Conversations Between a Dad and.......
.........Elise

You remember Elise....aka Little One.   The infamous Walmart Target shopper.

The diva who loves breakfast at Tiffany's  McDonalds.

Well, she's had yet another interesting conversation  with her Dad!

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Elise: Dad, Knock Knock


Dad: Who is there


Elise (pauses): It's ME, Elise (with a look like Dad had forgotten who she is)


 Grandma J has been busy cleaning and coughing putting up Christmas lights and her tree.   What's on your agenda this weekend?

Thanksgiving  2009

.....the homefront edition, with very little narration.

Toasting Dad!

A taste of the real thing  Grandma J is so glad no one noticed the gravey in the measuring cup!

With some hesitation from A-Ron

Who survived it!  neither one of them finished their champagne.

A bit of Facebook business

From almost everyone......

And then it was time for pie..

No matter where you go, you can't hide from your BF.....not when you have pie

Then you sleep it off....

With all your favorite GFs

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day in Iraq


Grandma J's son-in-law called to talk to us today right as we sat down to eat!  His kids were excited, as was his wife. You all can just imagine how happy Grandma J was to talk to him too.


He mentioned that he had just emailed some pictures of their Thanksgiving celebration in Iraq...he said to share, so that's exactly what I'll do.....




"Hello all,


I hope you guys are having a Happy Thanksgiving, sorry I am not personalizing this email, but it takes forever to download photos to email out. I wish I was at home with you guys to enjoy some family time and food. My day started with a 5k Turkey Trot, most of the guys in the group picture ran in it. We had a good time. Then my Company and I had the opportunity to serve the Thanksgiving Lunch meal to the Soldiers. We then had the chance to break bread with each other. FOX News Live was in our DFAC for the dinner meal so if you see GEN Odierno talking to Soldiers a lot of them were from my company. Overall it was a nice day. Well, just getting in tonight...the day is almost over, watching the football game as I relax.


Well, I miss all of you and I love you. Say hello to everyone and if you can pass the pictures along please do so...

John"

John serving.....he loves his 1st Cav stetson!

John is on the left end, back row......but ya'll knew that already!

John is second one in on the left....but ya'll knew that too, right?

Right now it's football and nap time at Grandma J's.   Updates from the homefront later with more pictures....and yes, JJ came over undercover. Disguised as a ....um, cowboy dressed like a dog.

Wishing you all a....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Grandma J feels so blessed this Thanksgiving for all the wonderful people in her life....family and friends alike.   A special prayer of thanks to our troops who are deployed, protecting our freedoms.

God has been very good to me.

Now can someone please tell me....

....where the heck my turkey disappeared to?

Staying Connected


When Grandma J's internet provider updated the area guess what happened? We had no internet at all for three days.


Lucky for Grandma J, she could connect to the internet on her phone....and read blogs on her phone, but she couldn't comment or post new stuff. How come that is? Of course her internet on her phone is through AT&T and not Time Warner.


So what has Grandma J been doing you ask?

 Well she invited some friends to swim in the Spa's pool, which is heated year round. But they got a bit rowdy...as guys often do.

 Then she went out and got her a turkey to stuff for Thanksgiving dinner. As she was plucking the dickens out of the fowl preparing her turkey, she happened to glance out her kitchen window...and this is what she saw......

Yep, that's right! Grandma J has a new internet provider!   Thank you, Comfort Suites for the free WIFI!


Now please excuse Grandma J, she has go back and visit some bloggers and blisters and say howdy! 
 Then Grandma J has to call Time Warner and cancel her high speed turbo roadrunner.

Born A Rock Star....
...or born to rock your stars

That would be my JJ.  I know, I know what you're thinking... Grandma J is off her rocker...gone over the edge,  Phase II!

Well, let me tell you a little secret.  Everyone who meets JJ here in Central Texas has a true epiphany, a life altering experience.

Every morning Grandma J picks up her granddaughter at 8 a.m. for school.   JJ comes along...riding shotgun, and keeping an eye out for the bad guys....it's his job!

Lately it's been cold  real cold, and Grandma J shivers to the bone no one complains.   So, for an added treat, Grandma J took JJ with her to the bank so she could make a deposit at the drive up teller...because it was too cold to get out of the car.

JJ was very intrigued with the audio video transaction...and immediately fell in love with the pretty teller.

And when Grandma J opened the canister for her receipt, it was apparent that the teller fell in love with JJ....altering her life forever!

Who's your rock star?

Why Do Boys Go Last?

....because they are gentlemen

Or maybe because they are the oldest, or because they love their sisters.  Maybe it's because that's the way Grandma J planned it.

