Note to self:

5 Rules to Happiness

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away, just for this time in my life.”

She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.”

And with a smile, she said: “Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less

Sin is wrong because God says so

Some argue that sins such as pornography are wrong because

they are “harmful to society.” However, you have more 

chance of convincing a pig that the mud in which he wallows 

is harmful to him. The reason he wallows is to cool his flesh. 

The only practical way to stop a pig wallowing in the mire is 

to kill him. That’s the function of the Law: it nails the sin-

loving sinner to the cross. It deals directly with the sinful 

nature. Sin is wrong not because it’s harmful to society—it is 

wrong because God says that it’s wrong.

Focus On The Lord

12/7/13

25 THINGS YOUR MOTHER SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU!!

1. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

2. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

3. Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

4. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

5. To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

6. For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

7. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

8. Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

9. Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

10. Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

11. Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

12. Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

13. Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go. Cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

14. Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

15. No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

16. Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

17. Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

18. Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... guess what! ... static is gone.

19. Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. (Or spray the measuring cup or spoon with Pam before using)

20. Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

21. Re-opening envelopes
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

22. Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

23. Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

24. Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

25. Dryer Filter
Even if you are very diligent about cleaning the lint filter in your dryer it still may be causing you a problem. If you use dryer sheets a waxy build up could be accumulating on the filter causing your dryer to over heat. The solution to this is to clean your filter with with a toothbrush and hot soapy water every 6 months.

Amen!

A Farmer & A Tightrope Walker

A Christian farmer in western Kansas felt sure that God spoke to him to give his $40,000 hail insurance to missions. So, in faith he gave the money, trusting that God would protect his crop. Sure enough, the hail came and severely damaged all his neighbor’s crops, but not his.

In contrast, there is a well-known story about a brilliant tightrope artist named Blondin, who pushed a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls. After he had walked to the other side, the crowd roared with applause at his amazing feat. He asked a small boy in the crowd if he believed that Blondin could walk back. The boy said, “Yes, sir!” He then asked if the boy thought he could do it with him in the wheelbarrow. The boy said he believed he could do it, to which the famous tightrope walker said, “Good! Jump in then and I will take you!” The boy would not get in.

Here are two different types of faith. The farmer had faith that he had heard from God; he was so sure that he was prepared to step out. But the boy’s faith was (understandably) lacking; he wasn’t prepared to step out, and get in. Many sincere folks have a measure of faith in Jesus, but they have never trusted in Him. In that sense, their faith, because it doesn’t have works with it, is dead. 

Scripture shows us repeatedly to trust Our God:

Deuteronomy 1:30-33

30 The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." 32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

2 Samuel 7:28

28 O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

Psalm 9:10

10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 13:5

5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Psalm 20:7

7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Psalm 25:1-3

1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; 2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.

Psalm 28:7

7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Psalm 31:14

14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."

Psalm 37:3

3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Psalm 37:5-6

5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Psalm 40:4

4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

Psalm 52:8

8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.

Psalm 56:3

3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

Psalm 56:4

4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

Psalm 62:8

8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah

Psalm 84:12

12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psalm 86:2

2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.

Psalm 91:2

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Psalm 111:7

7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.

Psalm 112:7

7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

Psalm 143:8

8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Psalm 118:8

8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

Proverbs 3:5

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Proverbs 11:13

13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Proverbs 11:28

28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

Proverbs 28:25

25 A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

Proverbs 28:26

26 He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

Isaiah 2:22

22 Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?

Isaiah 12:2

2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

Isaiah 26:4

4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

Isaiah 50:10

10 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

Jeremiah 7:8

8 But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.

Ezekiel 33:13

13 If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done.

Daniel 6:23

23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

Luke 16:10-12

10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?

John 14:1

1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

Romans 9:33

33 As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Romans 15:13

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 13:6-7

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Revelation 21:5 

5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

No-Bake Chocolate-Pretzel-Peanut Butter Squares

No-Bake Chocolate-Pretzel-Peanut Butter Squares


Total Time:
1 hr 17 min


Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, melted
2 cups pretzel rods, crushed into crumbs
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup plus 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions:

In a medium bowl, add the melted butter, pretzel crumbs, confectioners' sugar and 1 cup of the peanut butter and stir together until well combined. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Combine the chocolate chips and the remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate and peanut butter are melted and smooth; two intervals should be enough. Mix to blend, then spread over the peanut butter-pretzel layer. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Yield:
10 to 12 servings

BLACK FRIDAY!

How many of you went shopping on BLACK FRIDAY?

Do you know how BLACK FRIDAY got it's name?  

Have you ever wondered?

Question: Why Is Black Friday Called Black Friday?

