Fairy Day is a day for fairies, magic, and wishes to come true. For one day, put aside the cynicism of the modern world and embrace the possibilities of the unknown, and believe in fairies
Word of the Day
| |||
| Definition: | (noun) Theatrical arts or performances. | ||
| Synonyms: | theatrical performance, representation | ||
| Usage: | They had lunch, then went to the theater to enjoy an hour of histrionics | ||
History
| |||
 | Author of humorous sketches, horror stories, and tales of the supernatural, Bierce was an American journalist, satirist, and short story writer. Among his best known works are the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and The Devil's Dictionary, a volume of ironic definitions that showcase his sardonic outlook. In 1913, Bierce traveled to Mexico for a firsthand perspective on its ongoing revolution and disappeared without a trace. | ||
| |||
 | The Inti Raymi Festival is an ancient Winter Solstice festival celebrated by the Incas in Peru on June 24. The original Inti Raymi involved animal sacrifices performed at the top of La Marca when the sun reached its zenith. Today the main celebration takes place in Cuzco, where there is a special procession and mock sacrifice to the sun, followed by a week-long celebration involving folkloric dances and regional arts and crafts displays. Bonfires are still lit in the Andes Mountains to celebrate the rebirth of the sun, and people burn their old clothes as a way of marking the end of the harvest cycle. | ||
| |||
 | The 35-year-old woman arrived at the hospital in bad shape. As she was walking home through a park, she noticed she was having trouble lifting the front part of her feet. Then she tripped, fell to the ground and collapsed. It was hours before she managed to | ||
1497 - Italian explorer John Cabot, sailing in the service of England, landed in North America on what is now Newfoundland.
1509 - Henry VIII was crowned King of England.
1896 - Booker T. Washington became the first African American to receive an honorary MA degree from Howard University.
1940 - TV cameras were used for the first time in a political convention as the Republicans convened in Philadelphia, PA.
1964 - The Federal Trade Commission announced that starting in 1965, cigarette manufactures would be required to include warnings on their packaging about the harmful effects of smoking.
2003 - Beyoncé Knowles released her debut solo album "Dangerously in Love".
DAILY SQU-EEZ
If You Were Born Today, June 23
You are an interesting combination of sceptic and believer. You tend to over-think and worry as a youth, but you relax more as you age! You have a totally unique take on the world, and you might especially enjoy unravelling mysteries and uncovering truths. Some might call you moody, as you can sometimes be quite retiring and other times very sociable. In fact, you love people, but you frequently need time to yourself to refuel. Famous people born today: Selma Blair, Clarence Thomas, Bob Fosse, Joss Whedon, Duke of Windsor.
| Picture of the day | |
 |
Moshe Ya'alon (b. 1950) is an Israeli politician and current Defense Minister. The son of a war veteran and a Holocaust survivor, Ya'alon was called up as a reserve during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. After the war, he rejoined the army as an officer and rose through the ranks, leading the Sayeret Matkal commando unit, the Paratroopers Brigade, and Military Intelligence. In 2002 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, resigning in 2005. Since 2013 he has served as the country's Defense Minister.
|
Power Lines
Photograph by Nilton Quoirin, National Geographic
Two power plant workers walk over a generator cover in Itaipu, a hydroelectric power plant on the border between Brazil and Paraguay.
knit
 | |||||||
Preview by Yahoo
| |||||||
knit
knit
 | |||||||
Renda Tric Magarida Vest
* Disclaimer: Yarn color swatches are rendered differently on different monitors. The best way to be sure you are finding the color desired is to visit your l...
| |||||||
knit
knit, 4 - 10 yrs
crochet
 | |||||||
Pinstripe Tube Top and Shrug pattern by Kim Guzman
Sizes available womens size 2 (4, 6, 8, 10)
| |||||||
Preview by Yahoo
| |||||||
crochet
 | |||||||
crochet, 9 - 18 mths
 | |||||||
Tuxedo Tank Top and Shorts Set pattern by Kim Guzman
Luster Sheen Solid (Vintage) by Red Heart Sport / 5 ply 100% Acrylic 335 yards / 113 grams average rating from 383 votes 1897 projects, stashed 1959 times
| |||||||
crochet
crochet
 | |||||||
Preview by Yahoo
| |||||||
RECIPE
CROCKPOT RECIPE
stephanie o'dea
CrockPot Breakfast Risotto
I love risotto. I was excited when I thumbed through a little Crock-Pot recipe card book that I got at the grocery store to see that there was a Breakfast Risotto recipe listed, and that I had all of the necessary ingredients in the house. I followed the recipe, with a few tweaks. I found a pretty surprising typo, also...see if you can find it.
