Bucket Listing!

 Every Christmas, my mom and my aunts would spend a day or two making perogies.  Tons and tons of them...Every surface in the kitchen was covered with either roasting pans (remember the blue/black ones with speckles?) full of perogies or perogies in process.

We were not allowed to eat them until Christmas eve!

Do you know how difficult it was to be an 8 year old carbohydrate addict knowing there were hundreds of perogies lurking somewhere in the house and/or garage?

I think I was more excited about the perogies than I was about the impending arrival of Santa!

Finally my mom and aunts would bring out the perogies and melted butter with onions, diced so tiny, floating in it.

We ate...and ate...and ate...I remember the butter dripping off the fork and onto the table.

I think I remember my eyes rolling back in my head in pure bliss.

Too soon, the table would be cleared so we could sing and dance...

And before we knew it, it was time to go home so Santa could come to bring gifts!

And then it was Christmas morning!

 "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" 

The gifts...yeah, they were cool...now on with breakfast!

Yes, Christmas morning breakfast was leftover perogies with that magical butter...

What memories.  No wonder I was a fat kid!

Why am I talking about this today?

Because I was blog surfing, following links when I came upon this...

The world's largest perogy in Glendon, Alberta Canada

 (population 493 give or take)!

Every year they have a perogy festival that doubles the population of the town for a day...

It's on my bucket list!

Weldist?

A few weeks ago, Andy sent me a video of a man welding.

I recognized the surroundings as Andy's 'man cave' and assumed it was Andy.

We bought Andy his first welder when he was 16 and he's been welding ever since.

His welder is to Andy as my Bernina (sewing machine) is to me...

At the end of the video, he lifted his hood and to my surprise, 

It was Locklan!

Andy said he spent the day welding

 (or whatever you call it when they weld-after all the new thing to call someone who sews is sewist, not sewer, should I call him a weldist?).

Locklan later told me that he made me a present.

On Christmas eve, he proudly presented me with this...

A Basset Hound!

He did admit that it's ears were too small, but isn't he amazing...

He's not even 6!

Creative genes or crazy genes?

Did I mention I love being a grandma?

 

We Got Them Going!

Back in July I got a kick ass deal on digital photo frames...

So I got everyone one, even me!

During the holiday season, they were the farthest from our minds...

But Mindy being Mindy, she's always busy, as soon as her tree came down 

(Mine is still up), she started loading photos into hers.

Henry LOVES photos, especially of him, but he loves Teagan and Locklan too.

So it was a huge hit with him...

He even talks to it!!

I got a text from Ashley...

Her kids were fascinated as well!

Of course, I had to set mine up too...

Now last year I bought my mom one but since she didn't have internet access, you had to load the photos into hers...

Ours has wifi...we can send pictures to each other's frame.

Oh what fun!  Mindy got to see Tony's second grade picture!

Simple pleasures...

 

Good Riddance, 2020!

On New Year's Eve, 
Ashley sent me these pictures...

The kids were painting their 'balls' for the countdown!

Every hour they would lower their balls on this display

until it reached 9:PM, New Years, or so it seemed to two kids who get to bedbefore 8 every night!

When the clock struck 9, Ashley gave the kids each 

1/4 can of ginger ale in these fancy glasses.

They never get sugary treats.

Andy said that even though it was an hour and a half after bedtime,

Locklan had what we called the zoomies.

Grandma? Not so much.  I think I was asleep before they were.

All's well that ends well...

Happy New Year!

 

We Got Some!

 We got snow!  I love snow!

First Andy and Ashley came over to use my front yard...

And then decided to be more adventurous and headed for the state park...

First Mr. K thought he'd shovel out the drive...

But he quickly realized he'd have to get out the snow blower...

Yes, he's wearing shorts and tennis shoes without socks...

Henry loved it...

In fact, last night Mindy sent me a video of Tony,

wearing pajamas and a winter coat, pulling Henry up and down the sidewalk

on his sled...

Catherine sent me this picture of Michael...

I kept looking out at it...

All I could say is it's about time!

I love snow!

Today we're heading to Tony and Mindy's for brunch.  It's 22° out there.

Compared to what we've been having, it's a heat wave!

Stay warm.

Not Sure What to Call This...

As usual, Christmas at Redsock Mama's house was unpredictable to say the least.

Michael and Catherine came first, bearing gifts.

Henry got a drum!

That wasn't bad, it had a pleasant sound but since my tree was on the clapper...

Yes, it was off and on all evening!

Teagan and Henry, who are best friends, shared!

It was a musical evening...

The little kids got slide whistles...

Locklan got a harmonica...

He loved it!

Then he became a one man band!

He also got a watch and announced the time every two minutes!

I got Teagan a 'dancing dress' and ballet shoes...

Every time someone asked her to twirl she did...

complete with a 2.5 year old's version of an arabesque.

But the best part was Grandma Jan's special gift...

I decorated 5 gallon buckets...

I made one for Henry and one for Locklan and Teagan...

And put 50 indoor snowballs in each...

How long do you think those snowballs stayed in the bucket?

It wasn't the kids, it was the adults!

