Such A Great Grandma

The kids and I got up early yesterday and headed south to Connecticut to visit my Grandma.

It was so cute that they both dressed up a little, it's as if they know going to see Grandma is a big deal.

My grandma was waiting at the door for us.  She gets so excited when anyone visits.  My son headed straight for his favorite chair.  It was my Papa's.  It does just about everything, it moves, helps you stand up and even gives you a massage.  I will not lie.  I teared up a little.

Even though more than a year has passed, I still miss seeing my Papa sitting in that chair.  I also miss the way his face used to light up a little when the kids walked in.

Once again, I came to her house bearing old photo albums that I've fixed up and I eagerly awaited all the stories that she'd be sharing over the next few hours.  She did not disappoint.  We had such a great rhythm.  She would look at the photos, try and remember who was in them and usually every 5th photo or so , she would lean back on the couch and say, "Oh, that's a good story, do you want to hear it?"  My reply every single time was, "Absolutely."

We took a break and went out for lunch.  I would love to treat my Grandma out to lunch, but short of throwing her purse in a river, she will not allow it.

After lunch she wanted to show us some of the things she had been talking about, like jewelry my Papa got her or souvenirs that he had brought back from trips.  ( I was cursing myself for forgetting my camera)  Then she went to her closet where she keeps her.....furs.  Now say what you want about a fur, I don't want this to get political, but my Grandma lived in Canada, in a different time, where instead of saving up for your first car, you saved up for your first fur.

She let my daughter try on her short fur coat and her hats.  I dare say, my daughter loved them.  I managed to get a picture on my phone.

I'm always a little sad when we have to leave Grandma's house and head home, but both kids had baseball/softball practice, so home we went.

It was a great night to spend at the fields.  My daughter is loving softball, which makes me so happy because she was so upset in the fall when we had to cut back on a dance class to accommodate the softball schedule. It's nice that this year it's coach pitch and she cannot wait to hit that ball.  I am looking forward to a great season. 

We had to divide and conquer last night since both kids have practice/games on the same night at the same time.  I'm not quite sure how I will handle this when my husband has travel, I guess I better get started on that cloning machine.

ThoughtFULL

My husband is not very good at making grand gestures.

I will admit that at times it can be a little frustrating, in the past he's flubbed a few holidays and birthdays.  On Valentine's Day a few years ago, we decided instead of presents we would do something thoughtful for each other.

I spent an entire week sneaking down to the basement where I cleaned and organized all of his tools.  Some of them were full of grease from a job he had over 10 years ago.  It was definitely a labor of love.  I was so excited for my husband to get home from work so I could show him what I did.

When he arrived at home, changed and was about to get comfy I asked him to go to the basement and get me a screwdriver for something.

He came back upstairs and was so happy about what I had done, then he said, "What's the occasion?"  I knew in that moment that he had forgotten. He really did feel terrible, and after my initial reaction, it wasn't the biggest deal in the world.

You see, he's really good at doing small things that let me know he's thinking about me. 

I keep track of expenses in our house.  We use our debit card a lot, so I go on-line every couple of days to track any purchases. 

When my husband gets gas, he always tries to get a number like $33.33 or $44.44, it's his way of saying, "hi" to me when I'm sitting down to pay bills or balance the checkbook.

He also always gives me his cool pens and notebooks he gets from work.  I cannot express how happy a pen and notebook can make me.  I have such a love for office supplies, he knows this about me and indulges this crazy love of mine.

He always seems to know when I've had it.  Whether its when I'm sick, or had a particularly trying day with the kids or something else, he immediately jumps in and takes over.  Sometimes I just look at him and say, " I need to tag out" and that's all he needs.  I am free to go read or sleep or watch that terrible tv I love so much.

Though every girl loves a grand gesture from time to time, I am so thankful for the small things he does that lets me know he's thinking of me.

My Three Sons

The universe is a mysterious creature.

When I was growing up , I always thought that I would have 3 boys.  I don't know why I thought that, but I was convinced it would happen that way.

Obviously, that was not the plan, and I really have no problem with how things worked out. 

Then the other day I realized, that as things usually go for me, I end up getting what I need, but never in the way I envision it.

You see, I have been blessed with 3 godsons.

The first is 14, he's the son of one of my cousins.  He was born 10 days after I got married.  He was the youngest of my cousin and his wife's 3 children and their first boy.  I remember being completely shocked when they asked us.  We had just returned from our honeymoon and had rushed over to meet the newest member of this already awesome family.  I can still picture sitting on their couch , holding this little bundle when they asked my husband and I . 

I couldn't have imagined how great this kid would be.  He's such a sweetheart, even at 14.  When he and my own son were little, they called each other "godbrothers". So adorable.

