March 19, 2021

Rockin' PawDad's party

March 19, 2021/ Lisa Carpenter

The recent weekend in which my family was all together—a relatively uncommon occurrence even in the best of times—featured not only Robert’s baptism, as I previously shared, but a milestone birthday celebration, too. That milestone being Jim’s sixtieth birthday.

The birthday festivities, organized primarily by Megan, revolved around a rockin’ theme as …

August 06, 2020

James reviews the ChordBuddy Guitar Learning System

August 06, 2020/ Lisa Carpenter

When I receive a product for review, I don’t typically run out and purchase a duplicate of the product before I’ve even written the review. In fact, I’ve never done that with an item I’m reviewing. Until ChordBuddy.

See, I was immediately impressed by the ChordBuddy Guitar Learning System and was compelled to purchase a second one to share with a faraway family member. Before I had even shared my thoughts here with my readers.

March 11, 2020

Snow day for Flat Stanley*

March 11, 2020/ Lisa Carpenter

Alternate title: Oh, the things that we do for our grandchildren!*

I don’t typically make comments or judgments about the physical appearance of folks who visit my home. Yet, a friend of my grandson Camden recently stayed at my house and I just gotta say, well, that kid was thin. Flat, in fact. So flat that the descriptor is officially part of his given name.

Yes, it’s Flat Stanley of whom I speak.

November 21, 2019

Second serving: 15 more Thanksgiving jokes for kids

November 21, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

When it comes to Turkey Day, corny jokes make a tasty appetizer for kids of all ages, as my 20 Thanksgiving jokes for kids post proves. So just in time for this year’s feast and fun with little ones (and big ones, too), I offer up a second serving of similarly silly stuff to giggle about as you gather together.

November 14, 2019

Grandma success!

November 14, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

As a grandma, you know you’re onto something when after engaging in an activity with a grandkiddo, he or she says, “We should do this every time!”

Well, I believe I’m onto something as Declan, my five-year-old long-distance grandson, declared exactly that during a recent FaceTime visit he and I had.

My success revolved around …

March 28, 2019

Springtime treat: Bird Nest No-Bake Cookies

March 28, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Several years ago, I shared here how to make Bird Nest Cookies. Considering spring has finally arrived, I figured it’s high time to share the scrumptious springtime treat once more.

Hence, this kinda, sorta rerun of Springtime fun: Bird Nest Cookies, which published April 30, 2013, back when Brayden and Camden were itsy bitsy boys—my only grandboys at that point—who loved to bake (or create no-bake) goodies with Gramma.

March 14, 2019

Dublin over: St. Patrick's Day jokes for kids (A #TBT feature)

March 14, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Dear readers: This #TBT feature originally appeared on Grandma’s Briefs March 15, 2017. Thank you for reading—and chucklin’ over—my corny collection.

Time for another round of seasonal silly stuff for kids and their keepers, be they grandmothers or others. This go-round the subject is St. Patrick and his special day.

February 25, 2019

'I'm your caption, I'm your caption!' Plus, GRAND Social No. 341 link party for grandparents

February 25, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

‘I’m your caption, I’m your caption!’

In last week’s GRAND Social, I asked for caption suggestions for a funny photo of my sweet Benjamin. I also posted the pic to social media and asked for captions from folks there.

I gotta tell ya, I sure got some smile-worthy suggestions! Some silly, and some sweet.

Here—as I promised last week and with apologies to Grand Funk Railroad for the blog headline above (yeah, yeah, yeah)—are two of my favorite captions. One appeals to the Denver Broncos fan in me, the other the wishful-thinking grandma in me.

December 27, 2018

Long-distance grandsons: The 2018 highlight reel of our times together

December 27, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

When grandparents and grandchildren live miles apart—815 miles it is for Brayden, Camden, Declan, and myself—every moment shared is one to be treasured.

Here, the highlight reel of our times together in 2018, including more from the birthday visit to the North Pole with the Colorado clan:

December 06, 2018

Firsts: Declan and snow... snow... snow!

December 06, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Megan made the trek from the desert to Colorado last month, to meet newborn nephew Benjamin. Brayden and Camden stayed home with Dad so they wouldn’t miss school, but as Declan is obligated only to two mornings a week at preschool, he had the privilege of joining Mommy for the visit.

The first morning of their stay at my house, Declan woke me early, bounding into my bedroom exclaiming, “Gramma! It’s SNOWing!”