FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 9TH, 2008

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

MARCH 9TH, 2008

 

 

TODAY'S THOUGHT

Better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.

Chinese Proverb

TODAY’S ACTION

Be the subtle voice that helps another in need

TODAY’S QUOTE

Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he isn't. A sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is.

Horace Walpole

HAPPY SUNDAY !!

The graphics today are to remind everyone that we are very close now to Easter and SPRING!

Today daylight savings time begins

I’ve heard from all of my babes including DS#2 and all are safe and sound in this crazy weather we are having. I had lots of calls on Saturday with birthday wishes.

I remember my Mom telling me that when she went into the hospital when I was born, it was a winter much like this one and when she came out ( a 2 week stay I believe) it was Spring, so I’m hoping that in two weeks it’ll be Spring for all of us too !

Have a great day all ! Another wonderful one on the Way !

 

TODAY’S PRAYERS

Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

 

25 WORDS

God, I thank You for today, for the ways You will bless me, and for the ways that I will serve others in Your name

 

TO REMEMBER…

I am in the hands of God, and in God’s time all things will be made well.

 

TODAY IS…POTATO CHIP DAY

American Indian, George Crum, made the first potato chips in 1853 while working as a chef in Saratoga Springs, NY. A hungry diner didn't like the thick French Fries and sent them back to the kitchen - twice! In exasperation, Crum sliced the fries too thin to eat with a fork - and potato chips were born.

 

TODAY’S TRIVIA

A baby born in Florence, Italy on this day in 1451 was destined to become one of the world’s most famous explorers. Amerigo Vespucci was a merchant and an outfitter of ships, a job that introduced him to Christopher Columbus

Today is Barbie Day, marking this date in 1959 when the doll went on sale in the U.S. More than 900-million Barbies have been sold, and still sell at the rate of about 120 dolls a minute.

Today is National Crab Meat Day

The U.S. switched forward to Daylight Saving Time this morning.

1832 - Abraham Lincoln of New Salem, IL announced that he would run for political office for the first time. He sought a seat in the Illinois state legislature. ‘Honest Abe’ was not successful. Less than thirty years later, however, he become President of the United States

1858: Albert Potts of Philadelphia patented the street letter box, an idea the Post Office liked very much

1964: The first Mustang rolled off of the Ford assembly line

 

TODAY’S SMILE

Is God Dancing on Your Potato Chips?

Author Unknown

Not too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine.

By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner. Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store.

Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed the Tupperware container from the fridge, popped the seal, took a look and groaned. My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars.

Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened.

I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty. It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips.

My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process!

I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced. Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed.

I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that. So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips?

I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess.

What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all. Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one after all.

Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way he did. There are even some situations that, years later,

I'm still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond. Do I trust Him? Even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations? Even when he's dancing and stomping instead of sweeping and mopping:? Can I embrace what He's offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance he's dancin' with my needs in mind?

 I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust Him. Even when the chips are down.

 

ONE MORE…

Robert and Mary were watching television the last Saturday evening in April. When he went to bed, she stayed up to see the end of a program.

Before retiring, she turned the clocks ahead for daylight-saving time. The next morning, the alarm wakened them for early church. When they arrived, it was still dark, and no one was there.

"I can't imagine what's wrong," Mary said. "I turned the clocks ahead." "So did I," Robert quietly replied.

 

TODAY’S WORD

kismet \KIZ-met; -mit\, noun:

Destiny; fate

Kismet comes (via Turkish) from Arabic qismah, portion, lot

 

TODAY’S REFLECTION

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.

Galatians 5:22

What’s on your to-do list today? Cleaning out an overstuffed closet? Calculating a financial report at work? Paying your monthly bills? We all have things we need to get done today, whether we’ve written them down or not. They’re important for us to accomplish

While a to-do list is helpful, another type of list is even more valuable: a “to be” list. The apostle Paul encouraged the Galatian believers, and now tells us, to be concerned with our character. Perhaps at the top of your to-do list today you could put: Spend time praying and reading God’s Word. That would be a good start in helping with your “to be” list.

Our Daily Bread

http://www.rbc.org

It’s not what you do but who you are that’s most important.

 

TODAY’S ADVICE FROM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

Providing is preventing

11 DAYS UNTIL SPRING !

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your Heart

Psalm 37:4

May there be a miracle in YOUR life today and may you have the EYES to SEE it!

I Love You All !!!

Be Blessed !!!

MA

MY HOMEPAGE

I believe we should live ‘ON THE BRIGHT SIDE’

www.bigmarainey.com

MY JOURNALS

http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/GoodMorningSunshine/

http://onyama.blogspot.com/

To see archived ‘On the Bright Side’ Newsletters click on the link below: http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/ONTHEBRIGHTSIDE/

BRIGHT SIDE LOGO BY SON #6

http://www.littlerainey.com/index.html

 

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FOR SATURDAY , MARCH 8th, 2008

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE MARCH 8TH, 2008

TODAY'S THOUGHT

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence.

