Repairs and replacements

 Well, our winter lasted about a week. We were fortunate that we didn't have any trouble from the ice and cold. We hunkered down and watched it from inside our cozy house. We both were suffering with chest colds during that time, so it wasn't even like we felt like getting out anyway. All of the ice and snow have now melted, and the temperature has been mild this week. I've been enjoying going outside, sitting in my chair, and just soaking in the sunshine. (Our colds are pretty much gone, too.)

Since I spent a solid week in the house, I was able to double down on a baby blanket that I was knitting for our new granddaughter who is supposed to make her appearance in late June or early July. This was my first "big" knitting project. I made some mistakes, as I ALWAYS do, but it still turned out cute and so soft! Kacey kept trying to get it while I was working on it, and I had some leftover yarn, so I ended up crocheting a little doll blanket for her. That child loves blankets and quilts!

Kacey's doll blanket

I like to start the new year doing those cleaning projects that I don't normally get around to. I had the carpet cleaned after the holidays were over. Now I've started doing a deep ceiling to floor cleaning, one room at a time. I just try to do one room every week or so, because this old body really complains to me afterwards! So far I've done our bedroom and bathroom and the large guest room. I'm hoping to tackle the hall bathroom this afternoon and the hall and entryway early next week. Then I'll have to take a few weeks off.

I've been struggling with carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel syndrome for quite some time. It has steadily worsened to the point that it needs treatment. My left hand used to just go numb and ache while doing handwork or driving. Now it happens when I'm not doing anything. So I am scheduled for surgery next Wednesday. I had carpal tunnel release in my right hand about 2-3 years ago, and it was a really easy surgery to recover from. This one will be a little rougher, since they will also be working on my elbow (cubital tunnel release), but I'm still expecting an easy recovery period. Probably won't be doing any knitting or crocheting for a few weeks though!

Back in late December, just before Dennis left on his South Texas hunting trip, my oven died. After doing a little research, I decided it was probably the igniter and ordered a new one. It arrived while Dennis was gone, so he was able to repair my oven as soon as he returned home. I was SO glad that we were able to save my range! I looked at replacements, and I couldn't find anything that I liked as well as the one I have. I'm hoping it will last me many more years!

I wasn't so lucky with my dishwasher. It started acting up a few weeks ago. It kept giving me an error message after every wash cycle. It eventually quit but then started having drain problems and giving me a different error message. We played around with it and finally decided it was probably a faulty "brain". So Dennis told me to pick out a new one. He installed it last Saturday. I really loved my old dishwasher (which was 10-11 years old), so I bought another Bosch. They are so quiet and clean so well! This new one is even quieter than my old one (which was very quiet), which is a big plus since our living room and kitchen are open to one another. This one has the 3rd tray rack for silverware and utensils, which I am loving. It also has a feature where you can set the door to pop open at the end of the cycle to let steam out. I'm also liking that! I hope I get many years of use from this one.

I hope all of you made it through the winter storm ok and are staying well!

Ps 147:12, 16-17 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion...He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

 

Just Living Life

 Things have been pretty wet and stormy around here lately! Thankfully, we haven’t had anything other than rain and lightning/thunder. We had a little hail last week, but it wasn’t heavy at all…no damage from it. I am very thankful for all of the rain! Our lakes are full, which is a very good thing around here. Hopefully, we can make it through the summer with no water restrictions.

Things have been fairly routine around here. Dennis is spending most of his time working on the church house remodel and going to (routine) doctor appointments. After having had a stroke, those doctors really like to keep a close eye on him! Everything is fine, though. He does need cataract surgery, but he’s putting it off until after our vacation.

I try to keep busy with my various crafts and bread baking. We get to see the littles about once a week or so. Earlier this month, they spent the night with us while their parents went to a Ranger’s game with Ricky’s boss. They were good, as always. They came over Monday with their mom and spent the day. Archer and Grandad spent most of their time building a bird house. Archer is so good with his hands. He can drive and pull nails very well! He loves to work!

We had a couple of visits with Sheila’s family last week. Nam had a choir concert last Tuesday, so we met up with them and Andy and Sherry for supper, then headed over to the school. Then on Saturday, they took us out for a belated Mother’s Day lunch. Nam gets out of school this week, so he’s planning to come spend the night early next week. It gets harder to plan sleepovers as he gets older. We look forward to each and every one!

When the littles spent the night, Kacey was helping me take clothes out of the dryer and grabbed a pair of pj pants that I’d recently made. For some reason, she really liked them and wanted to wear them. I ended up tying them around her waist, and she kept them on the rest of the day. So I tried to come up with something I could make her using the leftover material that I had. I ended up making her a little apron that she could wear anytime she likes. Of course, since I was making her one, that meant Archer wanted one, too. So I found some blue material and make him one. (He wore it all day today while working in the shop with Grandad.) Kids are happy with such simple things!

