A Christmas Concert and a Ladies Luncheon! Thursday and Friday

Louis Dean and I have been wanting to get out and do a few things this season and Thursday was a concert experience!

I saw this one night concert of the Annie Moses Band on Facebook and clicked 'Interested.'

So did my friend, Virginia. So we decided to see it together and we took Louis Dean with us!

The biggest perk was that Virginia chauffeured! That was a huge Win! WIN!!

The concert was at Casa Manana in Fort Worth and traffic was heavy!

We arrived just a few minutes before it started and it was amazing!

Louis Dean loved it just as I knew he would!

It was the violins. He has a thing about violins.

It had been years since I had been to Casa Manana,

Not since our homeschooling days when we would go with our group each month to the children's plays. The theater was rather shabby back then with old heavy red drapes that were so past their prime. Everything was old and dated and worn back then.

It has been extensively renovated and is very posh now!

I like the smaller venue and it was much easier to navigate. I didn't worry for a minute about losing Louis Dean. As a matter of fact - he lingered at our seats talking to another gentleman after wards and I went on down to the ladies room. I found him at the table visiting with the performers and buying their CDs. Virginia and I are going to look for more things like this to do and see in 2020!

I tinned up all the Texas Trash this morning and completely emptied the bag!

I don't know why I thought I made too much because it's nearly all allocated!

Louis Dean drove over to Fort Worth to pick up Lillian for our Christmas Luncheon today.

I stayed home and finished cleaning and preparing.

I had an appetizer table set up and we could nibble a bit until everyone arrived.

It was a Ladies Table for Six!

That's Kimmy, June (Kimmy's mom), Virginia, Pam (Reaoma's daughter), Lillian and me.

I've been friends with Kimmy and June since 1978 - we go way back!

Kimmy was in my art class here for years and then she stopped and June started painting.

As it turns out, we invited June to First Christian Church back when we were members there and Virginia was visiting as well so that's how we met her.

It's a small world because Virginia's oldest daughter is friends with Pam.

And here we are all friends with one another!

They were excited to meet Lillian and told her they felt like they already knew her because I talked about her so much!

We ladies ate lunch in the dining room and Louis Dean ate his at his music table in his room.

I went for ease in the menu and baked a frozen from the grocery store lasagna and store bought garlic toast. I did make a fresh salad and a homemade chocolate meringue pie just like Mrs. Morrison - my beloved landlady when I was 15 and my dear friend until the day she died when she was 94.

She was 63 when I met her and was dearly loved by all my children and she loved all of us like her own. 

I must be trying too hard with my egg whites because I over whipped them just like I did for the divinity. But the pie tasted great!

Louis Dean was our featured entertainment!

And he insisted on audience participation.

It was a wonderful day! Since the day was cold, the fireplace burned all afternoon.

I put on a Christmas movie and it played in the background where we could watch it or visit amongst ourselves. Kimmy has seen ALL the Hallmark Christmas movies so she would bring us up to date on what we missed when we were talking.

Pam and Virginia had to leave earlier than the others so June and Lillian sat on the couch and talked.

It was so much fun to hear them.

I love how the people I love LOVE each other!

While they were visiting, Kimmy and I were working on the jigsaw puzzle she gave me.

300 pieces and that was doable for me!!

PLUS she not only gifted me the puzzle, she separated the straight edges and put together the border!

It was about 6:00 when we all parted.

It won't be the last time Lillian joins us.

June said she would love to go with me sometime when I go to visit Lillian.

And Virginia said the same thing!

Lillian loved my house!

She came in and looked around and said, "Now I decorated .....but not like THIS!!"

She also said that if she put all that up - she would not take it down.

I'll have to have her over again after the holidays.

A lot of 'stuff' stays up! 

All the lights (except the colored ones!) and much of the debris.

It was dark and a light rain was falling when Louis Dean and I took Lillian home.

I don't think she realized how far away I live. It took over an hour to drive back to the nursing home with traffic.

We signed her back in and said our goodbyes.

I happened to see the little lady that reminds me of  Mother as Louis Dean and I were leaving.

The nurse was wheeling her back in her room after giving her a shower.

Once again, she seemed to recognize me and I hugged her and told her I loved her.....and I do.

Her name is Maria. Now I know which room she's in.

Louis Dean and I sat in the living room there at the home and rested a little while before I faced the drive home. They have redone all the public rooms and all the flooring at Trail Lake.

I think they are going to start on the residential rooms in 2020.

I'm grateful for my friends and it was a gift to be able to spend this day with them.

We are on the home stretch to Christmas!

Christmas Eve is the time all my children and grandchildren gather.

I was late getting the details out to everyone but I sent them text messages this afternoon.

We are going to meet at 4:00 and I will have appetizers before we start rolling sugarplums and playing Nuts! which is a wild multi player game of Solitaire, Then we will have a Chili Supper before opening presents. My gifts to everyone includes Texas Trash and books for the grandchildren.

This has made it much easier since I haven't been able to do a lot of shopping.

I think someone has been praying for me because my knee is not as painful as it was. 

I can walk more normally and haven't been as crippled up as I was.

Monday was three weeks out until surgery so I'm just a little over two weeks away now.

I'm really looking forward to getting this done!

We have nothing on our agenda for the weekend.

Nothing.

Of course, we will go to church on Sunday.

It's been a long time since I had blank spaces on my daily planner.

Those blanks are full of all sorts of possibilities....

reading, sleeping, and just enjoying my Christmas House.

Christmas is not only coming.....it is now just around the corner!