TAKING A BLOG BREAK. I'LL BE BACK....

I'm so grateful for all my followers  and tickled pink that you even bother to read my blog. Thank you for your visits, support and comments. I hope you'll still bet there when I return.
Right now I have a bit too much to do and need to take a bit of a blog break. I'll be back as soon as I have time to spare.

In the mean time, take care of yourself and stay safe and warm.
JB

FEELING OLD AND IT'S NOT MY BIRTHDAY YET

This week has been a little rough on my back. I've been walking like a bent old lady. We were short handed and cows were calving and I needed to have clean calf pens ready for them. Last week I was clipping the fir hedge in between rain storms and left the dirty calf bed to be cleaned until this week.

Just because I ignored that yucky chore to get that other job finished first didn't make it go away.  I cleaned 4 calf pens and the packed soil bedding was about a food deep and it's super heavy work for a petite girl like me. The other one was about 4 inches deep of loose hay bedding. I started after feeding the calves in the morning and finished around 3:45 pm. I went home for a late lunch and went back feeding the calves again.

513 was the only calf wanting to pose for the camera. Her name is Sally and she was named after a very friendly bank teller by my son Vaughan on the occasion of her birthday.

514 wasn't feeling well yesterday but was feeling better this morning but couldn't care less for getting up for a picture. Her name is Nova. That little starburst on her head is black rather than white light but that's OK.  Nova has already decorated her wall.

#515  is named Salsa because my daughter Nicole informed me that her and her friend were going to take Salsa dance lesson although they will be laughing more than dancing. I'd love to see them learning the Salsa, hehehe...

Continuing my story:
The next day I really felt the strong back muscle spasms. I still needed to scrub and disinfect the 5 pens and prepare the bedding for the new calves. It took me longer also to do this job as I was moving pretty slow but it had to be done as we had to move another cow in the birthing pen for yet another calf.

As I enter the barn after a 2 hour lunch break to rest my back, I checked the cow and she was laying down and the calf looked lifeless.  The calf still wasn't fully out and was not breathing.  I had a pair of thin knitted gloves on  and I didn't had time to put the nitrile gloves over them. I went in the pen and grabbed his head and stuck my finger in his slimy nostril... yes I know it's gross but glory be,  the calf took it's first breath and I breathed a sigh of relief too.....

In my panic to save the calf I didn't even look how big it was. I grabbed the front legs and pulled it out of the mother and dragged it a few feet so she would get up to lick her calf. The mother wouldn't get up.   It was another heifer calf.  My son Vaughan arrive as I was pulling the calf to a safer spot.  He said, Mom, that's a big calf....

 I vaccinated the calf and dipped the navel in iodine and Vaughan gave the calf an  injection of vitamin in the muscle.

The mother was exhausted and wouldn't getup  but after poking her a few times she got up and cleaned her calf. After, Vaughan treated with  Calcium under the hide.

 Yesterday we had herd health and also vaccination for everyone of our cattle.

It had been another very busy day again but last night George and I went out to a Country and Western fund raiser evening at our church and our priest played guitar and sang some Charlie Pride songs. What a beautiful voice he has. We had a chuck wagon stew, homemade beans and apple desert. No supper to prepare and no dishes to clean. There was so much talent in the performers. Everyone was clapping and tapping toes.

The stage was all decorated in a barn  style. There was small hay bales, wagon wheel, and farm implements  and they even borrowed some of our hay forks for decoration and I didn't had my camera with me. It felt like I had been in the barn from morning till night. lol...

I managed to transfer my grandfather rug pattern on backing this week. I also dyed some wool in an attempt at getting different shades of sienna brown  with the dyes I have on hands.  My wool came out all wrinkled...I still need to dye some darker values of sienna brown. I still haven't started hooking yet.

I need to refine the nose as it's thicker than on the photo.

My first attempt at dyeing sienna brown with primary color  dyes I had on hand. It came out very wrinkly.

The sun came out for about 5 minutes . It makes me so happy to see the sun after a miserable week but it went and hid again....

Stay safe and warm and thanks for visiting. I always appreciate it when you leave a comment to show you came for a visit.
JB

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY SOMEWHERE...

It's a beautiful day somewhere but certainly not here... We're having wet snow, rain, freezing rain, hail, cold north  east winds, a totally miserable day... I'm thinking of the poor wild animals and the neglected pets out there in this wet and cold weather and I hope they have found a safe and dry place to hide.

