Why an Easter Bunny??

So I learned something fantastic this weekend, at a Romanian heritage day of all places.  They were talking about the pagan traditions of the old country....and that there was a goddess named Eostre, (sounds a lot like our "Easter" doesn't it?) and she was the goddess of spring & new life...something like that. Anyway, she was always seen with her pet rabbit!  Ha. So THAT is why we have an Easter Bunny!!!! Crazy stuff you learn, eh?

Seriously? They have one of these??

National Corn Dog Day? http://www.corndogday.com/

Mustache Institute? http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/

I just found these this week, and thought it was the craziest thing ever! Thought I'd post them.

The definitions OF of.

While singing in church today...or maybe while listening to the sermon, I noticed the word "of". It's really of little importance. But of what is the word derived? I was fascinated to learn that this little two letter word, has not 2, not 4 but 17 definitions or uses of the word of. ;-) Thought you might enjoy a little indulgence of.....OF!

–preposition

1.	(used to indicate distance or direction from, separation, deprivation, etc.): within a mile of the church; south of Omaha; to be robbed of one's money.

2.	(used to indicate derivation, origin, or source): a man of good family; the plays of Shakespeare; a piece of cake.

3.	(used to indicate cause, motive, occasion, or reason): to die of hunger.

4.	(used to indicate material, component parts, substance, or contents): a dress of silk; an apartment of three rooms; a book of poems; a package of cheese.

5.	(used to indicate apposition or identity): Is that idiot of a salesman calling again?

6.	(used to indicate specific identity or a particular item within a category): the city of Chicago; thoughts of love.

7.	(used to indicate possession, connection, or association): the king of France; the property of the church.

8.	(used to indicate inclusion in a number, class, or whole): one of us.

9.	(used to indicate the objective relation, the object of the action noted by the preceding noun or the application of a verb or adjective): the ringing of bells; He writes her of home; I'm tired of working.

10.	(used to indicate reference or respect): There is talk of peace.

11.	(used to indicate qualities or attributes): an ambassador of remarkable tact.

12.	(used to indicate a specified time): They arrived of an evening.

13.	Chiefly Northern U.S. before the hour of; until: twenty minutes of five.

14.	on the part of: It was very mean of you to laugh at me.

15.	in respect to: fleet of foot.

16.	set aside for or devoted to: a minute of prayer.

17.	Archaic. by: consumed of worms.

---

Origin:
bef. 900;

Where I want to go....top 22 places!

22. Antarctica If I EVER get a chance to go here & it won’t make me bankrupt, I want to go. Probably wouldn’t last long though because I hate cold weather….but I’d still go.

21. French Guiana Here’s a country that I’d like to see just because….mainly because I’ve met a few people from here, and it’s always fun to see where they are actually from! I found a picture of this old French fort outside of Cacao and if I go, I’d want to make a stop here.

20. Canada I can’t say that this has ever been TOO high up on my list, but the mere fact that I am only hours away from a whole other country, makes me want to go….just to say I’ve been there.

19. Burkina Faso I put this country on the list because I just photographed a wedding, where the groom was from here. Curiosity I guess! This mosque looks really great too!

18. Philippines It seems that dangerous & war prone areas are the ones that attract me. Despite the instability of the Philippines, I’d love to see this unique country.

17. Namibia Not really sure why, but during a missions Sunday at my old church, the country of Namibia popped into my head. I got the giggles during church because I just thought it was SO random. It makes me want to go there & figure out what the reason was.

16. Norway Years ago, I became friends with a few people who are from Norway. Hearing about life there from them, sounded really cool! It sounds like nowhere I’ve ever been….except that everyone in Minnesota is Scandinavian…so it sounds a LITTLE like home, but much cooler. I’d love to see the Fjords and the fishing villages!

15. Netherlands Duh. I’m half-Dutch, why wouldn’t I want to go see where my relatives came from? The locks & waterways sound awesome! As well as I’d love to see how much of my family’s characteristics are from the Netherland culture….or just because we’re crazy!

14. Bosnia One time I was only yards from the border of this country…but it was manned with heavily armed guards…so we stayed away. It piqued my interest & I hope to one day go here after/before one of my Romania trips. Ravaged by war & in many ways still untouched by western culture changes, it would be great to see this country.

13. Israel From the beginning, this area and the people living here, have been such a critical part of history. Wars, conflict, religion, passion & doctrine have come out of this place, so I wonder who wouldn’t want to go here if given the chance. Who knows how long this country will last…so I’d love to go before it’s gone as we know it!

12. India I’ve known many people from India, and always been intrigued by the uniqueness of culture & traditions. The colors here look outstanding, and there can’t be enough said about the food & friendliness of the people. I’ve heard it is very dirty & smells….but I could put up with that while I indulge in their beautiful country.

