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October 06, 2012

The Saturday Post: May I Suggest edition

October 06, 2012/ Lisa Carpenter

I recently had the privilege of becoming part of a private Facebook group of mid-life bloggers and writers. The creative women in that group inspire me daily, and I'm so honored to be in their midst.

One of the co-creators of the group, the beautiful inside and out Chloe Jeffreys, posted last week a video of a conference she attended. The music she attached to the footage was hauntingly beautiful and resonated, soul deep.

Of course I had to search for that song and share it with you here:

May I Suggest — by Susan Warner (thanks to Chloe for graciously including the lyrics)

May I suggest
May I suggest to you
May I suggest this is the best part of of your life

May I suggest
this time is blessed for you
this time is blessed and shining almost blinding bright
just turn your head
and you’ll begin to see
the thousand reasons that were just beyond your sight

the reasons why
why I suggest to you
why I suggest this is the best part of your life

there is a world
that’s been addressed to you
addressed to you, intended only for your eyes
a secret world
a treasure chest to you
of private scenes and brilliant dreams that mesmerize

a tender lover’s smile
a tiny baby’s hands
the million stars that fill the turning sky at night

Oh I suggest
Yes I suggest to you
Yes I suggest this is the best part of your life

There is a hope
that’s been expressed in you
the hope of seven generations, maybe more
this is the fate
that they invest in you
it’s that you’ll do one better than was done before

inside you know
inside you understand
inside you know what’s yours to finally set right

and I suggest
and I suggest to you
and I suggest this is the best part of your life

this is a song
comes from the west to you
comes from the west, comes from the slowly setting sun
this is a song
with a request of you
to see how very short the endless days will run
and when they’re gone
and when the dark descends
we’d give anything for one more hour of life

may I suggest
this is best part of your life

Have a beautiful Saturday.

October 01, 2012

GRAND Social — Grandparent linky — October 1

October 01, 2012/ Lisa Carpenter

As I scurry about this week, meeting deadlines and preparing for Friday's trip to the desert to see my grandsons, I'm determined to keep one thing in mind—a lesson I learned Saturday. From a squirrel. Yes, a squirrel. A lesson that looked like this:

That sprawled-out squirrel I photographed Saturday taking a break and enjoying the fall weather reminds me that no matter how busy one may be, we all should take a moment to relax and enjoy our surroundings. I will incorporate moments of sprawling between my moments of scurrying this week. I hope you'll do the same.

Thank you for taking a moment of your time to visit and participate in this, the first GRAND Social of October. Enjoy!

How it works:

All grandparent bloggers are invited to add a link. You don't have to blog specifically about grandparenting, but you must be a grandparent who blogs.

Posts shared can be an old one or a recent one, your choice. I like to link up to older posts that current readers likely haven't seen.

To link up, copy the direct link to the specific post you want to share, not the link to your blog's home page. Then click the blue "Click here to enter" text below and follow the directions to add your post to the list.

You can add up to three posts, but no duplicates, please, and none you have promoted on a previous GRAND Social linky.

No contests, giveaways, or Etsy sites.

Adding a mention at the bottom of your linked posts, such as This post has been linked to the GRAND Social linky, is appreciated. Or, you can post the GRAND Social button using the following code:

Grandma’sBriefs.com

The GRAND Social linky is open for new posts through Wednesday evening, so please come back to see those added after your first visit.

Looking for another grandparent linky? Be sure to visit Connie's Grandparent's Say It Saturday Link Party each Saturday (open to links through Monday nights).

If you're not a blogger, you have the pleasure of being a reader. All bloggers who link up would be honored to have you click, visit, read and comment.

READERS and PARTICIPATING BLOGGERS: Please visit the posts others have linked to by clicking on the thumbnail photos. Comments are always appreciated by the bloggers whose links you visit, even if it's simply "Hey, stopping by from GRAND Social."

Thank you for participating in the GRAND Social grandparent linky!

September 27, 2012

Pit bulls, owl quotes, and guilty babies

September 27, 2012/ Lisa Carpenter

As long-time readers may have noticed—because of postings here and here, to name a few—I'm continually amused and sometimes even touched by the search terms that lead people to Grandma's Briefs.

Time again for me to share with you those that most make me go "Huh?"

First off, let me say that other than phrases related to grandmas and grandsons, always at the top of the query list for my site is pit bull. Why? Well, my dog Mickey is part pit bull (other part pointer). I occasionally blog about him. Apparently a lot of people are searching—be it out of love, fear, or disdain—for information on animals that look and act much like my Mickey. All I can figure is I need to start another blog, perhaps called Pit Bull Briefs. I have no doubt, according to my list of query terms, that it would be quite popular—at least on the search engines.

Other than pit bull, here are some of my more curious queries in the last week, plus links to what the unsuspecting searchers ended up being directed to.

