Taking A Blogging Break....

It's hard to believe I am doing a journal post with NO pictures!!

Okay! I simply can't do so I'll add just one!

Louis Dean has loaded the truck with his tools and materials as well as all the 'stuff' we take and we are heading down to the ranch and our camper this afternoon to begin what he says will most probably be his last building project! By closing in the deck, it will double our 'living space' and by adding a bonafide bathroom complete with shower, sink and toilet, it will greatly enhance our 'quality of life.'

We have to come back next Sunday because I have jury duty on Monday.

I plan on doing a lot of reading and writing which Louis Dean does a lot of working!

I am low on available data so I may not be able to blog this trip. We are looking into getting Internet down there pretty soon but not yet.

I will enjoy my time with the critters and visiting with Dean and helping LD in whatever way I can.

If you don't hear from me this week, don't worry! I'll be hanging out with the goats, chickens, peacocks, horses, geese and ducks!

T-Ball Game and Our Cousins Gathering!

Louis Dean is so excited about his coming building project that he woke up at 6:00 this morning and was at Home Depot by 7:00 to get the materials that he forgot to order yesterday.

He's serious about closing in the deck down at the ranch and he means to do it soon!

We had a busy morning!

Since he was already up - Granddad made it to watch the quads play T-Ball!

When we walked up, Kailey ran right past me to get to Granddad!

He's pretty popular!

Only Logan singled me out first!

That's my girl!

Look how cute Trystan is with her pretty pink shoes to match her helmet!

They were so much fun to watch!

Thanks to Amber for our CUBS shirts!!!

We went home to make tea and light the candles in time to welcome my siblings and cousins for an afternoon of eating, laughing and visiting!

Six ate in the dining room.....

and four of us in the den.

Yesterday Louis Dean baked a nice ham and everyone brought salads today and Gay brought a delicious chocolate cake! When I went to the dining room to see if they were ready for dessert, I discovered they had already HAD dessert!!

 So Nita, Charlie, Mike and I joined them in the dining room where we all scrunched up around the table dragging in extra chairs and a stool so we could visit all together!

We got to talking about our Granny and I pulled out some old photos.

Michele (Lonnie's wife) hadn't really seen photos of her before.

Let's just say that our Granny was not attractive and on that every single one of us agree!

Granddad, on the other hand, was an extremely handsome man!

Gay was telling us the family story about how Granddad never learned to drive a car.

Linton Anthony Whitfield met Myrtle Mae Hancock when they were both 17 years old.

They were married in 1912 and Granddad was devoted to Granny.

You should have heard Lonnie say, "If Granddad had just learned to drive, he might have found someone more attractive further down the road!"

I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes!!!

Granny was partial to her one and only son, Truman, and to his children and grandchildren, and that's the cousins we have become so close to these last few years.

Granny wasn't nearly as fond of her two daughters!

It was a great afternoon!!!

These are some of the photos we were looking at!

And these are some of Granny.

See what I'm talking about?

All too soon, our afternoon together was over!

Hard to get a good photo of everyone smiling!

Lonnie is not really frowning!

He just looks like he is!

A smile is getting closer!

Nearly!!

Yup!! I think this just might be his version of a SMILE!!

Thanks to Louis Dean for taking the pictures!

We all know how he dislikes doing that!

After everyone was gone, Louis Dean and I went out to the gazebo and put our feet up.

The day had been in the upper 80's and in a matter of an hour or two, the temps had dropped 20 degrees!!! 

I think we made some good memories today!

How Does Our Garden Grow? And Ready to Party!

I must be an impatient gardener because every single morning, I take my coffee out to inspect the vines! The tomatoes are growing nicely and the okra is sporting flowers!

I picked a pepper today!!!

This is my very FIRST garden ever!!!

Louis Dean and I grew onions in between the landscaping plants in our early married years.

Then we grew tomatoes and peppers in pots in later years.

But THIS is our first bonafide GARDEN!!!

I am breathless in anticipation of those tomatoes turning RED!!!!!

