. After I told her that, she never said anything bad about him {at least in front of me} ever again. Sure he had plently of "faults", but the good things he had outweighed them by far. He was the most kind, gentle and loving person I have ever known and I miss him more than anybody I probably ever will. So to him I say "Shine on you crazy diamond". He made me what I am today ~ a caring, artistic and loving person, and for that, I'm forever grateful.

And so today I'm wishing all those Daddys out there that have little girls that will always love them, no matter what, a Happy Father's Day!

"If one life shines, the life next to it will catch the light" ~ unknown

♥ xxoo & peace ~ Kathy

Thursday, June 14, 2007

It's A Small World ~ After All.....

The Internet never ceases to amaze me. Just to think about it for any length of time blows my mind. Yeah Benjamin Franklin invented electricity ~ big deal! Especially when you think about what we have today. And to think that it has ALL been invented within the last 50 years! Unbelievable. And because of the Internet, the world has become a much smaller place, but a place that I love more and more every day. Just today I had somebody find my jewelry on "Flickr" and then track me down on Etsy to buy stuff and, she lives in Angola, South Africa ~ amazing! I think about some of my customers and the places they live and just want to go there and visit and see and touch and feel and learn about different peoples and different cultures. And when people buy my jewelry it just brings it all together and I realize, we are really all the same. We want to be happy, to raise our families in a world of peace and non-violence, with more love than war and I just want to hug people that feel unloved and tell them that somebody does love them and everything will be okay if they just let it be. And then I was looking through this person's pictures on her "Flickr" pages and just thinking about how it must be to live over there, miles away from anything or anybody I've ever known. She has some awesome pictures and then I ran across one that looked so familiar. It was a single dragonfly, just like one I had today in my back yard:
He was just sitting there, fluttering with no care in the world, just like he "belonged". But then I thought "wouldn't it be wonderful if we were free to travel & go any where we wanted any where in the world and belong" ~ what a wonderful world it would be. Why can't we be like the dragonflies...

"The words "peace" and "tranquility" are worth a thousand pieces of gold" ~ Chinese Proverb

Good night everyone - have a Happy Friday! ♥ xx00 & peace ~ Kathy

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

My love for books....

I'm just a nut when it comes to books. I have so many now that I want to read, but never seem to have time to anymore. I just keep buying the ones I want and keeping them in a stack to read one day. I'm going to start taking time to read again, starting today. The first book I want to read {and finish} is "An Unquiet Mind" by Kay Redfield Jamison. It's a book about manic depression. Sometimes I wonder if something is wrong with me. I never really get depressed, or totally manic, but I think I'm somewhere in between. My mind never stops and when it's going it's usually thinking about 3 or 4 things at once, along with the constant record player that is forever playing songs in my head. At any given time, I have a song playing on the stereo in there. Most of the time it's songs that I never hear, so it's not like I heard one and got it stuck in my head, which also happens and then I'll have 2 songs playing at once. It's quite "maddening" sometimes, especially when I'm trying to read. I have a hard time focusing if the book is not interesting. I can "read" several pages only to realize that I haven't "read" anything.

I really wanted to get some things made today, but ended up working on a website all day for a company I used to work for. Fortunately, I can do it from home, but it still took way longer than I expected and had changes to every page. It's all fixed now though, hopefully :0)

It may rain again this evening. I hope we get a little. Otherwise, I'll be watering plants later on and, I would much rather be reading.

Our diet is going well so far. We decided not to do the South Beach one again, but a low calorie one instead, which I read would be a whole lot easier to stick to forever! A life style change that we really need to make. And so, I got a "book"!!! Hee hee ~ it's on its way. It's the one Oprah is on and she, along with her followers, rave about it. It's "The Best Life Diet":
Of course, Oprah has "people" to help her, as well. Like a chef & personal trainer. If I had that, it would be so much easier. I'm determined, though. My mind is made up. I'll keep you all posted on my progress.

Thanks again everybody, for always stopping by to visit. I hope you are having an awesome Wednesday. I'll leave you with this quote:

"It is never too late to be what you might have been" ~ George Eliot

xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Hair Color & The Grim Reaper

