Jan 5, 2013

Solar Ballet






A massive sun eruption on New Year’s Eve could have swallowed 20 earths.

According to NASA, the massive eruption extended more than about 150,000 miles out from the sun. But despite its massive size the eruption wasn’t too powerful. The blast did not have enough power to escape the sun’s gravity and was pulled back down to the surface of the sun.


NASA officials wrote in a statement:

“A solar eruption gracefully rose up from the sun on Dec. 31, 2012, twisting and turning. Magnetic forces drove the flow of plasma, but without sufficient force to overcome the sun’s gravity much of the plasma fell back into the sun. The length of the eruption extends about 160,000 miles out from the Sun. With Earth about 7,900 miles in diameter, this relatively minor eruption is about 20 times the diameter of our planet.”

NASA also recorded a video of the sun eruption, which lasted more than four hours, which they called a Solar Ballet.

Space.com reports that the sun is currently in an active phase that will peak later this year.

Here’s a photo of the sun’s massive eruption on New Year’s day.


Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/468760/massive-sun-eruption-was-taller-than-20-earths/#744KulldM1HuZXoh.99

Jan 3, 2013

if you don't know what you're doing, don't ... wait a minute

I was inspired by my niece Jaclyn who had revived a large home with Paint,Plants and Perspiration. All while caring for her family three small children all under age five, Her man and two brothers!We will not even start mention the dogs, one a St. Bernard that just had eight puppies and the snake and spider and do not forget a chinchilla! Did i mention shes only twenty three !
Surely this is a project that's Not expensive, makes a Beautiful difference, and hopefully gives you an air of Satisfaction!














Materials: Parts: Knappa lamp, anti-oxidant wire paste, 2 wire connection caps, fixture cover kit (cover, threaded


bolt, supporting cross-piece), or use the existing ceiling fixture parts.


Tools: ladder, wire strippers, wire cutters, utility knife, screw driver (whichever one matches the screws in the


fixture cover , Phillips most likely!










Description: The basic principle is a simple one: convert a plug-in lamp to a hard-wired one. The fun part comes

when you combine multiple copies of the same shape for more drama! We have a small room and wanted to keep

things simple, and Knappa is a large lamp (about 18" in diameter), so we used three of them to fill the space

without overcrowding. Here's how we converted each of the Knappas into hardwired lights.

A special safety note: electricity can be very dangerous. Please ensure that you cut the power to the fixture

before you touch it, and make sure everyone with access to the circuit panel knows that the power is cut because


you're working. The first rule of electrical work is: if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.




History of Board Games





Board games have long been a staple in most homes. New games are still being created, but odds are that you have a copy of a long time favorite tucked away on a forgotten shelf or better yet is still played often. I’m talking about age old favorites, such as Monopoloy or Clue. This list takes a look at the top selling oldest games from Parker Brothers, which was started by 16 year old George S. Parker in 1883 with $40 of his $50 life savings. These are in no specific order.

8. Rook (1934)


Card game published in 1906 and was PB’s best selling game until Monopoly in 1934. Rook was invented as a game to rival Bridge. Rook is played with a specialized deck of non-faced and non-suited cards. This was to appeal to those who thought face cards were used for gambling or fortune telling. Rook is also called missionary poker.

7. Clue (1944)



Originally named Cluedo, but renamed Clue for distribution in North America. Cluedo was created in 1944 by Anthony E. Pratt, a retired solicitor’s clerk in England. Pratt had Waddington’s Games manufacture the game and in 1949 PN obtained the rights from Waddington’s Games. Clue is a mystery game where you try to find clues to be the first to solve the murder of Mr. Boddy.

6. Monopoly (1934)



Who hasn’t played Monoploy? I thought it best to let Hasbro speak on this one:

The MONOPOLY game was brought to PARKER BROTHERS in 1934 by Charles B. Darrow of Germantown, PA, but at the end of the initial play-test by company executives, the game was unanimously turned down. It took too long to play, the rules were too complicated, and players kept going around and around the board instead of ending up at a final goal. Advised that the game contained 52 fundamental playing errors, Darrow proceeded on his own. When reports of the game’s success began to reach PARKER BROTHERS, the company reconsidered, and early in 1935 bought the rights.

5. Mahjong (1923)



Mahjong is an addicting game of matching tiles. These tiles are divided into Suits, Honor and Flower categories. I have found no clear history on who created Mahjong, but 1 myth is that it is created by Confucius around 500 BC. But I can tell you that PB signed a distribution deal in 1923 and started making different quality and priced sets out of Bakelite and ivory.




4. Tiddly Winks (1880’s)



The main object of this game is to flip your wink either onto your opponents winks or inside of a cup. Tiddlywinks were created by Eugene V. Tiedler in the 1880’s. Tiedler owned Tiedler’s Quality Timing-Pieces which had a specialty of animal shaped clocks. The original idea for tiddlywinks were eye scraps from owl clocks. PB obtained the rights in 1938.

3. Risk (1957)



A classic conquer/conquest game. La ConquĂȘte du Monde (The Conquest of the World), created in 1957 by a French movie director, Albert Lamorisse. Risk is based upon a Napoleonic-era map of the world divided into 42 territories in 6 continents. Acquired by Parker Brothers in 1984

2. Ouija Board (1966)



The game of Ouija known today was marketed by William & Issac Fuld. The game itself is thought to have been around since the ancient Egyptians. The game was not originally sold as a game, but as a device for communicating with the dead. To be honest, I don’t know anyone who has ever played this as a game in the traditional sense. Parker Brothers bought the William Fuld Company in 1966.

