illustrate my own - Check Out this Series

Quite a few years ago I wrote a series of books for children about
Bible people. I was motivated to do so because when you see books about Bible people, they are usually about just a few Bible people and there are so many more people in the Bible with fantastic accounts of how they were able to know and walk with God. I enjoyed writing the Bible stories, but am not an artist, so I thought maybe it would be fun to write a series of books with an "illustrate my own" "twist" - the children - and/or families - could illustrate their own books!

Today is National Montana Day

Today is National Montana Day. You may wonder why I post about national State days, well, because my grandsons enjoy learning about silly laws and interesting facts about the States, so by sharing them, you are able to share them with the children you love as well. So, let's look at some of Montana's silly laws and learn some interesting facts as well - did you know . . .

May 3rd is International Wild Koala Day!

Tomorrow is International Wild Koala Day - a day to celebrate koalas. These wonderful animals are instantly recognizable and much loved around the world, so let's look at a few fun facts about them - they are one of the animals in my book, Blue Dragons, Red Pandas, Hoopoes & More, which you are able to find at this link. Did you know . . .    

May is National Get Caught Reading Month

May is National Get Caught Reading Month - according to daysoftheyear.com they say, "reading is not just fun; it’s a powerhouse of benefits. It boosts our understanding of the world, lights up our creative minds, and enhances our empathy towards others." Reading is wonderful for us at any age, so let's consider a few benefits of reading and then some possible book choices - did you know . . . 

It Has Been a Bit of a Roller-Coaster Ride . . .

It has been a bit of a "roller-coaster ride" around here for the past few days. I had been feeling ill for about a week, but then I began vomiting and eventually ended up in the ER. After pokes, prods, scans, more scans, more pokes, the words - "liver cancer" were spoken. I admit, I was not expecting this and did "zone out" a bit.

just for fun - Today is Blueberry Pie Day!

Mmmmm! Blueberry Pie Day! What a delicious day to celebrate!!! I am personally a fan of blueberries; I like them pretty much any way they can be fixed and just plain, "as they are" is delicious, too!

grandma's chuckles - "Gimli!! Gimli!!! Gimli!!!!"

Today I'm remembering almost nine years ago when my grandsons were at my house and the youngest who was 18 months, was frustrated about something and said; "Gimli!! Gimli!!! Gimli!!!!" I found this to be very funny because Gimli is the name of my grandson's dog and Gimli is an aggressive chewer. There has been a number of times when my son and daughter-in-law have walked into a room and found things all chewed up all over their floor. I suspect it is at times such as these my sweet grandson has heard his parents say; "Gimli!! Gimli!!! Gimli!!!!" Apparently, when you are frustrated you say; "Gimli!! Gimli!!! Gimli!!!!" See why I thought it was so funny for him to say this?!!

Summer Fun at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

If you live in or near West Michigan, you not only know what Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park are, but have likely visited them; more than once. If you do not live in this area of the country, you may not be familiar with them, but today I'm very happy to share with you about this amazing and beautiful place where you and your grandchildren will be able to explore, discover and have tremendous fun together!

I'll start with sharing how they describe themselves and then what my family thinks of them; Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park says . . . 

Hand Down Confident Faith with the little answer book for children

I want you to know about Barna's and Gallup's recent polls - for a very important reason . . . because we must stand up and take action to stop the loss of the ones we love. If someone does not speak up and ask others to join them, how will grandparents, parents, and church leaders know there is a way to stop what is happening? 

Today is National South Dakota Day

South Dakota was the 40th state to enter the union and today is National South Dakota Day, so of course we will look at some interesting facts about this State and some of their silly laws - did you know . . . 

Who do you love?

Who do you love? Your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your extended family, friends? Who do you love? Do you take time to intentionally let the ones you love, know they are dearly loved? There is so much hate and division in our world, now more than ever, it is essential for us to be intentional about reminding the ones we love, how dearly they are loved.

grandma's chuckles - "A grandma's Lap is a Place for a Boy!"

This grandma's heart is overflowing with joy as I remember this post from ten years ago! On this particular day, when my grandsons were at my house, I was working on getting my posts up on my two blogs. My five year old grandson walked over to me and said, "A grandma's lap is not a place for a computer . . . it is a place for a boy!" I smiled, set my computer aside and told him I completely agreed with him! He smiled and climbed into my lap and we had a wonderful time of snuggling!

Spread Hope

I wrote earlier this month about how April is the National Month of Hope - on dayoftheyear.com they say it is - "simply to counteract the difficulties life brings by dedicating this month and encouraging people to spread hope around their neighborhoods, communities, and all around the world." Since there are so many people in our families, neighborhoods, communities, and world who struggle to find hope, I wanted to write to remind us to do what we are able to do to  counteract the difficulties life brings by dedicating ourselves to spread hope around our neighborhoods, communities, and all around the world.

Consider the following ways to spread hope . . . 

did you know - Grasshopper Mice!

Living from southern Canada, through the desert of Southwest United States and into Mexico is a very amazing, “mighty”, mouse – the Grasshopper Mouse. These mice remind me of Nehemiah 9:6 – You are the Lord, You alone. You have made heaven, the earth and all that is on it; and You preserve all of them. 

God made everything on Earth, including Grasshopper Mice so let’s see what we are able to learn about them . . .

·  When you think about animals which are ferocious predators, you typically do not picture tiny mice . . . but after reading this, you will!