crafty happenings.

Most of you know that Jeremy and I recently moved into a new house in Black Mountain. It's the first house (not apartment, flat, or in-law suite) that we've ever lived in together, and though we don't own it, it is still a huge step to that eventual end.
Of course, with a new place, comes new crafty projects (thanks to the help of Pinterest!) and new interior design elements. It has unfortunately taken me much longer than I would have preferred--due to numerous reasons--to really get the house to a point where I feel okay having people over (but only in certain rooms, we are still far from finished moving in). But! This last week has seen the fruition of a number of projects that have been rolling about in my mind since even before we moved in. Today, I'll share them with you.

Finished last week: I've been planning this one since about January or before, but wasn't able to get it finished. My idea was to create a huge photo canvas of one of my favorite photos that I took during our time in Edinburgh. I bought a 24x36 wrapped canvas a couple months ago, and finally last month was able to purchase the 24x36 print that I wanted. The print itself was remarkably cheap, only $9.99 at vivyxprinting.com. They were running a special for first-time customers: a 24x36 print for ten bucks, it's like it was meant to be. :) So I painted the edges of the canvas, like so:

Then used spray adhesive to mount the print to the canvas. Admittedly, it's not a good as I want it to be, I'll have to research better procedures because the print ripples a little bit--which is only noticeable in certain light at certain angles, but I'd rather have it perfect. But here's how it turned out:

I also have been brain-storming a cheap but creative way to display/organize my jewelry, and thanks to the burlap given to me in an adorable gift basket from my close friend,  Kelsey Keil, I was able to simply wrap 11x14 canvases with burlap and hot glue to make this little babies:

Below the canvases, I simply nailed three small nails into the wall for the necklace hanging. Voila! It was so simple.
































This one is another one I've been thinking about for a while, and I originally got the idea from Pinterest. It's a wrapped canvas, painted green, then painted vintage white. I used sticker letters on the white coat, then painted a grey coat over it, let it dry, then peeled the stickers off. The last line was written using a paint pen. After everything was finished, I sprayed a coat of ModPodge finishing spray over the whole thing for continuity.

And there you have it, my creative endeavors of late. I've also been able to alter a pair of ill-fitting dress pants as well, and I've plans in the works for some summery dresses too!

pinterest.

So, I've recently found a brand new way to procrastinate and put off working on my dissertation (like I needed another way), but this one is something that actually is pretty neat. It even has Jeremy spending time on it, though he still refuses to make his own account. It's kind of hard to explain what it is, but basically it's a way to organize and remember random things that you find on the internet. Now I realize that doesn't sound so appealing, especially if you're just thinking it is full of cute kitten photos that have 'can i haz a cheezburger' written in black block letters. Those are definitely represented well on this site, but that's not all it is. It's a place to find and share and remember all those cool things you find online. I've found numerous recipes I'm just dying to try, or sewing projects I'm itching to get back to my sewing machine to attempt, or I'll be honest, funny and stupid stuff like a photo of Sean Connery with a mustache that says "I mustache you a question, but I'm shaving it for later." Hah. Yes, I know, but it really is helpful and a great way to find DIY projects and just be inspired to do things. People who have spent any amount of time on this site will understand that it can tend to suck you straight into a time vortex and before you know it, you've spent two hours looking at photos of Lord knows what. But some people have decided to become 'pinspired' and try to use or recreate something neat that they've found on Pinterest, so it's not just another time-wasting activity. As I mentioned before, I am sans-sewing machine whilst we're abroad, so all my sewing inspirations are put on hold for the moment, and unfortunately we are also short on a lot of cooking items and utensils that would allow me to make some bangin' new recipes, and to spend money on buying them would be silly since we'd be leaving them in a month's time. But, clever as I am, I have managed to incorporate something that I've found on Pinterest into my week. On Monday I had a really rough day, being given the run-around and down-right insulted by the letting agency that manages my flat, phone call after phone call, and finally an e-mail, and an unfortunate fight with Jeremy while he was at work about the whole thing, after all that I was in no state of mind to write anything worthy of anyone else's eyes on my dissertation. So I decided to curl up (I wish I could say on a couch, but we don't have one that's worth curling up on, and we only have Ikea chairs, that while are remotely comfortable, are nothing compared to a comfy, sink-into-me full size couch), so I guess I didn't exactly curl up, but you get the picture, and I watched a movie with some freshly baked cookies. Nutella cookies to be more specific, yes, you read that right. There are only four ingredients in these little babies, and they are absolutely divine fresh out of the oven. Not too sweet, and just right with a glass of milk and slices of a Pink Lady apple (my fave).
So, all said and done, Pinterest has not been a complete waste of time, and I intend to put to use more of the amazing little gems I find on there as well.
Here's a tantalizing photo of my batch of Nutella cookies that cured my no-good-very-bad day.

