GETTING A REAL DOSE OF FALL WEATHER

A little cooler this morning but still t-shirt and capri weather.
Hubbie left early to work at daughter's house and I did morning chores and had breakfast before heading up to church to work.
What a surprise I got when I opened the doors of the sanctuary, it looked like someone had dropped a dirty bomb in there. There were lights,instruments and you name it strewn all over and all the chairs from the stage were stacked totally blocking off one hallway.
I couldn't get to my flower closet because of cases of drinks being stacked in front of the door.
And all that time hubbie and I spent vacuuming earlier in the week, well that time was a total waste let me tell you !!
I asked the secretary who was there working on the bulletin what was going on and she said she had been out there and seen all the mess also but did not know what was going on.
I worked where I could and then just stood and looked around our beautiful sanctuary at the mess in it was in. I became overwhelmed with emotion so much so that I felt ill,so I just left.
I have taken care of our new sanctuary since we opened it and have prided myself on keeping it looking new. Now that is an impossible task ,the carpet is getting full of spots,so many that no matter how much time I spend on my knees I can't keep up. I feel some of this is total disrespect for the Lord's house, not to mention the disrespect of not allowing time for it to be taken care of properly. I'm tired of tiptoeing around acting like I don't belong.
Something is going to have to change for me to be able to continue working there.
Whew !!!!!! I need to calm down and relax.

I ate some lunch and finished up the end of the month laundry. Being outside on this beautiful day ,still 73 degrees and sunny, makes me feel much better as I pull weeds to give my chickens a treat then move a couple tender plants under the patio cover,just in case. The temperature isn't suppose to get below the mid thirty's but you never know.
I watered all the plants and herbs and enjoyed the aroma of the basil that is doing well in daughter's herb garden.
We went with daughter up to the local animal shelter to look at a dog she has picked out to be her company in her new house.
She is a 4 month old Airedale Terrier mix and is a cutie. She is scheduled to be spayed on Tuesday so daughter won't be able to take her home for a few days after that.
While we were walking her around I noticed this huge field of golden rod,just perfect for fall colors.
We stopped at a produce stand on the way home and bought a huge cabbage,came home and had a meal of steamed cabbage,yummmy. A perfect really cool evening meal.
And it is getting really cool as I type this at 11:00 it is 53 and the wind is whipping outside, temps are expected to reach the middle 30's tonight,brrrrrr!!!!
I baked a chocolate pound cake for a late order that came in today and iced chocolate and coconut cakes tonight.
Looking to God for guidance and grace tonight.
Good Night and God Bless.

SLOW SALES DAY AT MARKET

A little cooler air greeted me this morning during chores as it was 55 degrees as I started out today. But the sunshine will warm it up so I'm still in capris and short sleeves as I head out to market.I'm sitting here typing this at noon wondering where all the customers are. I've had a fairly good day considering this time of year and I know I'll get really busy once the leaves get a little more color in them.
That will happen soon with the temperatures expected this weekend.
2:00 finally arrived and I left market to run errands before coming home. Home Depot had pumpkins on sale so I went by and picked up 4 for $10 ,2 for me and 2 for daughter's new house.They were surprisingly large pumpkins.
Made it home at 4:00 and unloaded and got things put away before #2 son came in to get the lawn mower to mow his yard. He said hubbie was going to work a little longer at daughters before he came home.
I did a couple loads of month end laundry that I've been putting off,had a nice visit with sis-in-law who came by and then did evening chores.
Hubbie came in and we sat out his live animal trap above my hen lot as a part of the fence was bent down like something had tried to get in and had sat on the top of the wire.
After chores I spent some time relaxing before cake baking time. I baked 6 layers and a pound cake tonight.
Thanking God for the blessings of today.
Good Night and God Bless.

