Yesterday we left the house early and headed out to visit with my daughter and Baby R. It was a wonderful surprise for me that Hubby took the day off, so he could go too! Something had to go by the wayside, what with prepping to go and hanging out with Miss B, which left yesterday’s celebrations to be posted with todays. Miss B is deeply enthralled with some show called Paw Patrol right now, which gives me a few minutes to chat with you. I have to giggle a little every time she says the name of the show. For the longest time I thought she was asking to watch Papa Troll and scrolling through the channels I wasn’t finding anything by that name. Shows what I know about current children’s viewing options.
Before I go any further, I want to wish my wonderful son a Happy 30th Birthday! Welcome to a new decade, not only in age, but in adventures with your family. I love you!
Verse of the Day
August 22, 2018
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, give us all things?
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
If God gave up his Son to save us, what would he not give up to bless and keep us! That’s Paul’s point. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, he tells us we are bought with a price to encourage us toward holiness. Here, he makes the same point, but to give us assurance. Isn’t it amazing how the truth of God’s grace contains such a multifaceted blessing.
August 23, 2018
When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
We are amazed at the vastness of God’s reach, the awesome breadth of his power, and the glorious sweep of his majesty. An additional truth, incredible as it may seem, is God’s personal nearness to us. He chooses to know us and be actively involved in the trials and triumphs we face each day. How will today, or tomorrow, be different because you are aware of his presence and companionship? What difference does it make to know he supports you when your foot slips or that his consolation is nearby when anxiety rises?
Food for Thought
We had a situation come up yesterday that not only made me very grateful for my Hubby but gave me something to think about. We went to this amazing playground and park near where my daughter lives. This play area is incredible, with miniature house/store structures for the kids to play in, swings, slides, bridges – you name it, it seemed to be there. There is a section for the younger kids and one for the big kids. The only slide in the younger kid section was very small and Miss B likes big slides, so I wandered over to the big kid area with her. I watched her climb up onto the structure that was built like a tree house and into the place where the slide started, then I walked around to where the slide came out and waited for her. She didn’t come down right away, though a few other kids did, so I called out to her. She responded that she’d be down in a minute. I waited some more. She didn’t come down. All of a sudden, I could hear her crying and calling out to me from the slide. “It’s so dark in here! I’m scared! I can’t see!” My heart broke. I couldn’t get up to her. I called to her to encourage her to come on down, that I was waiting for her. Nope. She’d wedged herself on the other side of a bend in the slide and wouldn’t move. I understand. It was scary! Papaw heard me calling to her and came running from where he was watching Baby R play, leaving him with Mama. He called up the slide to Miss B, heard her fear, tossed his sunglasses to me, turned on the flashlight on his phone and started wriggling his way up the slide. He couldn’t get past the bend either, but he got to where he could see one of Miss B’s sparkly pink tennis shoes, shined his light up to her so she could see him and encouraged her gently to come to him, he was there for her and would help her out of the dark place. She released her grip on the side of the slide and dropped down to him, and clinging to him, softly sobbing into his shoulder, they came out of the slide. She sobbed to him that he was her hero, that he was like one of the rescue guys. My heart broke a little when I saw the terrified look on her face but started to mend as she shared her heart with her Papaw. Our relationship with Jesus is like that, don’t you think? We maneuver our way through life and get ourselves into dark, scary places. We don’t know where to go, how to work our way through them, but when we cry out to Him, He hears our voices, He comes to take care of us and rescue us, shining His light on us to chase away the dark and illuminate our way to a place of safety. We cling to Him and tell Him we love Him and are so grateful that He came to save us. May we be like the children in our hearts, reaching out to our Savior to take care of us.
August 22 –
Be an Angel Day – This special day has strong spiritual roots. Jayne Howard Feldman, the lady who created this day, said that she was inspired by angels to create this day to be celebrated on August 22nd. The objective of the day was to be like angels and do kind things for people. Sort of a reminder that we are to be servants of God, to do good things to others, and help those in need. Be an Angel Day is good for both the giver and the receiver. Openly expressing your appreciation for the angels in your life and being grateful for the gifts they are to us, makes this whole celebration worthwhile. Keep your eyes open and pay special attention. Sometimes Angels are quietly doing their wonderful deeds so that you don’t necessarily notice. TRUE angels don’t demand attention or thanks, so they may even go unnoticed at the time they are helping. Of course, sometimes the person doing kind things is right in front of you – letting you step in front of the line when you only have a couple of items, telling you that you dropped some money, helping you by taking your shopping cart back to the store from the car, and other little things like that. Please, do not limit YOUR behavior to once a year though – live like someone’s angel every day!
