Murderers Not Welcome!

Looking oh-so-lovely as I color my hair today.

Covering my gray roots means I've got exactly 45 minutes to blog, so here I go!!

Last Saturday Mister and I decided to go exploring around our new area. 

We made the short 30 minute drive to Guthrie, OK.

It was a beautiful sunny  day for exploring.

Tiny little town it was, it was rich in history.

We took a Trolley tour and learned all about  this town which had once been the capital of Oklahoma, before Oklahoma City took on the honor.

Afterwards we ate lunch at "Lizzie's Bluebelle Saloon", notice the sign on the upper right of the window, "Murderer's Not Welcome".  We ate quickly and got outta Dodge Guthrie.  

I'm thinking maybe I should capitalize on Lizzie's sign, and start making lots of these signs to sell.  Who wouldn't want a sign for their house that says, "Murderers Not Welcome"?    

Lizzie is one smart Dudette!

Never have I ever. . .

Do you watch "Ellen"?
She often plays the game, "Never Have I ever" with her guests.  So, here's to you, Ellen.

"Never have I ever got around to making Christmas Crafts before Halloween".

Yes!  I'm bragging (I have no shame)!
I also have no Christmas presents bought yet but that's beside the point.  

Let's hear it for me!!

The worst Halloween costume EVER!!

*This hardly needs words*.
This is our youngest son, when he was five, dressed as the "Tree of Good & Evil".  My children see to it that I'm haunted by the memory of this costume every-single-Halloween.

It was a different time.
I was young.
I was stupid.

I "drank the koolaid".
Guilty to all the above.

Poor kid is almost 40 now.
He is phoebic of green netting, but with a few more years of therapy he's gonna be fine.

Have a wonderful Halloween!

~Sweet Tea

No Fault Decor

Have you been visiting blogs looking at all the beautiful Fall/Halloween decorations.  I could browse for hours.  Thank you to those who let us peek inside your house to see all the Fall beauty!!  It's alright to be a Voyeur in Blogland.  Right!?

I think Fall is the easiest time of year to decorate.  When one decorates for Fall/Halloween it's what I call "No Fault Decor".  You got a pumpkin?  You got a decoration!  It's that simple.  For that reason I'm gonna give you a little peek inside my house.  Most of my Fall decorations are still packed away in a box in the garage (from our recent move).  But, I've got a pumpkin, so I "got a decoration" or two.

Can you find the two little pumpkins balanced

on a candlestick?

Stray flowers beat no flowers.

Are you with me??!!

This little shelf could use a bit more fluffing,

but what makes it special is that the framed picture

is my Mom's.

There just really is no way to decorate badly for Fall, is there?  The colors are warm and friendly and even if you're a "Summer-kind-of-gal" who drags and kicks her way into Fall like I do there is always something festive about a new season.  Plus, by marking the seasons it tells us that regardless of what is happening in our life, time is still marching on and we are blessed to be living in the moment.

Thanks for stopping by.

I've been very sporadic posting lately and have lost a lot of Followers.  So, if you've stayed with me and are reading this I want you to know that I do soooooo appreciate you and count you as a Friend.  That's especially important to me now.  Since the move my local friend count is pretty much at a zero, but I'm working on it!  Hope you're having a wonderful Fall and I'll soon be by to visit you at your blog.  I PROMISE!!

~Sweet Tea

24 Hours!

Mister will be home in 24 hours!
Things have changed a little since he's been away.

Summer

has turned into. . .

Fall.

The change of seasons has found our family much healthier.  Atlanta son, who had a stroke, went back to work last Monday.  He drives himself to work and is working 1/2 days for a couple of weeks to transition back into full time.  He celebrated his birthday yesterday! Praise God!

Gentry is now pushing 6 lbs and doing VERY well.  She was born Aug. 16, weighing 2 lb 13 oz.  Her due date was Dec.1st. She is our miracle baby!

Lil' Mama is still struggling to regain her health but has some wonderful doctors tending to her and she is making progress.  We are confident God is gonna bless her with renewed strength.

Oh!  Did I mention that Mister will be home in 24 hours!! He's been in Atlanta with our son for 2 1/2 months. I've missed that Rascal!

Risky Business

Floor.

