We have had a weekend chock full of all sorts of activities.
We went to Dallas Friday afternoon to meet Amber and the kids at our favorite yogurt place.
Louis Dean and I arrived first.
You should have seen the kids when they walked in and saw their Granddad!!
We went to Dallas Friday afternoon to meet Amber and the kids at our favorite yogurt place.
Louis Dean and I arrived first.
You should have seen the kids when they walked in and saw their Granddad!!
They were so excited to see him and HE was so excited to see them!
They are growing so fast I can hardly believe it!
What with losing teeth one right after the other - and with four children the same age - that's a lot of loose teeth for parents to have to deal with!
We went back to Quadville with the kids while Amber ran some errands.
Harrison asked me to sew the loose eye on his eye mask I gave him for Christmas.
I had my needlework with me so it didn't take but a few minutes to do that small task plus I sewed the other eye down better while I was at it. He was so impressed.
They think their MeeMaw can fix anything in the same way I think Louis Dean can!
It does my soul good to be around children.
Friday Movie Night includes Pizza, Popcorn, Cokes and a movie - of course.
This one was so cute!!
Winnie the Pooh was one of Amber's favorite from her childhood.
She watched the Winnie the Pooh cartoons and we still sing song the phrase they sang when going into a commercial....."After these messages, we'll be right back......"
It was a fun evening and we slept like babies on the new flannel sheets Amber had for the guest bed.
It's wonderful waking up in a house where children live and with four of them - someone is always being especially entertaining at any given time.
The first thing on the Saturday schedule was hockey practice.
We were pretty amazed at the morning routine.......
they all got themselves downstairs with their teeth brushes and their clothes on.
Amber came down fully dressed and started right in on cooking breakfast.....bacon, eggs and fried potatoes......served up in a plastic bowl to eat en route to practice. I brushed and braided the girls hair and we were off to the races. Amber's goal was to get there at 10:00 and we walked in at 10:02!
Mike was away on a hunting trip so she was running solo.
Gearing all four of them up in their skates, pads, leggings and all is a long, hard, complicated process.
Louis Dean and I are not all that much help due to my arthritic hands and his general bewilderment at what goes where. So....amber called in reinforcements!
Her BFF! Jessica and Amber were synchro duet partners back when they were just seven years old swimming to the Wizard of Oz. Jessica recently moved back to the DFW area and it was so special to see them together - helping and supporting one another just as they did all those years when they were swimming.
It made my heart happy to sit behind them and watch them watch the kids skate.
I teared up a bit remembering all those years when I would watch these two swim and compete together. That group of synchronized swimmers were a very good team and swam together all through their growing up years. What's so wonderful is how they have remained close to this very day. They are all in their 30's now and still steadfast friends.
It was a good day!
We ate lunch together at Chipolte's and then dropped Louis Dean off at home and I went back to Amber's to spend the afternoon.
She took photos of my Western Santa painting and then ordered my Christmas cards for me.
We watched a movie and cut up 50 brown paper grocery sacks in the shape of shirts for the school Thanksgiving program.
I admire Amber for so many things but one thing especially - she has her priorities right. She puts spending time with her children and her family at the top of her list. So yesterday I followed her example. I chose to spend the day with those I love instead of rushing home to clean and do the endless number of chores and projects. I chose wisely.
As wonderful as our time was over there this weekend - there was some sadness, too.
They have two labs - Shiner and Jersey.
Shiner is a trained hunting dog but has had some serious health issues.
He had to have his eye removed due to cancer and, sadly, the cancer has come back.
I was sitting at the kitchen table playing games with the girls when I noticed Jersey keeping watch over Shiner.
At first she was sitting on the other side of him and I saw her lift her paw and touch his head.
By the time I got my camera ready she had walked around to this side of him.
The vet said he doesn't have much time left and I think Jersey knows this.
It breaks my heart. Not just for Shiner but for Jersey Girl when she loses him.
