HOLY CARDINALS!!!!!

A long time ago I thought I would write a blog about the comeback cardinals, but I never did because I didn’t think I could come up with enough to talk about. But after last night’s game I couldn’t resist!

The cardinals were ten games behind for first place in the National League. Which would have guaranteed them a spot in the play offs. Well I’ve decided the redbirds like to give all their fans heart attacks and come from behind.  And that they did the Cardinals won them wild card series against the Philly’s in five games. The next challenge: the Milwaukee Brewers, who had earlier in the season grabbed first place in the National League. Check! The cards did it again…in five games!

So this past Wednesday, October 18^th, 2011 was the start of the 2011 World Series. The series started off in St. Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals get off to a great start with a 3 to 2 victory over the Texas Rangers. In no time the series is tied 1-1 after a 2 to one Rangers win. But not for long….the team head back to Texas and the Cardinals make themselves at home with a huge 16 to 7 triumph. Unfortunately the Texans answer back two games in a row. So back to St. Louis for game six. This is where it gets good! The redbirds are trailing in the series 3-2 at this point, but that didn’t mean a thing. Last night the Cardinals were down to their last strike...TWICE. There were two comebacks in the ninth and tenth innings made possible by David Freese and Lance Berkman. This was the perfect set up for David FreesE to score a walk-off homer in the eleventh inning in front of an ecstatic crowd. The World Series hasn’t been into seven games in almost a decade. That all changes tonight, the winner takes it all in game seven of the 2011 World Series. This is arguably one of the best Word Series in history. And history will be made tonight. Tune in tonight on your tv, radio, or maybe your one of the lucky ones that are going to be a Busch Stadium in the heart of St. Louis, Missouri! Join me in cheering on the Cards with their ace Chris Carpenter on the mound, tonight!!! GO CARDS!!!!! :)

The Northern Lights

Recently there was a spotting of the Northern Lights. I have always heard of the Northern Lights, but never really knew what it was. I also had only ever heard that the Northern Lights were in Canada. So with the recent sighting in Fair Grove, MO, it intrigued me to research more about them.

The Northern Lights are also known as Aurora borealis’ in the north and Aurora australis’ in the south. The lights have been reported as shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet. They appear as patchy scattered clouds or streams of light.

So what causes the Northern Lights? The Northern Lights are the result of colliding gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere running into charged particles released from the sun’s atmosphere. The various colors that have been reported are due to the different type of gases that are smashing into each other. Of all of the different colors spotted the most common is a light yellowish-green. This shade is produced by oxygen molecules found sixty miles about the Earth’s surface. The rarest reported are the red lights. Red is made by high altitude oxygen, up to two hundred miles. The blueish-purpleish aurora is produced with Nitrogen is present. Since the Northern Lights are seen fifty to two hundred miles about the surface of the Earth, a cloudy night could obstruct the view. It needs to be very dark, even a bright full moon can ruin the view.

Albany.edu reports that in 1575 was the first published illustration by Cornelius Gemma. And the most recent was just the last Monday evening, October 24, 2011.

A few more facts about the Northern Lights: What is the best time of year to see the Northern Lights? March and September are the best months to likely see the lights. For a few reasons this is true…first the Earth’s orbit is in the zone of maximum solar activity and second these months have dark skies along with mild temperatures making it a perfect scene. Where is the best place to see the Northern Lights in the United States? Alaska! This is the best place in the United States to witness the lights, because they occur in the “auroral oval” which is centered on the northern geomagnetic pole, and passes over Alaska. But if you are not in Alaska don’t worry. The Northern Lights have been spotted in the northern states that border Canada, the changes of seeing one decreases the further south you get.  

So I guess the view of the Northern Lights in parts of Kansas, and even closer to home, Fair Grove, Missouri was a rare and special sighting. I wish I could have witness the extraordinary red auroras that were seen randomly throughout the states. I looked for information on patterns or forecast of auroras to see when the next would possibly be seen, but I didn’t find any documentation. The Northern Lights are a rare experience in the Midwest, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I get to see them at some point in my life time! 

