Christmas Eve...

Family table talk...I had made a big pot of chicken and dumplings, fudge and apple pie

Crystal getting caught licking the spoon from the apple pie

Sam, Crystal and William...Hard to believe Crystal is their mom!

Sam and Crystal...Sam's 20

Crystal and William...he's 16

Crys and hubby Tim and little Bo

Waiting on Santa

Home made fudge

Home made brownies

It was a sweet and peaceful Christmas Eve...lunch with Larry's mom and dad...his brother, Kenny...wife, Debbie and their son, Kurtis.  Crystal was my little Elf in the kitchen, washing up and sneaking leftovers of her favorite dessert, apple pie!Hahaaa...my sweetie...

Hope you all had a sweet and peaceful Christmas Eve as well...'Gotta get in the kitchen and get busy.....Bring on the Main Event!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Pug Love and Pizza...

Libby's early morning cuddles with Daddy 

Nothing much better than Pug love...along with a pan of pizza...unless you have babies hanging around, which we don't anymore. 
 Our Buddy isn't a cuddler.  He loves scratching and kisses but no-way-jose with the cuddling...not going to happen.

Buddy was our  rescue pup.  He spent the first year of his life in solitude...contemplation.  In other words, he got passed up...a lot.  I'm really happy no one took him home with them.  He was just waiting for us...

It's been a warm and sticky morning to the day with a few showers here and there.  Stronger storms may hit later tonight.  I'm just glad it's not cold!

Larry decided to mow again before the rains came and I headed to town for Christmas stocking stuffers.  Didn't get very much done but I'll probably finish up next week.  Crystal (daughter) and grandson William, are here for a weekend visit.  They're all piled up in the playroom visiting and watching movies.  Sam really needs her mom...misses them a lot, so the visit is good.  Tim is in Ohio for training and certification...

Well, guess I'll quit boring you with my humdrumness...Hope you're well and happy and done with your Christmas shopping...just saying...

Crock Pots and Birthdays...

Thank God for Crock pots!  We are usually up at the crack of...four am...I turn on the coffee pot, turn on the IPad, fix both of our coffees and have a seat.  We linger on the pages of Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest (Larry never got the hang of Pinterest but I love it).  We talk about the things in our lives...the business...the kiddos...pups...our future?  You know the routine. 
This morning, like some, I decided that with trying to finish the Christmas tree this evening, I needed to put on the slow cooker with a roast built for two.  Set it for eight hours and I'm done!  Nice....

It was also Miss Libby's 2nd Birthday yesterday!  Two years!  Boy, I keep saying it but time is flying...I made her a birthday omelet consisting of eggs, bacon and cheese...LoCarb I might add...Hahaa.  And she got a birthday chew bone and new sweater.  Of course, the sweater is black & white so must the photo be...Lol
Hope you all are having a wonderful morning.  I'll be around to check on you in a bit!

Post Thanksgiving Turkey and Dumplings and Cherry Pie...

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Our family gathered, laughed, ate...did some more eating and before you knew it, it was over.  Just like that....I guess that's just the way things happen.  Time...goes by too darn fast!  The kiddos came up last weekend and spent the week.  That really helped relieve my "separation from the brats" problem...Hahaa... Everything works out in the end.
We also got Samantha (granddaughter) moved on the 19th into her new place.  It's a one bedroom starter place that's just perfect for her.  We had fun shopping with her this past week when her Mom (Crystal) came up for the visit.  Nothing like giggling and planning...it was fun.
So...after the official holiday had past, there were the...leftovers.  Not that there were many.  Leftover turkey got turned into turkey &  dumplings.  Found a pretty good recipe on Pinterest.  Hubby actually made me blush!  Said it was really good SO...no more easy cooking using biscuit dough...needs to be this, fresh dough...from now on...really...'cause he loved it...we'll see...Hahaa
The cherry pie was TOO EASY!!  Grab two ready made (or go ahead and make your own...I dare you)  pie shells...a nine inch cast iron skillet...a can of cherry PIE FILLING...I emphasize pie filling so you won't grab the cherries in juice...and four or five pats of butter.
In the dry, ungreased skillet, lay the uncooked first layer of pie crust...pour in the whole can of pie filling...dot the filling with the butter...lay the second pie crust on top and create a magnificent (mine was simply gorgeous...NOT)  edge on your pie...vent the top with slits or one small hole in the center...bake at 350 degrees until you see the pie bubbling, takes about 35 to 45 minutes.  Serve hot with vanilla ice cream...Lordy, I'll never go back to the glass pans again! 
And last but not least, when Hubby's Dad and Mom came in the door on Thanksgiving, Dad handed us the vase of roses...What a sweet thing to do...He's 90!
Y'all have a great Sunday!  Going to see if I can get Hubs to get the Christmas tree out of storage...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just stopping in to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!  I have so much to be thankful for...Thank you all for being my friend...

Loving Those Selfies...

Someone, and I won't mention her name, Crystal...was screaming at me to post so I guess I'll put on my thinking cap.  Nothing much has changed here lately.  The motorhome is still being worked on back at the place we bought it from.  Larry is in charge of monitoring all that....I just hope everything is coming along in a good way.
Sami drove down to Magnolia for a quick visit with her mom, Will and Tim last weekend.  Left on a Saturday after work, drove, spent the night then got up the next morning and drove home to get to work on time.  It was storming around here big time but she needed a "momma" fix! :0)  Hence, the selfie she sent me letting me know she made it just fine.  Her new apartment will be ready on the 19th and she'll be moving...at least it's in town close by.
As you can tell from the photo of Libby, we were both a bit nervous while waiting to hear from Sam...Hahaa....of course, Libby usually sends me mixed messages.  I think this was her "apprehensive" look but then again, it could also be her "snack" look...one must really work at deciphering her mood...yes, it was apprehension...I'm almost positive...
Well, guess I'll get to moving...going to get blood test for the old annual physical.  Will be checking on you in a bit.
Have a super day!

