text:
Google's OpenSocial bonanza has consumed the high-tech media and blogosphere for the last few days. Since it was formally unveiled Nov. 1, the focus has been on what kinds of applications programmers will build from the 15 or so social networks that have signed up.
How do OpenSocial, Facebook and other sites that throw open the pearly gates to its developer platform make money?
Simple. These vendors let programmers piggyback on their platforms in the hopes that some of the applications strike gold and become wildly popular, sending connected users scurrying online to join the fun.
More users flocking online means larger audiences for online advertising—the dripping noise is Google, Facebook, MySpace and the others salivating.
Further reading
"This will drive usership and traffic growth and therefore growth of advertising inventory and, potentially, revenue," IDC analyst Rachel Happe wrote in a research note Oct. 31.
Google answers Facebook with OpenSocial. Click here to read more.
The best part is that it's not a one-way street, because the application developers can make money by putting ads in their widgets, said Ovum Research analyst David Bradshaw. "Some of the ads are cost-per-click and some are cost-per-impression, which means [Google and developers] get paid for people just viewing them," Bradshaw told eWEEK.
He wondered if OpenSocial applications would include Google's AdSense code, which enables the Mountain View, Calif., search vendor to get paid for clicks. Incorporating AdSense to a Web site merely requires some HTML coding, he said.
Joe Kraus, Google's product manager for OpenSocial, told eWEEK that while applications created from OpenSocial point to a real opportunity for advertising, there is nothing in the APIs that says programmers have to use AdSense.
However, "we certainly hope that by having more developers writing more applications that are social, some of them choose AdSense and certainly the company would benefit," Kraus said.
He said that by making it easier for developers to reach their market, Google ultimately will benefit because consumers benefit. "Consumers spend more time online, and generally, when consumers spend more time online, they're doing more searches," Kraus said.
Implicit in this statement is that users who do more searches will stumble across more ads, resulting in more clicks, and hence, more ad revenue for Google.
So how is this working out for Palo Alto, Calif.'s Facebook, which has seen the mad creation of some 7,000 food-fighting, sheep-throwing, slide-show presenting widgets pop up on the Web since it opened its platform May 24?
Read more here about Facebook opening for developers.
Facebook, which a spokesperson said has "not been briefed on OpenSocial," and therefore is not sure if joining will benefit its 50 million users, declined to discuss dollar amounts with eWEEK.
This means widgets on Facebook will be a lot harder to deploy on other sites, and vice-versa, while OpenSocial widgets should be relatively easy to deploy to between sites, he said.
That is one big reason—along with the involvement of MySpace and the 200 million-plus users members of the OpenSocial network may target—that OpenSocial has a shot to succeed.
Bradshaw put the social development charge and the resulting money-making in perspective.
"It's rather like in the business world, the way a software vendor likes to encourage people to build products on top of its products, but doesn't necessarily take any revenue from the partners that do that because it enlarges its market," he said.
So, for all those laughing at the amount of sheep flying or food being thrown between friends, remember that somewhere Google, Facebook and their armies of software developers are happily padding their coffers with your clicks.


text:
Celebration of Leadership
e is for everyone
A brand has to start somewhere.
This one started with you.
Leadership Evansville is…
Diverse Servant Leaders Transforming Community.
LE invites community to 23rd Annual Celebration of Leadership; Fifth Third returns as title sponsor
EVANSVILLE, IND. - Leadership Evansville (LE) invites community to the 23rd Celebration of Leadership (COL) Awards ceremony, an annual event that spotlights local leaders and organizations for their community contributions. The event takes place on Thursday, March 15,...
Leadership Evansville Received Excellence in Innovation Award from the Association of Leadership Programs
Leadership Evansville today announced that it has received the Excellence in Innovation Award from the Association of Leadership Programs (ALP) for its VOICE community visioning and change initiative.
22nd Annual Celebration of Leadership Awards Highlights Evansville Community's Most Inspiring Servant Leaders
1,400+ participate to cheer on those making positive community impact
50 awards recognize contributions of diverse people, projects & organizations
Calendar of Events
Help Us Transform Community
Newsletter Signup
Sign up for our newsletter today.

subset: commoncrawl


text: I ordered 4 bridesmaids dresses and they turned out perfect!! It was so easy to order, all we had to do was send measurements. And they arrived several weeks early!! Of the four dresses we only have to have one minor alteration done to one dress. They all fit and look perfect!


text: If you're searching for some practical methods that you simply will use on your website nowadays, then you'll love this info. It's a straightforward listing that may bring in additional search engine traffic from every bit of content that you simply publish: Use SEO-Friendly URLs Google has explicit that the primary 3-5 words in URL are given a lot of weight. So create your URLs short and sweet. And perpetually [ Read More ]


text:
There's nothing like sitting down to make cards,
and having them turn out just like you pictured them in your head :)
The cards I'm sharing today were inspired by THIS CARD.
I loved the simple layout, and knew that I could make lots of cards
in a short amount of time.
When I was making the elephant card, I realized that I didn't have
a scalloped circle punch large enough to layer with the 2" circle punch.
So I made use of what punches I DO have, and came up with this fun little trick.
I punched 2 Flourish Squares like this...
And then glued them together to make a scalloped circle.
It ended up being the perfect size for what I needed!
Love it when that happens!
Supply List: (all supplies are from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Polka Dot Parade, Rich Razzleberry CS, Old Olive CS, Basic Gray CS, Whisper White CS
Stamp Set: Zoo Babies
Ink: Basic Gray, Old Olive
Tools: 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, 2" Circle Punch (non SU!),
2" Scalloped Circle Punch (non SU!), Flourish Square Punch (non SU!)
Other: White ribbon, White yarn


text:
From the publisher:
The loose confederation of villages and towns that make up this frontier land have weathered the terrors of the Liche-Priest and the ravages of the Blizzard War. Orcs, giants, and beastmen are constant threats, yet the Borderlands remains a bustling center of trade. Here there are plentiful opportunities to earn money and glory. There is also much danger.


text:
Treat Smorgasbord For Your Dog
Dogs need fun things to occupy their time or they could get bored or depressed. They are happy when they are performing a job or working to figure out a problem. A good pet parent will try to involve a dog in tasks that will stimulate their minds.


text:
To be honest, I think we failed (William Folorunsho) Kumuyi when he was so serious about Bible Study—Primate Joseph Abiodun Adetilo-ye (1929-2012)
GOD planted Deeper Life Bible Church and asked William Folorunsho Kumuyi to tend it. Very much like the Edenic story: God organized a garden and put Adam in charge.
The young evangelist and Mathematics lecturer at the University of Lagos insisted that God sent him to deliver nothing but the face value of the Bible he held as his authority. Few people took him seriously
God broke the deadlock in August 1973 when Kumuyi, still teaching, started a Bible Study Group in his official Flat 2 residence at Unilag. The 15-member team met every Monday under the leadership of William Folorunsho Kumuyi. Here, he sowed the seed of what God has turned into a huge church straddling all of Nigeria and reaching outwards across Africa and to several dozens of nations all over Planet Earth.
What he taught principally on Day One – holiness without which no man shall see the Lord, consistent Christian living with moment-by-moment victory over temptation and sin, opposition to worldliness, absolute trust in God's promises in the Bible no matter the spiritual or physical challenges, humility (inward and outward), the infallibility of the Bible – is still what Deeper Life Bible Church stands for four decades after it broke into existence.
Kumuyi stormed the scene at age 32 with a new distinctive and radical face of evangelism. He did this mainly through two approaches: First, in his preaching, he rejected the formalism he met on the ground. Secondly, he added a simplicity, humility and a practicality of the gospel. Those 15 who started with him perceived a fresh liberating breath and spread the news of the man in Flat 2.
Pastor Philip Oluwi, now among the pillars of DLBC, says: "I was anxious to have a deeper knowledge of God. All along I wasn't satisfied with what I was receiving from the churches. A friend told me about the Deeper Life Bible Study…so in January 1975, we went together to Flat 2. After the Bible Study that night, I knew I had arrived at where I really wanted to be."
That same year, membership of the Bible Study Group had jumped to over 1,500, emboldening Kumuyi to organize the first Deeper Life Retreat in December 1975. It was only a few months after the members had thanked God for the second anniversary of the "church". It was held at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos. Free food along with accommodation was provided by members of the DLBC. Kumuyi wasn't married so he pumped in a large chunk of his salary as a lecturer into the till of the Study Group. He encouraged the others to do likewise "so that nobody missed an opportunity of hearing the gospel because of financial hardship."
In 1979, Kumuyi was invited to lead a crusade in Ghana. The trip gave birth to a Deeper Life Bible Study Fellowship in Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city with about 30 members. Here in the church's incipient years, Kumuyi sold his car to help the church in Ghana grow.
Following those spurts of internal and external expansion of DLBC, there arose a conflict between Kumuyi's followers and the formal churches. After receiving their teaching at Flat 2 and other cells that had emerged, Deeper Life members would head back to their churches on Sunday since the Study Group did not have such Sunday worship. His own church ex-communicated him in 1977 because it did not accept the way his Study Group carried out personal evangelism. The same (or worse) fate was the lot of several others who attended the Study Group. In the case of a couple the pastor of their church slapped the husband after failing to convince them that Deeper Life "was not good and the (Kumuyi) people were fanatical."
That was how in November 1982, the Study Group began the Sunday worship service.
DLBC has over the years brushed aside criticisms to emerge a focused church. Flat 2 has given way to sprawling worldwide headquarters at Gbagada, Lagos. It is costing some N3 billion.
The recent years have seen DLBC beckon on internet technology to support the spread of the gospel. Many have criticized Deeper Life for its use of the TV system and internet for transmitting its programs especially the Monday Bible Study, saying Kumuyi is back-pedaling on his alleged hostility to members watching TV or owning a TV set at home. I do not think Pastor Kumuyi ever sweepingly denounced the TV as evil on its own. But he has warned of the danger of watching its programmes indiscriminately. I still have in my possession the recording of a 1999 TV interview where he spoke of his position on the matter.
If Pastor Kumuyi has given so much to Deeper Life Bible Church, it would be inconceivable and a run against healthy relationships that his brothers and sisters in the church have not in return given him some treasurable heritage. They have offered him the dominant grey hair that is his trademark now.
For me, the white strands constitute an adumbration of the crown waiting for him hereafter by the Mercy of God.
Long before Nigeria arrived at the present impasse, DLBC had set forth a way of escape from the doom. Kumuyi declared: "When we started the Bible Study, for me it was strange—women wearing slacks and using jewelry and lipstick. So I would teach them that a born-again Christian sister does not dress that way. Being born-again affects everything that you do in life. Then you have seen the lifestyle in Nigeria: the bribery, corruption, unpunctuality, falsifying accounts (when you get to a place of work at 8.00 a.m., you write that you got there at 7:30 a.m.). Now the only way to correct all these things was to say; 'If you say you are a Christian, indicate the exact time you get to the office…If you get there at 9.00, put 9.00.
If you resume at 9.00 and you put 8.00, you are lying and a Christian should not lie'; that way the lives of the people became changed…if you were cheating your employers before you will restore…At the bus-stop or anywhere people in Nigeria normally wouldn't queue but just push…But we would teach our own members that if you say you are a Christian, take your place, do unto others as you want them do unto you. Somebody got there before you therefore queue up."
This is the pith of the spiritual revolution DLBC brought.
The church has helped the people conquer evil habits like prostitution, gangsterism, drug abuse, alcoholism, corruption, spousal infidelity, embezzlement, juvenal delinquency, workplace misdemeanors etc.
The implacable atheist and social critic, late Dr. Tai Solarin, whose Mayflower School, Kumuyi attended, visited the evangelist and applauded him for his steadfast stand on morality and exemplary leadership as a pastor.
DLBC has been unrelenting in its drive for building sound doctrine and a life of righteousness in its members despite a series of severe setbacks.
Pastor Kumuyi still preaches in his now familiar style of deliberately delivering a concatenation of alliterations. He is such a delight to listen to or watch that most times you are in quandary what to concentrate on: the alliteration or the message!
In his book, Discourse, Politics and the 1993 Presidential Election Campaigns in Nigeria, Dr. Tunde Opeibi submits that the use of alliteration is a powerful "stylistic device" of language.
It is impossible for such a pastor and his flock not to engender a web of myths as it is with all great men and institutions. A sister in the church said Pastor Kumuyi is Jesus Christ who has come back and that he is only pretending to be man! Another has surmised that Pastor Kumuyi was there when God was writing the Bible!
To bring Kumuyi closer to his brothers and sisters, DLBC has lately begun a programme (every third weekend of the month) where the pastor delivers multiple breakthrough sermons from Saturday evening through Sunday morning. It's a menu of miracles. I believe this programme, combining at a go all what DLBC has stood for in 40 years—personal conviction of salvation, inward and outward holiness, revival, a heavenly focus, divine healing and provision—presages a future driven by the foundation of the past. What does this mean? Simply, it says that while Deeper Life may have undertaken some tactical concessions it has not and does not plan to yield strategic ground.
Pastor Kumuyi himself has considered the matter. He once told a Ghanaian journalist: "…In Deeper Life we do have a united voice…After I leave, the way Deeper Life is…it will stand. And even if I were not there, things would still go on. That's the way the Lord has built us."n of the past. What does this mean? Simply, it says that while Deeper Life may have undertaken some tactical concessions it has not and does not plan to yield strategic ground.
Pastor Kumuyi himself has considered the matter. He once told a Ghanaian journalist: "…In Deeper Life we do have a united voice…After I leave, the way Deeper Life is…it will stand. And even if I were not there, things would still go on. That's the way the Lord has built us."
Categories: Uncategorized


