Posts Tagged: "grandfather"

A Gift for Mimi, Nana or Gigi | Grandmother Gift

A lot of grandmothers want to be called something other than “Grandma.”

grandmother-grandma-mimi-sign-thoughtful-giftSometimes she picks the nickname herself, and other times the first grandchild comes up with the name.

Whether it’s Mimi, Nana, Gigi or another name, the nickname or term of endearment a grandchild calls his or her grandmother is extremely special.

Her nickname is music to her ears.

My son calls his grandmother “Mimi.” While on vacation, we picked her up a gift – a cute wooden sign that reads, “They call me Mimi because I’m too cool to be Grandma.”

It’s the first thing she owns with her nickname “Mimi,” and she proudly displays the sign in her living room.

You can find similar signs on Etsy.com, and many stores on the website will gladly make custom signs with your choice of saying, colors and font.

Like grandmothers, many grandfathers have nicknames too so this gift idea can be used for them as well. For example, my son calls his grandfather “Pappy” and his great-grandfather “Papaw.”

What happens at Grandma’s stays at Grandma’s…

Silhouette Paper Portraits Make Classic Gift

A custom silhouette paper portrait is a classic gift that will be cherished for years. The one I had made of my son melts my heart every time I glance at it.

custom-silhoutte-paper-portrait-classic-giftParents and grandparents especially love this type of gift!

It used to be you had to visit a silhouette artist in person, but these days you can simply email a photograph and receive your beautiful custom silhouette in the mail. Easy peasy!

You can have custom silhouette paper portraits made of children, adults and pets, either upper body or full body. They can also be done of siblings and couples. A silhouette of a couple makes for a lovely wedding or Valentine’s Day present.

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Humourous Birthday T-Shirt for Gramps

- - $20 or Less, Birthday

I couldn’t have asked for a better father-in-law, a quiet, kind man with a fierce love for his family. Including his in-laws.

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This t-shirt is guaranteed to get laughs!

Gramps was never big on celebrating for himself but that didn’t keep us from always looking for that perfect gift. In later years, it was either about comfort or something humorous.

It’s difficult to find a birthday gift for an 80 year old grandfather that would make him chuckle!

Well… I did! I created a birthday t-shirt that looked like a “For Sale” sign with these words.

        80 YR. OLD  

       ONE OWNER

Needs Parts, Make Offer

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Hands of Love | Photo Gift Idea

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Hands are a beautiful thing because of all of the different ways they express love.

The hands of your parents and grandparents are the ones that held you for hours as a baby, wiped your tears when you cried, placed the Band-Aid on your skinned knees, threw the ball to teach you “catch,” held your bike up as you learned to ride it, showed you how to measure ingredients when baking cookies, and reached in their wallets to give you a few extra dollars to go out with your friends.

Their hands also taught you how to write your name, work math problems and start a lawn-mower. I’m sure you can think of a zillion more things their loving hands have helped you with throughout your life.

My son and I thought it would be a meaningful gift to capture pictures of both of his grandparents’ hands and give them to family member for Christmas. Dustin came up with the idea to take pictures of the things they enjoy doing now.

Hands of Love Photos Gift Idea

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Worth Every Penny | Pennies From Birth Year

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On my 50th birthday, my dear friend, Susan, gave me 50 pennies all made in 1952 – my birth year!

Heart-box-with-pennies-gift-idea-sunburst-giftsThe pennies came in a small heart box. I cherish that gift because it was so unique and thoughtful.

I have used the penny idea many times for birthdays and anniversaries. I use the pennies on significant birthday years such as 30 – 40 – 50 – 60 year old and up.

By the time a couple has been married for 50 years or more, what can you give that they do not already have or that is unique? Fifty pennies from the year of their wedding placed in a heart box is a for-sure-keepsake gift! Especially seeing and remembering those wheat pennies! They bring back the memories of simpler times. Continue Reading

“Mighty Fine” | Remembering Gramps’ Personal Saying

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My father-in-law, Gene Drew, was a very kind and quiet man who would sometimes surprise us with his humorous wit. I always thought my husband got his wit from his mother but he also got it from his dad. Randy even laughs like his dad. There’s no denying it. We are our parents!

