My Christmas Carol for Today - Everybody Loves Christmas

It is very easy to notice on grandma's cookie jar, I love Christmas! I love everything about it - the reason we celebrate and the wonderful opportunity it gives us to spend time with our families! So, this song, Everybody Loves Christmas, had to be part of my "Christmas Carols" - you will find it at this link - enjoy!

These are the lyrics if you would like to sing along . . . 

A Fantastic Gift - Tickets/Membership to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Christmas is just three days away. If you are still looking for a great gift for someone on your gift list, I have the perfect idea! Last year my husband and I decided to "treat" ourselves with a membership to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. We got the Grandparents & a Guest membership - we are able to visit, bring our grandchildren and guest with us as many times as we want for a year. Let me assure you we more than got our money's worth out of this membership! 

grandma's chuckles . . . George the Bear and Josiah the Snowboy!

I've been going back and enjoying some of the funny things my grandsons have said over the years . . . my memory is terrible, so I decided when my first grandson was born, to be sure to write down the cute and funny things he said so I would be able to remember and enjoy them! I highly recommend doing this with your grandchildren . . . it is so much fun to go back and remember these special times!

At any rate, I am sharing a couple of the funny and cute things he said when he was three and oh, so cute!!! (Twelve years ago)

My Christmas Carol for Today - All I Want for Christmas - by the Piano Guys

Okay, once again, yes, I know for a song to be a "Christmas Carol" there should be some singing, but once again, the Piano Guys put together "All I Want for Christmas" with fantastic music (there is a cello so it has to be fantastic), and combined it with Lego animation of a number of favorite Christmas movies/shows in a "nutshell" presentation - watch it at this link and you will see what I mean and why I had to include this in my Christmas Carols!

Enjoy!

Today is National Maine Day & Some Silly Maine Laws

Today is National Maine Day, so of course it seems like the perfect day to look at some of their silly laws and enjoy wondering why they ever felt a need to make such laws. These laws left my grandsons wondering how and why they ever became law and there was some laughing around our table as we talked about them, so get ready to laugh . . . 

My Christmas Carol for Today - Christmas is All In the Heart - by Stephen Curtis Chapman

Today my Christmas Carol is a song you may not be familiar with, but it is wonderful! Stephen Curtis Chapman sings, "Christmas is All In the Heart" and you will find it at this link.

The lyrics are here if you want to sing along - 

grandma's chuckles - Eight-Year-Olds' View of Grandparents

 A few years ago I saw a post about how eight-year olds describe grandparents. I do not know where it originally came from, but today I thought I'd share just a few of the quotes with you - get ready to laugh!

grandma's chuckles - It Would Be Wonderful to Have Four Cookie Jars Filled with Cookies!

Yesterday was Bake Cookies Day and reminded me of a busy cookie-baking day at this grandma's house a few years ago. On this particular day before my grandsons arrived, I made Peanut-butter, chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies and put them in my photo cookie jar. When the boys arrived we made Snicker-doodle-Sprinkles cookies and my youngest grandson thought they should go in my penguin cookie jar.

My Christmas Carol for Today - Let it Snow/Winter Wonderland - by the Piano Guys

Yes, I agree a "Christmas Carol" should have people singing, but I truly love and absolutely enjoyed the Piano Guys presentation of "Let it Snow/Winter Wonderland" and had to share it with you! Not only will you be able to listen to their beautiful rendition of these songs, but you will also be able to watch a fun light show as well! Check it out at this link!

My Christmas Carol for Today - The Little Drummer Boy - by Pentatonix

Another favorite Christmas Carol is the Little Drummer Boy - and Pentatonix sings it at this link. I thought you might enjoy some history about this well-known song. "Before it became world famous as the 'Little Drummer Boy,' the song was originally titled 'Carol of the Drums' because of the repeating line 'pa rum pum pum pum,' which imitates the sound of a drum.

Today is Bake Cookies Day

Today, according to daysoftheyear dot com is, Bake Cookies Day, so if ever there was a day to gather your eggs, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, chocolate chips, peanut butter, oats - or whatever your favorite cookie ingredients may be, so you are able to bake cookies, well, certainly today is the day!

Of course, it is fun to look at cookie trivia on this day, so, did you know - 

My Christmas Carol for Today - Silent Night - by Carrie Underwood

When we think of Christmas Carols there are songs we immediately think about - for me, Silent Night is one such song. While many people have sung this song over the years, Carrie Underwood's presentation is beautiful and you will find it at this link.

I thought it would be interesting to share a couple fun facts about this song with you - did you know . . . 

grandma's cookbook - Broiled, Herbed Chicken Breasts & Tater-Tot Casserole

With Christmas just around the corner, I have been in the mood for meals which are warm, comforting, and full of healthy ingredients! So, I have been working on preparing meals which are healthy and home-made; not from a box or can and using fresh ingredients. Now, when you think of Tater Tot Casserole, you may not think of healthy or fresh since it tends to be smothered in canned mushroom soup - but not my tater tot casserole! Today I's sharing my recipe with you.

My Christmas Carol for Today - Breath of Heaven - by Amy Grant

When we think about Christmas Carols some of us think of the old Christmas songs we sang in church, like Joy to the World and Silent Night. Others think of more contemporary songs like It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas or Frosty the Snowman. Today my Christmas Carol is a newer song, a beautiful song, sung by Amy Grant - Breath of Heaven - you will find it at this link.

If you would like to know the story behind the song, you will find it at this link. And, if you would like to sing along, here are the lyrics.