The Ultimate Granny Gadget Gift

The Ultimate Granny Gadget Gift

My cameras have always been point and shoot. Recently, I told Mom that my next camera would be a digital SLR. Shortly after that conversation I received an email from Amazon – a Canon Rebel EOS T3i had been shipped to me, courtesy of Granny (and Papa) Gadget....
Introducing Granny Gadget

Introducing Granny Gadget

Blessed am I to have a wonderful mother. Although I am 40-something and live 13 hours away, Mom still does her best to take care of me. Daily phone calls, care packages, emergency cash, surprise gifts just because; the list goes on. I have always been a very practical...
Hannah’s Magical Dory and Friends Christmas Tree

Hannah’s Magical Dory and Friends Christmas Tree

COVID-19 has changed so many things this year. Possibly the best silver lining has been to have Hannah home since Thanksgiving. As a result, we’ve been able to work together on donations for WHRL’s Christmas Tree Festival. I organize the event for WHRL,...
A Birthday Angel

A Birthday Angel

Today is mom’s birthday.  What does one get Granny Gadget?  Everything she does revolves around her family and taking care of them.  She has little space for anything and she can purchase all the gadgets she wants. That’s where my Christmas Angel comes in....
No New Feeder Goes Untested

No New Feeder Goes Untested

Mom (aka Granny Gadget) sent this new bird feeder to me. I finally had the chance to fill it and put it up yesterday. Since the ground is frozen I couldn’t rig a pole for it, so I opted to hang it from the trunk of a young tree. The birds love it. It look just a...
I Get It

I Get It

I am very lucky to have a super mom. In all my adult years, we’ve only spent a few of those within easy travel distance of each other. Whether I lived near or far, she is always thinking of me – and the rest of her family. When she is out and about, it’s always with...
Christmas 2016

Christmas 2016

It occurs to me that Christmas 2016 is the last of an era in our house. This is likely the last Christmas with Hannah at home full-time and times are changing. It was 7:30 am before we were up and at ’em and even then, Hannah helped with breakfast preparation...
My Custom Wrought Iron Pot Rack

My Custom Wrought Iron Pot Rack

Last spring, I showed Paul a picture of a wrought iron pot rack I saw on Pinterest. Granny Gadget gave me a wonderful set of pans that have a copper-type finish that easily scratches. A pot rack was the perfect solution to keep my pans off the counter and looking...
Owls Among Us

Owls Among Us

My birthday passed quietly last month. Mom (a.k.a. Granny Gadget) honored it (as she did last year) with a cute little metal owl. Last year’s pair resides by the front door welcoming visitors. This new one I put up on the post at the end of our drive over the...
On Top of the World

On Top of the World

In Maine, sweatshirt weather in February calls for a celebration. This morning found both Hannah and I dragging. It was 2:30 a.m. before I made it to bed following the high school state championship basketball game last night. (They won!) It was so beautiful outside...
A Most Unusual Christmas Gift

A Most Unusual Christmas Gift

Granny Gadget gets the prize for giving the most unusual gift this Christmas. One of her gifts for Hannah was an Ancestry.com DNA test kit. I’m not sure Hannah knew what to expect, but she followed the instructions, spit into the little vial, and sent it off....
Bird Feeder vs. Squirrel

Bird Feeder vs. Squirrel

My mom, AKA Granny Gadget, sent me a lovely new bird feeder this week. I filled it and set it out yesterday. This morning, as I was lingering over my morning coffee, I watched this little guy scurry across the porch. I knew right away his destination. It only took a...
Gifts at Christmas

Gifts at Christmas

As I snuggled down in bed last night, Christmas Eve, I commented to Paul that Hannah didn’t negotiate a wake-up time for Christmas morning. Our 15-year-old is growing up. What a gift to be able to sleep in on Christmas morning! Yet, at 6:45 a.m. this morning I...
Lemon Blossom

Lemon Blossom

I have this sad little Meyer lemon tree. Mom (Granny Gadget) sent it to me last year. From the looks of it you’d think I’d done everything in my power to kill the poor thing. It has five leaves. And for some reason the dog likes to eat the dirt out of the...
A Good News, Bad News Sort of Day

A Good News, Bad News Sort of Day

The bad news? We had another storm last night with bitter temps and high winds. The good news? We didn’t lose power! The bad news? When I sipped my first cup of coffee this morning the temp was -11 degrees. The good news? Despite some issues with the wood boiler, we...
Hens and Chicks of Another Variety

Hens and Chicks of Another Variety

This spring,Granny Gadget sent me hens and chicks. Not of the laying variety, but a new plant for my garden. They looked a bit like a cactus. I didn’t have a plan for them, so I just tucked them into an empty space to keep them alive. They were cute, if a bit...
Incredible Edible Breakfast Sandwich Machine

Incredible Edible Breakfast Sandwich Machine

This incredible edible breakfast sandwich machine is brought to us by Granny Gadget. She sent Hannah this Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker. We’ve had fun testing it out. This little gadget is very fun. Hannah said that it makes “the best breakfast...
Rescue Treasure No. 2

Rescue Treasure No. 2

The second of the wooden library counters I rescued from the perils of the dump now has a new home in my laundry/storage room. It’s perfect for holding pots, craft materials and Granny Gadget gifts. The right side has a convenient opening – the new home...
Roo’s Amazing Meatball Subs

Roo’s Amazing Meatball Subs

This is vacation week and sadly, we’ve all been a bit under the weather. Hannah and Paul have “The Crud” for the second time around and I’ve finally succumbed. Needless to say we haven’t been doing a lot of fun vacationy kinds of things...