FALL CANNING DAY

The sun peeked into my bedroom this morning letting me know that it was time to rise and shine and get started on another week.
Hubbie was already up and having a cup of coffee.  I always do the chores before I eat my breakfast, giving my stomach time to wake up.
Hubbie went outside to work on some steps for our new storage building and finish cleaning up and putting away all the week end use tools.
I have been looking at this box of "Hoover" apples since last week and decided today would be a good day to get some of them in the crock pots for apples sauce.

These are an old timey apple and cook up very thick for apple butter or sauce.  I already made a 1/2 bushel of them into apple butter so today's batch will be unsweetened spiced apple sauce like I used to make when the kids were small.
I filled two crock pots with sliced apples and sat them out in the sunroom to cook for the day.
Soon it smelled wonderful out there.
I got laundry started and then had lunch. Rebekah and Evy came over soon after lunch and when Evy went down for her nap we started working on the bushel of peppers we gleaned from the garden before the frost Saturday night.
First chopped the 1/2 bushel of  hot banana peppers up with some other ingredients for a hot mustard sauce that everyone loves.We got 17 pints of the sauce.

While this pressured in the canners we chopped the 1/2 bushel of bell peppers and added some chopped onions with some vinegar and spices to make  a pepper/onion relish that turned out delicious. We had 9 & 1/2 pints of this.

Evy woke up  just as hubbie was finishing up outside and the clouds and wind looked like it was going to storm so he played with her while we worked.
We were both staggery tired by the time everything was out of the canners but it is a good accomplished feeling.
Aaron came over to help get everything home and try to help Rebekah get apples peeled for her order of baked goods for the farm store. I have to admit I am thankful I don't have to do any baking tonight.
It was just starting to rain as hubbie and I went out to do the evening chores. The rain got heavier as I worked and I was soaked by the time I got back inside.
D-in-love called and said she went to the doctor this afternoon and she has bronchitis.  She has been feeling yucky for quite a while so maybe the meds will get her back on track.
Tonight I made my spiced apple sauce and got it canned, I had 8 & 1/2  pints of this delicious treat.

I still have enough apples to make another run of plain apple sauce tomorrow.
These apples cook up wonderfully, this applesauce is really thick without any sugar at all.
My back and legs are aching and I am looking forward tonight to a hot bath soak and a nice soft bed.
This has been a busy canning day and probably unless some one gives us something else to preserve these apples for tomorrow will be my last canning of this season.
Grateful to God tonight for the strength He gives me each day.
Good Night and God Bless.

PUMPKIN PATCH SHOPPING

I had a bathroom break at 7am this morning and when I looked at the thermometer it said 33 degrees. I figured it would drop below freezing before sunrise. 
I heard hubbie's phone ringing before I was out of bed a little later this morning. He said it was #2 son saying he and his friend from the stove / chimney cleaning business were on their way over here to hopefully finish our chimney lining job.
 As I did the chores , I looked around at all the plants and didn't see any damage or frost up here, but the bottom pasture was white with frost for the first time this season. I got ready for church, hubbie was staying home to lend a hand to the guys were ever he could.
Church was good today, our senior pastor was back from vacation and we had our quarterly "Lord's Supper".  Rebekah sang a solo of a very touching song and all was well at the service.  Daughter ,d-in-love and I were the only attendees as #1 son came home after Sunday school to help on the chimney also.
Church was pretty empty today, more so than I have seen it in months. Maybe this first cold morning encouraged folks to stay inside.
At home we had corn beef brisket, green beans, corn, potatoes and slaw with caramel cake dessert for lunch. Josh Wright the man helping #2 son with the chimney was our guest along with everyone else.
After the chimney was finished shortly after lunch, hubbie and #2 son went to Home Depot to get things to finish the chimney, Aaron took Evy home for a nap, #1 son went home, d-in-love,daughter, Rebekah, g-son and I went to the apple farm that we are baking for to get some pumpkins.
Since we left from here , daughter and Rebekah borrowed some of my outside boots to go to the field in. They look very stylish with their church clothes, haha.

