~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
November 30, 2013
★~ Today’s Quote: To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence. ~ Mark Twain
★~ Small Business Saturday:
A day set aside between Black Friday and Cyber Monday to encourage shoppers to spend their holiday money at local mom-and-pop stores on clothing, jewelry, toys, accessories and other merchandise. American Express,started Small Business Saturday in 2010, to help small retailers during the economic downturn; the NFIB; and the federal Small Business Administration estimate that nearly 70 million customers spent $5.5 billion nationwide last year at small, independent stores during the event. American Express will extend a $10 credit to cardholders who shop at participating retailers.
Small-business owners nationally give back to their communities in some way, be it working with nonprofits, coaching youth sports teams or holding public office, said Ron Aldridge, Mississippi director of the nonprofit nonpartisan National Federation of Independent Business. Today and throughout the holiday season is one way to give back that support.
★~ National Mousse Day:
The secret to great mousse is incorporating air bubbles to give it a light texture. Depending on the amount of air that gets whipped in, it can be thick and creamy or downright fluffy. The base begins with eggs, cream, sugar and whatever way you want to flavor it.
This creamy creation was once only found in French restaurants, but it started appearing on the tables of British and American families in the 1960s. The word mousse itself means “lather” or “foam” in French, which helps explain why you can also tame your hair with mousse – just a different kind.
The most popular kind of mousse is chocolate, so satisfy your craving with Julia Child’s perfect chocolate mousse, or if you want a tangy taste, try Ina Garten’s creamy lemon mousse.
★~ Today in History:
♥~ 1931 – The Joy Of Cooking 80th anniversary was self-published by Irma Rombauer (1877–1962). Rombauer was a comforting voice for cooks during the Depression, and the book grew into an institution. The first commercial edition of the book appeared in 1936, and it offered a revolutionary “action format” (chronologically ordered ingredients followed by instructions) now commonplace in cookbooks. The numerous editions overseen by Rombauer and later her daughter and grandson sold more than 14 million copies.
♥~ 1887 – The first softball game was played — in Chicago, IL. The game was really called indoor baseball; it used a broomstick for a bat and a boxing glove for a ball.
♥~ 1968 – Diana Ross and The Supremes hit the #1 spot on the music charts with Love Child. The somewhat controversial tune (for the times) stayed at the top for two weeks.
♥~ 1985 – The world’s largest beer mug was unveiled by the Selangor Pewter Company of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 6-foot tankard holds 615 gallons.
★~Born Today:
♥~ 1835 – Samuel Clemens,wrote under the pen names Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass, Sergeant Fathom, Rambler, and W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab but his most famous pen name of them all, and the one we know him best by is Mark Twain. He was born in a log cabin in Florida, Missouri, loved the story of Joan of Arc, and hated the writings of Jane Austen. He once said that every time he read Pride and Prejudice, he wanted to dig up Austen and “beat her over the skull with her own shin bone.” He was as famously cantankerous as he was witty, sometimes referred to as “America’s first stand-up comic.”
♥~ 1874 – Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian children’s author, born in Clifton, Prince Edward Island.She wrote more than 500 short stories and poems, and 20 novels. Nineteen of these novels were set on Prince Edward Island, including her first, Anne of Green Gables(1908), about an old farm couple who think they have arranged to adopt a boy to help out with their farm in rural Prince Edward Island, and instead end up with Anne, a spunky red-headed orphan girl
♥~ 1874 – Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, British statesman and the first man to be made an honorary citizen of the US (by an act of Congress, Apr 9, 1963), was born at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, England. Dedicated to Britain and total victory over Germany, Churchill as minister of defense and prime minister was a strong leader during WWII. A stirring public speaker, Churchill said upon becoming prime minister in 1940, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”
♥~ 1929 – Dick Clark, Producer, TV personality (“American Bandstand”),
♥~ 1936 – Abbie Hoffman activist: 1960s cultural revolutionary [Yippie]; one of the Chicago Eight; author: Revolution for the Hell of It, Steal this Book; died Apr 12, 1989
♥~ 1955 – Billy Idol (Broad) musician: guitar, singer: Mony, Mony, Eyes Without a Face, Dancing with Myself, White Wedding, Rebel Yell, To Be a Lover, Speed, Cradle of Love; songwriter: Hot in the City
★~ Good to Know: Odds and Ends
♥~ Chicago at its finest – The Chicago Transit Authority is getting into the holiday spirit with the popular Holiday Train! Santa and his elves will ride the train passing out candy canes and season’s greetings.
The spectacular train is an amazing sight – during the daytime and at night. The outside of the six-car train is adorned with holiday seasonal images. Thousands of twinkling lights outline the shape of the train and windows, with even more lights running across the tops of the cars.
Interiors of the cars are decked out with thousands of multi-colored lights, red bows, garland, and red and green overhead lighting. The hand poles are wrapped to look like candy canes.
As the train pulls into each station, Santa waves to the boarding passengers from his sleigh on an open-air flatcar carrying his reindeer and decorated holiday trees.
