Sunday, December 20, 2015

Games Day DECEMBER 20, 2015

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Games Day

What kind if games do you most enjoy, board games, card games, or maybe video games? Whatever game is you favorite, this is the day to play it and have some fun for a change! After all, what better a break could you take from the stresses of everyday life than to partake in Games Day? As generation upon would generation of people the world over would agree, playing games is a great way to just kick back, relax and have some fun with your family of friends.
Games Day was created by the British game production and retail company, Games Workshop, which started out producing more traditional games such as backgammon, and later moved on to fantasy universe games, such as Warhammer. This day of carefree whimsical frivolity was created rather abruptly in 1975 when another games convention that got cancelled, and the gap thereby created needed to be filled. The very first of these soon to become extremely popular events took place in London on December 20, 1975. In a very short period of time, these events really took the UK’s gaming community by storm and brought many people together, which did a great deal to build up the nation’s gaming scene. Of course, this style of convention quickly sprung up and became enormously popular in the US as well, and acts as a fantastic showcase both for gamers and their skills and the gaming industry.
When was the last time you sat down with your friends or family for an evening of carefree fun? If you can’t even really remember, that means it is time to do just that, and Games Day is the perfect occasion. 


Word of the Day

hireling 


Definition:(noun) One who works solely for compensation, especially a person willing to perform for a fee tasks considered menial or offensive.
Synonyms:pensionary
Usage:The hireling said he would be willing to clean out the cesspool-for the right price.




History

Electricity Generated for First Time at Nuclear Power Plant (1951)


Now a US National Historic Landmark, the Experimental Breeder Reactor I in Idaho became the world's first electricity-generating nuclear power plant in 1951, when it produced enough electricity to illuminate four light bulbs. After the initial test, it subsequently generated sufficient electricity to power its building and continued to be used for experimental purposes until it was decommissioned in 1964

Harvey Firestone (1868)


In 1900, Firestone formed a company to manufacture and sell rubber tires for horse-drawn vehicles, but within four years, his business had shifted to making tires for the burgeoning auto market. Sales to Ford Motor Company helped put Firestone Tire & Rubber Company at the top of the US tire industry. In 1924, Firestone established his own rubber plantations in Liberia, effectively defeating the British rubber cartel.

Carriacou Parang Festival


The Carriacou Parang Festival has been held annually since 1977 to sustain the musical tradition of house-to-house serenading by acoustic string bands at Christmas time. Organized parang groups from villages throughout Carriacou, its neighboring island Petit Martinique, and Grenada compete for cash prizes and a challenge trophy. Groups comprise not more than eight members, all dressed in colorful outfits to reflect the festive season. Some of the instruments used include the bass drum, guitar, violin, marack (shack-shack), mandolin, saxophone, and others.

Horror Films Really Can Curdle Your Blood


Scary movies really are blood-curdling, researchers report. In medieval times, it was believed that extreme fear could "curdle" -- or congeal -- blood. Modern-day researchers decided to scientifically test that theory
READ MORE

Image result for 1699 - Peter the Great ordered that the Russian New Year be changed from September 1 to January 1.

1699 - Peter the Great ordered that the Russian New Year be changed from September 1 to January 1. 

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1803 - The United States Senate ratified a treaty that included the Louisiana Territories from France for $15 million. The transfer was completed with formal ceremonies in New Orleans. 

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1820 - The state of Missouri enacted legislation to tax bachelors between the ages of 21-50 for being unmarried. The tax was $1 a year. 



1879 - Thomas A. Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, NJ. 

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1880 - New York's Broadway became known as the "Great White Way" when it was lighted by electricity. 

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1928 - Mail delivery by dog sled began in Lewiston, ME. 

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1946 - The Frank Capra film "It's A Wonderful Life" had a preview showing for charity at New York City's Globe Theatre, a day before its "official" world premiere. James Stewart and Donna Reed star in the film. 

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 1957 - Elvis Presley received his U.S. Army draft notice.

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1968 - Author John Steinbeck died at the age of 66. 

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1990 - The world's first website and server go live at CERN. The first website was http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html. 

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1998 - In Houston, TX, a 27-year-old woman gave birth to the only known living set of octuplets.




DAILY SQU-EK





If You Were Born Today, December 20

You are a very supportive people person--totally willing to put yourself on the line for others. You are most successful when you are able to put your heart into what you are doing. A desire to stay young is always with you, which does keep you youthful, humorous, and playful; but for some, there can be avoidance of responsibility or clinging to the past. You are considerate, self-sacrificing, companionable, and you get along with people from any walk of life. You can be emotionally impulsive. You crave balance and harmony, and you have an unmistakable gentleness to your personality. Famous people born today: Billy Bragg, Max Lerner, Chris Robinson, Jonah Hill.





Picture of the day
Historic Michigan Boulevard District
Century-old buildings of the Historic Michigan Boulevard District stand near East Monroe Street and Millennium Park in Chicago, Illinois. These include the Monroe Building (1910), University Club (1907), Chicago Athletic Club (1893), Willoughby Tower (1927), and Montgomery Ward (1897). Behind them is the Legacy Tower, a 72-story skyscraper by the architectural firm Solomon, Cordwell, and Buenz, which was built in 2009.


