Thursday, October 30, 2014

Basketball and Betrayal ~j


WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2014

Today's Writing Prompt: Enemies

Have you ever had someone dislike you or try to harm you for no reason?

Yes, I actually have had that happen to me but because innocent people could be hurt if I posted the actual event I have to be very vague. Someone tried to take something from me that was very important to me. That person did not succeed.


I didn't post to my blog on January 15th and I didn't take any photos. I wonder what was going on? Aha . . . I was at a craft sale for the day. That explains things.


January 15, 1892 - James Naismith, from Almonte, Ontario, First publishes his 'Rules of Basketball' in the YMCA's Triangle magazine. Springfield, Massachusetts

http://canadachannel.ca/todayincanadianhistory/index.php/January_15


Basketball is a very big deal in our family. Yes that is a basketball themed Christmas tree.


January 15

1892: Dr. James Naismith publishes The 13 rules of basketball.

Martin Luther King, Jr., clergyman and civil rights leader born (1929)

Gene Krupa, drummer (1909)

Lloyd Bridges, actor (1913)

1944: Canadian troops received copies of the Maple Leaf, the first regular newspaper published by the Canadian army during the war.

Elementary School Teacher’s Day
One good teacher outweighs a ton of books. – Chinese proverb
Create a personalized, handmade card to brighten the day of the teacher in your child’s life. Your child will love to help make this card extra special. Consider including a personal note telling the teacher how grateful you are for all of his/her efforts.
Donate a book to the school library in honour of your child’s teacher. Using your scrapbook supplies, create a personalized nameplate for the book.

It is Teachers’ Day, Dia Del Maestro, in Venezuela

Adults Day, or Seijin-no-hi, observed in Japan as a special day in tribute to young men and women who have reached adulthood; observed by families and organizations.

Paper Piecing: Cat with Bow


This piecing is made using acid-free products.
$2.00 + shipping
To order contact scrap.master.pam@rogers.com

Paper Piecing: Candy Canes



This piecing is 5" x 5" and made using acid-free products.
$3.00 + shipping
To order contact scrap.master.pam@rogers.com

Paper Piecing: Candy Box


This piecing is made using acid-free products.
$1.00 + shipping
To order contact scrap.master.pam@rogers.com

Dressing your pet and going on vacation . . . ~j


TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

Today's Writing Prompt: Vacation

Who's ready for a winter vacation? (Or summer vacation, if you live in the Southern hemisphere?) If you could pack up and go today, where would you be off to?

If I could pack up and go anywhere . . . I would pack my (imaginary) motor home and drive to the west coast and then turn around and drive all the way to the east coast and then home again. I would write about my adventures along the way and millions of people would read my blog to hear about my adventures . . .


I wrote this blog post on January 14th: http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2014/01/100000-th-hit.html


National Dress Up Your Pet Day

Benedict Arnold, military leader (1741)

Albert Schweitzer (1975-1965), author, organist, theologian, and medical missionary; recipient of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his work for the brotherhood of nations.

Faye Dunaway, actor (1941)

Hal Roach, film producer (1892)

1321: Italian poet Dante Alighieri, author of The Divine Comedy, dies in exile in Ravenna, Italy.

1972: Redd Fox stars in the premiere of Sanford and Son on NBC.

1559: Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England.



Clean Off Your Desk Day
This holiday falls early in the New Year in hopes that a clean desk will promote more organization and less wasted time looking for things papers. Once your scrappin’ space is cleared, make a list of products that you could purchase to keep yourself organized. Consider decorating your various boxes, photo holders, and file covers with some of your scrapbook stickers, papers and embellishments. Decorating your desktop may encourage you to keep the surface clean so that you can admire your new products.



I just found another very interesting site listing things that happened on a given date in Canada such as:

January 14, 1932 - Women property owners given the right to vote in Montréal civic elections. Montréal, Québec

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Paper Piecing: Canada Moose






This piecing is 3" x 4" and made using acid-free products.
$3.00 + shipping
Shipping: in Canada $1.00 - in US $2.00 - Other $3.00
To order contact scrap.master.pam@rogers.com

Paper Piecing: Canada Heart


This piecing is made using acid-free products.
$1.00 + shipping
Shipping: in Canada $1.00 - in US $2.00 - Other $3.00
To order contact scrap.master.pam@rogers.com

Paper Piecing: Camera




This piecing is 3" x 3" and made using acid-free products.
$2.00 + shipping
Shipping: in Canada $1.00 - in US $2.00 - Other $3.00
To order contact scrap.master.pam@rogers.com

What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten? ~j


MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2014

Today's Writing Prompt: Food Oddities

What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?


