just as grandma's cookie jar should always be full of good things, this blog will be full of good ideas, information, activities and reviews of things to help grandma . . . and grandpa, mom and dad too . . . pass on a heritage of faith to the children in their lives!
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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.
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I am so happy to finally have this topper and absolutely love the Red Shimmer topper - it is a beautiful deep shade of red and it shimmers with every move! What isn't there to love about this!
This past October I wrote about the amazing exhibit of art from Jaume Plensa at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI and today I want to write a bit more about it - you still have two months to see it! I absolutely love Meijer Gardens, they are widely recognized as a top sculpture park, having been named the Best Sculpture Park in the United States by USA TODAY 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards for three years in a row (2023, 2024, and 2025) - it won't surprise me if they are named best again this year as they are amazing! Twice a year they have a new sculpture exhibit in their main building and the current exhibit - Jaume Plensa: A New Humanism - will be available for you to enjoy until March 15, 2026 - and trust me, you will absolutely enjoy it!
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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 you could try this with your freezer - this is a fun activity you could try and one the children you love will never forget!
I love the beauty of this topper - black background with flowers on it - with deep purple, rose, blue, and cream blooms, and green leaves - a wonderful combination for a unique and lovely topper which will give you a beautifully elegant look for your glasses which is truly unique, stands out, and is likely to generate wonderful conversations!
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 . . .
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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 to 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 . . .
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If you or someone you love is a grandparent, consider giving them this book, Don't Worry: It is Impossible to Spoil Grandchildren - and it is available on Kindle and as a print version on Amazon! While it is a great book for grandparents, it is not only for grandparents as if you are a parent, aunt, uncle, or someone who works with children, this book is for you, too.
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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 . . .
My husband are definitely treating ourselves to a membership for the fourth year at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. We heard as you get older it is very beneficial for our health for us to spend time in nature and around art, so since we live in West Michigan where for at least part of the year there is snow and nature is not very "inviting", we decided to get the membership as along with the amazing gardens and sculptures they also have a huge tropical conservatory - nature and art are available all year!
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If you are looking for a book to help a parent or grandparent you love make the most of handing down confident faith, consider this book - The DNA of Grandparents & Parents Who Hand Down Confident Faith.
In this book I look at how our physical DNA is a truly amazing and essential part of who we are, as it holds the "code" or instructions for the things which make us unique as well as for the things we share. It connects us with the generations who came before us; as well as with those who come behind. It is the core of who we are physically.
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!
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A couple years ago 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.
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When we trust God, we are steadfast and are able to experience His perfect peace. This is certainly what we want for the ones we love; at all times, but especially now with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Israel, and the uncertainties of day-to-day life in 2026. Our grandchildren (and/or young children) may especially feel fear as they see and hear about the things going on in this world.
If ever there was a time to help them learn to be people who talk with God, this is it. So, to help you with this, I want you to know about my book, Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children. Look what people are saying about this book -
