Elvis Smoothie

Good morning! No, I am not an Elvis fan!

My husband and I have been drinking fruit smoothies for about a month. We have one for breakfast and supper. I am concerned with getting TOO much fruit (carbs - sugar) So, I have tried, this week, doing a protein one for breakfast.

This morning, I was craving Elvis toast for breakfast. If you don't know what that is, they say he liked banana and peanut butter on toast. I did not know that and I made toast like that for a friend once and she exclaimed, "Oh, Elvis toast!" When I make mine, I include honey and cinnamon.

I started with 1 cup of milk, added our 'the mix'*, then a half a banana, 1 t. peanut butter, cinnamon, and honey. Blended it and it was yummy!

* - the mix = uncooked oatmeal, nuts, cinnamon

I tried to say Merry Christmas to each of you individually, but I kept getting this message:

 

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SO

Merry Christmas to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God bless each and every one of you!

Christmas Acrostic by Belinda Jo Adams  written12-18-03

C = Christ - Of course, the most obvious and important, is Christ.
Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be
upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Luke 2:11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord.
H = home - most people want to be home for Christmas;  to be with family and old
acquaintances, which is a nice place to be. But, others cannot and the people around them
become their family at that time.
Proverbs 27:20 ... better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
R = ringing of the bells. The ringing of bells have been a proclamation through the years of
important events. Some villages used to ring them, and may still do, for births, marriages and
deaths of the people in their village. There are only 3 verses in the Bible that mention bells.
Two have to do with the priests robes and the other is on a horse, I assume, at end times.
Exodus 39:26  A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of
the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.
I = icicles = and all the other things that sparkle at Christmas to remind us of the faithfulness
of God. Like; streetlights reflecting off the snow, lights on trees, glow of children's eyes God
wants us to enjoy His creation.
James 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
S = star Most people either put a star or an angel at the top of their Christmas tree. Both were
important emblems of the first Christmas night.
Matthew 2:10  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
T = tree . Much controversy among Christians surrounds the displaying of a Christmas tree.
And the controversy seems to change over the years as to whether it is right or wrong. But,
whether right or wrong, Christmas trees are beautiful and, as anything else, can either be
used to remind us of the true Christmas or hide that reminder when we are more involved in
getting and giving. Jesus gave His life for us and was hung on a tree ... or cross.
Acts 5:30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
M = Manger Scene When I was in the junior high school, there was a church in our town that
had a full sized manger scene that they put up each year. I was always amazed at it. I hope
they don't ever erase that action from our society.
Luke 2:12  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger.
A = angels. The angels at Jesus birth sang hallelujah and announced the birth the Saviour
Child.
Luke 3:13,14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God, and saying,  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And because of Christ's coming and then later giving His life for us, there is joy in Heaven at
the time of each person's acceptance of that gift.
Luke 15:10  Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one
sinner that repenteth.
S = silent night. Silent Night, Holy Night was written in the 1800's by a priest who needed a
song for his congregation to sing because their organ was broken and they could not sing their
regular carols. He wrote it and another priest wrote the music. The congregation sang it that
Christmas with the use of a guitar. They only planned for the song to be for them at their own
church. But, through time, it has become one of the most favorite Christmas carols. I heard
the other day, that it could not have been a silent night, though, with all those angels singing
their hallelujahs!

I was talking on the phone to a friend today. She is younger than I am, about the same age as my daughters. I mentioned that zip codes started when I was 12 years old. She was surprised thinking they had been that way all along.

 It reminded me of how young people (probably me too, for older people) think the way something is done is the same way it has been done all the time. Below is an article I wrote a few years back. I have had many more experiences since I wrote this article, but try to shrug them off and go on with life!

 

A Senile Old Person

 Don’t look at me like I have lost my marbles or am a senile old person just because I say a certain word or do an action different than you do. As time goes on and new words appear in our dictionaries to replace others and as new mannerisms are introduced, young people seem to think theirs is the only way something is said … or done.

My first experience with this issue was when we had an Atari computer. When it was several years old, we needed a part for it. I went to a store and asked for the item. The young lady stared at me as if I had come from outer space. Apparently, she had never heard of Atari.

