A Family Weekend! Louis Dean is Now a Great-great-GREAT Granddad!!!

 We used to go to Snyder out in west Texas to visit with granddaughter, Chandy, and her family at least once a year. We aren't traveling much these days and so I'm thankful that we made all those visits when we could. Chandy and husband Chris and their three youngest children live in the country and raise chickens, goats, ducks and all kinds of critters including donkeys! It's a great life but it is more desert than farm land but rattlesnakes are plentiful. They can't leave the place often due to caring for all their critters so they did a lot of planning and came to visit us late Thursday afternoon.

The cats were a little skitish but soon made friends with all of them.

Since I wasn't sure what time they would arrive but I wanted to have some food ready.

A charcuterie board seemed like the perfect light meal.

I'm a big fan of Aldi grocery stores and find many intersting things to try...

as in this bacon bread cheese. I served it cubed and cold with a dipping sauce of maple syrup, but it one cheese that you can actually grill as it doesn't melt!

I'll be trying that next time.

I had also made a fresh batch of spiced pumpkin muffins which they all loved.

Louis Dean and Chandy went to the music room while Chris entertained the kids in the den.

As happens so often these days, Louis Dean couldn't find the pics for Chandy to play the autoharp.

They spent a good time talking about music and memories and Chandy assured her granddad she would stop at a music store on her way back over the next day and picked some up.

They didn't stay with us as Chandy's best friend lives in the area and they wanted to see each other so they stayed in a convenient hotel.

This was their family mini vacation so they took the kids sightseeing during the day and come over for dinner and music Friday evening.

We are so proud of Chris and Chandy.

While Louis Dean and Chandy played music, 

Bella counted things.....like how many lamps I have then how many mirrors!

They plan to come back over the Christmas holiidays and I told her she could count Christmas trees and wreaths!

Chandy didn't forget the pics and she and her Granddad played a lot of good music together.

He was a happy man!

Chandy is pretty amazing!

Not only does she work full time from home, she also homeschools her three younger children as well as take care of the critters. AND she plays beautiful music!

I loved seeing Louis Dean so happy!

Jaxon may be playing the autoharp someday all by himself.

It was a wonderful evening.

Dinner on Friday night was Golden chicken pasta, garlic toast and a garden salad.

By 9:30 the evening was over and Louis Dean and I sat up with a glass of wine basking in the glow of spending time with family.

When we woke up Saturday morning, Louis Dean remembered that Chandy had been there and that they had played music together. He said, "Good!! I'm not crazy! But who were those children?"

I explained they were his great-grandchildren and that later that evening, his oldest great granddaughter was coming with Aliya - Louis Dean's first great-great-granddaughter!

Chris and Chandy had spent the day at the Dallas Zoo and they arrived late that afternoon completely exhausted!! 

While they went off to Braum's to buy ice cream, Bella and I played pick up sticks!

Turns out - she was really good at that!

After ice cream, we all went in to the cool air conditioned house to rest.

They put a movie on for the kids and Chris and Chandy both took naps in the den while LD and I went in our room for a nap.

I was up an hour later and started Taco Soup per grandson Piercyn's request. I'd gone to the Mexican bakery here in Irving and bought a dozen Mexican cookies which were a big hit later that night.

Snyder, Texas is a good four hours away and Kaitlyn and her husband, Sammy, drove down to see us.

She wanted her Granddad to meet Aliya who is just a year old.

We had such a good time talking and laughing together!

This is Aliya, Kaitlyn and Sammy and we are so proud of this young family!

We are hoping they will return to visit during the Christmas holidays and stay here with us in the guest room.

We sat down to eat dinner and stayed at the table until 8:30.

I had made a Dr Pepper cake for dessert.

Even though Kaitlyn and Sammy had driven four hours to get here, they were only able to stay for two hours before they turned around and started driving home.

What a beautiful gift of time they gave Louis Dean.

Right before everyone left I took a group photo of the family!

I should have done that before dinner!

By 9:00 they were on their way home.

It was a long weekend and took a lot of energy for all of us but worth every single minute.

While Louis Dean may not remember all this in the coming days, everyone else will.

It's important to connect to family as often as we can....while we can.

I'm pretty sure everyone spent some time today resting and recovering!

I slept until nearly 1:00 this afternoon and then took a nap from 5:00-7:00.

Chandy called us this evening to say goodnight - and it wasn't even 9:00 yet!

We have a slower week coming up with getting stem cells in my left eye and seeing my surgeon about my hip. Thrifting on Tuesday and Summer will arrive at some point later on.

We are just seven days away from September First!

I'll be making celebration plans for that day.....getting out the Neil Diamond CDs, gathering the ingredients for pumpkin muffins, fruitcake cookies. I'll light a special pumpkin candle, drink from my oldest fall coffee cup that I have used for the last 30 years. I'm glad I bought two at Marshall's Pottery way back when as one of them got broken.

August has gone by in the blink of an eyeit seems.

I intend to enjoy every single moment of September 2025.....