The Ingredients.
--1/4 cup butter--3 little apples (I had 2 greens, and 1 red in the house)
--1 1/2 t cinnamon
--1/8 t nutmeg
--1/8 t cloves
--1/4 t kosher salt
--1 1/2 cups arborio rice
--1/3 cup brown sugar
-- 4 cups of liquid. I used a tiny can of apple juice, and half and half for the rest.
The Directions.
I used a 4 qt round crockpot for this dish.
Turn your crock to high and add the butter so it can start melting. Wash and cut up your apples while it begins to melt.
Add the rice to the butter, and stir it around to coat it nicely. If the butter isn't completely melted, don't worry. Mine wasn't either, and it didn't seem to make a difference.
Add the apples, and spices. Stir in the juice/milk.
Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours, or on low for 6 or so.
I was really surprised how long it took---I needed to cook it on high for 4.5 hours---and since I just made the rice and beans, I thought it would cook as fast as that dish did.
The Verdict.
Oh my. This was delicious. The kids each had 3 small bowls, and I had more than I probably should have since it was full of half and half. But it was very tasty. The half and half did separate a bit, and created some white chunks. We had it in the house because we made some plastic bag ice cream, and I didn't want it to go bad, but next time I'll stick to 2% milk in the crock. That said, the white chunks dissipated after a quick stir, and it didn't taste sour or weird at all. It was creamy and delicious. We added a touch more brown sugar to the top and sprinkled on some dried cranberries.
CRAFT
T-Shirt DIYs That Are Perfect For Summer
Side Crocheted Tank
Tie-Back Tank Top
Strap-Back Tank
Grommet Shoulder Top
Gucci-Inspired Neck Cutout Top
Cutout Tree Tank
Cut-Out Back Tee
Ruffled-Top Tee
Tee Turned Strapless Dress
Side-Tie Tee
Just cut down each side and tie at the bottom.
Heart Cutout Tank
Tie-Front Tank
Triangle Cut-Out Tee
Racer Back Tank
Crocheted Back Tee
Lace-Up Side Tank
Just cut off the arms of the t-shirt, cut the sides, snip some small holes, and lace-up the sides with some braided string.
CHILDREN'S CORNER ... coloring
PUZZLE
QUOTE
11-Year-Old Homeschooled Boy Graduates from College with 3 Different Degrees
By Sumitra
11-year-old child prodigy Tanishq Abraham is in the news for graduating from college with not one, not two, but three different degrees. The talented kid from California made headlines last year as well, for completing high school at the age of ten and earning a congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama. And now, just a year later, he’s finished college with three associate degrees.
Last week’s graduation ceremony at the American River College in Sacramento was attended by Tanishq’s parents – his mother Taji, a vet, and his father Bijou, a software engineer. His sister Tiara, also a child prodigy, was present as well. They cheered for Tanishq as he was awarded associate degrees in math and physical sciences, general science, and language studies. He wore a rainbow colored scarf that his grandmother had knit specially for the occasion, and a cap with his favorite Toy Story-quote: ‘To Infinity and Beyond.”
"Good Morning" in Greek (Greece, Cyprus) - Kalimera
CLEVER
EYE OPENER
How to Commit a Random Act of Beauty
wikiHow
There are times in your life when a visual pick-me-up or some other form of marvelous inspiration can make your day. Other times, if the muse strikes you or things just fall into place as you want them to, you may wish to share the joy of your discovery or moment of beauty. Sharing the beauty of life is one sure fire way to kindle special warmth and love in others. To find some ways to touch that special spot in others, here are some heart-stirring suggestions.
Method 1 of 3: Being creative
- 1Use whatever is 'lying around' to make something ordinary into something beautiful. Junk art is not an oxymoron––there are real artists who spend their lives turning junk into beauty. This art form proves that one man's trash is another man's treasure. And it's a way of showing respect to your planet and fellow human beings by reusing its resources to spread beauty. It's about igniting a sense of resourcefulness within you.
- Turn your favorite art or craft skill toward re-purposing junk into art. If you knit or crochet, try knitting or crocheting with unwanted materials like plastic bags, netting or old sweaters. If you love to paint, do still life paintings that show the beauty of garbage––now there's a challenge for you! If you're into woodworking, tin-crafting, decoupaging, etching, drawing, gluing, cutting and pasting, there will always be endless inspirations out there for you to work with junks and turn them into something more useful and beautiful.
- For ideas, use your favorite search engine and search for junk art projects or junk art ideas, etc.
- Check out wikiHow's vast selection of how-tos on re-purposing old junks into useful new items. For example, visit the category for more ideas than you'll have time to know what to do with!
