Our escape to the mountains of North Carolina

Mt. Mitchell, NC

Hello! I want to share some photos of our spring break adventure in the mountains. We packed the family truck and drove across five states to my Dad and Helen's Rock House in North Carolina.
Remote. Breathtaking. Cozy. I am always amazed at how wonderful it feels to escape from everyday life. It did wonders for the energy of our family with no TV, iPhones, or e-mail. Here are some favorite photos.

Kids riding Doc the sweet, old and gentle horse. He was fed many apples and carrots during our stay.

On our drive up to Mt. Mitchell, we stopped and had a picnic at a lavender farm. It had a labyrinth made of lavender on top of a mountain. It was a dream come true for me.

Walking the lavender labyrinth on the mountain.

Making our way up to "Mitchell Mountain" as my little guy called it. It also happens to be my oldest son's name which was fun. The weather changed constantly with clear sky, rain, wind, and hail. It's also the highest mountain east of the Mississippi.

Family photo at the top.

My boys.

Taking the path off the path.

Trying to keep up.

Mating frogs in the pond. My science-minded husband and kids collected some eggs and watched them morph into tad poles. We brought some home in a jar and they are now thriving in our pond at home. 

We took a private tour of The Wolf Sanctum-a place that rescues and teaches about wolves. We all learned so much. The kids loved Rosie the Arctic wolf.

This is Dakota the howling Timber wolf.

Back at the Rock House for a two hour card game of war. Mitchell beat his sister in a close game.

Happy hour on the front porch.

An unforgettable week in the beautiful mountains.

Thanks for reading.

Joy and peace,

kathy

Choosing Happiness Now.

Joy delights in Joy. ~William Shakespeare

Wildflowers picked by my daughter.

I am a positive person by nature yet many days, there is an inner wheel in my belly turning with stress, worry, and feelings of overwhelm. Can you relate? This week Motivational Coach Christine Kane wrote, if you choose to be happy Now, everything will change. Begin by smiling and get an instant uplift. 
I made a conscious decision choose happiness this week. No complaining, just letting the joy in. Try it. You will be amazed how things shift. Good things are attracted to you. Begin. Now. Be happy. Experience miracles.

Things that made me happy this week:

My dear friend Anna and I love Ree Drummond - The Pioneer Woman. PW came to town on her cook book tour, yet I was unable to make it due to an emergency vet visit for my dog Buck. Anna surprised  me with a signed copy in my mailbox. The book is incredible for family style cooking that I do daily. I will treasure this and make my family so happy too.

Hanging out with my two youngest on a warm evening outside. We played games on an old fence and danced to songs on my iPod: Fireflies and some Black Eyed Peas.

I love this book! Steal Like an Artist - 10 things nobody told you about being creative. It was a great small but mighty $6 book. It's surprisingly amazing filled with great tidbits to spark your creativity. Kleon writes, The manifesto is this: Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use - do the work you want to see done. 

And finally, I am almost finished with a painting I started with Flora Bowley's class Bloom True. This painting has gone through many changes filling me with crazy emotions and finally abundant happiness. I will share it with you in the next post. My little guy asked me if he could put it in his room. Ahh.
Thank you for reading.
Wishing you peace and joy,
kathy

Beautiful view out my window.

Spring Beauties are Blooming & Outdoor Adventures Abound

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.  ~e.e. cummings

Happy Spring! Spring has sprung here in the Midwest. I hope you are enjoying some sunshine in your neck of the woods. If not, I'll share some with you.

setting up camp

We enjoyed an extreme outside weekend here at the ranch. My husband and the kids set up our new tent on tipi hill in the woods. We sat by the fire until thunder struck. We decided to stay for the adventure and test the tent as rain poured off and on and we all cuddled. Hearing the coyotes howl was a little creepy but my husband assured me they weren't "that close".

The kids all slept like babies but we did not, as three out of the four joined us on our floppy air mattress. I ended up down by every one's feet. Nice.

Morning broke with birds chirping and the smell of fresh spring woodsy air. My husband had stoked the campfire and was boiling water for coffee. We fired up the iron skillet with eggs, bacon, and sausages disappearing quickly. That's my idea of good camping.

After lingering over breakfast, we picked up and packed up and headed the short yet rugged distance back home.

Later, my mom brought out my two nieces and nephew for the day to spend outside and down by the creek splashing and smiling.