Kacey in her new apron

Archer's apron

I’ve also recently tried my hand at some easy furniture refinishing. I’ve had this old chair that used to be Sheila’s. It has sat in the corner of the small guest room for years, just being used as a place to stack pillows. It was in pretty bad shape and wasn’t fit for sitting on. I had bought some material when we were in Paris last month just because I thought it was pretty. I didn’t have anything specific that I had planned to use it for, but I knew it would be useful for something eventually. So I decided to recover the chair’s seat. Then I made a pillow cover for a kid-sized pillow to lean against the back of the chair (which wasn’t cushioned). I bought some paint to match the material and repainted the chair frame. I really like how it turned out! Now it is actually fit to sit in! Doing that inspired me to do another project. We’ve had my old piano bench just sitting in the corner of the dining room. I mostly just use it to set my sewing machine cover on or to move my table runner to when entertaining. It was stained a dark brown and had scratches all over it. So I painted it and lined it with wallpaper to use as storage for my trivets, hot pads and bowl cozies. It actually looks like it belongs in the space now. I have one more piece of furniture that I eventually want to refinish. Not sure when I’ll get around to it though. It is fun to try new crafts!

We plan to leave on vacation in about 2 ½  weeks! It will be our first big trip since 2020. We are really getting excited! We plan to see Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Yosemite, and the Sequoia National Park. I’ll share pictures once we return. I can’t wait to see everything! We’re hoping these old bodies hold up okay to all of those hours riding in the car! We try to space out our travel, so as not to be too hard on them.

I am really enjoying my new “laundry stool”. It is a real knee-saver! I’ve also used it for other things. I like being able to roll around so easily while doing a job. Dennis has used his for years for many purposes. I’m glad that he got me my own to use!

Well, I guess that’s all for now. I hope to have a lot of beautiful pictures to share with you in a little over a month. Take care and stay cool!

Ps 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions-

Out with the Old, in with the New

Winter has definitely set in. Of course, we always have nice days interspersed with cold ones here in North Texas (one of the many reasons I like living here). Last week, we missed most of the snow that everyone else got. We got some, and it was beautiful coming down, but it didn’t really stick…just a light dusting. I’m so glad that all my grandkids got enough to play in though.  I really enjoyed seeing the pictures and videos of them! Another blue norther came through today. No precipitation is predicted, but the temperatures are supposed to be pretty chilly.  I don’t get out much when the thermometer drops below freezing. I made my (hopefully) final run to Walmart today, so I should be stocked up for hibernating. 😊

This was about the most coverage we got.

We had a sleepover with Archer and Kacey in early December, so their parents could attend Ricky’s work party. As usual, they were really good! Then a couple of weeks later, their family all came over for an early Christmas celebration. They were heading to New Mexico the next week. So fun watching the kids with their presents! I think Kacey like the little crocheted ornaments the best. LOL!

On the 17^th, we did our annual viewing of “White Christmas” at the Palace Theatre in Grapevine. Gwen and Gina went with me. We met up at Diane’s house, where she and Debbie P were waiting. Then the 5 of us rode together and had supper at Uncle Julio’s. It was Taco Bar Tuesday, so we decided to go with that. We had a blast! Then off to see the movie, where we met up with the rest of the gang. It was great, as always! The drive home was even fun, since I had Gina and Gwen with me. I love our girls’ outings!

We were so shocked and saddened by the death of James Speed! When Dennis came in to tell me, I kept waiting for someone to call and say they’d made a mistake. He was way too young to be gone! My heart absolutely breaks for Chelsey and the kids. He was such a special guy, and we will all miss him terribly. His funeral was in Paris, so we went the night before to get in a little extra visiting time with Stephen’s family.

We had our 5^th Sunday guest speaker and potluck on the 29^th. Layne was our speaker. After the assembly, everyone came over here for lunch. I made a big pot of jambalaya and some homemade ciabatta bread for the occasion. It was great spending time together and enjoying good food.

Sheila’s family came over on New Year’s Day for our annual seafood boil. We all look forward to that! It’s a once-a-year treat. Of course, we enjoy every opportunity to visit with them, too!

Ricky’s family came over and spent last Saturday. We went out to lunch, then went shopping downtown. The littles really enjoyed the outing (as did we adults) ! Archer especially loved Garrett’s Pawn Shop. They have a practice of handing out free ice cream sandwiches to their customers. The guy who runs the place took a shine to Archer and also gave him a free toy race car. That little guy made out like a bandit!

Ricky worked out of town last week, so Amber and the kids had planned to come spend the night. With the weather turning bad, and knowing we’d all be stuck indoors, we figured we’d all enjoy the change of pace. However, Archer woke up with a fever the morning they were supposed to come. Poor little guy felt rotten for about 3 days! He was heartbroken (as were we) that he couldn’t come over. Thankfully, Ricky was able to come home Wednesday night to get ahead of the storms. I know it helped Archer having his dad back home!

Ricky is supposed to be working out of town next week, too, so we are going to try again. Amber and the kids plan to spend a couple of nights and then head out to be with Ricky for the weekend. Hoping that nothing gets in the way this time!

Rosie was sick this week with a high fever. After 2 or 3 days her fever broke and she broke out in a rash…probably roseola. This is a rough time of year for littles! I sure hope no one else gets sick for awhile!

After getting out of my boot and going back to my podiatrist last month, he sent me for airrosti treatments. I was skeptical, but they really helped! It involves some very deep tissue “massage”, which breaks up scar tissue, relaxes muscles and increases blood flow to the area. Exercises to do at home are also prescribed. My foot/ankle is doing great now! I just have to continue the at home exercises as needed. After my first 2 (of 3) treatments, my foot felt fine, but I had developed a pain in my hip that wouldn’t go away. So my therapist focused her efforts on it for my last treatment. It was immediately better, and completely cleared up in another couple of days of home treatment. I’m a believer now!

