NEVER BE ANOTHER BERNIE!

God graced us with a really beautiful Lord's Day today. Pastor is preaching through the book of Romans ,today's sermon was very uplifting.
After lunch we went outside to enjoy this gorgeous day, #2 son was missing from lunch because he and a friend are golfing.G-son took a ride in his jeep,he is getting a little more comfortable driving it,but still forgets to turn the steering wheel.Bernie was brave enough to go along for a ride. I told my hubbie,there'll never be another dog like Bernie, he rides in wagons or whatever is moving and doesn't jump out.
Daughter built our first fire in our fire pit and we relaxed around it just enjoying the warm sunshine and listening to the singing birds. Spring is going to be so much nicer this year after the long winter we've had. I think I've taken for granted the mild winters we've had and haven't appreciated the spring months in the past but I don't think anyone around here will not notice spring when it finally gets here to stay this year. Today's weather is a tease for what is to come and I'm sure we've not seen the last of old man winter yet,don't let your guard down!!
Walked this evening for a while and the longer days are sure nice. Just after a couple days of warmer temps and sunshine have almost made the snow in the shade of our pasture history,with only a few spots of the white stuff left. The pic on the left was taken Friday the one on the right today,what a difference,I even walked in my tennis shoes today,yeah,yeah!!!!!
Taking today to just be thankful for all my blessings and resting. Good Night and god Bless.

A VISIT FROM THE GOVERNOR

Up and out early to market,feels almost normal today,didn't even need a heavy jacket. Shortly after I got set up a man with a big camera came in and then another man with another big camera came in,we were all looking at each other,"like okay who made this big news"????
The manager ask them what they were there for,they looked surprised,"didn't you all know the governor was coming here today?" "Well of course, we just asked to see if you knew!!!"
At about 11:30 sure enough Governor Beverly Perdue and a large entourage surrounding her came through the door. And the first thing she bought was one of my little jean aprons for her 3 year old grand daughter. I was flattered......we talked about the joys of grandparenting.She asked me to get my picture with her and my apron. She impressed me as just a normal grandmother and seemed to be really down to earth. She is the first governor to visit our market,we've had senators and congressmen but this is a first for a governor. I'm glad she spends time in the mountain end of our state.
Market was okay today,worked on finishing a 3-way doll that I have an order for and had a lot of time to chat with my neighbors between customers!
Came home to a very nice afternoon,#2 son called and thought 1 of the neighbors calves was in our pasture but it turned out to be one of ours that had gotten separated from the rest of the herd. I walked after we got this settled and spent some time watching mallards on our farm pond.They always nest and raise some little ones every year. The little female appeared to be looking for a nesting place this afternoon while her man ran interference for her,swimming to the other side of the pond to get the attention of me and the dogs. The dogs fell for it but I stayed put and she swam really close to where I was standing. I tried to tell her she better put that nest on the high bank side of the pond so it won't wash away in a flood,I hope she was listening!!
It felt so good to be walking with just a jacket on instead of my insulated coveralls,although I still had to wear boots instead of tennis shoes,but I'll take that! The sun felt warm on my face as I walked and there seemed to be an audible sigh in the air as if all nature was relaxing it's stiff winter posture and was hesitantly beginning to loosen up for a welcome spring revival.
The cattle were searching for any green shoot that might poke its head through the un-snow covered ground. Annie seemed to be intent on reinserting the fact that she was the boss around here even when challenged by an animal about 6 times her size.
Hubbie and his brother spent the entire day painting the in-laws old house,he got home after 6:00. After supper my cousin Mike came by and visited while daughter and I sorted through old photos.I need some old snow pics for an interview with the local weather gal next week. I did not realize I had so many old pictures,I surely need to do something to get all these organized.
After Mike left we watched UNC/Duke b-ball game or at least started to watch it,we're UNC fans so we couldn't watch much of it!!!!!!!! All I've got to say is wait till next year!!!!
This has been another blessed day for me, I thank the Lord for giving me such simple pleasures and the time and wisdom to enjoy them. Good Night and God Bless.