FLOORING GOES DOWN QUICKER THAN EXPECTED

Up and out to get another busy day started. The weather is beautiful today,sunny mid 70's.
After chores and breakfast Hubbie and I picked up #2 son who took the rest of the week off to use up some of his vacation time, and headed to daughter's house to get to the flooring project.
Daughter brought us lunch from Fatz which was very good,I saved part of mine for supper.We stuck to our system of me laying the boards out, #2 son putting them together and hubbie running the saw for the end pieces and it went down quicker than I expected.#2 son got the worst part of the job as he figured out how to cut around the door jams.
By the time we decided to stop we were well past the bar into the dining room. My knees were hurting, #2 son was tired and his back and knees were hurting and hubbie's elbow was hurting so at 5:30 we called it a day.
I think the floor is beautiful against the colors she choose.
Hubbie and #2 son will finish the floor tomorrow and maybe get her blinds hung along with some painting on Friday to end a very successful week of work over there.
After supper I crashed on the couch to watch the news and it was hard to make myself get up and do the evening chores.
Daughter came in and started her baking. I did weekly paperwork and paid bills tonight.
We watched Survivor on TV, we've missed the first episodes but it didn't matter tonight.
I iced a chocolate cake tonight and headed for an early bed time for my sore muscles.
God is so gracious and good and I prayerfully seek Him all during the day.
Good Night and God Bless.

NEW TIRES, PART OF A BUSY TUESDAY

Today is going to be a very busy day for me. Stating out with early chores in the dense fog this morning.I'm sure glad I don't have to drive anywhere this morning !! After the 1/4 inch of rain we got last night it is really soupy this morning.
Hubbie has already gone over to daughter's house to begin his day of work over there. He will be on his own today as I have a full day here.
After breakfast I started laundry and then iced 6 caramel cakes. I did housework for most of the morning between laundry loads.
I hung out a load of towels for Mother Nature to help dry, feels good outside this week as this is the first time in a couple weeks I've had a nice sunny laundry day.
Time to change the placemats from the apples of September to the leaves and pumpkins of October.Kitchen table greetings.


Sun room table decorated for October.
With my 4-legged friends napping on the furniture and g-son eating in the living room regularly I keep covers on my furniture so it's fun to make them seasonal also.
I've found over the years it is much easier to throw these covers in the washer than it is to try to clean the upholstery on the furniture. It's also cheaper than buying new furniture when you get tired of looking at the same old couch and chairs !!!

Mid afternoon I suspended my cleaning to go to the tire shop to have new tires put on my van. My front tires won't pass inspection and I want to get new ones while my business is still good at market.
They only took about 30 minutes to get the new ones on and then I had to meet hubbie for an appointment at the bank.
By the time we finished it was after 5:00, hubbie went to Subway to pick up their $5 special this month and I came straight home to do the evening chores.
We ate and then worked on my big hen lot gate,putting a piece of lattice higher on it so one of my hens will stop flying over it. Her luck will run out one day when something else finds her before I do.
I came inside and iced 6 more caramel cakes while I did some extra loads of laundry.Have you ever hung out laundry at night because you won't have time to get it out in the morning ??? I HAVE !!!!!
My job tomorrow will be to lay out daughter's flooring while #2 son puts it down and hubbie runs the saw.
#2 son said his legs were very sore from Sunday's work and it was because he got up and down so much. If I lay it out he can stay down and I can stay up and neither of us will get sore hopefully !!!
Proud tonight to say I got everything on my busy to do list done today except the dusting, whew !!! And you know what they say about dust, it can wait !!!
Thankful tonight for the health and energy God gave me today.
Good Night and God Bless.

ENJOYING GRANDSON

G-son was here early today and when he and hubbie left for for pre-school I did the morning chores and was just finishing breakfast when hubbie got back home.
Last week he had promised to help some with the housework today so I could help him again this Wednesday.
We cleaned all the floors well and he cleaned his shower stall,I call it that because in the bathroom that joins our bedroom we only have a shower stall so since I usually take baths in the other bathroom's tub and all the kids are gone he has made that bathroom his.
We went to pick up g-son ,last week he fussed because we came early and he was having so much fun with his friends.He was doing a great job jumping rope.Love all these smiles,what great memories !!! I had actually forgot about these pics until I took more today.
So today when we got there to pick him up we waited until all the other parents and grandparents got there.We watched them take turns pushing each other on this tire swing. Note no jackets today as the temperature got to a sunny 78.