text:
The first day of the rest of our lives
This week is a big week for us, our little girl is going to nursery and wifey is heading back to work. And so begins another shift in how we live and we begin the ever meandering logistics of pick ups and drop offs, and who's meant to be where when.
We're both very fortunate to have flexible employers who are allowing us to work from home some part of the week, and for wifey to reduce her total hours so she can spend a few quality days out of 7 with the little one.
Wifey is dealing with things very well so far, and most of her anxiety has been about getting back into the swing of things at work rather than how our growing baby will cope at nursery. I think we'll both be quite relieved when this week is over and we start to learn our new routine.


text:
This week marked the end the end of this Training Block. Given that last week I was traveling and then sick this can be best described as pulling a white rabbit out of hat full of shit!
Monday, I was sick and off work and off training.
Tuesday, TrainerRoad Carrigan, After Sunday and Monday off with sore throat/lost voice thing started back up where I left off. Still rasping throat when I breathed hard so dialed this back to 90%. Usual 5 mile warm up followed by a couple of extra miles to round up to 25. 60 minutes of mostly Aerobic Endurance work spent between 60-80% FTP with the addition of 3x3-minute Force Intervals with 3 minute's rest between them and 3x10s Strength Sprints followed by 6 minutes of Tempo work.
Wednesday, TrainerRoad. Gibbs.15 min warm up followed by Gibbs, 2 hours of aerobic Endurance spent between 60-70% FTP. All Zone 2/3 work, Throat still sore but getting better.
Thursday, TrainerRoad, Black. Ran out of day, should have been a two hour session so opted for a one hour ride and dialed it back 5% as I will add the 2 hours back in tomorrow. Couple of miles to warm up and then an hour of aerobic Endurance riding ranging from 50-80% FTP with no recovery.
Friday, After yesterday's bust I had hoped to get on the bike for a couple of hours, thinking that I could one a 1, 2, 3 over Friday Saturday and Sunday, instead I spent the evening at Urgent Care with a sick kid, Strep Throat!
Saturday, TrainerRoad, Koip Finally feeling like I am firing on 4 cylinders, 6 or 8 will come in time! Koip consists of nearly 2.5 hours of aerobic Endurance riding spent between 60-75% FTP.
Sunday. Outside. First Century of the year albeit a metric one. Plan was 3 hours of 65-75% of FTP on the trainer but it was a jersey and bibs kinda day. Kept with the right percentages as much as possible although had a couple of fun sprints and dug in on a few of the climbs. Got a bit chilly at the end. Happy to pull this week out of the crapper as being sick last weekend and earlier on took it's toll on top of traveling last week
So as you can see the week got better as it went on. My original plan was to go with the TrainerRoad Traditional High Volume III plan but I am considering the Sweet Spot plan instead, need to do a bit of research and thinking on this.
Totals for the week, 11:31 and 197.5 miles…rounding up, not this week!


text: I have no idea what the name of this quilt block is but I saw it some where in my blogging travels (sorry can't remember). I have used strips of the Autumn Spice DSP to make this pattern. I then matted it onto some Cajun Craze card stock with Early Espresso card stock used as the card base, with the addition of an Early Espresso satin ribbon and some basic pearls to finish it off. The sentiment is from the Create a Cupcake stamp set and has been stamped in Whisper White craft ink.


text:
"The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others." - DeAnn Hollis
Fill out a volunteer application at: www.flyontario.com
(click on Services, then Travelers Aid of the Inland Empire)
What do Travelers Aid Volunteers do?
- ANSWER questions about Ontario International Airport and give directions and flight information.
More Background
There is an application and interview process. Upon acceptance into the program, you will receive an orientation tour, training, uniform vest, name tag, and be able to participate in fun volunteer recognition functions and service awards throughout the year. Two mandatory training sessions per year are required. If you are interested in joining this distinguished group of people and becoming a Travelers Aid Volunteer, we welcome your call at the office for more information: (909) 544-5378.


text:
New Site
18 Feb 1 Uncategorized
We are in the process of updating the website with all the info you will find useful. If there is anything you would like to see then please get in touch.
One thought on "New Site"
HI i am wondering if you are doing meals on christmas day? if so can you please send me prices and menu, thank you


text:
There is simply nothing more fun than getting an awesome surprise. Better yet, getting a surprise that you really want. Such is the fun behind Bejeweled Bubbles. Bejeweled Bubbles is a family owned handcrafted soap business. They add a fun surprise to every bar of soap providing you with a real incentive to scrub away.
- Original Bejeweled Bubbles Bar
Each of these soaps include a necklace or a ring. You can even pick your ring size range to make certain you receive a piece of sparkling jewelry you can enjoy!
- Good Clean Fun Bar for Kids
Each of these soaps include a toy surprise. You can pick whether you would like a girl theme or a boy theme.
- Clean Ca$h Bar
You guessed it! Each of these soaps include cash! You could find any denomination bill up to $50 inside this bar of soap.
- Classically Clean Shower Soap for Men
This soap is on a rope. No secret surprise inside, just wonderful soap for the man in your life.
types of Bejeweled Bubbles Soaps
I really felt that Bejeweled Bubbles would be an excellent choice for my 2012 Christmas Gift Guide and I was thrilled with the chance to experience one of their Bejeweled Bubbles Bar. To stick with my Holiday theme, I chose Gingerbread from their list of Limited Edition Winter Scents. I love that each scent provides a full description so that you can make an educated decision about which fragrance you would like for your soap. Even though I'm on the East Coast and Bejeweled Bubbles is on the West Coast, I received my soaps in record time. I sure was glad because I couldn't wait to receive it! I was SO excited!!!
After I sniffed my fragrant soap, I photographed my gorgeous Gingerbread Bejeweled Bubbles Bar as shown in the photo on the top of this page. I love how the shea butter soap star shows through the glycerin bar. It truly is a pretty bar of soap... in fact, it would make a beautiful guest soap in our soap dish - but, I had to know what awesome sparkling surprise lie inside and I was ready to start scrubbing. Then a sweet little teen discovered what I was doing and couldn't wait to partake in the scrubbing and discovery. As with most items I once owned, my daughter allowed me to scrub my hands and see how well it lathered and see that it left my hands feeling soft and smelling delicious... then my bar of soap disappeared with her until discovery time had arrived.
If you are ever looking for a way to entice the kids to bathe more often... might I suggest the Good Clean Fun Bar for Kids. I say this because in record time, my daughter had scrubbed and scrubbed until a little foil packet became visible and then she became one excited girl! I have to say, she thoroughly enjoyed her Gingerbread scented Bejeweled Bar as a soap and then she felt accomplished when she finally got to the surprise. This is a photo of her beautiful new necklace from her favorite new soap. We both loved the chain and the pretty pendant and would definitely recommend Bejeweled Bubbles.
To find out more information or to order your soon to be favorite new soap, visit Bejeweled Bubbles.Stay Connected by following Bejeweled Bubbles on Facebook:
Bejeweled Bubbles has provided a generous prize package for our "12 Days of Christmas Giveaways!" This Giveaway lasts from 12/12/12 - 12/25/12 11:59PM EST. You may enter to win by visiting Day Twelve of our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways!