♥~ The Oldest Trees on the Planet
♥~ Told you Coke-Cola was the Real Thing!
♥~ “Car-L” meets the lions
[youtube]http://youtu.be/lRY4-feFZZY[/youtube]
♥~ 20 thing we should say more often
[youtube]http://youtu.be/m5yCOSHeYn4[/youtube]
♥~ This is Mike, he owns a Golf Shop and doesn’t need a fancy commercial to get his point across loud and clear! Lots of people found the commercial annoying. It was, but at least after watching the commercial you know what Mike is selling–advertising 101.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/O_zx7jPLmyk[/youtube]
♥~ CT couple named ‘longest married’ in US
[youtube]http://youtu.be/Do7Inbx2N3Y[/youtube]
♥ ~ This next video falls into the Don’t Miss category
[youtube]http://youtu.be/VBMfgLvRZJs[/youtube]
★~ Rabbit Rabbit Reminder!
Today is the last day of November and you know what that means don’t you? It’s time to prepare for the first of the month and all that can be yours by simple saying ”rabbit, rabbit!” The first words out of your mouth on the first day of December must be “rabbit, rabbit.”
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Do you put up Christmas decorations over Thanksgiving weekend or wait until a little further into the season? We wait until the first weekend in December and are still debating if we will chop down our tree again this year. Last year our trek to bring home the perfect tree was fun, but the weather was very mild. It’s more fun chopping, carrying, and hoisting a tree onto your car when the weather is in the 50’s and dry than when it’s in the 30’s and wet. I guess you could call us fair weather pioneers.
Today, I’ll be hanging out with my campers and continue to enjoy left-overs. What are your plans?
Odd Loves Company!
Good Morno,
Chocolate mousse? No. I am done with rich foods until at least next weekend. Have to appreciate local home grown businesses. The give a city a sense of community and buy the little league uniforms.
Enjoyed the videos. That little girl sure can sing.
End of the month already. November flew by.
November did fly by. Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Thanksgiving!
Morno,
Finally some computer time! As always fun Odds and Ends. The Chicago Christmas bus is so cute. What a great idea. OMG that little girls looks and sings like an angel. A friend was talking about her but I had not seen the video before today.
I’m with Mike no Mousse, today. Walmart didn’t drive out all the small businesses in my home town. I am going to disappear for a few hours today to visit some friends–one owns a craft/knitting shop and believe it or not the other has a thriving book store. They both work hard to be creative and meet their customers needs.
Our weather couldn’t be prettier, I hope you are enjoying the same.
TTFN
The Chicago bus is so cute. It just makes me smile. Sounds like you’re spending the day appropriately —small business and old friends. Our weather is so pretty. Glad you are having fun visiting your parents!
I like Mark Twain, but I also like Jane Austen. Wonder what that says about me. And if you’ve never read Anne of Green Gables do yourself a favor and get a copy. Truly delightful.
Spending the day hiking out here in the canyons outside Las Vegas. Actually, mostly driving past them. We’ll just do a short easy hike to take some of the turkey and stuffing and pie off!
I think it means you are well read.
Hiking sounds like a nice way to spend the day. I hiked up and down the stairs and grabbed Rascal for a walk around the neighborhood to clear my head.
That little girl is amazing, just like Jacque Ivonavich. So many kids have so much talent. I might actually do some Xmas shopping next week, or the week after that! LOL
TTFN
MJ
You know what I always say: Start shopping early for me, and shop often!
I’ve always liked Mark Twain but never realized he had so many pen names. (You put that fact in just for me, didn’t you?!)
No mousse here. We’re still trying to finish off the pies. And now that Domer has gone, there’s so much more to eat!
Yes, this weekend, I put up SOME of the Christmas decorations. It was just too pretty not to. I also took Dallas for a nice walk and did a bit of shopping (though NOT on Thursday!)
Congrats to Coca-Cola — very generous move!
I did! The left-overs are plentiful here too! However, after today they will be gone one way or another except for turkey. Turkey sandwiched between two pieces of kid white bread with miracle whip, perfect lunch for next week.
Sounds like you enjoyed our pretty Saturday too!
not really a mousse person. i’ll gladly take other desserts after i rest from thanksgiving.
i definitely prefer small businesses when possible. we still need them.
coke’s polar bear commercials are some of my favorites. good for coke!
will try to remember rabbit-rabbit tomorrow morning. seems to be hit or miss with me.
i have put out a few christmas items. the past few years, i have gotten the tree now, too, since i have a few more days than the basic weekend. not quite sure where the time went.
took nik to the farm yesterday & today. lots of running & playing dobes & an honorary dobe pup (rhodesian ridgeback). he held his own & will one day be larger than any dog out there!
good evening!
And how often do you get pepper sprayed or trampled at a small business? Which I think is a real plus in their favor.
We thought about a Christmas tree this weekend but our campers schedules narrowed our window for tree shopping down so we opted for next weekend.
I like RR. Aside from being stubborn to the core they are a really neat dogs. Glad you had fun at the farm.