Happy Tater Day & Oranges and Lemons Day

Happy end of March.  It's been a month.  It came in like a lamb here in NC, but it's been a bear of a month, hasn't it?  At least we can look outside and see the promise of new life as nature wakes up.

Taters - a comfort food to celebrate with today.  How do you like your taters?  Mashed, fried, baked, shredded?  One of my favorite potato recipes is Ham Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole on Written Reality's website.  It's not just for breakfast.  This is a great anytime meal!

My current favorite drink is hot, sweet, fruity water.  It consists of lemon slices and orange slices with a piece of ginger and a cinnamon stick in hot water with a nice dollop of honey.  It's healthy and satisfying.  It's good for what ails you, as my mom's generation used to say.  I've been putting a piece of frozen pineapple in the mix and that fruit really has staying power.  Two pieces made the whole thing taste like pineapple but one gives a nice light pineapple flavor to the drink all day long.  I just add more hot water and honey whenever my cup runs low.  Of course, oranges are yummy to eat by themselves too.  I personally don't eat lemons but my friend, Michelle, loves to eat sliced lemons.

Let's thank God today for the foods He created for us.
Genesis 1:11-12 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds."  And it was so.  The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.  And God saw that it was good.

Happy Pencil Day & National Virtual Vacation Day & Take a Walk in the Park Day

A literal walk in the park should be saved until after the global crisis we're walking through - which is not a walk in the park for many.

For your virtual vacation, take a pretend walk in the park as you stroll through your house.  Use your imagination.  What park are you walking through?  Where is it?  Where are you vacationing?  Is it Shenandoah National Park in the mountains or Yellowstone National Park or maybe an amusement park?  Talk about the interesting things you "see" as you walk.  Maybe you see a mama bird feeding her babies a worm or come across a hopscotch game chalked on the ground which you have to hop through.  Maybe you stop to look at Old Faithful or a roller coaster.  Maybe your vacation is to the beach.  When you get to your destination, lay a towel on the floor and pretend you're lying on the sand.  You can find ocean and bird sounds online to add to the atmosphere.

After your "walk" or "vacation," get a pencil and draw a picture of things you "saw" and experienced.  Or write a story, poem, or make a list of things you did on "vacation."  Was it hot?  Did the wind mess up your hair?  Was it raining?  Did the ice cream fall off someone's cone?  If you're too tired from your walk, grab a pencil and do a word search or Sudoku or doodle something.  Relax,  Dream.

Psalm 23:1-4  The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths for His Name's sake.  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

It's National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day

Have you ever had Lemon Chiffon Cake?  I thought chiffon was a fabric, not to be eaten.  Lemon may be my favorite flavor, running just ahead of chocolate.  An older cousin, Linda, and I share a birthday and several years (at least 1 that I have pictures for) we had a combined party.  (And if it was only one, it made quite an impression on me.)  She always got a chocolate cake and I always got a lemon cake.

According to myblueprint.com here's the chiffon cake story:  "Chiffon cakes were invented in Los Angeles in the 1920s by a baker who wanted to create a dessert that was both lighter than a pound cake and moister than a sponge cake.  Chiffon cake was an overnight success, but the recipe was kept secret for 20 years until it was sold to General Mills and released to the public as one of Betty Crocker's signature desserts."  Myblueprint also has a Lemon Chiffon cake recipe.  Chiffon cakes are known for being very light, like angel food cake and it takes a lot of eggs to make one.  Honestly, it's way to complicated for me.  This one won't be on my calendar next year.

Instead today, as March is waning, we will celebrate National Celery Month.  Grandkids Aubrey, Tyler, and MJ had fun with this celebration.  Celery is a versatile healthy choice.  It's mostly water so it takes more calories to eat it than it generates.  It's a must in tuna salad and good with peanut butter, cream cheese, in dips and salads, or just by itself.  It's a very light food.

Speaking of light, today's meditation is Matthew 11:28-30  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Happy Brothers' & Sisters' Day and Happy National Black Forest Cake Day

I like Black Forest Cake.  It's chocolate and cherries and whipped cream.  What's not to like!  Wish I had some now.  Food.com has an Easiest Black Forest Cake recipe.  No, really, it's called the easiest!  It does sound easy too.

It's a great time to contact brothers and sisters.  See how they're doing.  Remember old times (just the good ones, please).  Pray for each other.  Encourage each other.  Those who are extroverts probably need some extra love during this time of isolation and change.  Remember, not all family is by blood, many are by heart.