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Click to enlarge

When Gene spoke, the message was plain, simple and always thought through. There was never misunderstanding what he said.

He was a WWII Veteran and like so many of his time, they did not talk about the war. Instead, they got busy workin’, raisin’ families and livin’!

Gene could fix anything. Cars, motorcycles, lawnmowers – you name it, he repaired it! He could make anything out of left over stuff. He made a work table on wheels once out of an old air conditioning unit. In his later years, he helped his grandchildren make science fair projects. He was amazing!

Gramps, as we all fondly called him, passed away in July of 2011 just shy of his 90th birthday. At his funeral, his youngest son Kyle gave the eulogy. He spoke about all of the wonderful things he instilled in his children not by doing so much talking but by his actions.

When he did talk, Gramps had a personal saying he always used for anything good – “Mighty Fine.” Kyle reminded us that when he learned to ride his bike or came home with news of getting on the baseball team, Gramps would always say that’s “Mighty Fine.”

When as a kid he asked, “Dad, what do you think about Jesus returning?” Gramps slowly took his pipe out of his mouth and said, “I think it would be mighty fine!”

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Time is the Best Gift of All

Time is the best gift of all. When I was 21, my 16-year old brother and I were on our way to the gym when we decided to visit our deaf  grandparents. I asked them if they would like to go and exercise too.

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Walter & Julia Cleaver in the 1970s.

They had no workout clothes so when Granddaddy came out in Grandma’s baby blue shorts, sleeveless undershirt, black socks and black street shoes, my brother did not want to take them. When we arrived at the club, the walk from the parking lot was the longest walk ever for my humiliated brother.

Entering the gym, we had to fill out guest forms for them. Putting their birth dates of 1896 and 1902  raised eye-brows. We wanted to take our grandparents to the exercise room on our own, but the club insisted a trainer take them for their first visit. When the big, muscular trainer came in, he was shocked at the age of his clients – ages 77 and 71.

Grandma’s trainer soon had her doing sit-ups and leg lifts, riding a stationary bike, and relaxing in the sauna. We finally made it to the pool.

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Free Puppies with Puppy Chow

For my father-in-law’s 85th birthday, we threw him a surprise celebration and made sure to include something he could share with the other residents at his retirement home when they stopped by to wish him a “Happy Birthday!” So we had Gramps give away “free puppies” with baggies full of puppy chow.

Free-Puppies-with-Puppy-Chow-gift-idea-sunburst-giftsOf course, they were not real puppies and the puppy chow was a snack for his friends. I filled a large basket with various small Stuffed Puppies
and created a sign that said, “Free Puppies.”

Everyone was thrilled to look in the basket and choose a “puppy” to take home. The puppy chow made a wonderful party favor and the experience resulted in a fun way to celebrate someone’s birthday.

This birthday happened several years ago before my blogging days so I don’t have a picture for you but I’m sure you have a pretty good idea.

I have since replicated the puppy chow idea many times for all kinds of occasions. The latest one was for a United Way auction at my office. This time, I paired a stuffed dog with a dog bowl full of puppy chow.

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Will You Be My Valentine?

- - Valentine's Day

Remember when we were kids making Valentine boxes with the slit in the top for the upcoming class party and placing your Valentines in everyone’s boxes? I couldn’t wait to get home to look at every single one and see who had given me a Valentine. Very sweet memories.

It was Valentine’s Day when I visited my friend, Orean, who lived in an assisted living center. I brought her a heart shaped box of chocolates. I also brought her other Valentines I had made to share with her friends.Will You Be My Valentine Gift Idea

Orean said, “It has been a very long time since I handed out Valentines.”

After Orean read the Valentine attached to the heart shaped lollipops, she couldn’t wait to hand them out. She was on a mission as I watched her walk the halls into the dining room handing them out along the way and asking, “Will you be my Valentine?” Continue Reading