I know I used to always say that I would grow old gracefully and never color my hair or anything. It's just such a cruel thing ~ having to look old is bad enough without having white hair, too. Why is it that hair turns white when you get older? Does anybody know? I have mine all pulled up, so you can't see my gray roots until I get a chance to go get it colored next week. Or, perhaps I'll just wear a hat, like my girl in the picture. But, I hate hats and it's 98 degrees in Louisiana! The air quality has been in the "unhealthy" range for about 3 days now. Another reason why I can't wait to move to North Carolina. So, for now I'll just laugh it off and think about what color I get it. Nothing wild though, I'll leave that to the young girls. I just don't think I would look right with pink or orange hair. Besides, Ozzy & Lita would probably be frightened. They are in the kitchen right now having their dinner. They can tell time and always let me know promptly at 5:00 that it is time for them to eat. Then Lita won't eat all of her food until Wayne gets home, so she has to lay by her bowl and guard it because Ozzy will sneak a bite every time he gets a chance. They are really funny. Anyway, I have to share these great little earrings that I made today. I just love them. I made myself a pair and I've been wearing them all day. They really look great on, especially when you are cleaning house:
I named them "Season's Don't Fear The Reaper". Aren't they cute! I also made these today, "Red, Red Wine":
Now I must go and fold some cloths and get dinner started. I have several pairs of earrings to get made tonight, plus some new things for the shop, so please do check it out when you get a chance. I got in some new things today, along with a shipment of "Shrunken Ex-Boyfriends" that will soon be adorning some awesome little bracelets. I can't wait to get started on some new designs. I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to new beads. I just want to look at them all one by one and brainstorm about their future. And so, my little peeps, Happy Tuesday and I'll leave you with a quote tonight, instead of a poem:
"Do not stop with doing necessary kindnesses; the unnecessary ones are of greater importance" ~ unknown.
♥ xxoo & peace ~ Kathy

Monday, June 11, 2007

Birds & Octopus'

I just had to share this sweet little bird with all of you today. I bought this little birdhouse about five years ago from a sweet little German Lady named "Ritva". She made some of the most awesome birdhouses I had ever seen. I have several of them scattered about, but this one always has birds in it. The others stay empty, other than having an occasional lizard hanging out in it to search for bugs. I've always said that in my next life I wanted to be a dog. However, I think I've decided I want to be a bird instead. Birds are totally free to fly about, can live wherever they please and can just fly to a cooler place when it gets to hot. This little fellow is just about ready to fly. He just peeps and peeps all day long and wears his parents out trying to keep him full. Sometimes I catch him napping, with his little head hanging out of the hole and both eyes shut. Awe, the innocence of it all. He knows no fear right now and just looks at me curiously, like he thinks I need to be feeding him, too. The little house hangs on the eve right outside my kitchen door, so I can take a peek several times a day. Such cuteness ~

And now I have to share this awesome necklace that I made yesterday and listed in the shop. I made several things yesterday, as a matter of fact, so please do check them all out when you get a minute. I call this one "Octopus' Garden" ~ I'd like to be under the sea In an octopus' garden in the shade He'd let us in, knows where we've been In his octopus' garden in the shade I'd ask my friends to come and see In an octopus' garden with me I'd like to be under the sea In an octopus' garden in the shade....

I love this! I might have to make one for myself. Anyway, I need to run for now. I just wanted to share my little bird and say hello. I'll be back tomorrow with some new things and, hopefully, some new adventures.

Cheerio ~ and have a wonderful evening and a happy Tuesday. And, of course, I'll have to leave you with another poem from my book:

Bird Talk
"Think..." said the robin, "Think..." said the jay, sitting in the garden talking one day.
"Think about people - the way they grow: they don't have feathers at all, you know.
"They don't eat beetles, they don't grow wings, they don't like sitting on wires and things.
"Think!" said the robin, "Think!" said the jay. "Aren't people funny to be that way?"
~ Aileen Fisher
xxoo & peace ~ Kathy

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Slightly Imperfect

Is anything really "perfect"? I was just going along, making this necklace and was planning on it being a double strand. But, unfortunately, I misjudged the length of my cord and ended up having to cut it right at the end. I was going to just cut it all up and start over, but then I decided that I would just sell it as an "imperfect" necklace, even though whomever buys it will just love it and think it is "perfect" to them. I'm a little like this myself. I sometimes dig in barrels and boxes of beads, looking for some that are just not quite right, or some that have a slight imperfection. Those are the ones I take home and make things with for myself. Like one of my favorite little bracelets that has a 3 legged turtle on it ~ stuff like that. It's like the "Island Of Misfit Toys" in Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer. I loved all of those little toys and wished that Santa would bring them all to me . I even loved the little doll, but only because she was a little crippled and I knew if she came to life she couldn't out run me (I know, I'm sick, but that's the way my mind works).

When I listed this necklace today, I used one of my Mark Ryden photos for the background, just because it made "perfect" sense to do so. And then I was reminded of a beautiful saying I had heard @ a friend's wedding: "You learn to love, not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.”

