Love/Hate relationship

I absolutely love clean sheets. On the flip side, I hate how bad my back hurts after I change the sheets on the bed. It would seem to me that breaking your back 14 years ago, by now you would not still be feeling repercussions from it. I love the jersey knit sheets and pillow cases. I used to put flannel sheets on in the wintertime but now I simply use knit ones all year long. I even talked my DIL and daughter into using them.

I love how excited Matt gets when we cook and bake. I was never a great cook and baking was minimal. Now before you gasp, you have to realize that my mother rarely cooked and when she did she would never have let us help her. In fact, a lot of what I learned now was by trial and error as my mother never showed me how to cook (or clean or take care of a house, or even be a mother) It was easier for her to do it herself than to have the mess we would make if she allowed us to help. So even now for me, cooking and baking is more of a challenge than a joy.

Right now, the biggest challenge for me is trying to cook gluten free. Now, Wm. has been on this diet before and we managed to get by. Honestly, Betsy always made Wm. pies, cakes, biscuits at the same time she made goodies for the rest of us for Thurs. and Sun. night fellowship. Well, we are down here, Betsy gave me her gluten free cookbooks (I gave mine to Stephanie who was recently diagnosed with celiacs also) so if I don't step up to the plate and bake, there will not be anything. I am OK with brownies, and cake; we are still at a loss for bread. Stephanie borrowed a bread machine from her neighbor and tried a bread machine mix from Wegman's. She said it was not too bad, so maybe Jackie will make Papa a loaf in her machine if we bring up some mix when we come for Grandparent's Day at CFA. (actually, she said she would when we talked about it when we were up for Lauren's b'day) Heath food store gluten free bread has a texture not unlike cardboard, in fact, it has that cardboard taste as well.

I absolutely love all six of my grandchildren. I hate that 5 of them live far enough away that I can only see them periodically. I love, love, love being a grandmother. I love having Matt here all day while Susan works. I love teahing him to cook, bake, paint, etc. Being with my grandchildren is a joy for me. My doctor asked me a few weeks ago if my grandchildren were my hobby. I told him they were not a hobby, that I enjoyed my time with them. He suggested I get a new hobby. (maybe I should consider a new doctor)

Happy Birthday Lauren Jessa

This morning we went to Canton to celebrate Lauren Jessa's first birthday. Her birthday is actually on Tuesday. She is such a good baby, she had a smile all the time we were there. This year seemed to whiz right by. I find it hard to believe she's already one and walking all over. All the way home Matt kept reminding us that Baby Lauren is 1 now!

Papa and all his kids in Lauren's new wagon.
Off and running.
Matt and Papa watch as Lauren's gifts are opened.
In the middle of the presents.

Matthew with many butterflies from the Elefun game. He didn't quite grasp the concept of catching them in the air and not picking the butterflies off the floor :-)

Cataract surgery

I must admit I was very apprehensive about the surgery. I went up for prayer yesterday at church and as only He could have orchestrated it, the woman praying for me had the surgery done at the same Speciality Surgery Center as I was scheduled for this morning.
Wow, talk about well organized, this place was unbelievable. You were assigned a nurse to be with you pre-op, one for the OR and one post- op. After they took my vitals, put in a line for the IV, the massage therapist came to give me a massage to relax me before surgery. Yes, friends, you heard me correctly. The anesthesiologist came in next to explain the sedation. Then I was off to surgery (OK, after about 10 different eye drops) Surgery took about 15 min. and afterwards they took a picture of what I thought was to be of my eye. Turned out a picture of me and the surgeon (I guess someone thought that was good idea) and then on to recovery where they went over post -op instructions with Wm. and I while I ate my breakfast. Yes, they made me cinnamon toast and I choose cranberry juice, my normal breakfast drink. Then they gave me a case with some more eye drops, a patch for night, oh and did I mention a frame for my picture, a pen and a magnetic clip for the fridge???? Could they have done anymore?????? Well, how about a little African violet :-)
The best part, I can actually see clearly instead of trying to see through a haze over my eye that made it look like I was looking through wax paper. Now, I have to be quiet for a few days.....no Matthew until Thurs. and I am scheduled for a recheck of my eye tomorrow morning at 9am.
Thanks for your prayers!

laugh for today

I will try to make this post short, I know I have a tendency to ramble on and on (why do you think it is called ramblings of an old grandmother)????