Matthew 25:40  "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"

Happy National "Joe" Day

National "Joe" Day can be celebrated in so many different ways.

• Celebrate while you drink your "cup of joe" this morning.
• Contact someone named Joe today and let him know you're thinking about him.
• Have Sloppy Joes for dinner (again).
• Change your name to Joe or Jo for today.  Might be fun to call everyone Joe/Jo. - "Hey, Joe, What do you know?"
• Find out about these famous Joes/Jos.

Joseph in Genesis who had a coat of many colors

Joe DiMaggio, a famous baseball player

Chief Joseph, a famous Indian

Joe Lewis, a famous fighter

Jo March in Little Women

Joe Friday on Dragnet

Joseph Pulitzer

Little Joe on Bonanza

Joey Tribbiani on Friends

Joe Flynn in McHale's Navy

Jody Hedlund, a Christian author

Joe Theismann, a famous football player

Names are very important whether it's Joe or not.
3 John 1:14  I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.  Peace to you.  The friends here send their greetings.  Greet the friends there by name.

Happy National Spinach Day & Happy Purple Day

I grew up watching Popeye cartoons.  Was that propaganda to get us to eat spinach?  Well, I really like spinach so I will happily celebrate this today.  Maybe we'll bake some fish to go along with it.  Spinach has become very popular as a salad but I prefer mine cooked (spinach, not salad).  Food Lion (their brand) has the best white pizza with spinach!

Guess I'll wear purple and paint my nails to match.  Purple is the color of royalty.  Remember as you wear purple today that, if you are a believer, you are a child of the King.

1 Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

Happy International Waffle Day & National Pecan Day

Waffles can be a comfort food and hopefully you have the ingredients to make up a batch of waffles or pancakes.  Cake mix makes tasty waffles too.  If you're running low on bread, pancakes and waffles make good sandwiches.  I came across an Egg & Cheese Hash Brown Waffles recipe on yellow bliss road.  If we have the ingredients, I think I'll make these today.  Again, good comfort food.

Pecans are a nice healthy snack.  They are also good in pecan pie (if you like that).  Pecans make me think of Christmas when I was a kid .  Everyone had a bowl of nuts and nut crackers.  Pecans and walnuts were usually found in the bowl.

Today's meditation:  2 Corinthians 1:3-4  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Happy National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day

If you don't like chocolate covered raisins, it's also National Frozen Food Month.

I do like chocolate covered raisins but I don't have any so we'll have to celebrate with frozen food tonight.  Have you ever had chocolate covered blueberries?  Not raisins, but SO yummy.  Wish I had some now; I would pretend they are raisins.  Well, since I'm pretending, I do have chocolate.  I can just pretend there are raisins in my Hershey's Kisses.

As we think about raisins encased in chocolate, let's meditate on this verse and trust in the Lord's faithfulness today.
Psalm 32:10  Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him.

Happy National Chip and Dip Day

Do you like dip with your chips?  I don't usually eat dip except at Mexican restaurants.  Then I get cheese dip.  
What's your favorite dip?
What's your favorite chips to dip?
My mind keeps straying from chips to other things to dip - like donuts in coffee or chicken nuggets into buffalo sauce.  No, no, it's National Celery Month.  Celery and Ranch makes for good dipping buddies.  That's an almost healthy substitute for chips and dip.

Today's meditation - Judas didn't start out as a traitor.
Mark 14:20  "It is one of the Twelve," Jesus replied, "one who dips bread into the bowl with me."
2 Corinthians 13:5  Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.  Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?

Happy National Goof Off Day

Well, it seems most of what I'm doing is goofing off.  Except during work hours of course, since I'm working from home.  It's so nice to redeem my usual commute time.  Although, that's when my Kindle reads to me so I'm not getting as much "reading" done.

During times of confinement, make everyday as special as you can to reduce the monotony.  I will not be able to celebrate some of the days I had planned due to lack of supplies or mobility but I can make up celebrations to take their place.  Maybe I'll stay up all night and sleep during the day (of course, not on a work day).  It's a good time to catch up on projects or start new ones.  I started learning calligraphy but haven't had much time to spend on it until now.  How about a game day?  Daughter Rebecca and family had a dress-up day and dressed like a night out.  Do dinner and a movie at home.  Learn something new.  Khan Academy and Coursera have free online courses.  Read your Bible.  There are plenty of good Bible studies online and free Kindle books.

