It was 50 years ago Today.....

... That the Beatles came to the US to play! 

(Lol , I really couldn't resist that. )

Anyhoo, on February 9, 1964, the Beatles played on the Ed Sullivan Show and be came more of a .... Well, more than just a hit, something like a craze...a movement. 

If you've ever seen tapes of the show the girls went wild. 

Actually, if you watch this video you can see how popular they were before they even set foot on US soil. 

This shows the Beatles arrival at JFK airport on the 7 th of February. 

http://youtu.be/_rtmO51zEug

Here's a link to the video of all 3 of the Beatles appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show 

http://youtu.be/CqrauzHPpwE

Enjoy!

June is National Ice Tea Month

June is National Ice Tea Month and today, June 10th, is Ice Tea Day.

Although tea had been served for years both hot and cold it did not become commercially popular until 1904. At the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis, the summer was so hot that people went in search of cold drinks. For some reason the popularity of iced tea was sealed that summer. There are many stories of iced tea being "invented" that summer but the drink is mentioned in cookbooks before that time.

According to WhatsCookingAmerica.net

1879 - The oldest sweet tea recipe (ice tea) in print comes from a community cookbook called Housekeeping in Old Virginia, by Marion Cabell Tyree, published in 1879:

"Ice Tea. - After scalding the teapot, put into it one quart of boiling water and two teaspoonfuls green tea. If wanted for supper, do this at breakfast. At dinner time, strain, without stirring, through a tea strainer into a pitcher. Let it stand till tea time and pour into decanters, leaving the sediment in the bottom of the pitcher. Fill the goblets with ice, put two teaspoonfuls granulated sugar in each, and pour the tea over the ice and sugar. A squeeze of lemon will make this delicious and healthful, as it will correct the astringent tendency."

 If Ms. Tyree's recipe doesn't appeal to you try this simple ice tea recipe....


Easy Lemonade Ice Tea

6 small tea bags
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 quart boiling water
1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 (6 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate


Directions:
1 Let tea bags steep in boiling water (approx. 5 minutes).

2 Remove tea bags and add sugar.

3 Add frozen juices and enough water to make 1 gallon.

4 Pour into glasses over ice.

recipe found at http://www.food.com/

Old Lang Syne

The following is a repost from my TheStoriesLaTells blog

No, it's not a story but it's a song that is sung each year and yet most of us know nothing about it.

The song Auld Lang Syne is traditionally sung by most of us on the stroke of midnight each New Years Eve however in Scotland, where Auld Lang Syne originates it is also sung on Burns Night, January 25th, to celebrate the life of the author and famous poet Robert Burns.

Auld Lang Syne is also said to be used as a graduation and funeral song in Tiawan and Hong Kong and as a graduation song in Japan and Hungary.

The song/poem has been found in earlier forms in 15th and 17th century volumes by anonymous authors.
But Robert Burns found a song ,

which never was in print, nor even in manuscript, until he took it down
from an old man singing,—adding that the poetry was enough to recommend any air.
About the same time he sent another copy to James Johnson for the now celebrated
Standard Collection of Scottish Songs, the "Scots Musical Museum;" and it was
printed and published for the first time in December 1796, in the fifth volume
of that work, about five months after Burns died.

Check this website for more complete information on Robert Burns and Auld Lang Syne:
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/articles/langsyne.htm

THe song is about love and friendship in times past. The lyrics in the song Auld Lang Syne referring to 'We'll take a Cup of Kindness yet' relate to a drink shared by men and women to symbolize friendship.

It is bandleader Guy Lombardo that popularized the song and made it a New Years tradition.
Lombardo first heard "Auld Lang Syne" in his hometown of London, Ontario, where it was sung by Scottish immigrants. The song became a part of his bands repetoire. Lombardo played the song at midnight at a New Year's eve party at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City in 1929, and thus a New Year's tradition was born.

AULD LANG SYNE
Words adapted from a traditional song
by Robert Burns (1759-96)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine,
And we'll tak a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

Chorus

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine,
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit,
Sin auld lang syne.

