French Toast Day - November 28, 2018

DIANE'S CORNER ... 

Celebrate French Toast Day

There’s a blend that just makes our morning fantastic, and it’s a blending of eggs, milk, and cinnamon with bread dipped in. There’s something about the savory sweet smell of it, and the anticipation of having it painted with butter and drizzled with syrup, with a side of breakfast sausage and a tall glass of orange juice that’ll get us out of bed on even the worst of days. French Toast Day honors this amazing breakfast delight, and encourages you to enjoy it for breakfast with a few friends.

History of French Toast Day

The breakfast favorite French toast goes by many names depending on where it’s being served up – eggy bread, German toast, poor knights’ pudding, Bombay toast – but it’s always made of the same key ingredients. Egg, milk – or cream – and bread. This delicious sweet snack is often served with sugar or syrup and fruit, and consists of bread slices fried in a mixture of milk and egg. In France, its name is ‘pain perdu’, which literally means ‘lost bread’, because it would often be made with stale or old bread.

Although we tend to call it French Bread, the dish isn’t known to have come from France. Some ancient Latin recipes from the 4th century mention soaking bread in milk before frying, and in fourteenth Century Germany the term ‘poor knights’ pudding’ was coined for the sweet treat because it was seen as an affordable meal for those without too much money to spend. Today, it’s eaten across the world as a breakfast meal or a sweet snack.

In Italy, there’s a savory version, called ‘mozzarella en carrozza’, which sees the egg-soaked bread sandwiching slices of mozzarella cheese before it is fried. Its name literally means ‘mozzarella in a carriage’. So you can have eggy bread for your main meal, and your pudding!

Word of the Day

palmistry
Definition:	(noun) The practice or art of telling fortunes from the lines, marks, and patterns on the palms of the hands.
Synonyms:	chirology, chiromancy
Usage:	She dabbled in fortunetelling and palmistry.

Idiom of the Day

take no notice of (something or someone)  — To not pay any attention to someone or something; to ignore or disregard someone or something.

This Day in History

The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire (1942)

The deadliest nightclub fire in US history, the Cocoanut Grove fire claimed 492 lives. When the fire broke out, the Boston, Massachusetts, club was packed well beyond capacity. About 1,000 people were inside, with limited avenues of escape. Side doors had been locked to prevent patrons from skipping out on tabs, and the main entrance, a revolving door, was rendered useless by the crush of the crowd, as were other unlocked doors that opened inward.

Alexander Godunov (1949)

Godunov was a Russian ballet dancer and film actor whose defection caused a diplomatic incident between the US and USSR. On August 21, 1979, while on tour with the Bolshoi Ballet in New York City, Godunov requested political asylum. Days later, the KGB put his wife, a soloist with the company, on a plane to Moscow, but the State Department grounded it until officials determined that she was leaving voluntarily. The couple later divorced.

Chad Republic Day

This national holiday commemorates the establishment of the republic on this day in 1958, which afforded Chad some autonomy, though it was a French territoryuntil it attained full independence.

The Funny Psychology Of Why We Love The Taste Of Coffee

If you're a coffee lover, you know that drinking coffee is a complex and nuanced experience—there's the rich aroma, the comforting warmth, and the loveliness of the ritual of sitting down with a fresh cup. But if you focus on the actual taste of coffee on ...

READ MORE:

The Funny Psychology Of Why We Love The Taste Of Coffee

1520 - Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait. The strait was named after him. He was the first European to sail the Pacific from the east. 

1757 - English poet, painter and engraver William Blake was born. Two of his best known works are "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience." 

1919 - American-born Lady Astor was elected the first female member of the British Parliament. 

1922 - Capt. Cyril Turner of the Royal Air Force gave the first public exhibition of skywriting. He spelled out, "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200" over New York's Times Square. 


1929 - Ernie Nevers (St. Louis Cardinals) became the first professional football player to score six touchdowns in a single game. 

1944 - The MGM movie musical "Meet Me in St. Louis," starring Judy Garland opened in New York.

1964 - Willie Nelson made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. 

1974 - Elton John and John Lennon sang a duet of "I Saw Her Standing There" at Madison Square Garden in New York. The show was John Lennon's last stage appearance. 


1977 - Larry Bird was introduced as "College Basketball's Secret Weapon" with a cover story in Sports Illustrated. (NBA) 


1989 - Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci arrived in New York after escaping her homeland through Hungary. 


2010 - WikiLeaks released to the public more than 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables. About 100,000 were marked "secret" or "confidential." 

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, November 28

You are warm, spontaneous, emotional, and magnetic. Your smile is infectious. You love to have fun, yet you have a deeper side to you. Moodiness is something you struggle with from time to time. You are not the most consistent person around, as you tend to feel your way through life, and your emotions are up and down. You are very perceptive, at times complex, and generally quite contradictory! You are a compassionate person. Others may find it hard to assign you traits, simply because you can be brave and adventurous one day, and withdrawn the next. Famous people born today:

1866 Henry Bacon, American architect (Lincoln Memorial), born in Watseka, Illinois (d. 1924)

1929 Berry Gordy, record company owner (Motown), born in Detroit, Michigan

1950 Ed Harris, American actor (Right Stuff, Swing Shift, Walker, Coma), born in Englewood, New Jersey

1962 Jon Stewart [Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz], American Comedian (The Daily Show), born in NYC, New York

READERS INFO

1.

