Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Single Tasking Day FEB 24, 2014

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Single Tasking Day

Research shows that multitasking is really inefficient. Trying to focus on and hop between multiple tasks dilutes focus, introduces delays, and makes things take longer to complete. Single Tasking Day, then, is about embracing one and only one task. Make a list, put it in order of priority, and get started on a task – and ignore everything else until you finish it!

Word of the Day


Definition:(verb) To use evasions or ambiguities; to change sides.
Usage:She refused to tergiversate on the subject, stating her opinion concisely and openly.

Quick Quiz:


 a. they weren't selling well

 b. they were so hard to get

 c. they didn't have much money


Marbury v. Madison Establishes Judicial Review

Marbury v. Madison was a landmark case in American law that resulted in the first decision by the Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional and void an act passed by Congress. It established the basis for the exercise of judicial review of federal statutes by the US Supreme Court. By identifying the Supreme Court as the authoritative interpreter of the Constitution, this decision bolstered power, respect, and prestige in the federal judiciary.

St. Matthias's Day

The story of how St. Matthias was elected to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the 12 apostles after Judas committed suicide can be found in the Bible's Book of Acts. There is no historical record of Matthias's deeds or death. His fame rests almost entirely upon the fact that he took the betrayer Judas' place, although legend claims that he was stoned and beheaded in Ethiopia in 64 CE. Episcopalians celebrate his feast day on February 24.

Spacecraft Will Be First to Visit Dwarf Planet

NASA's unmanned Dawn spacecraft will soon be visiting a planet that you've probably never heard of: Ceres, a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. When it arrives March 6, Dawn will become the first spacecraft to visit one of the five dwarf planets, whose ranks include the former planet Pluto. Ceres was likely becoming a full-sized planet before Jupiter stunted its growth 4.6 billion years ago. It is now the largest object between Mars and Jupiter, and the largest object between the Sun and Pluto that has not yet received a visit from Earth.

1866 - In Washington, DC, an American flag made entirely of American bunting was displayed for the first time. 

1900 - New York City Mayor Van Wyck signed the contract to begin work on New York's first rapid transit tunnel. The tunnel would link Manhattan and Brooklyn. The ground breaking ceremony was on March 24, 1900. 


1942 - The Voice of America (VOA) aired for the first time. 


1981 - Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain's Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.

1987 - An exploding supernova was discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy.

1993Eric Clapton won six Grammy Awards for the song "Tears In Heaven." 

2007 - The Virginia General Assembly passed a resolution expressing "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery. 


If You Were Born Today, February 24

Charming, quirky, and outgoing, it might surprise some that you require a lot of time to yourself to recharge and refresh yourself just to get back on track. You are an interesting conversationalist, including as many people as possible in the conversation, and you are extremely versatile as well. You bend over backwards to help those you care about. Your compassionate side is well-developed, but so is your business sense. You have a good head for business, although it may take you some time to choose the right career path for you. Famous people born today: Eddie Murray, Abe Vigoda, Steven Jobs, Paula Zahn.

Picture of locals in Myanmar walking down a path alongside cattle in the early morning

Burmese Day

Photograph by Alexandros Tsoutis, National Geographic 
While walking the mountain villages between Kalaw and Inle Lake in Myanmar (Burma), Alexandros Tsoutis woke early one morning to find this scene. “The foggy, exotic landscape gave me the opportunity to experience the beautiful sunrise hues while locals were making their way to the farms,” he writes.

A tin plate roller-skating clown

The Perfect Slouch Hat pattern by Kimmy Zalec
I’ve seen some similar slouch hats, but nothing exactly like this one. So I’ve written out the instructions, in case you’d like to make one just like mine. The ...
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Afrato pattern by Alexandra Nycha
Afrato means fluffy in Greek and this cowl is indeed fluffy and comfy. Designed to use a small amount of a luxurious yarn, you’ll want to wear this cowl all day.
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Platamon pattern by Alexandra Nycha
This pattern is available in English and Greek.
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Moshup pattern by Norah Gaughan
Take a ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl with Moshup, a cleverly constructed cardigan. Knit in a chunky yarn, this unusual sweater will keep you entertained and warm.
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A Japanese tin toy policeman riding a motorbike



crochet, 2 - 8 yrs


pour a rainbow!
Pouring a rainbow

thanks, heide

Loaded Potato Chowder

8 slices bacon, cooked and cut up
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
8 cups milk( I use 4 chicken broth and 4 milk)
6 large potatoes peeled and cubed
3 stalks celery , sliced
3 carrots, sliced
4 green onion sliced
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
pepper & salt

In a large pot melt butter and whisk in flour.Add liquid slowly, stirring constantly til thickens.Add vegetables and bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until they are soft. Stir frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.Add bacon and cheese and sour cream...I also add a can of creamed corn and parsley to garnish. (I did not add salt as the bacon was plenty for me)

image title

by Misty Nicole Roberts
All Natural Cough Syrup Recipe
Prep Time
5 min


The juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons water

  1. Start by mixing all dry ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Set aside.
  3. Next, in a small storage container, mix the vinegar and water.
  4. Now, dissolve the spices in the vinegar and water
  5. Add honey and shake it up.
  1. When dispensing, use 1 teaspoon every 4-6 hours to treat scratchy throats, and naturally alleviate season allergy symptoms. This blend also works well for sore throats due to post nasal drip, colds, and flu. You can also add 2 tablespoons of syrup to one cup lemonade or cider, served either hot or cold. Also note, the cayenne pepper is added as a natural decongestant to this blend, and this blend will last, refrigerated, for up to one year.


