Exploring North Carolina with KathieyV

It is the Christmas season.  There are many ways to enjoy the holidays in NC.  One that I have heard about but never experienced is the NC Executive Mansion Holiday open house.  Stephanie, Maggie and I decided to visit this year. Below you will find some photos and quotes from other sources...enjoy:-) "Take a tour of the N.C. Executive Mansion this holiday season. Visitors are invited to tour the home, take in the decorations and enjoy seasonal musical entertainment by local performing groups. The first floor of the Mansion will be decorated with N.C.-grown Christmas trees, floral and mixed evergreen arrangements, a whimsical gingerbread house and ornate mantle displays. Reservations are not required." Visit Raleigh NC "At 35,000 square feet, it is the third-biggest Governor’s mansion in the country." Walter Magazine "The Executive Mansion was completed in 1891 and remains one of the state's finest examples of the Queen Anne style of Victor...

I had an opportunity to attend a  Kendra Scott  event a couple of weeks ago.  Yes, I did get free food and drink to cover this event, which was very nice.  It was held at the  Kendra Scott at North Hills in Raleigh . Just who is Kendra Scott?  Here are a couple of quotes from her website... "Kendra Scott is a loving mom, a driven entrepreneur, and a passionate designer who believes the truest form of success is giving back in a meaningful way." "Since she began her company, Kendra has lived by three core values: Family, Fashion and Philanthropy." My blogger daughter, Stephanie from  MomUnglued,  and I attended the event. With my camera in hand, we set out to explore all that Kendra had to offer. We were not disappointed.  There were many beautiful pieces. The store is beautiful.  It has a warm and inviting feel and is open and bright with many windows looking out onto the other shops at North Hills.   ...

I am finding on my travels that there are amazing murals to be found in nearly every town and city.  I am going to start a new series called "Fun and Fabulous Murals." The first mural I am going to highlight is the "Monsters" wall in downtown Raleigh NC.  I had zero knowledge of this design until my daughter hired a photographer to take photos of her and the kiddos.  It was suggested we go to the monster wall for some great shots.  So off we went. The mural covers the entire side wall of a building.  The contrast of the black and white made it a stunning work of art.  Here is what the news and observer had to say about the mural... "Graphic artist Kevin Lyons, in partnership with the Truth campaign and Vans shoes, put the finishing touches on a mural on the side of the Morgan West building, home to Trophy Brewing, on Thursday, December 3, 2015. Tobacco-free messages are worked into the painti...

A couple of weeks ago Cindy and I decided to go on an adventure.  I searched the internet for things to do and came across the  Raleigh Rum Company  in Raleigh NC.  They have free tastings and tours every Saturday so off we went.   If you asked me what I know about rum, the answer would be next to nothing.  The only thing I do know is that I love tropical drinks that contain rum.   Here is a quote from their website.... "Born of our love for craft beer and cocktails; we marveled at all of the amazing craft beer in NC.  However, in January 2014 we looked around at the liquor shelf and couldn't find nearly as many options for the liquor end. So we decided to help fix that and Raleigh Rum Company was born." They have a  white and a spiced rum....  Tours and tastings every Saturday at 2pm.  It is free.  Click  here  for details and directions.  We were treated to drinks and a mini lesson on th...

I had the opportunity to attend the Southern Women's Show in Raleigh NC this year.  I have heard talk about it over the years, but I have never been.  I had a couple of free hours on the weekend of the event and decided to check it out.  If you go, you can find a few local and national celebrities, health related products, makeup, fashion, food, wine and the list goes on and on.  Here is a link that you can check out to decide if you want to attend next year.   Southerns Women's Show  (The dates for next year are already up) The Food... Stony Mountain Vineyards   in Albemarle NC.  Here is a quote from their site... "Welcome to Stony Mountain Vineyards - a family-owned boutique winery dedicated to the passion of winemaking. Come have a glass of wine on our deck and share our panoramic view of the Uwharrie Mountains and the lower Yadkin Valley." Rock of Ages Winery  in Hurdle Mills NC.  Here is a quote from their site... ...