ANOTHER VERY SLOW MARKET DAY

Clouds still hanging around this morning made it feel a bit cooler than I had expected. After chores I got loaded and headed out to market just a little bit late. I'm having a hard time getting motivated today!
Market was again very slow and I spent most of the day looking at houses for #2 son on mt laptop.
I am thankful for what I did sell with the few customers that came in today.
After market I ran weekly errands and picked up a few baking supplies for Saturday. Maybe it will be a better day as I already have orders  for 4 caramel cakes. But the forecast is a rainy one and that always dampens business.
Stopped by Sonic on my way home since it was "happy hour" and all drinks and slushies were 1/2 off I had a fresh fruit strawberry slushie for only $1.
#2 son pulled in right behind me and helped me unload then he got busy on the computer looking at houses.
After a snack I took a short rest as days like this wear me out. I had rather work hard doing something than piddle around with nothing to do.
The sun is trying to make a last ditch effort to break through the thick clouds this evening but I'm afraid darkness will win.
After  chores hubbie and I relaxed for the evening.
Days like today I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and getting no where fast. With market on a downward spiral and seeming to be picking up speed hubbie and I are going to have to work out a new budget. Always before I could count on extra money from market but now that confidence is fading.
I have confidence that God will open the doors that I need and I will follow His guidance in the days to come.
I saw this sign and it made me think how true this is !!

Good Night and God Bless.

OVERNIGHT AND MORNING RAIN DOUBLE WHAT WAS PREDICTED

Sloshing through morning chores I got soaked to the bone even in a raincoat and hood. The chickens were in no hurry to escape their warm dry houses and I don't blame them.
Several loud booms of thunder woke me during the night and it was always raining steadily.
This was the radar around 10 am today for our area.

And about an hour later there was a end in sight.
I stayed inside and iced 6 caramel cakes before venturing out to pick up g-son. It was just a light drizzle by the time we got home after making a quick stop to pick up my Avon order at my friends house on the way.
G-son fell at pre-school and has a pump knot on his forehead and is kind of down in the dumps. I don't know if the bump on the head is making him feel bad or maybe just the dreary weather.
After a nice lunch he got busy building with his Lincoln logs and this is the end product after his goal was to use all the small log pieces.

He was very proud and I was very impressed. This guy is set to be a famous architect one day !!
His mom went grocery shopping before she picked him up so I started cleaning the floors except the living room until she got here. Now I will have to figure a way to clean around his building project !
At the end of the rain I checked the gauge and found over 2" in there. About double what they predicted but much needed!  Thank you Lord.
My large chest freezer downstairs is in need of a defrosting job and on this dreary afternoon I tackled that job. After removing everything from it and packing it in ice or finding a place in the other freezer for it I let the freezer  set and warm enough for the ice to turn loose.
I sewed up some small eyelet lace pillows and got them ready to stuff but didn't get that done before I heard the ice start falling off the sides of the freezer.
It didn't take long to get all the ice out and dry the freezer. I like to get the ice out before it melts.
Hubbie helped get everything back in it then we had a salad supper.
I did chores and sat out some older veggies to thaw for the chickens to eat tomorrow.
I did the weekly paperwork and watched Survivor on TV tonight before icing my chocolate and coconut cakes. Daughter brought her baked goods over tonight. She has poison ivy on the side of her face ,neck and back from her recent yard work around her house.
I just realized tonight that I haven't done any decade photos for this month yet.
Grateful to God for the thirst quenching rain for all the plants and for all the blessings He bestowed upon me today.
Good Night and God Bless.

WHATS BLOOMING NOW AND #1 SON STARTS NEW JOB

A surprisingly sunny and warm morning greeted me today. As I went to bed last night after hearing all the weather people say that rain would start overnight it was a nice surprise.
After chores and breakfast I took a long walk to enjoy it.
As I passed by the shed I checked on the Robin nest and found Mrs. already setting on the nest.

I noticed that some of the plums on the trees are falling off because of the cold weather last week.
These double Azaleas are always the last to bloom but they are some of the prettiest.

They look like little Carnations.

