HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2021

 Up to a quiet Sunday Halloween morning. I got chores done and had a light breakfast. We started preparing a special Halloween lunch for everyone.  We cleaned out these 2 pumpkins and coated the insides with cream cheese , then put them in the oven to cook.

While they cooked I made broccoli / cheese soup and hubbie grilled some fresh kielbasa sausage and gathered some fresh kale from the garden and I made a really good soup out of them with a potato base.

Everyone loved the soup and the loaf of French bread I sliced to go with it. The sausage/ kale soup was the favorite and was all gone after lunch. 

These 2 will have to wait another year to catch the Halloween excitement !!!

After everyone left to get on with their Halloween festivities hubbie and I had a relaxing Sunday afternoon.  Daughter's family and #1 son's family took all the girls to a friend's neighborhood where they got their first door to door trick or treating experience. Looks like they all had a wonderful time.

EL and BB carved pumpkins and went to visit their grandparents across town.

RL came back up here after trick or treating was over to have more of the broccoli cheese soup that she loved.  She put my glasses on for another costume.

I put the covers over the smaller hen houses this evening to get ready for the first freezing temps of the season predicted for later this week.

They used the last name of the hurricane list for this year today as Wanda formed out in the Atlantic but thankfully is no threat to land.

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween.

Thankful for a wonderful blessed Sunday.

God Bless and Good Night

HALLOWEEN EVE COOKOUT

 Up to a cool Saturday morning to get chores done. We had breakfast then hubbie and I went out to the Depot farmers market to check out the last market of the season. All  the kids are going to a Halloween carnival this morning at one of the local churches.  We stopped on our way out when RL came out all decked out in her costume.

Her and #1 son were meeting daughter's family at the carnival.

Hubbie and I had a semi-successful market trip. We didn't find the pork ribs we went after but did get some pork chops and sausage plus some seasonings.  We came home and waited out a light rain shower to see if we were going to put out decorations inside or outside for tonight's cookout.

I decided to put out a few inside and some outside as the rain stopped but the clouds still hung around.

We got chores done early and then started grilling hamburgers and hotdogs. The kids all showed up in full costumes.

We ate inside because of the cool damp temperatures but then built a fire in the firepit and the kids enjoyed making smores and telling ghost stories around the fire.

It was a very enjoyable evening and everyone had a good time.  Hubbie and I cleaned up and turned off all the decorations and lights and relaxed until bedtime.

Thankful for the blessings of a wonderful family and the health to be able to enjoy them.

God Bless and Good Night

"ORANGE" DAY

 Up to get this Friday started. Daughter dropped off the girls and EA was sleeping so hubbie fixed breakfast for IR and CA they wanted scrambled eggs this morning.  I went out to get chores done on a foggy cool morning but thankfully it's not raining yet.  I came inside and had a cup of coffee before heading out with IR and CA to pre-school. Today is "orange" day !!!!

This is CA's last riding time before she starts school on Monday. She is only going Monday, Wednesday and Friday to begin with to see how she likes it.  It was pouring rain when we got to the pre-school. After CA and I got back in the car I checked on my Publix and Aldi pick-up orders. They were still working on the Publix order so I made a stop at the Co-op to pick up some gourmet peppercorns we love plus some Ceylon cinnamon and ginger pieces. When we got back in the car the Publix order was ready so we picked that up and headed for Aldi where that order was also ready. The rain had slacked off and the sun came out by the time we reached home. CA had went to sleep on our way home so hubbie carried her in and put her on the couch. I was hungry because this is a lot later than I get home usually and my oatmeal and coffee tasted extra good this morning.   EA was also napping so I took the apple slices out of one of the dehydrators and washed the dehydrator and put it back in the sunroom. The other dehydrator isn't drying as fast in the humid conditions so I am letting it run another day.  I though about putting the dehydrator away for the season but I still have a half box of golden delicious apples that I may dry this coming week. I loaded 4 caramel cakes in my Honda to meet a customer at 1:00 in case something happens and I don't get back from picking IR up in time.  CA wanted to ride with me so we headed out. Before we got to the pre-school it started raining again. We picked up IR and headed home.  We came inside and I helped get them some lunch before I headed back out to meet the cake customer.  I came back home and ate lunch and fed EA another bottle. She has tummy problems again today and is only drinking about 2 ounces at a time.  We spent another rainy cool afternoon doing inside activities and snuggling.

Daughter picked up her girls to go home and get ready to go to the harvest festival at the pre-school tonight . D-in-love-A brought RL up to spend some time with us this evening.  After they left hubbie and I got evening chores done. It is a dreary cool evening with the sun just trying to sneak a peek through the thick clouds. I emptied 3/4 inch of rain from the gauge this evening from the last couple days rainfall.

Thankfully the fall festival went on without rain just cool temperatures and daughter, IR and CA enjoyed the outdoor Charley Brown movie.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

RAINY DAY PUMPKIN PICTURES

 Up to a pleasant surprise of sunshine this morning instead of the predicted rain. I got chores done and then took IR to school with CA riding along. They both had on skeleton shirts today and everyone thought they were really cute.  CA and I came straight home and hubbie was feeding a fussy EA when we arrived. I had breakfast with CA and then we loaded up in hubbie's truck to go run regular weekly errands. EA was already napping and CA went to sleep not far out the road. We made stops at the PO , then the dump/recycle center, the bank and Sav Mor grocery store to get another cup of sour cream as I opened the one I bought at Ingles yesterday last night to ice the coconut cake it was clabbered and watery.  Hubbie wanted to check out a couple books from the library so we stopped by there and then went to Johnson Family farm stand to pick up a soup pumpkin and a cabbage for this weekends meals. We picked up IR from pre-school and headed home just as the rain started falling. We all had lunch together and then the girls snuggled and watched TV for the afternoon while hubbie and I took turns with a fussy EA who hasn't had a good day today.