Check out Pinterest as well, if you haven't already, but you have been warned--do keep in mind its addictive nature.

Oh, and since I know you want it, here's a link to the recipe I used to make those things you can't take your eyes off of up there. Make them, you know you want to. Happy baking, and happy pinning.


Caitlin

photo ramble.

Jeremy and I are leaving the day after tomorrow for North Carolina, and we are utilizing trip to also begin bringing back some of our clothing and things that we won't be using for the next few months until we move back permanently to North Carolina. Since I haven't used my lovely lenses and adapters for my DSLR, I've decided that it's best to go ahead and take them back home. Since I know I'm losing them--not my camera, mind you, just all the attachments and extras that I normally don't use--I went out on a quick photo ramble today around Southside, shooting interesting things and playing with my old 50mm lens that was originally part of my father's old Canon film SLR. I bought an adapter that would allow me to use it on my current Rebel XTi DSLR, and I haven't really gotten around to playing with it since being here. It was interesting since it is a completely manual lens, I have to set to aperture on the lens itself then coordinate the shutter speed accordingly in the Manual setting on my Rebel. It was entertaining to see what I could remember from my fully manual photography classes in high school. The 50mm lens has a fixed focal length which means I can't zoom in or zoom out, and it was good for me to realize how much an easy zoom lens can be a crutch to a photographer. There was a quote that my photography teacher in high school had us build a composition around in our art journals, I don't remember who said it, but it goes something like "If your photographs aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." I think this is so important as a photographer, you can play with depth of field and focus when you physically use your own legs as a zoom rather than a quick flick of your wrist on the lens.
My ramble was unfortunately cut a bit short due to a rogue Scottish rainstorm that moved in so quickly that I found myself running down Nicolson Street, past coffee shops with open doors and people with umbrellas, back to my flat to keep my bag and camera from getting wet. It was rather nice though, the rain was a warm spring rain rather than a chilling winter shower, and the wind that picked up with the rain was a refreshing one instead of one that makes you wish you had seal skin as it nips and bites at your exposed arms. Cut short though it was, I still was able to get some interesting shots. I played around a bit with them in Photoshop and these are my favorites.

The stairway in our building.

I love the weathervane in this one.

The stones in this wall looks so worn and experienced. If stones could speak, huh?

A pub just around the corner from our flat.

I've also posted this last photo as photo of the week on the tab above, go check it out if you want to hear more about composition and editing.

Feeling happily artsy,

Caitlin

my first pair of socks.

Admittedly, after I finally finished the first sock, I looked at the ball of yarn that looked so little like that second sock I needed, and I stopped crocheting for a least a month. But I have emerged victorious because I now have a pair--yes, a pair--of handmade crocheted socks. They very nearly match in size, the difference is hardly noticeable--which is impressive because I didn't use a pattern and I made them at least a month apart. So here you have it, my physical creativity used-up until at least August when I turn in my dissertation into which every ounce of my creativity and intellect will go (hopefully), which incidentally I still don't have a topic for, and the time to cross that bridge is nigh.
But for now, enjoy reveling in the sock glory. :)

scarflette!

What do you get when you combine vintage military buttons, pure scottish wool yarn, and 10mm crochet hook?
Well, if you're me you end up with this scarflette! I've been wanting to make one of these for a while, and I finally saw some gorgeous wool in a yarn shop on Victoria Street called K1, then I found the buttons in a thrift shop less than a block from our flat. I love how versatile it is, there are so many things you can do with it, these are only a few I'm sure.
I've been working on socks for a while now, and this project was a nice quick job to relieve the tedious work of crocheting said socks, it only took me maybe two hours to crochet, and most of that time I was also watching a movie or multitasking in some way, it could go way faster. What do you think?

 

Oh, and I also updated my photo of the week today--that should usually happen on Sundays from now on.

Caitlin

an old favourite: cider stew.

