An Uneventful Saturday!!!

Praise God for a simple Saturday with just some morning rain!!!

Last night Louis Dean and I were up late as we continued to vacuum up water from the den.

The forecast called for MORE heavy T-storms this morning! They expected them to arrive at 5:00 am. We went to bed knowing we would be back up soon to battle the water - again!

I opened our back bedroom door so I could hear the rain when it arrived but I woke up at 4:30 anyway. The rain was late. It came in at 6:15. I roused Louis Dean and said, "The rain is here!" and we manned our stations! We had the vacs set up from the night before so we went right to work.

NO rain came in through the kitchen French doors and not nearly as much came up through the den.

The ground is just so saturated that water is seeping up through cracks in the concrete.

By 10:00 we felt sure the danger was past and went back to bed.

When we got up I made us a huge breakfast of sausage and eggs, biscuits and fried potatoes and more fresh coffee. We had emptied the pots earlier while sucking up water.

We met with the contractor to put up new and bigger, better gutters around 1:00! This will be done in about a week and I hope it stays dry until then. As soon as he left we both went back to bed and slept three solid hours of deep sleep!

By the time we got up the rain had all moved out and we were left with blue skies and pretty clouds.

I think these clouds mean no harm.

We had a simple salad to go with our simple Saturday.

No hard work today. No stress. Just a sigh of relief!!

I wrapped birthday gifts this evening for the quads. We celebrate their third birthday tomorrow which is their REAL birthday!!

I remember well that day!

Standing outside those OR doors, I prayed that Amber would survive.

She was in pretty bad shape and I feared she might not make it.

I prayed for four precious tiny babies who I already knew and loved.

I had been at the hospital for the ultrasounds including the 3D ones and felt as if I had already met Trystan, Kailey, Harrison and Logan. I knew the positions they held inside the womb and knew their temperaments as Amber would often describe their movements.

Kailey was hyper sensitive and active. Trystan was steady and solid. Harrison was easy going and Logan was hiding up under her mother's rib cage. Their personalities are much the same today.

I praised God then and I praise him now!!

We have cause to celebrate LIFE every single day!!!

I can still recognize these little faces!!!

Kailey, Logan, Trystan and Harrison.

Happy BIRTHDAY tomorrow!!!

05-31-2015

12:55, 12:56 pm

Quad Therapy, An Evening With Neil Diamond and MORE FLOODING!!!

Amber surprised us with a visit Thursday afternoon!!

She knew we were in survival mode around here and thought we could benefit from a dose of 'Quad Therapy!'

Yes!!! This was just what we needed!

Little Kailey being such a good 'mama' to her baby!

Where did the big lizard go?

Harrison settled in with a book.

Trystan cheers us up just by looking at her!

Harrison is one COOL guy and the girls are all PRETTY!!!

I love hearing their little voices!

The kids are showing how big and STRONG they are!!!

Logan was the smallest at birth - a mere 2 lbs 6 oz.

She holds a special place in my heart and I am so thrilled to see how big and strong she really IS now!!!

I love how the quads love to visit us!!

They make themselves right at home!

Amber kept telling them they would be leaving soon and their response?

"YOU go, Mama! WE stay here with MeeMaw and Granddad!!!"

Even they noticed there was not as much sand as usual in the sand box!

They had such a good time watching the shadow of the gecko on the top of the gazebo as he chased down his lunch! FREE entertainment that they will remember of their childhood days at MeeMaw and Granddad's house!

It was good to see Louis Dean relax a little.

Amber worked her magic on the roses she sent me and I now have two beautiful arrangements plus a bud vase of these fragrant roses to enjoy!

Amber loaded up the quads and headed home but not before talking to the Ford dealership on our behalf. It is sad how big companies take advantage of older people. They wanted over $2,000 just to do maintenance and STILL didn't know what was wrong with our car!

Amber took care of that! We still don't have our car back but it IS being worked on!

They deal directly with HER now and we are seeing progress!

Yesterday was indeed a very special day and one I had been looking forward to since LAST year!!!

My dear friend, Lynn, and I rode the train to the American Airlines Center in Dallas last night to the Neil Diamond Concert! We were shocked to see the Trinity River from the windows of the train on our way into town! SO scary how high the water is around the DFW area!

I DO love the sound of a train!!

We met Summer at the station!

It was BLUE skies and yet we were rained on! HOW does THAT even happen???

We arrived EARLY!! Got sandwiches at the Chop Block and then.....

Half Yard Margaritas!!!!

My sweet friend!!!

My beloved first born daughter!!

It was a packed crowd and YES! Most of us were of the geriatric generation!

But from a distance - they all look young!

We had so much FUN!!!

"Makes me feel like I'm 70 again!"

Old age isn't what it used to be!!

We ALWAYS take a 'selfie' to remember our good times!

Red, Red Wine!!!!

I told Summer I was happy because I had a 70+ guy of my own who plays the guitar and sings love songs to me!!!

A Beautiful Noise!

This next song was one I was hoping he would sing!