I spent the day getting ready for our Cousins' Gathering tomorrow.

Louis Dean spent the day ordering materials for closing in the deck at the camper.

It was a Win! WIN!! for both of us!

The house is clean and I have my Angel Graham Bars ready to serve!

Louis Dean cooked a picnic ham and it is DELICIOUS!!!

I baked homemade croutons because I had some dry French bread and Amber dearly loves croutons!

Not that I have any salad fixings for tomorrow!

Still! That bread did NOT go to waste!!

I scarfed a few of them and they are GOOD!!!

I made bouquets from the fresh things I have in the yard......a little honeysuckle, rosemary, mint and various sprigs and branches from ground cover and shrubbery! 

The den table set for four.....

The dining room set for six.....

I am so looking forward to seeing my siblings and cousins.

We have been doing these gatherings for a few years now.

It's been wonderful!

All is ready.

The night is still young......

I closed the rain curtains on the gazebo while Louis Dean was taking a bubble bath.

We will sit out there with our evening wine and visit until we get sleepy.

I feel so blessed!

Home and husband.

Family and friends.

God is good to me!

And that's the truth!!!

I love you, Louis Dean!!!

A Quiet Day.....

It was a quiet day here at the Chapman's. 

I took my coffee out to the back yard this morning where I hovered over the tomato plants searching for a little color. So far they are all still as green as green can be. I pulled up a few green onions as my consolation prize and served them with Bean Soup and crackers for our lunch.

I used the ham bone Stephanie gave me and this last bowl was as delicious as the first one!

Tomorrow Louis Dean will be baking a big ham for The Cousins' Gathering and I am already looking forward to the Navy Beans I will be cooking with that ham bone!

After our reading this morning, Louis Dean went out in the back yard to play work and sort his tools.

He's planned and ordered the materials to close in the 31 foot deck at the camper. Now he's loading all the tools he will be needing and he's just as happy as he can be! That man dearly loves a building project! While he was outside, I went back to bed for an hour or so. I love that I can do that!

I've been cleaning and nesting and fluffing and getting the house ready for Saturday.

There will be 10 of us and I have the dining room table set for 6 and the den table laid for 4.

Or we might just pull up stools and chairs and scrunch up together so we can hear all the conversations.

Louis Dean and I met back in the gazebo for our breaks throughout the day.

I just came in from blowing the leaves and such out. Wish I could use a blower in the house! Actually, I have seen Louis Dean blow the leaves out of the sewing room in the fall when the wind sends them sailing in through the open French doors.

We are truly enjoying these mild days and cool evenings.

I go out and turn all the little lights on before dark.

My sister, Nita, gave us a LED light projector that sends tiny green lights all the way up the elm tree and shines through the netting of the gazebo. You can barely see them on the left side at the top.

They are the coolest things!!

I love days like this so much that I think I will have another one just like it tomorrow!!

Quad Monday, Art Tuesday and Our Wednesday......

While I intend to journal at the end of every day.....sometimes I am simply too tired to sit down and try to make sense and order of it. It helps that I take lots of photos for this helps me document better the order and sequence of it all. I keep two journals. One online here and the other in my Country Diary. When I fall behind in my handwritten one, I can reference back to my journal.Tonight I am catching up on both!

Quad Monday arrived late and that was okay because we had Grandson Robert here and were enjoying our visit with him. He had already helped his Granddad on Sunday and they were both in the den talking about the news and events when I woke up. I had time to get organized for the day and prepare lunch just in time for the quads arrival.

Harrison was excited to see his Aunt Ruth Ann!!

When you add Robert and the quads all together - it was fun like a party!!!

I had lunch all ready and the kids bowed their heads as Harrison led in the prayer.

We had rice topped with a meat and vegetable dish, fluffy salad, watermelon wedges and other things that I can't even remember as I write this on a Wednesday night. We all ate well!!

The girls were excited over their recent trip to Target to redeem the points they had earned!

