Baby Shark Cereal

If you have or have been around children under that age of 4, you probably have heard the "Baby Shark" song more time than you would care too.  

In case you have never heard the song, I have posted it below, but I have to warn you it is very simple catchy and stick in your head.

Since as the little ones can't seem to get enough of that catchy little tune and dance that goes with it, the creators teamed with Kelloggs to put out a Limited Edition "Baby Shark" and "Mommy and Daddy Shark" Cereal so they can eat too.  

An article in People indicates it was first released August 17th at Sams Clubs with two boxes for $5.98 and I spotted it at Walmart today for $3.48 for a single box.

Both boxes tout having Berry Fin-tastic flavors with marshmallows.and appear to look similar to Fruit Loops with some sprinkles.  I think it would be cooler if either the cereal or the marshmallows or both were shaped like sharks. 

But still, I always thought marshmallow in cereal should just be limited to Lucky Charms and having them in a Fruit Loop type cereal if you are a kid would be awesome.   As a parent though, many breakfast cereals like this are sugar-laden and have dyes and chemicals and should for a special treat or used in moderation.

Record Breaking Snowfall In September 2019

Source: Severe Weather Updates 2019 - John Kassell via Twitter

West Montana 

Although it is a rainy 61 degrees where I live, Weather.com is reporting record-breaking heavy snowfall, this weekend in the Nothern Rockies with Montana in Blizzard conditions.

While 23 inches has been verified in some places, Severe Weather 2019  has the picture below from East Glacier National Park, Montana on their Facebook page where there have been over 4 feet accumulated, but could be due to the blowing snow.

Severe Weather 2019 - Kayla White

Here is a video by Extreme Storm Chaser Aaron Jayjack from Youtube
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Play Therapy Sheet For Hospital Kids

Photo:  Playtime Adventures

A man in Charlotteville, NC, Kevin Gatlin, was visiting a friends child in the hospital and having children of his own, brainstormed with his wife to try to find a way to make the stay more tolerable and came up with colorful sheets and slumber bags that have oversized game boards and pillowcases where you create your own story for play therapy.

The products are available for purchase from Playtime Adventures and currently, if you purchase a set for a child they donate a set to a child in need.

Website:  Playtime Adventures




Good News Network

Restaurant In a Cliff By The Sea

Source:  Claudio on Flickr

This place is going on my bucket list as it looks amazing and it is historic.
  

Grotta Palazzese restaurant and hotel is built into a natural cliff.   

It has a unique history in that has been used to hold banquets and parties since the 1700s and painted in watercolor by  Jean Louis Desprez in 1783 (picture of the painting on Grotta Palazzese's website).  

Just imagine all of the people who have been there over the past 300 years that dined inside that cave overlooking the sea.

Location:  Via Narciso, 59, Polignano a Mare (Bari) Puglia, Italy 

Source:  Chris Walts on Flickr

Your Value Is What You Make Of It

Source:  Unknown

Everyone has value, it is up to all of us to choose if we want to remain a bar or iron or work toward being a balance spring for a watch in life.   It has little to do with how much money you make and more about sharing your heart and your talents in positive manner.

Walmart Adventures: Mouse Ears, a Tutu and a Cigarette

It is one thing to see all the drunk girls (and sometimes a few fellas) dressed as cats on Halloween, but it just didn't seem right for a gal wearing mouse ears and a tutu to be smoking outside a Walmart in September.

Mickey Mouse would not approve!

THRIFT STORE FIND: 1954 U.S. Army Sound Reproducer

This was spotted at local Salvation Army for sale for $99.99.  It indicates it is a U.S. Army Signal Corp with at date of January 1954 Sound Reproducer RP-104/UIH-2. 

It obviously has a turntable so it probably was used for entertainment purposes, put it also has where you can plug in a microphone and speakers, so it was probably an announcement system as well and there is also and outlet that something could be plugged into (close up below). 

I did find a link to part of a manual online found here and below is a diagram from Page 4 showing what it came with.

Page 4 from Manual found online.

Next Level Cheerleading

This school certainly has school spirit.

A South African school takes cheerleading to the next level by having some members the cheer section choreographed to open up their dark shirts to reveal the white shirts underneath to spell out letter and designs.

Gravesite of "Johnny Appleseed" John Chapman

Johnny Appleseed Festival  is this weekend, September 21-22, 2019 from 10PM- 6PM Saturday and 10AM to 5PM  Sunday, in Fort Wayne, IN and as his gravesite is nearby I thought I would share it here.