It has a special and deep meaning to my friend who did, indeed, come to America and an immigrant along with her husband. They have a profound appreciation for America and never take their citizenship for granted as so many of us do. We would do well to look at America through their eyes.

Coming to America!

It was a GREAT night!!! I felt as if I had truly stepped out of my reality and into a special SPECIAL time!!! I know there has been a lot of ridicule and mockery at how all the elderly people with handicapped parking passes attended this concert. To me, it was a celebration of LIFE!!

We may be old but we continue to enjoy all the blessings that come with age and the memories we have of our younger years. Young people as well as those middle aged people who make snide remarks about the geriatric crowd enjoying the rock music of their youths would do well to remember that someday - and that will happen in the blink of their eye - THEY will be where WE are today.

Youth does not last. Memories DO!

Sadly, Neil Diamond did not sing my all time very favorite song - September Morn.

 I had a wonderful time and treasure this evening with Summer and Lynn!

Just as I arrived home, Louis Dean told me T-storms were approaching and sure enough, it began to rain and storm. We watched from the windows and looked at the radar and thought we would be able to dodge the bullet. Our sand bags were in place and the den and sewing were all but dry.

We went to bed.

I woke up and lazed in bed for a half hour before coming out of the bedroom.

I smiled as I opened the door and smelled that coffee shop fragrance I love so well.

My joy was short lived as I found Louis Dean in the den sucking up water that had come in as we slept. We never even heard the storms and rain during the night. He didn't want to wake me so he had brought the vacs in through the sewing room and we manned them all day long.

He also picked up the real sand bags I ordered online and bought four fans to help in the drying process. I must admit, I have been a bit blue all day. It all seems so much - until I watched the news and saw all the devastation others are experiencing. We are not in danger. We're just trying to protect our home and keep all the water from getting out of hand. My sister, Nita, is having a struggle with water coming in their house while my other sister, Deanie, has been without power all day and into this evening. I am not alone in trying to cope with all this excess WATER in Texas!!!

Even as the vacs were sucking - all day long - and the fans were blowing - all day long -

I have tried to do 'normal' things.

I did laundry and ran the dishwasher - even though the thought of all that WATER made me nervous!

It was as if I were afraid it would come back into the house like the rain water is doing!

I DID get up this morning and I DID brush my teeth and comb my hair and wash my face and take my medicine and prepare meals and do laundry and feed the animals and do the dishes.

I did NOT get dressed or put on make up or even a pair of earrings.

I sit here writing in the same sleeping dress I wore when I went to bed last night.

I was still wearing that dress earlier when Louis Dean and I took a much needed break and sat out on the driveway for a bit. We both laughed as we drained that wine box bladder!

We may have a long night ahead of us.

You HAVE to keep a sense of humor!!!

Thanks to one of my Facebook friends for posting this to my wall today!!!

A Better Day!

I wanted the roses that just arrived at my front door this evening to be the FIRST photo in tonight's journal entry!! They are from Amber for Mother's Day since I was down on the ranch that weekend where NOTHING gets delivered! No pizza, UPS, FEDEX or anything other than USPS in the mailbox up at the gate!

I have them right on the table beside me as I write!

This has been a better day for us. We woke up to blue skies and SUNSHINE!

It has clouded up again and we have had some light rain but it HAS been a pretty day here in the DFW area. Although, I just heard from my sister that it is pouring down over in Fort Worth!

I guess you never know where the rain will fall when they forecast ISOLATED T-storms!

It's getting to where we are growing accustomed to the sound of thunder rolls and lightning doesn't alarm us as much as it once did. You get used to just about anything!

Louis Dean and I went in for his MRI. He had to be STILL for 40 minutes. They gave him a choice as to what kind of music he wanted to listen to and, of course, he chose old country! He said it was SO HARD to keep still listening to some of his favorite singers of all time - like Hank Thompson!

Once done, we went over to deal with the Ford service center about repairing our car.

We are hoping the extended warranty will cover the costs as it turned out to be pretty pricey!

We will know in the morning and both of us have said our prayers about it!

A new and LARGER vehicle is in our future but - not yet!

With all these grandchildren - we need more SEATS!

Breakfast at Joe's was where we ended up before coming home and both of us going back to bed!

We have just been so tired! 

Johnny of Ecoserve arrived in the afternoon and finished up the carpet for us.

He did a great job and I will hire again anytime I need my carpets cleaned -

or water extracted from them - although I sincerely hope THAT doesn't happen again!

They are all about green and he laughed and laughed when I told him how fond I am of bleach, Pine Sol and Comet!! I love 'harsh' cleaners!

Even though he had dried out the carpets - he wet them down again to clean them!

Plus he did a second treatment to prevent mold and I am relieved the house does NOT smell musty!!

Carpet is all dry now and looks good.

You can see the damage to the bookcase on the lower right.

It has set in water so many times.

He saved the carpet and I did not dream he could get it to look this nice!

Tomorrow I will put my house back together - with a grateful heart!

I spent a few hours in the kitchen this afternoon. We have been so busy since we go home from the ranch that I haven't really prepared much in the way of meals.

The house smelled like Thanksgiving tonight!!

We had chicken and dressing, company mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green peas, home grown tomatoes and cornbread!

Louis Dean was THRILLED!!

He is relieved that things are looking up.

He hasn't slept well in weeks due to getting all the camper repairs done and then getting it down to the ranch and then all the rain every single day while we there and getting the truck STUCK so we couldn't leave and then coming home to water in the house and then the car broke down and then MORE - much more - water in the house......

all the while with his knee hurting!

I think tonight he finally relaxed because he went to bed at 7:30 and has been fast asleep ever since then!!!

Normally by this time of year, I would have all my patriotic decorations - or 'debris' as Louis Dean calls them - down and everything decorated.

The storage building flooded as well so Louis Dean is not all that keen on going in there and getting my stuff down. It is in the attic so I know it's okay. Just an ordeal that is best left to drier weather.

So in the mean time, I spruced up the kitchen table!

I used a package of wall paper border to decorate some little areas.

I just stapled it on since I'll take it off in August.

The big wet vacs are OUT of the house - but stored close and handy just in case we need them again in a hurry!

I am so excited to get my house back!!!

There is much to be thankful for!

My sister, Nita, and I visited on the phone together tonight and she and her husband are dealing with water in their house also. We both agreed that we have nothing to complain about!!

This picture is from James Pike on Facebook.

The Trinity River in Dallas -

top view - last month -

bottom view - this month!

I am always inspired by something on Facebook every day!

Rejoice by choice!!

We ALL have a choice!

Therapy and MORE Sand Bags!!

This morning Louis Dean and I were both a bit blue. We woke up and tried to find a place to have coffee together in the house. Everything is all torn up. Our Bible basket is somewhere in the den and there are extra chairs in the living room. The kitchen is crowded with a big wet vac and extra chairs. The gazebo was piled high with stuff from the sewing room. We do not have 'sitting chairs' in the bedrooms. We finally squeezed into the living room and contemplated our day over coffee!

We decided it would be a good idea to buy regular sandbags - looks like we are going to need them for awhile - so I went online and ordered 50 bags. We pick them up Thursday at Ace Hardware.

We tried to go about our day - he worked in his music room trying to find the paper work on an extended warranty he bought for our car - which broke down last Thursday and has been sitting in the driveway ever since!

I put fresh sheets on our bed and then sat down and cried.

There's just been so much going on - one thing after another and I was just so tired!

Then I visited a friend in Blogdom - Lynn at Dreams on 34th Street!

THIS was there and I so needed to be reminded of these things!!!!

Thank you, Lynn!!!

That's when I got up and dressed. I put on perfume, make up and jewelry.

I still felt sad but I looked good!

Louis Dean was a little depressed over the lost paper work and not being sure what to do about our car. That's when I did a very good deed!

I offered FOOD THERAPY!!!

Louis Dean dearly loves to eat when he is stressed.

I, on the other hand, do NOT want to eat at all when I am stressed!

Since I know how much he loves Golden Corral, I invited him to take me to lunch there!!!

He was thrilled!!!

We did cheer up just by getting out of the house!

Our carpet guy (the professional) called while we were eating and said he would be at the house at 2:00. That made us feel better. The den carpet was still soaking wet in places.

Sure enough, Johnny and his helper arrived and extracted more water, pulled up more carpet and did a treatment to prevent mold.

See? Things are topsy turvy!

Only two rooms are still wet but these two rooms impact the three others.

Only the bedrooms, hall and bathroom are 'normal.'

That's when I did some nap therapy!

While I am grateful things aren't any worse than they are - it is still distressing!

I was tired and decided to just curl up in bed and HIDE from the world.....for just a little while.

THEN I decided to do some MOVIE therapy!!!

I love it when friends give you good movie recommendations!!!

Just about the time Louis Dean and I were all chilled out and relaxed - we were jolted back with impending storms and more rain! I ran over to check  the exposed concrete along the window side of the den. Sure enough!!! Water was already seeping in!!!

We ran out in the rain and started filling the last two pillow cases I had with sand!!!

Not enough!

We hauled the green and blue sand bags from the patio out to the front!

I sewed up some MORE bags using an old sheet and we filled them to use by the kitchen doors.

I have one tired husband tonight!

He said, "Just when I don't think I can do another thing, I DO!"

I close tonight's journal entry with a pretty picture of the flood waters in Dallas.

This beautiful shot of downtown Dallas and the Trinity River was taken by our Facebook friend Joseph Haubert. You can see more of his Dallas photography athttp://instagram.com/whateveryouare. You can also follow him on Twitter: @josephhaubert

This is the photographer that did the wedding pictures for my niece's wedding.

He is amazing!!

It is now after midnight and Louis Dean has an appointment for an MRI early tomorrow plus we need to go to the Ford place about our car after that. Louis Dean DID have them come get it and then later this evening he DID find the paperwork on the warranty!!!

After that the guys will be BACK to do another treatment on the carpet and put down new carpet tack strips.

Needless to say - this was NOT my usual Tuesday nor will it be a Quad Wednesday!

Oh, MY! The lightning and thunder has started up again!

I am going to BED and covering up my HEAD!!!

Facebook