04.14.2009

Hi there! Spring is dragging its feet this week, but John and I are fighting back! We bought a Boston fern for the porch, he just bought a new grill and we've hung the American flag. So Spring had better get with the program because I want to plant some flowers. :) Speaking of Spring, when I started this newsletter it was autumn and during the cold months I basically have all the time in the world. At the time I figured that when good weather and outside chores came around I would have to cut down to every two weeks. So Phyllis and I have discussed it and think that every other week will work better for us for the time being. I imagine you are busier during this time of the year too and probably won't be sitting in front of the computer as much either. ~Toni
----------------------------------

Patriots' Day

Patriots' Day, another tribute to the American Revolution, belongs to Maine and Massachusetts alone. The holiday commemorates the famous battles of Lexington and Concord.

It was on April 19, 1775, that Massachusetts minutemen, taking the cue from Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott, took a stand against 700 British troops marching to Concord to raid a colonial weapons stockpile. As the militia was retreating, someone fired a weapon. This "shot heard 'round the world" marked the beginning of the American Revolution.

Patriots' Day is observed annually on the third Monday in April, with many companies allowing employees to take the day off. In addition to community celebrations, the holiday is marked by the running of the Boston Marathon.
____________________________

On April 21, 1836, General Sam Houston led Texan troops in a surprise attack that sealed the future state's independence from Mexico. The location? The mouth of the San Jacinto River, near the present-day city of Houston. At least 600 of Mexican general Santa Anna's men were killed and more than 700 were taken prisoner in the 18-minute Battle of San Jacinto. Among Houston's 800 men, only nine lost their lives.

Texas pride abounds every April 21 as the state celebrates its independence from Mexico. The battle site is now adorned with a monument that, in true Texas style, was once the tallest stone monument in the world.
____________________________

~Tips from Cheryl~

Save Squeeze-Style Containers

Reuse mustard, ketchup and other plastic squeeze bottles after they're empty. Wash and repurpose for other food products. If you buy in bulk, pour into these handy bottles.

Make Your Own TV Dinners?

If you've purchased frozen TV dinners, save the trays after eating. Reuse them to create homemade dinners. Fill each compartment with a veggie, starch and main course, freeze, and when ready to eat, heat in the oven until hot.

Different Topping for Pancakes or Waffles

Tired of using syrup? Try this: Heat chunky applesauce with a teaspoon or two of cinnamon and spoon it over waffles or pancakes. It's a healthy addition and a change too.

Towels Stiff After Washing?

This may be caused by overstuffing the washer or by a detergent buildup. To prevent, put in fewer towels, use less detergent and hotter water. Get rid of detergent buildup by washing towels in hot water with baking soda or borax and adding several cups of vinegar to the rinse water.
____________________________

Montana

--The Montana Yogo Sapphire is the only North American gem to be included in the Crown Jewels of England.

--In 1888 Helena had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world.

--46 out of Montana's 56 counties are considered "frontier counties" with an average population of 6 or fewer people per square mile.

--At Egg Mountain near Choteau dinosaur eggs have been discovered supporting the theory some dinosaurs were more like mammals and birds than like reptiles.

--Montana is the only state with a triple divide allowing water to flow into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Hudson Bay. This phenomenon occurs at Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park.

--Flathead Lake in northwest Montana contains over 200 square miles of water and 185 miles of shoreline. It is considered the largest natural freshwater lake in the west.

--Yellowstone National Park in southern Montana and northern Wyoming was the first national park in the nation.

--Montana has the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48 states.

--The first luge run in North America was built at Lolo Hot Springs on Lolo Pass in 1965.

--The highest point in the state is Granite Peak at 12,799 feet.

--The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman gained fame through the work of its chief paleontologist, Jack Horner. Horner was the prototype for the character Dr. Alan Grant in the best selling novel/movie, "Jurassic Park."

--Montana's rivers and streams provide water for three oceans and three of the North American continent's major river basins.

--Just south of Billings, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his troops made their last stand. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument features the Plains Indians and United States military involved in the historic battle.

--In Montana the elk, deer and antelope populations outnumber the humans.

--Glacier National Park has 250 lakes within its boundaries.

--Competing with the D River in Lincoln City, Oregon for the title of the world's shortest river, the Roe River flows near Great Falls. Both rivers lengths vary from 58 feet to 200 feet. The source for this small river is Giant Springs, the largest freshwater spring in the United States.
____________________________

~Marie's Laughter~

There's this little guy sitting inside a bar, just looking at his drink. He stays like that for half-an-hour. Then, this big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him, takes the drink from the guy, and just drinks it all down. The poor man starts crying. The truck driver says: "Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I'll buy you another drink. I just can't see a man crying." "No, it's not that. Today day is the worst of my life. First, I overslept and was late to an important meeting. My boss, outrageous, fired me. When I left the building to my car, I found out it was stolen. The police, they said they could do nothing. I got a cab to return home, and after I paid the cab driver and the cab had gone, I found that I left my whole wallet in the cab. I got home only to find my wife was in a compromising position with the gardener. I left home and came to this bar. And when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison ..."
___________________________

Is black your favorite color? Here's what it means around the world:

--The ancient Egyptians and Romans used black for mourning, as do most Europeans and Americans today.

--The “Blackshirts” were the security troops in Hitler's German army, also known as the S.S.

--Black often stands for secrecy.

--Black humor is morbid or unhealthy and gloomy humor.

--A “blackhearted” person is evil.

--If a business is “in the black,” it is making money.

--A “blacklist” is a list of persons or organizations to be boycotted or punished.

--Black is associated with sophistication and elegance. A “black tie” event is formal.

--A black belt in karate identifies an expert.

--A black flag in a car race is the signal for a driver to go to the pits.

--A blackguard is a scoundrel.

--The ancient Egyptians believed that black cats had divine powers.

--Black lung is a coal miner's disease caused by the frequent inhaling of coal dust.

--Blackmail is getting things by threat.

--Black market is illegal trade in goods or money.

--A black sheep is an outcast.

--“Blackwash” (as opposed to “whitewash”) is to uncover or bring out in the light.

--A blackout is a period of darkness from the loss of electricity, for protection against nighttime air raids, or, in the theater, to separate scenes in a play.

--When you “black out,” you temporarily lose consciousness.
_______________________________

Unusual town names for Deleware:

Blue Ball
Cocked Hat
Hourglass
Little Heaven
_____________________________

For overdone pasta, put in ice water or run under cold water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process and contract the starch. Then reheat in tomato sauce--the acid will perk it up further.
____________________________

Create your own social network at http://www.ning.com/
____________________________

Do you have a pile of old VHS tapes that you never use now? Here are some ideas to keep them out of landfills:

~VHS movies that are in good shape might be taken by your local library. I have dontated movies to mine within the last year. I would call first to check though, so in case they no longer take them you can save a trip.

~If you belong to a local Freecycle group, offer them there.

~You can mail them (using the cheaper USPS media mail rate) to Alternative Community Training. This is a nonprofit Missouri company that provides jobs to people with disabilities. Workers erase the tapes, reselling the ones that in good shape and recycling the plastic parts of the rest. Mail to: ACT, 2200 Burlington, Columbia MO 65202.
_____________________________

Celebrity real names...

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. -- Douglas Elton Ulman, Jr.
Morgan Fairchild -- Patsy Ann McClenny
Donna Fargo -- Yvonne Vaughan
Jamie Farr -- Jameel Farah
Sharon Farrell -- Gretchen Helgeson
Freddie Fender -- Baldemar G. Huerta
Sally Field -- Sally Mahoney
W.C. Fields -- William Claude Dukenfield
Rhonda Fleming -- Marilyn Louis
Gerald R. Ford -- Leslie Lynch King, Jr.
Glenn Ford -- Gwyilyn Ford
John Forsythe -- John Lincoln Freund
Jodie Foster -- Alicia Christian Foster
Redd Foxx -- John Elroy Sanford
Connie Francis -- Concetta Maria Franconero
_________________________________

If you're needing car repair, check out http://www.driverside.com to find out the price of the replacement parts for your exact model. Print out the page and bring it to your mechanic to avoid being overcharged.
_________________________________

A USDA-created My Pyramid just for children ages 2 to 5 at http://www.MyPyramid.gov/preschoolers
________________________________

Don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets on your cleaning rags or microfiber cloths; it reduces their ability to attract and hold dust and absorb liquids.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~Phyllis~

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a happy, blessed Easter! My favorite Easter candy is Peeps, which are low fat and have approximately 35 calories each. Here's how Peeps are made:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/peeps/sns-peep-factory-pg,0,792513.photogallery
------------------------------------------

Here's a fun site especially for crafters:
http://www.allcrafts.net/
______________________________

FIVE NON-TOXIC CLEANERS:

1. Hot sauce...brightens up copper! Just rub it on dull copper, rinse with water and polish with a soft rag.

2. Olive oil...it brightens up wood! Apply a thin coat to rehydrate dried out wood, as long as the wood was originally treated with an oil finish. Be sure to buff the wood after applying the olive oil.

3. White wine...it removes red wine stains! To remove red wine stains, just apply white wine and blot with a clean rag to absborb.

4. Vinegar...great for cleaning brushes! Boil a cup of vinegar and let hardened bristles sit in it overnight.

5. Corn meal...good for soaking up grease! Cover a fresh stain with cornmeal, let it sit for a few hours and it should sweep right up!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you ever been to a "pick your own" farm? Here's a site to help you find these farms in your state;
http://pickyourown.org/index.htm#states
_____________________________

Celebrity fans! You can find out the age of your favorite celebrity here:
http://www.agedir.com/
-----------------------------------------
Easy Five Can Casserole;

1 can (6 ounces) chicken chunks, drained
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
1 can (10.75 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (10.75 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (5 ounces) chow mein noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. Stir all the ingredients well into a mixing bowl. Pour into casserole dish. Bake until hot and bubbly, about half an hour. Serve with a salad and crusty bread. A very easy, fast dinner!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spring is a great time for shopping at yard sales! Here is a site to help you find yard sales in your area.
http://www.yardsaletreasuremap.com/
----------------------------------------------------------

Not only is Spring a good time for going to yard sales, its also a good time to have one of your own. Not only will you clear out some clutter, but you can make a little money too if your sale is a success. Here are a few tips for having a great yard sale..

