HAPPY 64th TO ME and GOODBYE JULY

A strange morning to wake up with hubbie gone to work at managing market.Got up feeling refreshed from the good night's sleep I had. Thankful that my back eased off enough with the heating pad to allow a good night's sound sleep.
I did chores and had a leisurely breakfast out in the sunroom with even an extra cup of coffee on this cloudy cooler morning.
I changed out all the monthly decorations from the red ,white and blue of July to yellow and green sunflowers for August.
I finished this by lunch time and had a salad of mostly fresh vegetables from our garden and then stripped the bed all the way down to the mattress and did a load of laundry.
The clouds grew really dark and rain started falling about the time hubbie came in from market.He said it was a pretty slow day but he did sell one of daughters tobacco stick ladders and my money plant bunch that I had out there.
After the short shower of rain ended hubbie and I went to Walmart and stopped by sis-in-laws to pick up some things.
Lastly we stopped by daughter's apartment.
We got home just in time to get chores done before the thunder started rumbling again.
Today is my 64th birthday and I spent it doing my routine things.
All the kids called or text to wish me a happy birthday and RL said if it was my birthday it must be hers also !!!
Today also brings another busy summer month to an end.
We started out this month with a busy 4th of July all day celebration starting with a trip to Columbus to a street fair and ending it at Aa and Re's house for a cook-out and fireworks.
Each Monday when we have had g-son and g-daughter RL we have planned a park visit and met daughter with g-daughter IR to have a fun day.
We have made a couple trips to see the goats at Carl Sandburgs and a couple trips to Flat Rock Park where there is things for all ages to enjoy.
We made our family beach trip a little early this year with a trip to Isle of Palms, SC. The kids had a blast and everyone enjoyed it very much.
Our garden has done well so far and I have canned green beans and made dilly beans this month.
Market has been very busy this month thankfully and that has kept me busy.
#1 son cleared daughter's house site and is waiting for the permits to continue work. He also built RL a chicken coup for the 6 silkie chicks I gave her and she loves those chickens each day.
G-son had a week of soccer camp which he enjoyed very much.
#2 son and Tif are making plans for an upcoming exciting trip.
Daughter and son-in-love closed on their new house this month and they both got new vehicles. Son-in-love who leases a Honda traded his Accord for a Honda CRV and daughter traded her small Equinox for a Toyota Odyssey van which has much more room. They also made another family beach trip with a couple of son-in-love's brothers and their families. They are both excited about the progress of their house site.
This summer is slipping by me like most months and seasons do and it seems like a dream that this is the last day of July and that summer is coming to a fast end. Seems it was just yesterday that we were looking forward to playing in January's snowfall.
I am so thankful and so humbled by God's love and blessings that He pours out on my family as life goes on. I pray each day that God will guide me through each day and that my paths are always pointed toward Him.
God Bless, Good Night and Good Bye July

YEP !!! THIS SURELY HAS BEEN A MONDAY

Woke up this morning knowing this wasn't going to be a good day. I evidently moved wrong in my sleep just after I got into bed last night and re-hurt my back muscle as the pain woke me right up and there was no getting comfortable to get back to sleep. Finally the last time I looked at the clock it was 2:47 and tiredness must have won out over the pain. I felt like I hadn't slept at all when the alarm sounded this morning so it must have been a fitful sleep.
I heard g-daughter RL and hubbie having breakfast when I dragged myself out of the bed.
I went out and got the chores done and then feeling not hungry at all I took the long handled shears and cut back some poison ivy from the green house right behind the ripening blueberries . I was afraid the kids were going to get in it yesterday when they were picking berries and when I passed by this morning I was reminded it needed to be got out of there.
By the time I got inside I had worked up a small appetite and had some oatmeal and coffee.
RL always has to have some of my oatmeal.
She is really wired up this morning as I know she is tired because they got in late last night and she had to get up extra early this morning.
We decided to go pick up some extra chicken feed and then stop by the Fletcher park and let her play to wear herself out.
G-son went to work with his mom this morning so she could take him for his annual physical exam and get the shots he needs at his age.
G-daughter RL wasn't to excited about playing at the park today because she was so tired. After a few slides she was ready to call it a morning.

