Good Afternoon and happy weekend! I spent the morning at Home Depot with Hubby – appreciating his creativity with all of the projects he does around the house. The current project is a shed to be built in the backyard so we can get the gardening and yard equipment and tools out of the garage. This will free up garage space – which is at a major premium with all of the wood working tools in there – and give us a bit of privacy from our nosy neighbors. Ever since they took down all of the trees between our house and theirs it seems that no matter what we are doing, the husband is out in his yard literally jumping up and down to see over the fence to watch what we are doing. He’s like the Mrs. Kravitz of our street (and for those of you who do not know who Mrs. Kravitz is, you have not only made me feel old, but I’m pretty sure your childhood TV viewing was extremely lacking.
Verse of the Day
April 21, 2018
Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
“He’s got the whole world in his hand.” Yes, the song may be true, but in a much more special way, God holds his children of faith in his hand. As long as their lives are entrusted to him and his grace, no one or nothing can steal them away.
April 22, 2018
Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
The touch of the Master’s hand is all around us. We see it in the order, beauty, and dazzling variety of creation. The great expanse of space, with its billions of stars, along with the incredible world of the microscopic are all testimony to an Orderer of great creativity. God has left his fingerprints all over His world, so we can know that he has been here and will not abandon the work of his hands.
Holy Humor Month / National Humor Month
Southern Baptist at the Race Track
Did you hear about the about the Southern Baptist who was in the habit of sneaking to the race track to bet on the horses?
One day he was losing badly when he saw a priest step onto the track, walk up to line-up and bless one of the horses on the forehead. The horse was a long shot, but the Southern Baptist thought, “With the priest’s blessing, surely this horse will win.” He placed a small bet and, sure enough, the horse came in first.
At the next race, the priest stepped onto the track and blessed another horse’s forehead. Even though this horse was also a long shot, the Southern Baptist was a little bolder this time and placed a larger bet on that horse. Again, it won.
A third time, the priest stepped onto the track and blessed a horse on the forehead. Like the others, this horse was also a long shot. The Southern Baptist placed an even larger bet this time and, sure enough the horse won.
This pattern continued throughout the day with the priest blessing the forehead of a long shot horse, the Southern Baptist placing larger and larger bets and the horse always winning.
At the last race of the day, the Southern Baptist thought, “I have got to go for broke here.” With great anticipation, he watched as the priest stepped onto the field one more time, walked up to the line-up and blessed the forehead, eyes, ears and hooves of one of the horses. The Southern Baptist ran to the ticket counter and bet all he had on that horse.
The horse came in dead last!
As he was walking out, he saw the priest. Walking up to him, he demanded, “What happened? All day long you blessed horses and they won, even though they were long shots. Then at the last race you blessed a horse, I bet everything and the horse lost.”
“That’s the problem with you Protestants,” said the priest. “You can’t tell the difference between a simple blessing and the Last Rites.”
Food for Thought
As I said in the introduction, we just got home from Home Depot. Now, Saturday morning is a busy, busy time at Home Depot, especially on the first truly pretty day of the year. For anyone who has ever shopped there, you know that there is an area for contractors and other customers to load their vehicles with the lumber and other large items that they have purchased. We watched a woman in a small Honda CRV pull into one of the load spaces, and wander into the store with her list in hand. This is NOT a space for people to park in while they shop, so I was already steaming when I saw this. About 1-1/2 hours later that we were leaving the store, dragging our heavy cart filled with lumber with us to the truck, we saw that her car was still there. My blood was boiling a bit by this point. As we were pulling out of our parking space this woman, probably in her mid 30’s, gets into her car WITHOUT ANY PURCHASES and drives away! I was so dang angry! That is not a convenience parking spot for lazy people who don’t give crap one about anybody else but themselves. What an over-entitled, good-for-nothing piece of work. Wow. Just wow. Can you tell that I’m ticked? Yep – I can’t stand people who think they are special and rules don’t apply to them.
