★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
December 8, 2012

★~Today’s Quote: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us. – Marianne Williamson

★~Hanukkah:

Tonight at sundown marks the beginning of the eight-day Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights!

Hanukkah starts on a different day each year according to the Western calendar, but it always begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. The word “Hanukkah” means dedication or induction, and the holiday signifies the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees revolted against Alexander, Antiochus IV and his persecution of the Jews.

According to the Talmud, at the time of the rededication there was only enough oil left to burn the eternal flame in the temple for one day. It lasted for eight days—just the amount of time needed to make a fresh supply of oil. Hence, it is tradition at Hanukkah to light a candle on the menorah for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.

Celebrate Hanukkah by lighting candles at nightfall, playing dreidel, or eating some delicious potato latkes! Happy Hanukkah!

★~ Brownie Day:

Brownies originated in New England during the early twentieth century, but there are many variations to the tale.One story says that a Boston chef mistakenly added melted chocolate to a batch of biscuits, thus creating the first brownies. Another version claims that a housewife in Bangor, Maine was making a chocolate cake but forgot to add baking powder. The cake did not rise properly and, instead of throwing it out, she served it in flat pieces.

Click to find out why Ghirardelli brownie mix is the best and for some brownie baking tips. The weekend is the perfect time to relax and enjoy a rich, fudge brownie.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1956 – The Olympic games, which opened Nov 22, closed in Melbourne, Australia. ‘The Friendly Games’, as this Olympics came to be known, was Australia’s first attempt at hosting the Olympics and left “an enduring legacy not only for Melbourne and Australia but for the Olympic movement itself.”

♥~ 1963 – Frank Sinatra Jr was kidnapped at gunpoint from a hotel in Lake Tahoe. He was released two days later after his father paid out the $240,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers, who were later captured, and sentenced to long prison terms. In order to communicate with the kidnappers via a pay phone the senior Sinatra carried a roll of dimes with him throughout this ordeal, which became a lifetime habit, he is said to have been buried with a roll of dimes.

♥~ 1980 – Tragically John Lennon’s death was announced on Monday Night Football just a few years after he had been interviewed on that same show. Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell made the announcement.

♥~ 1990 – Workers at the Hypermarket in Norwood, South Africa, baked histories largest pizza, 122 feet 8 inches in diameter.

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1902 – Oswald Jacoby bridge player, author, journalist: syndicated bridge columnist [1949-1984], considered the best card player in the world in 1950; died June 27, 1984

♥~ 1925 – Sammy Davis Jr, singer, actor, (1972 US No.1 single ‘The Candy Man’).

♥~ 1942 – Bobby Elliott musician: drums: group: The Hollies over 25 top 40 hits since 1963, 1972 US No.2 single ‘Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress’, 1988 UK No.1 single ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’, first released in 1969.

♥~ 1943 – Jim Morrison, Songwriter, poet, lead singer of The Doors, Jim Morrison is considered to be one of the fathers of contemporary rock.

♥~ 1947 – Gregg Allman musician keyboards, guitar, vocals, Allman Brothers Band, (1973 US No.12 single ‘Ramblin Man’).

♥~ 1953 – Kim Basinger actress: Ready to Wear, Wayne’s World 2, The Real McCoy, The Getaway, Final Analysis, Cool World, The Marrying Man, Batman, My Stepmother is an Alien, Blind Date, 9 1/2 Weeks, The Natural, Hard Country; former town owner: Braselton, GA; married to actor Alec Baldwin

♥~ 1966 – Sinéad O’Connor singer: Nothing Compares to You, My Lagan Love, No Man’s Woman, Emma’s Song, This Is a Rebel Song, Molly Malone, Thank You for Hearing Me

★~ Did You Know: Wrapping It Up:

Mix Tape

Dress up Kraft paper with festive masking tape, alternating horizontal and vertical strips to mimic ribbon. A snowflake fashioned from frayed candy cane colored paper straws becomes the crowning glory.

Board Game: Glue vintage game boards and pieces to plain cardboard boxes. Incomplete games often sell for only a few dollars at flea markets and garage sales so they only look like they cost a fortune!

Ready-to-Wear: Infuse new life into a thrift-store shirt and brooch. Not only is the result eco-friendly, but, , when you remove the brooch and unpin the shirt, you’ve got three gifts in one.

Potato-Chip Bag Gift Wrap: Give a new life to empty potato-chip bags by dressing up your gifts in them. Cut open a potato-chip bag along its seam to reveal the shiny white or silver inside of the bag. Flatten the bag, wash it with soap and water, and air dry. Then wrap your present and adorn it with ribbons and homemade cards.

Yule Log Gift Packaging: Here’s an attractive way to package unusually shaped gifts, such as glassware or bottles: Put them in mailing tubes dressed up as Yule logs. Using a small handsaw, cut a cardboard mailing tube to the appropriate length. Trace one end of the tube onto cardboard to form a lid; cut out, and tape to cut end of tube. Measure length and circumference of the tube; add 1 inch to the circumference, and cut a piece of wood-grain-patterned paper to those dimensions. Wrap tube with paper using double-sided tape. Trace end of tube onto paper twice; cut out. Tape circles to ends of tube. (To present a stack of logs, tie them with a bow.)

Jingle Bells Wrap: Re-create the sound of Santa’s sleigh with a small bell attached to Christmas parcels. Purchase the bells at crafts stores, and use lengths of thin ribbon or cord to secure to packages. The box shown here is also decorated with a band of velvet ribbon.

Reindeer Rootbeer/Beer: Just wrap brown pipe cleaners around the tops of the bottles, and twist smaller pieces around to make antlers. Then hot glue on googly eyes and red pom poms! FUN

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I’m all thumbs when it comes to gift wrapping, but I like to live vicariously through other peoples gift-wrapping skills. In fact, gift wrapping is how I met our good friend and camp helper Vickie. About five years ago, I was overwhelmed with campers, gift buying, and wrapping for the masses, along with chairing a school auction, so I posted an ad on a local, on-line forum for a gift wrapper, and Vickie answered the ad — my lucky day. Five years later she is still gift-wrapping for me, and showering love on my campers. My mother is also a gift-wrap warrior. She can make a roll of gift wrap last forever; all her corners are neat and square, and the tape is invisible. Her packages also include doodads and bows — always a bow. My sister-in-law is a gift-wrap ninja, creating beautifully wrapped packages. What happened to me, I wonder? I can’t even manage the tissue paper in a gift bag. Sad. What about you? Gift wrapper or gift bagger?

Odd Loves Company,