You may have learned of John Chapman a/k/a "Johnny Appleseed" in history class in grade school or Jr. High and how he went throughout the countryside and scattered apple seeds. In reality, he planted orchards.   Below it indicates it was in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois.  He was also a missionary of the Swedenborgian religion and a legendary folk hero even while living.

He was known to travel barefoot and wear rags and sometimes just a coffee sack and he would befriend every person and creature he met.   

In his obituary it indicated that he ‘submitted to every privation with cheerfulness and content, believing that in so doing he was securing snug quarters hereafter."

On the New England Historical Society page, as he is originally from Massachusetts, indicates he planted seeds in Western, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana as well as Ontario, Illinois, and West Virginia.   The article also indicates the seeds produced a bitter apple that was only good for making hard cider.  

His final resting place is Fort Wayne, IN where he lived an worked from 1835 until his passing in 1845.

It is not on Harry W. Baals Dr; it is up two driveways if going North.  Yes, our mayor was Harry Baals from 1934-1948. If you are driving south and see Harry Baals Drive, you have gone too far; it is two driveways North.

Grave is inside the fence

Closer view inside the fence

View looking up the hill

View looking at the Coliseum from the hill

View looking down the hill

Graves outside his gravesite to the left of the fence; perhaps family members?  I have not been able to find any information on this.

View looking south down the hill to Turner's baseball diamond.

Deer grazing nearby on what appeared to be apples; although Johnny is gone, his gifts to the world live on.

Rare Orchid That Looks Like A Money's Face

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🌺🐵Monkey Orchid🌺🐵 Scientific Name : Dracula saulii This #orchid resembles a monkey’s face and hence the name. The #flower is white on the inside with a brown band on the outside. It grows mainly in cold weather. The orchid genus Dracula, abbreviated as Drac in horticultural trade, consists of 118 species native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. #nature #monkeyorchid #draculasaulii

A post shared by Beautiful Gardens (@extraordinary_gardens) on Jul 12, 2019 at 10:17am

These are somewhere in the middle of cute and creepy.  What do you think?

Chicagonow  had a short article and indicated they were discovered in 1978 by a botanist named Luer and they smell like oranges.

Herb Alpert's New Release "Skinny Dip"

Herb Alpert has been a professional jazz musician/recording artist for over 60 years, with his best-known hit being with the Tijuana Brass at the time, is the theme song for "The Dating" game, a television show that first aired in the late '60s and had several incarnations since then.

He is now 84, but there is no sign of him slowing down as he still tours and produces new music.  The above is his latest video that just came out.   It tells the story of falling in love and having a family after a skinny dip in the ocean using a single continuous line.

It has his signature jazz with a Tijuana spin but the new tune has more hints of a tropical flare.

Unusual Dog Plush Toys at Barkshop.com

Instead of you dropping F-Bomgs, you can drop an F-Bomb toy for your pup to enjoy.  Will he like the spiky squeaky ball inside?  The website says "Abso-FETCHING-lutely!

I was at a discount store and purchase Percy the reindeer toy (I will post at the bottom), the big dog loved, so I thought I would check out Barkshop.com to see what other fun plush toys they had to offer and here are a few of the current offerings at Barkshop.com

As Fido might be bored with the same old same ole, this Tubular TV Dinner has a "medley of different materials and noisemakers" 

Peaceful Percy Space Squirrel  comes to you in peace so your pup can tear him to pieces.

Instead of having your pooch destroy your shoes, they can destroy this Japanese Geta, a historical shoe from feudal Japan.
Get That Geta

Perhaps your peppy puppy might leave your furniture alone if you get him a Laz-E-Dog toy to chew.

Although they no longer carry Percy, they do have Fred The Reindeer and he is fuzzier and has a spiky squeaker ball inside.

 Here is what I purchased for $4.00 at the Surplus Store

I liked that on the back it had a depiction of how the toy will eventually look and that it had not one, but two squeakers.


Even though she tore through the head and got out the squeaker in 30 minutes, she does love this new toy so much she cuddled up with it when she went to sleep.

All photos are from Barkshop.com's website, except for Prancin' Perry

***DISCLAIMER***I am in no way affiliated with Bark or Barkshop.com and have received nothing for this post.  Just stumbled across this after find the toy at a surplus store.

What The Musician's At Woodstock Made

Source:  Pictures In History

Would you be surprised that the highest-paid performer at Woodstock was Jimi Hendrix at $18,000, more than double Janis Jopin's or Jefferson Airplane's payment of $7,500 each, or  Santana a mere $750 for the historic 3 day festival on a dairy farm in Woodstock, NY?

Above is a price list of what the performers were paid. 

Priceonomics said the pre-sale tickets were $18 for the event, but many attendees took advantage of the lack of security crashed the event.  The article also indicated that Hendrix played the last day of the festival and only 10% of the concert-goers heard his now-famous version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on his guitar.

The dairy farmer received only $10,000 for use of his property and ended up sustaining five times that in damages.

Wall Art Board For Friday The 13th

Source

Everywhere these days are the wall art boards with clever saying decorating homes and offices.  Here is one for today.

Also don't forget not to walk under a ladder and be careful when crossing paths with a black cat.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Mother And Son Showing Off Hip Hop Moves

While many it is not unusual to see a young fella dancing hip-hop moves, it is unique to see one do so alongside his mother.

This video of Mother and Son at a talent show at Myers Park High School in Charlotte North Carolina to benefit the Susan G. Koman Foundation is two years old and still going viral as the duo has got some grooves.

The is performed by Ginny Jenkins, a guidance counselor at the high school and her son who is a student there.  

For more information, there is an  article by WBTV's website

A Tribute To The Victims of 9/11/2001

Source:  Unknown

It is hard to believe it now has been 18 years ago today that planned attacks took place on our soil resulting in a senseless loss of life for so many people who were just going to work, flying to a destination or just going about their daily lives.  

Metro UK has a collage and listing of victims from that day published on the 14th anniversary in 2015.   The list is staggering and puts it in perspective; you keep scrolling, expecting to see the end, but you don't. 

I have read posts that indicate more lives were lost on 9/11 than at Pearl Harbor, and that does not even include the police, fire and rescue units or those that have succumbed to related deaths since that time.

It is a day that forever changed our lives and my heart and prayers go out to all of the families that lost loved ones on this fateful day.

UNIQUE LIFEHACK: Old Trick To Teach Children Length of Months Using Their Knuckles

Source: 1000lifehacks.com

Back in the dark ages when I was in early grade school, they actually taught this trick in school to help students remember the lengths of the months to know which ones have 30 days and which months had 31, except for that sneaky short month, February. 

I still remember pressing on my knuckles and then indentations in between to figure out after memorizing the months.  It seems a bit silly now, but it actually did work,

Winner of The Best Back to School Photo...

Source:  Pictures In History

Although most kids are back in school already, this would be a great idea to recreate next year with a child that you have in your life.

15 Surreal Or Otherworldly Locations on Earth

Photo:  Screenshot from video       Skaftafell Ice Cave - Iceland

In the video below are 15 places around the world that look like they could be the setting for an alien planet, a video game or the creative mind of an artist.

Which location would you like to visit?

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Armadillo Playing With A Toy

How can something so armored be so adorable?   But this little guy playing with a toy is almost cuteness overload.  It looks like a little armored puppy!

I have never seen an Armadillo in person and only heard stories about them from others that they jump high if startled and can do a lot of damage to a windshield if they hit is after that.  I was also told that they are sometimes referred to as "Possum's on the half shell", which I guess is for a southern Southern delicacy that tastes like pork.

A site called Armadillo Expansion said they are a member of the Superorder Xenarthra that includes sloths and anteaters and originally from South America.

For thousands of years, there were none in North America but the article indicates they have been migrating North.  In 2008, several were reported in Chicago, Illinois.

How far north will depend on climate as the site indicates they have very little body fat so need to be consistently above 28 degrees and need a lot of water to survive.   

Thrift Store Find: Cute or Creepy Vase?

I love going to the thrift store as you never know what you are going to find.  

On a recent trip, I spotted the above vase.   As first I thought it was cute, with innocent little toddlers, one drinking out of what looks like an old milk bottle while the other two are feeding a cat in a grassy patch with a village, then a city in the background and thought it was kind of cute.

I then thought, why are they naked?  Maybe a hot day in a poor country?  If so, then why is the one feeding the cat wearing what looks like a sock cap on a hot day? I picked it up and looked at the bottom to see if I could find any additional information.  All it indicated was "Made In Japan" and the number 49 (pic below),

I flipped it back over and got a more creepy, sinister impression, that it was a Hell with the brown being flames and it is the underworld world below the narrow part with the city above.  The former toddler drinking out a bottle now a horn-tooting harbinger of doom and the other toddler and cat ar attacking the boy in the sock cap.  The darker green became dark spirits circling in to capture the soul of the boy.

