Andie's Video and Pics and Friday With Mother!

I finally got the video of Andie's dance from last Saturday night!

Thank you, Deanie, for sending it to me!!

I'm still trying to figure my video camera out and now that Ben is back in town perhaps HE will help me!

And the crowd went wild!!

She danced to Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal.'

Thanks to my brother in law, Mike, for these great photos!!

She is so GOOD!

That's our girl!!

It was so much fun to watch Andie perform!!

Now back to THIS Friday where once again I was in Fort Worth to see Mother!

I was late picking her up but she was all smiles once I got there!

I asked her if she felt up to going with me to shop for my Easter Dinner groceries at the HEB in Burleson.

She is such a good sport!

However, I had a tiny bit of a problem finding the grocery store there and it took two phone calls to my sister and her husband before we arrived! By then we were hungry so we decided to eat lunch BEFORE shopping!

Being in Burleson reminded me of a dear blog reader who used to comment so often! She would sign herself as 'Pam in Burleson.' I thought of her as we shopped and wondered if someday I might run into her.

Always save room for dessert!

Fortified with lunch we proceeded to the HEB!

Mother pushed the cart while I loaded it up with everything from flip flops for the quads to hula hoops for the older grands to cartons of confetti eggs to a picnic ham 'ready to cook!' Louis Dean prefers to cook the ham himself as opposed to buying the 'fully cooked' ones you just heat up. Our house will smell good Sunday!!!

I left Louis Dean home this morning so he was unattended all.day.long.

I found a box of donuts that seemed to have appeared out o f nowhere and evidence of something FRIED.

But I guess he needed the energy fuel because he had been playing outside.

Louis Dean loves flowers and color and I tend to want greenery/ground cover that maintains itself. 

This winter severely damaged our Asian Jasmine so he grabbed this opportunity to redesign some of the area by the new fence. It is looking very nice. The photo above is some ground cover that fared fairly well in the deep freeze winter we had. It is flourishing!

I came home and did a quick round of damage control and then TOOK A NAP!!

I was so sleepy on the drive back! 

When I woke up - I found Louis Dean had gone to sleep in the guest room.

We stayed up too late last night!

Our young neighbors came over to visit and we all hung out in the gazebo!

I have the lights strung up and LD had a fire going. It really is like having another room to the house!

We all sipped our wine and talked and talked.

This couple is the same age as Amber and Mike. Joe is actually my distant cousin!

Small world. His wife is a musician and she and Louis Dean have plans to play together very soon!

I had just finished last night's journal and LD told her I write a blog.

She asked, "What do you write about?"

I waved my hands at all of us sitting around the gazebo and said, "THIS!"

So that's my Friday tonight and a highlight from LAST Friday night!

Wishing you and yours a blessed Good Friday!

Adventures in Quadville! A Trip to IKEA! My Poor Kitty!

We spent last night in Quadville so we could be here first thing this morning.

It's just so much easier to wake UP and BE here!

We had not seen the quads in a week and - believe it or not!!- they had grown and changed in just that short time!!

Kailey got a neck massage from Granddad while she was having her breakfast!

These two girls have their Granddad wrapped around their little fingers!!

So does Trystan - aka - Trissy!

As soon as breakfast was over we dressed the quads and loaded up for a trip to IKEA!!

I had never been to IKEA before!!

We each ended up with a good little haul!

Amber brought snacks and water for the babies and they AND we thoroughly enjoyed our trip!

My super cute SUPER MOM daughter!!!

She even found a play area where the babies got to run around for a bit before we headed home!

WHEE!!!!

As soon as naps were over we gave them all baths and put on their jammies!

They had missed their granddad today so they stayed close to him all evening!

I love Love LOVE watching Miss Trystan watch TV!!!

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And that Kailey is always busy with SOMETHING!!!

My sweet daughter was sure tired! Harrison loves his mommy and goes around saying,

"Mommy home! Mommy home!!"

