May 2 Aunt Candy's Toy Company

Saturday:  Cal and I arrived at the Rockford toy shop at just about 10:30 this morning. I was careful to explain that we were here on a RESEARCH MISSION ONLY and that we were not purchasing anything from the toy store today. I told Cal I was going to take pictures of the stuff he found interesting, and that way I could buy the stuff next week and get them wrapped for his birthday, which is only 13 days from now. Here are the items I photographed:

Cal picked these to stretch animals and announced that he DEFINITELY wanted them. They are $6.99 each.

This Octopus stuffed animal was REALLY liked by Cal. I watch him for awhile as he is checking each toy out to see if he is serious about it or not. He kept coming back to the Octopus with a BIG smile on his face. I think the octopus was $32. Hmm. We have a $75 budget, so I'm just taking pictures and adding things ($$) up later ...

This little key-ring is a duck dressed up like a dinosaur. He loved it. A real bargain at $3.99. !!

And this small snake was also $3.99 -- what a total deal !!

This is kind of a soft plastic dinosaur labeled "Colossal T-Rex" and it's price was $18.99. I told Cal this was a "possibility." He very seriously squinted his little face up at me and asked: "What does 'possibility' mean?" I responded that "possible" meant I could probably get it for him, depending on how many more things he was deciding he wanted.

Cal's favorite dinosaur has always been the T-Rex--so it is not surprising that he likes this.

There were LOTS of hard plastic animals to chose from. I could not believe what some of these were priced! The higher up on the shelf they went, the more expensive they were! Some of them were marked $62.99! Those expensive ones were very detailed dragons with very cool markings on them. I told Cal if we got one of those, it would use up most of his budget; so he (wisely) relinquished.

This albino tiger caught his eye ...

As well as these two saber-toothed tigers . . .

These guys are $13.99 each. I asked Cal what on earth he would do with them if he had them. He said they would FIGHT all of the other animals he had! Hmm. Two tigers would cost about $28. When I add these unusual choices together, it comes to about $101--so I'm going to have to strike a few out to stay within my $75 budget. I'll go back to the toy store on Monday and make my purchases. I love birthdays celebrations! 

PS  I was very impressed with how Cal did in the toy store. He never even once BEGGED for me to buy him something right there and then. He was quite systematic about his choices too. He is a very logical little child, but he has been like this since he was really really young! Good job, Cal.

May 1 and 2 Gregory's sleepover

Friday:  I picked Cal (Gregory) up right after school today and brought him over to my house for his much-awaited sleepover. I've calculated, and if things go smoothly (!!) I can invited one child every other Friday for a sleepover--which would give each of the four kiddos SIX sleepovers per year. So ... that's my goal. However, schedules do get in the way some times, so this is tentative planning at best. 

Cal loves my portable foosball table. He calls it SOCCER, and I guess that's okay. The balls look exactly like soccer balls. I won the first game by one point--Friday night. But then Saturday, we played and Cal creamed me.

Cal has his own unique way of scoring points, so you have to be aware of some of those "odd" calls he makes. But overall, he is growing in his sportsmanship and doesn't mind losing now and then (as long as it isn't too often).

Cal also enjoys my "Battle Box" game. I purchased it at the Grand Haven toy store. We've had a lot of fun with it, but there are things I would change about its design if I could. Cal likes it just like it is. He's a very tenacious little person who does not "give up" on anything.

When it was "movie time" Friday night, we had a difficult time choosing a movie to watch. Plus, my VCR is kind of "iffy". We finally gave up on movies that I had here at my house and went on Prime to see if there was anything acceptable to watch. Cal chose "The Minecraft Movie" which he told me he "loves", but about 25 minutes into it, it was just too much for me! I told Cal it was scaring me to pieces! So we switched and watched some Minion "shorts" and then we just watched "Tom and Jerry" for awhile and Cal ate two huge bowls of popcorn.