I said yes!

 Cole and I got engaged on February 13^th, 2011. It was a Sunday afternoon, he was out working and I was home doing homework/studying. He calls me and wants me to meet him out a one of his farms, so I did. When I got there he had his truck at the gate for me to drive back into the pasture. (My car wouldn’t make it in the half melted snow.) So I drive out in to field where he told me to go, a little old barn out in the middle of nowhere pretty much. When I got there Cole was sitting on an upside down five gallon bucket, in the middle of this barn. Puzzled, I asked him, “What are you doing?” He replied with, “Oh just thinking…” I thought to myself this was all kind of strange, but next I asked, “About what?” Before I even had time to comprehend the situation, he pulls out the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen, and asks “Will you marry me?” Shocked, I replied “Are you serious?” Haha… oops! I feel bad looking back that I said that, but I had absolutely NO CLUE this was going to happen. My dad was the only person that knew! J Most people think that it might be kind of a lame story, but the place where he proposed has a lot of sentimental value to us. We have spent a lot of time there together, and hopefully one day we can build our house there!

Anyways…now that you know the proposal story I want to tell let you in on my experience of shopping for a wedding dress. Just shortly after the engagement I started looking for dresses. I had gone to several places and they all ask the same question. “What do you see yourself in? I couldn’t really give them an answer, but I could tell them the two things I absolutely didn’t want; strapless and white. Well if you been through this before, you know that knocks out about 85% of the dresses. So my choices were very slim. After weeks of searching, I finally found the perfect one, I never thought I would! I never understood it when everyone says “oh you will know when you’ve found it!” But, somehow it really is true, you know when it is the one! So I order this dress like the first week in March. Just last Friday the dress came in. Leading up to my alterations appointment I started having these fears of: what if I don’t like it anymore, what if it doesn’t fit, and heck what if they ordered the wrong one!! It took eight months to get the first go around; I don’t have time to order again.  Well I had my fitting appointment this last Friday; yes, they ordered the right one, I stilled loved it, and it fit pretty much just like a glove, with just a few minor adjustments!!  At that moment, it became so real…I’m getting married in 65 days!!!

House Hunting

Some love it and some hate it. Me, well it depends on the day. Some days I enjoy surfing around when I should be doing something more productive; I’d like to know how many hours of my life I’ve wasted looking for a home! And then other days it’s the last thing I want to do or think about. On the days I like house hunting it sort of gives me the feeling of a rush. I’ll get so excited that we have possibly found something then in an instant something doesn’t work out, and it’s gone. It’s a market where we’ve got to be quick on our feet. I’ve found out the word of mouth is so extremely fast and it seems as if everyone is after the same deals as us. After the so called “rush” is the crash. At this point, looking for a house is absolutely the last thing on earth I want to be doing. It makes me mad and sometimes I think I’d rather just live in my parent’s basement. Haha, not really, but it drives me that insane.

The house hunting deal is one of the longest and slowest processes EVER. Now, I know you said you’ve got to be fast, but it’s that hurry up in wait game. For example: when you’re at Disney world and sprint to the next roller coaster to wait forty five minutes in the line. Maybe I’m the only one that knows what I’m talking about, but I doubt it. Anyways…back to house hunting.

It seems like at this time try to buy might be a good thing. It’s just a matter of finding something that has at least the minimum “wants” and isn’t over budget. In the vicinity where we are looking homes are either three hundred thousand dollars plus or under fifty thousand. There is very slim pickin’s in the “middle class” range. This is probably the biggest factor to consider when looking for a house; the cost. I’ve also heard the ol’ saying “the only thing you can’t change about a house is the location.” So I’ve been trying to keep this in the back of my head. I believe it to be true…only if the money is there to do it.