I have many answers for this question.  Some of the answers depend on who you are telling because some people wouldn't think these things are odd at all.

I love barbecue eel don, white tuna sushi, peanut butter and bologna sandwiches, hummus, ground cherries, tofu . . . 

Do you find any of these weird?  What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?



I sometimes wonder if my son and daughter-in-law are a little crazy.  They coach three basketball teams in their spare time.


I posted a movie review about Moonrise Kingdom http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2014/01/movie-review-moonrise-kingdom.html

and

Dark Shadows http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2014/01/dark-shadows-2012.html

January 13
 Make Your Dreams Come True Day

Poetry Break Day

Rubber Duckie's Birthday

Blame Somebody Else Day

Charles Perrault, French lawyer and author (1628), famous for Les Contes de Perrault, through which he gave immortality to the folk tales Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, and others.

Horatio Alger, writer (1832)

Sophie Tucker, entertainer (1906)

1854: Anthony Faas of Pennsylvania patents the accordion.



1930: The comic strip "Mickey Mouse" debuts in American newspapers.

1982:  Ann Cools was named to the Senate and became the first black person to sit in Canada’s upper house.


Friday, October 24, 2014

I'm gonna vlog . . .

I am taking a public speaking course on coursera.org and the first assignment is to record an introduction in between 45 seconds and 4 minutes long.  Mine went a few seconds overtime . . . of course . . .


Let's talk about the weather . . . ~j


SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2014

Today's Writing Prompt: The Worst Weather

This past week, the weather was horrible everywhere. California was dry, the US was frozen, Australia was scorching.

What's the worst weather event you've ever encountered?


Living in Canada means we get all kinds of interesting weather.  Living in SW Ontario means we can experience the sub-tropical right up to arctic conditions.  The worst weather event I can remember was the ice storm in 1976.  I was in high school and when I was walking home at noon I didn't like the way the rain was freezing.  It was a really difficult walk home.  I recall phoning my mother and letting her know that we would be staying home for the afternoon.  By the middle of the afternoon the storm was settled in and life stood still for a few days.  We were very lucky to have a fireplace and gas stove and gas water heater so we did pretty well.  We all slept in the front room in front of the fire place and we had a blanket up over the front room door to keep the heat in.  Our house was full of people every day.  It seemed at times like a big ol' party . . . until you looked outside.


On January 12th I post a blog post MOOCs . . . Massive Online Open Courses . . . It is now October and I am still addicted to them.  They are so much more interesting and enjoyable than reality TV (which I do believe is an oxymoron).  http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2014/01/moocs-are-cool.html

January 12

National Handwriting Day 

Work Harder Day

Edmund Burke, British statesman and orator (1729)

Tex Ritter, singer and actor (1905)

Joe Frazier, boxer (1944)

1971: The long-running comedy All in the Family premieres on CBS.



1977:  Karen Kain and Frank Augustyn of the National Ballet of Canada performed with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, the first Canadian dancers to do so.

1997: HAL, the computer in Stanley Kubrick's movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, informs the crew that he was built on this day.

1998: Carlos Santana is the first Hispanic inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

I managed to get through another day . . . ~j

Today's Writing Prompt: Time Capsule

Imagine you buried a time capsule 20 years ago.  Today you get to open it!  What would you have placed inside?


I would have been 34 and I have to say I can't really remember what I was doing then.  Probably working, looking after my family and volunteering.  I may have included a journal I'd just filled, a newspaper for the date the capsule was buried, some favourite photos, a favourite book, something I had made by hand like a scarf or some mitts.  I'm sure I would have added a photo of my family.


http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.ca/2014/01/todays-writing-prompt-time-capsule.html


January 11

Milk Day

Secret Pal Day

International Thank You Day
We all have important people in our lives that have helped us get to where we are now.  Make a point to recognize their contribution in your life.  Whether it is by telephone, e-mail, fax, letter, or in person, make a point to thank aat least five mentors today.

