Why and How to Start A Blog of Your Own (Blogging for Fun, Profit, and Knowledge Sharing)

Just like many of you, at one point I wondered about starting a blog of my own. 

I wanted to start a new blog and be somewhat intentional about it.  I had questions and others have also shared their questions with me.

• Should I just start a blog of my own or just comment on other people's blogs?
• Should I just start by being a "guest blogger" on an existing blog?
• And, my biggest question: should I start separate blogs for various topics?

As for the first two questions, sure, you can do those things, but if you really want to be known for who you are and get yourself known, I encourage folks to start their own blog. You can still do the other things (commenting and guest posting), but having your own blog gives you lots of freedom to be yourself.

I discussed the last question (my "big" question) with someone I talked to regularly who was (and is) a prolific blogger: Sacha Chua - She encouraged me to start one blog and cover all the various topics I was interested in. If you view her blog, you can see that's how her's is structured. There are various topics listed that seem unrelated. She made the point to me that people can always pick the topics in your blog they want and ignore the rest. And, who knows, they might read about something that you're interested in that they had never considered and therefore open up new horizons for themselves.

So, I intentionally started this blog. I saw recently that I've had 33,000 hits on it. So, someone must be interested in the topics I share.

You can start a blog on Blogger.com (google) or  wordpress.com and it's free to get started.

 Start writing about what interests you. You can always start your first post with your new journey in blogging

Next time, I'll cover: What topics should I blog about?

In the meantime, please share your thoughts about starting a blog.

Father to the Fatherless

This will be my first Father's Day without my dad.

This morning, my ipad happened to open today's daily devotion by Max Lucado and there it was, Max was remembering his first Father's Day without his dad. 

It was just too much to be a coincidence (that I happened to see that this morning) because I don't usually look at his devotions. It was God's gift to me.

Odd

It was odd though that Max didn't use a scripture in the meditation. I never seen him not start with a scripture. I guess the subject was just so heavy.

Father to the Fatherless

The scripture that was brought to my mind was this:

Psalm 68:5  A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

My Dad Prepared me for This

Years ago, at a men's meeting at First United Church in Dover NJ, my dad told us how when his father died, he had to look to his father in heaven: God the father.  Now, here I am doing the same.  I have my Father God to look to for guidance and help.

So, if you're one of the many who are fatherless this Father's day, remember your Father God in Heaven, the father to the fatherless.

Handmade First Birthday Present for my Grandson

The finished project!  Three toy cars (or two cars and one truck) for Matthew's first birthday!

The other day was our grandson's first birthday and the party was today!

I've been working on these wooden cars as a surprise for him.

Here he is sitting on my lap today. He's playing with them at the party after having opened them.

He knew just what to do with them, roll them back and forth!

 I made three cars:

1. His Dad's 1988 Ford Mustang (limited edition "T-top" model) (Black on top, red on bottom)
2. His Uncle Blake's 2003 Ford Mach 1 Mustang (all Red)
3. His Uncle Jon's 1991 Toyota Land Cruiser (all white) (nicknamed "Holly The FJ" (FJ is the land cruiser model)

Here are the three cars (well, I guess Uncle Jon's is more of a truck) that I copied the toys from and the original wooden cut-outs I made of them.

Matthew's Dad's 1998 Ford Mustang

Uncle Blake's 2003 Ford Mach 1 Mustang

 

Uncle Jon's 1991 Toyota Land Cruiser "Holly" #hollytheFJ

Here's when I was cutting them out. The board costed only $2.04 at Home Depot (on the clearance cart). I used a jig saw to cut out the shapes (which I drew on them with pencil using free hand from looking at photos of the cars) - I cut the wheels with a hole saw (you can see it in the photo) and just sat them on the cars for this photo. You can see the wood with the holds cut out of it. The tires on the Land Cruiser were slightly bigger and set so the "truck' was higher off the ground than the Mustangs.

  

The cars with Wheels on them (I used some wooden dowels for axles). They are ready to be painted. At first I was thinking about drawing some windows on them after painting, but later decided it wouldn't add anything to the toys. Sometimes simple is better.

