RAINY FIRST DAY AT THE BEACH

 Up to a cloudy drizzly cool morning at the beach. We all had breakfast and then headed over to the beach in a light drizzle of rain. Thankfully our villa is located next to the beach access so it is a short walk to the beach. RL and IR dove right into the fun of running from the waves and had so much fun.

CA isn't thrilled about the water but had other ideas of fun on the beach.

The rain picked up in intensity so we came back to the villa to get in the golf carts and headed over to the huge indoor pool. We had the pool all to ourselves and it was so nice. 

This hot tub was nice for hubbie and g-son to lay in and even I sat on the side and held my bad knee in the warm swirling water making it feel much better. CA joined me and held her feet in the warm water for a long time. It did feed very good on a cool morning.

We played until we all got hungry for lunch and we headed back to the villa. We ordered pizza and d-in-love A and #1 son went to the grocery store and picked the pizza up.  It was a good lunch and everyone ate their fill.  After sitting around the house for a little while and watching the rain taper off we took the kids over to the outside water park and they played the rest of the afternoon there.  There was something for everyone to do there.

We left there and stopped by the ice cream shop on the way home.  When we got back and everyone got dried off daughter tried to find a place for some carry out supper but no one would answer the phones. All the restaurants are so short staffed that they spend all their time with in house customers I'm sure.  We all ended up snacking around on things we have here for supper.   We spent an enjoyable evening together watching TV and relaxing. 

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

TRAVEL DAY

 Up early to get things all done and get the packing finished to head out to the beach. We got chores done topping off all the feed and water for the dogs and chickens and had breakfast then we put the last minute things in the Hon da. We headed down to #1 son's house to meet up with daughter's family so we could all go together in case one of us had car trouble.  We left about 10:40 headed out. Traffic was very heavy when we got on the interstate but thinned out some when we got to the bottom of the mountain. As we got farther down the interstate the problems started, from accidents to road constructions zones we traveled 20 to 40 miles per hour a lot of the way to Columbia. We finally found a road to get off the interstate before it stopped totally. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch about 1:30 in a place called Dentsville,SC.

 It took us over 2 hours to get seated and served with the capacity restrictions still in place here.  The meal was good as always at these restaurants .  We headed out on the road again using back roads to avoid getting back on the interstate. We traveled through some really pretty countryside and some small towns finally arriving in Pawley's island at 6:30.  We were all riding weary but it was good to get into our villa in Litchfield By the Sea. We got all the cars unloaded decided on bedrooms and then the kids were excited to go for a ride on our rented golf carts that were already waiting at our villa.  We drove around the entire community on the carts and enjoyed the evening stopping at the different pools and beach. The kids were all happy to get their toes in the sand.

                                                    

                                                                                                            

                                                  

 It was fun listening to RL and IR make plans for tomorrow of all the things they wanted to do.  We came back to the villa and the girls all wanted  a bath before bedtime.

We are very thankful for God's traveling mercies today as we spent close to 6 hours on the road and for His always protective ,loving arms.

God Bless and Good Night

GETTING READY FOR VACATION

 This is a day I always dread. Today we get ready to go on a week's vacation at the beach. Since we stay in a house or in this year's case a "villa" we need to take more than just clothes and there is also the added beach things plus fishing things, etc....     And there is work to do around here to keep things from being so out of hand when we return.  I got chores done this morning and then had a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast with my coffee for the first  time in a couple days I don't have to be in a rush to go anywhere.  IR and CA came around 8:30 so daughter could go to her regular doctor appointment.  I did laundry today so I wouldn't have 2 weeks worth to do when I get back. I had a cake delivery and a customers was coming to pick up eggs at about the same time so CA wanted to ride with me to deliver the cake and IR stayed with hubbie to meet the egg customer here.  When I got home the girls played outside until their mom got here with lunch. We all had lunch together and then they all left to run some errands.  I did more laundry and paid bills and ran them to the PO. When I got home hubbie and I worked in the garden until the thunder and rain ran us inside.  We worked on getting out things packed and cleaning the house while the rain came down outside. It seemed like it rained more than the .045 inch in the gauge this evening but then this beautiful rainbow appeared. 

That small amount of rain left me still watering my plants to hopefully hold them through the week.  When the rain stopped hubbie and I started getting the dogs and chickens set up for #2 son to take over their care for a week. We carry extra water and I fill their feeders so he won't have to spend much time getting things taken care of each day.  We moved a couple chicken tractors to more convenient locations and sat up extra water buckets.    We loaded the Honda with everything except the cooler and food box. We were dripping with sweat in the very humid evening.  I have a list of things to take and things to do each time we go on vacations and it has worked through the years so that is a relief that we don't have to worry about forgetting things.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and praying for traveling mercies as hubbie and I, daughter's family and #1 son's family head out on the road in the morning heading to Litchfield beach in SC.

