RELAXING QUIET SUNDAY TO END FEBRUARY

 Leisure Sunday mornings are great. I got chores done and then I had a nice slow cup of coffee . Today's lunch is spaghetti so it is an easy not much prep meal day. I did add a broccoli / cauliflower salad and a fruit salad to the spaghetti and garlic toast hubbie made.   #1 son's family , #2 son and d-in-love Tif and Aa's family were here for lunch.  Daughter's family went to have lunch with Ben's family ( son-in-love's brother).  After we ate everyone left and hubbie and I relaxed on a cloudy, very windy afternoon. It is pretty warm but the wind is blowing hard making it uncomfortable to be outside.  Rain is supposed to get here overnight.   This has been one of those "why am I even writing anything here" days .  So just to say this was a relaxing day and a normal evening as another month comes to an end and get a short recap on here is enough writing for today.

Th weather was the most interesting story of this month.  February 2021 started out cold and snowy and ended warm and sunny with a little bit of everything including ice, rain, high wind and sunshine mixed in. The month was typically colder than normal.  We had a nice Valentines celebration with the announcement from daughter of another member joining our family this fall and saw our first blooms of the season this month.  It was a pretty uneventful month but we are thankful for the blessings that came our way from the graciousness of our Glorious ,Generous Heavenly Father.

As this month ends we are grateful for the blessings of this day and look forward to a new month starting tomorrow that we get to glorify God in all that we do.

God Bless and Good Night

BEAUTIFUL WORK DAY SATURDAY

 Up to a cloudy morning today but the weather folks say we will have sunshine by noon today. I got chores done and then changed out all the furniture covers and decor from the "red " of Valentine February to the green of "St, Patricks" March. I got everything done and cleaned up but the curtains in the living room. Those will get changed in the next day or so.   #1 son was working in the bottom pastures to ditch our farm pond out and try to lower the water level in the pastures by giving the water a place to drain . He cleaned the ditch that runs from the pond to the creek out and water poured into it and lowered the pond level quickly.

RL was getting driving lessons around the pasture.

Son also did some work on our driveway and pushed a dead apple tree down on the outside of the upper pasture to make room for a 4-wheeler shed to park in.  While he worked on that I pruned our blueberry bushes and cleaned all the dead canes out of the blackberry patch. I felt like I put in a full days work by the time I got all that finished.  

D-in-love picked up IR to come play with RL today and she had a ball riding on the 4-wheeler and all the other things they got to do including a nice soak in the hot tub.

The girls even got to help son load the track hoe back on the trailer.

We are all so thankful for the very nice weather today with temperatures reaching 70 degrees and mostly sunshine so that I even got my first sunburned neck from my outside work.  It has been a very productive day also which is always good.  February is always the month I try to get my pruning done so getting the berries all pruned right here at the end of the month was good. Hubbie managed to get all the grape vines pruned earlier in the month and our pear trees so we should be all set now with out fruit.

It is hard to believe there is only one more day in February this year . February is also always my "tax" month but with the delays in deadlines from the government I haven't got any taxes done so far.

Thankful for all the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

RAINY FRIDAY

 Well as the old saying goes ,all good things have to come to an end, and our nice spring like warm sunshine is certainly ended this morning as I get out to get chores done in my warm coveralls and raingear. It is 40 degrees and dropping already this morning and rain is coming down steadily. All three girls are here this morning and are sorely disappointed that we can't get outside today. We all had breakfast when i got back inside and then these two settled in to watch a movie while CA napped. 

 IR rode with me to pick up lunch just to get out of the house.  We all had a nice lunch and then the girls spent the afternoon playing as the rain continued to fall outside all afternoon leaving .75 inch in the gauge by chore time.  After the girls left we got out to get chores done before some heavier rain moved in.  I did exercise on the elliptical tonight since there was no outside walking today.  Hubbie and I relaxed for the evening and watched the temperature dropped throughout the evening into the mid 30's before we went to bed. 