I have a lavender colored one and a pink one.

This Clematis is really blooming this year.

This is the Snowball bush that only a few days ago had green blooms.

Looks like it is almost Chive blossom vinegar time.

Also here is some Thyme that over wintered in this pot outside.

After my walk I left early to pick up baking supplies at Walmart and Aldi before picking up g-son from pre-school.
Soon after lunch his mom picked him up to go up to the YMCA and sign up for swimming lessons.
I started laundry and house cleaning for the afternoon. No hanging out laundry today as the clouds are moving in now to bring the expected rain.
I put some more items on E-bay from the auction things . I advertised an old oreo cookie tin, a toy wooden train, a wedgewood Cayman Island plate, a limited edition statue and a very old small plate made in England.

No bids on anything yet but several watchers.

About chore time this evening the promised rain started to fall. Still at 11:30 tonight I hear thunder and see the flashes of lightening outside the window. It has rained steadily all evening.
The temperature has dropped to 57 now so maybe the thunder and lightening will stop soon.
I can't sleep with all the noise and the shaking,scared 4-legged kids snuggling to get as close as they can to me under the covers.
I decided to bake cakes tonight after a scheduling change makes me g-son's keeper tomorrow. I baked 6 caramel,1 coconut, 2 chocolate, 2 pound and 1 wine cake all the while hoping the storm didn't knock the power off. It didn't and the cakes are done !!

I am giving a special thanks to God tonight because this is a significant day for one member of my family. #1 son who lost his business after an accident in June 2010 and has not had a regular job since then started work today for the NCDOT. After applying in early March he had all but given up on this job also but got a call a couple weeks ago to see if he was still interested so they could get all the paperwork started. We are all so thankful for him to get a job that he will be happy doing. Also his hiring comes just in time with the freeze killing alot of the apples the apple farmer he has been working for said there wouldn't be much work since all his fruit was damaged.
Praising God everyday for His guidance and giving.
Good Night and God Bless.

GETTING BACK TO THE REGULAR ROUTINE

Another Monday with abnormally warm temperature to start the day. During chores this morning I decided to get rid of the eggs under and put the 2 little red Silkie's back into the big lot. I took out all the Silkie eggs from under the one hen and checked to make sure they were no chicks and the eggs all had just yolk and liquid in them. I put her in the lot but she was not a happy camper and took her frustration of no babies out on a couple other hens to re-establish her pecking order.
I started going through #2 hens large eggs that the neighbor had given me and the 2 of my large eggs and surprisingly I saw a small hole pecked in the side of one of my eggs. I broke the hole open enough for me to see a moving little beak inside so I put the egg back under her along with the other which had no hole yet. If the date was correct that I wrote down it has been 25 days.
After I put my Avon order online and called the realtor for #2 son it was time to pick up g-son from pre-school. He said his first day back was good but he was tired.
It will be hard for us all to get back into our routine this week after a week of spring break.
We came home for lunch and then headed outside to enjoy the nice warm sunshine with occasional clouds. G-son and I were playing in the yard when hubbie came down from working at his shop carrying this barrel full of baby birds.

 Even though we know these are baby Starlings and I don't really like these agressive large birds we still won't deprive these parents of their babies so he placed the barrel back in it's place in his shop.
G-son thought  it was so awesome that he could clap his hands and all the little yellow mouths would open up. Another nature lesson for him with live visuals !!!
We spent the entire afternoon outside until mom came to take him to karate lessons.
As I did the evening chores I checked on the hatching eggs and found one little black peeper and the other egg with a hole now in it. Lucky for this lady hen she will have 2 chicks. The other hen is sadly determined and was back setting on a nest in the big house this evening.
The forecast is for rain for the next couple days so this evening I worked in my sewing shop to get some pillows cut out so I can sew during the rainy days.
I also put some more of the old Fire King dishes on e-bay this evening along with an old working waffle iron / sandwich grill that was in the box with hubbie's coffee grinder. The old waffle maker actually works and has the instruction book  with it. It was made in the 40's and 50's.