I'm not asking you to get excited about seeing a corner of my living room floor, but I'm showing it to you as a point of reference.  Got it?  Of course you do!

Life has been messy on a personal level for several months now.  Though we've lived in our new-to-us house for four months I just now feel like I'm really getting acquainted with it.  Gotta say the better I get to know it the more I enjoy it.  I guess most relationships are like that...

Last week I had an entire day set aside to fluff the house.  First thing on my list was to make these wood floors sparkle.  I had my cleaner, a mop, and a bucket.  I worked and it shined.  I took my time and was careful not to miss a spot...I moved on to some other things while the floor dried.  Went back to admire my work on the floor, but it wasn't quite dry...Came back again and it was drier, but something was WRONG.  The floor looked nice but it felt extremely STICKY. 

I looked at my bottle of cleaner and much to my surprise I had used a product intended for wood FURNITURE, not wood floors.  UGH!  So, I mopped that  *&%#  darn floor 3 more times trying to get the sticky up.  At last it was all gone, but what was left behind was a floor as slick as glass.

Two of my older granddolls were here last week.  

They had lots of fun doing their Tom Cruise, "Risky Business" slide across the floor in their socks.  Me?  I bought some new house shoes with a good traction sole. That's how I roll, errrr, slide. NOT!

You may have heard the rumor. . .

I'm a Stripper.

(someone's gotta do it)

It's not a pretty job.

And it's messy.

Today was day #3 of this big undertaking.

This is BIG work.

This is my first project since our move in June.  It's been sort of a bonding  experience with this house.  It's not fun but I knew when we bought this house that the horrid wallpaper had to go.  (what you see is not the actual wallpaper but instead the lining after the print was removed.)  This is the layer that's so hard to remove.  I'm gonna "getter done" and it will be all ready for the holidays.  That's my motivation.   Never mind that there are two more rooms with wallpaper to be removed.  ...All in due time..

* * * * * * * * * * * 

For my Followers, just want you to know that sweet little Gentry is home now and weighing in at 5 lbs as of today...Also my Atlanta son is soon to return to work - one more week.  What a journey this has been (since early August).  Not a day goes by that I don't count my blessings!!

Family Dynamics

I love seeing how people within a
family react to each other.
Some would call this "being nosey"
but I prefer to call it "curiosity".

If you follow me regularly you know that our family is very scrambled at the moment and has been for over a month now.  HK is with me, and Mister is with our youngest son (in Atlanta).  HK is 2 and here's a couple of our recent conversations:

Me:  Can you put that paper in the trash, please?
HK:  No thank you.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Me:  You Go Girl!
HK: (shaking head, sadly) I don't wanna go.

   * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now that youngest son is feeling better I get the occasional text or phone call from him which begins with "Can you tell Dad...".  Then I have to find a way to discreetly tell Dad whatever it was that son didn't actually want to look his Dad in the eyes and say.

   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And, if any of my family is reading this please make note:
"I know I am never on time with birthday cards and the like.  I used to be, but that ship has sailed and it's never coming back to port.  From now until eternity you can count on a call on your birthday, then expect to receive your card/gift the next week."
You can blame it on one of the following:
(Choose one)
     a.  Weather
     b.  Your Dad
     c.  Menopause
     d.  None of the above

Cinderella Moment

Tuesday I packed up my sidekick, HK, and we took a little two hour drive to my Tulsa daughter's to attend the town Homecoming Parade.  Our oldest granddoll, Kaylee, is a high school queen candidate.  She looked so pretty all dolled up and seated on the back of a convertible.  It truly was a "Cinderella Moment". . .

They had no sooner  (pun intended) taken their place in the parade line-up, when it happened.  The thunder rolled, the lightning flashed, and the parade was cancelled before it even officially began.  Alas (love that word), it was rescheduled for next weekend.  HK and I won't be making the trip again, so we'll miss it, but we enjoyed the rainy preview.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Just one more thing. . . 

I really like to think I've matured and grown above petty snobbery, but the truth is, sometimes I like to  brag a bit  flaunt my privilege a bit.  This is one of those times. 

This year I have my own personal "Fall Decorator" decorating

my house for the season.

"Eat your heart out Martha Stewart!"

I'm smiling because. . .