1922:  Canadian Leonard Thompson, 14, became the first diabetic patient to be successfully treated with insulin.

1935: Amelia Earhart makes the first solo flight from Hawaii to California.
 
Sir John A. Macdonald, first Canadian prime minister (1815)


Thomas F. Dixon, writer (1864)

Stanley Tucci, director (1960)

Today is January 10th In My World although it is October in yours . . . LOL

January 10th must not have been too exciting In My World.  There is no one-minute journaling post.  I took no photos.  I do know we were babysitting Cameron and that we ate turkey leftovers.  But I did manage to post to this blog and I do have several of interesting scrapbooking ideas to share.

Here's a link on how to photograph your layouts:
http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2014/01/photographing-your-layouts.html

And I also posted a book review for a very good book:
http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2014/01/a-corpse-in-shining-armour-by-caro.html


January 10th is . . . 

Peculiar People Day

1920:  Canada became a founding member of the League of Nations. 

1946: The first meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations convenes in London, England.   Canada was represented on the Atomic Energy Commission, the Economic and Social Council, and the International Court of Justice.

1949: RCA announces the seven-inch, 45-rpm record.

1960: Marty Robbins holds the record for the longest playing number-one song in history, "El Paso," at five minutes, 19 seconds.


Ray Bolger, actor (1904)

Dorothy: How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?
Scarecrow: I don't know. But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?


Sal Mineo, actor (1939)

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Banned Books and the Flu ~j

Today's Writing Prompt: Banned Books
Unfortunately, your country is now under the control of an extremist regime, and all literature other than religious texts has been banned.  Do you give up your books to stay safe? Or are there certain books you make an effort to conceal and preserve? If so, which ones are worth the cost to you?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_censorship_in_Canada

I`m probably going to hear a lot of flak for this answer. But I can`t think of a single book that is worth risking my life for. I love books. They are a very important part of my life. If I could think of a way to save them without risking my life too much I would. But they are not as important as breathing. Close, but not quite.

The next Freedom to Read week is February 22-28, 2015.

http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.ca/2014/01/todays-writing-prompt-banned-books.html



They say we are going to have a rough flu season this year. I hope not. But I`m also not naive so you can be sure I will be finding the next flu immunization clinic. Some illnesses just can`t be avoided but I just cannot understand getting sick and sharing that illness when it is controllable.






Blog posts from January 8th:

http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2014/01/layouts-completed-in-december-2013.html

http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2014/01/annual-organization-challenge-week-1.html

http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2014/01/get-organized-challenge-week-2.html

Blog posts from January 9th:

http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2014/01/a-new-crafter-in-house.html


January 9

National Apricot Day

National Static Electricity Day

Feast Day of Saint Julian
Saint Julian is the patron saint of hospitality, pilgrims, hotel keepers and travellers.

1839: French painter L. J. M. Daguerre announces to the French Academy of Arts and Science the first practical photographic process.

1951: The United Nations headquarters open.

1988: Sylvana Tomaselli married the Earl of St. Andrews at Leith, Scotland and became the first Canadian to marry into the Royal Family.

Frédéric Chopin, Polish composer and pianist (1810)

Joan Baez, American folksinger (1941)

Jimmy Page, rock guitarist (1944)

Gypsy Rose Lee, American entertainer (1914)

Lee Van Cleef, actor (1925)

Saturday, October 18, 2014

And now it is January 8 in my world . . . ~j


Integrity

Have you ever spoken up when you saw something going on that was wrong? Were you scared? What ended up happening?

I often try to speak up when I see something going on that is wrong.  Yes, I'm usually scared.  Like many others, I would rather avoid confrontations.  Usually, it has turned out okay when I can keep calm and explain my feelings.  But I can't always manage to keep calm.



Scrapbooking and Journaling Ideas for January 8

Show & Tell Day at Work

Feast of Saint Gudula
                The Feast of Saint Gudula, patron saint of Brussels, celebrates with great solemnity the anniversary of the seventh-century saint who is always portrayed in the company of an angel who is lighting her lantern.  

