Ruth Ann and Grandson Robert's Visit and Tuesday's Treasures!

 I'm playing catch up tonight as Life has been busier than usual this past week!

My Brother Buster called me on Sunday from Kansas City and we had such a good visit together!

Anna Marie is a bright ray if sunshine and it was good to hear both of their voices!

They are planning on driving down for a visit soon if the weather finally breaks!

Still hot and our ACs continue to hum and the monthly bill continues to climb even though we are on average billing plan! However, I am grateful for the AC and that we are no longer in daily triple digit numbers although it did hot 101 a few days ago!

Sunday was a real day of rest!

We watched church online and Louis Dean settled down to a football game - or two - or three!

Just as the Cowboys game ended, Grandson Robert and Ruth Ann arrived.

Robert drove from Brownwood to Breckenridge to pick up his Aunt Ruth Ann and drove down here to see us!

It has been a whole year since we last visited with them!

I served a salad supper using up the leftovers from my birthday party!

Win! WIN!!!

We lingered long at the table that night just talking and laughing and enjoying our time together!

I had chosen some new recipes for their visit and Monday morning I served an oven cheese omelet with biscuits, jelly, fresh fruit and thick sliced bacon.

Louis Dean and Ruth Ann talked for a good hour after the meal recalling shared memories of years gone by. He's known her since she was around 13 years old.

She and I left to do a little shopping and were gone the rest of the afternoon hitting up Home Goods, TJ Max, Target  and Kroger's! We both got too tired!

I guess we thought we would run around like we used to do!

We picked up a small Black Forest cake for June - her birthday is the 25th just one day after mine.

I had fruitcake cookies and pumpkin muffins for them and a pot of yellow mums.

We had a good visit and I got some attention from Sophie!!

She's a sweetheart and I met their 'new' old cat - Baby Doll!

No pics but she's beautiful. She looks like a pastel version of our Tabitha!

SO sweet!

When we got home I went straight to the kitchen to start dinner.

I had baked potatoes in the crock pot already....

so I put the pork loin in to roast.

It turned out really well!

Robert did the honors of slicing it up while Ruth Ann held the pan steady for him!

I love having meals at the dining room table!

Lots of memories were shared and they sat there well over an hour after we ate just reminiscing. 

I did the dishes and got Louis Dean's night medicine ready for him.

I give him half a small glass of water to take with them.....and we have made a game of what happens when he forgets to drink down every last drop!

I anoint him with it!!!

He's able to remember to dink it all nearly every single time now but he was distracted and wanted to get back to his conversation with Ruth Ann!!

I cried UNCLE and left them at the table while I went to take a shower and go to bed!

Louis Dean loved every minute with Robert and Ruth Ann!

Tuesday morning I served cereal, fresh fruit and blueberry muffins before we met up with Brenda at Texas Thrift.

I made a pretty good haul......

including this denim Chico jacket!

Ruth Ann scored with three pairs of slacks and eight tops! 

AND a window box for her garden shed!

We all said our goodbyes around 4:00 on Tuesday afternoon so they could get home before dark.

After all the excitement of Summer being here and my birthday party and then Robert and Ruth Ann's visit - we went in to an empty house!

I am so thankful for my family and friends.

Celebrating my 75th Birthday!!!

 Summer came in from Arkansas a few days early for my birthday so we could have some time together!!

She worked on our wonky front door locks on Thursday

and then we went out to do errands on Friday.

She did the fine tuning of the Front Door Project and I started preparations for a good Friday night dinner!

Our long time friend, Jimmy, came bearing the makings for a couple of exotic cocktails!

It was so much fun to visit and catch up!

We had a great evening together!

I made a big salad with everything in it but the kitchen sink!

Notice the Crispy Jalapeno pieces as a salad topping!

From Trader Joe's and so good!

Grilled pork chops, creamy cheese potatoes, garlic bread and ----

sweet potatoes!

Not pictured is the crockpot of yummy baked beans!

Magic ingredient is the A&W Root Beer!

We enjoyed our dinner and went off to bed after watching an early Season One episode of NCIS!

We left the 'kids' up to visit!

Saturday was a slow easy going day!

Along about 2:00 I took a shower and dressed.

Amber told me to expect her at 4:00 and I KNEW she had Party Plans up her sleeve!

Turns out all of my children did!

Amber, Mike and the kids swooped in with party making in tow!

Mike put this GIGANTIC 75 up in the den!

THIS went up in the kitchen and then Louis Dean and I were told to remain in the den while they put a party together!

The guests started to arrive and went in to help.

Let the evening begin!

The girls brought their band instruments and provided us with some good entertainment!!

Logan plays the Baritone - which has another name that I can't remember!

As a grandmother I could listen to them play all night!