Here's a preview of this week's celebrations.
Mon - chips & dip
Tue - chocolate covered raisins
Wed - waffles & pecans
Thur - spinach & purple
Fri - "Joe"
Sat - brothers & sisters and black forest cake

Psalm 46:10  Be still, and know that I Am God.

Happy International Sports Car Racing Day & National French Bread Day & National Corn Dog Day

I don't know if there will be any live car races this week/weekend but you can watch some old races on YouTube.

If you have the ingredients, French bread is normal sub fare.  It also makes good French bread pizza or garlic bread to go with spaghetti or chili.

Just a Taste has a pretty easy Homemade Corn Dogs recipe.  The ingredients are items you probably have on hand.

Today's verse to meditate on is John 6:35  Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty."

Happy National Ravioli Day

Just as the dough surrounds the meat or cheese and seals it in in ravioli, so our Heavenly Father surrounds us.  If you are a believer, you are sealed by the blood of the Lamb and the Holy Spirit.  God will never leave us nor forsake us.  He is our Provider.  We can trust Him because He is faithful.

Today, let's meditate on Psalm 32:7  You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Happy National Poultry Day & It's Spring Equinox

What's your favorite way to fix poultry?

I made Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup recently but it wasn't soupy so I took "Soup" out of the title.  It was creamy and yummy.  I'm sorry I can't find the recipe on my Pinterest boards so I can't give credit to where I got it.  Here's the recipe:

19 oz frozen cheese tortellini, cooked
2 c shredded cooked chicken (I used 1 can a chicken)
1/2 c chopped onion (don't like onion, I used 1 tsp onion powder)
1 tsp garlic powder
14.5 oz diced tomatoes
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp basil (left out, didn't have any)
2 c heavy whipping cream (combined half and half with evaporated milk to equal 2 c)
1/4 c shredded Parmesan & 1/4 c shredded Romano cheese (substituted 1 can cheese sauce)

Add everything except cooked tortellini & cheese to a pot.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Add tortellini and cheeses; heat through.

Spring Equinox is at 11:49 pm tonight - aka the first day of Spring!  I don't understand how the first day of spring can start at almost midnight though.  Equinox means "equal night" in Latin.  So, the equinox occurs when the length of the day and the length of the night are nearly equal worldwide.  Spring usually arrives on March 20 or 21.  This year Spring springs on us on Mar 19.  It hasn't arrived this early in over 100 years - 124 to be exact, in 1896.  Start enjoying earlier sunrises and later sunsets.  Watch for migratory birds to come back.  Enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather and new flowers blooming.

Song of Solomon 2:12a  The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds has come...

My Chicken Divan

Happy National Sloppy Joe Day

Sloppy Joes are quick and easy to make.
Here is my favorite Sloppy Joe recipe.
It's from the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook (pg 132, Jean & Tammy's Sloppy Joes)

3 lbs ground beef, browned & drained        1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped                              2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
3/4 c ketchup                                                1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder                                         1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder                                    Sandwich rolls

Combine all ingredients except rolls in crockpot.
Cover.  Cook on Low 8 - 10 hours or High 3 - 4 hours.
Serve in sandwich rolls.  (Makes 12 servings)

If you don't want to celebrate with Sloppy Joes, it is National Canned Food Month.

Today meditate on Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

My Sloppy Joes

Happy Saint Patrick's Day & National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day

How much green can you fit into today?  Share your ideas in the comments below.
Here are some general suggestions.

• Wear green clothes (as daughter, Katherine, demonstrates below)
• Eat green foods
• Watch movies or read books with "Green" in the title
• "Go green" is popular and I guess many of us are as work & schools are closed

And remember Kermit the Frog's advice - it ain't easy being green.

I like corned beef and cabbage, but not using corned beef brisket.  I like canned corned beef.  The biggest downside is it does make the whole house smell like cabbage if you cook it in the crockpot.  When I make corned beef and cabbage, I use canned corned beef and Cole Slaw mix.  It's even easier than the easy recipe from Recipes That Crock, Crockpot Ham and Cabbage.  You can substitute corned beef for ham cubes.  They have another cabbage recipe that includes a 38 oz undrained can of Italian cut green beans.  I would add the green beans to the recipe linked above.  Their recipe is low carb but you can also add diced potatoes to the mix.  Yum!

Meditate on Psalm 23:2 today:  He makes me lie down in green pastures...

