The Very Last September Morn of 2013

Hard to believe this is September 30th. I am plumb out of September Morns for this year!

I can't complain. It has been a glorious month!

The alarm went off at 6:00 this morning and I was gone by 7:15.

Arrived in Quadville before the babies had even got up!

It has been 11 days since I had seen them!

A record!

We all had breakfast together......

with me keeping my coffee cup safely in my hand!

Their arms are now long enough to reach the things sitting on the very edge with their fingertips!

Life constantly changes around here!

As soon as breakfast was over we all headed to the pediatrician's office for their 15 month check up.

They are actually 16 months old but close counts!

They did great! 

Lunch and afternoon naps while Amber and I did some Hobby Lobby shopping.

I bought some pumpkins for the Grands Fall Crafts this year.

Got the idea from BJ at Sweet Nothings: Polka Dot Pumpkins!

We will doing this on Wednesday - my regular day to be in Quadville.

I can't wait. I hope to do these with ALL the grands during the month of October.

We had fun this afternoon.......

I love watching them play.

 I love it when they want to sit in my lap, get down, come back. Repeat and repeat!

Cute! CUTE!!!

I am treasuring these moments. Before I know it they will be grown!

I guess that's why I take so many pictures and videos. 

I want to remember them as they grow......in every single stage.

My 'Tired' is hanging out tonight so Louis Dean and I are going to spend some quality time just sitting!!

Allergies in Texas are nothing to sneeze at!!!

Group Photo and Home Again!

We gathered yesterday morning for a group photo before a few of us started the trek home.

It was an interesting diversified group of awesome people spending a week together at the beach.

I enjoyed every moment even though my allergies continued to plague me! I took them with me and brought them back home again! Ugh!

At 11:00 am Luann and I left on the ferry for the short 12 minute ride over to Galveston Island.

From there we filled the tank with gas, ate lunch at a deli and headed for the Interstate.

That's when things slowed down! Traffic was heavy and for a good while it was stop and go.

It was 3:45 before we got on the OTHER side of Houston.

Then it started raining - every potty break seemed to be when it was pouring and we got drenched only to dry off and get soaked again at the next stop!

We stopped at Collin Street Bakery for hot coffee and apricot pies!

They had two left! Luann bought one and I bought the other!

You can see LD and I have been enjoying it!

It was wonderful to get away for a week and just as wonderful to come home!

Louis Dean had a good time while I was gone! He had a music jam session yesterday afternoon and was quite the host. I smiled to see a big bowl of Spicy Cheese Nips and glasses where he had served orange juice. I admit to a look of dismay as I surveyed the 'damage.' He had, indeed, baked bread during my absence. I thought as much when he called me to ask where the professional bread pans were. He said he had found a perfect place to put them. I should have known he meant the OVEN!! But to give him credit, I DID come home a day early! 45 minutes of Damage Control and we were out on the driveway sipping a glass of wine. I have to tell you - Louis Dean is my very favorite person in all the world and I missed him.

He's worth every minute of the time it takes to clean up after him. Which reminds me......it's awful quiet right now. I wonder where he is and what he's doing? I better go check.......

Beach Week: Day 5 ~ What Happens at the Beach...... STAYS at the Beach!

Ah, the stories I could tell!!!

I woke up this morning to the wonderful fragrance of coffee and fresh biscotti!

Sabrina makes the best I've ever tasted and I tucked a couple in my bag to take home with me.

Call it a souvenir, if you please.

The whole beach house loaded up and headed over to the beach this morning to spend a few hours.

Luann opted to stay in and have some quiet time. The house is big enough that everyone has had their space. I think each of us has spent some quality time together as well as having some precious 'alone' time.

We ALL gathered around the table and had craft time this afternoon.

Every last one of us did an original work of art on t shirts using colored Sharpie pens. After the designing is done we sprayed rubbing alcohol and the paint runs tie dye style!

They all turned out beautiful!

Here's Lisa using her wine glass as inspiration for her shirt.

We plan on taking a group picture of us in the morning on the balcony - wearing our new tees!

Tonight was our big dinner out.

Steve's Landing was a great place to dine and watch a gorgeous sunset!

Always taking pictures!

We took our drinks out on the deck and it was a wonderful photo op!

My drink is a Peach Mojito and it tasted as good as it looks.

We have had fun at the beach!

After dinner Summer, Raynie and I took our flashlight down to the beach and looked for hermit crabs.

We saw tiny ones, medium sized ones, large ones and one GRANDPA of a crab! He was huge and Raynie was the one who said he was a BIG Grandpa. Summer took a video with her phone and it's on Facebook but I don't know how to share it here. 

There has been guitar music and singing on the balcony tonight. We all sat around visiting and relaxing.

Luann and I are leaving tomorrow as are two others. Louis Dean has done well while I've been gone. He spent Wednesday with Amber and the babies. I called and talked to them. Then he went back over there this afternoon. This was AFTER he had picked Mother up at the beauty salon and taken her to lunch.

What a guy he is!! Truth be told I miss him! And Luann misses her Monte.

After several days relaxing at the beach - we are a fairly tired bunch tonight.

Having fun is hard work, I guess!

Here's Miss Raynie one minute after Summer put her in bed!!!

Isn't she precious?

It's light out for us as well!

Beach Week: Day 4 ~ Slow and Easy

Life is easy at the beach! I usually work fairly hard every day. 

Housework, yard work, projects....

Things are different here. We are all in relax mode and it is easy peasy living!

This morning's sunrise comes to you courtesy of Sabrina!

She is a morning person. I am not.

