Oh, for Pete’s sake! Not another pointless holiday?
For Pete’s Sake Day celebrates one example of a ‘minced oath’, where an offensive word or phrase is substituted by something more acceptable in society. Other examples include ‘For crying out loud!’, and ‘Sugar!’. Such euphemisms have been used for centuries whenever people hit thumbs with hammers, burn hands on hot plates, or sit on sharp things while in polite company. Why has Pete been singled out for special attention?
In the case of this particular minced oath, Pete is likely to refer to St Peter. However, if there’s a Pete in your life, why not do something for his sake? It doesn’t have to be much – making him a cup of tea or a nice sandwich would be good!
If you are Pete-less, perhaps you can celebrate by saying ‘For Pete’s Sake’ whenever you get an opportunity.
Word of the Day
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| Definition: | (noun) One that serves as a pattern or model. | ||
| Synonyms: | epitome, prototype | ||
| Usage: | Their company is a paradigm of the small high-tech firms that have recently sprung up in this area. | ||
new catagory:
QUOTES
History
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 | Radar is a means for detecting the position, movement, and nature of a remote object through radio waves reflected from its surface. During the 1930s, several countries independently developed the technology for military use, exploiting radar's capacity to detect aircrafts and ships. One of the earliest practical radar systems was devised by Sir Robert Watson-Watt, a Scottish physicist and descendent of the inventor of the steam engine, James Watt. | ||
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 | Sea levels along the northeast coast of the US rose by record levels during 2009-2010, a study has found. Sea levels north of New York City rose by 128mm in two years, according to a report in the journal Nature Communications. | ||
1870 - In New York City, the first pneumatic-powered subway line was opened to the public.
1916 - Mutual signed Charlie Chaplin to a film contract.
1929 - U.S. President Coolidge signed a bill creating the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
1955 - Billboard reported that the 45rpm single format was outselling the 78s for the first time.
1977 - The Eagles' "Hotel California" was released.
1993 - Six people were killed and more than a thousand injured when a van exploded in the parking garage beneath the World Trade Center in New York City. The bomb had been built by Islamic extremists.
(on a personal note, shockingly, one of the bombers in this incident lived next door to me in brooklyn. my ex husband was interviewed on the nightly news speaking of his total shock. it was the most bizarre experience as there were several young children in that apartment who were whisked away, never to be seen again by us)
If You Were Born Today, February 26
Your intuition rarely fails you, especially when it comes to quickly, fairly, and accurately sizing up someone you meet. This does not mean you are immune to wishful thinking, however, as you are a dreamer. However, you are also a dreamer who believes in hard work to achieve your goals. There are many times in your life that your personal life takes a backseat to your career, as you are ambitious and have something to prove, if only to yourself. You need a partner who can keep up with your varied tastes and talents. Famous people born today: Johnny Cash, Jackie Gleason, Levi Strauss, Teresa Palmer, Victor Hugo, Fats Domino, Ja Rule, Tony Randall.
Winter Lodgings
Photograph by John Warner, National Geographic
A solitary beaver pauses at dawn on its way home from a night of chewing off tree branches, newly within reach under the weight of freshly fallen snow. John Warner explains that the beaver, a mate, and two kits appeared late in the fall on Montana’s Lake Elmo and hastily built a lodge before the winter freeze.
knit
knit
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Seed Stitch Chevron Knit Towel pattern by Michael Harrig...
I’ve had some really soft cotton yarn in coral waiting for a project.
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crochet (middle of page)
cell phone cozy
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Linda Cyr LOVES yarn | Welcome to the Craft Yarn Council
When Linda Cyr was 5 years old, her mother (out of desperation to keep two active children occupied) taught her how to knit. Fast-forward many years.
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crochet
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crochet
crochet
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Flatland Lock pattern by Woolly Thoughts
Knit or crochet.
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recipe!
Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Gnocchi
By Aviva Kanoff
Yield:
2 servings
2 servings
Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Gnocchi
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 large egg
¾ tsp salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour, plus more for hands and work surface
3 Tbsp butter
¼ cup fresh sage leaves
sea salt to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
1 large egg
¾ tsp salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour, plus more for hands and work surface
3 Tbsp butter
¼ cup fresh sage leaves
sea salt to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Directions
Boil butternut squash in 4 cups water until soft, then strain. Mash or puree in a food processor.
Set a large pot of water to boil. In a medium-sized bowl, combine butternut squash, egg and salt. Add flour in 3-4 separate additions, stirring to combine after each addition. Continue adding flour until dough is firm enough to handle, but still somewhat sticky.
With floured hands, pinch off about a quarter of the dough. Roll between palms and on floured work surface to make a 1-inch thick rope. Cut rope into bite-sized pieces. Repeat with remaining dough.
Drop gnocchi into boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add sage leaves and cook, swirling frequently, until butter browns. Set aside.
Drain gnocchi on paper towels, then add to brown butter and toss. Sprinkle with sea salt and Parmesan cheese if desired.
Arabic Calligraphy
crockpot recipe!
stephanie o'dea
CrockPot Chocolate Fudge Pudding Cake Recipe
Head to the kitchen to whip up some chocolaty goodness.
The Ingredients:
This is an adaptation of Chocolate Obsession from MJ's What a Crock! site--which is the best blog name, ever. (edited: links are removed, the site no longer exists. bummer).
