Back to Normal Again....

Since our return home last Sunday, life has settled down somewhat....well....more or less.  Poppa has been quite busy.  On Monday morning when we crawled drowsily out of bed, the large room in the basement looked like this.............

...........but a few hours later it looked like this........

......can you see the difference?  I'll give you a hint....

.......oh good grief!  What is Poppa doing now?  Oh heavens!  He is crawling around on the new carpet picking little fluffs off the carpet - shortly after this picture he went to get the vacuum cleaner - what a good idea!  Next step.........

............put the baseboard on.....and the week went on......here is Poppa...........

...choosing some TimBits to take home for Squeegie.  And here.....

....is the Rose of Sharon bush out in bloom - just as I expected it would be when we got home from Munchie's house.  Apparently it was a really good year for begonias.......just look at these beauties!

And...........I just feel compelled to show you that fuschia plant once more - just because I like it so much that I want to share....

.......isn't it pretty?  On another topic altogether - the scarves are ready......

.....I have a few pictures to take and then I can send them off to Auntie Colleen.  Since the person above her on the list didn't opt in for the scarf giveaway....she gets to be first again!  Hopefully there will be one that just pops out at her!  I'm going to try to get that done tomorrow for sure!

Oh look...........there's Kev-Inn and...........

...........what is Poppa doing now?

Let's Have..........

............a party!  On Saturday morning Poppa, Munchie and I went for a walk to Tim Horton's for coffee and TimBits.  Three TimBits later Munchie was ready to go home.  By the time we got back the backyard at Munchie's house was being transformed........

........a bouncy castle had sprung up and Munchie was checking it out!  Daddee and Uncle Craig were busily preparing for the guests to arrive......while Mommee was busily preparing food.  To try and help, Munchie decided to take Poppa to the park.  Munchie got on the new Diego Jeep that Gramma had brought for him and away they went.....

.........while I kept Little Smiley with me........

...........he's not quite dressed for his party yet............but he would be soon since the guests started to arrive............

...........some of the neighbours and............

cousins Taylor and Reese.  Daddee got the BBQ going.........

..........and - take my word for it - the food was delicious!  I took a break from taking pictures, while I had some lunch!  The little boys were too busy to eat much..........

....they paused for a moment, but then.........

....they went for a ride on the Jeep, and ......

.......they all visited the sandbox.  Soon everyone gathered under the shelter.......

...........to watch while............

Daddee helped Little Smiley open up his presents.  Little Smiley soon picked his favourite new toy from among the multitude of choices...........

............these cymbals were just perfect - they made a big noise, and they were easy to use!  There were soon so many toys, that Little Smiley had to move outside the shelter to find enough space to play!

Soon after the presents were all opened, Poppa and I decided it was time for us to head back to Poppa's house so we would miss the traffic hour when we passed through the big city.  As we drove away, we looked back at Munchie's house..........

........everything looked quiet, but we knew there was still a party going on in the backyard!

Busy, Not Bored!

A week of babysitting for Nanna and Poppa is a very busy time!  Those two little boys kept us on the go constantly - a bit of a task for two retired people!  Our day started about 6:30am each day.  I would sneak upstairs to the bathroom while Munchie made sure that Poppa was awake....

..........then I would give Little Smiley some little snacks so Mommee could sneak off to work....

.........and thus, our day would begin.  We spent the rest of the day finding things to do that would amuse two tiny boys until Mommee and Daddee had finished their work day and returned home.  One day we went to the Mall...........

..........Munchie was so happy to get to drive this fire truck and Poppa steered carefully to reinforce Munchie's game!  You would be absolutely amazed at how well Munchie can drive though!  He has a battery-powered car and at least once a day he would drive up to the nearby park............

..........along with Poppa.  There was no need to tell him which way to turn, he already knew....and he is learning to stop at each corner to "stop, look and listen" before he drives across.  Sometimes Little Smiley and I went with them.....

...........the boys would have a swing and play for a while.  Munchie liked this swing....

....and as you can see, Poppa pushed him really high!  Little Smiley was more inclined to try out this swing...........

.........and he preferred to swing a little more cautiously..........in fact, some days he just stayed home and took advantage of Munchie's absence............

.........to read some of the books and play with the toys without his big brother's supervision!  Then, there came a day when Poppa, Munchie & I were walking back from Tim Horton's with coffee for Mommee and Daddee.........Munchie looked up the road and proclaimed "There's Gramma's new car!".  Sure enough, when we arrived at Munchie's house.........there was Gramma........

..........which meant that it would soon be time for a party in honour of Little Smiley's first birthday.

We're Baaack!

We got home yesterday around supper time.  It felt good to be home again after a busy, but rewarding week at Munchie's house.  But, before we get to that visit and the party............I thought I should show you some of the things we did just prior to leaving.  Here are..............

....oops - I missed the shot.  Oh Dear!  One evening while Poppa was at Munchie's house, Aunt Jeannie and Nanna went out for dinner.....

..........they went to a Chinese restaurant and had a great time, laughing and chatting while they ate.  Nanna got this great shot of Aunt Jeannie looking very pretty!  Nanna and Poppa checked all the plants to make sure they were in good shape.  Nanna found lots of buds on the Rose Of Sharon plant....

........it should be beautiful by the time we get back from Munchie's house.  Oh wait, I see another chance to get the shot I tried for earlier...........