We headed home and to our surprise she made it almost home before she fell asleep. We unloaded our feed and hubbie carried her inside and put her on the couch.
We started to fix our lunch and as soon as we sat down RL came walking into the kitchen and didn't want to go back to sleep after only about a 30 minute nap.
We all had lunch and then d-in-love dropped off g-son.
He got out my old laptop and played games on it most of the afternoon while I got 3 loads of laundry done and hubbie played with RL.
She is always hard to deal with when she doesn't get enough nap and today was no different.
I layed on the couch for a while trying to get my back to ease off and then when it did I had to fight sleep so I got up.
I sat out in the sunroom on a vibrating massager that is in the recliner out there and that made my back feel some better thankfully.
D-in-love picked up the kids and hubbie and I watched the news then did chores early because it looks like some storms might be headed our way.
Hubbie picked all the ripening tomatoes in case it hails with these storms that are forming. We could already hear thunder.
We came inside and watched as the storms skirted to the north west of our area.
The forecast is for wide spread rain for the entire area over the next 5 days so hopefully we will get some but not downpours or hail.

After g-daughter RL got home and loved on her chickens for a little while she went to bed at 7:30.

This face was pretty common today when things didn't go as she wanted and nothing seemed to go as she wanted .

I downloaded some pictures tonight and wrote my blog ,now I am headed for a very early bedtime.

Thankful for the blessings of this day with the knowledge that even on days like this when I have to look harder to find them the blessings are surely always there, thank You Jesus.

God Bless and Good Night

FUN SUNDAY

Lazy Sunday mornings are so nice. As I stretched and turned the alarm off to the quiet morning I thought about how grateful I am to be able to have the freedom to worship a wonderful loving God today.
I did chores and then hubbie and I had breakfast together which almost never happens.
We put some cube steaks in the crock pot for lunch and potatoes on the stove before we started getting  ready for church.
Church was good today and #1 son , g-son and Aa's family came to eat lunch with us. We had fresh green beans, fried squash from our garden and corn from Aa and biscuits with sweet tea for lunch.
We all had a good visit then I took the kids outside to pick some blueberries , blackberries and grapes that are getting ripe. They all ate their fill and then had a few minutes of play time before they headed home for naps.
It clouded up and looked like rain any minute but it passed and the sun came back out shortly.
Hubbie and I relaxed until about 4:30 when g-daughter RL came to stay with us while the rest of her family went to a church family fun night of dinner and bowling.
RL had a lot of fun here alone and it was like she couldn't get enough of us by herself !!
She had to slide on this big slide that no one has used in a long time.

We swung on the big swing...….

And after we went inside to have supper of leftovers I gave her this chicken shaped bubble blowing gun I had bought for her at the July 4th street fair we went to. 

 Yep, it was a hit, she loved dancing around in all the bubbles and hearing it crow like a rooster as it flashed lights.
I did my chores while RL helped hubbie do his and then we watched TV until she got really tired and her mom and dad picked her up.
Thankful for the blessings of this day.
God Bless and Good Night.

BUSY MARKET DAY AND 2008 MEMORIES

Hubbie left at 7am this morning to go unlock market for the vendors who come early. I slept until 8am and then got up ,got ready for market, did the chores and headed out. I dropped #1 son off a partial dozen eggs I had extra and then made it to market right on time.
Hubbie came out and helped me carry in and get set up.
I stayed very busy all day today thankfully and hubbie had a busy manager day also.
It wasn't so very hot in market today and that made for a better day for everyone.
Hubbie helped me pack up and then locked market all up. I had a market board meeting today and we decided on a new manager so she can start next week hopefully.
We discussed a couple more market business proposals and then adjourned at 4:00.
I came straight home and hubbie helped me get unloaded and put things away.
We watched the early news and then did chores.
After chores we gleaned the garden getting more tomatoes, squash , okra and green beans for lunch tomorrow.
If it doesn't rain pretty soon I'm afraid out gardening year is going to be over. Our cucumber vines just dried up and withered away and it looks like other things will soon follow.
Hubbie and I ran out to Ingles tonight to pick up some supplies for tomorrow's lunch and then took the rest of the night to relax.
Back in July of 2008 we were enjoying out first grandchild as g-son was keeping everyone busy watching him and his antics !!

D-in-loves dad always hosted a big July 4th cook out and everyone always enjoyed the good food and fellowship. D-in-love's brother Tim, #2 son and #1 son enjoying some special cigars .

Hubbie and daughter enjoying watermelon.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and thankful for extended family and friends.

