A FOND FAREWELL TO JUNE 2017

Up and out to get this busy Friday started. It is cloudy and humid this morning but still cool for this time of year. There was 6/10ths inch of rain in the gauge from the overnight and early morning rain showers. The Butterfly bushes are blooming right on time this year with an assortment of colors.

This month broke a 15 month span of above normal average temps for the month with it's .5 degrees   below average temperature.
After chores and breakfast I went up to church to take a caramel cake for a funeral luncheon of the oldest member of our church. JC Justus was 91 years old and passed away this past Tuesday after a short health decline.
I helped set up for the family's lunch and then headed home.
On the way home I saw a yard sale sign in the yard of one of my friends, Kim Williams that has been having some health problems so I stopped to check on her. Her daughter, Summer was having the sale to clean out some of the excess in the house. I had a nice visit with her but Kim was still sleeping.
I came home and started baking cakes, I baked 12 caramel,2 coconut, 2 chocolate, 4 pound, 1 blackberry wine, 2 coffee cakes, 1 lemon layer cake and 2 pans of brownies. It was almost 3:00 when I turned the last oven off and had a late lunch.
Daughter and I had plans to go over to the outlets in Asheville today but with the late morning start I got and the traffic already building on the interstates and she having the babies pictures made at 5:00 we decided to postpone our shopping trip.
It started raining about 4:00 and continued lightly on and off for a couple hours leaving another 3/10ths inch in the gauge to add to the morning total.
I decided to run to Walmart for supplies for our early July 4th cookout that we are planning tomorrow so I can come straight home tomorrow from market and get started on the preparations.
Walmart was extremely crowded today and so were the roads. Our little town has just out grown our road systems and it makes it aggravating to get anywhere anymore.
However sometimes detours are just what I need on a busy hectic day and as I made this turn and gazed out over the apple orchards and blue hued mountain ranges in the distance I felt a calm thankfulness for the beauty that surrounds me each day.

G-daughter I's photo shoot went very well with no tears and few pics I saw turned out really good.

After we finished chores I started icing cakes and getting things ready for a busy Saturday before the fourth market day. I finished about midnight once again and fell into bed !!!
As this June 2017 comes to an end and I look back over the month it will be one that we always remember with the birth of another grand child. We celebrated 3 other birthdays this month with Tif's on the  8th  , hubbie's on the 15th and Aa's on the 30th.
Our garden has been giving us lettuce, onions, kale greens, peas , peppers, cucumbers, squash and potatoes so far and has gotten rain just at the right times to make it grow and produce nicely.
The weather has been nice with a week of such cool temps we were able to cut the air conditioning off and enjoy the open window sounds of nature to wake up to.

G-son finished his 4th grade year of school and d-in-love began working only 2 days each week giving us only 1 day a week of babysitting g-daughter and g-son. We have made fun trips to Carl Sandburgs to pet the goats and to a couple parks for the kids to play.
G-daughter R is taking her first swimming lessons this month.
#2 son and Tif bought a boat and have been enjoying going to the lake when they get a day off work together.
Hubbie had a very nice father's day but the highlight of the month came on the 20th day when g-daughter I made her entrance into this world about 3:10 that afternoon. She and daughter are doing well and I am so thankful to have another little family member to love.

Thankful for another blessing filled day and for the strength God gives me each and every day. Thankful for this past month and all the blessings for my family and looking forward to what God has in store for us in July.
God Bless and Good Night

KEYS !!!

As I get started this morning and think about this being the last market day of June this year I am saddened by how fast time is passing.
Market started off slow but I did have a pretty good day with a couple orders picked up and some folks getting desserts for this weekends holiday meals.
Daughter and g-daughter I kept me company most of the day and gave everyone a chance to meet the latest Curb market member.
D-in-love came by and brought g-son and g-daughter R for a visit. G-son loves holding little I and tried to hold his sister the same way but she was not having it !!!

D-in-love left to get g-daughter R to her swimming lesson at the YMCA.

 She is really enjoying these lessons. And the after lessons treat !!!

Daughter and g-daughter I left market to meet some friends .
I had a good day of sales today thankfully after a slow start.
And here I am spending quite a bit of time in the Ingles parking lot waiting for hubbie to come with his keys to unlock the Honda !!!  I bought a large watermelon which took both my hands to get out of the cart into the back of the Honda, which forced me to lay my keys down and after I closed the lift gate and tried to load the rest of the groceries in the side door I realized my keys were still laying in the back behind the locked lift gate !!!!
I was under the impression that these new "smart" key fobs wouldn't allow this to happen, but guess, what I was wrong.

At least its a beautiful afternoon and I was parked in the shade so it wasn't too bad of a wait until he got there.
The thing I did notice was the fact that no one even paid me any attention as I leaned on my vehicle for almost an hour and there was a man in a car parked right behind me that saw the entire thing and he just pulled away. 
After hubbie got there and unlocked the Honda I made a stop at Sav Mor for "on sale" eggs and headed home.
I got here about 4:15 and hubbie came in from work right behind me. We got things unloaded and put away.
Daughter and d-in-love had pedicure appointments this evening so g-son and g-daughter R spent some time with hubbie and I while they were gone.

 "Ain't technology grand " ???

While they watched computer screens hubbie and I watched the evening news on the TV.
We took turns getting the chores done then played outside with the kids. G-daughter loved swinging and almost went to sleep in the swing.
After they all left hubbie and I relaxed for the evening.
It has been another cooler than average day and rain began falling just as I came inside after shutting the chickens all up at dark.
Thankful for all the blessings of this day.
God Bless and Good Night.

BAKING DAY AND 2007 MEMORIES

Up and out on a really cool morning today. It is 49 degrees this morning, one degree off the record of 48 that was set for this date back in 1987.
After chores and breakfast I took a nice energizing walk to get this busy day started.
Just as I started baking daughter and g-daughter I arrived . Hubbie was here having lunch and got to love on I while I worked.

