MISCELLANEOUS WRAP-UPS

I decided some wrapping up of details needed to be written versus an actual topic for this blog.

Tiny Sun and I cashed in our gift certificate from the December Scavenger hunt we participated in on some Fleur de Lis key hooks for our purses and I got some delish Carmel Apple Butter from the same place. We also enjoyed a very nice lunch in the village of Augusta at Cafe Bella, a new restaurant. It was funny, halfway through our meal, we decided we had lunched there before when it was a different place, different decor, different menu, and different name. The meal was good on that day as it was good on the past day we lunched there.

I caught up with Polly, Mother Mary, and The Carpenter (Polly's husband) two weeks ago right after they returned from a trip to Washington D.C. Nice to visit and catch up with that side of the "family."

I hear The Weatherman has recooped very nicely from his hip surgery. I haven't seen Aunt Cracker in a while but......The Elders will be gathering on Friday afternoon for another infamous slumber party. This time we've rented a hotel room. We haven't met since before Christmas when I assigned them all homemade Christmas presents (of their own ideas and to be kept secret) to be exchanged at our next gathering which is this Friday. We've dubbed our activity Project Martha and I can't wait to see what everyone has made. Darling Daughter helped me with my craft selection and I think my Elders will enjoy their gift from me. Can't wait.

We've had a few snowstorms in the city and the country and sometimes in one place and not the other. Three weeks ago, it was "dry" in the city and we headed to the country for our weekend and it started snowing on us as we drove west. By the time we got home, everything was covered but the roads weren't bad at all, it was a dry blowing snow, the best kind to drive in.

Anyway, we enjoyed the snow all weekend and then came back to the city where it was still snow free. Then the next week, the entire state was dumped on--heavy wet snow on top of ice--not a good kind of snow for driving but another wonder----our gravel road in the country had been plowed when we journeyed out there at the end of the week. We called it a snow miracle.

Our renter, Joe, has left MO for TX to care for his ailing father. So Papa and I are back in the rehabbing business. The house Joe was working on for us was halfway finished, so we don't have a complete house to do but plenty enough before it's ready to sell.

Fantastic Son and Serious Girlfriend are doing well in their new house with all the bonus kids. Papa and I are traveling there the end of April for FS's 24th birthday. Can't wait to finally meet these bonus kids and my new grandpuppy, Deja. That's her real name but since she doesn't have a computer, I think keeping her identify secret is silly. Snoopy, on the other hand, tends to read over my shoulder at times, so she will remain anonymous.

My brother, Gulliver turned 46 last month and had an enjoyable birthday. I'm so proud of how he has been doing (another story that will be left untold). Actually, he was researching laptops for me (he just bought himself one) and I have one enroute to me at this time, maybe in my mailbox right now. Did I mention how proud I was of him? Here's to many more Happy Birthdays to you, Gulliver.

Papa has been in better spirits. Almost Step-Son has a regular VERY GOOD 9-5 job now (actually at the same company that Papa and I both work) and he is staying with us every Thursday night until he completes this last college course before graduation. So Papa gets more facetime with his first born.

Rumor has it that Almost Step-Daughter is no longer with child (nature stepped in). We are sorry for her if this is true but on the other hand she is not in a good place in her life at this time to welcome another child so maybe nature knew what she was doing.

And the P's are the P's---Perfect and Precious as usual. Perfect can really carry on a conversation with the best of us now....almost. A few nights ago, the P's and I were in the basement playing and it got chilly so I told Perfect to go to the bottom of the stairs and yell up to Papa to come down and light the stove for us that we were cold. Perfect went over to the stairs and yelled up "Papa, Papa, blah blah blah blah Grammy blah blah blah COLD." Guess I overloaded him with too many words to repeat. But hey, he got Papa's attention regardless of what came out.

Precious is crawling and so close to walking right now. And she's learning the word "No". Last night we were "fighting" about her desire to push all the framed pictures off the end table....repeatedly. I put the pictures back on the table a number of times---Perfect learned what he was not allowed to touch at Grammy's house so I was determined that Precious follow the same path. It took a while and I'm sure she'll have forgotten by next Wednesday but by the end of the night, she would stand at the table and look at me, I would say "NO" loudly. She would whimper a bit but move along to something else. She's so got her mother's temperment. She doesn't like to be told no but when she starts to whimper, I would ask her what's wrong and would receive a big smile.

So I said in my last blog that we have had a routine January and early February but I guess after writing about all the above, it's not been such a routine life after all, alot has happened and I think those black-eyed peas have worked so far. Life's been good.

Signing off....Grammy