Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Books, Geekery and Chicken & Dumplins...

...I don't know what it is about books. I must just love having them, with the hopes of one day reading them all. Seems as though I'm always buying books that are supposed to "teach me something". Of course, I just jump around the pages until I *think* I've learned enough and then I move on to something else, never quite finishing the book in it's entirety. Right now, for instance, I'm reading 4 books ~ one about camping, one about HDR photography, one about PhotoShop Elements 8 and one about my camera [oh yeah, and the one about biodentical hormones that I always tend to start reading again when I have a hot flash - it's always in the stack]. I guess the thing is, they are all interesting enough and I just want to learn everything and read about everything, but only in small bursts ~ * sigh * ~ maybe one day ALL of my books will be read...that is, if I stop buying new ones!
So yesterday, I was missing my Mom and yearning for some of her Chicken & Dumplings. She would always make them for me when I was gloomy, or not feeling good. It's my ultimate "comfort food". I have never, ever made them for myself. I felt as if I did, I would be having a one person "pity party" and nobody would be there to comfort me [or wash my dish!]. I was looking in my refrigerator at that package of chicken breasts [with an expiration date of 04.01.10] and thought, "I really need to cook that chicken today". Then I went and stood inside the pantry to see what I could whip up to go along with it. Low and behold, there on the shelf was an unopened box of Bisquick ~ why the hell I had Bisquick, I'll never know...it's certainly not like I bake, or make pancakes from scratch , or anything like that! I really think my brain subconsciously purchases items in the store that I have no control over or even remember buying. And then, like a light bulb came on over my head, I thought "Chicken & Dumplins" ~ I made them, they were awesome and my Mom would be proud. She said I could make her some next time we visit. They were so good, I had to take a picture! Of course, I also had to throw some "geekery" in ~ look close and you'll see that the picture is actually a jigsaw puzzle! If you're really bored, you can print it out on some card stock, cut it out and put it back together again! I created the picture & puzzle with "Picnik" [of course].My yard is full of daffodils!! They are popping up all over the place! Spring has "officially" arrived! Yay!! And the lucky winner of those awesome earrings from my last post is "Faye"!! Congratulations, Faye!!! Ozzy ran off with #3 this morning! I hope you enjoy your earrings!

I had to go into town this morning to get my "privilege license", so I can sell my jewelry @ the "Transylvania Tailgate Market". I'm not quite sure if that will be my "privilege" or theirs [hee hee]. Then I met my wonderful friend, Paula for lunch @ the Thai restaurant and then I stopped by to visit my awesome friends Mike & Paula and drop off a necklace that I'm donating for a benefit tomorrow night. While I was there, I gobbled up [at least that's what I felt like I was doing ~ grabbing & snatching them out of his hands] some of Mike's new glass pendants!! They are gorgeous!!! Be on the lookout for some new necklaces I'll be making with them for the shop! They will all be a "one of a kind", so save your pennies, I know you'll want at least one!

For all of you on Facebook...I found this awesome site that creates facebook applications. Most of them are "free" and they are wonderful!! I downloaded the "Twitter" one and the "Flickr" one for my "Dornick Designs" Facebook Fan Page. Check it out ~ I promise you'll be smitten!

Welp, I'm off to enjoy the afternoon ~ it's gorgeous outside today!!! I have a new necklace made to list in the shop, too....but that will have to wait until this evening ~ the sunshine don't last long enough. Have a wonderful day everybody!!!!
[wow ~ I sure was talkative today...must be that hot Chai I'm addicted to!]
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave." ~ Native American Proverb

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Spring Day & A Give Away!!

We went to the "North Carolina Arboretum" yesterday. It was a beautiful Spring Day and I just love it there! Everything is just starting to bud and all of the daffodils are blooming. The education center was hosting an Orchid Show. There were 100's of orchids on display and they are just amazing! The detail in some of those flowers is mind-boggling. I picked out a few favorites, even though I loved them all! Like these:they reminded me of little tiny squid...but these were awesome, too:
I just loved the green flowers. All in all, the show made me want to get back into my orchid growing. I have several right now that need some "tlc". Since it's a little drab outside today, I think that will be my afternoon project.

It's been a while since I've had a give away, so I think it's about time for some lucky someone to win these:Even though they are called "Antarctica", they remind me of Spring & flowers and sunshine! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you will be automatically entered in the drawing. Ozzy will be picking the lucky winner Wednesday [March 31st] ~ Good Luck!!

