Happy Wednesday! We are halfway through the week and on our way to the weekend! Of course, I have today off, which is wonderful. I am getting ready to go meet my parents for lunch to celebrate my birthday, since I couldn’t see them on my actual day. I’ll run a couple of errands while I’m out and about, then come home to hurry through finishing the camping clean-up and laundry so we can actually put away Christmas. I’ve kept it up with the undying hope that my son and his family might just make it over to see us, but I’m starting to feel closed in and I need the space back.
Verse of the Day
January 17, 2018
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Stars. They’ve always been a source of constant hope for God’s people. “Your descendants will be like the stars,” God told Abraham. “When I see the stars, what is man that you are mindful of him?” the Psalms ask. The Wisemen from the East followed a star to Jesus. Luke reminds us that Jesus was a star of morning light come to us from heaven to shine on those in darkness. And now, we’re stars. God’s points of light in the dark sky of the universe. So let’s make today a day where our light shines God’s glory to a dark world around us.
www.verseoftheday.com
Food for Thought
Be grateful for the people in your life – family and true friends are always there for you and with you – through good times and bad. They are gifts from God.
Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day – I can’t say that I agree with celebrating this one, but I’ll tell you about it, just in case you are interested for yourself. This is the day that has been set aside for ditching those pesky New Year’s Resolutions that we make for ourselves on the 1st day of the year. Some people may have already met a few of their resolutions, others may be doing very well with them, and yet others may have decided they bit off more than they could chew. It’s THESE folks that may want to celebrate this one. Personally I think it’s a bit too soon for this . . . it’s just mid month! Did you know that statistically 35% of the people who make resolutions have already given up on them? Give it a little longer to see if you can make it work!
Judgment Day – Well, shoot, I have nothing for you again! I found today listed as “Judgment Day” in several places – but none of them offer anything concrete for a reason. All I found were several people thinking it was funny to make fun of the Bible, Christians and their belief in Judgment Day someday. It always leaves my tummy feeling knotted up when that happens. What I can say though is, we know that someday we will be facing Judgment Day, and on that day we need to be ready to talk to God face to face – so today should be a reminder to assess our hearts and make sure they are where they need to be.
Kid Inventors’ Day – Those of us who have children, or have ever spent any time around them, know that kids are doggone smart. What many of us might NOT know is that some of our most common and everyday household items were invented by kids! I know! I was surprised too! Today is a day to recognize the accomplishments of these amazing kids – and appreciate the cool stuff they have created for us.
* At the age of 15, Louis Braille invented Braille, an alphabet for the blind that uses a system of raised dots.
* 15-year-old Chester Greenwood invented the earmuffs in 1873 to keep his ears warm while ice skating.
* In 1930, 16-year-old George Nissen, a member of his high school gymnastics and diving teams, invented the trampoline in his parent’s garage.
There are SO many other examples of things kids have invented, but how cool is it that these kids were recognized at such young ages for their accomplishments?
National Bootlegger’s Day – Somehow I’ve missed this one over the last couple of years, and I don’t know why! It is from a fascinating period in our nation’s history – Prohibition. It is celebrated today because today is the birthday of Al Capone (bootlegger), Meryl Kerkhoff (the son of another bootlegger) and Templeton Rye Whiskey. Do you know where the name bootlegger started? This is really interesting! It began in the 1880s in the Midwest when flasks of liquor would be concealed in boot tops when traders would do business with the Native Indians. When Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920 prohibiting the manufacturing, sale and transportation of alcohol the word found a permanent place in our vocabulary when, in spite of the change in the law, people still wanted booze. Bootleggers were the folks who brought it to them through illegal means creating quite the business for themselves by bringing it in from Canada and Mexico and later on creating it themselves in backwoods and out of the way place. Other words used in place of bootleggers were rum-runners and moonshiners. It was all pretty much the same thing. The legendary part of all of this is that bootlegging gave rise to the mafia and famous bad guys like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Alphones Kerkhoff and Bugs Moran. An aura of glamour and mystery surrounded them, even though they truly weren’t nice guys. Prohibition was repealed in 1933. It obviously wasn’t accomplishing what they’d intended for it to accomplish. Now about the Templeton Rye – when Prohibition went into effect in 1920 the residents of a small town in Iowa decided to become outlaws by producing a high-caliber and very in demand whiskey known as Templeton Rye, or The Good Stuff. One of those outlaws in Iowa was Alphonse Kerkhoff. Ahhhh, now it all comes together! Templeton Rye became Al Capone’s whiskey of choice, putting it smack in the center of Capone’s bootlegging empire. History is fascinating, isn’t it?
This Day in History –
1984 – The U.S. Supreme court rules that taping on home VCRs does not violate copyright laws.
Food Celebration of the Day
Hot Buttered Rum Day – Nothing is more soothing on a cold winter’s day than a hot beverage to warm your hands and chase away the bitter chill. Hot buttered rum is a delicious way to do just that. Usually I’d say no because traditional diets and weight loss programs wouldn’t allow it, but now that I’m eating low carb and finding recipes that support that way of eating, I CAN! I found a recipe! I know, it’s exciting and it’s a good thing because I always love a sweet, right, hot buttered rum. Rum is distilled from molasses, which is a byproduct of refined sugar. This is something I did not know! Rum is a New World creation, and was being made by settlers in the American colonies by the 1650s. Toddies, which are cocktails made with boiling water, sugar and spices, originated in Northern Europe. When the Colonists began distilling rum, the rum toddy — or hot buttered rum — was born. Here are some traditional recipes made with sugar and here’s the one I picked that is low carb. Mine aren’t as pretty as those on the blog, but I was in a hurry to start sipping away. I’m sure you understand.
- Hot Buttered Rum
- Hot Buttered Bourbon (with Nutmeg Butter)
- Nee’s Hot Buttered Rum Cake
- Hot Buttered Rum Crescents
- Tropical Hot Buttered Rum Sauce
- Celebration Cake with Hot Buttered Whiskey Glaze
I need to go shower and get ready to go meet my parents and run my errands. Oh, and I need to plan my 1st meal in my new birthday present! I nearly forgot to mention it! I came home yesterday to a birthday gift from hubby that had gotten hung up in shipping . . . an Instant Pot! I have an electric pressure cooker that I have always loved, but the gasket cracked and I wasn’t able to find a new one. Now I have this amazing machine that will do all sorts of things, so I need to figure out something delicious to fix for dinner. I’d better get to it! God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow!