As a child, summer was never long enough and it seemed as though we were headed back to school only a few weeks after being dismissed for the summer break.  As a Grammy, summer isn’t long enough either and isn’t it interesting that in both cases, it’s our age that colors our thoughts and feelings about the passage of time?  Hmmm…

This particular “Summer of Fun” has included a nice long visit with MiMi and Sam in St. Croix, a couple quick trips to the lake, a nice trip to Denver, and a great Fathers Day with four generations celebrating together.  There have been numerous birthdays, a couple of them milestones,  Evalyn celebrated her 1st birthday and Papa celebrated his 60th.  MiMi, Alexander, Nick, Matt, Evalyn, Sam, Bronx, Papa, Lunden and Sabrina all celebrate summer birthdays.  Whoa Grammy, you threw a new one in there….just who is this Bronx fellow? 

So glad you asked, Bronxley Patrick Esterline, all 9lbs. 6 oz. of him joined our family on July 17th!  It goes without saying that he’s precious and perfect!  His proud (and exhausted) parents are Nick and Sabrina and it turns out that Lunden is a really great big brother!  He’s even sharing Thomas the Train although Bronx doesn’t seem to have the same enthusiasm for Thomas…well, not yet anyway! 

Happy 1st birthday to our beautiful Ms. Eva and welcome to life Bronx, we’re so blessed that you chose to join our family!  Life really doesn’t get or give any better than grandchildren.  I’ll stop whatever I’m doing just to play or cuddle with any one of them.  Thank you God for these wonderful little treasures!
XOXO, Grammy

This was my first time sailing and let me just say this about the people who crossed an ocean aboard a sailing vessel in order to get to this country…..kudos, well done, and way to go!  We were out for an afternoon on a calm sea with average winds of 12 mph and I went armed with all sorts of anti-motion sickness “stuff”!  I can’t imagine months at sea in less than comfortable conditions.  No bathing facilities, no ladies room, no high tech galley in which to prepare meals; just many stinky, excited and probably somewhat frightened travelers.  I imagine that some of them were Grammys and hope they dealt with motion sickness better than I. 

The day aboard the lovely and sea worthy Vixen with Captain Mike could not have been better.  A mild wind, terrific picnic lunch and a double dose of mechlezine….who could ask for anything more?  Oh can’t forget the beautiful white sand beach of Buck Island and the incredible blues of the Caribbean Sea!  Thank You to Captain Mike and his most efficient sailing crew for an “over the top” day of fun!  I would never have imagined just how enjoyable sailing could be.  This will most definitely make my list of favorite Caribbean activities!!  Can hardly wait until next time!  Hugs, Grammy

I’m feeling pretty good about the critter/reptile situation so a couple nights ago around midnight I take my daughters little Yorkie outside for her last ladies room trip of the night.  Dolly Parton (the Yorkie) and I are having a leisurely stroll when we hear this “click, click… click, click”.  Now this might not be news to anyone other than me but did you know that Stone Crabs walk around at night?  That’s right, the very ones that Joe and his Crab Shack made famous.  I thought the darn things lived in the water and had no idea they like to go out and about.  Not only do they walk around on the street or a sidewalk, when startled by humans or dogs or chickens, they kind of stand up on their back claws or butt and ready their front claws for battle and those claws are GIANT PINCHERS??  HOLY SMOKES, you’ve never seen a Grammy move so fast trying to scramble back to the gate and unlock the door all the while, trying to keep the curious Ms. Parton (who thinks she might like to chat with the crab) safe and out of the reach of those giant pinchers!! 

You know that cute little gecko on television, the little green guy with the quirky accent and great wardrobe?  Well he lives here too.  I know he’s a reptile and I’m not saying I plan to get anywhere near him or any of his friends but he really is kind of cute.  The choice of restaurant for a lunch date with friends on St. Thomas the next day was made for us when we discovered a group of Iguanas sunning themselves and snacking on the foliage outside Molly Malone’s.  Such a shame, we had to go to Amigo’s upstairs (I’m pretty sure Iguana’s don’t climb stairs) for lunch and it was great!!