#2 son and d-in-love-T brought NP by this afternoon to make pictures in the large pumpkin they had bought. Neither little one pitched to big of a fit when they put them down in the pumpkin . NP was a fussy mess also because she had her first shots today and her little legs were sore I'm sure but she didn't cry in the pumpkin.

EA stopped her fussing long enough to get some pics in the pumpkin.

After everyone left hubbie and I rested and watched the heavier rain showers lighten up before we headed out to get chores done in a light misty rain.

We came in from chores and had a light supper then I iced the coconut cake and we rested for the evening. 

Happy 2 month birthday to EA today.

Daughter put this collage of all three of her girls together at the age of 2 months and it shows how very different all 3 girls look.

Thankful for all these grand babies and the opportunity to watch them grow up.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

FIRST TRUNK OR TREATING OF THE YEAR

 Up to get another day started. The sun was shining on these pretty leaves this morning as I headed out to get chores done.

Back inside to have a cup of coffee before taking IR to pre-school. CA went along again to get her used to going to school every morning too.  CA and I came home this morning to have a quick breakfast and get EA a bottle before heading to Fletcher to pick up chicken feed and then to meet a cake customer. I also made a grocery stop at Ingles and was pleasantly surprised at how many people in the store were wearing mask.  We picked up IR on our way home and we all had lunch together while EA finished her nap. After she had her lunchtime bottle she was happy and ready to enjoy her first Halloween as her shirt says.

I cleaned out a couple kitchen cabinets after lunch while hubbie took the big girls outside to play in the nice warm sunshine. When my back started hurting I stopped my cleaning and took EA outside to catch some of the vitamin D on these last warm days.  We ended up doing some porch sitting today.

Daughter picked the girls up to go home and get ready for their first trick or treating on this Halloween. The school daughter works at always sponsors a student led trunk or treat as students in clubs and teams decorate trunks and give out candy.   RL was Harley Quinn, CA was a ladybug and IR was Rapunzel.

EA was just a cutie bug !!!!

The crowd was great after being afraid when they moved the event earlier to avoid the rain that is coming in the next couple days that there wouldn't be a  good attendance .

Thanks for the fun students !!!!

Hubbie and I took advantage of the nice evening to get the chimneys cleaned out and the leaves blown out of the gutters and I cleaned out the camper cover chicken tractor that was vacated several days ago. The five pullets have settled in well , 4 with the older hens and 1 with the Silkies.  We came inside and I iced a coconut cake and then settled in to rest for the evening.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

PICKING LATE VEGETABLES

 Up to get this day started. Daughter dropped all three of her girls on her way to work. I got chores done and then had a cup of coffee before loading up IR and Ca and taking IR to pre-school. I asked the teacher about a list of books IR had picked out at the book fair yesterday and she said I could go to the library and buy them this morning so CA and I took the blank check daughter had given me and got all but one of the books on IR's list and CA picked out 2 books of her own. We headed home and when we got here EA was just waking up from being asleep since daughter dropped her off. She had her bottle and went right back to sleep. CA and I had breakfast. I felt like I needed some protein this morning so I had eggs and bacon and CA ate half my bacon with her cereal and toast.   We played the morning away. She loves dressing up and today her pick was a witch outfit.

She took an early nap and missed going back to pick IR up.  IR had another good day and was happy to come home and have lunch.  I fixed EA her lunchtime bottle and then fixed IR and CA their lunch. Hubbie fed EA her bottle and then she sat and looked around while hubbie and I ate our lunch. D-in-love-A called and said she had to drive a bus and RL wanted to know if I would come pick her up.  I peeled and cored the last of the Fuji apples we had bought earlier this month and re-filled both dehydrators with cinnamon flavored slices. The sunroom has the most fragrant smell this evening.

CA rode with me to pick up RL from school. We came home and all the girls had snacks of apple slices and then they played well together until both moms came to pick them up.

After they left hubbie and I got chores done and then came inside for the cool evening. I picked the tomatoes and peppers that were on the vines this evening in case they miss the temperature predictions overnight . They are saying 37-38 but last time they continually missed the temp by 5 degrees higher than it actually got so we could see our first freeze or at least the first frost tonight if they miss it again.   I am still unbelieving that we have vine ripening tomatoes and peppers plus I found a small yellow squash on a blooming squash vine this last week of October.

I also pulled a couple radish and then covered the bed where my lettuce and spinach is growing just in case the temps get to freezing.

Alot of the colored leaves blew off the trees today in the high wind that has been blowing.

I iced the caramel cakes I baked last night.  After peeling and slicing all the apples and icing the cakes my back muscles tightened up and I had to sit with the heating pad on my back for a while tonight to relieve the pain I was having.

Happy 2 months to this little sweetie, NP.

Thankful for the wonderful blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night