My week in a 2017 Jeep Compass Trailhawk 4X4: Where I went, what I loved, what I learned

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Jeep Compass Trailhawk test drive

The Thursday before Labor Day, Rocky Mountain Redline fleet company provided me a 2017 Jeep Compass Trailhawk 4X4 for a week long test drive. Which meant I had the fun ride for the long holiday weekend... plus some.

In the seven days I had the pleasure of driving the well-appointed, hardy and handsome (Laser Blue Pearl exterior) 4X4, I put it to the test on the road, at a reservoir, and running the everyday errands that make up the grandma lifestyle.

Take a look:

WHERE I WENT (plus a closer look at...

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Retro '90s games your '80s and '90s kids will get a kick out of

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retro 90s games from Pressman Toy

Long, long ago, in what now seems an alternate universe, I had three daughters living at home, three daughters attending elementary school. Computers in the classroom were new, our home computer even newer. Games on both were DOS-based. And they. were. awesome. Especially in the pixel-dazzled eyes of my daughters.

At school, my girls and their friends clamored for computer time. Oregon Trail time, in particular. They so enjoyed attempting to survive the oft-deadly challenges of the trail west at school that we purchased the game — on 3.5-inch disk... or perhaps it was a 5.25-inch floppy — to play at home.

My girls (and my husband) spent hours at the screen hunting, scavenging, escaping bears, and crossing rivers as they traversed the seemingly never-ending Oregon Trail. Sometimes successfully, sometimes...

Continue reading the review in Grandma's Back Room...

That time I surprised my birthday girl with a 2017 Lexus GX460 luxury SUV

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2017 Lexus GX460 luxury SUV

My youngest daughter turned 32 years old the first part of July. When I asked what she'd like for her birthday, Andrea requested only that my husband and I go to church with her that day, to her church in Denver, which we'd never visited before. And MOANA on DVD, too.

The wishes of my Disney-loving daughter seemed rather small, so I decided to throw in a surprise. A 2017 Lexus GX460 luxury SUV sort of surprise!

Not for the birthday girl to keep, of course — though if my budget allowed, I'd certainly hand her the title without question. But thanks to help from Rocky Mountain Redline and a vehicle courtesy DriveShop, I did manage to surprise Andrea with a special mode of transport on her special day. In the 2017 Lexus GX460, my baby girl was chauffeured in style around Denver, to and from...

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11 last-minute gift ideas for grandmothers and others to give and get

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Time's ticking and if you still have a few stockings to fill or a few gifts to give, here are some simple gift ideas to consider. I tested out each — free for review — and give an honest thumbs-up to all.

A few are ideal for grandmas to give, a few more ideal for grandmas to get. Bonus: All can be ordered online, so no need to be out and about in the snow. (Note: There are NO affiliate links in this post.)

RING IT GAME ($14.99, BlueOrangeGames.com)

ring it game

Oh my goodness! My four-year-old grandson loves this game, even though it's designed for...

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'The Grandparent Economy:' Q&A with author Lori K. Bitter

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Most of us reading (or writing) Grandma's Briefs are grandparents. Which means most of us here know how much money grandparents spend on their grandchildren, their parents, their children and, when there's a smidgen left, on ourselves.

Interestingly, marketers don't seem to know how much we grandparents spend on ourselves and our loved ones. Or so it seems. Perhaps they do know—some brands clearly do—though they have yet to figure out how to effectively reach us with messages on the services and products we want to see, want to use, want to buy.

grandparent economy bookAuthor Lori K. Bitter lends them a hand in her new book on the topic, The Grandparent Economy: How Baby Boomers Are Bridging the Generation Gap ($34.95, Paramount Market Publishing), which I recently received free for review.

The 138-page primer on engaging the 65 million grandparents in the United States is a must-read for marketers. And, thanks to all the graphs and stats and tidbits Bitter provides on...

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2015 Subaru Legacy road trip: Red Rock Canyon Open Space

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Disclosure: I was provided a 2015 Subaru Legacy free for one week for review as part of the #SubaruLegacy blogger program. Opinions are my own.

As regular readers know, I once owned a 2015 Subary Legacy 3.6R Limited. For a week. As part of the #SubaruLegacy blogger program.

During that week, I had a fun-filled day with my friend Ruth, part of which included a road trip in the Subaru Legacy to Paint Mines Interpretive Park.

#SubaruLegacy Red Rock Canyon

What regular readers may not know is that at the end of that week, Jim and I took a road trip in the Subaru Legacy across town to Red Rock Canyon Open Space—one of the many...

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2015 Subaru Legacy road trip: Paint Mines Interpretive Park

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I was provided a 2015 Subaru Legacy free for one week for review as part of the #SubaruLegacy blogger program. Opinions are my own.

Last month, I had a sleek and chic sedan for a week. A 2015 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited, which I told you much about in this post right here.

During the week I had the Subaru Legacy, I visited a few places nearby that I'd never been to before despite having lived in the area for more than thirty years. One spot I toured: the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Calhan, CO. My friend Ruth of Cranium Crunches—a devoted fan of minerals, gems, and geological wonders of any sort—was in town for a day and was delighted to sit back in the comfy passenger seat of the Legacy and head off to the Paint Mines with me.

The Paint Mines Interpretive Park is an overlooked gem of a place many folks in Colorado and beyond may not...

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'The 50 States': 50 surprising facts from an engaging, trivia-stuffed, oversized tome

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I've never been good at geography, not even United States geography. Those states beginning with vowels located in the center of the country trip me up every time.

I think part of my problem with geography not sticking in my brain is because it was never presented to me in a fun, memorable manner. A book I recently received free for review, though, is fun, is memorable, and is all about the 50 states—even those midwest ones that begin with I's and O's and are situated beneath and between two that begin with M.

The book is aptly titled The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!, written and researched by Gabrielle Balkan and lavishly—and whimsically—illustrated by Sol Linero. This is the kind of book that encourages kids to learn and remember maps and more, the kind of book that makes a perfect family gift (and school report resource).

the 50 states 

In addition to colorful, informative front and back inside covers...

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2015 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited: Out and about in a sleek, stylish sedan

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I was provided a 2015 Subaru Legacy free for one week for review as part of the #SubaruLegacy blogger program. Opinions are my own.

subaru legacy

My friend Ruth, author and creator of CraniumCrunches.com, visited me for one day last month. It was perfect timing as I had just received a 2015 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited free for review as part of the #SubaruLegacy blogger program. The sleek sedan was the ideal vehicle for our day of adventure.

Ruth and I packed tons of fun into our time out and about together in the comfy car. We started off visiting—and walking—a labyrinth downtown...

subaru legacy 

Followed by a drive to the top of Palmer Park so I could treat Ruth to...

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Kids and cameras: 9 tips for beginner photogs, from National Geographic Kids

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Kids and cameras: 9 tips for beginner photogs, from National Geographic Kids

kids and cameras

As long as my grandsons have known me, I've had a camera in my hand more often than not. I may not be a pro, but taking photos is one of my favorite activities.

I like to think it's my penchant for taking pictures that encouraged my grandsons to enjoy using various cameras—from their kid camera to smartphones to my DSLR—for shooting shots around their place now and then. 

I'm pretty good about explaining to my grandsons the basics of using a camera, but as a true and untrained amateur photographer myself, I'm not the greatest at sharing with them sure-shot techniques for composition and more, in easy-to-understand snippets they'll understand and remember.

Enter National Geographic Kids book Guide To Photography by Nancy Honovich and National Geographic Photographer Annie Griffiths (which I...

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