Happy National Artichoke Hearts Day & Lips Appreciation Day

I like spinach artichoke dip and I think I like artichoke hearts.  I keep collecting recipes using artichoke hearts but have never actually made any of the recipes. Not going to the store just to buy them now though.  These recipes will just have to wait a while longer.  Have you ever had artichoke hearts?  Do you like them?  What do you do with them?  The two recipes I have are both for chicken with artichoke hearts in the crockpot.

Make sure you appreciate your lips today.  You might paint them with lipstick, lick them after eating something yummy, flap them, or give them a rest.  If you have an opportunity, appreciate the lips of your sweetie too.

Hebrews 13:15  Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that openly profess His Name.

Happy National Peanut Lovers Day & It's the Ides of March

William Shakespeare keeps the Ides of March alive through his writing of Julius Caesar.  "Beware, the Ides of March."
The Romans considered the Ides of March (today) as a deadline for settling debts.  How much debt do you have?  Can you imagine having to settle it (pay up) today?  That's enough to beware of it!

Enough about debt.

I wonder if peanuts are a delicacy for elephants.  Peanuts are so small and elephants are so big; maybe they eat them by the bucketful.  Do you remember the steak house where people threw peanut shells on the floor?  I didn't like that place.  It's hard enough to teach kids to pick up after themselves and that just defeats the purpose and creates bad manners and potential lawsuits for walking hazards.

Did you know:
It takes around 540 peanuts to make one 12-oz jar of peanut butter.
Studies show that people who eat nuts regularly live 2-3 years longer than non-nut eaters.
Archibutyrophobia is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.
Half of the world's nuts are poisonous to people.

How do you like your peanut butter?

On a spoon?

In a cookie?

As a sandwich?

From the shell?

Surrounded by chocolate?

Crunchy?

Creamy?

In a comic strip?

In a box surrounding breakables?

Here's some free advice on slowing down the Corona virus from my grandson, Aaron.  It's a conversation he and his mom had recently.
So Aaron was asking me about Corona virus before I dropped him off this morning...
Aaron:  What is it anyway?
Mom:  Just a virus you can get like a bad cold or pneumonia.  You just have to make sure you're washing your hands like you're supposed to and try not to touch your face so the germs don't get in your body through your mouth or nose.
Aaron:  So you need to not lick people either.
Mom:  Yes, I will do my best to stop licking everyone.  😂 😛

Romans 13:7 Give to everyone what you owe them; if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Happy National Potato Chip Day & National Pi Day

According to National Day Calendar, the potato chip story is: "On August 24, 1853, an unhappy restaurant customer kept sending his potatoes back to the kitchen, complaining they were thick and soggy.  Chef George Crum decided to slice the potatoes as thin as possible, frying them until crisp and added extra salt.  To the chef's surprise, the customer loved them.  The crispy potatoes soon became a regular item on the restaurant's menu under the name of 'Saratoga Chips.'"

How about hot dogs and hamburgers or subs to go with your chips?
There are so many different flavors of chips now.  What's your favorite?
Have you tried pickle chips?  I'm wondering how sour they are, obviously I haven't tried them.
Hubby likes BBQ and sour cream & onion best.

It's National Pi Day - not to be confused with pie.  Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.  That's Greek to me  (😉 pi is a Greek letter)!
So, another food option today is to eat foods that start with "pi" or are shaped in a circle!
What will you eat today?  (No pine cones, please.)

Happy Good Samaritan Day & It's Friday the 13th

Fear of Friday the 13th has become so embedded in superstition that psychologists have made it an illness, calling people paraskevidekatriaphobes.  If you're going to claim it, you have to be able to pronounce it!  Don't curse Friday the 13th of any month of any year.  It's a day the Lord has made and we are to rejoice and be glad in it.

Be a Good Samaritan.  You've heard the same admonitions so many times:

Pay for the order of the person behind you

Compliment people

Let someone go ahead of you in line

Smile

In light of current circumstances worldwide, how about doing these:

Wash your hands

Keep your distance

Blow kisses (probably not to strangers though)

Elbow bump if you must

Don't share your drink

Don't fight people for toilet paper

Followers of Christ, remember God is our Provision and Protector.  We are covered in the blood of the Lamb just like the Israelites covered their doorposts so the angel of death would pass over them.  God protected the Israelites in the land of Goshen and the plagues that plundered Egypt didn't cross their borders.  That's the God we serve!  Don't let the enemy walk all over you.

