I guess things are going to have to change around here. This job is keeping me so busy that I don't have time to blog. That's just not right.

We had such a wonderful day on Saturday. We all went to a vineyard for a very nice lunch. It was a surprise for Tom's birthday. He didn't know that we were coming. Patti's parents were there too so it was a big family event. It was so great to see her parents again. It's been ages. Serif was my big helper and crawled up on my lap and helped me eat my lunch.

After lunch we had a wine tasting. That was yummy. Patti and I went for the full tasting while the others just had sips. After all Tom and Missy were driving and it was a long drive home. Because of traffic it took us 2 hours to get home. We were all exhausted.

In the evening Tom and Patti came over to Missy's house and we all ate bar-b-que and had the birthday cake that I made for Tom. It was so much fun to just sit around and visit with each other but everyone was tired so it turned out to be an early night for everyone.

Last night was Fat Tuesday and that meant waffles at Missy's house. Terry makes the best waffles ever. I definitely ate plenty. Serif started a new game with me. She'd take a small bite of my waffle then I had a bite and then I got a big kiss. It was a great game and I enjoyed playing it as long as she wanted. For me it was over much too quickly. I love it when that sweet grandbaby is all cuddly and loving. She hadn't been feeling good during the day so she was extra cuddly. It was hard to drag myself away. It was definitely the best Fat Tuesday we'd had in years.

Today is the beginning of Lent. I decided not to give up something for Lent. I'm already on a diet so that didn't seem right. Instead I am taking on something. I plan to attend church every Sunday in Lent. Now I just have to remember to set the alarm.

Oh my goodness. I cannot believe how long it has been since I last blogged. There really isn't much of an excuse.

I have been sick with different things since Christmas. It's enough to get a girl down. I'm not completely well but at least the pain is more bearable and I am hoping to be pain free soon. The sooner the better if you ask me.

Today is my son Tom's birthday. I met Tom when he was 4 years old. He was such a sweet little boy who just wanted a family. He was so loving and cuddly. He told his father that he wanted me as his new mother before Patrick and I ever talked about marriage. For years he was convinced that Patrick and I married because of him.

I became Tom's stepmother just before his 5th birthday. He was so happy when we got married. That meant he finally had his family. He was bursting with joy when we bought our first house and he got to pick out his room. In fact, when we bought the house, the man at the closing had Tom sign his name on a piece of paper because it was going to be his home too. That's when we really became a family in Tom's eyes.

That sweet little boy that I would walk to and from school until he felt he was big enough to walk alone. That one was hard. Or the little boy that excitedly volunteered his mother to help the teacher because all I did was sit home and watch TV until he got home from school.

I don't quite know exactly when I stopped being a stepmother and Tom stopped being a stepson. It happened quickly and our bond was special. Afterall, he and I had found each other and we picked each other out. In no time I was his mom and he was my son. That has never changed.

Tom did think that we needed a baby to make our family complete. He spent over a year petting my tummy and asking if there was a baby in there. When I was able to tell him yes he was thrilled. He was finally getting his little brother or sister. He was so proud when Missy was born. He brought all his little friends over to see her. Of course the newness wore off quickly but deep down he was always crazy about her. He still is.

That sweet little boy has grown into a young man that I am very proud of. He was grown a lot and it has not always been easy. He has had to overcome a lot but he has done it. He is a good husband and a wonderful caring person.

I will forever be grateful to Patricia for giving birth to that little boy 38 years ago. Without her I would never have had my son.

Tom, you and I have been on quite a journey the last 33 years. It hasn't always been easy. There have been some bumpy roads. A lot of laughter and some tears. We've both grown along the way. Thank you for letting me be with you on this journey. I am proud to call you my son.

This is my sweet grandbaby on Christmas Eve. Isn't she precious. She is getting so big.

We had a wonderful Christmas. The Tolleson/Patterson clan out did themselves again. I'm not talking about presents. Though I got some wonderful ones. I'm talking about the enjoyment of each other. Lots of good cheer and definitely too much food.