As Jeremy and I have 'smart' phones now (I put that in quotes because I'm not entirely convinced by the concept, especially now that I have one and it seems downright stupid A LOT), ahem, now that we have these seemingly intelligent cellular devices I have been able to take and easily post photos to my facebook, which means I have been taking many photos of food I have been making. The most recent of these is the Cider Stew I made the other day. (Sam, the Scottish Stew is coming, I just want to make it again so I can take some proper photos, never fear.) This recipe is one that I have loved for many, many years as my mother used to make it for us on crisp autumn days when the weather is just right for a sweater and thick socks and on icy winter nights when the frost on the windows creeps up the panes like it's dying to get in and share in the memories being made. Not to be confused with 'Spider Stew,' which is what a friend of my mum's thought she was being served when she first heard the name. Gross! My mum sent me this recipe a year or so again at my request when the weather began to cool and the leaves began their yearly performance, and it's been a cold weather staple with Jeremy and I since then. I made a few tweaks to her original recipe to make it my own and that is what I am giving you tonight.

Cider Stew
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 pounds pork loin steaks, cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups apple cider
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 carrots, chopped
6-8 baby new potatoes, chopped
2 onions, sliced
1 package mushrooms, quartered
2 Granny Smith apples, chunked (do not peel)
1/2 cup cold water and
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper

Note: I usually go more by feeling than by exact measurements, just do what feels right, and what your crock pot has room for.


Directions:
Combine flour, salt, pepper, and thyme and toss with meat to coat. Brown in skillet with oil on medium-high until sides are brown, but not cooked through. Place chopped veggies in slow cooker, then add apples and meat (I usually add whatever juices have culminated in the skillet as well). Combine cider and vinegar; do not add water, and pour over meat and veggies. Cover and cook on low setting for 10 to 12 hours. After allotted time, turn cooker on high. Blend the half cup cold water with the fourth cup flour and stir into stew. Cover and cook until thickened, about fifteen to twenty minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes eight to ten servings.

Notes: If you're reading this from the UK, by cider I don't mean alcoholic cider, but really strong, yummy, cloudy apple 'juice'. I used Copella English apple juice this time and the flavour was really nice.

Also, if you're wondering what sort of mushrooms to use I've used two different types, normal button mushrooms which are always nice, and this time I used chestnut mushrooms which have a nuttier flavour which complements the cider.

My mother usually used just normal vinegar in her recipe where I used apple cider vinegar, I don't think it really makes that much of a difference so if you just have regular vinegar that should be fine. I'm just an apple maniac and used anything apple whenever I can.

Now go enjoy your delicious, slow-cooked, autumnal stew and if you make it, come back and let me know how it turned out. We enjoyed ours with a buttered slice of oatmeal bread and a glass of apple cider (yes, the real stuff, you British folk), but white wine would probably be nice as well. Slàinte mhath! 

Caitlin

preparing.

Yesterday was quite a wonderful day. It all began with an early morning latte and writing session on the porch of Moments Coffee Shop on a drizzly mountain morning. I always love getting up with Jeremy and going into work with him. I get to sit, shop to myself, and think, read, write, and take some time for myself, for repose. Here's an excerpt from my journal entry yesterday morning: 

This grey morning is no doubt how I'll normally be greeted by mornings in Edinburgh. Lucky for me, these mornings are my favorite. There is just something about those shades of grey tinged with a golden morning lavender, and the clouds weaving their sodden way between mountain peaks, leaving a light mist to rise out of the sleepy trees.

I cannot really describe the feeling I have when I think about where we'll be in two weeks' time. It's a kind of anxious excitement tinged with a looming fear of the unknown. It's a bit like the feeling I had before leaving for college at Montreat, but magnified and shifted slightly.

It's always nice to commit my feelings to paper, it's a kind of therapy in itself, and always makes me feel better, for a little while at least.

I also went on a long walk yesterday morning with Chelsea, and my loyal pup up and around Montreat. It was nice to get out and be active, while having wonderful company and conversation as well. Montreat will always have a special place in my heart, there's just something so peaceful about that sleepy mountain valley that never ceases to ease my fears and anxieties for a time.

Chelsea and I also decided to do a bit of shopping yesterday afternoon as well, and I found my school bag. The school bag for this coming year that I have been searching for for months now. Something that's not a backpack and not a laptop bag either, but something that will carry both my mini-computer and a few books as well as double as a purse. Not only did I find this bag, it's also bright green--which is perfect. It has plenty of room and many useful pockets, as well as a little change purse that is attached, which is perfect because so much of the money I'll be carrying around will be coins. It also comes with a little umbrella with a pocket for said umbrella, which I'll most definitely be needing on occasion in Scotland. It's perfect, and I'm so glad I got it.