1889: American inventor Herman Hollerith patents his electric counting machine.

1948:  William Lyon Mackenzie King set a Canadian and Commonwealth record as the longest serving Prime Minister with 7,825 days in office.

1976:  It was announced that Canada, the US, the Soviet Union, Sweden, Finland, and Czechoslovakia had agreed to take part in an invitational hockey tournament in September, known as the Canada Cup.

Elvis Presley, American singer and actor (1935)
                Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, Teddy Bear, All Shook Up, Blue Suede Shoes.  Elvis’ songs make great page titles. 

David Bowie, British singer and songwriter (1947)

William Wilkie Collins (1824-1889), English novelist is remembered for The Woman in White and The Moonstone.

Lowell Mason (1792-1872), American music educator and hymn writer composed such familiar hymns as Nearer, My God to Thee and From Greenland’s Icy Mountains.

Midwives’ Day
                A veritable bevy of ancient goddesses watched over mothers-to-be and women in childbirth.  And midwives were these goddesses’ earthly helpers.  Thus, in the mountains of Green Macedonia, this date was long ago set aside for the honouring—for the toasting, anointing, propitiating, and venerating—of village midwives.

January 8-14, 2014 is Universal Letter Writing Week
                Some say the art of letter writing is ancient history.  But if you were to take a poll, most would admit that the sight of a letter in their mailbox is thrilling.  E-mail is efficient, but it lacks the intimacy of handwriting.  In fact, letters are so valuable to most of us that we cannot bear to throw them away.  Honour this old-fashioned tradition by writing letters to your loved ones this week.  If you have small children, request that they, too, write some.  These keepsakes will make wonderful additions to future scrapbooks.
                A new year is a wonderful time to write letters to those people who are most important to us.  Why not make this an annual tradition in January?  Write a letter to your spouse, children, parents, siblings or close friends – sharing your dreams, hopes, fears and love for the coming year.  Use acid-free papers and permanent pens to ensure the longevity of the letter.  Be sure to include the full date on the letter.
                If the letter to be contained within your album is very old or valuable, consider making a copy of it and then storing the letter in a safe place.  If you decide to copy a letter, you have the option of reducing the original letter down for an easier fit on your page.  If you want to place the original letter in your album, you can use photo corners to attach your envelope to the page, leaving it free to be removed later so you can take out the letter for reading.  You can also make a pocket page or use a top-loading page protector to hold your letters.
               

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Sketch #37


Sketch has been taken from More Scrapbooking with Sketches
http://www.lulu.com/shop/pam-hedden/more-scrapbooking-with-sketches/paperback/product-20972709.html






Sketch #37


Sketch has been taken from More Scrapbooking with Sketches
http://www.lulu.com/shop/pam-hedden/more-scrapbooking-with-sketches/paperback/product-20972709.html






Learn in school ~j

What do you think is the most important thing for today's kids to learn in school?

I'm definitely not an expert in the subject but it seems to me kids need to learn the basics --reading, spelling, writing, comprehension, math.  Without these basic skills how are they to accomplish the things that they need to do?  How do you write a resume and cover letter when your writing skills aren't honed?  I think we need more art, music and physical education.  

This question came from http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.ca/2014/01/todays-writing-prompt-education.html


January 7th was another very cold day.  People were using words like "polar vortex" to describe the weather.  We were nice and warm playing board games for money . . . the money went into our Relay for Life team's fund.

January 7

Christmas, observed by the Russian Orthodox Church according to the Julian Calendar.  Christmas Eve supper usually consists of twelve meatless dishes in honour of the twelve apostles. 

1955:  The opening of Parliament was telecast for the first time.

Old Rock Day

1610: Italian astronomer Galileo observes three satellites orbiting Jupiter.

1785: French aeronaut Jean Pierre Blanchard and American physician John Jeffries of Boston are the first to successfully cross the English Channel in a gas balloon.

1913: The process to obtain gasoline from crude oil is patented.

1927: Commercial phone service across the Atlantic begins.

Albert Bierstadt, American painter (1830)


January 6 – 10, 2014 – Thank Your Customer Week

Organizing Life with Less: Spring Cleaning 101: Outdoors

You may have noticed by now that I love this blog.  Just passing along the link to you . . . 