We spent Christmas eve at Missy's house. We always have a project and this year it was decorating marshmellow snowmen. We definitely had some strange snowmen when it was all over.

I was fortunate enough to be able to spend the night at Missy's house so I could be there on Christmas morning. I heard Missy and Terry talking in the bedroom so I went in to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Serif was sleeping between them. When she heard my voice she opened her eyes and crawled over her daddy to get to me. She had no idea I would be there. That special Christmas hug was all it took to make my Christmas special.

Then it was time for me to hurry home and start cooking everyone's favorites for Christmas dinner. I love that part. The house smells so nice and inviting. Plus you can't beat having your children and grandchild home for Christmas day. It went so well that I had them all back the next night for leftovers. Personally, I think Christmas dinner always tastes better the next day.

The one thing I got for Christmas that I didn't want was bronchitis. My coughing got really bad by Christmas night. Apparently, Missy has never forgiven me for going into the hospital right after Christmas in 1999. She called the doctor the first thing the next morning and got me an appointment. Now I am on antibiotics and should be fine before the New Year. Missy ended up at the doctor's office the next day with a sinus infection. We are quite a pair aren't we?

Now for a pet peeve. I was laying in bed last night around 9:00. I am dozing on and off watching television when the phone rings. Without even thinking I grab it. In my sleepy haze I have a man on the phone asking for Patrick. I said you want Patrick and he said yes can he come to the phone. Now if I had been awake I probably would have had a come back for that. But I was half asleep and could only say that he was dead. The guy then proceeded to give the pitch to me. I said no and hung up on him. You would think these people would up date their calling lists occassionally. It's been over 9 years since Patrick died. I shouldn't still be getting phone calls for him.

Okay enough complaining. I am going home this evening and crawl into my bed and get over this stupid bronchitis. I'm tired to being sick. 2007 is going to be the year of Gloria. I'm going to try to start eating better and force myself to do some exercise. I'm getting too old to keep putting this off. I imagine you will be hearing more about this with the New Year. Right now I'm concentrating on getting well.

The holiday season is very much in swing right now. I have the house almost clean for Christmas day and will leave in a few hours to spend Christmas Eve with my daughter and her family.

Last night was so great. My son and his wonderful wife had all of us over for a Christmas Eve Eve celebration. Everything was so lovely. The house was so nice and inviting. You could see all the hard work they had been doing on the house and everything looked great. Patti did a great job on the food. As usual, I ate too much. I had such a wonderful time. The weather was terrible but it was so nice and comfortable in their house.

Their boxer, Hulda, was so funny. She thought it was great fun to have Serif at her house. It was like Serif was her own special girl. Lots of kisses and Serif quickly learned to say "no" to Hulda. Unfortunately, it was a very cute "no" that no one could take seriously.

At times like that, I am bad about sitting back and watching my children. I am so proud of them and the adults they have become. I love watching them interact with each other. Okay I admit it, I have a tendency to pat myself on the back. Raising children is not easy and I know that I made a lot of mistakes but they turned out great in spite of me.

Now it is Christmas Eve. The car is packed with presents to take over to Missy's. All of Terry's family will be gathering for our annual Christmas Eve together. I am very much into traditions. I think traditions are something that we can pass down to our children. A little piece of ourselves that they can keep going and pass on to their children. As I get older, I want to do things that will help my children and grandchildren to remember me.

Tomorrow all my children will come home and spend the day with me. I will cook the traditional Christmas dinner and we will sit around, exchange gifts and laugh a lot. That is what Christmas is to me. My family. Together.

I wish everyone a very blessed Christmas.

I can't believe how quickly the time is passing. I thought I had everything under control and now there doesn't seem to be time for anything.

I had so much fun with my sweet grandbaby on Saturday night. She woke up happy and smiling on Sunday and ate a big breakfast. Not only a whole waffle but then mommy and daddy showed up with donuts and she had bites of them too. What a big girl she is these days.

