We're (Almost) Famous

The Saint Paul Pioneer Press published this story I sent in today's edition.

"Writes GRANDMA JODY:The Little Treasures, New Millennium Style:
All the talk about cowboy hats brought back a sweet memory for me as well. This is a picture of grandsons Nate and Jake on Christmas 2006. I bought the boys 'cowboy' pajamas, harmonicas, pop guns and stick ponies, and had the hardest time trying to find old fashioned felt cowboy hats! My daughter Molly sent this picture out as New Years Cards with the caption 'Have a Rootin' Tootin' New Year!' "

A Big Old Lump of Coal

After all the planning, shopping, wrapping and cooking that has gone into getting ready for Christmas, I missed it! I was visited by the Grinch of Holiday Present, A.K.A. The Flu. I woke on the 24th with a cough and chills, and it all went downhill from there. I got out of bed about 5 minutes before the kids came over on Christmas morning for brunch and to open presents. I didn't feel good enough to wait for the egg bake to be finished , so for the first time in history I let the kids open their presents before breakfast. I then crawled back to the couch and then onward to bed. I planned on taking family pictures, but didn't. I planned on playing with the kids with their new toys, but didn't. I planned on chatting with Emily in Mexico, but I didn't. I even planned on having everyone stay for the big pot of homemade spaghetti, but they didn't. In fact the only thing I did in the last 4 days was lie prone with alternating fever, chills, aches, cough, and a KILLER headache! BUT, I did receive very nice gifts this year: a black patent leather Coach purse from my dad and Twylla; a red patent wallet from Diane; a Kindle from Bob; an installed home security system from Molly and Jeff; and a new portrait camera lens from Patrick, Sarah,Emily,Hannah,and Zach. So Thank You to all! And I shared this very nasty flu with Jill, Hannah, and Diane. You're Welcome! But this too shall pass...

A Very Full Weekend

Sophie and Luke came to visit on Friday. During the day Sophie and I played dollhouse while Luke was at school and Sarah and Hannah went Christmas shopping. (That is my playmobil doppleganger napping on the floor.) Sophie and I went with Jake and Diane to a pizza place for lunch. Poor Luke begged for Sarah to "mark him absent." But Luke came over after school and had an opportunity to chat with Emily in Mexico (via gmail. For clarification, emilykippels is Emily and me is Luke typing by himself. Note the intelligent banter between the 24 year old Fulbright Scholar and the 5 year old boy.):
Dec 17
6:19 PM me: luke
emilykippels: emily
6:20 PM me: poop
emilykippels: pee
me: sophie
emilykippels: tigger bigger
6:21 PM me: poop
emilykippels: haha
me: catpoop
6:22 PM emilykippels: (grandma needs to help ith this one): diarrhea
6:23 PM me: dogpoop
emilykippels: eeeeeew
And on and on.....
On Saturday we had our Christmas at Dad and Twylla's with the whole family (minus Emily). The kids were very excited to open presents as were certain adults who shall remain nameless (AHEM,Jeff,Brian,Michael and Dean) and brought our normal orderly opening of gifts to a screeching halt. In the end. everyone got what they wanted, Twylla had fun shopping for sparkly things (like the dress Hannah is holding),Dad got to play cribbage,the "boys" got their annual underwear and socks, and everyone there had a full tummy when they left. All is good.
On Sunday Jake and Max came over while Nathan played in a BB tournament. Jake and I made chocolate covered pretzel rods and Jake and Max played Veterinarian (note the kitty with Dr.Jake.) We also watched Spiderman for the billionth time. Jeff and Molly brought home lunch. Thanks Audettes. And Nate got to stay over for the day. He spent a lot of time with Hannah and Zach and Tigger to his utter delight. (He mugged for the camera to make Hannah and his dad laugh) Also Zach, Nate and I played UNO. We told him the loser gets attacked with the canister of pepper spray, and when I lost he was more than eager to get me, and more than a little disappointed to find out we were only kidding! Wow!

SNOWMAGEDDON

Why I hate love Minnesota.

"But I Don't Want To See Santa Claus"

It was an outing weeks in the making. First I shopped 'til I dropped looking for just the right outfit for Sophie to wear to see Santa. Sparkly red/green/silver tights. Check. To-die-for soft faux fur jacket from Gymboree. Check. "I Love Santa" T-shirt to match. Check. Then we had to wait for Grandpa to clear time in his schedule to go with us because grandma doesn't do Minneapolis. And Sophie had to have a day off school. Finally today was the day. I was soooo excited. I asked Sarah to bring her over in her pajamas so I could dress her. So far, so good. She ate breakfast, changed into her Santa clothes, and excitedly got in the car. We parked at downtown Macy's and took the elevator to the main floor. Everyone stopped to comment on her outfit and she didn't even ask to be held. So far, so good. We went to the 8th floor auditorium and decided to skip seeing the exhibit and just get in the line to see Santa. So far, so good. She liked looking at the other kids waiting with her. It was finally her turn. We walked through the red velvet curtain and went in. There was the Jolly Old Elf himself! Oh Oh!!! We hadn't asked Sophie if she wanted to do this and she was having none of it. In a panic, I sat by Santa. Then I cajoled. Grandpa begged. Santa schmoozed and gave her a button to wear. Nope! Finally I just picked her up and set her on his lap. I thought she might cry, but instead she froze. Wouldn't look at Santa - or me. Wouldn't talk to him - or me. After waiting and pleading (TICK TOCK TICK TOCK) and getting glares from the elf with the camera, we just took the pictures and left. We got back in line to go through Elf Land thinking it would give us time to talk her into trying it again. Slowly, slowly we inched forward in line. "Grandma, I don't want to see Santa" Sophie said over and over again. She LOVED the elves making candy and mailing packages and trimming trees, but kept on repeating her mantra. Finally at the end of the line where you get cattled through a toy store and a bakery,I asked her if she would like a cupcake, and then we'd go see him. A BIG YES to the cupcake, but as it turned out, a BIG NO to Santa! So bottom line: hours of shopping- $I can't admit it; parking in the ramp-$9; one lousy cupcake with red frosting and sprinkles- $2.50; an adventure with my only granddaughter- priceless! Maybe next year we'll get that million dollar smile. Afterward, we met Diane for lunch because that outfit was just too good to waste. She blabbered on and on about Macy's and the elves. And on the way out we saw my Aunt Janet and Uncle Jim and she had a new audience to blabber to. ( Bonus. I even ended up getting an acceptable picture out of the bunch.)

