Change is in the air!

As summer slowly slips away from us, taking it's inferno heat and humidity with it, I'm seeing the change that comes along with yet another season starting to show it's awaiting pleasures of weather and beautiful colors. I've lived in this part of the South for most of my life (minus a few years in the state of Texas) so I know without a shadow of a doubt that there's still plenty of hot weather still awaiting, but how I love watching this gradual shift from summer to fall.

This is what I came across in my backyard this week while taking out scraps to our compost pile.

Aahhhhh this is a sign!!

Then there's that change of the sun as it comes up on these welcomed cool and somewhat crisp mornings. Crisp as compared to the mornings of waking up to 80 degrees with 74% humidity lurking in the air. The way it shines through the windows through out the day, and it's beautiful colorful setting proving that yes there is change a coming.



As I took my daily walk to the mailbox I also noticed this today....aahh the smell of dried fallen leaves!

And see the dogwood as it begins it change from a lush green to a colorful combination of Red and Yellow...



The gorgeous Carolina Blue sky without a cloud in sight, a shrub making it's change, are all beautiful hints from our Maker that change is good.



We as humans don't like change normally, give me life the way I know it..no problems, no sickness, no upsets, no unexpected bills....just don't change it, I like it the way it is, but the thing is here, change is the only thing that will not change.

I'm feeling change coming my way, not only in the season's and not the fact I have another birthday upcoming, hey I am thankful to my God up above for making it another year healthy and still alive, maybe not kicking the way I used to but still kicking...somewhat..if you call sitting on the footstool and kicking three inches off the floor kicking...I can still do it! This is a different kind of change I'm feeling, it's coming, not sure what yet, but I'm sure it will be revealed to me in HIS time and not mine. Until then....

I pray, Lord help me to always embrace the change you send my way as a blessing from above and to embrace it as such!

I WON, I WON, I WON!!!!

Can you believe it? Me who never, ever and I mean ever Win's anything won something two weekends in a row! I'm telling you in the last 30 years I can count on one hand how many things that has come my way free of charge! The reason I remember so vividly of the years is my oldest was a baby when I first won my first prize. At the time I was living in Houston, Texas and the subdivision we lived in was practically a city in itself. We had grocery stores, hair salons, dress shops anything you wanted within walking distance. At the time we only had one vehicle so the weeks that I had the car I would do my major grocery shopping. This particular week I had gone to the grocery store and bought the monthly supplies, you could print your name and phone number on the back of the receipt, drop it in the box and each week the store would draw a slip out and award the weekly winner that week's groceries free!!!!! I received a phone call that week and it sorta went like this...Mrs. Baker did you buy groceries this week at ABC groceries and write a check? Now I'm thinking at the time.... yes and I'm sure I balanced my checkbook correct, indeed I was covered!! My response..."well yes", CONGRATULATIONS you are our weekly winner of groceries....Whew, sweat pouring off my forehead!!!! They reimbursed me for my groceries for that week!!! What a wonderful blessing at the time!

My second winning was a drawing at work. My branch that I was working in had the highest
percentage of sales for the year and we were entered into a contest for a trip to New York City! My name was drawn, hubby and I had a wonderful long weekend to New York!! A trip for both of us, neither one of us had ever visited that wonderful and enchanted city!

Then last Saturday I was in a really big hurry to get to the Post Office, there was a bill needing to be paid and I was in a mad dash to get there before the mail cutoff for the day. I also wanted to get to the local Farmers Market prior to closing...what do I do...P.O. first or Farmers Market...decision...bill is more important so that I did. After leaving the P.O. I headed on out to the Market, considering ole Rocky had stole my corn and we were having a hankering for some good ole corn on the cob! As I was walking up to the vendors, two very nice gentlemen were walking toward me at the same time...I'm thinking...OK what's this? Sure I didn't take time to put any makeup on, I look like a Hant...but all I want is some corn and believe this or not...a few tomatoes, I had worked our way out of those juicy, round, red tomatoes! You know they come in all at once, can't keep them long and then, boom, all gone!! Those sweet men looked at me and said, "CONGRATULATIONS" you are our 300th visitor to the Farmers Market today"!! I won a $5.00 voucher for any vendor there that day!! I was thrilled, after all, like I said I never, hardly, ever win anything!! So I got all these lovely fruits and vegetables for only $6.00. What a blessing that was!!



Cabbage, Tomatoes, Corn and Apples!

I had a wonderful time talking with the vendor about how he grew this beautiful crop and come to find out he and a partner has several crops though out the state to keep it going for 3 seasons!! I also noticed he has the very same bumper sticker as myself posted.



Something we all need to remember!!

Yesterday, I was invited to a Pampered Chef party and believe it or not, I won the door prize!!! I received a wonderful, Season's Best Cook Book!!!

Do you think I'm on a roll? Do you think I'll win the Lottery??? Of course if you think about it, I guess I'd have to buy a ticket...you think?? After all a $1.00 is a $1.00 and that sure would buy a mess of corn this time of year!

And I pray..."Thank you Lord for all your blessings...free and paid for"

August 2nd??? Are you sure?

Wow, I cannot believe that July has come and gone already! It seems that when you have a garden that summer really gets away from you fast. This year we grew, corn, okra, tomatoes, pepper (several varieties), squash, cucumbers and watermelon's. Well let me back up just a second...we started growing corn, then Rocky Raccoon found it and well, let's just say...the rest is history! I hope the little sucker got indigestion from all the corn he ate! Mmmm,reminds me of a naughty little bunny named Peter! Now, he has discovered the watermelon and doesn't mind one bit helping his fat little self to the sweet fruit, cutting a hole in the end and consuming the entire inside, leaving the shell behind in utter mockery of us! If I was a young woman and could sit up all night long, I would catch this masked varmint myself!



Help!!! We've been invaded!!! The tomatoes are coming, and coming, and coming!!! Multiply the above scene by 3 times (at least) and you'll see what has been keeping me so very busy! Even Toot the Turtle couldn't make a dent in these bad boy's! Toot don't you think you could at least eat the whole tomato as opposed to taking a bite out of multiple one's? As you can see Toot was rushing to get away from getting caught in the garden! I was afraid his fast speed would blur the picture! It's hard getting caught!



So I guess you're wondering what I've done with all these? I've made this...



Pizza Sauce.

And this...



Salsa.

Canned tomatoes.

And in between all the tomatoes, I made pickles from these...



Froze these...



Then on one particular day I'd had enough and took my $5.49 bargain I'd found and turned it from this...



To this.....



So as you can see I've been quite the busy beaver in the past month, even with all this going on I'm still praying and searching for employment! It can really be discouraging to a girl to start feeling "not wanted"...but then I stand back and take a look at this picture and realize...I have the perfect job that God wants me to have at this point in my life.



So for now I've told the cob webs to stop dancing around the house so much, and made a promise to the furniture to dust it off soon, but for now I've got to get the food put up while the getting is good.

I pray...Thank you Lord for all the provisions you have provided for me, my family and even Toot and Rocky.