Little Gentry is 18 days old today!
She is our early Christmas present.
We didn't expect to see her sweet face until Dec. 1.
She is doing VERY well.
Thank you so very much to those of you who have prayed for her and Lil' Mama.  Gentry is very much our miracle baby and we'll never forget it!

And our other miracle, our son who had a stroke.  The stroke was the worst kind, according to google.  A hemorrhagic stroke.  Many people don't survive these.  Not only did he survive but doctors say he will make a full recovery.
"Hallelujah! Amen!"

Mister is still in Atlanta with him.  

In the meantime HK and I are holding down the homefront.  Her newest trick is being able to reach the light switches.  She switches them on and I follow her around and switch them off.  If you decide to visit me it'll be easy to find our house - we'll be the one with our porch light on in the middle of the day.

I've not shared much about our new-to-us home.

This is my favorite part - the view!

The entire back of our house is primarily windows and I absolutely LOVE seeing the sun and all things green.  So glad we moved in the Summer so I could enjoy the seasons finery.

Another part of the view.  Love the crinkly, curly bark of this birch tree.

Still, as much as I enjoy my new place I must admit I find myself thinking about Louisiana, my adopted home state.  I'm thinking my yellow mums must be in bloom now and I bet my roses are on their 3rd bloom of the season.  I guess I miss them because I planted them myself.  I wish whomever planted all the things at this house could know that I'm appreciating and enjoying all the fruits of their labor. 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Now, this is totally off subject, but I'm gonna throw this in for free.  LOOK at this photo of the freezer in my fridge.  Do you see it?  WHAT?  Doesn't everyone have a "hot flash fan" in their freezer?  NO?  I'm a freakin' genius!!  When I have a hot flash melt down I now run to my freezer and turn on my "hot flash fan" (it's battery operated) and I get instant refrigerated air.  It's great!! 

Yes, you heard it here first!  It's fantastic!  LOL  

This is Sweet Tea, just keepin' it real.
Over & Out!

Our newest love!

Gentry Allyn

2lb 13 oz

15" long

This is our little Miracle Baby.

What a story Lil' Mama has to share about this sweet baby girl.  There were so many obstacles in this baby's path.  God's hand has delivered her into this world at 24wks 6 days.  (She was actually due Dec. 1).  She is doing extremely well and expected to leave the NICU in late October.  Lil' Mama is recovering from a c-section delivery and doing well.  She is now receiving the medicine she has delayed taking in order to safely deliver her sweet baby.

"G" is for Gentry.

HK has been with me for the last week and will stay here until her little sister is released from the hospital.  This allows her Mom & Dad to spend lots of time at the NICU, as they have no family there to help with childcare.  

* * * * * * * * * * *

No pictures, but I must tell you that our youngest son (who had the stroke), is home now after spending 13 days in ICU.  Mister is with him in Atlanta.  Son is recovering very well but still has a way to go.  He's expected to fully recover.  Strokes are awful and they're especially awful when you're only 38 years old.  He is struggling to regain his strength and stamina but does a bit better each day.  Thank you to those who hold him up in prayer!!

Three Days Ago

Three days ago. . .

I talked with our youngest son (who lives in Atlanta).  It was noon and he called as he was leaving work.  He was caught up with his work and was gonna cut the day short.  He mentioned he had a headache that he couldn't seem to shake.  We chatted about all sorts of things as he drove home.

Early, that very evening, I got another call.
That same son (38 yr old) was in the hospital and had had a stroke.  We made arrangements for Mister to fly into Atlanta ASAP.  I remain here with my Mom.  Our son continues in ICU.  We are so very thankful he was able to drive himself to the hospital and that he is being cared for in a good hospital with a good neurology team.  We are shaken, but we know we have a source of strength directly from God the Father that will keep us as we deal with what lies ahead.  I believe that healing will come, so this is not meant to be a "downer" post, but instead a call for those who pray to join with us in prayer and become a part of our son's healing.  I know God will hear your prayers and bless you as you become a part of our prayer team.  Thanks so much.

ALSO, I think my last post was misleading.
Lil' Mama hasn't had the baby yet.
She is pregnant with a baby girl who isn't due to arrive until Dec. 1.  We have lots to pray for and are confident "God has got this" all in his hands.