Anonymous

 

TODAY’S ACTION

Believe in what you can become

TODAY’S QUOTE

Thanks to modern medical advances such as antibiotics, nasal spray, and Diet Coke, it has become routine for people in the civilized world to pass the age of 40, sometimes more than once.

Dave Barry

 

HAPPY SATURDAY !!

I’m 64 years young today! That’s right I’m celebrating another year of blessings. The trouble is we are snow bound… Blizzard conditions formed across much of the state and the only place anyone can go is home.

Thankfully my boss let me go home early on Friday. I left about 2 o’clock and the roads were terrible at that point. I heard from DS#3 yesterday and he lost power in the ice storm earlier in the week and it wasn’t restored for 2 days. I hope it stays on for him in this storm.

I also talked to DD, DS#! And DS#6 last evening and they had all made it home safe and sound. DS#6 said they had not had any snow until just when I talked to him about 7:00 some flakes were beginning to fall. DDIL#4 emailed that they had rain and fog.

It looks like heavy snow is falling through tonight here so things will be a lot worse before they get better. We could have a foot of snow before all is said and done. Blowing and drifting will be a big problem. There is still a couple of inches of ice under that snow in parts of our driveway too!

Thankfully it is the weekend and we do not need to go out. And since we’ll all be in don’t forget to take time to set your clock one hour ahead tonight !

SPRING FORWARD!

Daylight savings time starts tomorrow!

THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING !

Take good care all !

Have a great day all ! Another wonderful one on the Way !

 

TODAY’S PRAYERS

Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

God Bless You !

 

25 WORDS

God, I thank You for today, for the ways You will bless me, and for the ways that I will serve others in Your name

 

TO REMEMBER…

I am in the hands of God, and in God’s time all things will be made well.

 

TODAY IS…ALFRED HITCHCOCK DAY

One of the greatest film directors in history, this Englishman (who became an American citizen) valued suspense over shock and kept audiences on the edge of their seats through 50 movies and years of television shows. Never winning an Academy Award, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1979. How many people stopped taking showers after seeing "Psycho" is unknown!

 

TODAY’S TRIVIA

1887 - The telescopic fishing rod, made of steel tubes inside one another, was patented by Everett Horton

1911 International Women's Day (1st celebrated)

1972 1st flight of the Goodyear blimp

1973 Eisenhower Tunnel, world's highest/US longest, opens

 

TODAY’S SMILE

One afternoon in the Arctic, a father polar bear and his son polar bear were sitting in the snow. The son polar bear turned to his father and asked, "Dad, am I 100% polar bear?" The father polar bear replied, "Of course, son, you're 100% polar bear."

 A few minutes pass, and the son polar bear turns to his father again and says, "Dad, tell me the truth. I can take it. Am I 100% polar bear? No brown bear or panda bear or grizzly bear?"

The father polar bear replies, "Son, I'm 100% polar bear, your mother is 100% polar bear, so you are definitely 100% polar bear."

A few more minutes pass, and the son polar bear AGAIN turns to his father and says, "Dad, don't think your sparing my feelings if it's not true. I gotta know -- am I 100% polar bear?"

The father polar bear was distressed by this continued questioning and asked his son, "Why do you keep asking if you're 100% polar bear?"

"Because I'm freezing!"

 

TODAY’S WORD

cabal \kuh-BAHL; kuh-BAL\, noun:

1. A secret, conspiratorial association of plotters or intriguers whose purpose is usually to bring about an overturn especially in public affairs.

2. The schemes or plots of such an association.

intransitive verb: 1. To form a cabal; to conspire; to intrigue; to plot.

Cabal derives from Medieval Latin cabala, a transliteration of Hebrew qabbalah, "received," hence "traditional, lore," from qabal, "to receive." The evolution in sense is: "(secret) tradition, secret, secret plots or intrigues, secret meeting, secret meeters, a group of plotters or intriguers

 

TODAY’S REFLECTION

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

Isaiah 41:10

Two messages we receive from today's scripture: "do not fear" and "do not be dismayed." Yet when bad things happen, we forget God's promise: "for I am your God."

We push the panic button and try to solve the problem alone. How foolish we are! …don't give up, when you pray and seem to get no response.

 Always remember, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

http://www.ourprayer.org

 

TODAY’S ADVICE FROM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

No one is entirely useless; even the worst of us can serve as horrible examples

12 DAYS UNTIL SPRING !

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your Heart

Psalm 37:4

May there be a miracle in YOUR life today and may you have the EYES to SEE it!

I Love You All !!!

Be Blessed !!!

MA

MY HOMEPAGE

I believe we should live ‘ON THE BRIGHT SIDE’

www.bigmarainey.com

MY JOURNALS

http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/GoodMorningSunshine/

http://onyama.blogspot.com/

To see archived ‘On the Bright Side’ Newsletters click on the link below:

http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/ONTHEBRIGHTSIDE/

BRIGHT SIDE LOGO BY SON #6

http://www.littlerainey.com/index.html

 

FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 7th, 2008

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

MARCH 7TH, 2008

 

TODAY'S THOUGHT

All things pass...Patience attains all it strives for.

