PREPARATION DAY

Up to greet a busy day instead of any grandkids this morning. I got chores done and had breakfast. Daughter came by and her and hubbie took his truck to go pick up a piece of furniture she had bought for her new house.
I started baking cakes, I baked 12 caramel, 4 chocolate, a pan of  brownies and only 2 pound cakes . I needed to bake 4 more pound cakes but ran out of shortening.
Hubbie was back by this time so I didn't want to send him right back out to the store so I decided I would wait until later and ask daughter to pick me up some on her way over here this evening to bring some baby things that we are hauling to the beach for her.
Yes this is the getting ready day for out annual family beach trip.
The trip is really different this year as we decided to opt for a shorter drive with IR and RL at the stages in their lives they are so we are going to Isle of Palms just outside of Charleston SC which is a 4 hour drive.
The biggest difference is that we are all staying separately this year in the same condo building but in different units. We are all on the third floor pretty close to one another.
Some of the kids wanted a pool so we couldn't find a house big enough for all of us that had a pool and was on the ocean.
Also all of us aren't staying the full week. #2 son and Tif aren't going at all as they both have to work, son-in-love is going down tomorrow with daughter and IR but he is coming home Monday to go back to work Tuesday, hubbie and I are leaving tomorrow afternoon late and leaving with daughter and IR Friday morning to get home to get ready for market next Saturday, #1 son's family is leaving around noon tomorrow and they are staying until Saturday, Aa's family is coming down Wednesday and staying until Saturday.
#2 son is taking care of the farm while we are gone.
After I finished my baking hubbie and I had lunch of fresh green beans, fresh yellow squash grilled and a couple hamburgers. We needed energy to tackle the busy afternoon.
First we cleaned the house since we overlooked that task last Friday. Then it was packing time.
I have lists that I've used for years and each year I am very grateful to get these out and not have to stress about if we've got everything or not.
I just hope we are able to get everything in the Honda with all of IR's supplies . We will load after we get home from Curb Market tomorrow.
Daughter brought me the shortening and brought IR's pack and play and stroller to go in our car and got her a large suitcase that we will have to leave room for on the way back.
#1 son came up and helped hubbie go through all the fishing stuff to take because there is a pier that only residence of these condos get to use so they are excited about that.
A bad storm blew up just to the east of us and Tif got caught in the bad hail from it on her mail route.

Thankfully we only got rain and wind from it.
I sat my porch plants all out in the rain so I wouldn't have to carry water to them and gave all the inside plants a generous drink to hold them until we get back.
We did chores early in a light rain since on the news they talked like another bad storm was headed our way.
I iced cakes and baked 4 more pound cakes and got things ready for market.
Whew !!!  I always wonder if the vacation is worth the effort it takes to get things ready to go but usually it always is.
The tropics picked a bad time to get active but hopefully neither of these systems will spoil our weather where we are going.

Praying for traveling mercies for the entire family tomorrow and thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night.