Poppa and The Shwing Set – Take Two
By · Mar 18, 2010 · CommentsOur granddaughter’s birthday is in August and last year we got her a swing set. In case you don’t remember the shwing set (her pronunciation) saga you can read about it here. http://nanahood.com/poppa-and-the-shwing-set
All last fall and though the winter the swing set looked like this….
My son and I finally came to the conclusion that while Poppa had the best intentions in the world, he simply didn’t have the time for such a massive project and so we hired a family friend to help my son put it together. For weeks there have been parts strewn throughout my basement. The instructions said it would take two men 40 hours to put it together. When I mentioned that to my son’s friend he laughed and pointed out that it actually said “two skilled men 40 hours,” and assured me it would take them longer, and it did but it was worth it. Yesterday I had my camera ready when Abby saw the swing set for the first time.
Priceless
I’m not sure my son or his friend will ever want to help put another one of these together, but that’s okay because this one should last awhile.
Looking through the telescope just to see what she can see
So, do you want to come over to my house and play?
A Book Giveaway… well, actually TWO!
By · Mar 17, 2010 · CommentsDo you like to win books? Well, you are at the right place today.
First, we have three children’s books to give away from www.benjaminbrownbooks.com.
The first two are Wenda the Wacky Wiggler and Doggy Bag.
Teresa wrote a review about Wenda HERE. And the review for Doggy Bag is HERE.
We have a third book, titled Lily and Lucy’s Shadow, and Teresa will be sharing a bit more about that one in a few days, but before that post, we wanted to give you the chance to WIN them.
Please leave a comment to be entered to win. (Only one comment per person). We’ll select ONE random winner next Saturday (March 27th) to receive all three books!
And secondly, we have a book by Cathy Bryant to give away. Click HERE to read her guest post and to enter to win!
A Guest Post… and a book giveaway!
By · Mar 17, 2010 · CommentsTHE BLESSING OF GRANDMOTHERS
By Cathy Bryant, © 2010
Once upon a time there was a homely little girl with crooked teeth and a face full of freckles. She loved the story of The Ugly Duckling, not only because she knew how it felt to be an outcast, but because she longed to grow into a beautiful and graceful swan.
Even though the girl felt ugly and unattractive, she also knew what it was to be loved. She had grandmothers.
The kids at school made fun of the little girl’s freckles. So she learned to duck her head and shy away from them, until her Grandma told her the freckles were angel kisses. A boy told her she had dog teeth. So the girl learned to smile with her lips closed, unti her Nanny said she had a smile that could light up the entire world.
Besides their love and wisdom, her grandmothers also gave the girl the gift of books.
Each week, her Grandma took her to the library where she immersed herself in different worlds—deserted islands, a pioneer’s prairie, the Swiss Alps. In those places it was easy to forget the bad and see the possibilities.
Her Nanny would often tell her bedtime stories from the Bible—stories about a young shepherd boy who killed a giant with a sling and his faith, about three men in a fiery furnace who refused to disobey their true King, about a Savior who loved her more than she could imagine.
The years passed quickly, and the girl grew into a woman. Now she has become what she’s longed to be for years—a Nana. And she will pass on to her grandchildren the gifts her grandmothers gave to her—the gifts of stories and unconditional love.
And she will tell them about the happily-ever-after.
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Cathy Bryant’s debut novel, TEXAS ROADS, tells the story of a disillusioned widow’s quest for home. The book was a finalist in the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers’ Genesis contest, and is now available at Amazon.com.
A Texas gal since birth, Cathy lives in a century-old farmhouse with her husband, a phobia-ridden cat, and a garden full of flowers, butterflies, and late-summer mosquitoes the size of your fist.
Blog: http://WordVessel.blogspot.com
Website: www.CatBryant.com
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Cathy has generously donated one of her books for us to give away. Leave a comment to on this post to be entered to win. We’ll select ONE random winner next Saturday (March 27th) to receive Cathy’s book.
You can read about (and enter to win) our other book giveaway HERE.
