Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Firefighter's Day May 4, 2016

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Firefighter's Day

Firefighters’ Day celebrates the dedication, heroism and importance of firefighters from all over the world. Many firefighters are volunteers, and many lose their lives in the course of duty.
Show your support by wearing blue and red ribbons (tied together, symbolizing the combination of fire and water) and help raise to awareness and support for your local firefighting operation.

Word of the Day

cincture 


Definition:(noun) A band of material around the waist that strengthens a skirt or trousers.
Synonyms:waistband, waistcloth, girdle, sash
Usage:Their adornments were completed by passing a few loose folds of white tappa, in a modest cincture, around the waist.


Idiom of the Day

have (something) down cold

 — To learn, master, or understand something perfectly, to the point of requiring little or no focus to do, recall, or accomplish it


History

Audrey Hepburn (1929)


Hepburn was a Belgian-born film actress who combined elegance with a radiant, elfin innocence. After spending World War II in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, she studied ballet and acting in London and was discovered by French writer Colette, who insisted she play the lead in Gigi on Broadway. She made her US film debut in Roman Holiday, for which she won an Academy Award, and then returned to Broadway and won a Tony Award in Ondine

Slumber Party: Reptiles, like Us, Have REM Sleep and May Dream


Research in a German laboratory involving five lizards called Australian bearded dragons indicates that these reptiles may dream and could prompt a fundamental reassessment of the evolution of sleep.
READ MORE:


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 1626 - Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on Manhattan Island. Native Americans later sold the island (20,000 acres) for $24 in cloth and buttons. 

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1715 - A French manufacturer debuted the first folding umbrella. 

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charles sumner tainter

1886 - Chichester Bell and Charles S. Tainter patented the gramophone. It was the first practical phonograph. 

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 1905 - Belmont Park opened in suburban Long Island. It opened as the largest race track in the world.

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1970 - The Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on students during an anti-Vietnam war protest at Kent State University. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded. 

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1979 - Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman prime minister. 

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 1987 - The First Bank of the United States was listed as a National Historic Landmark.

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 2003 - Idaho Gem (a mule) was born. He was the first member of the horse family to be cloned. 

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2010 - Pablo Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" sold for $106.5 million. 




 DAILY SQU-EEK





 If You Were Born Today, May 4

You are hard working, and somewhat of a perfectionist. Stability and security are especially important to you, and many of the choices you make in life are driven by the desire to achieve these things. As a people person, you tend to feel that life is much better when shared. You are excellent at promoting cooperation and creating harmony. Famous people born today: Audrey Hepburn, Randy Travis, Lance Bass, Will Arnett, Alexander Gould.




Picture of the day
Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street
The nave of the Immaculate Conception Church on Farm Street, London, England, looking towards the altar. This Roman Catholic parish church run by theS ociety of Jesus was designed by Joseph John Scoles and constructed between 1844 and 1849, later being remodelled by Adrian Gilbert Scott following the Second World War. Sir Simon Jenkins described it as "Gothic Revival at its most sumptuous".


Picture of a raptor sculpture at night in Borrego Springs, California

Look Alive

Photograph by Chris Brady, National Geographic 
Ricardo Breceda’s raptor sculpture, one of his many works in Borrego Springs, California, is brought to fearsome life by photographer Chris Brady’s strategic use of light. “This is a 30-second exposure,” Brady writes. “I used an LED spotlight for the backlight and a red laser pointer for the eye.”



knit, MOTHER'S DAY

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knit

knit

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crochet, MOTHER'S DAY

 crochet
Crochet Pattern - Chunky Bobble Bows

crochet

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crochet




RECIPE


bonus1


 CROCKPOT RECIPE

Glazed Kielbasa Bites

glazedkielbasabites





 SWEETS, CROCKPOT

Easy Kettle Popcorn

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CRAFTS

Sock Animal Rattle 

Today I'll show you how to make a sock bunny rattle ... my little twist on a classic craft.  

It's soft ... it's squishy ... it has chomp-able ears and a nice, soft jingle.  It is sure to be your infant's favorite first toy. 

 Materials:
  • one sock per rattle
  • polyfill stuffing
  • embroidery thread and needle
  • one jingle bell
  • optional: sewing machine, thread, etc.  If you use a machine, a ball point needle is very helpful when working with knits (I also like to use my walking foot).
This project can be entirely sewn by hand, but I use a sewing machine for the larger pieces to speed the work along.

Also, I'll be showing you two versions of this project.  The first version is a straight handled rattle with a small animal head.  The second version is a loop handled rattle with a larger animal head.  Feel free to mix them up as you choose - the beauty of sock animals are how customizable they are!  You can also easily change the ear shape and facial embroidery to make a wide range of animals.  I'll only be showing you a bunny in this tutorial.


