Sunday With the Grand Kids

Those of you with grandchildren know that just spending time with them is the greatest...no matter what you're doing. We had a fun day this past Sunday. Our local high school was putting on their production of Wizard of Oz last weekend and there was a Sunday matinee. I thought it would be a great "girls day" for me to take Jodi, Jess and Savannah to see it. Emery could easily hang with grandpa until we got back. But, as it turned out, Jess had plans to go into Atlanta with friends, Jodi really didn't care to sit through it, and Savannah has decided she doesn't like it because it's scary. We were amazed that a few years ago she would watch it all by herself...but she's changed her mind about it. While we were discussing it, Emery kept saying, "I want to go! I want to go!" So I had a Sunday afternoon date with my grandson. And that was great. (Rest assured, he did not wear the wig to the performance. This is him clowning around in Savannah's costume when she was Dorothy for Halloween the year before last.) He sat very patiently watching everything quietly even though it did drag a little with all the musical numbers. The school kids did a great job, but it was a little slow compared to the movies he's used to watching. Just before intermission, he turned to me and said, quietly, "I don't like it". I told him that was fine and that we could leave when they took a break. So when the lights came up I asked him if he wanted to leave. He thought about it a little, but decided that yes, he had seen enough. He was fascinated with the stage, the props and all the people and we still had a good time.

Meanwhile, back at home, Jodi and Savannah decided they would spend some mother-daughter bonding time and go get manis and pedis. They were back at the house by the time we got there. Savannah also brought her new best friend...a life size (bigger than her) Pink Panther that she got from her other grandma's house and now takes everywhere. It is a hoot. She was sitting on the couch with it and posing it in other places around the house. Finally she decided that PP would make a great new friend for grandpa. So she posed him the way she always sees grandpa: with a coffee cup in one hand and a crossword puzzle book and pen in the other hand. And he really did make a good companion.

Crazy Spring/Summer Weather

Just a few weeks ago I posted some spring pictures. The delicate colors of newly blooming plants...as well as my pink golf ball sitting on a yellow tee waiting to be smacked to smithereens. BTW -- "smithereens" is nowhere near the fairway. But I digress.

Just the day after the spring pictures, I was taking "summer" pictures! A geranium in full bloom and the grand kids in the swimming pool. Our spring weather has been very warm and the pool warmed up to where the little ones were ready to get in. The grownups...aka lifeguards...however, are still just hovering nearby. They were so excited when I told them they could put their new bathing suits on and "just stick a toe in and see how cold it feels". They were in over their heads in no time saying (through chattering teeth), "It's not too cold". They had remembered from last summer just where to go to get their favorite beach towels, their sunglasses, and the "sunscream". (You can't get in the pool without putting on a lot of sunscream.)

Emery said of his new swim trunks, "I look like flag bottom boy." And, for some reason, every time Savannah gets her swimsuit on she thinks she has to sit like this on the chaise lounge chairs. We have this same pose for the last several years.

So we were into full summer mode already. Until yesterday. We've been continuing to have wonderful, glorious rainy intervals. The drought is over and the blooming things look fantastic. But yesterday was a gray, drizzly day which turned breezy and much cooler. Last night when they ran the teaser for the local news, the weatherman said, "I'll tell you when we'll be experiencing February-like temperatures"!!

I think the kiddies will be quite surprised when they come over again and the water is colder than it was before! Then again...they might not even notice.

Wednesdays with Nanny

Since the first of the year, it's become our habit that on Wednesday mornings, after BSF bible study, I either bring the grandkids back to my house or take them back home...depending on what Jodi has going on. Many times they'll come back here, and last Wednesday was one of those days.

The weather has been wonderful and we had a good long time together because Jodi was trying to get some things done in the office. We started by having their favorite...a "living room picnic" lunch of yogurt and goldfish crackers in front of the TV (Tom and Jerry cartoons come on at noon). Then we had to do some more surgery on Emery's beloved - and increasingly tattered - "blankie". While we were in the sewing room, Savannah decided to finish her second quilt. One she started a while back for her little pink lamb, Bubble Gum. When I say "she" finished it, I'm speaking in very broad terms. But she did pick out the fabrics and did a little more of the work on this one than she did on the first. Baby steps.

