Recipes, making & family life
A woman in red glasses enjoys a warm drink beside a yellow cottage, surrounded by autumn leaves, pumpkins and flowers, with a golden dog resting nearby.

PULL UP A CHAIR

A Little Note from Grandma

Welcome, I’m Grandma Marilyn.

A new season. A few simple joys.
A little time together.

September invites us to slow down just enough to notice the good things: something warm from the oven, a little creativity, and time with the people we love.

This month, I’m sharing a favorite blackberry crisp, a playful kitty-themed afternoon, and a peek at a Christmas project taking shape. I hope you find one idea to bring a little joy to your home.

With love,
Grandma

From Grandma’s Table

Ideas worth sharing
Something delicious.Something to make.Something to remember.

01 / SOMETHING DELICIOUS

Blackberry Crisp

A warm berry dessert, a golden oat topping, and a reason to gather around the table. Made with frozen blackberries, this favorite is ready whenever you are.

Cream mini pillow embroidered with It’s so good to be Home in green, resting on an armchair with a knitted throw

03 / FROM MY ETSY SHOP

Little pillows, happy corners.

Even the smallest corner deserves a little cozy. My mini pillows tuck happily onto a shelf, nestle into a favorite chair, or travel to a friend’s home carrying a bit of encouragement. Little stitches, gentle words, and a sprinkle of cottage charm—each one is a tiny invitation to settle in and smile.

Pictured: my 9 × 9-inch “It’s Good to Be Home” embroidered pillow.

Shop this mini pillow on Etsy

04 / ON GRANDMA’S WORKTABLE

Project preview · In the making

A thoughtful pause before Christmas.

A peek at A Christmas Pause with God—24 days of gratitude, prayer, and reflection.

FROM THE KITCHEN

Blackberry Crisp

Made with frozen blackberries.

Filling

  • 6 cups frozen blackberries
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt

Topping

  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking dish.
  2. Do not thaw the berries. Toss frozen blackberries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Spread in the baking dish.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture forms moist crumbs.
  4. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the berries. Do not press down.
  5. Bake 45–55 minutes, until the filling bubbles in the center and the topping is golden brown.
  6. Let rest 30 minutes before serving.

Place the dish on a sheet pan to catch drips. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Open the original recipe card ↗

ACTIVITY PREVIEW

A purr-fect afternoon with Grandma.

Print the afternoon planFind the book on Amazon ↗Get the kitty face template ↗

Kitty face template by Learning Tree Resources.

Make a kitten craft, read If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, and decorate mini cupcakes with sprinkles. Add a cat-themed movie, then finish with miniature-kitten pretend play. Choose the parts that fit your family.

Make a kitten craft

I printed and laminated the kitten faces, then hole-punched the whisker holes before adding the pipe cleaners and colorful beads.

Our gray and orange kitten crafts with their colorful beaded whiskers
Our finished kitten crafts.

Mini cupcakes and sprinkles

For our snack, we decorated mini cupcakes with colorful sprinkles. Set out frosted mini cupcakes and a few sprinkle choices, then enjoy them together at the table.

Two frosted mini cupcakes decorated with colorful sprinkles on the table
A little sprinkle fun for snack time.

Mini-kitten playtime

I used these little Geelin miniature cat figurines for our last activity. A small piece of fabric became a cozy kitten blanket. Make a little home, pretend to feed the kittens, and invent stories together.

Shop the play kittens on Amazon ↗
Five colorful miniature kitten figurines sitting together on a small floral blanket
Our little play kittens and their cozy blanket.

For young children, with hands-on adult help. Tiny figurines and loose beads are small parts: keep them away from children under 3 and children who mouth toys. Follow the toy’s age label. For toddlers, use large age-appropriate toy cats and paper whiskers, with a soft snack instead of popcorn.

Open the full-size afternoon schedule ↗ Cat-themed afternoon schedule with mini cupcake decorating and miniature-kitten playtime

PROJECT PREVIEW

A Christmas Pause with God

A journal project with 24 days of gratitude, prayer, and reflection—a gentle invitation to make room for time with God during the Christmas season.

A behind-the-scenes cover concept for a project in the making.

A Christmas Pause with God cover concept