Mother in Law Day October 23, 2016

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Mother in Law Day

”The only thing more intimidating than a huge international film star is your mother-in-law.
– Benjamin Walker

There’s a lot of jokes about them, the bane of our existence and the constant nagging voice that hangs at the back of our heads. Literally, if they happen to be riding in the back seat of the car, or sitting in your living room, or heck, hanging out in the mother-in-law that your wife just insisted that you had to build on the back acres of your property. Yeah, we know, they’re not often our favorite people either, and more often than not are a major component of why we don’t want to get married. Either way, Mother-in-Law Day celebrates all that is good about them… given time I’m sure we can think about something.

When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter – that’s something.
– Lou Gehrig

Mother-In-Law’s have existed since… Well, we suppose depending on one’s point of since shortly after Eden and the second wedding. (One must assume Adam and Eve’s was implicit). Then again, taking another angle, the first time two neanderthal’s came together and the mother of one lectured the other about not bringing in enough game, and how Ugg brought in a mammoth last season, what have you done? Mother-in-Laws can be the worst enemy of your relationship and can cause more problems than a sentimental love-letter from an old flame. Then again, they can also be the greatest benefit and a true champion for your relationship during the hardest of times. It’s really not surprising they’re such a mixed bag, ultimately parents want what’s best for their children, and it’s hard to imagine anyone being good enough for your little girl (or boy, for that matter).

Start simple, give your mother-in-law a call and sincerely ask how she’s doing. Mother-In-Law Day is about diving into the lions mouth and acknowledging that they aren’t all bad. Or, if they are, letting them know exactly how bad they really are. Never underestimate the value of a good roasting when you have someone like a mother-in-law who either doesn’t like you, or doesn’t know that sometimes you have to let folks work things out for themselves. On the other hand, if you have a wonderful mother-in-law be sure to spend some time telling her how much you appreciate her, which is good advice even if you don’t like her and think she’s more than a little annoying. Mother-In-Law Day is sometimes about making your partners life a little easier by appeasing the great villain.

Word of the Day

exacta
Definition:	(noun) A method of betting, as on a horserace, in which the bettor must correctly pick those finishing in the first and second places in precisely that sequence.
Synonyms:	perfecta
Usage:	Even though she knew it was risky, she was tempted to go for the exacta, which had a higher payout than a bet on just the winning horse.

Idiom of the Day

have (one's) head in the sand  — To refuse to acknowledge or deal with problems, danger, or difficulty, especially in the hopes that they will resolve themselves. The phrase is a reference to ostriches, which were believed (incorrectly) to hide their heads in the ground at the sight of approaching danger.

History

John William "Johnny" Carson (1925)

Two years after a 12-year-old Carson sent away for a magic kit, "The Great Carsoni" gave his first performance. He continued his show business career by working as a radio announcer and television comedy writer and went on to host several television quiz shows from 1955 to 1962. He first appeared on The Tonight Show in 1958. He was permanent host from 1962 to 1992, and his personable demeanor and wry humor made it America's most popular late-night program. 

Hoshana Rabbah

Hoshana Rabbah is considered the last possible day on which one can seek forgiveness for the sins of the preceding year. According to Jewish tradition, on Yom Kippur, God seals the Book of Life—and thus each individual's fate for the coming year. But since the Middle Ages, Hoshana Rabbah has been regarded as an extension of the deadline for Divine judgment. According to an old Jewish folk belief, notes fell from Heaven on this day, informing people of how they had been judged. The traditional Yiddish greeting, a gute kvitl, "May you receive a good note," reflects this belief.

Accidental Discovery Could Be Renewable Energy Breakthrough

In an unexpected twist of fate, scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a process to turn carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into ethanol fuel — a breakthrough with implications for the future of renewable energy.

READ MORE:

Accidental discovery could be renewable energy breakthrough

1915 - The first U.S. championship horseshoe tourney was held in Kellerton, IA. 

1915 - Approximately 25,000 women demanded the right to vote with a march in New York City, NY. 

1930 - J.K. Scott won the first miniature golf tournament. The event was held in Chattanooga, TN. 

1946 - The United Nations General Assembly convened in New York for the first time. 

1956 - NBC broadcasted the first videotape recording. The tape of Jonathan Winters was seen coast to coast in the U.S. 

1958 - Russian poet and novelist Boris Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. He was forced to refuse the honor due to negative Soviet reaction. Pasternak won the award for writing "Dr. Zhivago". 

1972 - The musical "Pippin" premiered at the Imperial Theater on Broadway. saw it with ben vereen, what a talent .. what a show!

2005 - In Chicago, IL, Lou Rawls gave his last performance when he performed the national anthem of the United States to start Game Two of the 2005 World Series. 