Then it was too beautiful outside to stay in the basement, so after they had played for a while we took a quilt and some books outside to read for a while. Grandpa came by with his lawn tractor and cart and they were off to get rides. After he drove them around for a while, he let Emery drive. Then Savannah got a turn to drive, too. They loved it and didn't want to stop.

By now it was getting to be supper time. So we checked with mommy and she said she was almost done and would have time to eat with us when she came to get them. She offered to pick up something on her way. But Savannah and I decided to go to the store and get Boboli pizza crusts and the toppings. Savannah likes to make pizza and eats that particular kind better than any other. We all eat a bunch whenever we make that.

So there you have it....an afternoon with the grandkids. It doesn't get any better than that.

Fashion Update

Grampy and I were going to watch the kids on Saturday, but Jodi and Jeremy each had to be up and on their ways in different directions early, so we got the kids Friday night. It was late when they got here, but Savannah had to see all the doll clothes before she went to bed. She took them all out of the box and "oohed" and "aahed" over each one. Then she put some of them on Meo. Here's Meo...sporting a pink nightgown, a blue cape, a light green floppy-brimmed hat and carrying a red tote...and looking so fine.

When the kids spend the night, Emery sleeps with Grampy and I sleep with Savannah. In the morning as we were laying in bed, Savannah said, "Nanny -- Meo is so excited. Today is the first day of all her new clothes!" I said that I thought Meo looked pretty comfortable in her nightgown (the cape and accessories were removed for sleeping) and I asked if she slept well. Savannah said, "Oh, yes. I think she was pretty tired. She fell asleep before I did, because I asked her a question and she didn't answer me."

Goin' to the Moomies

He can say it right, now, but a few months ago Emery referred to going to see a movie as going to the "Moomie Fater". It just tickled me and it's one of those things I'll probably always remember about him zipping through one of those early stages. Anyway, yesterday I took the little ones to the moomie fater for the second week in a row.

Earlier this summer my friend, Robin, told me about a program at the AMC theater called "Summer Movie Camp". Every Wednesday morning during the summer they have a children's movie and admission is $1! And you can get them a snack tray...small popcorn, small drink and a package of gummy fruits...for $3. Now compared to what it costs to go to a movie these days that's a bargain! And the proceeds benefit the Variety Children's Charity and the Will Rogers Institute. I just love a win-win. So I thought I'd take the kiddies to a movie on a few Wednesday mornings and see if mommy wouldn't like a chance to get a few things done with the speed of an unencumbered woman.

With all that's been going on this summer, last week was the first chance I'd had to take them. Grandpa went with us and we saw Jerry Seinfield's "Bee Movie". I had seen it before, but I enjoyed it again and the kids liked it. Yesterday's feature was "Surf's Up". It was called a "mocumentary"...but what it was mocking was lost on me. I guess I haven't seen enough surfer dude movies to get the point. But it didn't thrill me much. The kids were kind of bored, too. But it was still a fun day and worth doing. After the movie, we come back here and get in the pool for a while and then take naps. So...even if the movie is less than stellar, we have a great day, we give our bit to charity, and mom gets some stuff done. But that's it for this year. Next week is the final one and even though it makes for a fun day, I don't want to see "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". But I'll have to remember to start going earlier next year.

Camp Nanny-Gramp

Some time ago, Jodi and Jeremy committed to go with several other members from their church on this year's mission trip to Honduras. She asked if we would keep the kids for 7 days. Well...of course!...we'd love to.

So this is the week the kids are vacationing at our house. Jodi brought them over last Friday about mid day. They immediately went to their "surprise boxes" as usual. Savannah had a loom in hers and we began weaving lessons. Emery had two balsa wood glider planes for him and Grandpa to fly. So we were off to a good start. (Note on the picture of Savannah that we got new porch furniture to go with the nice new paint job on the house.)