And so, my little peeps, I leave you with another "perfect" necklace that I made today and hopes that you all have a wonderful weekend. xx00 & peace ~ Kathy


And another little poem from my book:

The Little Turtle
There was a little turtle, he lived in a box.
He swam in a puddle, he climbed on the rocks.
He snapped at a mosquito, he snapped at a flea.
He snapped at a minnow and he snapped at me.
He caught the mosquito, he caught the flea.
He caught the minnow, but he didn't catch me.

Friday, June 8, 2007

"Big Lots", "V8" & The Post Office

My little picture speaks for itself today! I actually have this exact one framed. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I need to think this way. So, I get up this morning and head to the Post Office with 43 packages to send. I didn't even attempt to go to the little Post Office that I usually use, since Alan {we are on a 1st name basis} is the only person that works at that one and they are always busy. Instead, I drove across town to the "big" Post Office, which is still way under-staffed and today only had 2 people working and one of them was getting ready to go to lunch when I walked in. Fortunately she was nice enough to wait until I was done, since there were about 6 people in line behind me huffing & puffing. The gentleman that waited on me started weighing and putting postage on all of my little packages and then I noticed that he was charging me the rates for the "packages", instead of the "large envelopes", which is a substantial difference in price due to the new postal rates. I questioned this and told him that Alan told me just about all of my little packages fall under the "large envelope" rates. He said that "unfortunately, the Post Office did not do a good job of training the employees on the new rate system and that I needed to tell the clerk that they need to charge me the package rate". Can you believe it! Telling me that I HAVE TO TELL THE CLERK HOW MUCH TO CHARGE ME FOR MY PACKAGE. I failed to tell this person that one of my best friends is the Post Master in East Baton Rouge parish and is actually his boss. I'm going to e-mail her later this evening and tell her what I was told and that I'm being charged different amounts at different places. Unbelievable. But, I'm not taking it serious, because it is just so mysterious!

When I finally left there, feeling like I needed to take the "Civil Service Test", I headed to "Goodwill" to see if there was anything there I could salvage and put to use. As it turned out, I did get a couple of books and one in particular with some cute little poems. I'll add a poem from it at the end of my post. After that, I went to one of my most favorites leisure shops, "Big Lots". I only go there about twice a year and I just love to have time to go down every aisle. They always have some really great organic stuff tucked away in the nooks & crannies and I managed to score some great sauces and teas. Plus, I found these cuter than cute little cans of "V8" that we will have to start sucking down every morning when we start the "South Beach Diet" next week. They are only 5.5 ounces each, which are perfect. I have to share them with you because they are so cute:
Anyway, only 3 more days until the diet begins and I will be counting on all of you for moral support. Tonight we are having dinner @ Arzi's, of course, since we've missed it three weeks in a row because we were in NC. We are trying to convince Ross {the owner} to move to Brevard and open an Arzi's up there. We need one there very bad. In the meantime, we will just have to get in as much as we can until we leave. Most of the food is allowed on our diets, in moderation. My dear friends Chuck & Van will be joining us for dinner, so that will be a treat. They own the little gift shop "Nature's Treasures" where I have my jewelry here in Baton Rouge. I just love them - they are so sweet.

Well my little friends, I need to go water the plants outside before Wayne gets home, so we can leave for dinner a little early. And now, what you've been waiting for ~ a poem from my new little book I got today:

"I think mice are rather nice. Their tails are long, their faces small, they haven't any chins at all. Their ears are pink, their teeth are white, they run about the house at night. They nibble things they shouldn't touch and no one seems to like them much, but I think mice are nice."
~ Rose Fyleman

Thanks for visiting ~ ♥ & peace ~ Kathy xx00

Thursday, June 7, 2007

World Traveler & An Amazing Artist!