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, October 23

You are a persuasive, interesting, and clever person. There is a mischievous playfulness about you, and you like to poke fun at more serious or pompous individuals. You have much magnetic appeal, with both sexes. You are fiercely protective of those you love, as well as passionate and highly perceptive. You are one of the most observant people around, and your understanding of human nature belies your years in age. You don't miss much that's going around you! Your wit is sharp, yet you are sensitive to the feelings of people you hold dear. Famous people born today: Johnny Carson, Bob Montana, Dwight Yoakam, Weird Al Yankovich, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Ryan Reynolds.

READER'S BLOG

They strive to make all of the world’s art accessible to anyone online. 

Browse Artists on Artsy | Modern and Contemporary Artists

Pictures of the day

A pair of gulf fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae) mating. The gulf fritillary is a bright orange butterfly of the family Nymphalidae and subfamily Heliconiinae, found along their migration route, ranging from Argentina in the south to upper California in the north.

Elephant Rock, Iceland

knit, halloween

Wacky Costume Hats

knit

thanks, ginger

Crocodilly Mocs

				Crocodilly Mocs Warm up this season in the amazingly comfortable Crocodilly Mocs. This cozy knitted slipper pattern features a knitting stitch inspired by the crocodile c...
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knit, halloween 

http://www.naturalsuburbia.com/2010/10/halloween-knitted-bat-pattern-and.html

knit

Double-breasted Poncho pattern by Pierrot (Gosyo Co., Ltd)

				Double-breasted Poncho pattern by Pierrot (Gosyo Co., Lt... Japanese version available here. Both English and Japanese versions are fully charted using standard knitting and/or crochet symbols.
				View on www.ravelry.com	Preview by Yahoo

knit, halloween 

Little Witch

yarn birdie

Look! I found a little knit witch hiding among the leaves on my balcony this morning. Good thing, too, because I've put up zero Halloween decorations so far, so she'll be just perfect to give a little holiday fun to my apartment.

You in the same last-minute boat as me? Want to knit up a fun little witch to spice up your decorations before the holiday? She'll take you two hours to knit, three tops. I based her on my super popular (and quick) Little Ghost pattern -double the fun if you make both a little Ghost and a little Witch.

Plus, she's a magic witch and can fly around the house on your fingers.

It's an intermediate level pattern, but because the witch is small, if you already know techniques like knitting in the round, k2tog etc. she comes together very quickly. Here's the pattern:

Little Witch Pattern

You Need: Scraps of black and green worsted weight yarn (I used simply soft solids), 4 DPNs size 4 or similar, black and red embroidery thread and a needle.

Abbreviations: DPNs = double pointed needles

K = knit

k2tog = knit 2 stitches together into 1

YO = yarn over. wrap the yarn around the needle to create an extra stitch

SKPO = slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over to decrease by 1 stitch

BO = Bind Off

Body and Hat (knit in the round)

With Black, Cast On 33 stitches and divide evenly over 3 DPNs (11 stitches per needle)

Round 1 (and all odd rounds through round 9): Knit 

Round 2: [k2tog, K3, YO, K4, SKPO] repeat 3 times for the round

you now have 30 stitches on your needles, having decreased 6 times and increased 3 times.

Round 4: [k2tog, K3, YO, K3, SKPO] repeat 3 times: 27 stitches

Round 6: [k2tog, K2, YO, K3, SKPO] repeat 3 times: 24 stitches

Round 8: [k2tog, K2, YO, K2, SKPO] repeat 3 times: 21 stitches

Round 10: [k2tog, K1, YO, K2, SKPO] repeat 3 times: 18 stitches

Round 11: Knit

Switch to Green (for witch's face)

Rounds 12-18: Knit

Switch to Black (for witch's hat. You will have to rearrange the stitches on your DPNs a couple times as you work through the decreases on hat. And when you get down to 5 stitches remaining, it's easier to divide the stitches onto 2 DPNs and work them with a third)

Round 19: k2tog K7 k2tog K7: 16 stitches

Round 20: K1 k2tog K6 k2tog K5: 14 stitches

Round 21: K2 k2tog K5 k2tog K3: 12 stitches

Round 22: K3 k2tog K4 k2tog K1: 10 stitches

Round 23: K4 k2tog K4: 9 stitches

Round 24: K5 k2tog K2: 8 stitches

Round 25: K6 k2tog: 7 stitches

Round 26: k2tog K5: 6 stitches

Round 27: K1 k2tog k3 5 stitches

Round 28: K2 k2tog K1: 4 stitches

Round 29: k2tog k2tog: 2 stitches

BO

Weave the ends inside the witch so that they do not show. With black and red embroidery thread and needle, embroider on eyes and mouth.