Saturday was a play-at-home day and they got out every toy in the place. When Aunt Jess got off work, she came over and we played in the pool. Sunday morning we went to Jess' church -- early service -- and then got in the pool again. Jessica dazzled the kids by diving off the diving board. Monday is Jess' day off, so while Grandpa and Emery played together at home, Jess, Savannah and I had a "girls' day". We went to Wal-Mart and got some plain old flip flops...then to Michael's to get some fancy ribbons...then to lunch at Wendy's...and then we came home and decorated our flip flops. We had fun and they turned out great! Here are Savannah's and mine. Jess' were cute, too, and very festive...red and white. But she refuses to be a "foot model". We made a pair of brown and blue ones for mommy to surprise her when she gets home from Honduras.

Today is Tuesday and Savannah has some books due back at the library. So we will hit the library this morning and then go out to lunch in Old Town Conyers. There is a cute little OLD drug store that still has a soda fountain and has lunches the kids will like. The plan for tomorrow morning is to go to a petting zoo. I hope it won't be too hot, because Savannah and I were looking at the place on the computer and she's really up for it. The record temps this week have made getting in the pool at least once every day a MUST. It's also a great way to ensure good naps and sleeping in to a reasonable time in the morning. It wears them out quite nicely.

But don't get the wrong impression. It's not all fun and games here at Camp Nanny-Gramp. There are chores to be done, too. Like vacuuming the floors and cleaning off the cherubs in the fountain. We're not above exploiting cheap labor!

I'd better get off the computer now and go pay attention to my house guests. Emery just came in and told me that the pool is nice and warm and he wants to get in it before it gets too cold. (He remembers hearing all winter that he couldn't get in because it was too cold.)

A Wet Weekend

Part of me wishes this post was about all the rain we got this weekend. We are very, very dry again and the plants and flowers have sad little faces. We had a chance for rain last night and it was predicted to be raining this morning...but so far, not a drop. Also, there is a very slight chance for some precip today, tonight and tomorrow. But I don't hold out much hope.

So why am I writing a bout a "wet weekend"?

On Saturday Jodi called and said she and Jeremy had a last-minute opportunity to go to a resort at Lake Oconee with some friends and play golf (him) and go to the spa (her) and out to a nice dinner and spend the night (both). But she needed a baby sitter and could I pleeeeese keep the kids overnight? Well...of course! Since we weren't having any rain, the kids and I got in the pool Saturday afternoon for a couple of hours. Then when Jess got off work, she came over and we got pizza and had a "party" night. On Sunday morning, we all went to Jess' church early, then came back and had warmed-up pizza for lunch and got in the pool again for a couple of more hours. They had a ball...and after that they both took 3-hour naps and were just getting up when mom and dad came to collect them.

Jessica forgot to "turn the other cheek", so she's red on one side and white on the other. If she stops and turns around to look back, she looks like a barber pole!

So it was a good weekend, and everybody enjoyed it....except the poor flowers with their pitiful little faces to the hot sun.

Why, Emery...why?

If Savannah went through the "why" stage, I don't remember it. If she did, I've probably blocked it out of my memory. If she didn't...then Emery is making up for it! The inquisitive little fellow is full of questions these days; mostly "why?".

He was over here Wednesday when the painter was prepping the house. Here's how one (only one of many that day) conversation went:

Emery: "Where's Grandpa?"
Me: "Outside."
Emery: "Why?"
Me: "He's talking to the painter."
Emery: "Why?"
Me: "He wants to know how it's going."
Emery: "Why?"
Me: "Because the man is getting ready to paint the house."
Emery: "Why?"
Me: "Because the house doesn't look very good and needs a new coat of paint."
Emery:"Why?"
Me: "Because the weather wears the paint off."

I'll spare you the rest. I think you can see where we're going with this. When he's not asking "why" he's telling "knock-knock" jokes.