I put it back immediately on the shelf and once again it seemed cute again.  Perhaps it is the genius of the artist to see both, or myself having had watched too many horror movies and consumed too much caffeine that day.  

What is your impression of the vase?  

Made in Japan

"All The Wrinkled Ladies"

All The Wrinkled Ladies from nicole carpenter on Vimeo.

Anita Renfroe is an Atlanta Mom turned comedian Youtuber that relates thing in her life with humor and through music and this little ditty is a parody of Beyonce's "All The Single Ladies". 

After watching, I don't know that I can see the Beyonce one without seeing the grey-haired gal on the right as one of the backup dancers.

THRIFT STORE FIND: VINTAGE NUTCRACKER SET

If you have ever heard the term "hard nut to crack" it was probably after dealing with something like the above.

I had not seen since I was a kid a Christmas at my Grandmother's house and I am not surprised they are not popular today, although they did fancy up a Holiday table visually with all of the different shapes, colors, and textures of assorted nuts on a table or buffet. 

This should also be under the category of "Kids don't know how easy they have it today" to be able to get pre-packaged shelled nuts.

Back in the days before you could buy packages of nuts that had already been shelled, you would purchase nuts in the shell and have to crack them yourself.

Usually, it was an assortment of nuts that were placed in the bowl then you would take metal nutcracker that is stored in the center, place the nut in between and squeeze hoping the nut would crack open.  Unless it was a peanut, the first attempt was not successful, or only partially so.  There were also those occasions where it would slip out and project all or part of it the nut across the room. I can still hear my Grandmother's voice saying "Be careful!  Go pick that up!". 

Once you cracked the nut open, usually in two or more pieces, there was a pick like metal object also in the center that you would use to pry out tiny portions of the nut to eat.  Walnuts were the worst.  Usually, you could only pick out a crumb-like morsel at a time.  

While the above has a Depression glass vibe to it, I am guessing this is a late 50's to early 60's reproduction.  

I used to go with my mother-in-law, who was a Depression glass fanatic to flea markets on the weekend to hunt for Depression area glass that she collected and displayed in a large glass china cabinet in her dining room.  She would hand a piece to me to guess if it was real or reproduction and then tell me if it was or was not and why and on this it felt heavier and the glass was too clear, but I by no means am an expert.   It also has more of the look and feel of a tea/snack set my mother had from the late 50's/early 1960s.

While a piece like brings back childhood memories, they are more ones of frustration that joy so I left this treasure at the thrift store for someone else to find.

Unusual Toys: Pomsie Poos Wearable Pets

The interesting little pastel puff balls above caught my eye over the weekend on a visit to Target.

It seems like fun colored cuteness combined with the word "Poo" is what kids are craving this season.

Upon closer inspection, I found these fluffies are not only cute and wearable, as they have a curly tail you can wrap around things or secure with a clip that is on the end (but their eyes also light up and they make noises and say short phrases.

I couldn't resist trying all of them on the display (short video below).

and seriously contemplated getting the one on the top right as a rearview mirror accessory but concerned it might obstruct my view (and distract me too much at stoplights pressing its little nose).

Look Ma!   It's wearable and even comes with its own little brush to fluff up its fur.  Let's not forget it wraps purrfectly around your wrist or backpack(unless it is the dog one...I guess then it wraps wooingly).

You Might Need to Be Over 40 To Get This Joke: Little Diddy, with Jack and Diane

Source

If you are over 40 you probably got the references immediately and it made you chuckle or groan. 

If not, it is a play on a line from the 1982 hit song for John Couger Mellencamp "Jack and Diane".

Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton from the 2003 movie "Something's Got To Give" with a miniature of late 90's Rapper/Actor/Producer P. Diddy (Sean Combs).

Here is a link to the video of the song.

Scammers Replacing Baby Formula With Flour

If you have a baby or care for one this is something to be aware of.  Although not common, there are some people who have bought their child formula to find out it has been replaced with flour.  The scammers buy the formula, replace it with flour, then return it to the store to get their money back and sometimes it is making its way back to the store shelves for purchase.

I can't think of anything much more heinous than to taint a product that a baby would consume, but apparently, this is a new scam where flour is being switched out with baby formula and returned to the store and somehow making its way back to the shelves, in this case, a Wal-mart, even though it is against their policy.

In the video it has a clip of a woman that was convicted on tampering charges previously and another woman in Tuscon claims formula purchased at CVS replaced with flour, but at least she realized it before feeding it to her infant, unlike the situation above.





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