08-18-2008 On this Day in 1587 The Dares Have a Baby! Plus Save Money!

On this date in 1587 the 1st English child, Virginia Dare, was born in the New World. An article that deals with the facts and legend about her is found at http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1647. A mystery surrounds the colony that the Dares resided in. All the settlers, including the young Virginia disappeared! To read more about this visit the about.com page at http://usparks.about.com/cs/parkhistory/a/virginiadare.htm.

Money saving tips: Many of the dollar-type stores offer great bargains. Be alert though because not everything is a good deal. I have found good deals on yarn there. Some of the yarn has a suggested retail value of $6 or more! Another good deal is razors. I would rather spend a buck for a pack of eight than three or four dollars! Not everything is a good deal. I don't go along with the designer shampoos and I can usually purchase my shampoo for under a dollar at other stores. Food items are another iffy deal at these dollar-type stores. Coffee creamer is a good deal but a can of corn is not. It pays to shop around and make notes about prices of commonly used items in your household.

08-17-2008 This Day in 1790 U.S. Capital Moved & I Have Peaches!

On 17 August 1790:
The capital city of the U.S. moves to Philadelphia from New York City. So you always thought the capital of the United States has always been Washington, D.C.--nope, that's not true. Congress had met in numerous cities including New York, Philadelphia, Princeton, Baltimore, Annapolis, Trenton and York before settling in the newly formed Washington, D.C. You can read more about this at http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/washington-dc/history.php . The picture is of the President's house in Philadelphia where George Washington lived.

Here's an update for you on my food preservation. For the first time, I was able to harvest peaches from our dwarf peach tree! I raced the squirrels for the fruit and I mostly won! I used splenda instead of sugar in the syrup for them. The "syrup" is rather thin and watery though. I was able to bag 4 quarts. I should be able to use the peaches and make a delicious peach cobbler. Warm peach cobbler with sugar-free ice cream on top--YUMMY!

08-15-2008 On this day in 1096 the First Crusaders Head for Jerusalem

On 15 August 1096 the armies of the First Crusade set out from Europe to deliver Jerusalem from the occupying forces of Islamic Turks. Championed by Peter the Hermit in 1093, Pope Urban II had sanctioned the crusade at the Council of Clermont in 1095. An interesting article about the First Crusade is found at http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/cru2.htm. Many historical sources credit Peter the Hermit as the originator of the First Crusade. However, The New Advent Online Catholic Encyclopedia disputes this. You may read this article at http://home.newadvent.org/cathen/11775b.htm.

08-13-2008 On This Day 1792 French Royals Captured

On this day in history, 13 August 1792--Revolutionaries imprison the French royals. To read more about this deed and the eventual execution of Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette then go to the Liberty, Equality, Fraternity website of the French Revolution at http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap6a.html.

08-12-2008 1ST Day Back Subbing and Money Saving Tips from the Past

Today was my first day back subbing this year. Day started out on the wrong foot--I was 1 sub in a classroom that normally has 2 teachers and a teaching assistant. In the morning, it was just me! Everyone thought the other teacher was supposed to be there and I never did get the story about where the teaching assistant was. Anyway, that wasn't all that was going on or I should say wasn't going on. I didn't have class rosters, nor did I have lesson plans. One of the regular teachers ran around like crazy and got together some plans and BOOKS for the class so about 1/2 way into the first period we were on track! She was fantastic and deserves a bravo zulu for all the work she did so quickly. Anyway, I'm not mentioning specifics here because I don't want to step on toes if you know what I mean. The day was actually progressing very well and about 1/2 way through the day I did get a TA in the room--another great big help! Surprisingly, today ended up being a very good day at the school.