Starting next Thursday night, Grandpa and I are going to have the two little ones for 9 days while Jodi and Jeremy go on a mission trip to Honduras. Does anyone have an IPod I can borrow and plug into my ears?????

Sister, Sister

Back in February I wrote that I have one brother...Chuck Berry. I also have one sister...Karen Berry. But my one sister has many other sisters. "How can that be?" you may be asking (or maybe not). My sister, Karen, is a Roman Catholic nun. Her official name is Sr. Karen Berry, OSF. The "OSF" behind her name indicates that she is a member of the Order of Saint Francis. Their community "home" is in Joliet, Illinois, but she lives in Tucson, Arizona.

I have mentioned a few times that my mom was with us for a while this spring. She's been living with Karen, and her roommate, Diane, in Tucson for the past 2-1/2 years. But in February I flew out there to accompany her back here to visit with us for a couple of months. She was due to go back with Karen in mid May. But while she was with us, her health began to decline. It was obvious to the whole family that it was time to move her to the next level of care...a nursing home.

That's a difficult time for any family. We allowed her to choose where she would want to go. She wanted to go back "home" to Illinois. We are all from the town of Streator, but she chose to go to Joliet...about an hour away from Streator. The sisters of Saint Francis in Joliet established the ministry of Our Lady of Angels retirement home in 1962. It's a beautiful place and we can remember mom saying, "If I ever have to go into a place like that, I want to come here." So we took her there earlier this month and got her settled in. She's a long way from family because we are so scattered now, but she is surrounded by caring people in a wonderful facility. Her room is in the newly remodeled wing and she is surrounded by nuns...some of whom she's known for several years. So even though as a child she had 7 sisters of her own, she can now claim many, many more!

So on May 4th, Jerry and I packed mom and her things into Jodi and Jeremy's SUV (a very nice way to make the trip) and drove from here in Georgia to my brother and sister-in-law's house near St. Louis. We rested up on Monday, then drove to Joliet on Tuesday, May 6th. Karen flew into Chicago, rented a car, and met us at OLA. This is a picture of all of us taken that day. That's Jerry on the left and Karen on the right. Linda and Chuck are standing in the back, and that's me and mom in the front center.

So mom is settled in there now, but feeling the absence of family. Please keep her in your prayers as she makes this adjustment.

A Berry Good Tradition

When we do something that's fun, we tend to do it again. If it's something seasonal, then before long it becomes another of our "traditions". One such fun tradition is to go out and pick strawberries in late April. Last Wednesday, Jerry picked up the grand kids when Jodi came into town for her bible study. While she fed her soul with the word of God, we picked berries. But it did my soul so much good to be out in the sunshine on a beautiful spring morning with my husband and grand kids. I had someone very capable staying with mom and it was so refreshing to my spirit to be able to inhale, deeply, the fresh morning air and feel the warm sun on my face. And the berries....those wonderful, fresh berries...there is just no way to describe them.

When the little ones come over with their buckets and their enthusiasm, you can tell mom has been talking to them. This year it was Emery's turn to be very intense when he told me, "Just pick the red, shiny ones. Don't pick the yellow ones. Don't pick the green ones." I asked him about picking any blue ones and he said they would make you sick.

So Emery was sure to pick the red, shiny ones (for the most part) and each time he picked one he would say, "What about this one, Nanny?" and I'd tell him that was the best one yet. Then he'd take it to Jerry and say, "What about this one, Grandpa?" After getting another approval, he would put it in the bucket...wherever he had left the bucket. Savannah, with her years of berry picking experience, just picked berries. Once in a while she would show us a particularly large or perfectly shaped one. And, of course, we nibbled.

They are so good and I wish they would stay fresh longer, but we usually end up freezing most of them that same day. But the ones we did eat fresh, with juices dripping down our chins and onto our white shirts, were berry, berry good!

