Our little adventure...

The round top buildings are actually brick making kilns built in 1911. They are located in West Columbia, SC along the Congaree River. They are developing the land around them and we are sincerely hoping that this is made into a historic landmark to share local history with visitors and residents.












We stopped to see what all is going on at the old kiln location by the river and then took a back road up to our property to drop off another load of rocks.

An UN-day off!

I might as well schedule myself for 7 days a week and give up. Anytime I get excited about having a day off something happens that I can't take it. This time it was the other Manager getting Strep throat. Tomorrow I will have to work open to close as she can't return to work until Saturday. I just hired another Manager but she can't be used as a opener or closer until AFTER she completes her 5 weeks of training. UGH! So weary!

Mini-Quilt

I started this little mini-quilt today. Finished it will be 8 1/2"x 11". Hoping to send it to a quilting friend in exchange for one she makes for me.

With added borders...

Sewing tomorrow... I love days at home!

I'm going to sew like crazy tomorrow and get as much done on Abby's costume as I can. It's all cut out now except for the netting over-skirt and thats just a bunch of rectangles. Last night I started sewing together the cat pillows I bought for myself and they are so cute!

Of course tomorrow afternoon I will take a nice nap to catch up on the sleep that I miss the rest of the week. Naps are so lovely!

BUMMER! Lenora has Strep so I'm working her shift tomorrow and open to close on Friday. UGH!

CRUD City

I feel absolutely awful this morning. Can barely breath and my head feels like it weighs a ton. I ache EVERYWHERE! Just want to crawl under a blanket for the day not work 9.5 hours.

Birthday boy!

I can hardly believe he is 23 today. Here he is the day we brought him home from the hospital.

A trip to our land

Yesterday after I got home and took a quick little nap; Scott and I went up to our 10 acres to drop off a load of rocks. We are moving all the rocks around here and plan to reuse them up there. The rocks were left by the original owner of this house as he was a stone cutter. We have fossilized dinosaur dung, ballast rocks from ships from England, quarts, and many other types. Quite interesting to examine. Will make for great fun with Grandchildren one day. We went across the road to our neighbor, Steve's to see if he would mow the front and back fields for us; they have really grown up. We paid him to do it so hopefully before we go up again he will have it mowed back for us. We will take our Gravely tractor up to mow the opening where we plan to build our cottage(s).

Better get going gotta works today.

Change of plans

Scott spoke with the Realtor and decided against listing the property as she told him we couldn't expect to get what we would want for our property so we will do our very best to hold onto it.

We've been getting letters from our credit card companies saying they are raising their Interest rates - so we won't be using them at all anymore. And I will be paying them off quickly and closing accounts. We will just use cash only from now on. It's better for us anyway. Seems to me that these companies are shooting themselves in the foot and people will revert back to cash only and then what will they do.

Scott may have work. Will report more on that when we know more.

Musgrove State Park

I'm thinking perhaps Monday or Thursday we will go up here and hike a bit. We stopped here on our way back from my parents the last time we visited them and it is absolutely beautiful. I would love to go through the Interpretive Center. We may even take our brat dog with us since pets are aloud on leashes. She will get a bath before we go though as she is stinky!

Monday is Greg's 23rd birthday so I do want to spend some time with him - perhaps he would go with us. If not perhaps we could do this Thursday and Monday Greg and I could go see a movie together. Of course being the age he is he may just blow us off to spend time with his many friends.Scott doesn't care much about going to theaters.

Changes ahead

Scott has an appointment with the Realtor today at 2 to put on land up for sale. SO SAD! But perhaps we will be able to find another piece with a small house all ready on it that we can buy later for cash from the sale of this house. I'd actually love a place with a small pond or a creek running through it. HMMM...

I'm ready for a little day trip adventure... time to find something interesting off the beaten path within a 2 to 3 hour drive of here. Oh... I wouldn't mind even driving down to Charleston for a day trip and walk on the beach. Or maybe Scott and I could go up to Musgrove State Park for a day.

The day has come

Scott is going to call a Realtor today to put our 10 acres on the market. Neither one of us really wants to do this but it won't do us any good if we loose it later. So we are selling now and hope to get want we plan to ask for it.

OH DELIGHTFUL!