St. Teresa

 

TODAY’S ACTION

Remember that hope clings, and faith lets go

 

TODAY’S QUOTE

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.

Hal Borland

 

HAPPY FINALLY FRIDAY !!

Yesterday seemed mild and quiet. It got in the high 30’s and some of the snow and ice melted. My next door sister and I chipped away at the ice on the walks and driveway and got more cleared off. I can only do a little at a time as I’m so badly out of shape.

Sometime today and all through tomorrow a major storm is supposed to be headed our way…more snow I’m afraid to say.

Friday: Windy with snow of varying intensity. The snow is more likely to accumulate during the afternoon. Some sleet may mix in. High around 30F. Winds NNE at 20 to 30 mph. 2 to 4 inches of snow expected.

Friday night: Periods of snow and windy. Some blowing and drifting snow. Low 23F. Winds NNE at 20 to 30 mph. 4 to 6 inches of snow expected.

Saturday: Snow along with gusty winds at times. Cold. High 24F. Winds N at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Some snow accumulation possible.

I’m supposed to be going out to dinner with my ‘old camping buddy’ and her hubby this evening and dinner tomorrow night with a few of my babes. It looks like my excitement for the weekend will be eating…oh dear. It is either that or I shovel snow. I prefer eating.

Take good care all !

 Have a great day all ! Another wonderful one on the Way !

 

TODAY’S PRAYERS

Yesterday I heard from my friend whose nephew I’ve been praying for and she said: I have one more request. A dear friend at work took her husband for a routine stress test on Monday and he never got passed the EKG. As of today he has been scheduled for quadruple bypass on Saturday. They are really concerned because his father and brother both died at age 62 from heart problems and he just turned 62. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

My nephew is doing a little better but they still have a serious concern about the issue with his liver. Not sure what is causing his counts to be wrong. They will be doing more blood work and he may be readmitted for further testing. As for the mono, they are not giving him antibiotics - seems they want the body to fight it itself. He's eating a little and drinking so that's some progress.

I do hope you all will join me in praying for these two people. May the dear Lord bless them both with healing and a speedy recovery.

 

Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

25 WORDS

God, I thank You for today, for the ways You will bless me, and for the ways that I will serve others in Your name

 

TO REMEMBER…

I am in the hands of God, and in God’s time all things will be made well.

 

TODAY IS… SALT WATER DAY

Why is ocean water salty? River water picks up mineral salts from rocks and soil as it flows to the ocean. Not much salt is in that river water, but hold on! Ocean water only evaporates (or freezes into polar ice), and the salt stays behind, so... over time, the ocean just gets saltier and saltier. If all the salt was taken from the oceans and sprinkled on land, it would make a layer about 500 feet deep - as high as a 40 story building. Now, that's a lot of salt!

 

TODAY’S TRIVIA

It was on this day in 1933 that Charles Darrow created the game we know as Monopoly. The popularity of the game was instant. Darrow could not keep up with the demand. He eventually sold his ‘rights’ to Parker Brothers who initially turned Darrow away, saying that his game had “52 fundamental errors.” The 50-year-old company eventually agreed to give Darrow royalties on every Monopoly game sold, on the condition that they could write “short version” game rules. Ultimately, Darrow became a millionaire at age 46

MONOPOLY FACTS

The longest Monopoly game ever played was 1,680 hours long, that's 70 straight days!

Escape maps, compasses, and files were inserted into Monopoly game boards and smuggled into POW camps inside Germany during W.W.II; real money for escapees was slipped into the packs of Monopolymoney.

Parker Brothers prints about 50 billion dollars worth of Monopoly money in one year.

Values on the Monopoly game board are the same today as they were in 1935

Today is the 121st annual World Day of Prayer, sponsored by Church Women United. Always the first Friday in March

1876 - Alexander Graham Bell of Salem, MA ‘rang’ up a patent for his invention, the telephone. It was an invention, incidentally, that almost bankrupted his company in the beginning. Now, it’s his invention that almost bankrupts those of us who use the phone to call long distance each month

1897: The world's first corn flakes were served to Dr. John Kellogg's patients at a Battle Creek, Michigan, mental hospital

1939 - Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians recorded one of the most popular songs of the century. The standard, Auld Lang Syne, was recorded for Decca Records

1955 - Peter Pan, with Mary Martin and Cyril Richard, was presented as a television special for the first time

 

TODAY’S SMILE

Rambling Thoughts:

 Some folks are so eager to find fault, you'd think there's a reward.

I only use deodorant under one arm, so I know what I would have smelled like.

Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often.

I wish my mouth had a backspace key.

Many great discoveries are made by not following instructions.

The older I get, the better I was.

A pessimist is someone who complains about the noisewhen opportunity knocks.

What a tangled web parents weave, thinking children are naive.

Some rights are worth dying for. The right of way is not one of them.

They call it a tax return . . as if the money you pay was going to make a round trip.

