Friday ended up being a pretty wonderful day – at least after about 1:00 in the afternoon. Hubby got off work early so we could head into town to do some business that needed to be done, then had the rest of the day to goof around. We had a lovely lunch out in a pub, followed by store hopping to find what new Christmas decorations are in the stores, came home and at dinner while vegging out in front of the TV. Both of us were dozing off by around 9:00, which was well deserved since neither of us slept well the night before. It was with a grateful heart that I saw the trees were completely still without a breath of a breeze, and I slept like a log because of it. On Saturday we finished decorating for Christmas and it looks awesome in here! We will get the tree the day after Thanksgiving like we always do, so we aren’t COMPLETELY finished, but for what we are going to do until then, it looks awesome. This will wipe out any stress for getting things done the weekend after Thanksgiving and we can fully enjoy every moment between now and Christmas. We even got a tiny little tree and decorated the motor home, since we are planning on at least one camping trip between now and the end of the year. It looks pretty cute, I have to say. Our mini fireplace even has two mini stockings hung from it! It’s time to head to bed, which is a bit nerve wracking, since the wind is blowing again, and it is supposed to be blowing a little harder this time than it did the other day – not a good thing. I know that I need to have faith that we are going to be ok and I am hoping that we are both tired enough to just fall asleep in the trust that God is taking care of us, that no damage will be done, and we will wake up tomorrow to more leaves on the ground and not much else. That’s my prayer anyway – as for morning, we need to get up and around and get a nice dinner and appetizers ready for my parents, uncle and aunt to come to dinner. I’m still not sure what I am making for dessert, but I guess that will work itself out tomorrow.
Verse of the Day
November 3, 2018
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Yes, there are things we don’t like about our government. But God has truly blessed most of us so we can enjoy the protection of the authorities where we live. But we also live in the time of some of the greatest persecution ever known in the Christian era. So as we pray for our leaders and thank God for our freedoms, let’s not forget the persecuted church all over the world.
November 4, 2018
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
A new covenant — God willingly entered into a new agreement with us, his creatures, sealed it with the blood of his Son Jesus, and sent the Spirit to give us the power to live the life of this new covenant. God has made a covenant of love and grace with us. The Almighty has then turned around and made us worthy and competent to share that covenant with others. No wonder it is life giving: it brings life to us and through us!
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I Am Thankful For . . .
Saturday – Not a day goes by when I do not feel completely blessed that both of my parents are still pretty healthy, and in spite of a few mobility issues for Mom, they both get around pretty well. They are wonderful parents, raised me in a healthy, loving environment, taught me good morals and values, showed me what it means to have a strong work ethic, and most importantly, raised me to believe in God, in His word and how to go to Him in prayer. With so many children today being unable to say they even had two parents in the home, I truly do feel blessed to be able to say I did, and that my childhood was a very happy one with many wonderful memories.
Sunday – People have told me for years that being a grandparent is the best. You can enjoy the children, then send them home with their parents. This doesn’t give us as much time with the kids as we’d like, but the time we do get together is good time. We don’t have to worry about discipline and all that. Of course, we have to be firm, make them follow the rules and all that, but we don’t have to be the ones to make the rules they follow day by day, and if they act up we can give them a warning, and if that doesn’t work, we can call their parents and send them home. And the people who told me this were so right! I am so grateful for the grandbabies! All three of them are incredible little people with their own unique and amazing personalities, abilities and senses of humor. Yes, I am incredibly thankful for my grandchildren.
November 3 –
Book Lovers Day – This is one for all of us who absolutely love reading, which is right up there near the very top of my favorite ways to relax. There is nothing like being in the middle of an amazing book that you just can’t put down, all snuggled up in a blanket, feet propped up, cup of hot tea next to me on the end table, completely lost in the story. Reading books is a great hobby because it isn’t only educational, informative and relaxing, it makes us smarter and happier people. This one is an easy one to celebrate. Grab your book, a cup of your favorite beverage and find a quiet place to enter the world that exists within the pages of your book.
Cliché Day – So, what is a cliché? I’m sure we all know, but just in case you don’t, a cliché is a phrase that is used over and over again. Many of us may try to avoid using clichés for fear of sounding silly or trite, but sometimes the occasion just fits so we use them. Today you should try to use clichés all day long, since truly, what do we have to lose?
