NEW YEARS EVE REFLECTION

Today is another spring like day with temperatures warming quickly this morning after a low 40's night. As I did chores today I recalled what it was like last year at this time with all the snow and cold.

After breakfast hubbie helped me put together a new corner shelf for the computer corner in the living room before he left to go finish work at daughter's. I have shopping for the 2 meals tomorrow and house cleaning to do today so they'll be on their own today.

I sorted through all the things on the old shelf and re-distributed some of them before heading to the grocery store. I got everything on my list for my New Year's Day traditional lunch and our late Christmas party with hubbie's family tomorrow night meal.

I spent the afternoon housecleaning as I haven't done much of that since before Christmas.

I had a few minutes while the floors were drying to sit on the front porch in the warm sunshine  and reflect over this year. It's hard to belive that another year has passed and we are getting ready to start 2012 tomorrow.

As I thought back over the year I realized that this has been a wonderful year and many life changing moments have happened this year to each of my family members as we go through this live together.

Here is my recap of this years events.

January---Dental appointments took up a lot of time this month as I had new dentures and partials made. We had snow all through the first days of the month but on the 10th we got the big one,almost 10 inches and very cold temperatures followed .We stayed cold and snowy for almost the entire month until the last days and they were like spring.

February--- Brought more icey and snowy weather as the temperatures plunged again. #1 son had ankle surgery on the 3rd which went well. After a dusting of snow at the beginning on the month spring and summer like weather took over and the plants were bursting with spring  buds and blooms. Hubbie and I worked outside and cleared the hill in front of our house so we can sit out in the patio and watch the pasture and road below.

March--- Started off with #2 son's birthday memories.G-son made his first trip to the emergency room with a cut under his eye that had to be glued shut. We had near flooding on a couple occasions. Hatched my first batch of eggs under one of my Silkie hens.On the 11th a historic tsunami hit Japan damaging several of their nuclear plants and causing major damge and loss of life.Daughter began to search for her own home during this month. We planted potatoes and more spring vegetables in almost summer like conditions for most of the month. Ended the month with daughter's birthday.

April---G-son was signed up to play baseball and his games were sometimes very trying as he didn't grasp the game plan on most days.We had  some bad storms this month but had little damage at our place thankfully.Easter was on the 24th and it was a fun time.We hauled calves to market .Took our bi-annual flea market trip with daughter and g-son.

May---This month continued the summer weather we've been experiencing the last couple months.
More severe storms raged all around us. I had jury duty but was dismissed because I new the arresting officer. Blogger screwed up some of my post and lost a couple so I decided to turn all my blog post into books. Sold the first of my hatched chicks this month.Planted our garden between the storms and prayed that it be spared. Killer tornadoes became the norm this month around the country and even here we were constantly under warnings. This month ended with a heat wave.

                                                                June's view from here !!

June---Started off the month with temperatures in the 90's,whew ! Heat produces storms and hail. Started my "the view form here" project, where I take a picture the first of each month from the same spot in my outside patio to campare as the months go by. Had our spring old timey day at Curb Market and did pretty well in sales. G-son spent the weekend with us while his mom and dad went with their church group on a marriage retreat. Got his first trip of the year to play in the cool waters of the creek. #1 son repeated his knee surgery on the anniversary of the accident and this time it was very successful. Daughter made an offer on a house in fore-closure and it got accepted. Market busy season started this month along with the canning season. We made blackberry jam and started drying herbs.
This June was a historically bad weather month as floods and tornadoes killed and damaged more than ever before.

                                                              July's view from here !!

July---Another very hot month with temperatures in or near 90 each day and little rain. I canned green beans and tomatoes and made pickles with the bountiful crop we had this year.#1 son picked fresh corn from a friends field and hubbie and I froze it for the winter. There were many cooling dips in the creek with g-son and busy market days during this month. The end of the month brought a nasty head cold for me and another year older birthday.

August's view from here!