I made several small projects during December. I did Santa hat towels for a couple of my girls, crocheted ornaments to go on all the presents, crocheted a toy basket (for here) and a highland cow (for Archer), made a snowman table runner and knitted a cap. Then this month I finished up my embroidery journal and crocheted a gnome. I’m currently working on a crocheted hedgehog, but it is much more problematic and time consuming than I expected. The yarn that I bought for the spikes is very hard to work with. It got all snagged and tangled, so I’ve been working on rolling it into balls for the past few days before going back to crocheting. The technique used to make the spines is very slow and tedious, so I’m going to play around with it to see if I can find another way to do it. If I ever get it finished, it should be really cute! So much work for such a small toy!

toy basket

Highland cow

gnome

Snowman table runner (I think this one is my favorite)

I like to begin a new year doing some cleaning and reorganizing. For the past couple of weeks, I have been cleaning out and straightening all of my closets and pantry. I finished the last one today. YAY! I made a trip to the thrift store yesterday with a bunch of stuff to donate. Now I have a bunch more to take. Everything looks so much better and is easier to locate. Now if I can just keep them all that way....

I guess that’s all for now. Stay safe and warm during this cold snap!

Ps 147:12, 16-17 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion…He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes; He casts out His hail like morsels; Who can stand before His cold?

Another month gone by!

 Well, May is gone and June has arrived. Time sure flies by these days! 

Dennis met with his cardiologist a couple of weeks ago and everything is looking good...no sign of Afib. They want to continue to monitor him for another 6 months before they decide whether or not to repair the hole in his heart. His regular cardiologist recommended it when he was in the hospital, but his younger associate feels like it wouldn't be worth it at Dennis' age. He went this week to have his carotid artery checked out again. He'll meet with the vascular surgeon next week to see what he thinks.

Dennis finished the sliding barn door in our bedroom, and I love it! He did such a great job! It has a soft close mechanism on it, which I really like. He then started working on my first Adirondack chair. He should complete it today. I can't wait to try it out! He plans to make us another one to go with it. He really loves wood working projects like that. He has several projects lined up to do when he finishes these.

We went to watch Nam in a school concert the same day Dennis went to the cardiologist. We did a little shopping, then had supper with Sheila's bunch before going to the event. It was really cute! I love watching kiddos perform.

We attended a couple of days of the Memorial Day meeting at Salem Rd. We headed up on Thursday, so we could participate in all of the activities on Friday. We really enjoyed visiting with everyone and hearing the good lessons by Ken and Garrett. We left right after services on Saturday morning, so we could make it home before dark. That is a long drive! It was really good to get away for a couple of days though.

I completed my second table runner. I am enjoying making them. I want to make a fall one next. I found some beautiful fabrics in fall colors on sale. This one is for spring and summer: 

I also made a stuffed sea turtle and some bowl cozies. I messed up a little on the turtle, but it is fine for the grandkids to play with. He's sitting on my hearth waiting for them to come visit.

I babysat Archer and Kacey last Tuesday, so Amber could go get her hair done. Kacey is such a good baby! I am really enjoying having this special time with her. I missed out on that with the other grandkids...only getting to see them occasionally when they were babies (and with Shepherd and Nam, not getting to see them at all!). She is really growing and changing. She is almost sitting up now and is reaching for things. She loves eating cereal and bananas! It is fun to watch her and Archer interact. They sure love each other! Archer can get her so tickled!

We are really enjoying the weather we've been having this late spring/early summer. I don't know how many inches of rain that we've had, but it has been a LOT! Palo Pinto Lake (which is our drinking water source) is up to over 80% full...from about 32% a few months ago. The temperatures have been pretty mild for what we usually have. I'm hoping that will continue all summer. Last year was so rough! We were afraid that the extreme heat and drought had killed all of our San Augustine grass, but it is coming back nicely. So thankful!

We don't have a lot of plans for June other than our "normal". We do have plans to go to Morgan and Zach's wedding. We also have a 2-night sleepover planned with Nam. I'm sure we'll have our regular visits with Amber and the kids, too. I hope you all can do something fun this summer...especially if it involves time with loved ones!

Isa 55:10-11 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (NKJV)

Winter has definitely arrived!

We’ve been homebound due to weather all week. We haven’t gotten any snow to speak of, but it has been very cold and wet…temps in the 20’s for the past three days. The roads are completely iced over. The freezing rain is supposed to continue for the rest of today and tonight, making the road conditions even worse than they have been. We are thankful that we haven’t had any reason to get out! Dennis did go to check on things at the church house a couple of times. We are only a couple of miles away, and he can avoid high traffic areas for the most part. Our Highlander also has an ice setting which makes it the best vehicle we’ve ever had for hazardous road conditions. I haven’t left the house at all. It is supposed to get above freezing tomorrow afternoon for a short time, then much milder temperatures Friday. I’ll need to make a WalMart run as soon as things thaw out, for both me and Aunt Coez. I hope they will have an adequate stock of what we need. With trucks not being able to get through, I’ve heard that the shelves of most stores are pretty bare.