It will be hard for Amber and Mike and the kids.....
and me. We all love this dog.
The pain of losing him will be more than worth the joy he brought them, though.
I finally went home about 7:30 Saturday evening and Louis Dean was waiting on the porch for me.
He heard we would be having a freeze in the next few days so he had brought in his aloe vera plants.
Now he needed special potting soil to re pot some of them. Bless his heart - when he gets something in his head - he wants to do it right this minute! So I took him up to Home Depot. Crisis averted!
I had just enough time to get the last few fall things out to the storage building where Louis Dean has stowed them all away.
He did a great job in stacking and packing them! There's two other full packed shelves of decorations not in this picture. I have a lot of fall!
Summer left San Juan and had a layover in Miami before finally heading to FDW!
I picked her up at 10:30 Saturday night and it was so good to see her!
She had a great time in Puerto Rico!
Sabrina and Rayne will be here in just 10 days!
We came in and sat in the one clean room in the house - the guest room - and visited for awhile.
Then we went out to the den and watched a Hallmark Christmas movie.
She said only we would start a movie at 10 minutes to 1:00 in the morning!
Even so - Louis Dean and I got to church on time Sunday!
We are really loving this church!
I like how they sing Happy Trails at the end of the service.
Today was a Thanksgiving Dinner and there was quite a crowd and a ton of food!
I took a sweet potato casserole and am proud to say that there was not a bite of it left!
We sat with friends I had gone to church with years and another life ago.
It felt good to be in church.
Back home and back to reality this afternoon.
This area in the sewing room is basically like a closet for my sewing and crafts.
I pulled everything out that was on the floor.
Then I covered the tubs that remained with plastic tablecloths.
My sewing room is now officially trashed!
You can see where I barely have room to squeeze in to my desk chair at the computer.
Louis Dean determined he needed to cut out a section of the ceiling and pull down the wet insulation.
He cut it out and - behold! - it was bone dry!
No moldy mildew mess after all!
Apparently, he didn't need to take the ceiling down after all!
OOPS!!!
Rain was in the forecast tonight so we would wait and watch hoping to see where the rain was coming in. Right on cue - it started to rain. And the water started dripping. And we still don't know why. That part of the roof is fixed. As a matter of fact - he's roofed nearly ALL of the back side of the house! Now I'm not only overwhelmed by this huge mess - but I am going crazy over this whole ordeal! And I'm wondering just what Louis Dean is going to do next. Rest assured - he WILL fix it.
But now I have a section of ceiling down when it was just one small hole that would have been easier to fix!
To keep myself from going to pieces - which will not help anything - I did what I do best.
I did some decorating in Louis Dean's bathroom.
I'm going with a rustic manly pine cone theme.
When there's a lot of chaos around, it helps me if I can restore order in at least one area.
The fireplace is another comfort for me.
We are going to have freezing temps starting tomorrow night and that makes good fireplace weather!
It's very late as I finish this journal entry.
I'm sitting up in bed with my laptop on the bed tray and the back door open to the cool rainy weather.
I intend to do some serious praying about that leaking roof!
Of one thing I am absolutely certain.....
God has a way of working everything out.
I'm counting on him!
16 comments:
Linda, I love the picture of LD, you and the quads. Wow, they are growing .I notice the gappy grins. Bless their sweet hearts. They sure love their grandparents. That is heart breaking about Shiner. The other dog knows. Linda, I meant to tell you...some times a leak is in one place and it comes out in another. I hate that you are going thru all the worry of it. I would be bald myself, from tearing out my hair. LOL But it is wise to check for molds. Enjoy your time with everyone. Blessings to all, love you, xoxo, Susie
p.s. praying Charlie is doing well.
I love that decorating calms you down, I just dripped a few tears reading about Shiner and Jersey, I hope they will get another dog for Jersey. these phoos are breaking my heart into pieces. your quads are so grown up, it is hard to believe how grown up... hope LD finds what is wrong with the roof, it sure is a mystery
I never thought about the quads all losing teeth at the same time, and they have grown so much! Roof leaking is awful and it isn't because LD hasn't tried. Hope he find the trouble soon so you all can get back to your routine. Sorry about the dog, it is so hard to loose them.