Before putting an item up for sale, first ask yourself "Have I worn it, used it, displayed it, cooked with it or read it in the past year?" If the answer is no, then this is an item you probably won't miss if you sell it to someone else.
Consider having a neighbor or friend hold a yard sale with you. A multi family yard sale usually does better business than just a single family sale. Plus, it makes it more fun to have someone right there with you on sale day.
If you can, try visiting a few yard sales in the weeks before you have your own sale. That way you'll get a general idea of how much you can ask for your items.
It might be worth it for you to advertise your sale in the local newspaper. Also, make plenty of signs. To call attention to your sale, use bright colored posterboard and black markers. Make the wording BIG so that people driving past can see it. (Don't forget to take the signs down after the sale, though.)
Make sure all the items you are selling look clean. Dirty looking items will discourage buyers. Take the time to make things look fresh.
Price each item and make it easy for customers to know what you want for each item so they won't have to ask you...but be prepared for a little haggling.
If you are selling appliances or electronics, make sure you have an outlet available so buyers can test the product to make sure it works.

Once the yard sale starts, don't just sit in a lawn chair and ignore your customers. Talk to people, but don't be too pushy. If you want, you can have a cooler of sodas for sale too.

After the sale, box up everything that didn't sell. Look online for a list of charities that offer free pickup of your items. And enjoy the proceeds from your sale!
_________________________________

7 Classic TV shows and what they were almost called

1. Roseanne was almost called "Life and Stuff." Roseanne herself chose that name but producers changed it to cash in on her rising popularity at the time.
2. Fraggle Rock was almost called Woozle World.
3. Married...With Children was originally meant to be called "Not The Cosby Show."
4. The Outer Limits was first called "Please Stand By". Here's a clip of the original opening sequence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru2Et4mzDrU
5. That Seventies Show was originally called "Teenage Wasteland", and then "The Kids Are Alright" before it finally aired.
6. Diff'rent Strokes was first called "45 Minutes From Harlem".
7. Happy Days was called "The New Family in Town" when it was first written, but the television network passed on it. It was then re-written as an episode of "Love American Style" and called "Love and the Happy Days". That episode did so well that the network agreed to take the show after all, with the new name.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's a site to help you find the date of upcoming religious and civil holidays around the world.
http://www.when-is.com/
---------------------------------------

If you missed your favorite show, don't worry! Go to Television Without Pity to get recaps and more!
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php

04.07.2009

April is almost here! It's my favorite month of the year, probably because my birthday is in April. April's birthstone is the diamond and the flower of the month is the daisy or sweet pea. ~Phyllis

April first is April Fool's Day, and it is observed throughout the western world. Here are some sayings about fools...

It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt.
-Mark Twain

Looking foolish does the spirit good.
-John Updike

A fool must now and then be right by chance.
-Cowper

Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.
-Mark Twain
----------------------------------------------

Also in April;
April 12 is Easter.
April 22 is Earth Day.
April 24 is Arbor Day in the USA.
_____________________

To learn how Earth Day began in 1970, click on the following link
http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html
------------------------------------

And for information about Arbor Day, click on this link;
http://www.arborday.org/arborday/index.cfm
------------------------------------

Remember these?
http://theimaginaryworld.com/cbarch.html
A fun archive of cereal boxes past and present. You might see some of your old favorites there.
----------------------------------

Do it yourself tips to save a little cash!
1. Keep your closets and cabinet doors closed. This will cut down on the square footage that you are heating in the summer or cooling in the winter. You could save up to $50 a year.
2. Turn down the thermostat on your water heater. Usually they are set at 140 degrees so you have a shorter wait for hot water. But if you turn it down to 120, you could save up to $30 a year on your electric bill, not to mention that your risk of scalding will be decreased.
3. Replace the filter on your central air conditioner once a month. This will keep the air flowing freely and reduce the strain on the blower motor. You could save up to $40 a year.
4. Use your microwave instead of the range whenever possible; it consumes half the power.

If you have any other tips for saving money, send them to me at Twofriendsnewsletter@gmail.com and I'll include them in a future issue.
---------------------------------------

COOL PICK
This weeks Cool Pick website is
http://penzu.com/features
At Penzu, you can keep an online journal. Its totally free and private. Plus, since its online, you can write a journal entry wherever you are, as long as you have access to a computer! If you're wondering what you could write about in your journal, how about your personal goals? Or use your journal to work through any problems you are going through...or just as a creative outlet!
There are many benefits to keeping a journal, such as the ones listed at http://www.mymotivator.com/journal_top10.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just for fun!

http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html?skin=original
________________________

Beautiful pictures of roads...
http://geniusbeauty.com/beautiful-places/amazing-roads-photos/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To find out how many servings of fruits and vegetables you need, go to
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/
Here you will also find out about the benefits of eating healthy, you will also find recipes and more.

**************
Hello, good to be back. Thanks to everyone that sent get well messages. It was a huge encouragement to me. I am feeling a good deal better, but still not 100%. Our weather yesterday was lovely so John got me set up on a sturdy lawn chair so I could enjoy the sunshine. I'm sure it was good for my body (making all that Vitamin D) and I know it was good for my mood. Sometimes the weather can be three steps forward and one step back however, and so I guess that's how we now find ourselves under a winter weather advisory; the weather guy is predicting some accumulation in the mountains and that is us. My grandma would have called this our Easter storm. Okay, I'd better get down to business as I have strict instructions from John to not spend all day sitting at the computer. Oh, I also I wanted to say that Phyllis did her half of the newsletter last week so that's why she was talking about it almost being April.
____________________________

~Tips from Cheryl~

Have A Bit of Salad Dressing Leftover? Don't throw it out. You can stretch it out by adding several teaspoons of vinegar and shaking well. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream and mix well. You have a tasty "new" dressing.

Understanding Product-Dating Terms Here's what they mean: Expiration Date: Last date the item should be eaten or used. Freshness Date: Manufacturer's stamp that tells how long freshness is guaranteed. Sell or Pull Date: Last day the item should be sold in a store. It should be removed from shelf after that date.

When Hand-Washing Dishes To prevent grease from sticking to pots, pans and dishes while cleaning in the sink, add about 1/2 cup of vinegar to the wash water. It will do the job.
______________________________

We all know walking is good for us, but sometimes it's hard to get started. Try walking with your computer. Beginning April 8, you'll be able to create a personalized walking plan on the American Heart Association's Start! site ( http://mystartonline.org/ ). You take a ten-question quiz; the site selects one of seven walking plans matched to your fitness level, goals and lifestyle. You can even plug in your zip code to find a walking buddy and beginner-friendly local route maps.
_____________________________

Missouri

--The 'Show Me State' expression may have began in 1899 when Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver stated, "I'm from Missouri and you've got to show me."
--The first successful parachute jump to be made from a moving airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, in 1912.
--The most destructive tornado on record occurred in Annapolis. In 3 hours, it tore through the town on March 18, 1925 leaving a 980-foot wide trail of demolished buildings, uprooted trees, and overturned cars. It left 823 people dead and almost 3,000 injured.
--At the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, Richard Blechyden, served tea with ice and invented iced tea.
--Also, at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, the ice cream cone was invented. An ice cream vendor ran out of cups and asked a waffle vendor to help by rolling up waffles to hold ice cream.
--Stockton, Missouri was home to Two Friends Newsletter founder Toni Groves from the time she was 6 months old till age 3.
--Missouri ties with Tennessee as the most neighborly state in the union, bordered by 8 states.
--Warsaw holds the state record for the low temperature of -40 degrees on February 13, 1905. --Warsaw holds the state record for the high temperature recorded, 118 degrees on July 14, 1954.
--Kansas City has more miles of boulevards than Paris and more fountains than any city except Rome.
--Kansas City has more miles of freeway per capita than any metro area with more than 1 million residents.
--Jefferson National Expansion Memorial consists of the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and St. Louis' Old Courthouse. During a nationwide competition in 1947-48, architect Eero Saarinen's inspired design for a 630-foot stainless steel arch was chosen as a perfect monument to the spirit of the western pioneers. Construction of the Arch began in 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965. The Arch has foundations sunken 60 feet into the ground, and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds. It sways up to one inch in a 20 mph wind, and is built to sway up to 18 inches.
--In 1889, Aunt Jemima pancake flour, invented at St. Joseph, Missouri, was the first self-rising flour for pancakes and the first ready-mix food ever to be introduced commercially.
--The tallest man in documented medical history was Robert Pershing Wadlow from St. Louis. He was 8 feet, 11.1 inches tall.
--The most powerful earthquake to strike the United States occurred in 1811, centered in New Madrid, Missouri. The quake shook more than one million square miles, and was felt as far as 1,000 miles away.
--President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, May 8, 1884.
--Missouri was named after a tribe called Missouri Indians; meaning "town of the large canoes" --Jefferson City, Missouri, the state's capital, was named for Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.
--In 1812 Missouri was organized as a territory and later admitted the 24th state of the Union on August 10, 1821.
--In 1865 Missouri became the first slave state to free its slaves.
--Laura Elizabeth Ingalls, writer of Little House on the Prairie grew up in Missouri.
_______________________

New product review...Vaseline Clinical Therapy One day in March 2008 I was hanging out with my friend and her two daughters. The youngest was 7 at the time and, well you know how honest kids can be. She and I were holding hands and she was looking at the back of my hand and said so sweet and innocently that my hand looked like a leather football. lol Since then I have tried numerous lotions and I never got rid of that scaly look. I ordered a free sample of Vaseline Clinical Therapy and when it arrived I immediately put some on the back of my hands and I am so excited to say that within two days the backs of my hands are smooth and very hydrated looking. I can't wait to see Hailey again to see what she thinks. :)
______________________________

Cheryl sent this to me and I hope you'll be UP for it...

Lovers of the English language might enjoy this. It is yet another example of why people learning English have trouble with the language. Learning the nuances of English makes it a difficult language. There is a two-letter word in English that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is UP. It is listed in the dictionary as being used as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or[v]

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UP our friends and we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has a real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets UP the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!
And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
______________________________

I keep vitamins, pain relievers, etc. in a large plastic basket in a cabinet to keep the pills away from the moisture of the bathroom. To keep from having to search through bottles to get what I'm looking for, I use a Sharpie marker and write on the lid what is in the bottle. That way I can see at a glance what I'm looking for. While I'm at it I also write on the lid the dosage. Keeps me from having to read the mouse-print label each time to check how many to take.
_____________________________

New stamp issue...

