Cherishing our Cajun roots

I got her this "Princess Sticker Fun" set and it was an instant hit.

I got my grandbaby this "My First Sewing Kit" and she hasn’t put it down since.

If you ask my grandbaby what her favorite toy is right now, she’s not gonna say a doll or a tablet.

I’m Tina, Certified Aromatherapist since 2013. In Pearl River, I’m NanaTee. I have 8 grandkids. And I’m always looking for one thing: a toy that keeps them busy that ISN’T a screen.

“Clear the crib. Turn on the lamp. Put these 3 things on the rug. Call me in 20.”

Her Mama texted me: "NanaTee, she knows her colors now!"

My 5-year-old granddaughter spelled L-A-D-Y-B-U-G out loud.

“NanaTee,” she said. “How do you spell LADYBUG?”

My 3-year-old grandbaby came home from daycare crying. "They said my shoes were old, Nana." I didn't buy new shoes. I gave her Corduroy. She slept with that bear for 2 weeks. Now she tells kids, "It's okay to be missing something. You're still loved."

My daughter FaceTimed me: "Mama, listen to this." My grandson touched a banana picture and said "El plátano." He's 22 months. Pawpaw doesn't even speak Spanish. That was this LeapFrog book.

Last Christmas, my grandbaby got a $200 tablet. She played with the box it came in.

My granddaughter started hand-knitting at 6. She made her baby doll a sweater with just her fingers and some chunky yarn. That’s when I knew she was ready for a hook. But I wasn’t handing her a size 2.5mm hook and fingering weight yarn.  We started with LOOPS.

Because canned beans ain't nothing but sacrilegious!

I’m Tina, Certified Aromatherapist since 2013. In Pearl River, I’m NanaTee. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned with 8 grandkids:

That’s how it ends every night in my house.

We don’t get much snow. Maybe 1 day every 3 years.

They said, "Nana, he can't read yet." I said, "Give him Scrabble Junior." One week later: "Nana, I spelled SEA all by myself!" That's Level 1 working.

They called me laughing. "Nana, she lined up all her hats and started yelling 'Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!'" That was *Caps for Sale* working.

You just need good music, big flavor, and a little bit of “laissez les bons temps rouler.”

I’m Tina, Certified Aromatherapist since 2013. In Pearl River, I’m NanaTee.

I was 10 years old, standing in Aunt Joyce's flower bed in Vacherie. The ground there is different. Louisiana River Road dirt. Black, heavy, alive. Things don't just grow there. They take over.

The plant that bit back, and the vinegar that made the kitchen table

I tried making Grandma’s garfish patties with a fork once.

I Tried Cleaning Garfish Without a Fish Scaler. Never Again.

The Cast Iron Skillet Grandma Laura Used for 76 Years (And Why Papa Nick Couldn’t Replace It)