~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
December 4, 2011

★~ Today’s Quote:  “You can prepare all you want, but if you never roll the dice you’ll never be successful. ~ Stephen Hawking

★~ Santa List Day:

Today, Santa Claus finalizes his Naughty and Nice list. Now, allow me to share a little-known Christmas hack… there are 21 days before the naughty and nice review process begins again on December 26th. This gives you three weeks where your actions are virtually consequence-free. Celebrate Santa List Day by using those 21 days to your advantage! But, let’s keep this between grown-ups, shall we?

★~ Brown Shoes Day:

It’s hard to tell what will happen if you wear black or (gulp!) RED shoes today, but it seems the fashion police will be out in full force. Snazzy loafers or chocolaty tones will save you, just be sure your belt matches.

★~ Dice Day:

Dice were used in wagering long before Vegas was a twinkle in a hotel magnate’s eye. An archeological dig once yielded dice that were 5,000 years old, proving that even the ancients liked to gamble. Do you think they went to Caesar’s Palace?  Below are the directions for a game of dice.

The goal of the game is to get to 10,000 points.
Each player rolls 5 dice.
If you roll a 5, it counts for 500 points.
If you roll a 1, it counts for 100 points. I
If you don’t roll a 5 or a 1, you lose your turn.
If you roll 3-of-a-kind, it will count for the number × 100.
If you roll 4-of-a-kind, double the number;
5-of-a-kind, double the number.
If you roll a straight 12345 or 23456, you earn 1,500 points.
Once someone reaches 10,000 points, he or she has to make every die count; once that is done, everyone else has a chance to beat the person’s score.

★~ Cookie Day:

I love cookies of all kinds, as long as they are made from real butter, real chocolate, real sugar, and when possible nuts. Homemade or elves it doesn’t matter as long as the, before mentioned, ingredients are used.  Frankly, I did not know there was any other kind of cookie until Cole attended a parent/child classes at the Chicago Waldorf School and we had our first Christmas cookie party. I’m not sure, but I think my becoming a mother and the children’s health food craze must have happened around the same time. Before the party, we had to discuss appropriate and responsible types of cookies to bring for the children. The teacher did not lead the conversation; it happened around the craft table in hushed moms’ whispers as our tots played nearby. No nuts. I could live without nuts, although Cole ate nuts and no one in the class had any peanut allergies… Still, I could live without nuts. I am a good sport. Then, moms started crossing flour, sugar, and chocolate off the list, and my eyes glazed over and I tuned out.  The next week, I put several dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies on a plate and took them to class. The table was pretty and plates were filled with cookies. Cole took a bite of one, said “No,” and placed his cookie in my hand. I added a “thank you” to his no and popped the remainder of his cookie into my mouth. Excuse the drama, but I felt like I had been poisoned. This cookie was all wrong. Carob is not “real” chocolate. and will never ever compete with a real chocolate flavor.  I quickly learned at that first cookie party to stick with my own cookies, or try to, since my plate of cookies usually disappears fast. The other trick is to watch what the kids are eating. Usually if they like it, I will, too.

Make a plate of your favorite cookies and celebrate Cookie Day. In the spirit of the season, make two plates of your favorite cookies and share with a friend.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1791 – The first edition of the British newspaper The Observer was published. It’s the oldest Sunday paper in the world. Exactly 90 years after The Observer was first published, came the first edition of theLos Angeles Times, published on this day in 1881.

♥~ 1867 – The National Grange of Husbandry was founded. The organization of farmers was known, typically, as the Grange. The group contributed to agriculture and served as a focus for rural social life in America. How many of you remember going to a Sweet 16 party were often held at the local Grange Hall.

♥~ 1965 – The United States launched the Gemini 7 spacecraft. Air Force Lt. Col. Frank Borman and Navy Commander James A. Lovell, Jr. were aboard. Their primary mission was to prove that humans could live in weightlessness for 14 days, a space endurance record that stood until 1970.

♥~ 1998 – The remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Psycho opened in U.S. theatres. Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche starred. By 2001, the film had grossed $21.486 million in the U.S. Considering it cost $25 million (plus a heafty marketing campaign), the bottom line is pretty scary for this flick. The original has brought in some $16 million, but cost just $800,000 to make in 1960.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1858 – Chester Greenwood inventor: ear muffs; died Jul 5, 1937

♥~ 1875 –  Rainer Maria Rilke, poet made a career by seducing a series of rich noblewomen who would support him while he wrote his books. One princess let him live for a while in her Castle Duino near Trieste, a medieval castle with fortified walls and an ancient square tower. Rilke’s room had a view of the gulf of Trieste, which he loved. In a letter from his room he wrote, “I am looking out into the empty sea-space, directly into the universe, you might say.”

♥~ 1949 – Jeff Bridges actor: White Squall, Wild Bill, Blown Away, The Vanishing, American Heart, The Fisher King, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Starman, Against All Odds, The Last Picture Show, The Company She Keeps, Fearless, Thunderbolt & Lightfoot, Sea Hunt; songwriter; son of actor Lloyd Bridges; brother of actor Beau Bridges

♥~ 1951 – Patricia Wettig Emmy Award-winning actress: thirty something, Stephen King’s The Langoliers, City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly’s Gold, City Slickers

♥~ 1964 – Marisa Tomei Academy Award-winning actress: My Cousin Vinny [1993]; Chaplin, Oscar, The Paper, Untamed Heart, A Different World, The Flamingo Kid,As the World Turns

★~ Did You Know: 

♥~ Cookie” is derived from the Dutch word “koekje,” which means little cake?

♥~ Back when ovens didn’t have temperature gauges, bakers would dribble a little cake batter in the oven to be sure it was ready. Finally someone clued in to the fact that these little edibles were amazing and the cookie was born.

♥~ Americans consume over 2 billion cookies a year, or 300 cookies for each person annually.

♥~ The official state cookie of Massachusetts is the chocolate chip cookie, invented in 1930 at the Toll House Restaurant.

♥~ Eel Cookies: Unagi Pie, a specialty of Hamamatsu, Japan, are cookies made with fresh butter with crushed eel bones, eel extract, or garlic mixed in.

♥~ The Cookie Monster from Sesame Street was originally named Sid.

♥~ The World’s Biggest Cookie measured 102 feet in diameter and weighed over 40,000 pounds. It was made with 6,000 lbs. of Dark Chocolate Chunks. Over 10 million individual chunks!

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Wishing you a stellar Sunday! Are you making cookies today? Odd Loves Cookies.– I mean Company!