All Kinds of Weekend Wonderfuls!!

Friday morning we went into our Closing up the Camper Routine.

It takes me about an hour to pack up our stuff, clean out the fridge, vacuum the floors and double check to make sure the water, propane, and water heater is off. Leaving everything clean and tidy makes it much nicer for us when we come back.

Grandson Robert followed us to Waco and we had one last meal together before he headed for Brownwood and we headed home.

We thoroughly enjoyed our week with him.

Dean had recommended this restaurant that features down home cooking.

Louis Dean ordered the Chicken Fried Steak, of course!!!

NOT the lunch special but the full order!

Grandson Robert got the half order!

I had a frozen margarita and the fried catfish lunch special.

Then I napped all the way home!

Win! WIN!!

For whatever reason coming home is so exhausting!

 Louis Dean unloads while I go about the business of putting everything up and starting the laundry.

Let me tell you, my husband was happy to get back to his TV and news shows!

I left him in the den to catch up on all that was happening in the news and I went on to bed.

The reason we came home on Friday instead of Saturday was to go to Andie's 13th birthday party!

Summer has been making the cutest little hair bows and I clipped this one to my jacket and wore it like a pin. I have loved that orange top Nita gave me for my birthday and I'm wearing it a LOT!

We stopped to vote on our way to Fort Worth Saturday morning,

You just never know what Louis Dean is going to say because he is anything BUT politically correct.

Thankfully, he minded his manners!!

I had sent off for ballots to vote by mail thinking we may have been down at the ranch on election day. They arrived and I didn't even open them. By then I had decided that we should vote in person.

The ladies who were working the polls were so sweet and helpful and they knew exactly what to do so we could vote. As a matter of fact, everyone in line to vote and all the workers were pleasant.

We went on to Fort Worth early so I could visit a house we used to live in that plays a prominent part of the chapter I'm now writing. We moved every single year from 1957 to the time I left home in 1963 at the age of 14. I visited with the current owners who have lived there for 30 years but I didn't get to go in the back yard as I wanted to. No matter, I drove down the alley and saw what I could.

Writing this book is a real experience. I was telling Deanie later about not seeing if the shed was still in the back yard at 1212 Waggoman. That was where we lived, not in the house but in the shed in the back yard, You could have knocked me over with a feather when Deanie said, "Oh, no! We tore that down!" How did she do THAT??? Come to find out, Deanie and her first husband rented that house from our wicked stepfather Clayton right after they got married in the late 60's. Did I ever know that? I don't think so but we all were not close back then like we are now.

It was too early to go the birthday party place so Louis Dean and I hit up McCart Thrift Store and I found so many wonderful things! We still arrived at Fuddruckers 45 minutes EARLY!!!

That nearly never happens to ME!

The food was great and so was the company.

I was so busy talking that I forgot to get the birthday girl's picture!

This is Charlie, Deanie's husband, and Katie, Lonnie and Michele's granddaughter.

I get a photo of Larry, Andie's daddy!

You can see Deanie's hand is still in a brace from her surgery earlier this month.

She took the brace off to show me how well it is healing.

She is slowly getting better with her other health problems as well.

Who knew a serious defiecency of B12 and Vitamin D could be so devastating?

Our sweet brother and his beautiful bride.

Louis Dean and Deanie bonded on the drive from Houston back when the quads were born.

They have been each other's #1 fan ever since.

We left Fuddrucker's and then stopped to visit Mother for a little while.

She has lost a lot of strength since she quit exercising. She used to ride her stationary bike and walk on the driveway but doesn't do either of those anymore. She refuses to come over here and stay with us so she mostly just stays in her room and watches TV. Still, she was glad to see me and I promised to come back next week and visit longer.

It was long past dark when we got home.

Here are the wonderful treasures I found at the Thrift Store......

I have a weakness for Christmas tablecloths!

That heavy metal chicken light even had a light bulb with it!

He is sitting by my kitchen sink now.

I use a lot of Christmas Plaids in the den for the winter months.

The nice bowls are from Pier 1.

I use a lot of these electric candles year round and will be painting these with some of those fancy metalic spray paints. I have a couple of other textiles of the same pattern as that small tablecloth.

The old fashioned feel of that design is so appealing to me.

Nita gave me this great jigsaw puzzle.

Now if I could just finish the cardinal one I'm working on now!

It's been two years since Deanie and Charlie moved into their new home. 

They were in it only two days before they brought Mother home to live with them.

They still have a few boxes that never got unpacked so they gave me one of them!

It was chock full of crystal! From wine glasses to decanters and a vase!

I put them in the dishwasher last night and they are now in the china cabinet in the dining room!

Last night I slept so HARD that I had a headache when I woke up!

I must have been really tired!

I made another drive over to Fort Worth early this afternoon to visit my niece, Leah.

She and her husband are having a new home built and I got to go see it!

Leah and her mama, Nita!

I TOLD you I am just about to wear this top out!!!

I came home to a delicious chicken fried steak dinner complete with gravy!

I could smell it all the way from the driveway!

The Cowboys are still playing and I am trying not to get nervous that we are behind.

I think I better publish this and get in there to cheer for them!

I'll close by showing you the lovely tea set Leah gave me!

It is tiny and I can't wait to use it for a little girl tea party.

So you see, I did have a weekend of wonderful things!