The Gift Of The Magi

I thought I would share one of my favorite stories read to me by my parents when I was young at Christmas time...The Gift Of The Magi. Enjoy.

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty- seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name "Mr. James Dillingham Young."The "Dillingham" had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called "Jim" and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good.Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pierglass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.Where she stopped the sign read: "Mne. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds." One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the "Sofronie.""Will you buy my hair?" asked Della."I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."Down rippled the brown cascade."Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand."Give it to me quick," said Della.Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present.She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation--as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's. It was like him. Quietness and value--the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends--a mammoth task.Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically."If Jim doesn't kill me," she said to herself, "before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do--oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty- seven cents?"At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit for saying little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: "Please God, make him think I am still pretty."The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two--and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.Della wriggled off the table and went for him."Jim, darling," she cried, "don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It'll grow out again--you won't mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say `Merry Christmas!' Jim, and let's be happy. You don't know what a nice-- what a beautiful, nice gift I've got for you.""You've cut off your hair?" asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor."Cut it off and sold it," said Della. "Don't you like me just as well, anyhow? I'm me without my hair, ain't I?"Jim looked about the room curiously."You say your hair is gone?" he said, with an air almost of idiocy."You needn't look for it," said Della. "It's sold, I tell you--sold and gone, too. It's Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered," she went on with sudden serious sweetness, "but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?"Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year--what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be illuminated later on.Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table."Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first."White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: "My hair grows so fast, Jim!"And them Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, "Oh, oh!"Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit."Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it."Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled."Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on."The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.
Be your own 'magi' this Christmas by giving the gift of a beautiful Jingle Bells Hair Tutu or a Jingle Bells Head Band from Kidcessory Haven!
source; http://www.online-literature.com/donne/1014

Thanksgiving Headwear Activities

Traditional Pilgrim Hat

To shield themselves from the sun and rain, the Pilgrims wore broad-brimmed hats. Outfitting your dinner crowd with this popularized version is a fun way to top off your family's holiday celebration.

Materials
Poster board (black, gold)
Staple
Markers
Glue
Paper clips

Instructions:
On the black poster board, mark the dimensions of the Pilgrim hat shape and the separate headband, as shown in the diagram. Cut out both pieces and use them as templates to trace and cut each additional hat you plan to make.
Center each hat shape atop a headband so that the hat brim extends below the band, as shown. Staple the hat to the band, then fold the brim upward so that the crease is flush with the bottom edge of the band.
For each hat, cut a basic buckle shape out of gold poster board and use a glue stick to attach it to the Pilgrim hat.
Secure the headband with 2 paper clips around the head of each "Pilgrim."

You can find complete directions and patturns for this craft on Disney's Family Fun Site.

Girl Pilgrims Hat Craft

What you will need: Paper Grocery bags scissors and white paint, white ties cut from material.

How to make:

1. Cut the bottom off the grocery bag so that it is about 8" high.
2. Cut one of the short sides out. (One of the sides that has the folds in it.)
3. Fold back the edges of the side that you just cut about two inches. Do it two times. Now paint the hat white and staple or glue on some ties. If you don't have time to make a hat you can just tie a white scarf on the pilgrim.

You can find the complete directions and patterns for this craft on Danielle's Place of Crafts and Activities on the Paper Doll Crafts Page.

Don't forget to visit Kidcessory Haven to see this months featured Coco Hair Tutu with beautiful fall colors!