Hat Brim (knit flat, then sewn on)

with Black, CO 19

Row 1: [kfb] 19 times: 38 stitches

BO loosely, leaving a tail of yarn approx. 6 inches long

Sew the short ends together and the brim to the witches hat using the tail of yarn.

crochet, halloween 

My Knitting Basket: Spider Dishcloth (crochet)

				My Knitting Basket: Spider Dishcloth (crochet) Materials needed: - 4.5mm crochet hook, or size recommended on skein band - 2 skeins of dishcloth cotton, 1 black and 1 white. Tension: not important for th...
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crochet

Cancer Ribbon Afghan

crochet, halloween 

Backup Finger pattern by Ana Rosa

crochet

Recycled Purseability Purse Pattern

crochet, halloween 

Cupcakes with Swirl Frosting Halloween pattern by Candy van Sweet

RECIPE

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Recipe

CROCKPOT RECIPE

Super Easy Skinny Veggie Crockpot Lasagna - Pinch of Yum

				Super Easy Skinny Veggie Crockpot Lasagna - Pinch of Yum This skinny Veggie Crockpot Lasagna is packed with good-for-you veggies and super easy to make. 300 calories.
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SWEETS

Glow in the Dark JELL-O 

http://www.momadvice.com/post/how-to-make-glow-in-the-dark-jell-o

ADULT COLORING

 

CRAFTS

a bit of sunshine: colors of fall

				a bit of sunshine: colors of fall  Earlier today the boys and I made these stained glass wax paper leaves. It was fun but I admit that I think I liked it the most.
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CHILDREN'S CORNER ... crafts

easy paper pumpkin craft

by Alli Katseanes

This easy paper pumpkin craft is simple to put together, looks cute and festive, and the best part?It’s cheap! All you need is paper, glue, and pipe cleaners. Any easy craft that you can whip up with materials around the house, is a winner in my book!

You can decorate these paper pumpkins however you want. We opted for some glittery paper, and spiced them up with glitter glue and stickers. It would also be fun to use patterned paper, different colors, or even adding pictures to make them more like a scrapbook decoration. The options are endless!

If you’ve got little ones putting these together, you’ll want to help out when they glue all of the sides together. If you don’t line things up right, it might not look quite like a pumpkin when it’s done.But you can easily trim the edges to make things a little smoother.

easy paper pumpkin craft

Supplies Needed:

• orange card stock/a><
• paper
• green and brown/gold pipe cleaners
• glue stick
• scissors

Directions:

1. Grab a piece of regular paper and fold it in half. Cut out half of a pumpkin, so when you unfold it, it looks like a whole pumpkin (see above).
2. Use this as a template, and cut out 6 pumpkins out of card stock – or as many as you’d like. Feel free to alternate colors/styles of paper, just make sure that when you fold the pumpkin over, the inside is the side you want to show.
3. Glue the pumpkins together, one side at a time, and connect them in a circle. Trim any edges that may not line up perfectly.
4. Roll the green pipe cleaner around a pen to make it curly, and stick it in the top of the pumpkin. Secure it with glue and trim to your liking.
5. Bend the brown/gold pipe cleaner into a triangle, twisting the bottom ends together. Slide it in the top of the pumpkin and secure with glue.
6. Keep your pumpkin plain, or decorate it however you wish – glitter, stickers, coloring, pictures, etc!

PUZZLE

Red Admiral Pop Jigsaw Puzzle

Red Admiral Pop Jigsaw Puzzle Red Admiral Pop Jigsaw Puzzle, 67 Piece Classic. Red Admiral butterfly sitting on a pink flower. The Red Admira...

QUOTE

thanks, elaine

 

CLEVER

Pencils

1. Moth repellent – If you can’t get mothballs, you can use pencil shavings instead. The smell of the shavings is an effective repellent. 2. Fix stuck zippers – If your zipper is stuck, rub the “teeth” on either side with the pencil’s graphite, it’ll act as a dry lubricant and free the zipper. This also works on old locks. 3. Pincushion substitute – Doing some sewing but can’t find that darn pin cushion? Stick the needles into the pencil’s eraser to keep them safe for the time being. 4. Temporary earring clasp – If you lost the back clasp of your earring, cut a piece of the eraser from a pencil and use it as a temporary clasp. 5. Clean the soles of your shoes – If you stepped in something sticky (like gum) and need to clean it somehow, a pencil will do the work perfectly.

thanks, helen

'Me knitting in a blackout. They're not sure how long it will be until the power is back on. Hope there won't be too many mistakes! Lol!'

EYE OPENER

Facts that show how far the human race has come