.............got it!  Poppa and Squeegie got the tractor out and cut the grass so it would look well-groomed while we were gone.  They look like they are having fun.  Then Nanna packed some clothes for all of us, and Poppa loaded them into the car - along with some knitting and her camera - and us of course.  Oh yes, I forgot to tell you............Nanna has been so busy.........getting things ready to go..........and unpacking, doing laundry and helping Poppa with some painting, that she didn't have time to write a blog..........so I told her I would do it.  Squeegie had to help, since I couldn't reach the keyboard very well...........

..........so I sat on his knee while I wrote this blog.  Nanna says to tell everyone she will post pictures from our babysitting week at Munchie's house soon!  Thanks for reading - Love Taffy!

This Week....

...we will be at Munchie's house ..... Mommee and Daddee will both be at work....and the Day-Care Lady is on vacation....so Poppa and I are on day-care duty.  Oh my!

I think we'll be busy!  Anyway, I doubt very much that I will be on-line very often, so there will probably not be any new posts until next Sunday (the 14th).  I should have lots of pictures by that time!  Especially since Mommee and Daddee are hosting a party on the 13th to celebrate Little Smiley's first birthday!!!  Gramma will be there and lots of other people too!  Speaking of pictures, while Aunt Becky was here she bought me a marvelous present!  A wire to download pictures from my cell phone to my computer...........so I am happy to share this picture...........

.........of Granny who stopped in for a visit last weekend.......we visited while Gramps and Poppa went golfing........it was a pleasant interlude!  And also............

.........Kev-Inn will be taking care of our mail while we are gone - and checking in on Aunt Peggy to make sure all is well there.  My cousin from the big city is also going to spend a few days with Aunt Peggy, so I'm sure she will be well looked after in my absence!  Oh yes..........while Poppa was helping Daddee last week.....

Sqeegie and Taffy both slept with me.  My little bed was starting to get crowded...but we had fun.  And....one more..........here is another rather awesome photo highlighting Uncle Shaun's photographic talents..........

She calls this one "Spotlight" and says:
"I love how Shaun caught this clematis flower right in the spotlight between sun and shadow."


See you next week!

Telling and Testing

Okay, after a somewhat long delay it is time to tell you about Aunt Becky's visit.  Squeegie and Taffy waited by the back door in the hope that pansy was coming to visit too.  Sure enough, Pansy arrived with Aunt Becky and Uncle Whitey....

........and not just Pansy either....he brought Tucker, Pooh and Golda-my-ears with him!  All the bears gathered for this group shot while Aunt Becky and Uncle Whitey brought in their luggage.......which I missed because I was getting a picture of the bears.  They were here for a few days, but I was so busy chatting with Aunt Becky that I didn't seem to get very many pictures!  Oh Dear!  We had lots of catching up to do and some visiting too, not to mention visiting a few of her favourite places in Ontario.  For instance.......some of you may recognize this place....

........yes, it is the Martyr's Shrine in Midland, Ontario.  I have been visiting this site since I was a youngster - it was often the destination of a year-end school trip.  It is amazing how little it has changed, and how well maintained it is after all these years.  It is still a beautiful place to visit.  Aunt Becky has loved it from the first time she visited.....and she was quite busy taking pictures for the folks back in West Virginia...

....while Uncle Whitey - the Linesman Legend - was more interested in pointing out the complexity of the wiring required to run the lights on the top of the Shrine....

..........while Poppa kept trying to encourage them to rest in the shade for a while, since it was really hot that day....

.....and as you can see.....he did have some success.  After this rest we walked under the highway for a few moments at Saint Marie Among the Hurons,

which is on the other side.  It was so interesting there, that I totally forgot to take any pictures...but Aunt Becky took a few....

.....here are Nanna and Poppa up on the lookout.....the sun was very bright!  Here is..........

........a picture of the altar in the Jesuit church............note the Indian art - it's very pretty.....and here....

......is Poppa demonstrating for me - just how this primitive drill works......it is really very effective and it didn't take Poppa very long to figure it out and drill a hole - sometimes he amazes me!  And - last, but not least....here is Uncle Whitey....

........checking out a pine box - oh dear!!!!!  By the end of that day, we were quite worn out from the walking and the heat, but..........

................the bears took the most comfortable chair and left poor Aunt Becky sitting in my office chair!  Another day we went strolling in the park.....

.......and of course there was a day spent shopping, and there was a visit to Aunt Peggy and Gramma Grace, and like most visits it was soon time for them to pack Aunt Becky's new truck....

.........and head south.  They stopped in to visit Munchie and Little Smiley and to bestow presents on them...........and then Poppa & I went back into our strangely quiet house.  This morning Poppa got into his truck and headed to Munchie's house to give Daddee a hand with some house maintenance.  So, once again the house is strangely quiet and still..............

.....and Squeegie and Taffy are feeling quite morose - wishing Poppa would hurry home.  Nevertheless, I will post this blog now, and test the effectiveness of the e-mail option.  I hope everyone who opted for the e-mail delivery received this and enjoys it.  Don't forget, though, that should you feel an urge to post a comment, you can still visit the actual blog site and let me know your reactions, questions or opinions!  I love to get them!  Now I will get back to knitting these scarves for a few minutes before I turn in for the night!  Good Night All!