The Lord's Day

"This is the day that the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Do you know that if you get up really early, you can do a whole lot more rejoicing and being glad? Our "celebration" of today began at about 4:45 a.m. The grand kids had spent the night and were sleeping in their sleeping bags on the floor next to our bed. At about 4:45, I heard a thump and jumped up out of a sound sleep to find that one of them had rolled into the leg of the bed side table and it had fallen over on them! The lamp broke, but luckily only into two large pieces of glass and no shards. They were surprisingly calm...or still asleep and stunned...as they helped me upright things again. Making sure eveything was cleaned up and everyone was okay, I tried to persuade them to go back to sleep. (Yeah, right, Nanny!) As I turned the light off again, Emery said, "What's that?" and pointed to the window. Savannah said, "Is that lightning?" I told them that, yes, it had been lightning out for a little while now but assured them there was no bad storm. Emery said, "I don't hear the funder." I told them they could lay there and watch the lightning show and be very quiet to see if they could hear thunder. To my surprise, they were very quiet. I thought they had gone back to sleep or, at the very least, were about to. Then I heard what sounded like the closet door on Jerry's side of the room. I got up and found them both sneaking into Grandpa's closet! I asked what they were doing and Savannah said, "We're on a field trip." And Emery added, "Yeah...a field trip." I told them both to get back on their sleeping bags and they could play field trip later...like when the sun came up. So they settled back down. Not much after that, Roxie was whining at the basement door. She usually sleeps in our room, but when the kids stay over she sleeps downstairs. So Jerry got up to let her out. That was about 5:30, so I knew he would just stay up for the day. Emery was still a little restless (read: wound up), so I told him to come and get in bed with me. Pretty soon Savannah wanted in, too, so we added her. Then the two of them were poking at each other and laughing, so I put myself in the middle. Eventually, Savannah went back down to the sleeping bag and the three of us went back to sleep and didn't get up again until about 8:30. That's when Savannah and I got up...Emery stayed asleep until about 9:00.

Due to the amount of pollen in the air right now, I had taken an antihistamine when I went to bed. So I was a little groggy during all of this. But I KNOW I didn't dream it!

Charles - Chuckie - Chuck

I have one brother. His name is Charles John Berry. My dad's name was Charles Raymond Berry...so my brother isn't a true "junior". But when you name a son after his father there is always confusion, so you need a way to clarify who it is you're talking about (or yelling at, or blaming for something). So, growing up, my dad was Charles and my brother was called "Chuckie". It's okay to picture the familiar nightmare here -- it rings true for me.

After a certain age, my brother let us all know...in no uncertain terms...that he despised being called "Chuckie". I still use it on occasion and have been known to address his mail that way sometimes. When my nephew, Patrick, was growing up he'd get a kick out of it. When they were getting ready to leave after visiting us one time, he asked me to "Call my dad Chuckie one more time before we go".

So my now grown-up brother goes by Chuck. That's right...Chuck Berry! Now we have to clarify who we're talking about by saying, "Not the skinny black guy...the balding white guy".

But all kidding aside, I must confess that I have come to admire and appreciate my little brother. I give his wife, Linda, credit for helping him to become a fine adult. They have raised two exemplary children. He has worked hard and become a success in his career and an asset to his community. He went to pharmacy school in St. Louis and became a pharmacist for Walgreens early on. He took business administration courses and is still with them as a district manager. They're living back in the St. Louis area again and he's on the board of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy where he got his degree and he serves on the board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The reason I'm talking about him today is that he called yesterday to say that he and Linda would be coming for a visit this weekend. I'm so glad they're coming because while they visit with mom during the days, I can work at the quilt shop for the big Shop Hop this weekend and not feel bad about leaving her for 3 days in a row! Then I can visit with them in the evening.

This is the new and improved, revised and metamorphosed (it's a word -- I looked it up) Chuck Berry with his son, Patrick...who, by the way, now wants to be called "Pat". :)

It's Tuesday

On Jodi's blog, she sometimes participates in "Tiny Talk Tuesday" with some other bloggers. This is when they record some of the cute and interesting things their children say. After having had the kiddies for a couple of days, I have something to contribute in the way of "Tiny Talk".