August 1st - my favorite month of the year.
Thankful for sunny, blue skies that evoke happy thoughts.  Hope your world is spinning as you want and that your A/C keeps on crankin'.

   ~Sweet Tea/Deb

Filling in the blanks

I haven't blogged in such a long time.
Perhaps there is no one in bloggy land that even remembers me, but just on the chance that someone is reading (and also to journal my life) I'm jumping back in Blogland today.

So much has happened since my last post.
There is no way to tell you all I want, so I'll just fill in blanks by sharing the BIG things.

1.  We've moved to Oklahoma, leaving my beloved Louisiana behind.

2.  I think I'm gonna really like it here.

3.  I really like my "new to me" house.

4.  We've had company every weekend since
      we've  been here which is a dramatic
      change from what is "normal" for us.

5.  I have one possible, maybe, sorta of, beginning
     of a friendship here.  Pathetic, huh?

6.  Mom is back with us and doing pretty well.

7.  The Tulsa granddolls have each been here to
      visit for a number of days.  Love it!

8.  Lil' Mama is in week 22 of a high-risk
     pregnancy. There have been some real
     "scares" along the way, but God has
      continued to answer our prayers
      for this child.

9.  Gender Reveal Party was yesterday -
     It's a GIRL!!
     This will be our 5th Granddoll and we are
     delighted here in the land of "Bows-are-Us".

I love to be busy, but not quite this busy.
Hoping things will settle down a bit soon so I'll have time to come visit your blogs and see how everyone is faring this Summer.
 

As things stand now

Yes we did!

We watched them load everything in our house (except for a twin bed, a blow-up mattress, and a recliner) into their GONORMOUS truck and haul it away.  We're basically living in our empty house while our "stuff" vacations in storage somewhere in Garland, TX.  We're waiting to get a closing date on the soon-to-be-ours house in Oklahoma.  No definite date on that yet.

In the meantime we've been spending a lot of time with our sweet HK.  Little Mama could sure use your prayers right now as she struggles with a very difficult pregnancy.  She has a nasty ecoli infection that has spread to one of her kidneys.  It seems when she's not in bed she's at the doctor's office.  She was hospitalized for 4 days last week.  This is only week 15 of her pregnancy.  The med's she really needs can't be given to her because it would endanger the baby so she will continue on suppressant med's until she delivers. She also has developed gestational diabetes.  She's in the midst of a very daunting physical struggle..  Please add her to your prayers.  I thank you so very much for this.

I think the delay on our move has been a blessing in disguise, as Lil' Mama's not up to wrangling a two-year old right now.  I just can't say enough good things about our new SIL.  He is a gem - a great husband and father .  "Thank you, Jesus"!

Please pray for the health of Little Mama and for the unborn child!  

Thank You! Thank you!

Eighty Six.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

86 yrs. young today!

Our Louisiana family gathered Saturday evening for dinner at her favorite place, Olive Garden.  We had a wonderfully attentive waiter.   In the middle of our meal he handed Mom the dessert menu and told her to choose anything she wanted, free-of-charge.  She chose cheesecake with strawberry topping.  The minute he sat that BIG piece of cheesecake in front of her she immediately pushed the rest of her meal to the side.  There are few things Mom loves more these days than a good dessert!  Did I mention just how much I love my Mom?!

So blessed!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mom is gonna spend a month with my sister and her family while we make the move.  She seems comfortable with the thought of moving and I anticipate that she'll do just fine.  She is an amazing, strong woman!  The Matriarch of our family!

TWO WEEKS.

It's such a bizarre feeling to realize
that in TWO WEEKS this house will be empty and we will no longer be living here.  Not just here in this house, but not even in my beloved, adopted home state of Louisiana.  Out of here! Oklahoma bound! That's where we'll be.

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to live here.  I've loved the weather.  I've loved this house.  I've loved my Louisiana friends.  I've loved this season of our life.  I think anytime you close a "season" of life it's a little sad, especially when you're of a certain age and realize there are far more seasons behind than there are ahead.  Still, I'm looking forward to the next season and what it will bring.  God-willing we'll get to spend a lot more time with our Tulsa granddolls before they become completely grown up.  I also see lots of "girl time" with our oldest daughter in my future (since she'll only be an hour and a half away).  Have I mentioned just how fun and feisty she is?! My Sister and her family will also be close at hand, as well as our funny Son-in-law! And,  I'm hoping I'll be blessed with some new friends in our new area.