I also received my new glasses in the mail yesterday. I've always wanted some tortoise shell glasses and I finally ordered some at the beginning of August and got them in the mail yesterday. They're quite scholarly, and seem to perfectly fit the coming chapter of my life. They totally make me look smarter. :) Heehee.

Yesterday evening was also wonderful for I was able to spend it with some of my best friends that I made at Biltmore this past year. Incidentally they are some of the people I trained with last year, and we've been close ever since. Marcy had us over for beer, guacamole (with salt!), and delicious burgers on the grill. Marcy and her husband, Bob, were of course there, Jeremy and I, and Fred was there as well. It was great to get together and talk and joke around again. I'll surely miss them all. 

Marcy had also gotten me some earrings that I've been wanting since training last year. At Biltmore, within Antler Hill Farm is a blacksmith named Doc Cudd. He is absolutely amazing, so if you're ever there you must go see him. But he makes this little leaf earrings, by hand, and they're incredibly beautiful and unique. Everyone loves them so much and as soon as he makes them, they're off the shelves, and I haven't been able to get any this whole year. Marcy, amazing lady that she is, managed to get a pair for me (and for herself as well), and I'm so excited about them. Fred made me a CD of some songs from when he was in the Marine Band and went to the Mountbatten Festival of Music in London in 1992 and played with the Royal Marines and some awesome bagpipers, plus some Loreena McKennitt, which you can never go wrong putting on a CD for me. The first song playing on my player down below is one that he gave me, though performed by a different bagpiper--I couldn't get the actual songs he gave me on the playlist. But yet another perfect gift!

I am blessed with wonderful friends, and will miss them all dearly.

Caitlin

holy homemade coat, batman!

Well, it's finished, and as I sit back and stare at its beauty I cannot believe that I was the one who made it. This has been by far my biggest and most daunting sewing project to date. And look, I conquered, and it's gorgeous. With that said, I could not have done this without the wisdom and patience of Mama Bober. For without her watchful eye, and instruction deciphering I could not have done it. Chelsea also played a role in moral support and mutual frustration with her own sewing project. Needless to say, I appreciate and love them both dearly for their help. Without further ado, this is the winter coat that shall be my primary in Scotland this winter.

accepted.

I thought I would post my entrance essay from my application to the University of Edinburgh for the Master's programme in Highland Studies. I'm rather fond of it. Oh, and the Celtic Festival this past weekend was brilliant, albeit quite hot. But great company all round, fiery fiddlers, and bullfrog bagpipers.

Why Highland Studies?

I was sixteen when I first set foot in the British Isles—in Ireland to be specific. Consequentially, Ireland is and will always be my first love. It was among the colored doors and cobbled streets of Dublin that my love began to grow, and in the rolling, sheep-dotted countryside of that emerald isle that it was solidified. Spending time with the people soon thereafter intensified even more so my belonging to the land, with my sarcasm and dry wit so readily accepted and returned. Soon after realizing that the majority of my family’s heritage came from all corners of both isles, the best-received compliment anyone could pay me, with my dark curls and blue eyes, was, “you look Irish.” Having been keenly interested in all things Irish for quite sometime, I met my now husband my first year in college. Said husband is decidedly Scottish in his own heritage, right down to his flaming red beard and strongly stout Scottish build; not to mention a certain penchant for Glenfiddich, that, and a stubbornness rarely seen this side of a mule. Slowly I began to realize that while Ireland’s hold upon my heart was steadfast, that did not mean there was not room for another passion to stake its own claim there—another passion that seemed so similar to the first that they might just simply stop being first and second and become just one large Celtic entity entwining my heart within its intricate knot work. I now realize that my love and passion for Ireland can be just as easily translated into love and passion for Scotland as well. I can just as effortlessly imagine myself getting lost amidst the culture, music, language, and heritage of Scotland as I have Ireland, in fact all those things seem to become more parallel the further back into history one travels. That being said, the nuances in these cultures also interest me, and I intend on not only studying Highland history and culture, but also later on going to study the Irish equivalent as well. But for now, it is the Scottish call that is stronger, buttressed with the heartrending cries of the pipes, those that stir my very core to its cause. Because, while my soul might be emerald green, my heart is tartan-clad.