April 21 –
Auctioneers Day – Have you ever been to an auction? There’s an energy in the air, a sense of something wonderful just around the corner waiting to happen. And those auctioneers! How on earth do they talk so doggone fast? Today is Auctioneers Day, a day to appreciate how these folks contribute to others through their work. And what do they contribute, you might ask? Well, they entertain for one. Listening to an auctioneer is NEVER dull. It’s actually quite fascinating to watch them work. They are the ultimate recycling agent too. Think about it, they are up there on that stage, selling items that others no longer want or need, to someone who wishes to have them. Rather than tossing it aside, it is being sold. Often auctions are held for charity, so they are giving back to the community as a result – granted, they are likely being paid for their work, but they are helping raise needed funds in the process. On the 3rd Saturday of every April we honor auctioneers for their hard work and efforts. You could celebrate this one by attending an auction and enjoy a good show. You might find something wonderful in the process that you just can’t live without. I remember the first auction I ever went to. It was years ago when my daughter was about 5 years old. Her grandparents decided it was time to buy her a pony, so off to the livestock auction we went. There was such an electricity in the air . . . along with all the livestock aromas (good AND bad) that went with it. We watched as horses, cows and donkeys were purchased by various people, the most valuable and expensive going first. By the time we got the ones we could afford they were old, crotchety and it was fairly certain that the ones that didn’t get purchased were heading for the slaughter house. So sad! I wanted to get them all! At one point I had to sit on my hands, quite literally. They were auctioning off a matched set of twin baby donkeys. OH MY GOSH! They were SOOOOO dang cute! They were tiny and had curls on their heads! I was nearly jumping out of my skin I wanted them so badly. For no other reason than I wanted to play with them and enjoy watching them grow up. That wasn’t why we were there but even all these years later I remember those precious little faces and wish I could have taken them home. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t have gone to MY home, I didn’t live somewhere we could have donkeys, and my in-laws didn’t want donkeys, they were there for a pony. Finally, this little Pony of America hit the auction block. He was fairly old, like retirement age, and was sort of off white/tan with little brown flecks all over him. He moved like he was moving through syrup, and my daughter fell in love. HE was the one we had to have, so a few moments later, after nobody else placed a bid, Sparkles (aptly named by my daughter not for his personality, but his flecks of color) came home for the reasonable price of $40.00. He wasn’t the most energetic of horses, but for a 5-year old who needed to learn the basics, he was perfect. If you have nothing else going on today, I’m sure there is a local auction you can attend just to enjoy the atmosphere, if nothing else. It’s fun!
Bulldogs are Beautiful Day – You’ve heard the expression that “their face is so ugly it’s cute”? I’m fairly certain that bulldogs sort of fit that expression, so if there is ever a day to look beyond appearances, today would be it! Bulldogs are known for their wrinkly faces, stocky builds and their tendency to slobber. Because of these things, bulldogs aren’t usually known for being beautiful, but for today, they can be! To celebrate, if you own a bulldog, treat them to a special adventure – maybe a walk in the park, or some extra cuddles and some treats. There are a variety of types of bulldogs – the Bull Mastiff, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier and the Olde English Bulldog. Bulldogs are related to the Asiatic Mastiff, which, according to historical records, lived in Mesopotamia around 4,000 B.C.
Husband Appreciation Day – Ladies, today is a very important day. Today those of us who are married can honor the man in our lives and let him know how incredibly important he is to us. Husband Appreciation Day is special! I am very blessed to be married to my hubby. I try to show it to him in little ways, making his lunch and breakfast every day, trying to make meals he will enjoy for dinner, rubbing his shoulders when he aches, etc. Why should we honor our husbands? After all, WE work hard too, but think about it. Our hubbies do things for us every day that we probably take for granted but shouldn’t. I’m sure they do the same for us, but somewhere along the line will be Wife Appreciation Day and the tables can turn. My guy keeps our cars running, and I don’t know about any of you, but this is HUGE for me! In my previous life I had the cars that were on their last legs, if I even had a car at all, and I literally never knew from one day to the next if I was going to make it to where I was going without breaking down. My short list of things I appreciate about my husband goes like this: I know my car will not break down on me, and if something does happen to it, it will be fixed. AND I have back-up vehicles to drive while that happens! I know that if there is something I need, he’ll make sure I have it. He works with me to keep the house and yard going instead of expecting me to do it all myself. I love to cook, but he’s the seasoning KING in the kitchen, so we work together to make meals taste great and have fun doing it. Maybe most of all, he came into my life when my kids were 16 and 21. It wasn’t easy for him because they, even though they were older, were struggling with the divorce and all of the changes. He patiently became an important part of my children’s lives, and he dealt with my son exactly the way my son needed (my daughter was moved out and on her own already). He wasn’t a bully, he didn’t try to come in and take over, he was sweet, and patient, he was a friend who had good advice and who would instruct on how to do something and take the time to answer questions. He was the one who showed my son how to change his brakes on his own, how to do his own oil changes, etc. He was the one to take my son to the gym every day to prepare him for basic training in the Coast Guard. He was the one to buy my son’s school clothes, take care of graduation pictures, etc., when my ex refused to help. He taught us all that Christmas tree hunting didn’t need to be an emotional war zone with one person being a dictatorial bulldozer and calling all of the shots but turned it into something fun and to look forward to (I’ll touch on that more at Christmas time). Today I want R to know how much I love him and show him how much I appreciate having him in my life, to share the ups and down with, to laugh and cry with, to pray and study the Bible with, and to dream about the future with. I love you Honey. I appreciate you, not just today, but every day.