I got 3 new books yesterday; all on organizing sewing and craft space. Now I wish I was off for a week to sit and read through them all. I will just have to be content to read through them as I can. The titles are.... Creating your Perfect Quilting Space - Sewing room makeovers for any space and any budget by: Lois L Hallock. Where Women Create - Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women By: Jo Packham AND Organizing you Craft Space by: Jo Packham. They all have absolutely beautiful covers to draw you in.

While I was off from work I finally put my new quilting table together and I LOVE IT! It has a drop top with 1x1-inch grid and a ruler down one edge. On one side it has 3 nice sized drawers and on the other a wonderful cabinet with 2 shelf spaces. I think I am going to buy some magazine storage to put my quilting magazines in but first I need to measure to see if they will fit in the cabinet.

I have 2 new employees and I will be deciding on a new Operations team leader this week as well. So things ARE looking up.

Creative Moments of Solitude

I truly believe that people should step back and do something all alone completely away from other people and distractions to keep the creative side of their minds active. Going with the flow of mainstream society makes people just except things that society deems appropriate or "right" and they loose some of themselves to it's never ending flow. Being off the past two days has given me time to be creative again and to step away from the daily routine of having to make a business go. I've been able to be myself and I was able to get out in nature once again. Being caged up in a building 7 days a week really takes a tole on me in so many ways.

I have memories of childhood that no one else shares because I was alone but thats ok. I had the most fun in those moments. Building mud and stick log cabins for my Barbie dolls; swinging as high as I could on my swing set and laying back and watching the clouds float by as I swung. Peaceful moments in the barn playing with the calves and brushing them to help them be gentle as they grew. Moments stolen away in the old barn foundation at the "Lower Place" while my Grandmother picked raspberries. Sitting under the old apple tree in the center of the field behind the barn at our farm. Growing my own bed of miniature roses beside the greenhouse. Riding my pink bike with the flower basket, banana seat and monkey bars for hours on end up and down our road.And when I was even younger playing in the flower room with dolls and teddies lined up on the shelves in my own "hospital". I would mix concoctions that Grandma would find later and ask "What on earth were you thinking?!" To me I was getting my dolls and teddies better. I never felt alone until later in my teens but thats depressing and I don't want to share that misery here.

Things I miss

Mandavilla vine, sweet potato vines and blooms and baby okra plants.

Lemon Coconut Cake recipe

Visit Down To Earth http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/ for a delicious cake recipe today. Her website is VERY interesting and informative. I thoroughly enjoy reading it daily.

Relaxing Morning

Just enjoying my first cup of coffee looking out our front window.

Last night Scott and I did a bit of clean up in the front yard. He mowed and I cut down a bunch of small trees that had come up in flower beds. I also took down two of the trees that weren't growing well that I got from the National Arbor Day folks. We decided to start focusing harder on this house and yard; getting it ready to sell.

I also got the rest of Greg's things out of this front room so I now have a spot that I can lay things out to cut out. I bought some fleece to make myself a "comfy robe" like I made for Scott a few years back. I'm tired of seeing him all toasty warm in his. And I bought some of the cutest flannel with cats all over it to make myself a nightgown.

Time to go wake Scott up!

Would love to go MIA for a week or two

I'm enjoying a day at home today and it feels so good I wish I could do it for a week or 2. I see so much that I need to do here and feel guilty having to go to work and expend all my energy there. I am literally wiped out everyday I work.

There are water drops falling from the edge of our roof past our front big window where I am sitting looking out. And the sky looks like it's going to drop more rain today. SO - I guess I will be working on projects inside - cleaning bathrooms will be a first priority and installing new shower curtain liners will be a must! YUCK!

Scott has planted okra in one of the garden beds and it is growing nicely now. The Persimmon seeds that he started are turning into some lovely little trees that will need to be moved to larger pots soon.

We may have to make the hardest decision in our life soon - whether to sell our 10 acres or not. If we could sell it for enough we could pay that mortgage off and perhaps get this place fixed up to sell as well and then sell it and find a bit of land with a small house all ready on it and move. We keep hoping a fabulous job will come Scott's way. He is applying for dozens a week but no luck yet.

Things HAVE to improve

I am so looking forward to hiring on new people and getting them up to speed in time for the Holiday Season. I don't want to be working this many hours during the stress of the Holidays.

Scott is trying so very hard to find a job but no luck yet.

There is a dense fog this morning that should make I-77 a REAL joy to travel.

Work and looking for work - THATS US!

I'm so looking forward to Sunday and Monday it's not even funny.

