I get no respect.

This morning on my way to school (I was running late), I got pulled over for speeding - 44 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. Within two minutes of being pulled over - as the police officer was busy in his car calling in my license number to make sure I wasn’t a convicted criminal - my cell phone rang. It was my daughter.

“Did you just get pulled over?” I had been pulled over on a sidestreet that intersects the road she drives to take the kids to school each morning.

“Yes - did you see me?”

“No, but Sunshine did.” Sunshine is my 5-year old grandgirl.

Sunshine had said, “Mommy, that’s Grandma Carol and a policeman.” My daughter had seen the police car with the lights flashing, but she only noticed that the car pulled over was like mine - but she thought it was a black car instead of a green one. So she told Sunshine said she didn’t think it was me - that the car had been black, not green. Sunshine was insistent. She KNEW it was Grandma Carol - and the car HAD been green. So my daughter said she’d call me to find out. And, as it turned out, Sunshine was right. She knows Grandma Carol when she sees her.

So I got my ticket - and a second one for not being able to find my insurance papers (which I know are in the glove compartment - I was just so angry at getting stopped that I only half-assed looked for them. Don’t get me started on how little respect I have for our particular police department. They’re a bunch of pompous idiots. But that’s for another rant another time.)

Then I got to school - barely making it in time. There was a parent in my classroom along with another teacher when Sweet Stuff (my 7-year old grandgirl who had been in the car with Sunshine and my daughter) came to my classroom to get some stuff she’d left in my room yesterday afternoon.

“Why did the policeman stop you?” she asked - loudly - as she walked into the room. Sigh.

What are the odds that the only traffic ticket I’ve had in ten years would occur not only on a street where my daughter travels every day - but that it would also happen in the less than minute time frame that my daughter would be driving past there on her way to take the girls to school.

Need I even mention how much fun RT has had with this all day?

One day on the way home from school, I had an oldies CD playing. Sweet Stuff was riding with me, and Elvis Presley was belting out “The Wonder of You.” I told Sweet Stuff about Elvis - about how he had a little girl and about how famous he was - and that when Sweet Stuff’s mommy was just a very little girl, he had died. I told her that I wish I had gone to one of his concerts when he was alive. Then we listened to the song and talked about how beautiful the words were and how much we liked Elvis Presley’s voice.

A couple days later, Sweet Stuff said, “Grandma Carol, play that song again. You know, that dead man’s song.”

THE WONDER OF YOU (Elvis Presley)

When no-one else can understand me
When everything I do is wrong
You give me hope and consolation
You give me strength to carry on

And you’re always there to lend a hand
In everything I do
That’s the wonder
The wonder of you

And when you smile the world is brighter
You touch my hand and I’m a king
Your kiss to me is worth a fortune
Your love for me is everything

I’ll guess I’ll never know the reason why
You love me like you do
That’s the wonder
The wonder of you

I know all the grandparents out there will understand my fascination and obsession with my two grandgirls.  They are truly the lights of my life.  Our daughter and son-in-law wanted to visit friends in Memphis this weekend, and so we volunteered to babysit the girls.  I think they enjoy being with us because we so totally get into playing with them.  When we play school, RT and I take our turns being the students or the principal or the teacher - depending on what roles the girls want us to play.  We can play for hours.  So this weekend I was Principal Grandma Carol, and RT was Teacher PawPaw, and the girls were the students. 

It was fun and enjoyable - especially when the students and the teacher planned a special music and dance performance for Principal Grandma Carol.  The performance was held on the front porch.  We have two rather prissy little grandgirls who love to pirouette and dance, and they insisted that Teacher PawPaw do the same dances with them for the performance.  Words can’t express how much I wish I had a videotape of that performance.  Just pause for a moment to get the full effect of that visual.  60-year old very macho Paw-Paw dancing across the front porch.  The phrase “twinkle-toes” comes to mind.  I could have used that wished-for video as blackmail against PawPaw to get anything in the world I could possibly want.  

I have to admit, though, that I would have done the same thing if my role had been Teacher Grandma Carol.  The things we do for those grandgirls!

Today is Sunshine’s 5th birthday.  RT and I went by their house early this morning to put balloons on the mailbox.  Sunshine was awake, and we ended up going in to watch her open several birthday cards and a couple of gifts, too.  She is absolutely ecstatic about her birthday.  It’s so cute.  Remember the days when birthdays were so wonderful? 

Happy Birthday, Sunshine!  You are the most precious thing in the world to me, and I love you more than words can express.

