Six Word Saturday

Reading-  “Blue Men of the Sahara”
When I finish reading it, I'll review it here at 80 Acres and a Book. Have fun with Six Word Saturday.

Want to play along?

Add Six Word Saturday to your blog by clicking the Six Word Saturday button you'll find at the bottom left side of this blog or clicking this link. Six Word Saturday. Have fun.
Blessings,
Stephanie Boles
Inspirational~Historical Author
Writing is my ministry, not my job.

February's ChristianWriters.com Blog Chain List

I'm posting February's list late, because I've only just joined ChristianWriters.com blog chain group.
Each month, I'll post the list, as well as keeping the monthly list at the bottom of my home page here at 80 Acres and a Book.
Blessings

2/1: Chris Henderson, TheWriteChris

2/2: Lynn Mosher, Heading Home
2/3: Bill Jones, I Was Thinking the Other Day About
2/4: Scott Fields, Dead Man Writing
2/5: Nona King, Spirit Driven Fiction
2/6: Jacky Brown, JayBees Blog
2/7: Tracy Krauss, Expression Express
2/8: Terrie Thorpe, Light for the Journey
2/9: Chris Vonada, I'm Just Thinkin'
2/10: Debra Ann Elliott, Words are Timeless
2/11: Deborah K. Anderson, Faith, Fiction, and Unvarnished Truth
2/12: Pegg Thomas, The Sheepish Scribe
2/13: Cindee Snider Re, Breathe Deeply
2/14: Suzette, Beautiful You
2/15: Steve Olar, Snickerdoodles
2/16: Edward Lewis, Sowing the Seeds
2/17: Tanya Dennis, In the Dailies
2/18: Traci Bonney, Tracings
2/19: Mike Johnson, The College Field Manual
2/20: Michael Galloway, Horizons
2/21: Keith Wallis, wordsculptures
2/22: Carol Peterson, From Carol's Quill
2/23: Nona King, Word Obsession
2/24: Joseph Lalonde, Joseph Lalonde
2/25: Adam Collings, The Collings Zone
2/26: Marilyn, Life 101: Understanding It All
2/27: Israel Ikhinmwin, Israel's Blog
2/28: CH Dyer, Thoughts and Visions
2/29: Victor Travison, Lightwalker's View

Six Word Saturday

Harems and poodles, what a day!

Want to play along?
Add Six Word Saturday to your blog by clicking the Six Word Saturday button you'll find at the bottom left side of this blog or clicking this link. Six Word Saturday. Have fun.

Blessings,

Stephanie Boles
Inspirational~Historical Author

Writing is my ministry, not my job.

Friday Recipes: Desserts/Punch Bowl Cake

Friday Recipes: Desserts
Punch Bowl Cake

In today's Friday Recipes (well okay almost Friday) we're having Punch Bowl Cake. Oh, yum!
Doesn't it look delicious?

This cake is so much fun to make and easy too. Just layer it, layer upon layer.  

Layer upon layer. As I made this cake, I began to think, “Now isn’t this just how God reworks us.” He begins with little and slowly, layer upon layer; He creates in us a vessel fit for His use. Perhaps like me, you aren’t so proud of some of your layers-those past mistakes that seem wont to haunt our memories-but guess what? God does not remember those mistakes, those sins. If you’ve asked for God’s forgiveness then He has granted you full and free forgiveness. God is so good to us. He loves us beyond what we deserve. But that’s God's marvelous grace.

Just me thinking as I put this cake together, today. Layer upon layer, God has rebuilt my life and made me a vessel fit for His use. In fact, He’s still building me up. And His love is the icing that keeps my ‘layers’ together!

So, back to the cake making.

Begin by layering yellow cake mix, or the cake of your choice in the bottom of a punch bowl. (any large bowl will do)

Add a layer of canned pie filling such as cherry pie filling.

In the third layer add walnuts and coconut then pour French vanilla pudding, mixed according to package directions, over the first few layers.

Fourth layer: More pie filling.

Fifth layer: More cake crumbled up and spread over the fourth layer then coconut and Walnuts over that.

Sixth layer: Add more French vanilla pudding to moisten the cake and add flavor.

The top and final layer is Cool Whip spread atop all.



You really cannot make this cake wrong. Use a combination of whatever fruits, nuts, and cake you wish to layer the cake. This cake is fun to make. Be creative.

Once the cake is completed, store in refrigerator. The cake tastes much better after it chills for a time.

I believe this is a Duncan Hines recipe. Here's the link to the full recipe at Duncan Hines.
Punch Bowl Cake at DuncanHines.com

Enjoy

Where will you Spend Eternity?

Scripture

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

~Luke 15:7 (KJV)

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

~Matthew 10:32 (KJV)

 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

~Romans 10:9-10 (KJV)

 1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus the Way to the Father

 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

~John 14:1-6 (NIV)

How to accept JesusChrist as your Savior

This link opens to a page at my Sand & Pearls Blog

Ripping out Subfloors. Photos

Hardwood Floor Refinishing Photos (Farmhouse Remodel)

As par the course, I've had to stop remodeling work while I heal from my kidney issue-stones and surgical procedure. Just a small procedure nothing serious. Still, there's down time. I haven't gotten anything else done at the farmhouse other than cleaning. I think partly because of the cold and partly because with the kidney stones I just didn't feel well enough to do the remodeling work. Can't wait to complete it though.

