NEW RECLINER

Off to school this morning, singing as we went, counting down the days. This is the happiest g-son has been going to school all year, haha !!
I noticed the thermometer in my van said 74 degrees at 9am this is usually the high for the day this time of year.
When I got to market I noticed a large tractor trailer truck parked along the side of the street taking up multiple parking spaces just before I turned into to the entrance to market.
I unloaded my van and got things set up hearing the buzz from all the vendors about the furniture sale from the tractor trailer truck out there.
When I got a free moment between customers I ventured out to have a look. I bought a small recliner to replace the one in the center of our living room that has the vinyl peeling off it. This isn't exactly what I had in mind to replace it but for the price I couldn't turn it down.

The color matches my other furniture perfectly, it's very comfortable to sit in, so far happy with it except for it doesn't have a lever to kick the foot rest up when it reclines and it is very hard to get it up. Maybe with use it will get easier.
When I left market I ran the weekly errands and picked up baking supplies on the way home. The clouds were starting to build so I was glad to get home and unloaded before the rain came.
I had a snack and relaxed until hubbie got here.  We watched the news then did chores. Just as I was finishing the raindrops started to fall.   We only got a light sprinkle of rain and then the muggy night steamed back up. The temps got into the upper 80's this afternoon and this evening it is still very warm and humid.
We ate supper then I did some catch up blogging while hubbie sat out in the patio alone tonight.
I iced 6 more caramel cakes tonight to get a head start on tomorrow.
God is good all the time, all the time God is good !!
Good Night and God Bless.

PICKENS FLEA MARKET TRIP

Up before the alarms this morning. Hubbie took the day off so daughter, he and I can make a trip to the Picken's flea market.   He took g-son to school while I did chores, daughter met us here and off we went.  This is the first June trip we have ever made and it felt like the heat was going to live up to the reason we don't go in summer time.
We got down there just after 9am and there was a good crowd with a lot of sellers with all different items for sale. The temperature was already in the 80's as we began to shop.

After about 3 hours and several gallons of sweat we were on our way to get some lunch at the nearby Arbys.  Daughter and I walking back to the van among now empty tables.

We bought random items today with nothing that especially stands out, mostly small useful stuff.I did find a set of patriotic vases to decorate in the month of July with which I will photograph when I get them in their places.
We made it home at 2:30.  Daughter went to school to pick up g-son while hubbie and I unloaded the van.
I spent a little while in recovery mode from all the sweating and intense heat of the day by sitting in the sunroom watching the birds.
As I did chores Rebekah brought Evy up and I helped her get some pictures to announce the birth of their second child which is coming in January.

I heard a little peeping sound as I walked by the brooder house and as I peeked in I saw mama hen and baby chick having a special bonding moment.

She had more chicks but they were content to hide under her warm feathers.
I had work inside to do so my outside enjoyment came to an end and I did weekly paperwork and payed bills.
I spent the rest of the evening icing cakes. I have only one order for tomorrow but it is hard to guess this time of year what any day will be like saleswise.
I am very grateful for all the blessings of the day and for the traveling mercies God showed us today on our flea market trip.
Good Night  and God Bless.

GOOD CHECK-UP

With g-son safely at school this morning my hectic day began.  I hurried through chores and breakfast to get a load of laundry started. I had time to take a shortened walk for my exercise of the day before getting more laundry done.  At 10:15 I left for a doctor's appointment in Asheville.
Thankfully I was called back just as I started to sit down and the news was all good. I have lost more than 2% of the body fat I had a little over a month ago along with another couple pounds. My blood pressure was 124/70 and we are waiting a little longer to recheck my white cell count.  My body fat started out at 28.7% and today it was 26.3%.  When I get to 25% my insurance will stop paying for the doctor visits but I shouldn't need them anymore because I should be at my goal weight by then also.
I am very thankful I was offered this program because I have learned so much about the foods that are good for me and the way they should be prepared.
I stopped by Walmart on my way home to pick up some groceries and baking supplies and made it home around 1:00 for a late lunch.
I did more laundry and housework before I picked up g-son.   After I got him settled in I took my 30 minutes of promised sewing time. I made the other half of this towel into an apron like the one I made last week.

#1 son came after g-son and they took their old boat home with them for a buyer to pick up this evening.
Remember the "extreme boat make over" !!

After #1 son worked and worked to get this old boat in top pic looking good in the bottom pic they only found time to go to the lake once in the year that he has had it so he sold it tonight at a disappointment to g-son.

I baked cakes tonight to get a head start on this Old Timey Day weekend.  I am sitting here typing this at 11:30 waiting for the last ones to come out of the ovens.
Grateful for the strength God gives me each day.
Good Night and God Bless.

