Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About Thanksgiving Recipes - Maple Fudge!

Next Friday this "Lost Canadian" will be making Maple Fudge for the first time - my family will be able to enjoy it when we celebrate our first Canadian Thanksgiving on Sunday, the 11th (Canadian Thanksgiving is actually on Monday the 12th, but since many Canadians celebrate their Thanksgiving on Sunday, I thought my family could do the same!)

I am "Vintage"

   

As the children we love grow up, their sweet rascally selves continue to show up from time to time. Three years ago when my grands were 14, 11, and 9 they told me I am "vintage" - like everything which was made back when I was born. Hmmm - they are saying I am old, but in a sweet way!

Cookie Month - Coffee, Chocolate Chip Cookies!

We have recently celebrated National Coffee Day and International Coffee Day and since people in my family love coffee (I should have put, LOVE coffee), and since it is National Cookie Month, I thought I'd share a tasty recipe for coffee, chocolate chip cookies - which I am making tomorrow to share with my family when they come over this weekend! Yesterday was Homemade Cookie Day, but since the whole month of October is Cookie Month, I thought I'd share some fun facts about homemade cookies - did you know . . .

October is National Popcorn Poppin' Month!

 

Who knew there were so many months which celebrated specific foods???!!! Well, if any food is to be celebrated, popcorn should definitely be on the list! I LOVE popcorn! Popped, caramel, it really doesn't matter, I LOVE popcorn!

I thought it would be fun to share some popcorn fun facts with you which I found on-line - did you know . . . 

Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" - Once Again, I'm SO Sorry

As I've written before, I am a Michigander - I was born in, grew up in, and have lived most of my life in Michigan. Since Canada and Michigan actually are next-door neighbors, I've always seen Canada as such and as our friends, allies, and now as a "Lost Canadian" I also seen Canada as family. So, the attacks, tariffs, and bullying from the incompetent, massively corrupt, bully-in-chief who currently occupies the US white house, break my heart, fill me with anger, and leave me so ashamed of what this country is saying/doing. 

I know there are many people in the US who like me are appalled, and disgusted by the words and actions of our so-called "president" and we are SO sorry. We are five weeks from our mid-term elections (hopefully) when we will be voting (hopefully) and democrats will take back the House and Senate (hopefully). 

Life on the Amazing Goldilocks Planet

    

I'm very happy to share about 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"?

Today is International Coffee Day!

 

Today is International Coffee Day! Clearly if there is something other than family worth celebrating, coffee would absolutely make it on the list! Daysoftheyear (dot) com says; "For many people, coffee is their reason for getting out of bed in the morning! It’s a morning treat, an afternoon pick me up, or even an evening drink to help stay awake. International Coffee Day pays heed to all of these and everything in between."

So, as we look at celebrating this most delicious of beverages, let's first learn some fun facts about coffee - did you know . . .

National Cookie Month - So Let's Make Cookies!

 

Yes, October is National Cookie Month, so let's make cookies! Today I have a tasty recipe which you may never have tried before - Lemon/Lime Honey Butter Cookies – gather the children you love and enjoy making - and eating these cookies - you will need . . .   

Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

Growing up in the US while we did learn how the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims (our schools focused on this around Thanksgiving, but the focus was more on how the Pilgrims survived than on the Native Americans), most references to "Indians" placed them in the position of the "bad guys" who wanted to "scalp" the white "Americans". So, when I learned how Canada faced their own history with First Nations Peoples I was SO impressed! Canada apologized to the First Nations People for the schools their children were forced to attend, faced the truth of how First Nations Peoples suffered, and worked for reconciliation. I learned on-line . . .

Make a Difference with illustrate my own - Unknown Bible Hero books

If you are not an artist, or artistic person, when you see a book which you need to provide the illustrations for, you may think it is not the book for you. But, in this case with the  illustrate my own Known Bible Hero and illustrate my own Unknown Bible Hero books, nothing could be farther from the truth! These books give you the unique opportunity to engage with the children you love in ways you never have when you read a book about a real Bible person, as since you and/or they will be providing the illustrations, you get to talk about what is happening, think through what the Bible person is saying, and basically really pay attention to the details so you are able to provide the illustrations! Just think about the fantastic conversations you will be able to have about the Bible people and how what they learned applies to you as well! These books are no ordinary Bible person storybook and they make fantastic gifts!

Tomorrow is National Homemade Cookie Day

 

Tomorrow is National Homemade Cookie Day, so I certainly had to celebrate it with you by sharing my family's favorite cookie recipe with you - Three Grands' Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies! 

September, And Every Month, is National Suicide Prevention Month

I tend to write about the joys of spending time with the children we love, but it is important to also talk about difficult things and September has been National Suicide Prevention Month, so I want to again share some information to help you and/or people you love, as every month, every day is a time to prevent suicide.

Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About Orange Shirt Day

Tomorrow (September 30th) is Orange Shirt Day, which is "officially known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, this day commemorates and pays honor to the indigenous children of Canada who were taken from their families and sent to residential schools in the 19th century." 

I have read online how Canada has been working with First Nations Peoples to, advance reconciliation, renew nation-to-nation relationships, and support self-determination. In 2008 the historic government apology for Indian Residential Schools and the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Canada established statutory holidays like the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Canada committed to implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to align laws with Indigenous rights. The federal government is negotiating self-government agreements to help First Nations transition away from the control-based framework of the 1876 Indian Act toward independent community governance.

I am SO happy to see Canada is prioritizing showing respect for First Nations Peoples with their words and actions.

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!