Fireplace, Kittens and Redeeming Decks......Louis Dean is my Hero!

I love the meandering through these golden days of October.

It's been cool enough in the mornings to have a fire in the den as we do our Bible and out loud reading.

Samantha and Tabitha both enjoyed looking into the flames and sat there for long periods of time.

They are both still wearing their cones and I am thinking I will take them off on Sunday and see how they do. I pile up their food in the owl to make it easier for them to eat.

Both kittens have been running and playing some but nothing like they normally do.

We allow them the run of the house throughout the day so they can wander around and find cozy spots to rest.

I picked up a few pecans this afternoon and I'm not sure how many more we will be getting.

The trees were trimmed this spring and the umbrells is pretty high so I can't see if there are many left up there. I spent an hour or so pulling up Boltonia asteroides.....

When I looked it up, it doesn't say anything about it being an invasive weed....but I have found it to be so. I was walking the neighborhood a couple of years ago and this 'weed' had completely taken over a yard! I prefer grass!

 I didn't get it all but I will finish the job tomorrow.

Louis Dean has finished the upper gate deck and it looks so good!!

The decks have needed to be replaced for at least a year and a half.

The storage bin up on this deck is mine and holds painting supplies, garden tools and cushions for the chairs.

I Love 'redeeming' something and this pond area is all cleaned up and I strung up fresh LED lights.

We will be in the market for some new lawn furniture out here next year.

The view from inside the kitchen French doors.

I just love it!!

Now for the reality shot!

There's another deck to do!

The wood was really rotted out on this one. 

It will take longer to do since Louis Dean will be putting in another sump pump there.

He truly is my HERO!!!!

While I was making him a big Frito Pie for supper....

he was soaking in a tub of super hot water laced with Skin So Soft bath oil.

He ate and watched a little news before calling it a day and going to bed.

I gave the kittens their last pill tonight and they are down for the count.

I stayed up to write my journal entry and now I am going to find something to watch on Amazon Prime while I sew on the birthday quilt for Louis Dean.

I sleep under one every night made by my friend, Sharilyn.

Do YOU sleep under a quilt??

An Amber Day and a Thursday!

I am so enjoying being home these last couple of weeks!!

My house is all decorated and just glows golden !

Wednesday I was up at at 'em early!

I headed over to Ambers and we rolled through Starbucks for her green tea and my Pumpkin Spice Latte before going to one of our very favorite stores.....

We sat in the car and sipped our drinks and nibbled on the vanilla bean scones we both love so much!

Treasured time!! One on one with no one else talking but US!!!

We walked in Hobby Lobby all wide eyed at all the Christmas things! 

SO much that we were completely overwhelmed!!

ALL Christmas was 50% off - and the lights were 25% off.

I bought a few boxes of those as I have already gone through the stash I stocked up on after Christmas last year! 

***Note to Self***

Buy MORE of the 100 count and 50 count strands of lights!

And NONE of all the rest!!!

We browsed around for a good while admiring everything and then we got down to business!

I bought the batting for Louis Dean's Texas flag denim quilt for his birthday....

and large and small jingle bells to make cat toys with.....and art brushes and lights....and sewing machine needles and labels and ......you get the idea.

Amber was shopping for costume pieces.

All four of her kids will have such cool costumes for the little Halloween party they are having!

She will send me some pics of the kids and I will share them with y'all!

We had so much fun!!

Amber had a great Italian dish for our lunch!!

She used Bucatini noodles from Italy and roasted broccoli, and spinach to make this amazing dish which she thought up and which was a big hit with the family the night before.

Good thing for me that she made enough for us to have for lunch!

The Italian meal went perfectly with our movie for the afternoon!!!
I do love Liam Neeson!!!

We finished our movie - which was excellent - and started up an old favorite - Under the Tuscan Sun!

I noticed Lindsey Duncan played Kate in Made in Italy.....

And I recognized her as Kathleen in Under The Tuscan Sun!

We stopped the film and did the school pickup - and swung by the vet's office to get our two kitties.

They had their spaying and chipping done Wednesday morning and were still groggy at 3:00.

Granddad drove over to join us later in the afternoon and delivered the goodie bags our sweet neighbor, Tamara fixed up for the kids. Remember her awesome garden? She has shared some of her veggies and plants with the kids and when they come over here, they always want to know if we can walk around the corner and visit 'our neighbor!'

Here are the girls with their treats!

Notice Under the Tuscan Sun still playing in the background!

We got home before dark bringing our 'babies' with us.

This morning (Thursday) they were more alert.

I left them out all night in the guest room but found them up on the top bunk when I went in there this morning. Since we are supposed to restrict their movements and no jumping - I will put them in their kennel tonight.

They are such good kitties.

I'm certain they don't LIKE the cones they must wear but they are not fussing about them.

I took Samantha's off for 2 mminutes and had to put it right back on her!

We've kept them in the guest room all day but let them out this evening when Louis Dean came in from working outside.

