Studio Happenings: Getting the Shop in Shop shape
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11/26/2007
Stop before you gripe
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” - C.S. Lewis
Michelle Malkin » Stop before you gripe: "My column this week reflects on pain, compassion, gratitude, and some simple Thanksgiving advice. Feel free to share your favorite Thanksgiving traditions, recipes, and prayers here. I’m making a Thanksgiving tree with my kids. We trace their hands on colored construction paper, write down the things they’re thankful for, and tape up the tree and the hand leaves in the dining room. My kids are my greatest blessing."
Click on the heading above to read the entire column and information on the
Johnson family -- a family that has endured the worst -- from severe head
injuries in an IED attack to the loss of lives in a car crash.
11/16/2007
11/15/2007
Turkey Day Trivia
The first Thanksgiving feast was held in the autumn of 1621, during three days of prayer and feasting by the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony and their Native American guests, members of the Wampanoag tribe. However, the first national Thanksgiving Day was not celebrated until November 26, 1789, as proclaimed by George Washington.
It is said most people get very sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal because of a sleep-inducing chemical found in turkey meat. Eating a lot of turkey at Thanksgiving is not the only thing that makes people sleepy. Although turkey meat does contain tryptophan--an amino acid which the brain turns into serotonin, a chemical that calms us down and helps us sleep--it is a combination of factors that make us sleepy after the big feast. All the carbohydrates--like potatoes, stuffing, yams, bread, and pie--are also partly to blame, as well as eating to the brim; so much digestion
activity diverts blood from the brain to the digestive system.
activity diverts blood from the brain to the digestive system.
The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has become one of the most popular customs of the holiday's celebrations, attracting thousands of visitors to New York City and millions of TV viewers. Santa Claus makes an appearance at the parade's finale to signal the beginning of the Christmas shopping season?
In the mid-19th century, Godey's Lady's Book, under the leadership of editor Sarah Josepha Hale, led a long and committed campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Hale and her magazine succeeded when President Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday in 1863. Thanksgiving had previously been celebrated in New England and gradually spread to other states, but it was not always on the same day.
Godey's Lady's Book has been described as the most popular women's magazine of its time. As its editor--and as the first female editor of a major magazine--Hale influenced the attitudes, fashion, and manners of her Godey's Ladies Book readers. She is also famous for her well-known children's verse Mary Had a Little Lamb, published in 1830.
Godey's Lady's Book has been described as the most popular women's magazine of its time. As its editor--and as the first female editor of a major magazine--Hale influenced the attitudes, fashion, and manners of her Godey's Ladies Book readers. She is also famous for her well-known children's verse Mary Had a Little Lamb, published in 1830.
The Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys traditionally host football (NFL) games on Thanksgiving Day. The Detroit Lions have held their football-on-Thanksgiving tradition since 1934, except for a six-season gap from 1939 to 1944 during World War II. The Dallas Cowboys have hosted Thanksgiving Day games since 1966, missing play only in 1975 and 1977. Many
Americans digest their holiday meal while watching football games on television. High viewership of these games has made football an American Thanksgiving tradition.
Americans digest their holiday meal while watching football games on television. High viewership of these games has made football an American Thanksgiving tradition.
The cornucopia, or "horn of plenty," symbolizes the abundance of the feast, and is often depicted overflowing with food and flowers. It originated in Greece. In Greek mythology, it is one of the horns of the goat Amaltheia, which was caused by Zeus to refill itself indefinitely with food and drink.
In the United States, Thanksgiving is an annual holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, as established by Parliament in 1957. The first Canadian Thanksgiving was held on April 15, 1872, as a thankful celebration for the recovery of the future King Edward VII from a serious illness. Canadians also celebrate Thanksgiving with big feasts and parades. The second Monday of October is also Columbus Day in both the US and Canada.
Benjamin Franklin, a prominent figure in American history wanted to declare the wild turkey, not the bald eagle, as the National Bird? In a letter to his daughter from 1784, Franklin stated, "For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character...For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America."
In 1939 President Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving Day from the last Thursday in November to one week earlier to allow for an extra week of shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many Americans objected to the change in their holiday customs and continued to celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of the month. Roosevelt's political opponents in Congress also opposed the break with tradition and dubbed the early holiday "Franksgiving." In May 1941 Roosevelt admitted that he had made a mistake and signed a bill that established the fourth Thursday of November as the national Thanksgiving holiday, which it has been ever since.
When the 90 members of the Wampanoag tribe joined the 52 colonists for the first Thanksgiving meal in Plymouth in 1621, they brought with them at least five deer. There are only two surviving descriptions of the first Thanksgiving: a letter by one of the colonists, and a passage in a book written by William Bradford, the governor of the colony.
However, neither of these descriptions mentions cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, or chestnut stuffing as being part of the feast.
However, neither of these descriptions mentions cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, or chestnut stuffing as being part of the feast.
11/11/2007
I am that woman
" I AM THE WOMAN
I'm the woman standing behind you in line at the grocery store, eyeing the newest Support Our Troops magnet. The look on my face is unworried but my thoughts are miles away on some military base I've never seen.