Listings are free right now so I need to get as much stuff as I can on there to see what happens.
This evening there was a bad wreck just up the road from us knocking out power to many o the neighbors. Fortunately ours didn't go out at least not yet anyway. It closed the entire road down for several hours. Hopefully no one was badly injured.
I am very thankful tonight for God's grace and all my blessings for today.
Good Night and God Bless.

SUNDAY FILLED WITH ACTIVITIES

This Sunday morning got off to a hectic start when 15 minutes before time to leave for Sunday school daughter called from her house saying she was locked out of her house. She had went running earlier and had dropped her key ring beside her purse but when she went out the door for church she only picked up her purse.
I headed over to her house with keys while hubbie went on the entertain the kids in their Sunday school class until she got there.
After the 40 minute round trip I was late feeding so I had to hurry through chores and hurriedly get ready for church when I got back.
After church we all laughed as we went to get in our cars. #1 son and d-in-love had also driven separately so we had 5 vehicles there.
We had a nice grilled chicken breast lunch with fresh strawberry shortcake for dessert.
After lunch hubbie and #2 son went over to daughter's to help her put up some lattice around her porches.
#1 son and d-in-love went to Lowe's to get some things for planting so g-son and I played outside in the beautiful afternoon sunshine. The wind is blowing so the temperature feels just right.
I did evening chores and then looked on the computer for some houses as #2 son announced today that he might buy another house and rent the one he lives in now out. He doesn't like living right on the side of the road. Right now is the best time in a long while to buy a house. He is off work this week as he put in for vacation thinking he would make the yearly trip with his buddies to Vegas but he decided not to go so he will use the week to house hunt.
When he and hubbie got home we drove around the community to look at a couple houses close around here. He found a couple he really liked so I'm calling my friend realtor tomorrow for him.
This evening I made pictures of a couple of my treasures from the last week and listed them on e-bay.
A Buchan Portobella Thistleware tankard or stein made in Scotland.

 This is from the auction yesterday.
I also listed one of the Fire King Golden Shell patterned plates I bought at the flea market Wednesday.

I  also got my last Sunday night Avon order ready to place tomorrow. From now on my order day will be Wednesday,have no idea why they changed.
This evening there were just enough clouds floating by to create a beautiful sunset.

Love the way God creates things just to please our eyes.
Good Night and God Bless.

GOOD MARKET DAY, FUN ANTIQUE AUCTION , PRAYERS NEEDED

Up and out early to do the chores,was happy to see the sick chicks feeling much better this morning. That trip to town to get the vitamin drench for them was well worth the time !
Market was pretty good today with quite a few people coming through. Daughter was there before us and the windshield replacement guy was already working on her jeep when we arrived. A few months ago when she and I were driving out 64 highway into town something hit and broke a spot in her windshield. She called he insurance and they sent someone out to check it, they ground the chip out. Friday morning in the cold morning as she scraped ice ,it popped and cracked all the way across from the previous chip. So they brought her a new windshield this morning.
After they finished she walked up the street to an auction at one of the antique shops near market. She called her dad to come up there and not long after he left he came back to market carrying an old coffee grinder.
He said I should go up with daughter because the prices were really good as not many folks were bidding while he stayed and ran our market table.

 I have bought things in this shop before but the owner passed away and they decided to auction all the contents off. The prices were unbelievably low and most things were in box lots. If they didn't get a bid (which happened frequently) they just added another box until finally someone would at least bid $5.
I've never been to an auction like this one and probably won't ever again.
I would have bought more furniture to fix up and resell if I had the truck there but I had my van, hubbie's car and daughter's jeep and  daughter bought enough stuff to fill all of them up.
My biggest purchase was this Eastlake old settee. It has been reupholstered but some of the original covering can still be seen where the staples are pulled out. We sat these boxes on it for now but when I get it cleaned up I'll post another pic.

I will research it for value, all I know right now is that it was made between 1850-1890. Depending on it's worth, I might sell it or it might go in my living room, we'll see !
Another bunch of box lots.

I like this old whirly-gig and it really works !!

These old Pepsi Bottles with the Pepsi still in them were part of a box full of old bottles that we got for $5.

