Sonny's Waterfront Restaurant, Hatteras Island

You Gotta Eat,
Where Ever you may be,
What Ever it is that you are doing...
You Have to stop and EAT...
If you are visiting Hatteras Island all the locals will point you in the same direction.

Heading to SONNY'S WATERFRONT RESTURANT...

Family owned and opperated for over 35yrs.

We had the wonderful opportunity to sit and chat with one of its Co-Owners,

Lee Ann Quidley-Cannin


But only briefly, because life in the resturant business is
NON-STOP.

Lee Ann took time out of her already very short lunch break to talk with Us.

It was very inspiring to hear of her commitment to

God, Family and her work.

Being a Mother of 3,
And running a business with such a name to carry is no small feat in its self,
But staying grounded in her Faith has allowed her to maintain a good balance.

Please, take a look at our video interview.

You can also find Sonny's Waterfront Restaurant on Facebook


We have more pictures to share with you courtesy of the wonderful and talented Resident Photographer, Jenn Johnson. However she like many residents in the OBX, heading off the island.

Please Continue your prayers for all those who

 will be affected by Irene.

From Sonny's latest Facebook Post:


Matthew 8:27~Who is this that even the wind and

 the waves obey HIM~




Sonny's Waterfront Restaurant, Hatteras Island


57947 hwy 12, po box 447, Hatteras, NC 2794 


2529862922

Kinnakeet Clay Works With Antoinette Gaskins Mattingly

Our Day, Our Chat, and Our Great Pleasure, To Feature Our Friend Antoinette Gaskins Mattingly

WHO SHE IS....

Antoinette is a life long family friend, one of those you were never introduced to, but always knew. With a larger than life smile, to greet all those she sees, it is easy to fall into the category of life long friend. She brings that kinda flare into her artwork as well as her studio.

WHERE SHE IS...

On the historical fishing village of Kinnakeet (Avon), N.C., Kinnakeet Clay Studio and Showroom is nestled in an adorable shopping center right off the main road into Hatteras Island. “Right beside the Dairy Queen”, she said, in giving directions.

Beside her studio is a coffee shop, that opens up “later than the one down the street”. Antoinette tells frequent seekers of early morning coffee, as their eyes wonder around at all the dancing clay figures on their crisp white surroundings.

WHAT SHE DOES...

“Antoinette creates two distinctly different lines of work in clay, hand pressed relief tiles (wall hangings) and functional stoneware.” 

In her studio, a mix of several artisans work shows her diverse sense of style and appreciation of others in the world of art.

OUR DAY WITH ANTOINETTE...

Our day started several weeks earlier with Facebook messages and phone calls in preparation of our visit. Excitedly, Antoinette took on the opportunity to host our family for a day in her studio.

WHAT WE SAW...

Nothing but pristine color everywhere. Absolutely stunning. Antoinette choose a  white pilate to showcase the art around her studio. We continually oohed and aahed at all the treasures we passed by. 

From beautiful drawer pulls to amazing press reliefs, all featured dutiful crawling crabs, dazzling seahorses, and dancing sunflowers, were just a few of the amazing creations that held us captive. 

As mentioned before, Antoinette also features other artisans’ beautiful works of art. While proudly sashaying around her studio in one of her favorite skirts, Antoinette explained how she has come across so many of the pretties she displays and are currently sold in her showroom. “I just fill my space with things I love. Special soaps, are a luxury for me - it is the one thing I will spoil myself with. So it is something I enjoy bringing to my customers” She said with a sheepish grin.

With drastic shifts in the economy, it is places like this that are effected greatly. Being a small business owner is not an easy feat, but as spoken in her interview portion, “Anything that is enjoyable, even if it is hard... It’s well worth it.”

“I am meeting my goals, I made goal in the beginning and they are happening” This expression of meeting goals was evident in many things Antoinette spoke of through our time with her. It was refreshing and encouraging to hear.

WHAT WE DID...

Antoinette prepared the most incredible morning for our girls in the midst of her working day.

Knowing of our plans to create a victory garden for the fall, she set up a small table with slabs of clay and all sorts of tools. With absolute patience and an unwavering smile, she walked the girls through the process of making “garden tags.” How amazing is she.

