NATIONAL GARDENING DAY JUNE 6 TH
Gardening is therapeutic for body, mind and soul.In participating it gives to time to reminisce about things we are thankful for. Take time to celebrate one of America's favorite past times.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
St. Lucia’s Day, Dec. 13
December holds many holidays that highlight cultural celebrations. In Sweden, one such holiday centers on light and the beginning of the advent, or Christmas, season. St. Lucia’s Day (also known as St. Lucy’s Day) honors a young Christian girl who was martyred in ancient Rome. She was killed for her devotion to God and her refusal to be married to a man she did not love. Legend has it that her eyes were gouged out, so sometimes painting of her show a young woman holding a tray with eyes placed on it.
Lucia is most often portrayed with her head encircled by a halo of lights. In many Scandinavia countries the youngest daughter dresses in a white gown with lights on her head and delivers baked goods to the family. In the old days they used candles for the head wreath – nowadays they use electric candles for safety sake. The candles symbolize the fire that refused to take St. Lucy’s life when she was sentenced to be burned. The name Lucia also means light.St. Lucia is the patron saint of Siciliy, Italy where she was born and her feast day is celebrated there. But St. Lucia’s Day is most associated with Scandinavia, where Dec. 13 is the longest night of the year. Since this a part of the world where nights are long and cold, celebrating light is important.
Celebrate with a traditional swedish treat, Lussekatter or St. Lucia Saffron Buns.
INGREDIENTS:
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2/3 cup lukewarm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine, softened
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cardamom, ground
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered saffron
5 to 5 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup raisins
Margarine, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tablespoon water
2 Tablespoons sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Dissolve the yeast in warm water.
Stir in the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup margarine, 2 eggs, cardamom, salt, saffron, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth.
Stir in enough of remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth (about 8 minutes).
Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour).
Punch down on dough; divide into 24 parts.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Shape each piece into rope, and form an S-shape, tucking the ends into a coil.
Place a raisin in the center of each end coil. Place rolls on greased cookie sheet.
Brush the tops lightly with margarine and let rise until doubled (about 30 minutes).
Mix 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon water and brush the buns lightly. Sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of sugar.
Bake for 15–20 minutes.
Lucia is most often portrayed with her head encircled by a halo of lights. In many Scandinavia countries the youngest daughter dresses in a white gown with lights on her head and delivers baked goods to the family. In the old days they used candles for the head wreath – nowadays they use electric candles for safety sake. The candles symbolize the fire that refused to take St. Lucy’s life when she was sentenced to be burned. The name Lucia also means light.St. Lucia is the patron saint of Siciliy, Italy where she was born and her feast day is celebrated there. But St. Lucia’s Day is most associated with Scandinavia, where Dec. 13 is the longest night of the year. Since this a part of the world where nights are long and cold, celebrating light is important.
Celebrate with a traditional swedish treat, Lussekatter or St. Lucia Saffron Buns.
INGREDIENTS:
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2/3 cup lukewarm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine, softened
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cardamom, ground
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered saffron
5 to 5 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup raisins
Margarine, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tablespoon water
2 Tablespoons sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Dissolve the yeast in warm water.
Stir in the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup margarine, 2 eggs, cardamom, salt, saffron, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth.
Stir in enough of remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth (about 8 minutes).
Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour).
Punch down on dough; divide into 24 parts.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Shape each piece into rope, and form an S-shape, tucking the ends into a coil.
Place a raisin in the center of each end coil. Place rolls on greased cookie sheet.
Brush the tops lightly with margarine and let rise until doubled (about 30 minutes).
Mix 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon water and brush the buns lightly. Sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of sugar.
Bake for 15–20 minutes.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Children's Day November
November 18th, 2009
Children are important to the United Nations, and rightfully so. This world organization deals with issues and rights of all kinds of people, and gives a voice to issues that concern everyone. Universal Children’s Day, Nov. 20, marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. The day is to highlight the welfare of children, with an emphasis on concerns such as health and education for the poorer parts of the world. But its also a good time to show the younger ones in your life that they are loved and important.
To show it with food, try this quick and kid-friendly fruit pizza, they will LOVE it!
** FRUIT PIZZA **
Ingredients
prepared, uncooked sugar cookie dough
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup cool whip
2 tsp. vanilla
various fruit, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, kiwi, etc.
Directions
Press uncooked cookie dough into an ungreased pizza pan, or into the bottom of a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned. Let cool. Mix cream cheese, cool whip and vanilla. Spread onto cookie. Cut cookie into serving sizes, then garnish with fruit. Make sure fruit is completely dry or the crust will get soggy.
International Students Day
November 18th, 2009
International Students Day celebrates student activism, though sometimes the holiday is used as a celebration of multicultural students. The date was chosen to commemorate the Nov. 17, 1939 storming of Prague University by Nazi soldiers where nine students were killed over 1200 students sent to concentration camps, and the closing of all Czech universities and colleges. There has been a movement to try and get the United Nations to adopt this holiday, but for now it is celebrated independently by individual colleges and universities. Amnesty International has held events in the past.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Veterans Day
This U.S. holiday stretches back to the end of World War I and commemorates the nation's thousands of combat veterans who fought in the service of their country.
Veterans Day History
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.