It is always upsetting to have your house a mess. Mine is all the time! But I agree decorating and Hallmark movies help a lot. It was so sweet to see Amber with her friend. I always say old friends are best. There is so much history there and you know they always have your back. Hope you can figure out where the roof is leaking. Maybe it's time to call a roofer.
Hope LD figures out that leak! could it be a pipe or something? Those kind of things make me crazy too so I understand your dilemma. So glad to see the quads on ice! And I have been looking for that movie. I picked up Goodbye Christopher Robin at the library when I was looking for Christopher Robin....back to the search. And that picture of the doggies...so touching. I do think dogs have a sixth sense about things. Hope this week brings an answer to your celiling problem.
Leaks can be pretty tough to track down. Hope that it gets righted around for everyone’s peace of mind. 🙏🏼
What fun with the kids. They are growing a lot. Hadn’t even considered the tooth issue...the logistics, and the tooth fairy must be going broke. Amber could easily run a corporation.
Glad that Summer is visiting for a while. It’ll be a wonderful Thanksgiving.
There are devices that detect the leak source. Any good professional uses this sort of device. One cannot go on guessing; there's too much at stake.
So happy you had a wonderful weekend with your girls and the guads too. That leaking roof certainly has caused a lot of work and aggravation. How terrible to have all that done and not find anything after all. I think I'll join you in those prayers! What a mystery!
The first thing in my mind is...you must be totally exhausted, both physically and mentally! So will you continue to attend both churches? It is so very sad about Shiner & Jersey. I am so sorry for this. I think the quads will experience their first heartbreak. But I know that Amber will handle it with her usual grace. She is SO amazing!!! The two of you look so good at that hockey game! How frustrating about the ceiling! You cannot have a plan if you don't know the cause. And I know you just want to get on with it.
Wonderful, colorful pics of Louis Dean and the quads and also the pic with you, too. The tooth fairy certainly has her hands full at their house. So special to have lifelong friends. In reading about and seeing the photos of the dogs made me so very sad. So sweet, though. I hope your leaks get taken care of. I stand amazed at your husband's giftings. And yours, too. No wonder those kids think you can do anything. Well, almost anything. Thinking of the hockey gear. Lol 😝
Such great photos of the kids and LD! I’m happy you’ve found a church you both love! Sorry about that leak! Very annoying! But good news on no mold etc!
Summer looks happy, is she staying with you right now?
Hugs to both you Linda and LD. What full several days. Family love and hugs and being together.
My heart is sad for you all as Shiner's time is soon, he is a family member who has lived in love and returned that love to all.
Hope that roof leaking problem solution will be discovered. I had a leak that filled the light fixtures (that 'ball style') before we even noticed a problem - the water had run down the rafters and through the holes in the ceiling where the lights were installed. Took awhile to figure out how/where it was coming from.
When I can't stand the mess of repairs or painting or ... I also clean and decorate the bathroom so at least one room in the house looks as it should.
Hugs and Love
Joy
It looked like the ceiling should have been taken down - so where do you think the problem is?
Love your photos!
Good luck with the leak. One good thing about having the ceiling down is that you will be able to trace the leak/damp better - at least I hope so. Lovely pic of you and LD. Cheers
It really IS always something! But I hope and pray you figure it out soon so that you can get things the way you want them. If one little thing is out of place in this house...it's a mess! lol Love your fun photos and all your pretty decorations. Will L. D. let me use HIS bathroom when I come to visit? heeheehee! Hugs to you both!
Lots to read about and comment on in this post, Linda. Your quad grandchildren are so adorable and 4 the same age can be challenging but their mom seems to handle everything well. Hope the leak issue gets resolved soon so you can get the room back.
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