Organizing Life with Less: Spring Cleaning 101: Outdoors: Curb appeal  When we think about living with less and organizing our homes, we can easily forget about the outside of our homes. The thing is, the inside of a home can be as neat as can be, but the outside may look like a disaster, which gives off the impression that that is what the inside of the home looks like as well, even though it may not be true.

Friday, October 10, 2014

January 1 - 5 Scrapbooking and Journaling Ideas

Apparently nothing exciting happened on January 5th In My World.  I couldn't find any notes, events of photos for the day.  Well I guess it is bound to happen once in a while.

My journaling prompt for today is:  If you could own a magical cooking pot that never ran out of food, what kind of pot, pan, box or dish would you like to have? What would it make?

If I had a magical cooking pot that never ran out of food I wish it would make a non-stop crock pot roast dinner.  I love pot roast especially when lots of veggies are included.  It is so versatile to make into hot sandwiches and soups as well as serving with Yorkshire pudding.

I hope you enjoy these fun January poems and quotes and ideas.

January is . . .

January is named for Janus, the Roman good of doors and gateways. He had two heads – one looking forward, the other back – symbolizing a break between the old and new. He had the unique ability of seeing both the future and the past. As porter of heaven he opens the year. Guardian of the gates, he must be two-headed, because every gate opens both ways. In times of war his principle temple at Rome was always open. He is the god of the gate to the Roman forum, and the Romans would pray to him there before going to war. This god reigned over the first hour of the day, the beginning of the growing seasons, the beginning of a battle, the beginning of just about everything, sow hen the Roman senate decided to change the first of the year from March to January, they naturally named this first month of the year after Janus.

I like to walk on the fresh fallen snow
The kind that whispers and speaks.
It sings a song as I walk along
With crackles and crunches and squeaks.
--Author unknown

The snow was deep one Winter’s day
Dad told us to go out and play
We walked, jumped and rolled around
The snow was marshmallowy soft atop the ground.
From the window I could see dad smile
He just stood still and watched a while
My brother and I laughed and played
Even sat back viewing the snowman I made.
The sun was bright, the air was crisp
My breath floated away in a gentle wisp
It wasn’t too long before we went in
Dad had asked us how it had been.
It was fun, we puffed as we undressed
Our stuff on the floor making quite a mess.
Caressing our heads dad looked outside
For a moment he looked sad and gently sighed.
I wonder what dad was thinking that day
As he smiled then sighed when we had played
I think because dad did know
That one day, we would grow.
--Dave Staley

Sledding and heading for spaces below,
Gliding and sliding across the new snow.
Slicing, an icing of white on the hill,
Leaning, careening, avoiding a spill.
Racing to where the icy hill ends,
A girl and her sled become wintry friends.

Birthstone: Garnet

Flower: Carnation & Snowdrop

It’s Okay to be Different Month

National Book Month

National Eye Care Month

National High Tech Month

National Hobby Month

National Hot Tea Month

The Chinese have been drinking tea for 5,000 years. The beginning is clouded in legend. One is that the Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea in the precise yet historically unfounded year of 2737 BC. One day the Emperor was about to drink some boiling water, when a few leaves from an overhanging tree blew into the pan. The inquisitive Emperor tasted this unlikely looking brew and discovered that the tea was both delicious and refreshing.

The English know how to do tea! Adopt their afternoon teatime and brew a pot, make some finger sandwiches, biscuits (cookies), scones, jam and clotted cream (or whipped cream). Dust off your fine china and bring out the nice linens.

A little cup of friendship
With a bag of tea
When you drink this
Think of love from me.

Sharing tea with children is just one more tangible way of offering the gift of our time and attention, sharing of ourselves and passing on what we’ve learned. Tea parties are a great way to teach good manners and table etiquette.
Make a point this January to try a different tea each day. Save the small tag from the tea bag and the envelope the tea bag came in.

Bring out your teacups and begin creating new stories with them to pass on to your children. Perhaps add a new teacup to your collection each January. Create a page layout with the picture of the teacup, the story behind the special occasion, and other pictures of the occasion.

