St. George Greek Orthodox Church is located on Newcastle Street, in the eastern suburb of Rose Bay. It was built in 1962 and mixes elements of traditional Greek Orthodox church architecture with contemporary designs of that era.
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Memory Wreath
It is estimated that at least 618,000 Americans on both sides died during the Civil War*... and these casualties exceed the nation's loss in all its other wars, from the Revolution through Vietnam.
I thought it appropriate to make a "Memory Wreath" block to include in my quilt...
This block was made with templates... or paper patterns for those of us who started out as dressmakers. It wasn't much fun trying to fussy cut the little triangles but the block went together smoothly.
* If you'd like to read more about the casualties of the Civil War, check out this site. One startling fact is that more died from disease, etc. than died in battle.
What is the best price for a refurbished desktop PC?
I was stunned when I began my search for refurbished computers that I need to buy for my mathematics academy, not because of the various options but because of confusing words. Refurbished computers are also sold as ‘reused computers’, ‘recycled computers’ and ‘end of life computers’. Naturally, I had to postpone my purchase before I educated myself properly about what are the differences between them.
Though the computer prices have fallen a lot since I bought my first computer 12 years ago, I know it is not advisable to buy new computers to teach school students who are not likely to use them with caution.
In addition, I have no budget for 8 new computers; that is the reason for my shopping for used computers that are sold after refurbishing and still come with limited period warranty.
What do you think is the best price for a refurbished desktop PC that has a one year old configuration?
Great Nascar Moment...
I love a certain race car driver and because of that I just had to post this...
Rose Bay
These yachts are moored in Rose Bay on Sydney Harbour, with the eastern suburbs of Vaucluse and Rose Bay as a backdrop.
.:. Paper Girl | FashionPhotography by Marty Lochmann .:.
Photographer Marty Lochmann and stylist Parish Stapleton work together to create this stunning beauty story inspired by Victorian daguerreotypes. With paper accessories crafted by Stapleton, model Tara Cassidy’s classic looks truly shine with luminous skin by makeup artist Christabel Draffin and sculpted hair styles by Peta Pellegrini.
[source: fashiongoneruge.com]
.:. DESERT ROSE | Style Icon: Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned .:.
You might not recognize this wonderful woman, but she is taking the world by storm with her strong features, unbelievable intelligence and powerful fashion sense. She is Sheika Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, wife of the Emir of Qatar.
Her royal title has carried her to many countries to meet Presidents, Queens and the like including Queen Sofia of Spain, President Barack Obama and many more. At each meeting, she never fails to wear something fashion-forward and elegant, giving us all inspiration regardless of style, age or ethnicity.
1. Turbans are incredibly chic and even better when paired with statement jewelry.
Sheika Mozah must keep her hair covered and she does so quite fashionably with turbans, reminding us all that Middle Eastern women have been rocking the trend long before it was seen on the Spring 2011 runways. It is a glamorous way to keep your hair off of your face during the hot summer months and looks fantastic when paired with statement earrings.
2. A cinched waist is the epitome of femininity and makes every ensemble chic.
She is never seen without a cool belt cinching her waist, accentuating her curves and echoing a feel of Hollywood glamour that we all should try and evoke as often as possible.
3. Long hemlines can be just as sexy as a miniskirt.
With the advent of the no-pants trend, we’ve begun to think that less is best, but Sheika Mozah is showing us all that long hemlines can be just as sexy and sensual as the shortest and tightest miniskirt.
4. Bright colors are always the way to go and make a great fashion statement.
Sheika Mozah often opts on the side of vibrant colors including purple and green, radiating confidence and making her looks unforgettable no matter which continent she travels to.
5. No matter what your age, fashion can and always should be fun.
Women over 50 like Sheika Mozah are giving us style lessons, showing us that wisdom, experience and a youthful attitude are the best outfit that anyone could wear. Fashion is about having fun and taking risks and Sheika Mozah does that day in and day out, inspiring us all.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Sickle Variation
No story with this block... Sickle Variation... just that I like it and it gave me a chance to use some of the smaller remnants of which I seem to have a plethora...
The potential candidates for the sashing were awaiting me on the doorstep when I got home from work this afternoon... always a good thing to have new fabric to pet!
The stripe shirting is darker than I thought but I like it.... the blue is about what I thought it would be... and quite nice. I think I would call Air Force blue...
This weekend, I'll get some of these two fabrics up on the wall and take photos.... and then ponder on it for a while. It'll get figured out...
Rosa Parks, Daisy Bates, Fannie Lou Hamer -- Three Women Who Changed America
One woman took a seat, another mentored nine students and another one told her story. All three of these women helped to change America.
~ ~ ~
Rosa Parks
Source: Library of Congress
On this day in history a small fragile woman got on a bus to go home. She paid her fare and took her seat. By the day's end she would be in jail for riding that bus.
Shortly, after taking her seat she was asked to move and give her seat to a man. She was tired and she only wanted to go home. She was arrested for not giving her seat to the man. Her crime was that she was a woman of color and was not allowed by law to sit where she chose to sit. The man who needed the seat was white, as was the driver of the bus. Within an hour she was arrested and taken to jail. Her name was Rosa Parks. Her arrest initiated a boycott of the Montgomery Alabama bus system, and through non-violence, a system was changed in America.
I was a child and never heard much about Rosa Parks until years later. While I was a small child in western Arkansas, we had a bus service and I remember riding the bus with my grandmother and I loved watching the fare box where people put the change. I would not know until years later that I could sit in the front because of a small framed woman in Alabama who quietly took her seat a few months before. Rosa Parks had helped to change America.
