Newfound skills

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Hard to believe, but one week from today, Grandma's Briefs will be four years old.

My very first post, published July 25, 2009, featured a Bubby that looked just like this:

one-year-old boy

Now, four years later, here is that precious baby boy displaying for Gramma some of his newfound skills:

 

I'm pretty proud of how far Grandma's Briefs has come since that first post four years ago. I'm even more proud of how far Bubby has come since that first post four years ago.

The kid is indeed awesome... times four and more!

Today's question:

Of Bubby's newfound skills, which are you best at?

Everyone's a winner on my two-year blogiversary!

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Grandma's Briefs is two years old!

On July 25, 2009, I launched Grandma's Briefs, my space for sharing brief—and some not-so-brief—ramblings, with THIS. It didn't get a single comment.

Undeterred, I plodded away as if what I had to say mattered. Every day I'd post, every day I saw more and more visitors stopping by to read those posts. Some would even comment. Eventually I felt like what I had to say really did matter. YOU made me feel like what I had to say mattered...and continues to matter.

There's no doubt that Grandma's Briefs made it to the two-year mark because of you, the readers. Without you, I'd have quit long ago. And I'd like to show my appreciation for that with a gift.

Every person who comments to this post through July 31 will be entered in a random drawing for a Grandma's Briefs canvas tote filled with goodies the little ones in your life will enjoy, goodies that correspond to the little ones in my life. Meaning, of course, Bubby and Mac. What could such goodies be? Well, no profundity here, I assure you, but in honor of Bubby there are bubbles, and in honor of Mac there is mac & cheese.

Yes, indeed, a Grandma's Briefs/Bubby and Mac goodie bag for one lucky winner:

But wait, there's more. I've also thrown in five books I received for review in the past year. Just for you, not the kiddos. I think you'll like them. I did.

But wait, there's even more: Only one person will win the goodie bag, but every person who comments will be a winner by making a difference in the lives of hungry children. And how's that? Well, for every comment this post receives through July 31, I will donate $2 (because, ya know, Grandma's Briefs is TWO) to either the No Kid Hungry/Share Our Strength campaign or the UNICEF/Crisis in the Horn of Africa program. The winner of the goodie bag will choose which cause shall receive the funds, in the name of Grandma's Briefs.

So here's all you need to do: Comment on this post. Yep, that easy. The more comments, the larger the donation. Plus, you'll be entered into the drawing for the Grandma's Briefs/Bubby & Mac goodie bag.

Comment to this post by midnight MDT July 31 answering the following two questions (two because, ya know, Grandma's Briefs is TWO):

1. What Grandma's Briefs post of the past year was memorable for you, made a difference to you, mattered to you...or made you grunt, groan, or snicker? (No need for specific post title; just boost my ego by mentioning what you recall as the gist o' the thing).

2. If chosen as the winner of the Grandma's Briefs/Bubby & Mac goodie bag, which cause would you like the $2-per-comment donation to be given: the No Kid Hungry/Share Our Strength campaign or the UNICEF/Crisis in the Horn of Africa program?

Only one comment per person, please. Be sure to include your e-mail address when commenting (no one sees it but me) so I can contact you if you're the winner. Winner will be chosen by Random.org Monday, Aug. 1 and contacted by e-mail. Prize will be shipped to U.S. addressee only.

Thank you for two fabulous years! I look forward to the third and sharing it with you—people who matter to me, people who make a difference in my world!

525,600 minutes ago

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I interrupt the regularly scheduled Sunday programming to present this announcement:

Today is the ONE-YEAR BLOGIVERSARY of Grandma's Briefs!

Yeah, baby! One year ago today I set out to create a blog to help ease the distance between myself and Bubby, to share my successes and failures as I venture out on the grandparenting road. Since then, this little site o' mine has seen 396 posts, 2,393 comments, 15,385 unique visitors, and 44,748 page views.

Most of all, though, this site has seen YOU! And it's YOU that has made Grandma's Briefs such an awesomely incredible experience for me!

There simply are no words to describe how much I appreciate you showing up and reading and commenting on my words and pictures, making it seem like this crazy journey I'm on -- the same one taken by millions of others, yet oh-so personal to me -- matters to someone besides myself and my family.

