Home Sweet Home

Am home after a wonderful 2 weeks with my daughters and grands (of course the son in laws too). No snow but record breaking warm days. Played lots of rummy, monopoly,and put one and a half puzzles together. G and Q you are on your own finishing the last one. Did some thrift store shopping and a little retail shopping. Lots of visiting friends and family and way too much eating. Enjoyed movie and popcorn night with the grands as well as just sitting and talking. Santa found me in the mountains and filled my stocking! We were awaken at 2am to see what Santa had left and by afternoon a nap was on my to do list. What a blessing to be able to spend time with each daughter and grand. And daughter Melody brought me home and is spending 4 days with 2 of her children and baby E. I am loving having them here though I have a terrible chest cold and sound horrible. Baby E is getting my cold and H and J have the stomach bug so Melody has had her hands full here. We did get to spend the day at the mall the first day here. The grands had Christmas money burning a hole in their pockets. Rusty survived the two weeks but was very depressed and didn't eat much. He hasn't left my side for a second except when I made him stay home when we went shopping. He was right by the door when we came back. Bella was depressed and not eating but is now back to her happy self. Hopefully all the critters and myself will be back to normal very soon. Have photos to share later. Thank you to the two very special ladies that helped with the Christmas gifts for the family we helped. The pjs were loved and the panther hat and scarf were a big, big hit. We didn't stay to see the gifts opened. Just left them under their tree so they could have them Christmas morning. The mom and twins were very, very grateful. Brought tears to my eyes and felt very blessed to be able to be a part of their Christmas. Promise to be back to normal posting soon but now spending time with Melody and grands and hopefully getting over this cold.
Count those blessings!!

Merry Christmas

Wishing each of you a very Merry Christmas. Am having a wonderful time in the mountains with my family. Record warm temps but that is okay. Will catch up with each of you next week when I get home. Count those blessings!!!

Letter To Santa

Edited to add I am off to spend Christmas in the mountains with my daughters and their families. Will not be on the computer very much as I will be treasuring my time there. Have a very blessed Christmas! 


Dear Santa,

It's hard to believe another Christmas is almost here. As you can see it is time for my yearly letter to you. Thank you dear sweet Santa for taking time to read and do your best to answer my letters each year. I have again been very blessed this year and want to ask you to skip  Hidden Haven this year and stop by some very dear friends of mine instead. They are such wonderful friends Santa and it would make me so very happy if you could find a way to leave these things under their tree.

