Looking for heirloom tomatoes?  How about a bushel of apples to bake the perfect pie?  Everything from the freshest of local produce to one of a kind craft items can be found at the Cedar Valley Farmer's Market set up in downtown Murphy every Saturday 10 AM -2 PM from April through October.              You can buy locally grown apples hand picked that day right off the back of a pickup truck.  Taste a sample of homemade blackberry jam.  Choose a framed photograph to remember your time in the mountains.  Find the perfect souvenir to take back to your neighbor.                              Last Saturday I visited with Roy Bamfield of Murphy Mountain Pottery.  Roy and his wife Linda lived in Key West before coming to the mountains.  He showcases his handmade pottery... 08/28/2009

 Nothing could be sweeter on a rainy Thursday in Murphy, NCthan a trip through the drive up window at The Sweet Tooth! We don't have much more time to enjoy our childhood favorites of banana splits, dipped cones, milkshakes and hot brownie pie. Come around Labor Day the Sweet Tooth will close for the season so you better make sure to stop in soon next time you're in town. I'm glad I did today! 08/27/2009

RIVERFRONT 3BR/3BA ELEGANCE!Dream kitchen with custom cabinets and quartz counter tops, hardwood floors, stacked stone fireplace, formal dining room, office, large bonus room and many other upgrades. Outside deck and screened porch overlooking the river. Two heat pumps - 3 zone control. Beautiful landscaping & sprinkler system. Two car garage and storage building. Fish from the wide noisy, 150' of Hiawassee River frontage. $499,900 NC MLS #107680 SEE THE VIRTUAL TOUR    Hiawassee River Estates is located on the Cherokee and Clay county line. The perfect location between Murphy and Hayesville, NC. This small community of homes offers  paved roads, river and wooded lots with mountain, river and pasture views. Lee & Carol Barbour   1.800.837.9199  www.LeeAndCarol.com 08/27/2009

                                    The part-time residents have come back to our mountains in Murphy, North Carolina and a couple of them have begun hanging around at my place all day long.  They show up right after we settle on the deck for our morning coffee so of course we try to be good hosts and make sure they have their favorite beverage too.  And if we're doing steak or even hamburgers on the grill, there they are at dinnertime.  No matter how much we feed them, it's never enough.  And now, they're bringing the kids!                                          But it's great entertainment.  Watching hummingbirds up close is fascinating.  We have several different varieties at our feeders this summer and sharing our porch doesn't seem to bother them at all.  The baby we saw the othe... 08/27/2009

  The Nantahala National Forest was established in 1920 under authority of the 1911 Weeks Act. This act provided authority to acquire lands for national forests to protect watersheds, to provide timber, and to regulate the flow of navigable streams The forest took its name from the Cherokee word nondayeli, meaning "noonday sun." The Cherokee word is appropriate because of the number of steep gorges in the forest where the sun only reaches to the valley floor at midday.        Nantahala National Forest is the largest of the four national forests in the state of North Carolina with more than 530,000 acres which span from Murphy to Waynesville and Cashiers to Fontana Village. Nantahala National Forest has hundreds of waterfalls, as well as river valleys and lakes in the lower lands. Whitew... 08/26/2009

          1."I like it here.  Your lakes don't have alligators!"   Testimonial on why she wants to move to North Carolina from Sammi Dietrich, age 8. Sammi and her sister Lexi were our guests at a cookout recently.  As Sammi roasted marshmallows over an open fire and tasted her first s'mores, we talked about her family's plan to move to North Carolina.  I believe that secretly, many adults love living here in the mountains for the same reason.  Our wildlife doesn't usually eat our residents.              2.  Four seasons of mild weather I've lived and traveled all over the country and this Southern tip of the North Carolina mountains has some of the mildest year-round weather I've ever experienced.  I sit on our porch 12 months a year, enjoying the changing scenery.  We get snow that st... 08/26/2009

  Attention WOMEN in business - You need to check out this book on Amazon.com Great information on starting a business as well as marketing information if you already have an established business. A Must Read.... I have implemented several of the marketing ideas in this book and it has increased my exposure as well as sales...  http://www.amazon.com/Small-Business-That-Could-Women/dp/0615312837/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251226977&sr=1-2   08/26/2009