text:
Join the Resistance and work with the mysterious Scarlet Man against the evil Usurper. Puzzle, quest and craft your way through a fantastic steampunk world that is ruled by the self-proclaimed Emperor's Automatons and smothered by the poisonous fog. The Aetherlight is where point and click meets RPG!
The most dynamic and compelling story of all time can now be experienced first-hand in this exciting new adventure game that retells the epic narrative of the Bible in a fascinating steampunk world.


text:
This story featured in the 2012 June issue.
By Sean Morley
I don't need an alarm to wake before first light. I've checked my watch three times in the last hour. I slide out of bed and creep downstairs, avoiding the squeaky steps, dreading the normally wonderful, "Daddy, is it time to get up?"
Grabbing pre-positioned clothes and keys, I'm out the door—no breakfast, just a quick stop for gas station coffee. During the 10-minute drive down the freeway to the Golden Gate Bridge, I try to gauge the wind but it's still too dark. As I cross the bridge, I spend more time looking at the ocean than the road. Bursts of white on the reefs that guard the entrance to the Gate indicate that the swell is out there. No, I worry whether it will be too big. I have never, ever been skunked at Ocean Beach by it being too small. The better it looks the faster I drive, and every red stoplight on Geary Boulevard is a personal affront.
As I approach the Cliff House, I see solid lines of swell and only a little wind disrupting their advance. Adrenaline surges in my arteries as I drop down the hill to Kelly's Cove and get my first view of the beach. It's big, but is it too big?
The sun has yet to rise. In the twilight the beach looks bleak and the surf menacing. I sit for a moment in the parking lot contemplating what I am about to do. I think back to the frustration I felt at being unable to surf all week, and that spurs me to open the door and get out of my warm cocoon. The roar of the surf is much louder than I'd expected and now I am scared. I pull my surf kayak out of its bag and look for a line out through the half-dozen or more lines of breaking waves. Identifying a rip I think I can use, I begin my changing routine, transforming myself from father of two into wave warrior, ready to do battle.
It's compulsory to run down the beach to the water's edge. By now my neurons are all firing, but I stretch anyway—as much to calm myself down as warm myself up. Judging the surge, I am in my boat, skirt on, afloat and paddling. Just bunny-hopping the first lines of soup and I'm ecstatic. It feels so good to be here, in my boat. And then I'm reminded why Ocean Beach can be such a brutal place to surf. The dumping 4-foot beach-break slams me over sideways, and I roll up spluttering obscenities. It takes me three attempts, but then I am through, sizing up the larger, cleaner outside break. A hundred yards, 50, I'm nearly there. Rising walls of gunmetal gray obscure the horizon. I start sprinting, wishing my paddle was just a little bit longer. I'm over the first, getting air off the back of the wave and landing on my rail to reduce the jarring impact. No time to celebrate; the next wave is feathering. I lunge at it, pushing my feet down, ducking my head and spearing the wave with my paddle. I punch through and surface, saltwater stinging my eyes as I try to focus on the next: the biggest wave. This one will break for sure. And it does. The lip drops like a guillotine and whitewater explodes upwards. I capsize, pulling my upturned bow downwards with my paddle. I feel the weight of water pushing me down. I try to stay calm, relax and let the boat surface. I shift my hands on the paddle to extend my reach and roll up, the aerated water barely giving me the support I need.
But I am upright. I glance westward and realize I am out the back. I've made it. I catch my breath and look around. The break is mine. The sun's first rays turn gray to blue, white to gold. I think of my kids still warm in bed, and I smile.


text:
Blurred Summer Dance Festival
When: 8 p.m. today
Where: Sushi, 390 11th Ave., downtown
Tickets: $15-$20
Phone: (619) 235-8466
Online: sushiart.org
The Blurred Summer Dance Festival packs a lot of dance into one show. The program includes three companies based here, three from Tijuana and several independent artists.
Produced by Patricia Rincon, the festival takes its name and binational focus from her Blurred Borders Dance Festival, held in the spring. And the show, running through tonight at Sushi, offers ample evidence that there's an exciting regional contemporary dance scene.
Tijuana's Lux Boreal, in particular, is poised to gain international renown. The 8-year-old troupe, directed by Angel Arámbula and Henry Torres, has performed in Latin America, New York and Europe, and will go to Australia in 2012.
"Storyboard for a Thriller," a sophisticated spoof of noir detective stories, shows off Lux Boreal's flair for dance-theater and its technical chops — in a stunning bit, Arámbula throws himself from near-stillness into a roundhouse leap.
The dazzle isn't reserved for big, balletic moves; it appears in the tight cohesion with which three seated dancers cross and recross their feet in unison.
"Storyboard," by Mexico City choreographer Magdalena Brezzo, is juicy in the intimacy of Sushi, if unnerving when you're directly in range of a pointed gun .
Also from Tijuana, Subterraneo Contemporary Dance Company does a tense duet by Gregorio Coral, performing with Adriana Coral. He's a powerhouse; his limbs slice the air so sharply you expect to see blood, and she's tiny but ferocious.
The Minerva Tapia Dance Group's "Borderline Bodies" takes on meaty themes, from drug "mules" to the quest for perfection via plastic surgery. It's too much for a 13-minute piece, but there's an inventive segment involving nude manikins.
Among the San Diego groups, somebodies dance theater provides a sensual delight in "Grit." Kyle Sorensensen and Gina Bolles Sorensen squiggle and skid across a bed of sand with such focus, you almost feel the friction against your own body. And the surprise ending … aah!
Peter Kalivas' PGK Project delivers a taut, combative duet by Megan R. Jenkins and Justin L. Viernes, both excellent.
There's a swell moment in Rincon's "Tres e Quatro," when Keely Campbell bursts onstage in a geometric print dress and livens up a tedious trio. But phrases repeat too often, resulting in a shortage of movement ideas.Copyright © 2019, The San Diego Union-Tribune


text:
0 The Transforming Power of Jesus' Gaze of Love
As the God Man, Jesus endured such cruelty and felt every physical and emotional blow, and yet being Love Himself, He could not NOT love — and so even as He was being abused, he loved and forgave his attackers (Read: He loved me and forgave me – and each of us!) immeasurably… completely …. forgiving each of us whom He created out of love, even as they (I, we) abused, mocked, ridiculed and blasphemed Him by our sinful, selfish ways!


text:
Member Favorites: 1
Midori Yamabuki (山吹 みどり)Arale's beautiful teacher and Senbei's dream girl. After a long period of unrequited love and nervous misunderstandings, Senbei proposes to her while thinking she is out of earshot. Surprisingly, she accepts immediately (while on the toilet, no less) and they are married in the next manga panel, resulting in a name change. Despite Senbei not knowing how kids are made, she becomes pregnant and gives birth to Turbo. She is 23 years old at the beginning of the series.
Also known as: Midori Norimaki (則巻 みどり)
Voice Actors


text:
Tri County 4 Wheelers 50th Annual 4x4 Rodeo
Justin Fredo of Salem (in red truck) and April Curfman of Lisbon compete in a street legal race at the Tri-County 4-Wheelers 50th annual 4x4 Rodeo on Saturday at the club's grounds in Lisbon. Action continues at 1 p.m. today with the hill climb. Gates open at 10 a.m. Admission is $10. Morning Journal/Patti Schaeffer


