Going back to work after a long weekend is always difficult, but I can say with everything in me that, after seeing pictures that people have been sharing on social media, that I am so grateful we weren’t out in traffic today. Oh my gosh, the back-up all over the places on many highways was awful! People were spending nearly two hours to go 10 miles! I love camping, but that was seriously messed up. We stayed home, got a few things done around here and enjoyed zero traffic or stress. And now we are back to the grind. Well, I am. Hubby’s work is taking a 4 day weekend. I won’t lie. I’m envious. He deserves a day of quiet all to himself though – I get my Wednesdays, so I totally understand that we all need some alone time once in awhile.
Verse of the Day
May 29, 2018
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children — with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Forever love is talked about in dime store novels, but this kind of love is only found in God. We tap that reservoir of eternal and divine love through the Holy Spirit who helps us both receive it and share it (Romans 5:5). The Lord asks us to share his love and righteousness with the generations that come after us. We do this by remembering what the Lord has promised to us and by obeying what the Lord called us to do so that future generations can see and know the greatness and graciousness of our magnificent God.
Food for Thought
It’s funny – as I watch the news each day I see a lot of people whining that they are offended by something or other all of the time. And sure, I get offended by people too. I am offended by bullies, and people who run roughshod over others. I am offended by whining babies who want to strip us of our rights, left-wing liberal politicians who see nothing wrong with taxing the people to death to forward their own agenda. I am offended by people who hold grudges, behave passive aggressively and by people who act like human bulldozers to achieve their own goals, even though it hurts other people. The truth is that beyond all of this we do not have the right to live life totally offense free! We have the right to choose how we are going to deal with it – and I’d like to see more people dealing with it. We can’t force others to do so, but it would be nice if we could. I like to talk through problems, but I can’t make someone else do that, so the problems remain unsolved. I cannot force a bulldozer to stop being one, but I can choose how I respond. Therein lies some of my dilemma. When the bulldozer is directly affecting my life I can’t always have the end result be one that I like – so I then have to take my offended sensibilities and decide what direction I will let them take me – to a place where I feel sorry for myself, or someplace that I can improve my life. Bulldozers are generally unhappy, narcissistic people. I know – I lived with one for 22 years. They don’t care who they hurt because their own needs/feelings/wishes are more important to them than anything else. Narcissists will never see that this is what they are – and the healthiest thing for the observer of these people is to let them crash and burn – and they pretty much always will. I’ve never known one yet that wasn’t destined to die alone, lonely, broke and miserable. I don’t want to be that kind of person, or be around them. I guess that means I have some thinking and planning to do.
Learning About Composting Day – I’ve learned over the last few years that I am pathetic at composting. I start out with great intentions . . . and like my attempts at gardening, they seem to fall by the wayside. Today is a wonderful chance to learn about composting, and all of the benefits there are to your family and to the environment by composting. Maybe if I read about if often enough, the details of how to do it will eventually sink in! What surprised me was how much can be composted. Most people know that garden and yard waste can be thrown into the compost bin, but you can also do kitchen vegetable scraps, cardboard, paper towel and toilet paper holders, egg shells, etc. When everything is all broken down you can use the compost around your plants. It feeds them and keeps the weeds down, and helps the soil retain moisture. There is a lot to learn about composting, but spend time today learning how to compost, and get started. I admit I’ve tried several times and given up . . . maybe I should give it another shot.
Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day – I admit it. I looked at this one and I scratched my head as I wondered what in the world this was about? Seriously? I just figured I’d find that it was a silly one (rather like the slugs yesterday) that someone made up just for fun. However, I found that this is celebrated both in Europe and in the United States and it supposedly brings good luck and wealth to the household. It’s not clear where the tradition originated, but it is known that before the 1930’s, cloth was put in larders to bring prosperity and good luck to the household. The first refrigerator to see widespread use was the General Electric “Monitor-Top” refrigerator which was introduced in 1927. Since then fridges have replaced larders worldwide, but the tradition didn’t die with the larder. Since then it is now celebrated by putting a pillow on, or inside the refrigerator. If this national holiday is something you celebrate every year, or if you’ve only just found out about it, why not join in – if you believe in luck that is – and see if it helps! I can honestly say, for myself, my fridge is far too stuffed to put a pillow inside, and I have too much stored on top too, so I will skip this one. Let me know if you decide to celebrate though! I’d be interested to hear if anything good comes from it!
This Day in History –
1849 – Famous Abraham Lincoln quote: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, & of people some of time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of time”.
1953 – Sir Edmund Hillary is on top of the world. He is the first person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.
1942 – Bing Crosby sings “White Christmas” into the record books as the biggest selling record.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Coq au Vin Day – I didn’t grow up eating what would typically be considered “fancy” or exotic food, and anything French would have landed in that category. Since I’m fairly certain French Toast and French Fries don’t count as exotic or fancy, we will discount them from this discussion. With that in mind, I did have to look up with Coq au vin is, and honestly, it sounds delicious. It does NOT sound like something to have once hot weather hits, but it does sound delicious. The name means rooster/cock with wine. Basically the rooster is a tough bird and needs to be braised to be tender enough to eat. By braising it with wine, fatty bacon, mushrooms and garlic, as lovely stew like dish is created to eat over rice or noodles. There are legends that trace this dish back to ancient Gaul and Julius Caesar, but it wasn’t really documented until early in the 20th century and has been accepted to have been a rustic dish long before that time. Julia Child put a recipe for Coq au vin in her 1961 cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooing, and she prepared it twice on the PBS show The French Chef. This show brought the dish to the eye of the U.S. public and is thought of as one of Ms. Child’s signature dishes. It’s mostly a low carb dish all on its own merit, but it takes a LONG time to get the chicken as tender as one would want, but here’s an easy, low-carb recipe I found from a blogger who has had quite a few recipes I have really enjoyed. Click here for the recipe for Easy Coq Au Vin by Sugar Free Mom. I think I’ll put this one in reserve for a cooler day than we are having today. This sounds like a fall or winter dish to me.
Know what is nice about today? I have tomorrow off. Know what’s sad about today? I have tomorrow off. I know that’s a contradiction, but you see my office mate/ friend/boss is moving on and the last day we will ever work together is Thursday. I am crying as I write this because I am going to miss her so much. We will always be friends, but we’ll be friends who live very far apart. She will take a piece of my heart with her when she moves. With that said, I am still glad for my time at home on Wednesday getting a few things done on my own. I have planning to do! God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
www.brownielocks.com / www.holidayinsights.com / www.foodimentary.com / www.thenibble.com / www.verseoftheday.com