But what is it about the Celtic people that draws me so? As I sat, hands poised over the keyboard, thinking about the best and most truthful way to answer this question, I realized that the same thing that kept me from completely putting into words the way I feel about the history of the isles is the answer to the question. It’s the mystery. It’s the stone circles scattered across the land, and the way that I cannot quite disbelieve the mysterious and magical things said to happen there. It’s the way I could never explain to my friends when I came home just how much I was changed by setting foot in Ireland. It’s the way my chest tightens when I see photographs of the land. I want that feeling and change and mystery to be so much more than part of who I am, I want it to be what I do.

A formal education, I feel, would extend my passion into something tangible, something concrete, something more than just an interest or hobby. As a writer, and one highly influenced by Celtic culture, a deep knowledge of the subject would be invaluable. As an eventual mother, I would be able to instill in my children the love and appreciation of their heritage even more so. And as a teacher, either formally or informally, my knowledge would help those searching and yearning, as I am now, finally find something to which to holdfast.

sundress!

I've finished the dress that I'll be wearing to the Celtic Festival. I'm rather proud of it. :)

The dress by itself.

The dress with the belt I'll wear with it.

Yes. It has pockets!

This is me being happy in my newly-made dress. Hooray!

created.

The design for blank notecards I'll be ordering to keep up with my favourite people while I'm gallivanting in the outer rims.

as promised.

I am updating this morning because I realize that I am in dire need of it, not because I have come prepared with stories, tales and photographs with which to regale my readers. I'll probably put up a photo post within the next few days to supplement this one, since this one will be photo-less.
Anyway, many things have gone on since my last post, my birthday, Jeremy's birthday, springtime arriving, tulips, a day frolicking at Biltmore with Chelsea (yes, we frolicked.) Among other things. Photos shall be posted, never fear. When though, that might be a tricky part.
My birthday was nice, full of family, friend, and red velvet cake. Jeremy's birthday was much the same, except cheesecake with fresh strawberries instead. Spring has most indubitably sprung, and I love it. Flowers are exuberantly beautiful and the trees are resplendent in new green. Festival of Flowers is well upon us at Biltmore and the tulips have just finished in a flourish and the snapdragons and foxgloves are in their stead. It's beautifully inspiring, the house, the gardens, the ground. I've written four poems in as many days, and begun a new novel. Which is all rather exciting, even if I'll probably not finish the novel, and not do anything with the poems. But writing for myself is enough for me, and that's important as a writer I think.
Edinburgh draws ever nearer as I have just purchased my plane ticket to fly over on September 1 (gasp!). Jeremy will probably be following me over in early October with Cael. We'll try to see if he can come earlier, but things aren't for sure yet--I'll be calling the airline this week. So it's official, we're definitely going. I've started some online Scots-Gaelic lessons so I'll have some background when I start school.
I've also gotten a promotion at work, more responsibility, new places to work, and a raise which is nice for my morale, and for my Scotland savings-fund. Hurrah!
I'm sure there's probably more to say, but I'll have to add it later, maybe in my photo post. Talk to you chumlie-wumlies later.

Mar sin leibh!

make a week of it.

It's turned out that our St. Patrick's Day festivities have occurred more over a St. Patrick's Day week. We bought a twelve pack of Smithwick's Irish Ale and enjoyed some on Monday evening. The night before the 17th, Jeremy and I drove down to Hickory to the Taproom, a wonderfully oaken pub, to hear The Belfast Boys play some traditional Irish music and have a few pints. That was a wonderful night full of good company, good beer, and heart-rending music. There is just something about Irish (and Scottish) music that stirs my very core. It's enchanting in a very literal sense of the word, it captivates my senses and imparts an otherworldly essence to surround me--it changes me. It was wonderful to see Alan play again, and brilliant to finally see Adrian play with him as well. The were, not surprisingly, fantastic.
St. Paddy's Day itself was a little more low key, I worked both my jobs, proudly sporting some green earrings and a Celtic knotwork hair clip. Thursday was another low-key day of working for both Jeremy and me, but that evening we went to the store to purchase the necessities of what would come the next morning, which included a pack of Guinness. This morning I cooked us up an Ulster Fry, complete with potato bread, streaky bacon, tomatoes, and Heinz 57 beans, among other things. It was delicious, but very filling, and more than a little hard on the arteries I'm sure.
Tonight, Jeremy and I are headed the the Diana Wortham theatre to see Battlefield Band, a Scottish band that plays traditional music as well as new self-penned music as well, on a variety of instruments traditional and non. I won free tickets at Biltmore to the show tonight, and we're looking forward to it.
Considering, due to various circumstances, that this has been Jeremy and my first St. Patrick's Day together, I think it's turned out quite nicely.

