Saturday, July 30, 2016

Fun Like a PARTY!!

We celebrated my brother in law's birthday  Friday night. It's his very last year to be in his 50's, then he can join the rest of us who are all in our 60's!


I seldom get pictures of the four of us so I took full advantage of this opportunity while we were all together. For the last few years we have made it a priority to meet up, visit, text, call, Facetime and Facebook, and yes, even PARTY together.


Here's the Birthday Boy!


The whole house was prepped and dressed to PARTY!


Lots and lots of good food.


These Italian Margaritas were delicious.


Nita had everything from peach tea to water to beer.....and on and on!


It was fun to meet people we had only heard about before.
This is Deanna who works with Nita.
She felt like she already knew us and we felt the same about her.
It was nice to put 'faces' to the stories we hear about each other.


Deeana totally felt like she knew Louis Dean and she won a friend for life when she asked him if he had brought his guitar!


Surely these were two of the coolest people at the party - my sister and Dave.
This was our first time to meet him as well as Deeana.


My brother, Lonnie (in the orange shirt) and two of his high school classmates.
First time they have seen each other in years!


Not only his friends from high school but also old friends of Mike's. Some of them worked together at Haynie's Grocery Store and recently reconnected through Facebook.
It's always nice to catch up with old friends.


My brother fully realizes what a lucky man he is.
He still refers to Michele as 'my lovely bride' and probably always will.


It was a fun evening and one we all were in need of.


Deanie was feeling some better than she has been but it will still take an entire year before she is back to her old self.


One of the entertainments was watching slide shows of old photographs.
Nita and Mike have their computer set up and linked to the TV.
I do believe every single one of us at the party showed up in one of more of these pictures including Louis Dean. He's been in the family for 11 years now.


It just makes me smile as I write this journal post tonight remembering what a good time we all had.


Mike gave everyone a tour and explained about some of his extensive collections.


You simply can't take it all in in one visit!


This is one of the most intersting homes I have ever seen.


Dinosaurs, trains, planes, so many many collections.


Fossils......books.....


cars......


Happy Birthday to Mike!!!
You guys throw a great party!!!!

Louis Dean and I spent the night in their guest room and we slept like ROCKS for nearly 11 hours!
It was nearly noon when we sat in the kitchen together over our coffee.
Nita made breakfast taquitos for us and they were soooooo good. I am going to have to make some of these! LD and I spent the better part of the afternoon doing a bit of shopping in some of our favorite Fort Worth stores - Hobby Lobby, At Home, McCart Thrift and Half Price Books.

When we got home we found fresh salads for dinner tucked into the fridge by our sweet neighbor, Stephanie. You remember her? The one Louis Dean wants to adopt? She is so special to us and has been my neighbor for nearly 30 years!


We ate and watched Suits before doing a bit of housework and picking up around here.
The guest room sheets have been changed and candles lit and the room is all ready for guests should any arrive before Mother returns for a visit next month.
'Next month' is just a few days away.


I have decided to start celebrating August instead of dreading it and wanting it over.
I am going to decorate with sunflowers and enjoy every single day.
I found books from Half Price Book Store by two of my favorite authors.....
Melody Beattie and Sarah Ban Breathnach.
The blue book on the right arrived in the mail today from my friend, Dawn, down in Florida.
That's the one I'm going to start reading just as soon as I go out and get my watering down.
In Texas, at this time of year, if you don't water a little bit nearly every day your plants will brown up, burn and die! Some years, by this point, I have already given up but THIS year we have had RAIN every single month! Nearly unheard of but we are blessed and enjoying green grass instead of the dried up brown we normally have by now. We don't  even water our grass! Just the flower beds and pots.
Ah, I hear Louis Dean going to the front without me so I better close!


Friday, July 29, 2016

Where Have I BEEN??? Bits and Pieces From Our Week......

 I don't like getting behind in my journal - on line or in my Country Diary.
Sometimes things happen that cause us to pause in our normal routines and go into another mode.
You will remember my special prayer request of two weeks ago, and that has, once again, come into play this past week. All will be shared as time goes on but for now.....please continue to pray.

Monday

Louis Dean and I headed over to Quadville to enjoy some extra time with 'the babies.'
They will not allow us to call them that much longer!!!
This fall they will be in school THREE days a week!!!
This means that THIS will be our last school year of regular Quad Days!!!!