I have several projects in progress that I need to get completed - a princess costume for Miss Abby for one thing and a couple cool spider man blankets for two little boys - shhhh they are for Christmas.

And since I can't type and stay awake I think I will go crash. Good night!

YEAH it's WEDNESDAY!

Only 4 more insane days at work and then I will be off for 2 days in a row. Perhaps I will be able to get some things done around my own house and yard.... AFTER I catch up on sleep. Next week I will be hiring 3 to 5 new team members to replace the ones that I have that won't work. I'm just flat fed up!

Not much to report....

I'm working! And that is about IT.

Scott and Greg got home from Greenville. Scott said the service for his Aunt was very nice and that it was good to see the rest of the family again.

Better getting rolling.

Marathon Week ahead

And it has absolutely nothing to do with running; just working everyday. I have an interview on Monday morning and will set up several more before the week is out on top of doing everything else for the week so when the 16th and 17th arrive I can crash at home and regroup.

A Fond Farewell to Mary Etta

Scott's Aunt Mary Etta passed away at about 2:30 this morning. She will be greatly missed by us all.

Dexter's Inn Blueberry Muffins

I got this recipe out of a magazine YEARS ago - can't even remember which one it was but these are so delicious. Not really bread more like cake. A dessert for your breakfast or a nice brunch item.

Dexter's Inn Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk

TOPPING
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375*F. Grease or line 12 to 15 muffin cups.
Beat butter until creamy, add sugar and continue beating. Beat in eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Fold in flour, milk and blueberries. Spoon into prepared muffin tins. Mix sugar and nutmeg for topping and sprinkle over muffins. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and springy.

Silly Body Clock

It's 5:10 AM and I am UP.... twas hoping to sleep in until at least 7 or 8. OH well. Perhaps I'll get the chance to take a nap later today.

In the September 2009 issue of CROCHET! there is the cutest little sweater that I am thinking about making for my new little nephew, Austin for Christmas. It's really easy and just looks so comfortable.

I need to get some work done on Abby's Princess costume too... perhaps I can get it cut out this morning since I am all ready awake and don't want to make a lot of noise since Scott and Greg are still sleeping. I believe Greg has to be up to work at the car wash this morning. He is going to Job Service on Monday morning as they are going to help him find a full-time job.

Sorry for the ramble - I think I'm going to go back to bed.

Thursday all ready...

Here it is Thursday all ready... I can hardly believe it.

Scott is attending a job fair in Augusta, GA today to see if there are any prospects down that way. Yesterday he and Greg went to see Mary-Etta and Jessie and Greg wore his uniform. They have Mary-Etta in Hospice now and keep her full of Morphine. They can't do dialysis on her anymore as she nearly dies every time they have tried so it's "her time". One of Scott's old girlfriends works in the Hospice and Scott called and asked her to check in on Mary-Etta and Jessie. That meant a lot to them.

I'm still plugging away trying to accomplish million things at a time and am working LONG days... I've got to completely rework the next schedule and am hoping to get a couple people brought back on that used to work there but left because of the way they were being treated by previous management.

I'm ever so ready for a vacation!

Hoping and Praying for Strength

I'm both physically and mentally exhausted and am stressed beyond stressed - nearly to a breaking point and STUCK! So here I sit hoping and praying for some additional strength to get through all this mess.

I came home early today and collapsed in my chair. Slept most of the afternoon and evening away and feel I could sleep a lot more so it's off to a hot bath and more sleep now so that I can face another extremely long day tomorrow.

So Weary

I'm so exhausted! And it's only going to get worse. I need to hire another Manager that won't be able to actually be in position for 5 WEEKS and some team members that REALLY want the job and will show up. I'm not sure I am up to so much on my shoulders alone.

Sunday Sunday....

Sunday morning again and I'm up earlier than I needed to be as I forgot to turn my alarm off. UGH! Oh well; I got to see Greg off to his day at the Fort. Yesterday he got to meet his Commanding Officer and was told that he will go East in 2011. So he is depressed about that but a lot can happen between now and then and he still has to go to "C" school. So I am trying to get him to not cross too many bridges before he gets there.

Things are going to work out at work but I've got to make a bunch of staffing changes to find people that really need the work and will work ANY day of the week and any time of the day. And available on short notice. I'm tired of the non-reliable; work when THEY want people. I had 30 hours but no one wanted to work them yesterday. And from now on all applicants HAVE to work nights and weekends (BOTH Saturday and Sunday).