When we remodeled our kitchen I didn't realize what a bonus choosing granite for our countertops would be. We had formica and there were lots of options to choose from.

The owner of the cabinet store where we bought our cabinets from asked what type of countertop we were going to get. I told him what we were considering (maybe silestone, maybe granite.) We weren't 100% sure yet.

He gave me some tips that made our decision easy. He told me he had granite in his kitchen and loved it. Then he told me why. If he was taking a hot pot off the stove and needed somewhere to put it quick, he put it on his granite counter top and it didn't even damage it - not one bit.

Then, he told me this kitchen trick you can do with granite countertops. The granite countertops act as a natural defroster. You can put frozen meat in the package on them and it will defrost them. He told me that and I was sold. (He didn't even sell counter tops.) You know what?!? It works!! My granite countertops defrosted many things - chicken, turkey burgers, ground beef, hot dogs, etc. Depending on the size of the meat, it can take up to 20 minutes to thaw. It's amazing.

We have since moved from that house and have corian countertops now. You know what? I miss my granite. Not to sound snobby here but...corian doesn't defrost. I remember the first time I put some frozen meat on the corian countertops. Twenty minutes later I checked on the meat and it was still hard as a rock. Ugh...what a disappointment. 

So if you are deciding between granite, corian, silestone, or formica I would encourage you to invest in granite. It's solid, it looks good, and it does double duty. Don't we all like double duty helpers in a kitchen?? 

#graniteforsure #coriannothanks #countertops #kitchentip #kitchentrick #decisions #defrost #helpers #easy #angels

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, "How could you have let this happen? The first man was rude and had everything, yet you helped him," she accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything and now you let heir cow die."

Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall because he didn't need it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave her the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."

Hmm...something to think about.

#thanksforreading #somethingtothinkabout #twoangels #story #angelstory #notwhattheyseem #traveling #mansion #poor #hospitable

Yay, it's Friday!! Here are a few stories to tickle your funny bone. Who knows, maybe you can share them at the dinner table tonight.

These stories come from an old book I bought at a church rummage sale. It's Art Linkletter's, "oops! or, life's awful moments".

~ A New Mexico woman told me this one: 'I have a great big old boxer dog that I've had many years, and she's a regular pest sometimes. One day she was unusually persistent in wanting me to let her in and out. I let her out cone more, and got into the bathtub. I had just gotten good and soapy when I heard her again. I threw a towel around me and yanked open the door yelling, 'Come in, you damned old fool!' I nearly fainted when I saw it was my minister smiling at me!'

~ A housewife put some dog food on a plate in the refrigerator. When her husband came home, he made a sandwich with it. What hurt was his reaction: "Honey, this is the finest meat loaf you've ever made."

~ A woman in Des Moines, Iowa, told me this one about window-shopping with her husband. "We saw a lovely bedroom set," she says, "so I said, How would you like to snuggle up in that lovely bed?" My husband said nothing, so I looked around. The man I was talking to was a stranger."

Those are funny right there! Hope you got a few laughs in reading them. 

#funnyfriday #yay! #tickle #artlinkletter #book #lifesmoments #oops #angel #angelwatchingoverme

Did you know that something innocent you have done has probably left you vulnerable to someone finding out your passwords? We lock the doors to our houses at night but we leave the key in the virtual cyber doors when we do this one thing.  

If you have a Facebook account then you've more than likely been alerted when someone has a birthday. It is easy to find out their date of birth and if they are really social, you can also find out when their munchkins dates of birth are too. One of the most commonly used passwords is your personal birth date or the birth date of someone you hold dear (i.e. kids) and anniversary dates. 

Reader beware! Your birthday greetings may be giving away more than just your age. You can have your birthday settings "private" on any social media outlet and I strongly recommend this. Another thing you can do to protect yourself is when you post those cute birthday photos, post them a week later, two weeks later, etc. Hopefully you get the picture (pun intended!) I know it might be hard to resist pressing the "post" button as it happens. But think of the smile it will put on your face to relive those moments weeks after it occurred. 

So next time you innocently volunteer your birth date and the birth dates of those you love, make sure those numbers are not one of your passwords.

