"PEACE" SUNDAY

Got to sleep in on this Sunday morning,ahhhhhh.
After chores and breakfast I got ready for church. Tis the season for Christmas vest !!!

 I arrived a tad early and had a nice visit with some friends and then EL and her mom came in. She was singing the first song in the service today and we entertained BB when she sang while EL sat with her daddy.
We lit the second candle of Advent this morning, the Peace candle.

G-son rode home with me from church and it was just fun to hold a conversation with him while he sat in the front seat beside me. Although it is mind boggling to me that he is this big already !!!!

We had a huge crock pot of beef stew and a cake of cornbread for lunch all ready when everyone got here.
BB had to satisfy his curiosity of all the ornaments on the tree. I haven't put any breakable ornaments on the bottom half of my Christmas tree in many years.

After everyone ate Hubbie followed #2 son to Barnardsville,NC to deliver the old truck he sold. A man was buying it for his 16 year old daughter.
Aa and Re took their kids home for naps and #1 son's family went home to put up a Christmas tree.
They decided on my old lighted tree and g-son had to ride with it down the drive way.

The tree looks really good after they got it all decorated and g-son looks pretty proud !!!.

 As you can tell it is a beautiful day, warm with temps in the mid 50's. I decorated outside all afternoon. I got most things up except the lights that require ladder climbing. Hubbie has to be here for that. I also need to get out the old Nativity set.
Hubbie came home just as I was heading out to do the chores. He and son had stopped by the farmer's market but found no oranges.
After chores we had supper and then relaxed for the evening. I caught up my blog book reading and hubbie gave Bernie and Dolly baths.
Daughter worked on her outside decorations today also.

Grateful to God tonight for a wonderfully blessed Sunday and for the promise of the Prince of Peace.
God Bless and Good Night

GOOD MARKET ON CHRISTMAS PARADE DAY

Another mid 20's morning as I did chores early to get to market before the parade crowd filled up all the parking spaces. It was really hard to drag out of the warm bed at 7am on a Saturday.
Market was really slow today and I was beginning to wonder if I was going to sell anything other than my orders for the day. During the parade there were absolutely no customers in market and as I looked out into the parking lot we couldn't blame it on no parking spots this time. There were several empty spaces but as customers came after the parade to pick up their orders they said they couldn't get into town around the market because all the roads were blocked for the parade route.
All my orders got picked up and I had another customer come from Greenville,SC and buy all the caramel cakes I had left so I had a pretty good day after all. Sometimes it only takes one sale to make your day.
After market I stopped by a friend of mine's craft shop to look around. She is Pam the lady that used to have the table beside me at market. You can see alot of the same ornaments I have on my homemade ornament tree that she made are on the trees in her shop.

I was decked out in my Christmas cardinal vest today and thought this was a great photo op as I walked by this mirror.

After I left there with one item on my list and an order for 2 more it was a good visit.
I made stops at Aldi and Ingles for baking supplies and groceries on the way home. I got home around 4:30. Hubbie was working on splitting some firewood and came to help me unload and get things put away.
We did chores and then put the empty plastic Christmas decoration containers back in the shed. Hopefully tomorrow I can get the outside decorations up in the nice predicted sunny mid 50's afternoon.
After supper hubbie and I relax and watched some on the UNC / Clemson football game. I snuggled on the couch with my 4-legged kids and rested. I am extra tired tonight as I feel like I am fighting off a head cold.
The annual Christmas parade down town ushered in Old St. Nick today.

It was a beautiful day for a parade even with the cool temps this morning.
Thankful for a loving Lord and the birth of his Son who is the real Reason for the season.
God Bless and Good Night

CAKE BAKING, MORE DECORATING, DEACON'S DINNER

G-daughter didn't like the 25 degree temps this morning as she arrived at 7am. It didn't take her long to snuggle down in her swing and get back to sleep once she got inside.
While she slept the morning away I did the chores, had breakfast and baked cakes. I baked 12 caramel and 1 coconut for an order. I gave her a bottle just as I put the last ones in the ovens which worked out perfectly.
She watched me have lunch and then we went out in the sunroom to finish the decorating out there.
She was mesmerized by the fake fire place flames.

