RAINY SPY WEDNESDAY

 Woke by pouring rain this morning. All the g-kids were here today. Hubbe took g-son to school and then I got soaked getting chores done. Back inside the girls and I had breakfast together.  I had to make a cake delivery in a down pour of some of the heaviest rain this morning.  Thankfully I made it there and back over the water covered roads and low visibility.  Back home I played with the girls until lunch time. They wanted mac and cheese and I had some chicken thighs thawed in the frig for hubbie and I so I fried them up and we ate left over kale greens with them.  CA went down for a nap soon after she ate and the older two colored quietly on the kitchen table for awhile then watched TV.   We all had a case of cabin fever this afternoon and the girls found things to argue and fuss over.  The rain continued all day until late this evening. The creek almost ran out of it's banks for the second time in less than a week.

When the rain stopped there was 1.7 inches in the gauge. Thankfully the temperature stayed up today in the upper 50's before it crashes for the next several days bringing winter back in what is called the Easter Cold Spell.  Some are calling it our Dogwood Winter but our Dogwood trees aren't blooming yet.

After the girls were all picked up hubbie and I watched the early news and then hubbie went to collect trash and recyclables here and at daughters house. I got chores done and then went to my office to pay bills for the week.  Hopefully we will get to run errands tomorrow if the wind doesn't blow as hard as they are predicting, if it does we probably will wait until Friday to go out.

The sunset was really pretty tonight and the only sun we have seen all day.

Holy Week Wednesday is also called "spy" Wednesday because it was the day Judas decided to betray Jesus.

A prayer for this day in Holy Week.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless , Good Night and Happy Easter

A VERY NICE HOLY WEEK TUESDAY

 Up to take care of IR and CA while hubbie went to pick up g-son and take him to school.  We watched TV until he got back then I got chores done and we all had breakfast together. I need to go into town to take my new glasses back into the eye doctor and have them rechecked because they don't seem to be the correct progression and I have struggled to get my eyes to adjust to them. My vision is blurry except when I look through the very top of the lens. I have had headaches and seasick feelings trying to get used to them and I finally gave up .  CA went to sleep early so IR and hubbie stayed home with her while I went into the doctor office.  They were very nice about it and said the progression was to high so they are going to redo the lens. Thankfully my old glasses are fine so I will just go back to wearing those. I ran into #2 son who was delivering mail to the eye doctor's office while I was there.    I stopped by the pharmacy and picked up some artificial tears on my way home as the tear layer in my eyes is getting very thin and sometimes they feel very dry.   CA was still sleeping when I got home. I went up to the garden and picked some kale that is still growing from our winter garden and put it in the pressure pot.  IR, hubbie and I had lunch and then CA ate when she got up.   After we ate we all went outside and had popsicles and played in the playhouse trailer. As the girls and I walked up across the lawn to the trailer there was a carpet of color with all the little flowers popping up in the lawn.

The girls enjoyed this mid 60's sunshine today.

We came inside to have a snack just as daughter came in from work. She had stayed late to help g-son get signed up for classes next year as he will be a freshman in the high school she teaches at.

After she took the girls home hubbie and I watched the early news and rested.  After we got chores done hubbie climbed up in the attic and handed down all the Easter decor and plastic eggs. Now we need to get all the plastic eggs stuffed.  I got a lot of the decor changed out this evening then I iced the cakes the three caramel and 1 chocolate cake I had baked last night.  I have a special idea for some Easter cake decorations for our Easter celebration on Sunday.  Tomorrow is supposed to be another rainy day so we will be back in the mud. 

Today is Holy Week Tuesday , the last day Jesus taught in the Temple and the day He made the prediction that one of the disciples would betray him.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless, Good Night and Happy Easter

HOLY MONDAY 2021

 Monday morning to begin another week. Thankfully the overnight winds have died down this morning leaving us with no damage.  I woke to all 3 of the grand girls crawling into bed with me this morning. Hubbie took g-son to school and then I got up and got chores done when he got home. It is cold this morning compared to lately at 35 degrees.  I came back inside and had breakfast with all the girls. They started playing in the playroom while I gathered laundry and got the weekly wash loads started. RL and IR helped me take the wet clothes from the washer to the dryer and then couldn't wait to feel the warmth of the clothes fresh out of the dryer as they handed them to me to be hung up. I also used the bright sunshine still a bit breezy day to hang some things I didn't want to dry out on the clothes line.

We had a nice lunch all together after I put some of the Dragon Tongue dried beans that I grew in the garden last year in the pressure pot. This is my first time for these and I will be definitely growing them again as they were very tasty. RL loved them also which surprised me. We had left over beef stew also for lunch.  After we ate CA went down for a nap and the big girls and I stayed mostly downstairs so they wouldn't wake her up.  We got 4 loads of laundry done today. I put away some of the March decor to get ready to put out my Easter things tomorrow since only IR and CA will be here.  

After the girls left hubbie and I watched the early news and then we headed outside to get chores done. It has been a nice sunny day but stayed pretty cool and breezy all day with temps in the lower 60's.  We came inside and had more beef stew and beans for supper and then I did some elliptical exercise since all my sore muscles have pretty much subsided.   

This is a special week all week long as it is 2021 Holy Week. On Monday during Holy Week Jesus cleansed the temple in Jerusalem and began teaching. 

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the sacrifice God is getting ready to give all mankind.