NEW DISHES,NEW USE FOR OLD DISHES

Started the day with weight lifting again,I'm a little sore but not bad. After breakfast I baked cakes until after lunch. #1 son picked up g-son from pre-school and brought him in for lunch. After I finished my cakes we took a ride back over to the sale I went to yesterday just to have another look around,plus I knew the ride would put g-son down for his nap.
Daughter came by and picked up her baking supplies,she is going to do her baking at her dog sitting job and drop it off tomorrow morning on her way to work,school is in session for the first time on a Saturday in many years.
While g-son slept I washed and put away my new dishes and sorted through my old odds and ends to donate or through away. Hubbie came in, took one look at my new dishes and said I don't know where you got those but they look like they were made for you!! That's what I thought yesterday when I saw them. The pattern is called "Heartland" and reminds me of my life of farming. I think I got a pretty good deal,8 dinner plates,salad plates,cereal bowls and cups, a butter dish and salt and pepper shakers for $20.00. The only thing missing was saucers,I asked about them today,as I thought maybe they had forgot to put them in the box yesterday when they wrapped them,but she said they weren't there to start with and I really didn't know if they were or not, we don't use saucers under our cups anyway!! I still love my new dishes!
I found in going through my old stuff that I had a lot of Blue Willow pattern dishes,some from my mothers house. To me it was too valuable to get rid of so I used my new shelf in the sunroom and I think it made a really pretty display. I have a box to take to donate tomorrow also,I didn't realize how many dishes I actually had.
#1 son picked up g-son early and I decided to walk our fence for the first time in a while, I put on boots instead of my walking shoes and headed out to enjoy the last of this pretty but windy day. The sun is shining brightly but the temperature only got to 43 and the wind is still blowing so it still feels like winter for sure. There is a lot of snow left in the shady side of the pastures.
I could actually see my foot prints from the last snow still imprinted in the bottom layers of snow.
The water in the creek was so crystal clear this evening and the level was the lowest I've seen it this winter.
After a hamburger patty grilled on our George Foreman, we went to finish church,then for me it was icing cake time. I started at about 9 and finished at 10:45 just in time to blog and watch the news before calling it a day.
God is good all the time,all the time God is good!!!!!! Good Night and God Bless.

SEARCHING FOR SIGNS OF SPRING

Greeted this morning with this nice little flock of Red Winged Blackbirds that I have not seen this winter making my day a little brighter with the realization that spring is truly on the horizon.After my Yoga tape and breakfast I payed bills and caught up February paperwork,hoping the temperature would moderate and the wind would die down some.
When this didn't happen by lunchtime I braved the wind and cold and headed to town to do weekly errands. On the way I stopped at an old house where they were having a liquidation sale. You know I didn't bring enough old stuff in from the in-laws so now I have to go buy some!!!!! Among items I bought today were these old magazines for $1 .... These are all from 1959-1971 and looked like they would be interesting reading and just good conversation pieces. I also bought a set of china,but I actually need a good set of china,all mine is mismatched with cracks and chips,so this will give me a good set to use for everyday. I'll post pictures tomorrow as I didn't have time to unpack it this evening since I didn't get home until 5:30. We did chores,ate a snack supper,watched Survivor and cleaned church.
It sure was good to see the sunset this evening without a cloud in the sky. The wind is still blowing tonight and the temperature is 28 at 11:30. When I left town this afternoon it was 39 degrees,so it definitely still feels like winter!
Praising God tonight for His intervention in my everyday life and giving me the health and ability to handle each day as He would have me glorify His name. Good Night and God Bless.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