Kindergarten Day – Do you remember the first day of Kindergarten? Usually the first day is memorable for the child, and for the parents, though the parents’ memories are usually filled with a little anxiety too. I remember my first day – I was always such an independent kid – I think mom wanted to take me to school. Looking back, I’m sure of it. Nope. I wanted nothing to do with that. I’d been watching that school bus going by every day for a long time, and I really wanted to be on it myself! So, my first day I marched up the sidewalk and climbed on that bus without a backwards glance. Poor Mom. Years later I knew the same feeling because my daughter did the same thing to me. I’m stubborn though, I followed the bus and took pictures of her getting OFF the bus at school! Kindergarten Day is celebrated in honor of Friedrich Froebel, born this day in 1782. In 1837, he started the first Kindergarten in Germany, which became very popular, very quickly. Kindergartens were originally set up to be a half day, so children could get acclimated into learning, social interaction and school in a fun, yet educational manner. It has evolved in most areas into a full-time program, partly as a result on more pressures on education, and partly due to there being more families with two parents who work outside the home. Today celebrate with a trip down memory lane by pulling out old pictures of you and/or your child’s first day in Kindergarten.
National Surprise Drug Test Day (hahaha follows National Pot Smokers Day – which I did not glorify with a post) – Many people have unofficially called 4/20 “National Weed Day” for a very long time. Never having tried the stuff, it isn’t something I would ever focus any attention on, but I suppose many people do – especially now that marijuana is legal in Washington, Colorado and I’m not sure how many other states. Someone suggested a couple years ago that 4/21 should be National Surprise Drug Test Day . . . that’s awesome, at least on days when this one lands during the work week. I manage the drug testing at my office and I can honestly say that I would LOVE to see the expression on everyone’s face if I declared that they were all going in for random tests today! For the record, there is no holiday actually listed as National Weed Day, and the same goes for National Surprise Drug Test Day. The thought brings a smile to my face and a giggle out loud, so it is at least worth mentioning. I think it’s funny!
National Yellow Bat Day – I had never heard of this one – it’s not been on any of my lists. I really need to find new, or at least more, lists. Apparently on this day in 1967, the 265th Army Security Agency Company (Airborne), with the 101st Airborne Division was activated at Fort Campbell, KY. Their official insignia is a black bat with its wings stretched out, over a full moon with the motto “Through the Night” below it. The bat represents mystery and secrecy, which is a pretty good way to describe our special forces, isn’t it? Before they were deployed all of their vehicles and equipment were painted with this symbol, which helped in identifying their equipment. That same year, on November 19, they were all deployed to Vietnam, with the 265th providing intelligence support to the 101st Airborne Division. They arrived a few weeks ahead of the Viet Cong Tet Offensive, soon learning of the campaign by the North Vietnamese. Sadly, few commanders would believe the intelligence. I am sure that, due to revisionist history in public schools, students are learning incorrect historical information about the Vietnam war, just as they have about WWII and the Holocaust. Take some time, refresh your own knowledge of the Vietnam war, speak with a veteran about their experiences, and educate your children. Those who refuse to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
Record Store Day – I remember going into record stores, and thumbing through all of the albums, looking for something special. I wasn’t much of a music buff when I was a teenager though – I went because my friends went. I had a few albums, but they were from my parents and honestly, I wish I still had them! One of the first ones they gave me was one of my Dad’s – Dawn & the 4 Seasons. I listened to that over and over again. There are still records stores open, though with the advent of CD’s, MP3 players, ITunes, etc. there aren’t as many. What I did NOT know is that there are still artists who put out vinyl albums! And there are more and more doing it each day. There is just something about records I guess, that will always bring up a sense of nostalgia, and they are more fun to collect than digital music. If you happen across a record store in your travels today, stop on in, take part in the browsing and have a good time walking down memory lane. The kids today? How many of them I wonder have never seen a record in person? Probably too many, and that makes me feel sad . . . and very, very old.