Dennis’ hunting trip to ET last month didn’t go well. The first night he was there, they had tornadoes blow through the area. (Thankfully, he decided to stay in a motel this trip!) He didn’t see any deer while hunting and had a bad experience with the 2^nd motel he stayed at. So he cut his trip short and came on home, empty handed. Oh well, “those things happen!” (That is one of our favorite quotes from Dennis’ dad. That was his response when Dennis told him that we were getting married. LOL!)

I finished Baby’s rag quilt and matching accessories. I’ll post pictures after I’ve gifted them. Now I’m working on a LARGE rag quilt…another one worked “on point”. This one is going together much easier than when I did Jesse’s! I’m over halfway finished, but I’ve run short on some of my fabrics. With the trucks not being able to get through, it may be next week before I’m able to get my material and finish. I really like the way it is turning out. The colors are so pretty!

I have been enjoying my temperature blanket project. It is so fun to see the color changes as the temperatures rise and fall. The last 3 days have all been the same color! It will be easy to look back and remember when this winter storm came through.

Dennis had his dental implant surgery and has done very well this time. He could tell a difference right away in the way it felt from the last time. I don’t know exactly what went wrong with the first surgery, but it never did feel right…and was very painful. He has had very little pain this time round! Hopefully that means that it will “take” this time.

I was supposed to go back for my final doctor visit on my carpal tunnel surgery tomorrow. Since the roads are still bad and getting worse, his office will not be open. I’ll have to reschedule for next week. I’m able to do almost anything with my hand and have had NO numbness since my surgery. I have had more pain recently though…mostly muscle cramps and soreness around the incision site. (It isn’t bad…just bothersome!)  Dennis thinks it is from overuse, and he’s probably right. It always hurts more after “clipping” on my rag quilts or cutting fabric with my rotary cutter. I still can’t put weight on my palm, which the doctor told me would be the last thing that I’d be able to do. My grip is better but not quite back to normal. I’m looking forward to talking to my surgeon and finding out if my recovery is normal.

A couple of weeks ago, Dennis and I both were really feeling the effects of our age and activity. I got up one Saturday and just didn’t feel like doing much of anything. So when Dennis got up, I suggested taking the day off and going out to have some fun. He was all for it! We went to watch a movie, did a little shopping (at Lowe’s), and ate out for supper. It was just what we both needed!

Dennis has been making good progress on our bathroom, although he hasn’t been able to do anything this week due to the extreme cold. He has laid the mosaic tile down on the floor of our shower and laid the floor tile down in the bathroom. His plans, as soon as it thaws out, are to do the grout on the floor, finish out the drywall in the bathroom and get the toilet installed. We have really missed having 2 bathrooms, even though there are only the two of us. After getting that done, he’ll go back to work on tiling the shower walls, seat and niches. It is looking so nice! I can’t wait to see it completed!

before cleaned and grouted

We were very saddened last month by the passing of my cousin, Sammy. He was the 4^th son of my Aunt Coez to pass away. I can’t even imagine going through what she has endured! He was diagnosed with bladder cancer and only lived 17 months after it was discovered. This has hit Coez very hard. She is one strong lady, but this has really been a struggle. Please continue to keep her in your prayers!

My other aunt, Fay, (Coez’s only remaining sibling) has not been doing well at all. She had a subdural hematoma back in late November and has never really recovered from it. She also had COVID and some other health issues around the same time. She spent a few weeks in the hospital, then was moved to a nursing home for rehab. She is still bedfast and totally dependent on others. The hope was to get her strong enough to return home, but things aren’t looking very promising for that to happen. Please remember her in your prayers, too, as well as her daughter, who is trying to take care of everything as a result of her health issues. Old age is hard…as is caring for those who are struggling as a result of aging!

Diane and I went to watch Lion King on stage at Bass Hall last month. It was amazing! The costumes were incredible! It was so much fun to see. I’m really enjoying my season tickets!

I hope that all of you are staying safe and warm during this extreme weather!

Ps 147:16-17 He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes; He casts out His hail like morsels; Who can stand before His cold? (NKJV) 

Winter weather and fun times with family

We had planned to leave last Friday morning to go to Paris. With the snow and ice that moved in on Wednesday and Thursday, we decided it would be prudent to wait a couple of days. The snow was beautiful! I just hunkered down and enjoyed it from inside my comfy house.

The roads had pretty much cleared by Saturday, so we left right after church Sunday morning and drove to Paris. Stephen and Mandy had plans to go out that evening, so we volunteered to babysit the kiddos. We really enjoyed our time with them! We played games of all sorts, I played “babies” with Gracie and danced to her music box, and then we wound down with bedtime reading. We visited some Monday morning with Mandy and the kids, then met up for lunch with Stephen. Afterwards we conducted our business, then hit the road towards Arkansas. We didn’t make it before Archer’s bedtime, but we had a good visit with Rick and Amber that night. Then we had all day Tuesday to love on and enjoy our littlest grand! He is so sweet and cuddly! He is really starting to coo and gurgle. We had some pretty interesting conversations. I love his little smiles! He is such a big boy for 2 months old…over 15 pounds! His sweet momma is taking good care of him!

Grandad and Archer having a good talk

Isn't he adorable?!

We got up Wednesday morning and left first thing to drive down to Warren and Linda’s. It was so good to see them again and see how well Linda is doing. We talked all day and even enjoyed a walk down their lane. We also enjoyed visiting with the bunch at Salem Road that evening. It had been a long time since we’d seen so many of them.