For my very dear friend Amelia Santa could you let her borrow a couple of elves for a little bit? She just moved into a wonderful farmhouse and has lots of renovations to take care of. It sure would be a big help and I know the elves would love it on her beautiful farm.Santa for my sweet friend Mildred could you leave several good mystery books, a variety of teas, and some green beans for her little dog Harriet? And if you don't mind would you give her and John lots of good reports over the coming year? Thank you sweet man.
Sandra has had a very rough and sad year Santa. Would you dig deep into your magical bag and give comfort and happiness as she travels the new path before her? She has lots of faith and courage Santa and such love for her family and friends. You are really going to have to dig deep for HossBoss Santa. I want you to put a brand new full bed pickup truck under her tree. I know its big and bulky but work your magic my jolly ole elf cause she would never ask for one herself but it would be a perfect gift. Oh, and could you leave her a gas gift card in her stocking. Those trucks drink alot! My Texas buddy "Sweethearts Mom" has been doing lots of work on her home, garden, and yard. She has things looking so good around her place. Could you give her some extra paid vacation days so she could enjoy all her hard work? Santa, this lady works from early morning till past dark each day and then goes home to take care of her homestead. She works as hard as your elves! Now if you could wrap up all of Fannie Flagg's books and put them under gafarmwoman's tree along with a CD of southern gospel music I am sure it would put a smile on her face. Now Santa Phelan has been a crazy good girl this year so could you fill her barn with a year's worth of really good hay? While you're there will you fill her tip jar? She won't spend the money frivolously. She is very, very frugal so you can bet that money will stretch along ways as it buys feed for her animals and needed things for her homestead. You will love her dry sense of humor Santa so make sure you have a few extra minutes to just sit and chat. I will get into trouble for this gift but when you stop in at Carolyn's would you leave her lots of pretty material and sewing stuff? She loves sewing aprons! And while you are there leave her a little extra spare time so she can use that gift. You are the best my sweet Santa! My dear friend Marci is sad right now. Her sweet dog Star passed away. She was with her family for a very long time Santa. Could you leave a beautiful rose bush under her tree. One that she could set out near Star's grave. It would remind her when it bloomed of all the wonderful times with her 4 legged family member.Texwisgirl is a hard one to find that perfect gift for. She has a lovely home. Her animal family think they have died and gone to heaven. She is one talented lady with a camera and I love that she shares her photos with us. What I would really like for her is one perfect day. A day when she can wake up and know that the day is all hers.All her chores are all done. All the animals are being taken care of. She can grab her camera and just slowly enjoy the day. That everywhere she goes she finds that perfect photo opportunity. Maybe leave her a nice picnic lunch to carry with her and the perfect weather for her day. I think she might enjoy this gift. Now Santa Mike is a good friend and almost close neighbor. He keeps me laughing with his reports of his neighbor and his animal family tales. He likes the simple life. Doesn't care for all the latest gadgets and things. The one thing I know would put a smile on his face is if you had a talk with his "girls" and got them to start laying eggs. Mike would really love to find eggs instead of a golf ball in the laying boxes. Carolina Nana is a new sweet friend from my beautiful NC mountains. Santa she works so hard baking, gardening, crafting, farm chores, cleaning the church, and watching her grandson so doesn't have alot of relaxing time. So could you slip a little me time under the tree for her with a few Laurie Bakke cookbooks to read? She could sit by the fire with a cup of coffee, cookbooks, a little snack and just relax and enjoy the day. I am sure she won't completely rest as she will be saying prayers for her family,friends and giving thanks for her many blessings. Since I will be up that way for Christmas you could throw in a nice snow as a bonus if you like. I am sure you know my friend Lisa is battling cancer. Santa this lady is so caring of others. Her faith gives us all strength. Could you give her a gift card for a snow remover? She and her husband have to shovel or scrape their drive and walkways when it snows. It would be a very appreciated gift and bet she would leave you a slice of rum cake by the tree.Santa Joyce Ann teaches me so much about herbs,gardening, and dehydrating. She has had some stressful months this past year. Could you leave her a magic rock? Whenever she is having a stressful day she can rub the magic rock and all the stress will go away. She will have a very peaceful day and get everything done and have time to sit with a cuppa tea and relax. She cares so much for family and friends Santa that I want her to have time to relax and have time to care about herself. Now Santa my friend SciFiChick just bought and moved onto their homestead. They have been busy clearing land, building fence, repairing the barn, and getting the garden ready for next year. Could you leave her a couple of goats and some chickens? Think you should leave them in the barn and just put a note under the tree letting her know. While there check the kitchen for a slice of pie. She makes some really awesome ones. Now Mama Pea is remodeling, sewing, cooking, having some really awesome give aways. She never seems to get tired. What I would like for her is to have all her firewood cut, split, and stacked for the next 3 years. She has lots of other things to keep her busy and this might give her a little extra time. Now my sweet Sis Pea has been an extra good girl this year. Could you give her lots of one on one time with her grandbabies? She lives so far away she doesn't get to see them very often. In fact she hasn't seen the new grandbaby just born Santa so fill her stocking with lots of loving, hugging time with those two beautiful grandbabies if you don't mind. My new friend over at OctoberFarm has a awesome witch collection. I bet in your magical bag you could find a witch she doesn't have. Make it a fantastic one please. Now for my friend Betsy give her and George all the travel plans for 2 weeks worth of waterfall viewing. Make the plans for waterfalls they have never been to before and make sure they stay in cabins with breathtaking views. Santa, Kelly lives in heaven or at least I think so. She has a beautiful old farm in Maine where she is redoing her farmhouse and working on her barn. That is when she isn't working full time as a nurse. What I want for her this year is a year of easy deliveries for  her goats. May the weather be mild and the birthings problem free. Ms Martyr is house hunting. Could you give her her dream house? Make sure it has a wonderful barn and pasture for her horse too Santa. That would be perfect! Now Santa Chicken Mama would absolutely love you forever if you found the perfect job for her and put it in her stocking. She is always working at home, at her parents, being a nanny, computer work, and lots and lots of outdoor chores. It would be wonderful for her to have the job of her dreams so money wouldn't be too tight over the coming year. For my sweet friend Marigold  lots of goat treats and a Celtic CD. For her goat mother a nice quiet day, a good book, and Marigold behaving herself. For my friend Rain a good mystery book and some extra time to spend with the grands would be a great gift I am sure.Amy is a goat lover Santa. She lives with her family on a mini Nubian farm. She loves taking pictures so could you put one of the newest, smallest, and cutest cameras in her stocking? I would love to see all the pictures she would take with it. For my very dear friend Melissa Santa would you wrap up a stack of good books, a selections of good teas, and some me time for her? Wrap it in pretty paper and fancy bow. Victorian wrapping would be perfect! Philip is a good Canadian friend who has a wonderful dog named Heidi. I would love it if you would have the elves stack all Philips firewood in the basement for him. Make sure they stack enough for the whole winter. Oh, be sure and leave Heidi a great big bone because she is a great big beautiful dog!  Santa could you sneak Linda's photos out  and put them all together in a book? She takes wonderful photos and shares really interesting history on her blog. A book of these things for her and for her to share would be wonderful! Santa I am so blessed with many blog friends and neighbors. I am asking for the many not mentioned in this letter a very blessed Christmas, a peaceful New Year and the gift of happiness. Thank you Santa for taking time to read my letter and for helping my friends have a very merry and magical Christmas. Love ya ,you big jolly ole man!