Something else I want to talk about today are a few of the little hints my mom used to pinch pennies. Some of these little tricks will work for us today. She did not buy little covered plastic dishes to put leftovers in; she utilized used jars from peanut butter, mayo, pickles and that sort of thing. She also wrapped our lunch sandwiches in waxed paper. Buy bags to throw out with the trash???? No siree...we lined our kitchen trash cans with grocery sacks and in those days the sacks were all made of paper. Sodas (or "pop") were a special treat maybe once a week. Usually our drink of choice (besides milk) was kool-aid or other similar powdered drink mix and she bought the unsweetened kind and added her own sugar because it was less expensive that way. She and my dad drank ice tea brewed from tea bags. I started thinking about these things when I was reading the "I remember when..." thread on crochetville.org http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=57673 . You may want to check it out and see what others have been reminiscing about.

Take care and have fun!

08-09-2008 This Day in 1910 Electric Washers Patented, Canning Update

August 9th, 1910 Alva Fisher patents electric washing machine. Throw out the scrub board and stop beating your laundry on the rocks by the stream! Yippppeeee a washing machine! With my overflowing closet and my procrastination about doing laundry, I would spend a month of Sundays at the ol' river washing my clothes if it wasn't for Mr. Fisher. Go to this url to check out a little bit about the history of washing machines http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/washingmachines.htm.

Check out the picture I have posted here of a concept washing machine that may even clean itself every time you flush it. It is a washing machine-toilet that flushes with the washer water! Go here to this link to read a little bit about it http://www.envirogadget.com/recycling/combined-washing-machine-and-toilet/.

Pickles are all pickled! What a time-consuming job and recipe I used. I was getting really frustrated trying to use my big stockpot to sterile jars and do the hotbath of the canned pickles in. When I splashed myself twice with boiling water because I didn't have the whatchacallit to move the jars in and out of the boiling water with I stopped what I was doing and dashed over to the local discount store to buy a big canning pot with the basket in it and the canning tongs (I guess that's what they're called). I had about a 1/2 dozen tomatoes and a small bowl of cherry tomatoes that we weren't going to use before they went bad so I made tomato sauce and canned it. I only got 2 small jars but hey, at least it didn't get wasted.

08-07-2008 Update on My Food Preserving

Corn is done! About 1 dozen ears of corn I processed and froze on the cob. The rest, I cut from the cob and froze in packets of about 1 3/4 - 2 cups sizes. What a lot of work! I asked my son to come over and help me. He shucked the corn for me and I cut it from the cob, cooked and bagged it! I'm glad that's over with. I never realized before that corn had a smell. When my husband got home from work, he thought I was eating raw corn because it was stuck to my face and in my hair! What a vision of domestic loveliness to come home too!

My ds sliced the cucumbers for pickles. I must have selected the most detail orientated recipe to make. I soaked the cucumbers in a lime solution overnight. In the morning I had to rinse them 3 times. Then I had to soak them in ice water for 3 1/2 hours. The next step was to make the pickling solution. That's done and the part I'm at now is to let the pickles soak in this solution overnight. In the morning I have to boil them and then do the actual canning thingie. I may get them done yet! Stay tuned...

08-05-2008 Canning and Freezing Vegetables--Money Saving Tip

Today I am freezing corn and making pickles. The cucumbers came from our very first garden! The corn came from a farmer. Today's money saving tip is about buying produce. What you must do is SHOP AROUND!!! In order to conserve gas, you and a friend or 2 should go around to different farmers' markets and produce stands and carry cell phones with you. Then, while at the stands, call each other and compare prices. Then, either the proprieter of the stand you are at will lower his price or your friend can buy for you at the cheaper price! We relied on word-of-mouth. Corn was going for $40 a bushel at the farmers' market by our house. A neighbor found a place to get corn for $16 a bushel so guess who we went with??? Anyway, I'll keep you posted with my first time canning and freezing produce! Later...