I am loving these leisurely mornings when we linger over our coffee and our reading.

After two chapters in Jeremiah - and I will be so happy when we finish this book but I do realize Lamentations comes next - we read a chapter in Now They Call me Infidel.

After all that heavy reading, we started on a light hearted fun book to cheer us up!

I had another cheery thing happen!

This photo does not do the necklace I received in the mail today justice!

It is a honeycomb, honeybee and a drop of golden honey!!

Amy sent this to me and I absolutely love it!

I know Amy from my years at Crestview Baptist Church.

I knew her grandparents - salt of the earth kind of people.

Amy was a teenager back then and I was a much younger woman than I am now.

She and I have both 'grown up.'

She found me on Facebook several years ago and we have kept up with each other ever since.

I wore one of my wigs all day today - just to see if I could.

I sent pics to both of my daughters and they gave me a thumbs up.

I do need to buy a packet of blonde bobby pins to anchor it well on my head.

I prefer wearing the lightweight wiglets - I have two - one is real hair colored the shade of my own and one is synthetic. I actually like the synthetic one best.

It's been another really good day around here.

I have picked pecans, bagged up a sack of trash from the Sanford and Son area in the back yard, made breakfast of steel cut oatmeal.....my first time to buy this kind.....did my routine housework....write a couple of cards and generally kept busy all day long.

Louis Dean has been working on his deck.

Laying down on the job from time to time!

He worked all afternoon and into the early evening.

And he got it DONE!!!

And we ended our day with a good steak dinner complete with baked potato, simple salad and a couple of pepper poppers!

I think it's a good idea to go to bed on the early side!

I actually don't Pin much but I will be playing Words With Friends......

and checking for comments here before I actually close my eyes!!!

Our First Fireplace of the Season....and a Change in Plans

 We woke up Monday morning to Winter Weather!
It was gloomy! It was cold! It was wet! 
I loved it all!!!

Louis Dean brought me coffee in bed and I snuggled deeper under the covers as I sipped and did my prayer time. I always open the back door when I wake up so I can see a glimpse of the sky and trees as I pray. I love using my prayer journal because it helps me keep up with the ones I have promised to pray for. Sometimes I actually write out my prayers and I usually include the scriptures from the scripture cards I use every morning. I have two boxes - one in the kitchen by the coffee pots and one in the bedroom on the dresser.

We celebrated the cold weather - which I have been longing for - with our first fireplace of the season.
It was a crackling firelog - thanks to Louis Dean for buying a couple of boxes at Home Depot the other day - but it was still a fire!!

After we had our morning coffee and reading, I headed to the sewing room to work on Summer's birthday gift. 

She turned 57 years old on Monday, October 26th, at 6:00 in the morning.

She is spending this week in the Ozarks with Sherry taking in the fall folliage.

I can share pics of the gift I am making since I already sent her some!
I could NOT wait to show her!!

I used lightweight chambray strips cut from shirts I wore during the 1990's.

I originally had three strips of dark denim on the far left but it was too heavy so I took that off and spied some white netting stars in a plastic storage drawer! That was perfect! Lightweight and flowing.

I made this with the idea of Summer hanging it in a garden - or in her room in Rowlett as a wall hanging with her beach paintings and decorations.

I was nearly done but not quite.

I decided to take a nap around 6:00 Monday evening. 

I slept soundly for a couple of hours and when I woke up - Louis Dean had shut down the house - meaning he turned off many of my 'thousand points of light' - and suggested we go to bed early.

I was good with that so I got up, put my nightgown on and read for an hour and we were both asleep before 10:00.

We woke up this Tuesday morning to even colder weather!

We normally do not use the central heat and always turn it off at night if we do ....so it was 61 degrees in the house!

This time we had a real wood fire using logs from our pecan trees saved when we had them pruned this year. We had a change of plans. We meant to leave for the ranch so I could attend our monthly bee meeting. Rosey sent Sherry and me a text letting us know that meeting was cancelled due to the winter weather. Yes, we are not used to this!

Rosey sent this to me along with her message about the bee meeting!

I checked the weather down in Mart and the rain they have already had - plus the rain today - would make getting in to the camper difficult.....

So our plans changed and Louis Dean and I ended up going out to do some errands together.

I was surprised he wanted to go with me but he couldn't work on his deck or do anything outside.

We first stopped at the post office and mailed out three packages......the book to Trudy, a package to Dawn and a Christmas painting to BJ. Then we hit up two thrift stores (and I walked out of the Goodwill without buying a single thing!) and Aldi.

Within 45minutes of getting home - I had put up the groceries and made a late lunch.

Flounder, Pesto pasta, Brioche roll and a salad with lettuce, tomato, celery, clemintine orange slices, chopped sweet apple, banana pepper, purple bell pepper, and avocado.

I spent the rest of the day working on Summer's gift, doing routine housework, changed out my closet from spring and summer to fall and winter......

I added more to the hanging.....

