OVERNIGHT GUEST

 Up to a quiet Sunday morning and to get chores done and have breakfast before starting lunch for everyone today. We cooked a couple of our roosters in the crockpot overnight so while hubbie shredded the chicken off the bones I cooked rice and then put the chicken and rice together in the crockpot to cook on low until lunchtime. I also broke the fresh beans from the garden and made a cucumber salad and a peach cobbler while hubbie put on corn and made biscuits.  Everyone was here for lunch except #2 son and d-in-love-Tif.  After everyone ate we sat outside and watched the kids play together. 

After everyone left hubbie and I relaxed for the afternoon and watched another light shower of rain come through.  I put away laundry and made my "to do" list for some days this week so far.  RL and IR are coming to spend the night since d-in-love-A has to be at work really early in the morning and they were very excited when they were dropped off this evening.  The girls enjoy helping with chores and gathering eggs. IR wanted eggs for her supper so hubbie came inside and scrambled her the 2 little silkie eggs she gathered and RL wanted mac and cheese. #1 son and d-n-love-A came up and had left overs from lunch for their supper. The girls took a bath and then we all settled in for the evening after they left.

Thankful for a wonderful blessed Sunday.

God Bless and Good Night

MARKET AND DILLY BEAN DAY

Up early to get chores done and then meet up with daughter and the girls at the Depot farmer's market in town. We got beets and peaches from a couple of our neighboring farmers. It was hot so we didn't stay very long and then we headed home. IR wanted to come home with us so she and I played while hubbie got started mowing grass. It is already getting cloudy and the rain is predicted to start around mid afternoon so he wanted to get the lawn mowed.  We got a shower of rain late yesterday that wasn't measurable but it wet the grass enough to make hubbie wait until late morning to get started with the mowing. I had a cake delivery at noon so IR and I headed out to get that done and then came back home for lunch.  Daughter dropped CA off on her way to deliver cakes and she ate lunch with us.  After daughter came back she took the girls home.  #1 son came up and brought the beans he picked yesterday and put in jars ready to make dilly beans and I directed him through canning 14 jars of dilly beans.

After he left hubbie and I got chores done and then ended the evening watching the smokey haze still covering the surrounding mountains.  Nature amazes me each day as I watched this pretty little butterfly or moth rest on this dead leaf in the grass.

This plant comes back each year and continues to put out these pretty blooms. A man at a flea market sold this to me years ago and said it was a moon plant . I don't think it is a moon plant because I have had moon flower vines and these flowers aren't near as big or as fragrant as the moon vines I've had. This plant actually looks more like Jimson weed but doesn't have the seed pods that the Jimson weed has and these trumpet blooms are also larger.

Thankful for the wonderful blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night 

PEST CONTROL TREATMENT DAY

 Up to a quiet Friday morning to get chores done and then have my regular oatmeal and berries breakfast. Daughter dropped IR and CA off so she could attend her online classes today.  I made a couple cake deliveries and picked up our Walmart curbside order. The girls and hubbie helped me get things carried in and put away.  Daughter picked up lunch and brought it here for all of us to eat. We had baked some of our Yukon Gold potatoes to try them the favor and they were very good.  Our pest control guy came to treat our house just as we were finishing lunch. He worked for over one and a half hours doing our quarterly spraying. Daughter took the girls and went to pick up one of her dogs from the groomers while I picked my blackberries. Hubbie went with the pest control guy to #1 son's house while he treated it also . I met daughter and the girls back at her house and we walked over to her neighbors, Rita , to go swimming on this hot upper 80's afternoon. While we swam son-in-love came home to meet the pest control guy at their house. Hubbie came to the pool and took CA home for her nap because she was really tired and crying. We swam a little longer then we went home. I watered all my potted plants and then got chores done. #1 son came up to pick some beans to make dilly beans out of.  I will help him can them tomorrow .  RL tried to play with the kinetic sand but Meow Meow had other ideas !!

 Hubbie and I ended the evening sitting out in the covered patio. The smoke from the western states fires is hanging low this evening just before a short rain shower helped clear the air.

We came inside and I finished daughter's baby's quilt and then relaxed for the evening.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

ERRAND DAY

 Up to get another busy day started. These Morning Glories growing on the garden fence greet me each morning and make me smile to get my day off to a good start.

I got chores done and then had my oatmeal and fresh blueberries for breakfast. I loaded the money plant I have been working on in my Honda and a cake for delivery and headed for the Curb market. Hubbie had picked up IR ad CA earlier to stay here with him while I run into market and do our errands in town. I stopped at the PO on the way in to market . I put the 3 money plant bunches on my table and talked to the neighbor while I waited on the cake customer. After the cake was picked up I headed for Sav Mor to get some icing supplies and then stopped at the bank. I picked up lunches for the girls on the way home.  We all ate lunch when I got here and then we loaded up in hubbie's truck and headed to the dump / recycle center and then to Fletcher Feed to pick up chicken feed for the month. CA napped the whole time we were gone and while we unloaded the feed. We all came inside and had a snack and then went outside to play until daughter got here to pick them up.  They found an empty cicada shell and I was impressed that IR would hold it. Maybe she was shamed by the fact her little sister wasn't afraid of it.

