Louis Dean is the very BEST pecan picker ever!
I worked in the laundry room all day dressing it up for Christmas while he went out to the driveway about 4:00 and started working on the pecans.
I made a beef stew for dinner AND....
a pecan pie!!
Louis Dean is a happy man!!!
Ilene came down for a visit and a glass of peach wine - and he continued to crack and shell.....
She and I went in to sit in the den to continue our visit and finish our wine....
At 8:00 he was still out there!
He got plenty of sunshine and fresh air!
We start and finish our days outside.
The kitchen deck in the mornings with our coffee and Bible reading.....
the evenings with wine on the driveway.
Louis Dean got an early start on his pecan picking!
The wind picked up after our reading time and the pecans started falling right and left!
They hit me hard enough to say OUCH more than once!
LD told me to get back on the upper deck so I wouldn't get hurt then he went over to hang something for me on the outside wall. He had just leaned in when a dead pointed branch fell down right where he was just standing!
Bruno will be trimming our pecan trees in another week or two.
I'm selfish in wanting the harvest first.
As I worked in the kitchen, Louis Dean continued to do the pecans!
He shelled enough for another pie - I'll make it for Thanksgiving Day when we go to the Cumby's - AND enough for a fresh batch of fruitcake cookie dough! It takes two pounds
He worked outside and I worked inside.
I pretty much finished the laundry room on Tuesday but I did some more 'fluffing' in there.
I decorate literally EVERY single room for Christmas!
Still working on this tree....
Countdown to Christmas!
It is officially 41 days to Christmas as I write - but I've already changed the chalkboard to 40!
No one will notice this but I am parting with me stereo system and unplugged the speaker that has sat under that red baking mit!
I'm loving the Christmas magic in the kitchen!
I know it's a little much and so 'busy' - but that's the way I do things!!
I took the rugs out since Louis Dean is tripping on them now.
He's not as stable as he was and I am trying to make the house 'friendlier' for him.
It's a Merry Christmas kitchen!
Can you spy the huge cantaloupe in the sink?
I cut it up a few minutes ago and put the rinds out for the possums.
It filled a BIG Tupperware container.
Dinner tonight will be a second round of the stew and the cantaloupe!
I'll be decorating for the rest of the month and will start my Christmas baking in December!
I do love my kitchen!
My Christmas cards and printed canvasses have arrived!
The addressing has begun!
I close tonight's journal entry with this pic of June and me this time last year......
She loved me and all of my children and we all loved her!
I tell you what - you do like to decorate for Christmas. I would need a whole other house to store all those things. You have every room and every place decorated to the hilt! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
ReplyDeleteI love how Dean gets and shells the pecans for you and those pies look delish!
Your header is the Green Santa! He is my favorite of all the Santas you have ever done! I love seeing your kitchen! I like the way you have hung your mugs to store them, I need to find some kind of way to do this in our kitchen. Throw rugs are one of the major causes of falls, I'm so glad you got rid of yours!
ReplyDeleteI love the way you celebrate life! We all should celebrate every day we’ve been given! 41 days?! I gotta get moving on Christmas!
ReplyDeleteDeanna Rabe
I agree with Ginny, the green suited Santa is my favorite... everything looks merry and bright and oh so cozy and it all now has The Linda Chapman Touch... I smiled at your laundry room as I thought, I should take a photo of my washer and dryer and send it to you, but then I might just pass away from embarrassment.. its in the garage and is covered in dust and leaves on the floor... bob had a HISSY when I pulled out the 17 inch tree and stripped the lights. it had bright white and I wanted warm white to match the bulbs in the nook. I left the bare tree sitting there overnight and all he could say over and over until my hair caught fire, HA HA ITS NOT EVEN THANKSGIVING, why do you have the tree out? try hearing that umpteen times a day. I put it back in the closet. your house screams Happy Holidays are on the way. in fact your house is looks HAPPY during all seasons of the year.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I love your wonderful Christmas house. So good to see LD doing things he loves to do. The reward of his pecan duty is that great pie you made girl. The picture of you and June is sweet. Blessings to all of you. xoxo,love, Susie
ReplyDeleteHi Linda! I hope I am still on your Christmas card list. I have you on mine and I ordered my cards last week! Your house always looks so fun and festive. Those pictures of beef stew and pecan pie made my mouth water! I think it is so cool how you and LD have "reading time" together. You two are such a wonderful and admirable couple. Your love is so apparent. I hope you are having a good week and that you enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteYour home looks gorgeous...the red is so cheerful when it gets dark early. Love those fresh shelled pecans...hint hint! lol And thanks for always sending me a card with your art! You are such a blessing to everyone that knows you. Hugs to you both, Diane
ReplyDeleteThat stew looks delicious and I could really go for some of the pecan pie.