So later, I’m relaying the story of the Iguanas and learn that there’s a Centipede about 4 or 5 inches long with a very mean sting living on these islands too.  I’m sure there are any number of people who wouldn’t be at all bothered by any of these creatures but I’m not one of them.  Fortunately, the sheer beauty of the islands and the many blues of the Caribbean Sea are enough for even me with all my critter phobias to believe this really might be paradise.  Oh and those claws, the giant pinchers on the Stone Crabs, those are actually the part made famous by Joe, who knew!!  Love and hugs till next time, Grammy

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE family vacations.  Camping and riding dirt bikes in the Southwest was great fun.  Summer always meant we’d be water skiing on Table Rock Lake with my “oh so patient, let’s try it again babe” father, cooking over a campfire, actually churning homemade ice cream and sleeping in a tent and later, a “Dreamer” over the cab model camper!  Mom loved to meander through the country’s great museums and sites of historical importance and then of course the amusement park vacations experienced both as a child and later, as a parent.  All great times and great memories but all on a schedule and you guessed it, with the usual restrictions!

Just when I file this away as something I’ll do at a later date, circumstance collides with opportunity and I find myself in a lovely and tropical place without a schedule!  Thanks to the wonder of technology, I’ll be exploring with my laptop close at hand and able to share some of these new experiences, well the good ones anyway!  Hugs and more to come soon, Grammy

I’m boppin’ along this afternoon, on my way to meet a friend at one of the Wichita River Festival events when a song came on the radio that really got my attention and in fact, left me feeling a little ashamed. You’ve probably heard the song, “Don’t Blink” sung by Kenny Chesney.  The theme is that every moment is a gift and precious.  I’ve heard this a hundred times and you probably have too. 

In the song a man celebrating his 102nd birthday is being interviewed and asked about the secret to life and his reply is, Don’t Blink, a hundred years goes faster than you think.  The old man goes farther to say, “Best start putting first things first cause when your hourglass runs out of sand you can’t flip it over and start again.  Take every breathe God gives you for what it’s worth”.

Like many people I sometimes tend to take my blessings for granted, almost as though I were entitled to them and…..NEWS FLASH, I’M NOT, neither are you.  Blessings, that in my quest to get through a day or complete a project, I overlook entirely.  Things like a happy, healthy and growing family, a comfy bed to sleep in, the pleasure of being able to walk into a clean kitchen and get something to eat when I’m hungry.  You know what I mean, the important things in life. 

In the past several months, I’ve attended or sent flowers to four funerals and I can tell you that in all but one case, the death was unexpected.  Were they bad people, no, quite the opposite.  Each one made a quality contribution to the lives of those around them and was a member of a loving family.  Did they remember to count their blessings or like me, did they get caught up in the drama of daily life and forget to “start putting first things first”?  Given the opportunity, I’m sure each one of them would like another 24 hours or even 1 hour to put first things first. 

I hope to have many more years in which to count my blessings.  Whether its years or days, this Grammy is thankful for all the little joys and blessings in my life and newly aware that those “little” things are really the big things.   

I’m going to choose to exercise that particular talent now and move on.  The thing about being a Grammy is that you most likely found yourself as a mommy first.  Some of us had read all the books Dr. Spock took the time to pen and others simply played it by ear.  Then there are those of us who grew up with our children.  By whatever method, we’ve all found our way to this most fabulous of experiences, and wouldn’t trade a single day for all the gold in, well….where ever they keep that stuff!!

There’s so many factors that come into play every day of our lives and while there is a widely spread urban legend that life slows down as we get older or to the “Grammy” point in our lives, it is as more myth than legend.  We have all these lovely little blessings that shimmy through our days and our lives and we now have to work double and triple time to keep ourselves in sufficient shape and condition to be able to “keep up”! 

I had a great little ditty cross my desk this week via e-mail.  I’ve made a few adjustments to it and offer it here for your enjoyment!

As I lay me down to dream,
Across my mind the blessings stream.
I am so thankful; I am so blessed but now dear God, as for the rest!
Please no wrinkles, Please no bags
And oh, please lift my butt before it sags!
Please limit the age spots and the gray and now for my belly, please take it away.
Please keep me healthy, please keep me young,
And thank you Dear Lord for all that you’ve done.

I’ve had a perfectly delightful day, and hope you have too. Thank you to all those lovely souls I’ve either hugged in person or in spirit, you’re all very, very precious to me!  Hugs from Grammy

Being very involved as a parent can sometimes make you feel like more of an accomplice than a parent….case in point, the tattoo adventure!  I’m always open to a new adventure and this was no exception.  With a well placed phone call to a girlfriend who knows her way around the local artist community, Saturday morning finds Daddy-O and I headed to a local studio, Artist At Large, with our children!  I had never seen the inside of a tattoo parlor and can’t really say with any certainty what I expected but it wasn’t what I discovered.  While I’m not running out to get one myself, I’d have to say it turned out to be quite an impressive operation.  The place was really hopping, enough so that 4 artists and 2 support staff were busy non-stop, resulting in a 4 to 5 hour wait! 