So now I'm resorted to lists. Trying to figure out when I will get everything done. I worry every year and it all comes together. Maybe not as flawlessly as I had hoped but it always comes together and everyone seems happy.

The Christmas dinner has been bought and is waiting for me to cook it on Monday. The presents are waiting for me to wrap them and the house is waiting for me to clean it. I'll get there. I'm taking Friday off so hopefully it will all come together.

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Christmas is such a time of emotions. They can go from feelings of joy and peace to missing those that are not around. Whether they have moved away or have died, your thoughts have a tendency to go to them. Then there are pleasant memories of Christmas past. Your feelings can be a roller coaster. That's the way I'm feeling right now.

This Christmas has been very exciting because of my wonderful granddaughter. This year she is noticing things and trying to figure out what is going on. It was fun introducing her to snowmen. Especially since she has no idea what snow is. Here in Austin it's supposed to get close to 80 degrees today. I did get her a snowman cup and she loves drinking out of it.

We are very fortunate this year. I think that's why the phone call I got last night was so sad. I got a call from one of the Daughters of the King. It turns out that a little 5 year old boy from our church lost his struggle for life yesterday. I was asked to help set up for the reception following the funeral. I consider it an honor to help these parents in any way I can. So I will go to the church in the afternoon. I will help the loving and caring women who will be there to make sure that everything is in place and that there is plenty of food for all who come. That's the least we can do.

Then I will go home and hug my sweet, cuddly granddaughter and thank God that we have her. She gets to spend the night with me so we will have lots of time to hug and kiss and play. I love to lay there and watch her sleep while I hold her close. Mommy and Daddy will be able to enjoy the Nutcracker and then have some special time together.

Sunday we will finish up some last minute shopping and get all the stuff we will need for our Christmas dinner.

First of all we have the Trail of Lights with the whole family. There will be a nice group of us this year since Don's family is coming too. The more the merrier. I hope Serif likes it.

So a busy weekend is planned. Hopefully I will get everything done. If not, there's always next week. Only 9 more days to go.

I almost forgot Happy Hanukkah!

Things are definitely going to have to change. Work is interferring with my blogging. I'll have to see what I can do about that.

Grammy G's house is officially ready for Christmas. Everyone came over on Sat. night and decorated the family tree. Serif was even able to help. It was so nice having everyone at the house. We ordered pizza and drank eggnog. There was a lot of laughing, teasing and remembering. I couldn't have asked for a better evening. I love when the kids are back home. Bosco even got pizza bones.

Then on Sunday we all went to Missy's for a baking party. I didn't do much baking but I did enjoy visiting with everyone. Missy's SIL is house hunting so there was lots of house talk. She made her Christmas clouds. Patti made some yummy crescent cookies. All I did was eat. That's not unusual. Kathy helped Missy and me make the bourbon balls. That's our family tradition. Hopefully Missy won't eat too many of them before they are ready on Christmas eve.

Things are getting busy. Between work and the holidays, Grammy G is a bit weary. I do have my presents bought. Just some odds and ends to pick up. But I still have to wrap everything. That plus I definitely must do some house cleaning. So much to do and so little time.

The Christmas season is definitely here. I went over to my wonderful daughter's house and watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas". It was fun to see my sweet grandbaby enjoy all the new sights and sounds of Christmas. They had put lights on their house and the baby loved going outside and seeing them.

That made me ponder all the Christmas traditions that become so ingrained in a family. Many of the family traditions are slowly being passed on to my children. It seems that Tom has taken over having the family over the night before Christmas eve. That is always fun. Then we go to Missy's on Christmas eve and my house on Christmas day. Needless to say over eating is guaranteed at that time.

Last weekend I made the banana nut bread. That is a tradition that was passed down from my parents. We always ate banana nut bread on Christmas morning. I make it for both my children so they can keep the tradition going in their own homes.

The Christmas cookies that I used to make for my children is now being done by Missy at her house. As are the bourbon balls.

Both of my children and their families come over and help decorate the family Christmas tree and we all enjoy looking at the ornaments that have been on that tree for many many years. The night is full of memories and laughter. Exactly what I love.

