OUT: e-mail, IN: Grandma mail
Friday, February 4, 2011 This time last year, crafty grandmas were posting photos and directions for the festive little Valentine's Day mailboxes they'd created for their grandchildren. The marvy mailboxes posted by Nina and Kathy were exactly what I needed for Bubby -- a Grandma Mail box for all the goodies to come from his long-distance grandma year-round, not just for Valentine's Day.
But I was late to the crafty grandma game. I searched high and low for the little white tin boxes. At Michaels, Joann's, Hobby Lobby, and the dollar bin at Target (where others mentioned finding theirs). No little white boxes anywhere.
So I purchased one of the sturdy formed-paper ones from Hobby Lobby, along with cute stickers of things of interest to Bubby, and I made my own Grandma Mail box just for Bubby. It turned out cute -- despite it feeling a teensy bit to me like the Grandma Mail box version of Eddie Murphy's 'house burgers'. One good thing about my version was that it was larger than the little white boxes the on-top-of-things grandmas had used, which would be ideal for the larger envelopes and small packages I planned to send to Megan to pass along to Bubby, lifting the little red flag to announce mail from Gramma had arrived.
Bubby, though, found the larger size perfect for packing the thing full with his cars and trucks and carrying it around the house. And because he loved doing so so much, Megan let him. And the Grandma Mail box -- being made of "sturdy" paper -- turned out not to be so sturdy after all. So much for that.
Well, it just so happened I was in Target the other day and -- glory be! -- the dollar bins beckoned, as they were filled to the brim with the little white tin boxes with red plastic flags, red ones, too. I wouldn't miss out this year! Halleluiah!
I brought it home, adorned it for Bubby, and this, friends and fellow grandmas, was included in the Grandma Bag I toted to the desert with me this week:
It's adorned inside and out with stickers of things near and dear to Bubby's heart: trucks and emergency vehicles! There's his name on the other side, "Love, Gramma" on the bottom, and the little red flag to announce when mail has arrived from Gramma (placed there by Megan, of course; when the mail is too large, Bubby will find a "Notification of Package" form directing him to see Mommy to pick up the real thing).
This year I was prepared. I thought ahead. And when I say I thought ahead, I mean I really thought ahead: I wanted Birdy to have a Grandma Mail box, too, so I bought one for him, to be decorated later.
But I didn't stop there. Determined to not be caught without a box again, I bought several -- so each and every one of my grandkids to come will have a Grandma Mail box:
Eight should be enough. Megan and Preston plan to have three or four kids and the rest should cover Brianna and Andrea's kiddos. Forget that Brianna is nowhere near ready to have children yet and that Andrea swears she never will have children. Ya just never know.
As a former Girl Scout leader, the motto I once drilled into the heads of my little Daisies and Brownies has now become my Grandma Motto: Be Prepared!
I'm pretty sure I am prepared now. At least when it comes to Grandma Mail boxes!
Today's question:
What's the best thing you recently received in the mail -- USPS mail, not e-mail?
Reader Comments (12)
What a great idea! I guess the best thing I've received in the mail lately was last month's birthday cards. Otherwise, mostly bills around here...LOL
I have a fun little award thingy at my blog for you! Come on over and pick it up!
I had to laugh when I scrolled down and saw just how many more you bought! This is one of the best ideas yet!
Yesterday I received a real, honest to goodness letter from a friend I haven't heard from in many years. It made my day!!
You are indeed a well prepared grandma. Very funny.
Love the mailboxes! Yesterday, I got a card in the mail from an aunt I have seen once in the past three decades (she and my uncle divorced long ago). Not only was it a sweet card, it had a hefty check inside for my little one. Talk about nice surprises!
Those mailboxes are so cute, and you're right, you need to be prepared with several, just in case! The nicest thing I received in the mail lately was a little book called "Love Your Mess", written by Allison Nazarian. My blog friend Erin sent it to me. She and Allison are friends and she even had it signed for me. Cool beans!
Have a super weekend!
Love this idea. When the ice melts I think I'll head over to Target myself and pick up a couple for Our Little Princess and her soon-to-be sister.
I got a new Restoration Hardware catalog in the mail this week. It has helped me pass the time while iced in. It's truly a feast for the eyes and full of fabulous ideas that I can't afford. But I can steal a couple and do something similar.
With such a full Grandma's Bag to lug through the airport, you must have looked like a cute little elf trying to carry Santa's bag on her back!
My best thing received lately was a cheap, cheap clearance set of bedding I'd ordered from one of my mail order catalogs that the mail lady's son brought right up to my door, trudging through snow to keep me from having to do so.
a dress I ordered for myself.
If you ever have to evacuate your house quickly, will you grab the mailboxes?
Very cute idea.
I love this idea. Very, very cute. It's a new idea to me and I plan to tweak it for my grands who live nearby.
Just yesterday I helped my oldest granddaughter address and stamp an envelope to her aunt. She is ten and she had NEVER done it before!
Those mailboxes are so cute! The last thing I remember getting in the mail that brought me much joy was a surprise birthday present from my friend in Boston!
Ha ha! Be prepared just don't tell tour daughters how many grandchildren you're catering for. We don't have mailboxes in the uk but they're very cute especially with all the stickers on.