National Tooth Fairy Day – One of childhood’s favorite visitors, The Tooth Fairy is an American tradition with European and superstitious roots. Centuries ago, in Europe, when a child’s tooth fell out it was common practice to bury the tooth somewhere in the garden or land near where they lived. One reason they did this was because they believed this would allow a new tooth to grow in its place, but another reason for this ritual or superstition was to prevent a witch from getting the tooth – sort of like getting someone’s hair or fingernail clippings – and placing a curse on the child. By burying the teeth, the witch couldn’t find it, and the curse could be avoided. As immigrants began coming to this country, many moved to the cities and land wasn’t something all of them had, so they started burying the tooth in a flower pot or window box. Over time the tradition changed again, and they began putting the tooth under the child’s pillow and the tale of the Tooth Fairy was born to explain what happened to the tooth when it was removed from under the pillow and a gift was left in its place. Today’s tradition is similar but with different reasoning. Losing baby teeth can be a traumatic experience for children, but the friendly, smiling and soothing Tooth Fairy makes that easier for them. As a child’s first baby tooth becomes loose, the child often fears losing it. The promise of a visit from the tooth fairy and getting a gift, turns it from something to be afraid of, to something to look forward to. When the tooth finally falls out, Mom cleans it off and it is often put into a tooth box, or in a tooth pillow, and that is placed under the child’s pillow at bedtime. The tooth fairy comes after the child falls asleep, she takes the tooth, and leaves a small gift – usually money. The tooth fairy leaves a gift every time the child loses another tooth. Children are sometimes afraid that if they lose the tooth – as in misplace where they put it after it falls out, the Tooth Fairy won’t come. They needn’t worry. The Tooth Fairy always knows and will leave a gift anyway. She magically knows each time a baby tooth falls out and will arrive later than night, even if the child is away at Grandma’s or on vacation. There has been some debate as to whether the Tooth Fairy is a man or a woman, especially after that movie with The Rock, which has him as the Tooth Fairy. Popular opinion is that the Tooth Fairy is most definitely a girl. Now when I was a child we had a different tradition – my mother wanted to save our teeth – I know, that’s a little gross, but I did the same thing with my kids’ baby teeth – so she had a different rule. The Tooth Fairy knew when we wanted to keep our teeth by the fact that the tooth was placed in a glass of water and the glass was set on the kitchen window sill or counter. If she didn’t find the tooth under our pillow she’d know to look in the kitchen. This took care of a couple of issues at the same time . . . it wouldn’t wake us up if she went to find a tooth under our pillow . . . the tooth in the glass was a reminder to Mom to do her Tooth Fairy duties, and it did double duty cleaning the tooth for when she put it away. The older my brother and I got, the more money was left in the glass (always change). I remember when I had four molars pulled to get my braces when I was nine years old. My goodness, the Tooth Fairy is EXCEPTIONALLY generous when the teeth have roots still attached. This one is celebrated twice a year, today and in February. Since kids lose teeth all year long, I suppose this one is to remind parents of how important it is to make losing teeth less traumatic for our kids.
Southern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day – This one is celebrated in February for the Northern Hemisphere, and apparently today for the Southern Hemisphere. I always forget that they experience winter opposite of us. Since I do not live in the Southern part of the world, I will not personally be celebrating this one, but I’ll pass along the information for those of you who wish to observe it. For the folks who are sick of winter and ready for spring, this day is for you. On this winter day, people go out at noon, wave their hands over their heads and chant “Hoodie-Hoo”. Apparently, this is intended to chase away the winter and bring in the spring. Where they came up with this idea, I have no clue, but this is what I’m reading. Maybe it’s a little bit of cabin fever from being shut up all winter and not seeing the sun. So, break up that cabin fever by Hoodie-Hoo-ing away the winter blues!
FYI – Hoodie Hoo Day is a copyrighted holiday, created and provided courtesy of the folks at Wellcat.com
Take Your Cat to the Vet Day – Cats outnumber dogs as the most popular pet. I am going to assume this is because of their small size and they don’t need to be let out throughout the day, since they go to the bathroom in a litter box. Even though more people have cats than dogs, dogs still outnumber cats as being seen by the vet more often than the cats are. Providing regular veterinary care to your cat – who won’t show outward signs of illness like a dog will – could save their lives. Make that appointment once a year, for the life of your cat.
August 23 –
Ride the Wind Day – Today we celebrate the first human powered flight on this day in 1977. Dr. Paul MacCready won the Kremer Prize that year, which is an award given to pioneers of human powered flight. This was the first Kremer Prize ever! Dr. MacReady took his invention, the Gossamer Condor – the first human powered aircraft – on a figure-eight flight around two markers that were half mile apart. He started and ended the course at least 10 feet above the ground. What other methods of human powered flight are there? Let’s think about it. There is hang gliding, hot air ballooning, kite flying, snow kiting, kite land boarding, kite surfing, paragliding, sailing and wind surfing – all methods of using the wind to our advantage and fly! Have you ever done any of these activities? I’d love to hear about them if you have!
