I'm Moving

I give up. After a month of blog problems, including but not limited to posts that won't post, updates that won't update, my inablility to not make changes to my blog roll, and a host of other issues, I've decided to Keep Up With The Joneses at a new spot: http://stanandchris.blogspot.com/

The only difference is that I took the "Jones" out of the address. I hope this solves all my problems.
Now I'm going to go eat some ice cream

Thursdays With Grandma

Yesterday was Makayla's first day of Head Start. I forgot my camera, so here's Makayla's second day of Head Start.  She is loving Head Start and Head Start is loving her. 

 Head Start is held in the old North Park Elementary building, about 10 minutes from home. North Park is the school Grandpa Jones (Makayla's great grandpa) was principal of before he retired, and before it became Head Start. 

 Makayla is done with school at 11:30. At 2:30 we walked to Sandstone to pick up Hailey. I have a jogging stroller built for one. Hailey walked halfway home, then decided to show Makayla how there's always room for one more. Makayla wasn't really convinced.

When we got home, we had snack time: two extra full bowls of stale corn flakes for Hailey. It's hard for Stan and I to get through a box of cold cereal before the expiration date comes, goes, and becomes a distant memory. Thanks, Hailey, for finishing off the box of cereal that should have been throw away shortly after 9/2/2004.

Next we got our work gloves on. Time for a little garden therapy. We haven't had a frost yet, but there are plenty of fall yard projects to work on.

Makayla and Hailey put the fall in falling leaves. They scattered twice as fast as I gathered.

 They were also quite dissatisfied with the pitiful amount of leaves on the lawn.

I pointed out that most of the leaves are still on the tree and they should just help me pick up all the leaves they could.

Unfortunately, they missed the word "up" when I asked them to help pick up leaves. Who needs autumn to strip the trees of leaves? I've got Hailey and Makayla!

 

 Grandma Jones' patent-pending child restrainers.

Um, Hailey? What's with the mischievous glint in your eye?

 Oh. I should have seen that one coming.

  

Every year I swear I'm going to get rid of the trampoline. It's a pain at mowing time and now that I don't have anymore teenage roof-jumper and/or sun-seekers, it doesn't get used much. Then grandkids come visit and it's all they want to do.

 It makes for such crazy hairdos.

 For example, look at Makayla's hair! Wild and wacky trampoline hair, right? 

What?

Oh, yeah, that's right. That's just normal Makayla hair.

 The girls spent a happy hour on the trampoline, screaming nonstop at the top of their lungs "WHEN THE BELL RINGS, GET IN LINE!!!!"  It's good to know they are learning things at school.

Makayla and Hailey jumped their pants off.

I bet our neighbors love our trampoline almost as much as I do.

Thanks for making my time working in the yard entertaining, girls! Come back when the tree loses a few more leaves!

A Post For Another Day

This week I was visited by Princess Kooky and Princess Krabby. But that's a post for another day.

 I finally finished the quilt top for Kailyn's birthday. Kailyn's birthday is in August and I still have to get it quilted and do the binding. Wahoo! I'm only 2 months behind! But that's a post for another day.

Having given up on our October 1 "Finish the Duplex Day", we are making steady progress and have declared  November 1 "The Real Finish the Duplex Day". That event will be a post for another day.

Newly painted master bedroom with newly installed carpet.

Megan has now been officially gone for one month. We are completely certain she is taking college life seriously,

and that Megan is spending every spare moment studying. But that's a post for SEVERAL other days.

A Day With Makayla

At the crack of dawn today, someone appeared in my bed. You understand, of course, that now that I'm an empty nester "crack of dawn" is anytime before noon.

 Hailey is spending the day at the dentist's getting a crown--I missed the coronation because I spent the day with Makayla.

 It was fun to have someone around again to make noise, keep me company, and make comments on my personal appearance before I had time to shower.

Makayla: "Grandma, you hair is like me!"

Me: "Um, thanks Makayla, but your hair has actually been combed today."

I took Makayla to her speech therapy appointment and Costco, and then after her nap we pulled out my steal-of-a-deal garage sale stroller.

 We checked out all of the ants in the neighborhood which Makayla says she "doesn't wanna like" and the grasshoppers which "are nice".

 

 We walked all the way to Eagle Cliff Elementary, which as my children know, is at least 30 miles away, uphill both ways. It's changed a lot since my kids went there. They now have a beautiful playground in front--something that was just blacktop and then a very small climbing toy when my kids were there.

Makayla had lots of fun sliding

and climbing.

 This newsflash will probably surprise you, but everywhere we go, Makayla's hair draws lots of comments.

Way to color-coordinate your outfit with Eagle Cliff's school colors, Makayla!

When we got home, Makayla wanted to play "wrap me up like a Ashley's little person".

In between our various activities, I made several batches of Raspberry Freezer Jam.

 I'm not sure who's going to be eating all this jam I'm making, but I've been making gallons of jam for so long, I don't seem to be able to stop myself.

 While I made jam, Makayla ate. And ate. And, um, ate. Today she had a medium french fry and milk on the way home from Costco, an extra large bowl of noodles with homemade spaghetti sauce, four cereal bowls full of cherry tomatoes, at least a cup of peanuts, a serving of applesauce, a piece of bread, several handfuls of raspberries, and more milk. Luckily, Amy picked her up just before we were sitting down to eat supper. Good thing. Makayla is eating us out of house and home and I'm all out of fresh tomatoes.

Thanks for keeping me company today, Makayla!