CeCe of the Web

When I was eight or nine, a local pet store had a Halloween coloring contest.  When my sister was little she won two coloring contests in a row.  I decided I too should try my hand at the arts , so I picked up the paper and left.  You would think I would never give it it a second thought, but that wasn’t the case.  I made copy after copy of it. I colored page after page.  I spent days trying to make the flawless masterpiece. I finally turned in my great work.  We found there were only four entries.  I, feeling so very happy, left. I waited. There was no call.  We went to the store later and saw the other three pictures hanging up.  I got beaten by three little kids!  Their pictures were horrible!Their pictures didn’t even look spooky!  They were all sunny and happy colors! It looked like they had spent about 2.5 seconds while I had spent WEEKS agonzining over my work of art! I walked away dejected and crushed without my prized five-dollar gift card.

Today marks 50 years since Yuri Gagarin was launched on the flight that made him the first man in space, and the first man to orbit the earth.  This famous flight sparked the space race.  It wouldn’t end for another 14 years.  After his voyage, Yuri became known around the world for his heroic flight. Sadly, he died during a training mission in 1968, only 7 years after his historic spaceflight.

THe Vostok 1 (Yuri Gagarin's capsule)

Yuri Gagarin

April 12th, 2011 is also the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.  It started with the Confederate army attacking Fort Sumter.  Abraham Lincoln was the president during the war, and he issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  It is the famous document that freed the slaves.  The leader of the south was Jefferson Davis.  The war ended in 1865.

The western television show “Cheyenne” started in 1955 and endedin 1962.  It ran for 7 seasons.  6′ 6″ Clint Walker starred as Cheyenne Bodie.  Cheyenne’s parents were killed by the Cheyenne tribe.  The Indians raised him.  As you’ve probably guessed, that’s how he got his name.  He still often tries keep the peace between the Indians and white men without showing prejudice to the Indians.  His winning dispostion gains him friends wherever he goes.

Believe it or not, popsicles were invented in 1905 by eleven-year-old  Frank Epperson.  He left his soda outside on a cold night with a stirring stick in it.  When he found it later, he discovered it was frozen and that it still tasted good!  He named it the “Epsicle.”  It soon became a hit with his friends.  His children changed the name to “popsicle.”  In 1923 he applied for a patent, and in 1925 he sold the rights to the Joe Lowe Company.

Try it on your own!

You will need:

Juice, pop, or anything else of that nature, toothpicks or popsicle sticks, an ice tray, and tin foil.

1. Fill the ice tray sections with liquid.

2. Cover with tin foil. 

3. Poke a toothpick or popsicle stick through the tin foil in the middle of each section.

4. Put it in the freezer until frozen

Popsicle supplies.

5. Enjoy!

Rudolph's Shiny New Year cover.

“The Moving Finger Writes” originally comes from the Rubaiyat.  The Rubaiyat is an ancient book of poetry written by Persian poet Omar Khayyam.

“The Moving Finger writes: and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

The song that we know today is from the holiday televison special, “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” and is performed by Red Skelton.

 “The Moving Finger Writes”

The moving finger writes,
And having writ, moves on
You can’t hold back the clock
It just ticks on and on
The moving finger writes
And having writ, moves on
So treasure memories
For what is gone is gone
And though you may sweat and strive
Don’t you know it’s great
Just to be alive
So make every moment count
Rejoice with every dawn
The moving finger writes
And having writ, moves on

While chomping into a gooey, delicious, chocolate chip treat, have you ever wondered who first thought up America’s favorite cookie?

In the 1930s at the Wakefields’ Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, Ruth Wakefield was making an old favorite cookie recipe called “Butter Drop Do.” The recipe said to use bakers’ chocolate, but all she had on hand was a few bars of semi-sweet chocolate given to her by Andrew Nestle. Guessing that it would melt in evenly just like bakers’ chocolate, she chopped up a bar into small pieces that she added to the batter. When the cookies came out of the oven, she was surprised to see that the chunks of chocolate had retained their shape. She decided to serve the cookies anyway. They quickly became a local favorite which she called: “Toll House Crunch Cookies.” The recipe was soon published in newspapers, and Nestle bars started selling rapidly.

Andrew Nestle made a deal with Ruth that in exchange for a lifetime supply of the chocolate for Ruth, Andrew would be permitted to print her recipe on the back of every chocolate bar, which would include a chopper. The bar was used for cookies until Nestle invented chocolate morsels around 1939.

In 1966, Ruth and her husband sold the inn. It was turned into a nightclub, and burned down in 1984.

Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

Ruth Wakefield’s recipe:

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter or margarine
3/4 granulated sugar
3/4 packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups chocolate chips (11 oz. package)
1 cup chopped nuts