SNOWY START TO THIS SATURDAY

Just as the sun came up this morning there was a pretty good amount of snow around.
I listened to the local news on the radio alarm beside the bed thinking they would announce that market was closed today. Not hearing anything I got up and got dressed and ready to go. I headed into the kitchen to cut and wrap some of the cakes I iced last night. To my surprise when I looked outside all the snow had already melted. The thermometer said 34 degrees.
Market was slow today but I'm thankful for what I did sell on a cold windy day like this. Kate,daughter's "little sister" came by to see me and pick up a couple cakes to take back to college in Greensboro.
After market I made a couple stops for sale items plus some new ink for my printer with a coupon for Staples,made it home around 3:00.
After  a short rest I did chores early before the ominous looking dark clouds rolled in and the snow flurries started again in a cold wind.
Daughter took her church youth group to a place called Moonshine Mountain today for an afternoon of snow tubing fun. D-in-love and g-son went along as well and g-son had a blast riding those tubes down that icy slope.
When they got home she and #1 son brought g-son over here so they could have a date night of dinner and movie.
G-son is in a very good mood tonight after having a good supper,he and Pawpaw are taking turns watching their favorite shows on the TV in the living room. I  went to watch the Duke/Miami basketball game on the bedroom TV. Dollie and Bernie think we have retired for the night,as they are snuggled down in the nice warm bed beside me.
Daughter called as she drove home asking what the vision fissures I have with my migriane headaches look like.Unfortunately she had them after the afternoon of snow tubing,but the fissures went away when she ate supper with the group. She was driving home and said she felt like she was going to have a really bad migraine. I told her to try the heat/cold method I have started using when I get them. I hate that she has the vision fissures as her busy lifestyle isn't going to be an easy place to deal with these.Talked to her later tonight and she was sleeping and had gotten over the headache,thankfully.
As I relax tonight I give thanks to God for the blessings He gives me each day. Some times I am so amazed at His goodness and gracousness that I experience it blows me away.
Good Night and God Bless.

THE BIG "30" FOR #2 SON

I can always tell when Friday rolls around with g-son as he is dragging by the end of the week.
I can't say that I blame him, usually I'm in the same boat.
After chores I exercised and started to take a walk outside but cut it short in the very cold,low 30's, cloudy day.
I baked 6 caramel,2 chocolate and 2 pound cakes before lunch.
One way to tell that spring is getting close is my sunroom table takes on new duties with these potted blueberry bushes that hubbie bought last week.

Had a little excitement around here just after lunchtime today as this white truck somehow managed to roll over into the field across the road without hitting anything.The top ,the windshield and the tool box were the only parts damaged in the roll-over.

Evidently no one got hurt as I watched out the living room window it looked like this ambulance left empty.

Ford motor company should have been here for a commercial for the tough ford trucks as a man drove this truck off.
Later #1 son came home and said it looked like the truck clipped the pole with the red tape on it and flipped. Just glad no one got hurt. Hopefully this time next year the road will be straightened and there won't be these accidents.
A call from a friend saying someone was looking through our mailbox later in the afternoon sent me down to check the mail. We had only some junk mail in there so I don't know what a lady who was leaning against our mailboxes reading a paper  was doing when the friend passed by.He said when he turned around and came back by she was walking on out the road.
I spent the afternoon working on my next blog book. I haven't had much time to work on it with everything else going on.
Daughter was involved in a special day with the governor of N.C. Pat McCrory, coming to her elementary school this morning. This is daughter's friend and the principal at the school walking with the governor and the school superintendent. Daughter says she was somewhere in the crowd that was following them.

The most special happening of the day was for #2 son as he turns the "BIG 30" today !!!
This boy has always been a smiling ,happy guy and is one of the most patient even tempered people I have ever known. Wow has it really been 30 years ????

I called him tonight to wish him a happy birthday and he had just gotten home from work at 8:30. He said there was a lot of workers at the post office out sick today. Hope he doesn't catch what ever everyone else has,maybe they just have Fridayitis !!
HAPPY  30th BIRTHDAY  SON  !!!!

I iced my cakes ,washed my eggs and blogged. I am listening to the weatherman say now it is going to snow here tonight and tomorrow.
Thanking God for the blessing of my kids tonight. Praying for their safety and happiness as they go through life.
Good Night and God Bless.

LOOKING BACK AT FEBRUARY 2013

Looking back over the month of February this year doesn't have any major happenings,there is good news and bad news as in any month. The weather has been mostly wet but the temperatures have stayed high enough so that all was rain except a couple light dustings of snow and one pretty bad ice storm. No school days have been missed due to weather only a couple delays.

Other parts of the country can't say the same thing as there have been several huge snowstorms come across and swing north of us during this month.
On Ground Hog day all the locals did see their shadows so their prediction was 6 more weeks of winter.
A surprising thing that happened this month was a visit from a man from the NCDOT to make an offer on some of our property for the new bridge and road that they are starting in late spring. The road is going away from us so we didn't expect them to need anything on our side of the road. Turns out the utility company needed a little over 1/4 acre from us ,quite a bit from #2 son and even a small piece from #1 son. Their offers were generous thankfully as there wasn't really any recourse but to sell.
I made it to several of daughter's JV girls basketball games and one varsity game during this month. It was great to see her coaching and the girls doing such a good job.