After a hearty breakfast and some more visiting Thursday morning, we headed to MW. We loved our round of visits with everyone, but it was nice to get back home.

My herb garden experiment was a failure, so I decided to buy some succulents at Walmart this morning (for $2 a piece!) and plant them in the pots that I had used. I’ve been wanting some for a long time! I hope I can manage to keep them alive!

Dennis has about all of the drywall done that he can in the blue room until the windows come in. He also finished the drywall in his new closet. He bought a new saw to use to build a ramp at the church house in the east foyer. There is a bit of a step-up leading into the building that we’ve been worried might be a hazard for our older ladies. It shouldn’t take him long to get it completed. I’m hoping that the windows don’t take too long to arrive, so he can finish out the guest room. We are really ready to get it done and start in on our room!

I enjoyed working on Archer’s rag quilt so much, that I decided to do another couple of sewing projects. I found a really cute pattern for a deer “lovey” that I want to make for Archer. My material came in while we were gone, so I’m looking forward to starting that tomorrow. Then I plan to make another rag quilt. My material is supposed to start arriving tomorrow, so I can begin cutting the squares as soon as I finish the loveys (I plan to make 2, so he will have a spare).

I hope all of you weathered last week’s winter storms and are staying warm and well. Take care and be kind!

Job 37:5-6 God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend. For He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth'; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength. (NKJV)

An Ordinary Week...at last!

 Well we survived the winter storm and its aftermath! We had water restrictions for about a week after things thawed out. We were asked to only use what was necessary and boil any that was used for consumption. So Dennis missed yet another week of working on the house. He couldn’t paint because of the water needed to clean up brushes, etc. He couldn’t cut/lay tile because it requires the use of water. Plus we tried not to do anything that would get us all sweaty and stinky, since we were having to forego showers. I am very thankful that I had plenty of disposable washcloths that I had bought back when we were taking care of Daddy! We also had plenty of hand sanitizer, thanks to COVID-19. We finally got the “all clear” on Friday, and there was much rejoicing in the land! Dennis started back working on the bathroom yesterday and has the crown molding painted, installed, and caulked. Next to do…floor tile!

My shoulder is still improving. It is a little tender at times, but I’m able to do almost anything with it. I still have to be careful of trying to lift too much weight. Dennis took out my stitches on the day that I was originally supposed to go to the doctor (but had to postpone due to the weather). That really helped! Stitches are quite uncomfortable. I finally did see the doctor last Tuesday, and he was thrilled with my progress. He walked into the room, told me to give him a high-five, and was shocked when I actually did it. I began my PT today. They did my assessment and then led me through a few mild exercises. I’ll start going twice a week beginning Monday. The therapist was amazed at my recovery. I’m already much further along than most are well into their therapy. I’m very excited about getting my range of motion back to normal (I hope!). I didn’t have any real pain during the therapy, and my shoulder is just mildly sore from the “workout”. I am so very thankful that I’ve had such an easy time with this!

Dennis and I were finally called in to receive our COVID-19 vaccinations on Friday. We go back on March 26 for our second dose. So we should be good to have Nam sleepovers again by early April! We are SO ready!!! Both of our arms got really sore after the shot. Dennis’ lasted about 8-10 hours. He felt fine when he got up Saturday morning. Mine started after his and lasted longer. I was tired and sore most of the day Saturday. I could tell it was getting better around suppertime. I felt perfectly fine by Sunday morning. Most of our bunch at church that plan to get vaccinated have had their first shot, and several have had their second already. By time we all have received our second shot, we’ll basically have “herd immunity” in our congregation. I’m very much looking forward to a more active social life!

Dennis and I spent a good hour or two getting our new internet equipment set up Sunday afternoon. Our provider had emailed me that we were due for an upgrade in equipment, which would be mailed to us. It came Saturday. It was easy to hook up but a hassle, as always, to get it activated! I spent about an hour on the phone with the technician, who was obviously in a country half-way around the world, so communication was not the greatest. When he finally got everything done on his end, he said that it would be online in 17 minutes without me having to do a thing. About 30 minutes later (and having to unplug the router and plug it in again), it finally showed up on our devices. Then we had to connect 3 computers, 2 phones, 2 TVs and our printer…then package up the old equipment to ship back to the company. I really don’t like messing with electronics! Dennis joked that we were getting pretty good at it. I told him, “No, we are just barely competent!” The sad thing about it is that I know it will just get harder as we get older.

It was brought to my attention yesterday that some people still want us to have a memorial for Daddy. It’s hard to believe that we are coming up on the 1 year anniversary of his passing (on the 21^st). I still want to wait until everyone is comfortable being in a crowd, so I’m thinking (maybe) around the end of May would be a good time. His 91^st birthday would have been on May 26. I’m waiting awhile to make any plans to see how things go. It will be an informal gathering at HC, with probably a potluck afterwards. I’ll let everyone who is interested know more when we make plans. I don’t personally feel a “need” for one, but it will be nice to see folks again!

Well, I am really enjoying having a normal week! I hope that things have settled down and gotten back to normal for all of you after the disruption of the arctic storm! Take care and be kind!

