Friday - Trick or TREAT!!!!

It was FRIDAY so that meant I had to don my witch's hat, get on my broom and FLY!!!

Donna called to tell me Mother was ready and I was just getting on the road good!!

I told her to tell her what I ALWAYS tell her - "Sit there and look PRETTY!!!"

A beauty shop is a great place to people watch and there are always good magazines!

I was literally FLYING out the door!!!

Mother was ready and waiting!!

She should NOT have been surprised that I 'dressed up' - but she was!!

Our restaurant of choice today was The Golden Corrall and it was GOOD!!!

Mother ate two plates FULL of fried catfish with tartar sauce. She also had ice cream. TWO bowls!

After lunch we had some shopping to do. First Hobby Lobby and then The Dollar Store.

Mother seems to be frail these days. She walks with a cane and it's not easy getting in and out of the car. She was in good spirits, though.

We had fun!

I brought Slim Pickins over to see her!

She loved him!!

She was with Louis Dean when he bought him but I guess she didn't hear him play then.

This just made her laugh and laugh!!!

I loved it!

We left a first batch of book markers the quads painted on Wednesday for all the aunts and one for Andie.

I added some quotes to them that I picked up at Hobby Lobby today.

I have been making book markers for YEARS with my kids!!

I bet Amber and Benjamin made HUNDREDS!!! Really!!

We mailed them to soldiers in the Gulf War, to missionaries, to friends and family.

I am working on my first mailing out of book marks so they should arrive in mailboxes across the country by the early part of next week. Wednesday the quads will be painting MORE so I can just keep mailing them!!! Make sure I have your address! I am getting a collection! This is going to be FUN!

I love the memories associated with old book markers!

This was one my mother made in 2001. She suffered a stroke in 2005 and has not been able to write since. I treasure this keepsake!

I have a collection of hats and wore them ALL at one time or another today!

We watched a couple of vintage horror movies - one with Vincent Price!!

The Haunting was our second feature before night began to fall and we moved our party outside.

We were all set!!! Wine in his Goblin Goblet - iced tea in mine! Candy at hand!

Lights and torches lit! It's time to TRICK or TREAT!!!

Goblins and Milky Ways!!!

This is a special trick or treater named David.

He has been coming here to our porch on Halloween night for three years. His mom said they moved to Bedford but they still drive back to Irving to see us!! That deserved another hand FULL of candy!!! Thank you, David, for making our night so special!

We had some SURPRISE visitors!!!

I was in such a flurry of excitement - my video is a bit blurry!!!

This one is better!

You gotta love a good looking cowboy!

Cute Mommy and Daddy!!!

I had absolutely NO IDEA they were coming!!!

We were sitting out there waiting for kids to arrive and up walked this cute little girl!

I said, "Oh! LOOK!!! She's so CUTE!!!" Then I realized it was KAILEY!!!

They swarmed the porch and it was FUN like a PARTY!!!

( I  always think of YOU, Megan, when I say that!!!)

It still amazes me to see how these little people have grown!!!

They do love to dance!!

We had a ball watching them and then they were off to visit others!

I think they had a really FUN first 'real' Halloween!!

We were still sitting on the porch basking in the glow of the quads' unexpected visit when we had another extra special group of people arrive!! Tim and his family lived across the street from us for several years! Little Nikki - the sweet lavender butterfly - is the same age as Rayne! Brittany (in the white sweater) was just a little girl when they moved in over there! Tray was a wee boy! They are both practically GROWN now!!! Life changes happen and they moved across town a few years back but we still keep up with each other through Facebook. And every Halloween we sit for a few minutes together on our front porch.

This has been a good day! A good visit with Mother and fun times with good friends and seeing the young grow up a little more each year. Our candy dishes are empty. The lights have been turned out.

Tomorrow is another day......

"We're at MeeMaw's House!!!"

Amber pulled up in our driveway yesterday with a carload of happy two and a half year olds!!!