text:
I didn't plan on showing the internet my Super Mario Brothers aquarium until it was completely finished and stocked, but someone on my Facebook page got a little excited and posted it to Reddit. You can guess what happened after that.
For the past couple of months, I have been working on this aquarium after being inspired by a similar tank my friend showed to me a few years ago that had also circulated the internet. I was 23 and living with my parents at the time, but so clearly remember him posting the picture to my Facebook wall and challenging me to recreate it, knowing my crafty background. I promised I would, but not until I had a place of my own, as a 55 gallon aquarium in a small, second-story bedroom would be disastrous. In the meantime, I was able to acquire the tank from said friend, who's mother originally used it to house a bearded dragon that had outgrown it.
A year later, I moved into a little house with my boyfriend, Jay, thus kickstarting this project and its long journey to completion. Between a layoff, the start of a small business, job changes, and the everyday tasks to ensure our house remains standing and our cats alive, it took about another year before I really got to work on it, but it's finally here!
This post will provide you with progress shots and detailed descriptions on how I went about making this tank, start to finish. People are constantly asking where they can purchase this set up and I'm here to remind you that you can't - everything was handmade and constructed by me. It took a crap-ton of planning and, thankfully, just a tad bit of math, which Jay so kindly did all the work assisted me with. And aside from the Legos being an ungodly amount of money, the set up was also relatively cheap.
During the initial planning stages, I took a look at all the old games Jay and I had in our collection to see if there was a game, other than Mario, that I could possibly recreate a level from within the tank. Our first thought was The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, but I soon realized there weren't enough visually engaging structures within each level, like castles and flags, like there were in Mario. Considering this would be the first thing people would see when walking into our house, we wanted it to be not only recognizable, but awesome to look at. Just a backdrop and some paint/vinyl thrown on the top and bottom wouldn't have been something to be proud of. Plus, you have to remember there were living things going into this tank, living things that required enough hiding spaces to feel safe. Ultimately, we went back to Super Mario Bros. and I decided on World 8-1 (I'll explain the change in plans later).
So I got to work on the very bottom of the tank, hand painting the bricks along the bottom strip to resemble the ground within the level. Looking back, I'm continuously wondering why the hell I didn't do this part in vinyl, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out nonetheless. Just some brown, black and white acrylic paint, along with an entire roll of painter's tape to get the lines straight, was enough to compete this step.
World 8-1 had one large castle at the beginning of the level and a smaller one at the end, so I started constructing the large one as my next step. My tank is a 55 gallon long, meaning it's less wide than other 55 gallons, but longer for more space to swim. Because of this, Jay I had to do a few measurements and calculations to not only make sure the castle would fit into the tank, but still have the correct amount of "windows" like it does within the game. I am absolute shit at math, so if you're trying to recreate this you're own your own here, but it varies anyway depending on the size of your tank.
It was built with a combination of brown 2 x 4 legos and some 2 x 1's. Unfortunately, brown Legos are like the Loch Ness monster of the Lego world and I was only able to obtain them 40 minutes away at my "local" Lego store. And the 2 x 1's? They were available at said store in every other color except brown, so I actually mixed in a few brick red ones, but made sure they were kept along the sides or back of the castle so they wouldn't stand out. It was pointed out to me recently that the 2 x 1's are now available individually online in some places, but I can assure you, I googled the shit out of them and they were no where to be found at the time that didn't cost me an arm and a leg.
Speaking of which, the Legos were the most expensive part of the project. A "large" cup of individuals is $15 and a small cup is $8. I went through about 8 large cups and maybe 4 small cups (for the whole project, not just the big castle), so prepare your wallets.
It was here that I stopped working on the tank for a bit, as I got laid off from my full-time job and started up a small business selling gaming related goodies out of complete panic for a lack of income. Luckily, the business was extremely successful considering it was the holiday season and I was later offered a new full-time job, where I am currently working as an interactive designer/developer.
It didn't take long for me to become annoyed with the partially finished, enormous empty tank sitting in the middle of our entryway, so I finally felt comfortable enough to get back to working on it.
This is where the change in plans (levels) happened. The tank obviously needed a backdrop (background), as what's a Mario level without all the fun pixelated clouds and hills? I started searching for the sky color in large rolls of paper so the scene could be seamless vs combining multiple pieces of paper together, making it look like it came out of a kindergarten art project. Despite my efforts (i.e. a lot of hours googling), I was unable to find the correct color paper for the sky in World 8-1. It has a purple tone to it and being a perfectionist, anything not exact was unacceptable.
I was kinda at a dead stop here and went back to the drawing board to review other levels within Super Mario Bros. After much consideration and some discussion with The Pixelist team we agreed World 1-1 would be the best. It's recognizable, nostalgic and had plenty of structures to be visually engaging for anyone seeing it in person (and for us who had to look at it every day). I wasn't a fan of recreating a level that had previously been done by someone else, but I was determined to make it better.
So the backdrop paper was purchased from Amazon. The roll was as tall as me and it contained enough paper to re-color our house, but it was surprisingly inexpensive ($20). A trip to Michaels allowed me to purchase the card stock for the additional designs within the background (clouds, hills, etc) and I was ready to start piecing it together.
I have a bachelors of science in Graphic Design, meaning I have the entire adobe suite on my laptop that I work in on a daily basis. Using Adobe Illustrator, a vector based program, I re-drew a section of the background so that I could bring it into my die-cutting program to be cut. I had 48" to work with, so a couple of measurements determined the size each hill, bush, and cloud would be.
Having everything in vector format made it much simpler to bring into my die-cutting software, Silhouette Studio, as the program has a trace feature and vectors are always of the highest quality. For me, this meant no pixelation would be picked up by the tracing function like it would if I had used, say, a .JPG. Once the pieces were all traced, I sent them to my machine to be cut out in the correct colored card stock. For the black outlines, those were cut out of vinyl and stuck on to their corresponding piece.
With a light coating of spray adhesive, each hill, cloud and bush were attached to the measured and cut background paper. To make sure it was waterproof, as filters and fish tank things tend to splash everywhere, I took it right to Staples and had it laminated for $17.
Despite the level change, I still needed to construct a small castle, as World 1-1 had one at the end like 8-1. I built it relatively the same way I built the larger one, but only using the top/middle tiers and being sure to include the "windows."
With each castle completed, it was time to add the brick details. After interrupting Jay's game of League of Legends approximately 100 times to ask him what the line on the ruler was, I measured each side of each castle and also each tier, making the lines in my die-cutting software and cutting them out of vinyl. I applied the horizontal lines and vertical lines one by one until both castles had beautiful brick work.
I spent an odd amount of time searching Lowes for the perfect PVC pipe to create the pipes found in Mario. Being a tiny, 13-year-old-looking girl in a hardware store, I had to ninja my way past every store employee to avoid the inevitable "can I help you find anything?" question. "Yes hello I'm looking for a PVC pipe that looks exactly like this one in Mario. Plz respond" would have been an interesting part of that employee's day to say the least.
Stupidly, I went to Lowes on my lunch break without planning out the measurements prior and purchased two pipes that ended up being the size of the small castle, so a second trip was needed before finding the right size. It was surprisingly difficult finding a pipe that didn't bend or curve or have more than one opening at the top - I give plumbers credit for having to learn each one of these because there were approximately 4,000 types. For the actual pipes, I ended up going with two "adapters," which I believe are an inch in diameter. To make one pipe slightly taller than the other, like in the game, I purchased a one inch diameter "coupling." I didn't want the adapter to fit into the coupling, but instead be the same size to avoid a weird bulging overlap - because of this, I also grabbed a can of PVC pipe glue to stick them together. Everything I got was in the "PVC Pipes and Fittings" aisle.
To give them their color, I spray painted them in a lime green spray paint - a couple of coats did the trick. To give them their darker green shading, I re-drew the shading, measured to the size of the pipes, in Illustrator and once again used my machine to cut it out of vinyl. To add a touch of black outline along the lip and underside, I used a few of my left over vinyl lines from the castle details.
Using more of the brown 2 x 4 Legos, I was able to construct the staircase. I really didn't bother to spend any time measuring or planning it out because I wasn't worried about it not fitting in the tank. Instead, I built it until I found a height and width that replicated what it was in the game - slightly taller than the castle, but slightly shorter than the flagpole. I again used my machine to cut out more black and white strips to make the shadowing/highlighting details on the structure and placed them on by hand, following the lines the Legos already create when pieced together.
The flag was a bit more difficult than expected; finding the materials at least. The first thing that came to mind for the pole was a rock candy stick, but I couldn't find one long enough to be the length I needed without the price being silly. After some browsing in Michael's, I came across lollipop sticks - they were perfect design wise, but I was worried about deterioration in the water over time. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to find the plastic kind, so purchased the wooden-like ones (not the paper kind) in hopes the enamel I would be spraying over everything would protect it.
For the ball at the top, I bought some rock candy (that I was going to buy anyway) and dismantled the ball on the end of the stick, hot gluing it to the end of the lollipop stick. I can't say hot glue is the best choice in this instance (you know, being under water and all), but I'm giving it a shot anyway. If it fails over time, it's quite simple to rebuild. The stick and ball were painted with their respective colors.
The actual flag was made, once again, out of the magical material vinyl (seriously you can do anything with this stuff). I recreated the flag in Illustrator, both the white part and the two green peace signs, adding a few extra millimeters in the middle so I could wrap the white part around the stick and have the two ends meet perfectly. I went back and forth on aesthetics, debating whether or not to make it the pixelated verizon or more realistic and smooth, but the decision was pretty clear.
After purchasing the two aquarium hoods for the tank, it started to feel real. The tank was almost complete, but something about the rim at the top was looking pretty lame - it certainly didn't fit the theme.
It was here that I turned to Reddit - the more people exposed, the more ideas I would have to brainstorm with. Painting it blue was a popular choice, as was painting the bricks from the bottom on. My favorite idea, however, was the suggestion to do the row of clouds you encounter in certain levels - the ones that you discover after traveling up the mysterious block vine. It was brilliant.
There were abut 100 of these little dudes cut out in vinyl. I cut the white part separately, then the black outline - putting them on one by one.
I even left a space for the vine, which I totally fell in love with once I made it and stuck it on.
Per some additional suggestions from Reddit, I added the level specs to the glass part of my tank (in vinyl of course). I spent a little over two weeks, consistently, on this project, plus the time I put in before taking a bit of a break, so put the estimated amount of hours under the "Time" label. World 1-1 obviously represents the level I based the tank off of. Number of coins will eventually be the number of fish I have when I get to that point and I am still unsure of what the score should represent. I feel like this part really tied everything together, especially since I got it to go on straight.
The biggest qualm I've been receiving regarding this tank was whether or not everything was safe for the fish that would inhabit it - the short answer is yes. Thanks to going to a technical high school, I actually have quite the background in aquatics, spending 4 years "majoring" in tank maintenance and fish care. I understand that chemicals from the spray paint and other materials used are hazardous to fish health, and hours of research for this tank can also back that.
While Legos are actually fish-safe on their own, the paint and glues and vinyl I used is not. To ensure everything was water proof and non-toxic, each piece was sprayed down with Krylon Fusion, a clear coated enamel that's been proven by many auqarists to be safe and long lasting. While Krylon themselves don't recommended or guarantee success (to cover their ass), results from people using this for many years say otherwise.
Fish are the only things left for this tank to reach full completion. Despite being low on funds (tfw recent graduate with crazy student loans), I was able to purchase the filter I needed for a good discount, which was the one thing holding me back from getting the tank to function. As soon as it arrives, I will be adding the water and cycling the tank for about a month to ensure safe water quality levels, then purchasing my fish.
This was definitely the biggest project I have ever tackled before and I couldn't be more proud of how everything turned out. Crafting is a hobby of mine, as are aquarium set-ups; bringing gaming into it was just icing on the cake. For those looking to recreate this tank, I hope this post helps! Despite the amount of work required, it is definitely a full-filling, unique and awe-inspiring piece to have within your home.
Check out the frequently asked questions below for additional information. For further questions, please feel free to comment below and I will answer them as they come.
This is by far the most common question I get. Obviously this came to mind, but as I researched each water level, I found there weren't many objects or structures I could build to put inside the tank. Fish are naturally shy, like to hide and can actually die from stress if they don't have somewhere they can get away. The castles will provide protection for the less dominant fish in the tank, especially since the main fish I'm putting in is an Electric Blue Jacks Dempsey, which are highly aggressive and territorial.
And also because fuck the water levels.
2. Is this tank safe for fish?
In case you didn't read the post: This tank was built with a combination of Legos, vinyl, and spray paint. Legos are actually quite safe for tanks, but the other two are not. Because of this, every piece has been sprayed down with aquarist recommended Krylon Fusion clear enamel.
3. Where the hell are the fish?
While it's pretty much ready to go, aquariums need to be "cycled." This is when the good bacteria establishes in your filter/tank that will help keep all the water levels at fish-healthy levels. To cycle the tank, I have to pretend to feed non existent fish. The ammonia from the food will build up in the water, jump starting the cycle. It takes a good 4-6 weeks for a cycle to fully complete before the water is safe for the fish to be added. Cycling cannot be done until the filter is present and since I just acquired it, this process has yet to start.
4. What kind of fish are you putting in it?
My main fish is going to be an Electric Blue Jacks Dempsey. These fish are a type of cichlid, which are territorial by nature, so I have to be careful about what else goes in. I have also decided on a Dinosaur Eel and freshwater Butterfly Fish, as they will fair well with the Jack. I'm hoping to also get some schooling fish in there such as Rainbow Fish or Danios to stock it well.
5. What the hell is a die cutter and where can I buy one?
The machine I used is called the Silhouette Cameo. It's a small scale die cutting machine that cuts any type of paper, card stock, vinyl, some fabrics, sugar sheets, cork board, and dozens of other things. It's accompanied with free software called Silhouette Studio, which allows me to bring in my own artwork as vector format (or just simple JPGs), trace it, and cut it to whatever size I want. It's $300 new, but totally worth the investment. I had the original model, the Silhouette SD, and both machines paid for themselves in a month or two with the projects I made and sold.
6. Do you sell these?
Currently, I have no "kits" in stock and unless there is extreme demand (or a good price offered...HINT HINT), I don't plan on listing them anywhere in the hopes people buy. The Legos themselves are pretty costly and shipping would most likely be a nightmare. I will however, be more than happy to sell the files/illustrations I created for the die cutting machine and other pieces. Just send me a message if you're interested.
7. Do you have any future projects planned?
I'm always working on a project, so there will be plenty more in the future. In terms of fish tanks, I want to do a small The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past theme for my betta fish tank at work. It won't be as grand and large scale as this tank, but fun nonetheless.
So it's been a year since I made and stocked this fish tank and I'm happy to report it is still going strong! There have been a few fish deaths thanks to common diseases from pet store fish (and not quarantining like I should) and both flags have suffered casualties thanks to me not being careful while vacuuming, but overall it's holding up well.
The last time I wrote about this tank was before I stocked the tank, so if you're interested in seeing the fish I decided upon, check out the page with pictures here: click link - I have also lost/added a few since then.
A statement I see a lot around the web is that it must be a pain in the ass to clean. The answer? Not really. It gets a good once a month water change along with a scrub down of built up algae. While it won't ever look as amazing as the day it got fish, it's definitely not disgusting unless I get lazy and let it go. I use a miniature toilet scrub brush I found at the dollar store to scrub the castles, staircase, and pipes. No different than I would clean any other tank decor.
Since this went viral, I get a lot of requests from people who want to purchase the tank from me, or hire me to build them one. While I am flattered, this is a project I'm not willing to take on again unless you're willing to pay a pretty penny (I'LL MAKE IT AT A HIGH PROICE! Heh heh, stranga). Like $5,000.
I will, however, be selling the files for people who have the tools to cut and make their own details. I would also be willing to make a completed backdrop for people's tank, but only at a starting price of $200. If either of these are something you're interested in, send me a message via my contact page and we can chat.
If you have any additional questions, please comment below and I'd be happy to answer!


