Romantic Moments and Our Weekend.....

One of the most romantic things about Louis Dean is not what some people would consider romantic at all - but I do! Whenever I need help with something, if it is at all possible for him to do it, he takes care of it as soon as he can! Friday, in the space of 30 minutes, I asked for his help in three matters - a plumbing situation and then the attic fan just stopped. He got up from his music desk where he was working on a song and dealt with all three matters. I know I just mentioned two! I can't for the life of me remember the other now!

To me that is SO romantic of him!!!!

I know what it's like to have something break and have to wait for long periods of time before it gets fixed so Louis Dean being just a Johnny on the Spot kinda guy never gets old for me!!!

We work as a team so if HE is outside, more than likely I am, too!! That's the way we spent Friday afternoon.

He worked on the new deck and I took myself to the Dollar Store for bleach to clean the old decks.

That's when he did a second most romantic thing!!!

I was checking out and my cell phone rang. It was Louis Dean and he said, "I heard sirens and knew you were out. I'm just calling to be sure you are okay!" I assured him I would be home in a few minutes. The clerk joked about husbands wondering when their wives would come home and I explained that he had heard an ambulance or fire truck and was checking to make sure I wasn't in an emergency. She asked how long we have been together and was surprised to hear me say 11 years!

I shared with her the short version of our eHamony experience and she seemed truly touched.

I am forever grateful for eHarmony and for my mother saying, "Click YES!" when Louis Dean 'matched' with me and asked me to 'fast track!'

I scored with what I am hoping are some good reads at The Dollar Store!!
You never know what you're going to find there....
a couple of these are set in London and Scotland......both places are dear to my heart!

Louis Dean NEARLY finished the deck before it was time to clean up and get ready for our Friday Night Date with the Cumby's!!!

We met for dinner at Saltgrass Steak House and then came back to our place for a rousing game of Dominoes where the GIRLS ruled!!!! Brenda won every.single.hand.

It was kind of funny, though, as we came in and Mother greeted us with the news that a POSSUM was in the den watching TV with her. 

Mother said, "Honey, he was BIG!!!!" Louis Dean assured her it would not hurt her unless she attacked him and she said, "I DID!!!" She had used her cane but I don't think she harmed him!!!

She was quick to say her goodnight and leave us to our game.

After our company left and I was turning the lights out in the den, the possum came out and I escorted him outside. He was a baby. NOT the BIG ONE Mother described!!!!

Saturday was beautiful and LD and I both worked outside all day long!!

Mother would sit at first one set of French doors and then the other, watching us work.

Louis Dean was trying to get that deck down to beat the rain and he succeeded!

Our first official 'sit' on the completed gazebo deck!!!

I planted and cleaned and spruced up things!

The chair and table Mother uses got a coat of fresh spray paint.

I used what I had which was camouflage green!

I am happy the decks are now clean! 

This chair on the left is my favorite place to sit!

You can smell the roses and honeysuckle and hear the fountains. The birds come to the feeders if you sit still. A great place to sip tea and read a book!

I am always inspired by Joy at a Vintage Green!

She does the most amazing stencils and refinishing work I have ever seen!!!

I have picked up this piece of cedar several times and just put it someplace!

I have no idea where it came from - probably one of LD's projects!

Finally, I picked it up and thought, "What would Joy do with it?"

Stencil something on it, of course!!!

So that's what I did!

I nailed it to the house wall and called it a success!!!

Then, once again, it was time to shower and clean up and head out for another kind of date night!

We went over to Quadville for dinner and a movie!

Kailey was as elegant as a movie store with all her rings and fancy scarf!!!

Trystan was beauty queen beautiful even in her everyday attire!

Logan wore a red scarf and true to HER nature said, "MeeMaw, help me decorate with it!!!"

After we draped it over something in the playroom, she said, "MeeMaw, do you want to smell the bathroom???" Amber had sent me a pic earlier that afternoon of Logan using every single one of her Clorox Wipes to clean the bathroom floor!!

I went in and bragged on what a good job she did when she noticed something she had missed!!!

She grabbed a wipe and said, "MeeMaw, when you wipe it across the dirt, it isn't dirty any more!!!"

Child of my heart, this one is!!!!

Amber made a marvelous dinner of stacked Fajita Tacos that were picture perfect!!!

You can see how impressed the kids were!!!

Our Saturday night movie was a good one!

I love that it was based on a true story and I went online to real all about it this afternoon!

Sunday was a stormy kind of day!

We lost power during the wee hours of the morning and the dead silence woke Louis Dean and me up immediately! It came back on in time for us to get in another few hours of sleep before it was time to get ready for church. It was pouring down rain and since he was so very tired from all that deck work, he opted to stay home with Mother just in case the power went out again. Mother can't speak clearly and we don't have a landline and she doesn't know how to use a cell phone. It was a win WIN! since HE got to rest and she didn't have stay home alone. Although the TV did get a screen message from Frontier - the new company who bought the Verizon TV/Internet portion of their company - and with whom we are so NOT impressed!!! - that sent her into a tizzy!!! Louis Dean said she came in to his music room like someone had died!! He could not understand a single word she was saying but she was nearly hysterical! When he went in the den he thought he would find evidence of someone trying to get in the house! Instead, it was a message that covered up her news program! Good thing he was home to deal with this emergency!

Last week Granddad got HIS picture taken withe the five youngest grands!

This week it was MY turn and I one upped him since the pastor posed with us!!!

I do so love our church, our staff and our pastor!!!

Summer and Rayne are coming to church with us now and that makes for an even bigger family group at Dickey's BBQ for lunch!!!

Amber had a supply of coloring books and crayons so the kids could stay occupied while we all finished our meals!

I LOVE this photo I got of Amber and Mike and Harrison!

We all parted company and I took myself to Central Market since I was so close!

It was still raining fairly hard but I was wanting some of these Stella Doro cookies to have with my morning coffee this week. I also LOVE the flavored waters! HEB and 2 for $!!!!

The Maple Bacon Potato Chips are for Louis Dean and just because!

See that plant? It is a Vick's plant!! Smells exactly like Vick's Vapor Rub!!!

I am so hoping I don't kill it! I went online and read the care and planting instructions for this semi succulent. Last week I bought a Stevia plant! Seems like we will have an interesting group of green things in our herbal garden this year! Still looking for another citronella plant since the HUGE one we had from last year was badly damaged by the falling elm tree!!!

I FINALLY got home this afternoon - to the consternation of my mother who was a bit offended that I had left for church without telling her where I was going! Deanie and Charlie arrived shortly afterwards to take her back to Fort Worth with them. She may have left with a huff but I have photos to prove she had FUN while she was here!!! Mothers never cease to try to punch your buttons!!!

(Do WE do that with OUR children, ladies???? Let's pray that we don't!!!)

But in keeping with that thought, I joined a group of fun gals and we took ourselves to the movies this afternoon to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 and it was delightful!!!!

I think we all feel like Toula sometimes. "Fix it!" they say to her!

FIX IT is what we daughters try to do!!! 

I don't think fixing it really works. Things have a way of working out no matter what.

Well, that's my weekend and here come Louis Dean right on cue!!!

We are going in to catch up on a couple of TV programs!

Like Madam Secretary and Grantchester!!! We love these!!!