It  got cold and damp in the house and I had to turn the thermostat up to heat this big house with electric heat. I usually have a wood stove to keep the house relatively warm but I won't get my stove delivered until November 27th.

HALLOWEEN  REPORT....

We had 0 kids coming to the door again this year. It's been like that for several years now as there are no little kids in our neighbourhood anymore. I bought a bag of chocolate bars and divided it between my son Vaughan, Jordyn and George. I'm spared the calories because I can't have that stuff.

Here are some photos that Christine sent me. They usually go all out for Halloween but this year was kept at a lower key but I think she is still miles ahead of me when it comes to celebrating Halloween.
Good job you guys...

James and Daniel admiring Daddy's awesome carved pumpkins. Watch your fingers Daniel. It just might bite.

Oh dear, I bet this is The Cat In The Hat in the Hall... This is mama's awesome handiwork.

Oh by golly, it a James The Cat In The Hat getting ready for Trick or Treat...

The whole family go trick or treating and I bet the camera has to work all by itself... good job you guys. I see Daniel is not feeling his usual cheery self on Halloween night. He had a little fever the next day.

Ooopps,  crazy upside down  pumpkin is trying to do some tricks for a treat I think, but it's a scary pumpkin just the same.

A haunted tree pumpkin ready to grab your legs and pull you in when you pass by.  Great job on this spectacular pumpkin Joe...

I would feel real safe going trick and treating with a Fireman and The Cat In The Hat, wouldn't you?

I've never seen such a cute Fireman right down to the hat and boots... and A Cat In The Hat too , have you? Oh I love those nice whiskers and the red nose. That big hat is TALL... Mama, you do such nice work.

Mom and Dad decorated the house to scare the Trick or Treaters  with skeleton, tombstone, spider webs and even a big black cat. They still got 100 kids that came to the door. It looks like a goblin on the right hand corner but I can't make out what it is...

Mama and James buried under a pile of leaves. It's so much fun playing in the fallen leaves. I wish I could join you guys. At first I thought that James belly was showing but on second look I saw it was Mama's hand, lol...

I hope you all had a safe and Happy Halloween.

I LOVE your visit and your comments.
JB 

BREATHING A SIGH OF RELIEF TODAY

Yesterday started ordinary but before too long it wasn't an ordinary day. We got up early to milk the cows and I went to feed the calves. After breakfast I normally check my emails and my daughter Jackie, has sent me an email that there was a shooting in Ottawa on Parliament Hill.  One young soldier guarding the War Memorial Monument was shot and killed.

My mind went from tired to immediate alert. I wrote an email to my Daughter Christine in Ottawa and she replied that luckily, she was working from home as opposed to going into the office that day, the positive side of working with computers. Otherwise she would have been in a long line of stagnant traffic and her car would have been searched as the area was on lockdown.

My brother is an RCMP who works on Protecting the Parliament and embassies and I knew he would be there. It was a drama that I will not describe other than there was a lot of shooting inside the Parliament building and he was there protecting the country. He's married with a lovely wife and two kids.

Ironically, yesterday was his day off and he was called on emergency to work. He went with no breakfast in his tummy and the whole Parliament Hill went on lockdown all day until 8:00 pm last night. They were searching for one or two more suspects but in the end the police decided that there was only one shooter.

The killer was himself killed by the Sargent at Arm inside the Parliament building, three other people were wounded and taken to the hospital.

My brother was back at home today, safe and sound and is sleeping in. Everyone is relieved to have him back home with his family. His wife's voice was trembling last evening as she talked to me on the phone, saying how it had been for her waiting all day to know that he was safe and the constant speculations on TV was so confusing. It was difficult knowing what was true and what was speculations, not knowing when it would end.

Today the Parliament is again opened for business but closed to the public and one section in the area is still under blockade. Thanks to all our brave men and women who risk their lives to keep our citizens safe. I salute them all and I'm proud of my little brother.
My daughter Christine went to work as usual today.

I finally decided to put my grandfather's picture on a pattern for a rug. I used a photo of him and had to trace with black ink to see the outline better. It will not be a true drawing of him but a representation as I'm using a child projector to trace the outline and can only project one little part of the whole picture. If I move the projector on another section, everything is out of wack. This is the best I could do.

I need to work on the lips some more. The sketch outlined with a sharpie so the lines will be visible through the backing.  It's 24 x 24 inches.  My grandfather  was very handsome with his blue eyes, in his soldier uniform. I'm not sure what year that photo was taken and I would like to know.

The first rough sketch.