Getting Cal to bed was a little bit tricky--I think it's because he fell asleep in my car on the ride over to my house -- and so he "recharged" and wasn't tired enough to go to sleep very early. I finally put on some pretty music and he fell asleep at about 10:30.

Not one to sleep IN, Cal was awake and ready to play basketball at 6:30 AM. I didn't take any pictures of us shooting basketballs, but Cal is convinced that he had more points than I did. 

We played a LOT with my puppets. Cal even brought a puppet from his house!

We built some race tracks too, and had quite a few exciting races.

Here is the kitty puppet Cal brought over. His name is "Windy" and he is a cousin to my "Cocoa Cat!" Windy is a little bit chunkier than Cocoa and his mouth opens easier too. We played and played with these puppets.

CAL!!! You are the cutest little person!

We also played three Chess games (which Cal pronounces "CHEST" with a very distinct "T"). I clobbered him on the first game, but he was sharper Saturday morning and actually Check-mated me!!!!

Look at his excitement when he won the game! He kills me!

I told him he was too smart for his old grandma!

Cal wanted to learn how to play CHINESE CHECKERS, so we played a game. It's not an easy concept actually. I don't think kids play this game too much since there are more fun games out there; but this is still a good game to teach strategy. Look at Cal sizing up the board ...

We also got out the PlayDoh to make "monsters" out of. I'm not big on monsters, but I was so tired this morning that I just followed whatever Cal wanted us to do. My PlayDoh is old and not very soft ... so I decided that we didn't need to be hyper about mixing the colors. Cal made snake monsters, "water" monsters, and I forget what else! We had very intense battles. The one whose monster got the most squashed was the loser.

Cal's birthday is 13 days from now and I haven't any clue what to get him. So I suggested that we drive out to Aunt Candy's Toy Company (Rockford) and have a look around at their toys to see if Cal could give me some ideas (see next Post).

This is Cal eating his mint chocolate chip ice-cream at Culver's after we finished our shopping.

I enjoyed having you over, little Mister. You are a delightful person. I'm going to enjoy spending time with you as the years progress ... what a blessed grandma I am.

April 30 Meet Sir PURR

Thursday:  Chris is home from college. He graduates this spring, and the actual Commencement date is May 16 down at Olivet University. Chris is kind of in-between places to live, so he has "parked" his ginger cat over at his dad's place.

Meet Sir PURR . . .

Jesse was housing another cat, for about a year, and her name was Willow. She was one of the littlest full-grown cats I have ever seen. She was also very old and frail. So ... she finally had to be put down. Jesse does well with cats! Sir Purr is about 3x as big as Willow was, and he has the softest and tiniest purr you can imagine!

His hair color almost identically matches MY hair color!

Sir Purr is definitely a curious cat--but all cats are curious. Jesse tells me that if there is something to be climbed, Purr will climb it no matter what!

I just had to chronicled about him since I get to see him at least 1x per week. He sleeps most of the day, but races around the house at night and makes himself a menace. But he is super soft and cuddly, so he is worth it.

See you later, Sir Purr!

April 30 JINNY

I feel a need to chronicle about a friend of mine. Her name is Jinny. I met her over a year ago (I think) at a hair salon. I've been going to the Great Clips on Northland Drive to get my hair trimmed for the last 14 years or so. There was a young lady by the name of Katy who used to regularly cut my hair. She did a very nice job of it and always did what I asked her to do instead of what SHE wanted to do. 

However, Katy changed occupations and is no longer a hair styler. I found this out upon asking for her at the usual Great Clips I always went to. I had no choice that day but to let someone else cut my hair. That stylist actually did a terrible job--just hacked my hair off and that was that. !!

Six weeks later, I tried another location (same franchise). When I walked in, Jinny greeted me and was able to work on my hair. She asked how long I had been coming to her location and I told her that this was my very first time. I casually mentioned about the other location and how badly my hair had been cut. She immediately announced that she would cut my hair "for free" that day. I protested, but then another stylist confirmed that since they were part of the same franchise, this was the usual policy.

