11 last-minute gift ideas for grandmothers and others to give and get

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Time's ticking and if you still have a few stockings to fill or a few gifts to give, here are some simple gift ideas to consider. I tested out each — free for review — and give an honest thumbs-up to all.

A few are ideal for grandmas to give, a few more ideal for grandmas to get. Bonus: All can be ordered online, so no need to be out and about in the snow. (Note: There are NO affiliate links in this post.)

RING IT GAME ($14.99, BlueOrangeGames.com)

ring it game

Oh my goodness! My four-year-old grandson loves this game, even though it's designed for...

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Desert bloom, plus GRAND Social No. 185 link party for grandparents

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Desert bloom

It's been quite cold in Colorado since I returned from my visit to the desert last week. Perhaps it's the fact I came home from the desert that makes Colorado seem a wee bit chillier than usual. It's been icy and snowy and cold the past few days, which makes it even more incredible to think that just one week ago, I was shooting photos of the sun-loving flowers blooming on the bushes in my grandsons' back yard.

Flowers such as this... of which I have no idea the name (does anyone?):

 

Just looking at that magnificent desert...

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Pool pals, plus GRAND Social No. 184 link party for grandparents

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Pool pals

I had the good fortune of being at my grandsons' house the day they finally — after months that felt like a bazillion years to three rambunctious boys — got to put on their swimsuits and get into their new swimming pool for the very first time.

The words "wet" and "wild" pretty much sum up our Sunday. The word "happy," too.

grandma and grandsons swimming

Just two days remain in this pre-Christmas...

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Angles and angels and what grandmas won't do for their grandkids

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We got our first big snow of the season last month. When Megan heard about the snowstorm, she asked that I make a snow angel to show the boys how it's done. See, my disadvantaged desert-dwelling grandsons have never, ever made a snow angel.

So, being the accommodating grandma that I am, I made a snow angel for my grandsons. As it was too cold and the snow too deep for me to venture out into the yard, I decided to lie down on the snow-covered deck, just outside my kitchen door.

I flapped my arms and legs (the best I could with the rocking chair obstructing my flapping right arm) as Jim made a brief video on my phone of me flapping and flailing for my grandsons then carefully rising from the snow, hoping...

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No more babies, plus GRAND Social No. 181 link party for grandparents

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No more babies

At this point in time, I no longer have baby grandchildren. That truth was confirmed (again) last week when Megan texted a few photos of fun at the park.

The most recent baby, Jak, is clearly no longer a baby.

toddler boy 

Nope. Jak's a big boy. Just like his brothers, Mac and Bubby, who...

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