crafting with grandma - Make Perry the Platypus - Yes, Yes You Can!

When my grands were young, they LOVED Perry the Platypus! They pretended to be Agent P (Perry) and told me I could be their "side-kick", Agent G (for grandma!) - we bravely battled Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his "innators"! Oh the fun we had at my house when my sweet grands were here! Of course this grandma does not mind at all when Agent P is "hit" with the "hug-innator" and has to give me hugs!!!! That has to be my favorite "innator"!

crafting with grandma . . . Cold, Snowy Day Fun - a Snowman!

Well . . . even though I live in Michigan, it is January 15th and we have just a little snow on the ground! It has been a wonderful winter so far! But, alas, as I mentioned, I do live in Michigan, so a snow-less or low snow winter is just not possible. The weather people are saying snow and cold weather is on it's way, so . . . I guess it is time to think about a craft you can make, and enjoy, on a snowy, cold day! (One you can enjoy even if you happen to live where you do not get snow, too!)

Trust, Twinkly Blue Eyes, a Big Smile, & Old, Dry, Dead Brown Leaves!

Today I want to share with you a post I wrote eight years ago - What is “trust”? Well, dictionary.com defines it as a; “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” I want my grandchildren to know they are absolutely able to trust me, but more importantly I want them to know they are absolutely able to trust God. Since my grandchildren are young (eight, five and three years old), one way they learn they are able to trust God is by learning they are able to trust me.

Make the Most of Being a Grandparent with the Praying Deeper Books

If you are looking for resources which are available for grandparents to use to help them pass on a heritage of confident faith to the children they love, I am delighted to share with you three books which will guide grandparents - and parents, too - in praying every day for the children they love! In the interests of transparency, I wrote these books.

crafting with grandma - Chalkboard Blocks

If you have young grandchildren and are looking for a unique and fun activity which you could make together, check this idea I found on Pinterest for Chalkboard Blocks!

Giant, Frozen Marbles!

Winter is here - whether there is snow on the ground, or not, it is still a great time to find fun things to do with the children we love. I do    love   Pinterest for the fun ideas I find on it. I thought I'd share with you one fun thing you might try. Granted, if you live where it is at least cold outside it will be easier to pull this off, but even if it is not cold and/or snowy outside where you live, this is still a fun activity you could try and one the children you love will never forget!

Today - January 13th - Is, "National Rubber Ducky Day", So Let's Make Ducks!

Yes, believe it or not, today is, "National Rubber Ducky Day!" In 1970, Jim Henson  performed the song “Rubber Duckie” as Ernie on Sesame Street, and the rubber duck bath toy has been an iconic American symbol ever since. Rubber ducks have been around since the rise of the rubber industry in the late 1800s, but no one knows their exact origin.

Plan You Own Silly, Snowy, Family Fun Day!

Since Winter has arrived and there is actually snow on the ground here in Michigan, I thought it might be fun today to share some winter jokes for children which I found online . . . 

Pair Eyewear - So Much Fun!

Today a bright package arrived in my mailbox - filled with three top frames for my new pair eyewear glasses! I have to say I am very happy today - will only be happier when my base frames with my new prescription arrive at America's Best so I'm able to put them all together for some of the best glasses I've ever had.

Why do I anticipate these glasses being the best I've ever had? Well, consider the following . . . 

Pair Eyewear - Such a Brilliant Way to Get Glasses!

Any day now I should get a call from America's Best telling me my new glasses prescription is ready! I ordered a base pair of glasses at America's Best from pair eyewear and one top frame and then ordered three additional top frames from pair eyewear's vast selection online (and they should arrive today!) I LOVE the idea behind pair eyewear - buy one base frame with your prescription, and then order a number of top frames so you are able to change the tops and the look of your glasses to match your outfit - or mood - an absolutely brilliant way to have several "pairs" of glasses!

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!