~
Daisy Bates, Mentor to the Little Rock Nine
A few years later I had started elementary school. My mother was a native of Little Rock Arkansas, and I can only recall as I dressed for school that my mother was very focused on the news coming from her hometown. Nine children tried to go to high school. They were prevented from doing so, by the governor of the state. My mother was worried and quite upset and sensing my concern, she simply explained to me that a very bad man was in Little Rock (the governor) and he was trying to keep children like me from going to school. She kept telling me that I should not worry, because a very strong lady, was helping those nine children and they were winning their cause. The story of this lady was a lesson of how planning and strategy can bring about major changes that even the governor had to obey. The lady was Daisy Bates, and the children were known later as The Little Rock Nine.
She was the mentor to the nine students, and she was the person who organized activities around the students. She sought national support and worked for their legal protection. Because of her, and nine brave students, policies changed. And when it was time for me to go to high school, there were no policies that prevented my going to whatever school I chose. All of the schools had finally eliminated barriers preventing students of color from attending the same schools as their white peers. Daisy Bates had helped to change America.
~
Voter Registration and Civil Rights Activist
When I was in the 7th grade, I was more aware of the world around me. I was influenced by my parents who were members of several organizations for social change. In the summer of 1964, I remember that my parents watched the proceedings of the Democratic National Convention that year. I also remember watching two ladies speak. My mother insisted that I watch one of them-- Patricia Roberts Harris, an attorney, an activist and an eloquent speaker who seconded the nomination of Lyndon Johnson to run as president for the Democratic Party. And I was impressed, for this was the first time in history that a black woman had such an honor. She was as eloquent as she was elegant. But there was another woman, at the same convention who left an amazing impression upon me. Her name was Fannie Lou Hamer.
She was an activist, and she was a poor woman from Mississippi. This woman captivated the entire floor of the convention hall---telling her story of her actions for voter registration, and of her survival from a vicious police beating in Indianola Mississippi.
Her crime was working for the right to vote. She was active in voter registration projects in Mississippi. Police jailed her and others including her husband. The police made two prisoners beat her mercilessly, and when one was exhausted they made the other prisoner beat her until he too was exhausted! She was a former polio victim, and could not protect her weakened side from the police sanctioned attack.
It took her weeks to recover---but recover she did! She did not use violence to retaliate, she used her words. She made it to the National Democratic Convention representing the "Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party" and told her story in front of the nation, and the world. She spoke with courage and detail of the extreme police brutality she suffered for one mere reason--the right to vote. She left these words on the convention floor, to weigh on the conscience of America:
"All of this is on account we want to register to become first-class citizens, and if the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America. Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave where we have to sleep with our telephones off the hooks because our lives be threatened daily because we want to live as decent human beings - in America?"
~Fannie Lou Hamer~
This simple woman, who dared to challenge things as they were by telling her story, had me captivated! I had never heard a person speak of such violence, as my parents had protected me from the politics of the times. I was moved, and became aware of the world as it was that day.
Her actions, her words and her courage to speak to the national convention that year, also taught me the value of language. And through language,the actions of legally permitted and locally sanctioned violent attacks on citizens of color was now being exposed to the world. And they had to be addressed by a nation that had continually closed its eyes. The denial of the right to vote could no longer be enforced by heinous violence, and of the larger public merely looking away. By speaking out--the words of Fannie Lou Hamer and others like her, illustrated that non-violent social change made a difference.
A year after Fannie Lou Hamer spoke and returned to Mississippi to continue her work on Voter Registration, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, into law in August 1965. Fannie Lou Hamer had helped to change America.
Ms. Hamer's speech can be seen here:
Fannie Lou Hamer's Speech at the Democratic National Convention
Today is Rosa Parks Day. On this day she sat down on a bus and changed America. When I think of Rosa Parks, I also think of Daisy Bates and I know I must also think of Fannie Lou Hamer. These women were names that I learned were women who lived in my lifetime, and who were able to bring about change in America.
On this day, honoring Rosa Parks, let us remember all of those brave women, whose actions made a difference.
endless SCARVES!
Ok so if you haven't realized this yet.. I am slightly obsessed with scarves! I know it's a problem but with the temperatures dropping quickly, and because we can only wear so many layers a scarf is an absolute must for the season!
And for all of those who have been hiding under a box for the last few years.. check out all the endless options of scares these days.. whether your dressing up, dressing down, a guy or a gal, old or young there's PLENTY of amazing and quite inexpensive options out there for you!
Happy Friday... bundle up!
Happy December!
Wow..can you believe it's already December? as crazy as this year as FLOWN by I couldn't feel more blessed and so excited to fully embrace everything holiday!!
So appropriately, today starts the first day of Advent, do you all have Advent Calendars? I grew up having one, and it is one of my most favorite traditions!
I love opening up each day and counting down til Christmas! and in my family my mom would always surprise us with fun little gifts for each day too!
this year, my mom actually brought us back traditional German advent calendars! (just like the one here)
Happy December my dears..
only 24 days til Santa comes to town!
The Thanksgiving Post
Kent and I went to Fayetteville for Thanksgiving. We alternate holidays with one family each year so that we can spend a good amount of quality time with that one family instead of rushing to drive all around Arkansas. It makes the holidays relaxing instead of a stressful fuzzy memory.
My Dad and Spencer went on a Turkey Trot (12 miles) without me.
Clean up after dinner crew:
Me and my momma!
We had a wonderful time in Fayetteville and are especially "thankful" for our wonderful families!
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