RIVERS and their care

We love the waterways of Georgia, and spend many hours in or near them. Conservation is very important. There are ways to get involved. 

Cindi with an Eye participated in the "Sweep the Hooch" event this year alongside Mr. Kip. It's run by the Riverkeepers. https://chattahoochee.org/sweep-the-hooch/ Our team collected over 40 bags of trash at the Island Ford hiking and biking area of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation area. Sweep the Hooch returns for the 16th year! This watershed-wide trash cleanup brings together hundreds of volunteers at dozens of parks, tributaries, and access points along the Chattahoochee River each year.

Eye am also donating an original painting titled "Walleye" for the annual meeting silent auction for the Upper Etowah River Alliance. All of the funds raised to purchase this painting will benefit river conservation. 

2026 UERA Annual Membership Meeting

April 11 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm at Jones Mercantile Building Downtown Canton

Upper Etowah River Alliance  https://www.etowahriver.org
Vision:
To inform, educate and partner with communities to work together to conserve, sustain and protect the environmental health and water quality of the Upper Etowah Watershed.

Mission:
Provide regional leadership, resources, consultation, education, training materials and events to protect, conserve, enhance and sustain the natural beauty, environmental and economic resources, and recreational opportunities of the Upper Etowah Watershed for present and future generations.

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Reclaim and Reuse - Art framing

Reclaiming Frames: Breathing New Life into Forgotten Pieces

There’s something deeply satisfying about rescuing an object that’s been overlooked, discarded, or forgotten. An old frame leaning in the corner of a thrift store. A stack of dusty pieces tucked away in a basement. A chipped, worn, or outdated object that most people pass by without a second glance. Where others see something finished, EYE see something waiting.

Reusing materials that still have so much life in them is more than a creative outlet—it’s a mindset. It’s about seeing potential instead of waste. It’s about honoring the history of an object while giving it a fresh purpose. And for me, it starts with the hunt.

The Thrill of the Find

There is an undeniable excitement in searching for pieces that others have let go of. Flea markets, estate sales, thrift stores, even curbside finds—these places are full of hidden gems. Old frames, in particular, are some of the most rewarding discoveries. They come in all shapes, sizes, and styles, often with craftsmanship that’s hard to find in modern mass-produced pieces. Mr. Kip and I love heading out on adventures to discover what is calling our names.

Seeing Beyond What Is

Reclaiming is an act of imagination. It requires you to detach from what the item used to be and envision what it could be. A dated gold frame can become a modern matte black statement piece. A damaged frame might benefit from repair or a cut down to a smaller dimension. A foxing fabric frame that is yellowing can be cleaned and painted (see the turtle frame, its painted).

The Process of Transformation

Breathing new life into an old item is both technical and intuitive. It might involve sanding, repairing, painting, or reconfiguring—but it also involves letting its character guide you.

There’s no single right way to do it. Each piece demands its own approach.

Why It Matters

In a world driven by convenience and constant consumption, reclaiming materials is a quiet act of resistance. It reduces waste, yes—but it also reconnects us to craftsmanship, to creativity, and to patience. Every reclaimed frame carries a story. When you choose to reuse it, you’re adding another chapter instead of closing the book. 

More Than Just Objects

What I love most about this process is that it reflects something bigger. It reminds us that things—and people—don’t lose their value just because they’re worn, outdated, or overlooked. With a little vision, care, and creativity, something once discarded can become something extraordinary.

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Painting my way back to myself

Life can be overwhelming. Not just too busy, or too expensive, or too demanding. or too much, but your body starts to revolt, and your priorities are blurred. Then all of the sudden you feel numb, hopeless, lost...

I turned 50 this year and had a revelation of sorts.

            some may say "mid-life crisis"

                        some may say "perimenopause"

                                   others may call it "depression"

                                                "identity confusion"   "loss of purpose"   "feeling less relevant"

DOES IT HAVE TO HAVE A LABEL?!

The answer is no.

DOES IT STILL HURT?

The answer is yes.

I quit my job. Took an ambulance ride. Stopped the world from spinning around me. Took a road trip. Reconnected with family. Went to too many doctor appointments. Breathed deeply. Read my Bible, like really read it, slowly and intentionally. I started therapy again. I slowly began to recognize myself again. Not the woman I was before I quit working, not the mom I was for the past 23 years, not the wife/partner I have been for close to 30 years. The person God created me to be. The person my family saw me as, not as I saw myself.

Now what?

I enrolled in a continuing Ed course at Kennesaw State University for Advanced Painting. The healing continues...

https://cindiwithaneye.etsy.com

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Renewal Ring Bling

June 2019 my husband Kip proposed "marriage AGAIN" to me at one of our favorite restaurants I was so surprised and of course said YES! Kip had already contacted our pastors and asked if they would re-marry us! We began to have weekly dates to discuss what the "renewal of vows" meant to us. We started a new marriage Bible study, discussed our future dreams as a couple, planned a ceremony together and more. These weekly dates were such a precious time to celebrate "US."

Six months prior to the proposal of renewal I lost my mother, Sally, suddenly to undiagnosed multiple myeloma. Sally was truly my best girlfriend and her death was a shock to my system, to all that I loved and knew to be true. She adored Kip (my husband of 21 years at this point in history) and he knew that she would be so pleased to know that he wanted to renew our marriage vows!