April 22 –
Earth Day – So, today is the 48th anniversary of Earth Day. Um . . . OK. This is probably not going to sit well with a bunch of folks – and that’s OK. You don’t have to agree with me, but like I’ve said before, my blog-my opinions. This day is set up to focus on climate change, which is a natural phenomenon that goes in cycles. The uproar over climate change is a bunch of hooey and people need to get a grip on reality. It’s been proven that the earth goes through heating and cooling cycles, has throughout the ages, and will continue to do so until the end of time. It’s the way God created it. Yes, we need to be aware of pollution issues and try to keep our planet clean. Yes, we need to keep our water clean. Of course, we need to not litter, and dispose of our oil and other toxic products in a way that is best for people, animals and the soil. We’d be stupid NOT to know that this is necessary to be aware of, but the sky is falling mentality over the flatulence of cows is utter stupidity! The ice will melt, it will freeze again . . . repeat. Be respectful of the world God gave us but stop trying to micromanage the people who live here. If we all claim responsibility for our actions, conserve where we can, be good to each other and the earth. . . it’ll all turn out the way it was intended to turn out. I won’t be running around crying about the sky falling today, or the ice caps are melting, or the planet is heating up. I figure it this way – God is a big God. He created it all in the first place, and He knows exactly what needs to be done to keep it spinning on its axis.
Girl Scout Leaders Day – On April 22, 1982 a flag honoring Girl Scout leaders was flown over the capital building in Washington DC, marking it as the first Girl Scout Leader Day. Thousands of volunteers help make the Girl Scout program a success. Recognizing the time and effort of these volunteers will let them know how much they are appreciated. Sending a note, a card of thanks, or a small gift from the troop to the leader is a good way to show them. Girls in the troops can thank their leaders by paying attention and doing the best in everything they do.
In God We Trust Day – What a wonderful day to remember and celebrate. On this day in 1864 Congress passed an act authorizing the coinage of a 2-cent piece that bore the motto “In God We Trust”. After that they extended it to be used on other coins. Time moved forward and on July 30, 1956 it became the national motto. It fills me with great sadness and heartache that there are those in our country who are doing their best to remove this important sentiment and reminder from existence in our nation. We NEED this! We NEED to be told every day, with every coin, with every dollar, with every breath we breathe that “IN GOD WE TRUST!” If we believe it on every level, and live by it, perhaps there would be hope for our nation after all.
Food Celebration of the Day –
April 21 –
National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day – Not a true nut, a cashew is actually a seed from the cashew apple — each fruit has only one seed.
Cashew Chocolate Truffles
Dark Chocolate, Cranberry & Cashew Fudge
Cashew, Chocolate & Butterscotch Cookies
Vegan Cashew Truffles
Chocolate Caramel Cashew Chewies
Cranberry Cashew Bark
April 22 –
National Jelly Bean Day – When were jelly beans born? Did you ever wonder? If it weren’t for Easter time I wouldn’t give jelly beans a second thought, but as I saw what today was I had to wonder when they first started being made. Turns out that jelly beans date back to at the early 1800s! The original candy maker wasn’t something I could find in the time I spent looking, but there were advertisements promoting selling jelly beans to Union troops fighting in the Civil War! Wow! Celebrate this sweet treat by eating a handful of jelly beans – maybe even some of the gourmet flavored ones! I know the ones I WON’T be eating . . . the licorice flavored one. YUCK! My favorites are the yellow ones in the regular kind. How about yours? Here’s an interesting bit of trivia . . . If you lined up all the jelly beans folks ate around Easter time, they would circle the globe nearly three times!
It is time to head outside to help with the shed. Step one – I need to mow the lawn where it’s being built. I just mowed last Monday night, but it’s seriously tall again already! As for the rest of the project? I guess I’ll get my instructions as I go along since I’ve never built anything in my life. God bless you, have a great weekend, and I’ll see you on Monday!
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