Forgotten Photos

I had mentioned I would post photos of my 40th class reunion. I didn't get to attend but classmates were so good about updating on all the things going on that weekend and how everyone was doing. One classmate I really wanted to see was Alice. She and I have been friends since 1st grade. And of course there are Sandy, Carolyn, Ruth, Frankie, Sandra, and Shirley that got me or me them into lots of trouble in high school. And Robert was there. He was my very first boyfriend (6th grade) and gave me my very first friendship ring. So many of them haven't changed hardly at all and a few like me look older. No matter the age their love of life,fun, and friendship hasn't changed a bit!

If you live anywhere around western Tennessee be careful on the roads. My granddaughter K is now driving!

She is a A-B student taking honor classes but in life she has her blond moments. Sorry Teeny, but I had to say it.

And my granddaughter H (Hoppy) has her first paying job and I now have Santa connections. Hoppy works as a elf. She is earning nine dollars an hour doing something she really enjoys. I am sure most of that money is being spent on clothes. That girl loves clothes!

I am sure her science teacher has something stupid to say about this but I will have a few things to say to him Friday!

Santa William

 Please pause the music in my sidebar before playing...

Tractor Supply sponsored  pet adoptions today. You could get your photo with Santa for a donation (or not) to Thunder Paws Animal Rescue. I was elected to take the pics while William got to play Santa. We had lots of fun. If you missed out today and will be in Fayetteville, NC area next Saturday Santa William will be back without his sidekick. I will be enjoying the beautiful mountains of NC and my grands. Next week there will be baby bunnies for sale and Santa William will be happy to keep them and deliver on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Granny Sue's Give Away

Granny Sue News and Reviews is having a really awesome give away. Go on over and check it out. Don't you think that NC pottery mug should be in my hands filled with tea!!

Christmas Photos

I am so embarrassed! Please don't show this around the chicken yard.

