By DONNA NEELY
Anyone up for a summer sleep-over at Gammy and Papa’s house?
You will be sure to hear the sweet sounds of one or more of our grandchildren, nieces and nephews ranging from twenty months to seventeen that visit our home daily. In the summer months we have sleepovers almost every week. As a matter of fact, for over thirty years our home has been the gathering spot for our children Telisha and James and their friends.
Jeff and I have two children, who both live in Gallatin. Our daughter Telisha is married to Brad Gaines, and they have four children, Taylor 12, Riley 10, Bradford Jr. 6, and Neely Grace 20 months. Our son James Neely is married to Kate and they have one son, Ian 6. Also on our farm are two horses, Java & Flicka, our dog Ceasar and plenty of wildlife.
Our sleep-over parties consist of pizza served on our plastic McDonalds and SpongeBob plates and everyone’s favorite dessert, Grammy’s homemade strawberry cake. The children enjoy picking veggies from the garden, BB gun target shooting, feeding apples to our horses and finding grubby tadpoles in the pond.
At sunset, it’s off to the candle lit back porch with our popcorn, sweet tea and Teavana hot tea. We start the night off playing “I Spy Something with my Eyes” until it gets so dark that our eyes can only spy the flames from the candles. Next on the agenda is running around the yard with flashlights and a cage on a mission to catch toads and more toads.
After a long dirty sweaty afternoon, the master bathroom lights go out for the final sleep-over treat. We will highlight the night with a bubble bath, including candles surrounding the clawfoot tub.
Papa is the official bedtime book reader and the breathing encyclopedia. I take charge of cuddling and tickling backs.
Grammy & Papa’s home will always be open for all of our family and friends because we love having them as much as they love being there. “Our piece of the good life” is right here.