God Bless and Good Night

YARDWORK DAY

 Up to get ready for our errand day in town. I got chores done and grabbed a meal bar with a cup of to go coffee while hubbie met an egg customer to deliver her egg order.  We loaded up a cake to deliver and went over to pick up IR and CA to go with us so daughter could get some yard work done. We went to the dump/ recycle center first , then the bank where we ran into #2 son. He and Tif were getting ready to take her new subaru outback to Tennessee to have a conversion kit put in it. They ended up totaling her other one after finding more damage than they originally thought.  We left there and stopped by the curb market to drop off a cake for a fellow vendor for an event this weekend she is attending.  We left there and came home.  I grabbed 4 more caramel cakes and drove out to Ingles to meet a couple customers there with the cakes.  I got gas and then headed home. Daughter had picked up lunch and was here when I got here so we all had lunch and then CA went to sleep so I took IR outside to play while daughter rested inside with CA.   When CA woke up they all went home to get more yard work done and then take IR to gymnastics this evening.    I got my brush clippers and worked on cleaning out some of the flower beds around the yard and some of the invasive vines that keep trying to take over my forsythia on the hill below my sewing shop.   Hubbie finished mowing the lawn and then he picked up all the clippings for me. We were both pouring sweat in the humid hot afternoon.  We got cold drinks and took a break out in the covered patio until the wind got up and the rain started.  It was a very light rain and only left about 1/10th inch again today.  After a short break inside watching the news we went outside to get chores done.   We relaxed for the evening and watched another very light shower end the daylight hours.  Tomorrow is supposed to be out rainiest day and hopefully we will get some since all week we have barely gotten an inch all week.  Next week is supposed to dry so we need to get things enough water to survive a dry week ahead.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

LAZY WEDNESDAY

 Both girls slept in today until 8:30 which was good. I got chores done while they had breakfast with hubbie.  I have to make an egg delivery at 10:15 on the other side of town and am going to stop and pick up my curbside Walmart order on the way home.  Daughter is bringing CA over a little later so she goes to an appointment so hubbie and the girls stayed home.   All went on time for the delivery and the pick-up so I was home well before lunch time.  Daughter was leaving when I got here.  The girls decided they all wanted to ride with me to go out to the school to pick up lunches for them. Thankfully the middle school just out the road is making the free lunches for all county kids from 2 years old to 18 years old so we are going to take advantage on the days we have them.  The menu was chicken poppers today and RL loves these things.  

After they ate we were going to a park but the rain moved in early today and the showers began.  Instead we all took short naps watching TV.  Daughter came in from her appointment and joined us napping.

Good news for this lovely young lady who is the daughter of some very good friends who has been selected to be the Apple Ambassador for 2021. 

It has been a very lazy day and probably what we needed to help us fight off the colds.   After all the girls left hubbie and I watched the news then got chores done a little early since it looked like rain was headed this way.  No additional rains came this evening and the on and off showers earlier only left 1/10th inch of rain in the gauge for today.  

Thankful for all the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night.

OVERNIGHT GUEST

 Up to get chores done and have breakfast.  It is a nice sunny but muggy morning.  We decided to do some work in the garden before it gets really hot and the rains begin.  We needed to put up the panels for our pole beans to climb. Some of these have been replanted twice and still aren't coming up. I think I will buy some new seed and try again. The row of dried beans is doing great but the 2 rows of half runners are very sparse. I am hoping the recent rain will get them to come up but I'm loosing faith in that since it has been 8 days since I planted them.

I also pulled this big head of broccoli for some steamed broccoli for supper tonight.

We came inside to have lunch and watch the rains start. It was showering on and off and left 3/10ths inch in the gauge today.

Daughter had gate duty at the high school track meet this afternoon so she brought IR and CA over to stay.  RL came up and IR and RL started begging to spend the night .  D-in-love A said it would be a good night because she has to go to work tomorrow at 7am.  So daughter picked up CA and then RL and IR had supper out in the sunroom before they headed out to help me with chores.

They are getting big enough to really be a help and they carried water for me tonight.

After chores were finished the girls chased lightening bugs and RL caught a tree frog and was playing with it but IR was not a fan of the frog !!!!

We came inside and the girls loved licking the spatula after I finished icing the caramel cakes I baked last night when they got out of the bathtub.

Then it was bedtime and we were all tired so the girls went to sleep quickly as did hubbie and I. Hubbie and I are both fighting off head colds that CA graciously shared with us so it was good to be able to get a good nights sleep.

Thankful for these two little angels and for the other 2 angels already here and the 2 that are on their way. Grandkids make life complete for sure and I thank God that he allows me to be able to watch these kids grow up.

Thankful for all the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night.

FIRST MONDAY OF SUMMER VACATION

 Monday morning rolls around quickly once again. A little different schedule today as I switched days this week with RL's other g-ma because she had something to do on Wednesday so she has RL today. Daughter only has to work half day today on her last work day before summer vacation starts so we only have IR and CA this morning.   I got chores done and we had breakfast.  With the help of IR I gathered weekly laundry and got a load started.   The girls wanted to play outside so we went outside until their mom got here with lunch.  IR has a new "buddie" as she calls this empty snake skin she found.

We all came inside and had lunch together. After we ate I got another load of laundry started and we all sat on the front porch and watched it rain a short shower that gave us 2/10th inch of much needed moisture. 

It is very humid today along with the mid 80's temps so the rain was a welcome cool down also. Just wish we could have gotten more of it.

After daughter left hubbie and I watched the news then got chores done.  I baked 6 caramel cakes tonight and then relaxed for the evening.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night