Change

Another little piece of bliss. I am in a great mood.
Fall is back. We had a lovely little taste of it a few weeks ago, just a hint, then wham, the heat returned. Today it is glorious! I don't know what
the temperature is but it feels great. The leaves are still green and there are flowers blooming beside the road, but change is coming. You can almost taste it in the air.
I like autumn and spring the best. The weather is nice and the temperature is more comfortable, but it is more than that. Fall and spring have an air of expectancy. Looking forward to something that is lovely and watching it unfold just like you dreamed about.
Colors start to change everywhere I look there is a constant feast for the eye. Halloween approaches and the kids (me included) get excited. We decorate
all over with an ever growing collection of vintage Halloween decorations. Sometimes Mother Nature helps a little with strategically placed spider webs. Candy corn makes it's appearance.
In the fall we get to eat more oatmeal. I am not talking about that instant stuff. My hubby makes it from scratch. He adds all sorts of things to it he cooks it in vanilla soy milk with dates, walnuts and Vietnamese Cinnamon. It tastes great and is full of protein. Sticks to the ribs.
We drink more red wine and hubby bakes more. If we are lucky we might even get home made Carmel. Baked squash and baked potatoes reappear. Sometimes I rush things a little. I got out my flannel robe the other day and hubby laughed at me. No, it really isn't cold enough for it yet, but I love the softness of it. I wonder where I put my fuzzy slippers?

Walks are always a joy here, but this time of year they are even better. The weather was perfect today. I did find a few leaves that had changed, it seams early but there they are. There are fewer biting insects and as I mentioned in the last post,
we have a bumper crop of mushrooms. I have never seen so many different kinds.
We have had the chimneys swept. The wood pile needs some attention. This particular pile is waiting to be cut into appropriate lengths, doesn't it look pretty just the way it is though? We currently have three fully functioning fireplaces and one vent less gas fire. The plan is to replace the real fire in the newly redecorated room upstairs with another vent less gas fire. The house was heated with fireplaces when it was built, but it is an awful lot of work to haul the wood upstairs, then haul the ash back down. When we moved in the roof had to be
replaced and the chimneys were unsafe. Most of the
fireplaces were blocked up. When we were having the repairs done, we thought it would be nice to have a real fire upstairs.
Some things you just have to learn as you go along. The fireplace is beautiful and modern gas fireplaces are much nicer than they used to be. They even use them at Biltmore.
I am posting early this week as I have to work this weekend. Hope yours is great.
Kat

Hodge Podge

This weeks art project is another Fairy Scrapbook page for my great nieces. I am quite pleased with how it turned out. I took the mushroom and niece photo then combined them with help from Photoshop Elements 4 and wings from http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/ The frame is a shape tool included with elements.



It has been a very busy week but I do have some photos that I wanted to share.
This lovely specimen of turtlehood is a rescue. My sweet husband keeps extra paper towels in his car for just this sort of occasion. Whenever he spots a turtle in the road, he stops (if safe) and carries it out of harms way. This was a particularly beautiful creature. One of the many reasons I am still crazy about that man.
The bees are in a friends yard back in Utah. They were in an old walnut tree that had died. When he cut the tree down, he discovered the hive. He set the portion of the tree that they were occupying back up and put a cover over it to keep off excess sun, rain etc. Wild hives need to be protected wherever we can.

The tombstone is another art project. A recent trip to the bookstore and Halloween issues of various women's magazines have got me in a Halloween mood. This tombstone is a photo that I took early in the summer. I removed the name, there wasn't a date, and then used my trusty photoshop elements to change the texture and make it look more like a watercolor. I am not sure what I will do with it, but I like it. Sometimes that is all that matters.

Last, but not least, another great culinary treat provided for me by my Sweet Heart. Cherry Scones. He started with a basic recipe while we lived in England and over the years he has perfected it. The flavor and texture are perfect. This was breakfast a couple of Sunday's ago. I am not sure what sort of delights he is planning for this morning, but I hear intriguing sounds coming from the kitchen and the Tea is lovely. (PG Tips)
Have a lovely week.

