Grandparents: 5 Heart Health Tips for the Holidays

/
Grandparents: 5 Heart Health Tips for the Holidays

Food, drinks, gifts and time with family make the holidays a merry occasion for people across the country. However, all that celebrating can sometimes become a distraction from maintaining heart health.

Read More

Our final grandchild!

/
Our final grandchild!

He’s here! He’s here!

Our final grandchild has arrived!

Introducing Robert Allen, son of our oldest daughter Brianna and her husband Patrick, baby brother to Benjamin and James.

Read More

Keep pushin' on

/
Keep pushin' on

Keep pushing on

Well, I’m about done with this whole virus thing. The social distancing, the masks, the not seeing my loved ones in person, the sheer sadness of the lives lost and overburdened healthcare workers trying to limit the loss.

Yep, I’m done.

I bet you are too.

Unfortunately there’s not a darn thing we can do about it … except plod onward. Things will get better. We just gotta keep pushin’ on.…

Plus … GRAND Social No. 385 link party for grandparents …

Read More

Those I like!

/
Those I like!

Those I like!

At the start of a new year, I — perhaps we — spend a lot of time and energy considering and planning ways to improve ourselves. This week I’m going to do the opposite: I’m going to remind myself it’s okay to not stress out about doing more, being more; that spending time with those who matter is what matters most.

Read More

Sharing scary stories!

/
Sharing scary stories!

Sharing scary stories!

I’ve been blogging for more than 10 years now and have seen a lot of changes in what works and what doesn’t for the medium. One thing I’ve noticed lately, perhaps you have too, is that it seems like more content is being shared beyond blogs than on the actual blogs. Meaning, social media channels have become the primary place for posting, blogs secondary. Which is the opposite of the earlier days of blogging…

Plus…

GRAND Social No. 364 link party for grandparents

Read More

Grand wonder

/
Grand wonder

Grand wonder

A trifecta of grand: grand view, grand sons, and a grand quote.

Plus…

GRAND Social No. 346 link party for grandparents

Hooray for the GRAND Social! Thank you for participating!

Read More

How Benjamin rolls!

/
How Benjamin rolls!

How Benjamin rolls!

Saturday was Jim’s birthday, and Brianna and Patrick arranged a family gathering at a new burger spot in town in recognition of burgers being Jim’s forever favorite food.

It was great to have all our local immediate family in attendance.

Kudos to Tyler for managing to get a shot that included everyone at the table!

While we were all gathered together to celebrate Jim, we soon were raucously regaling Benjamin for a milestone move made right before our eyes.

Read More

Babes on Jesus' birth

/
Babes on Jesus' birth

Babes on Jesus’ birth!

Most folks have seen this adorable video from last year by now but it is so fun—so hilarious!—that I just had to share it again before the season ends.

Read More

Welcome, Benjamin!

/
Welcome, Benjamin!

Welcome, Benjamin!

My long-awaited (local) grandson has arrived! Last Wednesday, in fact. As his entry into the world—and Mama Brianna’s arms—didn’t go quite as planned, I’ve followed Brianna’s and Patrick’s lead in delaying celebratory announcements online and otherwise.

Jim and I did get to meet the amazing bundle of joy while word was still under wraps, though. (A true perk of being local grandparents for the first time!)

Read More

Getting real

/
Getting real

Getting real

My mom is struggling to survive stage 3 lung cancer. My firstborn will soon deliver her firstborn any day now. Somewhere in between my utter despair regarding the one end of life’s spectrum and my sheer delight related to the other is the space where I, a writer and blogger, should be writing and blogging.

But I don’t feel like…

Read More