Later, I wanted a birthstone ring. My birthstone has always been topaz – a pretty orange-yellow stone with flecks of brown. Now, mine is called citron and is yellow. It is not nearly as pretty. When I started looking for a ring, I was surprised. Clerks in stores though I was crazy when I would tell them that topaz is not blue. It had been as long as they had known. But, for the past forty years that I have known it was orange-yellow stone with flecks of brown! I assume topaz was also blue, but now they have reorganized the stones for the months. I thought monthly birthstones was something that was set in stone!

The same thing happens in other areas of life. I am a sign language teacher / interpreter. I have been signing for thirty years. I have lived in several different states and had to re-learn several signs for each state. I decided to go to a college class. Other students were taking the class and just learning sign language for the first time. Occasionally I would sign a wrong sign because it was one I had known from another state. They would look at me as if I was stupid and they knew it all.

Now, I wonder if through the years, I did the same thing as older people said or did certain things that I thought were odd. But, at least I had been taught not to be disrespectful to older people and accepted what they said. Today, there seems to be a lack of tolerance among the next generation their elders.

~ end ~

By Belinda Jo Adams

😊 a little history for you.

 -- you can read more of the articles at their sites. 

ZIP CODES - By 1963,  The Post Office Department came up with a plan to speed handling and delivery of letter mail. Zip codes went into effect on July 1, 1963. ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan.
http://www.oldstuffonly.com/zip_code_date.asp

Idea of Daylight Saving Time
The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin during his time as an American delegate in Paris in 1784."
http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/c.html

(There were more steps leading up to this, but this is what I found….)
During the 1973 oil embargo by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), in an effort to conserve fuel Congress enacted a trial period of year-round DST (P.L. 93-182), beginning January 6, 1974, and ending April 27, 1975.

In 1986 Congress enacted P.L. 99-359, changing the beginning of DST to the first Sunday in April and having it end the last Sunday in October.^] These start and end dates were in effect from 1987 to 2006. The time change was made at 2:00 a.m. local time (or before we go to bed at night!).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States

When we lived in Alaska, I went through our belongings and anything that I did not want to look at again for a while, I put in plastic tubs ad wrote OAR  on the tubs. That meant 'Open After Retirement'. I had several of those boxes. We retired in 2009 and moved here. However, with building and setting up our yards, etc ... Life in general, I did not go through them until this year 2014. Hey, but that is still 'after retirement, right?!'
Now they have been gone through and changed to ATTIC boxes. However, there is only one large and one small one and a suitcase. Some of the items I decided to display and some went in the trash, shredded, etc.

One thing I did while going through them was to take 7 plastic coffee cans to put items in for my daughters and grandchildren. I wrote their names on them and as I came across items I thought they may be interested in, I put them in those cans. That way, one day, whether at my death or cleaning out again, they can take the cans and go through them for special items ... or toss them in the trash. :) Their choice, but with that idea, I think I will wait until I die... hehehe.

It was neat seeing cards we had saved from family and friends during the years. Some of those are gone now, but I got to enjoy them one more time. Some are still here for me to see again at another time of reminiscing.

September Butterfly

I was at my mother's house the other day. While we talked I watched this butterfly flutter around her bottlebrush plant. Finally, I said I wanted to go see if I could get some good photos. Usually, they don't turn out this well, but this time they did. I got a couple photos and movies.

When we bought this property were not living here yet, my brother told me we had a beautiful rose bush. I looked forward to seeing it. Now, I have seen it bloom 6 times. Each time more pretty. Each year I trim it back and last year, I even started another one growing in our back yard so I can see it from the back of our house instead of it being behind my brother's house.

After the big plant had finished for the year, I trimmed it back and while doing so saw this one rose. I call it my Apostle Paul Rose. "And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time." I Corin. 15:8

Here is a photo of the first bloom on the new plant. It is several times bigger now and had two flowers.

God bless you and I hope you have a rosy day!!

"Jesus included me, yes, He included me,
When the Lord said, Whosoever, He included me;
Jesus included me, yes, He included me,
When the Lord said, Whosoever, He included me."
(song by: Johnson Oatman, Jr. 1909)

John 17: 20 "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;"

John 20:29  "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

Matthew 12:21  "And in his name shall the Gentiles trust."
I'm so glad the HE included me!!

