grandma's favorite things - Fiesta Ware!

When I was a child my grandma had Fiesta Ware dishes - whenever we ate at her house I always hoped I would get to eat off the sunny yellow plates! So, when I had the opportunity to review some of Fiesta Ware's square dinnerware - well, I was very happy to do so!

44 Ways to Praise a Child

 

In the NIV Mom's Devotional Bible, I saw "101 Ways to Praise a Child", so . . . since any day seems like a great opportunity to encourage a child, I thought I'd share some of my personal favorite ways to praise a child with you today!

Join All of Us - Make a Difference

Have you heard of the "All of Us" research program from the NIH? Well, it is a fantastic opportunity for "all of us" to make an impact on the future of health care in our country. How, you ask? Please let me share with you some information . . .

Hand Down Confident Faith with Generations Quest Cultivate the Faith

If you are looking for something to help you hand down confident faith, then take a close look at Generations Quest - Cultivate the Faith! This resource will provide you with 52 weeks of Bible learning, science projects, crafts, cooking and much more - all designed to make it easy for you to hand down confident faith while engaging the children you love in interesting, fun and active learning.

Fun to Make Unique Craft/Gift

Do you like to make unique, special gifts for the people on your gift list? Do you enjoy helping your grandchildren learn to make unique special gifts for the people on their gift list? There are only five months until Christmas, so if you'd like a great idea for a truly unique gift, try this one! You could help your grandchildren make this gift for their parents!

Cuisinart Cook & Pour Saucepan . . . Let's Make Soup!

When the days are cooler we tend to think it is the perfect time for soup, but homemade soup is not only delicious . . . it is really quite easy to make and is a tasty option even when the weather is warm. Just combine with sandwiches and you will have a tasty meal! But, before I share my recipe for homemade chicken noodle soup, let's talk about a saucepan you could use to make your soup. 

God's Great Love for You

I clearly love books and am always happy for the opportunity to review an excellent book - today is a very happy day as the book I'm writing about is excellent!

Cuisinart 3-in-1 Cooker!

Cuisinart sent me one of their 3-In-1 Cook Centrals so I could try it out so, today I want to tell you about the  Cuisinart 3-In-1 Cook Central! This cooker allows you to brown the meat your are cooking before you switch to the slow-cook setting, so you can do it all with one cooker making it easier to cook and easier to clean up! I love how light-weight the cooker is and how it allows me to set the time based on my schedule and recipe! Easy to use, easy to clean and makes amazing food - what could be better???!!! 

just for fun - Today, July 5th, is National Graham Cracker Day & a Recipe for Ice Cream Pie!

Today is National Graham Cracker Day! All grandparents know about graham crackers . . . or at least that most grandchildren enjoy them! But what is the "history" of the graham cracker? I looked on-line and found the following . . . 

Review of FirstScope Telescope by Celestron

My grandsons love science. They love working on science projects and talking about sciency things. So, I contacted  Celestron and they sent me their FirstScope Telescope - a perfect first telescope - to send home with my grandsons and then let you know all about it. 

GSI Outdoors - Microlite 500 Flip, Vacuum Bottle Review

I thought I'd share an interesting stat with you today. Did you know in the USA we used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year? Did you know on average 250 coffee drinks are sold each day at coffee drive-through businesses in the USA?

grandma's chuckles . . . "I Need a Break From Children . . . "

From the title to this post, you may be thinking I, or another adult, said this statement, but no . . . it was uttered by my then four-year old grandson, Caleb! On that day the boys spent Friday at my house, had a sleep-over, and then Saturday afternoon, we took them home. On the way we discovered their parents were thinking about having a bonfire at our house (we live in the country with plenty of room for bonfires and at the time they lived in the city - not so much bonfire room!)

Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park - Best Sculpture Park in America!

Over the past years I have written a few times about the
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park - typically about their amazing "Butterflies are Blooming" in March and April where thousands of butterflies are in the Tropical Conservatory or their "Christmas Around the World" in November and December. This past Christmas my dear husband and I decided to give each other and ourselves the gift of a membership to the Park. We decided on a grandparents membership - which allows us and our grandchildren 18 and younger - to visit as often as we like in the coming year. We added the guest option where we are able to bring a guest as well and I have to say, we have easily gotten our money's worth out of our membership at only four months into our membership! We will absolutely be renewing our membership next year!

A Family of Her Own for Candy - Great Story to Encourage Reading in the Summer!

Last summer my husband, grandsons, and I went to the Humane Society to get a kitten. I wanted my grandsons to go with us because, first of all, they love all animals, secondly I wanted to be sure whatever cat we got was one which was able to be around my grandsons without being aggressive. We spent some time at the Humane Society and finally settled on a very sweet calico - which we named Candy, because she is sweet (and my middle grandson said she reminded him of candy corn.)