God Bless and Good Night

BAKING FRIDAY AND 1988 MEMORIES

Up to greet another end of the week Friday. I still am having trouble sleeping with the pain in my back but I can tell it is slowly getting better each night thankfully.
Hubbie was already outside working on getting the log piles son dumped in the pasture pushed together . He didn't want the cattle trying to climb around on the logs.
I got chores done and then started gathering my baking supplies.
Hubbie came inside and helped me get things carried up to the kitchen.
I baked 12 caramel,2 chocolate, 2 pound cakes and 1 pan of brownies to take to market tomorrow.
Hubbie finished his outside work about the time I was sitting down to eat a late lunch. After we ate we cleaned house. Just as I finished mopping us out the door d-in-love drove by with a special treat for us. A new Cook-Out restaurant opened up late last week just out the road and she brought us a couple of their famous milkshakes. They were very good, I had a cherry and hubbie had strawberry cheesecake and we both made short work of them as they really hit the spot after our housework frenzy. Thanks d-in-love and grands.
We took a short rest out in the covered patio and I shucked another bunch of money plant that grew in the front yard to sell at market.
It came a short rain shower while we were out there and that shower really cooled the temps down.
The rain didn't last long and didn't even wet under the trees as we so badly need some rain for the garden but at least the leaves will get to suck up a few drops.
We did chores then I spent the evening icing cakes and getting things ready for market.
Hubbie is market manager tomorrow in place of daughter who isn't feeling well. The docs thinks she has shingles.
This is g-daughter RL singing to one of her chickens this evening.

She still loves those chickens so much and every evening this is where you will find her.

There was a lovely full moon tonight if you could catch a glimpse among all the passing clouds.

Back in July of 1988 we were having a lot of fun going to the lake on most weekends with 3 kids and farming our cattle.

The kids had so much fun at the lake.

All our cattle were pets back then and I have always loved cute little calves.

We had a big Herford bull that was really sweet and beautiful.

This is hubbie's red beagle that he really loved.

The kids loved farm life …..

This is a newspaper article published in our local paper on July 31,1988.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the memories.

God Bless and Good Night

BUSY MARKET AND DAUGHTER'S HOUSE SITE IS BEAUTIFUL

Another pretty sleepless painfilled night makes getting out of bed harder than usual on this market day Thursday.
When we got to market and got set up daughter who wasn't feeling well at all headed for minic clinic.
She was told she might have the beginning of shingles and was told she needed to see a doctor. Thankfully they did go ahead and give her an antiviral medicine to start taking so it made her feel better.
We had a busy market day and then we all packed up and ran errands. I went to the bank, the PO , Aldi and Walmart and then stopped for gas before making it home at 5:00. That shows how much more slower I am moving with my back.
Hubbie went by the dump and then came home to meet daughter who was just coming in from meeting her home builder over at her property. Everything was really good and he said her house would be ready in September. She left IR here and was going to the car dealership to talk to them about the trade. She got the deal she wanted and ended up trading her Equinox for this Honda Odyssey van with much more room.

#1 son was hauling firewood in for hubbie from daughter's property and we ended up with a good supply.

We all went back over and checked out the progress on the land. It is really nice and is now ready for the septic and well permit.

This has been a busy day and daughter was feeling pretty bad by this evening so she is going to the doctor in the morning to see exactly what is going on with her ear and eye trouble.

We finished chores and then rested for the evening.

Praying that nothing serious is going on with daughter and then she can get a correct diagnosis in the morning. Thankful for my blessings on the day.

God Bless and Good Night.

"GLORIOUS" MORNING

A rough sleepless night with the pain in my back stabbing me each time I tried to move. Now my neck is pretty sore this morning, ugggg.
Hubbie was outside getting the dogs taken care of as I went out to get my chores done also.
I passed these Morning Glories on my way and thought how cheerful they always look as they open up their pretty blooms to greet the morning sun each day and as the heat takes over they close up and wait until the next morning to bloom once again in the cool crisp morning air.

Flash was enjoying the cool morning sunshine on the porch of this dog house.

After chores and breakfast  hubbie helped me get set up to start my baking and then he went outside to plant our late garden vegetables.

I baked 12 caramel, 3 chocolate, 6 pound cakes and 1 pan of brownies . I was just finishing up and getting ready for a late lunch when daughter and IR came by. She was trying to decide what to do about trading cars.

She left to go have her sis-in-law Karrie give her a manicure ad pedicure.

Hubbie and I rode over to see how much #1 son got done on daughter's land. He cut all the trees and hauled the logs to a local sawmill.

G-daughter RL thought  she was something moving her brother around in the bucket of the trach hoe.

We all came home and I did chores and then iced cakes and got things ready for market. I have moved around so much today that I feel I have worked some of the soreness out of my back and hopefully I can sleep better tonight.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the love of my precious Savior Jesus Christ.

God Bless and Good Night.