just as grandma's cookie jar should always be full of good things, this blog will be full of good ideas, information, activities and reviews of things to help grandma . . . and grandpa, mom and dad too . . . pass on a heritage of faith to the children in their lives!
Yes! Tomorrow is the day I'm giving away one American Girl Marie - Gracedoll! I truly wish I had more of these dolls to give away . . . I've appreciated the opportunity to hear from so many of you about the wonderful little girls you would give this doll to if you win - I wish I could give dolls to all of you, but, I do have one doll to give away and the drawing is tomorrow!
If you have "liked" the blog, grandma's cookie jar, then you have one entry in my drawing! If you have "shared" any of my daily posts, then you receive an additional entry in the drawing each time you share - feel free to let me know when you "share". On Thursday I'll have a random drawing amongst all these names and one person will win one American Girl Marie-Grace doll! :^)
I've had a number of give-aways on grandma's cookie jar lately . . . and nearly all of them are for grandchildren. This time, I have something nice for grandma! The Pfaltzgraff Winterberry Perfect Pie Plate with Cardinal Pie Bird!!! I'll get to this in a moment, but first I'd like to share a pie recipe with you!
I'm sure we all agree the focus for the month of December is Christmas . . . Christmas trees, Christmas cards, Christmas carols, Christmas decorations, Christmas cookies, Christmas parties, Christmas gifts . . . and on and on it goes. But, let's stop for a moment and remember . . . Christmas is all about how Jesus, the Word, "was coming into the world!" (NLT)
The Word, Jesus, is why we can celebrate Christmas, so this Christmas help your grandchildren focus on this truth by focusing on the Word, Jesus, and His written Word, the Bible as well with the oneverse project through the Seed Company. As they say, "Today, nearly one-third of the world's language groups representing 340 million people are still waiting for God’s Word in a language that they can understand clearly."
So, what is the oneverse project? Consider the following . . .
I am thrilled for the opportunity to share a really unique and fun item with you and for the opportunity to give one away! Hallmark has released several Interactive Storybook & Story Buddy sets this year . . . they sent me Bigsby's Best Friend - which is too cute for words - and are making one Jingle the Husky Pup available for me to give away!
So . . . first a few words about Bigsby! Bigsby the plush toy Big Foot is soooo soft and snuggly! I love his big feet and his friendly smile. The book which is included is entitled, Bigsby's Best Friend and is written by Jake Gahr and Illustrated by Bob Kolar. If you press Bigsby's ear he will tell you, "Bigsby ready for story!" to let you know the fun is about to begin! As you read the story book, there are certain phrases which Bigsby will respond to . . . this is certain to delight and amaze your grandchildren!!! In the story, Bigsby meets a boy named Sam and they become best friends. I like how the story encourages friendship, loyalty and acceptance!
I'm happy to announce Rachel Foland is the winner in my Mr. Popper's Penguins DVD give-away! (You will find my review at this link) Thank you Rachel for reading grandma's cookie jar (please message me your address by December 29th so I can have it sent to you) and thank you Twentieth Century Fox for making a copy available for me to review and another for me to give away on my blog!
Yes! Just three more days until I give away one American Girl Marie - Gracedoll! I truly wish I had more of these dolls to give away . . . I've appreciated the opportunity to hear from so many of you about the wonderful little girls you would give this doll to if you win - I would give dolls to all of you if I could. But, I do have one doll to give away and the drawing is only three days away!
If you have "liked" the blog, grandma's cookie jar, then you have one entry in my drawing! If you have "shared" any of my daily posts, then you receive an additional entry in the drawing each time you share - feel free to let me know when you "share". On Thursday I'll have a random drawing amongst all these names and one person will win one American Girl Marie-Grace doll! :^)
Recently I started a new section to my blog . . . unlike the others, this one is very serious and sad. Across the country and around the world children are missing. Some are runaways. Some have been taken by a parent or other family member. Others have been taken by strangers. In all these cases there is heartbreak as families wait for word on the whereabouts of their loved missing children. We need to be praying for these families and these children. We need to be watching - often children are found because someone saw something and took the time to share what they saw. If you see any of these children, call 911 immediately.
So far I have shared photos and information about Jhessye Shockley, Aliayah Lunsford, Sky Metalwala and Madison Jewel Richardson. Sadly, all four are still missing. Please keep them in your prayers. Today I ask you to pray for three brothers, Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton. These brothers are 10, 8 and 6 years old and are missing from Morenci, Michigan. These little boys lived not far from where I live - their father admits to abducting them - he claims he gave them to some people who would keep them safe from their mother, but won't say who these people are or where the boys are. The police believe the boys were killed by their father - they have been missing since November 26, 2010. Andrew and Alexander have brown hair and eyes and Tanner has blond hair and blue eyes. For the past year these boys have been missing. Their family is heartbroken and wants to know where they are. Please pray for these sweet boys and for their family and please share this post.
For the past month I've been encouraging you to help your grandchildren focus on the most important thing this Christmas - giving with Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog so others will be helped and learn of Jesus. Children do think a lot about gifts this time of year, so let's use this to help them focus on living what they believe by giving to others! I love the Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog because it gives you so may ways to help others - many are less than $50 - and each opportunity to help includes the opportunity for those who are being helped to learn about the Best Gift ever . . . Jesus! Consider these opportunities for your grandchildren . . .