Black tires painted and part of 1988 Mustang (note the masking tape on the Mustang to keep the black to just to top of the body)

Painting the other bodies

Now the red with the top of the 1988 masked off so I didn't paint onto the black

I did write messages to Matthew on the bottom of them and dated them (with a permanent marker). It was a Happy Birthday message from Grandpop with love. I also wrote "Jesus Loves You!" And, I made sure to put who's cars they were copied from along with the make, model and year!

Funny related photo: While taking the main photo for this Blog Post (the one at the top), Toby (i.e. #TobyTheWonderDog who has his own blog) started playing with them! 

Here I am with #HollyTheFJ back in March when I visited my son

I had fun with this project. It was a fun surprise for everyone (especially his dad and uncles) and Matthew liked the cars. Now, hmmm, what should my next project be?

I am a Mirror; I am a Light

The Lord revealed to me a few days ago that I'm like a Mirror.

I know that we shouldn't base our self-worth on what others think of us; we should base our self-worth on what God thinks of us. (read John 3:16, John 15:13, John 10:10) So, others shouldn't base their self-worth on what we think of them either.

Even still, what do people see as a reflection of themselves when they "see" me?  Do I give a dull reflection, or do I give them a clear view of how God views them? Do I help them to see themselves truthfully?  Do I help them to see themselves as God sees them? Do I build them up?

God says that we believers are the light of the world (see Philippians 2:15 and Matthew 5:14-16). So, when others see me, I provide God's light to them. I light up their lives with God's love, peace, and grace (his unconditional love for them). I can't do that on my own, but God does that through me. So, I pray.

What I'm working on in 2014

The first three months on 2014 passed in a blink. I started to write this in April. Now, it's May and another month has passed.

I thought I would chronicle the items I'm working on this year.

I don't want to say these are goals, but they are things I'm working on:

1. Spiritual 
1. I've given up doubting for Lent
2. I'm working on being more thankful to the Lord for all things (here's a a helpful post that a friend recently shared - It applies to children, but also applies to me)
2. Physical
1. Recording my progress on the following:
2. Stretching my legs
3. Pushups and pop-ups so I can hopefully surf
4. Exercising regularly, hopefully daily
5. Eat more fruits and vegetables - buy more organic
6. Loosing weight for health (and my sister's wedding)
3.  Emotional
1. Giving up on the past and looking to the future
2. Thanking folks for things
4. Cognitive
1. Trying not to fix everything
5. Tasks
1. Get a little bit done each day
2. And, here's a big one I'm focusing on: Throwing something away every day (or recycling it)

 

Alergies

I had an interesting visit with the allergist today. I had been tested and have a sensitivity to tree pollen and grass pollen. I had no allergies to food and weeds (he said weeks usually occur in the fall). I had a bit of allergies to dust, none to mold. I'm also allergic to cats, but he said not much. I have no allergies to dogs (hooray Toby)! 

He answered some of my questions and gave me a few insights. I thought I'd share them here (and also so I can remember them).

Note: I'm only recording here what I remember which may not be accurate. Don't use this as any medical advice. Consult with your own doctor for your own situation.

