Friday, Oct 25.

Up at 6 a.m. to get ready for water aerobics. I expected the van windows to be covered in frost, but they were not. It was very chilly outside, though, so my fleece wear and a coat felt very good. I even donned gloves this morning.

Though there was no frost at our house, the fields along the way to the college were white with it, and the windows on cars left on the parking lot overnight were frosty.

The pool was nice and warm, though. I wondered if many ladies would show up today, but there were twenty-two of us.

Back home afterward, I thawed out with a cup of coffee, then headed to the shower. Sis accompanied Mother to our house around 9 a.m., and Mother helped get a pot of ham and beans started. She had sorted the beans last night, and I soaked them overnight. This morning, she diced onions, carrots, and banana peppers, and cubed the ham. I added them to the beans, along with cans of beef and chicken broth, and various spices.

In the meantime, Sis used a certificate for a free oil change to get her truck serviced at a local garage. We had gotten the certificate at a silent auction, but it was about to expire, and neither of our vehicles needed an oil change. Since Sis would have been unfamiliar with where the garage is located, Hubbie led her there.

Later, after lunch, Mother helped me make a batch of chai tea, to be given to Daughter-in-Law for her birthday. And then she and Sis worked on her jigsaw puzzle, which they finished today.

I put together gift bags for both Daugher-in-Law and Granddaughter, as well as cards and cash for Great-Grandson and Great-Granddaughter. Besides the chi tea, I added a pint jar of homemade strawberry jam to Daughter-in-Law's gift bag. Granddaughter's gift was three half pint jars of various homemade jellies.

Hubbie shopped for a few groceries, and when he got back, I made a batch of chocolate cupcakes.

We expected Grandson and his family to visit tonight, so we could see the new baby. They had hoped to be here around suppertime, but weren't able to get here before 7 p.m.

For supper, Hubbie peeled and sliced potatoes, which I fried, and Mother sliced and seasoned green tomatoes from our garden, which I also fried. Mother made dressing to be added to slaw, and I made a double batch of cornbread, plus baking a pan of canned biscuits. Sis prepared two boxes of macaroni and cheese, since we figured Great-Grandsons might not appreciate the rest of the meal.

The four of us sat down to supper at our usual 5 p.m. hour, and when Grandson and family arrived, they chowed down.

Naturally, we immediately fell in love with our newest great-grandchild, an adorable baby girl. We couldn't get enough of holding her. We enjoyed the two cute, cute boys, too, but because the baby is so new, she got the most attention.

I took lots of snapshots of the baby with family, but I'm never pleased with photos I take inside our home, which is dark and not conducive to photography.

The few hours that Grandson and family were here flew by. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing them, and hope it won't be long before we see them again.

Not long after they left, Sis accompanied Mother to her house. We watched a one-hour show on TV, and then headed to bed.