Isaiah 26: 3-4  He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in Him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!  Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength.

Happy National Alfred Hitchcock Day & Popcorn Lover's Day

These 2 celebrate well together - movies and popcorn.

Alfred Hitchcock was known as the master of suspense.  He directed over 50 movies and did cameo appearances in many of them.  Psycho is probably his most famous movie.

I don't like scary movies but I do have a few favorite Hitchcock movies.  I like Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, and North by Northwest.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents can be seen on Hulu.

What's your favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie?

Hubby and I will be watching Hitchcock movies and eating popcorn tonight!

Happy Johnny Appleseed Day

Johnny Appleseed, aka John Chapman, was a nurseryman and planted trees in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.

How many apple foods can you eat today?  There are fresh apples, apple pie, and applesauce, to name a few.

How many apple references can you fit in today?
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Don't upset the apple cart.
Compare apples and oranges.

Play Apples to Apples

What apple-isms do you know and what apple yummies will you eat?

Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.

Happy International Find a Pay Phone Booth Day & National Blueberry Popover Day & International Day of Awesomeness

How hard is it to find a pay phone booth nowadays?  Most everyone has a cell phone so there's no need for pay phones anymore.  I think, unless you're Doctor Who, they may be impossible to find.  In Jumpin' Jack Flash, Whoopie Goldberg gets stuck in a phone booth that's being hauled away.  Good movie except for the language.

I used to make popovers to serve ground beef gravy over but I haven't made them for years.  I remember popovers being pretty light.  Blueberry popovers sound delicious.

Celebrate your own awesomeness today.

Psalm 139:14 I praise you (God) because I am fearfully and wonderfully made your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Happy National Crabmeat Day & National Meatball Day & National Workplace Napping Day

There's something here for everyone and if you're still wanting, it's National Irish American Heritage Month, National Celery Month, National Frozen Food Month, and National Peanut Month.

Being from Baltimore, I've participated in some crab fests.  My lovely Aunt Joyce always picked the meat out of the crab for me, even to this day.  It's an art, and a chore.  I tried making crab soup once but didn't like how it turned out.  When I'm in Maryland in April, I need to go to a good seafood restaurant on the Eastern Shore and get some good crab soup.  All Recipes has a Maryland Crab Cake recipe that sounds easy enough.  I might try that too.

Most people will probably enjoy celebrating National Meatball Day more than Crabmeat Day.  Meatballs are pretty versatile.  They can be made from ground beef or ground turkey.  They can top spaghetti, hide in subs, be combined with rice in Porcupines, or as finger food with BBQ sauce.  Sweet & Savory has a good Porcupine Meatball recipe.  You have to click through several other recipes to get to it, but they sounded good too.  Definitely worth looking at and making.

National Napping Day is the day after the return to Daylight Savings time when we lost an hour of sleep.  According to checkiday, "National Workplace Napping Day is not about sleeping during times that are designated for work, but about the need for breaks during the workday that allow time for napping to take place.  The goal of the day is to make workplace naps as acceptable as lunch breaks, walk breaks, and time standing around the water cooler or coffee pot."  I don't know about all that.  Just don't get into trouble for napping at work.  Probably should nap in the car during lunch and set your alarm so you aren't late returning.  Although, we should have recouped the hour on Sunday.

Proverbs 6:10-11 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Happy International Women's Day & the Start of Daylight Savings Time

The official color of International Women's Day is PURPLE.  Take time to learn about the contributions of women through history - Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, to name a few.  History Extra has an interesting article naming the 100 Women Who Changed the World.  Check it out.

So, we lost an hour while we slept last night.  I think it was transported to an alternate reality where it lives with lost socks and lidless containers.  The world of lost things.  I read that Americans spend 2 1/2 hours a year looking for lost things.  Here's a list of the most popular things we lose.

1. TV remotes

2. Cell phones

3. Cars & Keys (be real, how many of us have wandered around a parking lot trying to remember where we parked)

4. Glasses

5. Shoes

6. Wallets/Purses

I wish weight was on this list.  Why is THAT so hard to lose?  We've mourned our losses through song and show - I Lost My Heart in San Francisco, You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lost in Space, and Toy Story movies are all about lost toys.

