Kathiey's World

  I am always looking for fun things to do in the area.  I thought I would take it a bit further and see what events are occurring in North Carolina in a specific month.  Let's take a look a just a few things happening in December 2023 in NC that you may enjoy. I live in the Raleigh/Durham area, so I looked for exciting events to attend in December that are easily within driving distance.  I would love to attend them all! The Links to Each Event... (Be sure and verify event times and locations before attending.   You may need a ticket depending on the event) Things to do in December  in the Triangle Area Handel's Messiah at the NC Symphony Dec 1-2 in Raleigh, NC Heart of the Holidays Gingerbread House Competition December 2-9 in Cary, NC  A Jolly Broadway Holiday with David Burnham Dec 9th in Garner, NC Ira Wood's A Christmas Carol Dec 8-10 in Raleigh, NC (this is great; I saw it last year) Celtic Angels Christmas Dec 15-17 in Wake Forest NC A Few Things to do In NC tha

 My second book comes out in January.  I have put together 30 days of prayers as a free gift for those who receive my book.  It is called My Story My Divorce God's Promise- Journey.  This book follows my first book My Story My Divorce God's Promise-The Beginning . Because God Loves Me, I Can Sing There is beauty to be found even in the painful events of life.  At first, it may be hard to find but keep looking, and eventually, you will be able to sing. God Bless You on Your Journey! KathieyV

I love to explore new places.  I decided to slowly explore Hillsborough, NC.  It is only about 30 minutes from where I live, so I will take a few trips to get a feel for this Historic, very pretty town.    There is a historic location called Ayr Mount. The beautiful house, with early nineteenth-century architecture, sits on a property of greater than 500 acres.  As I came upon the lovely house, I found it to be warm and inviting.  Even though brick masonry was in its early stages in the early 1800s, Kirkland managed to get his hands on this lovely brick.  The house was built in 1815.  The owners from Ayr Scottland were William and Margaret Kirkland. Here is a quote from the site... "The construction of Ayr Mount marked a high point in the prosperity of the Kirkland family, who owned the property until they sold it to Richard H. Jenrette in 1985". There is a long walkway up to the front door of the home... The house is brick with wood trim and shutters... On the property, I fo

The holiday season is upon us.  I decided to look for events in the Raleigh Durham area in hopes of going to at least a few of them.  I can't wait to enjoy the holiday season!  🎄Ice skating at Fenton in Cary,  NC- Nov 5th-Feb 5th: They also have Christmas tree lighting, carriage rides, a holiday market, a Menorah lighting, and more.  Check out the dates and times for all the events before you go. Many events have tickets for specific time slots, so I would make reservations before you go. 🎄Holiday performances at the NC Symphony .  There are a range of holiday-themed events. 🎄Carolina Ballet The NutCracke r Dec 14-24th.I have never seen The Nutcracker, but I hear good things. 🎄 Ira Woods A Christmas Carol  saw that last year, and it was great. 🎄 The Christmas Carousel in Raleigh NC-A fun yearly tradition where you can find some really nice Christmas gifts. 🎄 Gingerbread House Competition in Cary Dec 2-9. 🎄 Chinese Lantern Festival in Cary November 17-January 14.  I have bee

Divorce and Stress. The stress of divorce ranks second on many stress scales, just behind the death of a spouse.  I disagree with it being second because I see an unwanted divorce as "like a death but with intent."  Stress can have many adverse effects on your life and your health.  With this in mind, I will be doing a series on stress relief to see if we can at least diminish the stress and anxiety accompanying separation and divorce. Coloring and Stress Relief You may have noticed that coloring books for adults have become very popular. Several years ago, I started to see ads for coloring books with the promise that stress relief could be found in taking out your colored pencils and creating a work of art in the pages of a coloring book. I did a bit of research and found many saying the following about coloring; *Coloring decreases stress because the focus is on the act of coloring and not on your problems. In other words, it takes our attention off our stressors, e

 Journal Prompt What is the Story Behind Your Name? What is the story behind my name? I will tell you what I know based on my mother's telling of how I was given my name. My first name is Kathy. The story goes that my dad wanted to name me Ronnie. I was told that Ronnie was a popular girl's name in the 1950s. My mother told my dad that to call me Ronnie would give me a boy's name, and she would not have it. Mom, on the other hand, wanted to name me Catherine or Kathleen. My dad thought that was far too feminine, and so they agreed on Kathy.  My middle name, Marie, has a far more painful history. My dad's sister was named Marie. Marie married young and had a son who would later be my adopted brother Jimmy. Marie's marriage was tumultuous, based on the stories that I recall. She and her husband would fight to the point of near divorce and then make up; this seemed to be a constant cycle.  After a particularly painful fight between Marie and her husband, Tommy, they de