Savannah and I were in the sewing room for a while on Sunday and after a bit she got bored and went back upstairs. In a little while, I thought I'd better go see what she was doing. As I came around to the foot of the steps, there she was with a mostly empty large bag of Skittles in her hand. Most of the Skittles were in a pile on the floor. She calmly said, "Nanny...can we just clean these up and you not ask any questions?"

Emery introduces himself to every one he meets. We ate lunch at McDonald's on Saturday and they wanted to play on the playground for a while. There were two other little girls there. The older one was about 4 or 5. She asked Savannah and Emery if they wanted to play with her. Savannah said, "Okay" and started climbing on the slide. Emery's eyes lit up and he told her, "I Emery York!" and then he was ready to play. Then later we went to see the animals at Dauset Trails and he was so excited about the aligators. On Sunday morning we went to Jessica's church with her because hers has a better nursery than ours and the kids really like it there. He introduced himself to the nursery attendant by saying, "I Emery York! I saw the gators!"

Little Helpers

We have company this weekend. Two little folks. Jodi dropped the kids off Friday about noon and then she left to meet up with Jeremy so they could go up to north Georgia for a couples' retreat weekend with their Sunday School group. They have wonderful weather for it and they are looking forward to relaxation and rejuvination. But at Che Nanny and Grandpa's there's lots of work to be done.

First they had to work on the John Deere. Lucky Grandpa -- two mechanics are better than one. Emery had to "fiss" something on the trailer hitch.

Since we aren't buried in snow like so much of the country, we have leaves that needed to be raked.

And, of course, Grandpa needed help rinsing and refilling the bird bath. I don't know how he manages to get all this stuff when he doesn't have all this help!

But all their hard work earned them a ride in the wheelbarrow and they liked that quite a bit!

All that child labor and fresh air can be draining, though. So all this activity was followed by a 3-hour (!) nap for Emery. Savannah found her own way to "unwind"...

Dino Mite

No, I did not misspell the title of this blog. I know that Jimmy JJ Walker made the word "Dy-no-mite!" popular, but this is different. This is from the Greek "Dino", meaning Fred Flinstone's pet dinosaur and "Mite" meaning diminutive.

When we went over to the York's house on Saturday with intentions of playing in the snow (the snow that never came), I stopped on the way and picked up some thermal undies for Savannah and a new hat and mittens set for Emery. As you can see, the hat and mittens had these dinosaur looking things on them. I thought he might like them. When we tried them on him, he was transformed instantly into some sort of a cross between a ferocious beast and a Ninja. We didn't know quite what he was supposed to be, but he cracked us up. :)

Mr. and Mrs. Fix-It

When Savannah was little she thought Grandpa could fix anything by putting a battery in it. He had done that with a couple of her toys, so whenever anything was broken--she brought it to him for new batteries. The fact that not quite everything could be fixed that way never shook her confidence in Grandpa's abilities.

Yesterday we were hanging out at Jodi and Jeremy's house waiting to play in the snow that never came :( and when Emery got up from his nap, he showed us that his best friend, "Blankie", was broken. The binding had come loose for a length of about 12 to 14 inches. He brought it to me because he knew I could fix it. He even took me to where Jodi's sewing machine is (she doesn't use it...but he remembered me using it one time when I was there) and told me that would work. He also wanted to sit on my lap and supervise...like he had done before. I guess his confidence was mixed with concern because as I started, he had his hands folded in prayer! But I would stitch for a few inches, then stop to line everything up again for the next section. He enjoyed this quite a lot and would laugh and say, "Do again, Nanny!" and I'd sew some more. Finally he was delighted to see that Blankie had not only survived the surgery, but looked good as new!

It's How God Made Me

Yesterday Savannah casually observed, "You're kinda' old, Nanny." I said, "Really. What makes you think that?". She said, "Your clothes are old. And...that's why you wear glasses." "Oh", I said. Then I asked her, "Is that a bad thing?" She thought a minute, then with a sigh she said, "No. That's just how God made you."

