Thursday, October 30, 2008

Spaghetti Legs....

...from hiking down to the base of this awesome waterfall today! It's "Rainbow Falls" and I'm sure at different times of the year/day, etc., there would be some awesome rainbows to be seen! I have to say that, although this hike was really, really awesome, it's by far the most treacherous one we've done so far:
Even though this picture is not that great, you can get the idea of what the "trail" was like! Parts of it actually had rope that you had to use to "hoist" yourself up and down! But what a treat when you get to the bottom:{if you click on the picture you can see Wayne & Tom}

So after stopping at a quaint little Mexican Restaurant on the way home {where we grazed like cattle that hadn't eaten in a week}, we stopped at the lake to gaze in awe at the marvelous colors of the trees, water & sky! It just don't get much better than this...ahhh....so Happy Halloween Eve! I'm off to soak in the hot tub, so we can take another hike tomorrow! Gotta take advantage of this awesome weather & gorgeous colors.

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"It's not the years in your life, but the life in your years that counts." ~ Adlai Stevenson

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Merry Christmas!

....ummmm ~ maybe my "Christmas Cactus" is not that confused after all....My Car this morning ~ Yes! Ladies & Gentlemen, it's Snow! Snow in mid October! And it's still fluttering around out there, too. I'm sure it won't last long, though. But, since it's still there right now, I'm going to play with it.

Happy Tuesday!!!

♥ &peace always ~ Kathy

“To appreciate the beauty of a snow flake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.” ~ Unknown

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Painting, Playing & Ponies....

The "Paint The Bus" party was awesome! The food was yummy & the music was wonderful. My "Garlic Mashed Potatos" from yesterday's post were awesome! They went really fast. I guess that's what happens when you take "comfort food" to a party. But the only thing I would change about this recipe is the Parmesan cheese ~ I think I'll leave it out next time. After the 85th taste test :), I decided I liked them lots better before adding the cheese. And, I used more garlic than called for, as well. But they were still very, very good ~:DOf course, nobody could top Suzanne's art work!And Raymond & Julie have several horses on their property, but this little fellow was hilarious ~ he had a semi-dreadlock hair-do and was always trying to eat my camera:But we all know, all play & no work makes us unproductive people, so today I need to do some work, but I did make this awesome necklace yesterday, along with a couple pair of earrings, so please do check out the shop when you get a chance:
Happy Sunday!!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused." ~ Shirley MacLaine

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Dishes, Potatoes & Bus Painting!

*Yay* ~ that's what I felt like yesterday when Wayne {the most wonderful of all husbands in the whole world} bought me these brand new dishes:{sorry about the picture, but it's just of the box & I thought it would be easier than to try and take a picture of the dishes themselves}...but as you can see {and my most favorite thing about the whole place setting} are the small little soup/dessert bowls! What a concept, instead of those tiny plates you usually get that go under the coffee cups ~ I mean who *really* uses those? And, another great thing is that the coffee "cups" are actually realistic mugs and the square salad plates are awesome, too! And, of course, the best part of all is that they match my dining room furniture perfectly:
{and this picture was from last Christmas so no, I'm not decorating for Christmas just yet}....but we did have to break in the new dishes by having some friends over for dinner last night. Wayne cooked some salmon on the grill and I cooked up some onions & peppers with this awesome "Chicken & Apple Sausage" ~ all you do is cut up 3 yellow onions & 3 medium size green peppers and saute' them in olive oil for about 10/15 minutes on medium/high heat. Then cut up the sausage {I use 6 links} lengthwise, then bite size and add it to the skillet. Cook for about another 10/20 minutes and then enjoy! This is so easy to make and everybody that has ever eaten it loves it! And then we had a small side salad and some wine, then some more wine and then a little more wine and then went to listen to the "Moon Shine Babies" over at "The Square Root" ~ so yesterday was a really fun day, especially after our 8 mile hike {yes!!!! 8 miles} from the day before! My thighs are still slightly sore from climbingand this was *after* I took my "Waterfall Photography" class that morning, which totally rocked, by the way!
I still have lots to learn, but I'm getting better at understanding aperture & shutter speeds~:D

So tonight we are going to a "Paint The Bus" {yes, you read that right} ~ bus painting party! Some of our friends just bought an old school bus that has been converted to a camper and they are having a party tonight so everybody can paint flowers, etc. all over it! I think it's going to be a blast and, of course, I'll have lots of pictures to share later! They are having a huge bar-b-que and everybody's bringing a dish and, since it's so brisk & raw outside today, I'll be bringing a giant {really gorganteous bowl} of "Garlic Mashed Potatoes", using this receipe ~ I'll let you know how they turn out.

