Getting All Dressed Up

Posted on April 2, 2013 by The Village Granny

There are so many fantastic things about Easter! About sitting in church on Easter morning! The flowers, the music, the singing, the words spoken, the mass of people, the many greetings, the colorful banners and of course, the scores of children.

Children of all sizes, shapes, and temperaments. Children we normally don’t see in church service because they are in their separate Sunday School classes. Children bright-eyed, scrubbed and dressed to the nines. Girls in their pretty dresses, some with hats and sparkly shoes. Boys in suits and ties, shirts tucked in (at least at the beginning) and shoelaces tied (at least at the beginning).

Getting dressed in one’s finery for holidays, especially Easter, is not something new. I have many memories of my two brothers and me being stuffed into new clothes every Easter dawn. They in matching suits with vests and sometimes new shoes. Me in a beautiful dress made by my mother with hat, gloves, purse, matching socks and shiny patent leather shoes.

Photos were always taken outside in front of the house, with us standing in birth order, very straight and still and a little uncomfortable in our new clothes. My brothers never smiled, their arms hanging down at their sides. Me? I loved it! And the memories are now priceless!!

Today is no different. I thoroughly enjoy the look, the feel and even the smell of new clothes, new shoes and a new purse. And making these memories for children now is just as important as when I was little.

It is said that clothes make the person, but I think clothes can also make the occasion. Along with decorations, food, rituals and gifts, special dress can make an event even more memorable for a child.

Getting dressed up means you act different, talk different, do things differently, and use your best manners. Special clothes on a special day means special things will be happening – visiting with special people you haven’t seen for some time, eating special food, singing special songs, giving special gifts, playing special games. All of it is very, very special, requiring lots and lots of photos for those very special memories.

What all this means is, it’s worth it. It’s worth all the time, expense and worry to get it together for an event for a child. I remember a time during fourth grade when I was invited to a birthday party almost every weekend. My mother, the great seamstress. made a new dress for me for each party. When I expressed my wonder at her extreme effort, she said, “If you have a good time in a dress once, it’s worth it.”

That’s not to say every child needs new clothes each time he/she walks out the door. But it does mean that every child deserves our effort and time to make their days worth remembering. I does mean that if it’s an occasion for fun, food and festivity, it’s worth getting dressed up.

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A Reason To Celebrate

Posted on March 21, 2013 by The Village Granny

It wasn’t Christmas. It wasn’t a birthday. It wasn’t even a designated holiday. It was a Tuesday evening and our grandson Mac had a piece of artwork chosen to be shown at a school district-wide art show. He was among about thirty first graders from his elementary school picked to share their mixed-media art with the community.

Of course, all the grades were represented from Mac’s school, as were all the grades from all the schools in the district. All total, there were hundreds of wonderful, clever creations hanging on the walls of the Education Center where the show was held. Everything one could imagine was used in the making of all that art – from paper to yarn to melted crayons to cardboard to photos to glitter to papier mache.

Every inch of wall space was covered with colorful, thoughtful pieces, each telling their own story. Which meant hundreds of kids with siblings, parents and grandparents in tow, searching for that one special expression of his/her own self. Let me tell you, it was crowded!

But we were there for Mac. “We” being his parents and both sets of grandparents. His drawing was at the end of many turns and a labyrinth of hallways but no less crowded area.

Once found, the piece and the boy were photographed at length – at the right of, on the left of, pointing to, kneeling beneath, smiling, looking serious, with parents and without.

Mac explained to each of us in detail the meaning and symbolism of all the parts of his artwork. It mostly had to do with Angry Birds and a king – huh? (You had to be there!) His enthusiasm and pride were so infectious and so fun to watch.

After the art show, which actually felt like a one-person showing despite the crowds, we decided to go out to eat. Artists and kids in general love food as part of a celebration. It doesn’t really matter what kind of food or where you go to eat it, the point is the enjoyment as a group.

As far as celebrations go, this one was perfect! So what makes a celebration, perfect or otherwise?

1) Any reason can be chosen.

2) It makes a child proud and happy.

3) It involves a family and loved ones.

4) Memories are made.

5) Lots of love, touching and laughter are shared.

6) Participants spend time together.