They came to spend the day at MeeMaw's house!!!

They arrived around 10:00 am and Granddad had been pacing around the place just WAITING!

The weather was perfect! No A/C on and the French doors open to the fresh air.

The kids could go in and out at will!

My sister, Deanie, had sent a big bag of toys home with me Friday and the kids LOVED playing with them!

They returned to them off and on all.day.long.

Thank you, AUNT DEANIE!!!!

Shades of things to come.......Kailey looks JUST like a teenager here!!

She has her little cup with an ice cube in it - holding the water hose for her sisters!

"Hey, come BACK here!!!"

Love it!

That little blow dryer was a REAL HIT!!!

Harrison dried ALL the girls hair and then his own!!

My old camera is always a treasure for Kailey!

I stooped down to take her picture and the next thing I know - she stopped down to take mine!!!

I stood back up - and so did she!

We had a craft time outdoors. The kids enjoyed painting and I added the names and mouths.

Will embellish them the next session!

There is ALWAYS music if Granddad is around!

We had a good lunch and enjoyed it out on the side deck!!

Naps followed - for ALL six of us!!!

We took pretty GOOD naps, too! Everyone - and I do mean everyone slept from about 1:15 - 3:00!

So guess what the very first thing the kids wanted to do when we all got up????

Have a TEA PARTY!!!

They picked out their own cups. I also have little stemmed (plastic) glasses and some NOT stemmed.

I think Harrison thought they were broken!

Granddad always joins us in our parties when he can!

Love my little tea drinkers!

LOVE this pic!!!!

Just for the record, our tea is herbal decaf and not sweetened!

When they start to whine I know that's my cue to change activities!!!

Just LOOK at how swiftly Kailey's attitude changes!!!!

Can't wait to meet HER when she is 17 years old!!!

Wait!!! Yes, I CAN wait!!!

SUCH a sweetheart!!!

Harrison is so kind and compassionate in nature - I wonder if God will call him into the ministry!

Trystan kept saying she was at MeeMaw's house and Harrison looked straight at Granddad and said , "Granddad's house, TOO!"

Sweet Logan.....

They all have such different personalities and yet they all love and play and relate to each other so well.

From the sand box we went inside to the dining room.

I had left the art table out from the night before so the kids could do a little water coloring....and coloring and using the colored pens and pencils. I have LOTS of art supplies!

I love to make bookmarks with them!!!

By the way, if YOU would like to have one I would LOVE to mail it right to you!!

Just send me you address in a private email or Facebook message.

I have a stack of them ready to give away and will be taking some to Fort Worth tomorrow.

If I already have your address, watch for one to arrive in YOUR mail box soon!!!

I had to share this photo! It's not often to see Louis Dean when he is not looking cute and/or handsome! I think he was reading the obituaries!

Watch how Kailey mimics his expressions!

Two peas in a pod!

He corralled her and one other while the other two were busy in the house while I made dinner!

Four cheese tortellini with pumpkin pasta sauce (from Target!) cooked along with hamburger and onions. 

Seriously good!!!

Those place mats are coming in handy!

Butterscotch chip cookies for dessert!

AND the Fruit Snacks their Aunt Luann had left for them on Sunday!

Baths after dinner and our day was nearly done!!!

I bathed each one separately and as I said, "You're DONE!" and lifted them out - each and every one of the four said, "Thank you!" Their parents are doing such a good job teaching them manners.

Sometimes the very BEST part of the day is saved for the LAST!

I included this pic just because I LIKE it!!!

The kids were in SUCH a good mood and enjoying running around the house and laughing!!!

Oh, how precious these memories are to me now and will be to me forever!

They became very skilled in all the turns and corners of this house!

Not ONE thing was broken or even bumped the whole time they were here!

Nor did they get into ANYTHING they weren't supposed to!!

Pretty amazing.

Mommy and Daddy came to fetch them back to Quadville - but we prolonged it a little while longer!

