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

★~ Happy Camper Tanner:  Labs just want to play BALL!  The only thing Tanner loves more than a ball is his family. Throw a ball and this happy camper goes into instant action — over, and over, and over again. When he doesn’t have a ball to put in your lap, he substitutes his head and peers up at you, silently chanting ball, ball, BALL! Tanner is a love and we love having him at camp!

★~ Today’s Quote:  Health – what my friends are always drinking to before they fall down. Phyllis Diller

★~ Kiss and Make Up Day:

Kiss and Make Up Day is a great way to end a spat. We all have fights with our nearest and dearest now and again; today it’s time to see if a big ol’ smooch doesn’t stop the argument from reaching epic proportions. A kiss shows you care, that you won’t stay mad, and most importantly, it shuts you both up for a second.

★~ Whiskey Sour Day:

A Sour is not so much a drink as it is a concept. Lemon or lime juice, almost any liquor, and sugar—in proper proportion—form a Sour. Don’t even think about using a packaged mix for this cocktail. A simple but magical blend, the Sour was first made with brandy in the middle of the 19th century. Bartenders have flirted with and still have their occasional flings with numerous other base alcohols, but whiskey was the liquor of choice by the end of the 19th century, with rye on equal footing with bourbon. Bourbon is still favored by many, but blended whiskeys and Scotch have jockeyed for position. Add a dash of grenadine to a Whiskey Sour, and you have the sophisticated Ward Eight.

Here is a foolproof rule of thumb for making a perfect Sour every time: Mix 2 ounces of your chosen spirit with 1 teaspoon sugar and 3/4 ounce lemon or lime juice (the “sour” flavor), and shake with cracked ice. Substitute lime juice for lemon in a Scotch Sour. Shake a Sour well for a truly frothy drink, and serve it straight up in a cocktail glass, over the rocks in a hefty Old Fashioned glass, or in a Sour glass. Garnish with any assortment of seasonally fresh fruit.

★~ Banana Split Day:

Today is one of the happiest days of the year for children and adults alike. Why? It’s Banana Split Day of course. Perhaps as American as apple pie, the banana split dates back to 1904 and originally cost $.10

There’s a banana split for everyone (well, everyone who likes ice cream and bananas.)

Let’s break it down:

Ice Cream: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry – but nobody will fault you from going the path of coffee, mint chocolate chip myriad other choices!

Sauces: Hot Fudge, Pineapple, Caramel, Marshmallow, Butterscotch, Dulche, Strawberry Perserves

Garnish: Peanuts, Pistachios, Whipped Cream, Cherries, Crushed Graham Crackers, Pecans, Grated Chocolate, Chocolate Chips

The Banana: Yes, even the banana presents us with options. Grilled, caramelized, sliced lengthwise, diced

…and finally the presentation. In a cone, in a dish, in a boat as a pie.

Salute Banana Split day with an ice cream social in your mouth (and a wee bit of brain freeze).

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1940 – Arno Rudolphi and Ann Hayward were suspended in parachutes — while married at the World’s Fair in New York City. The minister, best man, maid of honor and four musicians were also in parachutes!

♥~ 1964 – The Beatles received a gold recor for their hit single A Hard Day’s Night. It was their third gold record; they would collect 18 more through 1970.

♥~ 1970 – Elton John made his first live American appearance in Los Angeles, opening for singer David Ackles.

♥~ 1979 – “Ooh, my little pretty one, my pretty one; When you gonna give me some time, Sharona.”  My Sharona, by The Knack, hit #1 on the Hot 100. It was a solid #1 for six straight weeks.

♥~1984 – The Cabbage Patch Kids and Trivial Pursuit were replaced by the latest fad toys: robotic action figures that fought galactic battles. They were called Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby.

♥~ 2001 – Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, a single mother and former waitress, married Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon in Oslo. The couple lives in Oslo with Mette-Marit’s son Marius.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1819 – Allan Pinkerton first private detective;  Allan created the first private detective agency in 1850; making him the first private eye. Abraham Lincoln hired him as the first Secret Service officer. He foiled the first attempt on Abraham Lincoln’s life. Mr. Pinkerton hired others to help him in his detective agency. They were called Pinkertons, known for spying for the Union during the Civil War. Later, they were employed as scabs (where they were called Pinks — possibly the origin of the slang word, fink) during labor strikes and were active in suppressing labor disputes.

