~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
December 30,2012

★~ Today’s Quote: If you can keep your wits about you while all others are losing theirs, and blaming you. The world will be yours and everything in it, what’s more, you’ll be a man, my son.  Rudyard Kipling

Sodium bicarbonate (commonly known as baking soda) is used in baking, cooking, de-odorizing, cleaning, polishing, and countless other applications.

The ancient Egyptians used natural deposits of sodium bicarbonate as a cleansing agent like soap, but it wasn’t until 1791 that French chemist Nicolas Leblanc produced sodium bicarbonate in its modern form. In 1846, two New York bakers named John Dwight and Austin Church established the first factory to make baking soda.

Baking soda is a white, odorless, crystalline solid that is completely soluble in water. It is very useful around the home, the kitchen, and for medical purposes. Did you know that baking soda can even be used as an antacid to treat indigestion and heartburn? Sodium bicarbonate certainly deserves a whole day of celebration! Click for Baking Soda Vs Baking Powder 101

Happy National Bicarbonate of Soda Day!

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1940 – The Arroyo Seco Parkway, the forerunner of thePasadena Freeway (between Los Angeles and Pasadena), was dedicated by Los Angeles, California Mayor Fletcher Bowron. It was the first freeway in the western U.S. and was designated as a historic engineering landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1999.

♥~ 1963 – Let’s Make a Deal premiered. The game show was hosted by Monty Hall. “Alright Madge, you can keep the monkey and the motorcycle or trade them for what’s in the big pretty box…”

♥~ 1978 – Ohio State University fired its football coach Woody Hayes. The action came one day after Hayes punched Clemson University player Charlie Bauman during the Gator Bowl (Bauman had just intercepted an Ohio State pass).

♥~ 2006 – A 67-year-old Spanish woman became the world’s oldest mother after she gave birth to twins in Barcelona. She had previously undergone in vitro fertilization in the U.S.

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1865 – Rudyard Kipling novelist, short story author, poet: Nobel Prize for Literature [1907]; The Jungle Book, Captains Courageous, Wee Willie Winkie. Though he never fought in battle, his poems about military life became classics among British soldiers around the world.  Rudyard Kipling said, “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.”

♥~ 1937 – John Hartford Grammy Award-winning songwriter: Gentle on My Mind [1966]

♥~ 1959 – Tracey Ullman singer: They Don’t Know, Breakaway; actress: Tracy Takes On, Mackenzie, Give My Regards to Broad Street, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Tracey Ullman: A Class Act, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Bullets Over Broadway, The Little Lulu Show, Panic

♥~ 1965 – Heidi Fleiss ‘The Hollywood Madam’: her prostitutionring had numerous famous clients; she was jailed for tax evasion, money laundering; author: Pandering, The Player’s Handbook, Sex Tips

♥~ 1975 – (Eldrick) ‘Tiger’ Woods golf: champ: Masters ; first player to win four consecutive majors (2000-2001: US Open, British Open, PGA, Masters]; youngest player to reach fifty career victories [age 30: Aug 6, 2006]

★~ Did You Know: These uses for Baking Soda: (updated from 2011)

♥~ This tip ^ has nothing to do with Baking Soda but is good to know. Don’t you think? Remember this is an Odd Blog.

♥~ Make a hand cleanser and softener : Skip harsh soaps and gently scrub away ground-in dirt and neutralize odors on hands with a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water or 3 parts baking soda with gentle liquid hand soap. Then rinse clean.

♥~  Musty books: Do you have some old and musty books that you can’t bear to throw out? Sprinkle some baking soda between the pages, and brush it out a few days later for a fresh scent

♥~ Heartburn? Take a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with one-half glass of water. (Mike)

♥~ Modeling Clay: Turn baking soda into modeling clay by combining it with one and 1/4 cups of water and one cup of cornstarch.

♥~ Sprinkle baking soda on your carpets and the vacuum to freshen them up. (Liz)

♥~ Paint Brushes: Restore stiff brushes by boiling them in a solution of 1/2 gallon of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and a cup of baking soda.

♥~ Fluffier omelets: adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.

♥~ Clarifying hair treatment: Remove the product build-up that makes your locks limp and dull. A teaspoon of baking soda mixed in with your regular shampoo can be used as a clarifier once a week or so, and a little baking soda dissolved in hot water will clean crusty hairbrushes, too.

♥~ Polish silver: Wash items, then place on aluminum foil in the bottom of a pot. Add a baking-soda solution (¼ cup soda, a few teaspoons salt, 1 quart boiling water) and cover for a few seconds. The result? A chemical reaction that gets the black off the gravy boat.

♥~ Pour a 1/2 cup of baking soda down your drain followed by a cup of vinegar and let it boil for a while and you can keep adding some vinegar if you want. Flush with hot water for clean smelling drains and it also keeps them unclogged. Baking powder on the other hand is a great geranium plant food. Makes then real big and bushy. Put 1 tablespoon in a gallon of warm water and water your geraniums once a month with that solution. (Carol Smith)

♥~ Use baking powder along with your toothpaste to help keep teeth nice and white (Geri)

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Off and running. I need to get ready to “produce” our camp New Year’s card this morning. However, I will be back to share a few odd things about our Christmas later today! In the meantime, go forth stay warm and if it makes you If it makes you smile, giggle or laugh…Do it again!

Got Baking Soda Tips?

Odd Loves Company!