Word of the Day: Jubilation

Word of the Day: Jubilation

Today's word is... JUBILATION!

Definition of jubilation (per Merriam-Webster):

1an act of rejoicing the state of being jubilant 

2an expression of great joy

Jubilation on display:

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Throwback Thursday: Valentine's Day Marshmallow Pops

Throwback Thursday: Valentine's Day Marshmallow Pops

This #TBT piece by Lisa Carpenter originally published February 3, 2015 on Grandma's Briefs.

What you need:

20 large marshmallows

4 ounces or so vanilla candy coating, aka Almond Bark

festive decorative cookie sprinkles

20 lollipop sticks (popsicle sticks might work equally well)

What you do:

Have kiddos poke sticks into marshmallows, all the way...

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Final football photos

Final football photos

Final football photos!

With Sunday's (spectacular!) Super Bowl marking the end of football season, I figure I should go ahead and share my favorite football photos of the season. Photos I forgot to share soon after they were shot.

My favorite football photos of this past season are — surprise, surprise — of my three desert-dwelling grandsons. Photos not of them playing football, but watching football. Well, even better than watching football, my grandsons were attending their very first professional football game!

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The difference one hundred ninety-nine days makes

The difference one hundred ninety-nine days makes

Up until this past weekend, my husband and I last saw our three desert-dwelling grandsons one hundred and ninety-nine days ago. At that time, we flew to their house to celebrate their birthdays — all of which are in June — a few weeks early. At that time, they looked like this:

Last weekend Jim and I flew to their house to celebrate Christmas with them — a few weeks early. In the one hundred and ninety-nine days since our visit in May, Brayden, Camden, and Declan have grown by leaps and bounds — in stature, maturity, conversational prowess, game-playing ability, and more.

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Wherein Grandma's FaceTime game's gone weak

Wherein Grandma's FaceTime game's gone weak

Megan and I have been on opposite schedules of late, especially in terms of scheduling a FaceTime rendezvous with my grandsons. She and the boys are busy with the start of the school year and all that goes along with that as well as baseball for Brayden and flag football for Camden. I've been busy building a better blog.

When Camden sent me a spidorpion in the mail, then Brayden followed a few days later with kiddo correspondence to Gramma of his own, I knew a few minutes of FaceTime to thank each for their snail mail was out of the question. So upon receiving Camden's mail, I sent Megan a text message video to and for Cam. I did the same

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Friday briefs: On precious witnesses, my holiday ride, and what the heck is this?

Precious witnesses
My middle daughter, Megan, and her husband, Preston, were both baptized as babies. Separately, of course. Last weekend the two of them confirmed their commitment to Christ together, publicly declaring as a couple they will forever live their lives for Christ.

Brayden, Camden, and Declan were front and center to witness the event.

boys watch Mom and Dad get baptized
Anticipating Mommy and Daddy's turn.

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Practicing what I preach

Practicing what I preach

Practicing what I preach

I do my best to practice what I preach here on Grandma's Briefs. Last week I preached all about ways grandparents can help school-bound grandkiddos. One of the suggestions in the post is to give grandkids a BTS care package of sorts (with an outfit or pajamas) before school begins.

It just so happens that the day that post was published, I received a text message from Megan with a picture of my grandsons thanking me for the BTS care package i had sent them, which included a few school supplies plus an outfit for each boy. (Shorts and tees that I thought were cute as can be for school but would work just fine as jammies if the boys considered my selections not cool for school.) Declan — who's only three and spends his days with Mommy, not at school — got a package just like his brothers, too, because, well, how could the cutie not?

grandson heading back to school
Declan, Camden, and Brayden grinning big for Gramma!

The package arrived just in time! Today Camden starts...

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On kids and creepy crawlies

On Monday, I kicked off the GRAND Social link party by sharing a text from my daughter Megan about the scorpion family she found in her kitchen. Based on the comments to that post, I probably should have included a mention that Megan does indeed have her home regularly sprayed for the creepy crawly things that reside in the desert. The "Bug Guy" — as the scorpion (and other stuff) sprayer is affectionately called by Megan and her clan — visits so often, in fact, he's virtually family.

Or such was the case with one of Megan's long-standing bug guys. Even I met him a time or two during my desert visits. This particular bug guy was an affable man, quite conversational and clearly concerned with the safety and well-being of my daughter and her family. It saddened Megan so when her beloved Bug Guy moved away.

Alas, as bug guys are a necessity in the desert, Megan found another... one who sprays as frequently as her former favorite. But being the desert and all, certain creepy crawlies do manage to escape the bug man's poison and strut their stuff now and then, both inside and outside the homes of even the most diligent bug destroyers.

huge beetle 

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No. 3 for No. 3

Today is a special day at my grandsons' house: It's Declan's birthday!

Today my grandson No. 3 celebrates birthday No. 3! Yippee!

three year old boy

My youngest grandson — who's 100-percent boy — continually makes me chuckle with his wacky, wonderful take on the world. A recent example: Declan told me over...

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On firsts and embracing new experiences

My grandsons had "a day of firsts" on Monday, Megan shared on social media that day.

Brayden embarked on his first overnight church camp experience...

boy going to camp

And Declan attended Vacation Bible School for the very first time...

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