It might surprise you to know that this rather large waiting area was filled with all kinds of people waiting for their tatts, young and also not so young professionals, military persons, and at least one Grammy!  I know I was surprised to learn that these artists must be licensed by the state, do hours of practical work, an internship and continuing education each year.  This truly is an art form and these are some very talented people.  Fast forward to the end of the day and our daughter walked out with a few of her favorite words of wisdom on her foot where she’ll always be able to see them.  “Congratulations!  Today is your day.  You’re off to great places, you’re off and away”.  Dr. Seuss.  Not to be left out of the fun, our son-in-law is now sporting a great likeness of one of his favorite characters, Snoopy, flying his dog house.  Josh Cruse, the artist, was able to incorporate an important date in the tattoo. 

The weather was perfect which isn’t all that common around here in the spring, what with tornados and such!  Can this birthday get any better?  YES!!  Our youngest son Nick, and his family make it back from a business/pleasure trip in time for a couple days of food, fun and fellowship before his sister heads back home to St. Croix.  She and Sam get to spend some quality time with little Mr. Lunden including a sleep over at Grammy’s.  By the way, Grammy didn’t get much sleep!  Now that should be treat enough for any Mom and Grammy and it would have been except for one little thing.  My very thoughtful daughter-in-law, Sabrina made it a point to go to Queenie’s in Tulsa (an incredible little sandwich shop and bakery) for one of my most favorite treats in the entire world, Queenie’s famous Carrot Cake.  I think it actually covers all the major food groups so it must be healthy, right?  Healthy or not, it is the best life a carrot will ever see!

What a fun time this has been and with any luck, I’ve been able to post some tattoo pictures in the blog. If not, I’ll get some help or create a new album on The Glammy Grammy facebook page, maybe both!  Can you tell what the date is below Snoopy and any guesses as to why it is significant? 

So what you ask can be the “con” side of being a Glammy Grammy or, any Grammy for that matter!  Well, distance for one.  The everyday little pleasures aren’t so every day or even so little when our grandchildren aren’t in the same geographic area as Grammy.  Is there a “pro” here?  I’d have to say yes because if you’re following along here you’ll notice I made a pretty bold opening statement about every aspect of life having both!  This is another case of the pro is also the con or vice-versa.  The only good thing about not living close is being able to travel to visit.  When you’re not around every day, the days you are there become pretty special! 

Our two older grandsons live several hours away so we weren’t around when they began talking and saying new words and by new words, I mean; Grammy and/or Papa but mostly, Grammy!  There’s something really special about the first time those little people call you by whatever name you’ve chosen.  We are a blended family of adults but pray that our collective grandchildren see us simply as the family who loves them.  Jack warmed up first and doesn’t hesitate with the “Grammy’s & Papa’s” and it truly makes my heart soar when he wants “Grammy” to play Star Wars.  Alexander warms up just a bit slower, seemingly making up his mind each time we see him.  Given time though, he always makes our hearts sing.  Eva and Lucy don’t yet have a vocabulary that extends to “Grammy and/or Papa” so that’s a joy for another day!

As you might suspect, I’m building to something here…..Lunden came through with his first and very distinct, “Grammy” this week!  I’ll be among the first to tell you how smart and advanced he is in just about everything he attempts.  He is 20 months old and has been hitting golf balls and baseballs better than many adults for a couple months now.  His hand/eye coordination beats the heck out of Grammy’s, that’s for sure!  Well anyway, in a room full of adults who were encouraging him to do something different than what he wanted to do, he very methodically searched the room, looking for something or someone.  With a determination and assurance befitting the CEO of a large corporation, he spotted me, walked over, grabbed my finger and said, “Downstairs, Grammy”!  WOW, what a rush!  I know, I know, it’s not a foreign language but he’s been saying everything but “Grammy” for months so for me, it was the highlight of my week!!  Hope you’ve had just such a pleasure or will soon because there’s just nothing like it!! 

I’m certain this will surprise everyone because I must be the only one who does this but I can quite literally have 8 or 10 cans of Cream Corn in the pantry on any given day.  “What’s the big deal you ask” well, only two of us live here and only one of the two will eat Cream Corn.  Seems silly to have so many.  Something I resolved to do better this year is to use what I have before replacing it or buying it again.  Another thing I tend to buy every time my feet cross the threshold of a supermarket or discount store is batteries and light bulbs.…hmmm….I’ll just leave that alone for now.