♥~ 1918 – Leonard Bernstein conductor: New York Philharmonic Orchestra; composer: West Side Story, On the Town, My Sister Eileen, On the Waterfront , Jeremiah, The Age of Anxiety, Kaddish, Chichester Psalms, Mass, Songfest; died Oct 14, 1990

♥~ 1930 – Sir Sean Connery Academy Award-winning actor: The Untouchables [1987]; The Rock, First Knight, The Hunt for Red October, Highlander, Rising Sun, Outland, The Longest Day, Dragonheart,Entrapment; “Bond. James Bond.”: Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds are Forever

♥~ 1933 – Tom Skerritt Emmy Award-winning actor: Picket Fences [1992-93]; Steel Magnolias, A River Runs Through It, M*A*S*H, The Turning Point, Top Gun, Alien

♥~ 1955 – Elvis Costello, (Declan McManus), singer, songwriter,

♥~ 1961 – Billy Ray Cyrus singer: Achy Breaky Heart

♥~ 1968- Rachael Ray TV chef/host: 30 Minute Meals, Inside Dish with Rachael Ray, $40 a Day, Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels

★~ Did You Know:

After I read that Arno Rudolphi and Ann Hayward were married — while suspended in parachutes at the World’s Fair in New York City,  I wondered about other Odd places where people chose to tie the knot.  . .

♥~ In the middle of a marathon. Where else but Vegas, of course. During the Las Vegas Marathon, people can stop at mile five to get married in a quick, three-minute ceremony. The reverend is a runner too, so you won’t even have to break your stride.

♥~ Garbage Dump. This bride met her groom because he was the station manager at the place where she took her recycling, so they figured it was the perfect place to cement the relationship. I wonder if they promised to love, honor, and recycle until death to they part?

♥~  The 99 Cents Only Store in Hollywood married 9 coupled in honor of the numerical wonder 09-09-09 for the cost of 99 cents per couple. The first wedding started at 8:09 a.m. and the couples said “I do” in aisle 9. Kathy Jacobs, a.k.a. Discount Store Diva, created the décor for the wedding ceremony and reception entirely from store inventory, including a gown made entirely from items found at 99 Cents Only Stores.

♥~  The (fake) Titanic. Is it me or does it seem a little odd to get married on a ship that went down? I guess another way to look at it is your not starting out with unrealistic expectations. The Titanic Museum in Branson Missouri, offers a whole wedding package that people flock to take advantage of.  It includes vows on a replica of the ship’s grand staircase and a ceremony presided over by a Captain Edward Smith look alike. Iceberg not included.

♥~ Walmart.  Walmart weddings have taken place in New Hampshire, Utah, and California. I can’t help but wonder what they wear…

♥~ Shark Tank: “The sharks were swimming all around us,” remembers New Yorker April Curry, “and coming up to the cage to see what we were doing.” No, Curry isn’t describing her most recent deepwater dive—those curious fish were the guests of honor at her wedding. She and her fiancé, Michael, were married in a 120,000-gallon shark tank.  Can you even imagine? Me either.

♥~ A Normal, IL, couple donned pink and purple to wed in a local Taco Bell they explained their fast-food wedding (during which regular customers continued to order from the counter) as the appropriately offbeat culmination of “an offbeat relationship.”

♥~ Mount Everest: In 2005, a Nepalese couple became the first people to ever get married at the peak of the mountain. Other couples had attempted the feat, but in all cases both of them were not able to make the climb.  I wonder how they celebrated there first anniversary? It had to be a bit of a let down. Ha.

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Here is a bit of Whiskey Sour trivia for you…It was El Morno Friend Debbie’s first legal drink when she turned 21. Cheers Debbie!

Cole and I have grown tired of store bought cookies so I’ve resorted to trying out a few cookie recipes and making my own.  So far, Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies, have been our favorite.  I add nuts because we like nuts in everything.  Tip–they cook very fast. Do you have a favorite cookie recipe to share with us? Mom…have I told you lately how good your Chocolate chip cookies are? REALLY GOOD!! Cole was saying just yesterday…I sure wish I had one of Grandmarcie’s Chocolate chip cookies.

Hope you have a super Saturday!