ReplyDeleteYou really go all out for Christmas. I imagine that is what Mrs. Claus's kitchen must look like too
I sure love homemade beef stew! That sounds so good right now! I have a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew in the pantry...but somehow that's just not the same! LOL. It's some of our emergency food for when we have storms and nothing easy to fix. LOL. Your house looks so festive and fun! I know it makes you so happy to be able to do all of that! I don't know when you had time to bake the pecan pie and make the stew too?! Gosh, I need some of your energy! I love that LD enjoys shelling the pecans so much. That is a very tedious job! He's a sweetheart and a "keeper". I know you know that! And yes, on removing the little rugs. I know I even have an issue with tripping over little rugs sometimes, so the only ones I have left are in our bathroom and at the doors to catch the dirt when we come inside. I would remove the bathroom rugs too, but I hate to step on a cold bare floor in my bare wet feet. LOL. Your Christmas cards are so special! I treasure them. Thank you for including us in your list. I haven't started on my cards yet. That's usually an early December thing for me. But so is everything else Christmas. Maybe I should take a cue from you and start earlier. I'll think about that tomorrow. LOL. Love this post. Thank you! The picture of you with your dear friend June is priceless. I don't know the history of your relationship with her, but I do know she passed away last year and I knew she was someone really special. (((hugs)))
ReplyDeleteLove ❤️
DeleteLinda, I love how you "Fluff" everything and turn it into your own masterpieces of Christmas. Full of JOY totally.
ReplyDeleteWish some of your Christmas cheer and get up and go would rub off on me.
Somehow some decorating will happen around here, don't know when but it will happen.
Oh yes, yummm on the pecan pie..that's a whole lot of nuts to shell..wow.
Sue
I'm just popping in to see how your Christmas decorating is coming along and look at that!! You're about all done. I'm getting there but I don't do nearly as much as you. Or as I did 20 years ago. Have a blessed weekend.
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY to Louis Dean! He and my hubby, Jim, share the same birthday and are both 88 today, both very sweet, cute and special men. We're very lucky ladies!
ReplyDeleteOOOPS!!! I meant to sign my name.......I'm Belva and we live out in the Forrest near Centerville, TX
ReplyDeleteOh My Linda, with all you deal with, you still have time for everyone and everything. You home come be a Christmas Museum, You could charge for a tour and bring happiness to everyone and put a little cash in the kitty..HaHa...just kidding, I know with your heart, you would never charge anyone anything. I do need your fruit cake recipe if you would be so kind to email it to me.
ReplyDeleteLoving you and L.D. and that pecan pie ~ I would pay for one!! haha.
I love your Christmas decorations. They are all so beautiful. Your pecan pie looks beyond delicious! I was thinking about how much my dad loved pecan pie and when my mom baked a pie, his face would light up. I wasn't in the festive mood yet but after seeing your decorations, I think I'm almost ready to start listening to Christmas carols.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty to look at but where do you get your energy!! Wow!
ReplyDeleteGlad LD is happy doing all that shelling!
Happy Sunday!
hugs
Donna
You are like the Energizer Bunny when it comes to Christmas! I love all your decorating and baking.
ReplyDelete