PASSED MY EYE EXAM

Both hubbie and I got early starts this morning delivering different cargo.  He left before I did taking Flash the basset hound to the vet for his neutering surgery and I took g-son to school.
Back home we were met with Rebekah bringing little Evy over for the morning so she could sleep some after working all night.
After I did chores and we all had breakfast Evy was tired so she went to take a nap. While she napped I worked quietly on transferring my photos onto my Walgreens site and getting some of the ones I have already printed put in order so when I find my empty photo album I have buried in my office somewhere I will be ready to put them in it.
A first for me, I had to wake Miss Evy up for her lunch. She needed to eat a little early so she would be ready to go with her mommy and daddy to the doctor to get her first look at her new baby sister or brother.
I also ate early so I could make my eye exam appointment at 1:00.  I got good news about my eye health although I do have some of what he called "freckling"around my left pupil but they are all flat so we will just watch them. My eyes have changed again and so I went ahead and got new glasses since they gave me a 30% discount.
Hubbie went with me in case they dilated my eyes but they take photos of my eyes now instead of dilating them.  The check on the "freckling" was pretty rough with such a bright light I saw big blue spots for a long time afterward making me almost sick at my stomach.
We left the office and picked up my Avon order on the way to school to pick up g-son.  We then came home, picked up the crate and went after Flash at the vets.  They said he did very good and was still a bit groggy but he did use the bathroom in the grassy area beside the van before we headed home.
G-son was cute talking to him all the way home to make sure to was okay.
This is the two pals earlier this year.

Flash acts very drugged and doesn't have any appetite which is very strange for him.  I gave him the pain pill they gave me and put his food in his house so he won't have to walk to get to it when he decides he is hungry.
Hubbie, g-son and I spent the evening outside working in the garden. Hubbie tilled and planted our new okra seed while I pulled weeds.  The chickens were happy to help dispose of the weeds for me.
Rebekah is feeling better tonight and went to music practice at church so Evy got to come back for a little while. She spent most of our time outside fascinated by the chickens and the way they eat the weeds I gave them.

She is an outside girl. The high temperature today was 72 but the sunshine made it feel warm. This evening as the sun went down I felt really chilly but when I brought Evy inside after playing on the slide until my back wore out she cried to go back outside.    And of course she got her way so we wrapped in blankets and sat out in the patio to watch the birds until mom came.
With darkness coming after 9:00 now it doesn't give much time after we get inside to get anything done but blogging before bedtime.
Going to bed earlier to rest up for another busy day tomorrow.
Grateful to God tonight for the many wonderful blessings of this day.
Good Night and God Bless.

FUN FIRST SUNDAY OF JUNE

June 2014 started out feeling not so much like summer is here this morning as the day is cool and cloudy.
Church was good today. #1 son helped Rebekah in the nursery because Aaron is having to work today planting soybeans.
We had everyone for lunch except Aaron who is too far away today to run in for lunch.
G-son and Evy spent some time after lunch "just a swingin"  .

He loves her and even gave her part of his lunch since she thought his looked better than hers !!
Hubbie has got to put up a couple more swing hooks so they can swing side by side.
After everyone left hubbie worked on a screen door that won't close all the way and I decided to give this bed of Oregano a haircut.

 Now I have several boxes of drying Oregano to replenish my supply at market and the bed is ready to grow again.

I did chores a little early because (#1) Flash the basset hound is going to the vet early in the morning to get neutered and can't have any food or water after 6:00 this evening and (#2) Rebekah is going to work tonight and Aaron needs to do some fence work so Evy is coming to play with hubbie and me for a while.
She loves to play with these little links that snap together but hubbie showed her an even funnier thing to do with them.

She is such a happy child and is a joy to have around.

We had a good laugh when she watched some kids with horses on TV, they were talking to their horses to get acquainted with them before their ride so Evy went behind the chair and got her horse and did the same thing to it.

She jabbered the entire time she was here, I would love to read her mind and know what she was trying to say !!
Her dad finished his work and they went home to get an early bedtime.
Hubbie and I spent the remainder of the evening sitting out in the patio to watch the sunset on this first day of June which ended a little less cloudy than it began but still pretty cool.
Thankful for this blessed Sunday filled with undeserved blessings from an awesome Heavenly Father.
Good Night and God Bless.

LAST DAY OF MAY A GOOD ONE

The last day of May 2014 was a busy one for me.  Waking up a bit early as g-son thought he was late for school and in a groggy, sleepy headed panic at about 7:45.
By the time we got him assured this was Saturday we were all wide awake but it was time to get up by then.
We made it to market and got things set up before any customers showed up today.  G-son had his friend helping him with the computer games again.

They are becoming quite the pair !!
Daughter came out and helped sell during the busiest time this morning before going to Asheville to meet a friend for the afternoon.
Pawpaw and g-son left at lunchtime to go shopping and have lunch of his favorite pizza at Sam's Club.
I was left alone but business had ground to a complete halt by this time and the customers very few until closing time.
I stopped by the kids clothing sale my niece is giving at the Opportunity House on the way home. I found a few items for both g-son and little Evy.  Her and her mom shopped yesterday but I went back today to their 1/2 price sale.
They had a lot of merchandise for their first sale and it was all clean and good quality stuff. This is their website name, check them out and if you live in the area watch for notice of the next sale.

