Razzmatazlady

Category: Links

  • Long Live the Queen and Other Stuff

    Well, this is very interesting, I think. I read in the New York Times that today Queen Elizabeth II became Britain’s oldest-ever monarch.

    Her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria was born in 1819 and lived for 81 years and 243 days. Queen Elizabeth passed that milestone about 5 p.m., today! Her full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor. When she was a little girl she couldn’t pronounce Elizabeth and called herself Lilibet.

    You can check out all sorts of info about the royal family at their official website.

    www.royal.gov.uk/

    Other Stuff: I spent a great deal of time today thinking about domain names to no avail. Last night (in the middle of the night) I had several brilliant ideas but was too comfy to get up and write them down and, sure enough, today I could only think of a couple of them. Naturally, they were the ones that were not so brilliant. So tonight I’m putting a notepad by the bed just in case…

    It was cool, today, but a sunny and happy day. Blue skies, green grass, flowers…what’s not to like? It’s so nice not to be knee deep in snow.

  • The “Akrabats” – A Memory

    Akra was the name of the tiny little town in North Dakota where my family lived when I was a child. We owned the Akra Store which was comprised of a grocery store, post office, gas pump and a creamery.

    My mother was the shopkeeper, the post mistress, the gas station attendant and the person who separated the cream from the milk and whatever else had to be done to the milk that the farmers brought for processing. Akra was about five miles from another small town (but much bigger than Akra) called Cavalier where everyone in the surrounding countryside went for their “big” shopping.

    There were probably a dozen kids in that town including my two sisters and me. We were outside from dawn until dusk all summer long and every day that we could during the rest of the year.

    There was a windcharger in the back yard – it didn’t work as I recall but it was a fun place to play. One day all the kids were playing circus and we were pretending to be acrobats. My sister Joan was probably about three years old or so and we wouldn’t let her play with us. We told her she was too little to be an acrobat. So she announced that if we wouldn’t let her be an “Akra-bat” she was going to be a “Cavalier-bat”. And she stomped off!

    I’ve found a really nice website for anyone with kids whether your searching for baby names or information on colleges. There’s a newsletter plus the site is divided into sections such as Your Child 0-6, Your Child 7-11, Your Child 12-18, etc. Plus dozens of craft projects, quizzes, Food & Recipes. I think you’ll find it well worth checking out!

    http://www.familyeducation.com/home/

  • A Fat Little Chickadee and a Woodpecker

    We took a few pictures through our kitchen window a couple of days ago. We have a cranberry bush outside that window and a birdhouse and a suet block hanging in it.
    The leaves have all fallen off, of course, but the berries are still there and the birds love them.

    A woodpecker and a chickadee were vying for a spot on the suet block so I had a chance to snap a couple of photos.

    Which reminds me of a wonderful website that I stumbled upon. It’s all photos of nature and wildlife. It’s called Focus Wildlife.

    The photographer’s name is Ilia Shalamaev and he is really gifted.

  • Some Favorite Websites

    I really enjoy searching the internet for interesting websites. Here are a few worth checking out.

    LOCAL HARVEST (http://www.localharvest.org/) – Just plug in a zipcode and you can find all sorts of local orchards, family farms, farmers markets, berry patches, co-ops, etc. In my small rural area there are almost fifty to choose from. There is even a family run business called Mackenzie Fields that distributes wool fleece, roving, yarn and hand spun to fiber artists. They rais and sell a particular breed of sheep that is know for its fine fleece. You name it and I’ll bet you can find it at Local Harvest.

    EARTH 911 (http://earth911.org/about) – The best thing about this website is being able to find recycling centers for all sorts of items from used motor oil, car batteries, books, household items, plastics plus lots more. Just enter a zip code and what you’d like to recycle.

    EZINE ARTICLES (http://ezinearticles.com/) – A really good research tool. There are thousands of articles written by experts in their respective fields on virtually any subject that you could dream up.

    LADIES WHO LAUNCH (http://www.ladieswholaunch.com/) – They describe their venture this way: “Ladies Who Launch provides content and community to help women start and expand their businesses and creative ventures.” It’s an upbeat community that believes that women do not necessarily have to follow the “good old boy” rules in order to launch and build successful businesses.

    MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE (http://www.m-w.com/) – Jack is a crossword puzzle junkie and this is a really good website to visit when he gets “stuck” (which, mind you, isn’t often). They also have a Word of the Day, word games, and Word Central for kids with a daily buzzword, word games and a build-your-own-dictionary section.

    INSTRUCTABLES (http://www.instructables.com/home) – Calling themselves the “World’s Biggest Show and Tell” they allow members to submit directions for creating all sorts of things like toys, arts, crafts, food, you name it. You can learn how to make a safety pin from a paper clip, how to make homemade potato chips with a microwave, or how to fix rust spots on your car. Some silly, some weird, some sorta scary, too. But fun.

    More to come…

  • On Being Green

    An Attempt at Healthy Living…

    I tend not to jump on bandwagons if I can help it; however, I am becoming more and more aware of the impact our global footprints have on the earth. Not only that, but the stuff that we put in and on our bodies matters more to me now than ever.

    I have struggled for years with my weight and am finally doing something about it. One of the things that helps me tremendously is eating more fresh foods. Well, we’ll see how it goes…

    This holiday I am trying to be a better giver, as well. We have seven grandchildren and I’m determined to purchase as many “healthy” gifts as I can.

    We got the cutest wooden puzzles for the two three-year-olds and make-your-own chewing gum kits for the three older grandkids.

    More to come on this subject…

  • The Perks of Housesitting

    On the Road, Again!

    We’re leaving our snowy climate (got about ten inches of snow since yesterday) in a couple of weeks to spend Christmas in sunny California and we won’t have to spend a dime on accommodations! That’s because we’ll be housesitting for a family while they’re away. We’ll be caring for their two sweet dogs, Imo and Dakota,  for the fourth time since we discovered the joys of housesitting.

    We’ve been housesitting for almost three years during our cold midwest winters. So far we’ve had assignments in California, Arizona, and Washington state. We’ve cared for dogs, cats, birds and even chickens, ducks, and geese! And we’ve made great friends of the homeowners, too.

    We don’t charge for our services; we take care of the homes and pets in exchange for lodging. Totally a win, win deal. The website is based in Australia so there are lots of opportunities there but there are housesits available all over the world.

    After we registered with the website we began to receive emails daily that notify us whenever someone has posted a request for a house/pet sitter. If we’re interested we send a message and if we’re not, we just don’t respond – it’s a simple as that. It’s very secure and there are lots of guidelines available.

    You can find the website at https://housecarers.com/.  Check it out.

    12/2/2007