Arctic Storm of 2021

 It looks like 2021 is trying to follow 2020’s lead! What a crazy week we’ve been having. We’ve had the coldest temperatures that I can remember and aren’t supposed to see above freezing temps until tomorrow (a whopping 33⁰!). Even though it snowed a lot, it was so fine and dry that we only got a few inches accumulated. The sun has melted some on the roof edges which is giving us some pretty impressive icicles. I, personally, haven’t been out in it. In fact, the only time I’ve left the house since my surgery was Saturday. I’ve been sick with cold/allergy symptoms, so I went to get tested…just to be on the safe side. I still haven’t received my results, but I fully expect them to be negative. Dennis has been getting out to tend to things (going back and forth to the church building to check on it, providing transportation for and checking on some family, and making a couple of trips to town for supplies). He has adequate clothing to keep him warm (thanks to his hunting gear) and is good at driving under severe weather conditions. Our Highlander also has a snow setting, which makes it easier to navigate under bad conditions. We’ve been very blessed throughout this ordeal. We haven’t lost power at all. Our phones were on the fritz for a couple of days, but I was able to communicate with family via Facebook Messenger and Instagram Chat. Our city water supply is unpotable right now, but I’ve been boiling water and Dennis was able to find some bottled water today at the grocery store, so we are good. We’re just basically hibernating like most everyone else!

icicles on our shrub near the front porch

icicles hanging from the garage roof

I really feel for all the MANY who are without power…and have been since Sunday night. Sheila and family fall into that category. They are toughing it out! We check on them REGULARLY and keep offering our home for them to crash in, but they are managing. Like many others, they want to make sure their water lines don’t freeze up. Sheila says Nam is LOVING the snow! He got his first taste of it on their recent trip to Colorado. This is the first Texas snow that has been significant enough for him to get out and play in. I love seeing all of the pictures of kiddos playing out in the snow. Snow is magical…especially for children! We probably average one good snow about every decade around here, so it is quite a treat. Of course, the extreme temperatures have made this one less than desirable for many, but it is still beautiful…and fun for the young.

I’m doing very well from my surgery. We took my pain pump out on Tuesday morning of last week. After that, I was able to get around and move again. I also quit using my ice machine then. That was a relief. My side was sore from lugging that thing everywhere I went! I never did have any real pain. I had a few muscle spasms, but I’d take ½ of my muscle relaxer and that would stop them. I never took more than a Tylenol for pain. I’m already able to lift my arm all the way up. I’m using it pretty normally, really. Reaching behind my back is still difficult. I’m sure PT will be needed to regain that ability. I was supposed to go in the morning to get my stitches out, but the doctor’s office will be closed due to the weather and power problems. So I was rescheduled for next Tuesday. I imagine he will prescribe my PT at that time. I do the exercises here at home that he told me for surgery follow-up. They are very gentle stretches to help regain mobility in the shoulder. The only thing that bothers me much at all is the tightness and itching around my stitches. I AM looking forward to getting them removed!

Dennis got the bathroom walls painted last week. He hasn’t been able to work any this week. He has to paint the trim and put it up, and it is too cold to paint! Then he’ll start on the tile. He can’t do that until things thaw out either. Once that is done, he can move the vanity/sink and toilet in and install them. We are SO close!

I would really appreciate your prayers for my Aunt Faye. She had a heart attach last week. She came home for 2-3 days and had to return to the hospital in FW with pneumonia. She is such a dear, sweet lady and has really been having a lot of health problems over the past few years. Thankfully, Aunt Coez is doing pretty well right now. This cold weather isn’t easy on her, but she is toughing it out! I’m thankful that she hasn’t lost her power during all of this!

I hope all of you are surviving the winter storm of 2021! Stay warm and safe!

Just enjoying life

It truly feels like fall today! The temps have stayed in the 60's, and it has been raining all day. Makes me want to snuggle down in my recliner for the day. It has the exact opposite effect on Nam. He goes WILD in the rain! I'm not sure what it is, but rain makes him really hyper...he LOVES it! I don't know if it reminds him of Vietnam or if he just has a natural affinity for it. After picking him up at school this morning, he talked my ear off all the way home. Then we picked up Grandad and went to McDonalds for lunch. He was running and laughing and trying to ninja fight other people in the restaurant. It was hard to corral him! After playing for "30 minutes" when we got home, Dennis was able to get him to settle down for his nap. Whew! I can only imagine what he'll be like if we get snow this winter!!!

Gina has been on vacation the past couple of weeks, so we've had Nam every day. He was out of school yesterday for Columbus Day, but Sheila still had to work, so we had him all day. He's been a lot of fun! He is learning so much. He likes to sound out the first letter of words and is getting really good at it. He loves to recite the months of the year and talk about significant events in each month. He is obsessed with the number 80 right now. Not sure why, but whenever we talk about animals, he says "when I grow up, I'm going to buy 80 of them!" Today it was skunks...after having them de-scented, of course!

We are going to try a sleep-over this Friday. Sheila will just come get him Saturday morning...we hope. He did so well at the lake sleeping with us, that I think he'll do fine all night without her. He really likes thinking of himself as a big kid.

We are really enjoying having Kirk at Highway now. Even though he is still living in Shreveport, he is spending every weekend in Weatherford while he works on getting his house ready to move into. He went by to see Daddy and Bobbie on Saturday and took Bobbie some yellow roses. Then a bunch of us went out to eat lunch together on Sunday, and he bought their lunch. They are sure smitten with him! He is really good with the elderly. He cared for his mother for years before she passed away.

