Monday, January 26, 2015

Christmas is Down and Little People Visit

It's always a bittersweet moment when I unplug the last of the Christmas lights.
The Cardinal Tree in the dining room is probably my very favorite and I save it for the last to take down.


Christmas is now packed away and in a NEW place this year!


This was formerly Amber's playhouse - then my Shoe House!!! Yes, I had SO many shoes at one time I stored them all in here! THEN it became the LAWN house where we kept all our lawn equipment. NOW it is the Christmas House!!! The best news is - there is room to SPARE!!!
I'm using some of the space by the door to store TOYS since we have so many little people visiting us these days!


Just LOOK who rang the bell at our front door on Saturday night???


What a sweet visit!


Rayne and Summer loved on Lucy!!!


Lucy loved on Sabrina!!!!


Rayne SO wanted to hold Maddie and she tried and tried to sweet talk her out from under the bed.
Just after she gave up - Maddie came waltzing out of the guest room!


Can you tell what kind of kisses Rayne is giving Granddad?
Butterfly kisses!!!


Rayne is a Cutie Pie!!!
She really is NO TROUBLE!!!!!

They were only here for a short time but it was long enough to cheer us up!!!


Rayne hugged Granddad goodbye.
She hugged me, too, but I looked like Phyllis Diller on a BAD day so NO pics of that!!!


No pics of me on Saturday OR Sunday!!!

The reason we needed cheering up was because our allergies had kept us choking, sneezing, coughing and gagging all weekend.

So Sunday morning we watched The Winning Walk on TV and missed church for the second time in a row! After sleeping in and a hot shower I felt somewhat better so I headed over to Dallas to pick up a couple of munchkins!


It was actually LOGAN'S turn but Kailey wanted to come, too!!!


Who got my TEA????


Logan is such a sweetie and the only one of the four that actually prefers ME to their Granddad!!!


Logan keeps herself busy and she is a tiny Susie Homemaker in the making!!!!


I think it's good for the kids to get some alone time every once in awhile.


Then they come together and continue to play.


Kailey has a favorite spot!
It's right up under Granddad's right arm!


The afternoon passed quickly as they played and played!


Just give them a box of lights!
It took them over half an hour to get it open!


We even stopped to eat supper and Kailey said, "I need to finish my lights!"
We did baths and then delivered them back home all ready for bed!

So was I!! By then my allergies had kicked up a notch and I shut myself in the bedroom at 10:00 with Ben Gay on my neck and Vicks Vapor Rub on my nose!
Poor Louis Dean thought he would more likely get a better night's sleep in the guest room.
I opened the door at 9:00 this morning feeling better.
SLEEP is a wonderful thing!


I lit a few candles today as I cleaned up a couple of rooms.


The foyer is done!


So is the front porch!


All decked out in her Valentine clothes!!!


The living room looks so much bigger without the tree and all the other 'debris!'


All the colored lights are down and the white ones are back for the rest of the year.
While I worked inside.....


Louis Dean worked outside.
He's preparing a place to store all the lawn equipment that we had to vacate from the lawn house!
Since it was 70 degrees today he thought it would be nice to spend the evening outside so he fixed us a fire.


And that's where we have been!


The gazebo is a good spot to do my blog post. I can hear the fountain splashing and the fire crackling.
Ahhhhhh......
This day is now done!



18 comments:

Deb said...

you get so much done even when you feel bad...so glad you are feeling better...

Wanda said...

I knew you had a lot of Christmas decorations...but when I saw all those bins, I think I have nothing to complain about. I can surely find a place for THREE bins. HaHa. I had to laugh at the Phyllis Diller picture. HaHa. Very few people see me before I do my art work in the bathroom every morning. I paint on a face, comb my hair, earrings and hearing aids and I'm ready to meet the world. I think Don would think a stranger was in the house if he caught me before my paint job...HaHa.
Your little darlings make me smile, especially little "homemaker". That was me growing up.. I was not a tom boy but loved my dolls and my little playhouse and kitchen.
You look so comfy in your gazebo with your computer.
Thanks again for inviting me into you home. I feel so welcome. Hope the allergies say good bye real soon.

