HEY, RAINBOWS!

I had the privilege of hosting Lilly for a few nights. It was the first time we had sleepovers without her big sister, so I was able to hone in on something that specifically caught her fancy a few weeks earlier. We were talking about our basement, a fascinating destination due to the partial dirt floor, stone walls, and rafters made of logs, I explained to her who the pioneers were and that pioneers had built our house in the 1860’s. She was so excited and raved, “Wait until I tell my class I live in a pioneer house!” Then I reminded her she didn’t actually live here. We laughed and then the questions started gushing about pioneers. I watch for those little sparks of curiosity, the same ones that served me so well when my name was Mom instead of Granny. When I see that spark, it’s time to fan the flames.

Flame-fanning led to Lilly’s introduction to Little House on the Prairie. She was captivated and felt a special kinship with the three sisters, just like her family. This classic series is available on Peacock, the NBC streaming service.

Lilly worked as diligently as any pioneer woman to  decorate her log cabin. It hadn’t been tended for awhile, so Keith was her ranch hand and repaired the tiny furniture’s wobbly legs and broken rungs. One of her favorite furnishing items was the animal skin rug she placed in front of the stone fireplace.

Although there are oodles of Little House on the Prairie spin-offs, the original series by Laura Ingalls Wilder contained the eight volumes listed above. I reckon every library in the country has them on their shelves and they make great gifts as well.

We have an assortment of quilts, hand-made by Lilly’s great, great grandmother, Pearl Mills. We spent time examining her pioneer handiwork, delighting in the humble scraps of fabric sewn together so carefully. Each is hand-stitched and are marvels in their own right. Lilly picked out her favorite to sleep with each night. She also adopted our old hand-stitched doll which clearly needed snuggling at bedtime. We even turned off the lights and used an oil lamp from the pioneer days.

With her new familiarity with quilting, it was time for Lilly to learn about how different colors and patterns in different designs can become a work of art all on its own. She picked out some coordinated papers and cut them to match her pattern. After a little patience and glue, she had a whole new appreciation for the work the pioneer women, and Grandma Mills, put into designing and making their quilts. But quilts are not just works of art, they are works of love.

Lilly also learned how to make dolls out of yarn like the pioneers did. First she had to make the skein into a ball, then wrap the yarn around a card. The rest was knotting off different parts of the big yarn loop to make the body parts. When that was done, she finished off by cutting the bottom loop to make the skirt. HERE is a link to the tutorial for making yarn dolls.

Some of our other activities included a pioneer dinner of beef stew and hot biscuits, with apple pie for dessert. We also gave Lilly a house tour. She saw it with fresh eyes, imagining where the people slept, ate, and gathered before the extra rooms were added on. She got to beat a rug with the old wire rug beater, explore all Keith’s family heirlooms and antiques, light the hurricane lamps, and hear stories of some of the treasures Keith has discovered — mostly unearthed in various digs in the yard or hidden in the attic (e.g., a bearskin). What a joy this was for all of us.

Fun Fact: When Keith was in seventh grade, he met Michael Landon, creator and star of the “Little House” series, at the Central Wisconsin State Fair in Marshfield. Keith liked Landon’s co-headliner, Donna Douglas of the Beverly Hillbillies, much more though — and she took an enthusiastic shining to him. She even called his mother to ensure it was okay if she entertained Keith for the afternoon. He spent half the day in her dressing room, hanging out, laughin’ and drinkin’ sodey-pop with Ellie May.

GRANNY BUNNY TIP: I find it’s helpful to show samples and use templates when it comes to projects with kids. Blank paper can be intimidating until kids build their confidence. For example, at some point Lilly could design a quilt square pattern from scratch, but by showing her our family quilts, she more confidently formed her vision for her own quilt square. By offering her five different patterns, she got to choose the one she liked best (confidence booster), and then focus on the color harmony of the various papers and where she placed each piece within the design. The task was more right-sized to her skill level, yet challenging enough to be motivating.

Two grandchildren are now in middle school and have mostly outgrown my little theme parties. They prefer more grown-up attention, so we do our best to give it to them. Such was the case recently with my grandson Roland who joined us for a Mexican lunch at the Riviera Maya restaurant and a shopping spree at T.J. Maxx. Similarly, our granddaughter Presley, pictured above, opted for a crab dinner at Sebastian’s and an art exhibition. We try to let them pick from a few options so they are sure to enjoy our time together.

While we’re waiting for the food to arrive, we like to play games. Here’s Keith and Presley in the midst of a placemat drawing game. One person picks a topic, then we set the timer on our watch for a set number of minutes (I like three but Keith likes five or more). Then we share our drawings, pick our favorite, and the next person picks a topic.

Our favorites from left to right:
1. SOMETHING ABOUT WINTER: Rabbit Stew by Keith
2. CENTERPIECE FOR THE TABLE: Dancing Spiders by Mary
3. FAVORITE PART OF YOUR FACE: Left eye by Presley

We enjoyed some paintings and sculptures at our local art center where we had some lively discussions about various elements of art. This was especially fun for Presley because some of Keith’s work was in the show (e.g. the Snowy Owl to their right).

I have been having parties for the kids in my life for decades and I have amassed a photo archive filled with a lifetime of memories. I am sharing one of the past ones with you in hopes you’ll be inspired to share your time, your treasures, and your self with the kids in your life. I picked this Rainbow Lego Party in keeping with the rainbow theme of this letter. In case you are reading it on your phone, the text about the party is reprinted below in a larger font so you don’t have to find your glasses.

We sure had a crazy, fun time with Granny & Paw today. It was a Rainbow Lego Party. We got to wear Rainbow Imagination Antennae Headbands. Paw looked the silliest. After we ate breakfast on our rainbow colored plates, we got to build Lego sculptures.

Roland built a giant dojo like in karate movies. We all clapped. He came back after school today to work on it some more. Presley built a robot with lots of guns for shooting bad people. She described what each gun was for. Some shot bullets, some fire, and so on. We all clapped. Lilly built a boat. There was a very long story Lilly told about the boat but she talked so fast we couldn’t understand it. We all clapped.

We also played a building game. Granny set a timer and we each grabbed our Imagination Antennae and bowl of Lego blocks. If we could build something before the timer sounded, we won a rubber ball covered in suction cups so it sticks where you throw it. We all won! Then Granny gave us each a bag of Lego blocks to take home. The Lego fun never stops.

ORANGE MAGIC

As they get older, it is increasingly challenging to find ways to delight my grandkids. Their interests and priorities shift to the outside world, just as ours did. So when some clue leaks my way, I jump on the opportunity to have an adventure, buy a book, support an interest, or bake some goodies. My oldest grandson is in his mid-twenties, and these opportunities are rare, so I sometimes have to suss them out. I’ve known this guy for a quarter century, but had no idea he loved orange flavored breads and not-too-sweet orange desserts. Ta da! I have another way to show my love for him. I searched through my favorite sources for recipes and found 12 orange treats (one to make for him each month).

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HUG!