Good Morning, Happy Saturday and Weekend! I love sleeping in a little bit and though I am still tired, I did pick up an iron supplement yesterday and am hoping it will start taking hold soon. In the meantime we just celebrated Waffle Day a day early (and I’d forgotten it was Waffle Day!) and now I’m getting ready to head out to pick up Baby R to hang out with him. He’s always good for fun entertainment, cuddles and hugs. I haven’t seen him for a few weeks, so it’s definitely a visit that is long overdue.
Verse of the Day
March 24, 2018
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
When we get death for sin, we’re only being paid what we’re owed — sin is rebellion against the God who loves us and gave us his most precious gift to redeem us from sin! But God’s gift is free — eternal life in Jesus Christ. We could not earn it, deserve it, or demand it. So God offered it by grace.
March 25, 2018
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
We can be forgiven of our sins! That’s great, but there’s even better news. We can be purified of any stain from sin!! That’s incredible: not only am I forgiven, I’m made clean and new again! But only because of God’s grace and perfect sacrifice for our sins.
www.verseoftheday.com
Food for Thought
I am so sick of the double standard and hypocrisy of the liberal left and the media at large. When Bill Clinton was our President he committed all sorts of heinous immoralities, including IN the Oval Office – the Oval Office that is in the White House that WE THE PEOPLE own because it is OUR Republic! Anything Trump may have done was in the past – his past that he lived BEFORE he ever thought of becoming President. The past in which the people of this country – right and left – liked and approved of Trump because he was rich and successful. The left flipped on a dime the moment he started the run for the White House and now the cacophony from them is deafening. Suddenly every time he burped without excusing himself is a reason to rip him to shreds (yes, that was sarcasm). Here’s a thought – SHUT UP! Let the man do his job. He was elected to the office of the President of the United States because the people put him there. He has improved so many things in this nation in just over a year, and I’m really excited to see how he does for the next seven (God willing). So stop! Stop! and STOP!
24th–
Be Mad Day – After searching for awhile, granted not as long as I probably could have, I can’t find anything about this day, how it started or why it was started. I guess we can leap to our own conclusions, that someone was having a really mad sort of day and decided to embrace it
Earth Hour (not to be confused with Earth Day) – This celebration came about from what I believe are good intentions, but truly ends up being another rabid global warming alarmist cry to the masses. The idea is for everyone in the world to turn off their lights for 1 hour from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on a specific day – and this is that day – as a symbol of commitment to the planet. I’ll show my commitment by picking up litter, being frugal with how I use energy and being aware of how I treat the planet always, not just for one hour of one day of the year.
Take Your Parents to the Playground Day – Kids have a primary job of playing hard, don’t they? If they are doing their jobs properly they are on the go from the moment they get up until they go down for the night, exhausted and healthy from all of the fresh air and exercise they are getting. Today is the day for kids to show their parents just how hard they work, especially if they usually do all of this work with a child care provider and not their parents! Take Your Parents to the Playground Day is a perfect way to show the grown-ups what this play thing is all about. Outdoor play gives kids (and grown-ups) the obvious benefits of physical activity that builds strong muscles and bones. It ignites a child’s imagination, contributing to the development of creativity and confidence. Playing with other children helps to socialize kids, giving them the ability to play fairly with others, develop the ability to focus and pay attention. This can, in turn, teach leadership and negotiation skills. The more kids play, the healthier, happier and smarter they are. When the whole family plays together, everyone experiences the value of all of these wonderful benefits. Now get outside and play!
25th –
Feast of the Annunciation – I am not Catholic. Nor am I what can be considered Catholic Light in the form of Lutheranism or Episcopalian. I do, however, find some of their feasts and celebrations to be utterly fascinating and sometimes very touching. This would be one of them. The Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. She was to name Him Jesus, which means Savior. It is one of the 12 Great Feasts of the church year. Can you imagine how that felt to Mary? She was barely more than a child herself, with estimates that I have heard being that she was 13 or 14 years old – normal marrying age for that time in history. She must have been honored, but frightened at the same time, for to be pregnant outside of marriage was no laughing matter in those days, and often ended with the woman being put to death for her behavior. The event of Annunciation is 9 full months before Christmas, which is the observed birthday of Jesus. Spare a few moments today thinking about this event and how grateful we are for Mary and her noble work for the Lord.