Richard Wright

On April 9, former Chicago Post Office employee and renowned author Richard Wright (1908-1960) becomes the 25th inductee into its Literary Arts series. The dedication ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. in the lobby of the Chicago Post Office, 433 W. Harrison St.

Best remembered for his controversial 1940 novel, Native Son, and his 1945 autobiography, Black Boy, Wright drew on a wide range of literary traditions, including protest writing and detective fiction, to craft unflinching portrayals of racism in American society.

The stamp artwork by Kadir Nelson of San Diego, CA, features a portrait of Richard Wright in front of snow-swept tenements on the South Side of Chicago, a scene that recalls the setting of Native Son. Nelson’s portrait of Wright was based on a circa 1945 photograph. Nelson worked under the direction of art director Carl T. Herrman of Carlsbad, CA.
______________________________

Unusual town names for Connecticut:

Giants Neck
Mianus
Moodus
Moosup
___________________________

Is white your favorite color? Here's what it means around the world:
--A white flag is the universal symbol for truce.
--White means mourning in China and Japan.
--Angels are usually depicted wearing white robes.
--The ancient Greeks wore white to bed to ensure pleasant dreams.
--The Egyptian pharaohs wore white crowns.
--The ancient Persians believed all gods wore white.
--A “white elephant” is a rare, pale elephant considered sacred to the people of India, Thailand, Burma, and Sri Lanka; in this country, it is either a possession that costs more than it is worth to keep or an item that the owner doesn't want but can't get rid of.
--It's considered good luck to be married in a white garment.
--White heat is a state of intense enthusiasm, anger, devotion, or passion.
--To whitewash is to gloss over defects or make something seem presentable that isn't.
--A “white knight” is a rescuer.
--A white list contains favored items (as opposed to a blacklist).
--A “whiteout” occurs when there is zero visibility during a blizzard.
--A “white sale” is a sale of sheets, towels, and other bed and bath items.
--A “whited sepulcher” is a person who is evil inside but appears good on the outside, a hypocrite.
--“White lightning” is slang for moonshine, a homebrewed alcohol.
--A white room is a clean room as well as a temperature-controlled, dust-free room for precision instruments.
--White water is the foamy, frothy water in rapids and waterfalls.
______________________________

Cheryl reminds us to visit http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/ It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on 'donating a mammogram' (pink window in the middle). This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.
____________________________

Find out a getaway that you can reach with one tank of gas or less.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/TankOfGas
_____________________________

This is a really cool site sent to us by Cheryl:

If you are an avid reader of newspapers (live or on the internet), as am I, you will enjoy this -

Just put your mouse on a city anywhere in the world and the newspaper headlines pop up... Double click and the page gets larger...

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/

Also, if you look at the European papers, the far left side of Germany will pop up as The Stars & Stripes (European edition, of course).

AND, this site changes everyday with the publication of new editions of the newspapers.
____________________________

Fifteen downloads to pep up your older pc:

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.docommand=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9129351
__________________________

~Marie's laughter~

A woman burst out of the examining room screaming after her young physician tells her she is pregnant. The director of the clinic stopped her and asked what the problem was. After she tells him what happened, the doctors had her sit down and relax in another room and he marched down the hallway where the woman’s physician was and demanded, “What is wrong with you? Mrs. Miller is 60 years old, has six grown children and nine grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?” The young physician continued to write his notes and without looking up at his superior, asked, “Does she still have the hiccups?”
________________________

John Cadbury

A young Quaker named John Cadbury opened a grocery in Birmingham, England, in 1824. In 1831, he began selling bitter drinking chocolate and cocoa. In those days, sweet chocolate confections were unknown.

In 1847, Cadbury was joined by his brother Benjamin to form a business called Cadbury Brothers of Birmingham. About this time the pair started making some of the first "eating chocolate" in England.

Sweet chocolate quickly became a luxury of the rich. In 1853, the Cadburys received a royal warrant to make chocolates for Queen Victoria. Benjamin left the company in 1860 and a year later John Cadbury retired, leaving his sons Richard and George in charge of the business.

Over the years chocolate went from being the treat of the rich to a common snack. In 1993, the United Kingdom ranked fifth in the world in chocolate consumption. The British eat an average of 16.09 pounds of chocolate per person each year, and Cadbury dominates that market' The company introduced its famous Cadbury Creme Egg in 1971 and entered the U.S. market in 1978.
___________________________

Real celebrity names:

Sheena Easton -- Sheena Shirley Orr
Buddy Ebsen -- Christian Rudolph Ebsen, Jr.
Barbara Eden -- Barbara Huffman
Blake Edwards -- William Blake McEdwards
Vince Edwards -- Vicent Edward Zoino
Duke Ellington -- Edward Kennedy Ellington
Gloria Estefan -- Gloria Maria Fajardo
Dale Evans -- Frances Octavia Smith
Chad Everett -- Raymond Lee Cramton
Don Everly -- Isaac Donald Everly
_____________________________

...breaking news...April 9...Happy Birthday John...love you bunches...
______________________________

03.24.2009

Hello everyone! I hope you're all enjoying Spring so far. Its still chilly here in Maryland, but this morning I noticed the forsythia blooming. Spring is my favorite time of year...its great to shake off the winter!
-----------------------
Just for fun! Get a celebrity couple name (like Brangelina or Tomkat) at this site;
http://www.namemasher.com/default.aspx

==========================

Healthy Living

You take care of your family....but do you remember to take care of yourself? If you don't, you could be putting yourself at risk for heart disease, which is the number one killer of women. If you make some small changes to your diet, you can make a big impact on your health. By making healthy eating a lifetime habit, you will get a powerful tool that will help control your weight, reduce cholesterol and lower your blood pressure, which are all risk factors for stroke or heart attack.

Stop eating so much fried and processed foods. Instead, eat more fruit, vegetables, low fat dairy prodcuts, lean meat and fish.
Be aware of the fat in the food you eat. Avoid trans fasts. Instead, aim for foods that are low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.
When grocery shopping, look for the American Heart Associations heart check mark to find foods that have been verified to be low in saturated fat and cholesterol. For more information, and to create your own "heart healthy" shopping list that you can print out, visit

http://www.heartcheckmark.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2115

In addition to these healthy eating tips, give yourself the gift of health this year for your birthday, and make an appointment for a checkup to talk to your doctor about how you can reduce your risk for heart disease.
Start moving! Walk briskly for half an hour five days a week. If you don't have 30 minutes, you can break it up into 3 ten minute walks...but of course, always check with your doctor before beginning any type of exercise program.
-----------------------------------------


If your car needs repair and you're wondering how much it should cost, go to RepairPal to get a general estimate. Just fill in what kind of car you have, they type of repair needed, and your zip code. RepairPal will give you an estimate of what it will probably cost in your area.
http://repairpal.com/
----------------------------------

Just for fun! Create a virtual kaleidoscope!

http://www.zefrank.com/byokal/kal2.html

--------------------------------

COOL PICK
If you're looking for an online community of friends but feel that you're too "grown up" for MySpace of Facebook, then "Not Over The Hill" might be the place for you! At Not Over The Hill you can create your own page, post to forums, share pictures, play games, write blogs and more. Its specifically designed for people over the age of 40, and its completely free! Check it out...
http://notoverthehill.com/
-------------------------------------------

For an "ultimate guide to shelf life" of food and drink, click on

http://www.stilltasty.com/
___________________________

Goodbye and Hello
by Barbara Anthony

Goodbye, ice skates,
Goodbye, sled,
Goodbye, winter,
Spring's ahead!

Goodbye, leggings,
Goodbye, snow,
Goodbye, winter,
Spring, hello!

Hello, crocus,
Hello, kite,
Goodbye, winter,
Spring's in sight!

Hello, jumprope,
Hello, swing,
Goodbye, winter!
Hello Spring!
----------------------------------------------

Post Secret is a website where people post their secrets on a post card anonymously. Some of the entries are sad, some are funny...and some are disturbing. Check it out, but be warned, sometimes there is slightly risque content.
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello friends! I have to keep reminding myself it's still March because it's feeling very mid-Aprilish around here. We had crocus blooming last week. This is a flower that suddenly popped up in our yard three years ago and I had no idea what it was. This year I thought to email a picture to Lib and she told me what it was--thanks Lib! The trees are budding and I think the forsythia will be out very soon and I'm loving every minute of it. On a completely different note, I like to watch old Let's Make a Deal shows on GSN. Today one of the prizes was 1,000 gallons of gasoline and the value of the prize was $350. Can you imagine?!! Take care and have a great week. ~Toni
________________

=Tips from Cheryl=

Cleaning Silk Flowers and Foliage Most are made of nylon or polyester and come with plastic stems, so they can be washed in cold water with several drops of mild detergent. Carefully swish the flowers around to remove dust, rinse and let air dry. Blowing flowers with hair dryer on cool setting a couple times a month should help keep dust to a minimum.