#lockthedoor #keys #passwords #birthdays #anniversaries #greetings #kids #pictures #books #angels #besafe #besound #whereisyourangel

Some people ask us when we are out, "Which book should I get?" Sometimes they will thumb through the books and decide for themselves. Other times they give us more information about who they are purchasing the book for and we give them a little background on each book's premise. Then they decide.

This past year we had a lot of people buy the 2-book set because it was a good deal and they wanted the whole series. Some people even purchased the "Angel Watching Over Me" books for their adult friends or family members who were going through life-threatening illnesses. That was a special honor to be considered as a comfort in their time of need.

When you ask "Which one?" we suggest you think about who you are buying for. If it is a child or adult going through an illness we would suggest the "Angel Watching Over Me" book. Identity issues, low self-esteem? "Angel Watching Over Me" for sure.  Looking for angel stories or a more religious take on angels? We suggest the first book.

Looking for something more playful and mainstream? "Where Is Your Angel?" is your go to. We get more laughs out of this book when we read it in the community than the other book. The first book is more endearing, the second and name sake book is more playful.

Hopefully that answers your question about "Which one?" Still indecisive or  don't want to miss out on anything? The 2-book set was made for you! Happy angel reading no matter which one you choose!

#angelbooks #kidsbooks #whichone #2bookset #whereisyourangel #angelwatchingoverme #comfort #mainstream #angel #endearing

On Friday you read about my lost keys episode. Now I want to tell you about another lost keys incident. No it didn't happen to me this time. It was someone else and the ending is noteworthy.

A few weeks after my lost keys episode happened, my lovely assistant was at Beall's shopping with her husband. They checked out and went to get into their car. Her keys were missing! Lost. Gone. Now you have to know my assistant. Every "i" is dotted, every "t" is crossed. She is meticulous. So for her to lose her keys is almost as unlikely as me winning an Oscar.

They went back into Beall's, retraced their steps, and talked to the employees. No keys were turned in. Nothing found. She gave her number in case they did get turned in or found. 

A day or two had gone by and there was no call from the store. She thought for sure her keys were gone for good. Then she received a voice mail late at night from "Terry" at the store saying her keys were there. Elated she went to the store the next day.

At the store no one knew about any keys that had been found and they said no one named "Terry" worked there. They asked her if she was certain that it was their store that called her. She confirmed the store number from her caller ID. A bit frustrated she waited while they continued their search for her keys.

While at the customer service counter, she looked down and just so happened to see her keys. There they were!! (Cue the "Chariots of Fire" theme song.)

Now, my suspicions presume that an angel called her and found those keys. The clerks there knew nothing of found keys. There was no note left by any employee. And they said no one by that name worked there. Plus the clerks didn't even see the keys on the counter when she spotted them with a keen eye. I could be wrong but this looks like a "Godwink" to me. What do you think?

#foundkeys #greatstory #noteworthy #clerk #bealls #angels #call #missing #godwink #suspicions #books #whereisyourangel #angelwatchingoverme

Have you ever lost your keys or maybe someone else's keys? Did it send you into a panic? Were you stuck at home or somewhere else?

Last month I lost my keys at an out of town Christmas Market where we were a vendor. Fortunately we had already unloaded all our products and we were set up. I looked for the keys in my purse, pockets, under the table, retraced my steps. Maybe the keys were on the ground near the van? Nothing. Could not find them anywhere. It was as if they had disappeared.

I went outside walked back to my van looking for the keys in the bushes, along the curb, went inside the fitness center and asked if they were turned in. Nothing. Walking back to the venue I heard God say to me, "Don't worry. I know where your keys are." I thanked God that He knew where they were and that He would tell me where they were when I needed to know. Then I went back inside.

My lovely assistant (whom I adore) asked if I found the keys. "Nope." I answered calmly and matter-of-factly. Then I told her what God told me. The look on her face was priceless. It was probably a similar look to yours when you read the previous paragraph. Part quizzical, part unbelief, part ok. You see she rode over with me so she was "stuck" there too. 

The event ended and still no sign of my keys. We did another look around and asked to see if any keys were turned in. Nothing. I always carry a spare car key in my wallet so we ended up using that to load up and leave. The entire time I truly had peace and wasn't worried about the lost keys.