There is nothing wrong with having nothing to say ... unless you insist on saying it.

ONE MORE….

You can't read these and stay in a bad mood!

How Do You Catch a Unique Rabbit?

Unique Up On It.

How Do You Catch a Tame Rabbit?

Tame Way, Unique Up On It.

What Do Fish Say When They Hit a Concrete Wall?

Dam!

What Do Eskimos Get From Sitting On The Ice too Long?

Polaroids.

What Do You Call a Boomerang That Doesn't work?

A Stick.

What Do You Call Cheese That Isn't Yours?

Nacho Cheese.

What Do You Call Santa's Helpers?

Subordinate Clauses.

 What Do You Call Four Bullfighters In Quicksand?

Quattro Sinko..

What Do You Get From a Pampered Cow?

Spoiled Milk.

What Lies At The Bottom Of The Ocean And Twitches?

A Nervous Wreck.

Why Don't Blind People Like To Sky Dive?

Because It Scares The Dog.

What Kind Of Coffee Was Served On The Titanic?

Sanka.

Why Did Pilgrims' Pants Always Fall Down?

Because They Wore Their Belt Buckle On Their Hat.

What's The Difference Between a Bad Golfer And a Bad Skydiver?

A Bad Golfer Goes, Whack, Dang!

A Bad Skydiver Goes Dang! Whack.

 Now, admit it. At least one of these made you smile!

 

TODAY’S WORD

rara avis \RAIR-uh-AY-vis\, noun;

plural rara avises \RAIR-uh-AY-vuh-suhz\ or rarae aves \RAIR-ee-AY-veez\:

A rare or unique person or thing

Rara avis is Latin for rare bird

 

TODAY’S REFLECTION

Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's. Matthew 22:21

Jesus knew the Pharisees were trying to trap him. Fortunately he was wiser than they. He asks, "Show me the coin used for the tax." Jesus is using a subtle strategy here.

One Pharisees produced a Roman coin from his pocket. Little did the Pharisee realize that in even possessing a Roman coin he already was well on the way to losing the argument.

The Jewish people found the inscription on the Roman coins offensive, "Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus, Pontifex Maximus."

To the Jewish people the inscription on the Roman coin was a deliberate break with the Ten Commandments that prohibit "graven images." For these and other reasons the Jewish people did not use Roman coins. They had their own temple currency.

In producing a Roman coin the Pharisee showed which side he was really on. Where we spend our resources says which side we are really on too

Daily Devotions

http://www.devotions.net/

 

TODAY’S ADVICE FROM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

So many mists in March you see,

So many frosts in May will be

13 DAYS UNTIL SPRING !

 

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your Heart

Psalm 37:4

May there be a miracle in YOUR life today and may you have the EYES to SEE it!

I Love You All !!!

Be Blessed !!!

MA

 MY HOMEPAGE

I believe we should live ‘ON THE BRIGHT SIDE’

www.bigmarainey.com

MY JOURNALS

http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/GoodMorningSunshine/

http://onyama.blogspot.com/

To see archived ‘On the Bright Side’ Newsletters click on the link below: http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/ONTHEBRIGHTSIDE/

BRIGHT SIDE LOGO BY SON #6 http://www.littlerainey.com/index.html

 

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FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 6th, 2008

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

MARCH 6TH, 2008

 

TODAY'S THOUGHT

Sign on a fence out in the countryside:

If you cross this field you had better do it in 9.8 seconds.

The bull can do it in 10 seconds.

 NO TRESPASSING

 

TODAY’S ACTION

Have courage to make the right decision even when it seems obvious and straightforward

 

TODAY’S QUOTE

Friends are kisses blown to us by angels.

Author Unknown

 

HAPPY THURSDAY !!

GOING FROM BAD TO WORSE

 I got to work just fine yesterday. I put the car in reverse and said if I make it out of the drive then I’ll go to work, I did and even though the roads were terrible I made it .

Then when I came home I got stuck in the driveway. It seems about 4 inches of frozen ice was covering most of the drive.

My next door sister had been out chipping away at it all day, off and on, as she had a ‘SNOW DAY’ off from work, but that ice was more than she or I could handle. We cleared tracks forme to get unstuck and I got the car in the garage, but who knows if I’ll make it out of the driveway or not when I try to go to work this morning.

I think I have really had it with winter and I’m sure I’m not the only one. We are supposed to have partly cloudy skies with a high near 40 today but tonight the snow will return…I don’t know if any will melt off before the new stuff comes or not.

Have a great day all ! Another wonderful one on the Way !

 

TODAY’S PRAYERS

Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL !

 

25 WORDS

God, I thank You for today, for the ways You will bless me, and for the ways that I will serve others in Your name

 

TO REMEMBER…

I am in the hands of God, and in God’s time all things will be made well.

