Saving a Baby Elephant & Passing On Our Faith

The other day I saw a report on the news about a little baby elephant in a zoo in Seoul, Korea. The baby was walking along a water feature in it's area when it fell in. The water was deep and the baby was at risk of drowning. 

Happily, the baby was not alone. It's mother and aunt were with it and they ran - or charged would not be too small a word to describe what they did - to the side of the baby. They were not able to lift the baby out of the deep water, so they got around it and pushed the baby to shallow water.

I Have a Winner & Don't Forget A Special Giveaway in Nine Days!

I'm happy to announce Mary Beth Dawson is the winner of World Pizza - you will find my full review at this link. Thank you Mary Beth for reading grandma's cookie jar - please email me (lyndagcj@gmail.com) your address by June 27, 2017, so I can have the book sent to you, and thank you Sterling Children's Books for sending one for me to review and for making another available for me to give away!

Book Giveaway on Mineral Bros!

My grandsons' have posted their first giveaway on their blog - mineral bros - mineralbros.blogspot.com! They are giving away the wonderful book -Rocks, Minerals & Gems . . . you will find all the details for entering this giveaway at the following link.

Please check it out and enter - someone will win - could be you!

Summer Plans!

Hello! Yes, I am still here! Since starting this blog, I have never gone three days without posting, but Summer has begun and this Summer, my grandsons will be spending time at my house, so when they are here, I do not use my computer. I want them to have my attention and time.

I do expect to be able to post most days - after they go home or when they go to bed on sleepovers, but while they are here, it will not be the typical thing for me to post as I will be spending my time with them. We will be reading books (Caleb just finished Kindergarten and is a reading person!), cooking, baking, playing board games, snuggling, laughing, go rock hunting, work on their blogs, swim, have water gun "wars" and tomorrow we are going to go out and see what types of photos we might take of nature - I expect this to be fun for sure! We will have fun!

Rocks, Minerals & Gems - My Grandsons Are Giving One Away!

This Summer, my grandsons are writing their own blog about rocks. My eight-year-old grandson designed and created the blog and the logo, by himself and he and his brothers (five and three years old) will write about rocks, review books and rocks and make videos about books and rocks, too. It should be educational and will be fun!

Scholastic Books sent them the first book they are reviewing, Rocks, Minerals & Gems - and an additional copy for them to give away on their blog! They will be reviewing it this weekend - and announcing the details for their giveaway as well. So, today I want to share my review of this book with you as well.

Rocks, Minerals & Gems
Authors - Sean Callery & Miranda Smith 
Photographer - Gary Ombler
Publisher - Scholastic Books
Ages - 8-12

Favorite Features -

• This book is filled with hundreds of photos of rocks, minerals and gems
• The photos are amazing!
• Solid content and interesting information about rocks, minerals and gems - I learned quite a bit!
• A truly wonderful resource to use with your grandchildren to learn about the world around them - and the world far away as well!

Scholastic Books says; "In Rocks, Minerals & Gems, readers will learn about hundreds of rocks, minerals, crystals, and gems which were forged by the most powerful events in prehistory. Explore what specimens look like and how they're used today - - readers will be able to use the information to identify rocks and minerals themselves and open up a spectacular new world. Find out all about star stones and cat's eyes, megagems, and phantom quartz. Discover which rocks fluoresce, which mineral once poisoned an emperor, and which gems are the rarest in the world!"

I love how not only will my grandsons enjoy the photos in this book - which they definitely do - but they will be able to use it to help them learn about the rocks, minerals and gems they discover - especially over the Summer!

And, they will be pretty excited to know there is information in Rocks, Minerals & Gems about rocks which fluoresce and a mineral which poisoned an emperor! They will definitely want to find out the specifics about these things . . . and I would not be surprised to find what they learn ends up on their blog (mineralbros.blogspot.com)

Please check out their blog - Saturday or Sunday (June 17th or 18th) they are planning to post their review and anounce the giveaway they are holding for one Rocks, Minerals & Gems - someone will win this wonderful book - maybe it will be you!