Fourth Of July Fun Facts

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, starting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.
Here are a few 4th of July 'Fun Facts'...strictly by the numbers....
Patriotic Places
31
Number of places nationwide with "liberty" in their name. The most populous one is Liberty, Missouri (29,149). Iowa has more of these places than any other state: four (Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty).
Eleven places have "independence" in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Missouri, with 116,830 residents.
Five places adopted the name "freedom." New Freedom, Pennsylvania with 4,464 residents, has the largest population among these.
There is one place named "patriot" — Patriot, Indiana, with a population of 209.
And what could be more fitting than spending the day in a place called "America"? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, with 26,263 residents.
Fourth of July Barbecue
As with many holidays, the 4th of July celebration includes food, drink and the realization of how fortunate we are as a nation.
More than 81 million
Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It's probably safe to assume a large number of these events took place on the Fourth.
Although we do not have a fixed menu for the celebration of the Fourth, you can almost count on traditional favorites such as hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken, ribs, garden salads, potato salad, chips and watermelon. Following is a summary of where these foods come from:
There's a 1-in-6 chance the beef on your backyard grill came from Texas. The Lone Star State is the leader in the production of cattle and calves.
The chicken on your barbecue grill probably came from one of the top broiler-producing states: Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi.
The lettuce in your salad or on your hamburger probably was grown in California, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of USA lettuce production.
Fresh tomatoes in your salad most likely came from Florida or California, which, combined, produced more than two-thirds of U.S. tomatoes. The ketchup on your hamburger or hot dog probably came from California, which accounts for 95 percent of processed tomato production.
As to potato salad or potato chips or fries, Idaho and Washington produces about one-half of the nation's spuds.
For dessert, six states — California, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Arizona and Indiana — combined to produce about 80 percent of watermelons last year.
Fourth of July Fireworks
$190.7 million
The value of fireworks imported from China, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imports ($197.3 million ) in 2010. U.S. exports of fireworks, came to just $37 million in 2010, with Japan purchasing more than any other country ($6.3 million).
U.S. Flags
$3.2 million
The dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2010; more than half of this amount ($2.8 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.
$486,026
Dollar value of exports of U.S. flags in 2010. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $256,407 worth.
50
The number of U.S. flags that are flown 24 hours a day at the Washington Monument in Washington DC. Other places where American flags are flown continuously include Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland; the United States Marine Corp Memorial (Iwo Jima) in Arlington, Virginia; on the Battle Green in Lexington, Massachusetts; and over the White House in our nation's capitol.
State Park Lakes and Beaches
66 million
Number of visits in a recent year to our national parks — a particularly scenic locale for a July 4th picnic. There were 766 million visits in a recent year to another popular picnic venue — state parks or recreation areas. Those in California (80 million), Ohio (59 million), New York (56 million), Washington (48 million) and Illinois (44 million) recorded the highest number of visits.
You may or may not be able to picnic there, but a visit to a national historical site is a particularly fitting way to celebrate our nation's heritage. In a recent year, about 72 million people flocked to national historical sites and 24 million to national monuments.
Coming to America
33.5 million
The number of foreign-born residents in the United States in 2003. They accounted for 11.7 percent of the nation's total population.
More than 1-in-3 foreign-born residents were naturalized U.S. citizens.
Among the foreign-born population, 53 percent were born in Latin America, 25 percent in Asia, 14 percent in Europe and the remaining 8 percent in other regions of the world, such as Africa and Oceania.
The British are Coming!
"The British are coming! The British are coming!" These days, this cry applies to tourists rather than "redcoats." Nearly 5 million tourists from the UK visited the United States in a recent year, more than from any other country except Japan.
$74 billion
Dollar volume of trade last year between the United States and the United Kingdom, making the U.K., our adversary in 1776, our sixth-leading trading partner today.
Hair Ties
One Billion Gajillion
Number of patriotic hair tutus sold worldwide! Don't miss out on your 'Stars' 4th of July Hair Tie at Kidcessory Haven!!
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

CPSIA Urgent Call To Action!

We have worked 3 long years to get where we are today and we need your help.
Our CPSIA amendment is currently in mark up in the Committee of Energy and Commerce in the House of Representatives. This amendment should, hopefully, be presented for a vote in this committee today. Sadly, we do not have Democrats in support yet. The HTA is in support of this amendment, known as the ECADA. Read more in our letter to endorse here: http://handmadetoyalliance.blogspot.com/2011/05/hta-letter-of-support-for-hr-1939-ecada.html. This amendment must make it through Committee mark up in order to be presented to the full House for a vote - then it is on to the Senate (fingers crossed). We truly need bipartisan support for this legislation if we have any hope of it progressing through both houses of Congress.If your Congressman is on this list, please call them, or if you have time, call them all and tell of the hardship that CPSIA has created and will create when the stay is lifted. Job loss, money loss - it is okay to tell them the whole sad story here. Please share this with your friends and family, post on your facebook, tweet it. We need to do this today!Thanks for your support. Together, we can do this!

Small businesses like Kidcessory Haven depend on your support!

source; CPSIA email update

The Most Versatile Blog Award

Thank you Lisa from My Colorful Treasures for presenting me with this award! Lisa, you really are a sweetheart! If you haven't already, you should stop by her blog and follow her.

The rules after excepting this award:

Thank the person who awarded you.

Divulge 7 things about yourself.

Award 15 discovered bloggers.

Let's see...7 Things About Me:
1. I am always in a rush.
2. I am tremendously proud of my two kids.
3. I love going to see movies.
4. I love to sleep late (probably why I am always rushing ;)
5. Working outside in the garden relaxes me.
6. I love spending time with my kids.
7. I love meeting new bloggers.