Anyway, let me tell you about Jinny. Have you ever felt immediately drawn to someone without being able to explain why? Jinny is very outgoing, friendly, and extremely genuine. We had such a nice time chatting together, I felt like I had known her for years. Off handedly, Jinny mentioned seeing her aunt during the last week and her aunt was encouraging her to "return to church." Jinny stated that it had been years since she had been a part of a church. I told Jinny that I agreed with her aunt. Nothing further was said, but she spent 45 minutes cutting my hair that day and did a fabulous job fixing what the other stylist had hacked up. As I was checking out, we gave each other a nice hug, and I just ... felt such a connection with her. 

For the next 5-6 weeks, I prayed for Jinny almost every morning when I was combing my hair, getting ready for the day ahead. I asked the Lord to lead Jinny to attend a strong Bible teaching church where she could learn about the Gospel and come to know Jesus. 

At my next appointment, Jinny told me she had found a little country church down the road from her (up near Greenville) and she loved it. She almost glowed from her happiness, and she said it was SO GOOD to be with believers. We talked and talked, and it was obvious Jinny was hungry for things of the Lord. I asked more about her living situation and her family, etc. and learned that she was living with her boyfriend, and had been for almost three years. She told me his name and I began to pray for him--that he would come to faith and that they would marry each other.

Six weeks later, Jinny told me Connor had come to church with her and that he was "warming up" to things of the Lord. In the next few months, he came to faith, proposed to Jinny, and they are now married. Isn't that cool?

A few months after that, I called ahead to see if Jinny was working that day only to be told that "she no longer works here." WHAT?!?!?! Thankfully, I was able to get the girl who answered the phone to tell me that Jinny had transferred to another location (within the franchise) out in Greenville. SO ... I called out to Greenville and drove out and had Jinny cut my hair! It's only a 22 minute drive from my house, and Jinny is so worth it! We had such a nice time talking that day. I asked more about her family, and Jinny told me her dad and mom had been divorced for many years and that her dad was kind of a "dead-beat" kind of dad who was never very constant in her life, was in and out of trouble with addictions, etc. I told Jinny that I would pray for her dad.

Six weeks later, I called out to the Greenville location to see if Jinny was working that day only to hear the girl on the phone tell me that "she is no longer working here." NO WAY. Thankfully, the girl who answered the phone recognized my voice and asked if I was CAROL, and I told her I would miss Jinny so much--she whispered where I could find Jinny! Yes! It turns out that when Jinny accepted the job in Greenville, she was told she would not have to work Sundays--but when she actually began working, they scheduled her for almost every single Sunday.

This is getting way too long of an account. Let's see: Jinny got a job at a little hair shop out in Sand Lake, which is actually only 25 minutes from where I live; so I immediately called and made an appointment.

I saw Jinny at the new place last Friday. She gave me a big hug when I walked in the shop. This little salon is NOT part of a franchise. Jinny rents her "chair" and makes her own schedule. It's a very tiny place--only two chairs! But Jinny is her own boss now, which is much better for her. As she cut my hair, we got to talking, as usual, and I asked about her dad. She smiled from ear to ear and said: "You are not going to believe this!" I won't tell you the whole story, because it's personal to Jinny and her family, but just in the last four weeks, Jinny's dad came to faith in Christ, apologized and has made things right with many people, and Jinny told me he is like a new person.

ALL PRAISE TO YOU, JESUS!

Isn't that so great? So NOW, I'm going to pray for Jinny's sister (Madelyn) who is getting married next week. Jinny says her sister and fiancee' need the Lord! Please save them, Lord.

It has been really encouraging to have the Lord answer all of these prayers. I have gained confidence in my pathetic prayer life because of Jinny, and I am so thankful for her.

April 30 Random Pictures

Month of April:  I'm posting a bunch of miscellaneous photos I've taken this month that have stories of their own, but I won't go into much detail about them. 