 

My mommy says I have been very, very good.

Take all the pictures you want. Just don't wake me up.

Being that I am Dutch do I get a wooden shoe filled with goodies?

Is it Christmas? Is it time to open presents?????

Think Santa would be interested in a handsome goat pulling his sleigh this year?

In The Dog House

Hillary on the left weighed 78lbs when we got her from Hoke County Animal Shelter. She now weighs 95lbs. Hillary's only bad habit is barking at squirrels, chickens, cats, or any animal outside the goat pen. Nothing should be out of a fence in her opinion. She is a great herder. When the pigs got out and I was trying to get them back in their pen she listened to my commands and got them back in all by herself. Tinker and Bella are in the doghouse at the moment. They found a small hole in the fence behind a goat house and got out.... several times before I found where they were getting out. Being that Hillary was set out and on her own for awhile she doesn't even want to leave the goat pen. Bella, bless her heart follows Tinker out though she really doesn't want to. She goes out and then sits at the gate waiting to be let back in. Now Tinker, well she is a very naughty dog. When she gets out she is running like a mad dog. She goes all over the neighborhood visiting all the dogs and getting them all barking. You go after her and she sees you coming she takes off in the opposite direction. William is out of town this week so I have been the one trying to catch her. Good thing she loves one neighbor and their kids. She goes right to them and they put her on the leash and bring her back. Tonight I just went to that neighbors yard and started petting their dogs. Tinker being very jealous of our petting anyone but her ran straight to me so I was able to catch her and put her on the runner in the goat pen. I found and repaired the hole in the fence but left Tinker on the runner for the night as punishment. And though Bella was a good girl and just went around the fence to the gate she is on a runner too. Want them to understand they belong with the goats not outside the fence unless on a leash. I have 2 pouting dogs at the moment. Will let them off the hook in the morning. All 3 dogs have been barking most of the nights for awhile. Kept going out several times a night and couldn't see anything to cause them to bark. Yesterday I took a radio and put it in the milk stall and put it on a station playing all Christmas music. The dogs didn't bark all night and tonight I haven't heard a peep out of them. Surprisingly the goats haven't cried either. They usually start crying at feeding time to let me know incase I might have forgotten (as if), but with the radio on they haven't cried at all. Guess they think someone is out there with them singing and talking just to them. Whatever they think it sure is nice to have peace and quiet in the goat pen again. And the added bonus is having a baby monitor in the milking stall means I get to listen to the music in the house! Lots of blessings to count today... hope your day was overflowing with them too.

Tis The Season

But it sure doesn't feel like it. In the 60's during the day and next week is suppose to be in the 70's. It is December for gosh sakes, bring on the wind,cold,ice, and snow! I will be going to the mountains on the 15th to spend the holidays with my daughters and grands. I am so going to enjoy the cold weather while there and hope for snow. Packing my long johns just in case.

Trying to get so many things done between now and then but not marking off very many things the to do list. William is going to be gone next week helping his son in law which will give me some extra time. We seem to start projects that lead us into a different project to do before we can finish the first one. Sure you know what I mean. I am also trying to cook and freeze meals so William won't have to worry about cooking while I am gone though he is a good cook. Rusty still doesn't know he isn't going. He has never spent time away from me since I got him so kinda worried how he will do. If I take him he would have to stay with one of my other daughters when I am at Megan's because she cannot have dogs or cats in her apartment. Plus we will be going to lots of Christmas events and other things that Rusty could not go to. He will be better here though he won't think so. Speaking of Rusty, I have been having a time with him for two days. My diningroom tree is decorated for a winter wonderland with some of my snowman collection under the tree. Rusty keeps going and getting one certain snowgirl and carrying her around and even trying to sleep with her. I keep putting her back and Rusty has beaten me back to the livingroom with her in his mouth. I have told him no. Held the snowgirl and told him no. Even tapped his nose with my finger saying no when I caught him grabbing her. He has always stopped when told no until now. He is in love with a 4 inch stuffed snowgirl.