Gotta run peeps ~ have a great day!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough." ~ Helen Keller

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Hot Chai, Dog Butts & Life...

I just *LOVE* it when things outside start to "green up". I've signed up for lots of outdoor shows this year, so I hope those will turn out beneficial. I also joined the "Asheville Etsy Street Team" and we are having our first meeting tonight to discuss upcoming shows/events ~ I'll keep you posted on that. So, with all the upcoming shows, I finally broke down and signed up for a merchant account, so I can accept credit cards. They over-nighted a whole package of "gobble goop" that I have to read through and then call in for my "training" ~ bleh....I'd rather take a beating. I hate reading stuff like that! I would much rather read fun stuff like this:I just ordered the book today and I can't wait to learn more about "HDR" photography. One of my new obsessions, besides this:Hot Chai & Goat's Milk! I started buying Goat's Milk several months ago, after Wayne was having some digestive problems. Turns out, the Goat's milk is really, really good and Wayne hasn't had any problems with it at all. I would suggest trying it, as an alternative to regular Soy, or lactose free milk. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Although it's a little hard to find, most larger grocery stores and specialty stores like "Whole Foods" carry it. It's not cheap, but the benefits are well worth the extra $$.So I'll leave you with this "funny for the day" ~ Ozzy has a "hot spot" on the upper inside of his back leg. He would not leave it alone and kept licking off everything I tried to put on it. I went to the thrift store yesterday and bought these little "Thomas the Train" underpants for him! They worked!!! He can't lick his leg and he looks really cute [even though he don't think so].

Have a wonderful day everybody!!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"If you want to be happy, begin where you are, don't wait for some rapture that's future and far. Begin to be joyous, begin to be glad and soon you'll forget that you ever were sad." ~ Anonymous

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

...if you don't know, here are a few answers, which may, or may not, be the correct one [if there is indeed a correct one at all]. So, I guess you can tell that I went to see "Alice In Wonderland" ~ I loved it!!! Of course, I've always loved that story anyway [how could you not]. Spring is finally here [although it's raining today, but that's okay]. We went on a 9 mile hike Friday, up to "Ravencliff Falls" [another reason why that silly question is stuck in my head]. It was gorgeous up there! I'm finally learning how to use my camera and getting some really great pictures. When I stopped to rest for a bit, this tree caught my eye ~ it was just hilarious! ...looks like a toothy grin to me! And my legs are still sore from the hike! But I was able to make it over to Anne's last night for a delicious "Spring" Potluck dinner! Anne is an amazing cook!!Her beef tenderloin is to die for! I brought roasted veggies and some Babaganoush. And then there was the discussion about how the term "Potluck" originated:and after Ernesto pulled out the encyclopedia, we all learned something new!

Have a great week everybody! I hope your first "Spring" weekend was awesome!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"It was much pleasanter at home, when one wasn't always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits." ~ Alice from Alice in Wonderland

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Spring, Camping & Some Good Stuff...

....there's a light at the end of the tunnel & it's warmth, green grass & sunshine!! I've never been so ready for winter to be over with! We still have little mounds of snow here and there, but it's all melted for the most part. My little mermaid picture really doesn't have anything to do with this post, other than it's really, really cute! I love the jellyfish! Speaking of jellyfish, my awesome friend, Mike Green, makes these amazing glass jellyfish pendants. Each one is unique. I just love them! If you decide you have to have one, please tell him I sent you. Speaking of amazing stuff:
This little book is the cutest ever!!! I've decided that I want to do some tent camping this year [I'll keep you posted on that idea, for sure]. Susie Ghahremani [boygirlparty.com] is such an amazing and quirky artist! I love her style. I just recently purchased these little journals:
and I love them so much that I just can't bring myself to write in them yet. Maybe I'll take one with me when I go camping...I think the one with the Owls would be most appropriate for that.My wonderful husband made me this awesome breakfast sandwich, which I have named the "Wayne McMuffin" ~ and McDonald's...you have NOTHING on him, nothing! While I was crawling around under my desk this morning, transferring all of my cords [which are a gazillion] to my new surge protector and battery back-up he snuck in the kitchen and whipped this up. He truly makes my heart sing!