Here is one of the many squirrel "Thumpers" that visit my bird feeders on a daily basis. I think there are at least four different squirrels who stop by. Now and then, one of them will squat on my small window ledge and stare at me through the glass. I think they are super cute.

Back on Good Friday, I stopped in at Calvary a little early to walk through a display they had in the chapel that allowed people to follow Jesus during his last few days before He was crucified. Afterward, I went into the Prayer Chapel. In a side room off the Prayer Chapel, there is an engraved wooden table with the entire Gospel of John inscribed. It's completely beautiful.

I took a picture of this stump as I walked along Cannonsburg Road ... I thought it had an unusual shape to it and kind of looked like a Cyclops or some other kind of odd creature. See it's arms and legs and mouth?

This is the golf course located right next to Leisure Village ... "Boulder Creek".

This is a house right next to the "nursery and greenhouse" on Cannonsburg Road. I stood and watched the chickens and roosters for a little while. It's a very homey-looking place.

BELOW: Kelly is working on our family tree. She found several on-line sites that are really resourceful. Look what she found! This is my great-grandmother (my mom's grandma), Mary Elizabeth Pearce. She actually was born on Prince Edward Island in 1859 and lived most of her life there! I was so THRILLED to find this out! My favorite childhood book series takes place on PEI and I have always wanted to go there. Dylan and Kelly actually HAVE been there, prior to getting married. Kelly has a good friend (who also was in their wedding) who lived on the island for many years. But back to Mary Elizabeth ... I remember my mom talking about her--about how "short" she was, but also the fact that she was someone who could "hold her own!" I don't remember my mom saying one single negative thing about this little lady.

A few weeks ago, Emma and I were talking about "The Princess Bride" and how much we love that movie. The very next day (!!) I was driving to my Bible study class and was right behind this vehicle. I couldn't read the "Hello" sticker very well at first, but we finally had to stop at a red light and then I zoomed my camera in on the rear of the car and look! "Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!" This is a "line" that people crack up about all the time because it's a pretty hilarious part of the movie.

The final set of photos is from a walk I took last week. The flowering trees were at their full bloom! I love these beautiful blossoms so much.

That's all for now ...

April 28 Charlie Brown

Tuesday:  These four grandchildren are readers--all of them except young Gregory (although he is destined for it, for sure). They were absolutely thrilled with the paperback "Charlie Brown" books I brought over to their house today. These old editions were once owned by their Grandpa Jim, who picked them up at Used Book stores and other similar venues--and were being stored at their Uncle Jesse's house, along with 100's of his record albums. Since he passed in 2017, Jesse has held on to some of the stuff he had collected in his lifetime. There were 14 "Charlie Brown" books sitting on a shelf in Jesse's office. I asked if he was attached to them, or would he allow me to take them with me and let Dylan's kiddos read them. Jesse was very willing for me to take them, so I did.

Look at Erin! She has turned into a very serious reader!

Aidan has had the propensity to read practically since he learned to walk ... well ... (you know how I exaggerate). He gets all of the subtle things in these comic books (which come through in the illustrations)--facial expressions, Snoopy's little dog house, Charlie Brown's depression, etc.

Cal is not reading yet, not exactly, but he enjoys being read to--which at this age is just about as good! So he picked out a couple of books too.

Here is Cal showing me one of his books that I think he checked out of the school library.

I made a little sign-up sheet so that the kiddos could check out two "Charlie Brown" books and if they returned them to me in good shape, they could subsequently check out other ones. Here is Erin trying to decide WHICH two books she would choose.

Brendan immediately begin reading his choice out loud, while cracking up as he read. Brendan has a very keen sense of humor.

And look at their basement! Kelly and a few of her friends went on a cleaning binge during the last week or so and organized the entire basement toy area. YAY!

I love these kiddos so much--they are a joy to be with and are always unusually interesting! Nothing boring about this little bunch whatsoever.