Christmas Decorating Continues.... Den is Done and Moving on to the Living Room....

We have had a lot of rain the last couple of days and there was no dry area to sit outside for my quiet time.

So I lit candles and turned on the fairy lights in the living room.

And I played Christmas music......I love my mornings.

I managed to take several bags of trash to the curb and that made me feel good.

Keeping Louis Dean busy is important and today he took lights off of a Christmas tree and fluffed it up for me. This tree will live in the living room for the next month or two.

A sneak preview of the living room.....

Hoping to finish it up tomorrow.

So far I am loving it!

The den is done and I love it, too.

Every room is different this year and I am trying to keep it less cluttered and more in line with what I really like.

I am past keeping things that do not mean much to me and if I don't love it - I have tossed it!

It's good to love and enjoy the things that bring us pleasure.

I cover the sofa with seasonal fabrics and I am loving this one!

I used this cover on our bed back a few years ago and then used it in the guest room.

It works great here and I am so glad.

Decorating is therapy for me and 

Sweet kitty!

I love my den....

This is the scene on the baby grand piano....

Warm and cozy is my goal.

I'm hoping to do a journal entry every day to allow more comments for the Christmas Giveaway...

I think tomorrow the living room will be all done!

I doubted I would be up to the task of decorating for this year.

My strength and purpose seemed to be at question.

The motivation came from others who are looking forward to a Christmas Tea Party.

Amber and her children and Whitney (Amber's sister in law) and her children....

I used to do a 'Cup of Christmas Tea' parties but that ended in 2020.

So I am embracing this Christmas season and hope YOU are, too!!

Merry Christmas!!

Tuesday Treasures and my Santa Give Away 2025 Begins.....

It had been over a month since Brenda and I had our Tuesday Treasure time together! 

Texas Thrift had a great Christmas Photo Op as you entered the store and that was our first stop!

A sweet fellow shopper took our picture reminding me how we thrift shoppers look out for and encourage one another.

Love this and it is now in the den covering a place by a chair!

It wasn't there when we first arrived but I discovered in a second run!

I have a good calendar every year and have always wanted a holder.

Now I have one!

We will be using these four Christmas bowls for cereal, salad and one dish meals through the Christmas season.

Brenda and I could not resist the pumpkins with the faux cacti.

One large and one small.

I chose the big one and Brenda took the other one.

Cool pot holders.... brand new!

Loved this and it was a small so I nearly passed it up.

I nearly always wear a medium or large as I do not like close fitting clothes.

However, Brenda said this looked good on me so I bought it!

From Hobby Lobby at a fraction of the price.

I relocated them to the stone fireplace hearth.

It always amazes me at the brand new candles I find.

Books are a very real escape for me and I keep adding more to my 'to read' list.

I bought these on Tuesday and had a pedicure today (Thursday) and that's another way I am taking care of myself.

I burn candles every day......

This one will be burning on the driveway table during our happy hour time.

We still have mosquitoes! In November!

I scored on this gift basket and wine bag.

Perfect for a hostess gift!

Brand new!

I'm continuing the Christmas decorating and meals have been easier since Chandy left us with several meals of her enchiladas. Tomorrow I will serve the last of them with Spanish rice and refried beans, guacamole and tortilla chips. 

A perfect dinner for Friday movie night with Ilene.

And maybe Summer!

She will be here this weekend for a visit and I'm looking forward to seeing her.

Last night's supper was a good one with roasted veggies....and burgers.

I'm not the best at grilling and these were overcooked but we ate them anyway!

Keeping life real.....

Yesterday I went out with a bag of trash to put in the can....

and the cans were GONE!!!

I finally found and retrieved them from the other side of the house where Louis Dean had used them to put random tools and debris in.

I wake up every morning and survey the situation here at home.

LD has been experiencing 'sundowning' and I'm still not quite sure what that is but he's up and puttering during the night.

He doesn't take things on purpose but he has a compulsion to fill containers with whatever.

Tubs get loaded with trash.

He fills any and every container he can find with water......from charcoal lighter fluid bottles to baby oil and shampoo, detergent and any and everything that will hold water.

My morning routine - if I get up before he does - is to collect trash in his music room and empty numerous bottles of water. He never notices things disappear but this enables him to have places to continue his collection.

Let me say how grateful I am for all your prayers and encouragement. I could not be doing as well as I am without your support. 

This is our reality and I try to stay 'real.'

We still love and live life and laugh and joke and enjoy being with each other.

But it's not always easy as when he realizes he can't do certain things.

