Twenty Pin Cushions

 

Half the people you know are below average.

99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

A clear conscience is a sign of a bad memory.

If everything seems to be going well, you’ve obviously overlooked something.

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence you tried.

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

The problem with the gene pool is there’s no lifeguard.

The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.

The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body needs to be on it.

-          Steve Wright

Teal Shirtdress

 

I read an article listing plants to avoid putting in your yard: English ivy, morning glory, Japanese knotweed, bishop’s weed, lily of the valley, purple loosestrife, wisteria, mint, yellow flag iris, creeping Jenny, butterfly bush, and periwinkle. The problem with these is they’re aggressive; they can choke out other species. They’ll take over your yard, then help themselves to your neighbors’ gardens as well. I once cleared morning glory from rental property, and found it had grown THROUGH foundations and tree roots. We had an English ivy vine punch through our wall and into the family room. Several years of gardening have taught us mint should always be planted in pots. We currently have bishop’s weed and periwinkle growing in spots they’re not likely to escape. But we’ve noticed creeping Jenny sneaking through the fence and into our raspberries. I thought it was interesting the article didn’t mention our personal nemeses: forsythia, spirea, or quaking aspen. 

Watermelon Slice

Can you remember anything you accomplished in fifth grade? All I can remember was hoping I could get through the school year without being ridiculed for my funny accent, my funny clothes, or for how short I was. I was far too focused on my own misery to notice others around me and wonder if I could be any help to them. Luckily for the students at Thomas Ultican Elementary School in Blue Springs, Missouri, 11-year-old Daken Kramer was a very different sort of fifth-grader. Daken learned several of his class mates owed money for school lunch. He created and posted a video to encourage friends, family and his community to donate money to alleviate the debt. His original goal was to raise $3,500. Donations poured in from individuals and businesses. Within a month, he’d raised $4,000. This fall, Daken will attend middle school. Paying off everyone’s meal debt was a nice good-bye gift for his elementary school.  

Pinwheel Star

 

They call it “The Gathering of the Kyles.” Last year, 1,490 people named Kyle stood and were counted in Kyle, Texas. They were hoping to make the Guiness Book of World Records for largest gathering of people with one name. The current record holder is Kupreski Kosci, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 2,325 Ivans were present there July 30, 2017, and no one has broken their record yet. The organizers of last year’s Gathering of the Kyles would have need almost twice as many Kyles to make their goal. No doubt they intended to make a better showing last month. But this year only 706 Kyles showed up. Maybe they didn’t advertise their event well enough. Or maybe they just picked the wrong name. Kyle was the 53rd most popular baby boy name twenty years ago. If they’d held a “Gathering of the Jasons and Brittanys,” they might have had a better chance. 

Twenty Teacups and Saucers

 

The fourth of June is Applesauce Cake Day. Apples are typically harvested in the fall. Cinnamon and cloves also tend to be associated with autumn. So why does Applesauce Cake Day happen in late spring? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because applesauce – canned or frozen – can keep for several months. So, this moist, dense cake can be enjoyed anytime.

 

Applesauce Cake

 

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 cup applesauce

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 8” pan. Cream together butter and sugar. Add applesauce and beat well. In a small bowl, blend together flour, soda and spices. Add to applesauce mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in nuts and raisins. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake about 40 minutes. This cake is delicious warm or cold. 

Sixteen Ten-Inch Blocks

 

“The temple is literally the house of the Lord. I promise you as you come worthily and prayerfully to His holy house, you will be armed with His power, His name will be upon you, His angels will have charge over you, and you will grow up in the blessing of the Holy Ghost. The Lord promised, ‘Every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.’ There are many different ways to see the face of Christ, and there is no better place than in His holy house. In this day of confusion and commotion, I testify that the temple is His holy house and will help preserve us, protect us, and prepare us for the glorious day when, with all His holy angels, our Savior returns in majesty, power, and great glory.” – Elder Neil L. Andersen

Sixteen Teacups and Saucers

 

Ask 100 people for their favorite color, and chances are thirty-five of them will say blue. Blue is hands-down our most beloved color (the runners-up are green, purple, red and orange, in that order) in spite of the fact blue is the rarest color found in nature. I read an article last February that explained blueberries aren’t really blue. Neither are bluish-looking fruits like plums or Concord grapes. A random arrangement of microscopic structures on their natural wax coating makes us see blue. Maybe that helps to explain why blueberry muffins come out green, and blueberry ice cream looks lavender.

 

Blueberry Ice Cream

 

1½ cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dash salt

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

 

Place all ingredients in blender, in this order. Process until smooth. Freeze in ice cream maker according to directions.