Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Celebrating Louis Dean's 85th Birthday!

I'll start out tonight's journal entry with a photo of Tabitha and Samantha.....
They are litter mates with Amber's Ginger and Benjamin's Klaus.


While Samantha is the first at the food bowl and eats more than Tabitha - she's still smaller!
Ginger is about the same size and they are similar in coloring. Tabitha is a smaller version of the Bell's man cat, Bandit. All four get along very well together....which is wonderful since our girls visit over there on a regular basis.

Yesterday was Louis Dean's birthday and I was up early putting together the meal I was taking over to Amber's to celebrate.


He asked for a pot roast with potatoes and carrots......cream cheese corn and 'those sweet dinner rolls'.....aka Hawaiian kind. I added a Caesar salad with avocado and cake!

We planned to leave the house and head over to Dallas around noon.....we were doing school pickup for two of the grands while Amber took the other two to dental appointments.
I had planned on leaving our cats with Amber when I thought we would be going to the ranch in the car, but since the truck is now running, I told her we'd just take them with us. Her house is in full chaos mode with workmen there painting and continuing the repairs from a water leak they had back in February - NOT from that Arctic freeze but from the laundry room two weeks later. And since every plumber in the country was booked up and you know how all the supplies were scooped up - she's been living in 'survival mode' practically all year long! Man, does she have some horror stories of her experiences with all these contractors!
Anyway, she asked us to bring them anyway so Louis Dean and I were trying to get them in their carriers. I had put them in the guest room so I wouldn't have to chase them through the house and I meant for us to go in there together -but Louis Dean went first and he got Tabitha but Samantha ran under the bed! I used the water gun and a yardstick to motivate her to come out and I grabbed her as she was headed up the steps to the top bunk! Got her in the carrier and picked up Tabitha to carry her out to the car when I noticed it wasn't heavy enough. Louis Dean had forgot to zip up the side opening - he'd put her in through the top! And I had left the front door open so, naturally, she high tailed it outside! Long story short - I was not late for school pick up but I didn't get the errands done I'd meant to do before.


So I took Kailey and Logan with me!
First stop was Aldi and then Central Market where we picked up a delicious German Chocolate Cake.

Back at the Bell's house, Amber had made the kitchen look like a party with a Happy Birthday banner and big balloons!


It was a fun afternoon! 
The cats were making themselves at home and if you look hard, you can see Trystan and Granddad in the background. He's trying to remember how to do 'Cast out the Nines' to check his addition.


Have you done 4th grade math lately??
I did NOT know there were at least THREE ways to do double digit multiplication problems!


Trystan took this pic! All of the kids love to take my camera and 'surprise' me when I get home and look at my pictures. Logan showed me one way and then Kailey taught me another one!

We cleared the table and all ate dinner together and it really was good!
I'd brought everything over including the crockpots as well as the food.


Amber took the bakery cake to a party level when she added candles - '85' and a few of the re-lighting ones!


I love the way Louis Dean is looking at Amber in this picture.


The kids laughed when his candles kept relighting!
And I laughed when I saw all of them crowding around their Granddad helping him blow them out over and over! I laughed because back in May of 2020, at the kids' birthday party.......blowing out candles on a cake was a risky business!!

We have been busy as bees here today.
While we meant to go to the ranch, we couldn't leave with all the mess we'd made getting Christmas out - or at least some of it! There were open tubs scattered in the back yard and Louis Dean had all the gazebo furniture stacked up on the deck so he needed to put all that back. 
Louis Dean had some unfinished projects and I wanted to get the kitchen cleaned and decorated since the grands are coming next week to stay a few days while the new flooring will be replaced.
Never mind that the living room, foyer, porch, dining room, sewing room, main bathroom AND the gazebo are all trashed with decorations strewed about waiting to be put up.
What do you think? I bet the kids will help me!
AND I told them to bring their playing cards!
There will be a NUTS game marathon!

I have been doing some Christmas shopping and ordering some things on Amazon.....
but mums the word here in the journal.
The other day Logan and I were talking and I was telling her about something and she said, "Yes, I read about that on Linda's Life Journal. But you didn't write anything last night."

I love that the kids read my journal!



 

19 comments:

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wow, the Quads read your journal!! If you are all reading it now, you are such beautiful, smart, and wonderful kids!! Tabitha and Samantha are posing, and both in the same position!! Like you put them that way, and they just stayed! What a wonderful birthday Louis Dean had! Our house is the same as yours now. I am changing from Fall to Christmas and winter decorations, and there is nowhere to even walk!! Stuff everywhere and I am tripping over it all! I need to get it done before I kill myself!

