New phone numbers!

We've chosen to become locals at long last, and will now have a local phone number for each of our cell phones. This change will take place Friday, Oct. 26th .... so make a note of it! There will be NO referral number given when you dial the old numbers (sorry for that, no option apparently). We no longer have a home phone, so the cell numbers are it! Working on simplicity here!
Paul is 828-260-7949 and Cheri is 828-260-7948. Feel free to call any time!!!
Meanwhile, happy trails! Paul & Cheri

The Woolly Worm Festival ~~~

Well, we made it through it ... and it was great fun and a wonderful experience. I'm sure there will be things we do differently next time, as there always are things to change! Paul was a BIG SELLER with his metal suns and kokepellis, Shannon had lots of sales with her polymer clay jewelery - candy corn earrings and Christmas ornaments; and I even sold a mosaic! But the BIGGEST SELLER of all were the polymer clay and pipe cleaner woolly worm pins we made at the last minute!!! Isn't that always the way! Paul had great fun selling those up and down the street ... such a panhandler!!! So ... we're on to bigger and better things ~ which we will gladly announce when we figure them out! HA!

The work scene is a little scattered right now for us all. As the metal shop as fizzled out for the season, Paul secured a job today driving a tractor on a Christmas tree farm starting next Tuesday or Wed. It's 7 days a week, probably 12 hours a day for about 3 or 4 weeks. We're hoping he'll make money that we need to survive the winter (oil for heat, wood for heat, gas for heat!). When we got home from the festival we found a baby wood stove that the "wood stove fairy" left on our side porch! We LOVE those kind of gifts! And we'll accept them with plenty of gratitude. Now getting it installed outta be interesting! Hmmmmmmmmm ..... I'm still teaching dance (thank goodness!!!!) and working minimal hours at Lowes (they cut hours for the winter) ... and a friend of mine is going to take me up to one of the local florists shops to see if they need help with wreaths for the season, as well. Maybe there will be plenty of work in the next 3 or 4 weeks to get us by! We're keeping our fingers crossed ... and would REALLY appreciate it if you'd all kick in good thoughts for us!

My friend Cynthia Williams in the Tarpon Springs area is celebrating her birthday today! Happy birthday wishes, Cynthia! And my sister, Cyndie, is celebrating her birthday next Monday, the 29th. I want to make sure I include HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to her here and now so I won't accidentally miss it ... hope all your birthday wishes come true ... both of you!!!!

Shannon and I are on a roll trying to develop a business (perhaps a gallery to go with it ... and art classes and such) for the spring. So, will keep you up to date on that as things unveil to us! My grandsons are excitedly preparing for Halloween. Austin will be a Ninja, Cade will be the black Spiderman, and Christian is a Power Ranger. Sounds perfectly normal to me! I sure miss the little guys and may have to make arrangements to see them VERY soon!!!! (hint, hint to the parents!)

Happy Trails to all. Paul & Cheri

Mountain Mosaics and More

The beautiful fall colors have certainly inspired our creative juices! My drive across the mountain to work is absolute euphoria. It is so hard to concentrate on the drive because the scenery is amazing! Paul expresses the same views! We are so lucky to see this every day! The yellows are SO vivid and the crimsons are even more scrumptious. The orange hues seem to be vibrating! It is no wonder this place is notorious for "the turning of the leaves". However, the seasonal residents will all be heading back to their homes (mostly in Florida) after this weekend and the festival that marks the end of the autumn and the beginning of winter here, which is the Wooly Worm Festival. This festival is what we have prepared our work for and we will hopefully be able to make a good impression upon the participants. Perhaps we'll even make some money! :-)

So, here are some of the things we will be selling. There are not all in their finished form, and this is not the complete inventory, but it will give you an idea of what we've been doing and why I haven't been very communicative lately! Not shown (unfortunately) is work by my friend Shannon Fannon, who is a FABULOUS polymer clay artist. She makes all kinds of jewelry and sculpted face pieces. She will be joining our little band of artists, as will Charles, and perhaps Andy the blacksmith. So exciting!