Suffice it to say that we are counting our blessings and adding every opportunity to spend some precious time with these quadlings while we can.
They will be teenagers before we turn around twice!
Look at Trystan on my mini iPad!


Kailey was BORN a teenager!!!


Harrison has such a great personality!
He is a helper and a deep thinker and as wonderful a boy as you would ever hope to meet.
I am certain he will be an Eagle Scout following in his dad, brothers, and grandfather's footsteps.


Okay, Logan is simply Logan!!!
My Mini Me - but, oh, so much MORE!!!!
The ME I wanted to be!


We stayed all afternoon and into the evening.
The kids helped to prepare the fruit for dinner that night.


Trystan took that strawberry job seriously!


Aunt Summer arrived with the main course from Chick Fil A!!
A hands down favorite!


Hands around the table.....prayers being said.


Dinner time should be fun and it was!!!!


Harrison wanted to use my camera and took this pic as I waved goodbye!!

Tuesday

I am sad to say that I am still struggling with my toe after the surgery on May 19th.


I had developed an ingrown toe nail in my already bad toe!
That just added insult to injury!
Thankfully, Lovely Nails, right here in Irving on Beltline Road, fixed me right up!

And since I was OUT.....and since it was TUESDAY......


I hit up the Goodwill which just so happens to be a few blocks up from Lovely Nails.


I was happy with the flower vase and candles, napkins and pillow shams.


The Christmas items were 50% off and I bought the moose on a whim!
The quads will love it!

I did not watch the DNC - I am not so much a Republican and I am SO not a Democrat -
however, I come from a long line of die hard Democrats and who am I to not allow my mother to watch the convention?

I was busy doing housework while she watched it and I ran across a collection of political campaign buttons I had.


I vaguely remember a sweet lady giving me these and I knew Mother would enjoy looking at them!


I was right!!

Wednesday

Three quarters of the Quad Squad came over to spend a few days.



The first thing we did was make Dilly Bits!!!
They LOVE these!!!



The second thing we did was fill the pool Aunt Summer bought them and have a pretend tea party!


July isn't July without water!
Baths were done outside that night - easy peasy!


The kids love eating at the picnic bench!
Heart shaped pasta in meat sauce with and garlic bread and pickled beets.
Not much notice given to the pickled beets.



Mother LOVED seeing the kids!!!


She was eating them up!!!


Mother kept telling me to take PICTURES!!!
She is 90 years old and wants them to have photos to remember her by.

I went in to do the dinner dishes and when I cam out, Mother made me understand that the kids had used my iPad to take some photos.
Like over 50!


I kept a few.....


Like this one.....


Thursday

Louis Dean was a genius in making the sleeping arrangements Wednesday night!
All three kids slept in the den on comfy pallets of covers and quilts and blankets with a foundation of blue packing quilts.
We ALL slept for 10 hours!!!!

I have no photos from when we woke up. Thankfully!!!
Trystan woke me up this morning  by pecking on my arm and saying, "Granddad is cooking BREAKFAST!" She was so excited! Pancakes, bacon and eggs! Win! WIN!!


What wonderful moods we are in when we get some sleep and a good breakfast under our belt!!
The kids felt free to go in the guest room since that's usually THEIR room!!!
 They discovered her magnifying glass.


Mother had a ball with them!!


The kids were so helpful, they even made up our beds!!!
You better believe I left it just like this all day!


Trystan and Logan loved rummaging through my jewelry drawers.


They were fastening vintage necklaces on to one another.


Sweet, sweet!


 Aunt Summer left a surprise gift of dress up costumes and they were a perfect hit today!
A Knight in Shining Armor with his Perfect Princesses!


Of course, we HAD  to have a Royal Tea Party!


Mother enjoyed this as much as we did!!


Granddad bought this video because he loves musicals and thought the kids would enjoy this one!


They DID!!!! I served lunch as they watched......


Trystan and Logan stayed glued to the last scene while Harrison decided a nap was in order.
The girls went to sleep but only AFTER the movie was over.

Logan has been singing and dancing ever since!!!



We spent the early evening outside and the kids discovered a frog in the kitchen pond.
I put a board in to help him crawl out.


They were beyond excited to see him hop up on the board.



Logan was brave and actually touched him.
I helped him up the board and he scurried under the rocks by the pond.


The kids pronounced that he had gone home! So he had!


So that's it for the 'Bits and Pieces' of this week!!
Louis Dean and I are excited about this weekend and a very happy birthday party!!!