 

TODAY IS…BROWNIE PIE DAY

What will they think of next? Combining two favorite desserts (brownies and cheesecake), this recipe took the top prize at the 50th Anniversary Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. Now... who am I to argue - especially when chocolate is involved

1 (9") pie crust

1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

1 (15.1-oz) pkg Hot Fudge Swirl Brownie Mix

1/4 cup oil

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2) In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and 1 egg. Beat until smooth. Reserve hot fudge packet from the brownie mix for the topping.

3) In large bowl, combine brownie mix, oil, 1 tablespoon of water and 2 eggs. Beat 50 strokes with a spoon.

4) Spread 1/2 cup of the brownie mixture in the bottom of the pie crust. Spoon cream cheese mixture over the brownie layer and smooth carefully. Top with remaining brownie mixture - spread evenly and sprinkle on pecans.

5) Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until center is puffed (it may have cracks in it). Cover edges of crust with foil if it browns too fast.

6) Heat the hot fudge packet in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in 1 tablespoon of water and drizzle over the top of the pie. Cool 3 hours and store in the refrigerator.

 

TODAY’S TRIVIA

Today is Headache Day, marking the patenting of aspirin on this date in 1899. On the same day, the Bayer Company trademarked the name aspirin for the medicine developed by German chemist Friedrich Hoffman. Aspirin is also known as acetylsalicylic acid

Today is Peace Corps Day, marking founding of the corps on March 1st, 1961, celebrated on the first Tuesday in March

1902 Census Bureau forms

1959: The Drifters recorded There Goes My Baby.

 

TODAY’S SMILE

Just a note to remind you that March 5 is National Procrastination Day!.

 

Procrastination is the thief of time

 

TODAY’S WORD

busker \BUS-kur\, noun:

A person who entertains (as by playing music) in public places

Busker is from busk, "to seek to entertain by singing and dancing," probably from Spanish buscar, to seek

 

TODAY’S REFLECTION

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139:14

Don't dull your life by missing this point: You are more than statistical chance, more than a marriage of heredity and society, more than a confluence of inherited chromosomes and childhood trauma. More than a walking weather vane whipped about by the cold winds of fate.

Thanks to God you have been "sculpted from nothing into something"

1 of 365 devotionals in Grace for the Moment, Volume 2

By Max Lucado

TODAY’S ADVICE FROM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

If you forget to wash the spider (frying pan), it's a sure sign of company coming

14 DAYS UNTIL SPRING !

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your Heart

Psalm 37:4

May there be a miracle in YOUR life today and may you have the EYES to SEE it!

I Love You All !!!

Be Blessed !!!

MA

MY HOMEPAGE

I believe we should live ‘ON THE BRIGHT SIDE’

www.bigmarainey.com

 MY JOURNALS

http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/GoodMorningSunshine/

http://onyama.blogspot.com/

 To see archived ‘On the Bright Side’ Newsletters click on the link below: http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/ONTHEBRIGHTSIDE/

BRIGHT SIDE LOGO BY SON #6

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FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5th, 2008

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

MARCH 5TH, 2008

 

 

TODAY'S THOUGHT

People grow old by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up wrinkles the soul.

Douglas MacArthur

 

TODAY’S ACTION

Don't waste energy in the wrong areas on the wrong things

 

TODAY’S QUOTE

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.

Abraham Lincoln

 

HAPPY WEDNESDAY !!

OVER THE HUMP DAY!

We had some crazy winter storm here in Ohio yesterday and through the night. It rained, sleeted and snowed; we even had thunder and lightning! Everything got a coating of ice. Today we are supposed to get more snow and it will be bitterly cold too.

I hope it warms up a little soon as Easter is so very early this year and our Family Feast is the weekend before Easter. We may be having snowball hunt instead of an Easter Egg hunt.

Take good care all ! Have a great day all !

Another wonderful one on the Way !

TODAY’S PRAYERS

 Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

 God Bless You !

 

25 WORDS

God, I thank You for today, for the ways You will bless me, and for the ways that I will serve others in Your name

 

TO REMEMBER…

I am in the hands of God, and in God’s time all things will be made well.

 

TODAY IS…BRIDGE PLAYERS DAY

And just who started all of that bidding? Probably the English! They had a game called Trump back in the 1500s. This turned into Whist and became popular with the upper-class in the middle 1700s. Whist went through many changes, but ended up being the contract bridge game played today.

 

TODAY’S TRIVIA

Today is National Cheese Doodle Day

Today is Learn What Your Name Means Day

1872 - George Westinghouse of “You can be sure if it’s Westinghouse” fame patented the air brake on this day. They were, and remain, especially important to trains, big trucks, buses and amusement park rides

1912: The Oreo cookie was born at the National Biscuit Company in New York. Since then, somebody has eaten over 62 billion of them. That’s enough to stack and reach the moon and back five times

1960: Sergeant Elvis Presley was discharged honorably from the U.S. Army

1996: Township Trustees in Milan, Ohio, agreed to pay the electric bill at the Thomas Edison Museum, so the power company wouldn’t have to turn off the lights at the birthplace of the man who invented the light bulb

TODAY’S SMILE

from one of my jornal friends:

 "By gum, it's a lazy wind today" which was supposed to describe the freezing cold gale force wind we've had this last 2 days. "How so," I asked. "Well," he said, "It goes straight through you instead of going round.".