Cleaning Diamond Jewelry For a quick clean, dip each piece of diamond jewelry into just a bit of rubbing alcohol. Use a soft clean toothbrush to carefully remove any debris, rinse and buff dry. Your diamonds should sparkle nicely.
_____________________________

Is yellow your favorite color? Here's what it means around the world:

~In Egypt and Burma, yellow signifies mourning.
~In tenth-century France, the doors of traitors and criminals were painted yellow.
~Hindus in India wear yellow to celebrate the festival of spring.
~If someone is said to have a “yellow streak,” that person is considered a coward.
~In Japan during the War of Dynasty in 1357, each warrior wore a yellow chrysanthemum as a pledge of courage.
~A yellow ribbon is a sign of support for soldiers at the front.
~Yellow is a symbol of jealousy and deceit.
~In the Middle Ages, actors portraying the dead in a play wore yellow.
~To holistic healers, yellow is the color of peace.
~Yellow has good visibility and is often used as a color of warning. It is also a symbol for quarantine, an area marked off because of danger.
~“Yellow journalism” refers to irresponsible and alarmist reporting.
_____________________________

Put foil under your ironing board cover to help insulate it. The foil will help heat the underside of the item you are pressing.
_____________________________

Wise words from Phyllis T. : If you must have dessert, choose something that you can share with the person you're eating with. That way, you only get half the calories!
____________________________

*In 1963 the University of Mississippi Medical Center accomplished the world's first human lung transplant and, on January 23, 1964, Dr. James D. Hardy performed the world's first heart transplant surgery.
*Borden's Condensed Milk was first canned in Liberty.
*In 1902 while on a hunting expedition in Sharkey County, President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt refused to shoot a captured bear. This act resulted in the creation of the world-famous teddy bear.
*Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, on January 8, 1935.
*In 1884 the concept of selling shoes in boxes in pairs (right foot and left foot) occurred in Vicksburg at Phil Gilbert's Shoe Parlor on Washington Street.
*The first female rural mail carrier in the United States was Mrs. Mamie Thomas. She delivered mail by buggy to the area southeast of Vicksburg in 1914.
*The first nuclear submarine built in the south was produced in Mississippi.
*The rarest of North American cranes lives in Mississippi in the grassy savannas of Jackson County. The Mississippi Sandhill Crane stands about 44 inches tall and has an eight-foot wingspan.
*Blazon-Flexible Flyer, Inc. in West Point is proclaimed to make the very best snow sled in the United States, which became an American tradition. It is called The Flexible Flyer.
*Friendship Cemetery in Columbus has been called Where Flowers Healed a Nation. It was April 25, 1866, and the Civil War had been over for a year when the ladies of Columbus decided to decorate both Confederate and Union soldiers' graves with beautiful bouquets and garlands of flowers. As a direct result of this kind gesture, Americans celebrate what has come to be called Memorial Day each year, an annual observance of recognition of war dead.
*The largest Bible-binding plant in the nation is Norris Bookbinding Company in Greenwood.
*In 1834 Captain Isaac Ross, whose plantation was in Lorman, freed his slaves and arranged for them to be sent to Africa, where they founded the country of Liberia. Recently, representatives of Liberia visited Lorman and placed a stone at the Captain's gravesite in honor of his kindness.
*The first football player on a Wheaties box was Walter Payton of Columbia.
*Greenwood is the home of Cotton Row, which is the second largest cotton exchange in the nation and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
*The oldest game in America is stickball. The Choctaw Indians of Mississippi played the game. Demonstrations can be seen every July at the Choctaw Indian Fair in Philadelphia.
*The Vicksburg National Cemetery is the second largest national cemetery in the country. Arlington National Cemetery is the largest.
*D'Lo was featured in "Life Magazine" for sending proportionally more men to serve in World War II than any other town of its size. 38 percent of the men who lived in D'Lo served.
*Mississippi suffered the largest percentage of people who died in the Civil War of any Confederate State. 78,000 Mississippians entered the Confederate military. By the end of the war 59,000 were either dead or wounded.
*Pine Sol was invented in 1929 by Jackson native Harry A. Cole, Sr.
*The world's largest pecan nursery is in Lumberton.
*Root beer was invented in Biloxi in 1898 by Edward Adolf Barq, Sr.
*The Mississippi River is the largest in the United States and is the nation's chief waterway. Its nickname is Old Man River.
_____________________________

Gas guzzler
Short of being on the receiving end of a fat government bailout, there was no way Juan Zamora could pay the bill. Zamora of Washington state says he pulled into a Richland, Wash., Conoco station and used his PayPal debit card to pay for $26 worth of gas for his Camaro. But when he arrived home, he had a message on his answering machine from PayPal asking him to verify a gas purchase of $81,400,836,908. Yes, over $81 billion. To add to his frustration, PayPal pegged him with a $90 overdraft fee, and he had to explain the error to two separate corporate representatives before convincing anyone that his Camaro doesn't hold $81 billion worth of gasoline. Representatives for PayPal, who have refunded Zamora the overdraft fee, explained that his customer number may have been switched with the cost per gallon.
____________________________

Writers Read http://www.whatarewritersreading.blogspot.com/ helps broaden your book search in two ways: The website introduces writers with whom you might not be familiar and asks them what they are reading. Their answers provide clues to their worldviews, which may help you decide whether to follow their leads or not.

Flashlight Worthy http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com/ recommends "books so good, they'll keep you up past your bedtime." It has lists of favorite reading club books and favorite locked room mysteries, favorite books of the "famous & accomplished," and various children's books lists. You might not agree with all the suggestions, but they provide good starting points. The website allows readers to suggest books that should be added to various lists and to provide lists of their own.
____________________________

A social network for people who love books...http://www.shelfari.com/
____________________________

Keep track of all the information about your things (from electronics to antiques) in one place.http://www.mythings.com/
____________________________

Being familiar with your grocer's aisles can help you to not make impulse buys. Every store has an aisle or two that has no temptations for you (pet food, paper goods, baby supplies, cosmetics, and so forth). Make that aisle your passageway to the departments you need at the back of the store. Why tempt yourself by walking down the candy aisle?
___________________________

How to get the best life out of your bulbs: Turn off incandescents if you're leaving the room for more than five seconds; CFLs if you'll be gone for at least 15 minutes.
___________________________

E. Irvin and Clarence Scott

The year was 1879. E. Irvin and Clarence Scott arrived in Philadelphia from Saratoga County, New York, and together they opened a company that produced a product that was only spoken of in whispers. Imagine the scene: a small East Coast dry goods store ... a polite gentleman walks in ... he eyes the shelf with a certain product ... walks around a bit, picks up a box of soap, just for appearances, and finally grabs a product in a plain brown wrapper. The product? Toilet paper.

The Scott brothers' company was one of the early producers of the product. In earlier times, people used corn cobs or old newspapers in their privies. Since they were selling an unmentionable product, the Scott Paper Company saw no need to shout about it. Instead, they sold the toilet paper to merchants who would sell it either with no brand label or with a label of their own. It took a pair of eyes from another generation to change this view.

It was Irvin's son Arthur Hoyt Scott who urged the older Scotts to advertise their products. They began labeling their toilet paper "Waldorf Tissue," which was advertised as "soft as old linen." By 1907, the ScotTissue company was well known. In that year, a shipment of long tubes of tissue, which were cut down to size at the factory, was deemed defective. It was too tough, not at all like tissue. The company was stuck with a railroad car full of paper it couldn't sell. Again, Arthur had an idea. Why not cut the paper into towel-sized sheets and sell it as "paper towels."

The product was offered to the public as SaniTowels. At first, they mostly were sold for use in public buildings, but as the price dropped, people were able to buy them to use in their homes. In 1931, the company changed the name of the product from SaniTowels to ScotTowels.
________________________________

~Marie's Laughter~

A woman burst out of the examining room screaming after her young physician tells her she is pregnant. The director of the clinic stopped her and asked what the problem was. After she tells him what happened, the doctors had her sit down and relax in another room and he marched down the hallway where the woman’s physician was and demanded, “What is wrong with you? Mrs. Miller is 60 years old, has six grown children and nine grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?” The young physician continued to write his notes and without looking up at his superior, asked, “Does she still have the hiccups?”
_________________________________

Vic Damone -- Vito Farinola
Rodney Dangerfield -- Jacob Cohen
Charlie Daniels -- Charles Edward Daniel
Ted Danson -- Edward Bridge Danson III
Tony Danza -- Anthony Iadanza
Bobby Darin -- Walden Robert Cassotto
Doris Day -- Doris Kappelhof
Dizzy Dean -- Jan Hanna Dean
Jimmy Dean -- Seth Ward
Sandra Dee -- Alexandra Zuck
John Denver -- Henry John Deutschendorf
Bo Derek -- Mary Cathleen Collins
John Derek -- Derek Harris
Angie Dickinson -- Angeline Brown
Bo Diddley -- Elias Bates
Phyllis Diller -- Phyllis Driver
Jean Dixon -- Jeane Pinckert
Troy Donahue -- Merle Johnson, Jr.
Kirk Douglas -- Issur Danielovitch Demsky
Mike Douglas -- Michael Delaney Dowd, Jr.
Patty Duke -- Anna Marie Duke
Bob Dylan -- Robert Zimmerman
________________________

Unusual town names for Colorado:

*Climax
*Dinosaur
*Hygiene
*Last Chance
*No Name
*Parachute
*Security
*Tincup
*Yellow Jacket
__________________________

If you're ordering something from a website and want to avoid future spam, or if there's someone you'd really like to be honest with but only if you can remain anonymous, then register for a temporary e-mail account at http://www.guerrillamail.com/ It's free, and you'll be able to use the address to receive messages for 15 minutes and send them for 60 minutes. After that--poof!--you never existed.
__________________________

Did you know when you type a phrase into a search engine you're broadcasting your interests and personal information? Some search companies gather, store and sell analyses of such data strings. That's why you whould never search your full name and Social Security number or your name and password. Also:

Don't sign up for email with your favorite search engine. This makes it easier to link you and your interests.

Use a variety of engines and computers for searching. This makes it more difficult to profile you.

Find out if your ISP uses a static IP address system, and if it does, periodically request a new IP address (essentially your computer's address).

Use software that masks your computer's address, like http://www.anonymizer.com and http://www.anonymouse.org.

03.17.2009

Happy Saint Patricks Day!
Here we are, halfway through the month of March. March got its name from Mars, the Roman god of war.
There are no national holidays in March, but there are some state and religious celebrations, including;
Nebraska celebrated their admission to the Union on March 1st.
On March 2, Texas celebrated the anniversary of its independance from Mexico.
And of course, there is Saint Patrick's Day on March 17.
The Jewish fesitval of Purim usually happens in March.

The year's at the Spring,
And the day's at the morn;...
God's in His heaven,
All's right with the world!
-Robert Browning
__________________________

Everything you always wanted to know about shoelaces, but were afraid to ask!
http://fieggen.com/shoelace/
At Ian's Shoelace Site, you can find lots of fun, quirky and unique ways to tie and lace up your shoes! You'll also get all kinds of information about shoelaces here, some of it useful and some of it just for fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
-George Bernard Shaw

If you're still in touch with the kid in you, check out
http://www.thecolor.com/
and have some creative fun!
__________________________

The entire NIV version of the Bible online
http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/?action=getVersionInfo&vid=31
__________________________

Coca-Cola was introduced in 1886 on March 29.
The Eiffel Tower was officially opened on March 31, 1889.