Cheep Cheep is doing so well. You can tell he is a rooster now. He is growing and getting tail feathers. Cheep is still spoiled. Each time I open the door to feed him and Skate, Cheep hops on my arm and I have to hold him up and cluck to him like a mommy hen. I have to rub his head and tummy. If I don't he stands on my arm and scolds me. He will try to peck me in the face.Just picture me trying to teach William how to cluck and talk to Cheep so he will go back in his house and eat. William said I might get a call that he is having chicken for dinner. Skate likes to be petted but not held so he won't miss me. Cheep is going to have to get use to William being mommy. Life is never boring around here!  Off to drink a cup of hot chocolate and count my blessings. Don't forget to count yours!

A Leaf Raking Kinda Day

Seems like I didn't stop all day but still didn't get anything done. Just one of those days. My friend Gerda came home from the hospital today. We took supper so she wouldn't have to cook and got some of her leaves bagged up. Her neighborhood watch complained about her yard being the only one in the neighborhood not raked. Not one of them or her neighbors volunteered to rake and bag them. She is a elderly lady with lots of medical problems. Her neighborhood is young families with a couple of middle aged families down the street. All able to help a elderly neighbor if they choose. Enough venting

. We got some of the leaves up and will try to finish tomorrow evening. My yard after the heavy rain is thick with leaves. Will get to it one day. Got 2 Christmas trees up. Up as in standing with lights on but that is it. Got some of the boxes of Christmas decorations out. Will go through them and try to downsize even more than I did last year. Really don't need all these decorations. Want to keep it simple. Tried to get all the rabbit cages filled with straw as cold weather is suppose to be here for a few days. Want the bunnies to stay warm. Also got the goat stalls and houses fixed with fresh bedding. Took some pictures so I could list some things on Craigs List and ebay. Hopefully will get to that tonight. Got some laundry done but still have a couple more loads. We finally ate the rest of Thanksgiving leftovers. Well except for the turkey and I put those leftovers in the freezer. Looking forward to having a meal tomorrow without turkey as part of the menu. I am planning on going to my daughters around the 16th so trying to get lots of things done around here. Also make lots of notes for William as he sometimes doesn't remember to do certain things. I will be leaving Rusty home this trip and know he will be sad. Made sure to leave notes on his treats, rides, walks, etc. He doesn't like getting his feet wet or cold. When it rains or snows you have to carry him to a dry spot to potty. Yeah, I know but what can I say. LOL I am sure William will do fine but just want to make sure the animals keep their routine and get lots of love.

The grands are already making plans for me and I am excited to spend time with them and my daughters. As some of you remember my daughters and I try to help a needy family each Christmas. This year we are helping a single mom who lost her job and has a set of 13 year old twins. If anyone would like to send a gift just leave a comment and I will email my daughters address to you. We will be delivering the gifts on Christmas Eve. I will post all about it when I get home but of course won't take any pictures. Don't want to embarrass the family in anyway. When ask what they wanted the mother didn't give a big or expensive list. The son wants pj bottoms (size men med), ankle socks size (men 8-10) anything Carolina Panther. Daughter likes "funky" socks (women 8-10) XL (womens) pj bottoms, VHS movies (sci fi, animal, disney) craft supplies, hair stuff, body spray.  Mom didn't ask for anything but could use Verizon  prepaid phone card as that is their only phone in home. They have a walmart, kmart, BiLo's, Ingles in their town if anyone wanted to send a gift card. I am taking a box of canned goods along with a gift for each child. We hope to help this family have a wonderful Christmas. That's what Christmas is all about... caring and helping others. 