Getting back on my exercise routine this morning was rough,it's been almost 2 weeks since I've done any. Started today with lifting weights,bet I'll be sore tomorrow! Felt good to be back to some sort of normalcy anyway.Hubbie went back to work today,he backed the car around last night and headed it down the hill so he could get out in the ice this morning.
After breakfast I did some more laundry and waited for g-son to arrive. At almost noon his mom and dad brought him in and dad said he wants to go with me today so I'll be back to get him in a minute. G-son was so happy to go with "da da". D-in-love left for work and g-son and "da da" left to go do their "man thing" today,I think it was gonna start at "old Macdonalds" as g-son said!
I had a quick lunch and then proceeded to finish the job of sorting through the remaining boxes of things from the old house. Spent the entire afternoon washing and searching for values on e-bay, guess I'll keep my day job, no monetary valuables found.This old tin filled with spools of thread caught my attention.Looking up the artist named under the painting I found that this was a copy of the "Garden of Love" painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1630. Rubens was a Flemish painter from the 17th century. He lived from 1577-1640, a mostly religious and mythical artist. This tin looks very old and was made in England, can find no info on what the value might be. Here are a few of the older things I brought home, the milk glass platter with the red trim is a Fire King piece, the other platter is rose colored depression glass,the jar is a 1984 Mr. peanut jar,the smaller bowl with legs matches a set of older pieces I already have and the large serving bowl has a very pretty basket weave pattern on the outside. As I look up each piece I take a mental note so when it's time to show them off I can recall at least tidbits of info.
The old glass front curio that I bought is full now with the additions of these latest pieces. I'll be so glad when warmer weather gets here so I can show off all my new additions in my new sunroom.
Memories were triggered today when I open one of the boxes that hubbie packed. I remembered when sis-in-law and I used to always wash the dishes after we had a gathering at the in-laws house and we discovered that 1 of her cabinet drawers was completely full of knives,why does anyone have so many knives,we'd laugh!!
Well I will say 1 thing, I will not have a drawer full of knives!!!!!
When hubbie came home and found all these in a shoe box on his bed,he said a lot of these were actually made by his dad so we put them high in a spot that g-son or any grands that follow cannot get to. Also if we ever get broken in on,if we can get to this location we could fend off our intruder for a good while with all these,haha!!!
I'm glad hubbie has a heart like mine when it comes to handmade things by your loved ones,although he didn't make all these,they still hold a special place for hubbie,aawww!!!
I also switched some things around and put my grape vine milk glass collection in my small corner curio.
This afternoon I also caught up my February "Operation Christmas Child" box.I try to pack 1 box a month so when it comes time to turn them in next November I'll have 11 boxes all ready to go. I bought a lot of after Christmas sale items to start out my boxes. I always find interesting new items to go in the boxes at flea markets during the spring and summer.
When hubbie got in from work we did the chores quickly and just worked on staying warm tonight as we relaxed for the evening in front of the TV watching b-ball games,both N.C. teams that played tonight lost.
The weather today was a little odd at best, the sunshine was blinding as it reflected off the snow and even with the high temperature being only 35 with blustery wind causing chill factors around 20 the snow mostly melted somehow!! What a difference a day makes........ Yesterday the snow was still falling at afternoon chore time,today the sun was shining and most of the 7" of snow was history at afternoon chore time. God somehow removed His snow blanket even with freezing temperature,revealing a seemingly greener world!! What a special Savior we have!!! Good Night and God Bless.

MARCH COMES IN LIKE A SNOWY LION!!!

I wonder if the weather on the 2nd day of March means that March came in like a lion!! A snowy lion that is,a very snowy lion!!!
G-son came at 7 am so his dad could take his mom to work and when he came there was absolutely no snow to be found,although they had called earlier and canceled schools. Hubbie and g-son turned on the TV in the living room and I went back to bed. About 30 minutes later I woke up and looked out the window and saw the snow falling. After breakfast of homemade pancakes we started our day.
The flurry of activity at the feeders was a sign of things to come! This lilac bush next to the feeders is loaded with birds waiting their turn to fill their tummies against the cold and snow.I counted at least 9 birds in this one bush,enlarge it and see how many you find.
About mid morning the snow really picked up and the ground was quickly covered and snow continued without stopping until about 5:30 this afternoon leaving 7" of the white stuff on the ground.
Hubbie entertained g-son most of the day and I did my regular Tuesday laundry and housework,since I was working on the in-laws old house last Tuesday,today's cleaning was a must!
I was just finishing up when #1 son and d-in-love came in to pick up g-son. They said the roads weren't bad,just wet,the brine the state put out worked on this type snow for a change,keeping it off the roads.
This is a light,fluffy but clingy snow, creating a complete winter wonderland.The lilac bush that held all the birds earlier only holds snow covered branches
this afternoon.Finally this evening as we tracked through the snow to feed the cattle at the barn the snow stopped falling. It felt good outside,not too cold,the snow was so beautiful and it seemed to make the whole world a quite,peaceful place. I can't explain why a snowfall gives me such a peaceful,calm feeling down deep in my soul,but it always does.I hope you enjoy these pictures,I got carried away this evening and made 60 pictures.Snow puts me in mind of God throwing a blanket over part of His world,maybe to give us an idea how peaceful this world would be if somehow we could take all the "dirt" and cover it with prayer bathed goodness pure as the snow that fell today. Good Night and God Bless.