READER'S BLOG: (Do you have a blog? Send me the link!)

MARTI ..  blog is devoted to her love of knitting!

 

marti-blueheaven

2.

1966 - 

TODAY: Truman Capote hosts his infamous Black and White Ball in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza.

3.

Aurora Festival of Wreaths Exhibit & Fundraiser 2018

Nov 6 - Dec 7, 2018 | Aurora, CO 

Aurora History Museum|15051 E Alameda Pkwy 

Wreaths are crucial Christmas decorations because why would you approach a door that doesn’t have one hung up? That’s not very festive. The Festival of Wreaths lets you get creative as you can customize a wreath however you’d like, even if it doesn’t look Christmasy at all. For every wreath that’s sold at the silent auction, the money goes directly to the Aurora Museum Foundation to support education programs.

further information: Aurora Museum Foundation, Inc. - Festival of Wreaths

4.

Nine Flags Christmas Festival 2018

Nov 15 - Dec 31, 2018 | Nacogdoches, TX

The Nine Flags Christmas Festival pays homage to Christmas in the oldest town in Texas, Nacogdoches. The festival offers a host of events during its month-long run including a historic tour of the Oldest Town in Texas. Visit the beautifully decorated nine Christmas trees representing each of the nine flags that have flown over Nacogdoches throughout its rich history, attend the Texas Old Time Fiddlers State Championship or shop at the Holiday in the Pines for unique local and artisanal gifts.

further information: Nacogdoches Holidays | Nine Flags Festival Schedule

5.

Marble Falls Walkway of Lights 2018

Nov 16, 2018 - Jan 1, 2019 | Marble Falls, TX

Lakeside Park Marble Falls|305 Buena Vista Dr 

Featuring over two million lights, the Walkway of Lights located in Marble Falls, Texas, is a season-long holiday extravaganza. Walk the lighted pathway along beautiful Lake Marble Falls featuring holiday-themed, whimsical and patriotic light features and sculptures. The first day of the season also brings the annual Christmas Light Up Parade showcasing the initial lighting up of the walkway.

further information: Marble Falls Walkway of Lights

Pictures of the day

Sveti Stefan is a small islet and five-star hotel on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro, close to the city of Budva. Sveti Stefan was the capital city of the Paštrovići community, which became a protectorate of the Republic of Venice in 1423 having likely been independent since the twelfth century. Following a population decline in the early twentieth century, the Yugoslav authorities relocated the remaining population and converted the islet into a luxury hotel. It became popular with celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and was used by Novak Djokovic for his wedding in 2014. It is now operated by Aman Resorts.

QUANG NAM, VIETNAM

The bridge is made of bamboo, build by the people living in the surrounding villages . The villagers use the bridge daily to cross the river to the vegetable field. The vegetables are brought home at the end of the days to prepare for sale on the next day at the village's market place. Their lives are routinely like that everyday.

knit
thanks, Valerie

MY SUPER EASY CAT!!!!

knit
thanks, Paige

Tulips shawl pattern by Happy Knitter

knit

Socks in Lace

knit

Boy's Hoodie & Pants

knit

Big Comfy-Cozy Sweater pattern by Elisabeth Johnson

crochet
thanks, Ava

Bow Headwrap

crochet
thanks, Marge

Fashionable mice

crochet

Happy Hoodie

crochet

Borealis blanket

crochet, Chanukah

Dreidel Hat

RECIPE

thanks, Shelley

Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Smoked Paprika Recipe

CROCKPOT RECIPE ... Chanukah

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Kugel

SWEETS

thanks, Joanne

Easy Black Forest Dump Cake Recipe! (3 Ingredients)

ADULT COLORING

CRAFTS

thanks, Patty

French Knitted Knotted Coasters

could it be that unicorns really exist?

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... French knitting

Cheap and Easy DIY French Knitter

PUZZLE

Beach Run Jigsaw Puzzle

WORD SEARCH

assemble beard bench cargo cement chain chalk charm cheat

deed direction drama evade evaluation

false final flock forward found glass great house itself

less level magic metal murder muss print raise route

scoop stack start throw tough tramp volume yield

oops

SUDOKU ... medium

solution:

this trains can appear to be going in either direction!

QUOTE

please pass the water!

CLEVER

thanks, Sheri

Wrapping Paper Tubes

Wrap linens around the tube to prevent wrinkles. 

thanks, Agnes

EYE OPENER

6 Tiny Ways You Can Better Your Mental Health, According to Psychologists

DISTRACTIFY

For many of us who are stressed, tired, and overworked, the concept of self-care can feel like a foreign luxury reserved for people with more time. But research shows taking care of yourself isn't selfish or self-centered; rather, it improves health and overall well-being, making you more capable of accomplishing the things you want to do.