Enjoyed seeing them so happy!

Need I say that not only did WE wear the quads out - THEY wore US out, as well!!!

We went to bed tired to the bone but woke up this morning ready to do it again!

NEXT Wednesday!!! I so could NOT do this every day and can only imagine that Amber can because of her youth and God's amazing grace!!

Today I had a late morning appointment with my urologist and I received a GOOD report!!

Infection all gone!! I am greatly relieved and will go back in six weeks just as a precaution and recheck. YES!

Tonight Louis Dean played at the jam session he has every Thursday evening.

A bunch of  old men playing some very good music!

You can tell they LOVE to play!!!

I didn't get a good video of MY guy so I thought I would show you this one!!!

I just LOVED this guy!!!

We all love Amazing Grace.

Then at the last we all sing Happy Trails.

It was a good night!

I close this Thursday's journal entry with two old photos of Louis Dean.

They were both taken in 1960 - different times of the year.

The first shows he has always loved music and guitars.

Ellen bought this one for him from Montgomery Wards.

He is adorable here and he still IS!!!

His brother, Alton Ray, and his sister, Linda, and Louis Dean.

Both brothers were in the army at the same time and came home for their daddy's funeral.

Sadly, Alton was killed a few years later in a hunting accident.

Both of these pictures hang in our dining room and Louis Dean looks at this one of his brother and sister every single day.

Long post! I KNOW!!!

Time to sit on the driveway with a glass of wine.

LOVE this cooler weather!

Tuesday - I'm BACK!!!!!!

I am so HAPPY to have had SUCH a good Tuesday!!!

I hit the jack pot at Goodwill!!!

The little clerk was as cute as she could be!!!

She had ducked down behind the counter and I told her to get in the photo!!!

It's FUN to go to the Goodwill!!!

Ruth Ann and I started off this Tuesday with a really GOOD movie!!!

We found one that was right up our alley!

Here's some of my treasures!!!

All the Halloween stuff was 50% off PLUS my senior discount of 25%!!!

Win! WIN!!!

A few treasures with the Native American CD music I gave Jesse, Jr for his birthday in the background!

I bought 14 place mats!!!! $0.25 each!!

THREE witch hats!!! You can never have TOO many!!!

I also got little shirts for the quads and have already washed them!

They were 75% off, too!!

This is so CUTE!!!! We are starting a collections of these creative Snowmen!!!

This sturdy pumpkin is a treasure! $0.75!

I LOVE love LOVE this basket!

Chock full of dried things - from wheat to leaves to flowers!

The marble coasters are from Union Gospel Mission and were $0.75 each.

I saw them a few weeks back but my heart wasn't in me to stand in line for them.

I don't think I was feeling well that day.

So I met them again this afternoon and brought them home with me!!!

When I got back home Louis Dean was right where I left him!!!

Working on the fence!

We have so many projects to do!

I started painting the house - with Ruth Ann's help SEVEN years ago - right before I had knee replacement surgery- and have continued to work on it since - but it is STILL not finished!!!

Nor is the HOLE in my house fixed! One task at a time.......

We are working desperately to get as much finished and repaired and updated as possible.

Neither one of us is 65 anymore!

I put away all my treasures and heated up Taco Soup for our supper.

It tasted as good tonight as it did on Saturday!

It was a Merry Christmas kind of art class!!

We were all hard at work basing in our paintings.

I tell them it is not SUPPOSED to look good at this point!!!

Just get the paint ON the canvas!

This is what it looks like at 8:00 here on Tuesday night!

I worked on Nita's Santa's hand......and then glazed him - forgetting his hand was wet!

Oops!!! I may have to give him to her WET!!!

This has been a GOOD Tuesday!!!

Guess what is going to happen tomorrow???

Normally WE go to Quadville on Wednesday.

Tomorrow QUADVILLE comes to US!!!!

We are so excited!