Monday, August 3, 2015

Watermelon Day AUGUST 3, 2015

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Watermelon Day

Join the trend and enjoy a slice of watermelon for Watermelon Day! Did you know, watermelons are over 90% water, making them a very aptly named fruit!


Word of the Day

harmonium 


Definition:(noun) An organlike keyboard instrument that produces tones with free metal reeds actuated by air forced from a bellows.
Synonyms:reed organ
Usage:She had played the harmonium for years, but her arthritic fingers could no longer master the keys.


 History

Columbus Sets Sail for the New World (1492)


By his early 30s, Columbus had become a master mariner in the Portuguese merchant service. Convinced that he could reach land by sailing west, he requested ships to attempt such a voyage from both John II of Portugal and Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain but was repeatedly rebuffed. Finally, after eight years of supplication by Columbus, the Spanish monarchs decided to risk the enterprise. 

Joseph Paxton (1803)


Paxton was an English architect noted for his use of glass and iron in a manner that anticipated modern methods. He began his career as a landscape gardener and built two innovative greenhouses for the duke of Devonshire. These "glass houses" later served as a model for the Crystal Palace, made of iron and glass, which Paxton designed and built for the Great Exhibition of 1851. He was knighted for the success of his design.

Crop Over


This harvest festival in Barbados was originally celebrated in the 1800s by slaves at the end of the sugar-cane harvest. Today, Crop Over is a civic celebration which takes place during the last three weeks of July and usually ends on the first Monday in August. There are historical displays, craft shows, fairs, open-air concerts, calypso music and dancing, and "stick licking"—a self-defense sport similar to fencing. The first Monday of August is the finale, known as the Kadooment, which includes the judging of costumed bands at the National Stadium and a grand calypso procession.

Queen Bees Vaccinate All of Their Babies


Bee babies enter the world naturally vaccinated, according to a new study that found queen bees inoculate all of their young. The scientists learned how queen bees manage this feat, and plan to replicate it in future with the hope of boosting bee immunity even more.
READ MORE:

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1750 - Christopher Dock completed the first book of teaching methods. It was titled "A Simple and Thoroughly Prepared School Management." 

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1922 - WGY radio in Schenectady, NY, presented the first full-length melodrama on radio. The work was "The Wolf", written by Eugene Walter. 

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1933 - The Mickey Mouse Watch was introduced for the price of $2.75. 

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1936 - Jesse Owens won the first of his four Olympic gold medals. 

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1949 - The National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed. The league was formed by the merger between the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League. 

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1956 - Bedloe's Island had its name changed to Liberty Island. 

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1963 - Allan Sherman released "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadda." 

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1984 - Mary Lou Retton won a gold medal at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics. 

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1999 - Patsy Cline received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

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2004 - In New York, the Statue of Liberty re-opened to the public. The site had been closed since the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001. 




DAILY SQU-EEZ



If You Were Born Today, August 3

You are bright, inquisitive, and playful. Your presence is strong and, very frequently, all eyes are on you. You enjoy attention, but as you mature and gain more self-awareness, you learn to offer others the stage now and again! You have good money sense, and can at times be quite materialistic. Your ambition and desire to do your own thing can easily put you in the role of boss or self-employment. When motivated, you can be extremely determined and hard-working. Love can sometimes be a difficult life department, but you are very earnest with and supportive of those you love. Famous people born today: Martin Sheen, Tony Bennett, John Landis, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Ealy



Picture of the day
Nine Dragons
Nine Dragons is a handscroll painting by Chinese artist Chen Rong from 1244. Depicting the apparitions of dragons soaring amidst clouds, mists, whirlpools, rocky mountains and fire, the painting refers to the dynamic forces of nature in Daoism. The depicted dragons are associated with nine sons of the Dragon King, while the number nine itself is considered auspicious in Chinese astrology and folk beliefs. The work is now in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Picture of a camel caravan at sunset

Arabian Light

Photograph by Rogel Tura, National Geographic 
In the United Arab Emirates, Rogel Tura captured this iconic silhouette while traveling in the desert at sunset. Tura was heading to his camp when he came upon the man and his camels at the top of the dunes.




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crochet

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Quick and Easy Coasters - Premier Yarns
Brighten up tea time and protect your tables with easy-to-crochet coasters in cheery hues. Skill Level: Easy Finished Measurements: 3¾" (9.5cm) square M...
Preview by Yahoo


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crochet

crochet




RECIPE


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CROCKPOT RECIPE
stephanie o'dea

Apricot Barbecue Wings Slow Cooker Recipe


I don't usually get cravings for chocolate, or salt, or ice cream, or anything else many people claim to crave. I instead get an itchy feeling on my tongue and my brain just begs for buffalo wings.

I began by making a sweet wing recipe, but it was just too sweet for my liking. In the ingredients picture, the bottle of Tabasco sauce is missing. I changed my mind at the last minute and added it----the result was a sweet wing with a bit of a kick at the very end.

The Ingredients.
serves 8


3 pounds chicken wings (I usually leave the wing joints on because I'm terribly lazy)
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce
1 (18-ounce) jar apricot preserve
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce (not pictured)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Spread the wings out on a large cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees. This browns the skin and keeps it from getting terribly slimy in the crock. I do think this is an important step, even though I loathe cooking before I cook.

Put the hot wings into your cooker. In a mixing bowl, combine the barbecue sauce, apricot preserve, dry mustard, and Tabasco sauce. 

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked throughout but still attached to the bone. 

The Verdict.

I made these wings while home alone with the baby. And I accidentally ate all except for the 3 I saved for the rest of the family to try. I didn't set out to eat them all, it just sort of happened. 





