Birthdays Are InevitableWritten By: Christy Trent
They come around every year whether you want them to or not. Those pesky things called birthdays. I just celebrated mine. Next year I¹ll be reaching a milestone birthday, and I can tell you I'm not very happy about it! I plan on hiding out on the beach where no one knows me, that way I¹ll not have to endure any "Over the Hill" parties.
It's nice though to have people treat you special on that one day a year. At the library where I work, our staff enjoys celebrating heavily. The whole day is made special for the birthday person. Each year the party planners, two special ladies who love to throw parties, think of a different theme for each birthday person. The decorations, cake and food are all centered around the theme. Because of my recent foot surgery the theme for me was feet. It was hilarious. The food was all foot word related; foot long hot dogs, potatoes, Doritoes, Fritoes, and tomatoes. The decorations were mock ups of modified old movie posters. There was “Attack of the 50 foot Woman and her Feet!” The horror movie, “The Crawling Foot”, and my favorite, “Bravefeet”.
This year I received dozens of birthday greetings from all my Facebook Friends, and text messages from family and friends. Technology can sure make it easy to send greetings!
Over the years I have had many birthdays and birthday parties, but the best ones were when I was a kid. Back then each birthday was new and exciting, and you were actually eager to become a year older. One of the best things about our birthday was choosing what kind of cake mom would bake; with 4 siblings it was rare to every get something that was specifically for me. With all the choices I had, I always chose chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Matter of fact, that is still my cake of choice today. Sometimes mom would decorate the cake with our name, or candy rosettes, and then she would top it off with birthday candles. One for each year, and we would make a wish and blow them out.
There are many different ways to make a birthday special whether you are a child or an adult. The public library has countless books with hundreds of ideas from how to decorate a cake to how to make party invitations. The book, Big Birthdays: The party planner celebrates life¹s big milestones, by David Tutera, is full of imaginative and unique party ideas. This book shows ideas for those big birth dates; sweet sixteen, 25th, 30th , 50th , and so on.
Another good book is by Better Homes and Gardens with the title, Handmade Birthdays; 101 Gift, Cake & Card Ideas For Ages 1 to 101. Ideas, templates and recipes fill this handy book.
And to make the perfect cake for any birthday occasion, check out, The Ultimate Cake Book of Birthday Cakes. Learn how to make adorable cakes almost too cute to be eaten!
Birthdays are special and should be celebrated. Head over to your local library and check out these books and make your next birthday bash one the birthday boy or girl of any age will remember for the rest of their lives.
June, 18, 2010
Your Vote Will Help Determine Who Represents Ohio In Statuary Hall at The U.S. Capitol
In 1864, Congress created the National Statuary Hall, which is located in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. and features two statues from each state that commemorate deceased historical figures who have lived in the state and distinguished themselves through their civic or military service. Ohio is currently represented in the Hall by President James Garfield and former Governor William Allen.
Following a change in the law that allows states to replace a statue if they so desire, the Ohio General Assembly created the National Statuary Collection Study Committee – a bipartisan panel of lawmakers from both the Ohio House and Senate – to find a replacement for the statue of former Governor Allen that better represents the values and traditions of Ohio.
Last year, the Committee traveled throughout Ohio in search of the next great Ohioan to be featured in the National Statuary Hall. More than 90 individuals were nominated for this honor, and the Committee has narrowed the field down to 10 finalists. Now they are asking for your help in deciding who Ohio should pick.
From now until June 12, Ohioans of all ages are invited to vote on which of 10 famous Ohioans they feel should represent the state in Statuary Hall. Roughly 10,000 votes have already been cast, and the results of this public input will be reported back to the Committee and will be the single greatest factor in determining the final selection later this summer.
The nominees to replace Governor Allen include: abolitionist and former member of Congress James Ashley; inventor Thomas Edison; 18th President of the United States and Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant; former congressman who led the fight to enact historic civil rights legislation William McCulloch; Olympic athlete Jesse Owens; astronaut Judith Resnik, who was killed while serving on the Challenger mission; Dr. Albert Sabin, who developed the oral polio vaccine; Harriet Beecher Stowe, who authored “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”; suffragist Harriet Taylor Upton, and the Wright Brothers, who are credited with inventing, building and successfully flying the first airplane.
Together with the Ohio Historical Society, the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Western Reserve Historical Society, 36 polling stations have been set up throughout the state for Ohioans to cast their vote. Polling locations in southwestern Ohio also include Fort Ancient, the Stowe House and the birthplace of Ulysses S. Grant. Information about the finalists and a map of all voting sites can be found at www.legacyforohio.org.
