Today is National Read a Book Day

While every day is a great day to read a book, today is actually National Read a Book Day! Nationaltoday.com says, "Bringing new worlds to life, books enlighten us and transport us on exciting adventures. They can challenge our perspectives on the human experience in ways unmatched by other media. In a world deluged by technology, National Read a Book Day encourages us to silence the noise and turn the pages for a while." Along with making time to read a book today, consider sharing the following book fun facts with the children you love (I do this whenever I write about a "special" day as it is a fun way to connect) - did you know . . . 

Honey, Maple, Oat Artisan Bread

From time to time I enjoy making artisan bread - and I have a new recipe which I want to share with you today - especially since September is Honey Month. Before I get to the recipe I want to say this bread just takes minutes to mix by hand, you let it rise for a few hours, then pop it into the oven for about 40 minutes - this is all there is to it!

September is National Honey Month!

 

September is "National Honey Month - it is a celebratory and promotional event which is held annually during the month of September. Its purpose is to promote US beekeeping, the beekeeping industry, and the use of honey as a natural and beneficial sweetener." Before we look at some ideas for celebrating National Honey Month, let's learn some fun honey facts, did you know . . . 

Try Pair Eyewear and Save $25!

This past January when I had to get new glasses, I decided to try Pair Eyewear. This line of glasses was designed to have magnetic top frames which you are able to change out for an entirely new look and style - it is SUCH a fantastic idea! It is like getting an entirely new pair of glasses for only $25 or $30 - the cost of a new topper. I have to say, I absolutely LOVE Pair Eyewear!

September is Friendship Month!

 

"Friendship Month is all about highlighting the importance of what friends mean and celebrating what friendship brings to all of our lives every day!" You will find ideas for ways to celebrate Friendship Month on this link, but I also wanted to share with you some scientific facts about friendship as well. Did you know . . . 

Truths about Grandparents . . .

  

This morning I was thinking about being a grandma and what an amazing blessing it is, so I looked up a few quotes about grandmas/ grandparents and thought I'd share some with you . . .

It is Read a New Book Month!

 

Yes, it is Read a New Book Month, so take time today to find a new book and then set aside time to read it. I know, we are busy people, but taking time to read not only helps you learn new things, but it also has other fantastic benefits making it well worth the time to make time to read. Did you know . . .

A Family of Her Own for Candy - Great Story to Encourage Reading

 

In keeping with the idea of celebrating cats this month I thought I'd share a book which does so. Three summers ago my husband, grands, 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, secondly I wanted to be sure whatever cat we got was one which was able to be around them 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.) 

It is Happy Cat Month!

 

Do you have a cat? We do. Candy is our calico cat, we got her three years ago from the local Humane Society, and she seems to be a happy cat, so when I saw how September is "happy cat month", I thought I'd share some ideas about how to celebrate.

Initially the idea behind Happy Cat Month is to encourage people to keep their cats healthy and take them to a vet to ensure they are healthy. 

illustrate my own - Check Out this Series

 

Quite a few years ago I wrote a series of books for children about Bible people. I was motivated to do so because when you see books about Bible people, they are usually about just a few Bible people and there are so many more people in the Bible with fantastic accounts of how they were able to know and walk with God. I enjoyed writing the Bible stories, but am not an artist, so I thought maybe it would be fun to write a series of books with an "illustrate my own" "twist" - the children - and/or families - could illustrate their own books!

Today is American Chess Day!

 

Today is American Chess Day! My grands all play Chess, and when my middle grand was 13 years old, they came in second in a Chess Tournament! (The cat in the photo is my grands' cat.) Chess is a great game for all ages to play, just look at this fact . . . "A Venezuelan study found an increase in IQ scores of its participants after four months of learning and playing chess. Another study found games which require participants to use their brains, especially players older in age, help those participants to be less likely to develop dementia. It also enhances problem-solving skills, as players have to maneuver and manage the game and their opponent." I found this quote on the NationalToday site - you will find out more about Chess at this link.

Did you know . . .

crafting with grandma - Platypus in a Fedora Hat!

Ten years ago my grands were huge fans of a certain  turquoise blue platypus in a brown fedora! Did I say, "huge"? I should have said, "HUGE!!!" :-) So, as I thought about the hats I wanted to make for them for Christmas, it was pretty obvious I needed to make them platypus in a fedora hats. I found a pattern on line which got me started, then "tweaked" it a bit, added a "bill" and changed the eyes from being angry - almost scary - to having a "classic" "Perry" look!

It is National Suicide Prevention Month

 

Most of my "today is" or "this month is" posts are written with the goal of encouraging you to celebrate with the ones you love. Celebrating together is a fantastic way to build a strong relationship - and this truly matters when it comes to the ones we love. Too often, especially as we get older, we think it is the responsibility of our children/ grandchildren to reach out to us, but NO! As grandmas (grandpas/parents) we are able to be the one who reaches out. It matters for us to do this. Grandparents, remember how busy you were when you were younger? Be the one who reaches out, and celebrate with the ones you love!

crafting with grandma - Make Some Minions!

I made Minion hats and Crazy Minion stuffed toys for my grands when they were younger. They were soooo cute in their hats. All of the  Despicable Me  movies are favorites around here, for good reason, as they are funny!

So, today I'm sharing a link for a pattern for making Minions, I thought it would be fun to share it with you!