Driving Through Blizzards,or Double Your Fun

Several weeks ago Grandma J decided to drive to Denver.  That's right...in January.  She hadn't seen her baby girl in ages.  Her grandsons came to Texas in the summer of 2009, so she was overdue for a nice visit.  The weather was fine until the day she got there.  Then it snowed, and it snowed.....and it snowed some more.   Temperatures got into double digits below zero.  So, she drove back to Texas in blowing snow, that followed her all the way home.

This is a picture of Grandma J's baby girl and her husband.   They look like real official mountain folks all ready for a harsh winter, don't they??

It's so cute when people dress alike.  I don't mean kids, like twins or sisters for Easter....I mean couples.
Mostly you can find them in places like Walmart. 

Like this cute couple......

Or these cute couples aka Doublemint Twins X two.

This isn't too shocking to the dyed in the wool Walmart shopper because Walmart opens it's doors and arms to twos of all kinds.  

I'm soooo glad  mama was considerate enough to lay a puddle pad down under her pooches so the shopping cart wouldn't get contaminated with dog stuff......any dog stuff.   I mean, would you want to be the next customer who uses that cart?  Another reason to wash all produce as soon as you get home.

***The contest is still open....leave your comment on Sunday's post***

Well, it's here......Valentine's Day!    Who can argue about a day of love and romance.   A day, once a year to lavish gifts and  acts of kindness and affection on the one you love.

Grandma J is extremely happy for all that Valentine's Day represents.   She's also beside herself in happiness to know she has a whole year, or maybe only eleven months of not being subjected to this.....

Yep, it's the Pajama Gram commercials featuring the Hoodie Footie.   I bet you could have guessed.  I wouldn't mind once an hour, but not every five minutes.  Please, I almost miss Vince doing his Sham Wow commercials.  I said almost.


And...it wouldn't be half as bad if I didn't have to be subjected to The Vermont Teddy Bear commercials sandwiched in there all day and night.   Yes, Grandma J's TV is on all day and night....that's not a problem is it?

The Vermont Teddy Bear commericals have some cute bears...but they don't show you many of them. They don't show you this cute bear....

They show you weird ones like this....

Or this.


And speaking of pajamas.   We were speaking about pajamas, right?   Well, Grandma J would love to own a few pair of these....

Pajama Jeans.   Considered appropriate sleepwear and for "Dress-Up Day" at Walmart.

Yet Another Grandma J Tutorial

While most of the free world spends their Saturday afternoons playing golf, lollygagging in the malls, or downing a few brewski's while watching March Madness in May, Grandma J is busy saving every nickel and dime she can.

Here's how Grandma J wastes spends her Saturday afternoons. She wanders around in cyberspace looking for freebies. By wanders she means she checks out the freebie page on the Walmart website freebie page.

These are the free items she ordered this week. Just be forewarned that none of the "click here" notations will bring you to a website....it's just a visual to show you that there is a "Get Free Sample Link"



Here's some free NicoDerm gum to help the addicted smoker sitting next to you at bingo friend or relative in your life.

If you need these, you already know it! And no...I didn't watch the video.

One sure fire way to know you are on the road to baldness, is to try every free sample you can get your hands on for your hair.

Yeah, I bet no one's surprised that Grandma J chose "Sample Both".

Only a Zyrtec user knows how expensive this stuff is.....I hope they send me two sample packs.....AHHHHH CHHOOOOO!

Shudddup.....a free sample is a free sample. Besides, if these are really as absorbent as they claim to be, I can use them to dry my car. You know, like a ShamWow substitute.

* Now, I think I've made a pretty good dent in my Christmas shopping,with free shipping....how about you?

The Pause That Refreshes!

Sometimes we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and forget to stop and smell the roses. But even when Grandma J stops to buy flowers every week smell the roses and plethora of flowers in Walmart the garden, nothing can make her smile more that a picture received on her cell phone........



Especially when it's a picture of Beauty proudly showing Grandma J her gorgeous smile minus her two front teeth. So today I want to share my smile, and Beauty's with you.

And of course it would be hard to not notice Beauty's big brother, Andrew, lurking in the background now, would it?

A Tea Party in Texas



Grandma J isn't just a tea tottler, she loves a Tea Party. She also had no clue she was a finalist in the I Wanna Be a Big Hair Queen contest.

JJ joined in at the Tea Party....JJ the Patriot! I sent this picture to 1SGT John in Iraq.

JJ is a girl magnet.....at PetSmart, Walmart, and Tea Parties

JJ and I love a parade....What's that? This isn't a parade we're walking in?

My good friend Ruth, who walked the six blocks each way to the park with me and JJ. Her husband is a retired Army Col.

There was a crowd of about six hundred....which is impressive for a small town named Belton, next door to Dog Ridge TX.