Part of our planning included a NEW wedding ring! What?! Yes, I know, I was gifted Sally's wedding ring set from my father Chris. I knew instantly I wanted to include her stone and essence in to my new wedding ring.

Kip and I were introduced to a jeweler (Andrew) located at family owned Art Jewelers in Woodstock, GA.  https://artjewelers.com/  Located at 136 Woodstock Square Ave. Suite 400. Woodstock, GA. 30189 Next door to Super Target on Hwy 92

We made an appointment with Andrew to share our story, vision and stones available for this project. Wow, what a cool guy Andrew is, so chill and a Christian husband and father of two. He was actually pregnant for his second one when we started the process and the ring was completed after the birth, which was very cool to see this gorgeous family grow as we did business with them. 

Back to OUR story:

Kip and I had a few ideas to start with for this wedding ring. 

1. We wanted to showcase my engagement diamond and my mother's. Without her engagement, there would be no "me" engagement right?!

2. We wanted a NEW large stone to represent the two becoming one flesh.

3. We wanted to tell a story of growth, legacy and future of our family.

4. AND We wanted to express our love and faith to God.

Easy Breezy right?! BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAA!!! 

I do believe that Andrew might have privately spoken whispers of Kip and I as Crazy! Sorta like we used to refer to a nightmare design client, "Oh my goodness, they want it all, but still simple, clean and easy to understand." Sure no problem, I can make all of your dreams come true. Andrew is and was a professional. He listened, looked, listened, designed, listened, redesigned and well we paid him some more and he listened and then he NAILED it! We couldn't have imagined a more stunning and meaningful piece of jewelry. It truly is the most beautiful thing I have every worn in my life. 

This was our wants in the design:

1. We wanted to showcase my engagement diamond and my mother's. 

The lower left hand stone is my engagement diamond, the upper right hand stone is Sally's.

2. We wanted a NEW large stone to represent the two becoming one flesh.

The center baguette cut light blue topaz stone is to represent 2 becoming 1 flesh. Kip and I were both were born in December so we share this birthstone.

3. We wanted to tell a story of growth, legacy and future of our family.

The two green stones are shaped like leaves because they grew from our love. These represent our two daughters lives. The two tapered baguette cut diamonds next to each leaf represent our daughters future spouses (of which have been prayed for the entire lives of our daughters) These two stones come from my grandmother's ring.

4. AND We wanted to express our love and faith to God.

In Genesis 15:5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

Our original wedding bands had tiny round cut diamonds in them 14 total. We designed them to go from raised to inlayed in the band to represent the stars in the sky. Our prayer for our marriage this that our love can produce a great fruit for HIS kingdom. Not just a fruit of children and family, but a fruit of faith, love, influence, caring and sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ!

We'd like to thank Walt Alton for the introduction to Andrew (his grandson), thank you to Andrew at Art's Jewelers for his talent, patience and beautiful craftsmanship. We'd also like to thank Chris Mendola for giving us the stones to create this heritage piece. Chris was the catalyst for this blog entry so the story of this ring will not die but be shared and cherished.

HOMEMADE Sushi First TIME!

Holy Cow guys, It has been a minute since I last posted on this blog. A minute is a teen term for "a while" the truth is, it's been over 5 years!! Gesh, Where in the world have I been??? That's a long story never mind, moving on... enjoy this post...

Oh yes, you Ninja Queen, I made sushi at home, AND it was delish!

We have a family of four, so I cooked 5 cups of Jasmine rice in my Instapot a couple of hours prior to the meal and let it cool with a paper towel over the bowl. All of the advice I received stated to NOT put the rice in the fridge after cooking. (I assume it gets to sticky).

I prepped the "ingredients" to stuff our rolls with ahead of time. Cucumber, carrots, imitation crab, cream cheese, avocado, canned white albacore tuna and canned smoked salmon.

I bought these rolling mats at Cost Plus World Market for $3.99, they came with the spoon, and two sets of chopsticks! I bought two sets so we could make two rolls at a time. Online they are sold as a set of two, but in the store they are sold as individual sets. Great $ deal!! Here's a link to the product. I also bought seaweed paper at the Cost Plus World Market, all of the videos I watched prior to trying this at home said to place the seaweed shiny side down! I'm glad I watched some videos before I got started. It was helpful to learn from others advice and errors.

Spooning rice onto the seaweed paper on one end. Then I formed a log type shape by dipping my fingers in to a bowl of water to help the rice not stick and make a mess. You can see the bowls of water next to the bamboo mats. We worked on a clean dish towel to make the bamboo mat easier to keep clean and allow it to roll up.

Both of my teenage daughters like rice on the exterior of their sushi, I prefer the smooth seaweed on the outside. Following your preference...layer the rice on the bamboo mat in the order you want it. Add your ingredients in the same long ways direction, this allows the "yumminess of flavors" to be in every roll slice.

This dinner was a fun, healthy and interactive way to prepare and enjoy dinner. Before our clean up, each family member made one more "roll" of sushi for tomorrow's lunch! Yummo!

My husband likes hot sauce on his sushi so he added sriracha hot sauce and then sesame seeds. 

What a beautiful job he did on his sushi!

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