What are these strange glowing circles that appear in photos at night?                               Ever since I moved to Murphy, North Carolina, orbs have appeared in some of the casual photos my family has taken.  I've done a little Internet research but no one seems to know for sure what causes this phenomenon to occur.  Some say they are dust specks on the camera lens, some say they are spirits manifesting themselves, some say they are a form of energy we have yet to realize co-exists with us here on Earth.                          All I know is that these 2 pictures were taken over a year apart with 2 different cameras by 2 different people in my family from two different angles in my back yard.   In some of the photos we take, several orbs appear - different sizes, different leve... 08/26/2009

       GREAT VIEWS FROM THIS 3BR/1BA LOG HOME. On 1.25 +/- ac. Great laying land, very usable and views. Solid log home with metal roof. New tile and carpet. Close to town and the John C. Campbell Folk School. Adjoining 2 acres may also be purchased. JUST REDUCED to $99,900 Call Lee & Carol Barbour 1.800.837.9199www.LeeAndCarol.com 08/25/2009

              You've found your dream home in the mountains and you'd love to make the move.  But what if you're not independently wealthy and you still need income?                     A few years ago, it seemed that EVERYONE moving here decided to get a real estate license so they could make the big bucks.  There are great opportunities in our market for those who have sales experience coupled with the desire to work hard.  But as many ex-agents have found, it's not as easy to make a living in real estate today as it was a couple of years ago.  Another common plan is to come here and decide you'll start making money from what was once a hobby. This area is filled with crafters, many of whom chose to settle here because of the John C. Campbell Folk School.  The school was established i... 08/25/2009

  CUSTOM CEDAR MOUNTAIN CHALET IN WILDCATDetached over-sized 2 car cedar garage. Three levels of living space with 2 large bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, bonus room and large living areas, fireplace, maple wood floors, tile, and tons of French doors that open out onto the decks and patio. Plenty of room in this custom eat-in kitchen with upgraded Maytag SS appliances for the whole family to gather around. You'll love all the extra storage, wet bar on lower level and laundry chute. Beautiful landscaping with 1.78 +/- acres of level and gently rolling front yard and woods going down to a creek in the back yard. Located in the desirable Wildcat Subdivision, just minutes to town.VIEW THE VIRTUAL TOUR     08/24/2009

Okay, you've decided that you'd like to sit in your rocker on the porch and hear a noisy creek.  Or you discovered that long-range mountain views like the ones at Paradise Mountain speak to your soul.  Now it's time for the big decision - Do you look for an existing home or find a piece of land and build?  Over the years, I've found that there are a number of key factors that determine how satisfied a person will be with the experience of purchasing a home. But most of them aren't about this house vs. that house - they're about YOU.  With that in mind, here are 5 questions to ask yourself before you decide whether to buy or build.                             1.  What style of house do I want?  If you're moving to Murphy or anywhere in Cherokee County, you'll find that most of the homes ... 08/24/2009

This adorable 2BR/2BA LOG CABIN built in 2006 has a metal roof so you can sit out onthe covered porch in the rockin' chairs and listen to the rain fall. Located in Hidden Creek,a quiet and wooded small subdivision of log cabins. Close to the Ocoee White Water Center, homeof the 1996 Olympics. Paved roads and easy access. This cabin also has a great rental history.VIEW THE VIRTUAL TOUR 08/23/2009

Most people coming to the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina are looking for the perfect view.  But I've learned over the last 7 years that I've been selling real estate here that what makes it a perfect view is different for every buyer.  So before we ever go out and look at property I ask a lot of questions.       Mountain views are at the top of the list for most folks.  However, you can have a view from the valley looking up at the mountains or you can be at the top of a ridge, with a breathtaking panorama spread out before your eyes.  We have property here in Cherokee County where you can see 3 states and mountain peaks 30 to 40 miles away.  So my first questions are:  What is your tolerance for heights?  How do you like driving on steep roads?  Will you be living here year-round ... 08/23/2009