He loves his daddy, too!! "Daddy Home!!! Daddy HOME!!"

I can't tell you how much I enjoy my daughter being a mother!!!

We ended up spending Wednesday night in Quadville as well as Tuesday night!

That's about the only way I can get Louis Dean to slow down - keep him away from his many projects!!

This morning Logan just KNEW we were leaving.

I am SO ready to take her home with me!

Soon.....very soon!

We arrived back at the house before noon today.

I went right in to refill Maggie's food and water and do the kitty chores.

I noticed that NONE of it needed to be done!! ???

Just as I was getting up from checking on her litter box she sauntered in!

She looked skinnier than when we left!

That's when Louis Dean called to me to say there was a problem!

He had unlocked the back French doors and walked into the gazebo when he hear a MEOW!

It was Maggie!!! 

She had gone outside without our noticing Tuesday night!

She had been outside since then!

The last two nights have been chilly and she had NO FOOD!

We have plenty of water features in the back yard - but no food!!

I opened a can of quality tuna and gave her some!!

Usually when we come home she has an 'attitude' and barks at us.

Yes, white cats BARK!

Today she was just very sweet!

Bless her little heart!!!

I am going to be paying her a lot more attention!!!

Louis Dean and I have been busy this afternoon cleaning up the gazebo and side yard in anticipation of the family coming for Easter!

This was my Throwback Thursday pic on Facebook today!

I noticed this photograph propped on a shelf just above the cat box!

It is a photo of the last time I had all four of my children together!

We were rolling sugarplums on a Christmas Eve.

It was several years ago!

Easter Sunday I will have all of them together again!

I already have the seating arrangement worked out!

All of my now GROWN children will sit at the main table in the dining room.

The four older grandchildren will sit at the game table set for four in the den.

Louis Dean and I will sit at the breakfast table for two with the quads in their strollers beside us!

I can't tell you how proud I am of all my children!

None of them had easy childhoods but they ALL turned out awesome!!!

I have grands from the oldest three........

I can't help but be excited for the future when Ben has children!!

He once told me HE was going to have kids the old fashioned way!

ONE at a time!!!

A Bluebonnet Art Day

Today Ruth Ann and I found some Tuesday Treasures at our local Goodwill!

I forgot to take a pic of Ruth Ann's basket but she found quite a few things as well!!

This was my favorite!!

A tea chest!

I love signs and these two are already hanging in the gazebo!

That wine cork frame will hold a simple painting soon.

I have never found a purse that really works for me - but I keep trying!

Perhaps that's what Mother is doing with all those house shoes she buys......

Our movie of choice was The Monuments Men - perfect since it involved ART and this is ART DAY!

We started a bluebonnet painting tonight. This afternoon I gathered up the bluebonnet pictures I have painted in years past to refresh my memory! One of the special things about spring in Texas is the bluebonnets!

We gathered around the table about 6:30. The first session of a new project involves the tedious process of laying the palette. Since I freeze it between classes - we only have to do it once!

Ruth Ann is really coming into her own in art!

Sabrina has so much talent! She is a pretty amazing artist!

My daughter in law joined us tonight!

She is a natural!! She has an artist's eye for composition and color.

I knew she would be great!!!

We had the best time tonight!

I put out a plate of sliced brisket, smoked cheese (made by my DIL!) and crackers to snack on along with a pitcher of strawberry mint tea.

Sherry's sister, Cindy, was our cheerleader!!

Tonight we laid the palette, put on our pattern and based in the entire canvas.

After we finished everyone pitched in and put the dining room back to rights!

Except for the lingering smell of the oils and turpentine, you would never know we had been there!!

It's been a wonderful Tuesday!

Louis Dean has rested a good bit. He did the odd and end jobs around here- taking out the trash, unloading the last things in the truck, picked up prescriptions at the pharmacy, watched a little TV.

I like looking at the dining room pic!

Come Easter Sunday I will have all my children sitting around that table!!

It will be the first time for them all to be together in years!!