Yesterday was so much fun.  Well, all week for that matter.  It is my spring break, and I am in Georgia visiting my mother.  Four of my six siblings live in the same town as my mother.  So last night, there were five out of seven of us who were here for dinner together - along with my mother.  I made sweet and sour chicken, broccoli with cheese sauce, brown rice and rolls - and for dessert we had my famous apple pie.  Unfortunately I didn’t make enough food - and my nephew and his family got here late - saw the food was almost gone - and so they visited for a few minutes and then left to go elsewhere to eat - despite our protests that we could have more food ready for them in just a few minutes.  Sigh!  Usually we have so much food left over.  So I felt bad that they had to go somewhere else to get a meal.  They got here after everyone else had already eaten and gone back for seconds.  If they’d been here on time, they would have had plenty of food.

Anyway - back to the family visit.  I brought the two grandgirls to Georgia with me.  I love being with them, and it gives their mommy and daddy a few days together without childcare concerns.  They have been so good.  When their cousin, AG, was here last night, they loved having a little bit older girl (AG is in 4th grade) here to play with them.  I hope AG can come over again today.  This is her spring break, too.

In one of my mother’s guest bedrooms, she has two twin beds and one double bed.  That’s perfect for us.  The girls love having their own beds - and then I get the double bed - and they love having me sleep in the room with them.

And I loved sitting around with my mother and four siblings and talking.  It is nice being with my mother and visiting in between visits from the other family members.

RT flew down yesterday afternoon to join us since he had a business meeting today just an hour away.  The girls went with me to the airport, and we heard his plane first, then we saw it and watched it land.  They were literally jumping up and down in excitement as they waved at him - and after he was safely landed, he waved back at them.  Later, they sat in the cockpit and let him take their picture.  I’ll try to post one of the photos later.

When I mentioned that I would sleep with PawPaw in another bedroom last night, they both insisted they wanted me to sleep in that double bed in their room.  So that’s what I ended up doing - which was fine, really.  RT slept in the other room, and I slept in the girls’ room.

It is so nice visiting family and catching up on each other’s lives.

It’s another babysitting weekend with the grandgirls (ages 4 and 6 - almost 5 and 7, as they are very quick to remind us).  They both have birthdays within the next ten weeks, and they’re already planning their respective parties.  Their mom and dad took a weekend off to visit Chicago with some friends, and we are fortunate to have the girls staying with us.  The youngest has already shown RT how to play “Webkinz” on his laptop.  It’s amazing to see a 4-year old show a 60-year old how to use his own computer.  But she did it.  The 6-year old knew all the login names and passwords.

Tomorrow the elliptical machine and weight bench I bought almost two weeks ago will be delivered and set up.  We got the upstairs “exercise room” ready for it this evening.  Getting it ready consisted of taking the two rectangular mats out of their boxes and placing them on the floor where we want the two machines to be. 

Sweet Stuff was walking around with a large crystal geode up to her ear this evening.  She was pretending it was a cell phone.  It was a funny image.  For some reason Sunshine (4-year old) got homesick around 9:30 p.m.  Probably because we were letting them stay up too late.  They know how to use my cell phone - all the quick dial codes.  So they can pick up my phone and know that all they have to do is hit the “3″ and the call will go to their mother.  So Sweet Stuff called her mother, and Sunshine cried into the phone.  I assured our daughter that she was fine and that she was having a great time.  She was just tired.  I hope the phone call didn’t dampen their enjoyment of their weekend away.

There’s nothing like a wedding - with all that love and starry-eyed excitement.  With spring on its way, that means that soon we’ll start finding 1st Class Wedding Invitations in our mailbox.  You just never know who will be getting married next.  This past year THREE of my nieces/nephews were married.  It was so much fun seeing how creative they were in designing their invitations.  Each invitation was unique.  there was such a variety, and yet each was special and classy.

If I were going to help plan another wedding (which I might do someday if either of my granddaughters will allow me to help with theirs), I would go for something with sophistication and yet still with an artsy bent to it.  I looked at 1st Class Wedding Invitations to see if I could decide which invitation I liked best.

The invitation in this post is my pick.  Isn’t it beautiful?  There’s such a great choice.  You can get invitations only or you can include reception cards, thank you notes - all coordinated.   The flowers on the invitations are watercolor - with the strokes of color giving the invitations a more personalized look.  I love the splashes of color.  I would select a forest green for the lettering in order to highlight the green stems of the flowers.  Then I would also use forest green for the lining of the envelopes.  I think that would look absolutely charming - but still sophisticated. 

So watch out, Sweet Stuff and Sunshine, when your wedding day comes (15-20 years away, at least), I will be right here with some ideas for your invitations!

RT and our son have gone to west Tennessee with some friends this weekend to hunt ducks.  This is the third weekend in a row that they’ve been gone duck hunting - in Arkansas or west Tennessee.  Duck hunting season will be over soon, so I am happy for them to go and enjoy being together doing all that manly stuff.  It gives me the opportunity to take care of some things at home without any distractions.