Seven years ago, I sold my concession at the Miami Arena, packed up my husband and two youngest children and moved to a cabin on 20 acres of land here in the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina.      And I'm not alone.  Every day, people walk into the cozy log cabin that is my real estate office, eager to leave the hot, crowded cities in Florida for the simpler pace of life in a picturesque small town.  The locals have a pet name for people like me - they call us Half-Backs, since so many of us moved from the frigid North to Florida, then came halfway back to settle here in the Southern mountains.  As you can see from the historical marker downtown, Floridians have been finding their way here for a long time.                         Growing up in Chicago and then working in Miami never ... 08/22/2009

  I'm especially glad to be two hours from everywhere in Murphy, North Carolina on summer mountain nights.           Last week I had to pick up family members at the Atlanta airport (which of course is 2 hours from here).  It was at least 15 degrees hotter there and it seemed that tempers of the city drivers were rising as fast as the thermometer.  What a relief to be back on my covered porch, feeling the evening breeze and listening to the music of the mountains at night.                         Speaking of night music, we've just downloaded our first YouTube video slide show accompanied by an original song written by my husband Frosty.  It's called Murphy Mountain Nights and the instrumental version you're hearing is performed by Frosty and Tony Ford. Tony is a talented young local mu... 08/21/2009

A simple pair of children's shoes may not look powerful, but they can make a big difference in the lives of orphans around the world.    Appalachian Land Company is teaming up with Buckner International  for the month of August to ask Murphy, NC and the surrounding GA and TN residents to collect shoes for children in need.  The 10th annual nationwide "Shoes for Orphan Souls" shoe drive is seeking to collect more than 250,000 pairs of new shoes, socks and shoestrings, with a nationwide campaign.  Since 1999, Buckner has sent more than 1.9 million pairs of new shoes to at-risk children in the United States and in more than 68 other countries around the globe.  "Millions of children reside in orphanages throughout our world," Garton said, "and those orphanages are not receiving enough mon... 08/19/2009

Last night I got home late, weary from another stressful day.  Every Realtor is essentially the owner of a small business - insert-your-name.com - and so far there's been no bail-out money set aside for us.  I was greeted by the soothing sound of a waterfall cascading over ancient stones, each one painstakingly chosen for its color and shape.  The water pours endlessly into a new pond, which will be surrounded by some of the 16 TONS of rock my husband has been putting into place, stone by stone. While I've been dealing with frustrated sellers and unrealistic buyers looking for "that deal of a lifetime," he's been spending hours in backbreaking labor to create for us a perfect little oasis of peace - his gift to me.           He put in the small pond when we built our mountain chalet 4 y... 08/07/2009

When you're decorating your home for mountain living in Murphy, NC, be sure to visit Antiquities of Murphy  at 40 Valley River Avenue in the downtown shopping district.                   When I moved to Murphy,  many of my favorite photographs and art prints just didn't fit my idea of rustic decor for a mountain cabin. I wasn't willing to pack away my treasured pieces and replace everything.  Then I stopped in at Antiquities of Murphy and met owner Tonya O'Sullivan.  Over the last few years, she has matted and reframed many of my favorite photographs to suit the more casual atmosphere of my home, showed me how to showcase new finds in a warm, "mountainy style" and provided me with hours of pleasure browsing among the furniture, candles, dishes and wall decor in her shop.                ... 08/06/2009

The Lazy Elk Rustic Furniture and Decor is a furniture store in Murphy, North Carolina 28906 specializing in custom made log furniture and mountain home accessories.                    Whether you're shopping for a rustic bed for your new log cabin in the mountains or looking for the perfect souvenir from your North Carolina mountain vacation, you're sure to find something that catches your eye.             Conveniently located at 7750 Highway 64 West in Murphy, NC , The Lazy Elk is about 20 miles from Blue Ridge and Blairsville, GA and just a few minutes from the Tennessee border.  It's a great place to stop if you're heading for an afternoon of white water rafting on the Ocoee River. The Lazy Elk has Amish rocking chairs, hand crafted wood lamps with real leather shades, rustic dining... 08/03/2009