All in all, I’ll be very happy when this whole hunt and HUGE decision to be mad is over. It’s a long commitment and a lot of money. But a lot of people do it, so I think we can too. For now, I’m just going to keep my patience and wait on the perfect first home for me and my future husband to purchase. Patience has never been one of my best attributes, but I’m learning. Because in this situation it’s key; we don’t want to jump into something that would put us over our heads, or something we think is a great deal…after all a better situation could and probably will come along that is just right for us. 

Popcorn!

Well I was eating some kettle corn I purchased at Apple Butter Makin’ Days while trying to come up with something to right about. That’s when I came up with popcorn! I started thinking about where it came from, how it came about, and just anything about popcorn. So I decided I’d do a bit of research and share it with y’all. Here we go…everything you’ve ever wanted to know about popcorn!

The early history of popcorn: Most people believe that corn and popcorn originated in the Americas. But exactly how is still a topic for debate. Some think it was created by centuries of breeding wild grasses. The other side believes popcorn was started from findings in archeological digs.  It is said to be believed that the first use of corn was for popping!

In 1948 and 1950, the oldest years of popcorn that have so far been found were in the Bat Cave of west central New Mexico. Some of the pieces were smaller than a penny and even bigger than two inches. This corn was thought to be approximately four thousand years old.  Also, in the early 16^th century, popcorn was used in the Aztec Indian ceremonies. Supposedly the young women did a popcorn dance, with tassels of maize made popcorn garlands. Popcorn was a very important food for the Aztec Indians. They would use popcorn as decoration, ceremonial headdresses, necklaces and ornaments on the statues of their gods.

Now moving forward in time; from 1890 until the great depression, popcorn was extremely popular. The street vendors would follow the crowd while pushing their poppers at fairs parks, and etcetera. During the great depression popcorn was five or ten cents a bag and was one of the few luxuries families could afford.  While other businesses were failing, the popcorn business was booming. Also, during World War two, sugar was sent overseas for the troops; meaning not much sugar was left in the states to make candy. Therefore, Americans ate three times more popcorn than they normally would.

In the 1940’s was the time that people started heating their popcorn by microwave; which is probably still the most popular means today. In this day and age, we consume 17 billion quarts of popcorn each year. The average American eats about 54 quarts. That’s a lot of popcorn! Today and more than likely forever, popcorn’s a fan favorite. There are companies that have taken popcorn to the extreme. For example: The Popcorn Factory, Big Popper, and Popcornopolis are a few names of some companies that have make the original popcorn into something gourmet. These places offer on the upward of twenty different flavors from sour cream and onion to cupcake and if this wacky flavor are not your taste, don’t worry they have the classics like butter and cheddar too! Anything you could desire, they’ve got it. On the down side, a box of Popcornopolis will cost you $46.99 plus shipping!   

Well now that you have to down low on popcorn, go enjoy some...after all October is national popcorn poppin’ month!  

Apple Butter Makin' Days!

This weekend is one of my favorite times of the year. It feels like fall is finally here when the apple butter is churning. I grew up in Mount Vernon, Missouri; home of Apple Butter Makin’ Days, or better known as ABMD if you’re a local.  And yes it is makin’…not making! This annual festival is always the second weekend in October, for that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This is such a big deal around Mount Vernon; we even get out of school on Friday for it. It’s a tradition that has been going for 45 years now, and will more than likely live on forever.

Now let me tell you about ABMD. The madness begins on Thursday evening, vendors start setting up their booths. At the booths there are many things for sale. At the top of my list is the amazing food. But there are also, crafts. The cool thing about Apple Butter Makin’ Days is everything MUST be hand/homemade, I think that’s pretty neat. All of the booths are for non-profit organizations, like the high school band or FFA. Each year the same organization has their same “famous” items for sale. My favorites include: The Southwest Missouri Cattleman’s Association rib eye steak sandwich meal…my mouth is watering now! The First Baptist Church has their one of a kind Taco Salads each year; and of course you can’t forget the renowned APPLE BUTTER! Yes, they actually make mass quantities of apple butter on the courthouse lawn throughout the entire weekend. It also seems like each year there is a “hot” craft item for sale. In past years it’s been, homemade door wreaths to a picture of individual pictures that spell something out…if that makes since! I can’t wait to see what this year’s “must have” item is. Also throughout the entire weekend the “stage” is hopping. There are various types of performers, singers, and contest for your entertainment. Saturday is the main day of the event. There is a parade every Saturday morning, which draws a huge crowd. It’s probably one of the best parades around.  And to top all of it off there is even an Apple Butter Makin’ Days Queen. Yes, that’s right…a Queen. There is a contest that reminds me of how they do the Miss America Pageant, but take it back about 100 years..haha!

