He Leadeth Me

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays of the entire year. When I was a 4th grade teacher, I always marveled at the fact that the students seemed to love the Valentine's Party more than the Christmas Party.  I think it's all about feeling specially loved. This year, instead of having a party for just the grandsons, we had a party for the whole family.   My cookie decorating skills are improving. I'm not Aunt Gail or Jeanette yet, but they are looking better and my family scarfs them down so they must taste pretty good. Could be because I have switched to Grandma Bergeron's sugar cookie recipe.   Juice Robot for the boys. Thank you Aunt Gail and Pinterest. Each little guy had a mailbox.   The grownups wrote special messages of love and put them in the mailboxes. I thought they might be too little to appreciate the notes, but they LOVED listening to words of love. Our plan is to save the notes from year to year. We played a game where...

I LOVE Muffaletta sandwiches! My mom grew up in New Orleans  which probably influences my tastes. According to Wikapedia   The muffuletta sandwich has its origins at the  Central Grocery  in the  French Quarter  of New Orleans. [ 4 ] According to Marie Lupo Tusa, daughter of the Central Grocery's founder, it was born when Sicilian farmers selling their produce at the nearby Farmers' Market would come into her father's grocery for lunch and order some salami, ham, cheese, olive salad, and either long braided Italian bread or a round muffuletta loaf. In typical Sicilian fashion they ate everything separately sitting on crates or barrels while precariously balancing their meals on their knees. Her father suggested cutting the bread and putting everything on it like a sandwich, even if it was not typical Sicilian fashion. The thicker braided Italian bread proved too hard to bite and the softer round muffuletta loaf won out. Shortly, farmers cam...

Z Is for Moose by Kelly Bingham My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is one of the most entertaining alphabet books that I have seen in a very long time.  I can't wait to read it to my grandchildren. View all my reviews

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate My rating: 5 of 5 stars I LOVED this book!!!  In my opinion, it is extremely deserving of the prestigious Newbery Medal.  Although the main character, Ivan, is a gorilla, you will suspend reality and believe that he is capable of writing his memoirs.  I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this book and how much it made me think about friendship, art, and hope. View all my reviews