The Great War & Armistice Day
Though the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, November 11 remained in the public imagination as the date that marked the end of the Great War. In November 1918, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. The day's observation included parades and public gatherings, as well as a brief pause in business activities at 11 a.m. On November 11, 1921, an unidentified American soldier killed in the war was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Congress had declared the day a legal federal holiday in honor of all those who participated in the war. On the same day, unidentified soldiers were laid to rest at Westminster Abbey in London and at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
On June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution that the "recurring anniversary of [November 11, 1918] should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations" and that the president should issue an annual proclamation calling for the observance of Armistice Day. By that time, 27 state legislatures had made November 11 a legal holiday. An act approved May 13, 1938 made November 11 a legal Federal holiday, "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" In actuality, there are no U.S. national holidays because the states retain the right to designate their own, and the government can only designate holidays for federal employees and for the District of Columbia. In practice, however, states almost always follow the federal lead.
From Armistice Day to Veterans Day
The American effort during World War II (1941-1945) saw the greatest mobilization of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force in the nation's history (more than 16 million people); some 5.7 million more served in the Korean War (1950 to 1953). In 1954, after lobbying efforts by veterans' service organizations, the 83rd U.S. Congress amended the 1938 act that had made Armistice Day a holiday, striking the word "Armistice" in favor of "Veterans." President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1, 1954. From then on, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
The next development in the story of Veterans Day unfolded in 1968, when Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which sought to ensure three-day weekends for federal employees—and encourage tourism and travel—by celebrating four national holidays (Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day) on Mondays.
The observation of Veterans Day was set as the fourth Monday in October. The first Veterans Day under the new law was Monday, October 25, 1971; confusion ensued, as many states disapproved of this change, and continued to observe the holiday on its original date. In 1975, after it became evident that the actual date of Veterans Day carried historical and patriotic significance to many Americans, President Gerald R. Ford signed a new law returning the observation of Veterans Day to November 11th beginning in 1978. If November 11 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the federal government observes the holiday on the previous Friday or following Monday, respectively.
Celebrating Veterans Day around the World
Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November). In Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.
In the United States, an official wreath-laying ceremony is held each Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, while parades and other celebrations are held in states around the country. Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day--a common misunderstanding, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Memorial Day (the fourth Monday in May) honors American service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans--living or dead--but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.
DID YOU KNOW?
Red poppies, a symbol of World War I (from their appearance in the poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae) are sold in Canada and the United Kingdom on Remembrance Day to raise money for veterans or worn in the lapel as a tribute.
Source ( http://www.the history channel)
Veterans Day History
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.
The Great War & Armistice Day
Though the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, November 11 remained in the public imagination as the date that marked the end of the Great War. In November 1918, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. The day's observation included parades and public gatherings, as well as a brief pause in business activities at 11 a.m. On November 11, 1921, an unidentified American soldier killed in the war was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Congress had declared the day a legal federal holiday in honor of all those who participated in the war. On the same day, unidentified soldiers were laid to rest at Westminster Abbey in London and at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
On June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution that the "recurring anniversary of [November 11, 1918] should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations" and that the president should issue an annual proclamation calling for the observance of Armistice Day. By that time, 27 state legislatures had made November 11 a legal holiday. An act approved May 13, 1938 made November 11 a legal Federal holiday, "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" In actuality, there are no U.S. national holidays because the states retain the right to designate their own, and the government can only designate holidays for federal employees and for the District of Columbia. In practice, however, states almost always follow the federal lead.
From Armistice Day to Veterans Day
The American effort during World War II (1941-1945) saw the greatest mobilization of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force in the nation's history (more than 16 million people); some 5.7 million more served in the Korean War (1950 to 1953). In 1954, after lobbying efforts by veterans' service organizations, the 83rd U.S. Congress amended the 1938 act that had made Armistice Day a holiday, striking the word "Armistice" in favor of "Veterans." President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1, 1954. From then on, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
The next development in the story of Veterans Day unfolded in 1968, when Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which sought to ensure three-day weekends for federal employees—and encourage tourism and travel—by celebrating four national holidays (Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day) on Mondays.
The observation of Veterans Day was set as the fourth Monday in October. The first Veterans Day under the new law was Monday, October 25, 1971; confusion ensued, as many states disapproved of this change, and continued to observe the holiday on its original date. In 1975, after it became evident that the actual date of Veterans Day carried historical and patriotic significance to many Americans, President Gerald R. Ford signed a new law returning the observation of Veterans Day to November 11th beginning in 1978. If November 11 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the federal government observes the holiday on the previous Friday or following Monday, respectively.
Celebrating Veterans Day around the World
Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November). In Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.
In the United States, an official wreath-laying ceremony is held each Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, while parades and other celebrations are held in states around the country. Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day--a common misunderstanding, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Memorial Day (the fourth Monday in May) honors American service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans--living or dead--but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.
DID YOU KNOW?
Red poppies, a symbol of World War I (from their appearance in the poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae) are sold in Canada and the United Kingdom on Remembrance Day to raise money for veterans or worn in the lapel as a tribute.
Source ( http://www.the history channel)
Friday, September 11, 2009
WELCOME TO MY NEW BLOG
Hi everyone,Glad you could come by to visit, I am new at this so bear with me, let me know about anything I should be doing and am not.
Today is the day we will REMEMBER 9/11 may we never forget how fragile our freedom is!!!
All for today,
Bethany
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