~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
June 25, 2012

★~ Today’s Quote: There are elements of intrinsic beauty in the simplification of a house built on the log cabin idea. Gustav Stickley

★~ Log Cabin Day;

I think we were suppose to celebrate Log Cabin Day yesterday, the last Sunday of the month. El Morno Friend Stevie was all set to build her cabin yesterday. But then I read Log Cabin Day was celebrated on the June 25th so I said stop the saws, hold the horses  nobody moves a log until tomorrow. And everyone listened to me. But now I’m not sure this may be one of those holidays that moves around.  I know, just watch a Little House on The Prairie re-run and pretend you live in a log cabin. MMM can’t you just smell those flap jacks Ma is making?   Did you know seven United States presidents were born in Log Cabins? Click  and scroll down to ‘Did You Know’ to  learn more about log cabins?

★~ National Catfish Day:

It was President Reagan who issued a proclamation in 1987 making today National Catfish Day. Maybe he was impressed that there are over 3,000 catfish species known to man. Or maybe he just liked a good fried catfish sandwich. Whatever his reasons, see if you can find a way to celebrate this whiskered fish today.

★~ National Strawberry Parfait Day:

A parfait is usually a layered dessert served in a glass similarly named. The layers can be custard, ice cream, or yogurt, followed by layers of fruits or fruit purees. Fresh strawberries make this a perfect summer dessert. One way to make this dessert is with cupcakes.

• 6 Vanilla cupcakes

• 1 pint of strawberries

• whipped cream (homemade or store bought)

• 6 parfait cups, wine glasses or small plastic beverage glasses

• 2 – 3 teaspoons sugar (optional)

Strawberry Parfait Recipe Directions

Wash and thinly slice strawberries.  Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 -3 teaspoons of sugar if desired.

Cut each vanilla cupcake in half horizontally.  Place the bottoms of the cupcakes in the bottom of your serving cups.

Spoon 1/12 of the strawberries over the cupcake bottoms followed by 1 -2 tablespoons of whipped cream.

Place the tops of the cupcakes on top of the whipped cream.  Follow with more strawberries and more whipped cream.  Top with a strawberry slice and a mint sprig.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1876 – Indian Chief Crazy Horse won the two-hour Battle of the Little Bighorn, Montana, wiping out the army of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. Custer, who led the battle against the Sioux Indian encampment, was among the 200+ casualties. Ironically, the only survivor of Custer’s forces was a horse, Comanche.

♥~ 1993 – Bruce Springsteen was a surprise guest on the final Late Night with David Letterman. After more than 11 years at NBC, Letterman began a similar show (Late Show with David Letterman) on CBS two months later. (Springsteen played Glory Days and Letterman seemed genuinely touched by the performance.)

♥~ 1995 –Pink Floyd were at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Pulse’ the bands fifth US No.1.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1874 – Rose O’Neill illustrator, author, doll designer;  The Kewpie Doll was created by Rose O’Neill.  She also produced more than 700 illustrations for the magazine Puck, however it was the little doll with the top-knot hairdo that earned her the most fame and by far the most fortune — Kewpie filled Rose’s purse with an estimated $1.4 million.

♥~ 1925 – June Lockhart actress: Lassie, Lost in Space, Petticoat Junction, Deadly Games, The Big Picture, The Yearling, Meet Me in St. Louis

♥~ 1945 – Carly Simon Grammy Award-winning [Best New Artist, 1971] singer: Anticipation, You’re So Vain, Mockingbird [w/husband James Taylor], Nobody Does It Better, You Belong to Me, Coming Around Again; Academy Award-winning song: Let the River Run [1988]; author of children’s books

♥~ 1947 – Jimmie Walker actor, comedian: Good Times, B.A.D. Cats, Airplane!, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

♥~ 1961-Ricky Gervais actor: The office where RIcky played a inept  mid-level manager.  Gervals did not really expect the Office to be successful. He told interviewer James Hughes, “This is why I confuse broadcasters, because The Office shouldn’t have been as big as it was. It’s an acquired taste … Suddenly, this strange, acquired-taste comedy aimed at the very few with no laugh track, no stars, no jokes and quite depressing scenes was the biggest comedy around … I think I’m a cult comedian who got more famous than he should have.”

★~ Did You Know:

♥~ In 1909, illustrator and artist Rose O’Neill had a dream about plump little creatures she called Kewpies®, short for Cupid. “Cupid gets you into trouble and the Kewpies get you out,” explained O’Neill. The purpose of these creatures is to perform good deeds in a funny way. They were often seen battling injustice or promoting women’s suffrage, and they always made the reader laugh.

♥~ Kewpie® first appeared as illustrations in the December issue of Woman’s Home Companion, and was an immediate success. “Kewpie Pages,” which consisted of entire pages of the drawings accompanied by a short story or prose, became regular features in popular women’s magazines.

♥~As the drawings became more familiar, O’Neill created Kewpie Kutouts. These paper dolls had both a front and a back side, and were accompanied by short stories. O’Neill next created comic pages, which were printed in several newspapers. She also wrote books which included segments from former Kewpie pages, along with new materials.

♥~ The Kewpie® doll was born in 1913. These first dolls had straight posture with their arms at their sides. They were made from bisque or china and celluloid. As the Kewpies grew in popularity, so did the different kinds, sizes and materials of the dolls

♥~ Read more: Kewpie Dolls – a century of adorable, chubby dolls from the heart of Rose O’Neill.

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Did you ever have a Kewpie doll? I’m pretty sure I never had one, most of my dolls were Barbie’s or baby dolls. Yes, sweet mother, I remember the bare baby! But that is a story for another blog post.

Hope you have a Merry Monday!!

♥