7) Good food can always be added to the event.

Bubbles Over The Back Fence

Posted on March 19, 2013 by The Village Granny

Last Saturday I woke up to the sight of dozens of bubbles through my back window, clear bubbles floating in the air. The closer I looked, the more bubbles I saw. More and more of them actually coming over the back fence and lingering in my yard, like little airborne gifts. All different sizes, wrapped in shiny round coats, with no particular destination in mind. Many, many lighter-than-air balls just wafting over my wooden fence for no reason.

This was truly a once in a lifetime event for me. I’d seen bubbles at weddings, bubbles in a laundry room, bubbles at a child’s party but never in my empty backyard on a Saturday morning. Never uncalled for, unsummoned or unexpected as these were.

It seemed pretty quiet outside. No loud yelling or laughing. No sounds of a birthday party or such happening on the other side of the fence. If I stood still for a time, I thought I could hear a small giggle now and then, but otherwise nothing.

There seemed to be no obvious occasion over there, on the other side, beyond my view, for any bubble making. And yet bubbles were there, pouring over the wooden divider of our yards.

How curious this was! How strange! The more I wondered, the more I imagined. My mind started to fill in where facts were absent. I began to picture all sorts of reasons why bubbles would be dancing in my yard.

Maybe a family of fairies was having a gathering next door and being so small, would be difficult to see or hear. But they were having so much fun that their laughter became louder and could be heard only if a human stood very still and quiet, as I did.

And maybe the fairy children were putting on a small (well, what else would it be?) talent show for the whole family, proudly sharing all their skills and talents with their loved ones. As the tiniest fairies danced, sang, gave readings, and shared drawings, the elders clapped, whooped and cheered.

And maybe, just maybe when a fairy claps, a magical thing happens. The clap does not make a noise . . . . . . it makes a bubble! And maybe the more a fairy claps, the more bubbles he makes. And maybe if a lot of fairies are clapping a lot, say for a talent show by the little fairies, well then, maybe a lot of bubbles will rise up. So many, in fact, they will flow over the fence into the neighbor’s yard.

And if that neighbor, who sadly has no fairies, seems to enjoy the bubbles, the fairies continue to clap just to make bubbles for her.

So maybe the bubbles were little gifts from the fairies next door after all. Maybe if I hadn’t gone out to enjoy them, they would have ended almost immediately. Maybe I would have thought nothing about a few bubbles and gone on with my day. Maybe I would have had an ordinary Saturday.

As it turned out, my over-the-fence neighbor was testing a bubble machine in his back yard to take to a party that night. He claims he has never seen fairies in his yard – ever!

I’m not sure. I think the fairies have just moved. I hope they are still in the neighborhood. I much prefer extraordinary Saturdays!

Play With Me, Granny

Posted on March 7, 2013 by The Village Granny

“Play with me, Granny”

How many times have I heard those words from a sweet grandchild with pleading eyes, pursed lips and a toy or a game in their outstretched arms? Plenty, I tell you, and also not enough!

Spending time with a little one has to be one of the greatest pleasures in the world. And when that time is face-to-face in imaginary play, the gates of heaven themselves seem to open up. It is great fun in the moment and the memory is beyond words.

Our 7 yo grandson Mark has always enjoyed games but recently has discovered a new level of board games that we have all been rediscovering with him. Checkers has become a real favorite, along with “The Ladybug Game.” It requires no reading, and was created by a first-grader as a school project. Mark was very intrigued by this and has decided he could do something similar. Such an interesting way that a game can be inspiring!

Another new favorite is “Qwirkle,” which is similar to Dominoes. Planning and strategy are necessary, so both of us are learning some new skills here.

Games and the time spent playing them can teach kids so much. And how to win is the least! In the beginning it may be just about taking turns and having fun. Later on, there’s much to absorb about fairness, truth, strategy, planning and having fun. Eventually, one must learn how to lose with grace, prepare for the future, visualize the effects of one’s actions, help others to succeed and have even more fun. The lessons of game-playing, as in life, never seem to end. And neither does the joy, thank heavens!

