Month: January 2012

The Birthday of a Brave Man

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett

If you haven’t read the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett, then you definitely need to.  It is a great book that was made into a great movie.

It is set in the early 1960’s when the civil rights movement was in full swing.  As a person of color (usually I’m white but sometimes I’m red; often from all my falls I’m blue and green and black and purple and yellow; occasionally I’m light tan in the summer; and I’m always spotted with all my brown freckles), the book and the movie stirred my soul.  As someone who did not live through those times and those circumstances, I loved the book.

But as the national director of the Association of Black Women Historians, Ida E. Jones, says, “The Help distorts, ignores, and trivializes the experiences of black domestic workers.”  I’m quite sure there were many, many horror stories that could have been placed in the book as is hinted at by the character of Lulabelle Bates in her bold move that precipitated the firing of Constantine as well as the character of one of the angry maids who would not “play along” with Skeeter’s idea of the book.  The Help gives us just a touch of the circumstances of the lives of the people back then.

English: Dr. Martin Luther King giving his &qu...

Image via Wikipedia

Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the martyrs of the Civil Rights Movement.  A brave man among many.

Cow Days

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difference in age

I’m not sure where I got this.  It may have been email.  I can’t give credit to the person who came up with it, but I love it.

Some days I’m a young cow… some days I’m an old one.  But either way, at the moment I am definitely a cow.

 

It Really Is That Cold!!

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It’s colder than a frog out there tonight!!  I am freezing my butt off!!  The wind is whipping; the snow is blowing; and the brass monkey’s balls are freezing off!  To find out where the brass monkey saying came from, click on the link.

I got so cold just coming in from the car, I had to get on here and see how cold it can actually get.  Enjoy the freezing comments!!  And for more “fun sayings” click on any or each of the following:

Colder than a frog gigger’s butt.

It’s colder than a mother-in-law’s love.

Cold as charity.

Colder than a witch’s tit in a brass brassiere.

Cold as a well digger’s butt in Maine.

Snow butt-high to a tall cow.

Cold enough to stick your tongue to the pump handle.

I laughed so hard at some of the sayings on these sites that I thought I was going to have to add them to the list as well.  Maybe next time.

Do you have any good sayings you’ve heard?

And the Free Stuff Goes To…

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CONGRATULATIONS, JEANA!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5 JEANA
7 JULIE L
7 JULIE L
1 GAIL
4 SHERYL
3 PAULA
2 MISTY
Timestamp: 2012-01-11 14:12:55 UTC

There were only 7 that left a message, and, MARILYN, it was just not your lucky day at all. Your number didn’t even pop up!!!! Don’t let that stop you for the next contest, though. You may be the only number that pops up that day.

neat stuff

Your bag will be filled with an apron to remind you of apronsandappetites!  You also get a pair of matching rubber gloves.  I don’t know if your personality is the type that loves to clean or do dishes or scrape fish… or not.  The little chicken is an egg separator.  I can’t vouch for how well it separates the egg.  I think the egg has to be room temperature… or maybe cold… to do a good job.  You can figure it out.

Just a little taste of me:  a domesticated wild thang!!

So How Did the Year Fare?

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Back in May of 2011 I posted 2011… Already An Unusual Year.  In it I talked about some of the unusual occurrences that had taken place in that short period of time and planned to take a look at the last half of the year to see if it was just as unusual.  I found out that it was.

royal wedding

One of the rather important events that I failed to name in the May post was that of the royal wedding.  A friend of mine was smack dab in the middle of all the festivities in England!  There were 200+ tweets per second about the event, and I’m sure she contributed significantly… until her phone went dead.

Ten years after the destruction of the twin towers the 9/11 Memorial was opened. The link in blue is awesome and has some amazing photos.

Gaddafi

Muammar Gaddafi was seized and killed in a gruesome and violent end to his life after ruling for 42 years.

occupy wallstreet participant and her dog  (photo by Reuters)

Occupy Wall Street is a big movement that brought to mind images of the 1960s and the groups that came together to create change.  Occupy Wallstreet participants demonstrated and continue to demonstrate against corporate and financial systems.

Another Illinois governor was sent to prison!  Rod Blagoievich was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison.  But not before he made several appearances on talk shows and being involved in other television programs.

On December 15 America officially ended the war in Iraq.  The lives of 4,487 military members were lost.  For more statistics and information, click on the link.

We lost some influential people, some celebrities, some athletes, some musicians, and, more importantly, people whom we loved this year.