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 t baking powder (Pamela's does have baking powder in it, but I decided to add 1 t anyhow. MJ uses 2 t with regular all-purpose flour)
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup milk
2 T melted butter
1 t vanilla
1 3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup shredded coconut
The Directions:
Read this all the way. It's easy to get confused. You need to only use some of the brown sugar and cocoa powder at first.
In your crockpot stoneware insert, mix 1 cup of the brown sugar, the cup of flour, 1/4 cup of the cocoa powder, the baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, melted butter and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix the remaining 3/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Add the chocolate chips and the coconut.
Pour over the stuff in the crockpot. The chocolate chips and the coconut will fall to the bottom and you won't be able to see them.
Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean.
This never really set. It very well may be because we didn't do it right. Neither Adam or I remember who helped to measure out the milk and the water. So there could be an extra 1/2 cup of something in there.Updated: nope, this is a *pudding* cake, so it's *supposed* to be like this! go figure.
It really didn't matter. The taste was wonderful. Since it never really firmed up, I kept cooking and cooking it and the kids ended up being bored to sleep. We were forced then to eat most of it ourselves, but I did save a bit for the kids to eat for breakfast.
Next time I think I want to use coffee instead of the water, watch who is measuring (doy.), and skip the chocolate chips. They completely disappeared.
crafts!
Stamps!
It's real easy!
Save a lid from your water bottle, milk jug or soda liter.
Draw an image on the top of your lid with your marker, keep it simple.
With your 3D paint, trace your drawn image.
Allow to dry about 6 hours.
STAMP!
Bet you can't make just one!
Design your own greeting cards, mailing packages, wrapping paper,
business cards and fabric!
'i'm hungry' in Romanian: mea foame
CHILDREN'S CORNER .. coloring
clever!
Book Jewelry Box
EYE OPENER!
22 Two-Letter Words To Boost Your Scrabble Score
1. AA
You’ll only score two points for the name of this rough and rubbly basaltic lava, but it’ll be a useful two points if you’re sitting with a rack full of vowels. You can also play AI, the name of a species of three-toed sloth, and AE, a Scots variation of “one.”
2. AG
An abbreviation of agriculture, used in phrases like “ag college” and “ag school.”
3. AL
Another name for the Indian mulberry tree, Morinda citrifolia.
4. AR
You can play the names of all of the letters of the alphabet in Scrabble, including AR, ES, and TEE.
5. BA
BA is an old dialect word meaning “to kiss,” but among Egyptologists it’s also the name given to a person’s immortal soul.
6. BO
American slang for a boy or best friend, and an exclamation used to frighten or surprise someone.
7. DE
You can use DE as a synonym of “from” or “of.”
8. EL
As well as being the name of the letter L (you can play EM and EN as well), an EL is an elevated railroad.
9. ET
A dialect spelling of “ate.”
10. FE
Also spelled PE (which is also acceptable, incidentally), FE is a letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
11. HM
The expressions HM, HMM, UM, and MM are all acceptable in Scrabble, as are HA, HO, OH, and AH.
12. JO
An old Scots word for a sweetheart.
13. KA
Like the BA, in Egyptian culture the KA is the spiritual part of a person’s soul.
14. LI
A LI is a standard Chinese unit of distance, equal to 500 meters.
15. MU
As the names of letters of the Greek alphabet, you can play both MU and NU in Scrabble.
16. OD
OD is the Odic Force, a hypothetical life force theorised to exist by the 19th century philosopher Carl Reichenbach.
17. OE
As well as being an old word for an island, the OE is a whirlwind near the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic.
18. OM
Taken from Sanskrit, the syllable OM is used as a mantra in certain forms of meditation.
19. QI
In Chinese philosophy, QI is the vital life force inherent in all things.
20. UT
The first note of the musical scale, now known as DO, was originally called UT. The other note names RE, MI, FA, SO, LA, and TE (or TI) are all also acceptable.
21. XU
As well as the name of the Greek letter XI, you can also play the word XU in Scrabble as the name of a monetary unit worth one-hundredth of a Vietnamese dong.
22. ZA
As a slang abbreviation of “pizza,” ZA is worth remembering if you need to ditch a letter Z at the end of the game. If you’re playing with the SOWPODS list outside of North America, you can also play the word ZO or DZO, which is the name of a hybrid of a domestic cow and a Himalayan yak.
More than a hundred two-letter words are acceptable in Scrabble; 22 of the most unfamiliar and most bizarre of which are listed here.
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....I forgot about HM! You can also add SH to your list. I have used all the others which reveals that I have spend way too much time playing Words With Friends (like Scrabble)! Love all the elephants--and thinking of Hannibal's elephants going through the Alps. See I did pay attention in Latin class...mostly:)
ReplyDeletefrom VT where it was above zero degrees F this morning!
the Vermonster
Just HAD to "pin" the elephant mobile and the elephant toys. These are so precious and a great way to use up scraps of fabric and have fun with a touch of embroidery. Oh, yes, you DO have to find a baby to give it to eventually.
ReplyDeleteenjoyed your "for Pete's sake" comments. Reminded me of "pardon my French" when we say a bad word. My Montreal-er friend's wife told me he is offended by this and can't understand why people say this. He points out that French speakers aren't swearing all the time!
ReplyDelete