What are the things that you remember from your childhood that make you smile? And what kinds of memories are we making for those special young people in our lives? How important is the time we spend with those we love? Maybe it's because I am getting older but time spent with family seems more precious than ever these days.

Today I took a day off from working with the dogs - no grooming or other dog business. Usually granddaughter Chloe helps me with bathing and blow-drying bichons as well as doing her own thing (playing and watching tv and such). Today was a day totally dedicated to doing whatever she wanted to do. Luckily the things Chloe chose to do were things I also enjoyed.

We cooked - made mayonnaise, baked apples, and made a spicy beef soup. We ate homemade cookies made on a previous 'bake day' and drank tea. We painted pictures and made a pretty big mess with tempura paints as we created our colorful masterpiece. We read books and sang songs. Well, actually, I did the reading as Chloe keeps telling me very seriously that she "can't read yet - I'm just a 4 year old kid, Grandma!".

And we played cards. Ever played MEMORY? That's a game where all the cards are lined up and turned over and each person turns up 2 cards at a time, looking for pairs. It takes a good memory to play this game well. Oh my goodness....I got soooo trounced, game after game after game! So much for the poor little "I'm just a 4 year old kid" bit! I didn't stand a chance!

It was a great day. One I know that I will remember fondly (If my memory-ability holds up, that is).

"Two is better than one" is not always true. And having two involved doesn't necessarily help speed things up either. As a matter of fact it may take considerably longer. But when the two is made up of myself and my youngest granddaughter, Chloe, then it's time well spent.

With Chloe's mom being a school teacher I get to have her at my house Monday to Friday every week, and since my very favorite things are my bichons frises and my family (especially grandchildren) this is a good arrangement. It does, however, stretch the time needed to groom dogs, but then I figure it's all an investment in training her for a future as my assistant!