Grandma J took all three grandkids to the Fairfield Inn for a sleepover.   This was Andrew's third sleepover there with Grandma J.   And this year, because he is so much older, he decided to actually cook his breakfast at the free buffet.   He waited patiently for his turn to make waffles on a real waffle iron...but the adults must have thought he was just an observer because they kept cutting in front of him.  Grandma J set them straight.

On Grandparents Day, yes we are still talking about Grandparents Day,  Andrew was OK with Grandma J visiting Beauty's class first because he's a boy, and older, and a gentleman.  Besides, this was the fifth year of Grandma J visiting his class on Grandparents Day at Stoneybrooke.

This is Andrew's teacher.....and he thinks she's swell.

These two love each other so much....and have no problem showing it.

Don't you love the blue ribbon Andrew made for Grandma J?  Wouldn't it have been even nicer if it were on right?

This is Andrew and Grandma J on Grandparent's Day 2005! 

Andrew has a beautiful voice, and was the only boy to actually sing a solo at the talent show.   He got a standing ovation!

Grandma J had a one on one afternoon with Andrew....just like she did with the girls.   The difference is, Andrew didn't want to shop for clothes...no, he wanted a game for his Nintendo DS thing.  Once he found the one he wanted, and believe Grandma J when she tells you he had a very hard time deciding, he didn't want to focus on anything else.   He didn't want to go out to eat......

Because, he wanted to  hurry home to put batteries in, and play with his Bakugan wrist thing...the other electronic gismo he had to have!

Andrew used to call Grandma J Mum before he could say Grandma, and it just warmed her heart that he put that on her medal, as her name,  for all to see.

On Grandma J's long drive back to Texas, she noticed how all the other drivers on the road where looking at her blue ribbon medal with envy. 

Do They Think We Don't Notice?




Once a year you can buy one of my favorite flavors of ice cream.  It's not the pumpkin pie flavor, or the Santa's Helper Scoop-a-Doop-o'-Poop.  It's this one......

Peppermint Candy.

Just once a year, and Dreyer's has it in stores early for me this year.  Next month Dairy Queen with have a Blizzard with added chocolate chips. Grandma J always tells them....hold the chococate chips, heavy on the peppermint candy, por favor.

 There is a problem though. This year Dreyer's is trying to pull a fast one. Has anyone else noticed that their half gallon container is only 1.5 quarts?  What is with  this?  Kind of like the coffee companys short changing us on their packaging.

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Here's a little gem for you, courtesy of my son-in-law.

Daddy says 'Little One don't eat the crackers we are having dinner.'

Little One says 'I'm not. Just licking them' ....as she places them back in the box....

BEAUTY...
...is more than skin deep!

Grandma J isn't exaggerating or being the least bit biased when she tells you that Beauty is beautiful beyond what the eye could ever imagine on the inside.  Her outer beauty is a mere shadow of her brilliant soul.




Grandma J and Beauty go waaaaayyy back as bosom buddies.  When Andrew was diagnosed with leukemia, Beauty was limited to just a handful of people she could be around...limiting contact with infections brought into the home.   And yes, Grandma J was at the top of that list.

Beauty looks forward to the Fairfield Inn sleepover every year. And just like Little One, she likes some chocolate with her Wheaties. 

 No one, except Grandma J, was more excited about Grandparent's day  than Beauty.  You see, last year she was in kindergarten at Stoneybrooke Christian School, and the one question she had for her teacher at her "meet and greet" was, when is Grandparents Day?

 She had patiently watched her brother go on and on every year about this huge event, and she was finally going to experience it first hand.  But the school didn't schedule Grandparents Day at the usual time, and they did it with short notice, so Grandma J couldn't attend.

This year Grandma J attended....with bells on!  Beauty told her it was the happiest day of her life!!  She also told Grandma J that last year when all the other grandparents came to school she cried.  Please pass me another tissue.

 But this year was special for Grandma J too....because she got to meet Beauty's teacher.  Did Grandma J forget to tell you that Beauty is the bestest speller in the whole first grade?

 ... and see some of her friends again.

friends that Beauty has been going to school with since the age of three at pre-school.
 Then we went shopping for some accessories....and shoes....and stuff all about Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers. Can you say O.M.G.?

 We visited an old stomping ground.  Beauty and Grandma shared a cup of sweetness like they had done so many times over the years. Just like BFFs!!

 Beauty ordered her happy face pancake for dinner....

 The older, much more mature Beauty chose the one with fruit and yogurt instead of the one with chocolate chips!

 Grandma J visited Stoneybrooke Christian School for their talent show to watch Beauty and her BFFs sing a Selena Gomez song.

...and shake their booties.

 The morning Grandma J left to go back to Texas, Beauty got all decked out to say farewell after breakfast at McD's.  I miss her!