I'm the woman in the next car with the windows rolled up. The radio is playing "My Wish". But you can't hear it because you're talking to a family member or friend on your cell phone. You see the U.S. Armed Forces sticker on the back window of my car but you don't know that by the end of that song I am fighting back tears and missing my baby boy.
I'm the woman who visits the Air Military One Source web site at odd hours of the day and night to find some kind of comfort for that lost feeling that has been a part of my life everyday since my son left for basic training.
I'm the woman who has fought an inner battle, trying to accept the path that the son I love has chosen.
I am the woman who said a tearful "good-bye" to a boy on his way to join the Army.
I am the woman who knows that her boy is now a man.
I am the woman who spends hours on the Internet learning everything she can about the Military and the life that her son has chosen.
I am the woman who finds herself crying and not really knowing why.
I am the woman who looks at the calendar to see how many days must pass before her son comes home on leave.
I'm the woman who swells with pride every time she sees her son standing tall and proud in his uniform.
I am the woman who cried real tears of pride and joy on the day her son graduated.I'm the one who spots a US Military sticker, license plate, or flag and feels some sort of connection with its owner, knowing that I'm not alone in this bittersweet situation.
I am the woman who carries her cell phone with her everywhere she goes.
I am the woman who is proud every time that cell phone rings and it is her son taking time out of his new life to say "I love you Mom."
I am the woman who tries her hardest to go about her everyday life.
I am the woman secure in the knowledge that she has raised an awesome son.
I am the woman who has found a new relationship with God.
I am the woman who hates going to bed at night while her son is not in his room but rather in a JSS many miles from home.
I am the woman who tries not to miss her son, the woman who tries not to cry whenever she hears his name or even the mention of a soldier.
I am the woman with a new found love for her country and its flag.
I am the woman who now cries when she hears the National Anthem.
I am the woman that is embarrassed that she didn't "get it" until her son took his oath to serve our country.
I am the woman who wears her Blue Star Mother pin with pride…everyday… because her son is in the United States Armed Forces …everyday.
I am the woman with a small red and white banner with a blue star in the middle of her front window.
I am the woman who never wants to cover the blue star with a gold one.
I am the woman who was terrified when her son was sent off to war.
I am many things.A mother, A wife, A daughter, A sister, A friend
But now, I am also the proud mother of a Soldier.
I'm the woman standing behind you in line at the grocery store, eyeing the newest Support Our Troops magnet. The look on my face is unworried but my thoughts are miles away on some military base I've never seen.
I'm the woman in the next car with the windows rolled up. The radio is playing "My Wish". But you can't hear it because you're talking to a family member or friend on your cell phone. You see the U.S. Armed Forces sticker on the back window of my car but you don't know that by the end of that song I am fighting back tears and missing my baby boy.
I'm the woman who visits the Air Military One Source web site at odd hours of the day and night to find some kind of comfort for that lost feeling that has been a part of my life everyday since my son left for basic training.
I'm the woman who has fought an inner battle, trying to accept the path that the son I love has chosen.
I am the woman who said a tearful "good-bye" to a boy on his way to join the Army.
I am the woman who knows that her boy is now a man.
I am the woman who spends hours on the Internet learning everything she can about the Military and the life that her son has chosen.
I am the woman who finds herself crying and not really knowing why.
I am the woman who looks at the calendar to see how many days must pass before her son comes home on leave.
I'm the woman who swells with pride every time she sees her son standing tall and proud in his uniform.
I am the woman who cried real tears of pride and joy on the day her son graduated.I'm the one who spots a US Military sticker, license plate, or flag and feels some sort of connection with its owner, knowing that I'm not alone in this bittersweet situation.
I am the woman who carries her cell phone with her everywhere she goes.
I am the woman who is proud every time that cell phone rings and it is her son taking time out of his new life to say "I love you Mom."
I am the woman who tries her hardest to go about her everyday life.
I am the woman secure in the knowledge that she has raised an awesome son.
I am the woman who has found a new relationship with God.
I am the woman who hates going to bed at night while her son is not in his room but rather in a JSS many miles from home.
I am the woman who tries not to miss her son, the woman who tries not to cry whenever she hears his name or even the mention of a soldier.
I am the woman with a new found love for her country and its flag.
I am the woman who now cries when she hears the National Anthem.
I am the woman that is embarrassed that she didn't "get it" until her son took his oath to serve our country.
I am the woman who wears her Blue Star Mother pin with pride…everyday… because her son is in the United States Armed Forces …everyday.
I am the woman with a small red and white banner with a blue star in the middle of her front window.
I am the woman who never wants to cover the blue star with a gold one.
I am the woman who was terrified when her son was sent off to war.
I am many things.A mother, A wife, A daughter, A sister, A friend
But now, I am also the proud mother of a Soldier.
I did not compose this, nor do I know who did. It arrived as an email"From a Canadian Cadet to an American Soldier: I am that Woman:
forward and had several edits and crossovers. I have cleaned up some of the
typos and present it here -- because I am that woman.
