Recent Blog Posts

Easter is a favorite holiday of mine, but for years I struggled with how to decorate for the holiday. There are lots of items out there to purchase for Easter, and I seemed to have a little bit of everything. After trying to make it all work together, I finally decided to decorate based on color. Ou...
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As the weather finally begins to heat up, so do our summer travel plans. Between work, conferences and events we always take one get away somewhere in Michigan just to disconnect. One thing that most people that aren’t from the Mitten haven’t quite figured out yet, we have a beautiful state. Wi...
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If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for the lady in your life (grandma, mother, sweetheart, next-door-neighbor, mail lady, teacher or wife) we’ve got some ideas that are all under $50! Talk about budget friendly! Handmade Soap: Any lady appreciates a nice smelling soap, especial...
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Recently while I was stationed in Trapper’s Cabin, Grandpa Shorter’s lower level, (check out the random sales and other cool stuff down there) I was looking over our large assortment of cookie cutters and found one the shape of a piece of toast. Why would anybody want a toast shaped coo...
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I love purple.  Purple flowers and purple clothes! And I even have purple counter-tops in my bathroom. My family, friends and co-workers are aware of my obsession and are frequently on the lookout for unusual and fun items to add to my collection.  Working at Grandpa Shorter’s has been a...
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The point of the window is to attract customers and bring them in to buy. To create an attractive window that draws the customer in it takes a theme, plan, preparation, time and maintenance.  We have been doing window displays for years and have received many compliments, which is why we�...
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As a graduate of one school and having a son at the other I understand the rivalry. No problem when you come to Grandpa Shorter’s, though, you can find a vast selection of items representing allegiance to both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Looking for wearing appar...
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As a kid, you never could have gotten me to eat squash. "Blechh" was a favorite phrase of mine when my taste buds had not yet developed. Now, I have a pre-teen in my house, and she is very much like I was at her age. She is not into anything new! I find myself trying to convince her to eat new food...
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This past Sunday, Kaitlyn and I went out to my Dad's farm and picked apples. He has 18 trees, and they were loaded with apples. We picked for about an hour and picked several bushels worth. Left many more on the trees to ripen a bit more, but we are anxious to go back out and pick some more...
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It warms my heart when my daughter Kaitlyn bakes holiday cookies with my mom. Bake a batch with your family and see what happens. It is magic year around. Old Fashion Sour Cream Cookies Ingredients: 1/2 cup shortening1 cup sugar1 egg2 tsp. almond flavoring2 2/3 cups all-purpose flo...
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