What a weekend! Did you have a wonderful time celebrating the resurrection of our Lord yesterday? We had a very fast, but good time with my son and his family, filled with laughter, silliness, food and cuddles. It doesn’t get much better than that. I wasn’t able to see Baby R though, so we still have his Easter goodies waiting for him. It was really hard watching everyone leave yesterday because now that they live on the other side of the state, I never know when I’ll see them next, so of course Gramma had the waterworks going when they headed out the door. It was followed by a brief nap, which helped somewhat with being so very tired. And now here we are! The first work day in a new month! Are you ready??? No? Me either, but what can we do? Can’t change the calendar to go back to sleep for an extra day. Don’t you think Easter should have a three day weekend? Yep, I think so too.
Verse of the Day
April 2, 2018
Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
One thing the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) make clear, Jesus’ death on the cross was no accident. Jesus knew the challenge that awaited him in Jerusalem and he walked into it to deliver us from the same fate. If only we will face our challenges with a faith that God will lead us to triumph beyond our pain!
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Holy Humor Month / National Humor Month
Three Pastors in the south were having lunch in a diner. One said “Ya know, since summer started I’ve been having trouble with bats in my loft and attic at church. I’ve tried everything–noise, spray, cats–nothing seems to scare them away.
Another said “Yea, me too. I’ve got hundreds living in my belfry and in the narthex attic. I’ve even had the place fumigated, and they won’t go away.”
The third said, “I baptized all mine, and made them members of the church… Haven’t seen one back since!!!”
Food for Thought
How many of you have been following the mind-numbingly annoying rantings of David Hogg in the news? I swear someone needs to smack him silly until he shuts his mouth. He is a teenager who has been learning how to be a crisis ACTOR for years, has been present at more than one crisis and right there on camera to take advantage of his few minutes of fame. The trouble is that people are actually giving what he says some notice, but the truth is, he doesn’t know what he is talking about. He is a millenial snowflake who just wants the attention that he is getting. This whole anti-gun movement that started supposedly after the Florida school shooting is being funded by the Soros Foundation, from what I’ve read. This is not something that has happened because Hogg is passionate about the topic, but because he was being groomed to flap his pie-hole and disrespect Constitution respecting patriots with an agenda in mind. Please, stop paying attention to him and giving him any credit. These thoughts and feelings aren’t his own. He’s merely following a script, and coming off as a rude, disrespectful snot-nosed brat in the process.
International Children’s Book Day – As an avid reader, who has loved books from the first moment I learned how to sound out the letters in words, this is a really great celebration! It encourages reading and the love of books in a children’s lives. The best and fastest way to develop our young children into intelligent adults is by teaching them to read and instilling in them a love of the written word. Encouraging reading promotes a lifetime of learning and growing! Today libraries will be celebrating with story telling hours and other events for kids. An awesome way to celebrate this one is by giving a new book to each of your kids. If they aren’t yet old enough to read, spend time reading stories to them. It is an amazing bonding time and something they will remember for the rest of their lives as being a special time between you. If I had it to do all over again I would read to my kids while I was pregnant with them. Experts say that babies can hear us when we talk to them, and they actually pick up what we read to them while they are developing in the womb. It makes me so happy that all three of my grandchildren are being raised with a love of books and reading. Good job kids!
National Ferret Day – Ferrets are cute! These weasel-like critters are the 3rd most common un-caged pet in all of North America after dogs and cats. Today, in honor of National Ferret Day, these little polecat pets have a chance to shine in the spotlight and win people over with their playful personalities and sweet little noses. Here are 10 ferret facts that may put a smile on your face, surprise you, or convince you that maybe a ferret should be a part of your life:
* The thought of having a ferret as a pet might be new to you, but these furry creatures have been loved by humans for centuries. They have been popular companions for such a long time that you can even see them in famous paintings like DaVinci’s “Lady with an Ermine” and Queen Elizabeth’s I’s “Ermine Portrait”
* If you have had a ferret, you may know the difference between a hobs and a jill. No, they aren’t just a name, they are terms for different kinds of ferrets. Jills are fertile females, and sprites are neutered females. Hobs are fertile male ferrets and gibs are neutered males. Kits are babies that are younger than 10 weeks old.
* Ferrets came to the New World over 300 years ago. Early English settlers brought them on board the ships to help with rodent extermination – which of course is a good segue to the fact that ferrets are NOT rodents!