August---A month of temperature ups and downs as we start out fall like and go back to summer in a hurry.This month started out with a week of Bible School in which I helped daughter with a class of 1st and 2nd graders.  I canned more tomatoes and okra as well as dried more herbs for sale at market.
The silkies are still hatching chicks and I'm selling them as they get old enough.  Hurricane Irene damaged the east coast all the way from NC to NY costing billions and an earth quake struck the east and we felt it here but most of the damage was minor.G-son started pre-kindergarden and daughter had to call the congressman to get help with closing on her house. I became a great aunt again this month to another baby boy from nephew A.

                                                           September's view from here !

September---On the 1st day of this month daughter became a home owner at last. This started a month of busy work tearing out, painting, reflooring and cleaning. #2 son recieved a nasty dog bite on his mail route that sent him to the emergency room. I attended the annual Apple Festival and our church's annual Block Blast this month. The tenth anniversary of 9/11 was celebrated this month. The Curb Market held our fall Old Timey Day on the last Saturday of the month. I made a decision to stop cleaning the church amid a flurry of disrespect from the contemporary church bands that are using the sanctuary. Last but not least daughter adopts Tipper her Airdale cross puppy.

                                                        October's view form here!!

October---A vacation to Holden Beach,NC in the first week of this month turned out to be a good one. The weather was a little cool at the start of the week but warmed nicely during our stay. G-son loves the beach and has more fun than anyone I know while we are there.This is a month of birthdays as #1 son and g-son share the same birthday and one of my great nephews turned 1 on the 11th this year. We dug all our potatoes this month and got them stored away as well as got all the peppers dried and frozen before the first freeze on the 21st.The leaves were very colorful this year and hung on all month long. I had a hatch of late chicks as the hen started sitting while we were on vacation and sis-in-law was afraid to get the eggs from under her. We worked at daughter's house all month in our spare time. The month ended with Halloween trunk or treat at our church.

                                                        November's view from here!!

                                                     Daughter in her kitchen in her new house.

                                                                   Welcome Louie !!!
November---The month began with beautiful leaves still clinging to the trees. Daughter made the move to her new home the second week of the month. I had my yearly mammogram and passed this year.
We had Thanksgiving meals with extended family, church and close family as well as busy market sales this month. We had some large trees cut in front of the house and some limbs taken off some that are close to the house. I bought a new washer and dryer on black Friday and get a really good deal.#1 son got a new calf and g-son named him Louie.
The month ended with Christmas activities at Market with our Old timey Christmas and at church with the hanging of the greens ceremony.

                                                         December's view from here !!!

December---Compared to the last couple of years this December's weather has been very nice with above normal temperatures almost everyday and only a few flakes of snow. This month will go down in history as the abrupt end to the Iraq war as all the soldiers were sent home before the holidays. Our family celebrates 2 anniversaries this month #1 son and-in-love's on the 10th and mine and hubbie's on the 21st. We celebrated a very good Christmas with activities at church and at home as a 5 year old sure makes things merry !! We saw our first snowflakes on the 27th but were gone quickly with the warm temperatures. Hubbie, daughter and I spent the last week of the month clearing her lot. I officially cleaned church for the last time since we built the new sanctuary yesterday evening. It felt kind of bittersweet as all the good memories have been over-shadowed by the abuse I've seen lately.
I still have this burning conviction but hopefully I can get my focus back on God and not worry about anything else.

As the sun dips below the horizon on the last evening of 2011 I thank the Lord for a year full of blessings and grace for my family. And prayfully look forward to what His plans for me are in the new year.
Good Night, God Bless and Happy New Year !

