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Art, butterflies and flowers - a hearty morning walk around the Smith-Gilbert Gardens

We all have local places that we mean to visit but never do. And, you know, most of the time we really, really do want to go, right? My list of places is mostly outdoors - to visit local parks, gardens and trails and also to travel to all the beautiful waterfalls in Georgia.  AN UNPLANNED VISIT The Smith-Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw is practically around the corner and I'd known about it for years. But I never put it in the family's weekend plans. Two Saturdays ago we finally visited - on the fly. Other plans fell through and we still wanted to get outside. The Smith-Gilbert Gardens were just minutes away so we decided to go there. What a charming and playful garden it is! It is not overwhelmingly large.  The well-designed grounds offer a variety of plant life for you to enjoy - and plenty of shade. The Woodland Walk is not very long, maybe a half mile, and takes you around the entire property under an umbrella of cooling trees.  There are plenty of places...
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Purrfect Holiday Shopping

Good Mews , as many of my Marietta friends know, is local no-kill animal shelter that provides a variety of services for our furry friends and works hard every day to find forever homes for cats ages 3 months to, well, it's impolite to ask. Regardless of age, the friendly felines at Good Mews have a good home while they're in the shelter and they ordinarily thrive when they go home with their new family. Because Good Mews services so many cats in so many ways they need to constantly fundraise. Of course, Good Mews is always ready to take a direct DONATION . But, if you're looking to get some holiday gifts and decor while supporting Good Mews you have two excellent sites to shop this week. Remaining Dates Open December 9-10, 15-17 Holiday Décor Market Location: 1860 Sandy Plains Road / Marietta, GA 30066 Right by the Publix in its own pop-up shop Good Mews' Holiday Décor Market has returned and only has 2 weekends left! Local donators offered u...
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Reading to Cats

Lewis is crazy for cats. At first, he was mostly interested in watching YouTube videos of cats falling into trash cans or being scared by a banana. While this was all so very entertaining I think at some point he realized that he wanted one. Partly because he seemed to think the people with cats lived with non-stop YouTube hilarity. Partly, I think, because he's an only child and wanted some company. After months of his asking and asking and begging and 3 visits to a local cat shelter we caved and adopted 2 sweet, fuzzy, 6-month old kittens. Their names are Daisy and Boddington. We shelter we used for the adoption was  Good Mews . This adorable pair have brought calm and happiness into our cozy home. They play and spoon all day, with a short spat thrown in here and there. Boddington helps me wake up Lewis for school. Daisy follows me around the house. They both snuggle with me while I watch TV at the end of a long day. Becau...
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Cozy Living with Hygge (pronounced Hoo-ga)

Three popular components of Hygge - a hot drink, a sweet treat and candles. Hygge is a lifestyle that is part of the Danish way of life and something we all could use. It's a cozy, relaxed way of spending time with friends and family as well as solo. In my family it was called "Gemutlichkeit". My grandmother, who usually spoke German, used to say that word whenever she ate something she especially enjoyed. I just finished reading a fantastic book on the subject of Hygge, written by the director of the Happiness Institute in Copenhagen, Meik Wiking. Yes, there does exist a Happiness Institute where happiness is studied under a microscope. What an amazing concept. Anyway, the book is entitled The Little Book of Hygge and I have to say it is a gem of a read. The design of the printed book itself is very hygge, perfectly sized to read in bed or a cozy chair. Printed on beautiful paper with a smooth, colorful cover. Full of sweet little illustrations to enhance...
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Crafty Garden Ideas

I am a so-so gardener. I love the results but often don't want to put in the work. So, I am always looking for easy garden projects that will give me a lot of visual impact. But, I don't want them to break the bank or take up the whole weekend. An afternoon now and again is fine and, quite honestly, it does feel really good to play in the dirt. Photo Source: Empress of Dirt Crafty In Cobb is on Pinterest and I've made a board of Garden Ideas that could be really enjoyable to do. Hope you like!
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Zombies at Sope Creek

Yesterday was a beautiful warm Sunday afternoon. Me and the family decided to hike at Sope Creek Park, local to Marietta, GA. The Sope Creek trails are a complex network of small bumpy trails through the woods and larger dirt trails where you can ride a bike. The main trail is an easy loop that's a bit under 2 miles. The parking area is not especially large and we had to wait a few minutes for a spot to open. It was well worth the time. The trails are well marked so that you know which are for riding bikes and which are not. And, there are also well placed maps throughout the trails so that it is fairly easy to get around the area. For many visitors, the main goal of walking the trail is to see the old Civil War Paper Mill Ruins . It is a beautiful sight. The remains of the building are right by Sope Creek, as was necessary 150 years ago for the production of paper. It is a bit tucked away via the trail and a decent walk but it is so w...
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Margaret Atwood's "Variations on the Word Sleep"

Margaret Atwood is quite famous these days as the author of  The Handmaid's Tale . If you haven't read it, well, it's an enticing read to say the least. However, I personally am a bigger fan of Atwood's poetry. Variations on the Word Sleep is one of my favorites. I won't tell you what I think it means. Atwood's poetry can be fairly open to interpretation. Enjoy! I would like to watch you sleeping, which may not happen. I would like to watch you, sleeping. I would like to sleep with you, to enter your sleep as its smooth dark wave slides over my head and walk with you through that lucent wavering forest of bluegreen leaves with its watery sun & three moons towards the cave where you must descend, towards your worst fear I would like to give you the silver branch, the small white flower, the one word that will protect you from the grief at the center of your dream, from the grief at the center I would like to follow you up the long...
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