people i love

These guys. We were over there today in the afternoon,  socializing outside.

This photo was taken last week of my sweet Miss O. 

And her brothers! They argued and tussled, fell off their lawn chairs, climbed on the roof of the doll house. Dan said they were annoying.  Probably they were, but their squirrely goofy selves were so welcome to me.

 Aww. You kids have a good week.  I love you.   Grandma, and Grandpa too

made the team!

He made the basketball team, and he's so pleased, and so are his parents.

Not sure what the season will look like exactly, but it will be fun to find out.

Hoping for the best.

Congratulations, buddy!!  

Love, Grandma and Grandpa

back to babysitting

We were back at it again today after three weeks away.   Elin is fine, totally fine to stay with the kids who are distance learning at home, no worries.

So this is a good Welcome Back story:  I made lunch.   I heated up some leftover Sloppy Joe meat and put it on buns.  When the child saw it on her plate, she burst into tears, grabbed it and threw it in the wastebasket.

!!!!

Then the little sister ran to the dining room, grabbed her Sloppy Joe and threw it in the bin too.

Apparently they don't like Sloppy Joes and this is a super dramatic way to make that point? (They could have said so--we'd have found them something else.)  

I was stunned.  I said, "Lunch is over. Get to your rooms."  (The little one had eaten a hash brown and a jug of chocolate milk, so she was for sure not even hungry anyway.)

They ran away crying. In a few minutes the bigger sister was in the kitchen making turkey sandwiches and took them upstairs.  I pretended not to notice.

Oh my goodness.  I will never attempt to serve them Sloppy Joes again.  Never.  Really.  I asked others if this is a thing they would do?  Throw a meal their grandma gave them into the trash right in front of her?  They all winced, "Oooh.  No.  I would not do that."   What a great laugh this was for today.

Here's a beautiful picture from last week when the aunts were in charge, hopefully serving chicken nuggets or macaroni.

 So much love you darn kids, even when you're punks.   Love, Grandma

back to reality

It's been a quiet three weeks at home with Elin recovering from surgery.  The nights are long and the hockey rink is alive, pucks smacking the boards. The owls are loud many nights, high in the pines.

I stole someone else's shoes to take out the recycling, in the dark on the patio.

And Christmas has been removed.  I battled those living room curtains today.   The curtains are heavy and the rods are flimsy and light.  Taking them down is pretty easy, but putting them back up had me sweating buckets.  Jay tried to help me, but you can't force a finagle situation, and at first he didn't understand. The curtains bind up on the sliding aspects of the rods.  We have to feel where those are and adjust accordingly.  This is why it's a struggle.  Breathe.  Please stop yelling.  We'll get it.

We did. The curtains are clean and back up again, but I think they're getting faded--which is annoying because I like them and would happily keep apple blossom curtains in my living room forever.  I loved the previous geranium curtains even more.  Once a decision is made, why have to keep coming back every ten to fifteen years and starting over again??  That's done.  (Apparently NOT.)

That's how I felt about my Buick Roadmaster station wagon: permanent car.  Boom, done.

Sigh. Sadly that's not how the world works.  So many decisions have to be returned to again and again and again. 

WHY?

Anyway, the living room looked different today without any curtains, with the Christmas tree gone, bundled safely back into that giant Christmas tree bag.

And January is moving on too.  Kids are back in school, distance learning, including Kari, starting tomorrow.

I'm back to Heidi's tomorrow watching kids.  The kids at home here will have to supervise Elin.

2021?

Really do want to be friends.  Trying to hold steady.

Love, Val

 

not only the kitchen

The bathroom was dealt with. The rusty hideous shower rod that was taking the whole bathroom down? Gone. Plus he put up a new shower head and pop up for the drain.   It's about damned time, ugh.

And the office was cleaned while he was away.  He hates it when I clean the office, stir up dust, vacuum dead bugs and cobwebs.  He said it made him sneeze and cough.  I honestly couldn't tell any difference in his sneezing or coughing level. His jobs are all dusty.

Yeah, it was way overdue. And then he became inspired and tackled his hell hole of a desk.

Today Julia and James helped me do this.  A while back a certain granddaughter ripped the roof of my thatched little music box that plays When Irish Eyes Are Smiling that my dear, sweet friend brought me from Ireland in the early 80s when she was a flight attendant.

We tried attaching pine needles to a form fitted piece of waxed paper, but results were not good, so we started over, and after discussion used Timothy grass Julia had for Rowan, her guinea pig, and it turned out okay.  It turned out fine!  Irish Eyes ARE Smiling.

And then I worked and Jay made pizzas on baguettes and it was a great end of a fine Wednesday.

On a boring Wednesday in January  where people were crawling over the White House like ants on honey, and terrorizing, and what a day?   It was quiet here in the house, like any old boring January day.

Love, Val

cleaning this house

So here's our girl, doing well.  I am home one more week to supervise her before Kari starts college again so I'm cleaning the house.

Plastic containers under control:

 

Expired medication thrown out.   You know?  You buy something because you're sick, take two doses, and never look at it again.   It's out of here.

All washed and dried, dust free.

But it was a mess along the way.

The drawers?  Yikes.  Soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, ketchup packets.  Buh-bye.

It needed to be done, and it's nice to open the cupboards again.

Love, Val

our new year's guy

 Born on New Year's Eve, has made every New Year's Eve special in a new way, a great way.

In pandemic, we can't have parties and all that, but we could gather outside on a fairly pleasant winter afternoon and enjoy the day, bring him gifts, eat a little good food.

Grateful for what we've got and so happy to wish YOU a HAPPY BIRTHDAY.  I know there was a neighborhood sledding party last night, lots of friends, and we're making the best of the work-arounds.

As every year, we're so lucky you're ours.  The whole family is better with you in it.

Love forever, Grandma, Grandpa and Everybody