The Undie 500

My twin granddaughters and I have had a tradition for years...for their birthday, we go shopping. Their Mama usually suggests what they need but this year is their fourteenth birthday so they decided they would decide. Fancy lingerie was the choice. We headed for a shop in the Houston Galleria that has more underwear than some entire countries.

It was so endearing to see one of the girls hold up a pair of filmy panties and say to herself, "I suppose I could wear something under them." Genuine modesty is so sweet and rare these days.

You are Teens Today!

Our Twins are having a birthday today! Happy birthday, girls. Today you are teenagers. You have made many lives wonderful, especially mine and Tito's (AKA, Annie and Tall Husband.)

An Evil Twin

Inez and her Evil Twin, a painting by Linda Hickerson-Hofheinz, was a gift from Tall Husband.

It was a special evening in an elegant restaurant on a New Years Eve. Our twin granddaughters were dressed in their matching party clothes, looking and behaving like dark-haired baby angels. We had just finished our dessert and twins Sofia and Andrea were bored with the restaurant scene.

Sofia: "Tita Ann, you have a fireplace, don't you? Let's go to your house and make a fire."

Me: "Your grandfather doesn't like to have a fire in the fireplace."

Sofia: "Well, I would start a fire anyway. If he makes a fuss, I would just throw away something he really likes."

Mother of Sofia and Andrea: "Sofia, Mama is missing a pair of new shoes."

Sofia: "You should be nicer to me."

Mother of Sofia and Andrea: Stunned silence quickly followed by a certain look that said: You will be dealt with later!

Note: Sofia loves this story, asking each time I tell it, "Was I an evil twin?" wanting to believe she could have been.

"Yes! Quite evil," I assure her.

A Holiday Remembered

Everyone helped to prepare the Thanksgiving table. The aroma of Saara's wonderful food filled the house. Though Saara is not originally from the United States, she prepared the traditional dinner for us; complete with pecan pie but with a zing of fresh orange.

A future blogger recorded the event. This is our granddaughter, Andrea Gabriela, who is, as her Grandmother Mary says, "twelve going on thirty." I would show you the other twin, Sofia, but why? They are identical, so just imagine this girl with upswept hair and the same dress in a different blue.

We all wished that the other three grandchildren and their parents from Moscow, Russia could have been there. Perhaps another holiday!

My ex-husband and his wife Mary were there also. I had the opportunity to thank Mary again for always being the other mom for my children. Over the years, via telephone and mail, she and I have made the "big decisions" in the lives of our children when they were young.

I know from experience: it isn't easy being a stepparent but Mary and my Tall Husband have done it with tolerance, skill, grace and love. And they are still there when our grownup children need a hand. So a special Thanksgiving to you both.

As Time Goes By

On the eve of their tenth birthday, my twin granddaughters were visiting. Sofia got uncharacteristically silly and loud. I asked, "Sofia, what are you doing?"

She answered, now being quite serious, "I'm being nine while I still can. I'm about to go into my double digits and that's scary."

I remember thinking, Oh no, she's going to grow up to be Steven Wright, the comedian.

Now I find that he seems to be using her material. (Toward the end of the video, Steven says he was in therapy when he was nine because...)

Note: When I tested this embedded video, I noticed it did not "work" in my version of Windows Internet Explorer, i.e., the "black box." If this is the case for you, try Mozilla Firefox or SeaMonkey for viewing this strange video.

STEVEN WRIGHT ON THE LATE LATE SHOW

Wow Weekend

Lavender arrangement by floral designer Felix Hernandez of Behind the Garden Gate, Houston
Felix knows all about the wow factor.

My twelve-going-on-twenty-one twin granddaughters searched for things with that wow factor this weekend. It's so invigorating and interesting seeing the world through the eyes of youth.