On the way home we made an Avon delivery ,stopped at Sam's Club for lunch and Walmart for a birthday present for one of my great nephews, who will be having his one year old birthday party on this Sunday, and a few other things we needed.
At home I made some business phone calls while hubbie and g-son played.
We went outside where I swept off all the porches and patio and knocked down all the fall time cobwebs. There are already a lot of leaves on the ground and blowing around in today's winds. I moved a couple plants around and enjoyed the brisk cool breeze for a while as g-son swung.
Hubbie and I decided to go work awhile at church as Monday nights seem to be the only open evening for us to work.
When d-in-love came to pick up g-son he asked her if he could go with us and she said yes.In case you don't know, tongues are required for imaginary concerts !

He said he was playing God's song.
He is getting so big and so smart about things,sometimes he catches me totally off guard when he asked me questions about things.
We came home where daughter was here fixing her special chili for supper. G-son just wanted some chicken fries and chocolate milk.
After we ate he walked home with Pawpaw following.
The weather started to look nasty tonight as thunder rumbled and lightening flashed completely lighting up the night sky. Thankfully the storms dyed down before they got to us and we only got rain,I'll check the gauge in the morning. A cold front is moving through tonight and is going to drop our temperatures again to below normal. But that's no surprise as we have been either above or below normal for almost this entire year.
I baked 26 layers tonight as well as a pound and a wine cake. It is midnight and I'm waiting for the last one to come out of the oven.

Grateful to God tonight as he is my rock each day as I strive to glorify His name.
Good Night and God Bless.

NURSERY DUTY SUNDAY

Woke to a pouring rain again this morning. Where did this come from?
We got another 1/2 inch in about 30 minutes making chore time a bit muddy.
We had nursery duty at church this morning, along with another couple we took care of 9 little ones under the age of 2,whew !!
I had it pretty easy,one of the littlest ones went to sleep in my arms and I sat and held her because with the toys and cookies flying around from the others there was no place to put her down.
After church lunch was pork roast ,fresh green beans,corn on the cob,mashed potatoes and yeast rolls with sweet tea and fresh peach cobbler for dessert,yummmmyyyy !!!
D-in-love was the only missing person today as she was working at her mom and dad's restaurant.
After lunch a couple came after a silkie rooster that I had for sale and then we all went over to daughter's to try and figure the flooring pattern out going through one of the foyers coming out of her bedroom and going into the dining room. It really took a long time to get it figured out but it is done. My job was mostly playing with g-son so I don't have anymore soreness tonight.As the rain clouds gathered back around she decided she had better mow her grass so after #1 son,#2 son and I all left hubbie stayed to help her finish that job. This week will be a busy week with both hubbie and #2 son taking time off from work to work in her house.
D-in-love is repainting her house also and g-son has chosen construction orange for the color of his room !!! We'll see how that turns out !!!
It was almost dark when we got home tonight and after hurrying through chores I had a piece of cobbler for supper and relaxed for the evening.
These are some pictures from the local media that caught my attention and just scream fall is here.
Love this pic !!
The only thing hubbie ever rolled up in a hay roll was a rattlesnake, thankfully by the time we found it it was dead.
It is hard to believe that tomorrow starts the last week in another month that has flown by.
Lord help me be a living expression of your kindness.
Good Night and God Bless.

FALL OLD TIMEY DAY 2011

My old timey outfit for this year. With the weather nice and 70 degree temperature predicted I figured this long skirt might not get too hot today.

Up an extra hour early this morning so I could get a good parking spot close to the door to unload.
The parking lot was full anyway by the time Hubbie and I got there. Luckily as I wondered where I was going to park a lady came out and vacated a spot right next to the door,how lucky was that !!!
Got everything all set up and ready for a big day with all the people that were there.

Hubbie went to work cooking ham on the old wood cook stoves set up outside.

The weather was perfect and the early morning crowd was enjoying the home made breakfast.

The music was good and everyone was enjoying visiting with each other.