HAPPY 27TH BIRTHDAY #2 SON!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY #2 SON......On this day in 1983 I was admitted to the hospital at 9 am to have my labor induced because my blood pressure was getting uncomfortably high for the doctor. After a day of walking,finally at 6:02 pm he made his appearance weighing in at 8 lbs 7 ozs and 20 1/2" long. A very layed back baby just as he is a very layed back adult. When we brought him home and he slept through the first night we were stunned and I kept waking up to see if he was still breathing! #1 son didn't sleep through a night until he was 18 months old so this was a welcome new experience for us. I must say he has grown up nicely as he is now 6' 7" tall and is a hard worker. And I might add a pretty good fishermen!! This was taken last October when we flounder fished all week and he was the only one to actually catch one!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON I LOVE YOU.
My busy day started as soon as my feet hit the floor this morning with all the phone calls,paperwork gathering and detail gathering to get the estate probate started this afternoon. I also had to deliver Avon orders to several customers and drop off books on my route. #1 son picked up g-son from pre-school and we got to our house about the same time around noon. Hubbie was going to help him on a storm clean up job he had in one of the gated developments on the other side of town. So g-son and I settled in for an afternoon of fun and games among several other phone calls I needed to make and papers to find. G-son seemed to be a little under the weather today,he's probably getting what we have all been passing around for the last couple of weeks. Hubbie and #1 son came in with their load of wood and brush just in time for hubbie to change clothes and jump in the van with g-son and me for a meeting with our estate probator .We met bro-in-law there and the meeting went well,was very informative almost too informative as we are now back to square 1 with our decision on what to do with the old house. It seems our "fairly new" all omnipotent president,uh um,in case you can't tell,I'm not a big Obama fan and it has nothing to do with the color of his skin!!!
It seems he has found another way to decrease the national dept off the backs of us little people. The capitol gains taxes that used to be on the difference in appraisal and selling price are now on the difference between the original base price and the current selling price. Which means we are looking at the difference my father-in-law paid for this house in the mid 50's when he was earning $1.25 an hour,which we are guessing about $5,000-$8,000 and the price we sell it for today. Although the house is not worth much today that still is going to take a chunk of money out of it for the government.So like I said back to square 1,I knew this was looking to easy!!!! Our meeting lasted over an hour until after 6:00 and g-son slept through the whole thing. We came home met up with #1 son and d-in-love,woke him up but he still didn't feel well. We had a nice visit and learned how #1 son had got his dump truck stuck in the bottom trying to dump the brush on the burn pile and had to get daughter to drive it while he pulled and pushed her out. Both d-in-love and I wanted a picture of her driving that big ole truck!! She happened to come by to exchange cars back with her dad who had done the service work on her jeep while she drove his car to work today just as #1 son was needing help.
After they left hubbie and I watched Antique Roadshow and American Pickers on the TV.We enjoy seeing the value of old things and keep hoping we will see some of our old things on there one of these days!
Today has been a very nice day,I haven't had a jacket on all day and I can't remember the last time I could say that! The temps were near 50 and it was party sunny but that's all changing fast as we are under a winter storm warning for a predicted 4-6" of snow starting overnight. March is coming in like a lion for sure. We had our biggest snow of the year last year at this exact time.If we do get snow tonight and tomorrow it will prove the farmer's almanac correct in it's prediction for this area on March 2nd. Do you believe in the almanac calenders? I know my daddy used this little book religiously to plant gardens,harvest crops,slaughter animals for meat,have dental work done and many,many more everyday events that went along with farming.This little book was always worn out by the time Dec.31 came around.
God is working in my life today,I can almost feel His presence,He gave me answers today that makes my world a little brighter tonight and I am thankful for His love even more today than I was yesterday. Good Night and God Bless.