Yay! I finally broke down & bought this book. It came today and I can't wait to sit down later this evening and study every page. The text is all in Japanese, so there won't be any "reading" involved, which is sometimes best when I just need to unwind a bit. Especially after today's packaging session. I have everything all made, packaged up and ready for the Post Office, where I will be headed first thing in the morning. So, anybody waiting to get something that was purchased while I was on vacation, or even yesterday & today, will be on its way tomorrow. Anyway, for those of you who don't know, Mark Ryden is an amazing artist. His work is just so detailed and well, creepy. But, I love it! Just like I love the "Gashlycrumb Tinies" and all other little creepies. Of course, Halloween is my most favorite holiday and maybe that's why. I would love to have one of his originals, which is just unspeakable and I'm sure there are a long list of collectors that grab those up. I will for sure have some prints in my studio, though. In the meantime, this little book is just awesome! It has lots of pictures in it and looks like most of his work, actually. At least it will give me the opportunity to decide which are my favorites that I would want actual prints of. I'll probably get a print of this one, for sure. It has been one of my favs for awhile now: I love the Barbi {I have one just like it}. Of course, mine is still in the box, because she may come to life if I took her out. Everybody knows how I feel about dolls. If not, it's all explained on a previous post. Anyway, isn't this just awesome! So much detail:
I'm also celebrating the world travels of my little "Shrunken Ex-Boyfriend"
Bracelet. This little guy is making his way around the globe, proving that there are boyfriends everywhere that deserve to be shrunken! Just today alone, I packaged up 2. One is going to Italy and one to Germany (my 1st DaWanda Sale). DaWanda actually has him featured on their home page, along with the "Pirate Stuff" {awesome}. It was a little confusing, since I was paid in "Euros" and then PayPal converted it to US dollars. Yahoo Finance has a sweet little conversion thingie, so it was really quick to figure out how much money to charge in Euros. Gosh, it's just amazing how "simple" everything is because of the Internet. If whoever invented the world wide web was standing right here, I would give him/her a big ole kiss.
Speaking of the Internet, I need to get off of here and go start dinner. We are having an awesome Tuna Salad, with baby herbs, seedless cucumbers, "steak" tomatoes, organic croutons and low-fat Caesar, or Poppy Seed dressing, with a small baked potato and "fake" butter. YUM! Truth is, no matter how good you make it sound, it's still "diet" food. I'm trying to get us ready to start the South Beach Diet again next week. We did really well on it last time and would have probably kept all of our weight off, but when you live in Louisiana with 95% temps in April and 100% humidity, you just can't survive without beer! And so it goes, we will start the roller-coaster ride once again and hopefully will be in NC before the beer temptations take over again. I hate "dieting". It makes me think about food all the time.
Thanks again my little peeps for always reading my ramblings and loving me the same. I'll leave you with a quote from Jody McGill {1 of my kind} whom, by the way deserves some kudos for sure! She is designing Ann Heche's jewelry for the Tony Awards, which airs this Sunday, plus she just make some things for Rachel Hunter! Isn't that awesome! Check out her shop when you get a chance, she is an amazing jewelry designer. I decided to use her quote, since it sounds so much better than telling people "I just see it", like Matt Damon in "Good Will Hunting". Sometimes I get so tired of people asking me, "How did you learn to do that", or "How do you decide what to put with what" and I'll say "I don't know, I just see it". Now I can quote Jody:
"May you tread a new new path in lieu of walking the footsteps of another, as creativity cannot be echoed, imitated, taught or forced...it is simply an innate quality of being human. Click your heels, you're already there."
Have a wonderful evening & a great Friday. xxoo & peace ~ Kathy

Monday, June 4, 2007

Bloom Where You Are Planted...

What do you do when you have homes in two different places? Which place do you call "Home". Wayne reminded me today that "home is where your heart is", but I know my heart will always be in Louisiana. It's just funny when you say "let's go home", but you are leaving "home". Then I remembered the saying "Bloom Where You Are Planted" and realize that one day North Carolina will become where my heart is. I love it there so much. When you walk out of my front door and take a deep breath @ my house in NC all you can smell are plants and trees. I have a new favorite smell now, besides the bottled ones I've always said were my favorites and never knew any better since the only good smells you get in Louisiana do come in bottles. It is the smell of fresh cut hay. I could just roll around in it, I tell you. I never knew something like hay could smell so awesome. I also love all of the little plants and flowers and critters and rocks and rivers and hills....I could go on and on. I posted this little picture today because I love the saying and my driveway to my new front door is downhill {as shown in the photos below}.











Well, after a 14 hour ride in the truck with Ozzy & Lita on top of us, we are finally "home", or are we? Put it this way, we are back in Louisiana. Everything is covered with dog hair and my feet are swollen, but it's all good. We had an awesome time and can't wait for our next trip, which I hope will be our final one. I did get some new things made while I was up there and I will be listing them in the shop, so please do check them all out. And, for those of you that purchased items while I was away, I will begin to get those filled tomorrow and will have everything in the mail no later than Friday. Of course, I'll send you an e-mail to let you know when it ships.

And so my little peeps ~ once again thank you for always reading what I have to write about and making my days brighter. I'll leave you with this quote and I'll be back tomorrow:

"I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage, with my books, my family and a few old friends...letting the world roll on as it likes, than to occupy the most splendid post which any human power can give" ~ Thomas Jefferson

Have a wonderful evening & a Happy Tuesday. ♥ & peace ~ Kathy