BUSY FRIDAY AND A FUNERAL VISITATION

Marveling at some of Jack Frost's art work on the van windows as we sat in the car rider line at g-son's school this morning.

And even more marvelous is the frozen leaves.

After chores I started baking cakes early today because of a large order that came in earlier this morning.
I had to stop and turn the ovens off while I took Dolly to the dog groomers.
I grabbed a bite of lunch when I got home and started the ovens back up. I finished baking at 2:30 and took a much needed vitamin D break out in the beautiful warm,62 degree, sunshine.
Back inside I did a little more Christmas decorating,I'm still not feeling well enough to really get into the spirit but  hopefully as I get over this crud I will get things done next week. In all the years past I always say what doesn't get done by the end of the first week in December has to wait until next year.
The groomer called and said Dolly was ready at a perfect time.

Dolly's attitude when she comes come is that no matter how cute I say she looks it is not worth what she has to go through to look this good !!!

 After Hubbie came in from work we hurried through chores and had a quick supper before heading out to the funeral home for the visitation of one of my first cousin's wives. Polly has been sick for over 11 years after a stroke paralyzed her legs and damaged her mind and it was a blessing that she went on to be with the Lord now rather than later. About 3 weeks ago Polly had another severe stroke that made her helpless and Don was worn out trying to care for her so he was making arrangements to move her to the local Hospice facility but she died in her own bed Thursday morning the day she was to be moved.

Polly was a dear sweet devoted wife and mother of two beautiful daughters.

The daughter in the yellow shirt died only a couple years ago. She was blind all her life and I remember watching with marvel at all the sign language she and her mother used. Polly learned the braille alphabet along with her daughter Janet so she could totally understand her.
As I talked with Pam the other daughter last night she said she had found a lot of photos with our families together in them when she was looking through pics to put out at the vivitation,she said she is going to make me copies and get them to me,I can't wait !!
I had to ice 12 caramel cakes,3 chocolate and 3 coconut cakes when I got home plus get everything ready for market today.
I have been taking Alka-Seltzer plus all day and am feeling some better tonight. My nose isn't runny anymore  and the sneezing has calmed down but the cough has reared it's ugly head again,uhhhh !!!
Had a late bed time so I'm hoping I'll sleep good as I am tired.
Thanking God for a wonderful day and praying for His comfort for Polly's family tonight.
Good Night and God Bless.

PUSHING THROUGH SICKNESS

I really struggled this morning with feeling bad and yucky from this crud I have had for the past couple days. As I got g-son ready for school,did chores and got ready for market I was reminded of many years past when I woke up feeling like a Mac truck had ran me down somehow during my overnight's sleep.
Back then as today I pushed through the morning duties,only difference was back then cows had to be milked, goats had to be milked,baby calves had to be bottle fed,chickens and rabbits had to be fed and cared for,stalls had to be mucked out,etc, along with getting 3 kids up and ready for school.   Unlike today by the time I had finished chores I had usually sweated out my cold or flu or what ever I had. This morning I didn't work up a sweat with anything I did,maybe that's what I needed to get rid of this junk !!
Market was really slow today as I expected,the heater below me blowing the warm air on my face caused multiple sneezing fits for me today.

Since this crud started in my throat and has now moved to my nose and eyes,I have hope that it is moving on up and tomorrow it will be out the top of my head !!!
Market was so slow everyone left including me by about 1:00. I needed the early out to make an Avon delivery at one of the local high schools insuring that I could get in and out before the end of school traffic started to pile up.
As I shopped for daughter's and my supplies and a few on sale groceries my nose started really running and the sneezing fits got closer together. By the time I finally reached home at almost 4:30 I was physically drained.
Hubbie thankfully came in from work and helped me unload and as soon as chores were finished I hit the couch with my 4-legged kids and that's where I spent the evening.
After a good dose of Alka-seltzer plus cold medicine I'm hoping for a quiet night's sleep.
There was a beautiful blood red moon tonight as it began to rise and even sickly I had to go outside and get a quick pic.