William has plans to go back to Lexington, NC to help his son in law for a few days. My plans are to paint the diningroom while he is gone. Do more decluttering so he won't see what I get rid of. (smile) Do lots of yardwork and pack for my trip. We had Gerda's grandson staying with us for a few days while she was in hospital. He is 18 and has a fulltime job. He would love to stay here all the time but I am just too old. It is hard having a teenager in the house that thinks he is an adult and doesn't need rules. As my dad always said, as long as you are under my roof there will be rules. So tomorrow he will be going out on his own. He doesn't like his grandmother or anyone giving him rules. Will be keeping him in my prayers and hope he becomes the adult he thinks he already is. Learns he will always have rules wherever he goes.

I am enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate, a nice fire in the stove, and the peace and quiet of the household. Late nights are peaceful and relaxing. Gives me time to think and also count my blessings..... have you counted yours today?

Nice Weekend

Thanksgiving is over. The guests have gone home. The fall decorations are being taken down and tomorrow Christmas decorations will go up. Had a nice 4 day visit with William's daughter Lisa, her husband and their two sons. William, Lisa and her oldest son W went out at midnight Thanksgiving to shop. The rest of us were smart and stayed home. I went out once on black Friday years ago and will never do that again. I cooked and baked  a lot while they were here so we ate way too much. They took us out to Red Robin's last night and we had fun. Now the house is clean, laundry done, we and the animals are all settled down for a nice quiet evening. As much as we enjoyed the company it is nice to get back to our normal. Getting excited as I will be going to the mountains and spending Christmas with my daughters and their families. Have a few weeks before I go and lots of things to get done but can't wait! Hope there is snow while I am there so I can go sledding with the grands and hope to catch a basketball game of Q's. I also hope to be there a day or so before the school's Christmas break to pay a visit to FHS and a certain teacher and then go up the ladder. Hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and have so many blessings you can't count them all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our home to yours wishing you a very blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Got Your Turkey?

                                                       I am NOT a turkey! I am a pilgrim! 

Getting Ready For Turkey Day

New Faces Around The Homestead

 11 baby chicks

 This is Cheep. The chick hatched by a turkey and raised by me. He jumps on my hand everytime I open the door to his and Skates house.

 And this is Skate. He came to us from a lady on Craigs List. He was the only one to hatch out of her incubator.

 And these are the 8 ducklings. The one I dropped while still in the shell and then hatched under a heat lamp is now with its siblings and momma.

 And here are the 3 new goats William purchased in Virgina. Robby the buck

 Olivia and Sissy the doelings. They now act like they have lived here forever. They know how to give you nudges for treats and how to stand at the gate and cry at feeding times. They have the most pitiful cries. Sounds like they are so weak from starvation they can hardly cry. Yep, they fit right in with the rest of Hidden Haven Critters.

Not Looking Like Christmas Here

Though the weather is more like summer things are looking like fall around here. The pumpkins, mums, and cornstalks are showing a little wear from the frosts of last week but still looking good for Thanksgiving. I don't want to overlook a day of celebrating with family and friends all that we have to be thankful for. All too soon it will be time to hang the lights and decorate the trees but for now Hidden Haven is decorated for Thanksgiving.

The mums,cornstalks, and pumpkins came from my friends produce stand... FREE. The other things I already had so fall decorating cost me zero dollars. I did have all the leaves on the ground raked but we had a wind and rain storm that brought lots more down. Hope to get them raked before guests arrive for Thanksgiving dinner but if not I can always say its part of my fall decorations! Have a blessed night everyone.

Demo-Animal Adoption Day at Tractor Supply

We had a awesome day at Tractor Supply. They invited us to demonstrate our log splitter as well as the use and care of chainsaws and how to put up a electric fence. Had fun and got to chat with Mike and Higgins but wouldn't you know I forgot to take pics! Good seeing you again Mike and hope you bring Higgins for a picture with Santa next month.  We had my friend Gerda's grandson and his girlfriend helping us today.

I feel bad I have forgotten the name of the rescue group that had the pets for adoption. They didn't even require a fee! Just fill out a form and sign stating you will have the pet fixed. They have already been vet checked and vaccinated. They go around to the animal shelters in surrounding counties and pick up the animals getting ready to be put down and keep them until they find homes for them. Today almost all the dogs and puppies were adopted. Sorry to say not many of the cats or kittens went to new homes but they will stay with their foster families until they do get adopted.

