Priceless Moments by Melia

Winter Wonderland coming to the Strasburg Children's Store

Here is a flyer about an event that I will be doing tomorrow at the King of Prussia Mall.  Stop by and say "hello."  I would love to see you!!  Thanks to my kids who let me practice on them.  You little ones are the best!!

Carving History

Carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns is an age-old tradition dating back to the Celts and their traditions of their holiday, Samhain, celebrating the end of summer, the year and honor loved ones that had passed away.  The pumpkin is native to North America so before the discoveries of Columbus, they carved gourds or turnips.  Coal would be placed in the middle for light. Jerry Ayers from Ohio holds the record for the fastest carver at 37 seconds.

October 2008 Newsletter

'Skeletons in Your Closet'

Hundreds of years ago when English physicians wanted to learn about the human body, it was difficult because there were numerous regulations to follow.  Doctors were typically allowed to dissect only one body over the course of their education - and once the dissection had been accomplished, the physicians were reluctant to relinquish their prized skeletons.  But it wasn't socially acceptable to keep the skeletons, according to Webb Garrison in a Why You Say It (Grant Press).  Consequently, doctors often hid them in a dark corner of a closet where they wouldn't be discovered easily.  Eventually the phrase came to mean hidden evidence of any kind.

October 2008 Newsletter

Old as the Hill's

If you had to guess the age of the world's oldest living tree, what would you say?  Five hundred years?  One thousand?  Try 9,550.  The spruce was discovered in Sweden in the Dalarna province, along with a cluster of about 20 other spruces all more than 8,000 years old.  The tree's age's was determined by using carbon-14 dating.  It would have been a seedling about 7500 B.C.

Before the spruce was found in Sweden, the oldest living continuous standing tree believed to exist were determined to be about 5,000 years old.  Here are a few other tree facts:

• Tree-rings research is called dendrochronology.
• There is yellow pigment in leaves at all times of the years, it's just covered up by the green pigment in the summer months.
• Trees under the sun will have leaves that turn shades of red, while trees that are more in the shade will have leaves that turn yellow.

October 2008 newsletter

Some Frightfully Good Facts for Halloween Retailers

Boo!  Halloween is here once again - and, commercially speaking, the holiday seems to gain popularity as each year passes.

Last year, the National Retail Federation released the following projections about the 2007 celebration based on its research:

• An estimated 36 million trick-or-treaters would be knocking on doors for ghostly treats.
• The average U.S. consumer planned on spending $64.82, adding up to the chain rattling figure of more than $5 billion.
• More than 70% of consumers were expected to hand out candy.
• Almost 50% said they planed on decorating their yards or homes.
• More than 40% planned to carve a pumpkin.
• Nearly 30% said they were planning on throwing or attending a Halloween bash.

October 2008 newsletter

Wedding Gifts

'Tis the season of weddings and celebrations.  Sure, you have been to three weddings already, but what about the two this fall?

Gift giving has become easier with bridal registries available in almost any store.  According to www.theknot.com, 85% of brides want something from that very list.  However, being able to treat the couple to a creative gift is sometimes more fun.  For example, www.about.com, suggests that if you have been to where the newly weds are going for their honeymoon, treat them to a gift certificate to a great restaurant or for a fun excursion there.

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Thank heaven for little boys!!

Carrie Grabowicz, who owns Hammi Jammi Jewelry, brought her two boys and their cousin over for portraits this past weekend.  I had a great time photographing these three cuties  Boys are such fun and always keep me on my toes.  Thanks guys for coming and playing in our "Little Golfer" scene.  Can't wait to see your happy faces again soon.

Frisbee Birthday

More than a half century ago, New England college students enjoyed pies from the Frisbie Pie Company.  And it wasn't long before tossing those empty pie pans became a fun and popular game.

At the same time, Fred Morrison invented the Pluto Platter for the Wham-O company.  Thrown like an empty Frisbie pie pan, students called them Platters Frisbies.  Wham-O founders Rich Knerr and Arthur Melin quickly obtained the marketing rights for the name college kids had nicknamed their product.  But they didn't spell it right, and the Pluto Platter became the Frisbee.  Inventor Morrison thought it was a terrible name, but now 87 years old and living in Carpinteria, California, he says it just goes to show that he is a bad judge of names.

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Congrats Josh and Kate!!

Congratulations Josh and Kate on your Beautiful Wedding!!  Here is a sneak peek from their special day...

 

Back to School Stats

Did you know more than half our nation's apple production comes from Washington state?  This fall no matter the level of educations, bring your teacher an apple and share these facts with them!

• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 25% of the nation's population (age 3 or above) goes to school - from nursery school to college.
• 9.9 million children, ages 5-17, speak a language at home other than English.
• $45,900 was the national average annual salary for public elementary and secondary school teachers in the 2002-2003 school year.
• There are about 114,000 elementary and secondary schools in the U.S.
• Inside of those schools, there are about 14.1 million computers - or one for every four students.
• $11,000 is about the annual average, instate tuition with room and board for our nation's public universities and colleges, compared with $31,051 of a private institution's tuition.  Both tuition rates are double the average from 1990.
• 16.7 million students are projected to enroll in higher education this year.

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