National Soup Month

Perfect for supper on a cold winter’s eve, a hearty soup or stew is sure to keep us warm. Could there be a better time to celebrate Soup Month than January?

Who doesn’t love the story, Stone Soup? Gather your young ones around and, while preparing a pot of your favourite soup, tell them the tale of the starving village that each brought the little that they had and by banding together fed themselves. Enjoy a bowl of your family’s favourite soup to finish the evening.

Host a Stone Soup Party and on your invitations ask guests to bring an ingredient for soup. Provide the soup stock and your favourite bread. Snap pictures of your guests and their soup ingredients. Create a scrapbook layout with all your photographs and the invitation.

As a family or with a group of friends, donate your time by serving a hot meal at a soup kitchen. Let this become an annual January tradition.

What is the cure for whatever ails us? Chicken soup, of course. Soup is one of those comforting foods that evoke our memories. Capture your favourite memories of soup in your journal. Be sure to include your favourite soup recipes

National Staying Healthy Month

Family Fitness Lifestyle Month

Healthy living is achievable. Instead of just one or two family members focusing on eating healthier and exercising more, get the entire family involved. Encourage everyone to do their part in establishing new habits and routines that promote good health. Try for one month to reduce the fat, sugar and salt in your diet along with adding more activities and see if this new trend becomes your family’s lifestyle. Take before and after photos and keep a journal of your family’s transformation. Photographs can be a positive way to show improvement when day-to-day results are slow. Comparing photographs over several months just may be the incentive you need to make this lifestyle a permanent change.

International Coffee Month

Whether your favourite coffee stop is in a mall, at a café, or inside a bookstore, this month we have a solid excuse to splurge! Take this opportunity to catch up with a friend by inviting them to join you. Has this coffee shop become a safe haven or a special place to hide away from the rat race? Take a photo or bring home the cozy that keeps your cup warm and make a page with journaling on the role this place has in your life.

Black as hell, strong as death, sweet as love.
--Turkish proverb

Coffee in England is just toasted milk.
--Christopher Fry, British playwright

The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce.
--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

After a few months’ acquaintance with European “coffee,” one’s mind weakens, and his faith with it, and he begins to wonder if the rich beverage of home, with its clotted layer of yellow cream on top of it, is not a mere dream after all, and a thing which never existed.
--Mark Twain

Look here Steward, if this is coffee, I want tea; but if this is tea, then I wish for coffee.
--Punch

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
T.S. Eliot

National Thank You Month

Oatmeal Month

Rodeo & Stock Show Month

National Thank You Month

Clean Up Your Computer Month

January 1

New Year's Day

Hangover Day

And now let us welcome the New Year full of things that have never been.
--Albert Camus

First Foot Day

In Scotland and northern England, people keenly watch their thresholds to ensure that the “first footer” – the first visitor to come through the door in the new year – is of the propitious kind. Some regions swear by dark-haired men, others by blonde men; no one seems to want a woman. No first footer worth his salt arrives empty-handed. Preferred gifts are herring, bread, and fuel for the fire.

1942: Twenty-six nations sign the United Nations declaration.

E. M. Forster, English novelist (1879)

Polar Bear Swim – photo ops and prompts:
The person who just put their big toe in the pool
Family bundled in warm towels after the dip
The thermometer reading outside
Drinking hot chocolate
What was the temperature of the water
What was the outside air temperature
Who was the first person in the water
Who was the first person out of the water
Who stayed in the longest

Ring out the old, ring in the new.
Ring, happy bells, across the snow.
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Pin Money

They say that English husbands gave their wives money on New year’s Day to buy pins and other articles. Although this custom disappeared in the 1800s, we still use the term pin money to mean small amounts of spending money. Why not ask for a little pin money on New Year’s Day to purchase a new pin. Start your own pin collection.

1947: The Canadian Citizenship Act was proclaimed. Native-born and naturalized citizens are now defined as Canadians rather than British subjects.

New Year’s Traditions

Satisfying (because it indicates having survived the previous year) yet scary (because who knows what the next year will bring), New Year’s Day calls for safeguards, augurs, charms and proclamations. All over the world, people kiss strangers, shoot guns into the air, toll bells and exchange gifts.