Picture of vultures circling zebra carcass

Gory Feast

Photograph by Charlie Hamilton James
A Rüppell’s vulture lays claim to a dead zebra in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, while other Rüppell's and white-backed vultures move in for a piece of the action. More vultures will likely join the banquet. They can strip a carcass clean in minutes.



knit, CHRISTMAS

knit, CHRISTMAS

knit, CHRISTMAS

knit, CHRISTMAS

Dwell House

Dwell House Pattern


knit, CHRISTMAS
TREE TOPPER
Fae


thanks, heide
Inline image 1


crochet, CHRISTMAS

crochet, CHRISTMAS

crochet, CHRISTMAS

crochet, CHRISTMAS

 crochet, CHRISTMAS
Christmas Village

 thanks, ellen, for all the cute jokes
TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?' 
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L' 
TEACHER: No, that's wrong 
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it. 


RECIPE, CHRISTMAS




CROCKPOT RECIPE, CHRISTMAS
Slow-Cooker Creamy Broccoli Soup
Slow-Cooker Creamy Broccoli Soup
  • Makes: 6 servings
  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Slow Cook: 3 hrs on HIGH or 5 hours on LOW
Ingredients
 Shop Kitchen ▾
  • 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups 1% milk
  • 1 20 - ounce package frozen broccoli cuts, thawed
  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 7 ounces Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 cup packed cubes)
  • 1 1/3 cups instant mashed potatoes

Directions

  1. Combine broth, milk, broccoli, onion, pepper and 1 cup water in slow cooker bowl. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 5 hours.
  2. Whisk Velveeta into slow cooker until smooth. Sprinkle instant potatoes over soup and whisk to combine. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information for Slow-Cooker Creamy Broccoli Soup

Servings Per Recipe: 6
PER SERVING: 188 cal., 8 g total fat (5 g sat. fat), 34 mg chol., 962 mg sodium, 17 g carb. (3 g fiber), 13 g 



thanks, shelley



CRAFT, CHRISTMAS


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CHILDREN'S CORNER .. CHRISTMAS craft

Sock Snowmen

 

Want to make your own?  Here's how:


You'll need the following:
1- white sock.  Use one that has a mid-calf or knee high tube on the top.
decorative socks (the argyle ankle socks shown plus many other styles are at Target for $1)
Rice for filler
twine or ribbon
rubberbands
buttons
something for the nose (I used the top of a bbq stick that I painted orange)


Step 1: cut the foot part off of your sock and discard.  You only need the tube part.  This is great if you have socks that are worn or have holes in them.

Step 2 & 3:   Turn the tube part of your sock inside out and wrap a rubber band around the bottom.  Make sure it is wrapped tightly.  Then turn it inside out again so the rubber band is on the inside.

Step 4 & 5:  Fill the sock with rice.  Be sure to push the rice down as you go.  This will stretch the sock a bit and make it so you get a nice plump snowman in the end.  Then, close the top by wrapping another rubber band around the top as shown in the photo above. 

Step 6:  Taking the ankle socks, cut as shown above.  The first one, you'll cut off the toe and the heel.  The second sock you'll just cut off the heel.  And, I should note.  If you have a sock that doesn't have a mate and it's a longer than an ankle sock, you can dress your whole snowman with just one sock.
Step 7, 8 & 9:  First, take the sock without a toe and a heel and put it over your rice filled sock.  This becomes the sweater.  Then, pushing the rice down to make a solid base, tie a piece of ribbon or twine around the bottom of the sweater.  Next do the same thing with the top of the sweater like shown in the middle photo above.  And, last but not least, add the hat.  The hat is the other sock that you cut up that still has the toe.  (To make it look less like a sock, I tied some twine on the top.)



Step 10:  Next you add your embellishments.  Eyes, nose, buttons etc...  you can sew them on if you want but I went for fast and just used hot glue.


And there you have it - the cutest, easiest, little snowman you'll ever make.  I whipped this little guy up in less than 10 minutes and I didn't even get cold in the process.

Here is one of his friends:  This guy was made the same way as the one above only I didn't add the twine at the bottom of the sweater. 



Just some quick tips:  
- you could sew the sock instead of using a rubber band.
- beans work too, don't limit yourself just to rice
- use socks that don't have mates then you don't have to buy new ones
- the argyle socks came from Target and they have a TON of different patterns for $1
- the striped socks are actually mid-calf toe socks so only need one sock instead of two
- you can add mushed up potpourri to the inside so it will smell good too.


TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water? 
DONALD: H I J K L M N O. 
TEACHER: What are you talking about? 
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O 


PUZZLE



TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's.. Did you copy his? 
CLYDE : No sir, It's the same dog. 


QUOTE
We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. - Joseph Campbell


TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested? 
HAROLD: A teacher 




Florida treasure-hunting family the Schmitts discovered over $1 million worth of artifacts from a 1715 Spanish wreckage in the Atlantic! At one point, Minnesota’s Brule River splits into two waterfalls. It remains a mystery as to where one of them, known as Devil’s Kettle Falls, leads. Ralph Farrar of SanAntonio, Texas, fertilized his roses with his own blood—regularly drawn from him due to suffering from hemochromatosis,




"Welcome" in Kazakh (Kazakstan) - Khosh keldinizder



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CLEVER
Stack jars to create festive snowmen, 
filled with sweet goodies.




EYE OPENER
thanks, sheri
(must register for vintage ebooks)














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1 comment:

  1. PattyDecember 20, 2015 at 11:21 AM

    Looking at all these lovely trees is reminding me of our carport resident! Gotta get going soooooooooooooon.

    ReplyDelete

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