Housewife’s Day – I have always wanted to be a stay at home wife. Always. However, with life being expensive, it has never happened. There was a brief window of time when my son was little that I was able to be home for about 8 months, but that was all, and of course for 3 months this summer I was out of work, but I don’t really count that. To all of the stay at home wives and mothers, you are some of the hardest working individuals on the planet, but also some of the most blessed. And this goes to stay at home dads too! These days we are just as likely to know husbands and fathers who are home taking care of things while the wife and mother work outside the home. This is equally wonderful! These wonderful, caring people are home to build and enrich strong family environments. They are instilling family values and good character into their daily lives. Now, the term Housewife is an old one. It goes back to the days when one income could support the family in a manner of comfort, but it was also a time when women did not have equal rights. Those days are long gone, and the views of one parent in the home staying there and taking care of things is split. Some people love the thought, and some think it’s past its time. It is my personal opinion that my children would have been much better off if I could have stayed home with them while they were growing up. And it is also my opinion that if I could stay home now, which isn’t likely to ever happen, my house would be completely de-cluttered and clean all of the time, and my hubby would have a hot meal ready every night the moment he got home. That’s what I’d like to think anyway. I didn’t make much headway that direction while I was out of work, but seriously I was truly just enjoying not having to get up and be anywhere most of the time and took delight in vegging for the first time in my adult life and not doing anything I didn’t HAVE to do. I do have my one day a week off during the work week, but often times I have to cram so much into that day, that I am exhausted (though fulfilled) at the end of it. In the meantime, a girl can dream, right? To all of you who are able to stay home, making the necessary budget restrictions to allow it to happen, raising your kids and keeping your home, you are wonderful, and I respect that choice with everything in me.
Pumpkin Destruction Day –This is pretty cool. I had some difficulty finding any lengthy information about it, but what I DID find was so much fun! The Rock Ranch in Georgia pioneered this amazing and fun event, where people all bring their jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins that have seen better moments to have a ball destroying them! The pumpkins are destroyed in every way possible – they are bashed, smashed, chunked and dropped from way up high. There are pumpkin-bombing airplanes, monster truck pumpkin demolition, pumpkin archery, reverse pumpkin darts and lots more! There is even pumpkin cannon and bowling! Doesn’t that sound like fun? Sad thing is there was some sort of a lawsuit going on last year and they canceled it, and I believe they did the same this year. Don’t you just hate that our overly litigious society ruins so many fun things?
Sadie Hawkins Day – I admit I laughed when I saw the origins of this one. Sadie Hawkins Day originated in Al Capp’s classic comic strip, Li’l Abner (1934 – 1978). In Li’l Abner, Sadie Hawkins was the daughter of one of Dogpatch’s earliest settlers, Hekzebiah Hawkins. Sadie was known as “the homeliest gal in all them hills” and she was frantic waiting for “suitors to come a-courtin’”. When she got to be 35 years old and was still a spinster, her father was getting frantic too, at the thought of her living at home for the rest of her life. He was desperate, and in that desperation, he called all of the unmarried men of Dogpatch together and declared the day to be “Sadie Hawkins Day”. It was decreed that there would be a foot race, with Sadie chasing the town’s eligible bachelors, with marriage at the end of the race to the man she caught. The town spinsters thought that this was such a great idea that they made Sadie Hawkins Day a mandatory annual event, much to the upset of the bachelors of Dogpatch. Because of all of the fun they got out of this topic, there were many sequences that revolved around the dreaded Sadie Hawkins Day race. If a woman caught a bachelor and dragged him kicking and screaming across the finish line before the sun went down, by law, he had to marry her. The first mention of Sadie Hawkins Day was made in the comic strip in 1937 and proved to be a very popular annual feature. Since that time Sadie Hawkins Day has leaped from the comic strip page to real life. In high schools and on college campuses since 1939, there have been dances and gatherings where the girls ask the boys out, which was pretty much unheard of before 1937. By 1952, Sadie Hawkins Day had been celebrated at 40,000 known venues. It is celebrated on the 1st Saturday of every November and is listed yearly in The Old Farmer’s Almanac! How fun is that?
November 4 –
Daylight Savings Day Ends – I don’t know if you are as tired of dark mornings as I am, but for a little while that is about to change! Another annual tradition of autumn is here as we end daylight savings time for the year. Tonight, or tomorrow morning actually, at 2 a.m. we turn the clocks backwards one hour (easy to remember if you think of it as falling back in the fall and springing forward in the spring). Starting today this hour is switched from evening to morning as standard time begins. Why do we do this? Well, the credit (or blame) for the shifting of time goes back to Ben Franklin, who published an article for “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light” in a 1784 journal, after he noticed that people were burning candles at night but sleeping past dawn. Well, with today’s electric lights and alarm clocks, this doesn’t seem necessary any longer, but we still do it. I have to admit, I am going to really appreciate sleeping in that one extra hour!