1. Tree pollen peaks in New Jersey usually in May and lasts about 4 weeks. It's a very steep and high peak. Some years it's spread over more weeks so not quite so intense all at one (usually if there is a warm April). Usually after June 1st, the tree pollens go to zero.
2. Grass pollen has a more broad peak that is not as high. It also starts in May and hits it's height toward then end of May and continues a slow decline through June. It's usually fairly low in July and August and peaks again in September for a little while. Of course, if you have grass pollen allergies and spend time in the grass, it will be aggravated.
3. Are allergies hereditary?  They believe the propensity to become sensitive to allergens is hereditary. It's the exposure to the allergens that develops it. For Example: people with a propensity to latex allergies will develop the allergy if exposed to a lot of latex. Nurses usually get it about 3 years into nursing school if they have the propensity.
4. Why does it seem that I'm more sensitive some years than others: It may have to do with the temperatures and how the pollen season is spread out or more concentrated. It may also be according to how much time you spend outside.
5. Sometimes people get injections of allergens to reduce their sensitivity. The course is usually injections once a week for 6 months, then 6 months every other week. Sometimes it gradually wears off after a few years
6. Skin has layers. The top layer protects from allergens. The second layer is like the rest of your membranes (inside nose for example). When the top layer is compromised (like in the dry Fall and winter), then the allergens can get to the 2nd layer and exacerbate the allergy reaction.
7. Eczema comes in two ways: one is from environmental allergies, the other from chemical allergies. Chemical allergies are usually due to something touching the skin and so is somewhat random: according to what touched you somewhere. Environmental Allergies (allergies to dust and pollen for example) usually occurs in the same place and lasts for days or weeks. It is more common in the hands, and inner elbows and areas where the top layer of the skin gets rubbed off.
8. Prescription cortisone creams usually should be used for a few days (3 to 5 days) and don't help if only used 1 time. Also, if they are used for a prolonged period, they will thin the skin and cause wrinkles. So, since facial skin is thin, it's probably not best to use them there.
9. Dust Allergies: They found that every house they took samples, they found the same insect materials, it's just more prevalent in some houses than others
10. Antihistamines are only one type of allergic response, so an antihistamine may not work for all situations. Usually for skin itching, a cream is best (see above) rather than an antihistamine.
11. Colds can become extended by allergies. Allergies can be exacerbated by colds.
12. I mentioned that we already have covers for our mattress and pillow cases. He said the pillow case allergy cover is most important because that's where you put your head.
13. I asked why my eczema seems to be aggravated by certain dogs when I was shown to have no dog allergies. He said it may be something else on the dog, like dust or something else which I am allergic to. Dogs go outside, so I'm thinking maybe they can collect allergens too.
14. My allergies are mild to medium, so allergy shots are not really mandatory

How to Make Social Business Contagious; How to Infect Your Team For a Viral Productivity Boost

I'm sharing a poster at the IBM Technical Leadership Exchange (TLE) in Palisades New York on Thursday April 17, 2014.

The topic I'm sharing is "Making Social Business Contagious; How to Infect Your Team For a Viral Productivity Boost"

I'm going to be pointing interested IBMers to this link for more information.

If you're reading this and you are attending the TLE, please stop by and say hello. I'm also going to be asking folks who stop by to "Ask me how to win 100 Grand"

The Main Points in my Presentation are:

1. Social Business is about tools to get work done
2. Using Social Is a Paradigm Shift
3. Change is Primarily about People
4. People will Use what helps them
5. People will Share what they like

see more information about social business below

Please spread the word right now in one of the following ways:

• Twitter:  @henrywill tweet a message mentioning me with the tag #viralSocialBiz and include the link to this post https://ibm.biz/BdR86q
• Instagram: henryw4 Post a photo and mention me henryw4 with tag #viralSocialBiz and include a link to this post https://ibm.biz/BdR86q
• Linkedin: henrywill4 send me a message with tag #viralSocialBiz and include a link to this post https://ibm.biz/BdR86q

Here's where you can find more information about Social Business and IBM:

• Go Social. Stay Safe. Be Smart.  http://www.ibm.com/securesocialsmart
• IBM Social Business http://www.ibm.com/social-business/us/en/

And, for more information on IBM Social Business and "Connections", IBM's Social Business Tool:

• IBM Social Business Blog: http://ibm.com/blogs/socialbusiness
•  IBM Connections: IDC ranked IBM number one in worldwide market share for enterprise social software for the third consecutive year. http://www-03.ibm.com/software/products/en/conn
• Compare IBM Collaboration Software: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/collaboration/why-ibm/

And if you are an IBMer, find more information here: https://ibm.biz/BdR86Y

Help me to make this viral by using the suggestions above to spread the word right now!

You can save 15% in 15 minutes by looking twice at your Medical Bills

Well, maybe not 15%, but you can save a lot. Sometimes even more than 15%!

