The Week After Christmas......

 I have spent the better part of the week after Christmas in Rest and Recover mode.

Going to bed early and sleeping late......

Pottering around the house doing this and that.

This was the easiest clean up of any Christmas this far and the house was back to 'normal' by the next day. WOW!

I slept in on Sunday as all the church services were online - so I simply stayed in bed with my coffee - brought to me by my handsome husband - until it was time to watch it on my iPad.

I loved looking through my gifts and this was a very special one from Sheryl, Nita's next door neighbor and a friend to us all. Three hand crocheted kitchen cloths and a clever Christmas ornament!

I should have thought of this!

A Santa from a dried okra pod!!!

I will be making these for next year!

Thank you, Sheryl!!

Sunday was pretty much what it is always supposed to be - a day of rest.

Louis Dean took a good long hot bath that night and then I took a nice hot shower......when I noticed the water wasn't draining as it should.....and that the rug by the toilet was wet when I stepped into the shower......and then the commode didn't flush. Oh, Dear! THEN I heard the shower 'gurgle.'

Never a good thing.

That sealed the deal.

Our sewer was stopped up. Again,

As soon as I got up on Monday morning, I called Roto Rooter!!

They had just been out on Decemeber 9th so this was a 'free' visit.

This guy is my hero!!!

Do YOU know where your sewer clean out is???

I don't! Earlier in the month, the worker went down through the hole after Louis Dean removed the toilet. It took 2 days for him to get it back in place so I said we could NOT do that again!

They don't usually go on the roof anymore......actually they aren't even allowed.....but my HERO did!

And I am so thankful!!

He suspects it  is the yaupon holly tree that is the culprit.

Its roots have probably got into the sewer pipes......and it will cost $2,800 to put in a clean out thing.

I think I am going to wait in that one.

Louis Dean and I tell each other - we just need to get 10-15 more years out of this place.

He's 85 and I am 73......so maybe 20 years if I am blessed to live so long.

I'd rather have new carpet and that is what we decided to do!

Come March or around about that time.....I shall go up to the carpet place in Irving and pick out some for the living room and dining room.

I loved hearing the sound of the commode flushing after he cleaned the sewer out!!!

Seems like it's always something every single day!

I got up Tuesday morning, turned the coffee on and went outside to sit for a few minutes.

I glanced over and noticed the gate was open.....and then I noticed the stone wall had fallen down sometime during the night.

This wall has been leaning more and more and Louis Dean has been so worried it would fall and hurt someone. The sister wall to the right had fallen a year or two ago so we knew this one was doomed.

It fell on rose bushes, Mexican heather, mint.....and a water faucet.....

and the hose roller upper thing!

Flattened it!

However, the water faucet bent but did not break!!!

My handy dandy husband is always up for a project!

While he worked on moving several THOUSAND pounds of cut stone......

I went shopping at the Goodwill!

Three pair of Chico's pants!!! Plus tops and a book......

and a sign!!

And another sign.....by Rae Dunn........

Even with the added excitements of the days, we still felt like we were 'resting.'

Simple meals. No big activities - unless you count moving all that rock!

Early to bed......can you believe Louis Dean was TIRED???

Thursday was a good day......

We met up with our friends, the Goldbergs, from California at a Jason's Deli in Arlington.

We met through the blog and have developed such a good friendship.

We meet up at least once a year - this time twice - and I confess to praying they move back to Texas!!

Joel and Terre.....he is a born again Jew and such a fascinating and interesting man.

I could talk to him all day long! Terre and I are kindred spirits and WHEN they move back to Texas, I am sure we will be the best of friends!

We came home and Louis Dean went to work dealing with all that stone from the fallen wall.

And I took a nap!

Not sure why I took this selfie......but see those glasses?

I played Words With Friends before I went to sleep and after I woke up.

Then I went to the den where I was looking for the password for our Internet.

So I KNEW I had my glasses on - or I could not have seen to do any of that!

Summer sent me this pic.....she and Rayne were at Chili's having a late lunch/ early supper!

I knew they would be here soon so I was listening for them......and I still had my glasses on.

I heard them on the driveway and went out to greet them.

Showed them the stone Louis Dean had moved and Rayne and I walked around the flower bed picking up a garland of lights the wall had fallen on .....then we sat down at the table out there so Rayne could show me her watch. That's when I noticed I didn't have my glasses on!

And I could NOT remember when or where I had taken them off!!

Long story short, we ALL looked for my glasses......and did not find them.

Rayne and I prayed about it together and I asked God to give me a peaceful heart so I could enjoy my time with her instead of fretting over my lost glasses - and the $$$ they cost!

And He did.......

We went to the movies!!

It was so FUN and so GOOD!!

We came home and they spent the night with us.....

I am treasuring every minute with Rayne before she flies back to Puerto Rico soon.

There's something super special about waking up in the morning knowing you have a child AND a grandchild sleeping under your roof!

I woke up first and turned the coffee on .....then Summer got up......

and I tiptoed in and took a pic of the sleeping Rayne.

Summer and I had morning coffee together.

Speical because I used frothed milk and cinnamon sugar!

Look who I found in my bed when I went in to make it up!!!

Such good times!!

We had an exciting morning - BOTH cats got out and we had quite a time chasing them!

Samantha is easiest to catch so we put her in the guest room and shut the door.

Tabitha got up between the axels on Louis Dean's truck - to escape my water gun!

He went out and started up the engine and she shot herself right inside the open front door!!

Crisis dealt with and we were ready to go off to meet up with my sister, Luann!

That's when I found my glasses!!!

The ones that mysteriously disappeared ftom my face!

Apparnetly they got tangled up with lights from the are the fence had fallen on.

I was beginning to thik I had lost my mind!

Alas, the frames were bent and one eye glass had come out so I will be taking them in to see if they can be repaired. 

On with our plans for the day!

We drove over to Fort Worth to Lupe Tortilla to mee my sister, Luann, for lunch.

She and I usually get together earlier in December but we were a little late this year.

Soup and Salads for us and they were SO good!!!

We even got dessert!!!

It was a wonderful lunch and visit!

My sister!

We must plan if we want to do things and keeping up with all my siblings is important to me.

Love every opportunity I can get to take a picture of Rayne!!

Summer dropped me off at the house and Louis Dean was all about 'Show and tell'......

 

All the big stones are gone - stacked neatly in the back yard.

Call him MUSCLES!!!

Tonight we sat in the living room listening to some music CDs Summer gifted us.

So many good songs and so many memories!!

And with that, I close tonight's journal entry all caught up - for now!!!