Visiting With Family......

We arrived in Breckenridge, Texas just in time for the delicious salad supper Ruth Ann snd Roy had prepared.

Ruth Ann makes food look as pretty as it tastes!

This is a hearty salad with chicken, eggs and all sorts of good things in it!

Roy made the pepper poppers and they were what I call 'Two or three biters!"

We ate them with a fork cutting them in bite size pieces.

This was Roy's first time to make them and they were truly delicious!

Another one of Ruth Ann's famous salads........grape!

I forget how much I love this! I've made it a time or two but it's never been anywhere nearly as good as hers!

We ate dinner together and toured their beautiful home before settling down in the living room to talk.

I love that.....to talk. Visit. Chat. We didn't watch TV or DO things. We simply sat in the living room and visited. Roy and Louis Dean in a conversation grouping in the far corner while Ruth Ann and I sat on opposite ends of the sofa. The men did their talking while we did ours and then, ocassionally we would all talk together before we finally went to bed.

And OH, my! That bed was wonderful! It felt like it was hugging me. Soft and cushy, but firm at the same time. And the pillows were like clouds. I resolved right them to buy new pillows for our bed when we get home!

Ruth Ann is a morning person so when I woke up at 7:30, I knew she would already be up.

I used this cute Bee Yourself coffee cup and I remembered to get the honey I brought for them.

Our morning coffee spot.

Isn't it lovely??

So cozy and sweetly scented by that little mimosa tree.

Coffee first and more visiting and then breakfast!

Ruth Ann made a broccoli quiche and biscuits and gravy....and more coffee.

We left before noon and drove on out Highway 180 - choosing to bypass the Interstae and Abilene - and headed to Snyder. We ran into a pretty good rain a time or two and stopped for a Subway before we got to Chris and Chandy's home out in the country.

Piercyn was the first one to greet us!

He does love his Granddad!

Here he is with his beloved Chandy!

She already had her auto harp out!

Piercyn and Jaxon Dean!

I could not resist buying this shirt for Chandy!

She has a whole flock of chickens along with lots of other critters!

My goal on this trip was to fix up their guest room.

The room was already sporting a fresh coat of paint and new carpet on the floor!

I bought bedding and drapes along with the tables and lamps.

One window treatment up the first night and we put the other one up yesterday.

Thursday night, after the kids were all in bed, Chandy played her auto harp like an angel.

Little bell notes floating in the air!

As I went on to bed, I could hear the murmur of their voices as they stayed up - talking.

Friday morning coffee in this beautiful cup!

Chris and Chandy make such a wonderful couple.

Both are such hard workers and both have amazing testimonies of redemption.

It was not an easy journey for either of them but they did the work and are enjoying life and family and adventures together - like fixing up this big country farmhouse.

Chris is doing well after losing his right index finger. he keeps it well bandaged as it continues to heal. Hitting it or bumping it into something is still pretty painful so he keeps it as cushioned as possible.

Still, it has barely slowed him down.

Their well is two miles away and he is constantly hauling water to the big tank out back.

He has put up fencing, and built pens for all of Chandy's chickens as well as continuing to work on the house. He's putting up and painting window trim and works into the wee hours of the morning while the family sleeps. He has hooked up plenty of lights so he can work while it's cool. 

Friday afternoon, Louis Dean and I went in to Snyder to pick up the birthday cakes for the party and Chandy told us about a shorter route.

West Texas!

Lots of farming here as well as oil and gas pumping.

Piercyn is so cute.

He talks a lot and asks questions and is so much like Louis Dean!

He makes up his own costumes like this Ninja warrior and dressed up to watch the program on TV.

Piercyn isn't the only one who is partial to Granddad.....

Jaxon is crazy about him, too!

I had the guest room all fixed up, hung some things on the walls and was ready to work on the headboard for the bed.

I wanted the door to be cut down to 64 inches, and since it was shiplap, he cut the vertical boards off at each end, then cut the door to make it the right size and then put the pieces back on at the ends.

Once he was finished, I sanded it lightly to get rid of splinters.

Chandy has beautiful roses in her front yard!

Love this yellow one! 

We are looking for more roses to plant at home.

We have a whole bed of knock out roses so now we are looking for the long stemmed kind.

Louis Dean loves a good project!

I used the cut off pieces of the door to make these.

I had two left so Piercyn used them to make PRAY.

Ahhhhh.....

Chandy took this pic while I was working on the door.

See that red commander behind me???

Chandy took me for a ride later last night.

Headboard is finished and is smooth but still rustic.

Everything is done now except for hanging the headboard.

Look at this sweet farm kitten!

There's two of these and they look just alike except one is a male and the other female.

They don't have names yet and Chandy is asking for suggestions!

I told her about Rosey naming her two cats Hem and Haw!

 

I'll close with the big adventure ride last night!

We are having such a good time!

Today is the big birthday party for Jaxon and I have yet to go out and meet all the critters.

There's so much to see and do!

And that's exactly the way it is at the Johnson home!