NEW 2011 CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

Ringing telephone jarred me out of a nice deep sleep this morning saying the Direct TV man was on his way.
After dragging out of that nice warm spot and reviving my right arm which I must have been laying on because it was still fast asleep!
The man arrived and quickly found the problem outside on the dish instead of a bad reciever inside. A good surprise because if he had replaced the inside reciever I would have had to sign another 2 year contract from today.
I did morning chores and then headed over to daughter's house where hubbie was heading with the brush cutter he rented.
The cutter didn't live up to it's hipe of course, but what does ??
As long as hubbie stayed in the tall grass and weeds it worked fine but it didn't chop up the vines and brairs like we had hoped.
Daughter got out her lawn mower and mowed some of the grassy spots and after another load of briars and branches were hauled off, her place looks very good. We have one more load of cut down bushes,etc. to haul away and she'll be all set until spring.
Hubbie and I came home and I did chores while he unloaded the trailer load of brush onto our burn pile which is getting pretty big. We need a snow so we can burn it.
We ate a snack supper and went to work at church for the last time as the new janitor job kicks in the 1st of the year.
Tonight as I looked at the Christmas tree I realized I haven't posted my new, this year's ornaments.
Of course when we went to a new place on vacation I brought back an ornament for the tree.

A Holden Beach ornament will always bring the happy memories of this vacation spot back.

I picked this ornament up while we were at the beach also just because it has all the light houses of the outer banks that we have visited on it.

As long as I've sold Avon I should have bought an annual ornament each year but only have a few.

Since this was daughter's first year in her new house I bought her one of these also and made a commitment to me to get one for each year I continue to sell Avon.

If I keep collecting ornaments at this pace I'm going to have to get a bigger tree !!!

I love the memories each of the ornaments bring back as I put them on the tree and as I look at them all during the Christmas season.

I'm blogging earlier tonight and at 11:00 it is still 47 degrees outside. Today the temperatures have see-sawed all day. Starting out cold at 28, then getting into the high 40's before dropping back to  42 this afternoon and then as the sun went down and the winds started out of the southwest when we got back from church it was 50 degrees.

I made out the menu for Sunday night's family dinner and a shopping list for tomorrow as I rested on the couch tonight.

Grateful to God once again today for the strength and ability with His protective arms around us as we worked today.

Good Night and God Bless.

LAST THURSDAY MARKET DAY OF THE SEASON

Very cold, frosty morning today. Ice was a new thickness on the water buckets today.
The last Thursday market day of the year and until next April  was a slow one. When I got there the parking lot looked like we were closed with only a few sllers cars. I managed to sell a few things and with my orders it was worth my time to sit there for 5 hours. I read the newspaper and worked on the crossword puzzle most of the morning. When the heaters went off I started packing up because it began to get pretty cold in there with the uninsulated block walls.
I ran regular errands and picked up a corner shelf I had ordered from Walmart.
I am still cold although the temperature in the van says 53 degrees.
Hubbie was here and helped me unload the van. He had gotten all the brush off the trailer so he can pick up the brush cutter he rented for tomorrow on it.
I rested a little while before chore time.
We had the little buds of broccoli that were on our plants and some kale greens from our garden for supper. I love having fresh garden things in the winter time. Hopefully the really cold weather that is predicted for nest week won't wipe out our Kale and Collards.
Me or Hubbie didn't sleep well last night, I think we were both too tired to sleep so we are struggling to stay awake as we watch UNC beat the socks off Elon college. I'm on the couch snuggled with my 4-legged kids and he is in his recliner.
I decided to blog early as both Bernie and Dolly need baths tonight and I can get into bed early.
The Direct TV repairman is coming between 8am and noon tomorrow to work on the receiver in our bedroom so there won't be any sleeping late in the morning.
I saw this sign today and thought I'd share.

I'm already sick of the elections and we have almost a year to go,yuck !!!

Thankful for the blessings and love from my precious Savior and Lord.

Good Night and God Bless.

LOT CLEARING DAY AT DAUGHTER'S PLACE

Up early getting ready for a major work day over at daughter's house. Hubbie ran to the tag office to get his truck tag this morning and picked up animal feed while I did morning chores.
When he got back we hooked up the big trailer and headed over to her house with all the brush and tree cutting tools we thought we would need.
I took lunch over from the left overs still from Christmas day and #1 son came to help eat and work.
We cut and dragged,and loaded ,and  piled until we were all wore out and it was about 4:30. I should have taken a before picture but even though I had my camera in my purse I forgot.
This is the trailer we loaded to bring home to put on our burn pile.

