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!
I have been enjoying learning about Canadian National Parks, and the one I'm writing about today is one I have found to be very interesting, particularly if you enjoy seeing animals in their own natural habitats when you travel, as this National Park has everything you might hope to see and experience in a National Park - at least everything I might hope for! Cape Breton Highlands National Park is in Nova Scotia . . . which is a place where some of my ancestors are from!
When my grands were young and at my house for a sleepover, we typically made up stories at bedtime. They almost always had monsters or dinosaurs in them. One night when my oldest grand was six, my middle grand was three, and my youngest grand was one, we were getting them into bed when my oldest grand said there was a monster under my middle grand'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 monsters getting ready for bed and being scared because they thought they saw, teeny, tiny, itty, bitty, not-so-hairy, two-eyed people under their beds!
As I've mentioned a time or two, I enjoy crocheting. I like to take yarn and end up with something useful, pretty - and hopefully somewhat unique! So, the other day I was browsing on Pinterest and found some free patterns for crocheted squares and I thought, "What if I took those and made three different squares which I could use to make a purse?" So, I did!
.jpg)
Father's Day is June 21st, so if you are looking for a great craft idea which you can do with your grandchildren for their dad, check this idea I found on Pinterest! All you need for a special photo with your grandchildren, is their feet, a marker or paint, and a camera . . . plus a fair amount of patience!!! Write on your grandchildren's feet, "We <3 Dad" and have them sit with the bottoms of their feet in front of them. Now for the tricky part! Try to get them all to look at you and smile at the same time! Take the photo and then . . .
Growing up in Michigan, Canada has been a close neighbor - particularly Ontario, so I was very happy to learn about Bruce Peninsula National Park - one of Canada's largest protected areas in Ontario. It looks like a place I would love to visit!
I enjoy getting a new purse. I enjoy crocheting. I enjoy an eclectic "sense" of things matching or going together, yet not matching (for example, my dishes match because they are all Fiesta Square Plates, but they do not match because they each are different colors!) I enjoy a sense of "whimsy" and "fun"! So . . . when I was browsing on Pinterest and saw a purse which fit all these things, I was inspired to try and make one of my own!!!
I found a tutorial for making the cutest sock monster puppet on Pinterest several years ago . . . it would certainly make a fun Children's Day gift (which is on June 14th) - or the supplies so the children you love can make their own! Just follow the link and you'll find a tutorial with five simple steps to make your own "monster" . . . it is a great idea for all those extra socks when the dryer "eats" one and you are left with miss-matched socks!
.jpg)
If you are looking for ideas, other than a tie :-), which you could help your grandchild give to their dad for Father's Day, check out this wonderful idea I found on Pinterest for more than just a photo . . . a Photo of Love!!!
.png)
.jpg)
I found a wonderful idea on Pinterest . . . crayon hearts! You can make these from bits and pieces of old, broken crayons . . . rather than throw those old crayons away! It is very simple and fun - a great craft for you to make with your grandchildren!
I live in West Michigan - in the heart of apple country. There are apple orchards all around this area - one is just down the street from where I live. So it is no wonder we tend to enjoy apples around here!
Pair says, "The colorful lines motif featured in The Glistening Threads Top Frame and Glisten's logo represents intersecting identities and the connection between members of the LGBTQ+ community." I love this new topper - the colors, the design, everything about it - including how it is part of the Pride Collection for this year. Since 2022, Pair has been a proud partner of @glistencommunity– an incredible organization which creates inclusive school environments for LGBTQ+ youth. A portion of the sales from this collection goes to Glisten's mission.
I believe it says a lot about a country for them to set aside land to be preserved as a National Park - and Canada has 37 national parks and 11 national park reserves, covering an area of approximately 343,377 km2 (132,579 sq mi), or about 3.3% of the total land area of Canada, and representing 31 of its 39 natural regions. I've written so far about Banff and Akami− Uapishkáµ−KakKasuak−Mealy Mountains - today I'm writing about another, Aulavik in the Northwest Territories . . .
.jpg)
As I browsed on Pinterest one day, I noticed the plans for making giant outdoor games . . . so I took a closer look! The games look like they would be great fun for a family to play on a warm summer day! Set them up on a deck, driveway, sidewalk . . . and then have fun all summer long!