On another note, I recently altered an old vintage peacoat that was my grandmother's to fit me. I took in the sleeves and the body of the coat, as well as put on twelve new buttons. Here's the finished product. (I unfortunately did not have the foresight to snap a 'before' photo, but oh well.)

knitted. knat?

I finished my big winter knitting project. It's about three or four feet long all stretched out, but all connected within the round. It took me three balls of yarn, and God knows how many hours to complete. But it's warm, lovely, and I made it, which is so cool. Technically, it's a cowl, but it's three feet longer than it should be and I don't really like that name for it, so my beloved Kristi found the Latin root of the word, and I've decided that's what I'll call it. Without further ado: my cuculla.

more or less change.

It's another Saturday, and we're already six days into February 2010. I seriously cannot believe how quickly time passes. Jeremy and I will have been married three years this year, and together for five. Cael just turned two, I'll be twenty-three and Jeremy twenty-nine. I'm graduated from college, for over a year now, and looking toward graduate school. It's been almost six years since I've been part of a swim team, and four since I've been in any sort of theatrical production. Things have changed, people are missed, people are gone, and more people have entered my life. Though much has changed, and it's odd to think about--thinking about the things that haven't changed can be eye-opening as well. I'm still a writer, and an artist. Though my mediums have shifted a bit, I haven't painted since 2006--though I do want that to change. Photography is still prevalent in my life. I knit, crochet, and sew now, things that I've always wanted to be good at. I still love reading, and getting lost in worlds and places in which I've never set foot. I love reading words, and thinking to myself, "I want to make readers feel this way about my characters, about my story one day." I still love God, love my husband, and love my dog. And I still love Ireland and all things Celtic--Scotland will be added to that list soon, Lord willing.
Jeremy and I have both submitted our applications to the University of Edinburgh, and now all we have to do it wait. Wait for God's will to be done. Waiting is harder than I anticipated. I think having control over a situation, like filling out an application, is easier than waiting for someone else to do their part before you can have an answer, like references or even the university itself. It's hard not to imagine us in Edinburgh later this year, whereas before I had a hard time actually imagining us there. That's encouraging, albeit frightening.
Chelsea's love, Andrew, is home for R&R from Afghanistan right now, and it is so absolutely wonderful to see them together again. That is another change. They are together, and reveling not only in their love for each other, but appreciating every touch and word they get to say to each other's faces, instead of on a page or screen. Appreciating the simple things experienced together.
The snow here has been almost unabated since it began. It's cold tendrils freezing everything in its path, making the everyday things like going to work treacherous. Yet, as the snow falls delicately to the ground, and the trees shimmer in their icy garb, I cannot help but simply appreciate its beauty. (It helps that I can stay home all day, not having to venture out.)
I'm still at Biltmore, though that could slightly change soon as well. Well, I'd still be at Biltmore, but I've applied for another position there. The Design Specialist position with the Biltmore Legacy would include hands-on creativity and design, incorporating Biltmore's history and family stories, as well as implementing advertising for the Biltmore For Your Home line. I'd be creating displays and talking with guests about the history of Biltmore, and other such fun stuff. Sounds right down my alley, huh? We'll see, I'll keep you posted.
So it seems that while change can be frightening and inconvenient at times, it is that change that we love to remember, and that change that shapes who we are. Change is inevitable and always imminent, just embrace it and remember from whence you've come.

One more thing. Just to remind you, in case you've forgotten-- I do, most unequivocally, still love hot tea.

Contemplatively,

Caitlin

20k milestone.

I just reached the 20,000 word milestone in my novel. I started with 10,000, so I've only written about that much, but with Candlelight season upon us at Biltmore and everything else I have going on I'm pretty proud of myself. :)
Here's the cover art I've designed for The Chancellor's Daughter.

Hopefully, I'll be able to update again soon.

i think i'll give it a try.

Wish me luck.

in verse.