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL FEBRUARY DAY

 Up to greet IR and CA this morning. It is a another beautiful day, warm with sunshine. I got chores done and then grabbed a protein bar for a quick breakfast. We loaded up a couple cake orders and all the other things for our weekly errand day and headed out in hubbie's truck.  We made stops at the P.O. then the dump/ recycle center. After exchanging a couple phone calls we made the cake deliveries and then drove back to the other side of town to shop in an Ingles over there that is much more covid sensitive than the one on our side of town. There you must wear a mask and social distance and they do a good job of enforcement so I feel better giving them my business. However today after the experience I had with another shopper who was just plain mean I will probably be taking advantage of their curbside grocery pick-up from now on.   We picked up lunches on the way home and had a nice lunch all together today since CA was already awake from a short nap in the truck.   After we finished eating we all headed outside to make good of this last day before the cold rain returns tomorrow. 

IR is going through a "don't take my picture" stage right now !!!!

We played outside all afternoon even after daughter came to pick them up we stayed outside for awhile.

After the girls left hubbie and I got chores done and then I did my walking exercises. I have been sneezing all day so I think the girls have managed to share their snotty noses with me so I am not feeling top notch this evening but I wanted to get in some exercise anyway.

Took another picture of the almost full "snow" moon this evening as the clouds started rolling in from the cold front that is bringing colder temps and rain to us tomorrow.

After a quick light supper we relaxed for the evening.

Thankful for all the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

WONDERFUL OUTSIDE PLAY DAY

 Up to sunshine through the window and 2 little girls crawling in bed with me to help with my leg stretches I do each morning. I got chores done with a light jacket on this morning as the mid 30's early morning temperature is quickly over run by an exceptionally warm day.  Thankful to have a day like this to help get us through a colder than normal February.  The sky is so blue and totally cloud free,

After we ate breakfast we decided we surely couldn't waste this gorgeous day so we loaded the girls and some drinks up and headed for the Oklawaha walking trail. The girls were excited to outside in the warm sunshine and the two bigs ran the entire time.

We headed home after a good exercise time and picked up lunches on the way home. The girls were ravenously hungry today and we all ate a good lunch.  While CA napped I took RL and IR outside to play and to continue getting  good dose of vitamin D.

After CA finished her nap she joined us for popsicles and more playtime.

The girls picked me the first flowers of the season. 

They also discovered these new blooms in the yard as these little early Field Pansies are some of the first signs of spring around here.

After the girls left hubbie and I watched the early news and then got chores done.  

This moon that will be fullest on Saturday is called the "Snow" moon because typically February is the snowiest month of the year. It looked pretty tonight in a clear sky as I took my walk this evening.

Each day when I look at these golden sunsets I am reminded of how much our Heavenly Father must love us to end days with such beauty as He quietly puts His creation to sleep for the night.

This has been a wonderful day and I am so glad we were able to get out and enjoy every minute of it with these 3 wonderful little ladies that God blessed us with.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

COUNTING MY BLESSINGS TODAY

 Up to greet IR and CA this morning on another sunny low 30's morning.  I got chores done and then we had breakfast.  The girls played the morning away with dolls, castle and books.

Unbelievably RL got registered for kindergarten today, it is hard to believe she will be in school this Fall. 

We picked up our Aldi curbside grocery order and then picked lunches up on the way home. CA took a good nap while the rest of us ate lunch.  After she woke up we went outside for awhile but the wind was a little chilly so we didn't stay outside long.  CA was finally ready for her lunch when we came back inside.

After the girls left hubbie and I watched the early news then got chores done.  I did my walking this evening and then we sat out in the covered patio for a while since the wind has completely died this evening. 

We had a light supper of roasted brussel sprouts and radishes and then I got a bad surprise.  Each night I have gotten into the habit of checking all our credit card and bank activity .  On one of our credit cards I had noticed a random $1 charge to Walmart dated this past Saturday. I thought it was very strange but just figured it was a mistake and since it was pending I would wait to see if it went away.  Well tonight there was another charge to Walmart dated today for $12.95 .  I called Walmart to see what the charge was for and they said someone had purchased a Walmart plus membership today at a monthly charge of $12.95.    I told her it was not me and she removed the charge , she couldn't see what the $1 charge was for but suggested I call my card company immediately and cancel the card.  