I was lucky to be inside the store when two puppies were adopted and snapped these pictures.

The puppies and their new family seemed very happy. I also had to sneak a pic of some of the workers at Tractor Supply.

 Leasha is the manager giving me a I am going to kill you look and Jess is bending over opening a box. They are setting up the store for the big sale next weekend. Lots of great gift ideas for human and animals!
They are such friendly and helpful people. Love helping at their events. Next month will find William being Santa so pets can have their picture taking with him and me taking pics. Had a wonderful day but now its off to feed my own animals before they come after me! Have a blessed evening everyone.

A Future Judge

I am the first to agree and understand that teachers are overworked, underpaid, get no respect, and have their hands tied when it comes to disciplining students. But teachers a.re also suppose to lead by example, encourage students, help them work toward their dreams. Alas there is one teacher at Franklin High School in Franklin, NC that has destroyed a students confidence and dream. My granddaughter forgot her work folder in her locker. When this teacher told granddaughter she would not be going on the field trip because she forgot the workbook she understood and accepted this punishment. The field trip was a month away and each and every day until the field trip this teacher would ask if you are one of the students not going on the field trip to raise your hand. Granddaughter raised her hand and said teacher would then tease her in front of the others about having to sit in the library while he and the rest of the class would be having fun on the field trip. Granddaughter said nothing. Just sat there embarrassed. Then this same teacher ask the class what they wanted to do in life. Granddaughter said she wanted to be a judge. This teacher then again loud in front of the other students told her she would never be a judge. That she would never get into to college. That she would be lucky if she could graduate a beauty school. Granddaughter is crushed. She has lost confidence in herself. She no longer dreams of being a judge because she thinks she can't get into college because a teacher who should know told her so. If I didn't live 6 hours away I would be at that school in a heartbeat. I would be talking to the principle, superintendent, and school board about this teacher and then he would get a earfull from me! What I did do was write a letter to the principle and a letter to the newspaper there. Its a small town where everyone knows everyone. I wanted to make sure without naming names what one teacher had done to destroy a students dreams. My heart is breaking for granddaughter. She is a smart young lady. She was a cheerleader and band member for several years until she drop them to have more time for studies. She is part of a prayer group at school. Active in school and church activities as well as working a parttime job. This young lady would bend over backwards to help anyone or keep from hurting anyone's feelings. I just wanted to take this chance to say "Hoppy" I am so very proud of you. You are very smart (though I do tease you about those occasional blonde moments). You can get into college! You can be anything you want to be. Don't give up your dreams. Don't let one bad teacher crush all you have worked and dreamed for. Stand tall and show this teacher he is wrong. Show him that he isn't the smart one. Show him by example of the mature, Christian, well mannered young lady that the rest of us know and see in you. Love you to the moon and back Hoppy and look forward to sitting in a courtroom watching you at work.

Blessings Around The Homestead

What a busy few days it has been and still is. Making jelly instead of wine and still plenty of grapes to snack on. Making and canning spaghetti sauce with lots of tomatoes still to can. Preparing green beans and canning with another half bushel waiting. Cabbage waiting to be turned into kraut tomorrow. Lots and lots of pumpkins to cook and so many other veggies begging to be prepped and put away for the winter. I am so blessed to have such a sweet friend that gives us so much from the produce stand.

