I managed to acquire grandkids without having kids myself  and I have a serious background in aunting (is too a word) with various degrees of separation (first degree, great, great-great and really-great). Here’s the best list I could think up from our years with the nieces and nephews.

1.) Slumber parties. Get the nieces and nephews away from the parental units for a night. Make popcorn, play cards, watch a movie. Break out the sleeping bags. Serve silly face pancakes for breakfast.

2.) County fairs. Cotton candy, candied apples, pony rides, merry-go-rounds, visit the cow and chicken barns. Oh wait, that was MY childhood. Tunbridge Fair was a blast every year.

3.) Picnics, even if it’s just PB&J sandwiches and Kool-aid. The kids don’t care, it’s all about eating outdoors with the Aunts.

4.) Hot summer day + bathing suits + hose and sprinkler + popsicles = the best day ever.

5.) Get ice-cold watermelon out of the fridge, slice it up and sit on the bridge over the brook. Make a contest out of who can spit seeds the farthest (furthest?).

6.) Build a bonfire and have a cookout. After it’s dark, sit around the fire and tell family stories. If you’re lucky, the bonfire tradition will stick through the next generation. Right, Kim?

7.) Go berry picking, any kind but if the kids are young, blueberry and strawberry picking are the easiest to get at and there are no thorns.

8.) Go for a walk and make up stories about pituitaries living in the woods.

9.) Have them help you cook. Peeling carrots, husking corn, shelling peas are all easy for little kids. Making fudge or popcorn balls (see #1) is also great fun. When we were kids, Mom would make molasses taffy and we had to pull and stretch it until it was ready to eat. I remember making it more than I remember actually eating the taffy.

10.) Teach them a craft. Even if they don’t stick with it, they have a foundation to build on later. I don’t remember who taught me to knit but I learned the basics as a child.

So what’s your favorite way to entertain a child?

We were married in a small church a few miles from where I grew up.  My sister Gail was my maid of honor, my brother Ronald walked me down the aisle.  Jack’s brother-in-law Bob was his best man.

After the wedding and luncheon, most everyone  went to an after-wedding party at my Mom’s home where the real fun began. I think there was a bonfire, at least there usually is at family gatherings.

The whole thing was low-key and pretty relaxed. I put it together with one trip home from Kansas City.

The next day we left for a honeymoon in China and Hong Kong.

Happy anniversary Sweetie. Here’s to the next 25.

Have I mentioned how much I like pansies?

They’re the first flowers I buy each spring. I can’t wait to plant them, even if they get buried under 6 inches of snow the day after.

They’re easy to care for, always bright and cheerful, come in more colors than daffodils, and a bed of them looks soft and beautiful.

My mother always used to grow pansies and she’d let me cut small bouquets of them for the house.

Growing up, we used to have community functions at the village fire hall: the fire trucks were garaged downstairs and the upstairs was the closest thing our town had to an auditorium. There were large windows on each side for plenty of light, a stage at one end and an open floor for chairs or dancing, depending upon the occasion.

We did our school Christmas pageants there, complete with Christmas carols and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, and Santa always showed up with small boxes of candy before the evening was over. He usually looked a lot like Mr. Race, the store owner and school bus driver.

(I remember dancing with my father during some event at the fire hall when I still wore pigtails, both of us dressed up, with my feet riding on top of his, because what 6-year-old knew how to waltz?)

I don’t remember what school function it was (someone’s graduation most likely), but I still remember Mom’s punch bowl surrounded by pansies sitting on the table in the hall. There were pansies floating in a block of ice in the bowl. The light through the window made the flowers glow like little jewels and the sherbet-colored punch was a sweet background to their brilliance.

Yep, there’s nothing that makes me happier than pansies in the spring.

Except maybe chocolate Easter bunnies.

The granddaughters are the short ones in the front

The granddaughters came and we played all week. Hallmark’s Kaleidoscope, lunch at the Crayola Cafe, shopping, Junie B Jones and A Little Monkey Business at Theatre for Young America, lunch out again, walks with Grandpa Jack, painting glass stones and finally, quiet time, filled up the week and they were leaving for home before we knew it. The cats thought it was an eternity, but then they’re basically anti-social prima donas so it’s good they get a reminder once in a while that it’s not all about them all the time.

Fun week and it was over too soon.

Oh and I made the best beef soup evah.

Then yesterday I took a basket making class at Powell Gardens. I’ve wanted to learn how to make baskets for some time and Gayle encouraged me a while back (do eeet) so I signed up. I don’t need another hobby right now, but I figured what could one class hurt?

We made a melon basket, those ones that look like butt cheeks although I think my basket needs to do a few lifting and toning exercises to get its shape back.

So far I like it. There’s weaving and flexible reeds and staves and hoops and you get to play in water and use an awl and trim stuff with scissors and then sign your work. What’s not to like?

Yeah, it’s a beginner’s effort but we all have to start someplace. I’m not wild about the sea grass since the dye comes off very easily so I don’t think I’ll use it for the second basket.