March is National Women's History Month. It began in 1978 as Women's History Week. In 1987, Congress expanded it to a month.
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/womenshistorymonth/a/whm_history.htm

-----------------------------------------

Here are some uses for vinegar;

1. Kill grass on sidewalks and driveways...just pour it full strength on unwanted grass.

2. Lengthen the life of flowers in a vase. Add 2 tbsp vinegar and 1 tsp sugar for every quart of water.(4 cups of water make a quart.)

3. Relieve the itching of a mosquito or insect bite by using a cotton ball to dab vinegar straight from the bottle.

4. To prevent lint from clinging to your clothes, add one cup of vinegar to your wash load.

5. You can remove perspiration stains from your clothes by applying one part vinegar to four parts water, then rinse.

6. Use vinegar to freshen vegetables. Soak wilted vegetables in two cups of water with one tbsp of vinegar.

7. Just in time for Easter! Add 2 tbsp of vinegar to water before boiling. It will help keep the eggs from cracking.

If you have any other good uses for vinegar, send them to me to be used in a future newsletter! Twofriendsnewsletter@gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow
and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

---------------------------------------------

COOL PICK

Psst! Got five minutes? Then go to http://www.5min.com/ and you'll find a huge library of five minute instructional videos for just about everything you need help with! There are over 20 categories (and 140 sub categories) for almost any type of instructional video you need. The site has fashion tips, cooking demonstrations and recipes, travel tips, game instructions, home repairs and more. There is LOTS of information here, all in five minute (or less) video clips. So the next time you need some "how to" advice, log onto 5min.com and find the help you need.
______________________________________

HEALTHY LIVING

If you're trying to lose weight or just eat a healthier diet, then you know that eating at restaurants can be a challenge. It pays to do your homework BEFORE heading to the restaurant. Nowadays, most restaurants post their nutritional information online, so a quick visit to their website will take the guesswork out of deciding what to order. Another help is http://www.healthydiningfinder.com/ a great website that will give you the nutritional information for restaurants in your area, "from fast food to fine dining."
Of course, there are some common sense tips to help you choose the lower calorie option when dining out. Look for menu items that are baked, grilled, broiled or steamed, and avoid ordering anything fried. Order your salad with the dressing on the side. This gives you control over how much dressing you have. Remember, a typical serving of salad dressing is two tablespoons. (If you get a salad at a fast food restaurant, be aware that most salad dressing packets actually contain enough for TWO servings. Always read the label!) If you must have dessert, choose something that you can share with the person you're eating with. That way, you only get half the calories!

And one final tip...only eat half of your entree. Have the other half boxed up and take it home to enjoy the next day. Most restaurant portions are huge, and so is the calorie count.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just for fun....ten creative ice cube trays! (The one that looks like false teeth is gross and funny at the same time!)
http://www.oddee.com/item_96599.aspx
---------------------------------------

Here's a great site for crossword puzzle fans;
http://www.onlinecrosswords.net/

************
Top o' the morning to ya. Hope everyone has had a good week. I had a good one, but golly did it ever pass quickly. For me when it's snowy and cold and gets dark before 6, the time passes so slowly. Then as soon as it starts to warm up and we change to daylight saving time, everything speeds up. I know time really doesn't slow down and speed up depending on the season, but it feels that way. So let's not let one moment of spring slip by, just in case. ~Toni
_____________________________

Here is a nice site to help someone--or you--quit smoking.http://wediditstory.com/
____________________________

Justice delayed
With wait times like this, Indians with legal claims might just go vigilante. In a recent report from the top judge of the Delhi High Court, the chief justice says the court's docket is so backlogged, some cases may take up to 466 years to clear if the judges keep their present pace. Despite spending an average of 4 minutes, 55 seconds on each case presently, the Delhi High Court still has tens of thousands of cases in the hopper including more than 600 that are at least 20 years old. The Delhi court is indicative of a terminally backlogged national judicial system that the UN claims has over 20 million cases pending. One reason for the backlog? A shortage of judges. While the United States has roughly one judge for every 9,100 citizens, India has one judge for every 91,000 citizens.
______________________________

Minnesota

--Minnesotan baseball commentator Halsey Hal was the first to say 'Holy Cow' during a baseball broadcast.
--The Mall of America in Bloomington is the size of 78 football fields --- 9.5 million square feet.
--Minnesota Inventions: Masking and Scotch tape, Wheaties cereal, Bisquick, HMOs, the bundt pan, Aveda beauty products, and Green Giant vegetables.
--Minneapolis’ famed skyway system connecting 52 blocks (nearly five miles) of downtown makes it possible to live, eat, work and shop without going outside.
--Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined.
--Rochester is home of the world famous Mayo Clinic. The clinic is a major teaching and working facility. It is known world wide for its doctor's expertise and the newest methods of treatments. --Private Milburn Henke of Hutchinson was the first enlisted man to land with the first American Expeditionary Force in Europe in WWII on January 26, 1942.
--The first Children's department in a Library is said to be that of the Minneapolis Public Library, which separated children's books from the rest of the collection in Dec. 1889.
--The first Automatic Pop-up toaster was marketed in June 1926 by McGraw Electric Co. in Minneapolis under the name Toastmaster. The retail price was $13.50.
--The first Aerial Ferry was put into Operation on April 9, 1905, over the ship canal between Duluth to Minnesota Point. It had room enough to accommodate 6 automobiles. Round trip took 10 min.
--Tonka Trucks were developed and are continued to be manufactured in Minnetonka.
--Hormel Company of Austin marketed the first canned ham in 1926. Hormel introduced Spam in 1937.
--Introduced in August 1963, The Control Data 6600, designed by Control Data Corp. of Chippewa Falls, was the first Super Computer. It was used by the military to simulate nuclear explosions and break Soviet codes. These computers also were used to model complex phenomena such as hurricanes and galaxies.
--Candy maker Frank C. Mars of Minnesota introduced the Milky Way candy bar in 1923. Mars marketed the Snickers bar in 1930 and introduced the 5 cent Three Musketeers bar in 1937. The original 3 Musketeers bar contained 3 bars in one wrapper. Each with different flavor nougat.
--A Jehovah's Witness was the first patient to receive a transfusion of artificial blood in 1979 at the University of Minnesota Hospital. He had refused a transfusion of real blood because of his religious beliefs.
--Minnesota has one recreational boat per every six people, more than any other state.
--Author Laura Ingalls Wilder lived on Plum Creek near Walnut Grove.
--Akeley is birthplace and home of world's largest Paul Bunyan Statue. The kneeling Paul Bunyan is 20 feet tall. He might be the claimed 33 feet tall, if he were standing. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/97/228822746_2200779dee.jpg?v=0
--Hibbing is the birthplace of the American bus industry. It sprang from the business acumen of Carl Wickman and Andrew "Bus Andy" Anderson - who opened the first bus line (with one bus) between the towns of Hibbing and Alice in 1914. The bus line grew to become Greyhound Lines, Inc.
--The first official hit in the Metrodome in Minneapolis was made by Pete Rose playing for the Cincinnati Reds in a preseason game.
--Alexander Anderson of Red Wing discovered the processes to puff wheat and rice giving us the indispensable rice cakes.
____________________________

Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels, nutritional information and analysis
http://www.nutritiondata.com/
____________________________

This Procter & Gamble site was sent to use by Sharon. It has free samples and coupons. http://tinyurl.com/comp2l
__________________________

~Tips from Cheryl~

Making a Soothing Bath
For a skin friendly milk bath, pour a package of powdered nonfat dry milk into warm water. For an herbal bath, mix about 1/4 cup of your favorite herbs like mint, lavender, rosemary, etc. Put into a cloth or nylon net bag and toss into the tub. Soak for a while and relax.

Save Money: Make Your Own Prewash Spray
Mix equal amounts of dishwashing (not dishwasher) liquid, ammonia and water. Pour into a clean spray bottle and label clearly — Prewash Spray. After applying to clothing, wash right away; don't let set for more than 20 minutes.
__________________________

StimulusWatch.org and ShovelWatch.org are two of the websites recently launched to ensure that transparency occurs when the Treasury starts doling the dollars. The sites plan to act as virtual accountability groups, and both plead for the help of a nationwide network of readers. StimulusWatch.org already has posted the U.S. Conference of Mayors project wish list released in anticipation of stimulus bucks. On the site viewers can vote on the merits of each project. Currently voted most critical: $4.3 million for a nursing home in Tennessee. Least critical: nearly $100,000 for doorbells in Laurel, Miss.

http://www.stimuluswatch.org/
http://www.shovelwatch.org/
__________________________

Wash the washing machine and dishwasher. Lime and other mineral deposits clog the drainage systems in these large appliances. Run cycles through each machine without clothes or dishes. In the washing machine, run a full cycle using hot water, and add a gallon of white vinegar at the beginning; in the dishwasher, set a bowl containing three quarts of vinegar on the bottom rack, and run a cycle with the hottest water possible.
__________________________

Go here to help donate Campbell's tomato seeds and to request a packet of your own.http://www.helpgrowyoursoup.com/
__________________________

Another (very lengthy) installment of unusual town names; this week California:

*5 Brooks
*Badger
*Badwater
*Bagdad
*Bee Rock
*Bivalve
*Blunt
*Booneville
*Bumblebee
*Bummerville
*Cabbage Patch
*Chiquita
*Clapper Gap
*Confidence
*Cool
*Cow Creek
*Dairyville
*Dixieland
*Doghouse Junction
*Dogtown
*Dunmovin
*Fair Play
*Fallen Leaf
*False Klamath
*Forks of Salmon
*Fruitland
*Frying Pan
*Gas Point
*Globe
*Grand
*Hallelujah Junction
*Harmony
*Hellhole Palms
*Hells Kitchen
*Honda
*Honeydew
*Hooker
*Idlewild
*Java
*Jupiter
*Keg
*King Salmon
*Klondike
*Last Chance
*Little Penny
*Mad River
*Mormon Bar
*Mystic
*Orange
*Peanut
*Plaster City
*Rancho Cucamonga
*Roads End
*Rough and Ready
*Scarface
*Secret Town
*Siberia
*Skidoo
*Sky High
*Skytop
*Soapweed
*Soda Springs
*Squabbletown
*Stovepipe
*Sucker Flat
*Surprise
*Tarzana
*Teakettle Junction
*Timbuctoo
*Toadtown
*Truths Home
*Volcano
*Weed
*Weedpatch
*Wimp
*You Bet
*Yreka Zzyzx
___________________________

Is purple your favorite color? Here's what it means around the world:

--The Egyptian queen Cleopatra loved purple. To obtain one ounce of Tyrian purple dye, she had her servants soak 20,000 Purpura snails for 10 days.
--In Thailand, purple is worn by a widow mourning her husband's death.
--A “purple heart” is a U.S. military decoration for soldiers wounded or killed in battle.
--Purple is a royal color.
--Purple robes are an emblem of authority and rank.
--“Purple speech” is profane talk.
--“Purple prose” is writing that is full of exaggerated literary effects and ornamentation.
--Leonardo da Vinci believed that the power of meditation increases 10 times when done in a purple light, as in the purple light of stained glass.
--Purple in a child's room is said to help develop the imagination according to color theory.
--Richard Wagner composed his operas in a room with shades of violet, his color of inspiration.
_________________________________

To let the cat out of the bag is to reveal a secret. But where does the phrase come from? What is the cat doing in the bag and what has this to do with secrets?

