Monday, August 5, 2013

Cupcake Crazy! Dad's 60th Birthday Party - Serving From Home

The end of June brought about the celebration of my dad?s 60th birthday! My mom asked me if I would be willing to do cupcakes for my the party, and since I was already on a roll with my sister?s wedding showers, I figured what was one more cupcake crazy weekend :0)

My sisters and I put our heads together to come up with some ideas of what reminded us of our dad. Here?s a non-exhaustive list of what we came up with ? this just barely begins to scrape the surface!

Baseball ? all 4 of us kids played softball growing up and my dad (and mom) spent countless hours practicing with us in the back yard and sacrificing their week nights during the summer to take us to practices and games.

Bible ? God?s word was always first and foremost in my parent?s home. I remember many a bible study, teaching and discipling, instructing and guiding happening before an open bible.

Bikes ? as a young man my dad biked across Canada from coast to coast! And he continued the passion of bike riding with his family, taking us on annual trips to Toronto?s Centre Island to bike and see the sights.

Books ? when we were young, my dad had a serious recurring back injury. He works as a heating and air conditioning mechanic so he has a LOT of hard, overhead work that is challenging for an injury. He?d often have to come home and just lay out on heat and ice, but that didn?t stop him from engaging with his family. He?d pull out Chronicles of Narnia and read to us as we begged him for more. Oh, AND he did ALL the voices ;0)

Chocolate ? What goes better with a good cup of coffee than a great piece of chocolate? And my dad has GREAT taste (har har har!) in chocolate! He introduced us to some fine Belgian chocolate and each year would give us some from a local shop. Oh, and don?t even get me started on chocolate covered almonds! Yum!

Coffee ? Believe it or not I used to HATE drinking coffee! Now that I enjoy a good cup (or two :D) I can see what I was missing all those years. My dad has inspired many coffee gifts and dates in the house.

Music ? my dad is VERY musical. He used to play guitar, and now plays the vocals! He?s the one who taught me what it means to worship loud and unashamed. His favourite artists include Matt Redman and Hillsong, among many others.

60th birthday

I did my best to incorporate these into the cupcakes as much as possible. There was a chocolate cupcake with mocha swiss meringue frosting, and pina colada cupcakes (pineapple with coconut cream cheese frosting ? I used this recipe from Glorious Treats ? they were so moist and delicious!!).

The decorations were done in fondant with some help from The Man ? he did the Bible and it totally knocked the cover off my piddly little book :D

Stop signs and speed limit signs representing 60 years ? no stopping him now!

The bicycle in the middle of the cupcakes was made with thickened icing for the wheels and spokes, and some of The Boy?s green licorice for the bike seat and frame. I?m so disappointed I can?t seem to find ANY of my close up pictures of the cupcakes, so you?ll just have to use your imagination on the rest.

Source: http://www.servingfromhome.com/2013/08/cupcake-crazy-dads-60th-birthday-party.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cupcake-crazy-dads-60th-birthday-party

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Rockford Labor Day Parade set for Sept. 2

ROCKFORD ? The Rockford Labor Day Parade will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 2 at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Seventh Street in Rockford.

The parade will turn west on East State Street and south on Wyman Street, ending at Davis Park. A float contest will be held before the parade at 7:30 a.m. in the BMO Harris Bank parking lot at Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue.

For information: 815-986-4822.

Source: http://www.rrstar.com/updates/x1592812219/Rockford-Labor-Day-Parade-set-for-Sept-2?rssfeed=true

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Sunday, August 4, 2013

Egypt says clock ticking on sit-in standoff

FILE - In this Friday, July 5, 2013 file photo, The Muslim Brotherhood's General Guide Mohammed Badie speaks onstage as military helicopters fly overhead before tens of thousands of supporters in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt?s official news agency says the Muslim Brotherhood?s leader, Badie and his powerful deputy, Khairat el-Shater will go on trial Aug 25 for their complicity in and incitement of the killing of eight protesters. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Friday, July 5, 2013 file photo, The Muslim Brotherhood's General Guide Mohammed Badie speaks onstage as military helicopters fly overhead before tens of thousands of supporters in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt?s official news agency says the Muslim Brotherhood?s leader, Badie and his powerful deputy, Khairat el-Shater will go on trial Aug 25 for their complicity in and incitement of the killing of eight protesters. (AP Photo, File)

