Downsizing Grandma’s Craft Room

Recently I watched a friend attempt to empty out “hoards” (my words not hers) of stuff from her mother’s home and this had to occur too quickly follow this wonderful woman’s death.  The emotional toll that this took was difficult to watch.

“Why did she keep these?”

“What am I to do with this?”

And while the answer to this seems easy just box it all up and ship it off to a thrift store and let them sort it, because these things belonged to her mother she needed to open each book, magazine and sort through all the containers.  

She found among these soon to be gone items things that did have importance to her.

A hand written Christmas list

A childhood school story of hers placed within book

A poem that her mother created

We do not want to put our three children through what our friend has gone through so we have been downsizing.  We set a goal of two boxes every weekend and some weekends more go out while others just two begrudgingly are let go of.

I have a passion for craft magazines and books each contains at least one pattern that I want to make at sometime.  

Downsizing here was extremely painful until I realized that I could scan a personal copy of the pattern I wanted and let go of the book.  Copyright is a big issue I uphold rules and so I worried "Can I even do this?"  

Now I should have known the answer because I have always make a working copy of a pattern to write on and this is what the scanned copy is,  my working copy – Fair Use Law. 

So today I have been making digital copies of the patterns I want to make and letting go of magazines and books.  I have decided on a few that I will keep and the test is when there is more than two pattern I want to make.

When my children have to close up my craft room they will find an external hard drive labelled, Patterns Mom wanted to make - Deleted.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Taco Pie

 

What will we have for supper with hungry granddaughters to feed with grandpa and grandma tired from a day at work?

Taco Pie a favourite supper of their father’s childhood, and now with gluten free Bisquick it can go back on grandma’s menu board.

This is a fast meal to make taking approximately 60 minutes from start to finish, with many steps that kids can help with.

And is is a hit with yet another generation of Snyder's.

Please note we used gluten free taco mix, shredded cheese and Bisquick making this recipe gluten free!

Taco Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 package taco seasoning mix
• ¾ cup Bisquick Mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 ¼ cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 tomato dices
• 2 cups of kale or spinach chopped.

Directions:

1. Chop the onion and celery
2. In a frying pan brown the ground turkey with the onion and celery.
3. Once the meat is cooked through turn off the heat and stir in the taco seasoning
4. Grease an 8 by 8 oven proof pan.
5. Pour meat mixture into the pan and set aside
6. Preheat your oven to 400 F
7. In a mixing bowl whisk together the Bisquick, eggs and milk pour this over the meat
8. Bake for 25 minutes
9. Remove taco pie from the oven sprinkle the cheese overtop and return to the oven until the cheese is melted
10. Chop the tomatoes and greens.
11. Cut the taco pie into squares and garnish with tomatoes and kale.
12. Serve

From Our Table to Yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

My Rusted Truck

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

I’m Not the Parent I’m the Grandparent

Our first experience as Grandparents was one of negotiating the complex and conflicting role of being simultaneously parents and grandparents within the fluidity of a multi-generational household, when our eldest child moved home with our first grandchild. 

Our child needed us to be parents; supportive, protective, taking charge at times and stepping back at other.  

What they did not need was us stepping into the role of parent to our grandchild – we were the grandparents!

We will be the first to say this was challenging and not without many emotional landmines.   It required that we maintain honest and active communication both between ourselves (Mom/Dad) and with our child.  Further it meant that our home now held two separate households and everyone needed to be flexible and willing to change - it was no longer our home it was now OUR home, you get the picture.

The first lesson we learned was what the parent says goes even when they are not around.

For there to be a strong grandchild, grandparent relationship trust has to be at the foundation.  The trust you need to build is not with your grandchild it is with their parent. 

The parent has to trust that you will uphold, support, and back-up, their decisions even when you think they are not necessary or they are wrong.

Once trust is established parents will consult you on parenting and now you have influence over how your grandchild will be raised.  

This is not like backseat driving!  

Your will be riding along side the driver.

Whereas plotting with grandchildren to break parental rules is a slippery slope that will take your grandchildren to a place you do not want them to go!

“If grandma thinks it’s OK to break Dad’s rule then I can too” 

and now what may have been an innocent deception on your part has become an excuse used to break a rule that may have been put in place to protect your grandchild.

The lesson you want to teach them is how to negotiate with their parents, how to talk through disagreements.  So rather than saying “You’re in my house now so…”  say “ Your parents have said no before so we will do something else this time and we can discuss it with them again”

Grandparent by supporting your children as Parents.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Play and Relax This Holiday Season

Exhaustion over takes many of us at this time of year.  

We work all day at our jobs, those things that have to be done no matter what for income and home.  

And then we add to our work the many preparations that happen in December and we expect to enjoy the Christmas Holiday.  

We do this year after year spending more and having to work harder to pay for the holiday, “go[ing] mad or becom[ing] unstable without knowing it”

This holiday season be mindful to take time to play, have fun and relax.  

 We have a hypnosis that by building in, fun relaxation and play we have the potential to spend less money, give more meaningful gifts and enjoy the holiday season  deeply.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

I will fulfil my promise

Our world appears to have gone crazy, war, terrorism, domestic violence, violence against children, governments being OK with homelessness/starving  children, and populations on mass leaving the home that they love to flee to a place where they are not really wanted.

And here comfortable in North America we have finished our Thanksgiving celebrations and are moving on to Christmas.  Black Friday saw shoppers fighting with other shoppers over 'things', things that we do not need but we really want!

Yes a world gone crazy and where do Christian's sit in this mess?

The lectionary readings this week speak directly to the current situation.  We are to hold tight to our faith, to the knowledge that it is through God's preparation not any of our own that at the end of this path we will arrive home, our eternal home.  That God walks every step of this human life with us, encouraging and providing for our spiritual health, so we do not turn away or fall faint.

"I will fulfill my promise" Jeremiah 33:14

God's promise to us is this, an eternal home free of sin, hate and pain and the knowledge that God is always present now, showing us love, providing spiritual support and guidance if we just have an open spirit and eyes to see.

Where are Christian's in this world gone crazy? 

We walk the same human path as everyone else, we suffer as everyone suffers and we do it with faith.  Faith in the promise of our God and we live as our Lord Jesus Christ did offering not judgement and reproach but love.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Lectionary readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:1-10, Luke 21:25-26, Thessalonians 3: 9-13