The  sketch is yet to be transferred to the backing  and I don't have all the proper dye to work with so it will be some time yet before I proceed to hooking. I have to order some more dye from Cushing Company in the states and then dye my wool. At least it's a beginning.

Stay safe warm and dry.
JB

YAY!!! UPDATE ON JOSEPHINE'S PACKAGE & MY BASEMENT CLEAN UP.

For those of you who have been following my blog, my package to Josephine was mailed on Oct 8, and missed the delivery truck since it was late afternoon but to my surprise and despite the Holiday long weekend, it reached Vicki in the States on October 14th and she sent me a very touching email to let me know that she had received it.
 I never expected that the package would arrive so fast since it wasn't going until the next day.

It's been a flurry of activity at my house  with dust and soot all over the floor and everywhere and it's been a flurry of activity at the farm too lately. The tarp barn has been finished  and filled with hay and I haven't had time to post photos yet.

 I finally got the major part of the basement pressure washed, the humidity caused my pressure washer to start and stop in spurts so I barely finished the main area but I got it done.... I was peeling a lot of the old paint from the cement floor so it took me two whole afternoons and some time in the evenings. I still have another room to pressure wash but that room shouldn't take very long as the floor doesn't have paint to peel. I'll have to find out if my pressure washer will operate again to finish my job. Hopefully it will have a chance to dry this weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This old wood stove has been removed to be replaced with a more energy efficient stove and part of the old bricks that were on the floor also has been removed.  It still looked good when all clean but the bricks inside are all broken. It's been in use for a very long time and has served us well especially on cold blustery winter days.

 My husband will add some extra support  from the ceiling in the basement to make everything nice and sturdy. A plywood subfloor will be screwed in and porcelain tiles will be installed then the new stove will be installed along with a new chimney liner and because of some unforeseen needed extras, it will cost me an arm and a leg and maybe an eye, but I'll feel safer as we are getting a professional to do the job properly. They certify the job for insurance purposes and brings everything up to code.

I just learned that they won't be able to put the new stove in until November 27th as they are booked solid for stove installations.

Because the stove is in very close proximity to the wooden door, it will be replaced with a steel door and frame to comply with insurance requirements...  So I feel  good to get this finally started. Shhhh... we need a new roof too.$$$. I guess the economy will benefit.

Some more photos to follow when things get going.
Have a great weekend everyone and stay safe.
JB

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2014

I don't know why Canadian and Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on a different days but one thing I know, we should be thankful every day of the year for all we have and not only on a special day of food festivities at harvest time.
 My list of thanksgiving is long so I'll spare you... and shorten it  to this....

I'm thankful for all my very large family of brothers and sisters and my parents, ( may they rest in peace), who have instilled in me many values that have made me who I am today, my husband and my own family of 4 kids and their spouses, 7 grandkids and my great grandchild and not to forget my many close friends I have made over the years, way too numerous to mention here.

I can't forget my Rug Hooking Daily friends and also my blogger friends and secret followers. They also add spice to my busy life. I'm truly blessed...

When I was growing up, I would have never dreamt that one day I would have so many friends to share parts of my life with as I was raised in a very small country place.

I almost forgot I'm also thankful for computers, yeah. I truly am..... it makes me reach across the globe for dear friends.

To celebrate Thanksgiving here are some photos of the little grandkids my daughter Christine sent me last evening. Thanks Christine...

James and Daniel  with an other kid in the wagon at the pumpkin patch.

I think Daniel is examining a corn kernel up close.

Daniel posing in front of the pumpkins, so many to choose from.... don't you just love that little smile?

Daniel first ride on Oreo the Pony. Daddy is making sure Daniel is staying on. It's still a big pony for a little boy...

I think Daniel love this green wagon.

James is enjoying being here with mama and is ready to play in the corn box.

Playing in the hay is really fun. You should try it sometimes.

Playing in the corn box is even more fun than playing in a sand box, don't you think. It's more colorful for one thing...

James dosen't know which pumpkin he wants to choose. I'm sure he's picked several for dad to carve for Halloween. Dad is a master pumpkin carver.

James is big enough to really enjoy a ride on Oreo the pony. I can tell by his satisfied smile.

Daniel knows how to drive this huge tractor but his legs are too short to reach the pedals.

James has mastered the art of peeling apples for mama's famous apple pies.

He's watching with keen interest how mama rolls the dough...

A perfect circle. My daughter puts me to shame, such a perfectionist...