Way back, long time ago, when I was a young woman ... The USA got its sugar from Cuba. Something happened between the two countries and the price went up high .... so high we, as a young couple, could not afford it.So, we started cutting back, just a little at first, then increasing the amount that we left out of our tea until there was no sugar.
For many years we have drank unsweetened tea. People wondered how we were going to handle that when we retired and moved to the South. But, thankfully, many others have joined our ranks!
This week we stopped at a fast food to eat. I got unsweetened tea, but when it was time for the refill, the woman was busy (and it was behind the counter) so I went to the self-serve and filled my still half full container with ice and added just a mite of sweet tea, just to experiment. That little bit messed up the whole cupful! I sipped on it until I got home and filled it again with my unsweetened tea, but it still was too sweet for me.


Amazing what a little bit .....

My husband I read the Bible through last year. It was his first time reading it all in one year and I was happy for him because I remember my first time reading it in a year. Previously, we had read it together and it took us over 2 years to read it.


I found  many years ago, that if I read 4 pages a day, I can read my Bible through in a year. Then I marked the months along the way at the top of the pages so I know if I get behind and can catch up.


This year, I want to read the New Testament with a Bible study book so I can see what else there is to see and learn more. I wondered how many chapters I needed to read a day or whatever to finish in one year. There are 260 chapters so, I don't have to read a whole chapter a day, but can take my time and study.


I got the following from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible


Chapters

• There are 929 chapters in the Old Testament and 260 chapters in the New Testament. This gives a total of 1,189 chapters (on average, 18 per book).

A friend posted to my facebook page, today, a photo of a butterfly scene. I went to the fb page of its origin and here is the link ... if you want to see a lot of butterfly photos.
https://www.facebook.com/lavenderlace
I also updated my web page: http://belindajo.com/

While doing family research today, I cam across this title for a woman. Wondering what it is, I looked it up in an online dictionary. I dared not do a general search, not knowing what I would find!

feme covert   — n    law  a married woman

 [C16: from Anglo-French: a covered woman, one protected by marriage] *

I think the meaning is special in the light that we are protected when we honor and obey our husbands as they honor and obey God. Of course, we honor and obey God, also, but I was thinking of the umbrella of protection.

Ephesians 5:22-25 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;"

Colossians 3:17-19 " And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.  Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them."


* ref: Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009

Links for my movies I made about my novels on my Facebook page:

Beyond The Mountains     

Silent Love

My Precious Jewel

The Lure of Alaska

Last month, my neighbor said she had a story idea for me and would tell me later. In the mean time, I wrote a sketch/ rough draft of a story. Today, I saw her again and she told me her idea. It was the same as I had written! But, with a special little twist. I told her 'thank you and that was a reinforcement from God that I was meant to write that story!'

New Book Signing scheduled!

That looks like a spam message, but it is not. Click on the link to read about my next book signing!

None of us want problems, but sometimes problems happen. In those times, we may pray for God to take the problem away from us. However, God uses those problems to help us grow in Him and / or reach out to others. This is a devotion I read today in the book, "Streams in the Desert" Vol 1. Mrs. Charles Cowman lists it as a tract that encouraged her. (bja)

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).

[ok, I was reading about copyrights today (for my writings) and from my understanding, we are not supposed to post others' works on our web sites. So..... here is a link to the devotion.

Streams in the Desert - January 9

Perhaps they got permission to post them. :)

Mrs. Charles Cowman compiled these devotions after caring for her sick/dying husband. They were missionaries to the Asian peoples. Her name was Lettie, by the way.

Streams in the Desert

Lettie B. Cowman at GoodReads.

Slave buying

I am researching my family tree and for my next novel and came across this item today:


.... Well, I looked at the front of the book and there is a copyright thing about not posting it in any form ....


But, anyway someone bought a slave on Sunday for $.50 and is in trouble because they broke the Sabbath.

It made me think: What about all the crazy laws or rules we have today?! Look at this one.

What was the wrong done? buying the slave? buying the slave for only $.50? or buying the slave on the Sabbath? And where was the person who sold the slave on the Sabbath?

just my thoughts, BJA