Have a Lovely Weekend.

Shortly after I went to college my parents moved a several days worth drive away so on weekends or holidays I would go stay with my grandparents. They became my very best friends. A couple years after college I quit my job abroad suddenly and moved back to my home state and moved in with my grandparents. I loved our routines and just how delighted they were by my presence. That’s something that is so beautiful and makes you feel so loved. I was thinking of that recently watching my niece light up when my sister, her mom, walked in. Just to be delighted in is so, so beautiful and life-giving. I hope everyone gets to have that feeling in their life and hopefully give that feeling to someone else.

I loved the way you write this lovely content, thank you very much for your excellent suggestions!

One note I would add regarding anyone interested in gifting Storyworth to someone…make certain it’s a gift they truly would enjoy working on. To several I know who have received it, it’s been more of a chore with a deadline. And while I was not the gifter, I heard plenty about the “homework” they had to do and the guilt project it was bc it was prepaid. More creativity allowed with a more inexpensive (at least by half) Shutterfly type of book design and can use any questions desired, lists abound on the Internet.

This is random and unrelated to this post, but I’m wondering if someone can help me find a prior post (I’ve lost track of how long ago it ran – could be months, could be years? What is time??) – I think it was a post in which readers were invited to ‘shout out’ their friends’/relatives’/favorite small businesses? I remember there being so many amazing comments with a treasure trove of great makers, and I wanted to revisit them all. Does this ring a bell? My searches have come up empty. Thank you so much. Love your site so much!

When I was in my 20’s I got a job that moved me every 6 months to a new location. If it was away from our headquarters they put me up in company housing, but near our headquarters we were on our own. Head quarters was 9 miles from Grandma’s mobile home in a (surprisingly beautiful) elderly mobile home park. I lived with her twice. She washed my clothes and had dinner on the table for me in the evening. I drove her to get groceries and to Dr’s appts. Besides just getting invaluable time with my dear Grandma I also have an entire box of little notes from her. Every morning I got up far earlier than her and while eating breakfast would read the ‘good morning’ note she had written the night before after I had gone to bed. I would get out my own scratch paper and leave her a ‘have a good day, excited to come home for dinner tonight’ note for her. My colleagues were all bunking together and partying down town and while that was fun, I got Grandma’s chicken and dumplings and memories that will last a lifetime.

I work as a careers advisor at a land based university in NZ. I worked with a number of smart, driven, hilarious young women who intend to work in Agri / Hort / Enviro / Ecology fields one graduation and a bunch recently have been securing shepherd work for their upcoming holidays! They are so cool, so hard working and resilient, I’m inspired by them every day. Yay for ladies who work on the land!!

I am a new friend to this blog & I just want to echo another comment from a different post. I came for the articles & stayed for the comments. The support & community that I have witnessed is beautiful.
And Skye-as a 57 yr old mom & grandma, if I could go back & change anything it would be to not have compared myself to other moms. I see now that I did the best I could & was & still am a good mom. I have a great relationship with my adult kids & with my grandkids. If I could give you a hug right now I would. Honey, you are enough.

My husband and I got our parents Storyworth a few months ago. Every week, we get a new story about their lives. It’s easy and inexpensive and it’s simply the best way to get to know your parents on a deeper level. His dad passed a few years ago and I regret that Storyworth was not around back then, as it’s a beautiful and heartfelt way to connect with loved ones. I recommend it to everyone, and am glad your other reader did, too!

Does anyone have ideas for an ultra-budget wedding dress? My boyfriend (fiancée?) and I are doing a courthouse Valentine’s Day ceremony and I want to look put together, something off white, but it doesn’t need to be fancy. Open to sweater dresses, skirts and tops, anything! I’m a grad student so could probably only spend like $150

I loved this week’s newsletter. Just wanted to say that :)

I loved the article about grandmates, and it made me miss my grandma so much. I lived with her for about six months, when I lost my job and had to move out of a house with friends, and I loved it. She had routines for every day – Monday was laundry, Tuesday was vacuuming, Wednesday was cleaning, etc. In the evenings we would watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, and then enough of the nightly news that we could gripe about the state of the world. She was such a solid, comforting presence in my life, even when I wasn’t living with her. Whenever I would stop by for a visit, she’d pull out pastries from the drawer (she always had some on hand!), and make coffee, and we’d sit at the table in her tiny kitchen from the 60s and catch up. If it was a special visit, like if I was home visiting from college, she’d make aebelskivers (round Danish pancakes), and always watch with interest to see if I could beat the family record of most aebelskivers eaten in one sitting (I believe it was 20?). We had a weekly event at her house every Sunday, called 4 o’clock coffee, where me and my aunts and mom, and sometimes friends, would come over and eat dessert and drink coffee and hang out. This started when I was a teenager, and went on for decades. I truly can’t think of another person in my life who was so reliably “there,” and I miss her so much.