Christine told me that James helped dad deliver an apple pie to the neighbour and James told them that their dog could also have a piece. How thoughtful...

Happy Thanksgiving blogger friends in Canada even across borders and oceans...
Thanks for your visit and for leaving comments. I really am thankful for you all.
JB

I'M MAKING SOME PROGRESS

I've made a lot of progress since I blogged last. I've gotten plenty of exercise running up and down the stairs from the basement to the garage hauling heavy ceramic molds and I'm happy to report that I've hauled the last one up yesterday. Not a single mold left in the basement. My butt muscles are thanking me, lol...

I would be happier if I had no more molds left in the garage but a few more pick up truck loads and they will be all gone for good. There is no more ceramics glaze or paint in the basement either. Only equipments and I'll deal with those later.

 Now the floor cleaning can begin but I still have some stuff to move out of the way first. I'll take my time but it will get done sooner or later.

I almost forgot.....Several of my bloggers wanted to know what I did with ceramic molds. I'll give a quick explanation....

I used to run a ceramic greenware manufacturing business and was serving ceramic studios from  all over the province until I decided to close up shop to do something else.

Ceramic molds are made of absorbent plaster of paris in which a earthenware  liquid clay called slip is poured in. The water in the slip is absorbed in the plaster mold and when the wall of the casting is thick enough, the excess clay is poured out and the clay coating left in the mold is left to get leather hard before it can be safely removed from the mold. The mold is opened by removing the elastic bands that holds it together.  The shape is left to harden after removal. The clay shape is called greenware because it's just a piece of fragile clay and need to have the seams smoothed out and then fired so it can become hard . It can be painted or glazed like a cup for example. I'm sure you can google How to pour ceramic molds on Youtube to see how it's done.

 I used  a pouring table with a motorized pump like a gas nozzle to fill big molds and I could pour a multitude of molds in minutes when I was in business years ago.

REPORT ON MY PROJECT School supplies for Josephine's underpriveledged children in Uganda...

On Monday I started to tape the package to send to Vicki of 2 Bags Full but my packing  tape gun ran out of tape. It was my last roll. I didn't had time to pick some on Monday so I picked some yesterday. I got the parcel all ready for mailing, addressed and although it was raining cats and dog, I had the time to go mail it. I placed it in a white  plastic kitchen garbage  bag to keep it dry and off I went with my windshield wipers going at full speed. I had thought of bringing a printed photo of the content and decided that I would write Gift of School Supplies  for underprivileged children on the label at the post office.

We have several post office in the city but I kind of like the one across town on the other side of the river. They are about the most friendly and helpful people. It's about a 15 minute drive one way so it takes about half an hour both ways depending on the traffic and time of day.

At the post office, the yard was full of cars but luckily one pulled out as I drove in.
Inside there was a slow moving  line up waiting with assorted parcels and packages to mail to the US for some odd reason. The staff were trying to help the customers processing their packages. It was taking longer than usual. The girl explained it was because of the new regulations for international security.

While waiting for my turn, I notice a sign on the wall about the new requirements for mailing a parcel to the US or internationally in accordance with international security and trade regulations. I picked up a the information and read as I waited.

It suggested to prepare the information on line before proceeding to the post office to speed things up by getting a bar code on line after filling up the form and itemizing every objects in the parcel and their individual value.
I was afraid of forgetting something and compromising the delivery of my package so I returned home and printed the same photo of the content that was on one of my blog post entitled "REFLECTIONS FOR CHRISTIANS " and tried to fill the proper info but there wasn't enough lines to list everything.

Undaunted, I put my package back in the plastic bag and hop back in the car and away we went with the wipers still doing the swishing back and forth dance. To my delight, there were plenty of parking spaces this time but the rain was coming down in buckets.

There were no costumers ahead of me this time and I explained my problem with filling the online form. I showed the staff the photo of the content and they said, no trouble. Just give us a few minutes and they will figure it out. That lady and the gentleman were so helpful and filled up the information on the form and  into the computer and gave me the tracking number  and mailed my package to Vicki.  So hopefully Vicki will get the parcel as soon as possible so Josephine's children can have some school and craft supplies sometimes in December.

So now my parcel is on it's way to the USA. So I'm happy even though it took me an hour's drive to go mail my gift to Josephine and her children. Oh, it had stopped raining when I came out of the post office. The traffic wasn't heavy either.

Another thing that's making me happy is that our potatoes were harvested before the heavy rain started.