Here we are in the middle of November.  It is time to select an outfit to wear on a cool November day.  I went on Amazon and made up a causal, comfortable selection for fall. I hope you like it.  (I am an Amazon Affiliate.  If you buy anything using my link I get a tiny percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.  Thanks!:-) 1- 100% Pure Cashmere Sweater 2- Levi's Women's 720 High Rise Super Skinny Jeans 3- Women's Quilted Vest 4- Naturalizer Women's, Sahara Boot 5- Leather Purses with Multi-Pockets Vintage 6- Fossil Raquel Women's Watch 7- Lucky Brand Small Twist Hoop, Gold, One Size Happy November Everyone! KathieyV:-)

Entertainment Wrap-Up for November 7, 2023 Here are a few movies, TV shows, a podcast or two, and maybe a song.  Things that I have been watching/reading/or listening to lately. ********** On Hulu A Hulu Movie... A Haunting in Venice Here is the description I found on Hulu... Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world's most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a seance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. He soon gets thrust into a sinister world of  shadows and secrets when one of the guests is murdered. Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, Camille Cottin, Riccardo Scamarcio, Kelly Reilly Director: Kenneth Branagh Mystery, Thriller Movie2023 1h 43m The Score on Rotton Tomatoes was a very good one This movie I would describe as an old-fashioned "Whodunit It" style movie.  You have murders and people confined together in one spot and a main investigator searching for the answers.  Mixed in is the question...is the killer paranormal or among the living? I e

Monthly Motivation He Directs Our Path It was spring break for my grandson Caleb.  We decided to go to a museum every day for three days.  The first museum had a special exhibit that contained challenging mazes and puzzles.  I know I am not the best at making my way through mazes, but we decided to give it a go.   I enjoyed the first maze.  This maze was geared to the younger kids in the crowd.  I liked that I could look over the barriers and quickly plot my course for an easy exit.  Yes, I saw clearly, and it felt good. Having made it through the first maze, Caleb and I were overconfident, so we decided to try the more difficult available mazes. This maze had high barriers, so much that I could not begin to see over to plot the desired course. We wandered, coming to endless dead ends, u-turns, and circles.  I am unsure how it happened, but somehow, we made it out.  Caleb decided he wanted to go again.  I wanted to say "No!" but off we went.  Caleb was in the lead, and after

Recipe Review-White Chicken Chili from Cooking Classy   It is finally fall here in NC.  You can feel the weather trying to change but it is still hot.  I am waiting impatiently for the cooler weather.  I had read an article about White Chicken and Wine Pairing and I thought I should try that.  Just maybe if I do this it will bring the cooler weather.  I can hope.  I selected a recipe from a site called Cooking Classy.  Let's get started. I gathered my ingredients Nice and creamy!                                    I loved this wine!                          I really enjoyed this recipe. It is comfort food on a cold fall or winter evening. Happy Cooking Everyone! KathieyV The recipe below is printable with or without a photo.                                               Print With Image Without Image White Chicken Chili Yield: 6 Author: Classy Cooking Prep time: 15 min cook  time:  35 min total  time:  50 Min Ingredients White Chicken Chili 1 small yellow onion diced 1 tbsp olive

  It is time to start planning a menu for November 2023.  I go to many places to find recipes, but one of my favorite places is Pinterest. Let's take a look at a few things I would like to make in November 2023. My focus with these recipes will be Thanksgiving. Breakfast- Breakfast Sausage Casserole Lunch- Leftover Cranberry Turkey Sandwich Salad- Thanksgiving Salad Dinner- Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Veggies- Sweet Potato Casserole with Butter Pecan Crumble Dessert- Pecan Pie Cheesecake Appetizers- Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Mushrooms Yummy Drinks To Try- Apple Bourbon Cocktail Breads- Texas Roadhouse Rolls I would love to know what you are making this month.  Share with me in the description box.  If you try any of these recipes, let me know how they turn out. Happy Cooking and Baking, and Happy Thanksgiving! KathieyV