- Good food, good company, good advice from Grandma

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Oh my goodness, y’all! If your Grandma likes to sew, she is going to love love love this: A Designer Select Bundle featuring Whimsicals from the Fat Quarter Shop, which consists of 12 prints from Simply Imagine and 3 coordinating solids chosen by Whimsicals. That means there are 15 fabrics included, each piece measuring 18″ X 22″, or a “fat quarter. Quilters and crafters alike love fat quarters, because you can use them in so many different projects.

This gorgeous fat quarter set is 100% cotton and retails for $45.99. I love the blues, browns, and creams in this, and haven’t decided what to make yet. I just love looking at it right now!

One reader will win a fat quarter bundle of their choice, upt to $50, from the Fat Quarter Shop. To enter the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter form below.

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Thrifty Thursday

Karen · 6 Comments

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This week we went to Cedartown to take care of some business, and decided to stop in at a thrift store while we were there. I found two pretty serving bowls for a total of $7. The one above is the one I like the best. It has pretty flowers inside, and plain white outside.

outside of the bowl — Another view of the bowl.

The second bowl is clear glass, with some cut glass look to it. I like this style, and think that deserts would be pretty in it. You know, like a banana pudding or Death by Chocolate type of triffle.

glass serving bowl — This glass bowl was $3

I have looked for serving bowls in stores new, and they just don’t seem to sell them anymore, at least I haven’t seen them in any stores I have gone in. I can only find plastic ones.

Where do you find bowls like this to buy new?

Grandma’s Gift Guide: Beauty9 Makeup Brushes

Karen · 82 Comments

Pin9

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I know Grandmas still want to look beautiful. A set of Beauty9 Makeup Brushes will help her put her best face forward during the holidays and every day of the year. This set has seven brushes and a carry pouch to keep them all together if Grandma travels, whether across the country, or just across town to spend the night with the grandchildren. [Read more…] about Grandma’s Gift Guide: Beauty9 Makeup Brushes

Amway And Boys And Girls Clubs Of America Team Up To Teach Kids Good Nutrition

Karen · 1 Comment

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2004 06 20 seth and michael with the lobster — My son and grandson in 2004

Yesterday was my son’s birthday. He turned 41! There were times when I didn’t think either one of us would make to him being a grown-up, but he has done very well for himself. He is a great father to four children, and has been in the United States Air Force for 18 years. When he was a young boy, he went to the Boys Club in our home town instead of going to day care for a couple of years in the summer months. He loved going there, and since it was just a block away from my office, we could eat lunch together every day. He gained a lot of valuable experiences during his time at the Boys Club. The Boys and Girls Clubs of America is a good organization that does great things for children.

Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Amway have teamed up to help educate club members about the improtance of healthy diets and lifestyles. Here are three ways they have partnered:

POSITIVE SPROUTS® Sustainability Grants – Amway is providing $30,000 in Sustainability Grants to ten deserving Boys & Girls Clubs who previously received community gardens from Amway. The funds are designed to assist Clubs with the maintenance of their garden as well as improve nutrition for Club members. For more information on the POSITIVE SPROUTS program, click here:

Garden In A Box Kits – Amway is donating 150 Garden In A Box kits to Boys & Girls Clubs who demonstrated an interest and need for establishing a community gardening program at their Club. The kit includes a variety of fruit and vegetable seeds and supplies Clubs need to get started.

POSITIVE SPROUTS® Curriculum – Amway is enabling the delivery of a healthy food curriculum to 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide ensuring that all Clubs have access to educational materials promoting healthy eating habits.

This partnership is sure to have a positive impact on the children who are members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Giving these children hands on activities to help grow their own vegetables is a great learning tool, and what they learn now they will take with them through the rest of their lives. I know my son still remembers the things he learned while attending the Boys Club all those years ago.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Amway. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Grandma’s Gift Guide: Somerset Song Salad Plates

Karen · 3 Comments

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I am a Grandma who loves to entertain, and when I do, I love to have pretty serving dishes. I found these at Celebrating Home, a home party plan. These beautiful salad plates are part of the Somerset Song Collection. I love the whole collection, but these little plates just caught my eye. $44 for a set of four.

Operation Christmas Child #OCCGiving

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For many years when my children were growing up, I was their Girl Scout leader. We did many fun activities, and went on many trips and camping four times a year. But, we also did many service projects, including making Christmas Stockings for the local fire department to deliver to needy families, and packing food boxes to deliver as well. These community service projects became a tradition in our family, and taught my children to give to others and to be compassionate. They are now in their late thirties, and they are still serving their communities with service from their hearts.

