Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About the Canadian Fires - AND How YOU Can Help

I lived for several years in Northern California - at the top of the valley, just two hours from Oregon. We had mountains - seriously large mountains - on three sides . . . it was SO beautiful! But, then fires became a problem in the summer and so much land burned - I know how heartbreaking this is and I have personally been able to see the damage caused by wildfires. A few years ago my husband's sister and her husband survived the Carr Fire which was an enormous fire in the Redding, CA, area - the fire actually jumped the Sacramento River. So, as I hear the news about the fires burning in Canada, my heart breaks for the people who are losing their homes and for all the damage the fire is causing. Here in Michigan it is VERY smoky outside today, and will likely be so for a few days. Today I want to update you on what is happening with the fires in Canada . . .

Summer Book Review - A Family of Her Own for Candy

 

I often review books for children from a number of publishers and always enjoy the books which tell a great story and have colorful illustrations. If the books also find a way to involve the children in the story, then the book is likely to get a high review from me. So, when I write stories for children, I work to be sure all these things are covered in my stories and my Candy the Kitten . . . and Me books definitely do these things! Today I want to share with you one of the books in this series - A Family of Her Own for Candy.

History & Make a Silent, Strong Statement With a Simple Paperclip

Since I've been out of school for a long time and am not a teacher, I really did not expect to find anything in the new top collection from Pair Eyewear which I would order - but then I saw the colorful paperclips. Here is a bit of history you may not know. 

Hot Summer Fun!

In many parts of the country it is hot, so . . . what could be more fun than making and playing with sponge bombs! I found this link on  Pinterest, but when I tried to follow it to the site with the directions, it told me it had been reported the site had spam, so I found another one for you!

Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About Unique - and Even Shocking - Canadian Food Facts!

Each country tends to have their own unique food facts - and sometimes even what could be considered a "shocking" food fact, such as fried Twinkies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, putting ice in our water glasses, deep-fried butter, and the very shocking idea of using a red food dye made from bugs in the USA. (I'm good with pb & j sandwiches and ice water, but will pass on the rest of them.) So I thought I'd look online for some of Canada's interesting - or even shocking food facts and share them with you today.

Praying Deeper Through the Scriptures

Over the past few years I have written three books which guide parents and grandparents in praying through the Scriptures for their own walk with God and for their children's and grandchildren's walk as well. I led the G@P (Generations at Prayer) group at my church and we worked through my books, so a couple years ago I wrote a new book for my group to use with a focus on praying both Old and New Testament passages for the children we love who are walking with God and those who are not. Praying Deeper Through the Scriptures is available in paperback and makes a fantastic gift for the parents and grandparents you love!

Look what Wayne Rice says about my book - 

Try Pair Eyewear and Save $25!

 

A year ago January when I had to get new glasses, I decided to try Pair Eyewear. This line of glasses was designed to have magnetic top frames which you are able to change out for an entirely new look and style - it is SUCH a fantastic idea! It is like getting an entirely new pair of glasses for only $25 or $30 - the cost of a new topper. I have to say, I absolutely LOVE Pair Eyewear!

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

As I have been writing, July is National Ice Cream Month and I have shared several tasty recipes you could make with the children you love for a tasty treat! Today I'm sharing another recipe - this time for the all-time favorite flavor - vanilla which makes up over a fifth of all ice cream purchases.

Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About Canada's Many Wonderful Lakes!

As a "Lost Canadian" who has lived in the USA all my life (mostly Michigan, which is close to Canada), I feel like there are so many things for me to learn about my new country - Canada. So, I've been writing about things I'm learning - such as about the amazing National Parks in Canada, and lately I've been writing about some of the unique, even "quirky" things about Canada - such as their "Whisky War", their "Monopoly Money - Loonies & Toonies, interesting foods, and "The Great Maple Syrup Heist"! Today I'm very happy to let you know about some of the interesting - and even "quirky" things I learned online about Canada's lakes . . .

The Little Ginormous, Humongous, Hairy, One-Eyed Monster Boys Adventures!

    

Recently I shared how 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! 

Today July 15th is Global Hug Your Kids Day!

 

Now this is a "day" this grandma is very willing to celebrate - although, for the most part, I hug grown kids and grandkids nearly every weekend when they are here - I'm sending virtual hugs to them today! So, to celebrate this wonderful day, let's look at some of the benefits of hugs - did you know . . .

just for fun - No-Bake Berry Pie!

 

Yesterday was my amazing husband's birthday. For many years I made him a no-bake cherry cream cheese pie or peanut butter pie for his birthday - this year I made coffee ice cream (you will find my recipe for this very tasty ice cream at this link.) Since it is very hot out, I thought it might be nice to share a no-bake pie recipe with you, so today I'm sharing the simple recipe I use for cherry cream cheese pie with you which you may top with any berry you like - cherry, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry - whatever you like. Yes, I know, the berry pie we typically think of is a baked, traditional pie, but in case you have a craving for a berry pie, but are looking for something just a bit less traditional, especially when it is so hot out -check this recipe . . . 

Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About "Quirky" Canadian Food

First of all please let me say, if I grew up in Canada, I would likely think Canadian food was "normal", "typical", "perhaps playful", but I grew up in Michigan, so when I learned about some of the food in Canada, I was somewhat surprised - even confused at times! 

BeaverTails Recipe!

Apparently there is a much-loved treat in Canada called "BeaverTails" - on line it says, "If you've ever walked the midway at the Calgary Stampede or visited a Canadian summer fair, you know nothing beats the smell of a fresh BeaverTail." I think they sound like they could be a tasty treat to surprise my grands and the rest of my family, but they are most often deep-fried and I avoid fried food. Happily, I found a recipe online for air fryer BeaverTails and am very happy to share it with you today.