I didn't get many pictures because once those snowballs started flying,

I was laughing too hard!

Seriously, I was not looking forward to Christmas for the first time in my life...

But I prayed that I would be okay,

and I was...

Everyone was out of here by 8, they predicted freezing rain and snow,

and we got it.

On Friday, Ashley sent this text:

In case anyone is wondering, we still have ballet shoes on

and we are still using the harmonica and 

announcing the time every minute!

Mr. K and I planned to sleep in and stay home on Christmas...

I didn't sleep in but we did stay home.

But it's all good.  Back to reality soon.

 

Don't Drink This!

 My printer got stuck.  Really stuck.

I rarely print things, the last time I used my printer was June 2020.

I needed it again last week.  It did not work.  There was a job stuck in the que.

It had been there since June and would not delete.

I tried everything!  Finally, I decided to replace it.

Did the new printer work?  No, and the instructions made me thing I  might not 

be the sharpest pencil in the box...

One of the first instructions I read:

CAUTION:  Ink contains nitrates.  Do not drink or place in the mouth.

Now, I got to thinking...

Aren't there nitrates in hot dogs?

Forget the printer, I'll just write with a hot dog.

On the other hand, it snowed!

It's still snowing and I'm loving it!

Mr.K, maybe not so much...

Yes, he's wearing shorts...

I'm Really Trying

 I've been trying to get back to blogging, I really have.

The hard part is that I like to talk about my day, what I have been doing...

These days are filled with my mom.

Her estate, bills, insurance, condolences and questions...

Last week I spent three hours with our attorney, who also was a high school classmate.

I spent one whole day tracking down papers and records.

I spent one whole day with my brother, packing up the kitchen.

I used to call my mother every evening, chatting for an hour...

It was easy, this is not.

Moving on...if you have been here for any length of time, you know...

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year!

I love Christmas so much that I offered to send my kids to their respective in-laws

for all other holidays just so I could have my entire family together for Christmas eve.

It's been a tradition in my mom's family as long as I can remember.

We cleaned and mom and my aunts baked.  We decorated and planned...

We sang, oh did we ever sing!  We waited for the nightly news and 

the announcement that Santa was in the area!

This year, this might be the first time we won't be doing this...

So many things standing in the way...

Hit me like a ton of bricks...

I can't wrap my head around adapting...

My gifts are bought, not wrapped.

My decorations are finally down from the attic but not unpacked...

Teagan and Locklan came yesterday and decorated the tree,

Oh my, what a mess that is!

It's in the middle of the living room floor.

Only one tree...

Only ONE tree!

One tree must mean it's almost Christmas...

If you have read this far, here's a reminder that even though we're all nuts, Jesus is the reason for the season!

Back soon.

Read Me a Story

Last week Mr. K and I were invited to have dinner with Tony and Mindy

and of course, Henry!

After a delicious dinner, Henry got out the books...

First I had to read a book about hockey...

Then Pappy had to read The Hungry Caterpillar which I think Henry had memorized.

He is so smart and so funny...

Grandma Life, I love it!

I did find out how to keep Teagan and Locklan busy...

I gave them each little lighted magnifying glasses.

Locklan dragged a stool into the middle of the living room

and kept finding things to 'investigate' 

It kept them busy for at least 20 minutes.

Considering they are 2 and 5, that's amazing!

And of course, there is always Teagan's hair...

~sigh~

Did I mention that I love being a grandma?

 

Nothing...

Yes, I've been gone a long time. Getting sick in October really knocked the shit out of me.

Long after I was no longer sick, I had no energy.

At the beginning of November, I realized my dogs can't tell time.

They did not understand that what they THOUGHT was 5:AM, which was pretty okay by me,

was now 4:AM which was why I was sitting on the love seat drinking coffee at 4:30 when my phone rang.

It was the emergency room doctor telling me that my mother had been brought in via ambulance with severe stomach pain (remember she had three emergency surgeries in four years for twisted intestines) and that they did a CT scan and found blockage. They felt that it was more that they could handle on a local level and wanted permission to transfer her to an acute care hospital.

Within two hours, I had spoken to two surgeons and the anestheologist. All three told me that without surgery, she would die. I gave permission.

Two hours after that, I got a call from a third surgeon who told me that her entire small intestine was dead and that her blood pressure bottomed out and her heart stopped. They did get her heart beating and told us they would TRY to keep it going until we got there to say good bye.

I called my kids, my brother and her pastor. There were nine of us in all.

About 3, they took her off the ventilator and we stood around her bed, telling "Toots" stories until she took her final breath.

Funny thing, my mom was 89, had multiple health issues, each more serious that the last. Every day for the past three years, I wondered if this would be the last day for her, yet it was such a shock when it finally happened. She was raking leaves the day before!

I'm still in shock.

On the other hand, Locklan and I had a conversation about death. He was impressed that Grandma Toots now lived in heaven and was all better but he wished he could see her just one more time.

I thought that was sweet until he explained that he just wanted to see her with all the strings on her.

Strings?

Yes. He figured that God had to tie people down so they didn't float away.

Out of the mouth of babes.

So that's where I've been. It's been a tough year but there were certainly good things happening.