Dennis' birthday is this coming Sunday. The kids and I went in together and got him a fish finder/GPS for his boat. We were talking about his birthday at lunch today, and Nam asked how old he was going to be. Dennis told him "66." Nam said that was VERY old! Ha! (He also said that he would probably live a couple more weeks.)

It is just 2 1/2 more weeks until our meeting! Dennis thinks he'll have the guest room walls ready for painting by this weekend. Then, after painting, we can put down the floor and install the doors. If we can get that far along, we can move the furniture back in and be ready to use it for the meeting. We'll probably save the closet shelves until later...just put up a temporary bar for hanging clothes. We are sure looking forward to having everyone here. James and Renee have offered their place for activities all day Saturday. They've been working hard getting things fixed up to accommodate everyone. It will be nice to have a good place to spend time together!

Well, I hope you are enjoying the changing of the weather! At least, we are all blessed with a roof over our heads and adequate means of staying warm and dry.

A very busy week!

There has been a lot going on this week, so we didn't get much accomplished in the kitchen.  Dennis' Uncle Hollis passed away last weekend, so we left Monday to go to his funeral.  Since Paris was practically on the way, we dropped by and visited with the family for a few hours.  The boys continue to grow more every time we see them.  Jesse is getting to where he can carry on a conversation now, so it is really fun to chat with him.  He enjoyed telling us all about their recent trip.  I had Skyped with the boys on Sunday evening.  I told Jesse that he needed to come see me.  He said he would get in the car and come "but not in the airplane".  I guess he wasn't very impressed with flying!  Ha!  Shepherd is growing like a weed!  He is about to catch up with Jesse!  He is learning new words all the time and can say a few sentences.  ("I love you" is my personal favorite!)  It was great to have some time to spend with them.  Mandy also prepared us a delicious supper, and then we were back on the road.  As we drove east, the setting sun cast the most amazing rainbow that I think I've ever seen.  It was a full arch and bright as neon...and a double!  The best part was that it stayed right in front of us for a LONG time...until the sun finally disappeared behind us.  What a blessing!

After the visitation and funeral on Tuesday, we headed back home.  It was about 8:00 before we made it home that night.  All of the time spent in the car allowed me plenty of time to work on Leslie and Teddy's baby blanket.  I got it finished last night.  I still need to press it before giving it to them...hopefully tomorrow.  I'm planning to go with Sheila to Henrietta Creek for services.  I always enjoy my visits over there!

I had court one day this week, plus a couple of CASA visits.  I also had another court report to do and turn in.  It seems like my court dates all fall close together, so that when one report is due, another one or two follow directly afterward!  Two of my cases should be drawing to a close by the end of September (I HOPE!).  We are just waiting on paperwork to be approved before adoption or PMC is granted.  The process takes much longer than it feels like it should, but I've learned that nothing happens in a timely manner in these cases.

Dennis left last night, along with Kyle and Parker, to go to Spur for the weekend.  He is taking Bobbie's new dishwasher out there to install for them, as well as work on stands and feeders.  They may even kill a hog, if the opportunity presents itself!  If time permits, Daddy and Bobbie are also wanting him to cut a hole in the wall of their bedroom and install a new a/c.  I really doubt they will have time for that this trip though.  Since he will be gone all weekend, Sheila and I are having a girls' weekend.  She came over last night, and we talked until midnight!  She has a CASA visit this morning, but we plan to spend the afternoon in FW.  She knows of a Vietnamese restaurant that she wants me to try out.  She is learning all she can about the cuisine and culture of that country.  We hope to learn to cook some of the most common dishes.

We made a quick trip to see Bobbie yesterday.  She is doing much better!  She was sitting in her wheelchair playing dominoes with Daddy when we arrived.  She is now is a "double" room, so that Daddy can stay all night with her.  She says that she is having very little pain (except for when doing therapy). 

We have enjoyed the rain and cooler temperatures this week!  The rain has also interfered with Dennis' work, but we did need it!  He moves his table saw outside onto the driveway to cut boards, so he has to stop working when it starts the slightest sprinkle.  He also can't go buy more lumber when it is raining, and he has run out of drawer making material.  Hoping for a few days of sunshine this next week...but also hope the cooler weather hangs around!

In spite of all the other things going on this week, Dennis still managed to make some progress in my kitchen.  He got the drawers to the left and right of my stove installed, which is a HUGE help!  He also started the facing on the final base cabinet, where my silverware drawer and drawers for casserole dishes will be.  It is so exciting to see how everything is going to look and to actually be able to store my things away in a handy and organized manner!  Here are some pics from this week:

I love having clutter-free counter space...and drawers!

This is my mini-pantry that holds all of the ingredients that I use on a daily basis...SO handy!

This is my miscellaneous drawer:  holds my measuring cups and spoons, hot pads and "junk".

My favorite drawer, so far.  It holds ALL my utensils in a neat, organized manner!

Hopefully this section will be filled in by the end of next week!



Hill Country, Project start, and Fun with Family

What a week!  We spent last weekend in the Hill County.  We drove down to Copperas Cove on Friday night, got up early the next morning, and spent almost 10 hours driving around looking at the scenery and wildlife.  First stop was Colorado Bend State Park.  Turns out that it is really more of a hiking park, which we didn't have time to do.  We drove through it, down to the river, and got some good pictures of some of the local deer.  I want to go back sometime in the early spring or late fall and hike down to Gorman Falls.  The pictures I've seen and descriptions I've read make me definitely want to go on that adventure!