They were soaking small colored capsules in hot water and finding the little critters they turned into.

Ruth Ann held down the fort.......

while Granddad worked the garden soil and Harrison and I made a run to the Dollar Store!

He is such a helper!!!

I needed to get some oyster crackers for the Dilly Bits the girls requested!

Since they arrived late - this was a no nap day so we had extra time to DO THINGS!!!

I love this picture!!

Grandson Robert working away and the kids are hovering around Granddad!

We are getting ready to transplant the watermelon and cantaloupe seedlings into the garden.

You can see the healthy tomatoes behind me! They are growing like crazy but so far they are all still green!!! I bet you will be able to hear me whoop and holler when they turn red!!

Having fun at MeeMaw and Granddad's!!

This little guy is so cute and so SWEET!!!!

There was plenty of time to play in the sandbox.

The girls always find time to gather at my sewing machine and create something.

I meant to take a picture of the bracelet Logan made using markers and paper and tape.

We played the new game together they got that very morning!

It was a great day and we enjoyed every minute with them!

While Granddad went in to cook dinner, we did Rule #7 of The Rules of the House.

These came from Bill Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles......from many, many years ago.

I was surprised at how MUCH the kids can eat!!!

Gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans filled out the menu!

Celebrating our day!

We ended with a Paw Patrol which is Louis Dean's favorite program!!!

GOODBYE!!!!!

And THAT was our Quad Monday!!!

We went right on in to our Tuesday - Ruth Ann and I!

I picked her up at 10:30!

We seldom have that early of a morning after a Quad Monday but we did it this week!

Ruth Ann and I shopped Goodwill in Dallas before taking Amber to her doctor appointment.

Then we had lunch and a little shopping at Central Market.....next best thing to HEB!!!

We did the school pick up and treated the quads to Yogurt!!

Cutie Patooties!!!

Took them home and Ruth Ann and I headed back to Irving for one more Goodwill stop!

This was my haul!

I'm hosting our Siblings/Cousins Gathering on Saturday and will be using these stemmed glasses!!

The grands will all enjoy this croquet set this summer!!!

I scored big on these sandals!!!

The Wolky ones retail for $169 and these were just like new!

I wore the Josef Seibel ones while I finished shopping and they were so comfortable!!

Both pairs were less than $5 each!

I'm always happy when I get some new debris!!!

I had promised Ruth Ann and Sherry some leftovers from Quad Monday Dinner - but that didn't happen!! It was all gone by Tuesday evening so Louis Dean made another round!!

Win! WIN!!!

Art at the far end of the table and dinner down at this end!

Art Class!

This painting is now proclaimed DONE!!!!

Ruth Ann still needs to sign her name!

While I meant to journal last night -I was beyond tired and took myself to bed!! I bet I was asleep within 30 minutes after art class.

Grandson Robert has turned over a new leaf!

He used to stay up all night and sleep late into the day.

He and I have traded places!

This morning - at 11:00 - he knocked on my bedroom door and said he would be leaving soon!

I rallied around and came out to tell him goodbye and the I went back to bed.

I haven't heard back from the doctor so I am supposing my tiredness is deserved - as she surmised at my visit last week~!

It was a much cooler day than yesterday!

Louis Dean worked in the back yard and on his storage building and I worked in the house.

At lunch - which was LATE in the afternoon - we watched Madam Secretary while we ate and then went back to our projects.

By day's end we met up in the gazebo and filled out or vote by mail ballots for the Irving elections.

Louis Dean had stayed up most of the night working on the plans to close in the deck at the camper and make us a room to use much as we do the gazebo here at home.

My work consisted of cleaning the bedroom. I started at the back of the house and will work my way to the front. Being ready for the party on Saturday is my goal.

Of all the rooms in our house, I love our bedroom the most!

Behind these mirrors is my closet.

I changed out the wardrobe from fall/winter to spring/summer today.

It was a job!

I haven't changed sizes very much through the years so I still have things from 30+ years ago!

If you keep it long enough - it comes back in style!!