Celebrate Popcorn Day!

WooHoo!!! This is a day I am happy to celebrate for sure as I am a definite "fan" of popcorn and am one who is willing to celebrate it! My family enjoys popcorn as well and most weekends when the grands are here I end up fixing it for them.

I found the following ideas for ways to celebrate Popcorn on   Popcorn.com . . .

Christmas Book Review - Christmas Gifts Which Make a Difference - the little answer book & the little answer book for children

   

If you are looking for Christmas gifts which make a difference, then today I am happy to let you know about two more books which you could add to your gift list for the adults and children you love - the little answer book and   the little answer book for children.

December is National Cat Lovers' Month

I have a cat - her name is Candy and she is certainly loved, so a month to love and appreciate cats is something which makes sense to me. My grown kids and grandkids also have cats, so they will be happy to celebrate this month as well. Daysoftheyear (dot) com says, "This special month, celebrated each December, emphasizes the joy and companionship cats bring into our lives. With over a quarter of U.S. households owning a cat, this month is a heartfelt tribute to these cherished animal companions. The observance of National Cat Lovers’ Month is also about raising awareness of the many cats in shelters needing homes." Let's look at some fun facts about cats - did you know . . . 

Countdown-to-Christmas Caroling - O Come, O Come Emmanuel - the Piano Guys

Today I'm starting my time of Christmas Carols! Most days I will share a carol/song with you as we look forward to celebrating Christmas. Emmanuel means God with us; and this is why Jesus came . . . to be with us! This is why we celebrate Christmas. When I hear the song, O Come, O Come Emmanuel I think about what it would be like if we were still waiting for Him to appear and I rejoice in knowing He has come and we can know Him because He is with us!

Christmas Book Review - Don't Worry: It is Impossible to Spoil Grandchildren - A Christmas Gift Which Helps You Do What Matters the Most

   

Do you agree with me when I write about passing on a heritage of confident faith to the children you love, but are not sure where and how to begin? Do you have friends who are grandparents - or parents - who also want to pass on confident faith, but are also not sure where to begin? Are you looking for a Christmas gift for a grandparent/ parent you know which is a good read and one which will help them know how to do what matters the most?

crafting with grandma - Bell Candy Cane Ornaments!

 

Several years ago my grands participated in my church's mid-week Children's Ministry, and they made ornaments for each of their teachers. One year they made, melting snowmen ornaments - white glitter in a clear glass ornament with a felt triangle for a nose, two tiny black pom-poms for eyes and stick arms - very cute and a lot of fun to make and receive!

grandma's cookbook . . . Easy Chocolate Mousse on National Mousse Day 30

  

Today is National Mousse Day, so even though I have shared this recipe before, since it is mousse day, I thought I'd share it again . . . and what could be more delicious than chocolate mousse?!!! It can be complicated and a bit tricky to make chocolate mousse, so I found an easy delicious recipe for mousse from Betty Crocker - I have made this before and it is easy and tasty - a great way to celebrate National Mousse Day!

Christmas Book Review - Give Two Books in One with the Little Ginormous, Humongous, Hairy, One-Eyed Monster Boys Adventures!

  

When my children were young and then when my grands were young, I always gave books as part of their gifts at Christmas. If you are a grandma or mom who also gives books at Christmas, then this is the book to give the children you love! When my grands were young and at my house for a sleepover, we typically made up stories at bedtime which almost always had monsters or dinosaurs in them. One night when my oldest grandchild was six, my middle grandchild was three, and my youngest grandson was one, we were getting them into bed when the oldest said he saw a monster under his brother's bed! This was not what my middle grand wanted to hear, so I said there could not be any monsters under the bed because the monsters were at their poppa's and grandma's house getting ready for bed on their sleepover. My grands found this idea very interesting, so of course, our bedtime story for the night had to have little, ginormous, humongous, hairy, one-eyed monster boys getting ready for bed and being scared because they thought they saw, teeny, tiny, itty, bitty, not-so-hairy, two-eyed people boys under their beds! 