text:
White Plastic Pedestal Urn
Height: 9½"
Opening Diameter: 12"
Depth: 7½"
Base Diameter: 8"
More details
The White Pedestal Urns are a fashionable and economical container that's suitable for any occasion. They come in two sizes, the small option is 9½" tall with a 11" wide opening and a base that measures 8" across. There's 9½" of depth to fit your arrangements. Because they're made from durable plastic, the Pedestal Urns are a smart choice for arrangements that will be subject to the elements. As an alternative to a glass vase, the container will showcase your flowers elegantly without breaking your budget. The base is detachable for easy storage. The white finish of the vase will complement your flowers nicely without overpowering your design. Consider using Aquafoam to hold and hydrate your flowers. You'll be able to use the White Pedestal Urn to hold your wonderful flower arrangements for years to come, thanks to it's undeniable adaptability timeless appeal.


text:
Preston historian KEITH JOHNSON puts the kettle on and looks back at the city's long journey from wells and pumps to free-running fresh water (which hardly ever contains cryptosporidium)
The Lancashire Evening Post was quick to inform us our water was no longer safe to drink following the discovery of traces of cryptosporidium in the United Utilities water treatment plant at Catterall.
That glass of refreshing cold water from the tap is no longer safe to drink!
In truth, these days we take our water supply for granted and perhaps it makes us realise how lucky we are.
The history of Preston shows us that past generations were not so fortunate. Indeed many places within the old borough boundaries give us clues as to the old methods of gathering water so essential to life.
There is no doubt that the Strand Road area of Preston has seen significant changes in recent years and consequently the names of some of the nearby places seem foreign to their present surroundings.
Back in the mid-19th century the area was developed to accommodate the buildings necessary for railway carriage manufacture. By the turn of the century the Dick Kerr works had been developed and tramcars were being built for customers worldwide.
Spa Road is a reminder of the days when Spa Brow valley ran from Water Lane to Marsh Lane and there was an abundance of cool, clear, crystal springs. Alas, the springs were confined to distant memory as the industrial development continued apace.
Spa Brow became famous locally for its open-air cold-water bath, which was constructed in 1708 and had adjoining apartments for dressing and a house for occupation by the caretaker.
The popularity of the bath, which was square in shape with a flagged bottom, particularly in summer, saw it survive for over 150 years.
There was a provision in the lease that stated the public were at liberty to wash and cleanse their skins for free at the stream of waste water running from the baths.
Following the closure it was eventually covered over by heavy wooden sleepers, with several feet of earth on top. It is believed that when Cold Bath Street was built, to the east of Spa Brow amongst the fields, it got its name through being on the route to the bath. This area was also home to Fish's cotton mill, known locally as Spa Mill because in the mill yard there was a long open spring in which watercress flourished.
Bath Street at the lower end of Fylde Road is reminder of the time when there were public slipper baths there that were eventually converted into dwelling houses. The only competition for the Spa Brow baths in the first half of the 19th century came from the warm and cold water baths situated next to Jackson's Cottage to the east of Avenham, but these were swept away during the construction of Avenham Park.
Water Lane appears to be so named due to the fact that up until the 1830s there was a well from which water was drawn and carted into town, selling at a half penny per can full. Wellfield Road owes its name to the time when green fields abounded in that area and a stream known as Spittal Syke served the well field there.
In Fishergate, between Cannon Street and Guildhall Street, there used to be a popular draw well, made by the Corporation in 1664.
Three other wells to serve the town being situated in Molyneux Square, near the end of Main Sprit-weind and in Church Street near the junction with Manchester Road, which was in earlier times called Water Street.
Many people in the Avenham district used to fetch their water from a well below the Avenham Colonnade, on the eastern slopes of Avenham. While along the river Ribble by the side of the Ashton quays there was a spring claimed to have great medicinal virtues.
Of course, there was also the medieval holy well in the area now known as Ladywell Street, from which water was piped to the nearby friary at which place the monks quenched their thirst.
As long ago as 1729 an agreement was made between the Corporation and two locals Robert Abbat and Thomas Kellet to set works on foot to accommodate and supply the inhabitants of Preston with water.
They took advantage of the several springs and sources of water and laid pipes down streets and lanes and preserved the existing wells and pumps.
It included a cistern or reservoir down Glover Street and other resourceful gentleman joined the enterprise down the decades.
In 1832 the Preston Waterworks Company was formed and this eventually led to the mentioned wells and springs, and all the others being drained away or covered, the Spa Well being the last to close. The company, keen to make their mark made a reservoir at Grimsargh to greatly improve the water supply of the town, so essential for a place of manufacturing.
That most generous of men Joseph Livesey, of Temperance fame, provided drinking fountains in different parts of the town in 1858. Fishergate, Church Street, Lancaster Road, Lune Street, North Road and Bridge Lane all becoming places where you could quench your thirst.
By 1853 reservoirs were in existence at Dilworth, Alston, Grimsargh and Fulwood; their combined capacity reported as 166M gallons. In the next decade the Spade Mill reservoir near Longridge was constructed. All necessary when one considers that by the 1880s Preston required a daily supply of about 3M gallons.
Inevitably, there remain many local street names that have connections with the streams of old origin like Moorbrook with its path through Deepdale on its way to Garstang Road, serving as it did many mill lodges en route. Brookfield Street, Brook Street, Moorbrook Street, Greenbank Street and Brookhouse Street all reminders of the path of the brook which continued towards the canal aqueduct and on to the River Ribble via Watery Lane – that is until the river was diverted for the dock construction.
Then, of course, there was the Syke an important tributary that flowed through Avenham, down the hill now known as Syke Hill and on to Syke Street where it fed the Avenham Mill reservoir prior to its passage under the gardens of Winckley Square, past the railway station and on to its meeting with the river at Broadgate. Then there is the Savick Brook that gave its name to the Council Estate at Lea with its Savick Avenue and Swill Brook with its source near to Waverley Park and feeding many a mill lodge on its way to emptying itself in the River Ribble near to the old Tram Bridge. Swill Brook Lane leading down from Frenchwood Avenue reminding us of a brook that was used by local women to do their washing as it flowed quite rapidly down to the river.
The River Ribble has influenced quite a number of street names; in the Broadgate area alone we have Ribbleside, River Crescent and River Parade besides Ribble Street, River Street and the old Ribblebank Street over looking the river. Whilst the district of Ribbleton, not surprisingly, has a Ribbleton Lane, Ribbleton Avenue, Ribbleton Street, Ribbleton Place as well as a Ribbleton Hall Drive and Ribbleton Hall Crescent reminders of the days of Ribbleton Hall a bygone mansion.
The popularity of river names can be seen in the Ashton area with Calder Street, Clyde Street, Dart Street, Dee Street and Mersey Street all off Watery Lane along with Tweed Street, Wyre Street and Hull Street.
Besides these there are Tyne Street and Tay Street off Broadgate and Exe Street, Tees Street and Cam Street in the Deepdale area, Tiber Street and Arno Street in Frenchwood, Jordan Street off Fishergate, Tamar Street off Fishwick View, not forgetting Lune Street opened in 1802 and one of Preston's historic thoroughfares.
Then there are the street names influenced by the Lancaster Canal that in bygone days terminated close to the Corn Exchange.
One of the canal wharfs tributaries was a stream with its source near Bow Lane in a field called Springfield, thus providing the name for Springfield Place and Spring Bank, along with Wharf Street, Fleet Street, Kendal Street and Aqueduct Street all which have links with the days of packet boats on that vital waterway.
So the days when the River Ribble was crystal clear and packed with salmon, when mill lodges were supplied by babbling brooks, springs quenched the traveller's thirst, cold baths were the order of the day, women washed the clothes in the passing stream and buckets of fresh water were drawn from the wells may have gone, but they are etched deep into the street names of our thoroughfares.
Perhaps when the emergency is over we will appreciate even more the readily available running water that we often take for granted.
At the turn of a tap Preston's water supply is one of the finest and softest in the country which is not bad for an area were in 17th century days folk relied upon springs, wells, and streams for their water.