In this Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 photo, Muslim Brotherhood nominated deputy leader Khairat el-Shater, listens during an interview with the Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt?s official news agency says the Muslim Brotherhood?s leader, Mohammed Badie and his powerful deputy, el-Shater will go on trial Aug 25 for their complicity in and incitement of the killing of eight protesters. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi prays before "Iftar," the dusk meal when observant Muslims break their day-long fast, during a protest near Cairo University in Giza, Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. Egypt's Interior Ministry warned supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday for a second time to abandon their protest encampments as a senior U.S. diplomat was meeting with officials on both sides of the political divide to try to find a peaceful resolution to the standoff.(AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi wash their hands before "Iftar," Arabic for breakfast, the dusk meal when observant Muslims break their day-long fast, during a protest near Cairo University in Giza, Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. Egypt's Interior Ministry warned supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday for a second time to abandon their protest encampments as a senior U.S. diplomat was meeting with officials on both sides of the political divide to try to find a peaceful resolution to the standoff. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi holds a banner with Morsi's image, during a march against Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in the Nasr City section of Cairo on Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

(AP) ? Egypt's highest security body warned Sunday that the clock is ticking for a peaceful end to the standoff over sit-ins by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, suggesting that authorities will break up the vigils unless mediation efforts produce results soon.

More than a month after the military overthrew Morsi, tens of thousands of the Islamist leader's supporters remain camped out in two main crossroads in Cairo demanding his reinstatement. Egypt's military-backed interim leadership has issued a string of warnings for them to disperse or security forces will move in, setting the stage for a potential bloody showdown.

Also Sunday, authorities announced a court case accusing the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and his powerful deputy of inciting murder will start Aug. 25. Morsi hails from the Brotherhood.

The U.S. and EU are trying to find a peaceful resolution to the standoff to avoid a repeat of violence that has killed more than 250 people ? at least 130 of whom pro-Morsi protesters shot dead by security forces in two clashes ? since the July 3 military coup.

While diplomats raced to find a compromise, the Egyptian interim government signaled that its patience with the pro-Morsi sit-ins was running out.

The National Defense Council, which is led by the interim president and includes top Cabinet ministers, said the search for a peaceful resolution is not open-ended. The council said a negotiated resolution also would not shield from legal proceedings what it called "law-breakers" and others who incite against the state.

It said a chance should be given to all "negotiations and mediations" that could end the protests without bloodshed, but that the timeframe should be "defined and limited." It also called on the protesters to abandon the sit-ins and join the political road map announced the day of Morsi's ouster.

With the Islamist-backed constitution adopted last year suspended and the legislature dominated by Morsi's supporters dissolved, the road map provides for a new or an amended constitution to be put to a national referendum later this year and presidential and parliamentary elections early in 2014

In a move that underlined the government's resolve in dealing with the protests ? now in their second month ? Egyptian authorities on Sunday denied Yemen's Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkul Karman entry into Egypt after she landed at Cairo airport on Sunday.

Karman, the first Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace prize, has stated her opposition to Egypt's military coup and said she had intended to join the pro-Morsi sit-in protests.

Airport officials said she was sent back on the Sunday flight that brought her to Cairo from the United Arab Emirates. They did not say why she was denied entry, only that her name had been placed by various security agencies on a stop list at the airport. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The decision to bar Karman suggests authorities wanted to deny the pro-Morsi camp the publicity she would have generated and the idea that prominent figures outside Egypt also oppose Morsi's ouster. Morsi supporters strongly condemned Karman's barring, claiming it was evidence of the "resurrection" of the police state Egypt had under autocrat Hosni Mubarak, toppled in a 2011 popular uprising.

Karman shared the Nobel Peace prize in 2011 with Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and women's rights campaigner Leymah Gbowee. She earned it for her role in the protests that swept Yemen in 2011 to force longtime dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh from office.

Pro-Morsi protesters blocked a major road Sunday that runs through most of the city and leads to its international airport.

Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns extended his visit to Cairo by one day so he can have further talks with Egyptian leaders. He met Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, who led the coup, on Sunday. A member of the pro-Morsi delegation that met Saturday with Burns said the four delegates also would hold another round of talks with the U.S. diplomat.

Other top diplomats in Cairo are the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, which had been at sharp odds with Morsi's government, and Qatar, which maintains close ties to the Brotherhood. European Union's special envoy, Bernardino Leon, is also in Cairo.

At the core of discussions is the political future of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies. The Brotherhood says it is looking for concessions before beginning talks with the military-backed administration. These measures could include releasing detained Brotherhood leaders, unfreezing the group's assets, lifting a ban on Islamist television stations loyal to Morsi and reigning in the use of force against its protesters.

Morsi has been held at undisclosed locations since July 3. He faces accusations of comprising with the militant Palestinian Hamas group to escape prison in 2011. Morsi has been visited by Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, and a delegation of African statesmen. Ashton reported that he was well and had access to television and newspapers.

Egypt's state news agency said on Sunday that Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie and his deputy Khairat el-Shater are to stand trial Aug. 25 for complicity and incitement in the killing of eight demonstrators outside the group's Cairo headquarters.

Badie is at still large, while el-Shater is in custody.

The killings took place during the first day of the mass street protests calling for Morsi's ouster. The agency also said that senior Brotherhood figure Rashad Bayoumi will face trial on the same charges. Three others face murder charges in the same case.

Morsi's palace aides Rifaah el-Tahtawi and Asaad el-Sheikha meanwhile faced questions over allegations they illegally held and tortured anti-Morsi protesters last Dec. 5 after supporters of the ousted leader descended upon a group of unarmed demonstrators camped outside the presidential palace. Clashes lasting all day left at least 10 dead and hundreds injured.

Both el-Tahtawi and el-Sheikha are in detention.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-08-04-ML-Egypt/id-0ab64abc4a3c4206b633f5a08b4e6d1f

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Cleburne GOP head Sprayberry to challenge Dial for Senate

Tim Sprayberry, left, and Gerald Dial.

Tim Sprayberry, left, and Gerald Dial.

slideshow State Sen. Gerald Dial, 75, will face a Cleburne County challenger for his seat in the 2014 Republican primary election June 3.

Tim Sprayberry, 47, Cleburne County Republican Party chairman, in July began raising money and campaigning against the seven-term senator.

Dial is serving his first term as a Republican. He had previously served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives and six terms in the State Senate as a Democrat. He lost an election in the Democratic primary for the District 13 Senate seat in 2006. In 2009, he switched to the Republican Party and won back his former seat.

There is some discontent among Republicans with some of the former Democrats who have switched to the Republican Party, said Sprayberry.

?I believe Sen. Dial is still a Democrat,? Sprayberry said. ?I don?t believe he represents the values we believe in as Republicans.?

Dial, who spoke by phone Friday from the Alabama Farmers Federation Commodity Producers Conference in Birmingham, said he welcomes the competition.

?We look forward to the campaign,? Dial said. ?But, right now we?re working to bring jobs to Alabama.?

Dial said he was a little surprised to hear Sprayberry, the head of Cleburne County?s Republicans and someone he?s known for years, was running against him. But Dial noted that Sprayberry has run for office before, including an unsuccessful campaign for the House of Representatives District 39 seat in 2010. District 39 represents Cleburne, Cherokee and Dekalb counties.

Dial said he plans to run in the upcoming election because he has some unfinished business. He would like to see the sales tax on groceries abolished and to pass a bill he filed last year and has pre-filed again this year to move state schools to online textbooks.

?My goal is to serve one more time,? Dial said. ?As majority whip, I?m in a position to have some real influence.?

But he said if he wins in 2014, it would be his last election. He?s ready to retire from political life and work on his book, Dial said.

Sprayberry said if he could turn back the clock, he would have run against Dial in 2010. But he was intimidated by the size of Dial?s campaign fund. This time, Sprayberry thinks he might have a chance to take the seat, he said. Both men filed have filed campaign finance reporting waivers because they have not yet raised $10,000.

