Weaving, Spinning and Knitting, OH MY!!!!

 What do you think of when you hear those words?  I think of my grandmother knitting a sweater that I am not sure I am going to like. Well, Kathleen's Fiber Arts Shop in downtown Ocean Springs has shown me that weaving, spinning and knitting are not just for little old ladies or aging hippies!!!

 When I entered the shop, I got the opportunity to sample some ice cold "Swamp Water" tea......wow, refreshing and also for sale in the shop!  Great way to begin investigating......





Check out the loom and the huge variety of beautiful yarns....if you want to learn how to weave or spin or knit, Kathleen has classes to teach you!

Ok, so maybe you don't want to learn one of these "fiber arts"....maybe you just want to buy some of it!   Select one of Kathleen's hand woven items for sale in her shop... including table linens, handbags, scarves and more.....

Looking for a  trendy, unique gift for a teenager, college student or young business professional?  Kathleen has a variety of handmade, "fair trade" items that are unusual and fun! These scarves,coin purses, and indoor frisbees are from Guatemala....

                                              
The bags and tape measures below are from Vietnamese craftsmen and are sold under the label, Lantern Moon.

Wait there is more........How about a beaded lizard, frog, or crab from Asian artists at GrassRoots?

 Wait!!!! THERE IS STILL MORE!!! For such a small shop there are surprises everywhere!!!  Need a hat?  How about a hat made from recycledsweaters or BROWN PAPER BAGS!!!  yes, you heard right!!!

                                                            
KEEP SHOPPING!!   Check out the shiny plastic handbags from Minnesota and the painted canvas handbags and cuffs from Page Holliday Designs....

 Wander in to Kathleen's Fiber Arts the next time you are on Washington Avenue in Ocean Springs...You will find Kathleen, barefooted at her loom, weaving............Have a sip of "swamp water"........study the fine workmanship of Kathleen's hand-woven items.... purchase something special and different...RELAX, there isn't anything old fashioned about what you find here....... except the quality of the work!!

Kathleen's Fiber Arts, 630 Washington Ave. Ocean Springs, MS
228-818-6666
Monday -Saturday  Open 10 a.m.

Breakfast At Red Zone Grille

Saturdays and Sundays are the best days for a hot, home cooked breakfast served up with lots of sports on tv.

New in town, the Red Zone Grille recently opened and provides all the above and THEY DO THE COOKING!! Yay, no dishes to clean!!! The Red Zone Grille is a Sports Bar and Restaurant

Lots of TVs and lots of space!

Great bar for a cool drink and more tvs!

Stop by and donate your favorite team souvenir for the walls!

They have lots of delicious things to select from the menu....... burgers, seafood, wings, salads..... but we are always on the lookout for a new breakfast place and I think we found it, a quick study of the menu........

and we were ready to order from our friendly waitress....ready and waiting with hot coffee!!! My hubby chose a traditional breakfast.......

My son chose a fresh hot waffle with butter and syrup........

I decided on the shrimp omelet with hash browns......the omelet was stuffed with nicely grilled shrimp and some cheese as well...

We all enjoyed our choices and are looking forward to trying the other menu items in the future.  Stop by for lunch or dinner as well..Monday through Thursday 11 am until 9 pm....Friday 11-11pm.. Saturday and Sunday 7 am til 1 pm. Red Zone Grille is located on Hwy 90 in Ocean Springs next to Maisanos and Rebeccas Closet..... Get down there and try it out.........restaurant website coming soon

Afternoon Bike Ride in Gulf Islands National Seashore Park

 What could be better on a pleasant afternoon than to load up the bikes and head to our local national park and get some exercise and fresh air?   

All was quiet in this Park on Davis Bayou in Ocean Springs.  The views were spectacular as was the weather.

The park has picnic and camping areas as well as a boat launch and a visitors center.

The fishing pier is near one of the picnic areas, so if you catch a fish you can cook it and eat it right there!

We did not realize how out of shape we were when riding our bikes, but it was great exercise and the next time we will bring a picnic lunch.  If you would like more information about Gulf Islands National Seashore Park check it out at www.nps.gov/guis/miss.htm

Coastal Mexican Cooking Class at the Mary C

I decided that after volunteering at the Mary C. as a "Julia" (cafe assistant/dishwasher table setter, etc.) I wanted to try out one of the cooking classes myself.  I chose this class on coastal Mexican that was taught by those great chefs from the IP!  It is always a treat when they come to demonstrate for a group of students.....and they started off by presenting us a nice packet of the recipes to be prepared!!

First a special drink to begin the evening......... Horchata, a drink made from soaked white rice, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar and to top it off a shot of rum!!!  yummy!!! It is served cold over ice.

Albondigas (meatball) soup was cooked up next, as we sipped on our horchata drinks.....

The soup was a beautiful clear soup flavored with crunchy celery, onions, zucchini, cilantro and other spices.
Chorizo and ground beef created tasty meatballs.....

 All quiet as we slurp our way through this delicious soup!!!

Carnitas are boneless pork ribs slow cooked and seasoned with orange juice, cola, chipotle peppers and more delicious dark rum.......The meat is served in warm, corn tortillas with cilantro and a squirt of limejuice!!!! The chipotle peppers created that slow burn that tastes so good!!

We ended the evening with Chicken mole. A mole is a sauce made with unsweetened chocolate...Not sweet at all, but it creates a rich, dark sauce.  If you would like more information about classes at the Mary C. check out their website for the latest classes in the cafe...www.themaryc.org