Grandma and Grandpa's Christmas Lights

Today I am thankful for my grandma Joyce Stevens and being able to hang her Christmas lights each year.  She is my only living grandparent (blood).  I have many memories of my grandma.  Some people are not fortune enough to have a relationship with their grandma, so I consider myself  lucky.

For the past ten years, at Christmas time, I have gone over and hung my grandma's Christmas lights outside her house.  Before my grandpa passed away, he would use the same stran of lights. You know the ones: large glass bulbs, five different colors, red, blue, white, green, and orange. They are in a box in the garage.  He'd remove the light bulb above the garage door and plug the extension cord in, flick the switch inside and on and off they would go throughout the month of December.  He asked me to help him one winter when his health was fading.  Grandpa was not easy to please. I'll never forget how nervous I was to hang Christmas lights...of course I didn't do it correctly and he had to 'fix' them.  We used the same hooks that are still on the house today.  Ever since then, once Thanksgiving hits, I go over to my grandma's house and hang her Christmas lights for her.

Today Josh and I visited my grandma and took down her Christmas lights.  I'm a bit behind. I don't usually leave them up this long. I wonder what grandpa thinks, actually, I'm sure I know what grandpa thinks. Sorry Grandpa, I know it's the end of January. I apologized as I was taking them down today too. However, about four years ago, my grandma purchased some different lights for the outside of her house. She had seen the white icicle lights on other peoples houses and thought she would like them instead.  I consider that a great thing since you can't find the big glass light bulbs in stores anymore. :) So today, we took down the white icicle lights that grandma had chosen.

Whenever you go to my grandma's, you can't leave without having a pop or a brownie or cookies or a sandwich or some sort of treat. Grandma loves to feed you.  Today, Josh got to have grandma's famous lasagna for lunch (I had already eaten).  We sat and talked to grandma about everything from her Monday night women's quiddlers (probably not the correct spelling) club to church tomorrow.  I loved this hour of my day!  Visitors make my grandma happy. And today, Josh and I made her happy.

My grandma is awesome!  I look forward to visiting my grandma whenever I can. 

Today, I thankful for hanging my grandma's Christmas lights. It reminds me of that first time I helped my grandpa hang Christmas lights on their house and it lets me spend more time with my grandma Stevens!

Thank you God for my grandma Stevens. She is a wonderful lady!

Summer 2011. Tara's baby shower.

Grandma August holding Paige Ziecina.