I baked 12 caramel, 3 chocolate, 4 pound, 2 blackberry wine and a pan of brownies before I took time for a late lunch and a chance to hold the baby for a while.
After daughter left I did some housecleaning and finished my July decorating changes. I love the red ,white and blue for this month but it seems I just was putting this away making me sad that time is flying by so quickly.
Hubbie came in from work and got on the lawn mower with the prediction of rain going up for the next several days he wanted to get it mowed today.
I did chores then did weekly paperwork and paid bills before beginning my icing for the evening. With 12 caramels to ice I knew this would be a late night and I was right as I was dragging myself into bed about 1am. I am writing this at market on Thursday morning and back dating it as usual on these busy baking days.
I need to finish the decade pics for this month since this month has managed to slip by like they all seem to do !!!
Back in June of 2007 g-son was 8 months old and a lot of fun. Snowball our old milk cow loved him also.

With Pawpaw ......

 And mom.......

 This is a younger hubbie and I at market back then, doesn't seem possible that it has been 10 years.

Old Snowball with some of our heifers that we were finishing out that year.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the steadfast love of a wonderful Savior.
God Bless and Good Night

DOCTOR VISIT, PARK PLAYTIME AND 2017 CANNING SEASON BEGINS

Ahhhhh A really cool morning feels more like early Fall than early Summer today. I hated to leave the warm spot under the covers.
After chores and breakfast I had devotions then took a walk around in the crisp morning .
These pink clouds of Mimosa blossoms have the entire yard smelling Heavenly .

My Morning Glories are finally blooming to say good morning each day.

I love this row of blooming Hostas just outside the chicken lot.

Spotted this pretty butterfly taking a rest in the cool morning .

I reluctantly came back inside and started some house cleaning this morning. I didn't clean any last week and it definitely shows.
I also got a start on putting some July 4th decor out.
After a quick lunch I headed over to daughter's . She asked me to come over with enough time before g-daughter I's doctors appointment to help give her a bath.
She was just finishing nursing when I arrived and we gave her a good sponge bath since her naval cord is still hanging on.
Then we headed to her doctor's appointment to check her weight again.
We got to meet her regular doctor today and she was very nice and very informative.
G-daughter I has gained 13 ounces since Friday which puts her above her birth weight already at 8 lbs 2 oz.  so she said that was excellent and she didn't need to see her again until her 1 month check-up.
Daughter felt very accomplished with this news.

We went to Ingles to pick up a few things and g-daughter I slept in the cart the entire time.
D-in-love met us there and we all headed over to Dana Park for some fun. G-son met one of his cousin's there and had a very good time .

Of course g-daughter R was having the time of her life running from one thing to the other and she also found a playmate.

And of course Neena is always her playmate !!!

 G-daughter I was not impressed with the activity at all !!!!

D-in-love took g-daughter R to her swimming lessons and g-son stayed with us and played a little longer.
We finally bribed him with a stop at Dollar General to get him to leave.
We dropped daughter and g-daughter I off at their house and g-son had to kiss his littlest cousin good-bye.

I dropped g-son off at his house and then got home about 5:30. I watched the news and then did chores. Hubbie finished a sturdier more protective box for the young roosters and we put it in their lot so I don't have to worry about any predator getting to them.
I came inside and started breaking the ends of all the green beans I picked yesterday. I worked through the evening making Dilly Beans and ended up with 17 pints of deliciousness for the first project of this canning season.

I finished and took the second batch out of the water bath at 11:00 then I wrote my blog post and headed for bed.
Thanking God for the wonderful blessings of this day and for the strength He gives me each day to spend it being a grandmother !!!
God Bless and Good Night.

GARDEN HARVEST BEGINS

Off to a good start on this Monday morning with g-daughter R and g-son's arrival. While hubbie fixed them breakfast I did chores and then picked my peas and fed the vines to the chickens which made them very happy. This is the first crop from the garden and after putting some in the frig to use in salads I had three freezer bags full for later.

Bless my little "pea picking heart" as my dad would say !!!
We all got in the Honda  and went over to daughter's to take her a little bassinet that she had stored here thinking she wouldn't need it. Hoping to get g-daughter I to sleep beside the bed in it so she can stop sleeping in the recliner. She has tried a couple other things to get her to sleep in but she cries.
We left there and went by Southern States to pick up chicken feed on our way home.
We got home just in time for a lunch of left overs from yesterday.
G-daughter R and g-son played outside in the nice cooler mid 70's afternoon after lunch.

Love the color of the sky in this pic.

She got tired and came inside to rest in her bean bag !!!

Because of the plumbing problems at their house we gave g-daughter R a nice warm bath here and it helped her relax to take a nice nap .

While hubbie got her down for her nap I did weekly laundry.
D-in-love picked them up about 5:30 and then hubbie went down to help #1 son unclog the commode that g-daughter R had thrown a hair clasp into.
I did chores and then picked green beans for my second crop harvest of the day. These are the bush beans for dilly beans.

I love this time of year when meals consist from fresh garden vegetables. I cooked some fresh beets for my supper tonight to go with a piece of left over stuffing and it was a great supper !!!!

G-daughter R was enjoying her supper of spaghetti tonight while hubbie and son worked on the plumbing problem at her house.

Daughter used her new carrier wrap tonight as she took a nice walk to enjoy the cool evening.

It looks like rain may be headed out way over night with these mean looking clouds.

Word from our church mission trip is good . This is our Pastor Craig doing what he does best on these trips.

This evening I rested up for another busy day tomorrow.
Thankful for all the blessings of this day and for God's guidance in all that I do.
God Bless and Good Night.