“>Personal Heroes – Erma Bombeck
By · Mar 16, 2010 · CommentsDuring my teen years when I was struggling to figure out who I was and my mother was struggling to keep from strangling me, she often used someone else’s words to express her thoughts and feelings. It wasn’t uncommon for me to come in at night after being out with my friends and find either a Bible, or one of Erma’s articles on my pillow. If it was the Bible the passage she wanted me to read would be clearly marked. If it was Erma’s column, “At Wit’s End,” it was usually clipped neatly out of the paper and placed smack in the center of my pillow.
Looking back I know that mom used the Bible to try and save my soul and Erma to remind us both that we were human, and that sometimes laughter and looking at the lighter side of things can get us through tough times.
My mother was a smart woman. She knew I was a reader and that if for no other reason than curiosity, I wouldn’t (couldn’t) ignore what she had left me. She also knew I couldn’t back talk God or Erma, they were safe from my sometimes sarcastic tongue.
If you have never read Erma’s books or worse yet, never heard of her, you are missing out. Her take on motherhood, marriage and everyday life made her The Voice of her generation. My mother died of colon cancer at the age of 51 in 1990. Six years later I lost my surrogate mother, Erma, she was 69.
When we lose someone we love we can’t imagine life without them and when the hurt is new and your heart is aching with loss, it’s hard to believe that things will get better. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, in my opinion, it just makes them easier to live with. The memories come flooding back and soon you realize that even when someone is gone, their words live on in your heart. And so it is with my mother and Erma.When I miss my mom I read the letters she wrote me while I was away at college. When I miss Erma I read her books or old columns.
In fact just this morning I thought about one of Erma’s books (which inspired this whole post). The title of it is If Life is a Bowl of Cherries-What Am I Doing in the Pits? I decided that if I were to write a similar book I would entitle it, If Life is a Bowl of Cherries-What Am I Doing Beneath this Pile of Laundry?
If I ever go missing please tell someone to check the laundry room. I feel sure they will find me beneath a pile of dirty clothes!
On some web sites today is Tackle it Tuesday (www.5minutesformom.com)- Can you guess what I am going to tackle today?
And on this blog and my friend Laura’s (www.heavenlyhomemaker.com) it’s Gratituesday. Can you guess what else (besides Erma, her books and my mom and her Bible )I am giving thanks for today?
Crafting With Mema – Painting with Our Homemade Paint
By · Mar 15, 2010 · CommentsWelcome back for our Monday series here at NanaHood, called “Crafting With Mema“. These posts include patterns, recipes, and fun craft projects to do with your kids or grandkids. The ideas aren’t difficult (if anything, we err on the side of SUPER EASY), and we hope we’ll inspire YOU to do more crafting!
Last week, lil Allan and Mema made homemade paint. This week, they are joined by Martha to sponge paint with their new paint!
(Our first “take” with this video didn’t work, so we did it a second time – as he references in the beginning).
So cute… so easy! To re-cap… you’ll need:
- Homemade paint (or your own watercolor based paint)
- paper (they used construction paper)
- sponges (we picked up a few for a dollar at Walmart)
After the video session, I think Allan and Martha did a bit of painting with paintbrushes too. If you make more than one color of paint, you are sure to get some really lovely watercolor masterpieces!
Also last week in the comments we were asked about the “stain” factor with our homemade paint. Because the recipe calls for food coloring, it’s best to use coverups or old clothes when painting.
Happy crafting!!
Don’t forget… if you and your children/grandchildren create something from one of our Crafting posts, we’d LOVE to see photos (or videos). Along those same lines, we are also interested in posting YOUR video or photo tutorials, so if you have crafty kiddos and want to share, please send an email to admin@nanahood.com.
About “Mema”: Cheryl Booth has been crafting for more years than she cares to remember, and has shared her love of crafts with kids in her home, in Bible classes, at summer camp, and elsewhere. You can visit Cheryl’s craft shop online at http://www.mycraftbooth.etsy.com
