Today is International Thank You Day!

I'm all for being thankful and for letting others know you are thankful for them, so a day to especially focus on being thankful is an excellent day to celebrate for sure! Nationaltoday.com says, "International Thank-You Day is celebrated yearly on January 11. It is a day which serves as a reminder we ought t express our gratitude to those who have made our lives better in some way. What better month to reflect on this than the beginning of the year? We often forget to say, 'Thank you,' because we take it for granted or we assume others know how we feel. This day was founded to recognize the importance of always saying thank you." There is some interesting history about being thankful - did you know . . .

The Great New Way to Get Glasses

I wear glasses - MS has messed up my vision, so they are necessary. It is my "philosophy" if I have to wear glasses, they might as well be "fun", have a bit of "spunk", some color, and a touch of "pizzazz", so I have always ordered glasses which are all of these things, because I believe why wear boring glasses if you do not have to do so? But, this has always meant buying multiple pairs of glasses each year - until now! I just had my yearly eye exam, and as expected, my prescription changed, so new glasses were needed, but this time I ordered a base pair of glasses from Pair Eyewear and several fun tops to give me the fun, spunk, color, and pizzazz - basically several "pairs" of glasses, but at a significantly lower price!

Today is National Bittersweet Chocolate Day

Mmmm! I do enjoy dark chocolate - especially if it also has almonds, so a day to celebrate this wonderful chocolate sounds like a good idea to me! Especially since dark chocolate is good for you - here are five reasons why chocolate is healthier than you think . . . 

crafting with grandma - Paper, Stuffed Hearts!

I was browsing on Pinterest and found a great idea for making paper hearts . . . not the typical, one-dimensional paper hearts you might first think of, but big, puffy, beautiful stuffed hearts!

Follow this link and you'll find all the directions . . . this is a simple enough pattern you could have your grandchildren make them to give their parents or school teachers! I think it would be fun to make smaller hearts and then give them to the secretaries at school and church - and a smaller size would be nice for shut-in neighbors, too!

Winter Fun with a Waterballoon Igloo!

Last year I saw a post on facebook about a waterballoon igloo, so today I had to share this idea with you! You will find photos of it and information about it at this link, but I think it looks like you take your waterballoons, let them freeze, then layer the balloons by putting snow around them as you build.

A Family of Her Own for Candy - Great Story to Encourage Reading in the New Year

A couple summers ago my husband, grandsons, and I went to the Humane Society to get a kitten. I wanted my grands to go with us because, first of all, they love all animals, and secondly I wanted to be sure whatever cat we got was one which was able to be around my grands 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 grand said she reminded him of candy corn.) 

crafting with grandma - LOVE with Handprints!

When you have little ones at your home, chances are you will also have little handprints . . . on the windows, on the doors, on the furniture . . . in lots of places! Well, one day when I was browsing on Pinterest, I found the best idea ever for using those little hands . . . and feet, to make a gift which will be absolutely treasured by anyone who receives it!

All you need is paint, something to put the prints on; could be paper, canvas, wood, t-shirts, glass . . . whatever you choose and, of course, little hands and feet!

crafting with grandma - Valentines Day Bird Feeder!

Valentine's Day is just a little over a month away, so if you are looking for a simple craft which your grandchildren could do . . . and one which has a purpose, then look at this great idea I found  on  Pinterest  for a Valentine's Day Bird Feeder! You'll find the simple directions at this link . . . my grands made this when they were younger. 

grandma's cookbook - Ham & Cheese Pretzel Bites!

My sweet grands are typically at my house every Saturday for a sleepover, so when I was browsing on  Pinterest and saw this recipe, I thought it sounded like a fun recipe to try with them! After all, what could be more fun than making home made ham and cheese pretzel bites? 

Just for Fun . . . New Year's Fun Facts!

We are beginning the New Year - 2025, and the children we love are back in school - unless they have another snow day - so I thought it would be fun to look on-line and see if I could find any interesting, surprising, and fun New Year's facts to share with you . . . look what I  found . . . 

The Little Ginormous, Humongous, Hairy, One-Eyed Monster Boys Adventures!

 

With the weather the weekend brought, many people in our country are experiencing snow days - my grands are not, but there are certainly children who are. But with snow days, or any days when children are home, there is always the challenge of finding things for them to do. If you have young children ages three to eight in your home, consider giving them a fun book with two stories in it which will brighten their day and make bedtime - or any time - funtime! 

Cooking = Family Memories to Treasure!

What do you remember from when you were a child? Which family memories stand out to you when you remember being young? For me, I remember times when my family got together . . . there were always amazing things to eat as my family had excellent cooks as my grandmas and my mom could all cook! There are few things in life as wonderful as time spent with family . . . when you can add in tasty things to eat . . . well, it is the "cherry on top"!

crafting with grandma - Valentines Day Salt-Dough Hand-Print Hearts!

If you have been reading grandma's cookie jar for long, you know I love crafts which involve  making hand and/or footprints of my grands . . . they grow up so very fast, so being able to save a "moment in time" when they are "little" (even when they assure me they are no longer "little", but are "big"!) is something I cherish!

So, when I was browsing on Pinterest and saw a salt-dough hand-print heart, I knew I had to do two things . . . make some with my sweet grands and share the recipe with you! 

crafting with grandma - I Love You in Sign Language!

Valentine's Day is just a month and a few days away, so if you are looking for some craft ideas which you could try with your grandchildren, look at this fun idea I found on Pinterest which works for any age of grandchild!