Deanna Rabe said...

How fun! Happiest Birthday to Louis Dean!

Bluebird49 said...

Louis Dean looked so happy and nowhere near his age as Amber was bringing his cake. Having kids and kittens around is helping keep him young, I figure.
Tabitha and Samantha will keep you all running at the ranch, too, or are you leaving them with Amber? What days will you be there?
I'm sure Amber is really ready for her house to be back together. I don't know how she stays so cool -- (must take after her mom.)
Will you have Christmas at your house this year? Can you believe Thanksgiving is nearly here, and soon we'll be bidding "So long!" to Christmas and New Year's. Wow! I'm always amazed at how quickly a year passes.
Will you see Lillian before Thanksgiving? I think you and your family have brightened her life up so much. This hope the quads will be able to meet her someday.
😎
Have a fun little ranch vacation. Oh. I wanted to mention how fortunate you all were to have the mechanic to help so nicely, and how honest he was. I hope he has a nice Thanksgiving and Christmas, too!
💕💕

Hootin Anni said...

Such a joyous occasion! It's been years since I've had German chocolate cake.

Deb J. in Utah said...

Happy Birthday to Louis Dean! Dinner looked delicious. So glad it was such a wonderful family birthday! Enjoy your time at the ranch.

Estelle's said...

It is just amazing....that after following you for years now, LD seems to getting younger...not aging! Happiest of birthdays and what a lovely celebration!

MadSnapper said...

my favorite photo today is LD with his cake in frontof the window with all the balloons. when i saw his cake on facebook, i started to write hey, did you notice your cake is on fire? the candles that relight make it look like that. the kids can read about the party and and relive it over and over on your journal. I have not one family memeber including bob that ever reads my blog. not even the dog blog and they all love dogs.

Donna said...

Happy Birthday to Louis Dean!

Changes in the wind said...

I know you love those cats but I am afraid they would be the death of me the way they run off. That cake was so pretty, I hope it takes good too and happy birthday LD!!!!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

What a great celebration!. Happy Birthday ro Louis Dean ~ IT'S ALWYS GOOD TO HAVE A LAUGH AND THOSE CANDLES SURLEY DID IT !

Jan said...

Happy Birthday, Louis Dean

photowannabe said...

Awww..your ending sentences about your Grands reading your Journal is really thrilling. They sure love both of you. I love that picture in the heart..perfection!!
What a party for Louis Dean..He sure doesn't look or act like 85 for sure !!
Christmas will be here before we know it.
Our tree etc will be done right after Thanksgiving. Got to get the eBay selling stuff or debris put away before that can happen though...it seems it is never ending.
Sue of photowannabe
https://allredmop.blogspot.com

Vee said...

Happy Belated Birthday to Louis Dean🎈It sure looked like a good one or else he is making 85 look mighty fine! Wow. You must really have turned things upside down to postpone your trip to the ranch. Oh well, retired folk are as free as birds. I see that you have fun days ahead! 😁What am I talking about? You always have fun days ahead.

Carol said...

My mom is celebrating her 86th birthday today! We aren't doing anything really because I don't feel well today. I did get her a nice card and a blanket. It's a red blanket with white deer on it. Very warm, fuzzy, and pretty. I figure with Christmas coming, it is well worth buying it for her.

Vick said...

Another belated Happy Birthday Louis Dean. Loving life and living it to the fullest and wishing you many, many more happy, healthy birthdays.

Isn't it wonderful those smart kids love to read your journal. They are exceptional little people.

Carole said...

Lovely birthday celebrations! Cute kitties.. Cheers

Debbie said...

i have so many wonderful thoughts after reading this!! i can't believe ld is 85, that man is in such awesome shape and he looks wonderful!! pot roast is a great "birthday meal" he made a good choice!!

you look great, the cake looks great and i have tried to do 3rd grade math and i looked like a fool!!

i too loved the way ld was looking at amber, that picture is a keeper!!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Belated Happy Birthday wishes to Louis Dean and it looks like a wonderful family celebration as well! There is nothing better than an old fashioned meal and nothing can beat pot roast. He made a great dinner choice.

Jodi Walters said...

Happy Belated Birthday to Louis Dean. I know you made his day so special. How lucky you both are to have found each other! God is so good!!!
Blessings and Hugs from Chattanooga,
Jodi