#128 - PK

I'm sure many of you have heard and probably have told a mother-in-law joke.  I know I've laughed at a few.  When I was posting this blog, I looked at a bunch.  They all talked about the stereo-typical, mean, meddling, nosy, bossy, I-know-it-all and you-know-nothing, mother-in-law.  I am happy to report, that my mother-in-law does not fit that bill.

I can honestly say that Jeff's mom and I are friends.  I became part of Jeff's family when I was sixteen years old and I have always been made to feel welcome and loved.  I've never been good at math, but try to stay with me.  Since I am 39 now and I have been in the family since I was 16, that is 23 years...right?  My mother-in-law had Jeff at a young age so that means that she was actually was 4 years younger than I am now when she welcomed me with open arms as her oldest son's girlfriend.  Yikes!  I don't know if I could be as gracious.  And everyone STOP trying to figure out her age!  You will never guess it by looking at her because she looks so very young.  Whenever I go anywhere with her, people always comment on how attractive she is...and I agree.  I know she is already crying from reading this post...but stop it! 

These are some of the things that I love about Jeff's mom:

1.  She is always willing to keep my kids. 
2.  She has helped me plant, re-plant, dig up, and re-plant more flower beds and pots that I can ever say thank you for.  (Ummm, yeah...we need to get on that again...It was a hard winter!  All my dead plants totally have nothing to do with the fact that I haven't watered them since August!)
3.  She always buys me the best presents that I never knew I wanted.  I am being serious when I say that she always seems to pick out things that I love.
4.  She can cook like Betty Crocker.  And yes, I mean chocolate.
5.  She taught me how to make Easter candy. (A skill that I have passed on to Albe Dalbe and my cousin Jules)
6.  She always, always, always has a fresh bag of Oreos in her pantry.
7.  She learned to work her TIVO, her computer, a digital camera and her iphone all in one year. (With a little payback help in return from all those gardening lessons  :)  We'll work on that digital photo frame this year.
8.  She loves me and my family.
9.  She doesn't think it's too much trouble to pick up my kids from school in her RV.
10.  She is one of the people I know will be up late (like me) when I need talk at night, but will still get up in the morning if I need her to come and stay with a sick kid who is skipping school.

Let me take this opportunity to tell my mother-in-law that when it comes to mother-in-laws, I think I pulled a pretty good one!