As of now, the subflooring is out of the kitchen and dining room. Yeah! All thanks to my dear hubby, who worked his tailfeathers off to rip out the subfloors. The kitchen was a horrible mess. Here are some before photos of the kitchen and dining room floors.

Once my kidney recovers, I'll get up and at those floors. wood is red oak, so you can imagine how pretty it will turn out once I refinish them. I'll add the 'after' photos as soon as I complete the floors.


Kitchen Floor Before Photos

The kitchen is probably the worst room-running a close second to the bathroom. Although, structurally sound, it requires a great deal of cleaning and redecorating. But I love to decorate, so who am I to complain. It's exciting to clear the house out and have an empty pallet as a starting point.

 The subfloor had nails at 1 inch intervals. My husband could scarcely believe that insanity. Sigh. He did a find job of removing the subfloor without damaging the hardwood. And if he did, that only adds to the appeal, in my humble opinion, as I prefer 300 year old cottages to spanking new homes. I'm happy with our old house. Love it!

Dining Room Floor Before Photos

Notice the subfloor? And the nice hardwood floor beneath. Love that.

 This is a close up of the dining room floor. It needs work, but looks good considering my husband ripped subflooring off of it.

Unfinished Red Oak Floors in Parlor

 I spent an entire day cleaning floors in preparation for sanding and refinishing them. Well, sanding is part of refinishing them, ha ha. I just want to show you all how pretty the wood is, unfinished. Won't it look good once we finish it? Thank you, Lord for strengthening me to do this remodel. I know, I'm silly. But that's okay.

Here's a close up photo of the red oak floors. There are a lot a scratches, to be sure. They'll sand out nicely.

This photo shows how close together the nails were hammered into the kitchen subfloor. Wow! Whoever did this certainly was ambitious. My dear hubby worked very hard to tear this floor up so we can enjoy the beautiful hardwood floors. Thanks, hubby! You're the best. And not just because you tore out the subflooring for me, but because you are you.

Is Your Blog Giveaway Legal?

What are the regulations concerning blogger giveaways?

Last week I planned to host a giveaway both at 80 Acres and a Book and at my author's blog, Sand & Pearls II. (I know I'm shamelessly plugging my Sand & Pearls blog. : -). Before hosting the giveaway, I researched the regulations concerning blogger giveaways and learned some interesting facts. I’ve also decided to opt out of giveaways, sweepstakes, and contests for the time being, at least. But if you happen to be in my neighborhood, I’ll gladly give you one of my book review books. Just ask.

The FTC, one of the governmental bodies that regulates Contests and Sweepstakes, the others being the Postal Service and the Department of Justice, expects bloggers to comply with federal agencies and follow federal and state laws governing their blog contests, giveaways and sweepstakes. Make no mistake about it, the FTC is watching bloggers. Many bloggers inadvertently promote their blogs against FTC regulations by throwing up ‘giveaways’ that require entrants to ‘follow’ them here-or-there or ‘like’ this-or-that site. I thought of doing this, but it felt wrong to me. So I’m not.

Did you know that. . .

Sweepstakes are prize giveaways where the winners are randomly chosen.

Contests choose a winner based on some merit; best tips, or comments, best recipe, best photo, etc.

Lotteries are prize drawings where people pay money to buy a chance to win. Lotteries are highly regulated and should not be run without consulting legal counsel.

Taking the definition of a sweepstake into account, we see that most blogger ‘giveaways’ fall under the sweepstakes category yet the blogger hosts it as a giveaway. What would Mr. FTC say to you if he dropped by your blog and discovered that your ‘giveaway’ is actually a sweepstakes? I see him now wearing those dark sunglasses and carrying his clipboard. “Hum,” he says in a CIA-monotone that sounds more like fingernails on a chalkboard. “You’re not in compliance with our regulations.” Oh, dear!

Random Facts about Blogger Law

You must report prizes over $600 to the IRS (Internal Revenue Service)
Bloggers must pay taxes on everything they receive with a value of over $25

A lottery’s 3 key elements are: Prize, Chance and Consideration. With this in mind, could requiring someone to like or follow you in order to enter you ‘giveaway’ be interpreted as consideration?
You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the Like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion. (New Term #5) This is found under Facebook’s promotions guidelines.

I hope this post has offered some insight into hosting ‘giveaways’ at blogs. After all, we want the giveaways we host to be an entirely legal event.

Additional Reading

How to Use Contests, Sweepstakes, and Giveaways as Marketing Tools - While Staying Within the Law

Structuring Online Sweepstakes and Contests: New Challenges for Marketers

Next Crackdown on Bloggers: Sweepstakes & Contests

Blog Law – Is Your Giveaway Legal?

Blog Law This is a listing of several articles related to the laws and regulations that govern blogs. Every blogger should bookmark this site.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an attorney. The information included in this post is based solely on my research. Consult an attorney before hosting your own giveaway, sweepstakes, contests, or freebies. Just sayin’.