Thursday, April 30, 2015

APRIL ENDS WITH A HEAVY HEART

This last day of April 2015 dawns cool and windy but sunny.
Got the chores done and made it to market on time.
The day was pretty slow but I am thankful for all that I did sell.
The local TV station came in and did a segment right in front of my table for advertising so maybe that will help.
After market I ran the regular errands and went by Ace hardware store to take advantage of their sales for today. There were more customers there than I have ever seen before. I got some good deals on plants and bird suet as well as a rain check on some outside lights for my outdoor covered patio.
D-in-love met me at Walmart as g-son wanted to come home with me instead of going shopping with her.
We made it home around 5:00 and hubbie was already here to help unload and get things put away.G-son ate his happy meal for supper and hubbie and I fixed a turkey breast loin I had bought with steamed broccoli for our supper.
After chores in a sprinkle of rain g-son went home and hubbie hit the recliner and I snuggled with my 4-legged kids a while on the couch.
Saw this picture and thought what a stark reminded for us not to litter our beautiful land.

April went out in a very calm way for us tonight.
This 2015 April weather has been cool but the coolness fended off any storms that we usually get in this first month of spring. Although we have had a lot of rain there has been very few thunder and lightening times.
It has been a beautiful month with all the blooming flowers and the green grass coloring made the grey days of winter a distant memory.
Easter was celebrated on the first Sunday (5th) of the month with the entire family here.
We made a spring trip to the Pickens flea market with daughter and #1 son's family.
Market was pretty good this month as I started my Thursday and Saturday sales days . I also got some sewing done to replenish my craft supplies at market.
Had the first chick hatch of the season but it was a disappointing one as only 2 eggs out of the 6 hatched probably because of the colder weather.
We got all our early vegetables planted in our garden and they came up nicely even with little sunshine this month.
We found out our second grand baby is going to be a little girl , she is expected in September.
We also celebrated d-in-love's 33rd birthday as well as a late celebrations of little EL's 2nd birthday.
Aa and Re started grading and road building on their property across the road from us.
April was a wonderful blessing filled month and I am looking forward to what God has in His plans for our family in May.
I am also sad for my second cousin who was my best friend growing up as her husband of 38 years lost his battle with cancer early this morning.
David was a great husband and a loving father to his four children, he was one of the sweetest men I have ever met and loved my cousin dearly. My prayers go out to this family tonight , I know they are all God lovers and I rest in the knowledge that they will look to God for the comfort they need during this time.
R.I.P. David.


Good Night and God Bless.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

MORE CAR SHOPPING

Hubbie took today off to have my van looked at by a friend auto mechanic and needed to renew his drivers license so he was gone early. After feeding the animals and having my breakfast I was already into my cake baking for the day when he returned. I baked 6 caramel, 2 chocolate, 1 coconut, 2 pound and 1 blackberry wine cake.
He found out the noise and the intermitant ABS light are from a short in one of my front wheel sensors.
After lunch we decided to check out a new Traverse suv's at Boyd's in town.
We drove a red traverse which was the only AWD in our price range.
It drove nicely and the price was 32,000 with some incentives so that wasn't bad.
From there we drove to Asheville to the GM dealer over there called Harry's on the Hill. I wanted to drive an Acadia which is the third sister vehicle to the Buick Enclave and Chevy Traverse.
I liked the Acadia better than the Traverse but it is a higher price at least at this dealership !
Guess I'll be making a trip to Hickory NC Monday to check with them as their prices seem to be lower. Plus both these vehicles today are a deep red and I still would be better off with a lighter color.  Oh , the joys of car shopping !!!
We got home at 5:30 and did chores early before the threatening clouds produce the promised rain that has not gotten here yet.
This has been a cool, 60 degree day socked in with clouds to make it feel even cooler.
After evening chores and supper I did weekly paperwork and paid bills.
We watched Survivor on TV and then hubbie went to bed and I iced my cakes and got things ready for market.
I feel more tired tonight than if I had worked laboriously all day. Mental stress is so much worse to me than physical work.  I am on the verge of ditching this entire new car idea for awhile to take a break from the barrage of car dealers that are now vying for my business.
This is a picture of g-son's Wednesday night church group called CIA (children in action). He is in the second row on the left with his tongue sticking out.

Thanking the Lord for a blessed day with many blessing that are unearned but given freely in His graciousness.
Good Night and God Bless.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

DOUBLE AZALEAS

Another cool jacket weather morning. I refuse to complain as we get closer and closer to those broiling summer temperatures.  I'll grab a jacket any day as opposed to sweating already at 8am !!
After chores and breakfast I took a walk to take in the beauty of the still blooming spring plants around the farm. These are my double Azaleas, I have two plants of them and they are so pretty ,looking like little Carnations.


As I started my housework I noticed the Indigo Buntings were here for the season. This pic does not show their bright blue color.
This guy was also enjoying my offerings on the front porch while I worked in the living room.
Later in the afternoon I went into town with Re and the kids.  We went into Bath and Body Works in the mall for some air fresheners we both like and Little EL was sampling the smells of some different things after watching her mother and me.  Some were nice , some apparently were not so nice by the looks on her face !!!  Haha, she is a riot some days !