This year Missy and Terry are working on their own family traditions to pass down to Serif. That is one of the special things about this time of the year. You have the old traditions, like your favorite television programs and Christmas carols, that you carry from your childhood. Then there are the new traditions that you make with your new family to pass on.

I just love this time of year.

What a wonderful Thanksgiving. I couldn't have asked for a better long weekend.

Thanksgiving started early for me. I thought I was going to have to help Terry with the turkey. They were thinking of going to the Turkey Trot race on Thanksgiving morning and he would need someone to make sure the temperature stayed the same. They decided at the last minute to let Serif sleep in and they didn't need me. Since I was up, I enjoyed a quiet morning drinking my coffee and making the dressing for Thanksgiving dinner. I went over around 10 and was pleasantly surprised with cofee and coffee cake. What a way to start the day.

After visiting for a little while, Missy and Serif went off to take a shower. A clean, sweet smelling and naked baby was passed to me. I dried her off and put on her diaper. Then she fell asleep in my arms. I love when she does that. So I got to hold sweet grandbaby while her mommy and daddy scurried around getting everything ready for everyone's arrival.

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Dinner was a huge success. The turkey was falling off the bone. The ham was delicious and everyone brought food. I couldn't believe how much food there was. Missy and I sat at the kids table. That's always the best place to eat.

As good as Thanksgiving was, the leftovers on Friday were even better. Kathy, Tom, Patti and myself all arrived on Friday night to enjoy what was left of that great meal. Missy and Terry got out their Christmas tree and Serif got to begin finding out about Christmas.


As you can see Serif was quite impresed with the lights.

Then on Saturday came baking day. I had lots of banana nut bread to make for gifts this year so Missy, Terry and Serif came over to help. When Missy was little I would always put the chair up to the counter and let her play in the flour.


It may be a big mess to clean up but the fun makes it totally worth it. She enjoyed helping her Grammy G cook and was very proud of the end results. Poor Bosco had flour on him too. We had so much fun. It was perfect.

Sunday was our regular shopping. What a busy Thanksgiving weekend. I definitely could have used a few more days off. Now it's time to get everything ready for Christmas. I love this time of year.

My goodness but Grammy G has been a busy girl since I last blogged.

Thursday I finally got my job review. Not bad. I really can't complain. It looks like there will be some new jobs for me to take on next year. That's good because I honestly am not that busy at work. The work load goes up and down but mostly down. I do like being busy because it makes the day go by faster. Of course, it does cut into my blogging.

I took Friday off and Missy and I went Christmas shopping. This started right after Patrick died. November 17 is his birthday and in our grief we used that day to be together and shop. We discovered that shopping is great for dealing with grief. Anyway, after all these years it has become a tradition for us to do our Christmas shopping on this day. I am so thrilled because I got all of my precious grandbaby's presents bought and most everyone elses. A few things still to pick up in shops and some on line stuff to buy and then I will be completely done with my Christmas shopping. That means I can sit back and enjoy the season.

I also got to go with Missy to Serif's day care for their Thanksgiving dinner. That didn't work out too well because she got so excited about me being there with her mommy that she wouldn't eat. All she wanted to do was run around and show me everything. We finally had to leave so she would eat some lunch. Poor baby. Plus she is cutting molars and she's just miserable. I sure wish they would come through before Thanksgiving. It would be so much better for her and definitley easier on her mommy.

Then Friday night after all our shopping, my son and daughter-in-law came over to Missy's and we all sat around and watched The Producers. Serif just loved that show. That little girl does love a good musical.

Sunday was the usual running around. The kids surprised me with lunch and then we headed out to get our groceries for the week. It really does make a difference when we go together. It may take a little longer but it's definitely more fun. I think we got just about everything for Thanksgiving. It's going to be so much fun this year. Terry's sister got engaged and so it's not just our family but her fiancee's parents and brother. We have such a small family that's it's always wonderful when we are able to add more to the mix. It should be a great day full of family, food and friends. What more could you ask for.

