Hand Down the Faith with Mystery Bags - God Made You Unique & Oh, So Valuable

The month of May is National Mental Health Month, so I want to write today about something very, very important. Suicide. I was shocked to learn suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for children, youth and young adults ages ten - 34. Yes, this statistic included children as young as ten. I have a grandson who is ten.

This got my attention; and I assume it has your attention as well.

DIY Toys for Summer Fun & Children's Day

Summer is almost here with warm days and lots of fun in and around water. So I thought I'd share with you some DIY toy ideas for sponge balls and light sabers I found on Pinterest which you could either make with your grandchildren or for them for children's day! 

Build Strong Bonds

Yesterday I was able to take my grandsons to church with me. I was sitting in the area where the children are checked in to the Children's Ministry at my church and had the opportunity to notice several grandmas with their grandchildren. It was abundantly clear the grandmas love their grandchildren and I was so happy to see the love mirrored back to their grandmas in the eyes of the grandchildren.

I Have a Winner & Another Giveaway in Five Days

I'm happy to say, Heather is the winner in the giveaway for one From Me to You (Daughter): A Conversation Journal for You and Your Daughter or From Me to You (Son): A Conversation Journal for You and Your Son. You will find my review - at this link. Thank you Heather for reading grandma's cookie jar (please email me - lyndagcj@gmail.com by May 27, 2019, so I am able to have it sent to you) and thank you Harvest House for sending one for me to review and a second copy for me to give away!

May is Burger Month

May is Hamburger Month - as if we need a month to celebrate what is one of our favorite foods! With Memorial Day a week away, I thought it would be fun to share a link to a site with information on the history of how we ended up with burgers - you will find it at this link - and one of the ways I like to fix special burgers.

These Memories are a Treasure

There are many things people in the world consider to be "treasure" . . . gold, money, jewels, etc. But for me, I treasure people and memories. I consider the people in my life to be gifts from the hand of God . . . especially my family. My grandsons often spend the night at my home and a few years ago, when they were at my house, we had a conversation about how they are treasure to me; gifts from the hand of God. They have heard this at least a time or two :^) so on this occasion, my oldest grandson said, "I know! I'm your treasure!" I want my grandsons to grow up knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt their grandma treasures them!

Hand Down the Faith with Mystery Bags - God Has So Graciously Forgiven Us

The world in which we live is not always quick to show and offer forgiveness. People seem to want to see others, "get what is coming to them". But, God has so graciously forgiven us, so we have the wonderful opportunity to help our grandchildren understand what forgiveness is all about. As we model forgiveness to them, we will find we have the perfect opportunity to talk with them about how God forgives them and how they are able to forgive others as well. Consider this Mystery Bag Project to help your grandchildren learn about forgiveness.

You will need . . .

I Have a Winner & Another Giveaway in Five Days

I'm happy to say, Leela is the winner in the giveaway for one NIV Personal Size Reference Bible. You will find my review - at this link. Thank you Leela for reading grandma's cookie jar (please email me - lyndagcj@gmail.com by May 22, 2019, so I am able to connect you with them) and thank you Zondervan for sending one for me to review and a second copy for me to give away!

I Have a Winner & Another Giveaway in Two Days

I'm happy to say,  Nicki Joseph is the winner in the giveaway for two passes to Grand Rapids TreeRunner Adventure Park. You will find my review - at this link. Thank you Nicki for reading grandma's cookie jar (please email me - lyndagcj@gmail.com by May 18, 2019, so I am able to connect you with them) and thank you TreeRunner Adventure Park for making these passes available for me to give away!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day from Grandmas with Heart! 

I Have a Winner & Another Giveaway in Two Days

I'm happy to say, Michelle Catallo is the winner in the giveaway of, Peppercorns Royale Four Pepper Blend from The Spice House! Thank you Michelle for reading grandma's cookie jar (please email your address to me - lyndagcj@gmail.com by May 18, 2019, so I am able to send it to you) and thank you Spice House for sending one for me to review and a second copy for me to give away!

Just for Fun - Mother's Day Trivia

Mother's Day is tomorrow, so I thought it would be fun to look at some Mother's Day trivia I found on-line. Did you know . . . 

• In Britain, during the Middle Ages, it was customary for the wealthy to give servants the day off on Mothering Sunday (the fourth Sunday of Lent), so they would be able to visit their mothers, who often lived far away.
• In Serbia, Mother’s Day is called Materice and is celebrated on the second Sunday before Christmas. Children sneak into their mother’s bedroom and gently tie her feet with ribbon or string. To negotiate her release, the mother gives her children small gifts. (Not much in it for Mom, but she does get to lie down for a bit.)

I also found the following Mother's Day trivia . . . 

A Giveaway Tomorrow

Don't forget - tomorrow we have a special giveaway . . . for the most amazing  Peppercorns Royale Four Pepper Blend from the Spice House - you will find the info at this link. 

You still have time to enter - someone will win, could be you!

God's Fingerprints are on His Most Amazing Creations

This is a Carrier Crab (look under the Fire Urchin in the photo below) - it lives in the Pacific Ocean. Apparently it is considered HIGHLY tasty to pretty much all its neighbors. So, to survive it uses its back legs to hold the Fire Urchin (by the way, did I mention the Fire Urchin is named "Fire Urchin" for an excellent reason . . . it is poisonous to all those hungry neighbors?) and carries it around wherever it goes. When the Carrier Crab's hungry neighbors see the tasty crab, AND the poisonous Fire Urchin, they decide they are not as hungry as they thought they were - they leave the crab alone.