AB HONOR ROLLER

Thankfully the Nyquil I took last night didn't make me groggy this morning. I heard my alarm go off at 7 and was awake when d-in-love called to say she was on her way.
G-daughter went right back to sleep in her swing and I layed back down but was too wide awake to go back to sleep. I did chores then had breakfast.
I sewed up a large bonnet while waiting for her to wake up and have her morning bottle.

I don't start baking before she has had her bottle so I don't have to stop in the middle of mixing cake batter to feed her.
She woke up smiling around 10:30 so that was perfect timing.
I baked 6 caramel, 1 chocolate caramel for a special birthday order, 1 other chocolate , 3 pound cakes , 1 blackberry wine and 1 applesauce cake.
I have a couple orders for tomorrow so at least it won't be a complete waste. The weather is suppose to be beautiful again so hopefully it will be a good sales day.
The weather today has been beautiful but the wind again kept the sunny mid 50's from feeling warm out there.
G-son made the AB honor roll for the last grading period and got his award at an assembly this morning at school. He was very proud of himself. He is the one in the red #1 shirt.

It was an early release day at noon so he went with other g-ma to have lunch and get a haircut then she brought him here for the rest of the afternoon.
G-daughter was delighted to get to watch him work on a new Lego project.

G-daughter acted like she is getting over her cold today and feels much better and I feel okay today but still have a scratchy throat and cough.
D-in-love picked both kids up to go with her to see her dad who has been moved to re-hab.
Hubbie and I watched the news and fought to stay awake until we got up to go outside and do the evening chores.
I feel like I definitely need a nap but am afraid that will really mess up my sleep tonight.
I iced my cakes and got things ready for market tonight while feeling worse as the evening goes on.
I just feel really dragged out and ready for bed.
The weather forecast isn't helping all the sickness that is going around with another round of seesaw temps and more rain (or snow, some say) coming in next week.

Off for another dose of Nyquil and hopefully a good night's sleep.
Thanking God for all the blessings He sent my way today.
God Bless and Good Night

NASTY HEAD COLD ON A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Uh Oh !!!  When I woke up early this morning I knew that g-daughter had shared her cold with me, bless her little "pea pickin" heart !!!
She also came in all stuffy and nose running.  She went back to sleep in the swing as soon as she got here and I layed down hoping I would feel better after a few more minutes sleep.
My throat was hurting pretty badly after the cold air hit it while I was outside doing chores but after a hot cup of coffee with my egg at breakfast it felt better.
Even with both of us feeling under the weather the weekly errands and shopping had to be done so about mid morning we headed out. I found her this little pink coat to wear and she looked so grown up in it !!  Yes she is standing alone leaning on the couch !!!

We went to the bank and post office then shopped at Aldi and Ingles. She as always was a really good girl and had a smile for everyone that spoke to her even with her snotty nose and slobbery chin , haha.

We got everything done and got home for a late lunch. Then she zonked out for a long afternoon nap.
While she napped I worked on my blog book out in the sunroom.
D-in-love had a hair appointment right after school so she dropped g-son here to stay with g-daughter.

 She is always so glad to see him come through that door and hug her !!!  Guess who will have her cold next ????

 I can't believe how smilely she is knowing she doesn't feel well at all if she feels anything like I do with my burning nose and aching sinus.

She loves getting her Pawpaw's cap when he comes in from work !!!

After they left this evening I took a walk out in the nice warm mid 50's sunny afternoon. It seems "love is already in the air" for these Bluebirds who seemed to be house hunting and competing.

It was a beautiful day and just what I needed to make me feel better of my nasty head cold this evening.

These brave Daffodils have weathered  the snow, ice, freezing temps and all that mother nature has thrown at them and still are a very bright spot in my yard. I need to take a lesson from these delicate little flowers !!!!