International Day of the Unborn Child – This one is celebrated at the same time as the Feast of the Annunciation on purpose. It was first celebrated in Argentina in 1999 under Pope John Paul II, in honor of the value and dignity of every human being from the moment of conception, and to also be a day of remembrance for those unborn children who have lost their lives to the violence that is abortion. The Pope connected the two celebrations because the day Jesus was conceived, He became an unborn child in the womb of the Virgin Mary. You don’t have to be Catholic to celebrate this one – you just have to honor life from conception. This day can be celebrated by joining a March for Life. Spiritually adopting an unborn child and dedicate yourself to praying for the baby and mother for nine months, raise funds for a pregnancy crisis center, pray outside of an abortion clinic, pass out pro-life literature or set up a “cemetery of the innocents” somewhere in your community to witness to all the lives lost because of abortion. Be prepared for public flack for evil is rampant in this world and the ones who promote and encourage the murder of the unborn have no shame.
National Medal of Honor Day – This day every year we celebrate National Medal of Honor Day, a day dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients. (Public Law 101-564) This honor day was conceived in the State of Washington and should be one of our most revered. Unfortunately, all too many Americans are not even aware that it exists. So, let’s learn about it. Why do we celebrate it today? This date was chosen to highlight this special day because on March 25, 1863, the first Medals of Honor were presented to six members of Andrews’ Raiders. Though there are some communities who do celebrate National Medal of Honor Day, for the most part this day comes and goes with very little notice. As a patriotic American there are a few things you can do to commemorate this day: You can fly your flag with pride and patriotism; Remember our heroes! Even if they didn’t get a Medal of Honor, all soldiers who have served our country honorably deserve to be recognized for their service and sacrifice. Thank one of them! Inform your local media! Many newspapers aren’t even aware that this special day exists. Tip them off to it, perhaps they will do a story on a local medal recipient! If there is a Medal of Honor recipient buried in your home town, get together a school class, a scout troop, youth organization, or other group and adopt a grave site! Taking care of the grave of one of our decorated heroes is a worthy activity for a very deserving hero.
Palm Sunday – Palm Sunday is traditionally the Sunday before Easter and begins the Christian commemoration of Holy Week. We celebrate Palm Sunday to remember the day that Jesus entered the Holy City of Jerusalem surrounded by a crowd of followers. Many churches hand out palm leaves, which represent the branches that were spread on the road as Jesus approached. This is also the last Sunday of Lent, also called Passion Sunday. The Biblical accounts of the last days of Christ’s life all agree that as he returned to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his followers, the crowds who were eager to proclaim Him the Messiah.” The palms disbursed by many churches signify the branches that were spread in on the road as Jesus approached. “Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (John 12:13) Palm Sunday traditions vary from denomination to denomination, and country to country. Christian churches traditionally hold services on Palm Sunday, and leaves of palm are often shaped into crosses to symbolize Jesus’ last hours on the cross are given to the congregation. These palm fronds are also used to be woven into symbols of the palm to hang in the Christian home during the year. The churches that observe Ash Wednesday by giving ashes to their members burn the palms to use for the ashes in this symbolic ceremony. Eastern Orthodox churches give out bay or laurel leaves to be used for cooking throughout the year. In many areas there are processions with palm fronds to commemorate the journey of Christ. In Spain, processions and other public celebrations continue until the Monday after Easter. In some Catholic parishes in the Philippines a priest rides a horse and is surrounded by the congregation, bearing palms to reenact Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Many of us have traditional Easter meals that we look forward to having every year. In my family it has usually been ham, scalloped potatoes, salads and some sort of dessert. I don’t know why, that’s just always been the traditional meal. We never planned a special meal for Palm Sunday, though I think that it would be a wonderful tradition to start. In Great Britain, traditional foods served on Palm Sunday include fig pudding, because Jesus is said to have eaten figs on his entry into the city of Jerusalem. In Spain, the day is known as “Sul y Blodau” or Flowering Sunday because of the association with the flowering of the fig tree. Making split pea soup is another tradition still observed in Northern England and Scotland, which comes from the ancient practice of wearing a hard pea in the shoe as penance during Lent. In other areas of the UK, pax cakes are given out to congregations after Palm Sunday services – along with best wishes for peace and brotherhood – in a custom that dates back to 1570. In Greek tradition the Lenten fast is broken with a fish dinner on Palm Sunday featuring salt cod. Some parts of Italy have homemade fettuccine pasta topped with tomato sauce, bread crumbs and chopped nuts as a customary Palm Sunday Dish. More modern interpretations of appropriate foods to be eaten on Palm Sunday include hearts of palm in salads or side dishes to observe the day.