And then there's always the fun of "nesting" into a new (to us) home.

Life is a journey isn't it?

TWO WEEKS.
Then a new season.
Stay tuned!

Once again

I've been thinkin' and that can lead to all sorts of places, and today it led me down a nostalgic path.  I was thinking about times past.  Waaay past.  Would you like to hear some things that happened a very long time before I was "Sweet Tea"?  High School days. I told you you it was a very long time ago.

I once dated a very handsome young football player who was an "older man" - he was a Senior while I was a Junior.  He was quite the handsome guy.  Oh, I think I mentioned the handsome part before.  *wink*   We went out a couple of times.  I was nervous and giggly.  He was cool and far more "street wise" than me.  I found him fascinating and a little mysterious.  There were really never any sparks between us, rather, just a couple of fun dates.  Still, it's fun to reminisce.

There was another young guy, yet again, a year older than me.  He had reddish hair and blue eyes.  He blushed easily and was soft spoken.  He had a car and drove me home from school several times.  I thought we were just friends, until some friends told he he "liked me".  I was clueless until then.  I stopped accepting his offers for rides home from school at that point.  I figured it was easier to avoid him that it would be to say no if he asked me out.

I always replay these scenarios in my mind on Memorial Day.  How could I have known I was in the presence of a true hero when I was with each of these young guys. You see each of them was drafted into the military and sent to Vietnam upon graduating from high school.  Neither of them came home to see another Oklahoma sunrise or to reconnect with old high school friends.  Gone to soon.

Robert Tuell and Gary Dasher.

"Thank you for your sacrifice."

*This is a repeat of my post last year on Memorial Day.  I remember them "once again".

In the meantime. . .

Where to begin since I've been so lax with my blogging lately...Life since the wedding has been a whirlwind, but a "good whirlwind".  We've sold our house...We've bought a house...And now we're getting very close to the move.  It's bittersweet, but I'm trying to focus on the "sweet".  This move will put us much closer to our family in the Tulsa area.  Sweet!  And the fact that I think I'm gonna really enjoy our new (to us) house never hurts either.

In the meantime. . .

I enjoyed seeing my little rose garden

in full bloom, for the last time in this yard.

And I've been spending lots of time enjoying

our sweet little HK, who turned 2 in March.

My heart has over-flowed with joy watching the funny newly weds begin their journey together.  They are so happy and I love the way "Daddy" has stepped into this special role with HK.  I've watched him closely and there's no doubt that he loves both my girls with all his heart.  Knowing that their little family is off to a fantastic start makes the move easier for me and Mister.  Even though we will miss them terribly, I know they are gonna be just fine. 

Spending as much time as possible with my
Bossier BFF is also something else

I'm trying to do.  I love this sweet friend
and am gonna miss her like crazy!

Now, before I get completely sappy I've got to show you the view out the back door of my soon-to-be-home.

You KNOW how I love all things "green".

The yard also has room for me to garden.

AND

the move will put us within 2 hours

of our Tulsa family.

I will have the opportunity to spend lots more time with our 3 Tulsa grands, before they are completely grown up.  That's a BIG plus that puts a smile on my face.
AND
I'm looking forward to spending time with our oldest daughter and her hubby, as well as my sister and her family.

I.Am.One.Blessed.Woman.

"BRIDE" (the magazine)

Look whose photo (upper left corner)

ended up on the "BRIDE" website.  

You can read about it Here.
Go "Little Mama"!

WOW!

We were really surprised by this.

.

The Twilight Zone

"You are traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone! "

Picture two teenagers talking in the hallway of their high school between classes.  Now let time fly by and imagine (que Twilight Zone music) that they reconnect on FB and plan to have lunch after not seeing each other since that last meeting in the high school hallway.  Now they've both raised families and are now Grandmothers.That's exactly what happened.

Still teenagers at heart.

This friend now lives in Texas and I live in Louisiana.  She came to my town for an appointment and we arranged to meet for lunch.  It was like no time had passed - doesn't that sound like The Twilight Zone to you?  Had a great lunch with her and her husband.  

Sweet.Sweet.Time.