I was putting sparkly snowflakes on the tree out there and she "wanted to help" !!!!!

I finished both trees out in the sunroom and got my snowman collection set up around the room.

It's definitely beginning to "look a lot like Christmas" around here !!!!
This is the first year I have had no help from any of the little ones around here to decorate the trees. G-son asked how I got all the ornaments on the big tree without his help ?????  He said I should have called him to help, I'll remember that next year !!!!  Maybe that's one task he won't out grow !!
Hubbie left work an hour early today so we could get the chores done early and get up to our annual Deacon's dinner.  There were a lot of folks attending tonight and we had a wonderful fellowship together.  #1 son came alone as there was no one to keep the kids so d-in-love stayed home with them.

The meal was delicious as usual at the Blue Line Café in the NC Justice academy. I had the fried chicken which is my favorite. They also offered BBQ to go along with the mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans with a salad and dessert.
On our way home we drove through this light display. This is an elderly gentlemen who made most of these displays in his wood working shop. He announced his illness several years ago if you have followed my blog long I did a post on this man. He said he was not able to do the displays any longer so someone must have stepped up to help him and I am glad this display is still here for all to enjoy.

We made it home around 8:30 and I iced cakes and got ready for market the rest of the evening.
Don't know what kind of day tomorrow will be as the Christmas parade in in the morning and there will be no parking for customers. Maybe some of the parade goers will buy things on their way back to their cars afterward.
Daughter 's teams won their basketball games tonight against Hendersonville HS. In this newspaper pic she is the coach with the dark long hair sitting down watching the action between the players.

Thankful tonight for a wonderful church family and for the blessing  God gave me today.
God Bless and Good Night

SLOOOOOOWWWW CCCCOLD MARKET DAY

A colder morning today but at least its sunny !  As I got ready for market and did the chores I almost re-thought the clothes I had on as it is not supposed to warm up only in the mid 40's today. A 14 degree difference in this morning's temperature from 24 hours ago !!

I made it to market on time and had a very slow day. It was chilly inside the old uninsulated block building today and my hands and nose stayed very cold all day. None of the heaters were running, do

n't know why. This is our market Christmas tree this year. It looks kind of sad this year.

There usually a lot of green in market this time of year but today only a couple booths had anything.

This is my table all decked out for the season.

Hubbie went over to the elementary school to have lunch with g-son on this "grandparents" day and then they shopped in the book fair.
After I left market I made stops at the bank, P.O., Sav Mor, Aldi, Walmart and Farm Bureau Insurance to pay our home owner policy.
I got home at 4:30 and got everything unloaded and was just finishing when hubbie came home.
he helped get things put away then it was chore time. I put some chicken tenders with Italian dressing mix over them in the pressure cooker to have for our supper. They were very good and fast.
The air is really chilly this evening and tonight the temps are supposed to get to the mid 20's.
Our wood fire felt very good tonight. I intended to finish decorating the sunroom but it was too cold out there where there had been no heat all day.
Another comparison pic of the kids, g-daughter,today on left and g-son,2006, on right !!

This clear day had a pretty ending this evening as the sun set.

I am very thankful for all my blessings of this day and thankful for traveling mercies for Aa and his family as they traveled home from a weeks visit with Re's family in Ohio.
God Bless and Good Night

FLOODING, TREE DECORATING AND ANOTHER MASS SHOOTING SPREE

G-daughter was here at 7am and as I opened the door for her I saw the bottom pastures filled with flood water and the rain still coming down. The flooding didn't surprise me because as I lay in bed last night and listened to the pouring rain I knew the forecasters had missed the amount of rain we were going to get and with the ground already completely saturated there was no where else for the run-off to go but into the creeks and streams.

As it got more daylight I could tell from up here that this is the highest water we have had since the new bridge has been built as both bottoms are completely filled with flood waters and it appears that the water level has dropped some.

