grandma's chuckles . . . Apparently I'm, "So Easy to Operate"!!!

When my oldest grand was five years old he was quite the reader! He knew how to sound out words and found great joy at being able to sit down with a book and read what all those words have to say! 

This of course, made me a happy grandma as I want my grands to love reading! It also gave me some unexpected opportunities to see how they thought . . . and a few good laughs as well!

One day we were at the store together and saw a plaque with an "interesting" saying on it. I held it up for him to read . . . it said, "Grandparents; so easy to operate even a child can do it!" He read it and then said, "This is true! At least for grandma, that is! All I have to do to get what I want from you is to look cute and be polite!"

Hand Down a Confident Faith with Grasshopper Mice, Laughing Kookaburras, Jawfish & More!

 

When my grands and I began the Life on the Goldilocks Planet books, I thought maybe we would write two books. But, we continued to find interesting animals and wrote more books. As we neared the end of the series, I was afraid by the time we reached book 12, we would run out of the really interesting animals. However; I was so pleasantly surprised to be able to fill book 12 with not only interesting animals, but surprising animals as well! Just look at the animals you will find in  Grasshopper Mice, Laughing Kookaburras, Jawfish & More!  -  Grasshopper Mice, Glasswing Butterflies, Bee Hummingbirds, Servals, Laughing Kookaburras, Spectacled Bears, Cuban Painted Snails, Hooded Seals, Marbled Polecats, Keas, Jawfish, and Green Basilisk Lizards!

Today is National Bacon Day!

If ever there was a special day to celebrate, today is the day as it is National Bacon Day! At my house, bacon is enjoyed on Sunday mornings when my grands are here . . . so celebrating National Bacon Day is something we will certainly want to do. Let's start our celebrating by looking at some very interesting, funny, and surprising bacon facts - did you know . . . 

Learn About Creatures You May Never Have Heard of Before with Aardvarks, Coelacanths, Colugos & More!

 

Have you heard of the Coelacanths? They are considered to be a "living fossil" because they were thought to be extinct for millions of years, but then people started finding them - a few at a time - in the Indian Ocean. Coelacanths are enormous - for a fish as they are about six feet long. One of the most unexpected things about them - other than the fact they still live in our oceans today, is the moms are pregnant for five years! Yes, FIVE years!

Today is International Cello Day

I love the cello. I do not play the cello, but I love listening to cello music. I love the mellow sound of a cello and especially enjoy the Piano Guys as the cellist is excellent! So, even though today is a day to celebrate the cello, it is also a day to celebrate music and those who make music. My grands so far have played the saxophone, bass, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar - and I'm always happy to listen to them play music. Take time today to enjoy the cello - or whatever music the ones you love enjoy making!

Here are a few cello facts and a link where you will find the Piano Guy's music . . .

Add Something Unexpected, Surprising, Interesting, & Educational with Jaguars, Lilac-Breasted rollers, Nautiluses & More!

 

Have you ever heard of  Satanic Leaf-Tailed Geckos, Fairy Penguins,  Bilbies, Lilac-Breasted Rollers, Asian Tapirs, Sea Pens, Coatimundis, Jabirus, or Sloth Bears? You will find all of these along with Jaguars, Bison, & Nautiluses in the book Jaguars, Lilac-Breasted rollers, Nautiluses & More! In this book you will find full-color photos, fun, surprising facts, activities to engage the entire family, and quotes from scientists which will get you talking and learning about why you are able to believe God is real and God and science DO go together.

Just for Fun - National Chocolate Candy Day!

It has been a busy week for me . . . cooking a special meal to celebrate Christmas, celebrating Christmas with my family, and time spent with the ones I love! Busy for sure, but wonderful in every way!

So, today I thought I'd take a look on-line and see if December 28th was a "special" day . . . and I'm happy to say, it is! Today is, "National Chocolate Candy Day"! Now this is a day to celebrate for sure!

Be Surprised with - Polar Bears, Purple Gallinules, Numbats & More!

  

As my grands and I worked on this book we learned about one of the most surprising, unexpected, and unbelievable fish we had ever heard of . . . the Psychedelic Frogfish! 

Just For Fun - Today is Make Paper Snowflakes Day!

Yes, today is, "Make Paper Snowflakes Day"! Where I live in Michigan we have no real snowflakes outside, but since today is, "Make Paper Snowflakes Day", I thought I'd share a couple fun and surprising facts about snow, a real photo of a real snowflake, and some ideas for making some of your own paper snowflakes! 

Make this a Time When You Do What Matters Most!

  

When my grands and I started working on the Life on the Goldilocks Planet books, we were surprised to see how many animals we found which we had not heard of before. We had heard of Axolotls, Porcupines, Clouded Leopards, Giant Pandas, and Kiwis, but had not heard of Scorpion fish, Eurasian Kingfishers, Stargazer Fish, Pygmy Marmosets, and while we had heard of hippos (of course), we did not know Pygmy Hippos were a real thing, and the same for Giant Purple Flying Squirrels. All of these animals are in the book - Scorpionfish, Clouded Leopards, Pygmy Hippos & More!

My Christmas Carols - Happy Day After Christmas! - Matthew West

I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with your families. As you go through today remember; "Even when Christmas is over the Light of the World is still here!" This song is beautiful and you will find it at this link.

Today is National Candy Cane Day - Have a Candy Cane Hunt!

Today is National Candy Cane Day - according to Daysoftheyear dot com, "According to German folklore, the first candy canes were made in the 17th century when a choirmaster in Cologne, Germany, needed to find a way to keep the children quiet during the exceptionally long Christmas Eve Mass.

Did You Know . . .

 

Cheetahs, Eels, Philippine Eagles, Chameleons, Gerenuks, Mimic Octopuses & Immortal Jellyfish, Hoatzins, Moose, Boxfish, Iberian Wolves, Olms & Mombachos, and Bactrian Camels!  About which of these animals do you know the most? About which do you know the least? All of them are in the book, Cheetahs, Mimic Octopuses, Hoatzins & More! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I celebrated last night with my family, so whether you did the same or are celebrating today, I want to say - Merry Christmas!