text:
Original recipe 2007; Re-do Recipe by Sarah Phillips; Food styling and photos by Kelly Hong © 2-20-2016 Sarah Phillips CraftyBaking.com
Caramel apples aren't just for Fall anymore! We dressed them up for Spring and Easter. These caramel apples are perfection.
The juxtaposition of creamy-soft caramel, crisp juicy apples and luscious toppings make a scrumptious treat that is perfect for gift giving and special occasion party favors.
They would make a tasty addition to your child's Easter basket.
I invite you into my kitchen to make Caramel Apples! Mine are covered with a soft and chewy caramel that hardens just right on tart Granny Smith apples, which you can optionally dip in toasted nuts or chocolate, making them a sensational treat. I even make a batch or two to give away as Christmas gifts because it seems as though you can never go wrong with this special recipe. I also have a Candy Apple Recipe which is very different from this one.
Soft caramel can be tricky to make, as with any candy recipe. It takes precision and timing to get the recipes to work just right. But, I have carefully outlined every step here for you to follow, with lots of detailed explanations and pictures so you can't go wrong. I give special thanks to Chef Barry Marcus who taught me everything I needed to know about making candy recipes.
Orange Piggy, Premium Member, Says: "I successfully made caramel apples for the first time! Long time ago I attempted to make caramel apples but they all came out either grainy or too thick/thin to coat the apples. This time, with Sarah's recipe, they came out great and they taste sooooo good."
Test from member winkyndobby:
"Sarah---Thank you for demystifying homemade caramel for me! The detailed instructions (and pictures!) helped making this recipe effortless, fun, and PERFECT on my first try! I used Granny Smith apples, slivered and toasted almonds, and Ghirardelli Double Chocolate for dipping.
We had a taste-testing party with several highly-rated mail-order caramel apples to test your claim of "The Best Caramel Apple Recipe". All apples tested were Caramel/Almond/Chocolate Flavor**. Tasters ranged in age from 13-52, and we had the following apples in the lineup:
1) CraftyBaking.com Recipe
2) Epicurious Recipe
3) Williams-Sonoma Recipe ($22 for 1 apple, + required overnight S&H)
4) Debritoschocolate.com ($22 for 2 apples + 33 S&H)
5) amyscandykitchen.com ($24 for 2 apples + 21 S&H) **'Caramel/almond' was closest flavor available
Judging Criteria: Fruit: Size/Flavor/Texture, Caramel: Thickness of layer, chewy texture, Flavor, Topping: Texture/Flavor, Chocolate. (also noted were consistency of product and customer service)
Results: Unanimous: CraftyBaking wins 'Best Overall Apple' !!! The caramel was a runaway winner! I never have to buy another caramel apple again! I made enough for a dozen apples, but I'm happy to say, I was so successful, that there were none of mine left to take home at the end of the night.
The price of my membership was worth this recipe alone!"
Other Recipes
Swiss Meringue Buttercream or SMBC
42277 views| 69 comments
Lemon Glazed Cookies
8992 views| 5 comments
Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
5423 views| 0 comments
Add Your Comment
You must be a Premium Member to comment Register Now »


text:
Montrose 0 East Stirlingshire 1Montrose suffered a blow in their fight against the drop, losing to relegation rivals East Stirlingshire on a wintry Angus day.
The visitors scored the only goal of the game just before the hour mark. Montrose centre back Adam Harwood gave the ball away to Shire's Ross Gilmour inside his own half. The visiting substitute carried the ball to the edge of the box before squaring it to DAVID GREENHILL, the striker firing a low shot past Stuart McKenzie in the Montrose goal.
Although the balance of possession was fairly even throughout the match, Shire created more chances, and could have been ahead in the third minute when one of their two trialists shot wide.
Montrose centre back Marvin Andrews, making his home debut, could have opened the scoring in the fifth minute, but headed wide from a Ross McCord corner.
Greenhill tried his luck from long range in the 18th minute, but McKenzie held the shot. The keeper also held David McKenna's shot on the turn nine minutes later.
Shire should have opened the scoring in the 36th minute when Harwood missed his sliding challenge and let Greenhill in on goal, but his shot from the edge of the box flew across goal and out to safety.
The first half ended with Ross McCord bursting through the Shire defence, but the midfielder could only blast his shot high and wide.
Shire started the second half on the offensive, Graeme McGregor having a shot blocked and Connor Greene firing over.
Paul Harkins also tried his luck from long range, but his free kick from 35 yards out curled wide of the target.
Having gone behind to Greenhill's goal, Montrose almost found an immediate equaliser, Harkins showing some neat footwork on the edge of the box before having his shot blocked. Terry Masson was first to the loose ball, but he cannoned his shot over the crossbar.
McKenzie was called into action again in the 69th minute, doing well to hold Greene's header.
Chasing an equaliser, Montrose came close in the 74th minute, Andrews volleying over from Harkins' corner.
Shire could have put the result beyond doubt in the 81st minute when Ross Gilmour sent a low ball across goal, but Greenhill couldn't apply the finish.
Deep into injury time, Greenhill freed one of the Shire trialists in the box, but he slipped his shot wide of the post.


text:
Ohio's Service Provider
If this is your first time applying online, please create a login.
Please enter the email address you use to sign in. We will email you momentarily with instructions on how to access your account and reset your password.
If you have previously submitted an online application, then please log in now. If not, please enter your details below.
Password must contain at least one upper case letter, one number, and be a minimum of 6 characters long.


text:
If there is one thing clear about Whitney Wolfe it is that she is taking charge of her life. She knows what she wants in personal life, and she is also aware of what she wants to accomplish in Whitney Wolfe's career. People that are taking a look at what she's doing right now or well aware that she is tackling both with vigorous enthusiasm.
On the business front Whitney Wolfe has created a very successful dating app called Bumble. This app has actually expanded to Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz. These are incredibly successful app extensions that are helping Whitney Wolfe grow the company that she originally started to help singles find dates.
This has been a great accomplishment for a young entrepreneur that is under the age of 30. Forbes has listed Whitney Wolfe several times as one of the top 30 under 30 because she has put so much time into developing her app and becoming a technology leader for the new millenium crowd.
One might say that this would be more than enough to be excited about, but Whitney Wolfe actually had even more to get excited about this year. She connected with her fiance in a wonderful Way by getting married on the Amalfi Coast. She has become a woman that is able to build quite a bit of buzz about her company, but she is also reaping the benefits of a happy personal life as well.
Whitney Wolfe is making sure that other singles get the chance to explore the possibilities of love through her dating app. She is excited about what she has been able to do in the dating app industry because she felt that it was stagnant for a long time.
She believed that male domination was the thing that was totally killing the app industry. This is why Whitney Wolfe wanted to go forth and create something that was totally different.
In her personal life Whitney Wolfe also wanted to explore something different as well. In previous relationships she was connected to someone that was also in the same technology app field that she was part of. This time with the mate that she chose to marry she connected with a oil tycoon by the name of Michael Herd. Whitney Wolfe with proven herself to be quite the busy business professional this year, but she still had time to get married.
Whitney Wolfe info: www.instagram.com/whitwolfe/?hl=en


text: Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter lets you easily connect your Mac to any TV or display. Create the ultimate home theater by connecting your Mac equipped with Thunderbolt 2 to an Ultra HD television for unmatched clarity and detail. The adapter also supports multi-channel digital audio output for detailed, room-filling sound. Its stylish aluminum casing and slim design also ensure full access to all the ports on your Mac


