A Busy Few Days! Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday

Life has been busy these last few days!

Monday I had a mammogram scheduled for 1:30.

I am so thankful for routine check ups and that I have no history of problems along this line.

I was out of there before 2:00 so I decided I would drop by for a quick visit with Reaoma.

Since I was thirsty, I stopped at the Sonic for something to drink and picked up Cherry Limeades for both of us. I thought this would be a nice treat for her and was pretty proud of myself.

Well, I gave Reaoma a first sip! She made faces I didn't even know she could make!

She drank three sips before I truly realized she did.not.like.it.

I told her daughter about it and Pam said that would be like drinking a Sweet Tart!

***Note to Self***

Bring ice tea next time!

Louis Dean and I worked in the yard from the time I got home until dark.

It was a perfect day to do this since it didn't get any higher than the 80's!

Plus we had rain before daylight.

Louis Dean cleaned the kitchen pond out and I tackled the upper deck.

We are getting some things done!

The reason we had such a mess was all those pecan beards that finished dropping while we were at the ranch! They just turned into such a green carpet of crunchy yuk all over the decks and stone patio. The beards fell into the pond and Louis Dean had drained and cleaned it AND filled it up again before he realized the bushes on either side of the pond was still covered in the beards!

I shook out as many as I could, blew the patio off and used a net to clean up the pond.

I am loving the marigolds that are growing in such random places.

I must have dropped some seeds. Maybe. But I don't remember planting any marigolds.....

We put down mulch in the back pond area and I am so happy to have cleared the paths in 

the 'Secret Garden!'

Rayne and I fixed a special place to sit under an old wooden ladder back there in the corner a couple of years ago.

She's coming back to Texas for a visit in July and I want to make sure her spot is ready.

One of Louis Dean and my favorite things to do is sit in the gazebo and watch the 

'insurance salesmen'....aka geckos!

We will watch one of them stalk their prey and it is exciting to see him finally catch a meal for himself! I know! We need to get a life!

I set the alarm before going to bed Monday night.

Tuesday I needed to leave by 8:45 so I get to Dallas.

Amber and I were going to spend some one on one time for her birthday which is actually today! 

As in Wednesday! We were going to a 9:50 movie!

I was right on time! I even stopped to pick up some of her favorite Mexican cookies on my way over.

Plus Louis Dean got up really early so he could go to the store and buy roses for me to take to her as his birthday gift to her.

Mike met me at the door and we carried my stuff in and chatted before he said, "Let me go up and see if she is awake yet." WHAT?? Seems I looked at the message wrong. No, I read it right but it went in my brain wrong. I was to leave at 10:45 and the movie starts at 10:50!

That gave me time to leave and run to the bank and then to Aldi to buy some butter and biscuits for the afternoon snacks I was doing.

Funny story at Aldi. I went in to buy specific things. Canned biscuits and real butter.

Another lady came in at the same time and she bought specific things. Raspberries and blueberries.

We chatted at the check out and I told her and the checker I was serving snacks. The checker asked if I had a day care. I told him no, I had quadruplet grandchildren and they were having another set of quadruplets coming to play along with three other children.

The checker was impressed and then told me about his friend who has quadruplets.

He met his friend in the military when the friend was just 17 years old.

His wife had quadruplets when she was 15 years old! She had to stay in the hospital for 6 months to recover. He was apparently 16 years old when they were born.

When he turned 17, the clerk told me his friend's dad took him to the recruiting office!

They were in Afghanistan together, the clerk said, and their commanding officer had every one stand up that had children back home. Lots of men stood up. He said if you have more than one - remain standing. Some set down. If you have more than two - remain standing. Most sat down. If you have more than three - remain standing. The only man standing was this 17 year old new recruit with quadruplets! He said his friend is now a gunnery Sergeant. Wow! I asked if he and his wife were still married. The clerk said, "Yeah! They have to be! They had triplets a few years after the quads were born!" Super WOW!!!!

I went back to Quadville and told Mike the story and said, "Well, we have been bested!!!"

The movie was hilarious!!!

We laughed so hard we had tears in our eyes.

I had to get up to go to the bathroom a few times and hated to miss any of the movie.

We had such a good time and came of there all relaxed and happy.

Amber and I don't get much time with each other like we did 'in the old days.'