You all mean the world to me, and I'm offering up a few prizes as just a very small token of my gratitude for the difference you've made in my life. I'd like to give each and every one of you a great big bear hug, but a little giveaway will have to do.

But first ...

DarrenRowse, masterful mentor and blogger extraordinaire of Problogger, recently proposed a 7 Link Challenge that I thought would make a perfect one-year-blogiversary post. Darren's challenge is to present seven links in seven themes that best represent to new and long-time readers what one's blog is all about and to possibly introduce one and all to a few posts they may have missed.

In that vein, here are my answers to the 7 Link Challenge (Be sure to keep reading after the links for details on my blogiversary giveaway!):

  1. Your first post – And so it begins ... featured -- naturally -- an absolutely adorable photo of Bubby.

  2. A post you enjoyed writing the most – One woman's pleasure is another's worst job ever. I absolutely hated, hated, hated this job but I found writing about it rather cathartic because I knew I would never, ever, ever again be in a position to have to work such duty. Plus, I kind of enjoyed making you all say "ewww!" over the stinky job instead of the usual "awww...!" over the always precious antics and photos of Bubby.

  3. A post which had a great discussion – Wanted: Crazy, quirky confessions. Wow! I loved reading all the quirky things you all got going on, and apparently you did, too. This post had the most comments of any other so far, and it doesn't even include the equally quirky comments I got when posting the same thing over on Vibrant Nation.

  4. A post on someone else’s blog that you wish you’d written – There are so many great blogs I read by interesting and insightful women, but it's the posts of Pat at Mille FioriFavoriti that I envy the most. Not one particular post, but every single one. Why? She's a grandma, just like me, but she lives in this wonderfully exciting place (NYC) and has the most awesome photo skills to document the world in which she lives and travels. I don't hanker so much to write posts like her; I just want to be able to take photos like her ... and take those photos in places as awesome as those in which she takes hers.

  5. A post with a title that you are proud of – Bikes, trikes and big-boy beds. Other than the always adorable photos of Bubby, there's nothing particularly special about this post. But I think the title just flows well -- and tells exactly what the post is about.

  6. A post that you wish more people had read – With this kiss, I thee wed. Without the first kiss, there would be no me and Jim, thus no Brianna, Megan and Andrea; no marriage between Megan and Preston; no Bubby. Ultimately, without that first fateful kiss, there'd be no Grandma's Briefs. Well, this post isn't about that kiss. But it is about the anniversary of that kiss.

  8. Your most visited post ever – Two men and a toddler (haircut) was published last August, but to this day I still get at least one -- often more -- clicks on it daily. I like to think it's because it is such a wonderfully wacky documentation of Bubby getting a haircut by Preston and his buddy. I shudder at my stats, though, showing there may actually be a more disgustinglypedophiliac factor to the searches that result in some of the visits. I've considered deleting this post because of the thought of what's behind the searches, but I love the photos too much to do that -- and I hope the icky folks doing the searching feel gut-wrenching guilt when they unexpectedly click on the wholesome photos of Bubby getting his hair done by Daddy.

And now, for the Grandma's Briefs One-Year Blogiversary giveaway:

Like I said above, I'd like to give all of you something. But what I have is three prizes to award, at random, to three folks who comment to this post telling me Why do you read Grandma's Briefs and/or what topics or features would you like to see more of in the coming year?

The prizes are:

Grand prize: A Grandma's Briefs One-Year Blogiversary tote bag filled with a few books from my stack of advance reader copies from publishers, plus homemade chocolate chip cookies made by Grandma (that's me)!

1st place: A Grandma's Briefs One-Year Blogiversary tote bag and homemade chocolate chip cookies!

2nd place: Homemade chocolate chip cookies!

(Do note that I'll ship the prizes within 24 hours of making the cookies so you won't be getting stale yucky pucks in the mail!)

Comments received by midnight MST Wednesday, July 28 are eligible for the drawing; winners announced Thursday, July 29.

Again, I appreciate you all! Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring!

Update

on 2010-07-25 23:35 by Lisa Carpenter

Okay, I'm the biggest dork of a grandma in the world, as Megan just pointed out that the Rent song -- and the facts -- show that it's 525,600 minutes in year, not what I originally had as the post title. Correction to title made! Thanks, Megan!