ANNUAL PHYSICAL APPOINTMENT

 Up to get chores done. Daughter is going in later to the college training class so she took g-son to school and then came here with the girls to have breakfast.  I came back inside and had a cup of coffee before heading out to get IR to pre-school.  CA stayed home with hubbie and EA this morning.  I came home after dropping IR off and had my breakfast. Hubbie and I sat over breakfast and devised a plan to get all the things done we need to do in the next couple days. Today we decided to take my Honda to town and deliver the 6 cake order of 3 caramel and 3 coconut to the customer meeting us at the Curb Market, and go to the PO, the bank and Sav Mor to pick up a few groceries and then pick up IR on the way home.  Tomorrow we will take hubbie's truck and go to the dump and pick up chicken feed from Fletcher feed.  

We made our trip this morning and everything worked out and  we came home for lunch.  After all the girls ate and we played for a while din-love-T came over to stay and help hubbie with all the girls while I went to the doctor for my annual physical. I am trying out a new doctor in Laurel Park today. I haven't been happy with the doctor I was assigned in my old office when my doctor left and I wanted to stop having to drive to Asheville to see a doctor anyway.  I made my way out to Dr. Lee's office and was pleasantly surprised to find myself alone in his waiting room.  It was a very good visit and he made me feel like he really cared about me staying healthy.  Only bad thing is he is the same age as me so I don't know how much longer he will be practicing but I'll ride the train as long as it is running because of the great impression he made on me today.  Thankful that d-in-love-A came by to help  hubbie with the girls also because I didn't get home until after 5:00.  Daughter came in right after me. We had a short visit them hubbie and I had to go outside to get chores done and all the girls left.

We got a sprinkle of rain this evening in front of a cold front that is coming in tonight with some pretty high wind. It is supposed to be in the upper 20's by morning and only around 50 tomorrow.  I baked 6 more caramel cakes tonight and worked on catching up my photo downloads.   

Thankful for the wonderful blessing of good health and a very good doctor report today.  I will have blood work done next week so praying that is good also.  Thankful for family who will jump in to help anyway they can .

God Bless and Good Night

WALKING PARK PICNIC AND PLAY

 Up to another beautiful fall day. I got chores done and then took both IR and CA to pre-school.  I came home and had breakfast with hubbie and EA.  After we ate I iced the 6 caramel cakes I baked last night and got them wrapped up.  We left early to go pick up the girls and picked up lunch on the way for them. They were happy as usual when I picked them up and they always hold hands as they walk to the car.

We went to the walking park trail and had a picnic lunch which the girls loved on this warm,69 degree day.

After we ate we walked down the trail and let the girls play on the games stations.

It wasn't long until the girls little legs got tired and we headed back to the car.

We surprisingly came upon this baby brown water snake crossing the warm asphalt on the trail. I thought snakes would be hibernated by now with the cold temperatures we have had but not this little guy.

We drove home with three sleepy little girls and had a quiet afternoon.  EA hasn't had a good day today about keeping her milk down but she isn't acting like she is bothered by the spitting up.

After they all woke up RL and d-in-love came by and all the big girls went outside to play in the leaves again while hubbie stayed with them. I stayed inside with a sleeping EA.  Daughter is having a 2 day training drone training course at the local college on today and tomorrow and won't get home until 5:00.

When she came in hubbie and I headed out to get chores done.  

I came inside and baked 3 coconut cakes and let them cool before getting them iced for an order tomorrow.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

FUN FALL PLAY DAY

Up to another unpredicted cold 26 degree morning. You know they are going to miss the forecast when you're watching the late weather and they say the low is already the temperature you're looking at on the outside thermometer.  More icy water pans this morning.  After chores I  grabbed a cup of coffee before taking IR to pre-school.  CA didn't want to ride along today as she doesn't go to school today. I came home after dropping IR and had breakfast with hubbie, CA and EA.  I caught up some business phone calls this morning and put in an Aldi grocery order to pick up after picking up IR. I talked to one of the businesses I had ordered a Christmas gift from that the delivery service had marked as delivered but I hadn't gotten it and was sadly told they were having a lot of trouble with delivery company drivers stealing products. They didn't have any more of the items I ordered so they gave me a credit. It is a sad thing that there is so much theft going on right now in every aspect of business.  My Aldi order was ready early so we loaded up CA and EA to ride along so they would both take naps and it worked as they were both out by the time we arrived at Aldi. It was cute that they went to sleep holding hands.

We picked up IR after the grocery order and headed home with now 3 sleepy girls.  IR woke up when we got home and helped carry groceries inside and then the three of us had lunch while CA and EA finished their naps.  It has turned into a warm sunny beautiful day so after CA and EA had some late lunch we headed outside.  Hubbie raked some leaves and IR and CA enjoyed helping him !!!!

We watched Aa harvest soybeans in the field across the creek and were very thankful the wind was blowing away from us. These beans had flood waters over them a couple times and were very dirty.

RL came over after school was out and played with IR and CA in the leaves to enjoy the sunset.

I brought this little bright eyes inside when the sun was going down and the temperature dropped.

Re , BB and EL brought out Cub Scout popcorn purchases by here this afternoon and had a nice visit.  After everyone left hubbie and I got chores done.  My "Thanksgiving" cactus is blooming pretty this year after taking a year off last year.

The kids gave me this many years ago as an anniversary gift and the tag said it was a "Christmas" cactus but it always blooms in November and when I did some research I discovered it was a Thanksgiving cactus because of the spiked leaves.

A Christmas cactus has smooth leaves like this photo I found online.