Daughter came by after her ball practice tonight and picked up her supplies,she said she was taking tonight off from any baking or business of any kind.
As I cough my way to the kitchen I am finishing my day with a prayer of thankfulness for the blessings of the day,even in my sickness I see plenty of reason to be grateful to my Heavenly Father.
Good Night and God Bless.

MORE COUGHING AND DECORATING

Had to get out the honey again last night to ever get to sleep. Worked like a charm for the second night in a row. It's funny how I can't even remember coughing again when I get back into bed after the honey treatment.
I can always tell when I am pretty sick because that is the only time I dream. This morning I had a short,strange dream about a girl I used to work with. I haven't seen or talked to her in many years but her picture was in the paper the other day for winning a bowling tournament. Maybe that's what triggered the dream, it wasn't a scary bad dream as I usually have, especially if there is fever with my sickness, but this was just strange. Oh well guess I will be wandering about this one for a while.
G-son was almost late for school because I wasn't expecting the heavy frost that covered my windshield this morning.
After chores and breakfast I weight lifted and took a walk outside in the chilly but sunny morning.
I cut the chickens some of the kale greens that are growing in the garden and that made them very happy. There isn't much green for them to eat these days.
I baked cakes for a couple orders this morning but not much to sell because tomorrow will be a slow market day after all the eating last week.
I worked on getting more Christmas decorations up this afternoon. I keep fussing at myself for the random way I packed things up last year. Seems I can't complete any area with what I find together in each plastic storage container.
G-son was happy because we found all the animated toys I have had for years and put batteries in them. He listened to them while he ate his after school snack and watched TV.
I have kinda dragged around all day again with a kleenex in one hand and cough drops in the other,yuck !!   I don't really feel that bad but I am just moving slowly.
After chores and supper I tackled a mountain of weekly paperwork,it's amazing what a difference a couple additional days make especially at the end of the month.
I got a call from a friend in Indiana, she was hating the really cold weather they have been having.
Thankfully I have only one cake to ice tonight.
Daughter came in after her ballgame to bring her baking. They lost both JV and varsity games tonight but they played Reynolds,a 4-A school, they are 2-A.
Speaking of cold weather it is already 32 degrees at 10:30 tonight headed for the mid 20's before morning. Looks like December is going to come in like May or June,wonder what it will go out like ?

Thankful for God's grace and love for all his children and joyously celebrating the birth of His son.
Good Night and God Bless

CATCH UP HOUSEWORK DAY

I guess the feeling I had in my throat last night and today must be pretty common as I found this cartoon to describe my exact feelings.

I finally heated some honey last night and stopped my coughing long enough to get to sleep. With each cough I felt like there were knives slicing the lining of my throat out.
After a good nights sleep I felt better this morning and the coughs were fewer and farther between. After getting g-son to school ,doing chores and having a good breakfast I was ready to do an inside walking video and weight lifting tape.
We haven't seen any of the promised rain but the sky is socked in with clouds and the air is damp in the mid 40's temperatures this morning.
After both my videos I did laundry mixed with catch-up housework since I didn't do any housework last week. I can't believe how dirty some things (like the commodes) can get in that extra week of no cleaning !
By about 2:00 I had everything on my list for today caught up and decided to change my living room curtains for awhile.I have had valences up for several years but got out some lace curtains that I saved from years ago and changed them some to make them look more Christmas like.

The valences of these are supposed to be much longer but I shortened them up so they won't block any of the window's view.
That is all the decorating I got done today as I am moving a bit slower than usual with my sore throat and now a runny nose to go with it.
G-son thought the new curtains looked like "dream windows" when he came in from school. He got in trouble at school today when he called a little girl in his class "fat". When I asked him if he knew what fat meant,he said yes ," that's what my mom calls my dad". I don't think he realized that he would hurt someone's feelings by saying that to them. Oh well he knows now and that won't be the last thing he  learns the hard way I'm sure.
The air at chore time this evening has a colder feel to it and the clouds that were still hanging around made for a pretty sunset tonight.

