SELL-OUT MARKET DAY

Market day seems to come earlier as the weather gets cooler. Although temperatures didn't get as low as the predicted mid 30's last night, the low 40's made for a cool chore time.
Market was very busy today and for the first time in quite a while I sold all our baked goods completely out.
The aisles of market stayed mostly full of customers all day.
Praying for my neighbor Steve's father in law as he has just been diagnosed with esophogal and stomach cancer, he is 88 years old. They had to put a feeding tube in to give him some nourishment and he is having a very hard time after just this minor surgery.
I started feeling sort of yucky and my nose started running while at market, I hope I'm not getting a cold.
I made one stop at Aldi on the way home to pick up baking supplies and groceries.
G-son was here when I got here as his dad is working today and his mom is photographing a wedding of some friends.
We had a snack then went over to daughter's house to let Tipper, her dog out for a run. She is in Waxhaw, NC playing volleyball against a team from Marvin Ridge high school. This is the 4th round of the play-offs.
G-son was happy to play ball  with Tipper, she is another of his favorite dogs.
We came home to meet Evy who was staying with us while her mom went to work at the hospital tonight.
We were outside when she got here and that suited her just fine as she loves to be outside.
Off they went to explore.

This big ole slide that hubbie needs to make a frame for suited them just fine sitting on this old tool box on the trailer.

She wants to do everything g-son does !!!

They had to have rides in the golf cart when they saw hubbie taking it off the charger.

We went inside to have supper which both kids inhaled after all their activity and then they spent some quiet time waiting on their dad' s to get off work and pick them up.

What a perfect Saturday,  a sell-out morning at market and an afternoon spent with these two !!!

Unfortunately the news from daughter wasn't as good as her volleyball team completed their season tonight in a loss to Marvin Ridge.  They put up a good fight but felt the fatigue of the last three long road trips in the last week caught up with them today and ended their championship hopes.  They still have no reason to hang their heads as they had a great season.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and looking forward to worshiping Him with church family tomorrow.
Good Night and God Bless

NO SCHOOL FRIDAY

Up early to get the morning chores done before g-son gets here.  There is no school for students today so g-son is staying here while mom has to go to work alone today.
He was very sweet this morning getting re-acquainted with Annie and his favorite dog of the trio, Flash.

Cheyenne wanted in on the action as well.

He even got re-acquainted with the trees.

He walked with me this morning which was nice as I have missed his perspective on things.
I came inside and he stayed outside and played most of the morning while I baked cakes. I baked 6 caramel,1 coconut, 1 chocolate plus 8 pound cakes and 2 blackberry wine cakes.
We had lunch , daughter came by here to have lunch with us to the delight of g-son.
He had picked up sticks all around the yard and was trying to make a deal with daughter for some money to spend on a trip to the Dollar Store later today.

We made that trip to the Dollar store and I just thought as we walked in the door that this is just wrong, to have one wall covered with Christmas decor and the other covered with Halloween things.

We came home and hubbie came in from work about the same time so he got to spend some time with g-son out in the yard. They played in the "tree house tree" for a while.

Then g-son got to drive the golf cart around the driveway several times. His legs are finally long enough to reach the brake and gas petals.

His mom went on a girls night out with some girls from church and his dad went hunting so he had an extended stay with us.
After chores Rebekah and Evy came over and g-son was delighted to have a playmate for a little while.

After everyone left I iced my cakes and got things ready for market.
The day has been a beautiful sunny, warm, mid 60's day but tonight we are under a frost warning again.
So thankful for the blessings of this day and praying for God's guidance in all that I do everyday.
Good Night and God Bless.

COOL BUT BUSY MARKET DAY

Had a good market day today with a bus load of tourist headed back to Florida after a five day trip and they were buying things to take back with them. Unlike most bus tours this bus must have had lots of storage room for all their purchases. I sold several cakes to them for the trip back home.
After lunch it got pretty quiet in there and I took a walk across the street to do my banking business to break up the boredom for a little bit.
Inside market was very cool today as I kept my jacket on all day. One of the customers came through and said if we are already shivering  this much in this weather we might freeze solid when winter weather does get here. Hopefully my body will adjust to the colder temperatures or the long underwear will come out early this year,haha.
After I left market I headed over to Rebekah's doctors office to take care of Evy while Rebekah got her blood sugar test. She was afraid the sugary stuff she had to drink would make her sick like it did when she had the test with Evy but this time it didn't make her that sick so we had a nice visit and Evy is should a sweetie I don't ever mind caring for her.
We left there and she headed home and I went back to town to pick up my baking supplies. I passed GB shoes as I pulled out on the road back into town and decided to check out their boots . They didn't have the boots like I want to get but I did find a really nice $50 purse that I bought on sale for $15 !!
After making stops at Aldi and Walmart I made it home about 5:45 with plenty time to get unloaded and do the chores.
I picked some bell peppers from the garden since they are calling for a frost warning for our area for tonight.

