I LOVE to hold "Tea Parties", picnics, drive-in movies and sleep-overs for my "Grand's". The tea party tradition did not start with me. It started with my hubby's Momma. "Nonny" and "Poppy's" very best Christmas gifts for our children was the time she went to the DI and got cute hat boxes, covered them with cute stick on shelf paper, strings of pearls, hats, long white gloves, heels and jewelry and tied it all up with beautiful bows. Then she wrote out cute invitations the week after Christmas and invited each of her grand-daughter's to a "Tea Party" at her home. They were to come dressed in their dress-up cloths she'd given them. She answered her door, dressed up as well and ushered them into a table set up with tiny sandwiches with their crusts cut off, tiny cups with lemonade and saucers to put their individual sandwiches on. They were so delighted. Later "Poppy" invited all the grandson's over to enjoy a sleep-over in the tree house he'd built in their back yard for his grandson's Christmas gift that year. The Grammy Shirlyn Drive-In Movie Nite. One summer I was unable to spend the whole summer with my daughter's and their children at Momma's cabin because I was helping in Jim's office for awhile sooo....on one of the weekends I drove up to the cabin with a small portable TV that plugged into the lighter and VHS tapes that I knew my grandchildren enjoyed. I popped microwave corn at the Circle K along the way, purchased red vines, and juice boxes. I'd layed down all the seats in my large car, put down my Levi quilts that Momma had made me. Called my daughter's and daughter-in-laws from my car phone and said don't tell the kids but make sure they eat dinner, get ready for bed and have their pillows and "Nonny Blankets" handy and when I drive up bring them out to my car. They did and the kids and I drove to the nearby lake parking lot and I parked and got in the back with them and we watched a video together all bunched up in the back of my car eating popcorn, red vines and drinking out of our juice boxes. Their Momma's enjoyed an evening in the cabin together alone just enjoying whatever. I made some wonderful memories for me and my "Grand's" and it became a requested do-over for many year's.
We've camped out in the back yard with our children and they are now doing those fun things with their little ones. . . . and I've held "Play-dates" where my "Grand's" have come over and I've fixed picnics, we've played games, walked our pets or fed the turtle and sometimes just watched the grass grow together. It was just fun to be singled out for a day away from all the other's and just be special to each other.
Whenever my Momma would get lonely it didn't matter if she lived by us or in Snowflake I'd hop in the car and have a sleep-over with her. One time I drove her all around Snowflake and had her stop me and I'd get out and take a picture of the place she was giving me some history on. I typed it all out and put the pictures with it and gave it to her in an album for some good memories to look through. With her permission I also gave a copy to each of my siblings.
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