I took this pic and walked up to shut the doors on the chicken houses and when I looked at the sky again the clouds had totally taken over the clear sky.
After supper I rested on the couch with my 4-legged kids for a while watching a NC State/Michigan basketball game.
Speaking of basketball, daughter had her first game of the season last night and coached the JV team to it's first victory in 2 years. However the varsity which she is the assistant coach for lost badly when they got into foul trouble in the second half.
Looking forward to a good hot bath and a good night's sleep.
Grateful to the Lord for another wonderful day full of blessings.
Good Night and God Bless.

CHRISTMAS DECORATING BEGINS

Thankful for one more extra sleep morning thanks to Hubbie who got up this morning and took g-son to school.
I did chores and then did an exercise tape to get back on my exercise schedule after a week off,uhhh !
Hubbie went to church to paint the youth room.
After my exercise I took a walk in the already quickly warming sunny morning. It was 23 degrees earlier but is warming up very fast and by the time I finished a 30 minute walk I was ready to take my jacket off.
I spent the rest of the beautiful morning outside cleaning out my hen houses. I wore a mask while I cleaned the dusty manure out of the houses as my throat already is swelled and yucky feeling and I sure don't need to breath in any more irritants. All cleaned by lunchtime.
Hubbie came home for lunch and to work in his wood pile while the primer dried on the youth room walls.
I started pulling out the Christmas decorations,although it felt funny putting up outside manger scenes and Christmas trees in my shirt sleeves.  The temperature got up to about 55 this afternoon and the sun was actually hot for a while,I guess this is what it feels like to get ready for Christmas in Florida.
I got most of my outside decorations up and got all the fall outside and inside decorations put away.
Hubbie finished what he was doing and went to pick up g-son from school so I could continue working.
I fixed g-son some mac and cheese and got him settled in as hubbie went back to church to paint the primed walls.
With g-son handing me things we got all the fall things into the attic. I need to clean things off all the shelves and tables to get ready for the inside decorating. G-son was happy as he got his talking wreath out and was looking for a place to hang it up when his dad came after him.
Today was nice to work outside in but it sure doesn't feel like the end of November. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain and I hope it does as things are really dry. My hands after working outside all day are hurting tonight they are so dry.
Hopefully we'll get this rain.

Hubbie got in tonight at 7:00 with the painting finally done. I already had all the chores done so tonight we both can rest a little before bedtime.
Thanking God for the wonderful day and for all the love He shows me each minute of every day.
Good Night and God Bless

QUIET SUNDAY and 2002 PICS

As I sat in my office writing our tythe check for church this morning I looked out the window and saw this holly tree that needs no decoration for this Christmas season. It is absolutely loaded with red berries this year.

Some of the limbs have many more berries than leaves.

I will have to use some of this for my decorations this year which I'm hoping to get a good start on tomorrow.
Church was good this morning and we had a big crock pot full of chilli waiting for us when we got home. Everyone made it to lunch except d-in-love who is feeling under the weather today.
The hot chilli and cornbread hit the spot on this colder than normal day. After a freezing morning of 21 degrees we did top out around 50 this afternoon with bright sunshine.
Sis-in-law called and found me some eggs on sale so hubbie and I went over to get them and visited awhile with them. She has her yard and house almost decorated for Christmas already. We were laughing that the inside trees had no ornaments and she said with the 2 little grand boys she has this year she wasn't going to put ornaments on them. It'll surely be easier and faster to take them down!!
Brother-in-law is almost over his  shingles but has a couple deep scars on the side of his face.
We got home just before dark and finished chores by flashlight.
My throat is hurting some tonight so I hope I'm not getting sick as this week gets back to a normal routine.
I spent most of today just resting and enjoying a quiet Sunday.
Back in November of 2002 like the previous year there were no people pictures but only farm animals and pet pictures.
This is one of our barn cats looking unimpressed by this  rooster strutting his stuff.

And here is Pepsie the six toed pet cat who loved to ride, if you left the window rolled down or door open she would be in the truck waiting.

