Book Fair is DONE and Normal Life Resumes.....

Louis Dean has been a good sport about missing me the last several days.

I worked two days last week helping amber set up the Book Fair and then was gone on Sunday to Fort Worth and then Monday through Friday back at the Book Fair!

This was my work station during the week - checking out books for the students and teachers and parents!! Plus restocking, straightening shelves and the odds and ends of Book Fair!

Since it was a Hawaiian theme - I dressed in 'costume' ever single day!

This was so much fun!!

I truly think the Book Fair is THE most rewarding thing I do all year.

Wednesday night was a special dinner banquet and recognition ceremony of Life Time PTA Membership Awards.

It was a wonderful opportunity to visit around the table with our Principle, PTA President and these two lovely ladies. Mike and all four grands were there, as well and we all had a great meal and visit.

It was fun like a PARTY!

The food was sponsored by Joe's NY Style Pizza at Amici - Carrollton, TX 

and it was delicious!!

Chicken, lasagna, two kinds of pasta dishes plus salad and cheesecakes and cupcakes.

SO good and I intend on eating at Joe's again really soon!!

Watching my Amber champion this amazing event was such a blessing.

She made sure that each and every child in her school received at least one book.

And she saw that every single teacher in the school had their Wish List fulfilled - either by parents, students or by the scholastic dollars generated by the Book Fair sales.

I do believe we have the best librarian in the school district!

Her name is perfect - Paige!

If only her last name was Turner!!!

She worked so hard and went above and beyond in making this book fair such a success.

When it came time on Friday to deliver the Wish List books to the teachers - Paige wore her pink fairy wings and tiara! When she was a little girl, a teacher delivered books to her classroom wearing wings and a crown and she remembers how special that was to her. Now she has passed the tradition on and I'm certain this made an impression on all the students.

Book Fair is a FUN thing!!

Amber had to take Kailey to a doctor appointment so the other three came to meet me in the book fair after school on Friday.

The 'Great Book Fair Take Down' had already started!

It's a lot easier to take down than to put up!

It must all be done by end of school day on Monday and we only made a stab at it - but it was a start.

It had been a long time since we went to Race Track for yogurt after school!

We got cold eating inside so we went out to warm up.

The kids were cute and they stood in the sun but stretched their arms out to hold their yogurt cups in the shade!

Next we shopped Aldi and they were SO much help to me!

They loaded things into the cart and then up on the checkout and then into the bags in the trunk of the car. Louis Dean unloaded them for me when I got home. Win! WIN!!!

Friday night supper was a super simple salad plate and a glass of wine.

It was blissful to go to bed knowing I did NOT have to get up early on Saturday morning.

Surprisingly, I didn't really sleep late, though.

I think I was excited about having a Stay at Home Day!

This was the first one in over 2 weeks!!

I found Louis Dean outside in the gazebo working on the electricity.

Summer decided to stay with us for a few more days and what a blessing that has been!

She has the patience of Job and was so good in helping LD.

They make a great team and work so well together.

Our house is NOT air tight and the French doors are a special problem as the ground has shifted and created spaces under and between the doors for unwelcome guests such as bugs and small animals to squeeze in. Well, maybe not many small animals but we do see geckos in the house from time to time.

anyway, she bought some strips of something that you stick to the door edges and it expands. It looks classy now instead of having lots of trash bags I've wadded up and poked into the spaces under the door!! It comes in black or white and I am loving this stuff!!

Thank you, Summer, for all you do for us!!

Saturday night supper was steak, baked potatoes and salad and I served it in our CLEAN den!

I love days when I get to stay home!

Sunday morning I was up and baking brownies while I watched church service online.

Louis Dean and I went over to Fort Worth to see Mike and Deanie and Charlie.

These two are the BEST BUDS!!!

I'm so very grateful for my sister.

We talk about Nita every time we get together or talk on the phone.

There is a comfort in sharing our grief together.

Mike looked really good today but I'm sad to say that the rehab place has not been nice to him.

Both Mother and Lonnie had been here in the past and received excellent care and treatment so we all just assumed this would be good for Mike.

Apparently it has changed hands and the people are not nice or even polite.

No one looks at you and often they don't even respond when you talk to them.

Mike had one good nurse but she's not always working on the East wing where he is.

Bottom line - he's going home on Friday.

There's lots of issues to deal with and Charlie and Mike are talking things over as to what to do.

I think he will be better at home where he can take his mind off the pain but he will still be in a wheel chair and there's so many logistics to figure out!

I took brownies and dilly bits over to the nursing home but left them with Mike and Deanie and Charlie.

Deanie said, "Don't give them away! They don't deserve them!!"

I think this is the first time we have been disappointed in the care and treatment of a place.

I know God has a plan for Mike and I am trusting Him and praying for wisdom and discernment for Charlie and Mike as they prepare for him to go home.

It's still going to be a long road to recovery but I think he will heal better at home.

Physical Therapy will come there for him and I'm praying they will be sweet.

When we got home from Fort Worth, I was so sleepy I felt like I had been drugged!

By 7:00 I couldn't stay awake so I went to bed and got back up before midnight to bake another batch of brownies and finish this journal entry.

I'll go back to bed now as we need to be at the school by 10:00 in the morning to pack up the book fair.

Louis Dean is going to go with me and he will be a huge help in hauling the heavy stuff!

Plus we will all eat lunch together with the kids!

Granddad is excited about that!!

So am I.

Summer has had to rest today as she was in a lot of pain.

Hopefully she will feel like joining us tomorrow so she can see Amber and the kids.