5 thoughts upon my return to the desert

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Bubby may be feeling better, but he's clearly not yet over the flu and back to being himself.

 

The dollar snakes I bought at Walmart and gave Bubby and Mac when they picked me up at the airport were worth every penny (despite them not getting the reference when I told them there were snakes on the plane but a man named Samuel grabbed them all and let me have two for my grandsons).

 

Mac likes to be front and center when watching television.

 

Bunnies are to the desert what squirrels are to the mountains.

 

There's no place better than an indoor fort for enjoying an afternoon snack.

 

Today's question:

What is your usual afternoon snack? And for bonus points: Where do you usually eat it?

Introducing Grilled Grandma Janie

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 I'd like to introduce you to Janie. Ever since meeting Janie online, I've been continually impressed and inspired by her work ethic, her writing credits, and her cheerful heart. Oh, and her hair. I do love Janie's hair! And that was all before I even knew she was a grandma. That she is, though, and today she is a grilled grandma.

What's a Grilled Grandma? A Grilled Grandma is a grandma whom I've grilled with some grandma-related questions, and she's graciously responded with answers and photos. Here is Grilled Grandma Janie:

How many children do you have? One daughter. And a step daughter and step son who both live in Michigan.
 
How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Three from my daughter  2 Boys and a girl. The baby, Enzo, is 19 months.  Joey 8 years old & Dylan is 10 years old.
Three from my step daughter - 5, 8 & 11
One from my step son - 8
 
What do your grandchildren call you? Grandma or Grams and sometimes J-Gram.

 After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? That my daughter's wedding dress was going to have to be altered!
Then about month before my granddaughter was born, I broke my foot and I was on crutches during her birth and for several months afterwards. What I hated the most was that I couldn't carry her around.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I see the ones who live near me almost every day.
 
What is the best thing about being a grandma? Being able to play with them. Having them confide in me. Tucking them in at night. And then going home. And being able to share being a "grandma" with my mother who is now a great grandmother. It's an unbelievable feeling, one that I'm so glad I get to experience.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Hmm. This is hard to answer because I just love it all. I guess sometimes watching my granddaughter act with my daughter in the same rebellious way that my daughter used to act toward me.
 
Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Well, the youngest has a language of his own that always makes me laugh.  My granddaughter does impressions that crack me up. And my eight-year-old grandson tells the most amazing stories about his skateboarding adventures.  
 
What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Snuggle with them on the couch and read books. I also make up stories for them and they in turn make up stories of their own.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Read books and play games. They have very vivid imaginations and like to play made up games such as Dry Cleaners ( who knew such a place could inspire a game) or restaurant. And we dance and put on shows. I'm pretty exhausted when I get home.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? I text my granddaughter. We talk on the phone. Sadly, I don't have as much communication with the grandchildren that live in Michigan.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Creativity and imagination, whether it's writing or drawing or dancing. And I want them to believe in themselves and know that they can be anything they want to be. That they are the rulers of their own destiny.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Fun. But I do know they call me "Funny, unusual & funky." And I have to add that they also think of me as "Big Haired." In fact, I'm working a picture book titled "My big-haired, funky Grandma."

What has most surprised you about being a grandma? How much I love it and them.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I can't really think of anything.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Don't be afraid of acting silly.

Do you have a website, book or project to promote? My recent release is a book for tween girls titled MERCURY IN RETRO LOVE. It is a sweet story about crushes, conflicts and astrological confusion.

I write a weekly column for women - http://www.inthepowderroom.com/search/keyword/Janie+Emaus
My website is: www.janieemaus.com
And I blog at www.theboomerrants.com - Anatomy of Baby Boomer - Life in Retrograde

This grilling will now be permanently placed in the Grilled Grandmas Hall of Fame—AKA the Grilled Grandma Archives—under Grilled Grandma: Janie.

Dear Readers: If you'd like to nominate a grandma for grilling—yourself or any other grandma—please e-mail me her first name and e-mail address and I'll take care of the rest. Thank you!

FAMILY photo frame: A crafty craft for the non-crafty

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Not long ago, I shared directions for making a pillow chaise for kids. I claimed it was easy, something even those with minimal crafting experience could pull off with ease.

Well, I was wrong in making that claim. I immediately received comments on the difficulty of the chaise pillows for anyone who doesn't sew—which I hadn't really considered.

I have considered the non-sewers this time, and I offer you this: a craft that truly is easy and requires absolutely no sewing at all.

Can you spray spray paint? Then you can do this.

Can you use a glue gun? Then you can do this.

The "this" is a unique photo frame that looks far more crafty than it really is. If you can operate a can of spray paint and operate a glue gun, this is the craft for you.

The craft is a FAMILY photo frame. I made one for each of my daughters for Christmas, and they looked like this:

FAMILY_frame_with_photo.JPG

That's the one I made for Megan. Each frame I made was the same yet different, to match the different personalities and decor of my daughters. Bonus: Each featured buttons from Granny's button tin, bits from their paternal grandmother that I've pledged to share with my daughters in myriad ways.

Here is how to make a similar FAMILY photo frame for yourself or as a gift.

How to make a FAMILY photo frame

Here's what you need:

BRIANNA'S FRAME• 1 8X10 black wood photo frame

• unpainted wood letters: F A M I L Y (mine are 1 1/2 inch)

• 5 unpainted mini clothespins

• 1 8X10 scrapbook paper page — choose one in a pattern befitting the recipient's decor and interests, keeping in mind the frame will be displayed horizontally

• 5 buttons — I choose buttons to match the scrapbook paper, all from Granny's button tin but new buttons would work, too

• black spray paint

• glue gun and glue sticks

• 4X6 photos to display

Here's what you do:

1. Spread newspaper in an outdoor area where you can spray paint the letters and the mini clothespins. Spray one side of letters and clothespins, making sure all visible surfaces are painted. Don't worry about the wire clothespin clasps getting paint on them for they will work even when painted. Allow to dry.

2. Remove the back of the photo frame and place the scrapbook paper where a photo would go. Replace back.

3. Evenly center the dried FAMILY letters about an inch or so from the top of the horizontally positioned frame. Use glue gun to carefully glue letters in place.

4. Carefully position the five clothespins along the bottom frame, centering on edge so they won't break off when adding or removing photos. Use glue gun to glue each clothespin in its spot.

5. Once clothespins are securely glued and dried, carefully glue a button to the top of each clothespin. Ensure the top edge of the button meets the top edge of the clothespin so the entire button is backed by the clothespin stick. (If you don't have the entire button on the stick, the button will come off when subjected to the pressure of opening and closing the pin when adding or removing photos.)

6. Ensure glue has dried and all letters, clothespins, and buttons are securely in place, then add photos. (Vertical photos work best if using all five pins.)

ANDREA'S FRAME

Ready to hang and enjoy!

Of course, you can always create the frame vertically, just use fewer clothespins and letters in a size that ensures the word FAMILY fits.

There you go: A crafty craft for the non-crafty—with not a single stitch of sewing involved!

Today's question:

How many photo frames do you guesstimate are on display in your house?