There were old tractors and other displays that I didn't get a chance to check out today as daughter is usually here to take turns running our booth but she is at her volley for the cure tournament so I had to stay close to the booth all day.
There was a large crowd all day and I had a very good day of sales.
Market is so pretty this time of year with all the fall decorations for sale.
I try to decorate my table for the season.I had this table completely full earlier.
My neighbor brought these huge Mammoth Sunflower heads in to sell today.
After market I came straight home and changed clothes as I am not cut out for long skirts and bonnets. That type dress would take some getting used to,I kept stepping on the hem of my skirt.
Hubbie and daughter were at her house painting. Painting is not my thing and you don't really want me painting in your house !!
So I washed out all the chicken waterers and feeders and pulled weeds from the garden for them.
I took a long walk this evening to try and get some of the soreness out of my upper legs.
It is a very nice evening after temperatures got up to 78 degrees today it has really cooled off for the evening.
Hubbie came home and said they got the living room,dining room and kitchen totally painted.
Daughter has gone to Lowes and Home Depot to buy blinds for the windows and door.
We spent a welcome lazy Saturday night. My 4-legged kids think this is wonderful to lay under the afghan on the couch with mama.
We have nursery duty tomorrow at church.
Thanking God for blessing me with good business today as well as an idea for my work at church.
Good Night and God Bless.

FIRST DAY OF FALL 2011 BRINGS A VARIETY OF WEATHER

After 2 inches of rain before dawn this morning the skies cleared and sun shone brightly in the beautiful blue fall sky. Welcome Fall 2011, and on the first day of fall it feels like summer again with temperatures around 80 degrees this afternoon.
After chores and breakfast this morning I decided not to walk because of all the mud.
I baked an angel food cake for a special order and a couple chocolate and coconut layer cakes.
I am still moving a bit slow today with my legs being still sore and achy .
After lunch I headed up to work at church hoping to work out some of the soreness.
Back home about 3:30 to meet g-son while his mom does a photo shoot in Asheville.
We swung awhile ......or rather he swung and I pushed !!!Then we pretended we could hear the ocean as we lay in our new beach chair on the beach.
When Hubbie came home from work all 3 of us went to finish work at church. The music man from the contemporary church was there giving guitar lesson to a young man who had a younger sister and g-son made quick friends with her. He followed her all over while we worked and her brother played.
It is bothering me that I have to run a vacuum during these music lessons and even though they assure me I am not bothering them, it is bothering me. I feel very disrespectful to these young folks who are honing their musical skills.
When we got home g-son wanted waffles and chocolate milk for supper !!
D-in-love came to pick him up but he wanted to walk home on his own so hubbie followed to make sure he got there.
Daughter is helping her volleyball team serve a BBQ supper before the football game in a breast cancer fund raising effort tonight. They are having a "volley for the cure" tournament tomorrow also to raise money.
When she got home her and Hubbie took a couple things over to her house that she wants to paint because it will be easier to paint over there in her carport.
The young man from Lumber Liquidators who sold her the flooring came by her house to look at the floor we got down. I think he really came by to see daughter, but that's just me saying !!!!If I was a single young man I would definitely be checking her out !!One good thing about her working at school is she still gets her picture made each year.

While they were gone I did evening chores and watched the clouds roll back in tonight.The humidity of those hot summer days is back tonight as the humidity is 89% but so far at 11:00 we haven't gotten any more rain to add to the 2" of this morning.
Hopefully it won't be rainy tomorrow at Old Timey Day at market.
I have cakes to ice then an early bed time for an early morning.
God is always beside me even when I don't ask Him to be.
Good Night and God Bless.

SLOW MARKET DAY

OOOHHHH, OUCHY,OUCHY, sore muscles are everywhere this morning.
Have you ever had sore butt muscles ???? It makes life interesting to say the least !!!
I made it to market about 5 minutes late and was very thankful for the help of a couple neighbors getting things carried in. I ran through a rain shower on the way but it wasn't raining at market.
Had a very slow day today, cool cloudy weather doesn't help get people out and shopping.
I crocheted the tops on 4 towels today to avoid the "boredom" word !!
After market I made an Avon delivery and ran my regular errands, moving a bit slower than usual I got home about 5:00.
Hubbie was already here and helped me unload,then I hit the couch and he the recliner to watch the news and rest. Fighting sleep I got up and did the evening chores before the dark clouds that are still hanging around produce the promised rain.
After chores we had a salad supper and now feeling more soreness than I have all day decided to take the night off and relax and catch up on my magazine reading.
By 9:30 I'm all caught up and blogging early so I can soak in a hot tub for a while before bed.
Thanking God for the blessings of today.
Good Night and God Bless