- 2Use your computer to create beauty. You have the choice as to what you share and create in the digital environment. Via online, you can choose to share stories of hope, images of awesomeness and words of encouragement. All of these equal random acts of beauty and make the internet a better virtual place. On screen, you can spend your time making incredible works of beauty using your writing and imaging or design talents. Just a few examples:
- Graphic software of all types can assist you with design and craft. Some programs are free, while some have quite the price tag. Choose whatever lets you transform your ideas into things of beauty to share with others.
- Use scrap-booking software to make pages to share with family and friends.
- Write short stories, poems and novels. Getting started is often half the battle, so set aside those excuses and make the time. Share with a friend, then a colleague and then a stranger, getting your work out there and brightening their day. You can even write here in Wikihow and manage your blog by the words of wisdom only you can have.
- Get a program like Photoshop and start playing around with your photos. Make them brighter, funnier, entertaining or simply prettier. Add messages of fun and hopefulness. Send them to family and friends to add a spot of beauty in their day.
- Send amazing things you've made by email. Take photos of whatever you've created, write a very simple email message with lots of hugs and send it to cheer up someone who is snowed under with work or problems. Help them to remember what matters in life.
Method 2 of 3: Being inspired by nature
- 1Take advantage of the season. Whatever season you're in, it's a beautiful one and you owe it to yourself to see its beauty. Even in the middle of a freezing winter or a searing summer, there is beauty to be found for those who look. To share this beauty, here are a few things you can do:
- Point out to people how lovely the day is. Point out the symmetry of the snowflakes, the shimmering haze on the horizon or the changing colors of the leaves. They may not have seen the beauty amid all their troubles all by themselves but you can bring them there through your exquisite shares of real natural beauty.
- Enjoy the seasonal events to their fullest. Whether it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other occasion, share the joy of that season by celebrating it and sharing tokens of beauty related to the event. The seasonal event provides myriad opportunities to appreciate the beauty of the season.
- Make nature craft items that celebrate the abundance and beauty of nature's abundance. There are many possibilities, including making wreaths from twigs and leaves, nut sculptures, leaf prints, photos of landscapes turned into artworks, seed pictures, seed pod figurines, and much more. Give to friends and family after creating, or share your images of your creations on sites such as Pinterest.
- 2Plant small spring bulbs. Crocus blends in well with grass and is one of the first flowers to blossom in the spring. You can go further and plant them surreptitiously in your neighborhood park or along a favorite walking path. They're fairly hardy and need no weeding or fertilizer when established.
- Of course, never plant pest plants randomly. Always take into account what's native to your area and stick to increasing the amount of that rather than spreading invasive species!
- 3Plant a garden to create an outward show of natural beauty. Many perennials and shrubs are available. As for flowers, their blooms will attract the gaze of passers-by and visitors alike, for there are few people who wouldn't feel joy at seeing flowers in full bloom!
- Talk to your local greenhouse or nursery about what plants will do best in your area, as plants used to local conditions will always thrive best. By growing a locally-derived garden, not only are you beautifying the area, you are also providing yet another carbon dioxide recycling area on planet earth.
Method 3 of 3: Random acts of beauty
- 1Pick up litter whenever possible. This may also inspire others to do likewise, and the cleaner an area is, the less likely others will litter.
- If that voice in your head says, "I didn't drop that, so why should I pick it up?", remind yourself that the whole world is your home and backyard. Sure, you may not have made the mess but you care enough to do something about it and remind others of what really matters.
- Join in other litter cleaning up efforts, on beaches, in parks and in the countryside. If you see others already collecting litter, pitch in and help.
-
2Beautify a public area. If you have the time and skills, find a rundown part of your neighborhood to make more beautiful. Gather some other members of the community, some paint, yarn, gardening tools, whatever and get to beautifying it. While this is probably not quite "random", as you'll need to plan a little, it'll seem random and beautiful to most of the community who have grown used to ugly facades and rundown areas of their local area.
- Always check that it's okay to start painting or changing something owned by others. If it's a public space, check with the municipality first if the result is likely to be permanent.
- Rundown buildings that never get done up can be canvases for people's dreams. Paint with chalkboard paint. Leave boxes of chalk next to the painted walls. And ask simple questions like: Who do you really want to be? or What would you rather be doing? or What should this building be turned into? Encourage a few people to write some lines, then it'll probably get a life of its own.
- 3Look around. Sometimes, the beauty of the world or of human life needs some encouragement or enhancement to be seen by others. Maybe that is your calling; to see what others don't and add to it, then make it clear for all else to see.
Henry VIII and I share a birthday! Maybe we can makeover tees together?
ReplyDelete