grandpa's birthday

on april 18th my grandpa DeVar had his 90th birthday. he's only 89 years old, but it was his 90th birthday. he's always certain to include the day of his actual birth in his birthday tally. i love this photo, because even in grandpa's frail state he's slurping down the nectar of the gods at a regular rate. i think mountain dew is probably what's kept him alive, healthy and strong, for so long...well, that and pepsi.

there were a number of my family members at his home to celebrate. it was so fun to be able to see cousins whom i haven't seen for YEARS. tracy made a fantastic cake for grandpa. it depicts a story he tells about mining when a horse-drawn mine cart started falling off a cliff. the cake wasn't just pretty to look at, it was delicious.



this is my grandma Madge, she's a tough ol' gal. (that's my cousin-in-law, shawn, beside her.) i took this photo of her because i wanted to share a photo of something she has in her house that is awesome. my aunt francine had started to make it when she was in high school, but she gave up on it and put it in her closet to collect dust. when grandma saw it there she asked about it and francine told her she could have it. grandma took it home and finished it and it's hung on the walls of her homes ever since. my sister suggested that i post an "i spy" blog about it. i took some more detailed photos of it, but for now i'll just share the whole picture.



it is made up of thousands of neat little items and you can find all sorts of cool things within it, whether it's individual pieces or bigger shapes that are created. it's really neat. i love it. anyway, what kinds of things can you spot in the photo?




dang, i should have taken a photo of grandma's cookie jar. it's my other favorite thing in their house. on the tv show, friends, there is one just like it in joey and chandler's appartment. it's only in a few episodes and you have to look really closely for it, but it's there. the cookie jar is shaped like a clown head. so great.

hey, i found this photo of the clown cookie jar on google...grandma's looks just like this, only without the copyright symbol plastered across it.