And this is daughter's pet cat.

Doesn't seem like it has been 10 years since these photos were taken,my how time flies !!

And speaking of time flying, it is hard to believe we are almost out of the month of November and Christmas will soon be here. I must say I feel more festive this year and am looking forward to getting out the decorations and getting them up.
Thanking God tonight for the amazing blessings of this day.
Good Night and God Bless.

OLD TIME CHRISTMAS AT CURB MARKET

Up extra early and off to market to get a parking spot before the parking lot is filled with customers here for our "Old Time Christmas" celebration.
I took more decorations for my table today and by getting there early I got everything all decorated before the crowds came.

 This was my table early with the new decorations I found on sale after Christmas last year.
Mr. Baker Santa was a great addition.

As were these cupcake ornaments which several folks wanted to buy.

The market provided free refreshments of cheese and crackers, cookies and hot apple cider.

Vendors had all their greenery for sale today which made the market look very festive.

Even our mascot bear had his Christmas ribbon on.

These gentlemen provided lovely Christmas music all day.

Market also furnished free carriage rides for all our customers on this cold and blustery day.

All the work brought out crowded aisles full of customers all day.

Daughter and I were decked out in our Christmas finery also as we joyfully waited on customers.

This was not the outfit I had planned to  wear but changed my mind this morning !
We had a very good day of selling and are extremely thankful for today's business.
#1 son's family came out after lunch,unfortunately the carriage rides ended just before they came and g-son was sad he didn't get to ride but there is always next year.

I sold a lot of crafts and will need to get behind my sewing machine soon to catch my supplies up.
After market daughter and I went to the local mall to shop for our two "angel tree" kids. We always get two names from the tree at the school where she works but this year her new school didn't do any so we got two from her old school which is where g-son goes.
This year we got two 10 year old boys and it was a little more challenging to find something for that age. We did manage however to fill a cart after shopping sales in Belks, Pennys and KMart. Daughter had already ordered some things on Black Friday sales at Old Navy for them. We thought these will be two lucky little boys on Christmas morning.
I made it home after 5:00 and got things put away just in time to get chores done before dark (I hate this time change).
The soles of my feet are actually sore and my legs are achy from the busy day and the shopping trip this afternoon.  It was a perfect night at 30 degrees by 9:00 to snuggle with my 4-legged kids under a warm blanket on the couch and relax.
Thanking God for the blessings of the day and for the reason for this joyous season !!!
Good Night and God Bless.

BLACK FRIDAY NOT SO MUCH !!!

It was a calm "black Friday" morning for me !!  Woke to G-son announcing "it's morning time" just like he has always done each time he spends the night over here. His mom had to work today and his dad went hunting early this morning so he stayed here last night so he (and us) wouldn't have to get up at the crack of dawn.
After chores and breakfast I delivered a cake order of 5 cakes.
When I came back hubbie,g-son and I went to Tractor Supply for feed and Ace hardware for a new door handle for #2 son's house because the old one has a broken spring and isn't latching.
At g-son's request we stopped back by Walmart to check out some of their sales. He wanted to show us some things he wanted for Christmas and we needed dog food.
G-son got a new pair of shoes on sale and a Lego set for being the good boy he is !!
We saw none of the Black Friday crowds, all the early bird shoppers must now be home in bed.

When I saw the card above I thought it really hit the nail on the head.
We had leftovers for lunch and #1 son joined us after another empty hunting trip and daughter after she finished her ball practice. After we all ate daughter went home and #1 son sat down on the couch and fell asleep for the afternoon. I guess all these early morning hunting trips caught up with him. G-son played with his new legos while hubbie worked outside on some little jobs to get ready for the cold spell that is coming. I went downstairs and sewed up all the jean aprons I had cut out.
I made 3 of these ladies aprons.

And these 2 kids aprons.

The skies darkened this evening and looked like they would bring rain for sure but never did. The weather roller coaster continues for us starting tomorrow. After more than a week of really nice sunny 60's degree days we are cooling down again.