Kailey plays the trombone and I love seeing her do it!

She would play this over and over because I would laugh every single time!

Trystan plays the oboe.....

While we stayed out in the den listening to the girls practice and visiting with one another,

Amber, Summer, Brenda and the guys were putting the party together!!

 Christmas Eve the girls will be doing a concert!

They have just had their instruments for a few weeks!

Once the food was all ready, we were called to come out to the kitchen!

Wow!

Such good food!!!

All set up and ready to eat!

My sweet Amber ordered everything from Costco and they all split the bill four ways!

I didn't need to do one single thing!

We took lots of pictures and had a truly wonderful evening!

It was so much FUN!!!

Everyone was all smiles from beginning to end!

After we ate, I opened all my cards and gifts!

From Trystan, Logan and Harrison!

I didn't get a pic of Kailey's but I will and can add it later as an edit.

The cards were my favorite!

Each one was special and touched my heart!

From the 'Boy!'

From Kailey!

From Logan!

From Billy and Brenda!

I LOVE this cup!!!

Presents and cake and EVERYTHING!!!

Next up?? NUTS!!!

There were so many of us we had to play in shifts!

It's an intense game!

But we all had a great time and everyone was a good sport!

NUTS!!! 

It's so STESSFUL but so much FUN!!!

The last thing we did was to take a group photo!

Amber brought her tripod and Mike had his super great phone and Jesse is a great photographer!

It was dark outside by this time so we gathered in the gazebo and Jesse placed the lights in the proper places to  get a good pic.

It was really HOT outside as it had been 101 degrees that day!

We were all sweating and not really comfortable - and still not one word of complaint or grumbling!!!

I will treasure this photo for the rest of my life and will keep the memories of this time always in my heart!

All four of my children and six of my eight grandchildren plus Sam's girlfriend, Nora, and Jesse's girlfriend, Rachel.

This was the very best birthday party EVER!!!

When everyone left, there was not one bit of clean up for me to do and they even took the trash out with them!!!

It was a magical gathering of friends and family!

Thank you ALL for the sweet cards, emails, messages and Facebook greetings for my birthday!!!

I love all of you!!!

A Day of Rest

 I didn't get up to the hospital on Wednesday morning until shortly after 9:00.

He was given the go ahead to be discharged and he was a happy camper!

Not one bit of pain during this adventure!

We had a visit from a Church of Christ Chaplain Ministry and it turns out this lady knows and went to church with my friend, Melba! It's such a small world.

Louis Dean took our pic (and I sent it to Melba!) and thought it was funny to get his big old foot in it!

He does have a sense of humor!

I made this short video for our friend in Finland  while we were waiting for his discharge paperwork from the hospital. That reminds me that when Amber was discharged after being in hospital for 54 days - Her stack of papers were over a foot high!!

It was after 2:00 when we finally left the hospital and I finally went out in the den and put my feet up to relax - thinking Louis Dean was happily playing in his room!

Alas, when I went back to the bedroom to get something - I could hear him outside in his storage building and when I went out there I saw him lifting things and pulling stuff out looking for something.

I had a huge meltdown! Only the second one ever with him.

It was an absolute conniption fit!!

I ranted and raved and yelled and cried and went slightly crazy!

For three months I am supposed to remind him NOT to lift his left arm above his head!!

I had to go to bed early because I had worn myself out with all that emotion I was spewing out!

I left him up in his room - he loves his room - and he stayed in there until about 3:00 this morning. 

I was still sleeping when I got up this morning and I was wondering if he would even remember how upset I was last night.

He joined me for coffee on the kitchen deck......

before I went to bed, I had taken a big black marker and wrote

DO NOT LIFT on his left arm and ONLY 5 POUNDS on his right one.

I rested today and didn't even make up my bed so I could crawl back into anytime I wanted to.

So I did decide to take a good nap and guess what woke me up???

The smell of spray paint! IN the music room.

He painted a shelf and then rigged up fans to blow on it so it would dry faster!

When I went in there he jumped! Then he said, "I was hoping to get this done before you woke up!"

Never a dull moment!

His truck is still in the shop and he misses it very much.

Never mind that he can't drive for two weeks!

He wants his truck BACK!

We are hoping to get down to the ranch the end of next week.

I have been missing that place.

Dean and Sherry have had a lot going on with the ground work in preparing a place for the house they bought to be moved there.

Dean was in Oklahoma last weekend to honor his Karate teacher, Ichiro Takahata.

Dean started Karate with Ichiro when he was 12 years old.

This is a photo of Louis Dean, his beloved wife Ellen, Ichiro, Dean, and Sherry.

The entire family was involved in Karate!

Tomorrow I will resume life but now I am going to go to bed early!