Memorial Weekend First Day

Rory and I are on our own this weekend.  Mom and Dad went away for a birthday weekend.  So Rory and I have planned the whole week end.  Day one was shopping at Hobby Lobby with Aunt Carrie.  We left after  Mom and Dad left, picked up Aunt Carrie and headed to Hobby Lobby.
Once we got to Hobby Lobby we were surprised at all the clearance deals they had.  We got some good stuff but also had fun checking out the store. Rory had a great time looking at the huge flowers and other big items.  She also discovered how much she likes to shop.  We did find a hair bow maker so we can make our own hair bows similar to the popular JoJo bows; Rory has about 7 of those.  With this bow maker we can make another 5 and more if we get more ribbon.  We will be trying it today.
After Hobby Lobby we stopped at Wendy’s for a well deserved Frosty.  Yum!
When we got home a huge thunder storm happened and Rory saw here first official hail. She was excited but a little scared too!  We ordered pizza and then made brownies.  One thing we planned every night was a movie.  Last night we watched the live action “Lion King” and made it about halfway before Rory started to fade.  It was a good first day.  Day two starts soon!

Rory is Six!

It is so hard to believe that the baby that made me a grandma is six years old.  I am very blessed to be able to watch her grow up and be a big part of her life.  For the past two years we have been together and it has been wonderful.  Rory keeps me young and I am able to act like a kid and not look strange while doing so.  I love that little girl and all of her ideas, pranks, activities, and so on.
Rory had two birthday parties, each within the government guidelines with groups, and she loved both. Saturday was her doll party with her best friend. Blueberry picking was included.  She got so many new things for her new “American girl doll” knockoff aka Target brand.  I am very happy with their Our Generation dolls and accessories.  They are affordable and so playing with the doll and accessories is fun!  Sunday was her family birthday with grandparents and aunts & Uncles.  She got some nice stuff and playing with her cousins was a plus!
All in all, Rory had a great birthday.  Thank you to all who helped celebrate her day and who had sent birthday wishes.  My girl is six!

Last Day of Being Five

Today is the last day that Rory will be 5 years old.  Tomorrow is her birthday and we are having two parties for her.  One with a friend, that we have been with through the whole coved thing and one with family members which we have been with during covid.  Both parties will be under 10 people and outside in the backyard,  We are going blueberry picking tomorrow too so that will be fun!
Rory, from the day I was told about the pregnancy, through the day she was born to even today, has been the joy in my life.  I am not discounting my kids, family or friends but Rory stole my heart!
There is something about a grandchild that gives you new life and you get to experience growing up again for the third time (my childhood, my children’s childhoods and now Rory’s) except wiser than the first two.  So Rory, let’s enjoy your last day of being 5 and see what kind of mischief we can get into.  You and I together can usually find something.  Love you Rory!

A Nice Mother’s Day!

I had a very nice Mother’s Day and once again it was a lot different from all the other Mother’s days due to the Coronavirus. Both of my girls honored me with some great gifts.  A new chair for my room, a great picture and a grandma’s pillow.  I was also treated to breakfast, lunch and ice cream!
It did seem weird that I did not go to church and celebrate with all the other moms but I watched my church service on line.
We went to St Augustine, an unplanned but fun outing, and it was weird to walk around an always busy historical area and have it so quiet.  The shops and restaurants had their social distancing in place and people in general were all considerate of social distancing.  It is a weird new normal and kind of sad because people just seem colder and not even greeting or making eye contact. Some shop owners seemed rude and I am not sure if it was because it was Mother’s Day and they were working or if they just didn’t care.  No greeting, no do you need help, not even a smile.  Needless to say, those shops did not get our business.
When we got home I tried out the hot tub for the first time and it felt wonderful.  Very relaxing and fun to sit, watch Rory play and enjoy a soda.  It was a great day. Thank you Jenny, Nate, Rory, Carrie and Pam for making it so special!

Distance Learning

One of the new catch phrases from the Pandemic is Distance Learning or what use to be called home schooling.  Rory is only in Kindergarten and it is a challenge to keep it up.  I do not like the new math and it really seems like it is making it tougher to learn math but hey, I am old fashioned.  1+10=11.  However, it can also be called 10 and one.  So, I cannot pass Kindergarten math.  The rest is pretty easy to follow.  Yesterday we took a Distance Learning field trip.  Rory had an assignment to find a body of water, observe it and then write a paragraph about it.  We decided instead of using one of the ponds in the neighborhood that we would go to Doctor's Lake.  I took Rory there a couple of years ago to the boat dock and she loved watching the boats launch.  So we went back to observe the lake.  We did have our first lunch in a restaurant since this whole Covid started too.  It was kind of nice to feel a little more normal.  I know we have to cautious and we were.  It was good day spent with Rory and Jenny thanks to Distance Learning and getting an extra day off from work!

The New Hot Tub

With stimulus checks arriving we are making sure we spend it to boost the economy.  Jenny and Nate used a portion of their check to buy an inflatable hot tub.  Now that may not seem like much but I have to tell you, this hot tub is really something.  For being inflatable it is solid as a rock; you can even sit on the sides of it.  They built a deck in the yard for the hot tub and have just finished the yard with white rocks to dress up the area.  They did a great job working on it and they were rewarded by enjoying a glass of wine in the hot tub last night.  Great job Jenny and Nate!
I am using my stimulus check to buy a desk top computer.  I have not had one in ten years so I am really looking forward to having one again.  My laptop and iPad have been great but I am ready to have a desk top again.  My SIL Nate is an IT guy so he is building my desk top for me.  The parts are now starting to arrive and pretty soon I will have it put together; hopefully by next week end.  Along with the computer I am also getting a new corner desk which will give me space to have the computer on it and still be able to use the desk for crafting, etc.  I just have to wait for IKEA to open back up.  Since retails stores are allowed to open up again tomorrow I am hoping that IKEA will be too!
Enjoy the pictures of the hot tub; it really is a very good item for the money!

A Walk With Rory

My granddaughter is one terrific kid and watching her grow up and being a part of it is something I was always hoping I could do and now I am totally involved.  We started to do some morning walks on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays ( my off days).  Rory rides he bike and I walk.   I am in a StepBet competition right now for the next four weeks and I have daily goals that I must make or I will be out.  Rory helps keep me going.  We took a really nice walk this morning to her school, then the park (we did not play at the park) and then home to get busy on her school work for the day.  Rory was infatuated with the magnolia trees that are really blooming right now.  The white flowers are beautiful and they smell even better.  Every tree we passed, there are quite a few in our neighborhood and sub division, she had to stop and look at.  We took a few pictures too!  There is one portion of the walk where she likes to hike so I get to take care of her bike.  I love our morning walks together.  I never know what topics she will bring up or new sights she encounters but it is always fun and exciting especially seeing it through her perspective.  She is quite a kid!❤️