I love macaroni — Believe it or not, in the past week I've had not only one person but two who reached Grandma's Briefs by typing that into the Google search bar. I do love macaroni, especially when paired with cheese. I have a feeling my fellow mac lovers were a little disappointed, though, when their love affair led them here.

Owl quotes — I'm not sure how, when, or why someone might think they'd find quotes from owls online (Is it even possible to quote an owl? Do they say anything quote worthy? In a language we'd understand?), but again, not just one but two people got here looking for wisdom from owls. Instead, they got this, which does feature a cool owl photo (not by me), but nothing uttered by an owl, not even a hoo-hoo of any sort.

Scholarships for grandmas — If there is such a thing, I want to sign up, too. Maybe the searcher, if they happen to be reading this, will share the successful results from their search. This sponsored post certainly didn't get them any closer to the pot of gold they were searching for.

Not just a chicken bagel recipe — I've heard of several kinds of bagels but never a chicken bagel. They certainly got something that's not just a chicken bagel recipe when they stumbled upon my Homemade Bagels post.

Guilty baby — This one makes me sad, to be quite honest. Babies are innocent, guiltless beings—even when at their most frustrating. I worry why one might search for that term and what they plan to do to the baby they assume is guilty. It's even more disconcerting when seeing that three people used that specific search term and ended up on Grandma's Briefs. I hope they thought twice about the guilt of the child in question when they were met with my post on being a guilt-ridden grandma.

So not guilty!

"Stinky diaper" — Yes, it even had the quote marks around it. If a dirty diaper was a challenge for them, I can only imagine what they thought when landing on my Tough (Grand) Mudder post.

Hide in leaves — If you need directions on how to do it, you're seriously missing out on the fallen leaf fun. Bubby had no trouble figuring it out, as evidenced here.

What is one word for not improved — Apparently this person never heard of an online thesaurus. I doubt this post gave them what they sought. Though maybe they enjoyed the photo of Bubby and Mac.

What to write about a grandson's smile — Nothing curious about that one, really. It's just a sweet search. And one that made me smile. I hope what they found here helped them write what they'd hoped to — and made them smile.

Today's question:

What did you last search for online?

September 24, 2012

GRAND Social — Grandparent linky — September 24

September 24, 2012/ Lisa Carpenter

I'm not sure if I learned it in kindergarten—that fabled place where all we really need to know was supposedly ingrained—but I am sure that I did learn how to share somewhere along the line. Yet it's come to my attention that I've been remiss in regularly sharing what's in the far reaches of the Grandma's Briefs website. Namely, Grandma's Back Room.

If you're a fan of Grandma's Briefs on Facebook, you've been directed to the Back Room, but I need to get better about pointing out what's featured there right here, on my home page. So before I kick off this week's GRAND Social, I want to direct those who've never been or those who have but may have forgotten all about it to click on over to Grandma's Back Room. It's where you'll find my reviews, my giveaways, my sponsored posts.

Of course, the giveaways are a top reason to visit the Back Room, and this week there will be plenty. For starters, there's a current giveaway for a VeggieTales DVD, but that's just the beginning. This week I'll also feature in the Back Room another DVD giveaway as well as one you surely won't want to miss as it's for the coolest of cool indoor bouncy houses. Plus, I have a few other goodies I hope to get posted there this week.

I urge you to visit the Back Room, take a look around, and enter the current giveaway, even if just as practice for what's to come. Entering a Rafflecopter giveaway, the widget I use for giveaways, can be a tad intimidating the first time or two. I'd like you to practice up, for I have great giveaways in store, not only this week but through the end of the year (think week of giveaways when my Holiday Guide kicks off), and I'd really hate for you to miss out on them.

Then do come back here. After all, today I share here the main feature of the day—another GRAND Social.

See? I do know how to share! Now it's your turn, via the GRAND Social.

How it works:

All grandparent bloggers are invited to add a link. You don't have to blog specifically about grandparenting, but you must be a grandparent who blogs.

Posts shared can be an old one or a recent one, your choice. I like to link up to older posts that current readers likely haven't seen.

To link up, copy the direct link to the specific post you want to share, not the link to your blog's home page. Then click the blue "Click here to enter" text below and follow the directions to add your post to the list.

You can add up to three posts, but no duplicates, please, and none you have promoted on a previous GRAND Social linky.

No contests, giveaways, or Etsy sites.

Adding a mention at the bottom of your linked posts, such as This post has been linked to the GRAND Social linky, is appreciated. Or, you can post the GRAND Social button using the following code:

Grandma’sBriefs.com

The GRAND Social linky is open for new posts through Wednesday evening, so please come back to see those added after your first visit.

Looking for another grandparent linky? Be sure to visit Connie's Grandparent's Say It Saturday Link Party each Saturday (open to links through Monday nights).

If you're not a blogger, you have the pleasure of being a reader. All bloggers who link up would be honored to have you click, visit, read and comment.