I spent many hours of what I call "tax" month working on rearranging my office and changed desk to one a friend had given me several years ago that was stored in the barn. I also managed to get daughter's and our taxes done,since #2 son is having to pay ,although I have all the figures ready to go I will wait to file his until later.

Valentines day comes and goes around here just as any other day except for my decorations which I enjoy both at home and at market.

Hubbie and I received a very nice gift from one of my blogger friends, 2 free tickets to the Biltmore House which we used on a very nice Friday near the end of the month and had a wonderful time exploring the winter gardens there.

On a sad note a life long neighbor passed away this month, Lavinia was 90 years old and had been in failing health for several years,God bless her family.
With all the rain and above normal temperatures on several days the daffodils are blooming and my plum trees are already budded out for a heavy harvest.

Other trees and flowers aren't as far along this year as they were last year thankfully.
All in all this has been a typical February dreary winter month. There haven't been too many days that it was nice to be outside doing anything but I am grateful for all the moisture that has actually put us on the more moisture than needed side of the drought monitor.

#1 son has put in many hours of overtime working to keep the roads clear of ice and snow and blown down trees this month with his work at the DOT.
Everyone else had a pretty routine month with no big events good or bad happening in our family.
As this month ends with cold temps and snow showers around, March is set to come in like a lion,a cold snowy lion, may that say that it will go out like a lamb.
Looking forward to the blessings and challenges God will put in our lives in the month of March.
Good bye February ,welcome March  2013 !
 

TAXES DONE !!!

Hurried through my routine morning schedule today so I could get an early start into to town to do my weekly shopping and errands. The weather is saying maybe snow flurries by 10am.It sure feels cold enough for snow today in the mid 30's with a brisk breeze.
I was surprised at how empty the streets and stores were at this time of day, maybe I should do this more often. I finished everything in record time, grabbed a free cup of coffee at the bank and headed home.
Got everything put away and ate part of a rotisserie chicken I picked up at Ingles because I was so hungry and they smelled sooooo good !!!
I've only seen a few stray snow flakes blowing around this morning and now the sun is shining so guess we can call the snow off for the day.
The next 48 hours look iffy for some snow for us ???

I spent the afternoon buried in tax figures and got our taxes done for the year,yea !!!
I panicked when it was time to print the returns and right in the middle of it my printer ran out of black ink , trying everything I could without loosing where I was on the tax site I tried to change to the colored ink to no avail. Finally the crazy thing just started printing and finished the job,thankfully and in black ink !!!
Just as hubbie got home from work I was finishing up so we did a happy dance about our refund and then headed outside to do the chores in a really cold evening.
I found some water inside my garden shed this morning so we checked the roof to see if we could find a leak. Hubbie raked all the leaves off and we saw no limbs that might have punched a hole or any sign of a hole so next time it rains I need to check to see where the water maybe coming in.
After supper we watched a UNC/Clemson basketball game which UNC won.
Daughter came by tonight to pick up her dog Tipper who has spent the last 4 days with us  while she was in  Greensboro. Tipper loves her stays over here with all our dogs to play with but as I watched her and daughter getting ready to leave tonight it was obvious she was ready to go home.
On this last day of February 2013 I am thankful for all this months blessings and look forward to what God has in store for my family in the next month. A look back will be in a separate post.
Good Night and God Bless.
                                                                                                                                   

BEAUTIFUL DAY TAKES AWAY WINTER BLAHS

Woke to a totally different looking morning with the sun shining brightly. However as I pulled out of the driveway taking g-son to school I noticed the road looked like it might have some ice on it and sure enough some shady spots and bridges along the way were very icy. On the way home I met #1 son in a salt and sand truck spreading on the icy spots.
There was a bad wreck just up the road soon after I got home but don't know if slick roads had anything to do with it or not. At least no one got badly hurt.
After chores and devotions I vacuumed and mopped all my floors and did a bit more paper shredding before lunch.
It is still a really nice day so I went outside for a nice long walk. The sun felt good on my face as I walked. This  sky sure looks different than yesterday's thankfully we have days like this mixed in with the dreary days to help us get through the winter.

Daughter called on her way back from a NCWISE conference in Greensboro and asked if I could pick up her jeep at Fatz cafe in town and take it back to school. She wasn't going to make it back in time to catch the basketball team at school so she was meeting them at Fatz cafe where they were having an early supper before traveling to their second round play-off game at Mt. Heritage High school.
G-son was tired this afternoon and went to sleep in the van on the way back home from delivering daughter's jeep.
After chores and supper I did weekly paperwork and payed bills. I also did more shredding.
I worked on my taxes today and with one day left in February I'm determined to get them done tomorrow,wish me luck !!!
Daughter called and said her team lost the game tonight so their season is finished for this year.
Watched Survivor on TV tonight and am headed to bed early as I didn't sleep well last night and am feeling the effects tonight.
Thanking God for His gracious blessing of today.
Good Night and God Bless.