* Ferrets are strict carnivores. Their digestive systems are biologically designed to digest ONLY meat. The do not have a cecum, which is necessary to digest plant materials. In spite of this there are ferret owners who have introduced non-meat foods into their ferret’s diets.
* Ferrets are very playful and friendly, and domestic ferrets are unafraid of humans.
* Ferrets are very intelligent, and they actually have been put to work! According to the Daily Mail, Ferrets helped to lay and string television cables so that Prince Andrew’s wedding could be broadcast to the rest of the world in 1986. They also strung the cables under the stage for a millennium concert in Greenwich Park. How you ask? I have no idea, it’s just a fact I found that I thought was interesting.
* Ferrets are easily excited and they make it obvious when they are happy and having fun. When they are happy their behavior is called “Weasel War Dance” and often happens after a time of playing with their owners. The dance consists of sideways and backwards hops and results in them arching their backs and whipping their tails. Here’s a video of a ferret named Mocha showing her moves. You’ll see her start her little dance about 39 seconds in. Very cute!
* Ferrets have competitions just like dogs and cats do! They participate in breed shows where the most well-groomed ferrets battle it out for best coloration, shape, health and demeanor. There are even ferret races, and athletic competitions that have them running through tunnels, swimming and climbing through mazes.
* If you are looking for a cuddly pet that can stay calm and quiet, a ferret may be the pet for you! They sleep up to 20 hours a day. Their natural time to sleep is during the day, but they are very adaptable and will adjust to the schedule of their owners and start sleeping at night so they don’t keep you up all night.
* There are even famous movie ferrets! Ferrets featured in at least three famous movies – Beastmaster, Kindergarten Cop and Along Came Polly! I only saw Kindergarten Cop and the ferret was a hero!
As with any new pet in your life, research everything you need to know about owing and taking proper care of a ferret before you bring one home. It’s not fair to get an animal just to return it later because it wasn’t what you expected. This stands true for ANY pet, not just a ferret.
National Love Your Produce Manager Day – Do you appreciate the produce manager at your local market? You should! They work hard to bring you healthy, beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables every single day. Today we celebrate National Love Your Produce Manager Day. They are truly unsung heroes of the healthy eating world and deserve our applause. I know we have all shopped at stores that have substandard produce, and we’ve all shopped at stores that has AWESOME produce – we have our produce manager to thank for that. There are only two stores I get produce from most of the time – unless I am going to use it THAT day. I know that it is the freshest it could possibly be, and if I get it home and something is wrong with it, those stores will take it back and replace it without any questions. I can plan a few days worth of meals ahead while buying produce from those stores, while others I feel I must use it on the same day or it will just be worthless. Sad waste of money, so I spend a little more up front and guarantee fresh, beautiful food for the table. So a big thanks to our Produce Managers today!
Reconciliation Day – Relationships are interesting, aren’t they? No matter how good a relationship is – whether is it between spouses, parents and children, siblings, friends or co-workers they are each unique and sometimes all is not sunshine and roses in each of them. People, being different from each other, sometimes butt heads, and that can lead to harsh words, bad feelings, and distance between people who usually care about each other very much. Today is a special day to patch relationships and make amends if you’ve had distance from someone special in your life, and you aren’t sure how to make it right. The intention is to re-establish the relationship that means a lot to you, but you haven’t been able to make the first move to talk and work it out. Truth is that life is too short to hold grudges against people you love. The old saying “it’s never too late”, isn’t necessarily true. We don’t know what will happen from day to day, so it really COULD be too late and you’ll live with regrets for the rest of your life. Take that first step today. Reach out to the one you love and start the healing process. You’ll be glad you did.
White House Easter Egg Roll – This is a wonderful tradition, and the first year for President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to host the White House Easter Egg Roll. Festivities were set to begin at 7:30 this morning with video of it on available online. Following is a copy and paste about the history of The White House Easter Egg Roll and how it’s changed and grown over the years. I never bothered to look it up before – it’s pretty awesome!
The White House Easter Egg Roll officially dates back to 1878 and the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes, but first-hand accounts suggest that informal festivities began with egg-rolling parties under President Abraham Lincoln. Starting in the 1870s, Easter Monday celebrations on the U.S. Capitol’s west grounds grew so popular that President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill that banned the rolling of eggs on Capitol grounds, citing landscape concerns.
In 1878, a group of bold children walked up to the White House gate, hoping to be allowed to play egg-rolling games there. President Hayes told his guards to let the children enter, and soon Easter Monday on the White House grounds became an annual tradition. President Benjamin Harrison added music to the festivities in 1889 with the United States Marine Band.