Operation Christmas Child is expecting to reach a milestone this year, with more than 100 million children receiving shoe box gifts since 1993. They hope to collect more shoe box gifts this year to reach as many children as possible.

One way you can participate, even if you have no children at home anymore, is through the virtual Build-A-Box website. There, you can fill your box online, and make a donation to Operation Christmas Child. It’s very easy to do, and will help a child somewhere in the world have a happier Christmas.

Instructions on how to pack a box at home:

1. Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please) or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required.

2. Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the child’s age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Print out the appropriate boy/girl label shown below. Mark the correct age category on the label, and tape the label to the top of your box.

3. Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child.

4. Please donate $7 or more for each shoe box you prepare to help cover shipping and other project costs.* You can give online, or you can write a
check to Samaritan’s Purse (note “OCC” on memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the gift items inside your box. If you or your family are
preparing more than one shoe box, please make one combined donation.

5. Place a rubber band around each shoe box and lid and drop off at the Collection Center nearest you in mid-November. For locations and dates, call 1-800-353-5949,or visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ. You can also send your shoe box gift to:
Samaritan’s Purse/Operation Christmas Child,
801 Bamboo Road, Boone, NC 28607

This holiday season build a box with your family to teach kindness, compassion, and generosity.

Operation Christmas Child and influencer marketing platform BlogFrog have teamed up with 200 bloggers like me to spread the word about this great cause.

BlogFrog will match the first 200 boxes that are built. Pledge your commitment below to build a box today on Facebook or Twitter!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. The opinions and text are all mine.

This holiday season build a box with your family to teach kindness, compassion, and generosity.

Operation Christmas Child and influencer marketing platform BlogFrog have teamed up with 200 bloggers like me to spread the word about this great cause.

BlogFrog will match the first 200 boxes that are built. Pledge your commitment below to build a box today on Facebook or Twitter!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. The opinions and text are all mine.

Grandma’s Gift Guide: World Vision

Karen · Leave a Comment

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World Vision is a charitable organization that helps children, families, and communities by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

Years of research show that children living in poverty are more likely to underachieve in school, experience health and behavioral problems, and remain in poverty for another generation. World Vision serves those vulnerable youth through programs that empower young people. We also help struggling students receive free tutoring from trained volunteers, expand the capacity of child-focused organizations already serving in communities, and distribute critical gift-in-kind products.

Through decades of serving children and communities in poverty here at home and around the world, World Vision has developed proven practices to help children and families achieve life in all its fullness.

The work of U.S. programs:

Helps youth gain leadership and critical-thinking skills, improve academically, and become strong advocates for their communities

Equips community organizations and churches to produce effective academic mentors and tutors to low-income students

Provides low-income youth and families with essential school supplies, personal hygiene items, and household cleaning products

Helps families and communities by preparing for and responding to natural and man-made disasters

Facilitates short-term mission trips for youth groups or family groups from around the U.S. to serve in under-resourced communities in rural America

With help from our partners, we serve children in urban and rural areas across the United States, giving young people hope for a brighter future.

World Vision works in many countries around the world as well, helping make the lives of children better in many different ways. You can make a donation to World Vision United States Programs, Sponsor A Child, Order a Gift from their catalog, or find many other ways to help here.

Curtains For The Living Room

Karen · 6 Comments

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We have been plodding along, very slowly, towards getting moved into the house. All the planning we did over the last couple of years towards the goal of living in a house again “someday” have come together, if not perfectly, then close to it.

Although I am still not able to do much, our neighbors have been so helpful. Jill came over one day last week, and I told her what to move where. She did all the picking up and moving of “stuff”, putting in the right rooms, and even putting some things away where they go. It was exhausting for me just to walk back and forth between the trailer and the house, but we got about half of our things moved that one day.

rod pocket panels — Close up to show the fabric

Right now, we are to the point of just waiting for our bed to be delivered so we can move the rest of the way in. There doesn’t seem to us to be any point of moving the cooking stuff and coffee pot over to the house until we can sleep there. So, like I said, we wait. The lady from Sears said that all the iComfort mattresses are made to order, so they are just waiting for the factory to let them know it is ready.

Fabgrandpa has been busy putting furniture together (an entertainment center and a book shelf), putting up curtain rods, cleaning windows, and weatherstripping the doors and windows. I got him to move the sewing machine onto my desk for me and finally managed to get four panels made for the living room windows. I’m still not sure I like them, but I made do with fabric I already had on hand. I am thinking they need to have some sheers or blinds behind them. What do you think?