The blooms are also different in that my Thanksgiving cactus blooms have longer tube like blooms almost like two flowers on the tubes.

Christmas cactus have closer petals.

Most nurseries don't distinguish the different types of these cacti ,they just call them all Christmas cactus.

 I love mine and the fact that it encouraged me to learn something new. 

Thankful for all the blessings of this day and for the ability to enjoy the beauty all around me in this season.

God Bless and Good Night

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL FALL MONDAY

 Another Monday morning rolls around entirely too quickly !!!!  Up to greet IR,CA and EA and get chores done. I had a couple calls to make while I had my first cup of coffee before I took IR and CA to preschool.  Everyday that I take them and they both go happily walking into their classrooms it makes my heart so happy because I know they are having fun.  I came home to have breakfast with hubbie and EA before getting weekly laundry started. It was a cold 31 degrees this morning and isn't suppose to get very warm all day so inside is a good place to be this morning. I did hang out my delicate fabric clothes on the line to dry in the breezy but cool sunshine. I worked on laundry all morning and then hubbie decided that he and EA would ride along on the trip to pick the girls up and make a couple deliveries. On the way there we dropped off a couple dozen eggs to a customer and then a cake customer met us at the pre-school parking lot for a caramel cake.  The girls were happy as always when we picked them up. EA had napped all the time on the ride and CA went to sleep on the way home. IR , hubbie and I had lunch when we got home while the younger girls slept. I got three loads of laundry done and then played with the girls this afternoon.  IR is good entertainment for EA.

Daughter had a doctor appointment this afternoon after school so RL came up to play with the girls while we waited for her to get here.

After all the girls left hubbie and I went out to get chores done. In this picture it looks like fog is settling in but it is the dust from the neighbor harvesting his soybeans. They certainly are dry enough !!! And sadly this pic shows my beautiful Burning bushes are loosing their bright red leaves.

Another beautiful Fall sunset this evening. 

After chores we came inside and relaxed for the evening.

Thankful for all the undeserved blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night.

FAMILY SUNDAY

 Up to a cold Sunday morning with the first ice on the water pans.  After chores we had breakfast before starting to prepare our family Sunday lunch.  Today on the menu is a family favorite of this mac and chees and ham casserole. We had green beans , corn on the cob and biscuits to go with the casserole and fruit salad for dessert.

Everyone made it to lunch today and we all had a wonderful visit .

D-in-love took IR and CA home with her for the afternoon and they had fun there.

Hubbie blew leaves from around the house after the cold night last night seems a bunch of leaves turned loose overnight.  I stayed inside and put away laundry and rested as the tiredness finally hit me from our busy weekend.  

I got chores done and then d-in-love-A brought the girls all back up here for supper of left over casserole before daughter came to pick them up. 

Thankful for the blessings of this restful Sunday.

God Bless and Good Night

COLD SATURDAY

 Up this morning thankful for the extra sleep and got chores done in a cold 33 degree morning.  After we ate breakfast hubbie went up to work some in his wood pile while I stayed inside and cleaned house. We are both surprised we aren't any more tired than we feel this morning.  After lunch I rode over to the vintage craft show with daughter but we were very surprised at how prices had risen and wound up with only a couple Christmas ornaments for our trip.  We came home at chore time . IR was here with hubbie already and was very helpful with chores this evening. We came inside and daughter dropped both CA and EA off while she and son-in-love went to Sam's for an appointment to have 2 new tires put on her van.  We all ate supper of steak , some of my dragon tongue dried beans, roasted asparagus and baked potatoes. We watched TV after we ate until daughter came to pick the girls up.  We are preparing for the coldest night of the season tonight in the mid 20's.

Thankful for the blessings of this day.

God Bless and Good Night

DOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS TRIP

 We were up very early this morning getting chores done and getting over to daughter's to pick her family up to go to Dollywood for the day. Daughter's van needs tires so we crammed everything in my Honda Pilot and I am driving us there today. Thankfully we had zero traffic problems all the way there and arrived earlier than expected. However on the drive there daughter discovered the hours were changed at Dollywood today and they didn't open until 2:00. We  went to a place called The Island where there were rides and things for the kids to do while we waited for the opening. This place was great for the girls as they got to ride some different rides  like this very tall ferris wheel which IR and her dad took a ride on.

                                                 

CA said that was too high for her and she opted for the merry go round and we were all alone for the ride.

She got to ride with me and her mom and was all smiles the entire ride both times.

We let them ride a another ride and then had lunch at an outside pizza place.

They enjoyed watching the dancing waters while we ate .

We will have to remember this place because it was fun and not crowded.

We arrived at Dollywood just before it opened and parked close to the gate and didn't have to wait in line very long at all to get inside.

IR rode her first roller coaster first thing and rode the entire time with her arms in the air.

Thankfully it was not crowded at all today and the girls ran from one ride to another all day and rode everything they wanted to at least twice.

The girls even found some hungry ducks !!!

It was a really fun day and we all played until we all wore out around 5:00. We had plans to stay and see the lights after dark but with the girls so tired we headed on home.  Daughter drove us home as I don't like to drive at night with my progressive lens glasses on and we made it home as easily as we made it up there thankful to the Lord.

After we dropped daughter's family off hubbie and I shut up all the chickens and guineas and took care of #1 son's dogs because his family is at Wilderness in the Smokeys this weekend.

We are tired and relaxed and watched a UNC/ Brown basketball game on TV which UNC won.  

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the traveling mercies we received as well as the blessing of fun with the grandkids just wish all of them could have been there.

God Bless and Good Night