Diet Coke, I guess I figure that we’ll eventually drink it and we do.  Socks, both dress and athletic for Daddy-O, just how many does he need?  I swear there are dress socks in there still nicely wrapped in holiday tissue of one sort or another that I’ve been moving around now for a couple of years!  Enough already with the socks!  Here’s a big one….extra tooth brushes and dental floss, we’ve probably got more on hand than a number of self respecting dental practices in the area. 

Kitty Litter and we don’t even have a cat.  AawChoo!  I’m terribly allergic to them and can feel my ankles beginning to itch just thinking about it.  Great pets, just not in a place I’m going to spend much time.  There is however another use for this stuff, our builder told us it worked very well as a substitute for the hard rock salt or other little pellets that people put on sidewalks and porches to melt the snow and ice, thereby protecting the “soles of the souls” {{giggling}} they love or maybe those of a brave door to door salesperson!  We must have 5 bags of the stuff; you’d think I was preparing for the Great Boston Blizzard!

Shoes, Clothing and/or Accessories I’ve not worn for one reason or another (probably very good reasons, really) but still, if I haven’t worn them just why did I need them????  AaHa, there it is right there, need.  I’m on a personal mission to use what I have and then to evaluate honestly whether it needs (there’s that word again) replacing.  The dear lady who has cleaned our house for the past 13 years must love the way I think and shop as she is often the recipient of the excess!  Be forewarned Ms. Tina, my shopping habits are changing!  No longer will I buy 4 cans of Rotel Tomatoes because I don’t remember if I did so on my last outing.  Who am I kidding…..I’m sureI bought them last time I was in the store because I either forgot or didn’t take the time to look at what I actually had on hand prior to leaving the house.

Trash bags, ziplock bags, paper towels and the ever present little kitchen gadget, you‘re all on notice.  Don’t be offended next time we meet in the supermarket aisle and I walk right by you…..I still love you, I’m just not going to take you home with me!  Somebody out there “fess –up” who has 3 heads of Lettuce or 5 Avocado but will buy another when you’re out because you’re not sure if you have it at home!!  How about a group effort to stop this madness?  Think of the waste we’ll stop and the time we’ll gain by not having to re-arrange so everything fits! 

Love ya, The GG

Regardless of age or how very much we DO know, I find one thing to be a constant and that is that there is always something to be learned if we’re just “open” to possibilities.  I want to share with you just a few of the things I’ve learned (or maybe re-learned) this week.

Daddy-O is a wise man as well as a loving and concerned father/ grandfather.

Sometimes the perfect thing to say is nothing at all.

Our pets are our family, plain and simple.  We care for them as such and, when we lose them the heartache is very real.

The letter “Q” is always followed by a “U” unless it is used in a name.

HAPPY CRAP is stuff we all buy or have that makes us happy at the time and we later wonder, “What was I thinking?”

Girlfriends, both old and new are a key component of our lives and nurturing those relationships is very important.  I’ve made some new GF’s in the past 6 months that will be with me all my life and I love them.  I’ve also had the pleasure this week of being “found” by an old and dear friend I haven’t seen for years.  I realized how much I’d missed her and the fun we used to have.  Can’t wait to get together and “catch up”!

Anger, though understandable and even justified some times, is counterproductive and even destructive.  NO, I’m not “over it” but I’m aware and I’m working on it.

Finally, Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a beautiful gift and then keeping it to yourself.
 

For all the wonder and blessings in my life, THANK YOU.  To all the people who love me, THANK YOU, I love you too and am so very grateful to be a part of your lives. 
Love to all, GG

How can the perfect boiled egg be so elusive?  You know what; forget perfect….I can be happy with presentable.  There are only four components to the boiled egg, eggs, water, pan and heat.  How in the world can I mess that up, not only occasionally, but with some regularity!  Before you ask, yes, I’m sure my mother taught me how to do this.  I’m equally as sure that on a scale of 1 to 10, my interest level peaked at a 1!

This past summer we had some dear friends visit us at the lake.  He’s from Holland and she from Chile so NE Oklahoma was an experience for them….but we’ll save that for another day, so back to the eggs.  Dennis enjoys cooking and can boil an egg better than anyone (man or woman) I’ve ever known.  Not only is it perfectly done, he presents it half shelled and in a beautiful little egg cup.  Now remember, we were at the lake and beautiful little egg cups (I’m sure there’s a technical name for them) being at a premium he served them from jiggers which were plentiful because after all, it’s the lake!!  The shell comes off nicely with a light tap and the inside yolk is done to perfection…no spot in the center that’s not quite done or any of the gray/green stuff outside the yolk letting you know it’s overdone.  I suppose I could just ask him how to do this but being a man and a Dutch man at that, there’s no doubt something would be lost in translation!  Love you Dennis, you know I do but I’m really jealous of your cooking skills.