 

A Little Story for you ….

Many years ago in a small Russian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the village money lender. The money lender, who was old and horrible, fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter.

So he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. The cunning money lender suggested that they decide the matter this way:

He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.

1. If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven.

2. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven.

 3. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.

Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the farmer's field, the money lender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag.

He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. Now, imagine that you were standing in the field that day. What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her?

Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.

2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money lender as a cheat. But he will not forgive the loan.

3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her Father from his debt and imprisonment. Take a moment to ponder over this story.

The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chose any of the logical choices. What would you recommend the girl do? Do not look at the answer yet, give your advice after a few minutes of your own lateral thinking................

Well, here is what she did.

She put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.

"Oh how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked."

Since the remaining pebble was black, they had to assume that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.

And here is the last one for today…

Although we modern persons tend to take our electric lights, radios, mixers, etc., for granted, hundreds of years ago people did not have any of these things, which is just as well because there was no place to plug them in.

Then along came the first Electrical Pioneer, Benjamin Franklin, who flew a kite in a lightning storm and received a serious electrical shock. This proved that lightning was powered by the same force as carpets, but it also damaged Franklin's brain so severely that he started speaking only in incomprehensible maxims, such as "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Eventually he had to be given a job running the post office.

Dave Barry, "What Is Electricity?"

 

TODAY’S WORD

probity \PRO-buh-tee\, noun:

Complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness

Probity is from Latin probitas, from probus, good, upright, virtuous

 

TODAY’S REFLECTION

Everything God Created is Good

Sun and Moon

Psalm 104:19-20a

You made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows the hour of its setting. Your bring darkness, and it is night. The brilliance of the sun illumines the day, enablling us to work and recreate in its pleasant light.

The reflective light of the moon providentially mitigates the darkness of night for our convenience and enjoyment. Knowing our human needs, God arranged that the rhythm of day and night for man's work and rest. "The city had no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the lamb." (Rev 21:23)

Rejoice in Me

 by Msgr. David E. Rosage

 

TODAY’S ADVICE FROM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

Gratitude is the memory of the heart.

15 DAYS UNTIL SPRING !

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your Heart

Psalm 37:4

May there be a miracle in YOUR life today and may you have the EYES to SEE it!

I Love You All !!!

Be Blessed !!!

 MA

MY HOMEPAGE

I believe we should live ‘ON THE BRIGHT SIDE’

www.bigmarainey.com

MY JOURNALS

http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/GoodMorningSunshine/

http://onyama.blogspot.com/

To see archived ‘On the Bright Side’ Newsletters click on the link below: http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/ONTHEBRIGHTSIDE/

BRIGHT SIDE LOGO BY SON #6

http://www.littlerainey.com/index.html

 

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FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 4th, 2008

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

MARCH 4TH, 2008

 

 

TODAY'S THOUGHT

A friend knows the song of my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.

Anonymous

 

TODAY’S ACTION

Keep company with people who inspire you

 

TODAY’S QUOTE

Deep down, we know that what matters in this life is much more than winning for ourselves. What really matters is helping others win, too, even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then.

By Fred Rogers, TV's Mr. Rogers

 

HAPPY TUESDAY !!

Today is primary elections in Ohio so I’ll be voting after work. It’s important to get out there and place your vote. This is just the primary election to see who will run for the President of the US, but that is important too.

A ‘wintry mix’ is in our forecast for today so if you are driving in it, please take good care. I was also reminded that deer are on the move with spring coming, so we’ll have to watch out for them on the roads too.

Don’t forget that this Saturday night you have to SPRING FORWARD and set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed as daylight savings time begins Sunday.

This is the 2nd warning !

For my friends and relatives down south and out west I hope you are enjoying your Spring weather…Ohio still has winter for sure!

Have a great day all ! Another wonderful one on the Way !

 

TODAY’S PRAYERS

I’m praying today for two prayer requests:

A friends nephew. He came home from college for spring break and he was admitted to the hospital for a severe case of mono. Seems he's had it for about a week and is running a high temp along with dehydration and some other complications. Any prayers would be greatly appreciated. May the dear Lord bless him with a speedy recovery. We know it’s very hard on those college students if they have to miss classes.

A resolve to the basement flooding that has DD and her hubby in a quandary.

 

Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

 

25 WORDS

God, I thank You for today, for the ways You will bless me, and for the ways that I will serve others in Your name

 

TO REMEMBER…

I am in the hands of God, and in God’s time all things will be made well.

 

TODAY IS…OLD ROCK DAY

Fossils are something like Mother Nature's diary... they tell us secrets about the plants and animals that lived long ago. The word "fossil" comes from the Latin word fossilis (which means "dug up"). Most of them are dug up by paleontologists, but you just might find one in your own backyard

 

TODAY’S TRIVIA

Today is Old Inauguration Day. The first U.S. president, George Washington, was inaugurated on March 4, 1789. Until the Twentieth Amendment, ratified in 1933, changed the date of the Presidential Inauguration to January 20th, every American president was inaugurated on this date

Today is March Forth, Do Something Day. Stop procrastinating.

