Friday, March 20, 2015

Int'l Day of Happiness MAR 20, 2015

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate International Day of Happiness

The International Day of Happiness was introduced by the General Assembly of the United Nations during 2012 and was celebrated for the first time in 2013. Through seminars and educational tips and tools, the aim is to educate and increase public awareness of the benefits of happiness.
The original idea came from the Kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayan region of Asia. There, the population is thought by many to be among the happiest in the world due to the holistic approach to life and the amount of importance which is placed on the well being of people and communities, as much as material wealth.
For everyone, the International Day of Happiness is a useful reminder that in general happiness does not necessarily come from buying and consuming, or from being famous or glamorous – but often from friends, family and emotional well being. Internationally, there are many events and websites in which people may participate

Word of the Day

quandary 


Definition:(noun) A state of uncertainty or perplexity.
Synonyms:dilemma
Usage:The situation was awkward, but nothing like the quandary they had found themselves in when their car had broken down on a deserted road.

History

Ovid


Publius Ovidius Naso, a Roman poet better known as Ovid, is ranked alongside Virgil, Horace, and others as one of the canonical poets of Latin literature. He was a great storyteller whose writings generally deal with the themes of love, mythology, and exile. No other Latin poet wrote so naturally in verse or with such sustained wit, and his works had a decisive influence on European art and literature for centuries. 

Alahamady Be


Alahamady Be is New Year's Day in Madagascar. The Malagasy new year traditionally begins in March, with the appearance of the year's first new moon. People put on their best clothes, feast, give presents, and sing religious songs. The celebration is particularly festive in the capital city of Antananarivo. The townspeople make their way to the sacred royal hill known as Ambohimanga to offer prayers to the departed. When these devotions are completed, it's time to eat. The feasting is an opportunity for families and friends to get together and wish each other luck in the coming year.



NASA: California Has One Year of Water Left


Plagued by prolonged drought, California now has only enough water to get it through the next year, according to NASA. In an op-ed published Thursday by theLos Angeles Times, Jay Famiglietti, a senior water scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in CA, painted a dire picture of the state's water crisis. California, he writes, has lost around 12 million acre-feet of stored water every year since 2011.

1852 - Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book "Uncle Tom’s Cabin," subtitled "Life Among the Lowly," was first published. 
1885 - John Matzeliger of Suriname patented the shoe lacing machine. 
1897 - The first U.S. orthodox Jewish Rabbinical seminary was incorporated in New York.
1903 - In Paris, paintings by Henri Matisse were shown at the "Salon des Independants"
1914 - The first international figure skating championship was held in New Haven, CT
1922 - The USS Langley was commissioned. It was the first aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy.
1963 - The first "Pop Art" exhibit began in New York City. 
1967 - Twiggy arrived in the U.S. for a one-week stay. . 
1982 U.S. scientists' return from Antarctica with the first land mammal fossils found there. 
Image result for Avon representatives received a salary.
1985 - For the first time in its 99-year history, Avon representatives received a salary. Up to that time they had been paid solely on commissions. 
1985 - Libby Riddles won the 1,135-mile Anchorage-to-Nome dog race becoming the first woman to win the Iditarod.
1997 - Liggett Group, the maker of Chesterfield cigarettes, settled 22 state lawsuits by admitting the industry marketed cigarettes to teenagers and agreed to warn on every pack that smoking is addictive. 
1999Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones became the first men to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon. The non-stop trip began on March 3 and covered 26,500 miles. 
CARL REINER ... 93 today
carlreinertoday
Comedian, Actor, and director Carl Reiner is known for his appearances
with Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows on NBC from 1950 to 1954. He
has won nine Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award during his career.
Before fame, Reiner, who is the father of Rob Reiner, worked as a sewing
machine repairman. 


If You Were Born Today, March 20

Extremely creative and enterprising, you are also very charismatic and warm. As much as you need stability and security, especially with close relationships, you crave variety in your daily life, balking at routine and needing to mix things up from time to time. You have an unmistakable innocent charm to your manner, and your optimism and friendliness help win you much success in life, both personally and professionally. Famous people born today: B.F. Skinner, Spike Lee, Carl Reiner, William Hurt, Fred Rogers, Brian Mulroney, Holly Hunter, David Thewlis.


Picture of tiger cubs playing at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, India

Fearless Symmetry

Photograph by Souvik Kundu, National Geographic 
It’s a rare and privileged experience to witness the interaction of tiger cubs in the wild, says Souvik Kundu,. After learning that a tigress had given birth to cubs in India’s Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, Kundu visited the sanctuary a number of times to photograph the family. On this day his group was treated to an “unforgettable display of tender bonding,” with “the cubs engaged in several bouts of play-fighting under the watchful eyes of the mother.”