Egg roll attendance grew so popular that the number of guests had to be limited, and in 1939, the Secret Service had to go so far as shutting down a “racket” of children trying to sneak adults into the event for a fee.
The planning of the egg roll traditionally falls on first ladies, each incorporating her own tastes and interests to the event. First Lady Lou Hoover had part of the South Lawn roped off for folk dancing. First Lady Pat Nixon introduced the traditional egg roll races.
Because of World War I and World War II, there were no egg rolls from 1917 to 1920 and from 1943 to 1945. Food conservation and then construction on the White House prevented any celebrations from 1946 to 1952, as well. Fortunately, President Dwight D. Eisenhower reinstated the tradition in 1953.
The custom to receive a wooden Easter egg when leaving the event began in 1981 — an idea instituted by First Lady Nancy Reagan — and became a keepsake cherished by guests that donned the signature of the President and First Lady.
This year’s 140th White House Easter Egg Roll will be hosted by First Lady Melania Trump on April 2, 2018.
World Autism Day – Today we put focus and attention on World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD). This was first held in 2008, after a United Nations resolution that was proposed by Quatar and supported by every member state. I don’t usually feature U.N. sponsored celebrations because I have a personal problem with the U.N. as an organization, but this one is worthy. Basically the resolution established that the 2nd of April would be designated as WAAD, and the month of April happens to also be Autism Awareness Month in the United States. This has been adopted in the UK as well. So, what IS WAAD? As the name suggests, it raises awareness. Autism is still a very misunderstood condition, in spite of recent figures released in the United States that suggest that, on average, 1 in 68 children are on the Autistic Spectrum. Until a few years ago many people’s knowledge of the condition came from the movie “Rainman” from 1988, which featured Dustin Hoffman starring as an Autistic man with an extraordinary ability to calculate numbers and count objects. Many people believed that this was the case for anyone on the spectrum, but that isn’t true and is in reality very different. Recently there has been an increase in awareness and understanding of autism, but there are still many myths and misconceptions that surround the condition and raising awareness of the facts will help people understand more about this very complex and varied condition. The biggest misconception is that those on the Autistic Spectrum don’t like being around other people and prefer being left alone. This idea comes from the view that they appear to show no interest or attention to the world around them, and it is commonly believed that this shows that they don’t want to interact with other people. This is not true! For those on the spectrum this is a very damaging view! They actually care deeply about those around them, such as their family and friends, but they do not understand how to show these feelings or thoughts, and that can be misread as those feelings not existing at all. We can raise awareness in many ways, but the biggest is the Light It Up Blue Campaign, which is a global event held on WAAD. There are many other things too. There are fund raising events being held, and there are those who will come forward to talk about how they live with Autism and how they feel about it. Though I can’t find out why, it seems the color blue is the most common color associated with ASD and is why the Light It Up Blue theme came about. Another symbol of Autism if the puzzle piece, which to me seems like a beautiful symbol for this condition! Autism is a bit like a piece to a jigsaw puzzle. I read this analogy somewhere else and I had to share it – so don’t think it was my original idea. I’m just learning about Autism and wouldn’t have thought about this one without some prompting. But as every jigsaw puzzle piece is different, no two pieces being the same, they each have a place in the puzzle, no matter. Without that puzzle piece, the puzzle can’t be completed. Isn’t that beautiful?
This Day in History –
1792 – Congress passes the Coinage Act and the U.S. Mint is born.
1823 – William Magear “Boss” Tweed, a corrupt NYC politician, U.S. Senator, NY State Senator.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day – No need to suffer from arachibutyrophobia — the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth — in a PB&J. Jelly is always there to help smooth the way. I do have to giggle at this as a fear, but I suppose it could be disconcerting to folks who have it. I discovered not all that long ago that one of my favorite sandwiches is a Peanut Butter and Jelly Panini? YUM! It’s like dessert on bread – though be careful – that jelly gets hot and will put blisters on the roof of your mouth if you’re not careful! Let it cool!
Grilled Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich
Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins
Jelly-Filled Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Frosting
PB&J Pancakes
Peanut Butter & Jelly Chip Sandwich
Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
I need to go. I am hoping for a beautiful day. Not just is it nice to see out the window at work, it helps me stay awake and alert. A cloudy, rainy day just makes me want to curl up and fall asleep. Well, sunshine makes me want to fall asleep too. I just really like to sleep, but if it’s sunny it’s not QUITE as bad. Right now, I’m seeing blue sky, so it’s good so far! Have a great day! God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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