Sweet Stuff was over here awhile ago with her mom and little sister, Sunshine, on a mission to sell me some Girl Scout Cookies.  Her mission was a success, to put it mildly.  However, I intend to send most of the cookies I buy to soldiers in Iraq.  I think they’ll enjoy some Girl Scout Cookies.  But back to the purpose of this post.

I was chatting with Sweet Stuff’s mommy and very proudly told her about all the things I’ve done today - fed my bread starters, did laundry, started cleaning out and straightening up the garage, cleaned toilets, worked on my cookbook, did a bunch of dusting, sweeping and vacuuming.  And of course I look just like the illustration here when I clean house.  Hrmph!  I swear! 

Sweet Stuff’s mommy told me all about her Saturday so far, too.  About that time, Sweet Stuff, who had been listening to the conversation declared,

“PawPaw needs to stay home and help you clean!”

I wish I had a recording of that!  I laughed till I thought I’d cry.  Out of the mouths of babes. 

You might recall that a few weeks ago I wrote about playing my mother’s piano while I was visiting her at Thanksgiving.  RT listened to me play the piano then, and just a couple days later my son sent me an email telling me about how much he enjoyed listening to me play the piano when he was growing up.  So pianos have been on our minds lately.

This morning I heard a truck drive up in the driveway, and I told RT’s mother (who’s spending a couple weeks with us) that I hoped it was the things I’d ordered from Lands End.  I went outside, and RT was there.  He smiled at me, and said, “Merry Christmas.  Here’s your Christmas present.”   The men on the truck brought out a beautiful piano which they brought inside the house and set up in the library. Below is a photo I just took of my Christmas present.  It’s a wonderful Baldwin piano.  I immediately played “Silent Night, Holy Night” which is the only song I have memorized.  Then I spent about an hour going through boxes in the barn until I finally found the one with my collection of hymnals.  And I’ve played the piano off and on all afternoon.

I called my daughter to tell her about the piano, and Sweet Stuff answered the phone.  Her mom was in the shower and so I told Sweet Stuff to tell her mom that PawPaw had given me a piano for Christmas.  I told her that when she comes to visit she can play it.  I taught her one simple song a few months ago, and she still remembers how to play it.  My daughter called me later to tell me that Sweet Stuff was beside herself with excitement.  She plays the simple little song I taught her whenever she visits anyone who has a piano.  She wants to take piano lessons now that she can practice on my piano. 

This is a day that RT and I have been looking forward to for a long, long time.  The grandgirls are sleeping over tonight.  Their room and bathroom were the first rooms we completely decorated.  The walls are a pale, pale pink, there’s a little pink chandelier, a pink princess nightlight, and there are pink and white striped towels in their bathroom.  There is a beautiful quilt - white with light pink and rose crocheted flowers - for their bed.

Their mom (our daughter) and dad brought them over this afternoon, and we will take them back home tomorrow morning.  It has been such fun!  At the supper table, we took turns telling what we’re thankful for.  Then we had chicken fingers (homemade) and rolls (Sister Schubert) - and lots of cinnamon apples for dessert.  No vegetables in there, I know - but I just didn’t get any vegetables cooked.  They were STARVING (or so they said - repeatedly) so I just got the chicken and rolls on the table and let ‘em eat.

After dinner we made some videos using my new web camera.  I guess I need to open a YouTube account so I can post some of my videos.  I wouldn’t post one of the girls, of course.  I never post pictures of them online. The girls loved making the videos and became quite dramatic.  I never realized they were such hams!

Then it was bathtime.  They wanted to use the shower (Sweet Stuff) and the jacuzzi (Sunshine) in the master bath rather than the tub in their bathroom.  So I sat on my vanity stool while they took their merry time with their shower/bath.  They just chatted away and were in such a good mood.

Then it was bedtime prayers and I tucked them into bed.  They wanted the TV on while they fell asleep.  Terrible habit for children to get into - and I wish their mom and dad didn’t let them do that.  However, both my children have spouses who have to have the TV on in order to fall asleep.  Is that a common thing?  A TV keeps me awake rather than puts me to sleep. 

The grandgirls are asleep now, though, and the TV is off.  My only concern is that in this house, the guest room is on one side of the house, and the master bedroom is on the other.  I’ve lit the way with night lights, and I’ve left the doors open.  Before they went to sleep, we went over what they should do if they need us during the night (i.e. Come to our room and wake us up).  I’m just afraid I won’t hear them if they call for me.  The guest room was immediately across the hall from the master bedroom at the cabin.  So that was never an issue.  I’m sure everything will be all right - just first night worries, I guess.

It has been a wonderful evening.  In the morning I’ll make them pancakes - in the shape of their initials, and in the shape of a girl or a bear - or whatever shape they tell me they’d like.  We’ll have a good time together, and then we’ll take them home.  Our pastor, Pastor Tom, is in the hospital for surgery, and the girls want to draw him a picture before they leave in the morning.  So we’ll make time for that.

Life is good.