With our piles of paperwork we are doing lately, we have found that we shouldn't pay a medical bill right away until we thoroughly check into it. 

We've found that they will often send a bill expecting you to pay when sometimes they've already collected the money from insurance. We wonder how many people pay these bills without questioning them.

You might say "Well, if you paid and they received the payment from insurance, they would refund you the overpayment."  Ah, don't be so sure. Just in the past few days we found two bills where if we paid them, we probably wouldn't have ever received a refund.

So, check your bills folks. Think twice. Call them and question the charges. Check with your insurance company.

 ==================== ======== ===== ======== =======
Optional Details:
Note: for those who want some real life stories and more details, here are two recent cases we had:

1. We had a bill with two charges. One charge went through insurance and the other had not been sent by them to insurance. The bill expected us to pay the second charge in full. On first glance, it looked like the first charge was covered, but the second was not. Before paying, I called them. They looked at it and realized they hadn't put the second charge through insurance. If we would have paid, they would have probably just saw a zero balance and would never have submitted the second charge to insurance.

2. We had a bill where we realized that we had received an Explanation Of Benefits (EOB) from the insurance company that matched the amount on the bill.  When I called the medical billing company, they said they had no record of being paid by insurance. Probably, if we hadn't called them, they would never have realized they were already reimbursed and continued to bill us the amount.

So, you can see, in both cases, if we would not have questioned the bill, we probably would never have received a refund.

So, question those medical bills folks. Save some money!

Is it backup time again?

What if your hard drive on your computer crashed right now?

What if all the data was wiped out?

Would you be able to restore the files from your latest backup?

The first round of questioning is: how often have you done backups? When was your last backup?

The second round of questioning is: If you've done a backup, is it any good? Is it usable?

Time out for a story:

Years ago, back in the days of my developing video games on the Apple IIe computer, I had 3 backups: "Son, Father, and Grandfather" as we knew them: 3 generations of backups that we would cycle through.

My machine crashed and destroyed my work.

I went to the "son" backup, the most recent. The backup was not readable! Panic set in!

I went to the "Father" backup, the 2nd most recent backup. This one also was unreadable! Panic raised!

I only had one more backup: the "Grandfather" - with some help, we put it into a "good" machine and found out it was readable. We put the "father" in this "good" machine and found it unreadable, same story with the "son." It was then that we realized that the crashed machine was causing the backup media to be reformatted when we were trying to restore!  What a mess!

I was then able to use the "grandfather" backup on a good machine and move it over to a new copy of the work. I had lost the work of several days, but it was better than loosing everything!

The "moral of the story" is that we need to test our backups regularly (and be careful about the machine we restore them to).

Please comment with your stories and tips on backup and restore solutions. Also, please click "like" if you liked this article.

Drums for Sale! Drums for Sale!

Drums for sale!

1. If you've heard me play my wooden cajon, I know someone selling one - contact me if you are interested.

2. I'm also selling a few parts still left from my drum kit:

1. Sabian 20" Ride Cymbal (see photo above)
2. Rototoms with mounting bar (no stand) 8" and 10" Great working condition
3. Three (3) Chrome boom Cymbal stands - double braced - great quality
4. Wuhan 10" Splash cymbal
5. Wuhan 8" splash cymbal
6. Remo O's - Drum Rings
7. Cymbal silencers/mufflers (used to quiet while practicing)
8. LP Double Sambago Bell
9. Clamp for Double Sambago Bell
10. Remo 14" drum head

Make an offer! If you don't have a contact for me, use the contact email on my website henrywill4.com or comment below.

The benefits of snow

I had lots of time lately to think while moving lots of snow around. I started to think of the benefits of snow:

It looks wonderful

It reminds me of the bible passage that says our sins will be made as white as snow

It gives us good exercise

We can help our neighbors

We see more of our neighbors outside

Sometimes the children get off from school and sometimes they help their exhausted parents and neighbors with shoveling

Some people get off from work. For those who work at home, they do still need to work, but it's a good time to thank God that you have a job.