G-son and aunt T look for the perfect pumpkin.

G-son searched and searched for his pumpkin.

Finally he located the perfect one and just his size.

He and mom carried their picks to the car.

We all came home and I spent the evening helping clean the yard up and placing my pumpkins around in my decorations.

The guords in these pics were from my garden.
Hubbie and I made a trip to Sam's Club this evening to get a few things we were out of.
After evening chores I took some reading time. The evening is pretty cool tonight, 47 at 10pm after a sunny cool 60 degree day.  The low tonight is supposed to stay around 40 degrees for no chance of another frost.
G-son wasted no time in carving that perfect pumpkin and after coming after a candle to put in it he posed for this picture.

A perfect ending to a perfect Sunday filled with family and friends and the love of Jesus Christ our precious Savior.
Good Night and God Bless.

FREEZE WARNING

Up and out in the refreshingly cool air this morning at 47 degrees with a breeze it would definitely wake you up.
Daughter and Rebekah brought baked goods over before we left.  We got to market a few minutes earlier and got set up before any customers showed up.  Guess everyone is waiting for the warm sunshine to make an appearance.
After a really slow start to the day it turned out to be a pretty good day after all.  There were alot of folks walking through on their way to and from the arts festival uptown.
At 2:00 the isles were empty but the parking lot was still pretty full with the arts vendors cars being allowed to use our lot.
I made stops at the P.O. and a Goodwill store to check for some Halloween costume supplies. I found some of the things I was looking for thankfully.  I also made a baking supply stop at Aldi.  Checked out the farm outlet I have been going to but they were closed for the season. Another stark reminder that cold weather is coming soon.
When I got home #2 son and hubbie were down in the lower pasture helping Aaron try to catch a couple of his cows to doctor their footrot feet.
They all soon gave up and hubbie and #2 son came up to continue work on getting the flue liners out of our chimney.  They broke one of the rods they were using on the device to break them up and had to get Aaron to weld it back together for them.
While they worked I carried plants inside and Rebekah and I gleaned the garden. We picked 1/2 bushel each of bell pepper and hot banana pepper along with some butternut squash and a few tomatoes.  I see some pepper relish and hot mustard sauce in our near future.

With our area being under a freeze warning tonight we thought we had better get all the things gathered in.

I had some help feeding the hens and gathering eggs this evening.

Evy loves the hens and feeds the corn just a few grains at a time.  She kept asking for more corn so the hens got a good big snack of cracked corn to help keep them warm tonight !!
While the guys worked on the chimney Rebekah and searched for something to cook for supper. She ran home to get her pressure pot and I got out some little steaks from the freezer to go with rice and beans. The steaks were frozen so we needed the pressure pot to thaw and cook them quickly.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the thrown together supper.
After they all left I found another couple plants to bring inside and then hubbie and I settled down for the evening to relax.
It is 44 degrees at 10:00 tonight so I suspect we will get our first frost and freeze overnight.
God is always good and I am so thankful for the blessings He sends my way.
Good Night and God Bless.

RAIN USHERS IN COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON

Woke to a cloudy morning but none of the promised rain yet.  I did chores and had breakfast before I heard the rain drops start hitting the metal roof.
The rain started off really heavy but slacked to a drizzle after just a few minutes. 
This rain is in front of a cold front bringing the coldest air of the season and possibly our first frost of the season tomorrow night.
I made a cake delivery at 10:30 before starting the baking for today.
I baked 18 caramel, 1 chocolate, 4 pound and an apple sauce cake.
Don't know how business will be tomorrow with Farm City day at Jackson park and an art show on main street down town going on as well plus iffy weather, who knows ??
I finished baking and had lunch then started getting out all my inside fall decorations, well I should say more of the pumpkin and leaf decorations as I already have some fall with apples and sunflowers out. 
I did a laundry load of the apple furniture covers and put more late fall looking covers on them.
After climbing the attic stairs several times I needed a rest for a few minutes before hubbie got home from work and we started clearing out some of the things in the laundry room downstairs in case there is dust from the chimney job tomorrow.
The rain has stopped this evening and we only got 1/2 inch out of the front.
The air already has a definite chill to it as I tried to sit out in the patio over looking the road tonight for a while.
The sunset was very pretty tonight with the fleeting clouds in the breeze that is blowing in the cold front.