We laughed as we bought our popcorn, drinks and a box of chicken tenders with potato wedges.

Back in 2003 and 2004 when I was divorcing, she and I would buy groceries together on Friday evenings and we would always buy some potato wedges and eat them while we shopped.

We shopped that afternoon after the movie but this time it was at Costco.

Amber was preparing dinner for 15 that night and needed to pick up a couple of things.

We had planned to go to lunch but instead I bought salad stuff and a rotisserie chicken and fixed us a salad lunch. I actually ate mine alone while she ran up to get the kids from school.

Life is really busy for her!

While she was gone, I went to the Goodwill on Midway in Dallas and unloaded a trunk load FULL of stuff I had been carrying around back there since early May. 

Then I went inside to see if I could find a few treasures.

Of course, I did!

Nice bowls for soup or salad.

A rolling basket for $4.....

I have no idea what I am going to do with this!

I'm a sucker for a cute purse. But I have never had one that I can find things in!

My favorite find was this Susan Winget pitcher.

She will live at the ranch.

A brand new with tags pair of nice sandals. 

I wore them while shopping to make sure they didn't hurt!

Fun bowls for Christmas.

They are now in the Christmas House stored away.

I cannot resist a basket!

Coldwater Creek and Chico's and Ann Taylor are my favorite brands.

This is a pretty magnolia garland on a grapevine backing.

Not sure where this will live yet.

I got back to Quadville before Amber's guests arrived.

The kids all had such a good time together.

The other set of quads are 4 years old and the older kids were 8,10, and 12.

Mike manned the toaster oven and the biscuits and I gave each child a piece of beeswax and a zip lock bag of honeycomb. I showed them how to squeeze the honey out of the comb and we talked about bees. Did you know that honey is the only food that will never go bad?

I forgot to take pictures before......this is the after!

The kids were fully engaged in the snack time and most of them loved the honey.

Some preferred plain biscuits and some only wanted butter. But we ALL had a good time.

They all played so well together after they left the table.

Eventually, the 6 boys congregated in the play room and the 5 girls gathered around the table with their art supplies.

Logan wanted to play a game so four of us played Double Nine dominoes together.

That was one of my birthday gifts to them.

Amber and the other Quad Mom were in the kitchen putting dinner together.

We filled up both the kitchen table and the dining room table!

Trystan was cute sitting in the dining room and chatting like a little grown up.

She told the others, "Normally the grown ups sit in here!"

When Mike came in, Kailey said, "We are having a conversation!"

Then later I heard her say, "Why are having this conversation?"

I tell you what! Listen to little kids talk is just about the best entertainment you can find!

Later Tuesday night, Amber sent photos of her roses to me after she had made two arrangements.

I had meant to go on to Rowlett and spend the night with Summer but she had taken a turn for the worse and was in bed. I came on home and fell into bed exhausted.

I slept right through the storm that arrived with lots of rain and some hail.

I saw the damage it did to the gazebo!

We are going to try some brown duct tape to buy us a little time before putting on the new canopy and curtains later this fall. We bought the replacements when we purchased the gazebo.

Today (Wednesday) was a stay at home day.

I did housework - as in cleaning the guest room and changing the sheets, the bathroom and the hall and on into the dining room.

We also worked outside. Will we EVER get it all done???

Probably not!

Louis Dean's main accomplishment was cleaning out the sump pump.

It was 97 degrees today so I did the housework in the heat of the day and the yard work after the sun went down.

This afternoon my friend, Virginia, came by for tea and a visit and she said she had never been to my house in the daylight. I showed her around and we had the nicest time.

I knew she was coming so I was working hard knowing I'd get to rest while we visited.

I was SO glad when she got here!

I told her, "Everything looks better here at night!"

Summer and I talked on text and she is doing a little better tonight. She went to her chiropractor and he said her bursa was all inflamed and causing her greater pain than usual.

Hopefully she will feel like driving over tomorrow and spending the night.

She is flying to Puerto Rico on Friday morning and I will be taking her to the airport.

She will be gone 41 days and I am so happy for her!

I think seeing Rayne and Sabrina will be good for her.

Well, that's what's been happening around here so far this week.

Every single day for the next 7 days are going to be just as busy.

And then on Day #8 we go back to the ranch to rest and recover!

I took a break in writing tonight and got my shower so now I am heading to bed!