As I was cleaning out a closet recently, I found our old “Monopoly” game with a record of all the winning scores on the inside of the box lid going back more than thirty years. One particularly lengthy and sweet entry: 2/10/1986, my son’s name (he was then about 12 years old), $11,860, the town where we lived in Texas, 10:45 AM, 8 hotels, 6 houses, 18 properties, happened on a snowy day.

I can picture in my mind the kids home from school on a snow day, a fire in the fireplace, hot cocoa in mugs and everyone playing Monopoly for days at a time, stopping only to eat. The youngest child succeeding and proudly writing his legacy on the lid of a game box. There to be found, read and wonderfully remembered by his mother thirty years later.

Don’t think for one minute that time spent playing with your youngster is time wasted. It is profound. It is necessary. It is gobs of fun.

One Retirement, Three Days, Four Women, A Thousand Laughs

Posted on February 25, 2013 by The Village Granny

My friend Pam just retired this month. She is my age and I have known her since seventh grade. Let’s see, that would be about (Oh, my God!) 50+ years! Are we really that old? I guess we are. Anyway, retirement is a big deal and requires a celebration of sorts. So Pam and I and another friend Karen and her mother Nancy all decided to go to Karen’s ranch for a “girls’ weekend”.

Karen used to work with Gramps (both are engineering types) so I have known her for probably 20 years. Nancy, I met, naturally, through Karen about 10 years ago. Oddly enough, I was at one time the nurse for Nancy’s husband before he died. (I think we are down to 4 degrees of separation here!) And of course, Karen and Nancy have been related all their lives or at least all of Karen’s life. So all totaled, there are about 100 or more years of history between all of us. Amazing, yes?!

History like this cannot be made up, faked or even rushed. You can’t cram ten years of experience into a ten month old relationship. It just doesn’t work. Longterm relationships, like marriages, require stamina, fortitude and work. They don’t just “happen” or “pop up” like dandelions from the ground.

We four have seen the good, the bad, the ugly and the precious in each other over the long haul. We have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and graduations; dealt with deaths, disappointments and divorces; planned weddings, housewarmings and christenings all while managing laundry, teenagers, moves and occasional misunderstandings. In other words, we are long time friends and we know how blessed we are.

A weekend spent with women such as these is more than “time off”. It is a true rejuvenation of the spirit, mind and body. How did we accomplish such a miracle of rebirth?

First, we went someplace other than home. That way, nothing “yelled” at anyone to get done. No one felt compelled to clean, fold, vacuum or polish anything. No rules.

Then we each planned and provided one meal for everyone, which meant a great variety of food. PLUS snacks. PLUS chocolate, of course. No sense getting together without chocolate. Really!

We had plenty of free time to do whatever felt good. A couple gals brought sewing machines and projects to work on. Others had hand sewing, books and crafts on hand. We walked, talked, reminisced and laughed by the hour.

One evening was spent in front of a fire watching a funny/sweet chick flick that we had not seen before but thoroughly enjoyed. The following day was filled with more food, fun, sewing, laughing, talking and repeated as needed.

When I returned home three days later, I felt as though I had been gone a week. Things looked and felt different, like the trees were visibly taller or the houses had somehow changed. What a simple, profound weekend it was!

Isn’t it amazing how often the simple things in life become the profound things?

Happy Happy Feet

Posted on November 14, 2012 by The Village Granny

I found this video from a quilting friend of mine and absolutely fell in love! It is so cheerful, so gay, so beautiful, so . . . HAPPY! I simply had to share it with all my Sweeties. Tap your feet, sway to the music and hum. It’s a complete experience from your nose to your toes. And dance, dance, dance!!!

Thank you Rita Hayworth!

Gramps And I Make A Memory

Posted on March 18, 2012 by The Village Granny

Oh, my Sweeties! Gramps and I had such a grand weekend! We traveled to the Texas coast – Surfside Beach, to be precise. We went to preview the site of our son’s wedding planned for June 9th.

We were joined be our son Big Boy, his fiance Sweet Girl, her 2 boys ages 6 and 3, and her parents Grandma J and Grandpa J. Our rooms were ON the beach, 2 floors up with large balconies and kitchenettes. The weather, breezy, 75 degrees and partially cloudy. Darn near perfect by my standards!