Rarest Gems
The world's rarest gem is believed to be painite, a gem that most have never heard of. The painite is orangish or reddish brown and was first discovered in Burma in the '50s. Within the last couple of years, the source of the two original painite crystals was discovered and now a few hundred faceted stones exist. A more well-known (but still very rare) gem is the red diamond
Rarest Signature
He may have done a lot of writing, but with only 6 of them in existence William Shakespeare' s signature is one of the rarest of all and is valued somewhere around $3 million dollars.
Rarest Cats Dogs
Of the rarest cat breeds, the Ashera (pic. left) is the most expensive ($20K+), the Sokoke the most exotic (from the wilds of Africa), and the Egyptian Mau has the coolest history (lived with the Egyptians). As for dog breeds, the one that keeps popping up on all the "rare" lists is the Lundehund, originally bred by the Vikings to hunt Puffins. Other rare breeds include Otterhounds and Stabyhounds.
Rarest Stamps
According to Wikipedia, the most expensive item by weight and volume is the Treskilling Yellow stamp from Sweden. It has a current estimated worth of $2.3 million. Here's what makes it so valuable: In 1858, when the currency was known as the skilling, the 3-skilling stamp ("treskilling") was printed in blue. And an 8-skilling stamp was printed in yellow. But due to a printing error, a few 3-skilling stamps were printed in yellow.
Rarest Sea Salt
The earliest known sea salt produced by the Japanese may be the rarest of all. Called Amabito No Moshio ("Ancient Sea Salt"), unpolluted sea water is collected from the Seto-uchi inland sea, infused with seaweed to develop the "unami", and then processed by cooking in an iron kettle, put into a centrifuge, and finally, cooked over an open fire while stirring constantly. The salt is worth over $40 per pound.
Rarest Jeans
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most valuable jeans are an original pair of Levi Strauss Co 501 jeans aged over 115 years old which were sold to a collector in Japan for $60,000 through eBay in 2005. Quite rare indeed considering a new pair sells for $46.
Rarest Baseball Cards
Rarest Comic Books
One of the rarest comic books still in existence in near-perfect condition is an issue of "Amazing Spider-Man #1," rare not only because of its singularity but also because of its quality. The comic book sold for only 12 cents per copy when it was published in March 1963, and is now worth over $40K -- not an exceedingly high price for comic books -- but extremely rare in such pristine condition.
Rarest Real Estate
At the intersection of location, exclusivity and history you find some of the rarest pieces of real estate. With that criterion, Luxist.com blogger's pick for the rarest piece of real estate currently on the market is Bran's castle, the castle in Transylvania that inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula, which is expected to fetch upwards of $135 million.
Rarest Horses
The Sorraia Horse is said to be the direct descendant of the wild Iberian horse but only 200 currently remain living in South Iberia. The Tiger Horse is a rare breed which is said to have existed in Ancient Spain and the beginning of the New World. Rare in terms of its abilities and characteristics, is the Lipizzaner. Bred for its military prowess, one of these animals can sell for up to $100,000.
Rarest Books

Rarest Necklaces
In the world of rare necklaces, a couple million dollars doesn't get you much. Even ten million dollars is cheap for these babies. The most expensive necklace may likely be one built around the Blue Empress, a rare natural blue diamond. The pear-shaped diamond weighs about 14 carats. It is set in 18k white gold and surrounded with white diamonds. It's estimated to be worth $16 million.
Rarest Wine
One of the rarest bottles of wine ever sold was purchased by Christopher Forbes for a mere £105,000 ($160,000). It was an unmarked green glass bottle with the inscription of "1787 Lafitte Th. J." (now known as Lafite and thought to be owned by Thomas Jefferson), found behind a wall in Paris.
Rarest Vases
In 2006, a 20-inch high blue and white Yuan Dynasty vase fetched over $2 million. That sounds rare but at the end of that year, casino owner Steve Wynn paid even more for a rare vase. The small copper red and white porcelain vase, is a 14th century Ming vase decorated in scrolling flowers. It is from the exceptionally rare Hongwu period and went for around $10.9 million, making it the world's most expensive.
Rarest Coins
As a general rule the more rare a coin is the more it's worth, so what's the rarest coin ever? It's a debatable subject as not all experts always agree, but if the Double Eagle isn't at the top of that list it's sure near it. Back in 2002 the only Double Eagle coin left to be in private hands (or so everybody thought) sold for $7.9 million dollars. 
Rarest Food
Served in China for over 400 years, the primary ingredient in bird's nest soup or "Caviar of the East" is saliva nests built by cave swifts. Among one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans it is believed to aid digestion, raise libido, and even alleviate asthma as it is dissolved in water to create a gelatinous soup. In Hong Kong, a bowl costs up to $30. Red version can cost $10K per gram.
Rarest Travel Trips
What is the rarest trip? There's no real consensus on this, but Luxist.com blogger Deidre Woodward says that the trek to summit Mount Everest still remains among the rarest trips in the world. But even this has become something that is accessible to more people. In two months and for around $60,000 you can join a group and make the attempt of a lifetime.

thank you so much, ellen, for designing this 'signature' for me .. mmm

1 comment:

  1. I tried single-tasking....and I didn't even get that one task done. And there's a ton of clamoring things waiting in line. Great recipe for cough medicine...and with everything on hand I won't have to shovel out if I should need some:)