08-05-2008 USS Houston CA30 Sunk During WWII

I was honored to meet and correspond with some of the survivors from the USS Houston back in 2002. I wrote my college thesis on the heroes of this ship wreck. The ones I met were humble men and surprisingly did not hold a grudge against their captors. Back in 2002, the survivors received back pay from the advancements they were eligible for during their captivity. These pay raises were in WWII dollars without interest being paid. I have a cousin (once removed) and her half-brother was killed in the Battle of Makassar Strait the previous month. Anyway, before you watch this video, scan over to the music player and turn the music off so that you can hear this video without interference.

For more information

• visit the USS Houston Organization at http://www.usshouston.org/
• Or a blog http://usshouston.blogspot.com/
• University of Houston special collection http://info.lib.uh.edu/sca/digital/cruiser/cruiserh.htm
• Dive team http://www.usshoustondive.com/Dive%20Team.htm

Enjoy...

08-03-2008 History: Gas Rationing Starts This Day in 1941

On 03 August 1941, gas rationing begins in the eastern states. A nation-wide rationing of gas began in December 1942. This is an interesting topic to read about with modern day gas prices becoming more and more expensive. A short, interesting article about gas-rationing during WWII can be found at http://www.bookrags.com/research/gas-rationing-ahwt-01/. A good online article about WWII rationing with lots of photos is at http://www.ameshistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/events/rationing.htm . Enjoy!

08-03-2008--Preserving Vegetables from Garden

Hi, I thought that I would share with you today one of the things I'm doing to conserve on my food bill for this winter. We grew our first garden this year! It's pretty small because we didn't know if we had what it takes to maintain one. Next year it will be bigger! Anyway, we are up to our ears in cucumbers and I've been giving many of them away. My best crop is the green beans. Every Saturday for the past few weeks I go and harvest my little crop then I bring the beans in and process them for freezing. I was able to get one of those whatchacallit machines at Big Lots that vacuum packs food items. So, for the past several weekends I've been able to put 2-7 packs of beans in the freezer. It's just dh and me so that will go a long way. Anyway, I've been scouring the Internet looking for a basic tomato sauce recipe and I found on at a New Mexico State University web page http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_e/. I only have a few tomato plants because I don't care for tomatos but I do enjoy dishes that have tomato sauce in them. The recipe sounds like a lot of work but it's worth it when you look at how high food prices are now and financial experts predict even higher prices this winter. Here's a few more places to visit for tips on freezing and canning food

• http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_e/


• http://www.canning-food-recipes.com/canning.htm


• http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/TOPIC_Canning_Food


• http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/


• http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm

I have some onions coming in and I want to chop them up and dehydrate them to use in cooking. I would like to buy a couple bushels of corn to process and freeze but the going price at farmers' markets is $40 a bushel! Between the summer storms, higher transportation costs and the increased use of corn to make ethanol corn prices have soared! Anyway, if anyone has some more hints, recipes or comments please write me.

For more information, go to your favorite search engine and type in "preserving foods," "canning foods" or "freezing foods." Good luck and have fun!

Take care...Sharon

08-02-2008 On this day 1943 Pt-109 and JFK sunk

On this day, 02 August 1943 - The U.S. Navy patrol torpedo boat, PT-109, sank after being attacked by a Japanese destroyer. The boat was under the command of Lt. John F. Kennedy. National Geographic has an online article about the discovery of what is believed to be the wreckage of this vessel. Go to http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/07/0709_020710_kennedyPT109.html to read this article. A good article about the sinking of PT-109 is located at http://www.orwelltoday.com/jfkpt109.shtml . To learn more about President Kennedy, you can visit the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum at http://www.jfklibrary.org/ .

08-02-2008 My Crochet Project Update

This is the same pattern that I used to make the slippers I posted pictures of July 29th. I used a larger hook with these. They now fit my big feet! I didn't put the motif on because these are just for me to wear in the house.