Understanding how to wrap the God’s Eye, which holds the two hoops together making up the rim and handle, was the toughest part for me.  I ended up buying a second kit so I could practice in class and finally got it the fourth time.

And that’s what happened to the week. The rest of the time has been shuffling papers, looking for work, bookkeeping and realizing it’s the first of April and I haven’t touched the taxes and we’re going away again before the 15th and OMG I’d better get the paperwork to the accountant naow.

I can’t believe tomorrow’s Monday already again.

First, find a good supermarket and head to the deli section. Fill your shopping cart like so: 1. Start with some spring flowers to brighten up a dreary day.
2. Add some good Czech beer. 3. Throw in a couple rotisserie chickens. Warm them up in the microwave and carve for easy eating. Set aside the wings and drumsticks for those so inclined. 4. Don’t forget salads to go with the birds; cole slaw and potato salad are always good. I was hoping for baked beans but there were none to be had. 5. Don’t forget dessert….raspberry rhubarb pie (taste-tested before the guests arrived). Throw in some chocolate chip cookies for good measure 6. Top it off with a darling baby boy sporting a hand knit sweater that almost fits. (Double points to the parents for bringing the sweater just so the knitter can see how it fits AND triple points for remembering to bring the toys that were part of the gift, to show how well-used/well-loved they are. Both parents mentioned how pleased they were with the sweater. Guess who’s going to get something hand knit again?)

Little Jack

~

It’s good to be home after last week’s long and trying trip. There’s no fun to report, like a visit to a new yarn shop, since we spent most of the week in doctors’ offices and the rest of the time fulfilling social obligations.

However, winter’s hibernation is over and suddenly I have more than I can handle on my plate.

And I came home to some lovely goodies in the mail which I’ll post about next time. ]]> http://www.woolandspice.com/2010/03/16/hostess-with-the-mostest/feed/ 9 http://www.woolandspice.com/2009/12/31/a-fo-just-not-mine/ http://www.woolandspice.com/2009/12/31/a-fo-just-not-mine/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:05:06 +0000 Diane T http://www.woolandspice.com/?p=2634

I wasn’t the only one in the family who finished a project just before year-end. Introducing Mirabelle who decided to arrive three weeks early,on Christmas Eve, in the middle of a blizzard. The reports say her brother is unimpressed with her timing or her arrival.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the new year and a new decade than welcoming a new little girl into the family. If I’ve counted right, this is great-niece #11, with the boys numbering 6. Girls rule. But you knew that.

Off to visit the stash and search baby patterns.

Here’s wishing Mirabelle, and you, a fabulous new year.

We decided to get breakfast out of the way on the way home — anything to delay tackling Laundry Mountain. At 6 am the restaurant was full with shoppers taking a breather before going back out again. The couple next to us were playing with their new camera and cell phone. Other diners were armed with yesterday’s ads and planning their first line of attack. What slackers! 6 am and they hadn’t hit the stores yet.

There is nothing I want so desperately that I would shop on Black Friday. I did tell Jack that I thought it would have been fun to do it just once with my two sisters when we were younger and still buying gifts for tons of people. Now, I’m happy to take a pass.

It was a busy week here with Christine, Nick and Carrie visiting. Having a 10-year-old boy around who goes nonstop is quite a change for us and we enjoyed every minute.  The first thing we did when we got back from depositing him at the airport was to take a nap!

The week started on Sunday with tickets to the musical Wicked. It’s the first musical where I enjoyed the dialog — some very clever — better than the music. A fun show but no memorable songs that you come away humming.

Monday we took a picnic to the park even though it was barely 60 degrees out, before swinging back down to Kansas City and going to dinner and a college tournament basketball game at the Sprint Center. Our $10 seats were excellent and if it hadn’t been for the idiot sitting two rows back who yelled the whole time, the game would have been a blast. Perfect way to entertain a a sports-crazed 10-year-old.

Tuesday, back to KC and the College Basketball Experience.

We’d been holding off going there until Nick visited so we were glad they had extended hours because of the tournament. There’s plenty to see and do if you’re a fan or a player.

If you want to see how many free throws you can make in a minute (for instance) it’s worth the price of admission.

Ditto for three-point shots.

Or compare your wingspan or shoe size to some of the college greats.

See how high you can leap to catch a ball.

Get out on the court for a pick-up game. Lots of guys were reliving their glory days in high school or college.

There’s a College Basketball Hall of Fame that’s worth some time as well.

And for the record, I suck at free throws.

A quick side trip to check out the Cosentino’s downtown market (mmmm, lemon bars) and home for a dinner of Father’s Specials (bratwurst, dill pickle spear, swiss cheese, mustard on toasted rye) and to watch more basketball on TV. I passed on the basketball and watched something inane while knitting.

Wednesday was a long walk around the neighborhood before taking Christine and Nick to the airport and hitting the couch for a nap (see above).

I already blogged Thanksgiving and that brings us back to Laundry Mountain.

