Missing in Action!

I am skipping a beat the last few days and my camera was left at Amber's this afternoon so it is 'missing in action!' I am lost without it and I had taken such CUTE pics!

This morning a dear friend and former neighbor for 17 years came to visit. Her husband passed away last spring and he was so loved by everyone who knew him. His wife is loved every bit as much by all.

I stayed up last night getting the hall back in place - even though the trim still had to be done.

I wanted it to look nice so I could show Reaoma. Don't you love that name? Bet there's not many people who share it. I rushed around this morning and baked up some Honey Bran muffins, brewed the coffee and was dressed and waiting when she arrived at 10:00. Then instead of showing her around the house - which has changed drastically since she was last here - I whisked her away to Dallas to see Amber and the quads.

It was a touching visit and I treasure every moment of it and I am sure Amber does too.

Doug and Reaoma were so good to us! Every August we would visit them at their place out in East Texas - called Rainbows End. I'll share more precious memories tomorrow night when I have the pictures I took of my beautiful friend. I teared up more than once - especially so when I watched her and Amber embrace.

Every child should have someone SPECIAL who loves them dearly - and doesn't have to! Doug and Reaoma are two such special people to Amber and Benjamin. It is a wonderful blessing to see OTHERS love your children as much as YOU do! I must hasten to say that God blessed all my children with many who loved them as much as if they were their own blood.....but tomorrow's story will be about Doug and Reaoma.  I had to have my friend back this afternoon in time for a doctor appointment so I came home ready to tackle the rest of the hall redo.

Louis Dean - being the good sport he is - put up all 5 pieces of the trim I had painted yesterday.....

even though he had to stop his own project........and even though it was threatening to rain.

Actually, it came through on the threats and we had a really hard thunderstorm!!! Cooled off so much we had to turn off the A/C! However - we DID manage to get all the saw cuts done before putting the tools up in what was now pouring rain!!! We got SOAKED!! So what did we do? 

Poured us a glass of wine and sat in the gazebo enjoying the show!

This is the new light we bought and hopefully LD will get it up tomorrow.

Sabrina arrived during the storm and joined us in a bit of wine before art.

We only worked on our Rain Princess paintings. After an hour my stomach was in knots!

This is harder than I thought!!

If I had stopped on the larger canvas at the top just 15 minutes before I did - it would have looked so much better!!! Instead I will have to let it dry and have another go at it next session.

The bottom two are simply based in. They look kind of scary so I hope I can pull this out!

The storm is gone, the turpentine and oils are put away. Lucy is in her kennel and Maggie is asleep on the sofa. I think it's time to put the rest of the house - and US - to bed!!!