The good news is that I think Missy had a good 30th birthday.

Saturday night I had the baby. We had so much fun. She is getting so big. We laughed and danced and sang. She was sound asleep when mommy and daddy finally arrived. Missy had really been enjoying her evening and was feeling no pain. She is so funny when she's had too much to drink.

Then Sunday was the family celebation. Terry's mom, Kathy, made some great sandwiches and I furnished the cake. Everyone ate too much and we all enjoyed spending time together. We are so fortunate that our families get along so well.

Serif definitely enjoyed being the center of attention and entertained everyone. I can tell you that she likes Italian creme cake. She crawled up on my lap and ate half my cake.

The bad news is that my boss in PA lost her voice cheering at a football game so my review has been postponed until Thursday morning.

That's all the news for now.

Happy Birthday Missy

This is my beautiful baby girl. She turns 30 years old on November 12.

Thirty years ago on November 12, 1976, it was a dark cold and rainy day in Austin, Texas. I was bundled up staying warm in my house except for the time I went to see the new baby up the street. How was I to know that you were the jealous type and I would go into labor while holding a 3 day old infant? At least you waited until after 5 on a Friday. I know daddy's boss appreciated that.

Your grandparents had just built a fire and sworn that nothing could get them out on a night as nasty as that night was when your father called them. They banked the fire, put on their coats and headed to the hospital. See everyone jumped for you even then.

You brought a lot of joy and laughter into our lives. There are so many memories that I have of your growing up. Like the time you toddled up to your daddy and asked him to buy you a puppy and Duke became a member of the family the next weekend. The way you liked to be the center of attention and was always performing for everyone in the room.

I remember how excited you would get when school was getting ready to start. You loved to get your new school supplies and you still do. I always thought the new school supplies is what kept you in school through your masters degree.

You were daddy's little girl and he was so proud of you. I still remember the wink he gave you when we walked into his hospital room the day he died. He always had that special smile for you.

I appreciate the woman you have become. You are a wonderful wife and mother. But most of all I'm proud of the person you have become. You are so full of love and compassion. You have a tenderness that all can see yet a strength that will get you through anything life throws at you. You are a true and loyal friend and a wonderful sister and sister-in-law. Plus no mother could ask for a better daughter.

When you were born I was so happy and so full of dreams for you. You have turned out better than I could have ever imagined. I am so proud to be your mother. You are my daughter but you are also my friend. Thank you for letting me share all the wonder of you.

There are definite advantages and disadvantages to having the same family doctor as your daughter.

I got a call last week from Missy informing me that she had just made appointments for both of us to get our flu shots. So this morning we met at the doctor's office and each got our shots. Thanks Missy for taking such good care of your old mother.

Today I get to pick up my sweet grandbaby from day care. I worry about what she is thinking when I pick her up. She always comes to me. In fact, she usually asks me to carry her out. But she has such a solemn look on her face. Like she's just not sure what to make of the fact that I'm there. By the time we get in the house she's smiling and talking but it's that look when she sees me come and get her. There are so many times I wish I see what that little girl is thinking. We'll see what happens today.

Terry stopped by last night and dropped off the presents for Missy's birthday. This way she can't see them and she also can't try to get Terry to give them to her early. He's really catching on to her ways. This may be the first birthday that she has had to wait until her actual birthday to open her presents. I will take them over with me when I go for her party on Sunday. Good thinking Terry.

Here are my two loves. This weekend the kids came over so that Serif could play soccer in my back yard. I don't think she's quite ready to go pro but she did kick the ball a couple of times. We all enjoyed standing around and watching her.

Bosco is my 13 year old brown lab. You can see the gray on his muzzle. He loves that little girl so much and is so jealous of her. It is very much a love/hate relationship. He is jealous of the time I spend with her but he sure does like to eat the things that she eats and she loves to share. He will just lay there and let her do anything she wants to him. She loves to kiss and hug him. Unfortunately, that usually happens when he is sound asleep. He is such a good dog.