Answer: Black Friday is the name given to the shopping day after Thanksgiving. It was originally called Black Friday because so many people went out to shop that it caused traffic accidents and sometimes even violence.

This was first recorded in 1966 by Earl Apfelbaum, a dealer in rare stamps. In his ad, he said "'Black Friday' is the name which the Philadelphia Police Department has given to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. It is not a term of endearment to them. 'Black Friday' officially opens the Christmas shopping season in center city, and it usually brings massive traffic jams and over-crowded sidewalks as the downtown stores are mobbed from opening to closing." The Police Department coined the phrase to describe the mayhem surrounding the congestion of pedestrian and auto traffic in the Center City downtown area. (Source: The Chicago Tribune, "Black Friday - Why and When?)

Black Friday crowds hunting bargains can still give the police headaches. The most violence seems to occur at Walmart. In 2012, two people were shot outside of a Walmart in Tallahassee Florida. They were fighting over a parking space.  

Walmart's consumer electronics department seems to be the most dangerous place. In 2011, a woman pepper-sprayed a crowd at a Walmart in Los Angeles. She was trying to get a Wii for 60% off. The year before, crowds at a Sacramento Walmart forced the store to evacuate when they started pushing and shoving to get deals on consumer electronics at 5:30 am.. On Black Friday 2009, another California Walmart, this time in Rancho Cucamonga, needed police protection from unruly crowds -- again, in the early-morning hours in the consumer electronics department. The store was briefly closed a few hours after another store in nearby Upland was closed.

The worst Black Friday occurred in 2008, when a man was trampled to death. Despite being 6'5" and 270 pounds, temporary worker Jdimytai Damour died of asphyxiation when crowds stampeded into another Wal-Mart (this time in New York). At least 2,000 people broke down the doors, trapping Damour in a vestibule where he suffocated. Eleven other people were also injured, including a pregnant woman. It seems the police have a right to call Black Friday by a negative name.

Retailers did not appreciate the negative connotation associated with a black day of the week. They had a good point. For example, Black Monday was given to October 19, 1987. On that day, the Dow Jones Average fell 22%, the largest percentage drop on one day in stock market history. Another dark day, Black Thursday, occurred on October 24, 1929. It was the day that signaled the start of the Great Depression. It was followed the next week by Black Tuesday. On that day, the stock market lost 11% despite attempts by major investors to support stock prices. This destroyed any confidence investors had in the stock market, which in those days was perceived to be the economy. Many had invested their life savings, and were totally wiped out.

No wonder retailers wanted to make the name "Black Friday" mean something positive. And, to them, the Friday after Thanksgiving is a very profitable day. To compensate, they decided to follow the old adage, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." They used the name to reflect their success. Accountants generally use black to signify profit when recording each day's book entries. Red is used to signify loss. Therefore, Black Friday means profitable Friday to the retail industry and to the economy.

BECAREFUL OUT THERE!!

Through the eyes of a child...

A time for reflection.... I'd like to think she'd be proud of me...maybe disappointed with my path, but ultimately pleased with my destination. Today I will try to be better than I was yesterday.

New Years Eve Jar

I'm doing this.  How cool would it be to see all the wonderful things that happen during the year.  

This is such a great way to reflect on the year and the positives that we often take for granted.

Cake Batter Fudge

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge
  
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (about 1 3/4 bags)
3 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
Sprinkles (I used rainbow sprinkles, but you can use any kind!)

Pour milk and white chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2-3 minutes, or until white chocolate is almost completely melted. DO NOT OVERHEAT. Stir until completely blended, melted, and smooth.
Immediately add vanilla and almond extract and combine thoroughly. Add a handful or so of rainbow sprinkles and fold in quickly because they will melt (and if they are stirred for too long they’ll turn the fudge an ugly gray color).
Transfer to an aluminum-foil lined or well-greased 8×8 inch baking pan for very thick fudge, or a 11X7 inch pan (this is the size I used and it worked perfectly). Let set at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Once set, cut into cubes (peel off the foil if you used it!). Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Shoe Rack Storeage

This also works for sports bottles that don't easily fit into your cabinets.

Enjoy!

Grandmother says... Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee...

Grandmother says... Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee...

"Which are you?"

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so 

hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was 

tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.


Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed 

carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let 

them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them 

in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out 

and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got 

soft.She then asked her to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled, as she tasted its rich 

aroma. The granddaughter then asked. "What's the point,grandmother?"

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling

water--but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling 

water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had 

protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became 

hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had

changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her granddaughter.

"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a

 coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and

lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid

spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become

hardened and stiff?

Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a

hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance

that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like

the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

~AUTHOR UNKNOWN~