Down in the bottom pasture I heard a commotion and saw this guy and another ground hog, which ran and hid when they saw me, enjoying the nice sunny afternoon. This guy didn't appear to be afraid of my presence at all and he was scarily big for a ground hog. Hope he stays in the lower pasture so he won't get the same treatment as the little racoon did earlier in the week !!!

I am a blessed lady with these two so close by and getting to watch them grow up.

I called d-in-love tonight and told her she may have to get inventive to get me awake in the morning as I am going to have to take a dose of Nyquil so I can sleep through the pain in my nose, throat and sinus tonight.
Thanking God for the blessings of this day.
God Bless and Good Night

SNOWY FEBRAURY 1996

A dip in the temperatures this morning after the rain of last night created another hazardous morning on the roads. The temperature dropped to the upper 20's after about 6:30 so the school buses were already out on their icy routes. Fortunately only a few slips and slides were reported and no major school bus accidents. Sorry to say that was not the same case for automobile drivers as many of them crashed this morning after hitting slick spots.
There was 1/4 inch more rain in the gauge this morning.
G-daughter didn't take her normal morning nap today but did sleep on and off so I could get things done.
After chores I had breakfast and then decided while she was in one of her cat naps I would sew some.
I fixed one of hubbie's jean shirts that he had gotten  hung on the barb wire fence and ripped and made one of these full aprons that I have had cut out since last summer. I am determined to put some sewing time into my busy schedule.

I did my exercise tape when g-daughter woke up and she watched me from the bed in the playroom. I thought she was laughing at me a couple times !!!
I finally got a call through to cancel an insurance policy today that I have been trying to cancel since January. BCBS is not a real easy insurance company to do business with right now.
After lunch g-daughter took a good long nap and I worked quietly on my blog book and #2 son's taxes.
I was hoping the temperature would warm enough to take g-daughter out for a walk but it didn't get out of the 40's all day and with a breeze the bright sunshine wasn't as warm as it looked.
After d-in-love picked her up I worked on taxes until daughter came by to kill time between ball practices. She is still practicing the varsity girls basketball team as they will probably make the play-offs and she is practicing a traveling volleyball team.
After she left hubbie and I did the evening chores in the quickly chilling air. It is suppose to get back down in the upper 20's again tonight but thankfully no moisture is falling tonight. It is 34 at 10:30 so I think we will have mid 20's by the morning.
There was no shortage of snow in February 1996 .

I had just finished coaching daughter's 5th grade basketball team and I can't figure out why this is the only photograph I can find of that basketball year ??

Thankful for all the blessings of this day and praying that I glorify God in all that I do and the decisions I make each day.
God Bless and Good Night

ANOTHER NO SCHOOL ICE-DAY

Whew !!! What a night !!! As I lay in bed listening to the police scanner last night (and early this morning) I expected the power to go off at any minute with all the ice that was collecting on all surfaces. I listened to the pouring rain and wondered how much of it could attach itself to the power lines and trees.
I finally dozed off in the wee hours of the morning after hearing the police closing road after road because they were virtually impassable . The local fire depts were begging folks to stay put where they were and not get out on the ice covered roads. I said a thankful prayer that we did not have to be out in this mess.
Surprisingly I woke to the power still on this morning as my phone sounded off again canceling school for yet another day.
As I dozed back off  d-in-love text saying she was going in to work late because the roads were still so bad.
It felt good to get some extra sleep this morning after a rough night.
As I got out to do the morning chores the sunlight reflecting off the still ice covered trees was really pretty. I poured out 1& 1/4 inches of rain from the gauge from the hard rains of last night.

There were many roads still closed this morning because of ice and fallen trees and power lines.

D-in-love brought the kids about 8:30.  G-son is a good help at babysitting his baby sister and she loves him and can't keep her eyes off him if he's around.

I'm glad he still loves my caramel cake.