And The Versatile Blogger Award goes to..................
1. Kim at Kims Catalog Company
2. SoHo Accessories
3. Teri at Mom To Bed By 8
4. Jen at Home Schooling At Heart
5. Ron at Inspire!
6. Eloise at Mommy 2 Two Girls
7. Janet at Grammy Janets Place
8. Izzatul at Cutie Cupcakes
9. Lisa at Hog Wild and Lovin It!
10. Ms Muffin at Muffins And More
11. Margie at Margie's Creative Projects
12. Julie at Pink Mama, Blue World
13. Julie at Julie The Army Wife
14. Judi at Bentley Boutique
15. Sheila at Welcome To My Kitchen

Congratulations to ALL of you! You deserve this award and Kidcessory Haven was proud to have been able to sponsor it!!

In your Easter bonnet,

with all the frills upon it,

You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade.

I'll be all in clover and when they look you over,

I'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter Parade.

On the avenue, Fifth Avenue, the photographers will snap us,

And you'll find that you're in the rotogravure.

Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet,

And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter Parade.

Easter is one of the most auspicious festive times for Christians. And the tradition of wearing bonnets to church on every Easter Sunday grew out of the pleasure and thrill surrounding the holiest of times for the Christians. So, is it just another holiday fad? No, it is believed that the first Easter bonnets were worn before we even started celebrating Easter. So let us all sneak a peep into the History of Easter Bonnet.

Hats are usually worn during events like Easter Parade and church services. If we want to delve into the history of Easter bonnet then we have to talk a bit about the history of Easter Parade. The Easter Parade had its beginning in New York in 1870s. Originally the church goers would carry Easter flowers from St. Thomas Church to St. Luke's Church. The social elite would attend services and parade down to give onlookers - and each other - a chance to show off their new Easter hats and bonnets.

Easter was once known as the "Sunday of Joy." After the Civil War, mothers and daughters who had donned the dark colors of mourning for such a long time began wearing colorful flowered hats and elaborate corsages as part of the Easter celebration. Their hats were adorned with blooming and fresh flowers. If the flowers were not blooming they would make them from paper, ribbon, feathers or sea shells.

Why not start your own Easter tradition this year with a beautiful Sorbet Hair Tutu from Kidcessory Haven today!

source; dgreetings.com

High School Girls Give Up Makeup - A Passing Trend?

Nina Smith, 16, could not wait until her mother finally gave her the green light to wear makeup about five years ago. But now the Texas high school junior can't wait until Tuesdays roll around — the one day of the week she and some 200 other girls at her school forego their lipstick, mascara and other beauty products.

Nina says she enjoys the extra 30 minutes of sleep on Tuesdays, but that's not why she bypasses the makeup bag. She and five other girls formed a club at Colleyville Heritage High School this year. They wanted to send a small, symbolic statement that girls don't need all the goop and glitter to be beautiful.

Their message was heard loud and clear. The school-sanctioned club — Redefining Beautiful: One Girl at a Time — quickly grew to 200 members. Boys at the school even formed a support group to encourage the girls.
"We didn't think it was going to catch on, because people are self-conscious about how they look. It's high school: You want to look your best," Nina told TODAYshow.com. "To have over 200 girls, it's crazy."

But catch it on it did. Not only at Colleyville, but surrounding school districts and others from as far away at the Netherlands who have heard about the club.
Only skin-deep The formation of the club at Colleyville and the wide interest in it at other schools is reflective of the growing dissatisfaction many have with the message spread by TV, magazines and the Internet that girls have to look a certain way to be attractive, said Suzanne McGahey, the club's faculty adviser.
"It is definitely a response to that ... I think the girls wanted to send a positive message that you can be beautiful no matter what the circumstances," McGahey said. "It's about empowerment and self-affirmation for younger girls."

The girls wear sky-blue T-shirts with their club logo on Tuesdays. As a show of support, boys at the school will soon wear dark-gray Ts with purple lettering that says "Give me that girl" on the front and "That's the you I like best" on the back.
"It's really all been positive. Everyone's really excited," Nina Smith said.

According to Smith, the movement was inspired this summer by a mentor to the girls who referred them to a website called "Operation Beautiful," which was featured on TODAY in August. The site encourages women and those who love them to leave little notes around reminding them they are beautiful and loved, regardless of how they might look physically.
"I have heard about the Colleyville girls, and think they are amazing," said Operation Beautiful founder Caitlin Boyle, 26.

"Those girls are looking inward to define their own worth and not allowing their worth to be determined by outside sources, such as magazines, makeup companies, boys, or the impossible standards of beauty set upon women, and men, by society," Boyle said. "I really admire their efforts."

And to show off that beautiful face, treat your self to one of Kidcessory Haven's pretty Hair Tutu's!