Today is National Lemon Pie Day!

 

Today is National Lemon Pie Day - and while I certainly enjoy a tasty slice of lemon meringue pie, I'm thinking more about celebrating this with a cross between a lemon bar and lemon chiffon pie! To make this tasty treat I will make a butter shortbread cookie lemon bar bottom, take my lemon curd, cool it, whip the egg whites to make meringue - or use whipped cream - or a combo of the two, then fold the lemon curd and meringue/cream together - gently - and top on my cooled butter shortbread cookie crust. This will be tasty for sure!

ENLIGHTEN - Don't Miss It!

If you live in or near Grand Rapids, Michigan, or will be visiting here before January 3rd, then have I got a fantastic Christmas gift idea for you to give to the ones you love - tickets to ENLIGHTEN! What is ENLIGHTEN, you ask? Well, it is an extravaganza of light, an opportunity for unexpected experiences, and a unique opportunity to build wonderful memories with the ones you love at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. I will be experiencing this for myself with my family on Saturday evening, so over the coming days I want to let you know about ENLIGHTEN and encourage you to give tickets to the ones you love for Christmas - ENLIGHTEN is the perfect experiential Christmas gift!

Books for Christmas - Life on the Amazing Goldilocks Planet

I'm very happy to share a new book with you which will make a difference in the lives of the children you love.  Are you one of the grandmas (or grandpas) who are so blessed to have grown children who love and walk with God, and who are committed to hand down confident faith with you to the children you all love? Do your grandchildren want to go to church, want to talk about their walk with God, and embrace a confident faith of their own? Or, do you have grown children who, like so many their age, are no longer involved in church, who do not embrace a confident faith of their own, and/or grandchildren who tell you they are, "not into that church thing any more"?

Christmas Gift Idea - The Pixar Parade Topper from Pair Eyewear

I have been sharing Christmas gift ideas with you from Pair Eyewear. As I've said, when I needed a new prescription for my glasses this past January, I switched to Pair Eyewear. I was very curious about their line of glasses because they had these "toppers" - magnetic "tops" which you could put on your glasses for an entirely new look. At only $30 or less per topper, it seemed to me to be a fantastic way to have more than one look for my glasses - at a fraction of what it would cost to buy extra new regular glasses. And yes, Pair Eyewear is fantastic - and brilliant!

crafting with grandma - Fun, Excellent & Inexpensive Gifts - Puzzle Snowmen!

Do you enjoy putting puzzles together? What do you do with a puzzle after you put it together? Do you save it and then put it together another time or does it get put in the closet never to see the light of day again? If you have a closet with puzzles in it and you are not sure what to do with them, consider turning them into great gifts for people on your gift list this year - and I'm not talking about just re-gifting them!

I was browsing on Pinterest and saw a photo of a snowman made from painted puzzle pieces! While it doesn't have directions, it looks like it would be  pretty simple project to make - just paint and then glue until you have the snowman look you want! Add some buttons for eyes and nose - I'd use some bake/clay to make a carrot nose instead of another button, make a scarf from some fleece or an old sweater/scarf and your snowman is finished! This would make such a cute gift and it would allow you to reuse a puzzle which is just sitting in your closet! (I think if you made small versions of this, they would make great ornaments as well!) A smaller one would make a fantastic ornament to gift to others as well!

Spread Hope

With all the challenges going on around us, it may be difficult to feel hopeful, but especially today on Thanksgiving it is a great time to stop and think about the reasons we do have to be thankful and hopeful. Since there are so many people in our families, neighborhoods, communities, and world who struggle to find hope, I wanted to write to remind us to do what we are able to do to  counteract the difficulties life brings by dedicating ourselves to spread hope around our neighborhoods, communities, and all around the world today and every day.

Consider the following ways to spread hope . . .