11. North Korea I remember learning about North Korea in 5^th grade. I wanted to go then…and still want to go now, although I realize it’s very dangerous and currently illegal. Still, I want to explore this hidden & guarded land. Maybe someday.

10. Greece History. Culture. Warm weather. Kalamata olives. Feta cheese. Blue roofs. Need I say more?

9. Brazil Look at these waterfalls & the power in them! They are the Iguassu Falls....and this picture is sick. It makes me want to hop on a plane NOW!

8. Ecuador When I was just a little girl, apparently we had a missionary from Ecuador come to visit our church. I was enthralled by them, and ran around the house saying…(phonetically & emphasis added)… “KEE-TOH, EK-a-door.” I’ve been drawn to it ever since.

7. Croatia This is a land that has been ravaged by war, and yet retains so much beauty right on the coast of the sea. Just soak in these bright red roofs contrasted by the teal blue sea….a—mazing.

6. El Salvador This is some place that I'm just curious about. You don't hear about it often, and sometimes those are the best places! My great aunt visited here once, and got these photos of a man & woman making hats & clothing in a dimly lit room...it captivated me. Where are these people from, what is their life like?

5. Argentina Last fall, I went through a time where employment was uncertain for a few of us. During that time, trying to find hope of something else if we found pink in our mailboxes, my friend & I decided that we would move to Argentina. This country has such diverse landscapes....from snow to beaches, rain forests to deserts. Amazing.

4. Turkey A country full of culture, history, religion & adventure...what's not to love? I recently found a destination here that I simply MUST see some day. It is called "cotton castles" or Pamukkale, where sulfuric hot pools bubble up from the earth & over flow into a facade of snow like drifts, welcoming relaxation seekers to find peace in their warm embrace. (No, I did not copy this.....that is truly what I feel towards this wondrous natural wonder.) AH.

3. Spain (Palma de Mallorca) This is a destination that has been on my list for a while. My Aunt apparently always spoke of Palma de Mallorca as one of the most beautiful places she traveled to....which says a lot, being she was ALL over the world. Two of my brothers' biological siblings live here, so it would be great to visit!

2. Egypt Since I was little, I've always wanted to see Egypt for myself. I'm fascinated with history & archeology, that Egypt would be like a "mecca" type trip for me. Someday I want to dress in colorful robes & ride a camel around the Pyramids.

1. Morocco I want to see Morocco SO bad. It just brings such intrigue & culture. Colors (like in this picture) really draw me to places like this. Also, my Aunt Helen visited Morocco too & I currently have her photos hanging in my room. She caught such beauty that I want to experience it too!!

Blue Plate Special*

So...did you know that if you eat food from a blue plate or in a blue room, you will most likely eat considerably less than if in a red room or from a green plate? This is odd I know....but honestly, blue is a non-natural color of food....so somewhere in our brain it tells us "this is not normal" and gives us a "you're finished with this" sooner than we might want. Isn't this odd? Well...just remember this when you order your next Blue Plate special. It isn't just about the price, it might just be that they know you won't eat as much!

My phone drowned...in water then rice.

So last night, while swing dancing around my living room, water was seeping out onto my counter...not much, but enough. Just enough actually to soak into my cell phone. So much that it would not turn on....:s and then once it did, it wouldn't come off the "Samsung" screen. Frustrating. Yes, very. So I remembered that just one day ago, someone mentioned that if you put your wet phone in a bowl of rice, the rice would soak up the liquid deep in the cracks. I searched high & low in my kitchen only to find a medium sized box of Minute-Rice. Not quite sure if this would accomplish the same absorption power as regular rice, I tried it anyway. I covered my phone with rice, decided I'd have to rely on my internal clock to wake me in the morning & turned off the lights. Ha. The rice was glowing.

So....this morning, waking up 5 minutes before I should have left the house, I tried my phone out....tada! It works! Rice works! Wow. I'm so impressed, and awed. I'm also odd....but that's another post, another day. Thanks for reading!

Mr. ZIP

I was working with ZIP codes today at work, and it made me wonder....why are they there? Wow. I learned a lot....to sum it up, there used to be sections with like "Minneapolis 16" then some guy in the '60s decided that we should have common sorting centers.  SO......by the 80s, they figured out a system that gives certain states the first digit in the ZIP code. The next two numbers are the sorting center codes.  The next two are your general zones, and the final is the more specific spot of your house.

Alright, so what I REALLY loved through all this "helpful learning" was that in the 1960's, when the ZIP code was being changed to mandatory usage, they employed the help of Mr. ZIP himself! Yes, check out this cute little dude......

isn't this great? I just love it. I want a T-shirt with him. Doesn't he make you want to use the ZIP code now? You have to, it's true, you have no choice.....but it's pretty cool.