If you can’t make it in person to one of the polling locations, you can also go to the Legacy for Ohio Web site and download a ballot, which you can fill out and turn in by mail to: Ohio Statuary Vote, C/O the Ohio Historical Society, 1982 Velma Ave., Columbus, OH 43211. You can also e-mail it to ohiostatue@ohiohistory.org. All ballots must be postmarked or e-mailed by June 12.
Many famous and influential people have called Ohio home, and now it is time to decide who will be our next representative in Statuary Hall. I hope everyone takes advantage of this unique opportunity to be a part of Ohio history by learning about the 10 finalists and voting for their favorite.
Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have questions or concerns about any state-related matter. You can reach my office by phone at (614) 466-9737, by e-mail at SD07@senate.state.oh.us or by writing State Senator Shannon Jones, Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215. I look forward to hearing from you.
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June 11, 2010
Written By: Christy Trent
My family has always been a musical bunch. As a small child I learned to sing from my mother and began singing in the children’s choir at my church. Many times my brothers, sister and I would sing together. Like most families our voices harmonized well together. I went on to take voice lessons and choir directing lessons to help further my love and use of music.
Written By: Christy Trent
My family has always been a musical bunch. As a small child I learned to sing from my mother and began singing in the children’s choir at my church. Many times my brothers, sister and I would sing together. Like most families our voices harmonized well together. I went on to take voice lessons and choir directing lessons to help further my love and use of music.
Taking the musical inheritance from my mom, I have a very loud singing voice, just like she does. When singing in a choir or a group, not thinking about anything except the love of singing, I would tend to drown others out. Microphones had to be turned down low when I came up to sing, and I had to learn to tone my voice down a few notches or I could easily put a short into someone’s hearing aide.
Recently, on Memorial Day weekend, I joined my brothers and sister, and we sang together for the first time in years. My parent’s church, the same church I was raised in, graciously invited us to sing a few songs. It was a lot of fun getting together and practicing, and then singing. Again, after all these years, I had to take the softest microphone and try not to drown everyone else out. We chose several old hymns from the past and the singing of those old hymns brought back many wonderful memories.
One of the songs, Shall we Gather at the River, brought back to mind a hot summer day when I was baptized in the murky water of Bear Creek. This was before churches had fancy baptismals inside and we would all go to the creek and take the plunge. I remember the congregation singing and then being leaned over backwards to be baptized in the muddy water.
As we sang the old hymn, In the Sweet by and By, I looked out into the congregation and remembered many of the older church members who have passed on. My grandma and grandpa were fixtures for years sitting just a few pews back from the pulpit, but have both been gone for quite awhile now. Singing at the church was a bit like walking down memory lane.
Music has a way of triggering memories. Some good, some bad. Certain songs can remind me of a broken heart, or the joy of my youth. Other songs remind me of milestones I have crossed while maturing into the woman I am today. One popular song played at the funeral of a young man who died much too early, still makes me start crying when I hear it playing over the speakers in the grocery store.
If your family is like mine, then there are times you need a good songbook. The local libraries carry a huge selection of music books. There are books with the most popular Christmas songs, famous country songs, Broadway musical selections, top 40s hits, and many more.
Grab a song book and a brother or sister or two, and recapture some joy by singing with them. It doesn’t matter if you can carry a tune or not, just the pleasure of being together and walking through the memories is priceless.
June is National Safety Month, and organizations across the country will be participating in events to bring attention to critical safety issues that affect us all. Because the summer months are a time of increased travel on our roads and highways as families head out on vacation and other excursions, special attention is being paid this year to safety issues such as using cell phones while driving and watching out for motorcycles.
Here in the Senate, my colleagues and I are also concerned about the safety of those traveling on Ohio’s roads, and we recently passed a bill that will help keep them safe for both motorists and public safety personnel. Senate Bill 166 would give firefighters, EMS responders and other emergency workers the ability to report traffic law violations under certain circumstances.
The idea for SB 166 came about after one of my colleagues, Senator Jim Hughes (R- Columbus), learned from some of his local first responders about the increasing number of traffic violations they encounter while they are responding to the scene of an accident or other emergency. This costs police and fire personnel precious time that could be used to provide care to accident victims or get control of a fire. Drivers that do not yield the right-of-way can even cause accidents between cars and fire or EMS vehicles.