I drove my van so I could follow closely behind him because there was water in the lights and brakes connector so we didn't even hook them up for fear of blowing fuses.

That's a lot of brush and some big logs that we cut packed on there.

We left 4 huge piles of brush and there is a steep corner of her lot we didn't get to yet. Hubbie is going tomorrow to check on renting a pushable brush cutter to get into that area with. This part of her lot has never been cleared and used to be an old orchard so it is full of multi-floral roses and bittersweet vine.

We got home and unhooked just in time for chores. Our bottom pasture where the burn pile is kept is too wet to drive the truck even in 4-wheel drive through so hubbie will hook the trailer to the tractor tomorrow and unload it down there.

After chores I snapped a photo of the almost gone sun.

Today has been a beautiful day a little cooler than it has been only getting to 43 degrees but the wind stopped blowing just after noon so the sun felt good, in fact my face is a little red from working outside all day. 

Speaking of my face I am the one who usually gets banged up when we work and today was no exception. The first inury occurred before we left the yard as I walked into some boards sticking out of the back of the truck while helping hook up the trailer and got a nice knot on my forehead.

Then I almost made it through the day until right before we stopped and a brair caught my ear and sliced it all the way across. All in a days work around here and I'm thankful with all the chainsawing and brush cutting we did I am very thankful these were the only injuries suffered today.

I did paperwork after a light supper tonight and caught up on some  task that I put off  until after Christmas.

Then it was time to ice cakes, 6 caramel,2 chocolate and 2 coconut and I finished just before the news went off. My earlier bedtime tries haven't been successful yet, maybe things will slow down for me when everyone goes back to work next week. Hubbie put my new exercise bike together tonight, now I just need to find time to use it.

Almost midnight and it's 28 degrees,brrrr, I'm headed to get ready for bed.

Thanking God for the strength he gives me each day and for watching over us today as we worked.

Good Night and God Bless.

RAIN,SUN,WIND,SNOW ALL IN ONE DAY

Woke to pouring rain this morning. I checked the rain gauge during chore time and it already had 2" in it . This was more than twice the predicted amount for our area.

This was the map they showed on the news last night and had only 1" for our area.

After soggy chore duty and breakfast hubbie and I decided we couldn't do anything else so we would go shopping. He needed a new belt and some new dress shoes. Off we went to Pennys and Belks. Got some great deals at both and he got everything he needed plus and of course I found some things I needed also. When we came out of the small mall  in our area about noon we were surprised with blue skies and bright sunshine. We went to Hot Dog world for lunch but it was too crowded so we ate at Wendy's instead. I tried an apple/pecan chicken salad and I would reccomend it !

We stopped at a neighboring new thrift store but hubbie only found a 25 cent book to buy. Like all the other thrift stores in our area the prices were a bit on the high side. Even the clothes were the same price that I had just bought some things on sale at Belks for. Our last stop was Walmart for my baking supplies. By the time we came out of there we were slowly walking to the car talking with some friends that we had ran into and it was so cold and windy now that I was shivering by the time I got into the van.

Back at home hubbie went to work at his shop on some side boards for our big trailer so we can haul all the brush we are clearing at daughter's house. I worked inside doing some housework and emptying my fish tank where my Beta fish just died. I think he was just old after all I've had him for a long time.

After evening chores I enjoyed sitting in the sunroom  with the electric fireplace going just relaxing and watcing the sun go down. This was the first time this year I've had this stove on and it felt good. I love to sit and watch the flames,they are almost hipnotizing.

We are in for a windy night and with all the wet ground I just pray that trees don't start falling on the power lines.

Daughter came by tonight and #2 son helped her and hubbie move her treadmill to her house as she got her work out room cleared out of all the moving boxes today.