I'll come back and share them. Soon.

Let's Clean Up!

 I know that I have so much to talk about

but I'm still playing 'catch up' after being out of commission for all that time...

But I want to keep in touch, and I want to share my family...

Now I don't know if you know, but I'm a Norwex junkie!

Just before Ashley was going back to work and I was going to watch Locklan

My neighbor introduced me to the products that would clean your house with just water...

No Chemicals!

I fell in love.  I had a crawling baby...I didn't want chemicals on the floors!

It took a while, but little by little Ashley fell in love with them too.

She's now a consultant, which means we own at least one of everything they sell...

But seriously, after 5 years...

She posted these photos...

Now I don't know about you, but if I found a 'magic' cloth that would make my kids want to clean...

I'd buy two!

Seriously...

My boys were very helpful around the house.

Once, when my dad was in the hospital, his pastor said the would stop at the house for coffee.

Before leaving for the hospital, I wrote a note for the boys...

"Pastor Jeff coming.  Please do not leave your dishes in the sink."

That afternoon I came home to find the sink full of shoes and the dirty dishes on the floor beside the back door...

Kids...and you were wondering why I stopped at 4?

Okay, time to get busy...

Love to all...

I Missed You Guys!

 I know it looks like I dropped off the face of the earth...

I did not.

So much going on, from Mama Drama (issues with my mom)

to getting really sick and chalking it up to stress (it was not)

to fearing Covoid (I was tested negative)...

My life was almost normal for a bit, and yesterday was one of the high spots.

Remember this day?

            Henry's big announcement?

Yesterday was even more exciting...

Remember this?

When Tony hit that golf ball that revealed Henry.

Since Henry loves to golf, yesterday he got to hit the gender reveal ball...

Yes, Henry's brother will be here in March.

Needing a nap, talk to you later.

Love ya!

 

I Refuse!

 Even though the thermometer on my desk says it's 40 degrees outside my kitchen window...

Even though they are saying it's autumn...

Even though Andy and I had a detailed conversation about pulling the boat and docks for the season...

I REFUSE to admit summer is over.

I REFUSE to decorate for fall.

I am not giving up my grip on summer that quickly.

This was the best, most fun summer we have had in years!

No way!  You won't see colored leaves, scare crows or pumpkins here,

Not until October, maybe later. 

Maybe I'll leave summer things up until it's time to decorate for Christmas.

I'm thinking that we can wear winter coats and take the boat out.

Hand warmers, foot warmers and hot chocolate?

On the other hand...

Yes!  That awful awning is gone!

In probably 10 days, our new patio covering will be here!

Thanks to my guys!

A Pillow, A Clapper, Alexa and a Pressure Washer...

I'm a bad sleeper!

Getting things together for a good night's sleep has taken me two years!

I need white noise but do not want to hear it before I am ready to sleep.

Alexa to the rescue!!!

I like to sleep on my side but don't want to wake up with a crooked neck.

Side-sleeper pillow to the rescue!

(It did come with the travel pillow that I will probably never use)

My last problem was that I like to sleep on my right side, facing away from my night stand.

More often than not, instead of rolling over to turn off the light after I read a bit, 

I would fall asleep with the light on!

A few days ago, I remembered that my mom bought my dad a clapper 20 years ago.  

I wondered if they still sold them...

Amazon, I love you!

I have been sleeping in what I consider a perfect storm...

I even slept in today!  

That never happens.  Usually, for one or many reasons, I force myself to stay in bed until 5AM.

Now, if you are wondering if I took the pressure washer to bed...

NO!  these guys,

Came this morning and our house exterior is sparkling clean!

I'm a well-rested happy camper!

Busy!

 So much happening.  Not today, but in the next few weeks.

Tomorrow the guy is going to come and pressure wash our house.

He will be there at 9AM so we have to move everything off the patio.

Easy for someone half our ages, time consuming for us.

Yesterday the guy from Bright Covers came to double check all measurements

for our new awning.  I'm so excited.  Can't wait to see that Sunsetter gone.  

I have hated that thing since half way through the first year!

Yesterday morning I got a call from Locklan.  

He wanted to tell me that he didn't feel like going to school.

A few minutes of pep talking and he was fine.

Yesterday Teagan had her first Kindermusik class.  She loved it!

She called it school and danced around the house to show us what she could do now.

She stayed with us while Ashley ran errands.

She's a hoot.  She kept putting a pair of pants on her head and shouting, "Can you hear me?"

I rode with Ashley to pick up Locklan after school.

Locklan was so happy to see me.

Ashley dropped Locklan and me off at my house.

Locklan and I had a dinner date.

We went to his favorite restaurant, the Chop Shop

 so he could get macaroni and cheese with bacon.

I didn't realize he was such a flirt.

This restaurant has an open kitchen and we were seated next to the dividing wall.

He asked servers what their names were,

Told one that he really liked her hair 

and commented that one of the cooks with long hair and earrings was a guy!

All that chattering and he managed to join the clean plate club!

I have such fun with this guy.  We're going to do this more often.

On the home front, Mr.K managed to make a burger and not burn the house down...

And I slept good last night!

Stay safe!