Happy Sunday everybody!! So tomorrow is the "Ides Of March"....and the 20% Off Sale in my shop is still good until Midnight Saturday [March 20th]...check it out ~ I just listed several new things that I made yesterday ~
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"So long as you are learning, you are not growing old. It's when a man stops learning that he begins to grow old." ~ Joseph Hergesheimer

Thursday, March 11, 2010

It's the little things...

...that make the big things less intimidating. We had an ice storm up here about a month, or so, ago and it caused lots of damage to the trees in higher elevations. Some of our friends had lots of trees down around them. So Wayne took his chainsaw and cut up about 5 or 6 truckloads and hauled it home. He's been out there splitting and stacking for almost a week!! His stacks are so prestigiously done, I knew I could never have the patience to stack like he does. So, he asked me to just stack the small stuff...which I did! Of course, my stack is no where near the awesomeness of his...but it's cuter. Just like this little bunny...
My friend, Mary Ann, found this little bunny hopping around by herself, lost cold and hungry, after her mommy was killed by some mean varmint. I've been trying to help her find a home for it. It's the sweetest little thing. She just wants to be held and petted. If you put her down she comes hopping up to you and tries to climb up your leg. I think I may have found someone to take her [fingers crossed]. And then there's these little things:..the first sign of Spring!!! Little yellow jonquils!! I'll post more pictures when they open up! And now I'm off to make some "little things".

And, in case you didn't notice the little link on my right sidebar, I'm posting it here:

The Small Is Beautiful Manifesto

~ click on it and join in the "Small Is Beautiful" community!

Be on the lookout for my Newsletter this weekend! If you're not on my mailing list, you can join up via the link on the right side column of my blog page. I'm going to be offering an "Ides of March/Spring Forward" discount!!

Have a wonderful day!! We are going to go see "Shutter Island" [makes me "shutter" just thinking about it]....I'll have a review over the weekend, for those of you contemplating going to see it. My sister said it was awesome, so we'll see :)
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Birthdays & Ice Cream!!

Okay, so some of you probably think I'm "nuts" because Ozzy & Lita get treated more like children than dogs [just sometimes]. For their birthdays, I buy little cups of ice-cream for them and they just LOVE it!!! Lita's birthday was Friday and I think it was her best ever:
..that ice-cream made them sleep like little babies! They were in heaven...yes, life is really good for Ozzy & Lita!

The next birthday around here is mine!!! But today, is Jen's!! Happy Birthday, Jen!!! She's one of my awesome [cyber friends] and blog reader. Now, with that being said, I want everybody to leave me a comment and let me know when your birthday is. I'll be sending out a special little "birthday prize" to you on your special day! Of course, you don't have to tell me the year, just the month and day!! It'll be fun and, I promise you'll be glad you told me!
It's finally warmed up around it and it's going to be a gorgeous day! We are headed up to "Big Rock Trail" for a great hike! I'll have more pictures later [of course].

So seize the day peeps!!! Life is good ~ make the most of it!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Cheerfulness and content are great beautifiers and are famous preservers of youthful looks." ~ Charles Dickens

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The Handmade Marketplace Book [review]...

...I just had to share this and let everybody know about this awesome book! One of the main reasons I bought it is because it is illustrated by Emily Martin [The Black Apple], who happens to be one of my most favorite artists/sellers on Etsy. But, I tell you, I have literally not been able to put this little book down. It is chockablock full of useful information from lots of different folks, including crafters, photographers, Matt [one of the founders of Etsy.com], accountants, writers, etc. ~ simply a must have for anybody making & selling crafts these days. Plus, it's only a little over $10!!! Gosh, this would have been gold to me 6 years ago, when I first started out. What has taken me years to learn & figure out is stuffed into a little 210 page book. Amazing! Plus, it's really cute and fun to look at and there are literally a gazillion links to tons of information and resources.And since it's snowing at my house [again!!] ~ I'll probably finish the book today and then I'll get busy working on some of the things they suggested...like making Post Cards. And, it just so happens, I got an e-mail this morning with a 60% savings on Post Cards from Overnight Prints. The discount code to use at checkout is "3PCSale" and it ends at midnight March 14th. What I love about Overnight Prints is that you can down-load the templates and design your own cards totally from scratch...fun, fun!!

Happy Tuesday everybody!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy ~

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." ~ George Bernard Shaw