Tigger the Great

(Back-story: Our almost 14 year old cat Tigger has been feeling out of sorts lately. He was having issues with his litterbox which were driving Bob crazy. We tried new food, new litter, and a new litterbox. Nothing helped. Last Wednesday Bob and Hannah took him in after he looked like he was feeling worse. They did all sorts of tests, to the tune of $300, and came to the conclusion that he had diabetes and needed insulin. He also has heart arrhythmia. On Friday we had to take him in again because he hadn't left his bed for 2 days. No eating. No litterbox. No spirits. The vet tested his urine again and didn't find what she thought she's see. Right now it's up in the air whether he actually has diabetes or not. )
Today, FINALLY, he seems better. He reached up to put his hand on my cheek when I greeted him. He groomed himself. He walked out of his basket on his own four feet and stopped to get a bite to eat. I feel the need to tell everyone right now what an amazing cat he is and how lucky we are to have him. We got Tigger when our neighbors, the Sandbakkens, had a new litter in March of 1997. We chose the runt of the 3 with the expectation that he was a she. As it turned out, Daisy was really a Tigger. He always was a friendly cat, purring with little provocation. He was our first family pet. In August of the same year, his mom had kittens again. We decided to take another one because the kids were going back to school and we were working and thought Tigger would be lonely. We got a black tabby this time so we could tell them apart. We knew this kitten was a pet for Tigger, and we named her Tigger's Shadow. Tigger and Shadow were inseparable right from the beginning. Shadow used to find Tigger and curl up next to him. We would walk in on them and say "Oh, look, how cute!" and he would start to purr. This made Shadow knead his stomach and try to nurse on him. He would let her, looking at us as if to say,"Well, what can I do?"And when he had enough, he would plant one of his big feet in the middle of her forehead and push her away. He has remained best friends with Shadow. When he is in his basket and she walks by, he lifts his paw and invites her in, placing his arm protectively around her.They groom each other, eat together and sleep together. And he is our best friend too. We love him, especially Zach, who slept with him every night until he left for college. Whenever we talk to him he purrs. When you stop to say hi, he will reach out and pat your cheek with his paw. When ever we get close enough, he licks our faces. He comes when he is called. He can hear turkey from the deli unwrapping from 3 rooms away. He let the kids almost pet the fur off him. He lets us put costumes and hats on him. When they were teens, he didn't mind when their friends came over and made him "dance" in their videos. When Hannah took him to bed with her when Zach had an overnight, he licked a hole right in the middle of her forehead. (Actually he kept licking her when she fell asleep and she woke with a raspberry on her forehead, but the hole in the head makes a good story!) We fight over who gets him first when we come back from vacations. When we had grandkids, he is our only cat that will let them play with him. He lets the kids carry him to the couch so they can lay with him. He is without a doubt the best cat in the world, and I don't even care if Shadow and Cinders read this! He is 17 lbs of pure and unconditional love and I hope we have many more years with him.

Tangled and Blue

We had to take Tigger to the Vet for the 2nd time in 2 days. He hadn't eaten, drank only when I put the bowl in front of him, and hadn't used his litter box for a day and a half. Yesterday they called with the results of the first tests saying he has diabetes and a heart arrhythmia. We started insulin yesterday, but he seemed to be worse, so off we went. Sophie had never been to a cat doctor before. She liked the Vet's office, especially the jar of doggie treats sitting on a table. She asked where the lollipops were, because that's what kids get at the Doctor, and cats LOVE lollipops. We left Tigger for more tests and Sophie, Bob and I went to see the new Disney movie "Tangled", based on the fairy tale Rapunzel. (I didn't know until later that it was Sophie's first in- theater movie.) During the previews she knelt in her seat and looked around at the other kids, but cozied down in her seat between us when the actual movie started. Sophie loves her Disney Princesses! She asked for popcorn, but we had bought her a bag of gummi bears, and she seemed happy with that. At one point she whispered to me that she had wanted to see The Little Mermaid instead. Then she wanted something to drink, but we only had a bit of the movie left, so she waited. After the movie we went to Granite City to eat. Sophie ordered the chicken strips, but by the time they came she had already eaten bread and butter, chocolate milk, bites of my soup, and her appetizer of carrot sticks and dip, so she just picked at the fruit plate that was ordered on the side. I ate my cup of Cheddar and Ale soup (delicious!) and half of my Cheeseburger, and Bob polished off his pita and most of his waffle fries. On the way home she fell asleep in her car seat, making it difficult to pick up Tigger from the Vet. As it turns out, Tigger wasn't released yet anyway, so we came home and put her to bed. New update:Tigger isn't passing ketones in his urine, but he is one sick kitty. The vet is at a loss. Seems like something else besides diabetes is bothering him. In fact, she now thinks it's a possibility he may not have diabetes at all. We'll find out for sure when and if he recovers from this and goes for a blood sugar curve in a couple weeks. In the mean time, it's insulin every other day for Tiggs. (And alot of worry for me.) Sarah, Luke and Sophie are staying overnight tonight because of the snow. So I am going to bed soon too. It's been a long day.