The Lawrence County Record, which is the local newspaper, came out today (Wednesday). It had a special edition issue in it for ABMD. I read some interesting facts about Apple Butter Makin’ Days that I would like to share with you, so maybe you can grasp a better understanding of ABMD if you’ve never been.  This article was called ABMD by the Numbers. Now to sum it up: 1967- The first year of Mt. Vernon’s ABMD. 41- The number of people who have chaired the festival.  7- Seven people have chaired the festival more than once. 4- The number of traffic lights in Mt.Vernon (half of which are outside the city limits). 10- The number of feet in an ABMD booth. 380- The number of booths at ABMD each year. 1,600- Is the estimated number of gallons of apple butter that will be made at the 2011 festival. And lastly 52,000- The estimated number in attendance at last year’s Apple Butter Makin’ Days. When I read this today it made me blessed to be part of such an amazing community that holds an astounding event each year. I hope if you haven’t been to at least one ABMD that you attend at least one. Because in my opinion, once you go, you’ll always want to keep going back! 

iPhone 5=BUST

I’m sure there where many other people, other than myself in extreme anticipation for the iPhone 5. Apple was to announce the new phone today, and they did, but it was a disappointment for most. The iPhone 4S was introduced as “the most amazing iPhone yet.” I guess I should have known better than to get my hopes up since the iPhone 3G was followed by the iPhone 3GS. Oh well, I did anyway!

Now that the wait is over and the announcement has been made, all the new “secrets” are out. The iPhone 4S looks basically identical to the previous iPhone 4. However, the “guts” of the phone do have some pretty stellar new features.

The iPhone 4S has the same exact A5 dual-core processor from the iPad 2. This means better graphics; apple is claiming a seven times improvement increase in graphics capability. This will greatly improve gaming, surfing and pretty much everything about the iPhone. Better graphics means better pictures as well, but not without the help of the eight mega pixel camera with built in flash. This camera also shoots in 1080p high definition videos. These are all great improvements and upgrades that apple has made, but there is some stunning new technology with the iPhone 4S. It’s called Siri. Now you can use your voice to use your iPhone. You talk to it just like you would a person. A few examples: “Do I need my sunglasses?” “Are there any good pizza around here?” Or “Where’s the nearest ATM?” The amazing iPhone can figure out the right apps you need to find out the answer to your questions. Then, just when you thought it couldn’t get much better…the iPhone 4S can make phone calls, send messages, schedule your meetings, set a reminder and much more. Say you need a reminder to pick up your dry cleaning after you get off work. Consider it done, with the new technology, Siri. In addition to all these wonderful features, one I’m really excited about is called AirPrint. I’ve always thought this would be a great element for the iPhone. You can print your e-mail, photos, and documents…whatever it might be. No cords or software to install, just a few taps and a wireless connection. Then you’ve got your hard copy, just like that. There is also an app similar to this one, but it’s called AirPlay. Basiclly it’s the same concept, just from your phone to your Apple TV. You can play what’s on your iPhone to your big screen.

Even though the iPhone 5 reveal was a bust, and many tech junkies were disappointed; I think there is still great aspects of the new iPhone 4S. Sure it will hurt for awhile, but I bet eventually we will see an iPhone 5. And there is always a positive side to each bad thing (like no iPhone 5); but see it as I will not go waste two hundred dollars on something that I don’t really need, but selfishly want. So it’s all good!