It is 51 degrees at 9:30 so it might not get as cold as they say but you never know this time of year.
I am blogging early so I can get into bed earlier tonight because I didn't sleep well at all last night and hope to catch up tonight under the warmth of the covers on this chilly evening.
Talked to daughter earlier tonight and her volleyball team won the third round of state play-offs tonight down in Iredell county.  Congratulations again girls !!!
In this pic from a local Iredell newspaper one of North Iredell's players hits against a North Henderson player in their breast cancer supporting pink uniforms.

Thankful for the blessings of this day, giving all my cares to my Heavenly Father.
Good Night and God Bless.

COLD AND WINDY AND 2004 BEACH TRIP

BRRRRR!!!!!   Mother Nature will definitely get your attention this morning. With 42 degrees and very windy conditions it is a "toe boggin" and cover-all morning as I head out to feed today.

The animals wanted to get out in the warm sunshine quickly as I'm sure they wanted to forget the cold overnight wind as soon as they could. I hate to put the plastic covers over their windows just yet as the temperatures are going to moderate after a couple more cooler nights.
I took a brisk walk this morning then warmed up with a hot cup of green tea while I read my morning devotions.
I baked 12 caramel,1 chocolate,  1 coconut, 6 pound and 2 blackberry wine cakes before the dust settled in my kitchen today.
Evy came to stay with me while her mom went to the grocery store this afternoon and she was so sweet and playful after having some stomach problems for the last couple days. I'm glad she is feeling much better.
After chores tonight is paperwork night so I buried myself in the mass of papers stacked on my desk.  Sometimes I look at these and wonder how we accumulate so much paperwork in a weeks time?
I finished the night out icing cakes and made it to bed around 12:30am.
The decade pictures for October 2004 are from one of our usual fall beach trips. These are from the outer banks, I think we stayed in Avon, NC this trip.
We ferried over to Ocracoke island riding in #2 son's jeep. D-in-love took  this picture of us I am in green on left, daughter on top,#2 son sitting and hubbie standing. #1 son must have been behind us with d-in-love.

 #1 son and d-in-love on the Cape Hatteras light house.

Hubbie and #1 son fishing on the pier at night.

#2 son with his catch !!!

I can't believe this is all the pics I have from that trip but so far can't find any more. We always went to the beach in October before we had folks involved in working and going to school.
When I look at these pictures it surprises me to see how much the kids have changed in what seems to be such a short time but then I think wow, that was 10 years ago and alot has changed in that 10 years !!
Grateful to God for the precious memories and all the fun family trips we have made.
Good Night and God Bless.

COLORFUL FALL BLOOMS

After a regular morning I took a nice long walk in the cool mid 50's sunny weather.  Although the main leaf color around here is still green my yard has many colorful sights to behold in our extended early fall temperatures without a killing frost yet.

 Purple petunias still blooming....

Beauty Berries show off their purple glow...

 Chinese lanterns look pretty in seasonal orange...

These Drift Roses I got off the clearance rack at Walmart have bloomed with gratitude since I planted them in this old metal tub.

The Marigolds add color to this fall arrangement.

Another clearance item getting ready to put on another bloom if Jack Frost holds off a little longer.

The Mallard ducks were swimming through the sunshine on the pond this morning.

This female Gold Finch was busily eating something from the leaves of this Mimosa tree.

Mr. Bluebird watched from the pasture gate as I walked by .

Evidence that the squirrels are taking seriously the predictions of a bad, cold, snowy winter is these holes in the driveway under the Black Walnut tree as the squirrels are digging the fallen walnuts that are buried in the gravel out to store for winter.

