Flowers, Ginger Pumpkin Praline Squares, Stick to the Ribs Food, Movies, and our Projects! Our Thursday - Saturday.....

 We are forever working in the yard - one way or another.

When I say 'Yard', I'm not meaning the lawn and the thankfully thick St. Augustine grass.

I'm talking about the flower beds. The bushes. The landscaping. Our lawn guy knows how to mow, weed eat and edge. And do the occasional hedge. Bu the fine tuning of keeping the yard in good graces is up to me.

Over the years, I have been moving more towards native Texas plants and always the perennials.....for the most part. I don't know the name of this 'sunflower' looking plant - it's on the tag attached to it but it is outside and I am in the sewing room - but it is a native Texas wildflower and a perennial.

As is this TExas Sage - which bloom pretty little purple flowers when the weather changes.

It was blooming last Sunday when we bought it!

I saw the name of this when we were at Home Depot but there's no tag on the plant we brought home.

It's like a yellow trumpet vine and all three of these plants are in the flower bed underneath the music and guest room windows.

Our friend, Val, had a recent knee surgery so I decided to take her some of my potato soup and some dessert.

I'm all about pumpkin this time of year!

And this was a really good recipe.

I shall use it again at Thanksgiving.

Like a good pumpkin pie without the crust but a praline topping!

YES!

We brought home a gallon bag of purple hull peas when we came back from the ranch and Louis Dean shelled them on Wednesday and I cooked them on Thursday.

With a good meat loaf, company mashed potatoes and sliced tomatoes - it made for a delicious 'Stick to Your Ribs' kinda meal!

Plus I made cornbread!

Louis Dean loves to eat cornbread and milk as a midnight - or a 3:00 AM - snack!

Summer is here and she treated us to a good movie!

Love anything Tom Hanks is in!

Friday afternoon found Louis Dean and Summer joining forces to get the trash tree over the storage building trimmed up.

I know this was a clandestine operation because Louis Dean told Summer to keep a watch out for me.

But I am in the habit of checking on his whereabouts every hour or two...

......and there he was!

Just a boy and his toy!!

They finished the job and he insisted on taking the fallen limbs to  the ranch to use for the campfire.

NOPE!

I have entered into the role of being the 'Responsible Grown up!'

We pay good money for the city to pick up debris like this and I put my foot down and insisted that was what we needed to do. It worked!!!

After that heavy meal on Thursday, I prepared lighter fare for Friday!

As in a light supper of chicken salad and lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes......

with the BEST crackers from Trader Joe's!

I've GOT to get me some more of these!!!

Summer is the Queen of Movies and she is providing us with a new one every night!

I'm all about BEES and this movie is about a different kind of bees.

I have never once in my life been a 'Queen Bee'.......but this was a fun movie!

Love seeing the stars who are now my age......and they are amazing!

And just for the record, I do NOT intend to ever leave my home as long as it is possible to stay here.

Nor do I ever see another romantic relationship in my fairly short expected future.

I have had two kinds of marriages and God saved the best for last for me.

Still, this was a fun movie to watch with Summer and we thought about Amber as the film went on.

I'm glad my daughters will have each other as I age.....and I am thankful I will have THEM as well.

This Saturday morning was a late one.

Louis Dean and I both slept so well......

It was after noon when I prepared our breakfast.

Fresh fruit - strawberries and apricots - with mini bagels.

One split with cream cheese and the other with peanut butter and honey from our recent harvest!

Delicious!!

Today's work involved Louis Dean repairing the lamp post light in the front yard.

It's been flickering off and on for over a year with no rhyme or reason.

There's always so many things to keep up with when you have a home and they just have to stand in line until we can get around to them.

Summer took this picture of Louis Dean looking at me.

That, my friends, is the 'look of love.' 

I did not have hair, make up or pretty clothes on.

I looked like a bag lady on a very bad day.

And yet.....he sees beauty where no one else can.

And I see him in the very same way. No matter what he looks like to the visible eye.

Is it not UNFAIR that men look so GOOD no matter WHAT???

I have had the very best week decorating and cleaning and preparing for September.

I know it may be silly but I dearly love the anticipation of my very favorite day of the entire year.....September First!

So far the entire house is dressed and ready .....except for the den and the gazebo.

And those are biggies!

We will be going to the ranch on Monday so I will have to finish these rooms up and make my fruitcake cookie dough when we get back next week.

In other news.......

My first born son, Jesse, went out for the first time since his motorcycle accident on June 23rd.

Of course, he chose a coffee shop!!

And not any coffee shop but one of his favorites......

Inclusion!

And then there is news from my youngest son, Benjamin......

Meet Zuko!

He's my newest grandcat......or grand kitten.

Only 3 months old and with an infected eye of some sort.....

he is probably THE most blessed of all stray kittens to end up in an animal shelter!

Klaus will now have a friend.

All of us.....me, Summer, Jesse, Amber and Benjamin .....have all adopted cats from a shelter.

Our first one - years ago - was Calico. Remember her, Summer? 

She gifted her to Amber when she was just about 5 years old.......problem was ......she was alergic to fleas....and we had 5 dogs at the time.

Then came July and Snowball and others after .....

Our Maggie, then Maddie and now Tabitha and Samantha.

Speaking of them.....they will be coming home soon

We miss them but we also know how much the Bells love them so we wanr to share.

It helps us when we go back and forth to the ranch and we know they love all the attention they get when they are over there with Amber and Mike and the kids......and Ginger and Bandit!