King Tut Day – Over 3,000 years ago, King Tutankhamen became the King of Egypt when he was 9 years old. He died when he was 19 and was called Egypt’s “child king”. On November 4, 1922 his tomb was discovered nearly intact in Egypt’s Valley of Kings. The cause of King Tut’s death is uncertain, but the two main theories are murder and that there was an innocent accident. Seems to be two opposite extremes. I remember the first time the King Tut exhibit went on tour when I was a kid – I don’t remember much of the exhibit itself – but I do remember the sense of history and feeling of mystery that surrounded the incredible artifacts that were on display. If you ever have the opportunity to study up on this very interesting piece of the past, please do. Knowledge is always a good thing, and this is a very good place to start!
National Chicken Lady Day – Nope, this day is not about a lady who invented the Chicken Dance, and honestly it doesn’t have much to do with chickens at all! The Chicken Lady is really Marthenia “Tina Dupree”, also known as The Chicken Lady. She worked for 12 years for the 2nd largest chicken restaurants in the world, in one of the highest-level positions in the company as Director of Community Relations and Training. For her community involvement and her efforts to raise educational standards, she was invited to meet President Bush in 2001. In honor of her work the President proclaimed November 4th to be National Chicken Lady Day. Though he didn’t officially declare it to be a National holiday, their meeting did bring about the celebration and recognition of this day.
National Easy Bake Oven Day – There are very few toys that are such an iconic part of many childhood memories as the Easy Bake Oven. I loved mine, and actually credit it as being one of my very favorite toys and the reason I love baking so much today! For 50 years this toy has been under the tree for too many children to count and treasured while it was being used and held special in their memories for a lifetime. There was something about that light bulb cooking a little cake that was truly miraculous! What really made me feel sad was, today when I was looking to see what the age suggestions were for this toy, for Miss B, I found that there are some sources saying this toy is no longer being manufactured. She’s a bit too young for it, but I am seriously thinking about getting one now to hold back for her until she’s old enough. I’m afraid I won’t be able to get one if I don’t!
Use Your Common-Sense Day – American cowboy and actor Will Rogers said, “Common sense ain’t all that common.” And no, it is not a coincidence that Use Your Common-Sense Day is on November 4th because Will Rogers was born on November 4, 1879. Sadly, it seems these days that common sense is an oxymoron that holds its own holiday since we really are seeing less and less of it every single day. There are ways YOU can celebrate it though and make it less of an oxymoron in your own life. Celebrate by using common sense with your money, family and health. Read Thomas Paine’s historic take on “Common Sense” as it pertained to American Independence. Maybe watch the classic movie “Sense and Sensibility”, which is based on Jane Austen’s novel. Regardless, just USE your common sense not just today, but every day. Right there, with that little step, we’ll be ahead of the game.
Zero Tasking Day – Some people – and how silly is THIS? – try to say that getting the extra hour by going back to standard time is an opportunity for an extra hour of productivity, activity and DOING stuff. Well, sorry folks, but we have that hour taken away in the spring, so doggone it, for me it’s sleep or relaxation time. Zero Tasking Day was set up to give you “permission” to dedicate your extra hour to whatever YOU want to do, even if it is absolutely nothing.
This Day in History –
November 3, 1839 – First Opium War between China and Britain begins.
November 3, 1952 – Clarence Birdseye marketed frozen peas.
November 4, 1842 – Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd.
Food Celebrations of the Day –
November 3
National/World Sandwich Day – Who doesn’t love a good sandwich? What’s not to love? It’s truly a wonderful creation! Sandwiches are a daily lunch staple for millions of Americans. Do you know what lead up to the creation of the sandwich? Well, according to English history, John Montagu was the 4th Earl of Sandwich, and he was reported to be a heavy gambler who often spent many long hours in London’s gambling parlors. In 1762, he created the sandwich by putting meat between two pieces of bread. This allowed him to stay at the gambling table for long periods of time. And of course, this creation was named after him. One way to celebrate this day would be to eat sandwiches at every meal. You could eat your favorite sandwich, or better yet, create an entirely new one! However, you celebrate it though, have a Happy Sandwich Day.
November 4
National Candy Day – Honey was the original candy, but now we aren’t limited to honey for our candy. The sky is actually the limit! Learn how to make your own candy or find creative ways to use store-bought candy in a recipe. I found a few interesting candy facts and dates from the National Confectioners Association. I thought you might like to read them.
1854 – Whitman’s debuts its first box of chocolates.
1902- Necco introduces the first “conversation hearts” with sweet Valentine’s Day messages on them.
1928 – Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups debut and are still “among the most popular candy bars today.”
1954 – Ferrara Pan Candy Company introduces Atomic Fireballs
I hope everyone is having a great weekend, and that anyone dealing with inclement weather is safe and sound. I’ll say a prayer for all of you when I am praying for us tonight. Enjoy you extra hour of sleep! God bless you and I’ll see you on Monday.
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Celebration list sources:
www.verseoftheday.com www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.thenibble.com www.foodimentary.com