How to Make Apple Butter - wikiHow
How to Make Apple Butter - wikiHow: "How to Make Apple Butter
If you like this tasty twist on jam, but can’t find it in your area, try making apple butter yourself. It used to be extremely time consuming, but if you use a slow cooker, you can be eating apple butter in a day!"
11/10/2007
Grand Valley Blue Star Mothers
Home: "Grand Valley Blue Star Mothers is a Chapter of Blue Star Mothers of America and proudly serving the families of the Grand Valley."
Blue Star Mothers News
Blue Star Mothers News: "Blue Star Mothers News News and clips about Blue Star Mothers chapters across the Nation and of Blue Star Mothers of America."
11/08/2007
Rodeo Shots
I was updating Tina's website today with her pictures of this years Indian National Finals Rodeo and I was amazed at some of the outstanding captures she made with some of the shots.
This doesn't seem to be one you would get a second try at. All of the photos can be viewed at leatherlaceimages.com -- click on the link for the 2007 photos.
11/07/2007
Loonie hits $1.10 US mark
"Loonie hits $1.10 US. The Canadian dollar broke through the $1.10 US mark in overseas trading early Wednesday.
Analysts say the high-flying loonie, which hit the 110.02 cents US mark, shows no sign of landing anytime soon.
The currency set a modern-era record last Friday when it rose to 1.07 cents US, the highest it's been since 1950.
Analysts say the latest surge is credited to an impressive run-up in the price of crude oil, which is now flirting with the $98 US a barrel mark Wednesday.
Analysts also point to surging gold prices and solid returns for other commodities, particularly wheat.
The weak American dollar is further boosting the loonie."
Analysts say the high-flying loonie, which hit the 110.02 cents US mark, shows no sign of landing anytime soon.
The currency set a modern-era record last Friday when it rose to 1.07 cents US, the highest it's been since 1950.
Analysts say the latest surge is credited to an impressive run-up in the price of crude oil, which is now flirting with the $98 US a barrel mark Wednesday.
Analysts also point to surging gold prices and solid returns for other commodities, particularly wheat.
The weak American dollar is further boosting the loonie."
3 killed in northern Alberta bus rollover
"Last Updated: Tuesday, November 6, 2007 10:07 AM MT
CBC News
Three people were killed and one critically injured when a Greyhound bus rolled in northwestern Alberta early Tuesday morning, trapping some passengers beneath it, RCMP officials said.
Those killed were a 72-year-old woman, a 20-year-old woman and her five-month-old son.
The RCMP said the bus, carrying 28 passengers and one driver, rolled off an icy highway into a ditch at 6:20 a.m. MT Tuesday near Bezanson and about 50 kilometres east of Grande Prairie.
RCMP Const. Scott Hagarty said some of the passengers were pinned underneath the bus. "
More... 3 killed in northern Alberta bus rollover:
CBC News
Three people were killed and one critically injured when a Greyhound bus rolled in northwestern Alberta early Tuesday morning, trapping some passengers beneath it, RCMP officials said.
Those killed were a 72-year-old woman, a 20-year-old woman and her five-month-old son.
The RCMP said the bus, carrying 28 passengers and one driver, rolled off an icy highway into a ditch at 6:20 a.m. MT Tuesday near Bezanson and about 50 kilometres east of Grande Prairie.
RCMP Const. Scott Hagarty said some of the passengers were pinned underneath the bus. "
More... 3 killed in northern Alberta bus rollover:
11/01/2007
Mt Garfield and the Mesa
Perhaps one day I won't feel so awed when I look out my kitchen window but the ever changing view of the bookcliff mountain and the mesa keep me watching. I found the following information about them.
Mount Garfield is found just to the north and east of Grand Junction Colorado. It rises to an elevation just above the six thousand foot level. In respect to the local topography it is two thousand feet higher than the floor of the Grand Valley. It is five thousand feet lower than the top of the Grand Mesa which attains a height of eleven thousand feet above sea level. It must be noted that the Grand Mesa deserves the title GRAND by virtue of it's own merit. It is the largest flat topped mountain in the world, and lies to the south and the east of Mount Garfield. The Colorado river lies between. The original name given to the Colorado River in the early days was the Grand River. It was from this name that the valley, the mesa, and the City of Grand Junction received their names. The first buildings in the city were near the junction of the Gunnison River, and the (Grand ) Colorado River.
Mt Garfield...
and Grand Mesa
Mount Garfield is found just to the north and east of Grand Junction Colorado. It rises to an elevation just above the six thousand foot level. In respect to the local topography it is two thousand feet higher than the floor of the Grand Valley. It is five thousand feet lower than the top of the Grand Mesa which attains a height of eleven thousand feet above sea level. It must be noted that the Grand Mesa deserves the title GRAND by virtue of it's own merit. It is the largest flat topped mountain in the world, and lies to the south and the east of Mount Garfield. The Colorado river lies between. The original name given to the Colorado River in the early days was the Grand River. It was from this name that the valley, the mesa, and the City of Grand Junction received their names. The first buildings in the city were near the junction of the Gunnison River, and the (Grand ) Colorado River.
Mt Garfield...
and Grand Mesa
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