They each made several different tags. It was very important to Antoinette that each of the girls initials belonged to their work, labeling them all as they hurried along.

Her plans with us were not yet over. To our absolute surprise, Antoinette had the girls all take turns in creating a perfect and, of course, original bowl for them to keep. At each step, she gave great details about the process of her clay works.

From start to finish, a bowl, she explained, could take from a week in a perfect world to more like two weeks in a normal world. From throwing, to molding, to glazing and then firing, this is not a process for the faint of heart, but rather someone with a passion for their work.

Her attention to detail was evident in every possible aspect, from the placement and thought of her showroom to her diligence in all that she did for us. It is impossible for us to share how much her time and compassion meant to us as a family.

Her words will resonate within the hearts and minds of our girls for years to come. For this, I am so ever thankful.

To further our time and our experience with Antoinette, she has offered to create and make available to you our readers the same garden tags she help us make.

Take a visit on her webpage to see what she has available now.

Everything in her studio would proudly be displayed in our home.

http://www.kinnakeetclay.com

Sneak Peek

Oh My....

Friends,

It has been a long...

fun packed couple of weeks...

We are finally home.

AND...

Once we have our feet planted back on the ground,

And not dreaming of our toes in the sand,

We will begin to share our adventures with you all.

For now here is a Sneak Peek,

Of our week...

In the Outer Banks,

of

North Carolina

 First Day at the Beach 

Wonder if this is what life will be like, for our girls. 
Together! And at the beach!

Kitty Hawk Kites

Right across from
Jockey's Ridge...

Oh Yes,

We did the sunset

Way up on the dunes.

This

was

just

the

beginning

Poetry in Motion!

Can only imagine the storms
 this sign has weathered

Too Much FUN!!!

COLOR!   COLOR!   COLOR!

Normal Beauty...

These are just a few of the pictures from our visits...
In the days ahead, we will show you the wonderful people that made many of these activities, so amazing and unforgettable.

EXCITING THINGS!!!

Just wanted to let you all know that exciting things are in the works for

Oh The Fun We Will Have...

We are in the works of putting together our

FIRST, Small Business interview segment.

Oh we are so excited!!!!

It will be hard to contain ourselves as this comes together.

BUT...

OUR LIPS ARE SEALED... for now :)

Don't worry,

We will not keep you in suspense

For too terribly long.

Introduction to Us

As we move forward, it is important that you all learn what it is that makes us 'tick'. This maybe confusing at first because with a family our size, well... Let's just say...there is a lot going on in our noggins.

We are your 'normal' family... scratch that...can't even try that one...probably because most families are not normal...and that is good.

• We run around the house, often, with our heads in the clouds...
• There is always something found, somewhere, that brings a pause, and tilt of head in confusion...
• Not usually quiet.
• And A LOT of impromptu moments.

If that sounds normal, or even intriguing, then welcome aboard...We are glad to have you.

Sanity is not required and sometimes, just sometimes, discouraged :)

Sooo....

Because of all that was just mentioned,

it is important to be in the loop as much as possible.

Gathering knowledge is a big deal to us...

As human beings we are designed to grow and learn, explore and conquer.

Not all information is relevant to everyone,

but everyone is relevant to someone.

What you hold in your mind,

could be the exact piece of info that your neighbor,

friend,

your child,

or stranger in the grocery store line, has been longing for.

(Especially if it is delivered with kindness.)

It is our desire to use this blog as a forum.

Helping bridge g-a-p-s of information,

and opening eyes to the things and the people around you,

that you didn't even know existed.

Along the way,

putting faces and stories,

to the people behind these places and experiences.

From the small business owner at the local bakery in your town,

to the missionary workers, who organize gleaning in your area.

From the cafeteria worker at your child's favorite school,

to your amazing grandpa like neighbor, who always knows the best fishing spots in your town.

It is these connections that make each day an adventure

and each encounter a pleasure.

It is the heartbeat of America.

It is one thing to know where to buy groceries,

but it is so much more to know the story and passion of the

Pizzeria Owner in your favorite Pizza Dive...

This my friends is worth knowing, You are worth knowing.

We are very excited to jump into this endeavor, bringing each and everyone of you along...

Oh the Fun We Will Have.