1. Sorry (1934)



The goal of Sorry! is to be the first player to move all 4 tokens from the Start Home. Sorry! is played with cards instead of dice. I haven’t found much info on the history of Sorry!, but Wikipedia states that the earliest variation of today’s Sorry! can be traced back to England. Sorry! was adopted by Parker Brothers in 1934 and was based on an ancient Indian game named pachisi.



my favorite   Trouble


Dec 28, 2012

Sparkling Stemware








What You'll Need
Spray paint
Masking tape
Newspaper
Stemware

How To Make It
1. Clean your stemware and let dry.
2. Cover the glass using tape and newspaper, leaving only the area you want painted exposed.
3. Apply spray paint. (Spray from a distance of at least 1 1/2-feet for a more even coat).
4. Repeat with all of your glasses and let dry.
5. Remove newspaper and enjoy your new stemware!

New Years Eve Crafting








Hanging Clocks

What You'll Need
Construction paper
Hot glue gun
Tape
X-acto knife/scissors
Fishing wire

How To Make It
1. Cut construction paper into long strips that are half as wide as the circles you want to hang.
2. Accordion fold the strips, trying to keep the folds as even as possible.
3. Adhere two or more strips together using tape until you can form a circle.
4. Hot glue gun the center of the circle to keep the shape.
5. Cut 3, 6, 9, 12 and clock hands out of card stock.
6. Attach the embellishments with tape or hot glue.
7. Hang with clear fishing wire.

Cork Countdown

What You'll Need
Craft knife
Card stock
Star hand-puncher (or different shape)
Scissors

How To Make It
1. Cut a slit in the top of a cork.
2. Cut the numbers 1-10 out of colorful card stock.
3. Punch the numbers with a star hand-puncher and then stick them in the cork slits.

Dec 22, 2012

56 lines......... OH SO FAMOUS......


'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;





The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,



In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,



While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.




Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,


With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!



On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.



And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof


The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,



And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!



His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.


He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,




And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,



"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

May the Ones we Love 
Love Us Back!





Dec 16, 2012

21 Things You Should Never Buy at Garage Sales






21 Things You Should Never Buy at Garage Sales



Bargains are great, but cross these gross, broken, and unsafe items off your list when you head out to garage sales.




Helmets

Helmets are designed to protect you from one accident, and one accident only. Sometimes damage isn’t visible, so buy a new helmet to make sure you’re getting full protection.




Child car seats

Like helmets, car seats are really only meant to protect in one accident. But damaged car seats are common; a survey found that one in ten have been in an accident. Plus, car seat technology improves each year.




Tires

If they've been in an accident, tires are likely to be unstable and unreliable. Make sure you can get an accurate history.




Wet suits and swimsuits

Personal products that hug your body are technically safe if you wash them in hot water... and still we're cautious. But constant changes in water pressure also wear out swimwear faster than regular clothing, so it's likely a used wetsuit or swimsuit will tear.




Mattresses

With bed bugs infesting homes in record numbers, chances are the critters could lurk in any used mattress. You might also end up sleeping with other people’s mold, mites, bacteria, and bodily fluids (yuck!).



Cribs

Scores of crib recalls, as well as changing safety standards, make it hard to verify the safety of a used crib.




Laptops

Laptops are more likely to be dropped, knocked around and spilled on, simply because they’re out in the world, while a desktop computer sits (mostly) safe at home.



Plasma TVs

It’s hard to determine how well TVs, DVD players, and other electronic devices have been cared for by their previous owners. Plus, technology changes so quickly that you can often get a better quality device. If you're buying refurbished devices directly from a manufacturer, you'll be covered by a warranty—but a random TV at a garage sale could be hit or miss.



Shoes

Used shoes have been molded to their previous owner’s feet—and poorly fitting shoes will make you miserable, or you'll just never want to wear them.


Sheets and Pillowcases

Sure, you can wash them in hot water, but that might not protect against bed bugs.


Baby bottles

While sanitation and cracks can be an issue, the real culprit is the chemical BPA that's present in most older bottles—and as of June 2012, the FDA no longer accepts that as safe. Go with new bottles to make sure you're getting the safest, most up-to-date bottles.


Worn plates, pots, and other cookware

Rust, flaky non-stick coatings, and chemicals that leach out are just a few of the safety problems you can run into with older cookware.



DVDs, CDs, and VHS tapes

Scratches have ruined many a DVD or CD—and VHS tapes can lessen in quality the more times they're played, and disintegrate over the years.


Upholstered furniture


Just like mattresses and sheets, any upholstered furniture can be home to bed bugs, fleas, and spiders, as well as unknown odorous and stains. Unless you're going to reupholster the piece, steer clear.


Clothes that require a tailored fit

It might look like it fits—until you put it on. Unless you can try something on, it's often not worth the money you'll spend on alterations.


Video Games


You might want to quickly Google the video game—manufacturers are now including codes for one-user only play, either for the whole game or special bonus sections.


Fragrance or make-up (new or old!)


The quality of both can lessen over the years (and yes, they do expire!). Even if an item is brand new in the box, skip it unless you can tell that it was recently manufactured.

© iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Stuffed animals


Stuffed animals can be hard to send through the extra-hot cycle on a washing machine, and like mattresses and upholstered furniture, they can be full of creepy crawlies and other unsavoury finds.



Blenders and other kitchen electronics

Blades and mechanisms can become dull and wear down over time, even if the machine looks fine on the surface.



© iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Running shoes

Used running shoes are often devoid of the cushioning that runners need; stick with new shoes for the cushioning and fit that will protect knees, feet, and legs.


Hats

How's this for gross: Hats may contain remnants of hair products, sweat, or skin infections.