I don't ever remember seeing this before.   It surprises me with all the acorns that have fallen. Maybe they like walnuts better than acorns ???
Today was spent doing housework . I thought I would get to move some sewing machines around but by the time I vacuumed and mopped the floors I was to tired to take on anything else today.
I did pull some weeds for the chickens and get all the chores done before collapsing on the couch for a rest with my 4-legged kids to watch the evening news and weather.
Looks like it will be another upper 30's night to keep Jack Frost at bay a little longer. It is  51 degrees at 10:30 so they probably will be right.
Daughter called tonight and said her volleyball team won their second round play-off game tonight near Charlotte,NC.  Congrats to all the girls and the coaches as they beat an undefeated team tonight.
Celebrating sweet victory !!

Thankful for the wonderful creations God created just for our enjoyment.
Good Night and God Bless

PUMPKINS, GUORDS, OH MY !!

A cool 39 degrees this morning with no signs of any frost, even in the bottom pastures that always get frost first.
After chores and breakfast this morning Rebekah and Evy came over and we all got in hubbie's truck and headed up to Canton to look at modular homes and double wides.  As we went through the homes in several lots I was thinking Aaron and Rebekah have some major decisions to make for their future. I don't envy them at all, I'm happy for them that they are in the situation to need to make these decisions but I don't envy them in making them !!
Evy loved waiting in the truck a couple times because she got to "drive" !!

Canton,NC is higher up in the mountains than where we live but the color there was not out yet either.

We stopped at a J&S cafeteria to have lunch, everyone was pretty hungry after a morning of house hunting. She looks scared that I might not be a good driver of her high chair !!

After we ate we stopped by the WNC farmers market and found acorn squash, green tomatoes and white sweet potatoes to store for the winter.  There was more pumpkins and guords than I have ever seen before.

We stopped for chicken feed and made it home around 3:00 for Evy to get an afternoon nap in.
Hubbie and I put all the feed away then he mowed the lawn, (he's hoping for the last time this season) while I pulled weeds form the garden for the chickens and got our weekly laundry started.
I searched for some yellow cloth in my sewing shop for our costumes for trunk or treat this year but didn't find enough of the right shade of yellow to make them so I will have to buy some.
I have come up with a plan to improve my sewing time and also use some of the sewing machines that are just sitting now.  More on that later, hopefully tomorrow as I have time to move things around.
G-son received his first badges tonight at a Cub Scout ceremony. This is him and his dad receiving the badges and pinning them on. Guess I will have more sewing to do !!

He really likes scouting and I think that is wonderful.  I have many wonderful memories of his dad and uncle when we were involved with scouting.
I finished 4 loads of laundry this evening and caught up my blog book reading.   Talked to daughter tonight and they are gearing up for round two of the state volleyball play-offs tomorrow. Good luck to them and safe travel wishes.
Grateful to God for our safe travel today and for another beautiful day. Praying for guidance for Aaron and Rebekah in the decisions they are facing.
Good Night and God Bless.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR G-SON'S # 8

After chores and breakfast this morning I cut up apples for my "blooming apple " dessert today. These turned out very good although when I make then again I won't use as much brown sugar , as mine were very sweet. I used this recipe for 2 apples and made 8 so I 4 times all the ingredients.

Everyone made it to church today and then we had lunch with everyone but Aaron who had to go to work right after church and #2 son who is golfing as usual.
To go with our apple dessert we had roast beef, boiled potatoes, kale greens, roasted turnips and corn.
After we ate we brought out the requested caramel cake that the birthday boy wanted along with ice cream.  The big #8 candle was lit and the party began.

It was a small family event , but he acted like he enjoyed it very much and couldn't wait to dig into the lego construction.
He even got another later present when his uncle D finished his golf game and brought a late present by for him.

Happy EIGHT YEAR BIRTHDAY to G-SON  !!!

Little Evy started not feeling well at all and her and her mom left to take naps, #1 son's family left to relax for the afternoon and daughter went home to make fried apple pies for the orchard stand.
Hubbie watched a race on TV and I sat outside in the nice mid 60's sunny afternoon. It felt so good I took a nap out in the sunshine.
When I woke up the sun was going down and it had gotten really cool quickly so I came inside the sunroom to catch up on some reading and relax with the 4-legged kids awhile.
After chores it was more relaxing for the evening to spend a Sunday as it should be spent relaxing and enjoying the beauty of God's creations.
The temperature tonight is supposed to get into the mid 30's with spotty frost. I still have a few plants outside that are tender but they are all underneath porches so I won't bring them in just yet, probably later in the week everything will be brought in for the winter. We are actually past the time of our average killing frost which usually comes around the 15th of October.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and striving to do His will in all that I do.
Good Night and God Bless.