Is the Craziness Over Yet? Angel Fire

Angel Fire

Leaving Angel Fire heading to Philmont Scout Ranch...headquarters for Boy Scouts of America

Jane & Henry's where Elk come to feed

Jane and Henry

View off Jane and Henry's balcony

Miz Jane

Elk enjoying the grass

Lobby of the St James Hotel in Cimarron, NM and Yes, it's Haunted!

Famous guest of the hotel

We ventured over to Red River

My babies...Crystal leaving to move on over to Magnolia, Texas...They were going to stay until that Saturday morning but...things progressed pretty fast and they left that Friday evening after work...everyone a little teary eyed and moving very fast!  We got through it...

Granddaughter Samantha...Went with her to a doctor's appointment yesterday because of a lump in her breast scare...Thank God in Heaven it is benign....

The goose that laid several eggs...

THEN...there's the NEW Motor home.  Granted, it's nice to have, to roam the countryside without having to stop somewhere to make sandwiches or...well, you know...breaks.  Lets just do it this way...List.  I love list.

1.  Ford V10 chassis...nice...Air conditioner quit cooling...there's a leak in the line so freon? all leaked out.
2.  We are in New Mexico at 9800 ft...it's 38 degrees and the furnace stops working.  Thank goodness we brought along a plug in heater which really didn't help all that much.  Can you say popsicles?
3.  Windows wouldn't close all the way on my side...
4.  Water leak in the windshield...
5.  The levelers wouldn't retract...that's right...wouldn't go back up, leaving us stranded in the RV park for a second night.  Thankful for the kindness and help from the KOA park manager!  He didn't know us from Adam...pitched us his personal truck keys and said, there's a Walmart down the road...you might be needing groceries???  Wow...just great people.
Called a repairman to get them retracted and headed on back to Waco...The last photo is of Hubby taking it back to the dealership to begin repairs.  Gads, what a month...
Did we enjoy ANY of it?  Yes...being in the total quietness at Jane and Henry's, looking at the Elk from the veranda...drinking a coffee...not thinking about much...yep, that was nice.

Happy Trails...

Just a quick post to let y'all know I'm still breathing!  We've been busy planning a trip to New Mexico to visit friends.  There have been some issues we've had to iron out on the coach and it can be a bit aggravating!  One of the least is this...What Is It For?  It's in the freezer on the left side...see it?  What in the world do I put there?Hahaaaa....gads....
Hope you all are doing good...Crystal (daughter) leaves the 24th of this month so we are taking a quick trip before she and Will (grandson) hit the road to their new home outside of Houston.  I'm now in the "acceptance" mode...you know how it is if your kiddo moves away.  I don't care if it IS 2 and a half hours away, she's still "not down the road".  BUTT....I'm being good about it and really DO wish nothing but rainbows and love for them all.  Moms being Moms I guess.....she's my baby....:o)
Anyway, hope you all are behaving and will be coming by for a visit...

First Day of Fall...

Well, it's here...Fall.  I'm not happy with cold weather because that's what happens when the cooler temps disappear...Winter.  I'm not a fan.This is an older photo but it feels like Fall.  Hope you all are doing alright today.  It's kind of slow here at the shop so I have time to sneak in a post.
Just wanted to mark the change of seasons...Later guys......

I'm Liking Red...

 Yes, I think the reds really helped with all of the brown...It was just too much brown!  I don't know why the manufactures do this to some of the lines of motor homes but...they do.  And in case you're thinking, "Geeez!  There's no room in that thing!",  There are two slides...one is in the living room and the other is in the bedroom.  It works for us. 

Just because I like red...

 Here's my honey with a very well mannered little guy named Baron...He owns two humans named Tom and Bev, our friends in San Antonio.

 We traveled through Fredericksberg, Texas on the way to visit our friends and I shot these blooms on a sidewalk after lunch on our way to buy vanilla (the super stuff) at this quaint old former hospital turned into a kitchen shop.  Anyone old enough to remember hospitals like this?

We had a pretty uneventful weekend.  Just traveled south to visit our buddies and hang out.  Got back Sunday and enjoyed doing a load of laundry...yep, it was that much fun.  
We are still trying to get the coach ready for a small trip to New Mexico next month.  We still have to get the hitch on the toad (car we are pulling) and finish with things we need inside.
I have a feeling it's going to be a busy month.  
Hope you all are doing well...Will be hopping over to check!

Well, We Did It...

It's a 2016 Forest River FR3 30DS Motor home....We're going to try traveling again.  Several years ago we sold our Mobil Scout 5th Wheel simply because we rarely got the chance to use it.  There's not much these days holding us back...we still have a plumbing company to run and my Granddaughter, Samantha. will still be living here after Crystal, Will and Tim move to Magnolia in November or December...This way, when we go to visit the kids in Magnolia we can stay in the RV park close by their house.  Or maybe there will be a chili cook off somewhere we want to go see...or whatever.  Also planning a trip to Angel Fire, New Mexico to visit with friends then off to Carlsbad Caverns then home.  It's got a good floor plan, enough for Hubby and I.  Sleeps eight...big shower...I think it'll work.  Anyway, it's very...brown, as you can see.  That's the way they are dressing them up these days...browns.  SO, I've started accenting things in red.  I'll shoot some pictures after I'm done.  Oh, and see the FR3 lettering under the TV that sits over the sink?  There's a light switch just for it!  Flip the switch and it lights up blue...that's all it does...Hahaaa...omg...  It's been a busy month...hiring for Crystal's position...buying the coach...working...living.
Hope you all are well...coming to check on you!