Valentino Day – Rudolph Valentino was a silent-screen movie idol, adored by so many during his career. I’ve heard of him, but I don’t think I have ever seen any of the silent films he has done. He died on this day in 1926 at the very young age of 31, sending his fans into hysteria and mass mourning. He was Italian born, and established a reputation as a screen lover. After he died it was announced that he had had a ruptured ulcer, though there were many reports that people felt he had attempted suicide. His girlfriend, actress Pola Negri, was said to be inconsolable at the loss. Funeral services were held in New York City, with tens of thousands of people paying tribute at his open coffin, and 100,000 people lining the streets in mourning outside of the church where services were held. After the funeral his body traveled by train to Hollywood where he was laid to rest after another funeral service was held. Born in 1895 in Italy, Rudolph Valentino (birth name was Rodolfo Guglielmi) immigrated to the United States in 1913, working as a gardener, dishwasher, waiter and even gigolo before he built a small career as a vaudeville dancer. He went to Hollywood in 1917 and appeared as a dancer in the movie ‘Alimony’. Casting directors began to know him as a reliable Latin villain, which lead him to appear in a series of small parts before landing a leading role in ‘The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ in 1921. This film had a memorable scene of him dancing the tango, which made him an overnight sensation and took him into roles in romantic dramas such as ‘The Sheik’, ‘Blood and Sand’, and ‘The Eagle’. He was Hollywood’s first male sex symbol, with millions of female fans idolizing him as the “Great Lover”.
This Day in History –
August 22, 1911 – The Mona Lisa is stolen from the Louvre.
August 23, 1966 – The first picture of Earth from the moon is taken by Lunar Orbiter 1.
Food Celebration of the Day –
August 22
National Bao Day – I’ve never tried Bao, but I’ve seen them in restaurants. From what I have heard, they are delicious. Bao are made from flavorful Chinese dough and are stuffed with either savory meats or sweets. It’s more than a side dish – it’s a type of sandwich. They can easily be a portable meal, fitting into the palm of the hand. I’m going to have to look into this and see what it would take to make them low-carb.
National Pecan Torte – What makes a torte different from cake? It is a dessert that is filled with whipped cream, buttercream, mousse, jam, fruits or nuts and is sometimes glazed or garnished with whipping cream or frosting when it is cooled. Usually tortes are made with no flour, using ground nuts or breadcrumbs instead. This makes it a pretty great dessert to make low-carb. This recipe from www.verywellfit.com is for a sugar-free chocolate pecan torte. It looks delicious, doesn’t it?
National Spumoni Day – Have you ever had spumoni ice cream? It’s interesting. I like it very much but know some who don’t. It is an Italian ice cream that originated in Naples, Italy. It was brought to our country by immigrants around 1870. Italian restaurants have it year-round, but traditionally it is thought of as a treat to have around Christmas time. It is made from layers of ice cream – usually vanilla, but sometimes chocolate too – candied fruits, cherries and nuts. Pistachios are often added too, and whipped cream can be sometimes found included in the recipes as well.
Eat a Peach Day – I love peaches. Just walking past a display of ripe peaches in the store can get my saliva glands working overtime. I’d never actually been to a peach orchard though until my husband and I took a few days to drive around the eastern part of our state. We stopped at an orchard and the aroma was incredible! Like nothing I’d ever smelled before. The hot summer air warmed those peaches up and sent that incredible peachy goodness everywhere. My mouth is watering just THINKING about it! Now I know why my Grandma’s canned peaches were so delicious. She lived over there and would go to the orchards every year and put up big batches of them. No matter what else she canned, those peaches were always my favorite. Whether you like them fresh and juicy out of hand or baked into a luscious dessert, peaches are a summer must. Enjoy them while you still can!
August 23
National Cuban Sandwich – Mmmm . . . this one sounds delicious. The basis for the Cubano sandwich combines elements from three different immigrant groups that came together in the deep south. A traditional Cuban sandwich is made of ham, mojo pork, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard and dill pickle slices on crispy/not too chewy Cuban bread, all heated up on a sandwich press. Here is some interesting history about the Cuban Sandwich. There was an early version of it born in Cuba, but the one that developed into what we know today cam about in the late 1800s in Tampa, Florida in the cigar-producing neighborhood of Ybor City. By the 1900s it was popular among the workers in the many cigar factories in the city. The truth is that though it is called a Cuban sandwich after the Cuban immigrants who settled in Ybor City, being the sandwiches biggest influencers, the ingredients also include influence from the Italian bricklayers and the German cigar workers who had also immigrated to the area. Carolyn Ketchum has created a low-carb version that is pretty amazing. I’ve tried the bread for paninis and it is really good! Click the links to go to these two recipes.
National Sponge Cake Day – Sponge cake is one of the oldest and simplest forms of cake — recipes for it date back as far as 1615. This delicious airy cake is the perfect little cake for a tea party – something Miss B and I have planned before she leaves us at the end of the week. A perfect sponge cake has a fine crumb, but stays moist, and is often served with whipped cream and berries. Carolyn Ketchum created the perfect mini Victoria Sponge Cake recipe that I believe we will be enjoying with our tea!
It’s time for Miss B’s lunch, and it appears that her Rapunzel doll needs to have her hair re-braided. A Gramma’s work is never done – and I’d not have it any other way. God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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Celebration list sources:
www.verseoftheday.com www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.thenibble.com www.foodimentary.com