There is something so soothing about the ocean and the sound of waves. It is universal and yet very difficult to actually put into words. I think it is a residual from our experience in the womb – the feel and sound of water. It takes us back to our roots – literally. Staying right on the shore was so wonderful and to be able to hear the ocean was spectacular. We slept like babies – well fed exhausted babies!.

Big Boy and Sweet Girl are to be married on the beach at sunset, so of course, we had to check out how it would look, the logistics of blocking off a small area of sand, how to keep the reception special but relaxed and how to manage the many children we will have in attendance. It is going to be a wonderful event with the entire family together. That doesn’t happen often enough for me.

The 2 boys reminded everyone we still needed to relax and have fun while planning a wedding. So, in between planning sessions, we managed to swim, wade, bogey board, fly kites and play badminton – which soon-to-be 6yo GS says is aptly named because he plays so “badly”. Does anyone know how to play “goodminton”?

Of course, there were the required sand castles, sand moats, sand dunes, sand towers, sand roads, sand racetracks, sand ______ (fill in the blank) built by little boys. Then the destruction and rebuilding of same over and over again. Isn’t that why God put sand on the beach?

The entire group enjoyed the sunset with snack food and drinks on the balcony. How lovely to chat, laugh, look to the future, remember the past, hug wiggly boys while surrounded by water, sand and sky.

The next morning Gramps and I had breakfast in Grandma and Grandpa J’s room followed by a long walk on the beach. We strolled holding hands with salty wind in our hair. Quite a change from the last few months in our life.

Looking back, I can see only one draw back the entire time – the wind. It whipped my hair around with a vengeance and after an hour or two I looked like a dandelion gone to seed. Pretty bad! Grandma J and I have both decided we are wearing hats for the wedding. We don’t want permanent records of our worst hair day ever!

This weekend will be one of the best memories for me. Not because it took a lot of planning – we just picked a weekend we could all go and made reservations. Not because we spent a bunch of money – didn’t cost much at all. Not because it was a big holiday – it was St. Patrick’s Day, but that was accidental. Not because we got all dressed up – wore shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops.

It will be a great memory because it involved time and family. That’s all. That’s all it takes. Time spent with the people you love, doing almost anything but preferably something fun. It seems an easy thing, yet seems to happen so seldom. I treasure every one as if it were pure gold. A moment of family time is a golden nugget as I experience it and becomes the memory I hold dearest as I age. I know, at some point, my memories will be all I have, so I gather them wisely and often. I wish the same for you, my Sweeties!

It’s Just A Day

Posted on December 31, 2011 by The Village Granny

Gramps and I are on the road, headed for Arizona to visit our niece,her husband and our “spiritual” grandchildren x 6. Our rental car is packed to the roof with Christmas gifts for young and old. Yes, I know Christmas was 6 days ago, but what’s a day? Or two? Or more?

We have never had Christmas with this special family since we became honorary Dad/Mom and Gramps/Granny. They weren’t able to come to our house for the holiday, so . . . . logic says we take Christmas to them. Even though we had Christmas with the other children and grandchildren on the designated, accepted day, we still wanted to take Christmas to Arizona.

So here we are on December 31 celebrating Christmas away from home with our “new” daughter, son-in-law and 5 of the 6 “new” grandkids. And you know what? It feels exactly like Christmas did last week!

What is Christmas after all? It’s just a day. If you can’t enjoy the actual day, pick another. It will work just as well. Or do as we have done . . . . rejoice 2 or 3 times over. How fun is that?

I have a very special memory from my childhood of the year we had 2 Christmases. According to my parents, Santa had forgotten to stop at our house and was coming back to deliver our gifts. The 3 of us children bought this story completely and were excited beyond belief that Santa would do such a thing for us. We were treated like royalty at school! No one else had ever gotten such special treatment from Santa. All the kids thought we 3 had an inside link to the bearded man! It wasn’t until I was an adult that I figured out why this all happened . . . . my parents couldn’t afford Christmas and had to wait for the after-Christmas sales to get our gifts. Can you imagine how hard this was for them and yet they were able to make it into one of the best memories for us. That was the true gift we all got that year and none of us have ever forgotten. We “kids”, all in our 60′s, still talk about the year we had 2 Christmases as one of the best ever.

