Our First Fireplace of the Season....and a Change in Plans

 We woke up Monday morning to Winter Weather!
It was gloomy! It was cold! It was wet! 
I loved it all!!!

Louis Dean brought me coffee in bed and I snuggled deeper under the covers as I sipped and did my prayer time. I always open the back door when I wake up so I can see a glimpse of the sky and trees as I pray. I love using my prayer journal because it helps me keep up with the ones I have promised to pray for. Sometimes I actually write out my prayers and I usually include the scriptures from the scripture cards I use every morning. I have two boxes - one in the kitchen by the coffee pots and one in the bedroom on the dresser.

We celebrated the cold weather - which I have been longing for - with our first fireplace of the season.
It was a crackling firelog - thanks to Louis Dean for buying a couple of boxes at Home Depot the other day - but it was still a fire!!

After we had our morning coffee and reading, I headed to the sewing room to work on Summer's birthday gift. 

She turned 57 years old on Monday, October 26th, at 6:00 in the morning.

She is spending this week in the Ozarks with Sherry taking in the fall folliage.

I can share pics of the gift I am making since I already sent her some!
I could NOT wait to show her!!

I used lightweight chambray strips cut from shirts I wore during the 1990's.

I originally had three strips of dark denim on the far left but it was too heavy so I took that off and spied some white netting stars in a plastic storage drawer! That was perfect! Lightweight and flowing.

I made this with the idea of Summer hanging it in a garden - or in her room in Rowlett as a wall hanging with her beach paintings and decorations.

I was nearly done but not quite.

I decided to take a nap around 6:00 Monday evening. 

I slept soundly for a couple of hours and when I woke up - Louis Dean had shut down the house - meaning he turned off many of my 'thousand points of light' - and suggested we go to bed early.

I was good with that so I got up, put my nightgown on and read for an hour and we were both asleep before 10:00.

We woke up this Tuesday morning to even colder weather!

We normally do not use the central heat and always turn it off at night if we do ....so it was 61 degrees in the house!

This time we had a real wood fire using logs from our pecan trees saved when we had them pruned this year. We had a change of plans. We meant to leave for the ranch so I could attend our monthly bee meeting. Rosey sent Sherry and me a text letting us know that meeting was cancelled due to the winter weather. Yes, we are not used to this!

Rosey sent this to me along with her message about the bee meeting!

I checked the weather down in Mart and the rain they have already had - plus the rain today - would make getting in to the camper difficult.....

So our plans changed and Louis Dean and I ended up going out to do some errands together.

I was surprised he wanted to go with me but he couldn't work on his deck or do anything outside.

We first stopped at the post office and mailed out three packages......the book to Trudy, a package to Dawn and a Christmas painting to BJ. Then we hit up two thrift stores (and I walked out of the Goodwill without buying a single thing!) and Aldi.

Within 45minutes of getting home - I had put up the groceries and made a late lunch.

Flounder, Pesto pasta, Brioche roll and a salad with lettuce, tomato, celery, clemintine orange slices, chopped sweet apple, banana pepper, purple bell pepper, and avocado.

I spent the rest of the day working on Summer's gift, doing routine housework, changed out my closet from spring and summer to fall and winter......

I added more to the hanging.....

If the tulle is too much for her, it can easily be removed.

Since she may hang this outside at some point, I added some small bells.

When she gets back from her trip, she will give me some seashells with holes in them so I can hang them for added interest. All in keeping with the beach theme - driftwood from our recent beach trip - and blues for the sea foam - and short strings of small pearls. You get the idea.

If there is one thing Summer loves - it is the beach!

Here are the Tuesday Treasures I found today!

Skechers are the best shoes for my feet!

That little Christmas tree is already at home in my bathroom.

Those two bowls? Perfect for our salad suppers!

Tonight I started the Texas denim quilt for Louis Dean's 84th birthday next month.

I had it all cut out last year.

But I'm just now getting around to sewing it!

I did not realize he really wanted this quilt!

He mentioned it a few times before I caught on.

So that's what I will be working on this week.

Lillian called me today and was so excited!

She got three more cards today and had two more yesterday.

As of now, she's received more than 60 cards!

The lady that brings her the mail is so impressed!

Lillian told her, "It's because of Linda and all her friends!!"

Thank you all so much for cheering Lillian up!!

She has loved the cards!