After chores and supper I iced 12 caramel and 1 coconut cakes tonight.
Tomorrow is "Old Timey Christmas" Saturday at market hopefully the cold windy weather won't keep customers away.
The weather didn't seem to deter the official beginning of the Christmas season in downtown  tonight as the trees were lit and Santa made his first appearance.

I hope all my blogger friends had a safe and happy Thanksgiving and day after. As we transition into a different season may the peace,joy,love and hope that the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ brought to the world be in your heart all year long.
Good Night and God Bless.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY 2012

I have had a wonderful Thanksgiving day full of good food and loving family. I cooked all morning,smoked turkey (by d-in-love's dad), 7-layer salad,deviled eggs,mashed potatoes,corn,green beans,dressing,gravy,sweet potato casserole,kale greens,cranberry chutney,blueberry jello,pecan pie,sweet potato pie,had all the kids for lunch, then ate waaaayyyy  too much for lunch, put the downstairs computer into recovery mode with help from daughter, cleaned the outside lounge chairs and stored them away for winter, spent almost an hour searching for Sadie (the dog), ate too much again for supper, rested, baked cakes,said good night !!

AMEN !!!
Good Night and God Bless.

TRIED AND TRUE THANKSGIVING RECIPES

G-son was here extra early this morning as #1 son brought him at 6:30 on his way to work thinking he could carry him in our house sleeping. Hubbie and I thought our alarms were wrong when he came.
G-son didn't go back to sleep anyway and he and hubbie watched some early morning cartoons while resting on the couch.
I got up at my regular time ,did chores then made a trip to Sam's Club for some last minute things and the first Christmas gift for g-son, which hopefully he won't find.
I started laundry and then had lunch.  I made a cake delivery at 1:00 and another at 2:30 to complete the orders for Thanksgiving. I got another order today to be delivered Friday morning.
Hubbie worked all morning down in the pasture on the blown over maple tree and this afternoon he helped me downstairs.
#2 son left some shelves and other things down there to be picked up  later so this afternoon we moved things around getting everything organized and cleaned up in case someone needs a place to stay for a snowy night !!
Daughter came by about 4:30 to pick up the cakes for the community Thanksgiving meal our church is hosting tonight.
#1 son came after g-son and hubbie and I finished evening chores and then headed up to church to help with the clean up.
There wasn't as many people who took advantage of the free meal this year as there were last year but even if one person got a meal they wouldn't normally get we did our job !!!
Hubbie ,daughter and I came home and rested while we watched Survivor on TV.  Then we loaded up her jeep from the newly arranged downstairs with some of her left over things and she went home.
I made my 7-layer salad and blueberry jello dessert tonight along with boiling the eggs for deviled eggs and baking the potatoes for my traditional sweet potato casserole. This casserole has been a Thanksgiving special at our family table for as many years as I can remember and before that it was on my mother's table each year.
Years ago the Curb Market made a cook book to raise money and this was one of the recipes my mother put in it.

Excuse the stains this is a tried and true really yummy recipe !!

The same is true for this blueberry jello recipe that my mother also had published in the same cook book.

I will be busy cooking early in the  morning for my family on a day that reminds us of what we have to be thankful for.
I try to be thankful every day of the year as well and always try to never go to sleep at night before expressing my thankfulness to my Heavenly Father.
Good Night and God Bless and remember to be thankful.

