Saturday, December 14, 2013

MARKING GROWTH MAKING TRADITIONS

 A few weeks ago, I wrote about a wonderful Christmas bulb my friend had given me to plant as a thank you for helping with her Birthday Celebration.  My granddaughter and I planted it together and I took some pictures along the way.
 The bulb flourished but had a slow start, but I was encouraged and patient, waiting for it to grow.  One morning I came down and my bulb went from the above picture to what follows below within a few days!


 Soon the stems produced flower stems!  Two of them and between Thursday and Saturday, December 12 ~ 14 I have some serious growth happening!  My granddaughter spent the night on Friday night and she was so proud to show my middle son's Dad just how much it had grown since Thanksgiving when we were last together.  She carried it carefully and proudly out to the computer room ~ the flower stems over her head as she walked.

We are anxiously awaiting the beautiful flowers which shall be coming soon!  With 10 days til Christmas, I promised that if the bulb blooms before I see her I will immediately take and post pictures to her Mom so she can see the wondrous beauty and science of the life cycle of a bulb.

In the meantime, Friday evening Thomas, who was without a working graphics card, and Ainsley had a grand time running and playing and laughing throughout the house while I prepared dinner.  She had arrived after a Art Event at her school pumped up and ready to go!  It was nice to have Tom, who arrived back home Thursday night, available and up for the task of being a wonderful Uncle to his energetic niece!

Thomas chose our craft for the evening, asking if I had any clear glass ornaments to decorate ~ one which also brought hours and days and years of traditional fun in our family.  It seems I have planted traditions in without even realizing it while I was raising my brood.

It was an excellent idea, since when I had money and was dealing with disability, a girlfriend of mine and I were going to make and sell crafts.  I used to hit the end  aisles of the craft departments for the clearance items ~ regardless of whether I needed it or not at the time ~ after all, everything has a purpose eventually!

Unfortunately, my girlfriend lost interest before we actually made too many crafts.  I on the other hand have a ton and a half of various craft supplies ~ ceramics to paint, wooden things, glass ornaments, paints, pencils, rubber stamps and all that that hobby requires ~ including embossing powder ~ you name it and I probably have it ~ somewhere!

So, without too much difficulty I found 12 clear glass ornaments ~ bringing out a six pack for starters and basic paints and some empty pill bottles for dripping our paints into.  My granddaughter is great ~ she asks for glitter ~ I am also a holder of many kinds of glitter which I magically produced and we went to town!

I had never done glitter with the ornaments before and we began adding it to our already painted ornaments (on the inside) and amazingly ~ the glitter headed for the glass and came through the paint.  I was impressed but wanted to experiment some more so I pulled out the other six and we tried it glitter first, paint and more glitter!

Crafting with Ainsley and Tom ~ completed and dripping ornaments 2013



We had a blast and things were dripping when Tom's brother and his Dad came over to rescue Tom from a night without a computer.  Before Ains arrived we had ruled out monitor and cables and it was a pretty good guess that it was the graphics card.

Pat and Tom and Bruce set to work on that stuff and I did my Gramma gig.  It was getting a bit late and my girl was pretty tired I could tell when she headed for a couch with her bowl of pineapple and crawled under the blanket and began watching television.

As tired as she was, one thing I knew was that she was not going to sleep while the guys were visiting.  She loves the attention that we all give her ~ not difficult cuz she is a darling girl and she is so darn cute!  I hung out on the couch with her until the guys got ready to go and then hugs and kisses and goodbyes and no hesitation to my suggestion of p.j.'s and finding a movie up in my cozy bed.

My girl was beat!  15 minutes into Yogi's First Christmas she was sound asleep!  Despite Thomas watching t.v. with us ~ he was a major distraction last time ~ last night not so much!  She awoke for a second when I stubbed my toe on the t.v. which is sitting on my floor since Tom brought his H.D. t.v. in my room ~ but only momentarily.

