We took my mother-in-law to the airport today to fly home, 800 miles away.  So, not only did I tell her goodbye, but I also told a dear friend goodbye.  I feel very blessed to have that kind of relationship with her because I know of some people who have the opposite kind of relationship.  I’ve read about some who don’t get along at all.  It’s the complete opposite for me.  We had a great week talking in the mornings on the porch in our PJs while having coffee, going shopping on five different days, eating out, eating here at the house, having so much fun when our daughter “C,” s-i-l, & Baby J came for the weekend, and the list could go on and on.  We had an awesome week!

PS

Despite much encouragement from family members, my 86 year old m-i-l does NOT do email, but at least we can talk on the phone and send pictures through the mail.  However…I will give her credit…she does get on the computer to check for pictures of Baby J every other day!   I don’t know if I mentioned it or not, but Baby J is THE reason she flew to Texas so she could meet her great-grandson in person!! 

I asked my mother-in-law to give some of her favorite tips from her 86 years of experience:

When she’s out shopping and it’s raining hard, she takes along a plastic bag so that she can put her wet umbrella in it when she goes inside a store.  That way she doesn’t drip water on herself, the things she’s buying, and the merchandise in the store!

My mother-in-law arrived safely last Tuesday, and we’ve been having a wonderful time.  I took her shopping on Wednesday and Thursday, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

On Friday evening, our daughter, s-i-l, and BABY J arrived.  We had so much fun over the weekend!

Saturday, we had girl’s time out.  I took my m-i-l and daughter to this really neat tea room, and my m-i-l treated us to lunch.  We shopped some while we were out, of course, and then headed home to check on the guys.

Sunday, we went to church and then all went out to lunch.  There were eight of us in all including our s-i-l’s mother and sister.

After we got back home, we took a lot of “four generation” pictures. Then Baby J & family had to head back to their home.

Today, we’re taking my m-i-l out to our daughter and s-i-l’s to see their house they bought in February.  It’s a two hour trip, so it won’t take too long to get there.  We plan to have fun eating lunch at some cute little place, seeing the office where our daughter works and maybe seeing our s-i-l’s cool office, depending on how busy they are there.  And, of course, we plan to get in lots of “Baby J” time!! 

My dear, 86 year old mother-in-law flew to Texas today to spend a week with us. (She doesn’t look or act 86!) We’ve already made a shopping list of places that she doesn’t have in her little town. She wants to go to Tuesday Morning, Macy’s, Dillards, Super-Target, and Pier One.

We had supper tonight at Black Eyed Pea, one of her favorite restaurants. She also wants to go to Red Lobster as well as a couple of cute tea rooms.

And best of all…our daughter, s-i-l, and BABY J are planning to come this weekend! This will be the first time my m-i-l has gotten to see her great-grandson in person, and he’s nearly 10 months old. We are all excited about this little family reunion…such a blessing to be able to all get together.

Of course, we’ll have to take lots of “four generation” pictures!

Happy Mother’s Day…at least there’s two hours left. We went to visit our daughter, s-i-l, & Baby J and had a wonderful weekend. Our daughter graduated with her master’s degree, and we’re very proud of her. Baby J is crawling and pulling up, so he was the center of attention most of the time. We never lack for entertainment!

I heard “Things Mothers Say” on KLTY radio. Let me share with you:

• “Can’t” means “Won’t” (a friend told me yesterday that her mother said that, too, all the time when she was growing up)
• Pretty is as pretty does.
• Pretty girls are a dime a dozen - get an education!
• Anything worth having is worth waiting for!

Here are some my mother-in-law said to my husband while he was growing up:

• Wash your neck and ears.
• If you act as good as you look, then you’ll be OK.
• Pick up your room.

I asked our son and daughter if they could remember anything I said, and they couldn’t. Actually, our daughter, “C,” said she’d have to think.

Are there any sayings you would like to share?

When our daughter was in high school, one of her best friends who is deaf was over at our house a lot. In fact, many times we would have a whole group of kids over at our house to watch a movie. Or instead of having four at the supper table, we might have six, seven, or eight. (I learned to cook extra if I thought there was a chance extra kids might be there.) On movie nights, it was vital that we had closed captioning so that our daughter’s friend could understand the movie, too. It was wonderful to have that available so we could all enjoy the movie together!

