Publications: Round 2

I could not find the photograph of this card on my computer believe it or not! I ended up photographing the layout since I no longer have the actual card. Once the publishers sent me the card back along with my complimentary issues of the magazine, I sent a copy of the publication along with the actual card to my grandpa in Florida so that he could put them with my grandmother's ashes. When I bought this stamp, I was actually pregnant and I envisioned making some lovely handmade gift for the baby's grandmothers. Of course, that never happened and it wasn't until I saw the call for grandparent projects for this September issue that I knew this stamp would be used for a project honoring my grandma. September is a difficult month. Obviously, Grandparents' Day is in September and that in itself is tough. My grandmother was born in September and she also passed away in September...so in general, September has always been a month where I find myself mourning her loss rather than just thinking of her or remembering her as I do throughout the rest of the year. I don't mean to get so personal with this post, but this was a personal project so I can't help myself! So just because, I'm going to end with some happy thoughts about my grandma because now I'm sitting here all teary-eyed...

• My grandma used to love to record my sister and me singing...I remember singing Lionel Richie songs into her little tape recorder!!
• I loved her camera and all of the pictures she would take. I can't believe I once asked her if I could have that camera when she died! I think I was about 9 or 10--old enough to know better, don't you think?
• My grandma loved playing BINGO and my sister and I used to love to fling her BINGO chips all across the room.
• Kim and I used to enjoy posing with our grandma's wigs on for photographs...even my brother posed for a pic once!
• Some of my fondest times spent with her were just at the kitchen table playing Scrabble when I was older and visiting in FL. She would let me cheat and use the dictionary because I could never beat her anyway. How she had the patience to play with me and/or Kim for that matter, I will never know :-)
• My grandmother and I used to write letters back and forth...I wish I would have kept more of them.

My grandparents have always been such a cherished part of my life. You might remember my grandpa from some entries last year--I feel so blessed that he is still here and that Maddie has been able to spend time with him. My grandpa is always giving my sister and me advice about life, finances, even softball and bowling over the years--he just seems to know a little about almost everything. Of course, the best thing about grandpa is that he loves food and a good chocolate as much as I do and so we always indulge in special treats when we're together. Which...come to think of it, I'm sure Maddie and I are due for another trip sometime soon ;-)