We had a good day together. G-daughter had a hard time sleeping so she was out of sorts she also has a stuffy nose.
I did some house work between playing with and feeding these two all day. I also got part of an exercise tape done this morning !!
Daughter came by after she left her school early on her way to a dr.'s appointment and dropped off her tax papers for me to get started on her taxes.
She played with the kids a few minutes, they are always happy to see their aunt T come around.
D-in-love left her school a little early to go with Re to SC to pick up their bridesmaid dresses.
She took g-daughter and Re took BB but EL wanted to stay and play with g-son who was also staying here.  I would love to know what this conversation was about  !!

They played very hard the entire time they were here until their dad's came to pick them up.
I did evening chores in a light rain again but the temperature is still in the 40's thankfully tonight. We are just hoping the rain passes our area before the temperature drops into the 20's later tonight. I hope this map is right and we are left out of this round of freezing precip.

It was very very nice not to have to carry more unfrozen water this evening to the hens and dogs.
I was still sliding and slipping all around this evening but at least in the mud not ice !!
Tonight at 10:00 the temp is 38 so I just hope the rain ends soon !!!
I am tired tonight from the loss of sleep of last night and am heading to bed early.
Thankful to God tonight for the wonderful blessings of this day and striving to do His will in all that I do each day.
God Bless and Good Night

ICE STORM

My phone woke me with the 2-hour delay message for schools this morning before the alarm. I knew d-in-love would be here on regular time anyway as she has to go in on time on delay days.
When she arrived with g-daughter at 7am we looked out and saw nothing falling yet but the temperature was 22 degrees.
G-daughter went back to sleep for the morning so hubbie and I both layed back down to wait for better daylight.
Just as I dozed off the phone message sounded again announcing schools were closed for the day.
As we did chores there was a thin coating of ice on everything from the freezing fog and light mist that had began falling.
The scanner lit up with wrecks all around the county as we had breakfast.
While g-daughter slept I got the weekly laundry started and got last weeks laundry put away.
D-in-love and g-son came in from school just before noon as the roads were beginning to get really bad as the misty rain got heavier.
G-daughter loves watching her brother !!!

 We played "jacks" while his mom downloaded some photos off my computer. She had lunch left overs from yesterday and then they headed home.
I finished laundry and started #2 son's taxes on this icy afternoon.
The roads stayed treacherous all day with many many accidents all around the county.

 As the afternoon turned into evening and an icy chore time rolled around again,even more harder to stand up than this morning. The rains got steadily heavier and the temperature still held below freezing putting an icy glaze on everything.

At least these pine trees above the garden and our power lines are still standing straight.

My icy netting over the Silkie pen.

Just as I came inside Sadie my Aussie took off barking to a tree just outside the pasture fence. I saw the little racoon that had been out in the pasture earlier now coming bravely into the back yard. Sadie caught it before it could climb the tree and I was  afraid it would cut her up with it's sharp claws as it fought to break loose from her. I yelled for hubbie to get the gun and yelled for Sadie to come. She let the coon go and it scurried up the tree.
We don't like to shoot any animal but these racoons are dangerous rabies carriers and we can't have them coming this close to our house and hen houses and fighting with the dogs. We always keep all our dogs rabies vaccines up to date but this racoon could have killed Bernie or Dolly if they had fought it like Sadie did.  It only took hubbie one shot and we don't have to worry about this intruder any more. So sad that he had the chance to run away as hubbie said when he fed the horse and cattle earlier he had tried to scare it back down into the lower pasture but it refused to go.
As the evening wears on the ice is getting thicker and thicker on the trees and everything else. This is the timeline supposedly for the temps to get above freezing but so far it is 9:45 and it is still 32 degrees.  Praying the trees and power lines don't start falling under the weight of the ice accumulations.

Looking forward to the promised warmer temps for the rest of this week. Ahhhhh !!!  this weekend !!

Grateful to God for sparing us in this storm and praying for all the folks who were injured in wrecks and falls today.
God Bless and Good Night.