Go Ahead. Make My Day.

We went to Marvelous Mom and Stepdan's house the other night to celebrate Stepdan and Russian SIL's birthdays. Math Genius Brother, Russian SIL and the most Beautiful Nieces in the Whole Universe are here visiting from the other side of the mountains so we didn't really NEED an excuse to get together but the birthdays gave us one anyway.

Rather uncharacteristically, Grandmother came along with us. She doesn't usually leave the house in the evenings - it probably has something to do with her habit of putting her pajamas on at four o'clock in the afternoon - but she decided to be sociable and join the party.

Doesn't she look like she's having fun?

I laughed my head off when I saw this picture. Husband was snapping pictures left and right and managed to get this not terribly flattering shot of Grandmother. She is the female version of Dirty Harry.

All of us Grandkids have been on the receiving end of this. look. but I don't think I've ever seen it captured on film. I don't want to know what Husband said to make her look at him like this. She gives the hairy eyeball better than anyone else I know.

This one is for all my cousins. What did YOU do to get THE LOOK? We could talk about parties thrown while parents were out of town that Grandmother crashed, smartass sassing back that earned a slap across the face, children that had to be chased around the house by Grandmother and siblings to get the little monster to go to bed, babies that screamed from the time their parents left for a much needed night out until they came home several hours later...

She has given us all THE LOOK - her two sons included - but she is also a constant in our lives. No matter what is happening or how badly we have screwed up, Grandmother is there for us. She gives us THE LOOK and then gives us a hug and helps us out however she can.

We're so lucky to have Dirty Harry for a Grandmother.

I'm just glad she's not packing heat.