Oh and the cats? Not so much lovers of children. Even though Nick wanted to be friends they spent the week under the couch, hiding in the bedroom and otherwise generally making themselves invisible. They’re still skulking around corners today making sure the coast is clear.

(No, this isn’t about me, although Mom did love me best. <snark>)

The little girl’s dearest wish was to grow up to be a princess. She just knew she would be good at it. Even now her mother treated her like royalty, combing her pretty long hair until it shimmered. She let the little girl play inside all day so she wouldn’t get dirty. She had her own special silver dishes on which to eat the delicious meals her mother fixed. After lunch, the little girl would nap on a soft clean bed made up just for her.

On pleasant summer days, the little girl would stroll through the gardens or nap under the big willow tree next to the brook. In the afternoon her mother would find her there and carry her into the house for dinner. (I think she was just a little bit lazy myself.) After dinner her mother would brush her hair again so that it shone in the firelight before tucking her into bed.

Yes, indeed, she was well on her way to becoming a princess.

To be fair, the mother did love her other kids, but she didn’t have much time left for them. Some days they were lucky to get their faces washed and their hair combed before they were sent out to play or do their chores.

The oldest brother, Zeke, made sure there was plenty of firewood by the stove every day and the doors were locked at night (he was very responsible). Fat Tony, the middle brother, loved to eat and always cleaned up the leftovers when he washed the dishes. The little girl’s sister who was not nearly as pretty and was much too kind-hearted for her own good, made the beds. I’ve forgotten her name, but it doesn’t matter (you’ll see).

The little girl never had to do chores; her mother thought she was much too delicate for that sort of thing.

Over time, the little girl’s wish came true; she did become a Princess, at least in her own world. She wasn’t a mean princess, just self-centered, as princesses can be. She expected to get the softest chair to sit on, the seat closest to the warm fire and always, always was served first at dinner. Which the Princess ate on her special silver dishes.

If things didn’t go her way, she’d pout and mope until her mother and her siblings (who loved her despite her bad manners; after all she was so pretty) would feel guilty and give her anything she wanted. Once the Princess got her way, she could be affectionate, forgiving her family for their shortcomings. All in all, she was a happy Princess.

~

Time passed and as these things happen, the mother grew frail and died.

The Princess was frantic. “Who is going to brush my hair and prepare my meals,” she wept?

Her sister (she never had a chance) got elected 2-1 to take care of the Princess.

The two brothers, happy to make their escape, kissed the girls good-bye and went off into the world to make their living.

Zeke took up residence on the side of a mountain where he chopped firewood and guarded a kindly couple against the bears. He was glad not to have to put up with the Princess anymore. After all, while she was pretty, what was she good for? Zeke was a practical sort of fellow.

Fat Tony went to work on a farm so he’d never be hungry again. Even though he was jolly plump now, he was glad he didn’t have to share all the best food anymore. Or the best bed. Fat Tony was just a touch selfish himself.

The Princess and her sister carried on for a short term until tragedy struck again. The sister got a tummy ache one day and died very suddenly.

Now the Princess was alone. She knew she couldn’t live with Zeke, she was afraid of bears. And Fat Tony was already eating them out of house and home at the farm.

She tried to be brave. She fixed her own meals even though it was just cold cereal. She tried brushing her own hair but couldn’t get all the tangles out. She didn’t know how to make a bed. She was an utter failure at everything but being a princess.

After a few days her dishes were dirty, her bed was lumpy and her hair matted. She was miserable. And hungry. And very frightened. And just a teensy little bit mad at her family for failing her. (Didn’t I say she was self-centered?) She didn’t feel like a princess anymore.

“O, what’s to become of me? There’s no one to make my bed or carry me into the house when I’m tired. My hair is all dirty and matted. I miss my warm soft bed. I miss my clean dishes and my delicious meals. O, won’t someone take care of me? I wish I were a princess again.” She wept in her cold, dark corner.

(Say what you will about the Princess, but she did know the difference between were and was in the subjunctive form used in contrafactual constructions. Princesses are good at that sort of thing.)

And she cried herself to sleep.

And when she awoke, the Princess had her wish. Even better actually.

She had a brand new life. Her long hair was all clean and shiny. She had her favorite silver dishes and a brand new silver spoon with which to eat THE BEST food ever. A wonderful new feather bed and a beautiful new garden to walk in with plenty of shady spots to nap. Best of all, she didn’t have to share with her siblings. She was a Queen.

And the absolute best part – there was a handsome courtier to take care of her every whim.

She decided being a cat was better than being a princess anyday.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End

* Go to your Sixth Picture Folder then pick your Sixth Picture.

* Pray that you remember the details.

* Tag 5 others.

I’ve done Steps 1 and 2 and will pass on Step 3 but go ahead and join the challenge if you want.

Gram and Hannah

I didn’t take this picture, I think it was taken by the baby’s father. It’s my sister Geri, “Gram” and one of her 12 grandchildren, Hannah on her birth day in June of 2003.