MONDAY! Monday!

It has been a Monday all day long! I LOVE Mondays! The whole week is fresh in front of you just loaded with possibilities! I was READY for this Monday since I took Sunday to REST! You know, I really am NOT the Energizer Bunny! I get as tired as the next 64 year old! For some reason God has given me the ability to PUSH through and keep going even when I am worn out! That's a GOOD thing and I am blessed.

 I THINK!! It may all catch up with me some day. But not today!

Amber sent me a text message last night saying she was sick!

I didn't see it until this morning since I was RESTING and already in bed asleep when she wrote it! Louis Dean and I arrived for the day by the time the quads were ready to feed at 10 am.

Amber quickly got a doctor's appointment!

She was NOT taking any chances with the babies' health and wanted to rule out strep or any other serious health issue.

I gave the babies all baths and stripped ALL bedding from pack and plays as well as cribs. Laundry ensued.

While I did the formula for the next 5 feeds Louis Dean did what he does best.

Hold babies!!! SING to babies!

He loves them all but Kailey has a special spot on his chest!

Once home Louis Dean gave Lucy a bath, lit the fireplace, and poured the wine while I cooked dinner......scalloped potatoes, garlic green beans, baked fish with rosemary, and garlic toast.

I think we have had a good Monday!

Now we are ready for the debate on TV tonite.

I just MAY be eating a couple of those Hostess Chocolate donettes you see in the background!!

I DO love my Mondays!!!

Christmas in July!

I ALWAYS do a 'Christmas in July' project!

 This year it is a pillow that I have wagged around with me since April! I finally started working on it in earnest this week while I am down here with the babies.

For over 30 years I taught an art class in my dining room every Tuesday night.

During the month of July we would listen to Christmas music, sip hot chocolate with peppermint stick stirrers and work on our Christmas painting.

Things have been a little different this year but I will still manage to finish this pillow by the end the week. I know! The project will be stretching into August! I can NOT believe today is July 31st!!

I have been down here in Houston watching babies grow!

And they ARE growing!

Right now they are the size of doll babies!

Can you tell who is the biggest?

Harrison, then Kailey, followed by Trystan and Logan taking turns at being the smallest. They won't stay little long so Amber takes every opportunity to put cute clothes on them.

We don't spend ALL of our time holding babies!

They are still feeding every three hours so Mom and Dad have to keep those bottles filled and waiting. Night feedings are still the biggest challenge but they won't last forever. I am going to start PRAYING for each one as I give that last bottle about midnight that they will sleep just a little longer between each night time feeding.

The number of diapers we go through in a day is staggering!

Every baby has his/her own chart where important information is logged in......

like the amount they drank and the contents of their diapers!

Have I mentioned how ORGANIZED Amber and Mike are?

You simply couldn't DO quadruplets without being organized!

Mike works for such an awesome corporation.

Each Monday and Thursday someone from his company shows up at the door with a full dinner! EVERY Monday and Thursday!!

And the meals are so GOOD!

We have had pot roast with all the veggies, brisket that melted in your mouth along with smoked sausage, potato salad, baked beans AND home made BREAD!!

Last night we had deliciously seasoned pork loin with fresh broccoli, roasted asparagus and rice WITH crescent dinner rolls and chocolate chip cookies.

I am telling you......these coworkers are AWESOME!!

While I have been away Louis Dean has continued work on the RV back home.

We should be moving it down her by the middle of August.

Every night - between feedings - I sit out in the front yard here while Louis Dean sits on the driveway 260 miles away at home and we have our evening glass of wine together.

It's not the same but it will have to do for now.

Our 'Camper Plans' are coming along and soon we will be together again and I can't wait. It is silly how much I miss that husband of mine! What makes it even nicer is that he misses ME, too!!

The last day of July! I just can't believe how time is FLYING by!!

A Little Wine and Some Turpentine...

Those are the ingredients for a lovely evening of art and conversation. You do NOT mix the two liquids together although they DO have a connection. We began our class time with a little glass of wine as we sat by the fireplace in the den......always white wine for me and usually red for Sabrina while Ruth Ann enjoyed a glass of Black Current tea. It had been a stressful day for me with the current kitchen project I have going....and I am certain my friends carried in a certain amount of cares as well. We were all looking forward to an art session! I have been teaching and at times merely HOSTING an art class here in my home on Tuesday evenings for 33 years! The dining room is transformed into a studio by placing a cardboard cover on the table and covering it with a layer of newspaper. We pull from the buffet (which looks like it should hold table linens and such) the essentials for an art night....oil paints, turpentine, brushes, paper towels. As we prepare to put brush to paint to canvas, we start with a prayer. Then we begin what Sabrina calls 'art therapy'. Sabrina is a delightful artist! She has a real gift for creating and although she has only been painting a few years, she has already received awards in art shows for her work. She has an amazing talent! Ruth Ann, my sister in law, is another Lovely Lady of Art. Her artistic expressions with thread and fabric are stunning as can be seen when you look at one of her quilts! She has recently turned HER hand to painting with wonderful results!

So on this winter evening in February, we three paused from the business of life and gathered together to relax and create....with a little help from the wine and the turpentine!