After the girls left hubbie and I watched the early news then got chores done. I came inside and put away all the green beans I canned yesterday and cleaned the kitchen up. Our pest control man is coming tomorrow to do our quarterly pest control and I was getting things out of the floor and out of his way.  Hubbie is weed eating this evening while it is cool. I went back outside and watered our cabbage and broccoli seedlings and then came inside to ice the coconut and chocolate cakes. My back and neck are still sore and stiff from yesterday's all day canning but I'm glad I got it all done. 

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

GREEN BEAN CANNING DAY

 Up to a nice sunny morning today. I got chores done and then had my oatmeal and fresh blueberries breakfast. After I ate it was time to get into the bean canning mode for the first time this season. I crossed my fingers that my old antique canner would seal and work again this year.  I started filling jars with beans.

Hubbie went to pick up IR and CA just before lunch and they wanted to help break beans but it didn't take long for CA to completely loose interest and for  IR to realize it was a lot of work but to her credit she kept going as long as hubbie and me did until they were all broken.

I canned all afternoon and into the evening finishing with 39 quarts of half runner green beans and 2 quarts of yellow squash.

I only had one mishap with all these and that was on the last canner full. When I placed one of the jars in the canner I heard a loud pop and I knew that jar had broke in the hot water. I took out the jars already in the canner and got hubbie to carry it outside and dump all the green beans and glass out of it in a safe place. I refilled the canner and finished the last run.  I was having to do double duty this evening as their was a death in our church and I needed to bake cakes so I was having to watch the pressure on the canner anyway and decided to go ahead and bake the 3 cakes.  

It was "yellow" day at kindergarten camp today and RL got to hunt for gems. 

They also got to check out all these sea fossils and shells.

On Friday this "Buck" moon will be full and it is already impressive this evening with the smoke ring around it from the smoke off the wild fires in the western states. It is called the buck moon because the antlers of male deer are in full growth this month.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the strength the Lord blesses me with each day.

God Bless and Good Night

GREEN BEAN PICKING DAY

 Woke to another dreary misting rain morning. There was 4/10ths inch in the gauge from the overnight rain.  I got chores done and then had breakfast.  Daughter dropped IR and CA off on way to deliver her baked goods and then she had more classes to attend today.  RL is on her second day of kindergarten camp and is loving it.  Today is blue day !!!

I went to deliver a cake and then came back to find the girls playing quietly in the playroom so I worked on the baby quilt gift for daughter's little girl.   I went to pick up lunches for the girls and then we played outside for a little while until daughter finished her work.   Some bad news today was that the Boys and Girls Club where son-in-love works had to close down today for a couple weeks due to a covid virus outbreak there. Bad news for the parents of the kids who go there and now don't have anywhere for the kids to go and bad news for the folks who were exposed to the virus. Most who have it have been vaccinated so hopefully they won't be too sick.   Before daughter left her and IR helped me pick my half runner beans . I was very impressed with IR as she jumped right in and caught on to the picking quickly and picked all these herself !!!!

We picked over 2 bushels from a couple rows that came up very sparsely this spring but the plants that are here are absolutely loaded with beans.

CA wanted to let us know she could pick beans also.

Daughter took the girls home and hubbie and I watched the early news then we got chores done. We ended the evening sitting out in the covered patio breaking beans so I can get an early start on canning them tomorrow.  The high temperature today was 74 degrees so it felt really good to be outside this evening.

I came inside and iced the cakes the baked last night also.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the abundance of garden produce. I totally put my garden in His hands earlier because I kept replanting and nothing was coming up so I feel like He has certainly blessed me with plenty.

God Bless and Good Night

HOT MUSTARD MONDAY

 Up to get a new week started. It is a strange Monday morning not having RL here early while her mom goes to work. She is at Kindergarten camp this week. This is a new idea that hopes to serve as a pre-school week to give these kids a taste of what school is going to be like for them the first time.  These are some pics her mom sent of her first day.  RL had a gymnastics friend that is going with her this week and they walked in holding hands this morning.

Needless to say RL enjoyed her day very much thankfully.

I got chores done this morning and had breakfast before gathering laundry and getting a load started. I went up to the garden and gathered all the ripe hot banana peppers to make another run of hot mustard sauce.  I have enough peppers this time to make a full recipe so this will be all the hot mustard sauce we will need. If the peppers put more on I will offer them to other folks.

Daughter came in at lunch and brought the girls so she could get back home to do her online classes this week.  IR and CA stayed with hubbie while I finished the mustard canning. I had a total of 21 jars so this will definitely be enough for us. This run is a little hotter than the previous one I made this year but these peppers were more mature. Hubbie likes this run better because it is a little hotter.

IR helped me with laundry this afternoon and then she and CA wanted to help with chores this evening so IR was teaching CA how to throw corn to the chickens.

Daughter took them home for supper after we finished chores.  I sat out in the covered patio this evening and shucked money plant until the cool rain ran me inside.  With the rains overnight and today there was only 3/10ths inch of rain in the gauge this evening but it has rained heavier and steady this evening.  I baked 6 caramel cakes this evening and now I am definitely ready for bed tonight with an aching back .

Thankful for the wonderful blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night