If anyone has something they would like closed captioning added to, there are people at a company called Video Caption Corporation who can do that. That is really cool!

I was tagged by Kathy from Is 8 Enough?

Here are the rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

************

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was teaching first grade in public school. Our daughter had one more year of high school, so we were already doing all the things like senior pictures, etc. My mother’s health was not very good, so I would get her to all her doctor’s appointments and help her with things.

2) What are five things on your to-do list for today?

(Since today is just about over, these are on my list for tomorrow:)

Do volunteer work tomorrow morning at the Benevolent Center &  run errands.

Do laundry and start the beginnings of spring cleaning. (My mother-in-law is supposed to come visit for a week June 3rd. I have a LOT to do between now and then!)

Tutor at 4:00;  Cook supper. (something with chicken)

Do a lesson in Beth Moore’s “Believing God” study. (a group of us girls get together at a friend’s house on Thurs.nights to watch video & go over lessons)

3) What snacks do I enjoy?

Nuts which are so healthy: natural almonds are my favorite (I eat nuts every day!)

Ants on a Log which is a satisfying snack (daughter “C” and I have eaten lots of those through the years!)

Fiber One “Oats & Chocolate” Chewy Granola Bars (really good & 9 grams of fiber)

Hot-air popped popcorn drizzled with EVOO and sea salt

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire?

First, pray for wisdom in using it! I would love to help Foster’s Children’s Home and other children’s homes, missionary hospitals and schools in poor areas, and help people who come to the Benevolent Center. Of course, I’d want to set up a college fund for Baby J and give some to our kids.

5) Three Bad Habits

I stay up too late, don’t exercise regularly like I should, and sometimes slouch when I’m sitting at the computer.

6) 5 places I have lived…

Texas, Texas, Texas, Texas, & Texas…LOL (I guess I’ll always be a Texas gal.)

7) 5 Jobs I have had

Babysitter (in high school), College cafeteria worker (in college)

Teacher (Special Ed, first grade, second grade, first & second grade bridge class)

Part-time at a flower shop ( I’m supposed to work two days this week for Mother’s Day)

Private tutorer (which I do now)

Six people I want to know more about…

Valmg known for “Four Foods on Fridays” & always giving links to participants - we appreciate you Valmg! (I’d like to find out more about FFoF friends. I wanted to pick more, but maybe some of these will tag the others.)

Blueyes , Tina Kubala , Corrin , Val , & Skeet (who gets to enjoy the beauty of Hawaii every day - let’s all go visit Skeet!)

A lot of people are probably thinking about mothers day flowers delivery since Mother’s Day is a little over one week away. My mother passed away several years ago, but if she were still alive then I would give her flowers.

When anyone is buying for their mom, only the best will do. 1-800-flowers.com carries the best selling fresh flowers, and they have gifts and popular plants that are gorgeous. You can visit them for all your Mother’s Day gift needs! They even have gourmet baskets, fresh fruit baskets, and spa baskets, just to name a few. Check them out if you haven’t gotten your Mother’s Day gift.

Vista Print has so much to offer for every printing need. They not only have business cards but also checks, rubber stamps, announcements, and car magnets. All of their products can be customized! This feature adds that special touch to any product.
Vista Print also carries gift items which would be great for Mother’s Day which is just around the corner. Here are some gift ideas which I think any mother, grandmother, or aunt would like:

Their return address stickers with the customized family caricatures, including pets, are not only useful but also attractive. Our daughter has some like these and they are adorable! They also have a large number of design templates to choose from or you can create a custom design.

This notepad is not only cute but also great to write notes to a child’s teacher. This would be especially good when students have to change classes and a teacher might have a large number of students.

This would make a lovely gift for a mother, grandmother, or aunt. Who wouldn’t enjoy a calendar customized with pictures of loved ones!

These customized note cards would be great for writing notes, for thank-you notes, or even for invitations to friend & family get-togethers.

I know someone who has a horse, and she is so faithful to go to the stables daily to care for it. Her love of horses is contagious, and she is teaching a two-year-old girl how to ride horses. This little girl just happens to be our daughter’s close friend’s little girl. Now this petite, feminine, little blonde haired two-year-old has developed a love for horses. She was scared of them at first, but now she absolutely adores thems! Her mom needs to check out equestrian clothing! Wouldn’t that be cute to see this tiny little girl dressed in riding apparel!