October is a Great Month to Celebrate Birthdays!

      First we celebrated April's. Today is Oma's; tomorrow is Skylar's! Amber's is the 30th. Wow! So hard to believe my baby is 18! These years have passed by way to quick! And most of the years, I've been home! I am keeping Win and Riley for a few days since April is in the hospital. She has some kind of bacteria in her stomach and inflammation. She is very sick and we thought it was her pancreatitis. I don't know who would keep the kids if I worked! Send up prayers for her if you would!

      We had a great time this past Saturday! We went to a craft festival called Homestead Hollow in Springville, AL. You would not believe the traffic! The festival is about five miles from the interstate where we got off and it took us an hour to get there! Maybe longer; I tried not to watch the clock. But it was fun once we got there! Lots of food vendors and LOTS of crafts! Mostly monogrammed things for kids and Fall decorations. Lots of jewelry booths! I got Amber a blank for her birthday! I can't tell you what it is cause she reads this blog!

      I just pulled some homemade bread out of the oven! It's the Trim Healthy Mama one but it's way too salty! I wondered about that when I put in the three tablespoons of salt it called for. I'll stick to my Jim Lahey's bread, thank you! They were selling those yummy cinnamon nuts at the festival, but they are very costly! So, you know me, I came home and found a recipe and made some! They are not exactly like those, but delicious anyway! I love when recipes turn out as well as something you'd buy or taste even better! I also made brownies this weekend for Skylar's lunch, and they are the best yet! Hershey's recipe! See what I mean, me stick to a diet? I don't think so! But I haven't told you about all the good stuff I ate. Beans and greens, green juice, no rice at the Mexican restaurant we took Skylar to Saturday. Moderation! And exercise! I hope to walk and workout today, but I'm not sure how I'll pull that off since I don't have a double stroller! I can work out, but I won't be able to walk unless my Mom comes over! Would you like to stop by and watch them for me?

      The weather is supposed to start cooling down a few degrees this week and rain by the weekend! It may only be in the sixties by then! Wow! That will feel so good! I'm ready for weather changes, are you? I'm also hoping to get that garden cleared out soon! Randy said he'd weed eat it for me, but he's been busy working on the house and it gets dark out soon after he gets home. That's what I don't like about Fall and winter! Short days! Oh well, learn to live with it and do the best we can. Ya'll have a great week! Who knows? I may be back with another post soon! Blessings from Bama!

The entrance to the festival.

Love this old buggy, just glad I don't have to ride in it!

Aren't these mums gorgeous?

Skylar won't look at the camera so I can get his picture.

My Mom and Dad.

Me and Randy.

Lots of folks here.

I'm glad it was shady in most of the park!

I love the bridge that crosses over to the cabin! And I love the cabin!

Guess what these guys have set up!

My Dad asked him to take a drink.

He said he had to keep things on the up and up. I smelled it and it smells like vinegar. It's moonshine!

We left before I go to see them dance! Reminds me of Linda!

Traffic on the way in as we were leaving!

Skylar at Superior Grill, a Mexican restaurant.

Randy waiting patiently on me to take a photo of this sign I got at the Almanac Store in Leeds.

She had a bad virus Thursday and Friday! She still looks pekid under her eyes.

She's doing a good job on the pumpkin!

Riley is so cute reaching up! Like my five-year-old cell phone? It's older than the girls!

I love the concept of this bread, just not the way it tastes!

I've been enjoying some really great salads lately!

      I can hardly stop eating to write this! It is so good! And I just made it up! Except for the balsamic dressing recipe. I did modify it slightly by omitting the maple syrup and Dijon mustard. It's not Trim Healthy Mama friendly I don't think, but it's sure healthy! I was reading a post from Wellness Mama and the topic was the thyroid. She said that iodine deficiency can disrupt the function of the thyroid. One way to get more iodine is to consume veggies like onions and artichoke hearts. Kelp is another way, but I don't have access to that other than in supplement tablets, which I take daily. Needless to say, my salads have been full of yummy artichoke hearts and onions, lately! I see that I can't follow ANY diet rigidly, so I do the best that I can! I love all the wrong things! Pizza, rolls, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, cheesecake, salty and sweet crunchy things, etc. I actually made popcorn for my crunchy snack last night. I intended to make caramel corn, a big no-no, but when I tasted the popcorn, it was so good I had to eat it plain! At least I didn't pick up the box of Cheez-its, which taste terrible to me now, but satisfy the crunch factor! What is your favorite snack or food?