Sprayberry works as a private investigator at his own business, Sprayberry Investigations, in Heflin. He?s had the business since 1998 when he left law enforcement, Sprayberry said. He decided two years ago to leave a job at Forte Power Systems, a wire and cable manufacturing company, and work as an investigator full time, Sprayberry said.

If elected, Sprayberry plans to work for smaller government and lower taxes as well as protecting gun owners? rights and state?s rights, he said.

Senate District 13 includes parts of Cleburne, Clay, Chambers, Cherokee, Lee and Randolph counties.

The qualifying deadline for the 2014 primary election is April 4.

Staff writer Laura Camper: 256-235-3545. On Twitter @LCamper_Star.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AnnistonStar/LocalNews/~3/g3IXWkMms_k/23275353

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Dorian regenerates into depression near Florida

Dorian has regenerated into a tropical depression just east of Cape Canaveral

Sun Sentinel

10:14 a.m. EDT, August 3, 2013

Tropical Depression Dorian, Saturday, 5 a.m. advisory

OUTLOOK: Dorian, the system that just won't go away, re-strengthened into a depression in the Atlantic off the coast of Cape Canaveral on Saturday morning.

The former tropical storm is projected to remain a depression, aim northeast out to sea and finally die early next week.

WHAT FLORIDA CAN EXPECT: Dorian continues to spread clouds over much of the eastern part of the state, increasing the rain chance to 50 percent in South Florida and to 40 percent in the Orlando area on Saturday.

PARTICULARS: Even if Dorian re-strengthens into a tropical storm, it's unlikely that any watches or warnings will be posted because the strongest winds are in its southeast quadrant, or over the ocean, said senior hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart of the National Hurricane Center.

Dorian initially grew into a tropical storm on July 24 in the eastern Atlantic and fell apart last Saturday, the result of wind shear and dry air.

LOCATION: 85 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral

STRENGTH: 35 mph sustained winds

MOVEMENT: North at 6 mph

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sun-sentinel/news/weather/hurricane/blog/~3/WsuonoilnTc/story01.htm

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The 1940s Kitchen of Tomorrow Was Difficult to Parody

The 1940s Kitchen of Tomorrow Was Difficult to Parody

Pre-dehydrated food processor? Non-functional sinks installed purely for style? A streamlined... baby? When it comes to midcentury visions of tomorrow, sometimes it's hard to tell the spoofs from the earnest predictions. But what's even more interesting is why the parodies popped up in the first place.

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/vaBbEAn1VG0/the-1940s-kitchen-of-tomorrow-was-difficult-to-parody-995615948

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Ms. Ying Su presents awards to Boxford Chinese School students

Boxford Chinese School (BCS) recently honored the efforts and achievements of its students in June at its third annual awards ceremony.

?The award recipients are all passionate about learning Chinese and reach high academic standards. This combined with their positive influence on the BCS community distinguish them as role models in studying Chinese,? said Ms. Ying Su, founder and principal of BCS.

The Principal?s Award was given to students for their excellence in learning Chinese. Those who earned this high recognition were Gregory Balek, Camille Devoe, Catey Favreau, Raquel Leslie, and Matthew Welsh.

Achievement Awards were awarded to students for their achievements in learning Chinese. F. Berrian, Mia Ciavola, Nola Ciavola, Ethan Downey, Keira Fowler, and Taylor Mastrogiovanni received this honor.

??I am very happy to share my knowledge in Chinese to help other students as well as my own children,? said Ms. Su. ?My students? enthusiasm for learning the Chinese language and love of challenges bring joy to my teaching.?

Ms. Su recognizes parents? support of their children's education to be essential to their children?s success.

?I am fortunate to have many great parents who value our Chinese lessons and recognize our ability and efforts at BCS,? said Ms. Su.

Likewise, BCS? students and parents greatly appreciate Ms. Su as well. Ever since she founded BCS in 2009, there has been rising interest in the surrounding communities as Ms. Su has a unique teaching style as well as the skills to back it up.

Ms. Su allows for much flexibility in her classes in many different aspects. Each class? pace is set in consideration of the students? own abilities and preferences, facilitated by small classes, to bring out each student?s potential. Since the students can comfortably learn at their own pace, coupled with the encouragement that Ms. Su gives, the students at BCS develop confidence in their Chinese.