Chorus

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.

Chorus

And there's a hand my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o thine,
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,
For auld lang syne

Chorus

Meanings
auld lang syne - times gone by
be - pay for
braes - hills
braid - broad
burn - stream
dine - dinner time
fiere - friend
fit - foot
gowans - daisies
guid-willie waught - goodwill drink
monie - many
morning sun - noon
paidl't - paddled
pint-stowp - pint tankard
pou'd - pulled
twa - two

Same Auld Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg
Auld Lang Syne

March is....Women's History Month

Alright Women!!!
This is OUR month!!
So let's celebrate, learn something and spread a little or a lot of knowledge!!

Women's History Month
The public celebration of women's history in this country began in 1978 as "Women's History Week" in Sonoma County, California. The week including March 8, International Women's Day, was selected. In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) co-sponsored a joint Congressional resolution proclaiming a national Women's History Week. In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a month, and March was declared Women's History Month.

Women's HistoryTrivia
National Women's History Month's roots go back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women's Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn't until 1981 that Congress established National Women's History Week to be commemorated the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women's History Month, and the president has issued a proclamation.

As of Oct. 1, 2008, there are 154.7 million females in the United States.
The number of males was 150.6 million.
At 85 and older, there were more than twice as many women as men.

Check here for more of the History of Women's History Month


Firsts In Women's Achievement

Ann Teresa Mathews 1715 - First woman whose invention received a patent (for cleaning and curing corn) - it was granted to her husband

Mary Katherine Goddard 1775 - First woman postmaster

Betsy Ross 1776/77 - First person to be a U.S. flagmaker

Hannah Adams 1784 - First woman to become professional writer

Lucy Brewer 1812 - First woman marine

Elizabeth Blackwell 1849 - First woman to receive a medical degree

Amelia Jenks Bloomer 1849 - Publisher/editor of first prominent women's rights newspaper

Harriet Tubman 1850 - First woman to run underground railroad to help slaves escape

Lucy Hobbs 1866 - First woman to graduate from dental school

Susan B. Anthony 1869 - Co-Founder of first US woman's suffrage organization

Arabella Mansfield Babb 1869 - First woman admitted to the bar

Frances Elizabeth Willard 1871 - First woman to become a college president (Evanston College)

Victoria Chaflin Woodhull 1872 - First woman to be presidential candidate

Helen Magill 1877 - First woman to receive a Ph.D. degree (Boston University)

Belva Ann Lockwood 1879 - First woman to practice law before U.S. Supreme Court

Clara Barton 1881 - Founder of the American Red Cross

Maud Booth 1887/96 - Co-Founder of Salvation Army and Volunteers of America

Suzanna Madora Salter 1887 - First woman mayor (Argonia, Kansas)

Mary McLeod Bethune 1904 - First woman to establish secondary school that became 4-year accredited college

Mary McLeod Bethune 1935 - Founder of National Council of Negro Women

Blanche Scott 1910 - First woman to fly an airplane

Jeannette Rankin 1916 - First woman U.S. House Representative (Montana)

Kate Gleason 1917 - First woman president of a national bank

Jeannette Rankin 1917 - First woman in Congress

Florence E. Allen 1920 - First woman judge

Hallie Ferguson 1924 - First woman governor of U. S. state (Texas)

Katherine Bement Davis 1929 - First person to conduct national survey of sexual attitudes

Jane Addams 1931 - First woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize

Hattie Wyatt Caraway 1932 - First woman elected to U.S. Senate

Amelia Earhart 1932 - First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean

Bessie Coleman 1921 - First black woman in the world to earn an aviator's license

Ruth Bran Owen 1933 - First woman foreign diplomat

Pearl S. Buck 1935 - First woman to win a Nobel Prize for Literature

Hattie McDaniel 1939 - First African-American of any gender to win an Academy Award (she won for Best Supporting Actress in the film, Gone with the Wind)

Linda Darnell 1941 - First woman to sell securities on the New York Stock Curb Exchange