My son plucked a lobster sized crawdad out the creek which received many shrieks and squeals. Healthy creek it is.

I spotted some Spring Beauties blooming in patches of woods near the water.

The perfect ending to this nature extravaganza was fishing in the pond.

My little scout pulled out a cute sunfish, and my daughter caught a big ole catfish.

 We are looking forward to many more outdoor spring adventures. The kids asked us when we can camp again. And...Mushroom season is just around the corner.
Happy Spring,

kathy

My daughter snapped this of me as I watched them splash about.

My first spontaneous video blog. Hello spring.

Hello. I was taking a walk this beautiful evening and had my iPhone with me. It has a camera, not in HD. I decided to record anyway and share this with you. It's definitely not great technology, but the thoughts are from my heart. Please let know if it is ridiculous and should delete it. I trust you.

joy and peace, kathy

Blooming True = Painting, Releasing, Emerging, Joy.

Transform by Flora Bowley http://braveintuitiveyou.com/e-course/

For the past five weeks I have been taking an online painting course with the amazing artist Flora Bowley called Bloom True. It has truly been transformative.
Each week Flora focuses on a topics such as listening to your intuition and being playful. She also kindly instructs on the importance of color variation and contrast.
We are to be working on two large canvases at a time. Paint and let the other one dry. Be free with the brush in our hand, listen to soulful music, move our bodies, free our minds. If we do not like it, we can cover it up with the next layer. Discover what emerges. Find one thing about the painting use it.

Layering cool colors over warm.

 I have not finished a painting yet. I have painted many layers. On each canvas, I have found one thing I like. On the first, a bird shaped figure with a magenta color. On the second, a little circle that I decided looked like an eyeball. Now I am painting it into a tropical bird. Maybe.

Cool colors over warm.

Little bird at top left.

Can you make out the eyeball shape?

See the eye now?

Unexpected and remarkable results have happened since this class began.

1. I am happily committed to completing this course and going back to review it. I have not always completed previous courses this thoroughly.  This one has struck a cord.

2. I am being kinder and gentler to myself. More forgiving.

3. Thoughts and feelings are emerging that have been buried in the midst of raising kids for 12 years. Questions like, Who am I besides a devoted mother and wife? What do I like to do? Who do I want to become? How can I carve out space between laundry, dishes, groceries, meals and soccer?

4. I have realized I love to paint. I love the color magenta. It's fun to buy art supplies.

My Sage Heart Studio

5. I am detaching from things. I have been letting go of clothes, books and stuff that has been clinging to me for years. Now I want to clear it out, give it away, and make room for more abundance.
6. After digging through clutter, I  found a painting that I did when I was 16. A vase of purple flowers. My art teacher entered it in an art show. It was not so important then. Now it's a link to what I love.

I never expected this Bloom True class to have such transformative powers. Letting go, listening to my deeper inner voice, being brave to release old thoughts and feelings. I am now more open, fresher, freer, lighter, deeper. Emerging.
Thank you Flora.
Joy and peace,
kathy

Favorite STIX Mirror.

Bliss List Friday ~ Feeling the Joy

Happy Friday and Happy March! Wow time is flying. We are heading toward spring and I just saw a large flock of birds pass as I write.
Here's my Bliss List:

101 years young

1. My grandfather turned 101 years young this week! He is a wonderful man that has lived a full life and keeps sharing his zest with his two children, five granddaughters, and 14 great grandchildren. We celebrated at a favorite local spot that serves family style chicken dinners including fresh biscuits and apple butter. Because it was so busy, we squeezed in the coat room to get a family photo.

2. I gathered a  group of local moms and started a Treadmill Challenge. Our face book group is Team Fit Moms ~Friends. Inspired .Together. The challenge is to do 30 minutes on a treadmill or anything cardio for  five days a week. I cannot believe the inspiration happening there. It sure has gotten me motivated and moving.

3. My quest for clearing clutter in my home has been successful. I am doing a little space clearing each day and letting go of things to create more room to grow.

4. Warm weather this week has been great for hiking with my kids. My little guy is perfecting his stone skipping technique.

5. I'm proud of my oldest son who competed on his school's Math Bowl Team. They brought home a blue ribbon and really worked well as a team. What a great experience.

That's my little bliss list. I sure enjoy reflecting and sharing.
Wishing you peace and joy,
kathy