No matter how this special day is honored in your family or church, the significance it holds for all of us is deep and true and leads us up to the miracle of Easter.
Tolkien Reading Day – Did you know that there is a Tolkein Society? I didn’t! Well, they had their first Tolkien Reading Day on March 25th, 2003. They chose this day from the book for the reading day . . . do you know what the significance is? I didn’t think so – most people wouldn’t. In the book March 25th was the day of the Downfall of Sauron. For anyone who isn’t a fan, that won’t make a bit of sense. The Tolkien Society has provided information packs, bookmarks and posters for school that take part in this event. They provide free posters for events held by libraries and the general public taking place near the event, instead of on the 25th. With the popularity of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy making the books popular all over again, this day was set up with the hopes of getting even more people to read and discover from Tolkien – not just the Lord of the Rings.
This Day in History –
March 24, 1882 – German scientist Robert Koch announces he has discovered the bacillus that causes Tuberculosis.
March 24, 1958 – Elvis Presley joins the U.S. Army.
March 25, 1957 – The European Economic Community (ECC) is established by the Treaty of Rome.
Food Celebration of the Day –
24th –
Chocolate Covered Raisins – In 1927, the Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company introduced Raisinets, chocolate-covered raisin candies that were, believe it or not, hand-shined. There’s something interesting for your resume! Official Candy Shiner! hahahaha Where do you take that experience?
Slow-Cooker Chocolate-Covered Raisins
Chocolate-Covered Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
Chocolate Cookies With Chocolate-Covered Raisins
Chocolate-Covered Raisins in the Microwave
Pumpkin Chocolate-Covered Raisin Muffins
25th –
Lobster Newburg – Named after sea captain Ben Wenburg, this dish got a new title when he and the chef at Delmonico’s had a falling out. It was too popular to take it off the menu.
Pecan Day – I love pecans. They are my favorite nut to bake with, and are tasty just snacked on by the handful! There are so many good things about pecans that there were TWO days set aside to celebrate them, one in March and one in April! Did you know that pecan trees are the only nut trees that are native to North America? No wonder they are so popular here! Celebrate today be cracking a few open and eating a few pecan nuts, or maybe made some pecan pie!
Waffles (Vaffeldagen) – International Waffle Day originated in Sweden – it is called Våffeldagen. This day is considered to be the start of spring in Sweden and Europe. It became a custom for Swedish families to celebrate the by making waffles on this day. Now National Waffle Day – which we celebrate in August, celebrates the patenting of the waffle iron in 1869. Waffles date back to the 1300s in Greece. The Greeks cooked flat cakes between two metal pans. At that time they would top them with cheeses and herbs – since pancake syrup wasn’t around back then. Waffles are eaten often as a breakfast food, or even a snack. They are also even a dinner item – like chicken and waffles. That’s something I still haven’t tried, but would like to at some point.
I need to leave in just over half hour and I’m not ready to go yet. I guess I’d better hurry. God bless you and I’ll see you on Monday!