Winding Down and Gearing Up!

I spent last week trying to recover from my vacation by sleeping round the clock. I don't know what it is about travel that is so exhilarating and so tiring at the same time. I had Sophie the day after I came home, spent three 8 hour days at Jill's trying to sell some of my mom's things, and then another day of Luke and Sophie at my house. That pretty much butted me right up to holiday preparation. After a wonderful Thanksgiving feast at my dad and Twylla's with the family, we went over the Black Friday ads with a fine tooth comb. That was followed by a night online trying to see which items were real deals and not hype, so I wouldn't waste time chasing down something that could be bought later. On Friday I started shopping after dropping Bob at the Xcel to bellring, having just a few minutes before I had to meet Jill, Kim, Sharon and Nancy for our traditional Black Friday lunch at Olive Garden. After lunch I continued shopping before calling it a night just as it was getting dark. On Sunday I repeated the process. And Monday. (This is the part where I'm supposed to say I am done shopping, but I'd be lying.) But here's the coolest thing about it: When I was shopping yesterday, I threw all my bags onto the floor in the back seat of my car. When I went to carry them into the house, I found a lone shiny dime under the bags. Even though my mom is no longer shopping with me, she is still enjoying it with me. I miss you Mom!

MEXICAN KILLER BEES

We've been busy exploring Guanajauto on our own, exploring the little alleys and parks that dominate the city. On Sunday, Emily, Diane and I went on a tour to Delores Hidalgo and San Miguel. (Both towns are charming and have a lot of beautiful old buildings and parks, but I like Guanajuato the best.)We went through museums and churches that had a part in the Revolution, and did some odd "tour bus things" like a stop in a cemetery to see the grave of a "famous Mexican singer" whom we never heard of and didn't give a rip about, and a stop at a store to buy pottery. We ate at a restaurant that would've been okay, but as soon as we got our food, our table was swarming with bees. Emily is deathly afraid of bees. After trying without success to gently shoo them away, she was becoming more and more unglued. She was leaping up from the table and swinging her arms around wildly like an ape while making Tourette's type noises. Finally she jumped up, hooted and ran from the table, tripping on the uneven floors and falling on her face. Diane and I were laughing hysterically at the table and everyone in the whole place was staring. It was the best! She had been admonishing me the whole time down here to not talk too loud, quit mispronouncing my Spanish, don't dress like an American, etc.etc. and she created the biggest scene EVER! I swear it might be the highlight of my trip.

Cristo Rey

We took another Spanish only tour to Cristo Rey (Christ the King). It is a huge statue of Jesus in the geographic center of the country. It's elevation is 7000 ft and the road to it is paved with rocks and very steep and winding. The view from the top is wonderful. The monument is about 65 feet tall and at the summit of Mt. Cerro de Cubilete. The interior of the church at the base is full of beautiful mosaics and ornate copper relief. The entire chapel ceiling is encircled by a bronze crown of thorns. (No pictures were allowed inside.) Also today we saw a couple of things happen that we can only guess at. First, at lunch with Emily sitting in the plaza, we saw 4 young boys being chased by an old man with a cane. He cornered one of the boys in the outdoor cafe where we were sitting, and was screaming at him. The kids had been taunting him and he had given chase. (He was known to Emily as the crazy old man.) The young kid was crying and the man threatened that if he ever saw him again he was going to get him. The second occurred as we entered the plaza after our tour. We aren't quite sure what it was because even the Mexicans we asked gave differing explanations. A band was playing traditional music. Dozens of young adults were roped together, some dressed like miners, some boys dressed like girls in short skirts or wedding dresses, and they were dancing together. A Corona truck came by and handed out free beer. They started by us, finished their performance, then moved a block down the street and started again. It looked like alot of fun if you were young.

A Day of Mines, Churches, Mummies and Gift Shops

Emily had a full afternoon and evening, so Diane and I booked a 4 hour tour. It was completely in Spanish so we stopped by Stacey's restaurant and she walked us to the kiosk to ask the guide not to leave us somewhere if we didn't understand instructions. We rode around town while the guide probably gave insightful commentary that we didn't understand, but at least we got to see other parts of the city. Our first stop was at the San Ramon silver mine atop the hills overlooking the city. It was in operation for more than 450 years, and part of a group of mines that produced up to 30% of the world's silver. We went down into the mine 60 meters, but the steps were very uneven and steep so we turned back around before the rest of the group. For some inexplicable reason, they had a cave barricaded with bars and filled with "treasure" that included a dog skeleton! After the required tour through the gift shop, we rode to the Templo de san Cayetano (est. 1775), which was built by the owner of the Valenciana mine either A. because he promised the Saint he would if he made him rich or B. to atone for his sins. I'd guess he was rich with sin because it has 3 gold alters and 3 huge paintings.Next stop was a torture museum, a homage of ways the Spanish tortured and killed the Mexicans. I declined. The mummy museum was probably just as gruesome, but you can't be a tourist in Guanajuato and not go. Apparently the soil is such that it mummifies bodies after burial, and this was discovered either A. when the relatives could not pay the upkeep on the cemetery plot, or B. when they needed more room in the cemetery. Either way there were many mummies displayed including a pregnant woman and fetus and a group of infants. OK then. After walking through the gift shop we wound our way down through narrow streets to El Pipila, the monument to a revolutionary hero who burnt the Alhondiga down and defeated the Spaniards ( for a brief time) on the way to Independence. The views were incredible and we had the place to ourselves this time. We went back to Centro through the 25? kilometers of tunnels under the city. We found Emily and her new friends and went to supper with them. Emily stayed for salsa, but we grabbed our own cab for the first time (with a note from Emily)and had the guard next door walk us up the hill to the apartment. I had trouble with the keys but succeeded in getting the door open. (It is not as easy as you think especially with 3 keys to choose for 2 locks in the pitch black and weak from lack of oxygen by having to walk the entire way keeping up with the guard without our usual stop for a minute at the bottom of the steps.) We lit the water heater for our showers and fell into our usual evening routine. We are becoming big girls.

On Our Own

Today we met Emily's friend Stacey for lunch at the "Bridge Cafe."(Santo Cafe) After lunch we booked a tour for Tuesday and wandered around with Emily until it was time for her to teach. Diane and I are getting more confident of our abilities to find our way around which is a good thing because NO ONE speaks English. We walked all the way to the Alhondiga stopping in shops along the way to look for a little something-something for the little ones at home. We bought a refresco and drank it in the shade of one of the many charming plazas in the city. We went inside the Basilica and admired all the gold and the crystal chandeliers. As we slowly made or way home we stopped for rolls, ice cream for tomorrows snack, and household necessities. Diane made us fried potatoes and onions for supper and we followed up with some Phase Ten. (For those of you keeping track I won 5 out of 6 games.) We had trouble with the complexities of using 2 keys at once to let ourselves into Emily's duplex, but luckily Bob was home upstairs and helped us get in. We practiced, so we might be able to let ourselves in tomorrow. (Bob was very amused when he caught us practicing because he thought we locked ourselves out AGAIN!) Even WE are not quite that inept...

Bearded Ladies and Skeletons

We seem to be on a schedule. Wake up. Wait for Emily to get up. Walk to town and eat. Walk. Walk. Walk. Eat. Walk home. sit. Today we stopped to pet puppies at the mercado. We ate a late lunch (very good thin crust pizza) at a 337 year old restaurant. The crowds were even larger than yesterday - if there are 60,000 people who live here then every single one of them was in the Centro. I figured out what the Cervantino Festival is all about. It's basically "Fly Your Freak Flag" Festival. I saw people painted as skeletons, cats, and bearded ladies. I saw Chewbacca wearing cut off jeans, Edward Scissorhands, Storm Troopers, stilt walkers and everything else under the sun. Even otherwise normal looking people had bunny ears or jeweled masks. The plazas were full of bands, performance artists, dancers, and even mimes. Emily wouldn't let us stop by the mimes because she said they make fun of tourists. We went to a couple of 300-450 year old churches and walked to the Alhondiga, a Spanish fortress that was where the Mexican Revolution for Independence started. Right now it's set up for a huge salsa concert tonight that Emily and her friends are going to. We stopped for cheesecake and an al fresco concert by a blind singer and blind guitarist, and also a traditional band that played Mexican Folk music. Think Ooom Pah Pah. We walked home arriving just before dark , and are looking forward to a little game time or reading before bed.

Homemade Butter and Other Good Eats

We are becoming accustomed to Guanajuato lifestyle. We walked to the Centro again Saturday. We ate at the Bridge Cafe- it is really situated on a bridge overlooking the street below. We had a great view of the throngs of people in town to attend the Cervantino Festival. It also was chilly catching the breeze up in the air and sitting in the shade between the buildings. After lunch we went to the main Plaza and sat in the sun on a bench to warm up. As we set off to explore we came apon a band marching to the steps of the Bascillica, so we followed them. At the church they put on a concert joining the band that was already on the roof, and the bellringer in the tower. The band on the steps was composed of men with drums and trumpets, and some were joined by boys as young as 3. Those kids also played the instruments and wore tiny little matching uniforms. We walked through the rest of the plazas with their fountains and trees and benches to the Alley of the Kiss. The passage is so narrow that you can kiss from opposing balconies. It was mosh pit crowded so we decided to come back after the festival crowds leave. Emily showed us the University where she teaches and we wound our way back through town stopping at the markets for vegetables for salsa and fruit for breakfast. In the evening Gerado came over for supper. He didn't speak English and we don't speak Spanish, so Emily translated the rules of the card game War, and I played cards with him while Emily cooked. I won all 3 games, so I tried to take his watch, but he wouldn't give it to me. (There is one clock in the house that even after we bought a new battery for it still doesn't work, and Diane's watch quit. We never know what time it is...) Emily made salsa and quesedillas for us and surprisingly it was quite good. She also made her own butter. Well actually Gerardo did the work. She bought a pint of heavy whipping cream, poured it into a jar and had him shake it until it turned solid. She then strained it and we ate it on crackers and bread. It was really good. (The butter you can buy down here doesn't really taste like butter, more like margarine. ) Emily went out salsa dancing and Diane and I played Yahtzee and Phase Ten until bedtime.