This rock used to be Missy's special spot to sit. She would sit on it and think deep thoughts or just look around the yard. It's funny to see it go to the next generation. That's one of the nice parts of living in a house for so long. There are definitely lots of memories.

My pictures got reversed but the top shows what happened to Minnie after a hard day of Trick or Treating. The bottom picture shows my beautiful grandbaby all dressed up and ready to go.

Halloween

I have to tell you that I had a fantastic Halloween.

For the first time in a quite a while I had my whole family at the house. It was so wonderful. First of all I left work early and went by and voted. Then off to the house to get ready for Halloween.

Missy, Terry and Serif came by to show off their costumes. I have to tell you that Serif was the cutest Minnie Mouse ever. Missy and I took her to a couple of houses by my house and while we were gone Tom and Patti came by.

Poor Serif just did not know what to think about this Halloween stuff. Why in the world would you go to stranger's houses and take candy from them? Missy said it didn't take long for her to catch on though. After my house they went on to Terry's family so that they could go trick or treating with them. It was a busy night for little Serif.

After Terry, Missy and Serif left, Tom, Patti and I were able to sit around and have a wonderful visit. It's been too long since we were able to just sit back and enjoy each other's company. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening.

There weren't many trick or treaters this year so I have lots of candy left over. Good think I bought the kind that I like isn't it?

Weekend Update

What a wonderful weekend Grammy G had. What could be better than spending the whole weekend with the most wonderful little girl in the whole world?

We had so much fun. We played and played. We talked lots. We sang and danced. We had lots of hugs and kisses. It was just perfect. She was so good. I know Missy missed her but I'm so glad I had her. Unfortunately, Tom never stopped by. It would have been nice to have spent some time with him too. It was funny because my best friend called while I was babysitting. Her granddaughter was spending the night with her too. We got to compare notes. In fact, she called every night just to see if I was still having fun. Trust me, I was.

Poor Bosco. He's 13 years old and isn't used to kids being around. Just as he was going to sleep she would come up and hug and kiss him. He would just lay there and take it. Then go back to sleep until the next time. He did enjoy getting to eat her leftovers. I think that was the highlight of the weekend for him. Lots of Serif food. Serif thought it was so funny that I sang our good morning song to the dog.

The work the kids got done on their bedroom is unbelieveable. It looks fantastic. They worked so hard and it shows. I just love the color they picked for their bedroom. I can't discribe it but it brings out the wood of the furniture. It looks so good it almost makes me want to get off my you know what and do something around my house. Notice I said almost?

The smile on that baby's face when her mommy and daddy walked in on Sunday was precious. She was so happy to see her mommy and daddy. Lots of hugs and kisses were exchanged. The kids even took me to Quiznos to thank me for taking care of her. I got to see the finished room and then it was off to Target for halloween candy.

Missy was too tired for the store so I went alone and got everything I needed for the coming week. I was also able to cook the Halloween chili so the kids can pick it up tonight. Doing all that and then cleaning up all the toys that were thrown around the living room made for one tired Grammy. Needless to say I slept really good last night.

So I'm already for the trick or treaters tomorrow night. I hope we gets lots of kids. I do enjoy seeing all the different costumes and it's great to see the neighborhood kids.

TGIF

Well the weekend is almost here. I am definitely ready for it.

The kids have made their decision. They are staying in town and painting their bedroom. Personally, I think that's a good idea for meany reasons. First it will give them a great sense of accomplishment and they have been wanting to do this for so long. Second it will be easier in case someone changes their mind about the weekend. I'm not saying anyone will, but whether it be Missy or Serif, it's nice to know that they can. After all, this is the first time they have been separated for this length of time. I know how hard it would be for me. I just hope they get everything done. Then they can sit back and enjoy their new room.

Last night Tom called to check in. It's always so good to hear from him. I'm so proud of Tom and what he has accomplished. He has been through so much and is doing so well. He's come a long way. Patti is busy this weekend so he may come and spend some time with Serif and me on Saturday. I think that would be so great. He and Patti are so good with that baby. They are crazy about her. She is a very loved little girl.