The reflection of the sun behind the clouds in the eastern sky was prettier tonight than the western sky sunset.

It feels like fall this evening and as I gaze out over the yellowing soy bean fields across the creek it definitely looks a little like fall.

We don't have a lot of leaf color yet but the fields of soybeans and corn say it is almost time for fall harvest.
After chores and supper I iced cakes for the rest of the evening and then baked an apple cake for a late order from a regular customer.
I need to catch up on my late nights and early mornings of this week but it won't be tonight or in the morning. Oh well !
Thankful for a merciful loving savior that blesses me unconditionally every day.
Good Night and God Bless.

SURPRISING GOOD MARKET DAY

Just thought I would sleep till my alarm this morning !  Daughter arrived at 7:15 with her baked goods on her way to school.
I got everything ready and loaded for market and headed out on a cool cloudy morning.
Market was slow as expected but I did sell more than I expected, so I am very thankful.
I was able to catch up on my blog post and some reading between customers. It was pretty cool in market today with the fans blowing and Saturday the fans will be turned off I'm sure as we are expecting the coolest weather of the season Saturday morning at 36 degrees.

These colder temps will speed up the fall leaf color which seems to be passing us by this year so far.

 Just as I was going out the door leaving market a customer stopped me and bought 3 more cakes which made this a good day for me.
I ran the errands and picked up baking supplies for myself, daughter and Rebekah as the girls got another large order for apple pies and goodies from the orchard for the weekend.
I made it home about 5:00 just as hubbie was getting here.  We got the van unloaded just as #2 son pulled into the driveway.  He was meeting the friend he used to work for that we bought the new wood stove from.  They were discussing the chimney options for putting in the new stainless steel liner. #2 son wants to get it done this weekend while he is still off work.
They determined it should be "a piece of cake"  which makes me very nervous !!!!!
G-son brought his fund raising brochure up here from school and we all made purchases so he was happy.
Rebekah and Evy also walked over to pick up her baking supplies.
I baked 3 caramel and 1 coconut cake tonight for an early morning order for one of my regular customers.
Daughter's volleyball game was in Franklin, NC this evening.
Some very disturbing news fills the papers and airways these days.

A deadly disease that has killed over 3,000 people in Africa has made it's first appearance in America. A man who came from Africa to visit family in Texas has been diagnosed with the Ebola Disease.  His entire family along with 100 other folks who he came in contact with have been quarantined for 21 days.  The sad fact in this is that the first time the man went to the emergency room sick he was sent home even after he told the doctors there that he had came from Africa.
So that put many more folks in contact with the disease. Prayfully it will be contained in this family and they will all survive.
The survival rate varies from place to place in Africa.

Asking for God devine intervention into this disease and praying that it is His will for this country to be spared from this tragic epidemic.  Thanking God for all my blessings of this day.
Good Night and God Bless.

FOUR WHEELING

A 6:45 morning again as g-son is still running a low grade fever and feels yucky.  He ate breakfast then started looking for boxes or anything he could build with. I encourage these creative bouts he has and helped gather all the things he needed.
Meet "Boxy"  .

He was proud of his creation.

I spent the morning baking cakes, 3 chocolate , 6 pound cakes and 2 blackberry wine cakes and had just filled the ovens when d-in-love called and wanted me to bring g-son over to school to have the school nurse check his ear that has been hurting.  I couldn't leave my cakes so she came and got him.  After looking him over the nurse said he probably just had a lot of nasty congestion causing all his problems. She didn't see anything that looked like it warranted antibiotics.
He came back just in time to meet Evy who was staying with me while her mom went to a class at the hospital. 
My baking was finished so after we had lunch we headed outside for some fun in the sunny warm day.
They hauled this jeep out of the storage shed while I went to get the battery.