40 Flippin' Steps

We arrived after 2 uneventful flights and a free pass through customs. We got a taxi right away, but even with directions he had a hard time finding Emily's house. He stopped 3-4 times to ask, and finally when we figured we were in the right area, we just got out and walked while looking for her. We finally spotted the guard shack she talked about and he was expecting us. She came out just as we were calling her on the phone. Emily's house is up not one, but two steep hills, AND 40 flippin' steps. Once we caught our breath and unpacked, we walked downtown. We had a great dinner of fajita meat and cactus at Emily's friend Stacey's restaurant. Afterward we looked around the Centro and waited for her salsa lessons to start. I now know the soundtrack of my nightmares down here, and it goes like this: "Uno, Dos,Tres..., Cinqo,Seis,Siete...." over and over and over and over. Well, you get the picture. At one point both instructors were counting in Spanish and the song they were playing on the sound system was counting in English, all in different rhythms! We took a taxi home through a maze of tunnel caves under the city. It was really cool but somewhat claustrophobic. Emily left us two old ladies to go back to salsa, and we went to bed. Today we walked downtown again and had lunch at another place (Truco 7). I had a potato, carrot and cheese enchilada ( Enchiladas Mineras - named for the miners traditional lunches.) that was very good. We stopped after lunch for ice cream from a street vendor that was also very good. Emily and I had a butter pecan flavor called Mantecado, and Diane opted for Beso de Angel that was cherry flavor. We walked that off after taking the funicular to El Pipila, a statue and plaza that overlook the city. It really is breathtaking. And speaking of breathtaking, we walked home down a street so steep it is only fit for donkeys, and then up Emily's two steep hills AND 40 flippin' steps.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

The Murray's came over with pumpkin shaped pizza before they got dressed for the night. I was chatting with Aunty Emily online,and we went to video so she could see the kids in their finery. Patrick and I went Trick -or-Treating with the little goblins. All was well in Sophie's world until we went to a "haunted' house, complete with live actors and a fog machine. "Uppy me daddy," the princess witch cried. "I want to go home." Sophie and Patrick headed home. The fire chief and I toughed it out for another 45 minutes or more. He used his very best manners and belted out "Have a Happy Halloween" on his way back from each door. He started to get nervous that I couldn't find my way home in the dark, and his bag was so heavy he was dragging it up and down steps, so we headed home too. First order of business at home was sorting and counting his loot. What a haul! What a night!

We're (Almost) Famous

Published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press Bulletin Board today:

"This just texted from my daughter Sarah about my 3 year-old granddaughter Sophie:

'We are carving pumpkins for Halloween. Sophie says, "Cut the top off ." Check. "Draw a face." Check. "Now we need to put the template on the pumpkin." SAY WHAT?'"

Happy Halloween, 21st century style!

Grandma Time

Sophie went upstairs to wake up Hannah on Friday morning. Hannah had painted a glow- in- the dark skeleton costume and she put it on and danced for us in the dark. Sophie liked it, but not enough to let Hannah hold her while wearing it. Sophie then talked Aunty Hannah into polishing her toes and fingers. She didn't want to put on her socks and shoes to go shopping, but I made her. We had alot of errands to run to pick up stuff for Emily before I leave to visit her next Thursday. We went to Ulta to pick up makeup and Sophie held the shopping basket. We talked the cashier into a perfume sample, and sprayed it on our wrists in the car. We went to Best Buy to buy a present for Patrick's and Jeff's birthdays, and Sophie tried to get me to buy a Pillow Pet for her dad. I resisted! We went to lunch at TGIF and ordered dessert! We were on the way to Aveda when Sophie fell asleep in her car seat, so we went home. After her nap we went to Jill's for Andrew's (and Zach's and Patrick's) birthday party. I promised Sophie she could go barefoot once we got there so everyone could enjoy her toes. (Of course Jake was in a costume - Batman this time.) At the end of the party Nate asked to stay overnight with me. I said yes because it won't be that many years and he'll be too busy for his old grandma. We went home and watched Casper the Friendly Ghost on DVD and stayed up until midnight. He slept with me and giggled in his sleep about 5 times, thoroughly scaring me each time. It's surprising how creepy a giggle can sound out of the blue in the dark. On Saturday morning, he watched cartoons while he ate breakfast. After repeatedly checking, Nate was finally able to chat with Emily on Gmail. I read him the story about the mummy in the newspaper. We lazily lounged around until 12:30, when we set out on a new round of errands. He picked Chipotle for lunch. We stopped at Sprint, the gas station, Petsmart, and Sam's Club. (And Yes, we did get to Aveda.) I am sleeping until noon tomorrow!

No Boyz Allowed

Today was girls' day out. Princess Sophie and I went out for lunch and a little shopping. Before you get jealous, I must tell you it was McDonald's and the Dollar Tree! I picked her up at Molly's for a little alone time. "Where do you want to eat", I asked her. "McDonald's", came the reply. "But where else?" said Grandma. "McDonald's" insisted Sophie. McDonald's it was. During lunch we talked about fashion (she liked my shoes, but she liked her own sparkly ones better), sleeping at Danielle's (in bed with the dogs, and BTW, KiKi bites), gardening (carrots grow in the ground and you wash them off with a hose), school (her teacher's name is Mrs.Pam), cousins (Max is her cousin but Sully isn't), and Halloween (you say trick or treat and you get candy!) She wanted to go shopping so we headed for Dollar Tree. After serious thought and alot of trades for something better, she took home: 1.a purple and white stick unicorn ("my daddy will just love it", she said) 2.a package of three headbands in pink, purple and white ("can I wear one right now?") and 3. plastic daggers for Luke, Jake and Nate. I also gave her a Hello Kitty lipgloss ring that I had been saving for a special occasion. "Grandma, you're the best", she squealed! Yeah Sophie, back at ya...