CRAFTS

Just a button.

Sometimes I find a two-dimensional piece that I love, and wish to turn it into a pendant. Here's a tutorial for a way to make flat art into a necklace, using, well...

...just a button.

These were a surprise gift from my sis-in-law, in a box full of little crafty doodads. (Notice: where most people would put a heart or a happy face, she drew an undead vampire cat. She looks sweet, that Bec, but she's kind of an edgy girl.)

Okay, here is some flat art:

They're also from Bec, some funny pressed-paper oblongs she found in Tokyo. I have no clue what they are - but they must be worn! I love them so much!

Next I chose these dark abalone buttons. And some cord, thin enough to go thru the shank.

Punch a hole in your art piece. Thread the cord through the hole and the button...

And pop the shank through the hole:

You have turned your button into a bail to hold your pendant! How quick was that? And, for bonus cuteness...

...use a matching button to make the clasp.

You could also use very fine chain instead of a cord:

Aren't they unusual?

I'm pretty darn happy with them. 

Here's a different look, using a vintage enamel button. This one is particularly special to me:

My clever little Mom did this flower painting in her watercolor class. (The original is 18 inches tall.) I loved it - swiped it - and laminated a teeny tiny copy of it so I could wear her art around town


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CHILDREN'S CORNER ... crafts

Paper Bag Puppets

freekidscraft

Image of Paper Bag Puppets

Let kids imagination run wild with these Paper Bag Puppets. They can be any color they choose. This craft stimulates kids creativity and provides hours of after craft time play.
Trivia: Ancient Greek terracotta puppet dolls belonging to  500 BC have been discovered.

Supplies

Pacon® Rainbow® bags
Pacon® Rainbow® construction paper - red, pink, white, black, yellow, orange
Pacon® Peacock™ construction paper – any 2 bright colors of your choice
Pacon® feathers
Fine tip black marker
Glue
Scissors

Instructions

Using scissors and pattern, cut top and bottom of beak from yellow or orange paper. Cut tongue from red paper, cut two 1” circles from white paper for eyes. Cut two circles from black paper for eye pupils.
Cut one heart from pink paper.
Using paper edgers, cut two 1-1/2” circles from a bright color for circles around eyes. Cut two 2” circles from a different bright color for cheeks.
Using a black marker, draw nostrils on top of beak and outline beak pieces and eye whites.
The bottom of the bag is the bird’s head. Glue bottom of beak to bag under head. Glue tongue to bottom of beak. Glue cheek circles to sides of head. Glue top of beak to head, placed above lower beak. Glue eyes in place, as shown.
Glue a feather to back of head. Let dry.





QUOTE
We loved with a love that was more than love. - Edgar Allan Poe





PUZZLE
(i am unable to get a pic from the site today. don't know why.)
http://www.jigzone.com/puzzles/daily-jigsaw







This Guy Makes a Living Impersonating Britney Spears

By Sumitra 
You’re going to have a hard time convincing yourself that the woman in these photos isn’t Britney Spears. In fact, it isn’t a woman at all! It’s actually a man named Derrick Barry, who’s making a living out of impersonating the world-famous celebrity.
It all started a few years ago, when Derrick dressed up as Britney for Halloween. The resemblance was so striking that his friends and family were stupefied. They later told him that he should consider a career as her professional lookalike. And that’s exactly what he did..
The 31-year-old says that he finds it “amazing” to pay tribute to someone he’s idolized since the beginning of her career. “I think even if I wasn’t impersonating her I would still be such a huge fan,” he told Las Vegas Weekly. “I really have the most amazing job in the world. To be a fan of hers and then get to impersonate her around the world is such an honor.”

Derrick-Barry





"Good Morning" in Russian (Russia) - Dobroye utro







CLEVER
Food Storage - Keep Tomatoes From Going Bad Longer by Storing Stem Side Down




EYE OPENER

Sad Animal Facts Are The Cutest (And Most Interesting) Way To Ruin Your Day

earth porm

Animals are interesting creatures, each breed a unique species with different habits, traits and personality types. There are so many animal facts out there it’s impossible to keep track of them all.
Did you know pigs can’t see the sky, zebras can’t sleep alone and mice sense and experience sadness if other mice around them are sad? While all of these animal facts verge on slightly depressing they are worth knowing… and even worthy of a couple chuckles when presented as comics by illustrator Brooke Barker.
Enjoy learning a little more about the amazing animals all around the world just try not to get too depressed about the facts.

1. Talk About A ‘Mutt’

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2. Foxy But Friendless

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3. If elephants could jump we’d have a lot more earthquakes!

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4. Don’t mess with a jellyfish… they are heartless!

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5. Mice are more emotional than you might think…

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6. New word for an 8-minute nap: Ant Nap

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7. Blame it on the social anxiety, or on being an octopus

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8. And you thought 9 months was long?

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9. Who’s my mommy?

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10. The crows are watching and they know everything…

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11. So much for my subscription to Dog TV!

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12. Snails might be slow but their vision is unstoppable!

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13. Zebras need someone to keep watch while they sleep to protect themselves from lurking predators… that’s not sad, that’s smart!

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14. Talk about inequality in the workplace…

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15. You can’t outsmart a leech!

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16. Nor can you hide from a hungry grizzly bear…

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17. I wish I only needed this much sleep (imagine how much you could get done in a day!)

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18. On the other hand, cicadas sleep so much it’s a wonder they ever get anything done!

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19. Female ferrets can’t even begin to understand the concept of a ’40-year-old virgin’

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20. Desperate times call for desperate measures

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