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Grandma's Briefs

for grandmothers and others

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Grandma's Briefs is for grandmothers and others. Bits on the good, bad, humorous and heartwarming of being a baby boomer, grandparent, parent to adult children, wife and writer. Features include lifestyle articles, reviews, recipes, grandma profiles, and more.

May 07, 2018

Functional art for Mom's Day

May 07, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Functional art for Mom's Day!

A few weeks ago I shared with you how fantastically artistic Brayden and Camden are, their school art show submissions proof of such.

Now my daughter Megan (mom to Brayden and Camden... as well as little bro Declan) has taken my grandsons' creativity a step further. She turned the boys' art into marvelous Mother's Day gifts for Gramma. Functional gifts.

To wit:

May 02, 2018

Gramma's three MVPs

May 02, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Though it seems a mere 37 seconds ago that fall youth sports ended, the spring season is already well underway.

This go 'round, I have three—count 'em, three—footballers out and about on the field.

March 21, 2018

Grandma's word of the day: Palmary

March 21, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Today's word is... PALMARY

Definition of palmary (per The Gilded Tongue: Overly Eloquent Words for Everyday Things):

[PAL/PAHL-muh-ree] adjective

From Latin palmarious ...

March 14, 2018

Word of the day: Artistry

March 14, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Today's word is... ARTISTRY

Definition of artistry (per Dictionary.com):

[ahr-ti-stree] noun

1. artistic workmanship, effect, or quality. 2. artistic ability.

Artistry on display:

March 12, 2018

OT for Tooth Fairy

March 12, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

OT for Tooth Fairy

Last week I shared a precious pic of Brayden displaying his first missing molar. Mere days after that post, Megan shared on social media a photo of Brayden and Camden, who both lost another tooth.

One day later, Megan posted yet another photo, this one showing Camden lost yet another tooth.

February 28, 2018

Word of the Day: Jubilation

February 28, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Today's word is... JUBILATION!

Definition of jubilation (per Merriam-Webster):

1: an act of rejoicing : the state of being jubilant

2: an expression of great joy

Jubilation on display:

February 08, 2018

Throwback Thursday: Valentine's Day Marshmallow Pops

February 08, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

This #TBT piece by Lisa Carpenter originally published February 3, 2015 on Grandma's Briefs.

What you need:

20 large marshmallows

4 ounces or so vanilla candy coating, aka Almond Bark

festive decorative cookie sprinkles

20 lollipop sticks (popsicle sticks might work equally well)

What you do:

Have kiddos poke sticks into marshmallows, all the way...

February 05, 2018

Final football photos

February 05, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Final football photos!

With Sunday's (spectacular!) Super Bowl marking the end of football season, I figure I should go ahead and share my favorite football photos of the season. Photos I forgot to share soon after they were shot.

My favorite football photos of this past season are — surprise, surprise — of my three desert-dwelling grandsons. Photos not of them playing football, but watching football. Well, even better than watching football, my grandsons were attending their very first professional football game!

December 13, 2017

The difference one hundred ninety-nine days makes

December 13, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

Up until this past weekend, my husband and I last saw our three desert-dwelling grandsons one hundred and ninety-nine days ago. At that time, we flew to their house to celebrate their birthdays — all of which are in June — a few weeks early. At that time, they looked like this:

Last weekend Jim and I flew to their house to celebrate Christmas with them — a few weeks early. In the one hundred and ninety-nine days since our visit in May, Brayden, Camden, and Declan have grown by leaps and bounds — in stature, maturity, conversational prowess, game-playing ability, and more.

November 13, 2017

Plural magic!

November 13, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

Plural magic!

Welcome to a new week! I'd like to start this week sharing with you a smile, and few folks make me smile as much as my grandson Camden.

Most recently, Camden cracked me up with the following, which Megan posted on...

Grandma's Briefs

Grandma's Briefs is for grandmothers and others. Bits on life's second act and the empty nest: the good, bad, humorous and heartwarming of being a baby boomer, grandparent, parent to adult children, wife and writer. Features include lifestyle articles, movie reviews, recipes, product reviews, auto test drives, grandma profiles, and more.