Today is National Poundcake Day

Today is Vermont Admission Day. Vermont became the 14th U.S. state on this date in 1791 The hermit thrush stands alone as the state bird; and the red clover is the colorful state flower which attracts the state insect, the honeybee. The Morgan horse is the state animal, and the state tree ... you guessed it ... is the one that makes all that famous Vermont maple syrup, the sugar maple tree.

Today is Hug a G.I. Day, honoring all the men and women who serve in the military (who "march forth")

1793: At the inauguration for his second term, President George Washington delivered the briefest inaugural address ever — 133 words.

1837: The state of Illinois granted a city charter to Chicago

1924: The song "Happy Birthday to You" was published

1950: Walt Disney introduced the movie, "Cinderella." In the movie she wore glass slippers. In the original story, she wore fur slippers.

TODAY’S SMILE

The story is told of a farmer who was known for his generous giving, and whose friends could not understand how he could give so much and yet remain so prosperous.

One day a friend said: "We can't understand it. You give far more than any of the rest of us, and yet you always seem to have more to give."

"That's easy to explain," the farmer said. "I keep shoveling into God's bin, and God keeps shoveling back into mine, and God has the bigger shovel.

One more…

Pet Owner : Every time a bell rings my dog goes and sits in the corner.

Veterinarian: That's perfectly normal; he's a boxer.

 

TODAY’S WORD

recherche \ruh-sher-SHAY\, adjective:

1. Uncommon; exotic; rare.

 2. Exquisite; choice.

3. Excessively refined; affected.

4. Pretentious; overblown.

 

TODAY’S LINK

HE WILL BE

http://www.andiesisle.com/He-Will-Be.html

 

TODAY’S REFLECTION

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

As a child when I visited my uncle and aunt on their farm, I found that they arose while it was still very dark. At breakfast, before going out into the fields, my uncle always prayed, thanking the Lord for the beautiful day. Of course it was much too dark for us to see the kind of day that was dawning.

One morning I said to my uncle, "Yesterday you thanked the Lord for a beautiful day, and it rained all day." "Yep," he said, "and what a beautiful rain it was!"

Now I realize that my uncle’s prayer was the kind that the Lord cherishes most—thanks for what we don’t even know awaits us

By Fay Field

http://www.ourprayer.org

TODAY’S ADVICE FROM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

 Well begun is half done

 16 DAYS UNTIL SPRING !

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your Heart

Psalm 37:4

May there be a miracle in YOUR life today and may you have the EYES to SEE it!

I Love You All !!!

Be Blessed !!!

MA

MY HOMEPAGE

I believe we should live ‘ON THE BRIGHT SIDE’ www.bigmarainey.com

MY JOURNALS

http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/GoodMorningSunshine/

http://onyama.blogspot.com/

To see archived ‘On the Bright Side’ Newsletters click on the link below:

http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/ONTHEBRIGHTSIDE/

BRIGHT SIDE LOGO BY SON #6

http://www.littlerainey.com/index.html

 

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FOR MONDAY, MARCH 3rd, 2008

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

MARCH 3RD, 2008

 

 

TODAY'S THOUGHT

God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer. Mother Teresa

 

TODAY’S ACTION

Let go of your anger and frustration. Trust that things will be fine

 

TODAY’S QUOTE

Do not start today, with the broken pieces of Yesterday

 

HAPPY MONDAY !!

BACK TO WORK !

I hope you all had a great weekend and are ready for another week. I did have a good one. Saturday I went out with DD and her hubby and got the title to the camper I bought from them transferred then we went to lunch and DD and I also went to the Southside mall to see what bargains we could find as they have huge discounts on everything since they are going out of business.

Sunday was church and a quiet day here at home. I did a little bit of everything and not much of nothing… but I guess it is looking better than it did around here.

The sun came out and after I got home from church I sat on the back porch steps and just soaked up some sun. I didn’t stay out long, but it sure felt good. We got up to 43 degrees which is a heat wave compared to some of the days we’ve had lately.

Have a great day all ! Another wonderful one on the Way !

 

TODAY’S PRAYERS

Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

 

25 WORDS

God, I thank You for today, for the ways You will bless me, and for the ways that I will serve others in Your name

 

TO REMEMBER…

I am in the hands of God, and in God’s time all things will be made well.

 

TODAY IS…OPEN WIDE DAY

George Washington's dentist invented the first "dental foot engine" in 1790. (He used his mother's foot-treadle spinning wheel to rotate the drill). Today, dental drills are turbine-powered and rotate about 300,000 revolutions per minute. This means less time in the dentist's chair - and aren't we glad!

 

TODAY’S TRIVIA

Today is I Want You to Be Happy Day, a day to be thoughtful to others

Today is the 10th annual Read Across America Day, celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday, sponsored by the National Education Association. The NEA encourages every American child to read a book today.