We got a lot of milk glass that I haven't gone through yet.

How long has it been since you have seen Oreo cookies sold in tins? For $2 I couldn't pass these up.

This is only a little bit of what I brought home. There are many more boxes to go through,a set of old chairs ,a wooden five foot candelabra and much more to view later.
Most of this stuff will go on E-Bay after it is cleaned up so wish me luck.
After getting everything loaded up from market and the auction we didn't get home until after 3:00. Daughter and I compared sunburned faces,arms and chest that we got from standing in the street at the auction. We got things inside and then I moved all the outside plants back outside and watered them all good this evening.
#1 son came over to wash his car and g-son just had to help.

As we stood and talked he hitched himself to the trailer !!

Daughter came back by to pick up her dog and brought a strawberry pie she had made. We all came inside and had a piece,yummmy !!!
After chores this evening hubbie and I had to make a trip to Ingles for some Sunday lunch supplies.
This has been an unusual Saturday but one I have really enjoyed. Hopefully I can make some money on my purchases and I can do it again sometime !!

I feel a little guilty tonight telling all about my awesome day when I know that just up the road from our farm devastating sorrow and sadness fills a neighbor's house. This young lady and my daughter played volleyball together and where friends all through school. My #1 son dated her sister and we have all lived in the same community for years. This young lady became a single parent 23 months ago to a beautiful baby boy.
He was her life and brought joy to all who knew him as a spunky little almost 2 year old can.
Last Wednesday morning for some unknown reason the Lord decided to take this little boy home after only 23 short months leaving his mother devastated along with the entire family. He was fine on Sunday at their church Easter egg hunt, Monday he had an upset stomach, Tuesday he started to vomit ,the doctor said it was just a virus, Wednesday in an ambulance between the doctor's office and the hospital he lost his life. Leaving the whole community stunned and looking for answers.
The sadness and pain this young mother is going through I cannot imagine. My heart aches for her and her family. All I can do is pray for God to touch each of their lives with His loving hands and guide them through this tragedy. Please join me in lifting them up in prayer, they need all the prayers they can get right now.
Good Night and God Bless.

FRIDAY THE 13th JUST A REGULAR DAY HERE !!

Whew !!  Thankfully the temperature hovered just around freezing last night with no noticeable frost this morning.   Hubbie is off today because the shop he works out of was closed today for the last day of spring break. 
He spent the day on the tractor bush hogging the pastures.

I had to run to Tractor Supply for vitamins for a couple sick chicks this morning. This drastically changing weather is taking a tole on them even with my best efforts with the covers and lights.
It is also taking a tole on the hatching ability of eggs because so far unless I really wrote down the wrong dates for a couple hens none of their  eggs are hatching.
We can't tell yet how much damage our plums,peaches,pears,apples and berries sustained. The plums on one tree are as big as grapes already.
I noticed as I walked around the yard that the flowers don't seem to have any damage.
This is another favorite azalea.

I love the red blush inside the blooms.

These Iris don't show any damage from the cold temps so far.

This Lilac tree in my back yard hasn't done very well this year at all with only a few blooms and I haven't smelled that wonderful scent carried on the air at all this year.

After getting the vitamins in the chicks water  I came inside to bake cakes. I baked 6 caramel,
2 chocolate, 2 coconut, 1 pound and 1 wine cake before lunch.
This afternoon was spent on a lot of little catch up task that I have been putting off.
I moved all the smaller chicks and mama hens around with the hens setting on the non-hatching eggs. I clipped the unwanted bushes off the driveway bank and trimmed up some forsythia bushes. I put a bunch of stems in water to see if they would root. I have another bank I would like to get forsythia started on.
I re-filled all the bird feeders and saw the first Hummingbird of the season this afternoon.
The temperature made it up to 66 this afternoon and is 49 at 11:00, more like normal at last.
After supper I iced all my cakes and wrapped and labeled everything.
I feel like I have done a lot of bending and stooping today and am looking forward to a good soaking hot bath,
God is so gracious to me and I am so thankful everyday at all the blessings I receive.
Good Night and God Bless.