Have you put up your Christmas tree yet? Mine is up! My husband, son and grandson put it up on Thanksgiving - after dinner was over! Josiah was so delighted to help assemble the tree, check the lights and put the ornaments on it! I was delighted to watch the whole process! Of course he really enjoyed helping me place the wrapped gifts under the tree, too, and when he was able to pick one small gift to open . . . well, he certainly is a "fan" of the fun part of Christmas!
So, in the "spirit" of putting up a tree and decorating it with ornaments, I'm delighted to give away one Bucilla Ballet Bears Ornaments Kit! This kit has everything you need (except for the stuffing) to make six lovely ballet bear ornaments and is a fun project for you to work on with your grandchildren! Simple hand sewing is all which is required to make these ornaments . . . they are a great way to help your grandchildren learn some basic sewing and embroidery skills! As you work on these with your grandchildren ask them who they would like to give the completed ornaments to . . . their parents, their teachers, a friend . . . or put them on their own tree!
On Tuesday, November 29th, I'm giving away one Mr. Popper's Penguins movie! In the meantime, I'd delighted to share a link to Mr. Popper's Ice Cold Recipes! Check this link out for some fun and simple recipes you could make with your grandchildren! Enjoy!
(Remember, you can be in this drawing simply be "liking" this blog using the tab in the "find us on facebook" box, ON THE BLOG. If you have now "liked" grandma's cookie jar yet, please take a moment to do so! Thank you for reading grandma's cookie jar - please share this blog with the people you know!
There are just five days to go in my American Girl Marie - Grace doll give-away! If you have "liked" this blog using the tab in the "find us on facebook" box ON THE BLOG, then you are entered in the drawing! If you "share" any of my daily posts, you receive an additional entry each time you share - feel free to let me know when you share! It is this simple!
I'm very happy for the opportunity to give American Girl dolls away to two of my readers and look forward to the opportunity to do so again this Spring! In the meantime, please keep checking back for all the other great give-aways I have each and every week on grandma's cookie jar!
Thank you for reading grandma's cookie jar and for sharing it with the people you know! And . . . Happy Thanksgiving!!!
With Christmas just around the corner I have a fun give-away which would make a great gift for nearly any child on your gift list . . . the Wavy Spotted Eagle Ray from Douglas Toys!
I'm happy to announce Gary Nelson is the winner in my Shutterfly photobook give-away! (You'll find my review at this link) Thank you Gary for reading grandma's cookie jar - please message me your address so I can send your gift card to you. Typically I give winners 30 days to get their address to me, but since this card is dated, I need to hear from you by December 1st or I will have to draw a new name. Thank you Shutterfly for allowing me to make a photobook for my review and for making another available for me to give away!
Yesterday when I was looking on-line for info on preparing a turkey brine I found directions for making apple swans . . . so, I thought I'd share it with you! Enjoy!
There is just one week to go in my American Girl Marie - Grace doll give-away! If you have "liked" this blog using the tab in the "find us on facebook" box ON THE BLOG, then you are entered in the drawing! If you "share" any of my daily posts, you receive an additional entry each time you share - feel free to let me know when you share! It is this simple!
Thank you for reading grandma's cookie jar and for sharing it with the people you know! And . . . Happy Thanksgiving!!!
So, last night Josiah spent the night. He noticed all the wrapped presents in my room and asked if they were for him. I told him they were mostly for him and Caleb. He said, "And some are for you, too!" I said, "You are my best present!" He looked at me and said, "You are my best present, too, grandma!" Okay . . . this is one very happy grandma and there is no better present I could possibly get!
I'm delighted for the opportunity to share the release of Mr. Popper's Penguins with you . . . "Just in time for the holidays on December 6th, Jim Carrey (A Christmas Carol) stars in MR. POPPER’S PENGUINS, on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. The whole family will be full of laughs watching Mr. Popper, a driven businessman who is clueless when it comes to the important things in life until he inherits six, “adorable” and mischievous penguins."
I particularly appreciated the way this movie shows how essential it is for us to focus on the truly important . . . time with our children and grandchildren. In this movie, as a child Mr. Popper grows up with his father off chasing the "big one" and as a result grows up without experiencing what it means to be loved by his dad. As an adult, he struggles to connect with his children, until he receives the "gift" of a penguin. As you might expect with a movie where Jim Carrey stars, the story gets crazy from there! I'm glad in the end he comes to truly understand and value the most important thing . . . loving and spending time with his children! I'm sure you will be happy and relieved to know, "No penguins were harmed in the making of this movie, Jim Carrey however; was bitten mercilessly . . . which of course he deserved!"
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I love the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy . . . yum! But, most of us will have leftover turkey and will want to find interesting ways to use it. I recently was sent the Better Homes and Gardens The Ultimate Casseroles Book with more than 400 comfort food classic recipes!!! I thought it would be fun to share a recipe I found in it, modified slightly to fit our post-Thanksgiving leftover turkey!
I am delighted to say Connie Leuthy is the winner in my second-chance Mothers & Babies game give-away! (You will find the review at this link) Thank you Connie for reading grandma's cookie jar (please message me your address so I can have it sent to you) and thank you Ravensburger for sending a game for my review and for making another available for give-away!
Yes! Tomorrow is the day I'm giving away one 
American Girl Marie - Grace
- which is too cute for words - and are making one 
