Hard Working Monday and Tuesday's Treasures!

Louis Dean was so tired from all that work down at the Ranch that he said he was looking forward to not having anything to do except digging. I think he forgot that digging is hard work, too!

I can't count the MILES and MILES of digging he has done here since we married in 2005.

He's dug trenches and laid out French drains all over the place.

He's dug all of the flower beds around here several times over.

We both worked all day long in the front yard concentrating on the flower beds across the front and the area under the den windows. We will do the rest in April when we get back from the ranch.

While we need a new driveway and front porch, we are pacing our spending and plan to hire it all done in 2019. There was a time - just a couple short years ago - when we talked about the concrete work we need and Louis Dean insisted HE could do it! I have patiently waited until he's now agreeable to pay someone else to do the work! It helped that Nita and Mike had their driveway done this year and highly recommended their contractor.

So since I am the Queen of Cover Up - 

I'm using rugs to cover the broken uneven places on the porch!

And we are using the rug Nita gave us on the driveway.

It was like old times sitting out there with our wine and enjoying the last light of the day.

We continued to sit and talk while the night settled down around us.

If we had stayed out much longer, we would have been tempted to do a Whataburger run!

Instead, we went inside and decided to eat something light while we watched a Downton Abbey.

He ate cereal - a bowl full of two kinds since we were using up what we had. His was frosted flakes and frosted mini wheat's. I opted for a glass of milk and crumbled up saltine crackers.

Comfort food.....for us, anyway.

We worked so hard all day that I thought we would sleep like babies Monday night.

He did. I didn't. I couldn't believe it!

Finally at 1:00 this morning I got up and played my word games and then read some and finally went to sleep some time after 2 AM.

Then I thought I would surely sleep late.

I didn't.

I was up by 9:00. It was raining - we knew the rain was coming which is why we planned our yard work for Monday. I went out in the rain to take the last of our trash to the curb and made coffee before Louis Dean got up. There is something wonderful about waking up to the fragrance of a fresh pot of coffee!

Since it was Tuesday and since Ruth Ann was back from her farm and since I was back from the ranch - we decided to have an old fashioned Tuesday Treasure Day together!

Roy has retired and she has been keeping him pretty busy and Louis Dean was exhausted so both of our guys were absolutely THRILLED for us to go off and leave them alone!

Neither one of them called to check up on us and we were gone over 6 hours!

Louis Dean finally called right before I came home to ask me to pick up some more milk.

Our first stop was for me to get my hair cut!

I told Yulisa I needed a pixie that would look good while I was feeding the chickens!

I just hate for the wind to blow hair in my face so a simple solution is to keep it short!

I am always amazed at how good she can make me look!

From there we walked right next door to Lovely Nails and had our nails done!

Friday was Ruth Ann's birthday so we celebrated today!

Lunch at the Olive Garden!

Our favorite place!

It was a leisurely sort of day and we lingered long over our meal.

We both wanted to visit Reaoma so we headed that direction and stopped at Years to Your Health for herbs and spices.

The vanilla bean was rather pricey at nearly $7 but the other spices were very reasonable.

Lavender for tea, parsley and dill for Dilly Bits, nutmeg for carrots and cookies and the vanilla bean to put in a big canister of sugar.

We visited Reaoma for about an hour.

I played some Elvis Presley songs on my phone. Next I played Glen Campbell and George Jones.

She really perked up when she heard the music and I was happy my new phone played it  loud and clear.

The last thing we did today is usually the first thing we do - hit up the thrift stores!

I just knew I would find some nice baskets!

 Now that I have the baker's rack up at the ranch - I want to use baskets to store my cooking things.

I love this bread basket with the fake breads.

Long years ago - back in the 1970's - I would bake bread and then decoupage it!

As in spray it with clear acrylic or coat it in a glaze. I tied ribbon or jute around it and hung a display of decorated  bread on my dining room wall. 

One Sunday after church I had a family over for lunch.

As we sat around visiting I looked up at the wall behind them and noticed bugs crawling all over the place. Hundreds of those little weevils had infested every piece of the bread that I thought I had sealed so well.

Now I buy faux breads.

When I picked up that round loaf, I expected it to be hard.

It wasn't! It feels somewhat like a rubber toy!

The lady who checked me out gave a start when she picked it up and said it felt freaky!!

I bought these two small pillows for $0.75 for both.

They looked too sweet to leave them in the store.

On my way to check out I saw this Chico's white t on the end of a rack.

$1.99 less 30% was a no brainer!

I had a candle warmer thing in my bathroom and Louis Dean knocked it off one day when he was working on my commode.

This one was brand new still in the box and I have put it on my chest of drawers in the bedroom.

It would not be safe in the bathroom!

It was after 6:00 when I got home tonight.

The rain has been steady all day long and continues even now.

There is a lot of thunder and lightning to go with it tonight.

Our guest room has been the most neglected room in the house this winter.

I haven't given it a good cleaning since Christmas.

When Louis Dean got the flu he stayed in there for weeks!

Finally! Tonight I opened the door and started working on it.

I stripped the bed and gathered up all the paper towels that were behind the bed, under the bed and on the bed! Louis Dean doesn't use tissues. he uses paper towels!

While I didn't get the room done - I made a lot of headway and can finish it tomorrow.

Good Friday is coming and I have a lot to do!

Hopefully between the rains in the forecast for Wednesday, I can spruce up the gazebo and clean up the decks and patios. Everything is growing like crazy in the back! Ground cover, ferns, herbs, perennials - it looks awesome!

Thursday we will shop for groceries and bake our Easter Breads and maybe the brisket for Friday.

I'll prep the vegetable dishes, bake a cake and touch up the house.

Friday we will finish the food, vacuum the house and clean the bathrooms.

I'm expected about 2 dozen people and IF the weather clears up as it is expected to and I can use the table on the upper deck and the bench table for the quads - I will have a place for everyone to sit and eat. Each place setting will be complete with chargers, stemmed glasses, cloth napkins and napkin rings.

I don't get nervous or anxious when we host our special dinners. A house full of people all eating and talking and laughing is one of my favorite things in all the world.

I don't remember ever having a party that wasn't as much fun for me as it was for my guests!

THIS Good Friday Gathering is extra special!

Rayne and Sabrina flew back from Puerto Rico last Thursday!!!

It's SO good to see them all together again!!

Don't they look great??

I don't think I have updated about Summer lately.

She has had some good news.

The diagnosis is pinched nerves.

Seriously, we are surprised no other doctor thought about this.

The injury from September 2016 took 6 months before the doctors figured out it was a birth defect in her spine that gristle or whatever it was that had grown up around the hole in her spine finally gave way and ruptured. There was some substantial nerve damage done during that time and thankfully it has been diagnosed and Summer had injections last Friday. Unfortunately, that threw her into a real spiral of pain that will slowly improve once the medicine kicks in.

It's been a very long hard road for my Sweet Summer Dee and I am praying and hoping she feels better soon. She's been pretty much in bed since Friday.

The good news is that she flies back to Puerto Rico for a nice long visit a day or two after Sabrina and Rayne leave. I think this will be so good for her!

Preparing our hearts for Easter......