Under SB 166, emergency personnel who witness traffic violations during the course of their duties would report the violator’s license plate number and a general description of the person and vehicle to the local law enforcement agency. If law enforcement can establish the identity of the vehicle operator, then the license plate number shall establish probable cause for the agency to issue a citation. In cases where the operator of the vehicle cannot be determined, a warning would be issued.
Ohio law currently permits school bus drivers to report cars that refuse to stop when the bus is stationary and has its lights and stop sign activated. SB 166 would extend this authority to safety personnel, helping to raise awareness of the importance of yielding to emergency vehicles when they are responding to an accident or other emergency and encourage drivers to take appropriate steps to keep our roads safe. SB 166 was passed by the Senate last month and is currently under consideration in the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.
Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have questions or concerns about any state-related matter. You can reach my office by phone at (614) 466-9737, by e-mail at SD07@senate.state.oh.us or by writing State Senator Shannon Jones, Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215. I look forward to hearing from you.
June 8, 2010
HOUSE GOP VETERANS ISSUE LETTER TO GOVERNOR
COLUMBUS—Members of the House Republican caucus who have served in the military today issued a letter to Governor Strickland regarding their deep concern of the preventable loss of more than $525,000 of federal funding to the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program.
In the letter, the members outlined their concern with the loss of such funding after numerous warnings had been issued. Also, they noted that the case has become public only three short months after a ceremonial signing of the Junior ROTC program.
“How do you plan to replace these lost funds so our veterans can have the opportunities to find employment that they rightly deserve? What steps are you planning to take so that you can look our soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors in the eyes and ensure them that you haven’t forgotten them?” the members wrote.
Here is the letter...
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HOUSE GOP VETERANS ISSUE LETTER TO GOVERNOR
COLUMBUS—Members of the House Republican caucus who have served in the military today issued a letter to Governor Strickland regarding their deep concern of the preventable loss of more than $525,000 of federal funding to the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program.
In the letter, the members outlined their concern with the loss of such funding after numerous warnings had been issued. Also, they noted that the case has become public only three short months after a ceremonial signing of the Junior ROTC program.
“How do you plan to replace these lost funds so our veterans can have the opportunities to find employment that they rightly deserve? What steps are you planning to take so that you can look our soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors in the eyes and ensure them that you haven’t forgotten them?” the members wrote.
Here is the letter...
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June 1, 2010
The Necessary evil called Grocery Shopping!
Written by: Christy Trent
Grocery shopping is the necessary evil in most women’s existence. My girlfriends and I lament constantly about how much we hate doing it. We have to shop so we have food in our homes, but we hate forking out all the money groceries cost. By the time we recover from the hassle of one week’s financially expensive shopping experience, our cupboards are bare again, and it’s time for another trip. I try so hard to find cost cutting ways to save money. One drawer in my kitchen is specifically for clipped coupons. The only problem is, I walk off to the grocery and forget to take them with me. Another thing that gets me in trouble is I usually shop right after I get off work, and by that time I am famished. Even boxes of mushy oatmeal look good and I catch myself loading the stuff into my cart.
Don’t give up though. There are many ways to save money when you go to the grocery store, you just have to learn to work a little harder and be more vigilant. Many have discovered how to cut their grocery bills almost in half by just doing a few easy things.
The book, Shop Smart, Save More, by Teri Gault, teaches you to be a better shopper and save money. Terri says the first thing you need to do is find the right grocery store for you. Don’t grocery hop, which is a huge waste of gas money. Even if there is a good sale at another store the trend is all the stores put the same stuff on sale in cycles, and a great sale on toilet tissue at one place will eventually make it round to your store.
Stockpiling is a great way to save money. It’s buying something at a great bargain or with a coupon that you don’t need now, but you will need later. Stockpiling doesn’t mean buying bulk, rather taking advantage of a great bargain.
Clipping coupons can save a lot of cash, as long as the coupons you use are actually for items you need. The Sunday paper is the best resource for coupons. You can also find coupons on the product itself that you peel off, or in a blinking light type dispenser, next to the product to use with the coupon . When you go through the register, the clerk usually hands you coupons that come out of the register with the receipt. These are usually savings for items you normally buy.
Plan your weekly meals ahead of time and draw up a list for your grocery visit. This not only makes the week easier since you know ahead of time what your dinner will be, but it keeps you on track and you will find your grocery bill will shrink.
Just these simple ideas can help make shopping a whole lot easier for everyone involved. Head over to your local library and pick up this book or one of many others teaching you how to save money while shopping.