We sang songs.....like God Bless America.

Then we went home and had a grape icee...

The Honest Scrap Award

I know what you readers are thinking.....what did Grandma J do to deserve that award? And of course, I say to that......who cares? very little. All I know is, I'm grateful to Treasia at Confessions of a Mid Life Trucker's Wife for her kindness and thoughtfulness. Thank you.


Here's what the Honest Scrap Award is all about:

I'm supposed to pick seven blogs that I find brilliant in content and design. I know that was a difficult task for Treasia, but for me it's impossible! I admire a zillion different blogs and would like to leave it up to each of you to decide if you would like to rat yourself out tell us all ten things about yourself....honestly.

I have done a whole lot of memes moomoos since I've been blogging so some of the ten things I list will be reruns because I can't remember the details of all the different outpourings I have done....

Here are ten things about Grandma J that you may not know.

1. My hair was totally grey by the age of forty. If I let it grow, my mustache would probably be the envy of most men.

2. I am retired and blog full time in my spare time.

3. I moved to Central Texas when I retired from a job as a civil servant in Orange County CA. And yes, I knew what I was doing....sort of.

4. I used to hang glide, go kayaking and I miss the ocean.

5. I've been to three continents. I still want to get to Ireland.

6. I used to smoke like a chimney...and I used to be thin!

7. Since reaching the age of "Oh, God!" umm yeah, I have a whole new respect for velcro.

8. When on vacation in Mexico, I babysat for Barney and Wilma's a friends Iguana .

9. I love sleeping in, and staying in my pj's all day....here in TX I would not be out of place in Walmart in my jammies....no I wouldn't.

10. I try to go to the movies once a week, sometimes bringing Phillip Johnny Bob. This is something I did less than once a year before retiring......it's a real luxury and I love it because I hate watching movies on TV.

10.1 My cell phone became my land line 6 years ago. Saving mucho dinero and talking more!

10.2 I love it when my granddaughter sends me a text message that was meant for her boyfriend. BWAAAAAA!

10.3 And for those of you who never knew, I'm the granddaughter of a wanted man!

Hey, I Know That Lady!

Here's how the mail routine goes down around here. I don't get bills in the mail....well I do, but I also get them all electronically through email at least a week before they arrive in the mail, and they are already paid electronically. I write one check a month, for my rent because if they don't have an electronic bingo board they don't have a website, so no electronic payments.

Back to the mail routine.....I go to my mailbox, popularly referred to as the gossip pit, about twice a week. Usually it's just to empty out the weekly circulars and ads....they get filed right into the trash can that's chained to the post. Yeah, like someone would steal it?



I never read these circulars and ads, but today.....I was board. I sat on the couch and started shuffling through all the circulars and flyers.



Then I looked at the Walmart ad because I knew they'd have some great deals...like the wii, and the ipod shuffle.


then something caught my eye.....



Something looked familiar....very familiar!




Hey, I know that lady!!! Yes, it's one of my favorite bloggers, Big Hair Envy. Take a minute to visit her blog. Tell her Grandma J sent you...or maybe not.

WORLDLESS WEDNESDAY

or......Where's Waldo Santa?

I have so many irons in the fire, and it's driving me to drink ca-ray-zee.
I promised JJ and Phil that we'd go see Santa Claus and get a nice picture to send out to family and friends. Something nice...you know, frame-able!

The search started a while back when the jolly guy was no where to be found...not at PetSmart, Petco or Walmart. Well, yes he was at Walmart, but that doesn't count because they wouldn't let my little JJ sit on his lap.....in fact they said he wasn't allowed in the store..at all!






As you know, I did spot him hanging out in the pool,



and then, remember I saw him downtown?

So, with time running out, I braved the 27 degree weather with rain freezing as it hit my windshield, or maybe it was already ice before it landed, but either way, I took my life in my hands to go searching.


Someone said he was at Walgreen's, and sure enough he was....he was moonlighting working there part time.....HUH?

There was another sighting ..........

And then a friend called to say he was in Hawaii surfing....

Or was it scuba stuff?

Or maybe.....

maybe we'll just wait for the Easter Bunny!

NO GOOD DEED GOES UNNOTICED........

Especially when it's a very unselfish, generous act of kindness and giving by a child. I'm talking about the winner of a recent contest I held to name my Astro Bear.....

Philip Johnny Bob.

Mila was the winner of the $25 Walmart gift card.

She decided to give it to Quince and his family. Quince is a friend and co-worker of Rebeckah from Life With Kaishon. Quince has a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side, with numerous other physical limitations. He will be in rehab for quite a while.

While I pray for Quince and his family, I commend Mila for having such a good heart. I will put a note to Quince and his family letting them know what a beautiful deed Mila did.