Bumper Crop

This has been a busy week. Back to school for me. I am taking two classes online from Lander University. One is a Nursing class and the other is Philosophy. This week, just like every other returning student, I had to fix my schedule (one class was cancelled), visit the financial aid office, then pick up my books and supplies. Once I accomplished all of that, it was time to start studying. Judging from the initial assignments, this is going to be an interesting semester.
Even if it gets hectic, I have promised myself that I am going to keep blogging on schedule and produce at least one artistic item each week.
This week my art project was quick and easy. Bats are lucky in some cultures and I found this lovely piece in New Orleans last spring. I purchased the beads in Ashville last week at Chevron Trading Post & Bead Co. The beads are Unakite.

This weeks title comes from our Bumper Crop of mushrooms. (I was hoping for more mushroom photos to play with!) We got some rain and all of a sudden there are mushrooms everywhere. These are some of the best shots. I have counted at least four kinds. I would not dare attempt to pick and eat. I just want photos to use in art projects for my adorable Great Nieces. They love fairies and mushrooms and fairies go great together.
The last photo is yet another example of the fact that, Mother Nature will win. In this part of the south, if you don't use it, Mother Nature will reclaim it. The photo shows what is left of an old cottage.
I am going for a walk in just a few minutes. I will take my camera. Let me know what you think of my pictures.
Kat

New Orleans

I recently read a couple of murder mysteries set in New Orleans and the most recent edition of Victoria Magazine has a story with pictures of New Orleans so it has been on my mind. The pictures bring back great memories and it is fun to envision the places where a story takes place because you have been there. We were there in the spring and I loved it.

The first picture shows some of the lovely Iron work in the French Quarter. You can just imagine the old Southern Ladies in their long skirts and hats.
We stayed in the French Quarter at the "Chateau" it is reasonable, centrally located, clean, comfortable and has very friendly staff.
Breakfast each morning in the courtyard was continental style with pastries and the Chicory Coffee that New Orleans is famous for.


We were usually joined by some of the smaller locals. This mule and driver were filming a commercial for New Orleans just outside our hotel. They use Mules as horses don't do as well in their climate.

The people in New Orleans were all incredibly friendly. Like any other big city, you should use common sense to protect yourself and your belongings. We were warned numerous times to be careful, but we had no problems whatsoever. The locals and were wonderful. They seem genuinely glad to see tourists returning.

I truly hope all goes well for them this week. As Gustav approaches, I will be thinking about them and their lovely old city.




The other two photos are from the Garden District and St. Louis Cemetery number 1. In New Orleans, they do everything with beauty in mind.


I have posted twice this week, please scroll down to see some of my artwork.
Kat

By Special Request

This page is especially for my Niece Kayla and Great Niece Jillian. Jillian and Kayla love Fairies so I decided to do a page just for them. They performed suitably Fairy like poses at my Sister's house in Utah. I took them with my trusty digital. I used a photograph from my woods in South Carolina for the background. I blew up a photo of a mushroom from my drive way to three different sizes and pasted it in digitally. The wings came from http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/ I cropped the wings then selected just them and stuck them in place.

I used Photoshop Elements 4.

August 23, 2008

I was using a larger notebook to make notes for the blog in, but my trip to Utah has convinced me that smaller is better. I picked up a small notebook today and started writing in it. A fresh notebook is always inspiring. I promised more about the trip to Utah so here it is.
The trip itself was nice. I missed my Hubby as soon as I left him to go through security. I am glad to know that I can still travel half way across the country by myself if necessary, but it is always more fun with him. He is my traveling companion.
I took some photos out the window of the airplane, this one is over Augusta. I plan on using them in a scrapbook layout with some old photos of my Dad on an airplane.
The highlight of the trip of course, was getting to spend time with my family. I really needed to

reconnect with them, I was feeling so far away. My sisters and I stayed up late and talked, then got up early and talked some more. I loved every precious minute of it. I feel closer to them both again. That makes me happy. Another thing that makes me happy is that they allowed me to share their grandchildren. I don't have any of my own yet and I am not in a hurry to do so. My Great Nieces and Nephews are a wonderful bunch of people. They all have very individual personalities and I really enjoyed getting to know them a little better. I hope they will stay in touch with me. I also got to spend some quality time with my Brother and his family. I enjoyed seeing all they have done to their home.
I don't talk about my own children, but they make me very proud. I love them like crazy!
This rose is just like some that my Mother, had in her yard. I can't get over how beautiful they are and how much they remind me of her.
The pink snap dragon and the succulents are from my Sister Margaret's garden. It is one of my favorite places to be.

This lovely moth was waiting to welcome me home.