knit
image
Batman Knitted Toy pattern by Stana D.Sortor
This is Batman inspired knitted toy.
Preview by Yahoo


knit

knit

knit

knit


crochet
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Flower Power Dishcloth pattern by Doni Speigle
Flower Power Dishcloth is made using worsted weight 100% cotton yarn and size H (5.00mm) crochet hook.
Preview by Yahoo



crochet
image
Scribble Flower pattern by Laurene Hildebrandt
Super quick flower applique/embelishment. Mine took less than 10 minutes each including tying in my ends!
Preview by Yahoo


crochet
image
Tutti Frutti Potholders pattern by Marinke Slump
Boring potholders begone! With these bang-on-trend tutti-frutti beauties, you’ll never look at a plain old potholder in the same way again. If you’ve always...
Preview by Yahoo


crochet
image
Wild Flower Shawl pattern by Margaret Hubert
Reproduced with permission from Granny Square Flowers, 50 botannical crochet motifs and 15 original projects by Margaret Hubert, courtesy of Creative...
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recipe
thanks, nancy
Image result for refrigerator dill pickles
 (from Tupperware)
serves 8 serving size 1/4 cup
2 cucumbers ,halved
2 cups water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup fresh dill
in a 1 qt microwave save container combine water, vinegar,sugar and salt . cover and microwave on high for 2-4 minutes ,stirring halfway through until salt and sugar are dissolved. set aside to cool.
slice cucumbers and place in a container and top with fresh dill. pour cooled vinegar and water mixture over cucumbers . let mixture sit in fridge over night and enjoy.


crockpot recipe
stephanie o'dea

CrockPot Apricot Chicken Recipe


This is one of those recipes that tastes so good, everyone you serve will be astonished that it was cooked in the crockpot.

The Ingredients.

--11 oz jar of apricot preserves
--1 t dried minced onion flakes
--1 T dijon mustard
--1 T soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are gluten free)
--1/4 t ginger
--1/4 to 1/2 t red chili flakes (optional)
--6 chicken thighs or equivalent body parts

The Directions.

--I used frozen thighs. Drop the chicken into your crockpot.
--in a small bowl, mix all the other stuff
--pour on top of the chicken

cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, high for 4-6--if your chicken isn't frozen, your dinner will cook faster.

serve with white or brown rice and veggies. In our case, we had leftover cabbage and potatoes.

The Verdict.

Everybody ate and liked this! 


craft
A Woman in Paradise

 Love the simplicity of these cute fabric flowers!

They are super cute and very easy to make, and you don't need much fabric.


You will need six 2-1/2" squares, strong thread, and a needle. 


Fold your square in half diagonally and use a running stitch along the edge, to pull the pedal together.


Pull tight and knot after each pedal.


Repeat....


Once you have all six pedals done, connect to the first as shown above, to close in your flower.


Pull a button through the center and tie off.
Buttons at least 7/8" work best to cover the raw edges. 




puzzle


quote
It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. - Ralph Waldo Emerson





DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME YOU TASTED A LEMON?

David Wile and April Maciborka are two very playful photographers that decided to have a bit of fun with kids.
The unsuspecting toddlers were each handed a glorious slice of fresh lemon. Unable to resist the dimpled, sun-colored fruit, the kids did they only thing they could: they put the slice to to their lips and puckered up.
The result is a hilarious compilation of photographs that perfectly captures the kid’s first reaction to the juicy, sour-filled goodness that is Lemon.
Pucker (1)Pucker (2)pucker1Pucker (7)Pucker (9)Pucker (10)Pucker (11)Pucker (12)pucker2Pucker (13)Pucker (14)Pucker (17)Pucker (8)Puckerpucker3


'where's the bathroom?' in Greek - pu íne i tualéta?
illusion




CHILDREN'S CORNER ... coloring







clever

DIY 2-Ingredient Air Freshener

free people blog
What you need:
DIY Air Freshener Jar











For the container: a mason jar and lid, paint, paintbrush, scissors, cardstock (I used a manila folder), and a thumbtack or needle.
Baking Soda and Essential Oil











For the actual air freshener: baking soda and essential oil (I used peppermint).
What you do:
Trace the inner portion of the lid onto your cardstock and cut out the circle.
Mason Jar Lid






Using your thumbtack or pin, make a bunch of holes in the cardstock. You can make a cool design or just do it hap-hazardly! I think mine fell somewhere in the middle of those two.
Thumbtack in Cardstock
Holes in Cardstock






















Paint one side of your cardstock, as well as the outer portion of the mason jar lid, and allow to dry. You may have to re-poke your holes after the paint is dry.
Painted Mason Jar Lid






Now you’re ready to make your concoction! Fill your jar about ¼ of the way with baking soda and mix in 5-10 drops of essential oil, depending on how strong you’d like the scent to be.
DIY Baking Soda Air Freshener











Insert the cardstock circle into the painted metal ring and screw it onto your mason jar and you’re all set!
Teal Lid Mason Jar











Place the jar in any room where the air needs a bit of freshening up! Give the jar a little shake from side to side every so often – you’ll be hit with the loveliest scent! For bad-smelling carpets, you can also sprinkle a bit on your carpet, wait an hour, and vacuum it up! I would love to experiment using different oils and decking out the mason jars to the point where you can’t even tell what’s inside :)
Air Freshener:
Mason Jar Teal Lid












EYE OPENER
Smith College Bulb Show 2015, Monet' Garden
Photographed by Patricia Manders

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