text:
We welcomed our latest addition to the family on 9-May.
The littlest one - Seth.
The first months were tough. Having had Sas more than three years ago, we sorta forgot what things were like in the initial stages. Well, of course, our memories of the fun stuff are refreshed too - baby cooing, giggling at pretty random stuff, gazing at us like we're the most important people in his universe, and loving us with no hesitation. Aww...
Please don't grow up so fast, Sethie. Let Mommy enjoy more of your babyhood, pretty please.
August 23, 2016
April 06, 2016
Baby II
Yes, we're expecting.
Almost hitting the 34-week mark and welcoming Baby II in a few weeks' time.
Sascha, being my biggest fan, is the most supportive during this pregnancy. She comforts me when I'm unwell, offers me mini-massages and rubs, and she talks, sings, coos to Baby II too! Hope she'll keep up the loving gestures for the sibling in time to come.
Looking forward to our new member and our Melbourne trip that was supposed to take place in February, and had to be postponed.
Almost hitting the 34-week mark and welcoming Baby II in a few weeks' time.
Sascha, being my biggest fan, is the most supportive during this pregnancy. She comforts me when I'm unwell, offers me mini-massages and rubs, and she talks, sings, coos to Baby II too! Hope she'll keep up the loving gestures for the sibling in time to come.
Looking forward to our new member and our Melbourne trip that was supposed to take place in February, and had to be postponed.
September 01, 2015
Perth Highlights
Greeting Stevie the Koala at Caversham Wildlife Park
Having a short break at The Berry Farm, Margaret River
Sunflowers Animal Farm
April 10, 2015
Bye Langkawi, hello Port Dickson... and Perth
Ms. Chubbs chilling... well, more like binge-eating... at the Krisflyer lounge with Papa and Popo
Arrived at the resort, and relaxing with the resident calico kitty
Cable car ride
Sun(set), sand, sea and dinner at La Sal, Casa Del Mar
Our family trip is complete.
Next stop... Grand Lexis, Port Dickson.
Our own private pool in the suite! Someone's gonna be real happy.
And since I'm not working any more, I've made grand plans for Poppy's birthday this year. We're headed to Perth. It's all about relax, relax, relax for the precious two. Can't wait.
February 23, 2015
Holiday in view!
There is a serious lack of updates on this blog.
Just recovered from a terrible bout of cold > fever > stomach flu. The greatest comforts I had were my hubby and little girl, both whom took turns to care for me. She was very understanding when I told her that I'm not feeling well, and asked if we can postpone her swimming trip to another day. The best part, she came to check on me every now and then, asking "Mommy, feeling better now?", "Mommy, you want food?", "Tummy still pain? I put oil-oil for you?" and offered to rub my tummy. *cues unanimous aww...
Oh my, how much she has grown. I hope she'll stay forever so sensible and dear.
That said, another holiday is in order. So Bro and I have organised an official family trip, this time, including his GF, and our parents. Awesome-ness.
Just browsing at the pictures of the villa already eases my post-holiday blues!
Each villa has its own resident cat, and like me, I'm sure Baby Ma would love it to bits. Can't wait for the trip. My much needed break.
Till then.
January 03, 2015
2014.08.15 - 2014.08.25 Taiwan 走透透
I just realized that I never posted the pictures taken during our August Taiwan trip.
So, here are some of the highlights. Initially intending to spend a couple of days at Kaohsiung, but we re-routed due to the gas explosion and only went to Taichung, Hsinchu, Keelung / Jiufen and Taipei.
Amongst the many places we went, Baby Ma loved the farm-stay at Flying Cow the most. She enjoyed so much that we may consider going to Perth in the near future.
For now, I'll just let the pictures speak.
November 30, 2014
Bébé is two!
Bébé is officially two!
Before she started school, I swore I would never succumb to her requests for celebration and/or goodie bags.
But, I did.
I did it without her even asking.
I just love the look of delight spread across her chubby little face.
Celebration with her schoolmates and favorite (now second-favorite) Dora theme
Celebrations at my mom's and in-laws'
How could we miss cooking her rice vermicelli noodles with egg. Look at her enjoying her bowl of yums. Watching her eat is such a joy (cleaning up afterwards is another story altogether).
October 22, 2014
Late, late, late.
Finally. I finally have time to sit down and sort out the pictures from our photoshoot in May. O.M.G. It's been almost five months.
Five months since the photoshoot.
Five months since she started full-day childcare.
Five months without my stay-in Mommy helping me.
Phew! How did I even survive and get this far?
Well, I'll end off with some of the (extremely late) pictures from the shoot below. Some of the behind-the-scene shots are so hilarious that I decided to print them out in collages. Look at Ms. Fidgety in action!
The bottom-left is darn funny. I've got a little hooligan!
June 17, 2014
Photo Session I
May 28, 2014
Achievement unlocked: 18months
Sascha turned 18 months on Monday.
Can't believe how quickly she's growing!
Brought her for a photoshoot with Claire from Tree of Life Photography. We were so occupied with attracting and distracting her that we've totally forgotten about snapping pictures with our own cameras. This was the only one I managed to capture on my mobile phone.
Can't wait for the pix to be ready in a month's time!
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
This year marks the 5th year for the Singapore Blog Awards. This year, it was held at the Singapore flyer. :)
Photo taken with Muiee Phan and Darren.
Munah & Hirzi.
Hubab says he doesn't want to be the picture because, he only does solo shots!
Deenise and her friend.
Thanks for the invite SBA2012 team!


text:
- Dreaming42
- 4 years ago
I have NEVER been one of those people who looks for gifts. I love being surprised on Christmas day.
SO and I had discussed that we wouldn't really do gifts this year since we are in saving mode and we are also going on a small trip at Christmas. But, I told him I was buying him a couple things he needs (the kind he won't actually get around to buying himself) and I wasn't spending much. Well the past week he has been bugging me about what I want for Christmas. I told him not to buy me anything- there's absolutely nothing I need, and he's better off saving his money. I didn't want him to buy me something just for the sake of buying something. Well yesterday I come home and he starts talking about how he ordered my gift today, and how I'm going to be so happy with it, it's something I really, really want. I've brainstormed and I can't think of anything I've told him I really want (well, other than the unrealistic things like a puppy and a pony.. lol. Oh and some new boots, but I've made it very clear I don't want him to buy those for me since we have different tastes!) I am so, so tempted to look at his history just to see what store he bought from. I have to admit, there's this little voice in the back of my head that is telling me that it could be a ring… and I know it's (99%) not, but I really just want to confirm that it isn't so I can get that out of my head.
Talk me down! And are there any serial gift snoopers? I am so bad at lying and I know I couldn't fake a realistic surprised reaction on Christmas morning!
- This topic was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Dreaming42.


text:
Better late than never, Reebok has followed suit with the "Customize" your own pair trend. You are now able to design and purchase your own pair of Reebok Instapump Fury, Tempos, or Nano 5s. Above is a quick "SneakerShouts" inspired design I created.
For a limited time only, Reebok is offering 30% off all customized designs with code: YOUR30


text:
Securus Technologies is located in Dallas, Texas, and serves and secures over 1.3 million inmates in over 3,400 prisons and jail systems in the United States. They have won a number of awards for their customer service and business model, most notably the Gold Stevie Award.
Lately, their crime prevention programs among inmates and others have been given positive responses by those in correctional facilities.
Just about every week, Securus Technologies researches and develops new ways to care for inmates and prevent crime. They service what they sell, always ready to help the corrections officers learn how to use the latest technologies they have developed.
Receiving plaudits for their work is nothing new to the company. They have always worked hard to achieve their goals of proper inmate care and management.
Crime prevention among inmates has been much easier at the locations where Securus Technologies' hardware and software is installed.
They have received thousands of letters from correctional officers and others involved with the control and disposition of correctional inmates. Every one of the letters give a glowing personal recommendation for the achievements of this company in the area of inmate management.
Securus Technologies, Inc. works endlessly to keep us safe. They deserve the commendations they have received.


text:
BEFORE you enter the theatre you are handed a set of headphones.
As you walk down the corridor you put them on and hear musicians delivering some chilled, ambient music. There's the occasional spoken word.
On stage, the five-strong cast are seated. They move only occasionally during this captivating performance which links two very different life changing journeys.
* * * *
Assembly Hall, The Mound
One is Yuri Gagarin, the Russian cosmonaut, preparing for his ground-breaking flight into space, the other, un-named migrants trying to paddle their inflatable boat across the world's busiest shipping line to a new life in Spain.
The narratives are interwoven and accompanied by a magnificent score. All made the more intense by the headphones, every whisper and vocal tick layered within the soundtrack accentuated.
The narrative on Gagarin is based on the recorded dialogue with his ground crew in the moments leading to his epic space voyage.
The minutiae of the last minutes before take-off are filled with the mundane, technical checks and personal re-assurance, culminating in total silence as the cosmonaut prepares to be hurled from the planet.
Several generations after we put men into space, we cannot get people to safety from desperately troubled locations in difficult times; the un-named refugees trying to get from Tunisia to Spain and a new life.
They explain the incredible challenges of simply getting to the shore and finding a vessel and then, once at sea, the sheer scale of the task that lies ahead.
It's a performance filled with humanity and intensity, and the use of headphones for everyone - including the cast - makes it a unique, hypnotic entrancing experience.
Run ends 28 August