As in cutting down dead tree trunks or building a new gate or fixing electrical problems.

I am taking care of Louis Dean and I'm also taking care of myself.

I read and have my quiet time every morning.

I clean and decorate.

I thrift and visit with Brenda.

I try to go to hockey games and spend time with family.

I yearn with all that is within me to visit the beach or the mountains and I am hoping to take Louis Dean to Galveston with me in February.

We'll see if that can happen but it's something I'm looking forward to.

Amber ordered my Christmas cards for me this year as she takes better photos and knows all the ins and outs of editing!

The order went in yesterday and will arrive on the 28th.

I'll do my best to get them all in the mail asap.

Jodi W....if you are reading this, I lost your new address so could you send it to me again?

Tonight starts the Santa 2025 giveaway.....

I painted four canvases.

One for me.

One for my best friend.

One for Amber and one to giveaway.

No canvas prints this year but original paintings.

I'm running late on so many things but the giveaway starts tonight and I will draw the winner's number on December first.

Just leave a comment on the blog or on my Facebook page.

And just so you know.....IF you want a canvas....you can always used the Christmas card and have it made into a canvas print and they offer a variety of sizes.

Merry Christmas!!

Louis Dean's Happy 89th Birthday!

 We celebrated Louis Dean's 89th birthday this weekend!

His precious granddaughter, Chandy, and her family drove down from Snyder, Texas on Saturday.

She brought her famous enchiladas - both chicken and beef - along with refried beans.

This is Chandy and Bella...

This is Piercyn!

Say hello to Jaxon Dean - named after his great grandfather!

And Chris is Chandy's amazing husband and so much like Louis Dean!!

He's always working and can fix absolutely anything!

He worked on the electric problem I've had in the gazebo and determined it was wear and weather and will be back after the holidays to get it all fixed up for us.

(Good to know that Louis Dean was not at fault! He gets blamed for stuff he didn't do!)

Chris is so much fun!!

Doesn't like having his picture taken so he makes crazy faces.

We love this guy!

The boys have a natural bent toward the piano.....

They made some pretty music!

Granddaughter and Granddad - together again!

Chandy was great and she and Louis Dean talked and visited and just loved on each other.

Memories and magic!

Sunday was his actual birthday and the florist delivered flowers from Amber.

They have a tradition of giving each other roses!

We ordered pizzas Sunday afternoon and then sang Happy Birthday to Louis Dean and ate carrot cake and ice cream!

He enjoyed all his cards and texts and messages!

Chandy played music with him earlier in the afternoon and he loved that!

My handy man Hector was at the front door at 9:00 Sunday morning and while we were celebrating, he was building a new gate!

Louis Dean and I had discussed this but, of course, he didn't remember that.

 Hector left at 4:30 and Louis Dean went over to see the new gate and had a meltdown because the gate opened the 'wrong' way.

It can now open in all the way to the right and I thought I did a good thing.

Louis Dean says this is a lefthand gate and he was angry and frustrated - and I can understand that.

Back in the day he could have put this gate up in an afternoon but not anymore.

Hector did a great job and I loved what he did - all in the space of six hours!!

Next Sunday he will be back to repair the fence to the left that is eight inches off.

Hector is a good guy and so is Bruno.

Bruno is coming tomorrow to take down two dead trunks of the Yaupon Holly tree.

Anyway, when Louis Dean melted down and stormed out to the backyard - I said our goodbyes to Chandy and family and told them I needed to go out and calm him down.

I was a little afraid he would try to take the gate down so I stayed with him until I felt it was okay to leave him. He was taking the old gate apart to save the boards when I left.

Which I did and then when I got up this morning and went out to admire that beautiful gate - I discovered Louis Dean had piled up the old boards from the old gate right in front of the new one preventing it from opening!

Life is always a challenge and I stacked the boards somewhere else - not that LD will ever notice.

Things are changing here as Louis Dean's dementia and Alzheimer's disease continue to progress.

I really had no idea just how fragile we both are now.

As much as Louis Dean loved being around family, it was a little too much sensory overload.

Lesson learned.

Life never stays the same. 

Change is always happening.

Visits with family are important and we will need to navigate them to be less stressful for Louis Dean.

At 89 Louis Dean is not going to be getting better and things will continue to change.

My purpose here is to take care of him and love him and help him and keep him as happy as I possibly can. I realize I can not make him better but I can continue to love him.

Looking forward to a new week and I will continue with my Christmas decorating.

The den is now officially DONE and I am so excited about it.

I think it's the best I've ever done!!