I would love to move in with my grandma but she was born in 1916 and is obviously no longer with us. She was the most fun, though, and the provider of the only unconditional love I have ever experienced.

Any other millennials have Greatest Generation grandparents?

I was lucky to spend lots of time with my grandma when I was growing up. I adored her. My parents had 9 kids, but the front of the upstairs was given over to grandma and grandpa. They had the 2 front bedrooms with an adjoining bath. So, really, I guess this is a tribute to my parents. Excellent role models.

My favorite souvenir is toothpaste! We were recently in France and I bought several tubes of travel size toothpaste. The only difficult thing is if you REALLY like it, it’s hard to get again. Thinking of that great Danish toothpaste.

I lived with my grandparents during college and it was WONDERFUL. My sister did the same thing a few years later. Our papa passed away a few years ago, but our grandma remains one of our very best friends.

We are spending the weekend processing the death of our beloved neighbor of almost 20 years on Thursday evening. My husband did CPR, and I tried to comfort his wife and help her give information to the first responders (she has been diagnosed with dementia), and contact their children, and all of the things. We love them so very much, and are still at the emotional place where talking about it helps relieve stress, so thanks! So, yesterday I bought them a lot of snacks, breakfast treats, and prepared food at Costco. We watched Everything Everywhere All At Once last night (wow!), we’re going for a long bike ride this morning. We’re going to drive an hour take our local child to a Thai restaurant she’s been wanting to try for months (we’ve been, and it’s great). So yeah, processing and enjoying life. Have a great weekend everyone.

I am apparently “wake up early to snag a rare fresh ingredient I saw on the greenmarket’s Instagram feed” years old, so that’s my morning.

Wait I just figured out (via that article) that shepherd is my dream job? Seriously, I love lambs, sheep, wool, dogs, and backpacking. Where do I sign?!

I loved the “how to have fun” article. Oh man, isn’t he toddler + baby trenches now and my goal is just to find the joy. One was a pleasure but two is a LOT. I’ll laugh at something my toddler does, of course, but joy to me is something a bit deeper and a bit more sustained than a moment. It’s so hard when the meltdowns and contrarian attitude is just so constant (and the volume! Oy!!). Lowering my expectations is probably the best approach. Thanks for sharing.

I’m going to read a Lucinda Riley book. Nice post. XX

I loved the article about Grandmates and so wish that I could have lived with my Gran because she was my favourite person in the world. When I moved to London she would come and visit me every month, this amazing lady in her seventies would travel for three hours just to spend the day with me before travelling three hours back on the train. It was always the best day of the month. We would go sightseeing together, eat lunch walking around Covent Garden, she was game for anything. Living with my Gran would have been such a joy. It must be a wonderful blessing for everyone in these relationships.

The “cool moms” article hit a sore spot, and I couldn’t read past the first few paragraphs. I am in nursing school and my husband is the main one to pick up and drop off our child. When I can do it, I consider it a treat, and it makes me so happy. But there is a group of moms that this article reminds me of. They know each other well because they are involved in social activities at school. They remember all the things we’re supposed to do, like make sure to bring an item starting with the letter of the day each Friday. They spend time with my child when I’m not there, because I don’t have time to volunteer. They remind me how much I’m not doing well enough as a mom.

I lived with my grandma for a period of time. We would watch things like Sense and Sensibility together. My favorite memory from that time was when she asked me to get her a waffle for breakfast and put ice cream on top! She told me when she was a girl they didn’t have much money but every once in awhile they would have waffles and ice cream as a special treat! I was happy to provide that for her!

My 8 year old son is a pretty introverted guy. We have regular books+burgers dates- we go out for hamburgers and both take our books. They have become a special time together, and it surprises me every time how he opens up on the drive home. Even in silence, our connection strengthens.

Mmm … chocolate croissants