Ooohhhhh.....Aaahhhh

A few years ago I was taking part in a Christmas gift exchange at the school where I worked. One of the neat things that I got from the teacher who drew my name was a small Christmas cactus. Boy, did that take me back! I hadn't thought about it in years, but Jerry's mom had a huge one that stood on a pedestal. It was always amazing to me when it bloomed. I thanked the teacher for the sweet memory of my mother-in-law that the gift evoked and I took it home to die. (I do not have a green thumb) Cacti are pretty sturdy, so this poor little thing lost one part of itself, but hung on and managed to survive somehow. Last year it actually had a bloom or two on it for the holidays. So I decided to surprise the girls by getting one for each of them. They really were surprised because they don't even remember Grandma Mary's! Turns out my friend, Melisa, is somewhat of an expert on these things. She told me she takes hers outside for the summer. Just puts them in some filtered sunlight and pretty much ignores them. If we're going through a really dry spell, she might give them an occasional drink. Hey, I can ignore things! Then she said around time-change weekend she brings them in the house and puts them in a room that doesn't get much artificial light at night. I did that this year, and my sweet beauty isn't even waiting for Christmas to bloom it's little heart out. Jerry and I are amazed every day to see the blooms. It's like watching slow motion fireworks!

Not Quite Helpful

Yesterday I picked Savannah up from school at noon. I had told her she could come over one day this week and help me finish decorating the tree. She was all excited about it, but her enthusiams for the task at hand didn't last very long. After a while she started having her "collections". She would take certain ornaments, or groups of ornaments, and play with them off to the side. Once they were part of her collection, I was not to take them to hang on the tree. She amuses herself very well and was off in her own little imaginary world from time to time. But she also got busy with the lighting. Grandpa showed her the neat remote control he got for turning the tree lights off and on...so that we don't have to crawl over the packages and under the tree to plug and unplug. So she would turn the room light off to see how the tree looked lit in the dark...ooooohhhhh--aaaahhhhh...then she would turn the room light on and the tree off. Every once in a while I'd be hanging an ornament and all the lights would go off!


So then I tried to re-engage her help with decorating the downstairs bathroom. I hang a garland around the big mirror and decorate it with miniature things. Again, I lost several items to her collections and I'll have to finish that job today. But she discovered Grandpa's magnetic screwdriver laying there and found out it would pick up ornament hooks. That fascinated her for quite a while. Again she was off in a world of her own imagining and she kept softly saying "Screw. Screw. Screw. Screw." in a sing-song voice. As I was reaching up to work with the garland, suddenly there was a screwdriver poked into my side and she said, "Screw you, Nanny."

Back to Work

I've been lolling around in "holiday mode" for the past two days, but today I need to get busy. See, while for most of you Thanksgiving dinner is a fond memory triggered by a step onto the scale or the sight of leftovers in the refrigerator, we have not had ours yet. Today I need to clean the house and make pies and cranberry relish because our family Thanksgiving dinner is tomorrow.

We've had our family dinner the Sunday following the traditional Thanksgiving Thursday for the past several years. Thanksgiving is a big, busy day at the Blue Willow Inn and Jessica usually has to work. She's been there enough years now that she could pull rank and get the day off, but it's just easier if she works it. Also, that keeps Jodi and Jeremy and their family from having to eat two big dinners in the same day and keep an eye on the clock so that nobody gets upset. By Sunday, they're all ready to eat another feast and we can enjoy leisurely time together as a family.

This year I'm going to start a new tradition. Given the ages of the grandchildren now, and my fondness for arts and crafts, I decided that after dinner -- when we're all stuffed with stuffing, etc. -- we'd sit around and paint Christmas ornaments. Jerry and I put the tree up the other day and there is nothing on it but lights. Everyone will get to hang their own ornament wherever they want to on the tree and those will be the first decorations up this year! :)