I baked 20 layers , a pound and 2 wine cakes tonight for market on Thursday. That will be the last market day of 2011.

This crazy weather has had almost everything in one day today. Rain and warm temperatures this morning, sun and wind this afternoon and guess what tonight is bringing ???

Yes those are snow flakes,really big fluffy ones !!! Although not expected to amount to anything they sure are pretty coming down and are a nice reminder that it is winter time after all.

The remainder of 2011 looks pretty calm on the weather map.

My earlier bed time went by the wayside tonight as I sit here at 11:45 waiting for things to come out of the oven.

Grateful tonight for the love of an awesome God.

Good  Night and God Bless.

AFTER CHRISTMAS SHOPPING TRIP

Slept in a little this morning until daughter called to see what time I would be ready to go shopping with her.
After morning chores and breakfast she picked me up and we went to Asheville to her favorite store,Target, I helped her pick out some things and bought some wrapping paper and a few things to already start my operation Christmas child boxes collection. We went to Lowes,Pier One and Shoe Show where I bought a pair of boots.
We stopped at Arbys for lunch before making stops at Walmart and Sam's Club. We had her jeep full by the time we got home. She bought her groceries at Sam's Club and I bought some large containers to store my Christmas tree in so the mice can't get to it.
It was after 3:00 when she dropped me off and headed home. Hubbie worked in the garden today getting it cleaned off and plowing in all the leaves we covered it with.
I decided to do laundry this evening so I wouldn't have it to do tomorrow. I finished 3 loads between chores and a supper of left overs.
I got all my Christmas clothes washed and put away but won't take anything else down until after New Years.
Tonight I'm trying to get an earlier bedtime schedule started. As soon as the news goes off I'm off to get ready for bed.
The weather has been mild again today getting up to 53 under sunny skies. Clouds moved in this evening and rain is on it's way for tomorrow with cooler temperatures. It's 41 tonight at 11:00.
Thanking God tonight for the Blessing of safe travel today.
Good Night and God Bless.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!!

From our house to yours, may you all have a wonderfully Merry Christmas !

Hubbie and I went to church this morning,not knowing what to expect as I can't remember the last Sunday Christmas day and what church was like or if we even had church.
My faith got a big boost as we pulled into a packed parking lot and saw all our church deciding to make church a part of their Christmas Sunday morning. In fact there were almost as many people there today as there were last night at candlelight.
It was a very nice service as the pastor re-told the Christmas story from the book of Luke and we had some old Christmas songs to sing.
We had a lunch of last night's leftovers with #2 son and daughter. I got a call from d-in-love saying #1 son was still not feeling great but was better than he was last night. She also said g-son was really enjoying Christmas.She sent me a pic of him early this morning among all the toys Santa left for him.

I spent another afternoon in the kitchen cooking  for our family get together tonight. I am going to try not to eat as much as I did last night because I had trouble going to sleep I was so full of the late supper. Tonight we are eating at 6:00.
This afternoon Bernie was enjoying the Christmas decorations as he waited for his friend g-son to come to play.

Today has been cool, mid 40's and coudy most of the day so it did seem more seasonal than the 60+ days we've had lately. The sunset this evening was beautiful this evening as I did chores.

As the light of day faded and the Christmas tree lights shined brightly it was time for our family Christmas.

There was one little very excited boy running around trying to hurry everyone's supper up .

He can now read letters good enough to hand out all the gifts with a little help from Pawpaw.

Now it's time to open the packages !!

The joy of Christmas !!!

Then it was time to put together some of the toys be had.

Bernie likes to help !!!

When hubbie opened this present d-in-love told him not to shoot his eye out !!!!

I got a beautiful exercise bike and  a new rooster rug for my kitchen along with a firehouse to add to my Christmas village picked out by g-son.

Love this bike and can't wait to start my exercise program next week.