The phrase is a reference to an old scam in which a cat would be surreptitiously substituted for a suckling pig that had just been purchased at market. The cat would be placed in the bag in the hopes that the customer would not look into it until they were some distance away.

The phrase dates to at least 1760, although the scam itself is much older, dating to the 16th century at least. From London Magazine of 1760: We could have wished that the author...had not let the cat out of the bag.

Also related is the phrase to buy a pig in a poke, which is a reference to the same scam (a poke is a bag or sack). And there is a similar phrase in French, vider le sac, literally meaning to empty the sack and used to mean to tell the whole story or finish the tale.

It’s commonly asserted that let the cat out of the bag refers to the cat o’ nine-tails used on board ships as form of punishment. The whip would be kept in a special bag to protect it from the sea air and to let the cat out of the bag was to confess a crime worthy of flogging. A neat tale, except there is absolutely no evidence to connect the phrase with a nautical origin.
_______________________________

Trade your old movies for someone else's at http://www.swapadvd.com/index.php This site has an excellent search engine, printable shipping labels and a queue that tells you about when to expect the DVD. Trades aren't made one-for-one, meaning you don't need to find a Batman owner who likes mermaids. After posting a list of 10 DVDs, you earn a credit that allows you to request a movie. As you send yo ur DVDs to other traders you earn more credits. The only cost to you is the postage to ship your DVD, about $2.
_____________________________

When the golden sun is sinking,
and your mind from care is free,
And of others you are thinking,
will you sometimes think of me?

03.10.2009

Hello everyone! Welcome to another issue of the newsletter. I hope everyone is enjoying the month of March so far. Well, I have lots to talk about so lets get right down to business! ~Phyllis


Here's a website to show you how to pick the best fruits when shopping, which will save you money
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/04/04/how-to-choose-the-best-fruit-in-the-produce-section-a-guide-for-15-common-fruits.htm
-----------------------------------

We've all had times when we needed to glue something and for one reason or another it just didn't stick! Perhaps the problem was that we didn't use the right glue for the job. Next time you need to glue something together, log on to this site to find out which glue to use;
http://www.thistothat.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last year one of my Cool Picks was for Hungry Girl. If you've checked the site out, then you know she has all kinds of tips for "guilt free eating", along with a daily newsletter. Recently her newsletter had tips for things to NEVER feed your dog. I thought I'd repeat her advice here in case you didn't subscribe to her newsletter.

1. Never give your dogs grapes or raisins...they contain a toxin that can cause kidney damage.

2. Don't let your dog eat yeast or bread dough, because it can expand in their digestive system and cause damage.

3. Chewing gum or ANYTHING with Xylitol in it can be fatal to your pet. (Not only did I get this particular advice from Hungry Girl, my dog's vet recently told me the same thing.)

4. Macadamia nuts can upset your dogs digestive and nervous systems.

5. Don't allow your dog to eat chocolate or anything with chocolate in it, because it contains theobromine and caffeine, which affect the heart and nervous system, and can be toxic.

6. Never give your dog food with onions or onion powder in it. They contain sulfoxides and and disulfides which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. (The same warning goes for garlic and garlic powder.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While we're on the subject of pets, let me share this site with you...
http://www.vethelpdirect.com/
Vet Help Direct is a site run by veterinarians. It has interactive questions to help you decide if your pet needs to go to the vet. But remember...no website can diagnose your dog's condition as well as an actual vet visit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEALTHY LIVING

Usually I like to write about diet, exercise and fitness. But this week I'd like to about your skin...specifically about moles and dry skin.

Most of us have dry skin at least part of the time, especially in winter! There are some simple suggestions that could help. First, use mild, unscented soaps and body washes. Avoid HOT baths, because hot water actually pulls the moisture from your skin, leaving it dry, flakey and itchy. Apply a good moisturizing lotion to keep your skin smooth and soft. The best time to apply it is right after your shower, while your skin is still slightly damp. Fragrance free lotions are the best.

Moles are growths on your skin, and they are usually tan or brown. They can appear anywhere on your body, alone or in groups. When should you be concerned about a mole? Just remember ABCDE, which stands for
A...assymetry. Healthy moles should be symmetrical. If you draw an imaginary line down the center of your mole, both sides should look similar.
B....border. The border of the mole should be be smooth and distinctive, not jagged or rough.
C...color. If you have a mole that is more than one color, or a mole that changes color, it should be checked by a dermatologist.
D...diameter. The diameter of a mole should be no bigger than a pencil eraser.
E...elevation. If you have a mole that is raised or has an uneven surface, you should have it checked by a dermatologist.

Always check with your doctor if you have any concerns with dry skin or moles.
______________________

Some pictures of lightning;
http://digital-photography-school.com/15-spectacular-lightning-images
-----------------------------------

Learn more about recycling and find recycling centers near you at
http://earth911.com/
___________________________

FRIENDSHIP QUOTES:

A true friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg, even though he knows you are slightly cracked.
-Bernard Meltzer

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
-Walter Winchell

A friend is a present you give yourself.
-Robert Louis Stephenson

A true friend is one who overlooks your failures and tolerates your success.
-Doug Larson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COOL PICK

Instead of sharing a cool pick this week, I wanted to remind everyone that this column is open to you if you have an interesting, funny, fun or cool website to share. Just write about what you like about the site, and send it in to be printed in a future newsletter. You can write a little bit about it or a lot! Send it to me at Twofriendsnewsletter@gmail.com
Toni and I welcome and appreciate your input!


**************

Hello everyone. For the time being here in West Virginia it is feeling very spring-like...but this is March and anything can (and probably will) happen. My Outlook Express mail server is down and has been for several days. I compile the newsletter through Outlook and so this week I'm having to do it a different way that I'm not used to so my part may not be as long as usual. Hopefully my ISP guy can get something done by next week. Well, let me see what I have to share this week... ~Toni
_____________________

~Tips from Cheryl~

Organizing Your Credit Cards

Make photocopies of all of your credit cards and store them in a secure place. Also keep your credit cards and a list of the billing addresses, phone numbers or website addresses in one place for calling and bill paying.

Easy Salad Mixing

After you've torn up the greens, and chopped the vegetables and other ingredients, put them in a large zipper-type plastic bag. Pour in the dressing, seal, and shake. Empty into a serving bowl and you'll have no mess to clean up!
_____________________________

Judging junk. Ask yourself these questions to decide if it's clutter or not:

Does it work? So much of the clutter in our homes is made up of broken things we plan to fix and clothes that might someday fit.

Do I really need it? Determine the impact of this item disappearing from your life.

Do I enjoy it? If this item brings beauty and joy to your life, it is not clutter. Sentimental belongings and things that bring true beauty to our lives should be treated with great care and respect -- not packed away in the attic to be forgotten.

Am I using it now? If it doesn't fall into the 20 percent of things you use on a regular basis, it is suspect.

Will I use it in the next year? If you are not certain you will use it soon, it's clutter!
_______________________________

Free stuff just for having a birthday? Maybe getting older has an upside, especially when free bowling, dinners, golf, movies, skiing and spa treatments are involved! The list is growing everyday!http://www.freebirthdaytreats.com/
_____________________________


Michigan
*Michigan is first in the United States production of peat and magnesium compounds and second in gypsum and iron ore.
*Michigan ranks first in state boat registrations.
*The Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit manufactured the first air-conditioned car in 1939.
*The city of Novi was named from its designation as Stagecoach Stop # 6 or No.VI.
*The Mackinac Bridge is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. Connecting the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan, it spans 5 miles over the Straits of Mackinac, which is where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. The Mighty Mac took 3 years to complete and was opened to traffic in 1957.
*The Kellogg Company has made Battle Creek the Cereal Capital of the World. The Kellogg brothers accidentally discovered the process for producing flaked cereal products and sparked the beginning of the dry cereal industry.
*Michigan is the only place in the world with a floating post office. The J.W. Westcott II is the only boat in the world that delivers mail to ships while they are still underway. They have been operating for 125 years.
*Indian River is the home of the largest crucifix in the world. It is called the Cross in the Woods. http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles20365.jpg
*Michigan has more shoreline than any other state except Alaska.
*Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes and more than 36,000 miles of streams.
*Michigan has 116 lighthouses and navigational lights.
*Standing anywhere in the state a person is within 85 miles of one of the Great Lakes.
*Michigan was the first state to provide in its Constitution for the establishment of public libraries.
*Michigan was the first state to guarantee every child the right to tax-paid high school education.
*Four flags have flown over Michigan - French, English, Spanish and United States.
*Some of the longest bulk freight carriers in the world operate on the Great Lakes. Ore carriers 1,000 feet long sail Michigan's inland seas.
*The Upper Michigan Copper Country is the largest commercial deposit of native copper in the world.
*The 19 chandeliers in the Capitol in Lansing are one of a kind and designed especially for the building by Tiffany's of New York. Weighing between 800-900 pounds apiece they are composed of copper, iron and pewter.
*The nation's first regularly scheduled air passage service began operation between Grand Rapids and Detroit in 1926.
*In 1879 Detroit telephone customers were first in the nation to be assigned phone numbers to facilitate handling calls.
_________________________________

Here is some excellent ideas for couponing from Sharon:

Want to start couponing?
A Thrifty Mom and the Krazy Coupon Lady offer advice for those just getting started:

~Start small. Start saving and organizing coupons.. Check out http://athriftymom.com/ or http://krazycouponlady.blogspot.com/ for daily updates on special deals, where to find the best coupons and more. Then decide if it's worth your time and money.
~Don't think you're going to get everything for free or half-off the first time you use coupons.
~Stockpile your staples. If a store is having a great deal on nonperishable items such as pasta or cereal, and you have coupons for the same items, buy as many as you can. That way, you won't have to buy cereal again until it goes back on sale.
~Check expiration dates. Don't buy more than your family will realistically use before it goes bad.
~Know your coupon etiquette. Share, play nice and don't wipe out the whole store. Just buy what you think your family will need. Then go back later in the week, and if there's more, buy more.
~"Stack" your coupons. Yes, you can use in-store coupons and manufacturer's coupons for the same item.
~You also can use coupons for additional savings on buy-one-get-one-free promotions.
~No, you're not ripping off the store. Retailers get paid for the items by the manufacturers who issue the coupons.
________________________________

Stamp news

You've probably heard that postage is going up soon. The date is May 11. I just wanted to remind you about the rate increase and to suggest that now is a good time to start stocking up on Forever stamps.
________________________

Here's another installment of unusual town names

Arkansas

Bald Knob
Beaver
Biggers
Blue Eye
Experiment
Fannie
Fifty-Six
Flippin
Gassville
Greasy Corner
Grubbs
Hasty
Hooker
Magazine
Moscow
Nuckles
Okay
Pocahontas
Possum
Grape
Romance
Smackover
Strawberry
Toad Suck
Turkey
Scratch
Umpire
Weiner
Yellville
__________________________

Frank Winfield Woolworth was born in 1852 on his grandfather's farm, 40 miles from the Canadian border in New York State.

When he turned 19, Woolworth was so anxious to jumpstart his sales career that he offered to work for free at Augsbury-Moore, a dry goods firm.

After two and a half years, Woolworth had increased his salary from zero to $6 a week. He left the company for a dry goods firm that offered an incredible $10 a week, but his employers were not impressed with his performance and cut his salary to $8 a week.

In 1877, his old employer at Augsbury-Moore, who had been impressed with Woolworth's work, offered to match the $10 a week, and he returned. After two more years with the company, Woolworth convinced his boss to lend him the money to open his own "Great 5-Cent Store" in Utica. It flopped.

Woolworth tried again, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This time, it was a success. He later added 10-cent items, creating the first "Five and Dime." Many imitators were to follow.

A generation grew up buying sodas from lunch counters in "dime stores," a term that is rapidly disappearing as 10-cent items become more and more scarce.

In its heyday, Woolworth had more than 2,100 variety stores throughout the world, but as the 20th century drew to a close, large discount stores such as Wal-Mart replaced the Five and Dime. Woolworth announced it would close its American dime stores.
____________________________

Did you know...
There are 18 different animal shapes in the Animal Crackers cookie zoo.
__________________________

Everyone knows that hoodwink means to deceive or to fool someone, but the meaning is not apparent from the word’s roots. The hood makes sense enough, but what about wink?

Hoodwink is a bit redundant. Both roots mean to blind. The hood is a reference to a covering of the head, and while wink today usually means to close one eye, it originally meant to close both. The verb, in a literal sense of to cover the eyes, to blindfold, dates to 1562. From An Apology of Private Mass from that year: Will you enforce women to hoodwink themselves in the church?

The sense of to fool or deceive dates to 1610 and John Healey’s translation of Augustine’s City of God: Let not the faithlesse therefore hood-winck them-selves in the knowledge of nature.
____________________________

Is blue your favorite color? Here's what the color means around the world:

~In ancient Rome, public servants wore blue. Today, police and other public servants wear blue.
~In Iran, blue is the color of mourning.
~Blue was used as protection against witches, who supposedly dislike the color.
~If you are “true blue,” you are loyal and faithful.
~Blue stands for love, which is why a bride carries or wears something blue on her wedding day.
~A room painted blue is said to be relaxing.
~“Feeling blue” is feeling sad. “Blue devils” are feelings of depression.
~Something “out of the blue” is from an unknown source at an unexpected time.
~A bluebook is a list of socially prominent people.
~The first prize gets a blue ribbon.
~A blue blood is a person of noble descent. This is probably from the blue veins of the fair-complexioned aristocrats who first used this term.
~“Into the blue” means into the unknown.
~A “bluenose” is a strict, puritanical person.
~A “bluestocking” used to be a scholarly or highly knowledgeable woman.
~The pharaohs of ancient Egypt wore blue for protection against evil.
~The “blues” is a style of music derived from southern African-American secular songs. It influenced the development of rock, R&B, and country music.
~“Blue laws” are used to enforce moral standards.
~A blue ribbon panel is a group of especially qualified people.
________________________________

From Cheryl:

"When I was a girl of fourteen, my Mother was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the woman around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much she had learned in seven years."
__________________________

New product:

Want to try a yummy new peanut butter? Try Smart Balance Natural Peanut Butter. It has no hydrogenated oil, no trans fatty acids and no refined sugar. It is gluten free, lactose free and vegan. It also contains 1000 mg of Omega-3s per serving. And best of all it doesn't need to be refrigerated so it spreads great.
__________________________

146 reasons why sugar is ruining your health http://rheumatic.org/sugar.htm
_____________________________

Ballpoint-Ink Stain

THEN: Hairspray
NOW: Rubbing alcohol

Ink formulations, fabrics, and hairspray ingredients have changed today. To get rid of the ballpoint ink from clothing you launder, place the garment on a towel stain-side down. Lightly dampen a cloth with rubbing alcohol and gently dab (do not rub) the stain.
__________________________

Celebrity real names

Nicolas Cage.....Nicolas Coppola
Michael Caine.....Maurice Micklewhite
Dyan Cannon.....Samile Diane Friesen
Kate Capshaw.....Kathleen Sue Nail
Diahann Carroll.....Carol Diahann Johnson
Ray Charles.....Ray Charles Robinson
Charo.....Maria Rosaria Pilar Martinex Moline Baeza
Chevy Chase.....Cornelius Crane Chase
Chubby Checker.....Ernest Evans
Cher.....Cherilyn Sarkisian LePierre
Eric Clapton.....Eric Clap
Patsey Cline.....Virginia Patterson Hensley
Perry Como.....Pierino Como
Bert Convy.....Bernard Whalen Patrick Convy
Alice Cooper.....Vincent Damon Furnier
Howard Cosell.....Howard William Cohen
Joan Crawford.....Lucille Le Sueur
Bing Crosby.....Harry Lillis Crosby
Tom Cruise.....Thomas Cruise Mapother IV
Tony Curtis.....Bernard Schwartz
_____________________________

"The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.

When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here."
- Author Unknown

03.03.2009

March definately came in like a lion here in Maryland! We got our biggest snowstorm of the season on Sunday night...over 6 inches! I think I'll just stay inside and enjoy a nice hot cup of sugar free hot chocolate! (Although maybe I should go outside and shovel some snow. It burns a lot of calories!)
Hope things are warm and cozy where you are!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FYIEarth Hour is on Saturday, March 2009 at 8:30 PM. To find out more, go tohttp://www.earthhour.org/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tips for reducing your energy usage

Most of us know at least a couple of tips for saving energy around the house in wintertime, such as turning down the thermostat or switching from incandescent bulbs. Here are a few other tips you may not have though of:

1. Close your curtains and shades at night to minimize heat loss and to cut down on the cold coming in through the windows. During the day, open your curtains to let the sunshine in to warm your home naturally.

2. Look for drafts in unfinished basements and crawl spaces. Since spider webs tend to accumulate in drafty spots, you can use them as indicators of areas that might need more insulation.

3. Wash your laundry in cold water. Did you know that heating water accounts for nearly 90% of the energy use for washing machines? Most washing machines and detergents nowadays are very effective in cold water. Also, make sure you only use your clothes washer (and dish washer too!) when you have a full load.

4. Plant trees in front of south facing windows. This will allow solar heat to penetrate the windows in winter when the tree has lost its leaves...but also provide shade in the summer, which will reduce air conditioning costs.

5. Unplug your cell phone charger and electronics when you're not using them. Even when they are turned off, if you leave them plugged in they will still draw "vampire" power.6. Reset your water heater to 120 degrees.
```````````````````````````````````````````
COOL PICK

I'm a big fan of nostalgia. I love reminiscing about my 'glory days'. If your glory days were in the 70's then here is a site you might enjoy.
http://www.stuckinthe70s.com/index.html
From music to movies to fashion, this site has just about everything you remember from a simpler time. Browse through old Tiger Beat and 16 magazines to look back at your teen idols, like the Bay City Rollers or David Cassidy. Check out the fads and fashions of the decade. They even have recipes! So if you have fond memories of the 70's, take a trip back in time with Stuck In the 70's!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey dog lovers! Check out these pictures of seven VERY LARGE dogs!

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Seven-of-the-Worlds-Largest-Dogs.559347
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Healthy Living

Sometimes when you start on a weight loss or exercise regime, you are very motivated. You're eating right, working out, and feeling good. But then...something happens to your motivation. It just disappears on you, and you find yourself struggling to stick to your healthy eating and exercise plan. This is what I'm going through now. After losing 25 lbs since November, I'm finding that my motivation is slipping. Instead of focusing on how much weight I've lost, I'm too busy thinking ahead to all the weight I still need to lose, and how much work I still have ahead of me. I need to remind myself of WHY I want to lose this weight, and get my motivation back. If you've ever been in the same boat, here are some tips to help you re-gain your motivation, or "mojo" as I call it.

1. Stick to only one goal. Its too hard to stay motivated when you've got too much going on. Pick one goal and follow it through. If you have other goals, you can always get back to them later.

2. Look for inspiration. For me, this means looking towards people who have accomplished what I want to accomplish. I read blogs on SparkPeople...the success stories there inspire me to keep going.

3. Realize that its normal for motivation to come and go. Don't just throw in the towel and give up. Keep doing the best you can NOW, and eventually you will re-gain your motivation.

4. Ask for help. If you are blessed with family members who are encouraging and supportive, let them know that you need help to get you motivated again. Or join an online diet support community to find others like yourself, and you can motivate each other.

5. Think about the benefits, not the hard work. Instead of thinking about how hard it is to exercise, think of how good you'll feel afterwards, and how it will make you healthier (& slimmer) in the long run.

If your motivation is missing, I hope these tips help you to find it again!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's a fun site for kids...they can create their own comic strip!

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cherry Muffins

This is a healthy, low calorie recipe from Hungry Girl! The recipe makes 12 muffins, with only 131 calories each! (And only 0.5 g fat!)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Box No Pudge Original Fat Free Brownie Mix
1 cup Fiber One cereal (original, the kind that looks like little twigs) crushed
2/3 cup light cherry pie filling
1/4 cup light vanilla soy milk


Preheat oven to 400.
In a bowl, mix all ingredients together. Place batter evenly into a 12 cup muffin pan sprayed with non stick spray (or lined with baking cups, which is what I do.) Bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy!
___________________________

I don't go out to eat very often, but when I do, I first check out

http://www.healthydiningfinder.com/
Whether its a fast food or a sit down restaurant, healthydiningfinder helps me plan my meal in advance so I know how many calories I'm getting.
--------------------------------------

To check out your 'carbon footprint', go to this site and fill in the blanks on a few easy questions.
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/