Tom and I retreated downstairs for our first cigs in hours where we were not hiding out in a Ainsley free room ~ not an easy feat for either of us to sneak away for 5 minutes.  We watched t.v. and I headed to bed after doing some things on the computer.  Forgoing the blog, having learned my lesson about staying up too late on sleepover nights in the past.

Surprisingly, I woke up before Ainsley by a half hour.  I was highly functioning when she woke up, having come downstairs and turned up the heat so it wouldn't be freezing when we ventured downstairs.  She opened her eyes and her face had a smile and a hug for Gramma!

I like being a special person in someones life!  It is so nice and makes me feel so good!  I love when her Mom says ~ "she has been waiting all week/day to come over!"  My boys are of an age where it is less evident that I am special.  I know I am but with a child you cannot mistake L-O-V-E and what is more special than the love of a child??

I handed her the remote and she put on cartoons while she woke up.  I urged her to relax while it warmed up downstairs (my room is always cozy) and I made a cup of tea and had my tea in bed.  We discussed breakfast and made our way downstairs and checked out our project from the night before ~ both pleased with the results of some and noting others needed some additional work.

Once she heard Tom was sleeping on the couch she could not wait to get downstairs and try to wake him up.  Try she did and he did briefly a few times - missing pancakes and sausage no matter how hard she tried to entice him.  He didn't even wake up when she jumped on him.

After breakfast we explored the Christmas bins looking for the Ceramic Trees and Nativity.  She helped me locate and decorate the ceramic trees.  We got them up on the shelf and lit up and I took a couple of pictures before we did touch up on our crafts and did some drawings with pastels.

Almost got a picture!

2014 Shelf by Ainsley
We tried out some multicolored rainbow crayon pencils and other supplies for drawing and then she wanted to do some chalk pastels.  I grabbed two sheets of pastel paper and she set the timer on the microwave and we each had the same amount of time to do a picture.

Her total suggestion.  I was cool with it and almost done with my picture ~ just adding a rosebush when she went out to check the timer and decided to call time!  Chalk down and we were fini with our drawings and had new art for the fridge.

Warming up with Art
Timed Art Jen and Ains

She was just asking for lunch when I recommended getting dressed just in case her parents arrived during lunch.  We went up to change when I noticed a car in the drive and her parents were here!  I tried to have us ready but I was foiled again!

The roads were getting bad and after dressing and showing off her activities to her Mom ~ we picked out six ornaments for their tree ~ brushed teeth and got into winter gear and sadly departed after hugs and kisses and wishing she could stay ~ one of these days we will try two days for sure!

I still needed to do my errands and get some supplies in the house before the storm came as well, so I got into my gear and headed off to do my errands.  It was windy and cold but not too bad considering.  I am sure the worst is yet to come.

When I arrived back home ~ after making a major score where my Granddaughter is concerned ~ I unloaded my loot and checked the mail.  I was happy to find a Christmas card from my eldest and his family and a new picture of my Granddaughter.

The phone rang while I was cooking dinner ~ my eldest checking on Tom and his graphic card.  Tom handed the phone to me and Ainsley was updating me on her day and her unexpected visit with an old chum who moved away and how they spent their day and just chatting away!  Very cool ~ this kid is awesome for 7!

Life is so good ~ as good as it gets for right now!  No amount of food, wealth or security could replace how valuable this relationship is to me.  Sure ~ it could be better but this is what really makes my heart fill and my smile widen!

Sometimes my focus gets shifted and I turn dark and introverted, feel that life is horrible and never will be great again.  Times like these remind me what life is really about and believe me, at times I need a good boot in the pants to remind me.

I am so blessed that my lifes commitment to my children, despite the bumps and turns along the way, sometimes questioning my choices and doubting my dedication and my tactics ~ I can't say enough how glad I am when I see the results!

My son is waiting for me to finish so we can spend some quality time together on this fine stormy Saturday evening.  Sauce is simmered and cooking plans for the day tomorrow.  I am out until we meet again.

1 comment:

  1. Family is all important. Wouldn't trade my dysfunctional family for anything. That's what makes for good memories.

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