Grandma gets a facelift

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Grandma gets a facelift

The time has come, my friends, for a facelift. Not for me personally, but for Grandma's Briefs.

For myriad reasons, I must move my site to a new platform. Still Squarespace, but a new and improved version of Squarespace. Still Grandma's Briefs, but a new and improved version of Grandma's Briefs — featuring pins that pin, the ability to reply directly to one another's comments, a more appetizing Recipe Box and so much more.

I've been working diligently in the background for a couple weeks now but am officially at the point I must put a pause on the posts published right here so nothing will be lost in the migration to the new spot.

Which means I won't be adding new content until I reveal the transformed Grandma's Briefs. No Saturday movie reviews, no GRAND Social, no new recipes, no blither and blather 'bout my grandboys. That said, you can still...

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Rapid recovery

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late night phone call

Grandmothers and others know few things prompt panic in a parent's or grandparent's heart quite like a late-night phone call or text from a child. Even an adult child.

I received one such scary communication from my daughter Megan — mom to my grandsons — last Friday night. Granted, it was only 8:30 in the evening, 7:30 her time, but that's not a time my long-distance daughter and I typically talk or text. So my heart indeed flip-flopped a few times upon hearing her ringtone.

Camden hurt himself, she told me.

Long story short: The rambunctious kid had been rambunctioning about (my word) and demonstrating to big brother Brayden how awesome he was at holding his breath. Resulting in Camden — briefly — passing out. And landing, unconscious, on his head on the hard stone tile flooring found throughout much of their house. A tremendous goose egg on his head served as reward for the frightening feat.

Thankfully Megan's sister-in-law is a pediatrician, so...

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Saturday movie review: Wind River

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Saturday movie review: Wind River

Moviegoers who like the Netflix series Longmire are sure to be intrigued by the film WIND RIVER as the two have much in common. Both are set in Wyoming, where the unforgiving terrain plays as much a part as the humans who live there and the plentiful Native American reservations throughout the region generate racial tensions many unfamiliar with Wyoming may not realize exist.

Wind River

In both the series and the movie, interaction between residents of a reservation and the "white" people living near the reservation is key to the story. Both have similar themes and characters (even a few of the same actors, as I mention below). Both have storylines highlighting the underlying distrust between Native Americans and townsfolk as well as the differences in how criminal justice is served — or not — on the rez and off. Characters of the series and the film include good guys and bad guys on both sides, folks who...

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My week in a 2017 Jeep Compass Trailhawk 4X4: Where I went, what I loved, what I learned

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Jeep Compass Trailhawk test drive

The Thursday before Labor Day, Rocky Mountain Redline fleet company provided me a 2017 Jeep Compass Trailhawk 4X4 for a week long test drive. Which meant I had the fun ride for the long holiday weekend... plus some.

In the seven days I had the pleasure of driving the well-appointed, hardy and handsome (Laser Blue Pearl exterior) 4X4, I put it to the test on the road, at a reservoir, and running the everyday errands that make up the grandma lifestyle.

Take a look:

WHERE I WENT (plus a closer look at...

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Retro '90s games your '80s and '90s kids will get a kick out of

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retro 90s games from Pressman Toy

Long, long ago, in what now seems an alternate universe, I had three daughters living at home, three daughters attending elementary school. Computers in the classroom were new, our home computer even newer. Games on both were DOS-based. And they. were. awesome. Especially in the pixel-dazzled eyes of my daughters.

At school, my girls and their friends clamored for computer time. Oregon Trail time, in particular. They so enjoyed attempting to survive the oft-deadly challenges of the trail west at school that we purchased the game — on 3.5-inch disk... or perhaps it was a 5.25-inch floppy — to play at home.

My girls (and my husband) spent hours at the screen hunting, scavenging, escaping bears, and crossing rivers as they traversed the seemingly never-ending Oregon Trail. Sometimes successfully, sometimes...

Continue reading the review in Grandma's Back Room...

Saturday movie briefs: What I watched on my summer vacation

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Netflix original series

Time's up!

Seems only last week that I started my summer break from movie reviews and movie briefs, but by golly, it's already after Labor Day. Time to get back in the movie groove.

I didn't go to the theater one single time this summer. I did, though, watch a few films on the big screen in my family room. A few fabulous series, too.

Here's the skinny on what I...

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Books, Brightly, and Grandparents of Children's Literature

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In celebration of Grandparents Day — which is this Sunday, Sept. 10 — I'd like to share with you a grand resource for grandparents that I just recently learned of.

Brightly is a resource for parents, grandparents, and other folks dedicated to raising lifelong readers. The award-winning website, a partnership with Penguin Random House, launched in 2014 and features, as the Brightly site states, "book recommendations from all publishers for every age and stage, reading tips and insights, seasonal inspirations, author essays, contests, gift guides, and more."

Brightly has some pretty great content specifically for grandparents, including the following piece, which I've received permission to share with you in part. Enjoy! And be sure to click for the complete article as well as others, all celebrating grandparents. For Grandparents Day and every day!

AREN'T THEY GRAND? OUR FAVORITE GRANDPARENTS FROM CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
By Tom Burns

Grandparents aren’t just solid sources of extra dollars, hearty hugs, and embarrassing...

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9 things that petrify my pit bull

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Folks who have never owned a pit bull nor had much experience with the breed often consider the dogs — and any mix that includes the breed — ferocious forces to avoid at all costs.

I own a pit bull. Well, a pointer-pit bull mix. One of my earliest posts here related the story of how/when/why we adopted the injured babe twelve or so years ago.

pit bull puppyMickey, soon after we adopted the fella.My husband and I weren't positive what we were in for at the time, but in the years since, we've learned our Mickey and others of his kind are far from ferocious — unless owners teach the animals to be that way, as is the case with any breed.

In fact, despite his maniacal barking that makes him seem tough and terrifying when he notices bicyclists, motorcycles, dogs, rabbits, and plastic grocery bags caught in the wind scooting down our street, Mickey is anything but ferocious. He's a chicken of the chickenest sort.

Mickey quakes, shakes, and shivers at...

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Friday briefs: On precious witnesses, my holiday ride, and what the heck is this?

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Precious witnesses
My middle daughter, Megan, and her husband, Preston, were both baptized as babies. Separately, of course. Last weekend the two of them confirmed their commitment to Christ together, publicly declaring as a couple they will forever live their lives for Christ.

Brayden, Camden, and Declan were front and center to witness the event.

boys watch Mom and Dad get baptized
Anticipating Mommy and Daddy's turn.

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