Today is Florida Admission Day. It became the 27th U.S. state on this day in 1845. The word ‘Florida’ comes from the Spanish ‘feast of flowers’. But we call it the Sunshine State. The capital of the Sunshine State is ... no, not Walt Disney World ... Tallahassee. The state flower is the fragrant orange blossom and the mockingbird is the state bird. The Florida state motto is: “In God we trust.”

National Cheerleading Week, National Procrastination Week, National School Breakfast Week, Newspaper in Education Week, and National Sleep Awareness Week all begin today.

 1931: "The Star-Spangled Banner" became the official national anthem of the United States. The song was written by Francis Scott Key

 

TODAY’S SMILE

 Leola, who lived in Tennessee, had a serious telephone problem. But unlike most people, she did something about it . . . . The brand-new $10 million Ribrock Plaza Motel opened near her house and had acquired almost the same telephone number as Leola's.

From the moment the motel opened, Leola was besieged by calls not for her. Since she had the same phone number for years, she felt that she had a case to persuade the motel management to change its number. Naturally, the management refused claiming that it could not change all its stationery, etc. The phone company was not helpful, either. A number was a number, and just because a customer was getting someone else's calls 24 hours a day didn't make it responsible. After her pleas fell on deaf ears, Leola decided to take matters into her own hands.

At 9 o'clock the phone rang. Someone from Memphis was calling the motel and asked for a room for the following Tuesday. Leola said, "No problem. How many nights?" A few hours later Dallas checked in. A secretary wanted a suite with two bedrooms for a week.

Emboldened, Leola said the Presidential Suite on the 10th floor was available for $600 a night. The secretary said that she would take it and asked if the hotel wanted a deposit. "No, that won't be necessary," Leola said. "We trust you."

The next day was a busy one for Leola. In the morning, she booked an electric appliance manufacturers convention for Memorial Day weekend, a college prom and a reunion of the 82nd Airborne veterans from World War II.

She turned on her answering machine during lunchtime so that she could watch Days Of Our Lives, but her biggest challenge came in the afternoon when a mother called to book the ballroom for her daughter's wedding in June.

Leola assured the woman that it would be no problem and asked if she would be providing the flowers or did she want the hotel to take care of it. The mother said that she would prefer the hotel to handle the floral arrangements.

Then the question of valet parking came up. Once again Leola was helpful. "There's no charge for valet parking, but we always recommend that the client tips the drivers."

Within a few months, the Ribrock Plaza Motel was a disaster area. People kept showing up for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and Sweet Sixteen parties and were all told there were no such events. Leola had her final revenge when she read in the local paper that the motel might go bankrupt.

Her phone rang, and an executive from Marriott said: "We're prepared to offer you $200,000 for your motel." Leola replies . . . . "We'll take it . . . . . . . . . . . but only if you change your phone number."

Author Unknown

 

TODAY’S WORD

garrulous \GAIR-uh-lus; GAIR-yuh-\, adjective:

1. Talking much, especially about commonplace or trivial things; talkative.

2. Wordy. Garrulous is from Latin garrulus, from garrire, "to chatter, to babble

 

TODAY’S REFLECTION

And going a little farther, Jesus threw himself on the ground and prayed, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want. Matthew 26:39 Whenever I have found myself in situations where I feel worried and unsettled, I end up saying to myself, at least initially, "What do I do?

What do I do to make this feeling go away? What do I do to make this right?" I know that I’m not alone in this sort of thought process; because I have heard a whole lot of people say the exact same thing.

What this sort of mindset reveals is a dependence on the self. In certain circles, this sort of a mentality is viewed in a positive light. However, when we look at our passage for today, Jesus displays a different sort of reliance.

In Jesus we have the example of someone who knows the trials that he is about to face, the pain and betrayal that are about to be unveiled. Instead of saying, "What do I do", Jesus says, "Not what I want but what You want".

In that prayer, Jesus was filled with the strength, courage, and security he needed to be able to face the excruciating hours that were about to befall him. His security was not found in himself, but in his Divine Father

It is in God that we are able to find the security that we long for. It is in God that we are able to receive the answers that we crave. It is in God that we are lifted up out of the situations that cause us to wonder if we will ever be okay again.

http://www.ourprayer.org

 

TODAY’S ADVICE FROM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

 Heavy bedclothes cause restlessness and weariness

17 DAYS UNTIL SPRING !

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your Heart

Psalm 37:4

May there be a miracle in YOUR life today and may you have the EYES to SEE it!

I Love You All !!!

Be Blessed !!!

MA

 

MY HOMEPAGE

I believe we should live ‘ON THE BRIGHT SIDE’

www.bigmarainey.com

MY JOURNALS http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/GoodMorningSunshine/

http://onyama.blogspot.com/

To see archived ‘On the Bright Side’ Newsletters click on the link below: http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/ONTHEBRIGHTSIDE/

BRIGHT SIDE LOGO BY SON #6

http://www.littlerainey.com/index.html

 

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