My husband only planted a short row this year. He harvested two trays. That's plenty for us.
Thanks for visiting. I always love your comments.
Until next time, have a nice weekend.
JB

BUTTERFLY LIGHT AWARD

I don't normally accept awards as I think it can get awkward but sometimes, it depends who is sending you this award that makes it hard to decline.

I received such a nice award the other day but was too sick to write a post to accept and thank Debby from Cozy Blanket. Thanks Debby for thinking that I deserve this award. I accept with humility because I'm sure others are more deserving than me. The award was created to be given to those who spread light into people's lives.

Debby is a sweet lady who has a child like attitude about life and is beloved by all children especially her own grandkids. Even teachers wants her to come to school to work with the children. She always has the most genuine smile on her pretty face. It doesn't take much to make her happy.  She also is a professional Clown. No wonder she's adored by kids. She has a loving way with the children and they all think that she's pretty special and I think so too.

Like Debby, I'm not one to follow all the rules so I'll just post the button award and will leave it at that.
Picking someone from my followers would be tricky.There are so many deserving of this award.

Have a beautiful fall weekend friends.
JB

YOU KNOW IT'S FALL WHEN...

You know it's Fall when the mice comes marching in...
Friday night I was at the computer when I thought I heard a scratching sound... can't be.... I waited to hear some more scratching and the only noise I heard was my husband snoring in his recliner and I dismissed the noise as my overactive imagination.

You see a few days ago I found the basement door ajar and although the garage is locked up, mice can come in through a small opening and run downstairs to the basement.  It has happened once many years ago when one of my student didn't quite shut the door tight even though the lock was engaged.

Saturday morning after breakfast, I tidying my counter by the phone when I saw a few mouse dropping against the basksplash. They were so small, it looked like they came from a starving mouse. I promptly disposed of them and sanitized my little counter.  On my grocery list was MOUSE TRAP.

I did grocery today and bought a bunch of banana and as I was in the process of removing the single banana from my banana hanger thingie to hang the fresh bunch, I saw a few more fatter mouse droppings. I could see that the Ms. or Mr. Mouse had dined on my banana and had eaten a fair portion in the back of the banana... Oh yes, the guilty party hid their misdeed  so I couldn't see the damage but Ms. or Mr. Mouse don't know who they're dealing with... I'll get them sooner or later and I hope it will be sooner...

See... I set a trap, wrote them a note to welcome them and I even left them a snack of cheese on the nice little trap hoping they like the cheese I bought on special.

Well truth be said... i wrote a note so my husband would not eat that special banana.

Now I'm patiently waiting to hear a quick and merciful "SNAP"

Yep, Fall isn't even officially here yet and they know it's time to search for warmer housing.

I appreciate your comments. Thanks for visiting and come again if you're not a mouse.

JB

MR SEPTEMBER IS LOOKING PRETTY COOL

I can feel the changing of the season, it's getting colder with every passing days.  I've changed my bedding to my cosy warm  fleece New Brunswick sheet and warmer blankets on my bed and it feels so cosy until I get too hot. There's no happy medium with me. I'm either too cold or too hot. It happens at every change of season. My inner thermostat is slow to adjust to the rapid change in temperature...

I've been getting a lot done this past week and today but the house still looks messy and upside down.
I've added another couple of more big piles of molds from my garage to be carried away. Today's pile was so big that the men couldn't take it all before they ran out of place in the car and truck but they'll be back for more this week.

I made a batch of Sweet Relish to use up some of my extra cucumbers and my husband love it on hot dogs. It turned out ok even with only one red pepper instead of two.

Here is a pile that was going today, however the pile was so big they had to leave some behind until another time.

When I edited my photos, I  somehow put them in the trash by accident and I went to retrieve them I could only retrieve one and all the other disappeared and my trash bin is empty. Oh well, it was just another big pile of molds that was picked on Wednesday.

They are coming back for more sometime this week and that should take care of all the molds that were in my garage and then I will start bringing  more  molds from my basement. I have to vacuums every mold as they have been sitting there gathering dust for quite some time so it's very time consuming. I'm determined to clear my basement too and I'm not looking back at this stage of the game.

Look at this happy little sunflower... Can you tell, I need to cut the grass...
I was gifted this sunflower by the birds and squirrels that left it there to sprout this summer. It came from bird seeds under the bird feeder and grew in the grass. It's only about 2 feet high and it never turns toward to the sun but is always turned toward the house instead. I love it.

Sunday, I went shopping at long last for Josephine's underprivileged children in Uganda and  I was having a great time putting supplies in my cart.
The picking was slim as school has started and some items were depleted but I still found something the kids could use.