A true Christmas can happen any day, any where, with or without wrapped presents. The love, the sharing, the giving cannot be put in a box with a bow. Although I’m not discounting the thrill of opening a present, big or little, given with thought and creativity.

This “2nd” Christmas has everything the first one had last week . . . . family, laughter, surprises, thank yous, piles of wrapping paper,lost little plastic men, good food, shared music, rowdy boys, exhausted adults. The only things different are one squealing, giggly little girl (the only granddaughter) and the neighbors here are watching reruns and eating mac and cheese. I think we are definitely having more fun! Maybe every year should have 2 Christmases!

A Look At A Book 4

Posted on December 14, 2011 by The Village Granny

“101 Places You Gotta See Before You’re 12″ by Joanne Sullivan

There is an amazing world out there to discover and everything you need to start exploring is right here in this book. You don’t have to go far or plan a big, expensive vacation to see great stuff. In fact, some of the greatest places may be right around the corner or down the block. You can experience another country’s cuisine at a nearby restaurant, check out the hidden wonders of a nearby cave, or get the inside scoop on what really happens in the teacher’s lounge! The 101 ideas presented in this book are general enough to get you started, but you can choose your own specific destination.

This delightful tour guide is filled with more than 250 color photos, tons of fun facts, lists of popular and little-known sites, journal pages, and a souvenir pocket. There’s also a fold-out map of North America and 150 stickers, so you can mark and rate where you want to go and where you’ve been.

So, how about taking a trip to a repair shop, a farmers’ market, or a retirement home? Or better yet a waterfall, a ghost town, or a landfill? Now, try to find a kooky capital, such as Hidalgo, TX, the Killer Bee Capital of the World or the Sock Capital of the World in Ft. Payne, AL. What fun is that! The adventures are endless and inspiring!

And the information is, well, informative and very comical as well! For example: The Top 5 Reasons To Swim In A Swimming Hole

5 – Your hair won’t turn green from the chlorine.

4 – You’ll be sharing the water with fish.

3 – There’s adventure and surprise–what WAS that thing that just brushed up against me?

2 – No concrete scrapes on your feet.

1 – No adult swim!

You and your grandkids will find this book teeming with suggestions to open your world and expand your boundaries. It reminds us all to take a second look at the things close at hand as well as dream of the once-in-a-lifetime destinations. Now it’s up to you, my Sweeties–set off on your own exciting adventures with 101 ideas!

Kids In The Kitchen

Posted on November 21, 2011 by The Village Granny

Kids in the kitchen? Sounds terrifying doesn’t it? After all, a kitchen is not a playground . . . or is it? A kitchen is not a classroom . . . or is it? A kitchen is not the best place for a quiet conversation . . . or is it?

Really, my Sweeties, a kitchen can be the best of all that and more. Magic can happen in a kitchen! Just be fearless and watch!

So, you say you can’t play in the kitchen? Try making popcorn the old fashioned way and see the little ones’ faces as they watch corn pop in amazement. Fun! Or make rice krispie balls with a bunch of munchkins. Very fun! Or decorate cupcakes with icing amongst a group of teens. Very, very fun!

And as for being a classroom, well, I can’t think of a better place to teach anyone math, measurement, geometry, portion, ratio, percentage, weight, length, time or maybe most importantly, patience. Hard to believe that cooking and baking involves all these things but everyone is having such a good time, no one realizes they are actually in school! Don’t tell!

Now, about those quiet conversations – talking with kids while you are having fun with them is what makes the memory. Everyone is at ease and therefore more open. Children will definitely be more forthcoming when distracted with an activity and when it is a shared activity, you have front-row seats to their inner thoughts. You and your precious ones can have the most interesting, touching and hysterically funny exchanges while making a mess in the kitchen. Be ever so grateful you are the privileged one allowed into their inner thoughts and selves.

Did I say “MESS”? Oh yes, dear Sweeties, there will be a mess – like no other! But rest assured, it will clean up with a little elbow grease. And it is so worth it. In fact, the moment is worth a thousand times more than the mess it makes. Try it and see. Invite some kids into your kitchen. Cook something. Bake something. Make a mess. Talk. You’ll love it!

The Village Granny

It takes a Village Granny to raise a Grand Child

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