This week is going to be so busy I decided to wait to even try to get on a schedule exercising until then. Hubbie and daughter are off all week and we are going to work at her place clearing her lot. Tomorrow she and I are going shopping so she can get some Christmas decorations for next year. Hubbie is helping #2 son who is also off tomorrow  plant more trees at his place while we're shopping.

As everyone left tonight it seemed like a big let down with all the preparation and shopping and now it is all over, just like that. But it isn't over if we can keep Christmas in our hearts for the rest of the year with our love for the Lord Jesus.

These lights will go out in about another week and will be put away for another 11 months.

But for us the light of the Lord should never go out or be put away even for a minute.

#1 son sat with a heating pad on his throat for a while tonight but felt better with the aid of a pain pill.

He is going to the doctor tomorrow if he doesn't feel better. I think he may have strep throat.

All in all this has been a wonderful Christmas day and I feel very blessed to have a wonderful family to spend it with.

As this Christmas season comes to an end I want to leave with this beautiful but so true poem.

Enlarge and read it will bless your heart.

Good Night and God Bless.

BUSY 2011 CHRISTMAS EVE

Hubbie had to be at church at 8:00 this morning to help set up for communion tonight during our candlelight service.
While he was gone I did chores and ate breakfast.
It is cold this morning 32 degrees or the first time in a while but thankfully it is helping dry up all the mud.
When hubbie got home we headed out to finish our shopping. I can't believe the sales today on the things that I was thinking about getting but were too expensive.  Now I can afford them, maybe I'll wait until Christmas eve to do my shopping every year !!
I found all I was needing in Mast General Store and hubbie found the racetrack he wanted for g-son on sale at K-mart.
Satisfied and finally finished we stopped by Sub-Way to pick up lunch on the way home. Town is now starting to get very crowded. I need to remember next year the deals are great on Christmas eve but I need to make an early trip.
This afternoon, hubbie and I cleaned in the kitchen and I cooked to get a head start on some of my things.
After early choretime we got ready for candlelight service tonight. This is one of my favorite times at church. Guess who else thinks this is a great time in church??

The church was really crowed tonight,may the glory be to God !!

I see alot of folks on this night that I don't see often and it is always a blessing to me.

All 4 of my kids were there tonight plus g-son .

D-in-love always helps provide the music with her violin and in the chimes esemble, she is the one on the far right behind the podium during this chimes playing.

We ended the service with the song Joy To the World as we held our candles high and pledged to be lights unto the world during the next year.

After the service I gave one of the elderly men who had recently lost a loved one a coconut cake which is one of his favorites and felt so sorry for him when he cried and said how hard this Christmas was going to be for him.

I felt very humbly thankful for a year in which our family has had no losses or serious injuries or sickness.

Back home #2 son and daughter came to have supper with hubbie and I. We had roast pork ,mac and cheese, corn and greek salad with rolls and tea.

Daughter went over to another neighbor's who lost his wife last Christmas day morning and took him a cake. She visited with him for over an hour and I know he was very glad to have company on this night.

I am thankful for the kind hearts all my children have developed and the giving spirit.

Unfortunately #1 son isn't feeling well at all tonight and as he and his family head down to d-in-loves parents to celebrate Christmas I hope he gets better.

Hubbie and I wrapped presents tonight and now our tree looks more like it should.

I always wait until Christmas eve to wrap presents because you always hear so many times that breakins occur and the thieves take all the presents from under the tree.

I took time tonight to catch up my blog from yesterday and now it is almost 12:30 am. I'm glad I don't have to get up early to see what santa brought me this year !!

Hubbie and I don't buy one another gifts, we stopped that when we had children and have never thought it necessary to start again as we still both had rather concentrate on giving to the kids and others rather than ourselves.

The birth of our Lord and Savior happened on this very night long ago and this glorious night is celebrated all around the world as we  pledge our love for our new born savior and to share His love  during the coming year.

MERRY  CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND  MAY  YOUR LOVE LIGHT SHINE BRIGHTLY  !!!

Good Night and God Bless.