Women's Equality Day

Today is a very special day.

Today is Women's Equality Day.

Today we commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment, the Women's Suffrage Amendment to the US Constitution, which gave United States women full voting rights in 1920.

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This issue is very near and dear to my heart.  Wyoming first gave women voting privileges in 1869.  I am a second generation Wyomingite and am very proud to come from the equality state.  Some women concerned with the voting issue were very impressed and would travel to Wyoming just to be somewhere this right existed.

My grandmother was a young girl when this amendment was ratified.

She knows what a privilege we have in this country.

I am very thankful to the women, and men, who worked so hard to make voting a reality for all women in this country.

In 1971 a joint resolution of congress established the first Women's Equality Day, it reads:

WHEREAS, the women of the United States have been treated as second-class citizens and have not been entitled the full rights and privileges, public or private, legal or institutional, which are available to male citizens of the United States, and

WHEREAS, the women of the United States have united to assure that these rights and privileges are available to all citizens equally regardless of sex; and

WHEREAS, the women of the United States have designated August 26, the anniversary date of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, as symbol of the continued fight for equal rights: and

WHEREAS, the women of United States are to be commended and supported in their organizations and activities,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that August 26th of each year is designated as Women’s Equality Day, and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of that day in 1920, on which the women of America were first given the right to vote, and that day in 1970, on which a nationwide demonstration for women’s rights took place.

The suffrage movement's colors were purple, which represented dignity; gold, which represented spirit; and white, representing purity. 

Today, in honor of Women's Equality Day, we are having tea. 

We will be having a spicy chai tea and butter cookies.  We will be using our Crate and Barrel tea set and our Embassy U.S.A. Vitrified china with little purple flowers, pretty white napkins, and gold tone tea spoons. The purple doily I made while we were in Alaska.  Using the colors associated with the suffrage movement we celebrate our right under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

Amendment XIX
The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Happy Women's Equality Day!!!

Little Companion - First Day of 2nd Grade

This is Little Companion 2 years ago when we first started our adventure.

This is Little Companion today on her first day of 2nd grade.

When I dropped her off the playground was full of happy children and when the bell rang they scattered to get inside.

She is very excited and we are all looking forward to what the new school year brings!

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ahhhh, so quiet.

A cup of coffee, the pocket pooch.

That should last about a half hour while I catch some news and then maybe baking, maybe sewing...

SO MANY OPTIONS!!!

Cold cucumber soup

Good day to you!

Do you like cold cucumber soup?

My oldest daughter gave me these old country roses soup bowls for Mother's Day.  I dreamed of having a cold summer soup the first time I used them and so decided to make a cold cucumber soup.

We found a recipe and went to town blending. It smelled very refreshing. 

Turned out so very pretty!

I have to be honest though I really didn't care for it very much. I don't think anyone at the table really did, although Steve dutifully ate his.

In the end I was very thankful that was not all we had that night!

My first chiffon cake

I have a confession to make.

I have never made a chiffon cake.

Knowing how serious this omission in my life was, I decided stop delaying a moment longer and committed to here and now (last night) put an end to my procrastination and chef me up a chiffon cake!

I gathered my ingredients and set off in pursuit of a new kitchen adventure.

I whipped my egg whites, I put my liquid ingredients into a well I had dug in my dry ingredients, I mixed and I folded and everything was going along quite well.

I cooked it for about 55 minutes and went to turn up the heat a tad and it was at this point I got a smidge worried...

Oh my, it appeared to be growing at an alarming rate! 

Well, it did eventually cook and I was able to contain it within the walls of the kitchen when I pulled it out of the oven.

Had to trim it down "a bit" before it would really stand on the little legs.

After it was cold I released it from its pan and decided to wrap it for the night and continue on the morrow.

This morning I de-crumbed it and frosted it with a vanilla-almond buttercream frosting.

Maybe not the prettiest cake I have ever created but tasted great and was fun to create. Next time I will only make the small batch of batter. 

The cake fit perfectly on our new platter too!

Fun finds and a tale to tell

My daughter has been gone the past couple of days and so Little Companion and I have taken the opportunity to see The Karate Kid, we went to the splash pad, and of course have had massive thrifting fun!

Now, while we were at the Goodwill store we came across some plates. There were 4 plates, 3 salad plates, and a round platter.  These are vintage Noritake Craftone in the Buttercup pattern, they are dishwasher and oven safe. Do you think that means they are microwave safe? Okay, anyway, Little Companion and I thought they were pretty and would be nice to use occasionally. 

I originally put 2 dinner plates and 2 salad plates in my basket and walked away. I had one set for me and one for Little Companion, enough right?

I got about halfway down the isle and figured that my daughter might just join us in using these plates and so I hustled back and got another plate and salad plate. Well, at that point there was only one plate left so I just put it in my basket too. I drew the line at the platter thinking this will just be a casual little setting, I wasn't paying the extra $1.49 for the platter, no way. 

So... I'm minding my own business, strolling around with my goods safely tucked in my basket when, while rounding a corner, a lady peers into my basket and starts talking to me about how lovely the plates were. I asked her if she liked to tablescape and she affirmed that she did indeed! While chatting she informed me there was a platter that I really should get to go with the plates. She suggested using candles on the platter as a centerpiece and she was so very nice...

Okay ... so I forked out the extra $1.49 and got the platter. 

It is a very happy platter!

Hello...

Happy Wednesday!

Isn't this guy just plain cute?! 

My grandmother does not care much for prairie dogs as they make those nasty holes that the horses can step into and hurt themselves. Comes from her farming days ya' know.  But we thought this was a cute shot.

We found these cute dish towels at Joann Fabrics yesterday and brought them home, promptly stamped one, and hand embroidered it. Do you hear the peculator a perking?

 

Looks like it's time to take a break!

Ahhhhh, that's better!

Out and about

Today we headed north to the ...

International Peace Garden.

The International Peace Garden is located between Dunseith, North Dakota and Boissevain, Manitoba. The garden was dedicated on July 14, 1932, and on a stone at the entrance are the words:

"To God in His Glory.  We two nations dedicate this Garden and pledge ourselves that as long as man shall live; we will not take up arms against one another."

It was a beautiful day to be in a beautiful garden!

A view of the formal garden.

Oldest daughter and youngest son, some of my FAVORITE PEOPLE ON EARTH!

Ah ... the colors we saw.

 Little Companion taking a brief respite.You can do that here, no fire ants!

The Peace Chapel.

These are Tyndall Stone walls embedded with marine fossils and they are inscribed with quotes.

This was one of my favorite quotes, it reads, " God did not come to me through a mystical experience.  But through a human being. A neighbour. An agent of his love."

Peace Poles, presented by the Japanese Government.

"The four columns symbolize the four corners of the earth from which thousands of immigrants arrived in Canada and the United States in the 1800s and 1900s to build better lives for themselves. The foundation stands for our common base of democratic beliefs.  The towers height represents the early immigrants soaring ambitions."

"Two columns stand in Manitoba and two in North Dakota facing each other in two similar but separate societies. The 4,000 mile long border lies in between them and is the longest undefended border in the world."

This is a working clock and so is ...

this!

Enjoying the beauty of God's world and wishing you peace!

Sunflowers

Sunflowers ...

Miles and miles of sunflowers!

Thanking God for the beauty of sunflowers!