Conchita V. Cintron 1949 - First U.S. woman bullfighter in Spain

Georgia Nesse Clark 1949 - First woman treasurer of the United States

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova 1963 - First woman to fly in space, aboard Vostok 6

Muriel Siebert 1967 - First woman to own seat on the New York Stock Exchange

Janice Lee York Romary 1968 - First woman to carry U.S. flag at the Olympic Games

Mary Clarke 1978 - First woman to be named major general in U.S. Army

Ella Grasso 1978 - First woman governor to be re-elected (Connecticut)

Sandra Day O'Connor - 1981 First woman a justice of the U. S. Supreme Court

Sally Kristen Ride 1983 - First American woman to reach outer space

Joan Benoit (Samuelson) 1984 - First woman to win an Olympic marathon

Penny Harrington 1985 - First woman police chief of major U. S. city (Portland, OR)

Ann Bancroft 1986 - First woman to walk to North Pole

Christa McAuliffe 1986 - First woman citizen passenger on a space mission

Lt. Col. Eileen Collins 1995 - First American woman to pilot a Space Shuttle

Madeleine K. Albright 1997 - First woman Secretary of State and highest ranking woman in the U.S. government

Hillary Rodham Clinton 2000 - Only First Lady ever elected to the United States Senate

Halle Berry 2002 - First African-American woman to win a Best Actress Oscar

Condoleezza Rice 2005 - First African-American woman to be appointed Secretary of State

Nancy Pelosi 2007 - First woman to become Speaker of the House



National Women's History Museum

March is.....Girl Scout Month

That's right, not only is March the month that all those wonderful girl scouts sell us cookies (I bought 4 boxes!) but it's their official Month (the Girl Scouts not the cookies).
Here are a few facts about the Girl Scouts:

Girl Scout Mission
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

More Than 90 Years
Founder Juliette Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout Troop on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia.

An American Institution
Girl Scouts of the USA was chartered by the U.S. Congress on March 16, 1950.

Still Growing Strong
Today, there are 3.7 million Girl Scouts—2.7 million girl members and 928,000 adult members working primarily as volunteers.

Empowering Girls
In Girl Scouts, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together. Through a myriad of enriching experiences, such as extraordinary field trips, sports skill-building clinics, community service projects, cultural exchanges, and environmental stewardships, girls grow courageous and strong. Girl Scouting helps girls develop their full individual potential; relate to others with increasing understanding, skill, and respect; develop values to guide their actions and provide the foundation for sound decision-making; and contribute to the improvement of society through their abilities, leadership skills, and cooperation with others.

At Home and Abroad
Girls at home and abroad participate in more than 236,000 troops and groups in more than 90 countries through USA Girl Scouts Overseas, and over 300 local Girl Scout councils offer girls the opportunity for membership across the United States.

An International Family
Through its membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), Girl Scouts of the USA is part of a worldwide family of 10 million girls and adults in 145 countries.

facts found at GirlScouts.org



And we don't want to forget Girl Scout Day which is March 12th.

Girl Scout Day recognizes and celebrates the Girls Scouts of America. This date celebrates the creation of the first Girl Scout group on March 12, 1912.

On March 12, 1912 Juliette Gordon Low started the first Girl Scout group in Savannah, Georgia with 18 girls. The Girls Scouts became a national organization, and was was chartered by the U.S. Congress on March 16, 1950. Today, there are millions of girls involved with Girl Scout

s.

Wow! A very cold, joyous, historical,unforgettable day....

Although I happen to be in Washington, DC today, I watched the inauguration on TV just as the majority of the US and the world watched it.
Basically for two reasons....A) because everyone and their extended family is in DC to participate in this historic moment. And so many streets and such are closed or one way, that I doubt if even a native Washingtonian would find it easy to get around.
And B) cause it is waaaaay cold out there...the temp is around 18degrees with the wind chill and I figured I'd enjoy it more from home.





Obama at the Lincoln Memorial Inaugural Celebration