A recent thread on reddit asked psychologists to share common things people do (or don't do) without realizing how damaging they are to their mental health. We've compiled some of their best answers to bring you a few easy changes you can make to your day-to-day that will ultimately improve your quality of life in the long term.

Tone Down the Venting

When we go through situations that are trying or anxiety-inducing, it's common to air them out on the group text. After all, who hasn't had a passive-aggressive spat with their boss and gone straight to Gchat to unload on their friends?

Next time you catch yourself rehashing your complaints with your friend group, ask yourself the following questions to keep yourself from co-ruminating: But according to psychologists, co-rumination, or "repeatedly discussing and rehashing our problems and difficult feelings with someone else without coming up with a solution or resolution" can be really detrimental in the long run.

So much so, that it can lead to depression and anxiety if your venting goes unchecked. So even though it feels good to revisit and process your problems with friends, the circular gossiping can actually hold you back from addressing your issues productively.

1. Is my problem new?
2. Have I spoken about it before?
3. Am I working myself up about something that hasn't even happened yet?
4. Do I have any new information to share or am I just repeating myself?

Try to Keep a More Regular Sleep Schedule

If your personal slogan is "I'll sleep when I'm dead," you might want to reconsider your brand. Erratic sleep schedules and frequent all-nighters can be quite damaging to your mental and physical health, according to psychologists who urge adults to try for a minimum of 7-9 hours a night.

Research shows that, during sleep, the brain clears itself of harmful toxins like neuritic plaque and tangles "like a dishwasher," per a University of Rochester neurosurgery professor. This helps to explain why we struggle to think clearly after a night of poor sleep. 

If our toxins aren't properly cleared, studies show they can ultimately lead to brain disorders like Alzheimer's and dementia.

The best way to avoid these diseases? Prioritize 7–9 hours of sleep over another game of Fortnite or "just one more" episode of your favorite show. The TV will still be there tomorrow, we swear.

Don't Sweep Your Problems Under the Rug

While overdoing it with repeated venting is decidedly unproductive, it can also be harmful — and ultimately counter-productive — to avoid thinking about problems altogether. 

Avoidance coping, as psychologists call it, refers to dealing with your problems by, essentially, not dealing with them at all. For many people who have unsettling emotions or difficult memories, not calling them to mind may seem like a seductive solution.

But in fact, avoiding issues — rather than dealing with them and accepting how they make us feel — creates stress and anxiety, in addition to ravaging self-confidence, according to psychologists. 

If you feel like you use avoidance tactics to cope with your issues, try discussing them out loud instead. Don't overdo it and get caught in a vicious cycle, but having others around to check your reality can help to get out of your own head.

Be Kinder to Yourself

The cornerstones of self-care are self-acceptance and self-love. This seems obvious at face value but is often overlooked in day-to-day life.

And while a lot of people think this way, it's not hard to realize how counterproductive this thinking is to bettering yourself and cultivating self-confidence, if you take a step back. We often engage in a paradox where we like the version of ourselves we have in our own heads while we simultaneously beat ourselves up when we can't measure up to that constructed ideal.

Instead, show yourself the patience you give others, and cut yourself the same amount of slack. If you can change the fixed idea you have of yourself and believe you're a constantly changing work in progress, you'll start to grow and learn from your mistakes rather than torturing yourself by viewing every error you make as a sign of failure and weakness.

Learn to Say "No"

Many of us feel compelled to accept every invitation and spread ourselves thin by juggling a million tasks because it seems easier than turning someone down.

But according to psychologists, setting boundaries by saying no from time to time is the best way to keep healthy relationships with ourselves and others. For one, it'll keep you from feeling overly burned out, stressed and overwhelmed. And saying no will also ultimately help improve your quality of life once you can spend time on yourself rather than worrying about how to get out of your latest commitment. 

Interestingly, the inability to say no is often tied to low self-confidence and self-esteem. We might have been conditioned to become people-pleasers to the point where we imagine we're useless if we're not being helpful, or that our self-worth depends on how much we do for others.

The first step to taking back control of our lives and our time is to recognize the cycles we're in and to keep our responses simple. Remember, you never have to ask for permission to say no, and remind yourself that you're turning down a request, not a person.

Try Out New Coping Strategies

Several of us have our go-to coping mechanisms, the little pick-me-ups that work their magic when seemingly nothing else can. But when people don't realize the long-term effect of dependence on unhealthy strategies, their physical and mental health can suffer.

Drinking to deal with social anxiety is a common coping mechanism that can snowball out of control if it goes unchecked. Negative self-talk and oversleeping also fall into this category of instantaneous feel-goods that work against you in the long run.

So next time you're tempted to take a "day in" because you're feeling blue, reconsider your approach. Sure, it feels exhausting to be in the world when you're feeling depressed, but isolation will only further the depression. 

A good rule when you're feeling down is to do whatever your depression is telling you not to do. Calling friends, picking up groceries, or taking the dog for a long walk will help you feel less sad and worthless. 

This and our other tiny tips won't take much time out of your day, and your mental health will thank you for the adjustments you've made later.