Straight-Handle Rattle (Version 1)

Step 1:  Cut your sock, following the photo below

Step 2:  make the handle 

  1. Fold piece A in half lengthwise, with right sides facing together.  Pin in place.  
  2. Sew down the open side and bottom, curving the bottom edge.  Leave the original sock cuff open for stuffing.  I sewed a straight stitch on my sewing machine and also serged the edges (optional).  You can also zigzag stitch the edge, or double stitch for durability.  
  3. Turn the handle right side out and stuff with polyfill.
 Step 3:  make the head
  1. Turn piece B inside out and stitch the top closed in a curved edge.  Fold flat in the other direction and sew another curved seam overlapping the first perpendicularly (not pictured - sorry!).  Basically, it will make a small "x" on the top of the head and give it a nice curved shape.
  2. Turn right side out and stuff the head.  Insert the jingle bell into the center of the head and cover with more stuffing.
  3. Using a long piece of embroidery floss, start cinching the bottom of the head closed (hide the thread knot on the inside of the head).  I cinched the head by sewing stitches alternating on opposite sides of the head.  Continue stitching and cinching until the bottom of the head is all gathered in.
  4. Tie a knot to close off the head, but do not cut your embroidery floss.  You will continue to use it in the next step (fewer knots to hide!).
Step 4: attach the head to the handle

Continuing to use the embroidery floss from step 3, attach the bottom (cinched) side of the head to the opening of the handle using a ladder stitch.  If you are not familiar with the ladder stitch, I would recommend watching this short how-to video.  It is a very simple stitch that is great for sock animals because it is strong and nearly invisible.

Step 5: make and attach ears
  1. Cut piece C in half horizontally so you have two equal pieces.  Do exactly as you did with piece A for the handle:  fold in half lengthwise with right sides together, pin, sew down one side and curve around one end, leaving the other end open.  Serge or zig zag the edges if desired.  Repeat with the other ear.
  2. Turn both ears right side out.
  3. Attach ears to the top of the head.  I placed them along one of my seam lines.  Turn the raw edges under slightly and attach to the head using a ladder stitch, exactly as you did in step 4.
Step 6: embroider the face
I didn't take step by step of the process, but I used a backstitch for the eyes, whiskers and mouth, and a satin stitch for the nose.  The Stitch A Day section on the Hand Embroidery Network blog is a great resource for learning how to do just about every embroidery stitch there is.

That is it for the straight handled rattle!  Pretty easy, right?  

Loop Handle Rattle (version 2)

 Step 1:  Cut your sock, following the photo below

Step 2:  make the handle loop
  1. Fold piece A in half vertically with right sides together.  Pin and sew down the long side.  Leave both ends open.  Serge or zigzag the edge if desired.
  2. Turn the tube right side out and stuff.
  3. Create a loop by bringing the two open ends together.  With a long piece of embroidery floss, stitch together in the middle where the raw edges meet.  Do not cut the thread, as you will continue using it on the next piece.
Step 3:  complete the handle 
  1. Attach piece D by stretching to fit around the entire loop opening.  
  2. Turn the raw edges of piece D under and attach to loop (overlapping the loop's raw edges) using a ladder stitch.
  3. Top off the handle with additional stuffing.
Step 4:  make the head
  1. Stuff piece B.
  2. Insert the jingle bell into the center of the stuffing.
  3. Using a long piece of embroidery floss, cinch and stitch the bottom of the head closed (see step 3 in the straight handle version for more details).  Do not cut your thread ... you will continue to use it in the next step.
Step 5:  attach the head
Continuing to use the embroidery floss from step 4, attach the bottom (cinched) side of the head to the opening of the handle using a ladder stitch.

Step 6:  make and attach ears 
Same as in the straight handle version!   See photos and directions above.

Step 7:  embroider the face
Same as in the straight handle version!

And there you have it ... two different sock bunny rattles.  You know you want one.



florian-1


 CHILDREN'S CORNER ...









8


 PUZZLE





QUOTE
We are afraid of the enormity of the possible. - Emile M. Cioran




The Playstation I controller was 10% larger in the US than in Japan to compensate for Americans larger hands. -------------------- During the Franco-Prussian War, the only way news from Paris could reach the people of France was through mail delivered by balloon! -------------------- Babe Watch! Born in Ladysmith, British Columbia, on July 1, 1967—Canada’s 100th anniversary—actress Pamela Anderson was Canada’s “Centennial Baby”! Submitted by Richard Gibson, Lafayette, LA.






 CLEVER
tips and hacks




EYE OPENER

How To Whiten Teeth Naturally With Turmeric

turmeric-tooth-whitener

as adrian was growing up, he played the viola in an orchestra in new york city. one of the boys who played the violin was his best friend. that boy grew up to become (like his dad) a dentist in brooklyn. i sent him the turmeric idea and asked his opinion. this was his response: "Hmmmm....I'm not so sure about this. I would much rather see you get trays from your dentist (upper and lower bleaching trays) and purchase a material such as LumiSmile White or any whitening material out there with 22% Carbamide Peroxide (which truly works)."  





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1 comment:

  1. PattyMay 4, 2016 at 12:35 PM

    DH was a paramedic/volunteer fireman for years...and he still rescues me! I'll give him an atta boy today:)

    ReplyDelete

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