Right now I'm off to the "fall festival" downtown, so I hope you are all having a great weekend!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"It's not where you are today that counts, It's where you are headed" ~ Arthur F. Lenehan

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

New in the Shop....

Poetry in motion....

Happy Wednesday!!! ♥ & Peace ~ Kathy

"Desire is the key to motivation" ~ Mario Andretti

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Bend Me, Shake Me....

Sorry about the blurry photo {no flash was allowed}, but you can get the "jest" of what the Chinese Acrobats @ "LEAF" were all about! It was flippin amazing! Actually, the whole "LEAF" festival was awesome! It was a beautiful day, great food, weather & entertainment:these "giant puppets" were hilarious! They reminded me of the "little giant girl" ~ here's the video, in case you missed that post:

I'm off to make some new things with some great pendants I bought from "Ramona Nettles" @ "LEAF"!

Happy Tuesday! ♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." ~ Peter Drucker

Friday, October 17, 2008

Inspired by the Forest...

New things in the shop....."Rainforest"....Rainforest Jasper {aka Rhyolite Stones}, Citrine Briolette & Nephrite Jade... "Earth Angel"...Rainforest Jasper & Czech Glass..."Riding The Storm Out"...My 3rd to last Murano Glass pendant...They went pretty fast ~ Thank you!

Happy Friday! We are heading out to the "LEAF" festival this weekend!! *Yay*♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"It is difficult to realize how great a part of all that is cheerful and delightful in the recollections of our own life is associated with trees." ~Wilson Flagg

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Hiking, Music & Dexter!

Hello everybody! Isn't this view just gorgeous! Yesterday we went on a hike up the "Art Loeb Trail" to the top of a mountain with our friends, Tom & Sandi. It was the perfect day! Not a cloud in the sky, an ever so slight breeze and temperature of 78. We stopped at the top and had a glass of wine and some cheese. It was awesome. Look how tiny Tom & Sandi are in this picture! You'll have to click on the picture to make it large enough to see them....And it was so funny! A couple of weeks ago we had told Tom & Sandi about "Dexter" and how much we loved the show! We had watched the first season on regular TV last year and then found out the second season would be on "Showtime". Well, we don't watch that much TV to justify paying for Showtime just to see Dexter! So, I bought the second season on DVD and we've been watching it. If you've never seen it before, you really should ~ it's awesome! So anyway, we are 1/2 way up the mountain and all of a sudden Tom blurts out "oh, we've been watching Dexter, like you told us about and we love it". Well he said it really loud and voices carry when you are out on the mountains, so these two women were way up on top of the mountain and you could barely even see them and they holler "we love Dexter". We just cracked up laughing! And then there was this lady up there hiking with her little dog ~ it was hilarious! We finished the afternoon with a great dinner @ "The Pisgah Inn" and then we headed over to the "Duck Pond Pottery Shop" for the last "Duck Pond @ Dusk" for the season......and Jack stole the show with his awesome drumming abilities ~ that kid is amazing! He was playing with both hands and playing the drum & the symbols. So all in all, it was a perfect day!

Happy Thursday! ♥ & peace always ~ KathyI even saw "The Dolly Llama" ~ seriously, there is a farm right down the road from us and they have about 7 or 8 Llamas. This one came right up to the fence so I could take her picture :)

"The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards." ~ Anatole France (1844 - 1924)

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Macro Photography Class Today!

