Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. It’s Friday. We made it through the week and it’s time to prepare our minds to leave all of the stress behind us – at least for those of us who are fortunate enough to have weekends off. For weekend workers, repeat this process for whatever your equivalent of Friday may be. We have been sleeping with the window open again – one of my favorite things about spring – and the daylight is starting to happen earlier and earlier, so it’s not completely dark out when my alarm goes off. The birds are pretty happy at that time of the morning, singing and finding their breakfast, the air smells fresh and clean coming in and clearing out the stale winter smells that accumulate while everything is all closed up for so many weeks and months. Let’s make this a great day, and a fabulous beginning to our weekend.
Verse of the Day
April 20, 2018
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Victory! Ultimate Victory!! If you don’t have the answer for life’s biggest test, death, then you have no victory. The Super Bowl and World Series are played every year. The champion is a victor for only one year. But a Christian is a champion forever because in Jesus, a Christian has victory over death.
Holy Humor Month / National Humor Month
How to Get Into Heaven
A man dies and mets St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. Peter says to the man, “Here’s how it works. You need to have one hundred points to get into heaven. You tell me about all the good things you’ve done. They are all worth a certain number of points. If your total is one hundred or more, you can come in.”
“Well,” says the man. “I was happily married to the same woman for 52 years. I never looked at another woman. I was attentive and loved her dearly.”
“That’s great,” says St. Peter. “That’ll be two points.”
“Hmmm,” says the man. “This is going to be harder than I thought. Well, I attended church regularly, volunteered my time and tithed faithfully.”
“Wonderful,” says St. Peter, “That’s worth another point.”
“One point!” says the man. “Okay, okay. I was involved with a prison ministry for twenty-five years. I went into the prison, at least monthly, and shared Jesus with them.”
“Wow!” says St. Peter. “That’s another two points!”
“Only two points!” says the man. “At this rate, it’ll be only by the grace of God that’ll I’ll ever get into this place.”
“Bingo!” says St. Peter. “That’s one hundred points! Come on in.”
Book Review
This is the first time I have done there here on the blog, but I have to tell you about a book I just read – and who knows? I may start doing this once in awhile to give a bump to new authors and share my reading interests with you.
North Wind, Written by Michael Hale
This is a new release by first time author Michael Hale that was a lovely surprise from the first page, all the way to the last. I am an avid reader, and honestly, I don’t expect a great deal from first time authors because they are just cutting their teeth in the publishing world. It is easy to see potential though, and for that reason I read new authors often, and I felt really good about buying this one on the recommendation of a dear friend.
My first thought is WOW! If I didn’t know this was the first book published by this author I would never have guessed. His creativity with the story line, character development, the build-up of anticipation and edge of your seat suspense throughout the body of the story, then the shocking twist at the end would typically point to seasoned authors who had years of experience and many books under their belts. One of the things I loved about this book was that, though it is fiction, the plot line is something that could conceivably happen – as frightening as that thought is – and fits right in with my love of the topic of survival, quick thinking people, and respect for the military. The characters were immediately people who I either wanted to know, and felt like I did by the last page, or loved to hate because they were so horribly evil. My emotions ran the gamut from breathless anticipation, frustration for the protagonists, anger, sadness, vindication, relief and victory. I am deliberately choosing not to tell you anything about the story itself, as I don’t want to risk even a slight chance of ruining the story for you, and once I started in, I don’t know that I would know when to stop. Just take my word for it – if you are a big fan of good winning the war against evil, you’ll love this book.
Hop on over to Amazon, order the book – or if you can’t wait (like me) get it on Kindle. I’ve even included the link to make it easy for you! Trust me, it is worth every single penny and I am already looking forward to his next book. Get on that Michael Hale, would you? Your fans are waiting!!! Thank you for an awesome read!
There are a few celebrations I chose not to focus on today, as they were either international or glorified the use of recreational drugs. This leaves us with three, plus food, and I’m OK with that! I hope you are too.
Look Alike Day – This celebration is something I actually find to be a little bit creepy. It’s a day to dress up like someone you really look up to. One bit I read about it say to cut, style and color your hair to look like the person you have selected, choose clothes that they may wear, and practice their walk, talk and facial expressions. To me this is sort of like what scary movies are all about! If you haven’t ever seen the movie “Single White Female” watch it, and you’ll see what I mean! Geesh! Now for Halloween, a costume party, a stage show, etc. that would be ok. For example, dressing up like Elvis, Marilyn Monroe or Cher. that makes sense! So, for this one, unless you really want to make the object of your admiration take out a restraining order, keep it to famous people who won’t take offense or slam the door in your face the next time they see you.