We came home and EL stayed here while mom went to music practice at church. She got to play with Pawpaw and then have pizza for supper.
After mom came after her , hubbie and I  settled in for a relaxing evening.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is for rain and mid 50's temps, that is going to be a raw day.
Starting next week we are supposed to get a reprieve from the cooler weather for at least a while with the rise of the jet stream.
However we can't let our guards down in these mountains as the dates for the last freeze isn't until late mid May.
Still praying for the residents of Nepal after the earthquake. The death tole is now more than 5000 and could be as high as 10,000. Most of the residents are now homeless and even the ones who's homes are still standing  are afraid to go back inside for fear of another quake.
In our country the city of Baltimore has been in an uproar over the police treatment of a black man who died. But instead of just protesting there has been a full fledged riot like those in Detroit back in the 60's. Rioters broke into business's looting and burning them down.  President Obama said today that they are not protesters but thieves. He sent in the National Guard to enforce a curfew tonight.


This brings back memories of the Detroit riot 1967 that changed the face of Detroit for the worse forever. Hopefully that won't happen to Baltimore but it could because of all the business's that were burned or looted.
Unfortunately all it would take to end all of this unrest is for all peoples of all colors to just simply abide by the laws of this land. When a policeman says stop , just stop,  that's all it would take. I fail  to under stand if all these victims are innocent why did they run from the police ???  I am sure there are times when the officers of the law are wrong but that is why we have a court system, we have to depend on the justice system that is in place or we have to vote to change it. Burning, looting riots destroying business and entire cites that are run by innocent  bystanders is not the way to get anything changed.  In fact it causes the reverse effect.
My prayers go out to all the folks involved in these tragedies , may God intervene in ways only God can.
Good Night and God Bless









I

Monday, April 27, 2015

CAR SHOPPING

The sun is shining this morning but it is pretty breezy and cool. After chores hubbie went to the neighborhood barber shop while I had breakfast and decided which car dealers we would go to today.
We first stopped at the Nissan dealership in Asheville  where I drove a 2013 Pathfinder. It drove nicely and only had 47,000 miles on it but I wanted to drive a Buick Enclave and they didn't have one of those. We then drove over to Skyland auto group to drive a 2011 Enclave that only had 34,000 miles on it.   The prices of both vehicles was the same but I really liked the Enclave and so did hubbie. It felt more like driving a luxury car than an SUV. The salesman wanted me to make them an offer but I didn't like the black color, it makes the inside heat up so much quicker and would make it harder to make any stops with my cakes in there in hot weather.
So I didn't buy anything today.
We picked up chicken feed and fertilizer on the the way home at Southern States and made it home around 3:30. Not to bad for a day of car shopping.
I got my laundry started and did 3 loads before evening chore time came around. The temperature didn't get out of the mid 60's today and with the breeze it was pretty uncomfortable outside.
I took this pic of the first of my Iris to bloom this year.

I spent some time sitting out in the sunroom watching the birds at my re-filled feeders this evening. I also looked around on the internet for more Enclaves.
I baked a couple coconut cakes for an order to be delivered tomorrow .

Update  on yesterday's disasters is not good as the death toll in the Nepal earthquake has doubled to more than 4000 recovered bodies today and the weather has been so bad again today in Alabama that the efforts to find the missing sailers from yesterday's storm have been unsuccessful.  There was more bad storms all across the southern states today once again with baseball size hail in places.
Very thankful tonight for all the day's safe travel and praying for guidance in all my upcoming decisions,also still praying for the people of Nepal and Alabama that they may find comfort in Jesus Christ at this time.
Good Night and God Bless.


Sunday, April 26, 2015

CALM SUNDAY FOR US BUT NOT FOR MANY OTHERS

Pounding rain on the metal roof woke me about 2am this morning. The rain shower passed quickly and only left about 1/4" in the gauge this morning.
Church was good today and then we all headed home for a lunch of roast beef, boiled potatoes, fresh green beans, corn and rolls with sweet tea to drink. Re brought some brownies that were enjoyed by all and we finished off the fruit tray that daughter had brought Friday night for dessert.
#2 son was the only one missing today as he was in S.C. playing golf and came by later this evening for  a plate of left overs.
Clouds covered the sky all day with only peeks of sunshine with the temperature in the mid 60's for a cool day.
Hubbie went over to daughter's to get her jeep which she is selling to bring it here so he can deal with folks coming to drive it.
I spent the afternoon relaxing out in the sunroom bird watching and just enjoying the quiet.
Later in the afternoon I walked over to Aa and Re's property with them and the kids to chick out the progress. They are moving right along with the house site construction.
It was good exercise for me and helped walk off the big lunch I had.
After chores I searched more on the internet for used suv's.
The news hurts today to listen to all the disasters of the last couple days.
In Nepal there was a 7.8 earth quake that has devastated that area. 2500 bodies have so far been recovered with that number expected to rise significantly as they sift through all the rubble.
This is the worse disaster in the last 80 years for this area.