Trying to take care of the veggies and still keep up with things around the homestead has been a little crazy. In the mix of things a hen hatched 11 chicks that we had to catch and put into their own house and pen. Mrs. Black had 4 baby bunnies and needed a bigger warmer place. Lady Shy hatched out 7 ducklings in one of the hens laying boxes and had to be moved so the ducklings wouldn't fall to the ground. While moving her, the ducklings, and her nest I dropped the last egg that hadn't hatched and cracked it. When I picked it up I heard peeping. Brought the egg inside and put under a heat lamp where several hours later it hatched. Kept the duckling inside under the heat lamp overnight so it could stay warm and rest up. Today I took it (Dudley Doright) out to join its mom and siblings. I made sure to rub it all over the other ducklings to get their scent so Lady Shy wouldn't reject it. If that wasn't enough babies I had a baby chick in the house that Tessa the turkey had hatched. She had stolen a egg from Blondie the chicken. Once it hatched Tessa and Blondie would fight over the chick so I just decided to bring it inside. I named him Cheep and he sits on my shoulder and talks to me. William found a baby chick on Craigs List that needed a home. A lady had only hatched one chick out of her incubator and wanted to find a home for it.Cheep now has a buddy named Skate. Skate is a little younger and smaller than Cheep and thinks Cheep is its momma. Cheep loves being the boss and showing Skate how to scratch and "talk" to me. Today I moved them outside to a nice warm house with heatlamp and windows. They can enjoy the outside without having to deal with the changes in temps. Robby, Olivia, and Sissy have settled into their new home really well. Though they are Nubian and larger than Andy and Petro they are sharing a pen with they are all getting along for now. Will have to change things around soon and put one of the guard dogs in that pen. Bella, Tinker and Hillary are getting along so well together I know they will be sad to have one move to another pen but they are guardian dogs and know their job.

Am also working on my Thanksgiving menu. Williams daughter, her husband, 2 sons, my friends Gerda and Christine will be joining us. Will be picking up a big turkey tomorrow but have everything else I need. Looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This fall has been such a blessing! Most falls here in eastern NC aren't very colorful. Leaves usually go from green to brown and just fall off the trees. This year we had the right amount of rain at just the right time and fall colors are breathtaking! Almost like being in the mountains and I have been loving every second.

Life has been hectic and though I am looking forward to winter slow down I am so blessed. Not a single boring day. Not a single thought of wishing life were different. Not a single second of dread of doing daily chores. Just loving life and the many blessings. Yesterday as I was getting the dogs their morning meal I saw the 50lbs of dog food was getting really low. I said a quick prayer telling God I really didn't want to tell William we needed dog food again so soon and ask if he would provide some before we ran out. This morning when we went to our favorite feedstore for chicken feed the manager ask us if we wanted a 50lb of dog food that had gone out of date. Of course we took it and I was saying a thank you prayer with a smile on my face. God always provides. May not be what or when I think it should be but he always provides. Don't forget to count your blessings!

Mary

Mary stopped by my blog a few days ago and I am so glad she did! I paid a visit to her blog and found wonderful recipes. She has a couple for eggplant I am going to try since I seem to always have way too many of these but she also shared a vinegar chicken recipe with a fancy name. This is so easy yet so yummy! We had it for dinner tonight and I will be making this dish again and again. Thank you Mary and now I am off to make your oatmeal cookies!

Today I have produce everywhere. I have a bushel of green beans to can, a bushel of cabbage, over a bushel of muscadine grapes to make jelly and try for the first time to make wine. Lots of lettuce,oranges, lemons, cucumbers,and tomatoes as well as lots and lots of veggies for the animals. I will be working in the kitchen late tonight and most of tomorrow but I am so blessed to have a friend who gives us so much produce. I have pics of the new goats and will try to post them tomorrow. Hope you are having a blessed day... now go over and say hi to Mary and try some of her wonderful recipes!

Time Change

These pictures are from a few years ago but they still apply today. All the animals are crying to be fed on the old time. It always takes about a week to get them adjusted but until then it sure is noisy around here!

Breakfast was sausage, eggs, homemade hashbrowns, toast, and tea, juice
Lunch was leftover veggie beef soup, crackers, and grill cheese and tomato sandwich, ice water
Dinner was simple: hotdogs with chili and cole slaw, chips, and ice water
snack was sliced apples with peanut butter and homemade lemonade. We worked outside till dark so supper was a quick fix. Still 3 hot meals on a frugal budget.