What I also couldn't have imagined was the shock and sadness I would feel just a few years later when his mom passed away.  She had a brain tumor and though she fought with all her might, she passed away just shy of her 30th birthday.  I still think of her a lot, especially seeing her daughters grow up into beautiful young women.  I still get choked up every time I watch my godson blow out his birthday candles, wishing she was there to see it.

I hope as he gets older, I can still always be a part of his life.  We don't live near each other and life gets busy, but I think it helps that he and my son are close.  I still like to think of them as "godbrothers" even if they're too cool to say it.

My second godson is the son of my dear friend from high school. 

He's a year and a day younger than my daughter.  Even though we live an hour apart, his mom is fantastic about making plans for us to get together. 

I love hearing about this kid.  He does and says things that completely crack me up.  When we last visited them, he was pretty sure he wanted to play video games with my kids, even though his mom had said that this was a quick visit and there would be no video games.

He proceeded to ask my son, "How good are you at video games?" and "Oh, I bet you could probably beat me at this game." 

How can you not applaud the effort?  It was so cute. 

He also even went into his own candy stash and gave each of us a piece of his candy, all on his own.  That's love.

This past weekend, I was asked to be the Godmother to my newest nephew.  I can't wait.  He's adorable and lives close by!   I was so honored, I know I am his Aunt too, but I love that it's just a little something else we will share as the years go on.  Unknown to this little guy is that he is my only local nephew and godchild, so he should be prepared for some serious spoiling!


So, in the end, besides my own wonderful son, I was blessed with the 3 boys I always wanted.  Thanks Universe!

My Little Writer

I have never thought of myself as a writer.

My sister was the writer, the English major, the teacher.

My mom takes writing classes and workshops.

Yet, I found myself being asked to write a column for a local on-line news site.  No one was more surprised than me to find out that I enjoy writing. 

I want to be clear that I am not trying to toot my own horn here.  I don't think I have any professional capabilities. It was nice to get paid for my work. (Sigh, it was so nice while it lasted...dumb economy), but I don't think I ever really felt like I deserved it. 

I always feel like, "Well , I just took those thoughts that were rumbling around in my head and wrote them down."  Really, it's just as simple as that.

I had an English teacher in high school that was brilliant.  The problem was, I didn't care back them and I certainly didn't appreciate all that he could have taught me.  Mr. MacArthur, if you're out there.  I'M SO SO SORRY.  I really wish I could go back and audit your class now, I swear, I would totally pay attention.

My daughter has recently become obsessed with writing.  She asks me all the time how "Two Penny Jenny" is going.  In her school, each student gets to write their own book.  She's almost done writing hers at school, so she's been writing a ton of books at home.

I love the way she thinks, so honest and sweet.  I love all her 1st grade phonetic spelling.  I asked her why she liked writing so much and she said, "I must like it because you like it."  It's so funny, that never occurred to me!  I'm glad that she and I share this, and now I'll share some of her work with you.  Enjoy!  I apologize for how light the pictures are...it was the best I could do with my mere computer skills.

(I'll write it as she did) "My Life  My life is nice.  Becos pepl chret me vrey vrey VREY NICE to me!  Efen ef I get sad.  I dote relly care.  I stell have to go to scool.  But it is ok that I stell have to go to scool.

"My daddy is so so so funny!  My daddy is 38 like my Mommy they are both vrey nice.  I am telling you I love my family"

"Jack is my brothr.  We fite ulot.  Me and Jack fite like avry day.  My brothr is 13 tene yers old.  I am only 7 you now that I relly am 20!  Jush jokeing."  ( This cracks me up because I really don't think they fight that much, apparantly they just do a really good job of not letting me know about it all the time)

"As you see I LOVE my life.  So So So vrey vrey VREY much !!!!!!!!!!!  I love tham a lot and a lot"
(In the mouth)  I love you so much.  I am glad you are in my family!!!!  I shud brush my teth!

The First 10 Minutes

During the week, there's a lot to get done in the morning.

My kids , for whatever reason, do not enjoy their lunches ( I guess really just their sandwiches) when I make them the night before. 

It's a small sacrifice of my time to make them in the morning.  I'd rather do that then have them throw it away when they get to school. 

In the hustle and bustle of the morning, there's a little ritual my son and I have that really starts my day off on a great note. 

We always watch the first 10 minutes of "The Today Show" together. 

He's usually eating his breakfast around that time, so whoever makes it downstairs first in the morning, puts the TV on NBC and should one of us be running late, we pause the TV at 6:59. 

We have a contest to see who can guess what the top story is, lately the sure bet has been anything to do with politics.  There are some mornings we're so sure we're right only to find out that something has happened overnight that we had no idea about.

I'm not someone who really follows the news too much.  Some days that 10 minutes is the only news I see all day, but I feel like some top stories and local weather are all I need to make it through the day.  I also have the benefit of being on Facebook enough, that if something big happens, I usually find out about it.