Fun with Food: Fall Edition 2010

Thanks to Aunty Danielle and Uncle Mark for this fun new experience!

Tuffy the Tugboat and the Busy Beaver

Today was predicted to be the last sunny warm day in a while, so we planned a field trip. Luke and Sophie were over because of school closing statewide for MEA, and we didn't want to deal with the crowds at the Pumpkin Farm or the zoo. We hopped in the car and rode over to the Lock and Dam #1 on the Mississippi River. We had the place to ourselves. Luke spotted a beaver swimming in one of the Locks, so we told one of the guys that works there. He said he'd open the gates to let the beaver out. We watched for 10 minutes while the water slowly lowered inside the lock to match the level on the downriver side. The beaver continued swimming laps until the last minute when he started heading right for the gate. Hooray! Nope. OOPs. He swam into the corner of the lock right when the gate was closing. He was trapped behind the giant steel gate! Oooh Nooo! I told the kids there was probably a beaver-sized space behind the gate, but that was just wishful thinking. We kept waiting for him to come out the crack at the side, but he never showed. Finally Bob distracted the kids by looking for fish on the other side of the observation deck while I kept vigilance over the open Lock. The gates slowly closed again and the water started filling. And just when I had given up hope, out of the shadows in the corner swam the beaver!!! Yeah. But that meant he was still stuck. Soon after a couple barges pushed by a tug came into view and passed through the locks. The kids waved at the man standing on the barge and he waved back. The bridge and the Tug exchanged toots. Bob said he saw the beaver swim out upriver when the first Gate was open, but I didn't see it. Anyway, his dam is downriver so he'll have to go through the locks again to get home. The kids started complaining about hunger, so we stopped at a bakery to pick up treats for after nap time, and then went to Wendy's. Luke ate 10 chicken nuggets! When we got home Luke helped Bob in the yard and Sophie took a nap. I sent Luke home with some old books from my childhood that I rescued from my mom's house. But now I'm on the lookout for a vintage Golden Book called "Tuffy the Tugboat."

When You're Right, You're Right!

For the past month Sophie told me and anyone who would listen that she was going to be a butterfly for Halloween. Today I took her costume shopping. When she spotted it she said," It's absolutely perfect." How can you argue with that? And you know what? I think she's right.

This , That and the Other Thing

We have been busy emptying my mom's house and getting it ready for sale. We had only gotten together a couple times until a broken water pipe flooded and forced us into action. We had to clean out the basement and the main floor rooms for the insurance to repair the damage. We started on the upstairs (AKA No Man's Land or Out of Sight, Out of Mind) this week. She lived in the house for 47 years and was a shopaholic. There are only 5 of us and 24 hours in a day. You do the math! Here's a list of some of the more interesting finds so far from upstairs:
- Enough Easter eggs to stock a medium size grocery store if they were hen's eggs.
- Four sets of 8 stainless steel ice cream sundae dishes still in the boxes.
-Two, count 'em , two stained glass chicken shaped lamps, in boxes.
-Lamps. lamps and more lamps. Oh, and lampshades.
-Dozens of fabric shopping totes. And more purses. With tags.
-"Happy 30th Birthday" products. Probably from hers...
-And at the bottom of a pottery jar, we found 3 lone dimes. One each for Dale, Jill and me that were working there tonight. Read Jill's blog for an explanation of the Dimes from Heaven. http://minnesotabeans.blogspot.com/

Shop, Eat, Nap, Lounge Around, Sleep. Repeat.

Aaah, the best laid plans! On Friday Hannah and I had planned to take Sophie with us to run a couple errands at the mall, then to the Pumpkin Farm, then to lunch. BUT , and you knew there was a but, didn't you? Luke came with Sophie in the morning because he didn't have school. Then Hannah got a last minute email for a morning meeting at the University. Luke said the Pumpkin Farm was booorr-rring. So the kids and I packed up, dropped off Hannah and went alone to the mall. What should have been an in-and-out trip was anything but. First their was a snafu with the jeans I was picking up for Emily (actually I found out there was an additional discount if Jill used her credit card,and I'm cheap, so I put those on hold.) Then Luke got a gusher of a bloody nose and I had to lay him on a bench in the middle of the mall until it stopped. We were there for 50 minutes. We ended up picking up Robyn to join us for lunch (Thanks Robyn!) before we headed home for an afternoon nap.
On Saturday morning Bob, Hannah, Diane and I went to cheer Nate's football game. He plays his heart out, but they can never quite win. (Please God, let him win one game this year.) He asked if we would take him to lunch because he was starving. He then asked to come home with us, and Bob swung by and picked up Jake too. Hannah let the boys accompany her to the lab where she does research at the UofM. They got to look at worms in a microscope! Then they stopped at Creamy Cone where she and Zach work, and they got to make their own treats! Afterward, the boys came over to hang out and throw the football in the backyard with Hannah. We popped in a movie. Later we dropped them off at home and met Lorraine, Patrick, Sophie and Luke for supper at TGIF. It was very nice to see Lorraine is doing so well after knee replacement AND bowel surgery!
On Sunday I met Jill, and the nieces Maddy, Caitlin and Kim at the Olive Garden with the intention of going afterward to my mom's house to do some more packing. Jill belatedly decided to clean her own house instead, so I went home after a second trip to the mall to get another pair of jeans to bring to Emily in Mexico. I spent the rest of the day doing crosswords, watching TV, embroidering some jeans for Sophie, and reading.
So to sum up: shop, eat, nap, lounge around, sleep, football, eat, nap, eat, lounge around, sleep, eat, shop, lounge around, sleep. As Luke would say, "booorr-rring.