Have YOU ever been lost?  I used to get lost a lot.  I would invariably choose to go the wrong way around Washington, DC.  Fortunately the beltway is a circle so eventually I ended up where I was trying to go.  My cousins and I got lost in the woods once.  That was actually a lot of fun.  I lost my first pair of earrings down the bathroom sink and we miraculously found them in the bottom of a box of Christmas decorations 6 months later - true story.
What's the old saying?  Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Happy National Cereal Day

If you don't like cereal, it's also National Celery Month, and National Peanut Month.

Cereal is another versatile food.  You can eat it dry straight out of the box or in a bowl with milk, hot or cold.  It's a great snack and easy to transport.  There are SO many cereal types.  Remember when Wheaties had different people's pictures on the box?  I guess they still do, I don't buy Wheaties and haven't noticed.  Another perk of cereal back in the day was the free and cheap toy offers on the back of the boxes.  I remember my mom sent away for a doll that had black hair just like mine (used to be).  Then there were the cereals with the prize hidden in the box.  Those created a scramble to find and snag the prize!  On a cold day, you could have oatmeal or cream of wheat.  We used to eat Kellogg's Corn Flakes with the big rooster on the box.  And when my kids came along Kellogg's was making Frosted Mini-Wheats with fruit in the middle.  Yum!  How many households feed their babies General Mills' Cheerios?  That cereal seems to be everywhere you go and it comes in so many different flavors now.  Remember Mikey who wouldn't eat anything?  What cereal was that?

What's your favorite cereal?  Do you eat it as a snack, in a bowl, as a coating or topping for another food?  Do you add fruit to your cereal?

Remember to move your clocks back an hour before you go to bed.  If it's 10 pm, the new time will be 11 pm.

Psalm 78:24 He (God) rained down manna for the people to eat, He gave them the grain of heaven.

Happy National Doodle Day & Nat'l Frozen Food Day & Dress in Blue Day & Nat'l Oreo Cookie Day

It's National Doodle Day (not cheese doodles, written doodles).
And it's National Frozen Food Day (not celebrating the Month, just the Day, although if you celebrate one, you celebrate the other too)
Do you need more?  It's also National Dress Day.

Do you doodle when you listen or think?  I don't but I know many do; after researching doodling, I wish I did.                                            10 insights into doodling

1.  Doodling relieves stress

2.  Doodling circles reduces negative feelings

3.  Doodling stars, triangles, and diamonds indicate an ambitious person

4.  Doodling arrows through hearts indicates an idealistic person.

5.  Flower doodlers value friendships and relationships

6.  Doodling faces reveal someone who is interested in people

7.  Doodling on the same spot shows anxiety

8.  Doodling helps with brainstorming and problem solving

9.  Doodlers retain more information than non-doodlers

10. Doodling helps to process emotions

Take a minute today to doodle and think how much frozen food impacts your life.  We have meat, veggies, and fruit at our finger tips whether in season or out of season thanks to freezers.

Who doesn't like Oreos?  They even come in different flavors!  No freezer needed here.  Double stuffed Oreos are my pastor's favorite cookie.  He mentions them so often, we're thinking about making it the official cookie of Calvary Faith Center.

Remember to dress in blue today.  My Oreos are even dressed in blue!

Happy National Cheese Doodle Day

If you don't like cheese doodles, it's also National Frozen Food Month, National Peanut Month, and National Celery Month.  You can be as healthy or non-healthy as you choose.

Personally, I do like cheese doodles - puffed, crunchy, baked, round.  I think it's the cheese that's the draw.  National Day Calendar has these recipe suggestions for cheese doodle embellishments: "crush them up and use them as breading for fried fish" (how about chicken or topping a casserole?); "top homemade mac and cheese with crushed cheese doodles for added crunchy flavor."

What's your favorite cheesy snack?  I'll be munching cheese doodles today.

Happy National Pound Cake Day & National Sons Day

A day to eat pound cake (with strawberries and whipped cream) and think about sons - our sons, our mother-in-law's son, sons-in-law, My Three Sons, Son of Flubber, Native Son, Son of the Pink Panther, and especially the Son of God.

It's National Pound Cake Day but it's also National Snack Day.  What will you snack on today?  

I want to give a shout out to my sons, Daniel and Matthew (pictured below).  They make life interesting and I'm so proud of them.  I'd also like to recognize my sons-in-law and grandsons (too many for pictures here and now).  Grandsons are Caleb, Ben, Jackson, Aaron, Tyler, and Elliott.  Children are a blessing from the Lord.