text:
In the wake of the unspeakable act of violence committed February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, the School Board and the entire Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) family continue to offer support to the Broward community. Members of the District's Crisis Team, including psychologists, social workers, and family counselors, are providing additional support to Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) students, staff and families.
Immediately following this terrible incident, M-DCPS leaders began a comprehensive assessment of existing school security and safety protocols with the aim of identifying opportunities for improvement. The process was driven by one question: "How can we best protect our children?" The result of the evaluation is a series of recommended enhancements to the district's safety protocols, developed in collaboration with local and state agencies, to ensure that every Miami-Dade school is safe.
School Board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman, Schools Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, Miami Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, County Commission Chairman Esteban L. Bovo, and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle authored a joint letter to lawmakers in pursuit of long-term solutions to increase student safety. Requests included an additional $30 million in state funding needed to support the following enhancements expected to strengthen school safety:
- 100 additional school resource officers;
- 75 additional mental health/social work professionals to focus on prevention/early detection of youth needs, and four mental health counselor advocates dedicated to providing counseling services and addressing the unique and long-lasting impact and trauma of violent crime on our children;
- School-site infrastructure and inter-agency needs such as:
- Video surveillance and internet protocol monitoring systems for school sites;
- Evaluation of classroom glass window panes against ballistics, along with the materials needed to implement recommendations;
- Mechanisms to automatically lock all doors;
- Digital floor plan and mapping system for countywide response;
- Enhanced mass communication systems at schools that provide expanded access to school public address systems;
- Early detection software, social media data-mining software, and enhanced connectivity technology to improve inter-agency information sharing; and
- Cyber analyst and Assistant State Attorney positions to provide technical guidance in the collection and analysis of social media and other electronic evidence.
Additionally, beginning immediately, the following steps are being taken:
- Teachers have been directed to lock their classrooms during the school day. Entrance after class period begins will require a key or knock for entrance.
- Within the next few weeks, all secondary schools will implement mandatory school-issued ID use.
- All schools are being evaluated to reduce points of entry on campus, and protocols related to drills and school lockdowns are under review.
- All available law enforcement and mental health resources are being redeployed to school sites
- New and absolute directives related to school security personnel performance have been issued, requiring all security personnel – without exception – to wear identifiable uniforms to increase visibility on campus.
- Parent communication is being enhanced through the use of text messaging to provide information when a threat is received and notification once a threat has been cleared.
Parents, students and staff of M-DCPS should be aware that Miami-Dade Schools Police Department (M-DSPD) takes every threat made to schools seriously. M-DSPD thoroughly investigates each one to determine the validity of the threat and to identify the perpetrator.
As always, the safety and well-being of students and staff are priorities. Everyone is reminded to report any suspicious activity by calling 305-995-COPS (2677) or 305-471-TIPS (8477). Remember, if you See Something, Say Something.
For the most up-to-date information, please download the Dadeschools mobile app on your iPhone or Android device. Follow us on Twitter @mdcps and @miamisup and on Facebook at MiamiSchools and AlbertoCarvalho.


text:
When Latitude made their first announcements for the 2017 lineup, with The 1975, Mumford and Sons and Fleet Foxes headlining, there was definite cause for elation. But there's some fantastic artists further down the bill that are exciting us too. We picked a few recommendations for the July festival that should definitely tempt you to buy a ticket.
King Nun
When 'Tulip' and 'Speakerface' came out last year, it was evident that these guys were going to be big. But with the recent release of 'Hung Around', where Jack White-esque guitars and screaming meets catchy pop choruses, it's a certainty. If you like bands like FREAK, VANT and other loud, messy guitar bands around at the moment, you're very lucky to add King Nun to that list now.
Maggie Rogers
After writing songs for a homework task, Maggie Rogers turned up to university with 'Alaska' a song which she didn't expect to present to Pharrell Williams, who of course, was stunned. Since then she's gone from strength to strength, appearing on Jimmy Fallon and releasing her Now That the Light is Fading EP to massive acclaim. She's a must see at this year's festival, playing the BBC Music stage on the Saturday.
Goat Girl
If there's one band worth getting very exciting about this year, it's Goat Girl. The age old four people guitar/bass/drums set up finds a new lease of life through their skulking riffs, subtly pissed off delivery, blunt social commentary and hilariously disgusting videos. While we all eagerly await their debut album, check them out on Latitude's Sunrise Arena on the Sunday.
From a small town in Norway, Sigrid is one of the most exciting new acts in the world right now. The Scandinavian singer-songwriter was signed at just 16, leaving her to juggle school and a potentially massive music career as 'the new Lorde'. You'd think the pressure would be high, but with songs sounding as promising as 'Don't Kill My Vibe', it's starting to seem prophetic that her name translates as 'Victory'.
Named after a homemade concoction of water, honey, food dye and cornflour, Honeyblood are again, must-sees at this year's festival. With last year's Babes Never Die continuing their perfect blend of indie rock riffs and poppy urgency, there's even more reason to see the Scottish duo destroy the Sunrise Arena.


text:
show and tell (though it's more show than tell)
The fiber from the previous post (jar dyeing) - this isn't the best picture but it does show the range of colors that came out of the jar. It's spinning up beautifully.
Shawl progress as of Monday morning - it's up to 8 repeats of the first chart and I anticipate it'll be a late night. I'd be further along, but somehow I managed to leave the pattern (SwallowTail, Interweave Knits '06) at the doctor's office (long story...). Thanks to the kind soul who passed me their (well loved) copy so I could keep going - I'll pick up the IK tomorrow.
I have no idea if it'll actually be finished by Saturday morning and that's okay. The yarn is MamaCate's handspun cashmere (yarn #5, for those who have seen all of the other yarns) and the pattern is #4? #5? This whole project fell apart before it came together - much like my medical school experience.
This is the fleece that jumped off the table into my arms - it's a bit of a mutant as it's an icelandic/romney cross.
I thought it was worth $15.75 just to see what it looked like all laid out - there are parts with a double coat, parts that scream "Romney!" and other parts that aren't sure what they want to be when they grow up.
(these fleece bags were one of the best finds of the weekend - it's hard to see from this picture, but both ends tie, and it's big enough to line a top-opening washing machine. I'll add the website when I find the paperwork that came with it.)
The fleece is still at MamaCate's becuase I was afraid I'd be distracted by it. (that position has been filled with the above fiber and my Robin wheel....)
Late one night I saw Cate's cat pawing at the porch door - she was after a Luna Moth. It's been years since I last saw one, so I dug out the camera and shoo'd away the cat.
"Luna Moth" would make an excellent colorway.....
My home interent is nonfunctional right now, but if I hunch in one corner of the house I can borrow a signal from the neighbors. The hotel I'm staying at tomorrow night has wireless, and if nothing else I'll update the shawl picture. The only thing on my agenda tomorrow is "practice standing in alphabetical order and walking, sitting and standing on command." It shouldn't take all day, so I'll have time to knit, knit, knit.


text:
It's almost Valentine's Day, and it's time to pamper yourself, whether you have a man in your life or not! This is for you. With the new year well on it's way, lets get in gear and start a beauty regiment for the next 14 days. If you have little ones, involve them too. I'll give you a few cute ideas later.
Okay, are you ready!! The first day, today, we will be taking inventory with ourselves. Take a pad of paper, a mirror, a calendar and something to write with. That's all you need for the first day. Stand in front of the mirror and examine your hair. You might need to color your hair and get it cut . Maybe your hair feels dry. Write it on your pad of paper. Next look at your hands and feet. Most likely you'll need a fresh coat of nail polish on both your hands and feet just before Valentine's Day. I could use a pedicure to get those heels nice and smooth! Our hands always take a beaten with sewing, crafting, doing the dishes, cleaning and so much more. You will then be looking at your face and take note of what you see. Is your skin dry, oily or do you have combination skin? Have you been working hard and not getting enough sleep, so you notice dark circles under your eyes. Write it down on your pad of paper. Take one more look in the mirror and say, "I'm beautiful!" Write it on a your pad of paper! I'm beautiful!!! I deserved to be pampered!!!
Each day I have shared a tip or two on how you can pamper yourself for Valentine's Day. Okay, ladies, you know that we don't need an excuse to make ourselves feel beautiful and to be good to ourselves, but it sure is great to have one!
Most of these pampering ideas will be DIY. I can't cut my own hair so for that I will leave it up to my hair dresser. Some of your days will be different then mine. Just remember to swap it with another day.
Don't get sad, if your man is away, your single, or you feel like you don't have the money to spend. Maybe you feel like you have no reason to pamper yourself. That is simply not true. When you do meet that special someone, I would think you would be attractive You deserve it!! If money is tight, most of these ideas are DIY with items we already have at home. Besides, you don't have to do them all. Pick and choose what works for you!!!
Get some of your girlfriends together and have them over. Plan a movie night, a pot luck dinner, game night or maybe just have wine with the girls and enjoy a few appetizers with your friends. If it's just you and the kids, bake cookies. Make cards for the Grandparents. If you're alone that night make plans to going shopping, or buy some pretty fabric to make some pajamas!!
Day 2 Today and everyday lotion up. In the morning after you
shower and before you hit the sack. Target your face,
neck, hands/arms, legs and feet. We want our skin to be
soft! I use a different lotion for my face then I do for my
Day3 Schedule your hair appointment to have it colored and cut
for whatever day works for you. I color my own hair but,
I do need it cut by someone, so this will take two
different days. Also, make an appointment with yourself
to do your nails and pedicure. Mark it on your calendar!
Don't forget to lotion up twice a day!!!
Day 4 Drink more water! Add at least 2-8 ounces of water to
your day. I find it hard to drink water so I make a light
tea in the evening before bed. A light tea means I dunk
my tea bag 3-4 times in my cup of hot water just enough
to give the water some color. Do this everyday!! It's
important to hydrate the skin!!! Lotion up!


text:
If you're in the market for a smaller iPhone or iPad Pro, Apple has now opened preorders for its more demure devices — the 4″ iPhone SE and 9.7″ iPad Pro — just as it announced it would earlier this week.
Unveiled at an event on Monday, the iPhone SE looks similar to the iPhone 5s, which launched in 2013, but its internals are perhaps closer to the iPhone 6s, which only came out six months ago. Indeed, the iPhone SE has an A9 chip, M9 motion coprocessor, Touch ID, a 12-megapixel iSight back camera that supports 4K video, and — crucially — support for Apple Pay.
Meanwhile, the new version of the iPad Pro is not only smaller, but less expensive, starting at $600 as opposed to $800 for the 12.9″ incarnation. The new iPad Pro's camera has also been upgraded to 12 megapixels, with support for 4K video and a Retina flash built in — just in case you decide that your iPad is a great option for shooting movies.
While Apple made a number of announcements at its Cupertino event this week, for many, the event was more than a little underwhelming. But not every Apple event promises to be a game changer. With smartphone sales starting to stall, a smaller iPhone is likely Apple's way of trying to stir interest in a market that has seen screen sizes grow to tablet-like proportions — so it will be interesting to see whether Apple can continue its profits surge with a device aimed at those with small hands.