I stopped by Aldi and the Farm Outlet on the way home and made it here around 4:30.
#1 son came in right behind me from working all day. He stayed a little while and let g-son play with a construction game I bought him at the sale.
After they left hubbie and I watched the news then did chores, had supper and took a nice relaxing break out on the patio watching the sun go down. It has been a cool, only 73 degrees and cloudy day all day today.
This month of May has been a busy month of planting and getting into some new routines as business picks up at market. Our garden is beautiful this year and we are enjoying all the spring vegetables from it each day. The weather has been pretty tame around here with rain mostly when we needed it and periods of heat and cool during the month.  "Blackberry winter" passed without too much damage and temps only getting into the upper 30's a couple nights.
#1 son and d-in-love have been working Saturday jobs to pick up extra money and that gives hubbie and I extra g-son time which we love.
#2 son has settled into his newest home and seems to be very satisfied with this one.
Daughter is finishing up her first year of teaching high school and has started the online courses she needs to get her license along with all the other things in her busy lifestyle.
For hubbie and I this has been a pretty routine month and we have enjoyed the beginning of warm weather many nights sitting outside drinking our hot drinks and watching the sunsets. I went on a weight loss program suggested by my doctor and have already lost 12 pounds so I am happy about that, only about 10 more pounds to go to reach my goal.
This has been a good day and I am thankful to my loving Lord for all His graciousness each day.
Good Night and God Bless.

RELAY FOR LIFE FRIDAY

Well it's the last Friday of May and I'm not sure where this month went either as I say, I think, almost every month.
Today started off good as g-son now he is excited about all the things they are doing in these last weeks of school. He was also excited because he gets to spend the night with us tonight as mom and dad are both working early in the morning.
I had to make an extra trip to Walmart for some extra brown sugar for more caramel cakes than I had planned on to fill a couple late orders for tomorrow.
I went in through the garden dept. and found clearance price red roses,so this is what my one empty planter will contain !
Back home I did chores, had breakfast, then did my morning walk. Usually these walks are photo ops but today I didn't see a single thing to photograph.
I baked 12 caramel,2 chocolate and 2 blackberry wine cakes. 
Hubbie came home early due to one of his co-workers committing suicide this morning.  His boss closed their shop and sent everyone home.  This is the second man who has shot himself in our community in the last month. Both have children and wives that are left wondering "why" . It is also so sad in this case because this man's oldest daughter is getting ready to graduate high school. She goes to the school daughter teaches at and daughter said she was in one of her classes and is such a sweet and smart girl.  So sad !!!   Hubbie was pretty upset also as he and this man ate breakfast together and talked lots of days.
The rain started falling around noon today nice and slow and I was hoping it would cool down enough to keep the storms at bay but not so as we had some close thunder and lightening as the rain picked up in intensity throughout the afternoon. 
I picked up g-son today and we headed home to hunker down to wait for the storms to pass.
I spent the time sewing to further reduce the pile of cut-outs beside my machine.  I made these two aprons to make up for not getting in any sewing yesterday.

We did chores early so we could go out to the local high school to the relay for life fund raiser they are having tonight.
Daughter is in charge of some of the events and it was a great time for all.
It started out rally sad with the survivor walk which was led by a couple of current students, one senor and one freshmen, and a recent graduate who are all battling cancer types.
Here daughter and all the teachers join in the walk with these survivors.

This is daughter friend and fellow coach dancing with g-son.

We had a nice meal of BBQ and chips before we played the games.

He actually hit the target right in the face on his second try !

He got to every one of the games and won prizes at most of them.

He got sparkles in his hair and a rocket ship painted on his face.

We ended the night with a hilarious game of ping pong with pawpaw that I laughed until I cried during.   This was the first time g-son ever played this game but he picked it up pretty fast.

Someone surely had a great time and it was a great evening for hubbie and I just watching him be so happy !  The high school hosts this Relay for Life event each year and all the kids participate to raise money for cancer research.  This years event was very successful and raised over $13,000 for the cause.  Congrats all the teachers and students that give your time  and effort to such a worthy cause.

The rain had stopped when we went out to school and the sun was shining but to our surprise when we came out of the school headed to our van the rain was falling again and the dark clouds were back for the evening. We got a total of 6/10ths inch of rain for the day.

G-son was spending the night so we stopped by his house so he could tell his mom and dad goodnight before we headed home to get all the gook washed out of his hair and off his face !

Can you tell he is a tired little boy ?
He and Pawpaw were in the bed early but I had 12 caramel and 2 chocolate cakes that had to be iced.
I got to bed about midnight.
Thankful tonight for a wonderful family and the joys of being able to spend time with g-son.
Good Night and God Bless.