After finishing up there, we heading to San Saba.  We have always loved to go there to buy pecans.  The San Saba Pecan Company is a GREAT place to shop!  You get to sample all of their wares and pick out what you like best.  We ended up with 10 pounds of pecans (in the shell) and a jar of Strawberry Jalapeno Pecan Preserves.  YUM!

From there, we headed down to Fredericksburg.  There were WAY too many people sightseeing in town, so we just headed out to the Wildseed Farms.  I loved it!  We spent a couple of hours looking at all of the gorgeous flowers.  Dennis was able to get some beautiful pictures of the flora and fauna.  As you can imagine, butterflies were everywhere!  If you are ever in the Fredericksburg area, I highly recommend stopping by.  We didn't spend a penny, but had a great time!  (I sure was tempted to buy a pomegranate bush though!)

By time we left there, it was time to head on over to New Braunfels for my visit.  We made one more stop on the way at Blanco.  The state park was closed due to cleanup efforts from their recent flood.  But the river is one of the prettiest I've ever seen.  That is another spot that I want to return to visit!

We then had our visit with my youngest CASA baby and his new family.  They were so nice and welcoming!  We spent almost two hours chatting with them.  I was so happy to see him in such a wonderful, loving home!

We ended up in Universal City for the night.  Had a relaxed evening in our motel room and rested up from the day.  Then the next morning, we went over to meet with the church in Schirtz.  We enjoyed visiting with all of them there.  They all go out to eat together for lunch, so we joined them and extended our visit.

Monday morning, our contractor came out and got the new driveway staked out.  Dennis got all of the permits taken care of and work started the next morning.  They got the curb cut out and the end of the driveway graded out.  Then Wednesday morning, Tropical storm Bill showed up, so no more work was done this week!  Thankfully, the rains didn't wash anything away...it just got it all compacted and settled.

For our Date Night on Tuesday, we decided to go watch "Jurassic World".  I couldn't believe the crowds it generated!  It was Dennis' first 3D movie.  He enjoyed the movie, but NOT the 3D glasses!

Last night, Sheila and I had Girls' Night Out.  I had bought tickets to go watch Rodger's and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" over at the Fair Park Music Hall.  Dennis dropped me off at Sheila's workplace at quitting time.  (He then headed over to visit with Bryan in the hospital.)  We went to a sushi bar close to her job that is a buffet.. with more kinds of sushi than I've ever seen!  It was scrumptious!  Then for dessert they had some little bitty crème brulees.  Perfect!  Then Sheila braved the Dallas traffic to reach our destination.  The show was GREAT!  I loved it!  It was my first Broadway-type show that I've seen.  All of the other live plays that I've watched were community theatre (except for the Nutcracker Ballet).  I was so impressed with the sets and direction and performances!  I am a BIG fan of the old R & H's "Cinderella" movie, but I enjoyed this version even more!

Today was our Putman Reunion.  We had a pretty good turnout this year...with a lot of little ones!  There were only 4 of Momma's generation there (unless you count Daddy, which would make it 5).  That makes me kind of sad.  You can easily see the aging process in them each year.  But seeing the great-grandbabies running around playing was great.  The youngest one is the foster-to-adopt child of my cousin's son and his wife.  She was adorable!  She pretty much stole the heart of everyone there!  It was good to see everyone!  I think my favorite moment was when I was told that I was "still cute as a bug."  That is the ONLY place that statement would be made!  Family...ya gotta luv'em!

That about wraps up what's been going on here.  Hope the storms didn't wash any of y'all away!

A Time to Rain, and a Time to Stop Raining (we hope)

After about 6" of rain this past week, the forecast looks great for the first week of June.  We went from extreme drought to flooding in about a month's time!  The spring rains normally end around the first of June.  Usually that isn't a good thing, but we are in need of some drying out after all of our recent storms!  The lakes are overflowing, the river is flooding, and the ground is totally saturated, with puddles everywhere.  I'm really looking forward to some sunshiny days!

This week we started cutting back our mulberry tree in the front yard.  It is HUGE!  We plan to put in a second driveway on the south side of the house, and the limbs on that side had to be cut back.  So we are trimming it all around...a LOT.  We've already cut and hauled off 8 truckloads...and are only about half way done.  It will really do our front yard a lot of good...opening it up to more sunshine.  We hope to finish the job this next week while the weather is (supposed to be) nice. 

We walked about 4 miles at the state park on Monday.  Then tonight, Sheila called to see if we wanted to go again.  She wanted to accompany us this time.  So after supper, we went for a 3 mile walk on the trail.  It was a gorgeous evening for walking!  We saw several deer, but they were too skittish to be photographed.  Dennis was able to get a picture of one of the several cottontails that we saw.  Such an enjoyable evening!

We are planning a quick trip in a couple of weeks to the Texas Hill Country.  My youngest CASA baby has been moved down there to live with some extended family.  I'm wanting to go see him and meet his new caregivers.  It ought to be a great trip.  We love to drive through the Hill Country!  We enjoy looking for deer are hoping to see some fawns on the trip.  The country down there is absolutely gorgeous!

Until next time...take care and keep your feet dry!