BUSY DAY OF FLOORING WORK

RAIN !! RAIN !!! What a nice sound to wake up to !!
Not so nice to do chores in as just as I started feeding the chickens a down pour started and I got drenched. The hens wouldn't even come out of their houses.
Back inside and dried off I had breakfast and iced 6 caramel cakes. Then a man called to come after some of the silkies I have advertised. He took 3 so that reduces my flock some but I need to sell at least 2 more silkies and some bigger roosters.
The bigger breed roosters may go in the freezer before long.
Hubbie got off work 1/2 day today so he and I could see how the floor at daughter's is going to go down. So right after lunch we headed over there. Housework went by the wayside today but hubbie promised to help me catch it up.
As I expected these single boards went down very slowly and we didn't do it correctly for the first few rows, but that's why we started in her bedroom instead of the living room where everyone will see it.
The carpet guys came around 2:30 and it only took them about an hour to do the 2 extra bedrooms. They saw what we were doing and shook their heads as they said they were glad we were doing that floor.
I took a couple pictures with my phone but they didn't turn out so I'll make pics later.
Daughter got there after work and with the 3 of us working we almost got the entire master bedroom done and it does look really good. She loves her choice of laminate and carpet so far.
I left before them and came home to do the chores before it got dark. The sun was trying to peek through this evening just before dark. But the brief clearing lost out to more rain shortly after darkness came.
Daughter went by Subway and brought us sandwiches for supper. I was definitely hungry after a long day of working. Hubbie has pulled a muscle in his lower back and took a pain pill when he got home before he ate and it almost made him really sick. He had to lay really still in bed for a while even after he ate his supper.
Daughter baked while I did weekly paperwork and bagged my Avon orders.
I iced 6 more caramel cakes when she finished.
As I sit here typing I here the rain getting pretty hard again. We had 1 1/2 inches in the gauge from earlier today.
Looks like fall weather for the beginning of fall this year.
But there is Ms. Ophelia to watch out for next week ,although they are already predicting it is going to turn up and miss us.
Let's pray they are right !!

I am tired tonight and know I will have some sore muscles in the morning,it is almost midnight and I am definitely ready to call it a day.
Grateful for the strength the Lord gives me everyday.
Good Night and God Bless.

DREARY TUESDAY AND ESTATE SALE FINDS

I did not want to get out of the nice warm bed this morning. My 4-legged kids were snuggled in close to my side and seemed to have the same feelings.
Another dreary day but thankfully with some actual rain this morning, didn't help matters.
But with farm animals to feed and a day of busy housework and laundry to look forward to I reluctantly slid out from under those warm covers.
After chores and breakfast I tried to get some walking time in but the rain got heavier and I gave it up.
I iced 6 caramel cakes ,then got laundry started.
I advertised some Silkie roosters online in hopes of trimming my flock before cold weather sets in to give more room in the houses.
After a lunch of salad with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers it was back to housework and laundry. About 3:00 I was finished and ready for a break. Normally I would sit outside in the sunshine or under the covered patio but today with the dreary drizzle still going on and the mid 60's temperature I sat in the sunroom .
As I sat there I looked at the things I had bought at Sunday's estate sale and remembered I didn't make pictures so here's what I bought.
I added to my milk glass collection.
These eight wine gobblets plus.....
This large wedding compote dish that are in my humble opinion made by Indiana Glass and are their Colony Harvest grape pattern.

These eight footed water gobblets are a match to my Grape patterned Anchor Hocking things I already have.Such as this candy dish and sherbert gobblet.

And this large bowl.
There are so many milk glass manufacturers who have this almost exact pattern it is very hard to tell the pieces apart and there is no markings on any of them that I can find.
I just like the grape patterned white milk glass so I don't worry too much about who made it.Before I can add any more to my collection I will have to get a bigger cabinet to hold it.

Hubbie came home from work and we steamed green beans and broccoli for supper.
He headed over to daughter's house to work,she is gone to Brevard to coach volleyball.
I did my chores and moved some furniture around in the living room. There isn't much I can move but I wanted this pottery in there so I made room.I will get a dried arrangement to go in it Thursday.