Grandma - You DO Make a Significant Difference!

I'm writing a new book for grandparents and in one chapter I share some of the history of Fanny Crosby - today I'm sharing a bit of it with you. 

When Fanny was six months old, her dad died - she was raised by her mother and her grandmother. At the age of three she was officially diagnosed with permanent blindness. Her grandmother, Eunice Crosby, taught her about God and His Word - she told her she could trust God and all they had, good and bad, came through His hand to them.

When Fanny was ten her grandmother helped her memorize five chapters of the Bible each week. Since Fanny could not see to read, this meant her grandmother had to read and, sentence by sentence, help Fanny with this memorization.

grandma's library - World Pizza - I'm Giving One Away!

I was recently invited to review and giveaway a new book - the idea for the book sounded fun, so I said I'd be happy to take a look at it. Today I'm sharing with you my thoughts about the book - World Pizza.

Do You Have any Rocks/Stones to Share?

I have posted a couple times about how my grandsons are writing their own blog about rocks this summer. They have received a book from Scholastic Books about rocks, minerals and gems (it is a beautiful book with amazing photos and great info) and will be reviewing it in a few days . . . as well as announcing a giveaway for another one as well!

They have some fun rocks to write about and plan to search for more over the summer! You will find their blog at mineralbros.blogspot.com it will be a fun place to learn about rocks.

So, with this in mind, if you have some interesting stones/rocks which you would be willing to give to these boys to research and write about on their blog, please send them to me -

Trust God, Experience His Peace & Pass it On!

I grew up in a time when each Sunday in church we sang the old hymns; It Is Well With My Soul, The Old Rugged Cross, Amazing Grace, Just As I Am - old songs where the lyrics were sound and they challenged and encouraged us in our walk with God. I loved these songs then - and still love them today.

I also love the newer praise songs, but today I want to share one of my favorite hymns with you, and some thoughts about how these lyrics encourage grandparents; but first some background on the author – Frances Havergal. She lived in the mid to late 1800's and wrote a number of hymns. In 1876 she became quite ill; many thought she would die, but she was not upset or afraid. Instead she had great peace and wrote the song, "Like a River Glorious" - one of my favorites!

Look at the first verse –

Finding Garnets!

One of my brothers works for a company where they make counter tops out of marble and other stones. This past weekend his son graduated from High School and at his Open House, we were talking about how my grandsons LOVE rocks! My brother showed me a counter top scrap he had which was made from mica and garnets. He told me if you hit it with a hammer, the mica would turn to powder and you'd find garnets - then he gave me a piece for my grandsons to give it a try.

I Have a Winner!

I'm happy to say Mary Carmen is the winner of the wonderful fleece photo blanket from Shutterfly! You will find my full review at this link.

Thank you Mary for reading grandma's cookie jar (please email me by June 14, 2017 at lyndagcj@gmail.com to arrange for you to order your own custom, beautiful blanket.)

And thank you Shutterfly for sending one for me to review and for making another available for me to give away!

Second-Chance Giveaway on June 12, 2017

We just enjoyed my annual month of birthday giveaways - otherwise known as the month of May! Many of you won prizes - and I'm happy to say, they have all finally been mailed! If you have not received your prize yet, it should arrive next week!

But, one person who won a prize did not contact me with their info in the stated time frame, so I could get their prize to them, so we are having a second-chance giveaway on June 12, 2017 to find a new winner for the wonderful fleece photo blanket from Shutterfly! You will find my full review at this link.

Children's Day - Yes, It Is Real!

This Sunday - June 11, 2017 - is Children's Day! Yes, it is a real holiday . . . (If you look it up on Google, it says the USA celebrates Children's Day on the second Sunday in June - this has been the official date since the 1800's - I really did not make this holiday up!!!) :-) 

Let Them Hear & Read God's Word, Too!

I have personally read through the Bible many times in my life – as you have likely done as well, however; I recently came across a verse which I'm sure I must have read before, but just truly "noticed" . . . .