I have two large package of stickers, 6 Friskar sissors, 6 glue sticks, 6 rolls of scotch tape, a big case of 72 pencils,  5 packs of 24 colored pencils with sharpener, a package of Bic Ball pens, 12 erasers, a bag of buttons, a large assortment of needles, 10 package of sharpeners with 5 extra sharpeners and a big bag of floss that I no longer needed.

I'm sure that it will cost plenty to mail this to Vicki but it's going to a good cause so it's OK. I will pack it all up as soon as I have some free time. There is still time for you to help Vicki round up some supplies from her long list for Josephine's underprivileged children. Here is a link to her blog  if you didn't had time to visit last time. 2 Bags Full

 We have so much more than we need and these kids have nothing extra to call their own.  We are called to share what we can. Will you help Josephine help these beautiful children.

On the farm, things haven't slowed down as far as having new calves born. We had a string of bulls born and now we are having a string of heifers.

Sunday morning around 6:15 am when I arrived at the farm, I noticed that the pregnant overdue heifer was calving and was in distress and I also noticed that there was only one hoof showing and to make matters worst, it was sideways. Not a good sign.

 I quickly called my son Vaughan to come right away and he arrived shortly after I called. Vaughan is my hero. He knows exactly what to do and gets right to it... He should have been a vet.

 I got things ready to pull the calf  but it was very difficult for my son to find the other foot. It was nowhere to be found and after about 15 minutes of trying hard and the sweat dripping off his forehead on a cold morning he found the foot bent around her pelvic bone. He quickly attached the chain to pull the calf and hooked it to the winch and started to pull as I held her tail up and pushed on the heifer to try to prevent her from falling the best I could. Her legs were getting weaker by now.
She was bawling loudly and it was a very hard pull abut finally as the calf was pulled out she fell and  I just got out of the way as fast as I could and ended up falling the other way, lol but unhurt, thank goodness.

The slippery calf's head was held upside down to clear the lungs of mucus from mouth and nostril  and the  cleaning was done by the mother and I resumed my chores came home to brew coffee and eat breakfast.

This morning another heifer gave birth by herself and she had a heifer calf and this afternoon there was another new born heifer waiting for me when I arrived. The one that was born on Sunday was called Harvest Jazz because The Harvest Jazz and Blue festival was winding up in town.
Tomorrow is another day. Now I have to come up with  names for these two babies so they can be registered. Of course there's no time for taking pictures as there are no spare hands to take photos.

Thanks again for coming by. You know how much I love your comments.
Have a great week.
JB

LITTLE BITS AND PIECES OF MY LIFE

Let's face it, after posting on Blogger for a few years I got complacent about posting. My life seems very ordinary to me because it's my daily life. So many things goes on in the run of a day that if I wrote about everything I could have my own reality show, lol... just kidding... but I've heard from many people that I live a very interesting life. I'm never bored, that's for sure, I don't know how to be bored...

Today another shipment of my ceramic molds was picked up from my messy garage and I have to get another pile ready for tomorrow. This will be the third shipment. My prayers are being answered...

This pile filled up a pick up truck and a car and I have an appointment for another pick up tomorrow.

My great grandson Cyprus. He such a little boy and cute to boot.

He's being very good and quiet. Don't you just love that little smirk.

My grand daughter Jordyn, her baby Cyprus, James and my daughter Christine. Three generations sitting on the sofa. I think Daniel was napping at the time. This was taken when my daughter was home in August.

Jordyn and Cyprus

And this cutie pie is a jerkin in a curtain,  a la Dr Seuss, non other than James. I recognize those socks any where...

He's having fun. I had another photo of Daniel standing on the register looking at me mowing the lawn but I can't find it for some reason... It  was cute too.

Sins of gluttony for sure...
I caved in today and made a sinful pecan pie. Oh but it's so yummy I don't need the whipped cream topping. My husband and I have been cutting slivers after slivers from it because it's less sinful that way. I'm finally getting my sugar fix... Sorry Carolyn, the devil made me do it...

Today I prepared a batch of Million Dollar relish and I only had half of a red pepper instead of two so it won't be as colorful but I'm OK with that.It makes a delicious hot dog relish.

My little stash of Lady Ashburnham pickles I made last week and I just put them in the bottom cupboard today. Two darker jars on the left are pickles made last year with a different mustard but equally good.

That's it for today,
Thanks for leaving comments.
JB