TUESDAY MARKET DAY WITH SICK G-SON

G-son was here at 7am but was not feeling well at all, with a runny nose and a constant cough it was decided he wouldn't go to school today.  We gave him the choice if he felt like it, he first said no then he said he did want to go but after a sneezing fit  the final decision was no.
He didn't feel too bad to go with us to market as #1 son offered to get off work to take care of him but he wanted to go with hubbie and I.
He is big enough now to be a help and he isn't any trouble. He packed a bag of legos and some other toys and happily played all morning while hubbie and I sold Thanksgiving dessert orders.
We had a really busy day,thankfully. I still have several orders for tomorrow and one that got postponed from today to tomorrow.
Hubbie and g-son left after market to come home and rest while I went shopping for baking supplies and groceries for Thanksgiving dinner.  I made a stop at a thrift store to look for a Christmas sweater to wear with my hand crocheted skirt on Saturday for our Old Timey Christmas at market. I was lucky enough to catch the boutique rack on sale at 1/2 price and found a perfect match for my skirt.
I found a couple other things on sale and so I left with 2 Christmas sweaters from the boutique rack,plus another red sweater with the tags still on it and a jacket made from a local weaver.
I made it home about 4:30,hubbie and g-son helped me unload and then it was time for chores.
Today has been warm and sunny with 59 degrees and tonight only mid 30's for the low.
G-son ate a good supper and acted fine tonight although he was still coughing a lot. After he went home hubbie and I settled in for a night of rest and to watch a Carolina basketball game which they lost.   I am enjoying tonight as it is the first night in over a week that I haven't been in the kitchen either icing or baking cakes.
As I searched for decade pics back in 1992 I didn't find any human photos but I took pics of my chickens. I loved all the different types and sizes of chickens back then.

              I also had several different kinds of birds that year including these Ring-Necked Pheasants.

     An early bedtime will feel great tonight.
No school tomorrow means g-son will be spending the day with us, I hope he is feeling better so he cane enjoy this nice weather for a few more days.
Grateful to God for His blessings and I am so thankful for all He has done for me and my family.
Good Night and God Bless.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

CAKES, CAKES AND MORE CAKES !!!

As hubbie took g-son to school I did the chores to get ready for my busy day.
As soon as I finished breakfast hubbie and I made a needed trip to Sam's Club.
Back home the baking began, 8 coconut, 5 chocolate and 2 pound cakes were done plus I iced 6 caramel cakes to lesson the load for tonight.
By this time it was time to pick up g-son from school. As we came by the lower pasture we saw hubbie working cleaning up the blown down tree.
Looks like he has plenty of help !!

After getting g-son settled down with some mac and cheese and chocolate milk I headed down to my sewing shop to make a couple herbal sinus packs for an order that will be picked up tomorrow.
I made too much rice and herb mixture so I had enough to make 2 extra to sell at market.
#1 son came after g-son,who looks like he is getting sick in his eyes. G-son has the same look my #2 son used to have when he was young. His eyes turn a really pale blue and get puffy under them.
After evening chores and weekly paperwork it was back in the kitchen for me. I iced 13 more caramel cakes, 8 coconuts and 5 chocolates,whew !!
Bedtime couldn't come fast enough for my tired body tonight.
Thanking God for the strength He gives me each and every day.
Good Night and God Bless.

BUSY PRE THANKSGIVING SUNDAY

Another cooler than predicted morning with a temperature of 26 degrees.
As I got my Thanksgiving vest that I always wear on the Sunday before Thanksgiving on I tried to take a photo hurriedly before I left for church.

The communion tale at church is also adorned in its fall wardrobe.

We had a speaker today from the Baptist Children's Home for our sermon. He was interesting and entertaining.
We had a crock pot full of beef stew and a cake of cornbread for lunch. Everyone made it but d-in-love who stayed home to cook for her families holiday dinner tonight in Lincolnton,NC.
After lunch we loaded up the truck with some more of #2 son's things from downstairs and also we loaded daughter's jeep with a desk she had left here when she moved out over a year ago.
We followed #2 son to his house and unloaded,he has things looking really good at his new house. Then we went over to daughter's and helped her unload her jeep. She has all her Christmas decorations up and her house looks so festive.
As we headed home the sun was setting.

We made it home with enough daylight left to get chores done without flashlights. After we had supper I iced the 18 caramel cakes I made last night and then baked 18 more. It is 11:00 and the last ones just came out of the ovens.
I don't like to work on Sundays but this is one that always finds me in the kitchen getting ready for a Tuesday market day which I don't usually do.
Thankful for a loving understanding,forgiving Lord tonight. And praying for #2 son as he deals with some issues at his work place.
Good Night and God Bless.