Here’s to the bright New Year
And a fond farewell to the old.
Here’s to the tings that are yet to come
And to the memories we hold.

We do not remember days, we remember moments. -- Cesare Pavese

1894: Ontario voted in favour of prohibition.

Kakizome

In Japan this traditional festival begins when they apply the first formal calligraphy of the New Year to paper with traditional brushes. Writing phrases that are appropriate for the New Year is customary, such as “kibo no funade” (hopes for a new start). Create a scrapbook page with your wishes and hopes for the New Year using your favourite fonts or fancy alphabet stickers.

January 2

1959: The Soviets launch Luna I, the first spacecraft bound for the moon.

Philip Freneau, American poet (1752)

James Wolfe, British general (1727), English general who died on the Plains of Abraham at the hour of victory against Montcalm, in a battle that assured the future of Canada as a member of the English family of nations.

Roger Miller, American singer and songwriter (1936)

Shigoto Hajime, or Beginning of Work Day, is observed in Japan with the belief in good omens for work begun on this day.

Feast of Saint Macarius, patron saint of pastry cooks and confectioners, famous for sugarplums.

Handsel Monday

Scotland’s New Year’s holiday is observed on the first Monday in January. Old Year’s Night and New Year’s Day were once called “daft days” in Scotland.

January 3

Festival Of Sleep Day

1938: President Franklin D. Roosevelt founds The March of Dimes.

Cicero, Roman writer, statesman, and orator (106 BC)

Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player (1939)

St. Genevieve’s Day

This plucky saint came to reign as the patron of Paris, as well as of secretaries, actors, lawyers and the Women’s Army Corps.

J. R. R. Tolkien, Oxford professor, linguist, and author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (1892)

1992: Baton Broadcasting cancelled the Miss Canada Pageant and ended a tradition that began in 1946.

The first covered skating rink in Canada opened at Halifax on January 3, 1863.

January 4

Louis Braille's Birthday, French teacher of the blind (1809)

Braille Day in Canada honours Louis Braille, the creator of Braille, a system of raised dots that enables persons with a visual impairment to read and write.

Trivia Day

Isaac Newton's Birthday (1643)

Physicist and mathematician; leader in the seventeenth-century scientific revolution. There is a popular story that Isaac Newton was sitting under an apple tree. An apple fell on his head and he suddenly thought of the Universal Law of Gravitation. As in all such legends, this is almost certainly not entirely true in its details. It is probably however that Newton, upon observing an apple falling from a tree, did start thinking about gravity. As we remember his birthday, let’s honour the fruit that sparked his discovery. What do you think of when you’re hit on the head with an apple? Have you ever picked apples? Bobbed for apples? Brought an apple to school to your teacher? Ate one in hopes of avoiding the doctor?

Tom Thumb (Charles Sherwood Stratton), American entertainer (1838)

Jacob Grimm (1785), German pilologist and writer who, with his brother William, published the famous Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

Spaghetti Day

Spaghetti falls into the category of comfort food. We eat it to feel comfortable and we eat it until we can no longer comfortably sit! Some like it plain, some with marinara sauce, some with meatballs, and some from the can.

Introduce a toddler to spaghetti and stand back! Expect some humorous moments and capture them on film.

There is much controversy over the proper way to serve and eat spaghetti. Do you serve it with a spoon to twirl the spaghetti? Or twirl it with just a fork? Is it okay to slurp? James Beard says “Pasta is not a mannerly food to eat. The truly best way, the only classical and true way, to eat pasta is with gusto.”

Plan an extra special dinner to your favourite Italian restaurant. Bring your camera along to capture your family’s noodle technique.

For a clever scrapbook embellishment, wrap white string around a die cut fork.

January 5


National Bird Day

Friday, October 3, 2014

January 3, 2014 . . . really?

I am motoring right along with my dreaded to do list despite the fact that I am still a little wobbly.  I scratched off January 3rd this morning.  I went back through my blog and Facebook logs and nothing much exciting apparently happened.

I have marked on my calendar that we had a pot luck lunch at Ladies Day Out at the Elgin Mall Community Room.  I can't believe I didn't take any photos.

I did post a review of the movie Frozen.