Saturday Morning Football, Saturday Night Movie

We went to Nate's football at 9 this morning way out in Woodbury. It was a beautiful day in the 80's to enjoy the game. Nate has this to say about today's game:
" I scored a touchdown. In Your Face!!!! Now I have 4 this season. I juked him and ran for the touchdown. My friend Randy chest-bumped me and he hit me so hard that I fell over backward. It rocked! We are middle linebackers. We hit them so hard sometimes that they cry."

Tonight Nate and Jake came to spend the night because Molly has the flu. We laid together on the couch and watched a truly awful movie called "Furry Vengeance". Nate read a book I made about the cabin (on Shutterfly) to me and Jake. And then we tried to video chat with Emily. We eventually settled for typing. Nate typed on his own one letter at a time. Cute!

Friday + Fall + Grandkids = ?

Of course it's the Pumpkin Farm! Today Luke stayed home from school because he had the stomach flu. It was so great to see him, as he hasn't joined Sophie on Fridays since kindergarten started. We cuddled for a while in the morning, and when he felt better we made plans for the day since it was so warm out. (A record breaking 87 degrees!) We woke up Hannah on her rare day off, and drove to the Pumpkin Farm. We fed all the animals, including the now runny- nosed and rheumy- eyed goats. We pet the llamas and sheep, cows and baby goats. Hannah took the kids through the corn maze, and they came back with a an ear of corn and a headful of sweat. When they got hungry we left and picked up sandwiches for Hannah and me, and bakery for all. The kids ate "noodle soup" to placate their still finicky stomachs. They both took a long afternoon nap.
Yesterday, I went to the annual Gathering of Friends Antique Sale at the Bachman's on Lyndale with Diane. It wasn't as big as in previous years, but I still managed to buy a couple things, including a mid-century flowered tablecloth for $4 and a very nice vaseline green glass flower frog for $9. Believe it or not, we stopped for lunch at IKEA! and had swedish meatballs.
The rest of the week I was stuck in the basement of the Courthouse waiting to be called from the pool for jury duty and feeling very sorry for myself.
TGIF!!!!!

Pumpkin Farm

It's October, which means one thing .... Pumpkin farm!! Grandpa and I took Sophie to the farm near Stillwater. Sophie LOVED to feed the animals, who vacuumed up the corn from her hand with their soft velvety mouths. This is the opening week, so the animals are still friendly and don't have those runny eyes that they'll inevidently get from contact with so many sniffling kids. She fed llamas, a cow, chickens- including some with furry pants, sheep and lots of "billy goat - goats!" She tried to talk us into keeping one, but we couldn't get it over the fence. Whew! She then led us (read: bossed us) through the corn maze. We were the only ones tackling it at the time. She was intrigued by the corn still on the stalks, and by the silks still attached to the corn. We brought some home to share with Pumpkin Boy who was in kindergarten. She tried out the tractors, but particularly liked the pink and purple one that was covered with flowers. She stuck her face in a multitude of seasonal picture cut-outs, but didn't like it when I or grandpa put our head in the vampire one. (I only had my old camera phone, so the pics are not so hot. I don't know what that face is about in the corn maze. Maybe sun? She was actually having a blast.) We then went to a store and she picked out a bag of jellied sugar pumpkin candy to bring home. Afterward, we went to lunch "in a restaurant", as requested by the Pumpkin Queen.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

MY WATCH DOG!

CSI: St. Paul

It has been a week, almost to the hour, since Hannah and I were victims of a home invasion robbery. Someone followed Hannah on a bike when she was riding her skateboard home from work at 9:30 p.m. She was "creeped out" when she noticed him behind her, and again when he loitered at the corner while she came in through the garage, but once she was in the house safe and sound we put it out of our minds. Between 11:30 and 12 midnight, I heard noises but Hannah didn't. I was in the living room with those windows cracked open, and she was in the family room watching TV and working on her computer. We discussed what I heard, and she looked out the windows but didn't see anything unusual. We dismissed it as industrial noises outside from the businesses on the next block, and reasoned that only I heard it because only MY window was open. All the rest of the house windows were shut and locked, shades pulled, except the front bedroom window which was only closed - unbeknown to us. Hannah and I were walking around, talking back and forth and had the majority of lights on on the main floor. When she told me she was hopping in the shower, she put her phone on the steps, I handed her mine to plug in , and I finished reading the last 2 pages in my book. Two to three minutes later,I stood up and walked toward the hallway. There was a man with an orange cloth of some kind wrapped around his entire head except his eyes, and he was standing in my family room about 20 feet away. I started yelling at him and he bolted with me right on his heels. Outside at the bottom of my hill, I stopped and ran into the house to call for help. As I was talking to the police dispatcher, I pounded on the bathroom door for Hannah to come out. Police were there in 4 minutes, although it felt much, much longer. I was really afraid because I couldn't figure out how anyone got in. The doors were still locked. After the police went through the house with guns drawn, they found a window pried open and a screen slit and pushed out in the front bedroom. They figure he had been waiting in that front bedroom for a while. They discovered he had used our grill scraper to pry open the flush, unlocked window after trying many others. They were shocked at how brazen the crime was since we were awake, had lights on and live under a streetlight. After 1 1/2 hours of investigating, they got fingerprints, and had a dog track the scent to an address (that the police were very familiar with). As I was giving a description of the intruder to police, Hannah overheard and exclaimed that the guy who followed her home from work had worn an orange T-shirt. (We also found out from a neighbor the next day, that she had seen him hanging on the corner around 11 when she went outside to get her barking dogs!) He got our brand new cell phones, Hannah's brand new computer and Hannah's purse, all within a few steps of each other. The next day, Bob found the bike the sleazeball had been riding hidden between our fence and our neighbor's garage. He also found a muddy shoe print outside near our patio. The bike belonged to a gang, but the police have it now. We also let him keep using Hannah's cell phone for 48 hrs because he was making calls and the police were tracking it. We have since changed Hannah's phone number since every criminal in the tri-state area probably had her old number by then. We have not heard a thing from the investigator since, and probably never will. Hannah and I are having trouble sleeping, but are trying to get our lives back together. We now sleep with 3! outside lights on and all our windows blocked. CAUTION; RANT AHEAD. I will never understand how some people think they can just take things that don't belong to them, and how parents do not question when their kids show up with expensive new "toys". BTW, Even though I was always a "Law and Order" type of girl, I am even more so now. I have jury duty next week, and would be telling a lie if I said I could be fair. If the cops pick you up and the district attorney charges you, that's good enough for me. I am in absolutely no way THOSE kind of people's peer. I am not friends with anyone who has been charged with a crime like this, and frankly I wouldn't want to be. I will be disclosing my opinions to anyone who wants to hear it, and they can dismiss me from jury duty if they want! Be Safe Out There!