It helps us appreciate warm weather all the more.

What do you like about snow? What are it's benefits?

 See more photos on our dog Toby's post:

http://tobystails.blogspot.com/2014/02/snow-and-ice-not-too-nice.html

Bring Potato Chips

Someone shared this story with me by email just recently. Then, in the Sunday School class I teach, we read this verse which I thought goes well with is:

Matthew 5:16 (NIV) In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.


Bring Potato Chips

 

Take 60 seconds to read this story. It will give you time to settle your brain, gather your thoughts, calm down, and finish your week off on a positive note.

 

                        
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a big bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer, and started his journey.

 

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer, when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him some chips. The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.

 

His smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

 

As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. He gave him his biggest smile ever..

 

When the boy opened the door to his house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? He's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

 

Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, "Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

 

He replied "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

 

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!

My Father's passing

Thank you to all of you who offered prayers for our family and sent us words of consolation on the recent passing of my father on January 9, 2014.

It was a rough road with many decisions to be made. Dad was well taken care of in the hospital and hospice. He was comfortable.

My brother said it well in the funeral service which we had in the same church where mom and dad were married. My brother's remarks drew a wonderful parallel analogy. He told me these were not from him, but that they came to him in a dream. He related how my dad was well known for helping so many people by getting things for them and fixing things for them. But, as my brother related, my dad often would get frustrated at things while working on them. He would yell at them and talk to them in frustration. So, it wasn't that he enjoyed the actual work, but he did it in order to help people and have a relationship with them. He was a people person.  The analogy that my brother related was from my dad to God. My brother related that God also didn't necessarily enjoy being crucified for us, to save us from our sins (when we wander from him), but Jesus Christ made the sacrifice because he wanted a relationship with us. He cares for you. Consider allowing him to come into your life.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Scripture Verses for the New Year

Last night, Ruth and I were part of a team that restarted a New Year's Fellowship Gathering in our church. Apparently, years ago, it was done every year.

We shared refreshments, had some  "Minute to Win It" type  games, Wii, board games (mostly travel scrabble, sequence, and Uno), and dodgeball. We also shared in a nice time of worship for 30 minutes up until midnight. We shared some songs, testimonies, prayer, and scripture.

Here are a few scriptures that are noteworthy for a new year.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22, 23 ESV)

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19 ESV)

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21 ESV)

assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:21-24 ESV)

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. (Revelation 21:5, 6 ESV)

Here are a few other lists of scripture:

http://lynndove.com/2013/01/01/25-encouraging-scripture-verses-for-the-new-year/

http://christianity.about.com/od/holidaytips/qt/newyearbiblever.htm

http://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/new-year's-bible-verses/

Do you have any verses you like to meditate on in the new year? Please comment!

Ukulele (Uke) Music Books

Here's a Christmas Gift to you!
I'm starting a list here in this post and will keep editing it with links to Ukulele Music Books.
There are many available online.

I'll start with a few and you can return to this post later as I add more.
You might also like my Original Post on Ukulele Resources or my later post on Ukulele Worship Music

• Ukulele Book of Christmas Music - 28 pages
• Tonya's Beginners Ukulele Songbook - (a few other files she has)
• "So, You Just Got Your First Ukulele" This is a book for beginners, but doesn't really have songs in it

Songbooks that have separate pages to download for each song

• Caposastomusic - sheet music with notes and chords for Uke (also guitar and other instruments)  
• Bytown Ukulele Songbook - a whole long list of songbooks to download, each book having lots of songs
• Ukulele Boogaloo songbooks (and their Christmas Songs)
• San Jose Songbooks

I'll add more here later

Bible Verses When Teaching Children About Caring For Others

Bible Verses When Teaching Children About Caring For Others

Tomorrow, the Sunday School class that I teach is going to be packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  Other classes have decided that they are also going to join in on the fun!

