A New Cookie Jar

Today, a cookie jar arrived in the mail. It is one I have wanted for a very long time. I am technically challenged, so for some reason I can't seem to get the picture to upload, but it is a little donkey pulling a cart that says "Milk and Cookies" on the side. I have not been able to get it before, because it usually goes for over 100.00, sometimes 200.00. My sweet Gentle Giant found it on ebay for 35.oo, and had it sent to me. He is so sweet, and that makes this particular cookie jar so much more special. I have so many cookie jars now, that you would think that a new one would go unnoticed, but Eli never fails to surprise me. He was in the living room today playing with Little Joe, and looked up at the long shelf of cookie jars. "Nana, you got a new cookie jar!" he exclaimed. I said, "well, yes, I didn't think you would notice". He told me that he keeps an eye on my collection, and always recognizes when I get a new cookie jar. If he sees one at a garage sale or somewhere, he tells his mama that it would be a good gift for me for my birthday, mother's day or Christmas. I have several cookie jars that Eli has given me, and I love them all. If Bobbie Jo were here, she would tease me about my collection, but she would also support me. She would also be out there looking for "the one" to add to my collection.

I have told my family, especially the young and little ones, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and others that they can choose their favorite cookie jar and have it on their wedding day. Several cookie jars already have names in them so that someone else cannot have it.

Well, I just got a lovely surprise! Martin just came home from work, and on the way home, he found a child's glider rocking chair in someone's trash to be picked up tomorrow. It is perfect, works great, and I am really tickled. It will be wonderful for Little Joe when he is big enough to rock in it.

Speaking of Little Joe, today he was having his lunch and saw PaPa. He started squealing and raising his arms for PaPa to play with him. I told PaPa to wait until I was finished feeding him, but no, PaPa had to have his way. When Martin picked him up, it was very apparent that Little Joe had filled his diaper. "Whew! Little Joe stinks!" said PaPa, and I told him that since he was so anxious to play with Little Joe then, he could change him. "Oh no, I don't do poopie diapers!" said PaPa, and I told him that he better do this poopie diaper, because I was trying to have my lunch. PaPa carried Little Joe back to our bedroom, and it wasn't long before I heard squealing and laughing and monster roaring, and I knew that Martin was wrestling with Little Joe. Wrestling with Little Joe means rolling him back and forth, picking him up and making monster noises, grabbing his legs and putting them over his head, and general baby wrestling tactics. I threw down my tuna sandwich and went back to the bedroom where they were. "Did you change him?" I asked, and Martin said no, he was just keeping Little Joe company until I got there to do it. I kept my temper in check, and put Little Joe on the bed, hoping for the best. When I opened his diaper, there was just a little spot of poopie, and I thought that as usual I had overreacted. But, this was very misleading, because when I took his diaper off, the poopie has squished all the way up his back due to the "wrestling" with PaPa. I mean all the way to the bottom of his shoulder blades! I saw Martin slinking out of the room, but I caught him in route. "Just look at this mess! Poopie all over the place! You come back here and help me!" I commanded, as I desperately tried to keep my quilt clean. Martin started handing me wipes, and I started wiping. Little Joe started laughing. I cleaned and cleaned him, and threw his poopie clothes into the bathroom. Martin stood there like a proper PaPa, and when I was done and Little Joe was clean and had another outfit on, PaPa said, "Gosh, I didn't know he could do all that! What a mess!" I sweetly told him, "That's okay, it's over and he is all clean. Don't worry about a thing, I am glad that you love to play with him so much." I picked up Little Joe and started out of the room. "Uh, didn't you forget something?" said PaPa, and I smiled and said, "Oh, of course! Since you made the poopie mountain, you can take it out to the trash!" and off to the kitchen I went to finish feeding Little Joe. Sure enough, looking quite green, PaPa had both his hands full of a poopie diaper and the pile of wipes, and went out to the trash outside. I guess I can forgive him for "wrestling" with Little Joe and his "little mess", but I guarantee you, that in the future, if PaPa knows that Little Joe has unloaded, he will wait until he is changed before he wrestles with him! Ah, life's little lessons.