      I'm sure ya'll get a kick out of reading my blog cause you don't ever know what I'm going to write about! I hope that's OK, cause sometimes things just come to me on a whim! I love to craft things and just now made a teacher gift for Win's teacher. I saved some empty peanut canisters (I love the crunchy, salty taste of peanuts!) and put some Fall-looking scrapbook paper around it, and a Treats, Not Tricks label on top of it. I'm going to buy a small bag of candy to go inside and give it to her. The lid is still blue and looks funny that way but I didn't know what else to do with it. I think it will be alright.

      Skylar's 18th. (I can't believe my baby is turning 18!) birthday is coming this Tuesday and we are taking him to the Bass Pro Shop in Birmingham to get him a new rod and reel. All of a sudden, he's into fishing! He went with his Dad and Poppa this past Saturday and caught a really big catfish! He was trying for a bass when he caught it. Maybe he'll be a pro-fisherman one day!
I'm curious to see where he'll want to eat! Probably Sumo's or Styx! He loves Japanese restaurants!

      We're still experiencing really warm days with temps dropping into the upper fifties at night. I wear shorts and a tank everyday, just like summer. But I'm still wanting some more pumpkin bread! Don't tell the Trim Healthy Mama people, but I'm going to make some soon! I'm feeling better about myself and I'm walking almost everyday and working out with weights 3x a week! I believe in moderation! I just don't need to eat the whole loaf! Maybe I can share some with ya'll! Have a nice weekend! Blessings from Bama!

Today's salad with tilapia cooked on the grill.

Apples after being dehydrated.

Prepping of apples for dehydrator.

Sometimes the peeling wraps itself back around the apple. I found I had to peel both ends of every apple. I wished to peeler would do that!

The dehydrator full of apples!

Surprise! A birthday cheesecake I made for April! I love these and want to make a pumpkin one! This was vanilla and oh so good!

Aren't these mums pretty!

And check out these Angel Trumpet flowers! They are so pretty!

   

  
      

Oh Dear September, How I remember!

      When school used to start and from my Mom I would depart! You have passed by so quickly I can hardly remember what all has occurred in your rush! I remember how last September was oh, so very hot! This September has been such a blessing! The temps have been hot some, but recently, they have cooled down to low sixties at night and upper-low eighties during the day! That is a drastic change from what I remember last September!

     I've been busy crafting, cooking and helping with children since I spoke with you last. The leaves are beginning to take on a Fall look, so I enjoy being outside as much as I can. I just wished those biting gnats would leave me alone! I still can't get in the garden, and I don't know when I'll be able to! Maybe Randy will weed-eat in there so I can get in it.

      We have embarked on our birthday season! Last week was Randy's, this week April's! The next birthday's will be Skylar's and Oma's, then Amber's! I'm working on Riley's birthday banners which will be in November. We have three birthdays in November and one in December, one in January, and one in February! What about all these birthday cakes? I will eat some of each! Oh no, what about my health? I will eat only a small piece! Maybe not any at all! We'll see. 

      If it seems like I'm rambling on about nothing, I'm trying to feed Riley as I write this. Thinking of something to write and feed a crying baby isn't easy! April had to go to the hospital because of severe diarrhea and vomiting, possibly her pancreatitis is acting up. I'll have the girls maybe over night. Just hope she gets well soon since her birthday is Thursday and we're supposed to celebrate it Saturday! I'll try to get back with ya'll later this week and give you an update on her condition. Thanks for bearing with me! Riley ate it all gone! Have a great week! Blessings from Bama! Roll Tide!

The recipe on the can is always too much for one pie crust, and that's using deep dish crust!

If my birthday was now, I'd want a pumpkin pie! See how much I ate!

This photo wasn't taken today, I fed her something by hand.

Winterlynn had a blast riding the golf cart!

Randy has as much fun as she does!

Such a cutie with that red-looking hair!

The dogs love to bark and chase them!

In the process of making lollipops for Riley's November birthday. I wonder how they'll turn out?