No, I won't be writing this post in verse, but the subject will largely be upon that of verse--I'm sure none of you needed that clarification but look, I've gone and given it anyway.
This past weekend managed to be quite lovely in spite of the fact that I worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Jeremy and I made the trek to Hickory on Friday night through torrential rain to see a show at Drip's, which incidentally was my favorite teenage hangout which was since closed, then reopened under the same name though instead of being a coffee shop with occasional shows and open mic nights, is now a venue that happens to have a full espresso bar. Anyway, yet another needless clarification that I'm leaving in anyway. We arrived into Hickory a bit early so we could make a stop at our favorite public house, The Olde Hickory Taproom--Jeremy got a Scottish Ale and an Oktoberfest Seasonal beer while I got a Black Velvet (half hard cider, half Guinness). It was great to be there again, and all three of my favorite bartenders were working, which is always nice. After filling up on good beer and pub chips, we walked over to Drip's to await the start of the show. The opener, Ian Thomas, was a bit late so the start was pushed back a bit, but once he got there and everything started it was great. Ian was a folksy, bluesy, americana-esque singer, and his stuff was a lot of fun--full of guitar, harmonica, and kazoo, yes, kazoo.
Adrian Rice, Irish poet, went on next to reveal some of his newly written Hickory Haiku, that were absolutely brilliant. I've recently started reading his poetry again, since I've started to understand and appreciate poetry for this first time in my life. Let me tell you, he is phenomenal. I've known he was good, but reading poem after poem cleverly crafted and evocative in each its own way is a screaming testament to his singular talent. I feel honored to call him friend and inspiration to my own poetic aspirations. I was able to sit with him and his lovely wife Molly, and of course Peanut, to whom I look forward to meeting in person in March. It was wonderful to be able to sit with them, and catch up and just see their faces and hear their voices--it had been entirely too long. I look forward to catching up with them again soon, over Guinness and hot Irish stew.
After Adrian, the headliner, Alyn Mearns took the stage with his guitar. Beginning with his own rendition of David Bowie's Nature Boy which was merely the beginning of a beautifully poetic collage of verse and chords. One song in particular stuck with me, the words based on Napoleon's love letters to Josephine, a woman he never could conquer as all the land under his thumb. His whole set was just brilliant, and so unique. During one song, he used a wine glass to distort the sound of his guitar, sliding it up and down the strings. A tremendous talent, and a humble one too, which makes it all the better. His family, wife and kids, were all there too, which I always think is so neat to see. I was able to get a photograph of his son in the foreground with Alyn in the back, on stage, playing--I think it's a poignant shot.
Anyway, it was a great weekend, and so great to see Molly and Adrian, even with the news that my poem and short story were somehow never entered into the contest I sent them too. I've gotten over it now, and am just glad that I had to opportunity to witness such great talent in verse and music, and I hope I'll able to get Alyn and The Belfast Boys up here to Black Mountain to play at the White Horse sometime soon. I'm hoping to continue my education in poetry and shape my own poetic hand as well. Thanks for a great weekend.

Cheers,

Caitlin

art nouveau.

Portrait of me, as would be done by Alphonse Mucha, the Moravian Art Nouveau pioneer. I'm quite enamored with it to be honest.
Go here if you want to try out some crazy face morphing fun.

creatively autumn.

Autumn is undeniably on its way, the last two days have been absolutely divine. The air is cool and crisp, and the misty mountains have greeted me each morning with otherworldly moods. It's beautiful, and it's perfect. It is days like these that make me smile, take a deep breath of mountain air, and stare wistfully at the shrouded mountains (I look a bit the idiot when I'm caught doing it, but who cares? Autumn approaches!). With that said, I have something else exciting to tell about. I've ordered some exciting fabric, and it got here the other day--I'm going to start sewing again! Actually, I already have; my current purse is breaking--the strap is tearing off, and I just made myself a new purse! I drew a sketch of it first, and decided what pieces I would need, then began cutting and sewing last night. I finished it about a half an hour ago, and though it looks nothing like the sketch I drew (hah!), it's still wonderful, and I feel so cool that I did it all by myself. It probably was not the best, nor the most efficient way of sewing a purse, but hey! I did it, don't judge me! Hurrah! Here are some super amazing photos of the new bag. :) My next project is a light jackety thing for autumn out of some really soft heather gray plaid material, which I'm really excited about--I'll probably need to pay more attention to measurements and such for this project though.