Things Which Fill My Heart With Joy!

There are things which bring a smile to my face and which fill my heart with joy . . . things which I experience because I am, “grandma”. For example, when my grandsons were younger and ran into my home with big smiles on their faces – I also had a big smile on my face; and joy in my heart! Now they are older and they still tend to have smiles on their faces when they come to my house - I most certainly do as well!

Celestron FirstScope Telescope - A Fantastic Christmas Gift

My grandsons are into science. They love science projects, they love to talk about sciency things, they enjoy watching science shows; basically they are extremely interested in all things science. 

One area of science which they find extremely interesting is space. My eight-year old grandson things it would be amazing to be able to travel to Mars. But, short of doing this he loves the opportunity to star-gaze. So, when I had the opportunity to receive and review a telescope from Celestron, I knew my grandsons were going to be thrilled!

Celestron sent me their FirstScope Telescope - a perfect first telescope - to try with my grandsons and then let you know all about it. 

Do Your Ears Hang Low?

I love basset hounds. I love everything about how they look - what's not to love with those long, beautiful ears, saggy, baggy skin, deep, mournful eyes, gentle, loving personality, and the most melodic of howls!!! Yes, I love basset hounds. 

But, I must say, I do come by my love for the basset hound, "honestly" as my ancestors were friends with Lafayette   and they came with him to help George Washington fight the British. One of the gifts Lafayette brought Washington was a basset hound - probably the first basset in America!

Shark Hats!

I - and my grandsons - live where it is cold in the winter (typically) as we live in Michigan. So, when they were little, I crocheted hats for them each winter - I wanted to keep their sweet little heads warm! But, I always made "fun" hats - if you have to wear a hat, it might as well be fun, unique, a "stand out" hat! One year I crocheted shark hats for each of them!

grandma's chuckles - Grandma & the Quaker Oats Man, Coffee & Finding Our "Cookie Monster"!

"grandma's chuckles" are the things which make me chuckle . . . you know, the things your children and grandchildren say and do which bring a smile to your face and make your heart happy! These are the things I don't want to forget, so I'm writing them down and sharing them with you . . . I hope they bring a smile to your face, make your heart happy, and cause you to chuckle, too . . . whether you are a grandma or not! :^) Enjoy!

So, today I'm sharing a few "chuckles" from several years ago - which still makes me laugh today . . . 

It's November - I'm Ever So Thankful I Get to Spend So Much Time With My Grandsons!

Today, November 8th, I'm thankful, so very thankful for all the time I get to spend with my grandsons! Pretty much every Friday or Saturday I am blessed to have them spend the night - I look forward to seeing them for our sleepovers! These three, sweet boys are such gifts from the hand of God and I am ever so thankful I get to spend so much time with them! (This is a photo from several years ago.)

Look at Psalm 127:3-5

Christmas Review & Giveaway - RISK®: Star Trek™ 50th Anniversary Edition

Many of us remember the original game of RISK from our childhood . . . where world domination was the goal and you had to develop a strategy to out-think and out-maneuver your opponent to achieve your goal. Well, USAopoly has a new "take" on the old game of RISK - this time it is Risk Star Trek 50th Anniversary Edition and if you - or someone on your gift list - is a fan of Star Trek and Risk, this is a great idea for them!

Inspire Cartwheels in Their Hearts

When my middle grandson was almost-seven-years-old (five years ago) he learned to do cartwheels - he had such joy when he was "cartwheeling" across the yard! Joy, absolute joy! 

So, when I read this quote from Mr. Rogers about inspiring cartwheels in my grandson's hearts, I have a very definite picture of what this looks like!

Our Own Blueberry Bread Day

While it technically  was not Blueberry Bread Day, at my house it was this past Sunday. Now, I have to say, I do not know when Blueberry Bread Day actually is celebrated - Blueberry Muffin Day is July 11th each year and Blueberry Pie Day is April 28th, but I have not been able to find an actual Blueberry Bread Day. I do not know why, as it is a delicious type of bread - particularly if you add lemon juice or orange juice to your bread batter, but at any rate, my youngest grandson thought Blueberry Bread sounded good for Sunday, so I made it. Actually I made three loaves - one for them to enjoy Sunday morning (and the other half of this loaf we gave to their great grandma), one loaf for them to take home, and one gluten-free loaf for their Aunt. Yes, my home smelled like Blueberry Bread - a fantastic side benefit for sure!

Fun Craft for Little Ones

I'm always looking for crafts younger children are able to make . . . I am delighted to share with you a really simple and fun craft for a place mat using Duck Tape, plastic zippy bags and your own designs, photos or treasures!

grandma's chuckles - Apparently, I'm "Elderly", We Have a Reader & a Huge Hug!!!

I originally posted this ten and a half years ago, but when I saw it today it made me smile, so I thought I'd share it with you again today!

It has been a fun weekend around this grandma's house! The boys came home with Poppa on Thursday to spend the night and hang out with grandma on Friday - my favorite day each week!!!  Thursday night we watched  Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension. In the movie Perry bites Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Phineas says, "No, Perry! We don't bite the elderly!!!" My oldest grandson (four and a half years old) asked me, "What is 'the elderly'?" I told him elderly means "old people", so he thought for a moment and said, "Oh. Like great-grandma and you?" I didn't really want to agree it meant "me", so I asked him, "Hhmmm. What about Poppa?" to which he replied, "Yes, definitely Poppa!!!" Of course I had to smile at his answer!!! :-) I was also very pleased when he showed consideration by offering to re-start the movie when his Aunt joined us part-way through and he learned she had not watched this movie before.

He Drives Like a Mad-Man

One of my favorite things about facebook is the "Memories" feature where it shows me things I posted each day one, two, or more years earlier. It is a wonderful way to remember those special times with family and friends.

Well, today's post is one I'm sharing which I originally wrote ten years ago, but when I saw it today, it made me laugh as I remembered my then two year old grandson and how he used to "drive" the dump truck like a "mad-man"! Enjoy . . . 

Do NOT Open This Book!

I have reviewed this book before, but as I think about books to recommend as Christmas gifts, this one is definitely one I happily recommend! It was sent a few years ago for review from Scholastic - and today I am very happy to let you know about, Do NOT Open This Book!

grandma's Christmas Cookie Recipe Contest - Peppermint Brownies by Anne

A few years ago I held a Christmas Cookie Recipe Contest and today I'm very happy to share one of the recipes with you - Peppermint Brownies by Anne Pickering! Anne says these are a favorite at her house . . . I can see why they would be! Thank you Anne for sharing these with us!