I love the little discussions we get into about the news.  We both really miss Meredith Viera, and we both agree that every morning we still wish they would announce her name.

There are some news stories that are tough to talk about.  The recent news of an American troop going on a killing spree was confusing to my son, but it really made him think about how much pressure our troops are under. 

There's one particular story that my son brings up a lot.  When we first started this ritual, there was a boy named Kyron Horman who disappeared.  Every morning , we anxiously hoped that the top story would be that he was found.  As time went on, my son was concerned that Kyron had stopped being a top story.  Weeks turned into months and now over a year has passed. 

My son still asks about him from time to time, we occasionally look on Google to see if there's any new information.  Sadly, there isn't, it's so hard to try and explain to any kid, how this could be possible.  I am grateful for the opportunity it gives my son and I to talk about how this makes him feel and how he can stay safe, but I still get a lump in my throat every single time.

After the first 10 minutes, he's off to brush his teeth, get his shoes on, grab his backpack and he's out the door. 

I don't know how long we'll have this, but I will always be grateful for 10 minutes where it's just me and him.

Might as Well Face it......

I'm addicted to mugs.

I love mugs.  I am not big on collecting things, but I can appreciate how a mug can make me remember a trip or a childhood memory.  Since I am a complete coffee addict, I often pick a mug that reflects the mood I'm in.

I thought I'd share my mug moods with you today.....

 This is a mug from a beautiful inn that just happens to be run by some family friends.  We had my Dad's 50th Birthday party there and it was a weekend full of fun, friends and family.  I enjoy the shape of this mug and the memories it brings back.

This you may recognize as a mug from The Titanic.  It's a replica, obviously, we saw The Titanic exhibit in Denver when we were visiting my sister.  It was great, but you weren't allowed to take any pictures, so we were excited to pick out a few souvenirs to remember the  day.  This is a perfect size cup for a quick cup of coffee before I'm off and running, or if I dare to sneak in an afternoon cup.

Nubble Light, Maine.  I will always always love you......This mug makes me happy.  So happy, we have 2 of them.

"

A mug for any occasion!  I usually use this one on the weekends.  My kids like to see what I write on there.  A few from the past have been, "Rain, rain go away"  "Go wake up Daddy" and "Ahhhhh...coffee".  A bonus is , it holds a lot of coffee, perfect for getting me in gear for the weekend.

No explanation needed. "Who are these kids and why are they calling me Mom?"

This last mug I have had the longest.

 It stayed in the back of the cupboard until recently.  My Aunt Louise brought it back for me when she went on her honeymoon over 30 years ago.

 When my parents named me Jennifer, they thought they had picked such a unique name, they didn't know anyone named Jennifer.  Sadly, about a kajillion other parents had the same thoughts that year.  I started out as Jennifer and soon became a "Jenny".

 Sometime around 6th grade, I decided that I was far too mature and cool and would now be referred to as "Jenn".  I went with the double "n" to try and stand out just a little.  Most of my fellow Jennifer, Jen and Jenn's ditched the "Jenny" and never looked back.  I know we all have relatives that still call us by our old names, but they get a pass.

 Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I don't mind The Jenny like I used to, and so the return of...

The Jenny Mug.

Jenny-ology

My dad has asked me to help him put together his genealogy.  I am really excited to get started.  Since his dad passed away a year ago, he's definitely been more interested in remembering about all his relatives. 

This weekend we spent some time with my Grandma, I love when she tells stories , I could listen to them all day.  She is my last living grandparent.  I adore her, she is so sweet and never wants to be a bother.  I really cherish any amount of time I get to spend with her.  I love that she knows my kids, I'm so blessed.

She told us a story this weekend about how when she and her sister, Lorrette were little , her dad gave Lorrette 5 pennies for the collection at church.  Lorrette didn't know what the pennies were for , so she went and bought herself an ice cream at a chinese restaurant, the best part of the story is that Grandma still got such a kick out of it.

Another story was about how an uncle came to visit and when he got up in the morning and picked up his pants, all his change fell out all over the floor.  He called my grandmother in and asked her to pick it up, and then he said she could keep it!  She said she had $1.12 and she was so rich!  She said she didn't spend it for a long time because she liked feeling rich.  

My Grandparents, Fall 2010,  at my cousin's wedding.  They were married 61 years.

My husband, the kids and I really like the show "Who Do You Think You Are?".  It's so fascinating to see where people come from and how they unravel little mysteries about their pasts. 

I won't delude myself into thinking that we'll find anything as exciting as these celebrities do.  After all , they have entire production crews investigating their family trees and finding the most interesting branches. 

I can't wait to see where this journey takes me, and I think it will be a great way to spend some quality time with my dad as well.