Grandparent's Day

Good afternoon,

Happy Grand-
parent's Day ... to all grand-
parents and to their lucky grand-children.

Today's creation has been a major project for me. Two people to tube.

Actually, I had a picture of my daughter and her great grandmother to use as my inspiration and guide. Grandma Bessie has since passed away, as has her daughter, Virginia, my daughter's grandmother.

My own grandmothers have all passed away, as has my husband's grandmother. We are "grandmother-less" as adults, and now I occupy the role of grandmother.

My granddaughter, Taylor, came to spend the day and night with me on Saturday. She arrived about 10:15 a.m. We all went to the store to do our grocery shopping about 11:30. My daughter had a wedding reception to attend with her boyfriend.

Taylor had a great time picking up this and that to add to the cart. The one order for the day, per Taylor, was, "We have to make a cake!"

Her birthday was several weeks ago, and I was told that she did NOT get a cake this year, and she wanted one. With 7 candles, please! She chose chocolate cake with chocolate icing. I also picked up some butter cream icing which I put between the two layers.

For the most part, Taylor made the cake. I helped, of course, and did the things she couldn't. Like plugging in the mixer, helping her control it, and putting the batter in the oven, and taking the hot cakes out. Not being a patient child, it must have felt like FOREVER to her before we could ice them. I finally had to ice it as when she tried, the cake kept coming up and rolling into the icing. She found this intolerable, and said, "Ooops! You're going to have to do this part!"

She dumped a whole container of sprinkles on top, and requested that one cherry be placed in the middle -- which would go to the "birthday girl". She gave me complete instructions on lighting the candles she had placed carefully in a circle around the cherry, and then calling her. She snuck off to her room where she awaited my melodic invitation.

She came in and acted all surprised, and after I sung "Happy Birthday" to her, she quickly blew out the candles, picked them off, and threw them away so we could get to eating some cake.

I now have more than half a cake sitting on my table. My daughter ate some this morning when she picked up her daughter, and, of course, we had another piece. My daughter would not take any home, so I guess I will need to take the rest into work tomorrow so I don't consume it all. Heaven only knows ... I don't need it!

The one story that made this weekend, which made my daughter laugh was this. Taylor said, "Mamaw. You are soooo nice. My mommy's mean."

I said, "Well, honey. Thank you, but I'm a mamaw, so I can afford to be really nice. But your mom is a mommy, and once ... I was also a mommy, so I had to be mean, too."

Then I told her, But, your mommy loves you bunches and bunches, and she can be very nice, too!"

"Oh," she said, "She can be nice ... and she is when she comes over here. But that's because she doesn't want to disappoint you!"

Kids are so funny.

After I told this story to Jillian, she said, "I know. I know. At home she tells me, 'Mom. Mamaw's nice. I wish she was my mommy!'"

Jillian's response was, "Well. When I was little, Mamaw was a very mean mommy. She was much meaner than I am. You, my dear, are living in the shadows of a much nicer mom!"

Then I laughed. It's funny how we all remember the memories in our own life. I thought I was a nice mommy. But then again, my boys will tell you that they were always more afraid of what I would do to them than they were of anyone else."

And I was only 5'2" and weighed 105 pounds! (Shhh! That's why I was mean! They towered over me!)

When my oldest son was about 16, he held his palm up and placed mine against his, and said, "Look mom! I'm BIGGER THAN YOU ARE now!"

I said, "Yes, you definitely are. But I'm still a whole lot meaner!!!"

I guess my memories of me have faded some.

So I hope everyone is joining this day. I hope you have your grandchildren and children living close enough to you to be able to enjoy them.

I have one other grandchild, Judah! He is about 1 1/2 years old now, and he lives in TX. It is definitely different when they live far away. I've only seen pictures of this little handsome guy so far. And, he is expecting a brother or sister in Jan. 08.

Have a really terrific day.

I will be back tomorrow.