A strong after shock caused a massive avalanche on Mt. Everest killing 17 people some of them from the USA.
And in southern Chile the news isn't much better as they are facing the eruption of the Calbuco volcano that has been quiet for 42 years.



No more complaining about shoveling snow from your roofs, as these guys are shoveling heavy volcanic ash from their rooftops !
And we aren't fairing much better in this country as a severe storm system that triggered tornadoes and flooding in Texas turned deadly when it struck the Dauphin Island, Alabama Regatta today killing 2 so far with 5 still missing as night falls.


And right on cue it seems the weather channel came out today with their predictions for this hurricane season.
If either of these predictors are correct we will have a pretty tame season this year. Seems the El Nino currents are not favorable for storm formations which is a good thing.
I feel like hitting my knees tonight and thanking God for our calm relaxing wonderful Sunday.
My prayers go out to all the victims of these disasters, may they seek comfort in the love of Jesus Christ.
Good Night and God Bless.





Saturday, April 25, 2015

SUNSET BEAUTY

Well it is raining lightly as promised this morning as we headed out to market. Thankfully the rain stopped and we were able to get things carried in without getting them wet.
I had an okay market sales day with several crafts plus baked goods sold today.  The pillow order got picked up and a couple cake orders . Daughter came in and helped most of the morning before meeting b-friend for a run and then to do some yard work as the heavy rain has not materialized for the day.
It was still a cloudy cool only upper 60's day but at least no storms or heavy rains.
I stopped at Aldi to pick up baking supplies and then went to a fruit and vegetable stand that just opened for the season for some fresh green beans and other  things. So glad that it is time for the fresh fruits and vegetables even if they are coming from farther south right now.
At home hubbie helped get me unloaded then tackled the lawn for the week. The clouds were dark and it looked like rain any minute but it never came.
I sat out in the sun room for a nice quiet break with only the sound of the lawn mower and the birds singing, perfect afternoon !!!
As I did the chores this evening I noticed one of my favorite Azaleas was blooming .
Love this dark pink blush inside the snow white blossoms.
This is our garden so far this year.

After supper I watched a glorious sunset to end another wonderful blessing filled day.

GOD IS  SO  GOOD ALL THE  TIME !!!!!!!!
Good Night and God Bless.




Friday, April 24, 2015

IT'S A GIRL !!!! HAPPY 33rd TO D-IN-LOVE

A cloudy cool morning as I headed out to do the chores. Back inside I had breakfast and devotions then took a walk since the rain seemed to be holding off.
Back inside it was cake baking time. I baked 12 caramel, 3 chocolate and 6 pound cakes before stopping to have a late lunch.
The sun had temporarily won the battle with the clouds so I took a nice break soaking up some vitamin D before coming back inside to ice my caramel cakes.
I wanted to get them iced and all the cakes wrapped and out of the way for our "gender reveal" cookout this evening. As I iced cakes #1 son's family was at the doc's office having the ultrasound that would tell us the sex of our next grandbaby coming in September.
As they rushed home to prepare the cupcakes with the hidden colored icing inside hubbie and I got the burgers and hotdog fixins prepared . Re came early, left the kids here to run to grocery for some missing items.
Everyone made it in except Aa who is working and will come in later.
#2 son was a little late as he picked up his new Jeep after work and brought it in.
He had to order this specific color combo and accessories but he is happy with it. This is the third jeep he has had so it definitely must be his favorite vehicle.  Of course Uncle D's new jeep had to be kid broken in by these two. Who were moving to fast for a good pic but you get the idea haha !!
With everyone here and the main course of hotdogs and hamburgers finished it was time for the main event.
G-son got to give out the secret containing cupcakes.
We let him be the first to bite into his.....


IT'S   A   GIRL   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Although I guess he wasn't too happy with the news at first he got accustomed to it and as he watched EL devour her cupcake. He said a sister was okay if she would be  like EL !!!    So cute !!!!!!
I'm so happy for them as I have a feeling this is what they secretly hoped for. I was guessing a boy but am tickled to have another sweet little girl coming into the fam.
This special ultra sound could read the babies thoughts and after g-son went into the corner of the ultrasound room to cry when he heard the "sister news" the ultra sound tech printed out across one of the images that baby sister was already thinking how lucky she was to have him as a big brother and that she already loved him very much  !!!!   That improved his mood drastically.
Everyone had a wonderful time and it was a really special day for d-in-love as this news came on her birthday as well. HAPPY   33rd   BIRTHDAY AND CONGRATULATIONS  D-IN-LOVE !!!!

After everyone left I iced my chocolate cakes and packed things for market. With the predictions for 100% rain and storms all day don't expect too many folks to be out in the weather.
Feeling very grateful tonight for the special little one that is about to join our family and so humbled be God's goodness and grace everyday.
Good Night and God Bless.