The last thing I bought was this old hand stitched quilt for daughter,she is beginning her collecting just as I did.I iced 6 more caramel cakes tonight while everyone was gone.
Daughter got in from her game and hubbie came in about the same time. Her 2 spare bedrooms are now ready for the carpet which is supposed to be put in tomorrow.
Hubbie is taking a 1/2 day off work tomorrow so he and I can see if we can get started on her flooring.
This evening I checked the rain gauge and even after all the dreary drizzle today there was barely 1/10 of an inch in there. We're suppose to get more tomorrow so we'll see.
I love God and God loves me, God bless my family and God bless me !!!!
Good Night and God Bless you too.

BIRD WATCHING THERAPY AND 2001 MEMORIES

It's 4:00 in the afternoon and I'm at the computer????? Something must be wrong with this picture !!
My day started out pretty regular with g-son here early and hubbie taking him to school while I did chores and had my breakfast.
It is a really cloudy dreary day, one that you can feel the moisture in the air but yet nothing is hitting the ground.
After I got all the chores done I had to get out an Avon order and take care of some more important business on the computer. My mouse is driving me crazy jumping around and I can hardly get it to stay over what I want to click on,grrrrrrr!!!!!!
I just finished this business when it was time to pick g-son up from pre-K.
Hubbie had an errand to run in town after we got him then I headed to Sam's to get a new mouse for the computer.
While g-son and hubbie ate lunch of their regular favorite pizza I found a wireless mouse that I can switch from desktop to laptop for $15 so I am now a happy clicker once again !!!
When we got home I had more business to handle while hubbie and g-son played in his playroom so they wouldn't disturb me.
Finally just before d-in-love came to pick up g-son I'm finished and things are taken proper care of, hopefully at least !!
After they went home ,hubbie went over to work at daughter's house and so with my head still spinning from the morning's activities I'm calming down by blogging.
I'm not saying anything about what I was doing today as it will come out later in a post when it really is totally taken care of and finished, but it's all good !
Think I'll make me a hot cup of tea and watch birds for awhile.
Okay after my cup of tea, I got busy with my bird watching.

Doves are usually ground feeders but this guy sat for a long time and just observed what was going on below on the ground.I noticed that the gold finches are losing their bright colors quickly.A flutter of activity that scared all the finches away left the feeder open to several little Carolina Chick-a-dees.
They were having a high old time flitting to and fro all around the feeder. I was lucky to have caught 2 of them in flight in 1 picture.

I dragged myself away from the relaxation therapy bird watching gives me to go take some pictures of some Silkie roosters I need to sell.
Then it was chore time again,still no rain just clouds and cool temperature of 64 today for a high.
Hubbie and daughter came in from her house and brought KFC home for supper.
Daughter looks tired from all her activities, I hope she doesn't make herself sick as she usually does in the fall of the year.
I baked 48 layers tonight for caramel cakes.

In September of 2001 another first happened for our family. We took our first child to college. #1 son did not want to go to college,he had hated high school and we figured it would be a waste of money if he didn't want to go. But #2 son wanted to go to college and got a basketball scholarship to pay for most of it with academic scholarship money to pay the rest. We had visited many colleges that were recruiting him to play ball for them but he choose a small near by school named Montreat.Only about 45 minutes away from our house we would get to see most of his ball games.It was a Christian college with many old beautiful rock buildings.Including the chapel which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in. The inside walls were solid rock filled with mica which continually sparkled.Son's dormitory was one of the more modern buildings and housed many of the athletes.
We felt like this was a good fit for son and were thankful that he was playing his college basketball close to home. I made it through the whole day without a tear until we were on our way home,then they rolled freely.

We were also spending a lot of time in the high school gym watching daughter play volleyball.Daughter is #2 in her junior year of varsity volleyball.
She put her all into this game as she does anything she does.She now coaches at the same high school she played at.And here she is in her 11th grade picture.

Well that is all for today as it is almost midnight and me throat is getting a little scratchy.
Thankful for all the blessings of today.
Good Night and God Bless.