ICY TUESDAY

Winter seems to be making it's fury known around here this morning. The phone ringing at 6am with a message from the school system saying there would be a 2-hour delay let me know what kind of day it would be.
D-in-love waited out the darkness and brought g-son on her way to work.
It is always a long morning for him with the two extra hours before he goes to school. As I did chores and looked around at the icicles growing longer by the minute as the rain continued to come down I was surprised that school wasn't completely canceled for today.

We left for school just before 10am and made it fine,the roads didn't have any ice on them at 33 degrees but the trees along the way looked pretty scary in places.
As I pulled out of the school drive after dropping him off I was still surprised that they had school.

Back home I was glad to be spending the day inside unlike my son's who I pray for as I know they are both out in the mess,one delivering mail and the other working to keep the roads open by cutting trees that keep falling from the weight of the ice into the roads.
My plum buds have a protective coating of ice today.

Different sections of our county got varying amounts of ice that hung around all morning defying the weather men who all said it would be gone by 9am.

The Laurel Park section got heavy icing accumulations and many downed power lines.These next photos are from the local media website, for sure I wasn't driving around taking pics in this.

The icicles continued to get longer as the rain kept falling hard at times all morning.

Love this Angel with her "tears of ice" at one of the local church cemeteries.

Now the weather gurus are saying more ice and snow starting tomorrow night and lasting all the way through Saturday. March may come in like a lion for sure this year !

Maybe we just thought we were going to get by with another mild winter this year??
I was glad to stay in the nice warm house doing laundry and housework and more tax work today. I held my breath all day that our power would stay on as thousands around the county lost theirs.
When it was time to pick g-son up the ice was a distant memory in our area,thankfully. He had a good day at school and was hungry when we got home.
While he played this evening I began shredding an entire years old papers to make room for this years addition.
My shredder over heats periodically so I have to take many breaks from my shredding.
#2 son came by this evening to e-mail some info for the purchase of a piece of property that is in short sale. Maybe this is the beginning of the purchase process for him.
The temperature hasn't gotten above 37 degrees all day and I poured out 2 inches of rain from the gauge at chore time with a light misty rain still falling.
Mud,mud and more mud  oh boy !!!
God knows what He is doing and why He does everything He does so I feel safe in His decisions.
Good Night and God Bless.

MISSIONARY FRIENDS MAKE IT TO AFRICA

Woke to another dreary morning as g-son was getting his breakfast and getting ready for school I did morning chores while hubbie took him to school.
After breakfast I buried myself in taxes while hubbie worked outside pruning our fruit trees.
I finished daughter's taxes  and started on son's but need to get more info to finish his.
My brain is boggled with enough figures by lunchtime anyway.
After lunch I drove out to Verizon to check into getting an I-phone. After conversing with a very nice and informative young man I decided to think about it and crunch some numbers first.
Another problem is I have always wore my cell phone on my pants waistband because I don't carry a purse all the time and the I-phone is pretty large to wear like this.   When the young man saw my hesitation he asked me why I wanted an I-phone and when I really didn't have a good answer I started to question this even more. Decisions, decisions !!!
After picking up g-son we came home and he ate everything that wasn't nailed down this afternoon. He forgot his lunch box at school so I don't know if he ate his lunch or not although he said he did.
Maybe another growing spurt is happening !
Talked to daughter tonight after her team's play-off game at North Lincoln and they won so they live to play another game on Wednesday night. At least this one will be closer to home as they play Mt. Heritage in Yancey County.
Tonight I ran across a blog of a young couple that I am so proud of. The young man in this photo with the crown on his head,Travis being escorted by daughter and then escorting daughter on homecoming night, who was always one of daughter's and #2 son's good friends

and his wife, who also was one of daughter's friends and volleyball team mates ( Lauren is third from right standing) have taken a step that so many would not even think about.

This couple has chosen to follow God's calling, giving up their safe and secure jobs with the public school system and electing to become career missionaries.  After months and months of training in various locations with the last one being last fall in Vancouver where they celebrated Christmas.

They have finally arrived at their long awaited destination in Africa just a couple weeks ago after beginning this adventure several years ago. They have a heart for the African people.
Here they are in their new home.

This is Lauren waiting for 5 minutes of electricity to chop some onions and garlic.

This is the church they now attend.

And this is Africa's answer to breakfast on the go !!

This young couple needs lots of prayer as they adjust to their new very different lifestyle for at least the next 3 years.  I know they will miss family and friends here and life will be very hard for them. I pray that they meet and exceed each milestone they encounter and I know that God is with them as they are spreading His love among the African people.
They have a blog called Keeping Up With the Joneses  on blogger if you care to check in on them on their journey.
As I watched the evening news they surprised us with another winter weather advisory for possible icy roads overnight.
If they continue to call for this sooner or later they are going to be right !!

Another night of going to bed wondering what the weather will bring in the morning !
Thankful tonight for God's blessings of the day and praying for Travis and Lauren as they adjust to a new way of life on God's missionary fields.
Good Night and God Bless.