Paul hasn't been very busy at work, so he's had more time than usual to prepare stuff for the show. We're hoping work picks up a bit, but I think Paul is considering working Christmas trees for a few weeks if it doesn't. It's hard work, and I truly hope something else comes up! Lowes has cut my hours down significantly because there is no business here to speak of in the winter, so it gives me more opportunity to work in art ~ not to mention prepare dance classes and perhaps fit some real estate work in here and there! We are looking forward to this adventure as well! It's both exciting and anxiety producing!

There have been numerous birthdays this month, including most everyone I know! There sure are a lot of Libras out there! Happy Birthday to ALL ya'll!!! Also Paul & I celebrated our wedding anniversary this week, and my daughter and her husband celebrated theirs! Busy time from now through the end of the year with all the celebrations! I LOVE this time of year.

Please keep Chrissie Grace (my mentor and friend) and her family in your prayers as they mourn the loss of Chrissie's dad, Bob Mervine. As any "daddy's little girl" can imagine, her heart is surely broken and she sure could use good thoughts.

Must go get the last piece grouted and get all the little loose ends (unfinished projects, that is) tied up. Do hope everyone is warm and well! Take good care! Happy Trails, Paul & Cheri

Frost on the Pumpkins!!!

Pierre Pumpkin was all alone in the house until the thermometer hit below 40 this morning. Now Paul & I will have to go and raid the pumpkin patch so they won't freeze and they can join Pierre inside as Halloween decorations, not to mention being turned into copious amounts of pumpkin soup and pumpkin bread, etc. etc. It's been much fun cooking, baking and creating right out of our very own garden! I'm sad to say however, the pickles (cucumbers for those of you who know how pickles are made) just didn't make this year, so we'll have to try again next summer - a little earlier in the year!

We are in the midst of making our inventory for the fall festival next weekend. We will post some of that tomorrow so you can see why the blog isn't getting much updating at present. I have 3 days off to work, so that's what I'm doing! Stay tuned! For now, I'm going to huddle back beside a space heater and warm up! (It's only 50 now and the wind is howling ... about 60 degrees in the house!) Cheers!!!

Paul & Cheri (Mountain Mosaics and More!)

Happy Birthday Paul!

Happy 46th Birthday to my sweet husband! We will celebrate this evening with trifle for dessert with a few of our new friends. Paul finally got his heart's desire ... an old station wagon. He's a very happy camper! A 1987 model with only 60,000 miles spent from an elderly couple who bought it new! A gem for Paul!

Tomorrow will be one year for Paul's arrival here in the mountains ... time really does fly!

Have a wonderful day Paul! Hope all of your birthday wishes do come true!!!! xoxo

Happy week to all!!

Indiana Jones Room clean at long last!!!!!

Last Sunday didn't turn out to be the clean up of the Indiana Jones Room. Instead we spent the day at the local hospital with Paul's leg ... some sort of bacterial infection that got in there and gave him quite a fit! But he's back to normal and yesterday was the day for the under belly of this house to get a "tidy up", as he calls it. There were all kinds of things under there ... a toilet and water heater from the 1950s. Along with piles of old scrap wood and even half of a ping pong table ... too bad we couldn't find the other half!!! :-) So now, we can put insulation under our floors and get some heat to stay in the house (we hope!). Paul burned stuff ALL DAY yesterday, and we still have plenty to burn. But the wind is up today, and the temperature is down (about 58 right now), so we won't be burning today. The last picture is the signature of the original owner and builder of this house. It is D.K. Jones ... and legend has it that he is the spirit that visits our house (the one I've always called Earl). He must be content with what we've done as we haven't seen/heard him lately. We've plenty of work left to do in this house and even more in the downstairs ... but it's interesting to accomplish things and the process of deciding what to do and when to do it is quite the adventure. Paul seemed to really enjoy being in amongst it all yesterday and the day was GORGEOUS. I'd go outside to "check on him" and take his tea ... and I'd find him on the roof fixing gutters or in the garden turning soil or under the house finding buried treasure (a half pint milk bottle from the 50's and a beautiful cut class perfume bottle from 40's I think). I had to work yesterday evening and when I got home he had finally come inside and was happily eating dinner when I arrived. So nice to have a happy man around (and gratefully, a healed leg)! So, that's our Indiana quest ... cheers to all! Paul & Cheri