When I called the bank where the card is from and talked to the fraud department he said this is common protocol for card number theft. The charges start out very small and gradually increase as they assume you are not watching your account. Since the month just started they would have had a long time to charge against my card before I would have gotten the bill and noticed the extra charges.   Just a warning for all my friends who read this post . Better start watching your accounts because they told me this is happening a lot right now.  Just so so thankful I was watching !!!!

What a world we are living in right now with so much dishonesty.

I am very thankful for the blessings of this day and am determined to dwell on the blessings rather than the wrongs right now.

God Bless and Good Night

RAINY MORNING , SUNNY EVENING

 Another soggy Monday morning to get out in the rain. Hubbie took g-son to school and when he got back I put on rain gear and headed out to get chores done in a cold 34 degree rain. Thankfully the temperature stayed above freezing and there was no ice.  I came back inside and had eggs and bacon for a good hearty warm breakfast. All three girls are a little under the weather this morning so they were pretty lazy this morning.  I got laundry started and then gave IR and CA a dose of runny nose medicine. CA isn't feeling well at all but I thing she is cutting some molars as well as dealing with the snotty nose thing that the other girls have. I iced 3 caramel cakes I had baked last night and boxed one up to deliver today after lunch. I went to pick up lunch alone as CA was sleeping and the big girls were rolling a ball back and forth in the hallway.

When I got back RL, IR, hubbie and me all had lunch  while CA continued to sleep.  She woke up shortly after we finished and had her lunch and she acted like she much better this afternoon and played with the older girls for a while before going back to sleep. 

I made the cake delivery and then finished the laundry before sitting with the girls and watching a TV show with them.

After the girls left hubbie and I watched the early news then went out to get chores done. It is a nice afternoon as the sun has finally made an appearance and the temperature is in the lower 50's.  After chores I walked around the driveway for my step goal for the day and then came inside and did a little work on the elliptical machine. 

I rested the remainder of the evening and then called it a night pretty early as Mondays are always tiring.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

QUIET SUNNY SUNDAY

 Up to get chores done on another cold morning . Breaking thick ice again after a low in the low 20's again earlier this morning.  After chores I came back inside and we started getting the turkey pot pie ready for lunch. I had some left over smoked turkey from last Sunday's lunch so we put it in the freezer and decided to have a pot pie this week. Hubbie cut up potatoes and carrots while I got other vegetables from the freezer and some canned green beans. I cooked everything together on the stove before I added it to the pie crust in the baking pan.  We had biscuits to go with the pot pie.  Our only guest today was #1 son's family. Daughter and IR came by to take some home for lunch because CA was sleeping and not feeling very well so they were staying home today and Aa's family have been sick all week so they stayed home also.  We had a nice quiet lunch.  After we ate #1 son's family went home to ride the new 4-wheeler and hubbie and I watched TV as it is still cold outside with temperatures only in the low 40's.  RL didn't care about the cold she just loved riding around the pastures on the 4-wheeler and kept her mom and dad busy all afternoon.

Hubbie and I took a walk around the lower pasture after we finished chores this afternoon and I almost missed this colorful sunset to end a very nice weekend.

The weather folks are predicting we might get another round ice to begin this week tomorrow morning but don't expect it to amount to much at all, we're just hoping they are right !!

We spent a quiet restful evening and then got an early bedtime.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

COLD SATURDAY

 A lazy Saturday morning felt good today. The sun is shining but it is still in the low 30's as I get out to get chores . The ice was pretty thick on the water pans from the low 20's degree temperature of the overnight. After chores I had breakfast and then started cleaning house. I was going to do more cleaning in the basement but it was still too cold down there so I cleaned off more bathroom shelves until lunch time.

After lunch daughter called and said IR was begging to come over here so I went over and picked her and CA up. They were happy to come play for the afternoon.

And this little green tractor that a friend gave g-son when he was this size is still around and now CA is enjoying it as have all the other kids at this age.

#1 son bought a 4-wheeler from his friend today and d-in-love and RL came up to show it to IR and CA  who looked ready to ride.