If the tulle is too much for her, it can easily be removed.

Since she may hang this outside at some point, I added some small bells.

When she gets back from her trip, she will give me some seashells with holes in them so I can hang them for added interest. All in keeping with the beach theme - driftwood from our recent beach trip - and blues for the sea foam - and short strings of small pearls. You get the idea.

If there is one thing Summer loves - it is the beach!

Here are the Tuesday Treasures I found today!

Skechers are the best shoes for my feet!

That little Christmas tree is already at home in my bathroom.

Those two bowls? Perfect for our salad suppers!

Tonight I started the Texas denim quilt for Louis Dean's 84th birthday next month.

I had it all cut out last year.

But I'm just now getting around to sewing it!

I did not realize he really wanted this quilt!

He mentioned it a few times before I caught on.

So that's what I will be working on this week.

Lillian called me today and was so excited!

She got three more cards today and had two more yesterday.

As of now, she's received more than 60 cards!

The lady that brings her the mail is so impressed!

Lillian told her, "It's because of Linda and all her friends!!"

Thank you all so much for cheering Lillian up!!

She has loved the cards!

An Old Fashioned Sunday!

 Today was a Happy Old Fashioned Fall Sunday!

We met up with the Bells at Fellowship church for the 11:30 service.

Pastor Ed Young started the first of three sermons on...

The Snake is IN the House!

It was a powerful sermon and we are blessed to have a pastor who is not afraid of preaching truth!

Even when it is not popular and goes against the current culture.

Hearing Ed Young week in and week out - either live online - or in person as we were today - is what keeps me centered and gives me hope and comfort.

As in 'old fashioned Sundays' - for us - that means lunch after church at Dickey's BBQ!

It was wonderful being together with Amber and Mike and the kids!

The Coppell location is less than 3 miles from Fellowship and the perfect choice for our family.

It was not the least bit crowded - for most of our meal we were the only patrons - and that makes me a little sad. So many businesses have suffered through this Covid dominated year of 2020.

We felt safe eating here and Amber and Mike came armed with disinfectant wipes, cleaned our booths and settled the kids down while we, the parents and grandparents, went up to order.

Notice the Big Yellow Cups are now PINK!!

We love these cups!

In keeping with the safety issue, they had a box of plastic gloves to use when self serving in the line for pickles, onions, peppers, lemons and such and then for the beverages.

Louis Dean dutifully donned a glove on his right hand to use the drink fountain dispenser.

BUT the glove slid on the plastic cup and he dumped his entire Big Pink Cup onto his tray of food!

Thank goodness there was not a line of people behind us and the employees were very kind in taking his tray back and dumping out the tea and replating it for him.

I added a healthy tip to the ticket.

It's so much fun to spend some time with these kids!!!

When we were walking into the church service - nowadays we purposely arrive late so we can avoid the crowds and sit in the back - it was so dark I could NOT see a thing. Trystan took my hand and said, "I've got you, MeeMaw!" Except I STILL walked right into Amber - in the dark - when she stopped and told the usher, "There's too many of us to grapple in the dark. We'll just sit here!"

Good call!

We ate and talked and laughed and enjoyed hearing the quads in their own booth giggle and enjoy themselves. It was a wonderful meal! Spent with loved ones - which made it all the more special - especially at this time of Covid and fear and isolation.

We did linger long at the table - a true sign of a good meal.

We parted with the promise of the kids coming soon to spend at least a part of a weekend in early November with us.

Amber and Mike may have wondered why we turned the same way they did to go home.

I wanted to go back to Old Town Coppell and take pictures!

The State Farm office is a real State Farm office!

How cool to come here to work everyday or to drop off your insurance premiums.

The Tattered Style is a Vintage retail shop and I would love to come back and browse when it's open.

Maybe a good place to visit with my friend, Dee!

We came home and Louis Dean and I both took a basket out to the front yard to gather pecans.

I am so excited that we are getting a harvest this year.

It's not a given.

We have two different pecan trees for cross pollination which insures us an  abundant crop every two or three years.

I started writing my memoirs several years ago and truly hope and pray I finish it in 2021.

I recently read this Best Seller book by Jimmy Dwayne and was so touched, impressed and inspired by it......

He told his story without being sensational about it - and there was much left unsaid that you could read 'between the lines.' This book has helped me in writing my own.

I had not heard of Jimmy Wayne before reading this but I went on YouTube and listened to his songs and read up on him. What an amazing man and an equally amazing story.

Written with no bitterness and from a loving heart that still told hard things.

I read it on my last trip to the ranch and it was a page turner.

I looked forward to tucking myself in the girl bunk every night and spending an hour or two reading.

If anyone would like to read this I would be happy to mail it to you. USA or International.

It is well worth the read - more so if you have had a challenging childhood.

And I have added Jimmy Dwayne and his sister, Patricia, to my personal prayer list.

They are inspiring.

Wishing you all a wonderful last week of October!!