National Teach Children to Save Day – This is an awesome one! Teach Your Children to Save Day was set up by the American Bankers Association (ABA) as an educational program with the intention of encouraging kids to learn good banking habits as early as possible in their financial lives. Special presentations are often given by volunteers to school kids to teach them about saving money, but also about other financial matters like spending, donating and investing. For anyone who wants to set up one of these programs in your local schools you can get teaching materials through your local banks and the ABA. It would be a great starting point for setting up a fun and educational talk!
Volunteer Recognition Day – There are so many causes that need volunteers to keep them going, each of the causes focused on helping to make something or someone’s life better. Most of the time the organizations that are set up to help others are run on a non-profit, donation-based form of income and do not have the resources to pay for their help, so they rely on the generosity of others to donate their time, talent and money to keep going. This day is about recognizing the selfless efforts of these volunteers, and thank them for their hard work, and their passion for the causes they are helping. If you haven’t actually been a volunteer, please consider doing so. It can be for a short-term project, for those of you who don’t want to actually schedule something for the long haul, or something you do each week like clockwork. One example would be for your church. I know in the church I used to attend, the administrator was sorely overworked and could always use someone to help fold bulletins, stuff envelopes for fundraising efforts, cleaning up the grounds and building, etc. If that’s not your thing, how about at the local animal shelter? I know that it is sad to see all of those homeless animals, but even if you can’t have a pet of your own you can get furbaby time in for these that are waiting for a forever home. Those poor dogs need to be walked, those kitties need to be snuggled. There are litter boxes and kennels to clean all the time. How about your local food bank? They are always looking for helping hands for various things. Giving back to our communities feels good, helps others and opens our eyes to what is going on in our own neighborhoods. And to all of the selfless people who do give their time? Thank you. Thank you for caring, for stepping outside of yourself to help others. You may never know the impact you have made on someone else by your efforts. Now, for the people who literally have no extra time to give? Your loving donation to the cause of your choice will be gladly received, and truly appreciated. It takes both time AND money to help a worthy cause.
Food Celebrations of the Day –
National Cheddar Fries Day – I was part of a conversation with friends yesterday about French fries. They weren’t trying to make me crave potatoes, it was just my own little by-product of being a part of the conversation. Now I can’t get them out of my mind and what do I find that we are celebrating today??? CHEESE FRIES! Seriously, this is torture. Potatoes are NOT low carb, so when I do indulge it has to be a very well-planned event and I had a splurge last week already. *sigh* I am not sure how long my resolve against this will last. Think about it, crispy, golden fries, topped with sharp cheddar cheese, maybe make them loaded by adding bacon and chives on top (drool). Oh, my goodness, doesn’t that sound heavenly? OK, maybe heavenly is overkill, but definitely delicious. This celebration was registered by Snuffer’s Restaurant and Bar, which says they are the home of the original cheddar fries, created in their first location in 1978. I’ll have to take their word for it, and thank them for their genius!
National Pineapple Upside- Down Cake Day – Fruit is usually heavier than batter, so thank goodness someone thought to flip cakes over. Try one of these upside-down cakes, including the classic: pineapple! I made one for a friend once with pineapple that had been soaked in moonshine for a long time. It was delicious, but it was STRONG! Unfortunately, I’m three for three for food celebrations that are NOT low-carb friendly today. *sigh* Good thing I don’t have the time to make a cake anyway.
- Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
- Peachy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
- German Chocolate Upside-Down Cake
- Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread
- Plum Upside-Down Cake
- Apple Pecan Upside-Down Cake
Lima Bean Respect Day – I’m not sure but I think I’m in the minority, but I love Lima Beans. I always have, even when Mom would serve them when I was growing up. Sadly, now that I am a grown up and have chosen to try to eat low carb, they are off the menu because they are high in carbs. For those of you who do indulge, if you haven’t liked Lima Beans in the past, give them a chance. Add them to soups, stews, salads or casseroles, or even all on their own. I love them by themselves, slathered in butter and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
I am so excited! I am actually ready to head out the door early today! Not REALLY early, just about 8 minutes early, but hey, that’s a good thing! I won’t feel rushed like I usually do! Have a wonderful Friday, a great start to your weekend and I pray we all find something to smile about today. God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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