Grandmas & their "Things"

We have just finished a fun-filled weekend spending time with family & friends (umm, yeah, I know it's Monday, but Scott took today off-so it is the end of our weekend). It was one of those great weekends where you get to see almost everybody that you're really close to & in all of these different settings spread out over a couple of days (& not all in one day like at Christmas). You don't feel rushed to get from Point A to Point B, plus you still had an extra free day (today) to get things done around the house without feeling stressed out. It was WONDERFUL! I'm ready to get back to the normal routine of the week though & all of the festivities have gotten me to thinking. I have a son now, that means some day I might be a grandma, which means I'm going to need a "Thing" someday. A "thing", you ask? A "thing"-it seems to me that every Grandma I've had in my life has had her "thing". My one grandma (dad's mom) is lovingly know as the "M&M Lady". She always had M&M's at her house and anytime you visited her you had to get some (still do to this day actually). She will always bring them to any family function or party where she is invited. (Who wouldn't invite her in that case!) It has also become tradition to give her some kind of M&M related gift at Christmas. Plus, kids who live close by that may not know her very well even know that they can get M&M's just for stopping by to see her! Now I've always known that this is her thing, but it really struck me this weekend just what effect she has on children because of her "thing" when we were at my sister's house for a cookout & my niece (who is only 2) had just heard that Great Grandma was coming over said "Great Grama nice, she bring M&M's" :) My other grandma has been gone for several years now, but I always fondly remember her chair - a yellow recliner that was great to play with, but was definitely her seat when everyone was visiting. She also always had the best peach jam on white bread-Yummy! When Scott's grandma died this past January, it was fun to sit and listen to all of the grandkids talk about always having to eat Fig Newtons out of the refrigerator, which seemed to be her "thing". My mom has been a grandma for a couple of years now, but I think she has been honing her skills with her "thing" for awhile now. She always brings finger Jello to every family thing & some of my younger cousins have now come to expect it of her each time & she gladly accomodates them. After discovering, that Luke loves Jello this past week, I was kidding her about her finger Jello & she said "Well, I will have to keep making it then if the grandkids like it!" So she may be come to known as the "Jello Lady" :) Scott's mom, has also been a grandma for a few years now & doesn't quite seem to have just her one "thing" yet, but she does always have something sugary sweet on hand for her little "sweeties" :) Marshmallows, chocolate shaped critters, snack cakes-you name it, she's probably had it on hand at one point or another. Maybe she could be called the "Sugar Lady" (what kid could resist that!) :) So after thinking about it, I figured that if there's even the remote possibility that I could be a grandma someday (way, way, way in the future)-I better come up with a "thing" at some point down the road! Not sure what that "thing" will be yet, but from thinking back on all of these lovely women & their "things"-it's obvious that it must need to be food related & apparently something quite tasty & sweet! Mmmmm!