Anyway, I'm back to work on the coat for the fur baby of my good friend in California. This pattern is very frustrating. It is very poorly written, the counts don't come out correctly. UGH! This is the 2nd pattern I'm using so I hope it starts working out. If it doesn't, I'm going to BUY a sweater for the fur baby and use the yarn and some of my yarn stash and make an afghan or throw for them--lol! The pattern is at this link http://www.bernat.com/pattern.php?PID=194 .

The other project I'm working on is a baby blanket that is NOT a round ripple. It is a ripple pattern that is made of baby yarn and is worked in panels. It is very easy but is slow going because the yarn is finer and the hook is smaller. The pattern I'm using is a solutia pattern at http://web.archive.org/web/20050227234845/www.thesmartyarns.com/patterns/march03/babyripple.html

08-01-2008 This Day in 1794--Whiskey Rebellion Starts

01 August 1794--Whiskey Rebellion begins. This rebellion was instituted by farmers, angry over taxes on whiskey because this virtually wiped out the farmers profits. President George Washington called out the militia to suppress these farmers. If you click on http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/whiskey/page1.html you will see a copy of President Washington's original proclamation on this rebellion.

08-01-2008 List of Links Updated

I just finished bringing my list of links from Yahoo 360 to this blog. I "checked" those that I do not use very often so you should not have problems using any of them. If you see that one of my links doesn't work, please let me know and I'll be glad to fix it or delete it. Keep on hooking!

07-31-2008 This day in 1704, Defoe is Pilloried

On 31 July 1704 English novelist Daniel Defoe is made to stand in the pillory as punishment for offending the government and church with his political satire The Shortest Way With Dissenters. To read a short biography about DeFoe go to http://www.online-literature.com/defoe/ . Another interesting biography is athttp://enlightenment-revolution.org/index.php/Defoe,_Daniel . You can go to http://www.bartleby.com/27/12.html and read this literary work. If you are not sure what a pillory is, it is defined as

• a device formerly used for publicly punishing offenders consisting of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked 2 : a means for exposing one to public scorn or ridicule (From: "pillory." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. Merriam-Webster Online. 31 July 2008 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pillory)

07-29-2008 On This Day 1890: Van Gogh Commits Suicide

This day in 1890, artist Vincent van Gogh, 37, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. Van Gogh is well known as a prime example of an expressionistic painter. However, while he was alive he only sold one painting! He suffered from mental illness, probably depression and ultimately this most likely was responsible for his suicide. To read more about him, go to http://cvc.csusb.edu/VincentVanGogh.htm to read a short biography about him. The painting displayed here is a self-portrait done after he cut his ear off.

07-29-2008 Latest slippers I made

I made these slippers from a pattern I found in an old Annie's Pattern Club newsletter. (Number 19, Feb-Mar. 1983 pp 54-55). They were quick and easy but definitely NOT one size for ladies as claimed. These will be put away to give as Christmas present for a "tween" girl. I was able to make the slippers in one sitting while watching a movie with dh. The motifs took another session while watching the news. I will have to adjust this pattern to adapt it for most of the adult ladies I know. Another very nice thing about these slippers is that they take so little yarn that they are a great buster of the left-over yarn stash.

07-28-2008 History: As American as uhh Well...Potatoes!

On this day in history 1586 Sir Thomas Harriot introduces potatoes to Europe. Many of us have heard of the Irish and potatoes, German potato salad and fish and chips in Great Britain but did you know that potatoes are native to the Americas and not Europe? Go to this link http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PotatoHistory.htm and read a little bit more about this staple in many of our diets.

07-27-2008 Clothes for Leslie's Doll

Leslie came over Friday night and she brought her doll with her. Leslie usually spends the night on Fridays and I tutor her in math and reading on Saturdays. Anyway, back to the subject of this post, the doll came over with a diaper and t-shirt on and that was it. I couldn't have the poor thing dressed like that no siree! So, I broke out some scrap yarn and proceeded to make her some clothes. I couldn't find a pattern for that size doll so I loosely based the design on a few different baby patterns I found on the Internet. Hope you enjoy the pics...