I dropped her off and before leaving her house decided to empty my purse of its contents. Lo and behold, there on the bottom of my purse sat my keys. I had looked there before but didn't see them. It was a wonderful find! I said to her, "See, God told me He knew where they were." (smile!)

But wait. The story doesn't end here. There's more! On Monday you will read Part II. It's pretty awesome.

​So the next time you lose your keys don't lose your mind too. God sees where they are. Doesn't that make you feel better?

#lostkeys #Godknows #found #lostandfound #market #holiday #better #retrace #angels #books #whereisyourangel #whereareyourkeys 

One of the reasons we created the Where Is Your Angel?™ series of books with the plush watchman angel is to calm and comfort children. One of the reasons we offer this blog is to give you resources to help you parent and live better lives.

Recently I was doing some research online on children and anxiety. The website had a child anxiety quiz. Here it is in case you are interested: www.turnaroundanxiety.com/checklist-for-child-anxiety

If your child is experiencing anxiety for any reason big or small let me encourage you to purchase one (or both) of our books and bring some calm into your home. The delightful part is you will find out the fun the angel will bring too!

#anxious #anxiety #angels #books #quiz #kids #calm

Last night I pulled up my blog post from 9.10.18 to remember how to make the one and pretty much done Mexican casserole. I didn't have all the same ingredients but there were enough to make a similar, vegetarian, and better for you version of it.

We all had seconds so that should tell you how well it went over! Two even asked for thirds until they found out they could have dessert. (I am still trying to pawn off all the Christmas goodies that didn't get put in the freezer!) Personally, I prefer the casserole from 9.10.18 but would definitely make the vegetarian version again.

Divine Vegetarian Mexican Casserole 

1 can Chicken Cheese Enchilada Flavor soup (ok, so yes, it says "chicken" but the amount of chicken in the can is so minimal I am still calling this a vegetarian dish)
4 100% Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas (each tortilla is 7 1/2” big)
1 bag frozen corn
2 cans black beans (drained)
2 T. garlic
1 T. cumin
2 cups cheddar cheese (I like sharp or extra sharp cheddar. Use pepper jack instead if you want it to have a lil kick.)
Cooked brown rice.

Sprayed the bottom of a 9x11 or 9x13 glass casserole dish.  
Covered it with the wheat tortillas. (The tortillas will overlap and will not cover the corners unless you cut them.)
Pour both cans of drained black beans over tortillas. Distribute evenly.
Sprinkle the beans with garlic powder and cumin. (I'm heavy handed on the garlic so I put about 2-3 T. of garlic powder on them. You can add more cumin if you prefer too.) 
Put another layer of tortillas on top of the beans.
Then mix together in a separate bowl the soup and frozen corn.
Pour the mixture over the tortillas.
Cover and bake for 25 mins. at 375 degrees.
While the casserole is cooking, cook the rice according to package directions.
When done, take the casserole out and sprinkle with cheese until covered.
Bake uncovered for about 5-8 more minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serve with your rice and enjoy!

I forgot to take a picture last night of the vegetarian version so the picture below is from the 9.10.18 blog post. Both finished products look about the same - cheesy on top. 

#vegetarian #easy #oneanddone #divine #seconds #meal #casserole #betterforyou  #angels #books

Sometimes Mondays are the days when you need to laugh the most. Here are some quips we read that tickled our funny bone and we hope you will enjoy them to!

Be nice to your kids. Someday they'll choose your nursing home.
Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your children.
Everyone wants to live long but no one wants to grow old.
Everyone has a photographic memory. Some are just out of film.
A bachelor is a man who believes in life, liberty, and the happiness of pursuit.
How does an angel greet people? He says, "Halo!"

From Will Rogers: 
Don't squat with your spurs on. (just picture that one!)
There's two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works.

And here's a blonde funny:
A blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She is going to Europe for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. She offers her Rolls Royce parked in front of the bank as security. The bank accepts the car and parks it in their underground garage. Two weeks later the blonde returns and pays back the $5,000 loan plus $15.41 interest. Curious, the bank asks her, "Why would you borrow $5,000?" The blonde replied, "Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for $15?"

Lol! Did those make you smile and giggle? We hope so.

#lol #monday #laughs #giggles #funnybone #willrogers #blonde #kids #tickle #angels #books #fun #whereisyourangel