It's A New Dawn, It's A New Day....

...so our house guests that are here visiting with us right now are going to move up here!! Just like we did, they are saying "goodbye" to the ever-lasting heat of Louisiana and "hello" to the cool mountain breezes of North Carolina! I have a full week of activities planned for them and lots of people for them to meet! So Wayne & I hiked up to "Roan Mountain" Thursday and it was awesome:We even caught a glimpse of the rare "Gray's Lily" that only blooms a very few places in the world:And then Friday night we went to the amphitheater downtown to listen to some awesome Jazz music from the "Odd Meters" ~ and visit with friends:...if you are wondering who that little boy is running up to the band, it's none-other than "Little Jack" ~ He loves to stand right in front and be the first one to clap when the music stops. I'm 100% convinced that he will be on the very front row of every concert he ever attends {unless he's in the band, of course} ~ he gets cuter & cuter by the day. And now, he's expecting a new little brother or sister {we hope sister} any day. What a great night, plus, I got a rare & awesome opportunity to catch a shot of another side of my beautiful friend, Anne:

I did all the "fancy" stuff using "Picnik.com" ~ it's awesome!!! You should try it, if you never have.

Gotta run ~ time to get ready for a dinner party tonight! Happy Monday!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Write on your heart that every day is the best day of the year." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don't Stop til You Get Enough....

...the world will never get enough of Michael Jackson ~ may he rest in peace...I made these today as a tribute ~ I named them "Thriller" and they are in the shop :)

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"When the songs of your heart start singing, you should gratefully listen...for the harmony is that which will bring you happiness and the melody is the voice of your true spirit" - Deanna Beisser

Summertime....

...and the living is easy! Hey everybody! Happy Summer!!! So Sunday was the first day of Summer and it kicked off a chain of events that has started to fill up my calendar. We went to a beautiful "Solstice" wedding Sunday afternoon that was unlike any I had ever attended. I guess you could say that it touched on each persons own individual spirituality, rather than focusing on God and the Bible. I have to say that it is the first wedding I ever attended where the Bible wasn't even present. After the ceremony we all danced in the moonlight until midnight. It was awesome. And then Monday night we went to a dinner party for a friend's birthday and last night we drove up to the highest elevation on the parkway to watch the sun set:We are going to hike to the top of Black Balsam Knob next week to watch it even closer. It was gorgeous!! And we have house guests arriving this weekend and staying through the 4th! And I'm going to have a "surprise" birthday party on July 5th for one of my most special little peeps {I can't say who just yet, in case she reads this post} ~ :)

So tonight will be Wayne's first "Nia" class! My little instructor {Hiro} started teaching night classes, so Wayne and I are going to take the Wednesday night class together. It's 45 minutes of Nia and 45 minutes of core strengthening. So between that and the two Zumba/Core classes I already take on Tuesday and Thursday, I should start noticing some change in my body! I do feel stronger & more balanced, so that's a start. I'll keep you posted on how Wayne does and hopefully, loves it!
In keeping with the "spiritualness" of this blog post, this awesome little Bone Goddess necklace that I named "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is the give away for next Wednesday! All you have to do to win it is comment on this post! That's it!!! Ozzy will be picking the lucky winner ~ good luck! Of course, it's also for sale in the shop, if you don't win it and still would love to have it! It's really awesome :)And, speaking of Ozzy, he's on the road to feeling better!!! After gaining 20 lbs in less than 2 years, the vet did some blood work and found out that his thyroid is really low. She put him on a thyroid supplement and said that the weight he gained should start to come off as fast as it went on. I hope so! He's only been on the meds for a week and seems like he's already feeling much, much better. We're going to take him and Lita on a short hike today so he can get some exercise. So with that said, I need to run and get a few things made for the shop. Thanks for always reading my ramblings......Happy Wednesday & Happy Summer!!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"I would sooner live in a cottage and wonder at everything than live in a castle and wonder at nothing" ~ Joan Winmill Brown

Happy Days.....

Whoo hoo ~ I think all of my exercise classes are starting to pay off! I feel so much better! Stronger, more balanced ~ I even feel taller! And speaking of "balance", lucky #3 {Jana} won that awesome little "Balance" necklace from my last post! Congratulations, Jana!!! And, by the way, Jana has an amazing blog ~ a must read ~ it certainly has been an inspiration to me ~ what an incredible journey! You rock, Jana! I wish there were a gazillion more people like you in the world. Enjoy your necklace ~:)

And speaking of "rocking" ~ have you seen the new "Rolling Stone" magazine cover:What a brilliant entertainer & what a brilliant magazine! I can't even remember the last one I purchased {it had to be 20 years ago, or more} ~ but I'm getting this one! The article is great, as well as the pictures. I can't wait!!!!

Whew ~ I gotta run for now ~ I have a neclace idea looming in my brain that needs to become a reality ~ I hope you are having a wonderful Thursday!!!! Check back later to see what's up for grabs next week!!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

”I realized that we all have our own power, and that whatever I wanted to do, I had to make happen” ~ Adam Lambert

Rise & Shine.....

Good Morning everybody!!! Whoo hoo ~ I'm finally feeling lots better and the Dr.'s said that all I did was bruise my nerves in my neck really bad and that it would heal itself in a couple of months {which still kinda sucks, because my arm is still numb}, but it sure is good news!!! Thanks for all the well wishes ~ you're the best!!! So Stacy won the earrings from my last post. Congratulations Stacy!! And the next give away is this:

An awesome glass sprial pendant on a black leather cord that I named "Balance". It's in the shop if you want to see it closer. Ozzy will be picking the winner next Thursday, so all you have to do for a chance to win is comment on this blog post. Good luck!! I also just made this awesome little necklace:I love it! It's called "Nature Lover" ~ the little bone fish is precious. And since all of my blog readers are so loyal to me, I'll give you all "free shipping" for a whole week! That's right, from now until midnight next Sunday, just type in "blog reader" in the comments to seller section at the time of your purchase and I'll send you an updated PayPal invoice reflecting the discount. Don't worry if you accidently pay though, I'll refund the difference promptly through PayPal.It's been so gorgeous around here. The "Mountain Laurel" is in full bloom everywhere. So yesterday we decided to take a ride up to the parkway and bring Ozzy & Lita with us. I sat in the back seat with Lita and Ozzy was in the front with Wayne. We certainly gave people a good laugh when they saw us. But it was funny because Lita was afraid of the tunnels. We had to go through three of them and they freaked her out. This was her position in the car, so she could keep a watch out for the tunnels :) She's so silly. We had a great ride, though......maybe we'll do it again today {without the dogs}!

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

"May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and the road downhill all the way to your door." ~ Mary Engelbreit