God Bless and Good Night

ADDING 2 MORE GIRLS TO THE FAMILY

 Thankfully the storms didn't come in overnight but as I got ready to get chores done the radar showed the storms would arrive about mid morning. Thankfully I got chores done and got back inside before any rain came.  Between 10:00 and noon it rained lightly dropping about .2 inch to add to the totals but the storms appeared to have passed north of our area thankfully.  We are celebrating again today as both daughter and d-in-love Tif had ultrasounds last week to tell the sex of their babies. They have 2 cakes made and filled with the colored candy. Hubbie fixed beef stew with corn bread and biscuits for lunch while I did some decorating for the announcements.  

When everyone arrived the first thing we did was cut the cakes before we ate to appease the excited kids.

First daughter ...........................

Annnnddddd.......pink it is ................

Now #2 son .............................

Annnndddd.....more pink...........

We have two more little girls joining our family in early September !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so wonderfully blessed we are eternally grateful for God's grace to allow us to be apart of these special events and to be present in these kids lives.

We all had a nice lunch with cake for dessert and then had a  nice visit before everyone headed home.  Hubbie went out to go through some old paint he discarded yesterday and I put away some laundry.

Daughter came back over with the girls to ride the 4-wheeler and play with RL while the temperature dropped this afternoon. 

As I went out to get evening chores done it definitely feels like winter has made a return as the wind is blowing and the temperature is headed for the mid 30's tonight.  As I sit here to type this blog post I can hear the wind whipping through the pine trees above the house. Hopefully it won't blow anything down on any buildings tonight with the super soft ground from the almost 5 inches of rain we've had in the last couple days.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the additions to our family that we are blessed with.

God Bless and Good Night

CELEBRATING EL 's # 8 TODAY

 Up to a cloudy morning expecting some storms coming in later today and more severe ones tomorrow to add to our already water soaked soil.

I am glad it is messy outside today because I have lots of inside projects and I need hubbie to help. First we needed to defrost the chest freezer downstairs that had an alarm go off a couple weeks ago encouraging me to buy another freezer before it goes completely out. The alarm hasn't sounded again and we have monitored the temperature and it has been fine so I figured by not defrosting it last fall as in all previous years the amount of ice might have caused the alarm as a warning.  We moved the remaining things we left in it after loading the new one a few days ago into the new freezer and a couple coolers and sat dishpans filled with hot water in it to speed up the melting process.  While the ice melted in there I enlisted hubbie to go through all the paint and other things he had stored in the little room under the stairs and get that clean out finished.  By the time we finished cleaning out this room the ice had pretty much melted in the chest freezer so we got that cleaned and dried out and put all the things back in it from the coolers and other freezer. The temperature dropped right back down and it is still running like a top so far.   It was a late lunch time after we go all this finished and the rain had moved in with a vengeance and was pouring with thunder and lightening. We had a light lunch and then rested while the rain poured down.   I wrapped EL's birthday presents and then changed into clean clothes to go celebrate  at her early birthday party. She is having a mermaid party and wanted us all the dress like mermaids. I wore a blue top and flowered leggings.  #2 son and d-in-love Tif came by and picked up the the bike her mom and dad had bought for her and stored in our basement and we all went to her party.  I can't believe EL is already 8 years old this coming Wednesday and she is such a beauty.

She had a wonderful birthday and got lots of presents that RL and BB watched closely as she unwrapped.

We left there and came home to get our chores done hopefully before more rain moves in. There was 1/2 inch of rain in the gauge from the earlier storms.  We got chores done and got inside to wait for the storms that are predicted to come our way in front of a cold front headed for our area.   

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the family that You choose to surround me with.

God Bless and Good Night

FLOODED MORNING , BEAUTIFUL EVENING

 Up to the news that schools are on a 2 hour delay because of all the flooded roads in our county.

Some areas were flooded badly.

We got some extra sleep before all the kids arrived.  I got chores done and then was having breakfast when hubbie left taking g-son to school at 10:00.   The girls found interesting things to do this morning to have fun.

I replanted a few of my seeds that didn't germinate and watered all of them. They are looking pretty leggy but hopefully they will be okay.  I added a little Miracle Grow to the water today.  We all rode over to the elementary school for our last lunch pick-up so the girls could tell the lady that has been bringing the lunches out thank you.  We came back home and we all had lunch together.  I sauteed some broccoli, snap peas and brussels sprouts for my lunch.  After we ate we headed outside. I took a bucket of warm soapy water up to the girls place house trailer and washed all their dishes and food that they play with after the winter mold season. There was very little mold on it so that was good .  CA couldn't wait for it all to dry in the sun before she was playing with it.

The big girls had fun swinging in the nice mid 70's sunshine.

CA took her first slides on the big slide today.

Daughter picked IR and CA up early and we took RL and followed her home to pick up my cake box order that had been delivered today and so that RL could jump on IR's trampoline. D-in-love came over there to pick up RL and hubbie and I came home.  I rested for a little while before I went out to to chores. Hubbie is mowing the lawn for the first time today.

I planted my first outside plant of this season today. This Lilac plant is budding out all over and I will probably have to cover it at the end of next week in the freezing temps that are predicted but I was afraid to try and keep it in the packaging any longer.

I mulched it with a lot of leaves in to help protect it also.

This moon looks so clear tonight.

And even in a clear sky the sunset was pretty tonight.

I came inside for the evening and rested for the evening.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night