Tuesday Treasures and Wednesday's Joys!!

Tuesday I ventured out to three different thrift stores and only bought ONE thing at the last Goodwill which was in Dallas. I was over there so I could spend some time with the quads that evening as well as have dinner with Amber and Mike.

This is my naughty grand cat, Bandit!

 He got out of the house and was gone for three days.

I was concerned because the ranch isn't the only place there are coyotes!

Amber and Mike have a natural green belt behind their house and there is a lot of wildlife inside the city limits! Thankfully, the quads prayed for Bandit to come home and God answered those prayers.

I have said it before and I say it now again - never underestimate the power of a child's prayers.

I have to tell you about what happened when I rang the bell in Quadville.

I stood there with my bag as Amber opened the door and saw that Kailey had rushed up behind her mother.

She took one look at me and another look BEHIND me  and then shoved her little fists downwards and said, "NO Granddad!!!" I told her he had to stay home and plant onions. She did NOT think that the garden was more important than SHE was! And she was probably right.

They gave us a sweet Easter card when we were over there on Sunday and I left it on the counter.

It is now stapled into my Country Diary.

Another Treasure from Tuesday!

This book marker from Logan was a big bonus!

The one thing I bought at the Goodwill was a brand new Sight Word Bingo Game!

The girls and I played it while Amber prepared dinner and Harrison was at a play date.

Amber's such a good cook and she fixed what she called an 'easy' dinner.

Delicious grilled chicken, mac and cheese, green beans, cantaloupe and garlic bread that did not last long at all. Kailey happens to LOVE garlic toast and ate every bit of what was left in the bowl after everyone had one piece on their plate.

That reminded me of when Benjamin was little and would eat all the corn.......we learned to eat our corn first or he would ask for it right off our plate!

As a matter of fact - on Good Friday I made cream cheese corn and Ben waited until everyone had fixed their plates and then took what was left. All of it. I love that!

I did the bath/bedtime routine in Quadville while Amber and Mike took in a movie.

The kids love the way I do their lotion after they shower.

They dry off and then I drop lotion on them a drop at a time. I hold the container up high to drop it and they laugh and shiver since it's cold!

My favorite time was the reading before bed. Each child read a book and I loved hearing them read with their sweet little voices and each child seemed to hang on every word in all four books.

I tucked them into bed with my grandmother heart filled to the brim with such joy and gratitude for these precious 'babies.'

I decided to lie down with Trystan and then went promptly to sleep. 

I woke up just a few minutes before the parents came home!

It was actually cold when I went out to my car to drive home and I cranked the heater up full blast.

I had called Louis Dean to tell him I was on my way home and when I pulled up in the driveway, there he was sitting on the porch waiting for me. I'm telling you - there's not many things more romantic than THAT!

Summer, Louis Dean and I all sat together in the living room while we had a glass of wine before going off to bed. I don't know about you but I bet you will agree that there's something truly special about having an adult child back home in their old room for a visit.

It was first Summer's old bedroom and then Amber's old bedroom. Now it's a lovely guest room and I enjoy every visit from friends and family!

While I was away in Quadville, Summer was crafting some magic for my spring dining room table.

She and Sabrina had given me the beautiful tulips as a hostess gift on Good Friday.

I had taken the bunny napkin rings and put them away on Monday and Summer decided to make some new ones for me.

The rings are actually tiny little grapevine wreathes and she hot glued the pink flowers to them.

The extras she sprinkled around the wreath I had used as a centerpiece.

Thank you, Summer! 

They are beautiful and I love them!!

I am a sentimental lady and love these handmade tokens of love that my children give me.

Aren't these tulips beautiful??

I'm thinking I can plant the bulbs after they are spent.

The reason Summer was spending a few nights with us was because she had a flight out to Puerto Rico just two days after Sabrina and Rayne went home.

I have prayed and prayed that Summer would be able to go and spend some time in her Happy Place with her beloved daughter and Sabrina.

The injections she had for her pinched nerve damage took awhile to kick in. 

She was pretty much out of commission all the time Sabrina and Rayne were here but they have slowly.....very slowly started to kick in.

My alarm went off at 3:30 this morning and Summer was sitting in the living room all ready to go!

She was so excited about getting back down to Puerto Rico and spending a few weeks down there that she couldn't sleep at all last night! I dropped her off at DFW at 4:00 this morning!

You can see how excited she is!

Before I even got home, she called me to say that she had walked in right at Spirit and asked a representative about a wheelchair and had one immediately. Within 15 minutes she was at the gate!!

This is a happy Summer!!

The flight to Florida was smooth and the connection went great!

She went from one plane to the next and was on her way to San Juan!

Arrival!!!

Sabrina had sent a car for her and she was headed home!

My sweet Rayne and her Mummers!

After I dropped her off in the wee hours of this morning, 

I came home and went right back to bed and right back to sleep!

It was noon before I rallied around and left the bedroom.

Getting up so late has made the day seem rather short.

One of the things on my to-do list was our medicines.

I filled a complete month's worth of medication for each of us.

We are preparing to go back to the ranch and a full supply of medicine is important.

Not that we will stay a full month! More like nearly three weeks.

While I packed and cleaned and pulled weeds, Louis Dean planted a ton of onions in the garden.

Tomorrow he intends to buy some tomato plants and get them in the ground.

Last year he started our tomatoes as seeds but he was a little late this time around.

These are the weeds that I had been dreading.

They actually came up easily enough. I didn't get to all of them but at least I cleared them away from the rose bushes.

Another thing I accomplished was to pack up my art tub to take with me to the country.

It is now April and I have not painted one single thing this year!

I think this is the first time that has ever happened......or NOT happened!

I went through some of my photos and printed out some of the ones I want to paint.

Tonight I baked a big pan of corn bread and heated up some of the pinto beans I cooked on Monday for our dinner. Louis Dean sliced up a purple onion and declared it a really good meal!

I know I shared this photo from last Saturday.......

.......but I didn't share this one.

Mother's legs are so very swollen and she is not feeling well.

She hasn't been wearing those white support stockings like she should and apparently this is what happens. It may be that she has cellulitis and they have started her on antibiotics as well as water pills. My sisters and brother do an amazing job at checking in with the nursing home and visiting Mother as well as keeping up with her laundry and supplying her per personal needs. I am the only one that lives outside the area and I feel badly that they are left to do all the work of seeing after her.

My siblings and I keep a message thread going where we can communicate about what's going on.

She now has the support stockings on and the medication is being given.

I posted on Facebook and am so incredibly grateful for the prayers already being prayed for her.

Just so you know.....Mother's name is Pauline. That's one of the things she misses. Hearing her own name spoken out loud.

Well, it's after 10:00 and I am winding down.

Louis Dean is waiting for me in the den so we can watch a program before we go to bed.

Probably Madam Secretary or Bull......two of our favorites.

I want to close out on a happy note!

This is a photo Amber took of us and the quads on Easter afternoon.

My, oh my!!!

How they have grown!!

Now I am off to the den to join Louis Dean as we close out this Wednesday....

Sleep well.......I know we will!