Thank you for participating in the GRAND Social grandparent linky!

September 17, 2012

GRAND Social — Grandparent linky — September 17

September 17, 2012/ Lisa Carpenter

Hooray for another Monday! Hooray for another GRAND Social!

Please link. Please read. Please enjoy—your Monday and the GRAND Social.

(PS: I'm still having wireless network issues that have seemingly overtaken my life. I have a tech visit scheduled for today. Please cross your fingers for connectivity. And please understand if I'm not getting around to comment on your posts as I'd like to, as I should. I'm hoping to soon. Thank you!)

How it works:

All grandparent bloggers are invited to add a link. You don't have to blog specifically about grandparenting, but you must be a grandparent who blogs.

Posts shared can be an old one or a recent one, your choice. I like to link up to older posts that current readers likely haven't seen.

To link up, copy the direct link to the specific post you want to share, not the link to your blog's home page. Then click the blue "Click here to enter" text below and follow the directions to add your post to the list.

You can add up to three posts, but no duplicates, please, and none you have promoted on a previous GRAND Social linky.

No contests, giveaways, or Etsy sites.

Adding a mention at the bottom of your linked posts, such as This post has been linked to the GRAND Social linky, is appreciated. Or, you can post the GRAND Social button using the following code:

Grandma’sBriefs.com

The GRAND Social linky is open for new posts through Wednesday evening, so please come back to see those added after your first visit.

Looking for another grandparent linky? Be sure to visit Connie's Grandparent's Say It Saturday Link Party each Saturday (open to links through Monday nights).

If you're not a blogger, you have the pleasure of being a reader. All bloggers who link up would be honored to have you click, visit, read and comment.

Thank you for participating in the GRAND Social grandparent linky!

September 13, 2012

Wherein Gramma punts and boys play guitars

September 13, 2012/ Lisa Carpenter

One of the few things I know about football is this: When all else fails, punt.

Consider this my punt.

I am having Internet connectivity problems. I spent all day yesterday (and I do mean all day) having online access for a minute...then no access...then a bit again...then it was gone.

As I serve as my very own IT person, I plugged, unplugged, turned off, turned on...and called Comcast, my provider. Who didn't help much at all.

Then I replaced my modem and router. It worked! For a second, before it went out. Then it worked again, but not on Jim's computer. So I called Comcast. They didn't help much at all. Then all access—wireless, at least, which is the way I roll, the way I need things to roll—just plain disappeared.

So...here I am with an ethernet cable running over and around the desk, hoping to stay connected just long enough to get a post up for today. I've never missed one single day of posting since starting this blog the end of July 2009, and I refuse to let connectivity issues ruin my record.

So I punt.

It's a cute punt, though—a video of Bubby and Mac getting their first taste of the LeapFrog products I brought them a few weeks ago. It shows so well the difference between the boys: Bubby takes his time focusing on one thing until he gets it right; Mac is all over the place, sampling this and that with abandon.

I hope you enjoy my punt.

Over and out. But not for long. I hope.

Today's question:

Who handles the techy issues and connectivity around your home?

September 10, 2012

GRAND Social — Grandparent linky — September 10

September 10, 2012/ Lisa Carpenter

It's a new week and a whole new world. At least in terms of weather. One week ago, I was moaning and groaning about the seemingly neverending heat of summer, even as summer was winding down.

As I look ahead to this week, though, I'm smiling. Especially because last night when I checked the weather forecast for the next few days, this is what I saw:

Does that look like heaven or what? If not heaven, then at the very least it's a super sign that autumn—my very favorite season—is on its way. And that makes me smile.

Another thing that makes me smile? The GRAND Social. Between the prospect of awesome posts and the potential for pleasant weather, I'd say the new week's off to a pretty darn good start. Enjoy!

How it works:

All grandparent bloggers are invited to add a link. You don't have to blog specifically about grandparenting, but you must be a grandparent who blogs.

Posts shared can be an old one or a recent one, your choice. I like to link up to older posts that current readers likely haven't seen.

To link up, copy the direct link to the specific post you want to share, not the link to your blog's home page. Then click the blue "Click here to enter" text below and follow the directions to add your post to the list.

You can add up to three posts, but no duplicates, please, and none you have promoted on a previous GRAND Social linky.

No contests, giveaways, or Etsy sites.

Adding a mention at the bottom of your linked posts, such as This post has been linked to the GRAND Social linky, is appreciated. Or, you can post the GRAND Social button using the following code:

Grandma’sBriefs.com

The GRAND Social linky is open for new posts through Wednesday evening, so please come back to see those added after your first visit.

Looking for another grandparent linky? Be sure to visit Connie's Grandparent's Say It Saturday Link Party each Saturday (open to links through Monday nights).

If you're not a blogger, you have the pleasure of being a reader. All bloggers who link up would be honored to have you click, visit, read and comment.

Thank you for participating in the GRAND Social grandparent linky!