Before I start, I am sure there are those of you who are very tired about hearing my Matthew stories.......fair warning, I am about to tell another one. (Hey, realistically, I am here for 9 1/2 hr. everyday with him alone; is it strange I would blog about him too; this is my day people)

OK, here goes the story and the laugh: Matt has been standing up to go potty regularly since last Fri. So when he said "Gramma, I have to go", I said "run like the wind" (his favorite line) and stood him in front of the toilet and put up the seat. He said, "no, I need a potty seat". "Now Matt", I said, "you have been standing up like a big boy to go potty for a while now, you just stand up and go like the big boy you are". He immediately began crying. With a bit of frustration in my voice, I said "Now, why are you crying" His answer? "Because I have to poop"!

These were our crafts yesterday. We actually started the backpack last week but it took a while for him to catch on to sewing. We made a fire breathing dragon and the dragonfly, was his idea. Susan said he must have the craft gene, she said it skipped her. :-)

When he went down for his nap, he said "lets make worms when I get up". Looking forward to it, I guess as long as I can come up with a plan.

new project

How do you like my newest craft project???? Now all I have to do is get it wrapped and sent off. I am pleased with the way it came out. I guess it was a good choice as I read on Sue's Xanga that she took 700+ pictures when she was down at Leslie and Matt's. The only problem will be which of the 700+ pictures to put in it!

good, better, best

I had my physical this morning for clearance for my cataract surgery. It was pandemonium here before I went. I was trying to get ready and Matt shut the door to my bedroom and went into his room.....not a good sign. Instead of checking right then I asked him what he was doing and he hollered back coloring. There is a an easel in his room with paper and crayons so I continued to get ready. When I went to check on him, no more than 5 min. he had colored all right, on the front of the dresser and the arm of the futon. That is what I get for leaving a 2 yr. old without supervision for even 5 min. Thank God we had some Mr. Clean erasers!
Good: The physical proved I was in better shape than I thought. EKG was good as well. BP was 112/78. (not bad for someone who has always had high BP)
Better: My labs were all back in the normal range. This means that my blood sugar level was no longer high. I was also concerned about my other eye. My doctor checked it and said while the cataract was worse than it had been, it was only a cataract. (Yesterday I began to have floaters in my left eye, which seemed to come on fast; I had convinced myself it was something sinister)
Best: I had to get weighed on my way in. The nurse usually tells me what it was. Today she did not. I was certain I had not lost anymore weight. The doctor said 10#. Woohoo!

ramblings.........

I wondered about the wisdom in posting this picture of Matt. However, when Jackie posted the "fashion sense" picture of Alyssa last week, I decided it was too funny not to share.

His clothes were in the dryer from washing dishes (this happens at least 3 x's a day). I suggested he go to his room to get something on. This was what he came out wearing. Granted, he did put something on, barely! As I was laughing, I felt I had to capture this. What a riot......maybe the "fashion sense" is shares with his cousin, Alyssa, is the bond he has with her. He talks about all the girls and Max but it is Alyssa that he talks of most. Maybe because she is the closest to him in age.


For as long as I have been referring to myself as "old fat gramma" to the kids, Jackie has told me it would come back to bite me one day. It did once with Lael when she was with Papa and we got separated. When she spotted me she yelled across Hacketts "I can see my old fat gramma!". Matt seems to say it alot. Yes, Jackie, I know, you warned me and I turned a deaf ear. We had been talking about what the real names were for Mama, Daddy, Papa etc. He knows them all.....all be me. When I say, "what is gramma's real name"; his answer is always "old fat gramma". Now this morning he was pretending to walk across a tightrope on the lines in the kitchen tile. I said "wow, you are doing a great job on the tightrope". His answer? "Try it gramma, just put your big fat foot on the line and pretend to walk on the tightrope". OK, it may not be as funny as it used to be!