G-daughter went back to sleep and as I did the chores the rain stopped, hopefully for good this time.
After I had my breakfast I baked 6 caramel, 2 chocolate and 4 pound cakes. I got the first run in the ovens before g-daughter woke up for her morning bottle.
She is in a super good mood this morning.

She sat in her bouncy seat and watched me finish baking. I turned the kitchen Christmas tree on so she could look at the bright lights and she enjoyed that.
After lunch we moved into the living room to put the ornaments on the big tree.  G-daughter wanted to touch this tree and finally managed to grab one of the lower limbs.
Wow Neena that is a pretty tree..................

 I wonder what it feels like ?????????

 Almost............................

 

Yessssss, I got it ..............................

She is going to love her first Christmas just like her big brother did when he was a month younger than she is when he got his first look at a lighted Christmas tree.

I got the tree decorated while she watched then she had her afternoon bottle and we played until mom got here.  She is getting so strong she can hold her head up and turn every way to look at everything around her. She no longer wants to lay calmly in your arms !!! We just sat and admired the lighted tree !!!

After mom took her home I rested until hubbie got home then we did chores.Bernie and Dolly were happy I rested as they got to get in some snuggle time with mama.

  It is getting colder outside with a strong wind blowing in a cold front overnight. Thankfully the wind, although it feels cold will help to dry up all the mud. The flood waters are almost completely receded this evening.

The news is really sad today as another mass shooting happened in San Bernadino,California. Two  gunman, a man and wife, opened fire in a conference room of a social services building killing 14 people and wounding 21 more before they fled. Later in the day the dark colored SUV they fled in was involved in a traffic accident and in a gun battle with police the two suspects were killed.
This is the large building the shooting happened in.

Victims are readied to be transported to hospitals.

Such a tragedy for these families of the victims and the shooters. Right now they have no motive for the killing spree.
I spent the evening getting the weekly paperwork and bills paid and icing my cakes as I watched the periodic news updates on this event. Daughter called and said her basketball team got its first victory tonight over Thomas Jefferson high school.
My heart and prayers go out to the shooting  folks tonight, may God give the amazing comfort only He can during this time. Seems each year at the beginning of the holiday season there is a tragedy somewhere in our country. It can only be the devil trying to compete with the celebration of  God's only sons birth in my opinion. Lord have mercy on this sinful country.
God Bless and Good Night

DECORATING BEGINS

Yuck, the clouds and rain are still here this morning as I head out to do the chores. There is so much mud everywhere it is hard to keep from slipping and falling.
Back inside with breakfast and devotions done there is no better day to begin my Christmas decorating. I hauled all the storage bins from the storage shed in my Pilot.

While a light rain fell all day I decorated the inside of the house. I got most of it done.
The Santa collection is all out and I have a list of new stockings and holders to pick up this year as our family continues to grow. I need 2 more adult stockings and 2 more childrens stockings.

In the kitchen/dining room the old wood stove came to life with the old village and the small tree filled with handmade ornaments.

The nativities are a favorite part of my decor.

To finish today's work in here I got all the kitchen implement ornaments on this tree.

I didn't get the living room tree decorated yet and still need to do some work in the kitchen and sunroom but the lighting in the sunroom is too dark to finish in there tonight.
That is a great start to my favorite decorating time of the year. In years past I have juggled the first week of December's decorating with baking lots of cakes for a business that has ordered 60 - 120 caramel cakes but this year I haven't gotten an order from them. He came through market about a month ago and said he would be calling me but he must have found something else to give this year.
I will miss that big pay check but it is nice to have time to enjoy putting up all my decorations.
When hubbie got home we put out hay for the cattle and shut the lower pasture gates as we are still under a flood watch until tomorrow evening expecting heavier rains over night and tomorrow.
I emptied only 3/10ths from the gauge this evening but as darkness fell the rain got heavier.
We are complaining about all the rain but I am thankful that we don't have the snow and ice that parts of the country have. The snow cover area for the country is pretty large for December 1st.

Hubbie and I watched part of the UNC / Maryland basketball game tonight before calling an end to this busy day.
 She's growing up way too fast !!!

Thankful for the strength God gives us each day and for the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior.
God Bless and Good Night.