Come back every Tuesday for “The Bees Knees”, where I post the best quotes from my favorite movies, TV shows, songs, and books.
Monthly Archives: March 2013
I Want So Much More Than They’ve Got Planned
Come back every Tuesday for “The Bees Knees”, where I post the best quotes from my favorite movies, TV shows, songs, and books.
Filed under quotes
Reading Fairy Tales…Again
Come back every Tuesday for “The Bees Knees”, where I post the best quotes from my favorite movies, TV shows, songs, and books.
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Today in History…Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening was Published
On this day, 90 years ago, “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening”, perhaps one of the most well-known and beloved poems of the 21st century, was published.
Author Robert Frost ironically began working on this poem on a hot summer day on his farm in Vermont. Told from the perspective of a weary traveler, this poem has been said to be about everyone from Robert Frost himself to Santa Claus. In its quiet and picturesque portrait of a quiet and calm winter’s night, “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” has been a staple in literature classes since its creation, and has been used for years to help introduce children to poetry.
To help celebrate the publication of this monumental piece of literature, here’s a video of Robert Frost reading “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.”
Sometimes you just need a little fun in your life! Check back every week for a new “Just Bee-cause” post, where I discuss everything from celebrity news to favorite videos and websites!
Filed under today in history
Handmade CD Coasters
A few weeks ago I decided it was time to start spring cleaning. I’ve been wanting to go through my disks of photos for a long time, and finally one weekend I just sat down and got everything organized onto one DVD disk…
However this left me with several unusable CD’s. I felt bad just throwing them away, so I began brainstorming ways to use them.
When I landed on this idea to do toast coasters, I couldn’t wait to get started! This is such a fun and easy project and a great way to use up all kinds of scraps in your stash. Not only will this help you get rid of unwanted CD’s, but you can plow through your paper and fabric stash in no time!
I went back and forth about what to put on the coasters. I thought maybe I’d try out my new coffee-themed stamp set, but I eventually landed on this idea to write funny toasts on each coaster. I gathered limericks, toasts, and popular sayings from a variety of Scottish and Irish Web sites and printed out my favorites. Now each one of these 35 coasters has a funny (and sometimes crass) toast on it.
This is a great idea for bachelor parties or summer BBQ’s with the guys. They make great gifts and are fun to just have on display by your bar or in the den.
Recycled CD Coasters
Materials:
- CD’s
- Assorted papers
- Felt
- Mod Podge/brush
- Scissors
- Pencil/Pen
- Group of toasts, limericks, or favorite quotes
- Ink pad
- Hot glue gun/glue sticks
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Instructions:
- Trace a CD on your 12×12 scrapbook paper. You should be able to trace 4 CD’s per paper sheet. Cut them out and set aside.
- Do the same with the felt. You may have to use a pen for this since pencil won’t show up on the felt. With the paper and the felt, I made a little X in the middle of the circle on the side where I traced, so I knew what side to hide.
- Once your felt circles are cut out, set those aside and cut out your toasts. I inked the edges of mine to give them a vintage-well worn look, but you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. If you do ink your edges, make sure you allow the ink to dry before using the Mod Podge or else the ink will spread and bleed. You could even do this step first so the ink has time to try when you cut out your paper and felt circles.
- Once everything is ready to go, you can begin making your coasters! Using a brush or foam brush, add some Mod Podge to the front of the CD, and then add some to the back of a paper circle. Place the circle on the CD and press to secure. Then add a bit of Mod Podge to the front of the circle and add your sentiment. Mod Podge over the whole thing and set aside to dry. Repeat until all your coasters are done. Let dry completely before moving to the next step.
- Once the front of your coasters are dry, you’re ready to add your felt circles. Simply glue your circles, X side facing the CD, to the back of the CD with your hot glue gun.
- Once all your coasters are done, trim any edges that need to be trimmed. You can even add a ribbon around the CD to hide the edges of the paper and felt.
- And there you have it! An easy and fun way to use up those CD’s and have fun entertaining all at the same time! These also make great wedding gifts and gifts for boyfriends, husbands, dads, and all those other guys in your life that are just too hard to shop for!
Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.
Filed under easy craft projects
Tomorrow is a Fresh New Day!
Come back every Tuesday for “The Bees Knees”, where I post the best quotes from my favorite movies, TV shows, songs, and books.
Filed under quotes
Banana Nut Muffins
I think I’m in a vast minority when I say that I love my bananas unripened. I love them with a little touch of green on the skin and practically no “mush” when I bite into it. Once the banana has ripened and gotten mushy, it’s time to make banana bread…or in this case, banana nut muffins!
This is a delicious recipe that makes a little over a dozen muffins. You can use walnuts or pecans here, or be adventurous with some mini chocolate chips!
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 3 small, ripe bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Cinnamon
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Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a 12 muffin baking pan or line it with muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and baking powder. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the walnuts and stir.
- In a mixer bowl, add the bananas, milk, eggs and vanilla and mix for a few seconds. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and using a spatula mix everything until flour is moistened, but don’t worry the batter will be lumpy.
- Spoon the muffin batter equally into the muffin cups. Top with cinnamon and extra walnuts, if desired.
- Turn down the oven to 400 F degrees and place the muffins in the oven. Bake them for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Thanks to JoCooks.com for this delicious recipe!
Find more recipes on The Hobbee Hive!
Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips.
Filed under muffin and scone recipes
A Blessing on the Moon Book Review
I love libraries. I love the idea of being surrounded by stories of all kinds. Sometimes I’ll just browse one shelf and do what everyone has told us not to do our entire lives: judge a book by its cover. If the cover interests me, I’ll dive in and see where the story takes me.
When I happened to stumble upon A Blessing on the Moon, I found the cover and the description whimsical. A rabbi who turns into a crow…a ghost looking for redemption…I was instantly taken.
As a Jewish student, I have to say that I’ve read my fair share of Holocaust books, both mandatory and voluntary. Diaries, autobiographies, and collections of historical non-fiction all seemed to tell the same tale, but with different characters. A Blessing on the Moon, however, is unlike any book I’ve ever read about the Holocaust…or any other subject for that matter.
Like many Jews in the 1940’s, Chaim Skibelski was a successful businessman and family man before he was shot in the head by a Nazi soldier. Unable to rest peacefully in The World to Come, Chaim is forced to wander the earth as a spirit, encountering a world that’s both unknown and familiar to him.
Beginning his adventures at his old house, Chaim finds that his house is now home to a large Polish family. He quickly discovers he’s invisible to all of them except their young, dying daughter, whom he befriends. Through this little girl, Chaim learns about what has happened to the world in the days, perhaps years, that he’s been dead. And when she inevitably passes away, he watches her ascend into the arms of Jesus, and wonders what he’s still doing roaming this God-forsaken land.
Chaim continues his journey aided by his old Rabbi, who has turned into a crow. Along the way he meets several characters, including a talking head that may have belonged to the soldier who shot him. His journey is long, gruesome, and at times quite scary.
Similar to the story Maus, A Blessing on the Moon conquerors one of the darkest moments of the twentieth century with daring originality and brute force. It is both hideous and beautiful, intertwining vulgarity and gore with elegant prose and story-telling.
Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.
Filed under book reviews
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