Thomas Deon Dobbs

In Need of the Pied Piper’s Flute

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toddler blog

My little baby blog is quickly turning into a toddler.  It is just so cute!  I love this little thing.  Just your typical blog mommy, bragging on my little creation.  Loving the header shots, loving my witty widgets (those things on the right-hand side), and loving the whole blog experience from the give-aways to checking my stats every day (well, maybe every other day now).  It’s been a great outlet for my less-than-creative creativity and a success as in actually blogging when I said I was going to do just that.

Out of the hundreds, okay, maybe scores of ideas/goals/projects I start on a regular basis, this is one I can say I have accomplished just because I have actually blogged.  Notice I did not say blogged well or blogged anything interesting or even blogged useful information.  Actually, I am fairly certain my groupies (I just had to say that) or followers, those wonderful people who have clicked somewhere on my page and professed a desire to follow along with my blog via email or some kind of RSS such as Google or Yahoo may have done so on a whim and may have never come back for a second or third glance.  Please don’t tell me if that’s what you did!

But I want my little darling to get up and run.  I realize this will take some effort on my part (which I haven’t been exerting as of late), and I also think it will take a little magic (since I’m really not that interesting and have limited skills).

Pied Piper and his flute

So I’m looking for a flute, a proverbial flute, one like Mr. Piper had when all the children followed him.  Something fun and exciting and read-worthy.  Something that will make the Pressers at WordPress notice and put me on their Freshly Pressed page.  Hmmmm.

Love stories for February perhaps?  With pictures included?  Vacation in Southern Illinois with pics of places to stay and things to do?  Homes I’ve lived in before?  People I’ve dated?  People you’ve dated?

I’ll keep working on this Pied Piper plan.  In the meantime, keep holding my little blog’s hand while it toddles along.  We so appreciate it!

Let’s Get This Party — er, Year Started!!

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Enter today!!!

Nothing like starting the year out with a good thing: a contest!  I’ve rounded up some neat stuff to give away, just stuff that appealed to me and reflects my blog a little bit, that goes along with the personalities, life situations, and love blog persona.  And, of course, aprons and appetites!

All you have to do is comment on this post about your plans or goals for the year 2012.  Name one or name them all.  The contest ends next Tuesday.

2012 — Tying Up Loose Ends

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The new year is here; the hectic pace of the last two months has slowed; it’s time to reflect, finish up the started-yet-unfinished projects, plan and initiate the new goals for this year.

My list to start off the year:

A great big THANK YOU to all those who read my blog.  I thank those who have just stopped by while passing through in their search for their intended subject and those who follow me faithfully, sometimes waiting days and even weeks for a new post.  You have lifted my spirit this past year!

Star-gazing!  The Quadrantid Meteor Shower is here!  Click on the purple words to get the full article and the how-tos for viewing your first meteor shower of the year.  Start the year out with something different, a spectacular, free sky show!  Forfeit a night’s sleep to get in on this awesome, powerful, delightful event.

Sugar Cookie Recipe from Christmas with the Cuties:

sugar cookie recipe

Sorry about the quality but I’m in a bit of a hurry.  As usual.  (sigh)  This is an excellent recipe, by the way.  Great taste!

Gingerbread House:

Decorating the house

We bought a kit but had to wait till after Christmas to decorate.  The month was fraught with “stuff” that wasn’t conducive to making a gingerbread house.  That didn’t matter to us.  It’s all about the making and eating while you make it.

My little artiste

The girls had a big, big fun time.  Kate was specific about which side was hers.  As you can see, Ava’s and my side needs a little, um, something.

Kate's side!

The girls each had their picture made with the side they decorated.  Kate, of course, made sure I didn’t confuse her side with Ava’s.  I don’t think she thought Ava’s was all that great.

Cheesing Ava's side!

Ava is just so funny right now in the picture-taking department.  In all her poses, it’s obvious that she is saying “cheeeeeese!”  I have laughed so hard at her cheesy pics.  If you didn’t get a chance to look at Christmas with the Cuties, go there now.  Ava cheesing for her pig is just too funny.

Our final posing session:

Ava spies Kate posing...

my budding models

We haven’t gotten around to making the gingerbread pocket for the red aprons… but that will get done this week.

So I’m a little behind schedule.  I’ve decided that’s okay.  I’m getting ‘er done… at my pace.

My final year-starter activity:

apronsandappetites first contest is here.  You will get the details tomorrow, but in the meantime be making your 2012 goals.