Therefore she remains in charge of the sunrises this week!

This was the way it looked when I set up my space under the canopy around 11:00 this morning.

I spent a glorious 3 hours soaking up the sights and sounds, reading, strolling the beach with Raynie collecting shells, dipping in the surf and drying off in the sun.

I came back to the beach house about 2:30 to shower, eat, rest, read, cut up some denim into squares for a quilt and relax in general. Luann and I spend some time talking and catching up. She and I did not grow up together so we are getting to know each other as adults - and OLDER ones at that! A sweeter, kinder, nicer person you will never meet. In a book I read every day (The Language of Letting Go) I read this:

Even God cannot change the past.

We can accept that He has a plan and it is all playing out exactly as it is supposed to.

We are good with that! 

This evening we made a second trip around the dunes.

Luann and Summer opened their doors and read while I sat on that yellow towel to sip tea. 

There is something so calming and restoring about sitting on a beach.

As we turned to leave the sky was so beautiful!

The others have gone on a kayak tour and will be home later tonight.

I made Tacos with all the fixings last night. Lisa is taking her turn this evening with an Italian meal.

Until then I think I will go downstairs and watch a little TV with Summer and Luann.....

and sip on this lovely margarita!!

Beach Week: Day 3 ~ Galveston!

Life at the beach is wonderful!

This morning - or early afternoon - we took the ferry to Galveston.

 I have a 'routine' we do when on the island.

It includes sitting on Murdoch's Shell Shop veranda out over the water and sipping a frozen margarita.

We also cruise along Sea Wall Blvd and look not only at the beach and waves but the interesting people there! Luann told this guy he looks like Johnny Depp. The guy said, "NO! Johnny Depp looks like ME!!" Only 20 years older and 20 pounds heavier!

A must eat place is Benno's on the Beach and I love how they still serve up a 'glass' of wine in a large beer stein! They tried wine glasses once, they said, but the stems broke so easily. You have to work hard to break a thick heavy beer mug!

Raynie was super cute today - as she is EVERYDAY!

Here she is wearing one of my earrings. The 'pearl' fell out of the other one.

The local Goodwill is another stop we make. We all scored some treasures including this little guy for Raynie. The prices have gone up there as we all dropped $50 apiece! It goes to a good cause.

Raynie loves to dance.......

catch those moves!

The last thing we always do - per our tradition - is walk on the beach.

Some of the sand art is beautiful.

A little clip of Raynie dancing at Murdoch's.

Our third day is done. We came back on the ferry and it was my turn to cook tonight. We all have one night to cook and one night to do KP duty. My 'obligations' will be finished tomorrow. Luann already did hers!

Everyone relaxes at the beach. Some are reading. Some are watching TV. One is talking on the phone and I am writing my journal entry. The others are on the deck below listening to music and drinking wine.

Life at the beach is wonderful!!!

Beach Week: Day 2 ~ Celebrating my BIRTHDAY!!

Today was my birthday!

This is the beach house where we are staying.

Sunrises are beautiful and I have Sabrina to thank for this one.

SHE was the one up early to catch it.......I was still asleep.

Riding a motorcycle on the beach the day I turned 65 is a memory I will long remember!

We had beach time in early and late afternoon complete with all the chairs, canopies and sand toys and floats. PERFECT beach weather today!

Good times and good wine with good friends!

Summer wanted to have a birthday cake for me so she called the Chamber of Commerce here in Bolivar before she ever left Dallas and they put her in contact with a local lady who bakes cakes. This was THE most delicious carrot cake I have ever had!!! Leave it to Summer to find one!!

Today was full of Happy Birthday greetings and gifts!!

Summer and Sabrina gave me a huge bag FULL to the brim of all sorts of lovely things!!!

This shirt is from my sister, Luann, and I plan to wear it tomorrow when we take the ferry over to Galveston.

She got one for herself as well so we will be Twinkies!

It was like a party tonight!

Music was playing as dinner was being prepared and there was even some dancing in the kitchen.

I have had a good birthday.

Sabrina made a wonderful meal of pork roast, carrots and mashed potatoes with garlic toast.

I even had a crown and sash with decorations!!

Our entertainment this evening was NUTS!

We all take this game very seriously by the looks on our faces.

There really was a lot of laughter!!

As birthdays go - this was one of the best!

Fresh air, sunshine, sand and salt water, family and friends, good food and wine, lots of smiles and laughter.

I am so blessed!

Beach Week: Day 1!

Beach Trip! I am so ready!!

My sister and I left this morning at 10:00 and headed due south on I45!

We were ready for the beach!

I had the trunk completely full!

We filled the back seat and floorboard with Luann's things!

You would have thought we planned to be gone a MONTH instead of a WEEK!

We went all the way to Seawall Blvd in Galveston then drove onto the ferry to reach Bolivar Peninsula.

Luann remembered to bring bread for the seagulls.

The salty air smelled good and I LOVE the sounds of the waves and the seagulls!!

Oh, to be free as a bird!!

Of course I called Louis Dean upon our SAFE arrival!

Raynie already has a shell collection started!

Her Aunt Luann brought her this cool bucket!

Luann, me and Summer! Good times!

Island living looks a little different than home.

This reminds me of something I might see on Duck Dynasty!

Wine on the deck before dinner. 

I am only HOLDING that second glass for someone!! PROMISE!

Luann supplied dinner tonight - homemade chicken and dressing, seasoned green beans and cranberry sauce. Lots of cheese and crackers and snacks. The pantry here is FULL of all sorts of wonderful things.

This is going to be a good week!!