~~~~~~~~~~~
We didn't get as much snow as Phyllis did (only about an inch) but still I'm considering March coming in like a lion because of the extreme cold and high winds. All I can say is this has been an unusually long winter and I was happy to flip the calendar page from February to March. I got some wonderfully red and sweet strawberries at the store today so things are at least tasting like spring...hopefully soon it will start to feel like spring. ~Toni
________________________

This coming Sunday is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. Yay! It is one of my favorite days of the entire year!! Here you can read everything you could possibly ever want to know about Daylight Saving Time--it's history and why we use it plus lots more.
http://www.energy.ca.gov/daylightsaving.html
______________________________________

John Jacob Bausch

John Jacob Bausch was born in 1830 in Switzerland, one of seven children. When Bausch was only six years old, his mother died.

Bausch's first job was assisting in his older brother's spectacle-making business.
In 1848, the younger Bausch got word of an opening at an optical shop in Berne, so he left on foot for the city. When he arrived, he got the job at a starting salary of 36 cents a day. After only a year however, Bausch decided to try his luck in America.

He traveled to Buffalo, New York, where he worked as a cook's assistant, then moved to Rochester, where he found work as a wood-turner. There he suffered an accident. His hand got caught in the machinery, and he was forced to leave the trade.

Once he had recovered from the accident he tried selling his brother's optical supplies. The business seemed promising, and he convinced a friend to join him in business making eyeglasses. That friend's name was Henry Lomb.
________________________________

~Cheryl's Tips~

Cleaning Washing Machine Interior If you notice a residue buildup, left from detergents or hard-water minerals, you can remove them by filling the washer with hot water and pouring in a gallon of cheap white or apple cider vinegar. Run it through one complete cycle and it should be gone. Do this only periodically, so you don't damage the interior surface.

Pasta Boiling Over or Sticking to Pot? End these messy problems simply by greasing or spraying the sides with cooking spray before you put the water in to boil. And of course always monitor the pasta as it's cooking!
________________________________

Massachusetts

~Boston built the first subway system in the United States in 1897.
~In Holyoke, William G. Morgan, created a new game called "Mintonette" in 1895. After a demonstration given at the YMCA in nearby Springfield, the name "Mintonette" was replaced with the now familiar name "Volleyball."
~There is a house in Rockport built entirely of newspaper.
~The Fig Newton was named after Newton, Massachusetts.
~The visible portion of Plymouth Rock is a lumpy fragment of glacial moraine about the size of a coffee table, with the date 1620 cut into its surface. After being broken, dragged about the town of Plymouth by ox teams used to inspire Revolution-aries, and reverently gouged and scraped by 19th-century souvenir hunters, it is now at rest near the head of Plymouth Harbor.
~The first U.S.Postal zip code in Massachusetts is 01001 at Agawam.
~Harvard was the first college established in North America. Harvard was founded in 1636. Because of Harvard's size there is no universal mailing address that will work for every office at the University.
~The Boston University Bridge on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston is the only place in the world where a boat can sail under a train driving under a car driving under an airplane.
~The Children's Museum in Boston displays a giant milk bottle on the museum's wharf. If it were real it would hold 50,000 gallons of milk and 8,620 gallons of cream.
~Princeton was named after the Reverend Thomas Prince, Pastor of the Old South Church in Boston, and one of the first proprietors of the town. Princeton was incorporated in 1759.
~In 1908, Miss Caroline O. Emmerton purchased The House of the Seven Gables - built in 1668 - restored it to its present state and, in 1910, opened the site to the touring public. The seven-gabled house inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his famous novel of the same name.
~The Boston Tea Party reenactment takes place in Boston Harbor every December 16th.
~Balance Rock in Lanesborough is named in honor of a 25' x 15' x 10 boulder that balances upon a small stone below it. http://tinyurl.com/acjg72
~The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in Plymouth in 1621.
~The first nuclear-powered surface vessel, USS Long Beach CG (N) 9, was launched at Quincy in 1961.
~The USS Constitution 'Old Ironsides', the oldest fully commissioned vessel in the US Navy is permanently berthed at Charlestown Navy Yard. Since 1897 the ship has been overhauled several times in Dry Dock 1.
~The official state dessert of Massachusetts is Boston cream pie.
~Milford is known the world over for its unique pink granite, discovered in the 1870's and quarried for many years to grace the exteriors of museums, government buildings, monuments and railroad stations.
_________________________________

Phyllis and I don't get together with our newsletter ideas beforehand. She does her half and I do mine and then I put them together. So I guess it's a case of "great minds thinking alike" when we each have a site to share that deals with dogs.
Welcome to Funny Dog Site. We update funny dog pictures on a daily basis. Cute Puppies, Funny Dogs. Hilarious pictures every day!
http://www.funnydogsite.com/
_____________________

I am always searching for foods that are free of hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. My latest discovery is Vinta crackers. Yummy!
http://www.darefoods.com/usa-en/products/crackers/vinta/index.shtml
__________________________

From Cheryl:

Interestingly, koi, when put in a fish bowl, will only grow up to three inches. When this same fish is placed in a large tank, it will grow to about nine inches long. In a pond, koi can reach lengths of eighteen inches. Amazingly, when placed in a lake, koi can grow to three feet long. The metaphor is obvious. You are limited by how you see the world.
________________________

Online Multimedia Educational Games for Kids in Preschool, Kindergarten, and Elementary Grades http://www.iknowthat.com/com
____________________________

Is green your favorite color? Here's what the color means around the world:

~Only one national flag is a solid color: the green flag of Libya.
~Ancient Egyptians colored the floors of their temples green.
~In ancient Greece, green symbolized victory.
~In the highlands of Scotland, people wore green as a mark of honor.
~Green is the national color of Ireland.
~A “greenback” is slang for a U.S. dollar bill.
~Green means “go.” When “all systems are green,” it means everything is in order.
~The green room of a concert hall or theater is where performers relax before going onstage.
~The “green-eyed monster” is jealousy.
~A greenhorn is a newcomer or unsophisticated person.
~Green is youthful.
~Being “green around the gills” is looking pale and sickly.
~“Green with envy” means full of envy or jealousy.
~A person with a “green thumb” is good at making plants grow.
~A green, or common, is a town park.
~Green is a healing color, the color of nature.
______________________________

Savings ideas on everything from banking fees to groceries. This is a very comprehensive list and not all will be applicable to you, but you're sure to find and idea or two. http://kiplinger.com/features/archives/2009/02/print-all-ideas-save-fifty-dollars-day.html
___________________________

Miscellaneous trivia
There are 119 grooves on the edge of a quarter.
________________________

Hand Crafted Fun Multi Colored Crayons! Each Crayon is a Work of Art - No Two Are Alike!Made From the National Crayon Recycle Program. http://www.crazycrayons.com/
___________________________

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) - Authorities arrested a man who claimed he was justified in stealing candy at a truck stop because he had served in the military. Police said an officer confronted a 31-year-old man at the truck stop early Monday morning. The officer reported finding several packages of candy and nuts, two black T-shirts and a 20 oz. bottle of beer in his pockets.
He said he had paid for all the items, but a clerk denied ringing up any purchases for him.
A report stated that while in the patrol vehicle, the man screamed out the window that he had served in the military over in Iraq and could steal all the M&M'S he wanted.
His veteran status could not be immediately verified.
The man was charged with retail theft and was being held on $5,000 bail.
____________________________

Make your next broom your last... Some ideas to make your brooms last longer and do a better job.
1. Always use a holder to keep the broom stored off the floor or store with the broom side up. (Resting on the floor the fibers will flatten and reduce the effectiveness of the broom).
2. Comb out the fibers regularly to remove debris.
3. Brooms can be cleaned with mild detergent and water; this is a good job for your spouse if they forget your birthday.
4. Always sweep gently in order to let the bristles do the work.
5. Push broom blocks have two handle holes (one on each side). Change the sides often so that fibers wear evenly.
6. The correct length for a broom handle is from the floor to the bridge of your nose. Remember to sweep in an upright position to prevent back fatigue. (Note from Toni: I am short and my broom handle only comes to my chin, so I can't figure this one out...)
_________________________

Did you know?

CFL bulbs work best in rooms where they'll be left on for at least 15 minutes. Frequent on-and-off (say, in a closet or pantry) can shorten bulb life, so the replacement cost can outweigh energy savings.
_________________________

Celebrity real names

Lauren Bacall..........Betty Jaon Perske
Pat Benatar..........Patricia Andrejewski
Tony Bennett..........Anthony Dominick Benedetto
Jack Benny..........Benjamin Kubelsky
Milton Berle..........Mendel Berlinger
Robert Blake..........Michael James Vijencio Gubitosi
Jon Bon Jovi..........John Francis Bongiovi
Bono..........Paul Hewson
Sonny Bono..........Salvatore Bono
Pat Boone..........Charles Eugene Boone
David Bowie..........David Jones
Charles Bronson..........Charles Buchinsky
George Burns..........Nathan Birnbaum
Richard Burton..........Richard Jenkins
_______________________________

R.I.P. Paul Harvey http://www.abcrn.com/harvey/
_____________________________

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." ~ Charles Dickens