I wanted to have our class read some Bible verses for the other children. Our class is made up of Third and Fourth grade students, so they are about 8 to 10 years old.  All the other classes that will be participating are younger children. So, I though it would be good to have our children set an example for the younger children and read some Bible verses to them about helping others.

I found two places on the internet (see the first and second ones) with ideas for Bible verses about helping others.  Here are the ones I chose for tomorrow.

1 John 3:17- But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Philippians 2:4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

John 15:12-13 - "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Matthew 25:35-40 - Words of Jesus Christ
'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

Matthew 5:13-16 - More words from Jesus
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. "Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Hebrews 13:16 - And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.

Acts 20:35-36 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

Romans 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Romans 15:1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

I thought I'd post them here so I can use them again next year and because others may want to use them. Do you have any suggestions of verses to add? 

Grandma's Swedish Pancakes for Breakfast

Weekends were usually the days we would make special breakfasts for our family. Ruth and I still do this. One favorite has been Grandma's Swedish Pancakes!

Once, Ruth's mom was making them and I asked for the recipe. She replied that it was easy: 1 egg, 1 cup of milk, and 1 cup of flour. Mix it up, put some in a pan and then roll the pan around to make it real thin. Non-stick pans work best.

Once they're done on one side (the top gets dry), flip it over to cook the other side. Because they're so thin, this goes quick.

When it's done, put it flat on a plate and put a little bit of jelly on it. Roll it up and you're done! Well, except you now need to eat them!

Depending on the size of your pan, this might make about a half-dozen pancakes. It's easy to double or triple the recipe because it's easy to remember: 1-1-1!

Let us know about your favorite recipes!

If you try this, let us know!

Airline reservation tools

Here are some helpful websites for making airline reservations

• Yapta - This website will track falling or rising prices on flights. This works well for JetBlue because if you make a reservation and then they have a sale, this will alert you and then you can call JetBlue to get a credit!
• Cheapoair - provides alternate dates for flying
• Kayak -
• Hotwire - shows you what you might save using alternate airports or alternate days

Market Comparisons/Buy or Wait

Before you buy a ticket, check out these sites to see average fares, price history, and if prices are rising or falling. Again, check these sites out before you start looking into airfares to get an idea of what you should expect to pay.

Farewatch (Shows average fares)
Kayak (after searching click on ‘show chart of fare history’ in left hand corner)
Farecast (for tickets in the next 30 days shows if prices are rising/falling)
Aggregators

The best search engines for searching for airline tickets. You don’t book through them, rather they redirect you to the airline’s homepage. (This is what makes them different from online travel agencies.)

Kayak or Sidestep (same company now)
TripAdvisor
Farecast
FareCompare

Toby Attempts to Talk Like a Pirate

Yesterday Sept 19,2013 was international talk like a pirate day (talklikeapirate.com). Toby took a try, but doesn't sound like a pirate! Better luck next year! Arrrr!
See his post here: Toby Attempts to Talk Like a Pirate

How to Save Money on Gasoline

Here's how we save a little bit of money on gasoline.

1. Driver Rewards

BP has a Driver Rewards card. It's not a credit card and free to join. Whenever you buy 20 gallons (and a minimum of two visits) you get a reward of 5 cents per gallon off your next visit (up to 20 gallons). 

Note: for our family and friends living in NJ we have had pump attendants answer "no" when the screen on the pump asks if we want the reward. You have to tell them if you want them to answer yes or no.

I believe Shell also has a Rewards Card.

2. Credit card rewards

Several of our credit cards will periodically give 5% back on gasoline purchases, so we keep track of which card has the reward. For several if these cards you have to sign-up online and the reward usually goes for a few months. Even though prices for paying with cash are less at some stations, the 5% back on the credit price is often less per gallon. Do your math!

3. Cash back credit cards

Some credit cards will give you 5% ( or other percentages) on gasoline purchases all the time. We keep track of which cards have these too!

4. Driving methods 

Of course, using cars as little as possible, combining errands, working from home when possible, and driving habits (e.g. Not always starting out like you're in a drag race) help too!

What ways do you save on gasoline?