I have told Missy to have Serif at my house by 7:00 this evening. Charlie Brown is coming on and I want Serif to see if. It is going to be so much fun watching her watch the holiday television specials this year. She is getting so big and we are all enjoying her so much as she gets bigger.

She is going to be Minnie Mouse for Halloween. I can't wait to see her all dressed up. Missy has promised to take lots of pictures for me. I think I'm going to have to give in and get my own camera. It takes too long to get pictures out of Missy.

Now I have to finish my work so I can start my weekend.

Surprise

I got the nicest surprise when I arrived home after a long day at work. There was my wonderful family waiting for me. It was so nice to walk into the house with everyone there. Serif came to greet me at the door. Usually the house is so quiet when I get home. On top of that Terry brought in dinner for me. What more could I ask for.

Then they were off for their appointment and Serif and I were on our own. I fixed her some dinner which she ate like a big girl. She is not a big eater so when she eats anything we all get excited. The dog enjoyed all the leftovers. He does eat well when she's there.

Then it was time to play. She is such a good girl. We played and read stories until mommy and daddy came home. Boy does her face light up when they walk through the door.

Tonight I need to get ready for this weekend. Since I'm not sure what all I can get done with my little helper around, I need to get some of my weekend chores done before she arrives. I did make the swiffer her size so she can at least help me with the floors.

The kids don't even know what they are going to do. They can't decide between going to the coast with friends, having a romantic weekend just the two of them or painting and decorating their bedroom. So many choices. I just want them to have fun. They deserve it. Lets just hope they have made up their minds by the time they leave the baby with me tomorrow afternoon.

Grandparents

I can't believe how long it's been since I last blogged. Work is starting to interfer with my blogging. That is definitely not good.

Today I get to babysit. It's always fun to spend a few hours with my favorite little girl. What is going to be an experience is this weekend. I am going to have my precious grandbaby for the whole weekend. This is big. This will be a first time for both of us. I hope she's ready for this. I hope I'm ready for this.

My children spent lots of time with their grandparents. That was one of the advantages of living so close to them. I enjoyed the nights that they spent at their grandparents houses and I know how much it meant to their grandparents. That is such a special relationship. I know how important those memories are for my children. I want those memories for my granddaughter too.

Everything is ready. I have the milk, the chicken nuggets and the goldfish. I have the toys ready to be played with. I have warned the dog that she is coming. All we need is the baby.

As I have said before, I didn't see my grandparents very often. When I have about four years old my father was sent to Korea. My mother and I moved to California to be closer to my father's parents. I have some memories of that time.

One memory is being at my grandparents house while my two cousins were there. Jimmy and Jeff. My parents did not get along very well with my Aunt Madeline. In fact, in later years, my father would disown her. I remember that my grandmother was rocking the other children one by one and putting them down for a nap. She asked me to let her rock me for a little while. That she knew that I didn't need a nap but that it would help with the little ones. I remember her holding me as she rocked. I didn't go to sleep but she talked to me as she rocked me back and forth. Thinking back, I think that was more for her than the little ones. That's one of the few times she was able to hold and rock me. That's so sad. Especially when I think of the hours I have spent rocking and hold my granddaughter. I treasure every minute of that time. I never realized how much my grandmother missed out on with our being so far away. The first time I spent the night with my grandparents was when I was 14 just before we left to spend three years in Germany.

My closeness was not with my grandparents but with my grandmother's father. My Great-Grandpa Brown. Most of my memories are of him. I would love to sit on the porch swing and talk to him. We would just swing and talk. I don't remember what we talked about. I know he talked a lot about the old days. The thing I remember is that he always made me feel like what I said was important. I also remember that he loved to play solitaire and it would bother me that he cheated when he didn't think I was looking. I remember coming home from trick or treating on Halloween when I was seven and my parents getting the telephone call that he had died in his sleep. I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with him.