I got a kick out of seeing them working so well together.
I put the battery in and they were off. I didn't know if Evy would like riding in the jeep or not ,but she loved it. 

They rode around the circle drive with Evy pointed out the sights along the way,haha ,  so cute.

As soon as g-son got out to get something she scooted over into the driver's seat and sat patiently waiting his return.

G-son also tried to give her a driving lesson with her steering and him mashing the gas but she couldn't turn the stiff steering wheel.

In the 80 degree heat they abandoned the jeep for the shade of what g-son calls his "tree house" .  This old magnolia tree in the back yard is the perfect climbing tree.

We came inside for a bathroom break and some refreshments before Evy's mom picked her up.
G-son wanted to rest and watch TV so I went to my office to do some sewing.  Which I guess was not to be today. Just as I started to uncover the machine g-son came in with the TV remote saying he must have mashed the wrong button because the TV went off and wouldn't come back on.
Sooooooo,  I spent the rest of the afternoon with Direct TV on the phone trying to reverse whatever he did.   We never did get that remote to work and had to reprogram the one for the other TV to use on this TV.  She is sending me instructions to try to program this remote to the downstairs TV or I will have to buy another remote.
He must have pushed a deadly combination of buttons to totally render the remote useless.
After chores and supper hubbie and I made our last "check out trip" up to #2 son's house. He left Sunday with three other guys he works with headed to Myrtle Beach to spend three days playing golf down there.  They got a special deal from one of the golfing beach resorts and couldn't turn down a trip like that.  He is coming back tonight so we have been checking on his house each day while he was away.
He will return the favor by helping get the stainless steel liner in our chimney.
I did weekly paperwork and payed the bills before icing my chocolate cakes tonight. I will probably be sorry I didn't do any caramel but I don't expect much business tomorrow at all.
Grateful for the blessing of enjoying these little ones today. I am so blessed and am so thankful for each day.
Good Night and God Bless.

SUMMER LIKE DAY ENDS SEPTEMBER

A 6:45 wake-up call from d-in-love saying she was bringing g-son up the drive got this last day of September 2014 started off very early.
G-son came in and turned the TV on while I fixed his breakfast of waffles and syrup. He said he was feeling much better. But there is a courtesy rule at school, if your child is sent home with a fever they ask that you not send them back for 24 hours.  So he is staying with me today to wait out his 24 hours.
I laid back down in bed since it was still dark outside and a little on the cool side.
I got up and let Tipper, daughter's dog out for her morning run. She spent the night with us while daughter had a dog sitting job in Asheville last night. Daughter will pick her up after she gets back from her volleyball game at Tuscola high school this evening.
I did the chores and was just finishing up when g-son came running out the back door, scared because he heard a whistle in the house.
We looked all around for something that could have made a whistle sound but found nothing.
I ate breakfast and he had some bacon.  After I read my devotions I went outside to walk and g-son came along .
He got out an old bike he rode when he was younger and I blew the tires up so he could ride it around the driveway.
The day is already warm and the sunshine feels really good.

He is getting so big !
I did some housework to finish off the morning and a load of bed sheets laundry. I also changed the curtains in the living room to more fallish looking ones. G-son pointed out they still had flowers on them, haha !

We had a nice afternoon of building lego creations between some more housework.
He is still a little spooked and had to know where I was all afternoon.
His mom picked him up this evening and he said he was starting to feel bad again and didn't want to go to school tomorrow.
After chores and supper I read some while the darkness fell on this September.
This month has been one of those months that cause me to wonder sometimes if I am boring everyone to death with the details of my days.  With calm weather and a normal routine this month has passed without much to write about. I have enjoyed the calm beginning of fall and have had time to relax and catch my breath from the hectic business of summer.  I only put up some apple butter and dried some green beans this month for a break from the busy food preservation of the last month.
I have watched daughter's high school volleyball games and spent time with all the kids.
Curb market business has slowed down and we had our annual fall old timey  day which was the best selling day of the month for me.
I am humbly grateful for all the blessings God sent my way during this past month and look forward to what He has in mind for me and my family in the coming October.
Good Night and God Bless