And I am thankful for the Son of God who became the Son of man to die in my place to make us sons and daughters of the heavenly Father.  We are all God's creation but we are not all His children.  Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

I saw this wall art in several places for varying prices - Target, Wayfair, Macy's - but couldn't get a decent picture to post, so here's the sentiment.

You are loved for the boy you are,

The man you will become,

And the precious son

You will always be.

 

Happy National Cold Cuts Day & 33 Flavors Day

Sounds like subs for dinner, followed by ice cream!

What's your favorite sub?  We like Subway subs.  Their tuna sub is really good.  My favorite Subway sub is their BMT and Hubby's favorite is their Subway Melt.  We also frequent Boulevard Pizza in Wendell, NC.  They have the best pizza and overstuffed subs!  Hubby likes their steak and cheese sub and I like their ham and cheese sub.  they also have the best cheeseburgers and their cheeseburger sub is excellent.  If you're ever in the Raleigh, NC area, it's worth the effort to check out this restaurant in Wendell.  Come Monday - Saturday though, because they're closed on Sundays.

Celebrate 33 Flavors Day by trying a different flavor ice cream.  How about a banana split with 3 different flavors of ice cream and 3 different toppings?  My funniest banana split story happened years ago.  We went to Friendly's with another couple and were so busy ordering unique banana splits that we must have really confused the workers because they totally forgot to put the banana in Hubby's banana split!  Do you have any funny ice cream stories?  Does anyone remember Farrell's Ice Cream Parlors?  They were popular in the 1970's.  They used to run through the restaurant with a trough of ice cream while a siren sounded when "the Zoo" was ordered.

Lest I think too much about food today, let me remember 1 Corinthians 10:31 So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God.

Happy National Banana Cream Pie Day & Old Stuff Day & Fun Facts About Names Day

Do you like banana cream pie?  I like bananas and sometimes banana bread but not anything else banana.  Pie is not my favorite dessert anyway, unless it's lemon pie (no meringue, please).  I looked at several banana cream pie recipes and they all sounded complicated to me but i heart naptime has a really easy banana cream pie recipe that sounds good, if you like banana cream pie.

Old Stuff Day is about decluttering and trying new things.  Don't get stuck in a rut; try something different today.  Go through your closet, house, office, etc. and evaluate what needs to be refreshed or re-purposed.  Try a new recipe or, better yet, a new restaurant or order something different.  Try doing something in a different way, like folding clothes or styling your hair.  I'm always trying new ways to fold fitted sheets.  My latest method is to ball it up in a sort-of rectangle.

What does your name mean?  Please share below or if you have a special story about your name, please share it with me.  Here are the meanings of my family's names.  Even though it wasn't in our mind to pay attention to the meaning, except for Abigail's, I'm thankful their names have nice meanings.
Me (Donna) - lady (fun fact - I would have been Deborah if a cousin hadn't been born first)
Hubby (Allen Dennis) - harmony & god of wine (I didn't name him but he was named after 2 godly men in his family)
Rebecca - servant of God (my thought was Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm)
Amanda - worthy of love (Denny's thought was a country song)
Abigail - joy of the Father (we just liked the name)
Daniel - God is my Judge (the only boy name we could agree on)
Katherine - pure (I liked Kathy; she didn't for long and now it's Katherine or Kat)
Matthew - gift of God (it was a gift that we could agree on a boy name besides Daniel)

What's your name story?

Isaiah 43:19 See [the Lord says], I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Here are my beautiful and playful children sharing a smile.  😁

Happy World Compliment Day & Peanut Butter Lovers' Day & Share a Smile Day

Another day to spread a little love.  That strikes me as funny - peanut butter lovers' day - pb - spread - love - get it?  😁  Look for ways to compliment someone today.  It isn't difficult; we're surrounded by kind acts.

Are you a peanut butter lover?  I am, but not a connoisseur.  Walmart brand peanut butter is fine with me.  I think peanut butter is addictive.  I started eating a pb sandwich for breakfast and now if I miss a day or three, I crave it.  Peanut butter makes such a versatile sandwich.  I like mine plain but you can add jelly, marshmallow, or banana.  My boss, Dave, likes peanut butter on his pancakes.  How do you like your peanut butter?  Of course, in a cookie is good too.

Share a smile today - not a scary grin like my youngest 2, Kat and Matt, can do - just a nice friendly smile.  That's the simplest way to spread some love.  You can smile at strangers or even just to yourself.  Think good thoughts; it will show on your face and in your voice.

Proverbs 15:13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.