Hubbie took the girls home while I got chores done and then we relaxed for the evening.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

FIRST BLOOMERS OF 2021

 Friday morning sunshine got this day off to a good start with all three grand girls. I got chores done and we all had breakfast together.  It is still in the 30's for temperature so we are playing inside for another day.  My shoulder is still bothering me so i am determined to make a great effort not to use my left arm for any lifting today. I went to pick up lunches alone today and while CA napped we all ate our lunch. All afternoon I pretty much sat and watched the girls play and kept my arm at my side. After the girls all left this afternoon hubbie and I went out to get chores done.  I decided to get a little walking in and not do any exercising tonight so that won't irritate my shoulder either.  As I walked I spotted the first bloomers of the season which is about on time as each February some of these little Daffodils on the south side of the house start to bloom. Looking at these bright yellow blooms through the steam of my breath in 31 degree temps reminds me that soon warmer weather is coming.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and thankful that the rest today of my arm seems to have made a difference tonight as the pain is way down.

God Bless and Good Night

DODGED THE ICE BULLET THIS TIME

 After a pretty worrisome night of fitful sleep listening to the rain fall outside and watching the temperature drop each time we got up to check the thermometer we were pleasantly surprised to still have electric when we opened our eyes this morning and find that the only ice we had around here was on the trees and the temperature was 34 degrees.  It was still raining lightly and I dumped 1 inch from the gauge from the overnight rains.

Everyone I know breathed a big sigh of relief this morning to not have the 1/4 to 1/2 inch of devastating ice coating on everything.   Schools remained closed so hubbie and I got to sleep in and have a leisurely morning getting chores done and have breakfast.  We decided to put in a curbside grocery order at Publix on some of their BOGO deals. They had a pick up order time at 2:00-3:00 so we ventured across town and got the order. This was super easy and I will definitely shop with them this way again to get in on their deals.  We came home and put things away then I finished my shredding for the tax year and moved all the files around to get ready to get our taxes done. Hubbie worked in his wood pile since it isn't raining this afternoon.

Daughter and son-in-love dropped IR and CA off to run to Sams' Club to pick up a new floor cleaner. RL saw them pass and wanted to come up and play with them. The girls seem to all miss one another when they aren't together. They played and snacked until all their parents came to pick them up. After they left hubbie and I got out to get chores done. The mud is really slick again and I had to be careful not to fall. I will be so happy when the ground dries out.  After chores we had a light supper and then I walked on the treadmill and then relaxed for the evening.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and thankful that we were spared any damaging ice but still praying for the folks that are battling this storm.

God Bless and Good Night

ICE STORM PREPARATION

 Up to a cloudy morning today with all three grand girls here. I got chores done and then we had breakfast before we all loaded up in hubbie's truck and headed out to do our weekly errands. We made stops at the PO, the dump / recycle center / met an egg customer and then picked up lunches on the way home. CA of course was napping so the big girls had lunch with hubbie and I.  Then they were good to play quietly and let CA get a good nap in.  The sun finally came out for a little while this afternoon although the temperature never got above 40. The girls played and hubbie and I entertained them and waited on them for the afternoon.  After they left hubbie and I went outside to do some ice storm preparation and get the regular chores done. We moved Rocky the dog down to Rosie's lot next to the house after we put Rosie in her crate in the basement. I put out extra feed in all the chicken houses in case I am late getting to them in the morning. The ice storm is supposed to over by mid morning hopefully so I am going to wait it out probably since my chicken houses have some trees over them. We are in the direct line of the most ice in any area of the storm  by all three of our local weather guys. 

We are under a winter storm warning and our county is under a "state of emergency" so schools are already closed and everyone is being advised to stay home.

At least the sky is surprisingly clear as I came inside tonight but the clouds are starting to rise above the horizon.

I can definitely relate to a post I saw today on instagram that said " I am surely getting tired of being part of historical events" . As this storm has roared across the southern states I know there are many folks who feel the same way. I pray for all the animals and people that have suffered and are still suffering through this historic storm and I pray that we are spared any tragic events during our turn with this crazy bad weather.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and praying that God's protective arms will be around us, our family and our animals throughout this night and day tomorrow.

God Bless and Good Night