Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" on How to Find Canadian Ancestors

I've been sharing the things I've been learning about Canada and its Government and First Peoples, and while this "Lost Canadian" still has much to learn, today I want to share how you are able to find out if you are a "Lost Canadian", too! As I wrote earlier, I was so surprised to learn more than 1/3 of my ancestors were Canadian - there is a strong possibility some of them were also First Nations Mi'kmaq as well. And today I discovered my husband has Canadian ancestors from Quebec!

So, how can you discover if your ancestors were Canadian? Well, follow these steps . . . 

Candy's Favorite Place!

  

A few days ago I wrote about one of the books in my Candy the Kitten series of books - today I am happy to let you know about another one - this time, Candy's Favorite Place!

In Candy's Favorite Place, children will get to learn where Candy, a sweet little calico kitten, loves to spend time. She really likes to be a cat in a box and a cat on her princess pillows, but there is one place where she really loves to be and children will enjoy discovering Candy's Favorite Place! 

Children's Day - and Night Fun!

 

Children's Day is on June 14th this year - and yes, it is a real holiday. I was browsing on Pinterest  and found a really fun idea for Children's Day . . . or for a sleep-over, or a fun Summer evening . . . and it would make a great gift for your  grandchildren for Children's Day! You can make your own set, then stand back and watch the fun begin . . . be sure to have a camera handy!

Tomorrow, May 6th is the Great American Grump Out - Get Ready to Celebrate!

If you have been reading grandma's cookie jar for very long, you know I like to share with you silly holidays and special days . . . after all, when it is chocolate day, or pie day, or cookie day, or donut day, or ice cream day, who wouldn't want to celebrate with the ones we love???!!!

Well, today is not really the Great American Grump Out Day - but it is tomorrow - the first Wednesday in May, but it seems like today is a great time to get ready to focus on not being "grumpy, so I thought I'd go ahead and share it with you today . . . On-line it says, "The Grump Out asked sour pusses to suck it up and refrain from getting their grump on -- at least for 24 hours. This includes no grumping, no frowning, no grousing, complaining, punching, slapping, hitting, or killing . . . FOR ONE WHOLE DAY. On this day you will knock it off with your grouchy thing and put a lid on it --- just for 24 hours. (It's not for a lifetime, just a mere 24 hours. If you get your 8 hours of sleep it means you only have to go for 16 hours.) After that you can go back to your old self again."

They also gave the following:

Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About Canadian Politics

Growing up in the USA, I am fairly familiar with politics in the USA. We basically have a two-party system - Democrats and Republicans. There are a few other parties - Independents, Libertarians, and Green Party, but since the 1850's the USA has basically been a two-party system. Democrats generally supports a stronger federal government, social programs, civil rights, and environmental regulation while Republicans typically advocate for free-market capitalism, limited government intervention in the economy, a strong national defense, and conservative social values. Of course trump has completely remade the Republicans in his image - which is not a positive thing at all.

At any rate, this "Lost Canadian" wanted to learn about the political system in Canada, so today I'm sharing with you what I learned on-line . . .

A Fun Resource for the Ones You Love

In this day and age it is especially important for grandparents (and parents) to be focused upon passing confident faith to the children they love, but it can be a challenge to find resources to help us do this. Generations Quest ~ Cultivate the Faith was written for this reason and provides 52 weeks of lessons grandparents/ parents will be able to use to engage our grandchildren/children in learning how to love, know, and walk with God!

Each week there is a science activity which will engage children and connect them to the point of the Bible event. They will learn about Bible people and how to pray the Psalms back to God along with fun activities which are just for fun!

Children's Day - Yes, It Is Real!

June 14, 2026 is Children's Day! Yes, it is a real holiday . . . (If you look it up on Google, it says the USA celebrates Children's Day on the second Sunday in June - this has been the official date since the 1800's - I really did not make this holiday up!!!) :-) 

Today is National Lemonade Day - & Lemonade Ice Cream Pie!

Today is National Lemonade Day - now the idea behind this special day is to help children learn how to set up their own lemonade stands, so they are able to learn what it means to run their own business. You are able to learn more about it at this link. 

Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About New Discoveries!

Several weeks ago in my first post on "Thoughts From a 'Lost Canadian'" I wrote, "I have lived most of my life in West Michigan, just thirty minutes from beautiful Lake Michigan. I lived for a few years in Northern California, two hours from Oregon, where I met my husband - but I was born in West Michigan and have lived most of my life here. Of course I knew my dad and my grandpa, but my great-grandpa died before I was born. Along with not knowing him, I also did not know - until last week - my great grandpa was born in Argenteuil, Quebec, Canada, and my great-great grandpa and great-great grandma were born in East Hawkesbury, Prescott, Ontario, Canada, and Argenteuil, Quebec, Canada.

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"!

Get Caught Reading - Life on the Amazing Goldilocks Planet

   

Since May is Get Caught Reading Month, I'm very happy to share a 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"?

May is National Get Caught Reading Month

May is National Get Caught Reading Month - according to daysoftheyear.com they say, "reading is not just fun; it’s a powerhouse of benefits. It boosts our understanding of the world, lights up our creative minds, and enhances our empathy towards others." Reading is wonderful for us at any age, so let's consider a few benefits of reading and then some possible book choices - did you know . . . 

Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About More Differences Between Canada & the USA

Yesterday I wrote about some of the differences this "Lost Canadian" is learning about with the USA and Canada. Today I want to share a little more about what I'm learning about how they are different - and there are some significant and important differences in how their Governments function.

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!