I boiled eggs this morning to put in salads later.  When peeling the darn things, the shell comes off in chunks, and “today’s” effort produced the gray/green stuff on the outside of the yolk.  These are going in a salad so I can make it work but what if I’d like for them to be the lovely appealing “quartered” variety, decorating the top of a salad rather than chunked up in the middle of the salad?  And, Deviled Eggs…. my husband really loves deviled eggs; do you know how many eggs I boil to get enough to make nice looking deviled eggs?  If you know me, you know I’m only serving nice looking deviled eggs….eggs or Christmas trees; it’s all in the presentation!  Fortunately, he’s easy to get along with and in all the years I’ve known him, he’s never complained or made a disparaging comment about any meal I’ve served.  That could just be because he doesn’t want to cook, not sure.  But come on, it’s embarrassing.  I’m a grown Grammy, how can I not get this right? 

I know I could do a Google search for this info but my current list of “MUST DO’S”, “NEED TO’S” and “WANT TO’S” has me busy until Memorial Day so we can forget about the search thing.  I’m hoping that someone with more “eggucation”  (sorry, couldn’t help myself) than me will send me a quick “how to”!  I’ll be eternally grateful AND reward that certain someone with Glammy Grammy goods of some sort!  Thanks in advance, I know you won’t let me down. 

Hugs and Happy Boiling,  GG

Raising a family and all that that entails plus working in the world of Healthcare, I learned a great deal of what I’ll lump together as just plain stuff! Some of it worthwhile, some not and that’s probably universally true of people everywhere, not just Grammy’s. Yet nothing prepared me for the phenomenon that is “Social Networking”.  What I didn’t learn is “Googling” (not “oogling”, that I can do), “Texting”, “Skyping”, “IM-ing”,” Tweeting”, “ Binging”, “Blogging”, “Linking”, “Facebooking” and finally, a mere half million photo options and opportunities available inside all the above! Believe me when I tell you that while I am a Glammy Grammy and do my best to live with GG style each and every day, bringing “her” into the form of SOCIAL NETWORKING AND MEDIA was not and is not something that comes naturally to me….you know, like breathing!

Why am I telling you this? Well, let’s just liken it to first NBC and now CBS (read Katie Couric) telling us that getting a Colonoscopy is no big deal (which by the way is true) and could quite literally save our lives, I’m telling you that learning to connect via web based Social Networking is……no big deal! Not sure about the save your life part but it would not surprise me! Is it easy you ask? My grandsons, Jack age 6, Alexander age 3 and Lunden, almost 2 yrs old are pros at skyping. It’s fun and a great way to stay in touch with family members who aren’t geographically close to them. Lunden LOVES, LOVES, LOVES Grammy’s iphone….almost as much as Grammy does! Computers are integrated into their educations as vocabulary was into ours when we were their ages. “WWW” is here to stay and web based social activity has and will always be a part of their lives. Bottom line ladies, if they can do it, we can do it!!

There are books and tutorials on every thing in the world and yes, I mean everything! Barnes and Noble, Borders or Amazon (web based shopping…..WOOHOO) are all goldmines of information. There are even sites that will “tutor” or “walk” you through the web based activities listed above if you want to go that route. Personally, I like a good book with great pictures….you know, step one looks like this, step two like this….etc. One of my favorites so far is “facebook me!” by Dave Awl. It’s like a great picture cookbook, only for facebook! There are several great blogging guides too but so far, nothing I like quite as well as “facebook me!”.

Recently, I read that our demographic (we know who we are) is the fastest growing demographic on facebook. That tells me there are many of us and that we have lots to say! If you haven’t already made yourself a part of this rapidly growing presence, begin by joining me “The Glammy Grammy” on facebook as a fan and/or friend and we’ll figure it out as we go. There’s lot’s to learn and little to lose when done correctly!

LYM (in this case “Love You Much”)
LYM,GG
PS, As Grammy to five and soon to be six little treasures, I try always to include everyone. However, our lovely granddaughters Eva and Lucy are not yet a year old so while they don’t do much on their own as far as web based social activity……..they’re little girls so you can bet they will be tearing it up ASAP!!