Catey Favreau has been learning Chinese at the Boxford Chinese School for three years and is a rising college freshman. ?Chinese is a hard language, much harder than others perceive it to be, but Teacher Su makes learning Chinese easy,? said Favreau. ?I have gone from being embarrassed about speaking in Chinese and going to Chinese events and places, to a confident and proficient speaker in Chinese.?

"Catey will be attending Mount Holyoke College in the fall where she will be majoring in Political Science and Chinese,? said Favreau?s mother, Marilyn. ?She will be taking third year Chinese as a freshman. We credit Ms. Ying Su with helping her learn Chinese and in encouraging her interest. We know that Catey will be able to use what she learned with Ms. Ying Su in the future.?

Aside from reading and writing, pronunciation is a detail that Ms. Su pays special attention to in her classes. The results of her efforts can be seen in the students? interactions with others outside the classroom.

?I have received many compliments about my pronunciation,? said Favreau.

?Over the past couple of years, Ms. Ying Su has greatly increased my ability and my confidence in Chinese through the Boxford Chinese School,? said Gregory Balek, a college student who has been learning Chinese at an accelerated pace at BCS. ?My favorite aspect of Ms. Ying Su's teaching is her ear for pronunciation. Since the Beijing accent, which she possesses, is the gold standard of Chinese, I am very happy that she is the one correcting my pronunciation. Ms. Ying Su can teach her students very effectively at a fast pace, but can also slow it down depending on the student's need.?

Balek added that ?since Ms. Ying Su is a native Chinese, she is able to give interesting cultural background to each lesson?s content.?

?We have been lucky to have found Ms. Su's Chinese school. My daughter's fluency and pronunciation have increased greatly in the short period she has been taking classes at Boxford Chinese School,? said Penny Devoe, mother of Camille Devoe, who has been taking classes at BCS for just over six months.?

Unlike the aforementioned older students, Matthew Welsh is an elementary school student at BCS. Welsh?s grandmother, Cheryl Jolley, expressed her thanks to Ms. Su for her ?outstanding teaching of Matthew this past year.?

?You provide a strong foundation for his learning of Chinese and I have seen his writing of the characters and his confidence speaking Chinese grow as the year progressed. You have an excellent sense of pacing and encouragement which has contributed to his strong performance and continued interest in learning Chinese,? said Jolley.

The learning pace is not the only thing that is flexible as BCS also offers flexible scheduling options. If something important suddenly appears, a lesson can be cancelled and rescheduled without extra charge as long as Ms. Su is given at least a 24-hour notice.

?It has been very easy working with Ms. Su as she is flexible and accommodating with our busy schedules,? said Penny Devoe.

Not all high schools currently offer Chinese, such as the one which Raquel Leslie attends.??The Boxford Chinese School has given our daughter, Raquel, the opportunity to study a language that her school would have never offered,? said Leslie?s father, Mark.

The student body also consists of adults as learning Chinese opens up possibilities of traveling to China for personal and business reasons as well as teaching Chinese-speaking students.

Apart from Chinese classes, BCS also offers English-Chinese oral and document translation services. The school has provided interpreting and translation services for local public schools for parent-teacher conferences, testing in Chinese, and for school documents such as parent-student handbooks, student report cards, district survey forms, and class announcements.

BCS students? proficiency in Chinese is not only recognized by the school itself, but by other organizations as well. After receiving an Excellent award in the 2011 contest, Rita Ding, a BCS student, scored 253 out of 260 in the 2012 Chinese Culture Contest for Overseas Chinese Teenagers.

This placed her in the group of 53 American students who earned Excellent awards of which only 4 were from Massachusetts. The contest was organized by the Chinese School Association in the United States (CSAUS) and sponsored by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of the People?s Republic of China. Ding was invited to a 15-day sponsor-paid summer camp in Beijing, China.

Also, in November 2012, Ding took the SAT II Chinese with listening test for the first time and received a perfect score of 800.

For more information about Boxford Chinese School, go to boxfordchineseschool.com or call 978-887-3037.

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Source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/boxford/news/x1383326025/Ms-Ying-Su-presents-awards-to-Boxford-Chinese-School-students?rssfeed=true

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