Kathy said...

Allergies are just the worst. At least with a cold you know there's an end in sight. Hope you are feeling better.

I can't believe how much Christmas you have! I thought I had a lot, but it's nothing compared to yours.

Such cute little grandkids you have. I know you love the visits from all of them.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Oh NO, you poor guys! Don't you take any allergy medicine? The new ones work so well! I take three, and carry an epi pen as well, for emergencies. I have been in the E.R. twice. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your Valentine tree!! You could have a job as a designer. Logan is so sweet! She just has a ball playing all by herself! You have to look at my blog and see what I did! I gave a link to YOU!

Linda said...

Not in my wildest dreams can I imagine having that much Christmas 'debris.' Louis Dean is a saint. I laughed about having a storage shed for your shoes. I used to love shoes but not that many. Wearing a size 13 AAAA you don't collect a lot of shoes, you're just thankful to find some. I notice you also like purses. Where do you keep them? You would be aghast if you looked in my closet. I own 2 pair of shoes, 1 purse (a nice Coach bag), no hose, not a single skirt or dress, several pair of black pants, some knit tops & several fleece jackets (ideal for Pacific Nortwest weather), and that's it. We sold our house & downsized big time when we moved to Oregon and we've kept it light ever since. I don't believe you could handle it.

Debbie said...

Well I am sure it is a good feeling to have Christmas taken down and stored away for another year. How nice to have such a roomy big place to store it all. We have ours in the shed along with many other things. It's a pain to get to. Allergies are just the worst I know. Hope your both feeling better soon. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Jutta said...

Love your cozy gazebo. Lovely to be able to enjoy life outdoors always. I am looking forward to the Summer time in Finland already. :)

Blondie's Journal said...

I know how melancholy it is to take the last of the Christmas decor down...and I know how you adore Christmas and work so hard at all of it. Bittersweet but it's good to pare down also.

I hope you both are feeling better. How I envy you with your time outdoors like this. Love seeing pics of Summer and Rayne and those quads!! :)

Jane x

Penny said...

Sorry to hear you have been struggling with your allergies, hope you are more comfortable soon. X

Arlene G said...

You are so blessed with lovely grands!! I just put away my snowmen and got out a few Valentines Day decorations. We had some pretty days last week but cooler this week so I am trying to spend my time indoors doing some cleaning and organizing. Hope you feel better soon!!

Susie said...

Linda, So sorry to read that you and LD have been under the weather. I see your sweet company did bring some joy to you both. It is so nice of you to take the children one or two at a time. I agree, some times they need alone time. Please take care of yourselves there. Blessings, xoxo,Susie

MadSnapper said...

i am thinkiing Logan will need her own Chritmas house when she grows up... she will be following in your footsteps... that is probably why she is drawn to you, kindred spirits. i love the infectious laugh. hope the allergens leave Texas soon...

Debbie said...

When I saw "linda" in my email, I was so hoping it was you!! You have so much happiness and joy, I always find myself smiling as I read your posts!! Sweet little one, who are growing in leaps and bounds. My great nieces favorite present at christmas was the box, one of her toys came it!!

The Valentine's decor looks very sweet at your place

Kelly said...

glad to hear that you got so much done. sorry to hear that your allergies have been giving you so much trouble. do you know what you're allergic to? I have seasonal allergies that flare up in May and October. I'm allergic to ragweed (grasses). I take allergy medicine and that seems to help. You're in a warmer climate than me, so you're exposed to different things then. The kids look so cute visiting you! I'm sure all your guests were a welcome distraction from allergies and work.

Carole said...

Gosh what a pain about the allergies! Hope your doctor or pharmacist can come up with something to help! Cheers from Carole's Chatter

Linda said...

Even with your allergies acting up you have so much energy. Sounds like it's never a dull moment when the grands are over. :-)

Diana Ferguson said...

Those kiddos are getting so big!

Carla said...

Great post. I love how the kids take turns coming to see y'all. My sinus have been giving me issues up till the first week of february. They've been semi behaving.
You'e remarkable down with Christmas and up with valentines.