The Wunderkind

Nate went fishing with his Uncle Marc on the St. Croix and caught 2 HUGE STURGEON! The first was 49 inches and 45 lbs. and the second was 59 inches and 60 lbs.. Bigger than him! They drew a crowd of spectators in boats during the 15 minutes it took for him to reel the monster in. They let out a cheer when he landed it. I don't think fishing for sunnies off the docks will ever hold the same appeal.
I went to Nate's football game tonight at North St. Paul High School. He got in a few good tackles and a recovery. He amused us with his pro mimicry- like a slap up both sides of a teammate's helmet, or a flying chest bump to celebrate. Joining the peanut gallery was mom, dad, Jake, Max, Diane and Dale. The warm weather dissolved a few seconds after sundown, and the field was wet to boot! Note to self- remember to bring warm clothes and a chair. I was able to keep track of him for most of the game by his white socks with a black stripe, but he was a laundry nightmare at the end of the game and I found myself cheering for the wrong kid. But they won, 13-12. Yeah.

How To Entertain A Hausfrau (or three)

This is as good as it gets for women of a certain age. On Friday, Diane and Gloria were going garage sale-ing and I tagged along at the last minute. We saw lots of good stuff: an almost new electric frying pan, two pine single bed frames from Germany, loads of household things, but not much we felt strongly enough about to bring home. We each spent maybe two bucks. I bought a hardcover tome on the last few centuries of wallpaper, paint and fabric for a quarter; another 25cents each on an Amy Tan paperback, a memoir of surviving the Holocaust, and a book of facts for kids that I thought Luke might like; and half a dollar on a bagful of doll accessories for Sophie's baby. I passed up a $35 wooden ironing board for my sewing room because I felt it wasn't enough bang for the buck. I've always wanted one, especially for when we move to my imaginary dream house with a spacious sewing room where I can display everything I love. Diane mentioned in passing that she saw a promotion for a Junk_o_Rama that was going on this weekend, so I came home and researched, and found out the Junk Bonanza was being held in Shakopee and we had already missed the first two days! http://www.junkbonanza.com/ That was unacceptable. You haven't lived until you junked! So I called Diane, Gloria, Jill and Robyn and made plans to go. (Robyn and I had been going to these things for a few years.) Bright and early on Saturday morning, we made the drive to Shakopee (sans Robyn who begged off with a migraine, and Jill who was already spoken for.) While following the map-quested directions, Diane, who was my navigator, expressed concern we weren't traveling in the right direction. I don't drive there enough to be confident, so I had to call Bob. With his assurances, we were within one mile of our destination, when I made a snap decision about some iffy wording in the written directions and got lost. We stopped at a gas station. A very good looking James Brolin look-alike got out of the car next to us. I asked him for help,but he was lost too. The kid in the station got us back on course with only a couple blocks of backtracking. We got a primo parking space due to some barrier crossing, and were on our way. We each dropped about $20 there. I loved lots and lots of junk, but only bought two things. A bagful of vintage crochet flowers to embellish Sophie's jeans, and TA DA, a wooden ironing board for $15. We browsed the rest of the day through the sale. There were also many interesting and clever ways to repurpose vintage junk like these: a bracelet made from many old watch faces, pearls & rhinestones; Totes and pillows made from feed bags or grain sacks; clothes for Sophie made from vintage lace, fabrics and embroidered linens like the kind I make her; really cool vintage lamps made from god-knows- what kind of farm cast-offs; and bins full of vintage flashcards, spools, name tags (think Elmer), and jingle bells to name a few. There was a lot to look at, and was well worth the $8 admission for the people watching alone. There was a very interesting man dressed in short denim cutoffs, workboots and socks, a black tuxedo tails jacket, and a hat with feathers! I know we are going back next year. Plan on joining us! There is a sale, (A Gathering of Friends), coming up in October at Lyndale Bachman's that is a distant second to this but still worthwhile. We'll be there.