"Hearts A Bursting" ~ plant growing wild around here right now ~ the little flowers are awesome and so colorful. I took this picture of one growing right outside the Photography classroom today. I learned a lot! And, I'm finally starting to understand "Aperture & Shutter Speed". The next class is "Waterfall Photography", which I'm really excited about! But for the next 2 weeks, I'll just be flooding my blog with macro shots! I hope you enjoy them :)
Another bush growing @ the Nature Center {where the Photography classes are}.And this is my "Dahlia" ~ still blooming. I love the droplets of water on it ~ it's gorgeous!And this is my rather confused "Christmas Cactus" ~ Since it was born & raised in Louisiana, the weather in North Carolina has it thinking it's time to bloom! I guess I'll call it my "Halloween Cactus" from now on, which is just a well since I like Halloween better than Christmas anyway ;)

Happy Sunday! xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

"Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment." ~ Baltasar Gracian

Saturday, October 11, 2008

It's Fall!!!

This is a picture I took up on the Parkway! The colors are amazing & it hasn't even "peaked" yet! We took a motorcycle ride up there with the last of our house guests. So today I'm going to make some new things for the shop! *Yay* ~ time to start getting busy for the holidays.
I think I'll use the colors from this particular picture as my "pallet" and see what I can come up with! It's such a great inspiration ~ awesome. And before I go I'll share this picture of Wayne with you ~ I think retirement is doing him well!Have a great weekend! xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

"Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another" ~ Anatole France

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Vote for Ozzy & Lita!!!



Hey everybody! Ozzy & Lita's photo has been submitted for the next issue of "JPG" magazine. Please vote for them! Thank you so much!!!

Happy Thursday! xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy


Monday, October 6, 2008

Hilarity!

I made this "magazine cover" on "MagMyPic" with a picture I took of Suzanne {Moon Shine Babies} ~ isn't it awesome! I tell you what, there are so many things you can do on the computer these days that involve "goofing off", it's not even funny ~ {it's hilarious}!!!

Happy Monday!!! xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.
- Louis Sabin

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Mark Carter ~ the mind of an Artist....

Mark Carter is my next-door neighbor. He and his wife are both artists ~ they do amazing work. I hope you enjoy this little video ~:)

Have a great weekend!!!
xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

Friday, October 3, 2008

Happy October & A 20% Discount!!!!

Happy October Everybody!!! October is my favorite month of the whole year. Not only because it's usually the best weather wise, but because of all the colors it brings. All of the leaves on my trees are starting to change from bright green to gorgeous hues of yellows, oranges & reds. And then of course, all the acorns are falling all over the place. It's like a "bombing" from the oak trees when you walk up my driveway. You can hear them tumbling through the leaves and don't dare look up. And then yesterday there was a huge pile of grainy looking wet stuff in the middle of my driveway. We couldn't quite figure out what it was, but when the guys showed up to cut down a few of our dead trees, they confirmed our suspicions ~ Bear Dung!!! A big pile of Bear Dung & the reason it was colored like grain is because they are eating the acorns right now. I had walked up the driveway to put something in the mailbox when I discovered it. And it was really fresh, too. I suspect the bear was still close by and maybe even watching me through the trees. I can only imagine what I would have done if I would have "caught him in the act" ~ *shutters* ~ So I guess it's not always true that "bears shit in the woods"! They obviously like asphalt driveways, as well!! This is a "treasury" I created last night on Etsy. I named it "I LOve Etsy". So to celebrate October, the fact that I really do LOVE Etsy, not actually seeing the bear, and my wonderful customers & friends, from right now until Midnight this Sunday {October 5th}, I'm offering a 20% discount on all purchases of $25 or more! You know the drill:
1. "Purchase" your item{s} from my shop, but don't actually complete the "Payment" part.
2. Be SURE to include "Happy October" in the "comments to seller section" during checkout.
3. Wait for me to send you an updated PayPal invoice for payment.
That's it! The reason I want you to be sure and include "Happy October" is because this offer is limited to my wonderful blog readers. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
I think I'm heading out to the woods {hopefully the bears are napping right now} to practice what I learned in my "Nature Photography" class last week! Happy Friday!!!

xx0o & peace always ~ Kathy

"The mountains have always been here, and in them, the bears." ~ Rick Bass