By John Springer TODAYshow.com contributor

Environmentally Friendly Babies

If you want to have a healthy baby it is important to create a healthy environment for them right from the start. Ensuring that you have a healthy child begins even before conception. If a woman is healthy, happy and drug free the odds of her having a healthy baby increases exponentially. Women who are interested in having children or are actively attempting to become pregnant can do a number of things that will increase the chances their baby will be healthy. The first thing they should do is adopt a healthy lifestyle. Eating a wholesome diet, taking the time to exercise regularly, stimulating your mind with positive information and affirmations and staying away from illegal drugs is a great way to prepare your body for conceiving and developing a healthy child. Being in a positive stable relationship and avoiding high risk sexual behavior is another way to increase the odds of having a healthy baby. Creating a healthy living environment also positively impacts the health of the unborn child.
Many people mistakenly believe the only things that affect a child are the things the mother does after she becomes pregnant. Nothing could be further from the truth. The overall health of the woman at the time of conception plays a crucial role in the health of the child she will bear. Throughout her pregnancy she must also maintain good health practices and expose herself to only healthy environments. Fresh air, clean water, nutritious foods, moderate exercise and time spent enjoying the peace, harmony and beauty of nature all have a positive effect in the pregnant woman and by extension her child.
Once the child is born it is vitally important that its food, clothing and shelter be free of harmful chemicals. This commitment to avoid harmful chemicals should also extent to the towels, sheets, blankets, pillowcases and any other products that come in contact with the child. Surrounding your newborn with chemical-free environment friendly natural fabrics like wool and cotton can lead to a healthier, happier baby.

How To Explain The Fourth Of July To Kids

Most people in the United States celebrate the 4th of July, but do you know exactly why the holiday is so important to our country? Imagine how you would feel if someone older than you (maybe an older sister or brother) kept telling you what to do all of the time and kept taking more and more of your allowance. That is how the colonists felt in the years leading up to 1776. Great Britain kept trying to make the colonists follow more rules and pay higher taxes. People started getting mad and began making plans to be able to make their own rules. They no longer wanted Great Britain to be able to tell them what to do, so they decided to tell Great Britain that they were becoming an independent country. (To be independent means to take care of yourself, making your own rules and providing for your own needs.)
The Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and they appointed a committee (a group of people working together to do a specific job) to write a formal document that would tell Great Britain that the Americans had decided to govern themselves. The committee asked Thomas Jefferson to write a draft (first try) of the document, so he worked for days, in absolute secret, until he had written a document that he thought said everything important that the committee had discussed. On June 28, 1776, the committee met to read Jefferson's "fair" copy (he put his best ideas together and wrote them neatly.) They revised (made some changes) the document and declared their independence on July 2, 1776. They officially adopted it (made it theirs) on July 4, 1776. That is why we call it "Independence Day." Congress ordered that all members must sign the Declaration of Independence and they all began signing the "official" copy on August 2, 1776. In January of the next year, Congress sent signed copies to all of the states.
The Declaration of Independence is more than just a piece of paper. It is a symbol of our country's independence and commitment to certain ideas. A symbol is something that stands for something else. Most people can look at a certain little "swoosh" and know that it stands for "Nike." Well, the signers of the Declaration of Independence wanted the citizens of the United States to have a document that spelled out what was important to our leaders and citizens. They wanted us to be able to look at the Declaration of Independence and immediately think of the goals we should always be working for, and about the people who have fought so hard to make these ideas possible. The people who signed the Declaration risked being hanged for treason by the leaders in Great Britain. They had to be very brave to sign something that would be considered a crime! So every time we look at the Declaration of Independence, we should think about all of the effort and ideas that went into the document, and about the courage it took for these people to stand up for what they knew was right -- independence!

Stop by Kidcessory Haven to see our new 'Stars' Hair Tutu and be sure to be voted the 'Most Patriotic Person' at this years event!!

source; holidays.kaboose.com

Gulf Coast Oil Disaster: How You Can Help

As a lover of all things that have to do with the ocean, and a resident of a state that is surrounded on three sides by it, the Gulf Oil Spill has had a particular interest for me.

As I watch the spill near the shores of Florida and the Florida keys, I wonder how I can be of help....so, being the true 'Google Master' that I am...I found a link to the Audubon society that had a lot of tips on how to get involved. I want to share that with you here.

Audubon is inspired by the many people who have contacted us to find out how they can help the birds and other wildlife threatened by the Gulf oil spill. Your commitment to their health and safety during this crisis is greatly appreciated – and it underscores how much you value the natural world.
Audubon is working with many other public and private conservation organizations to coordinate volunteers and connect them with oiled-wildlife response leaders to help in the recovery effort. Hands-on work to protect and save birds and other wildlife will be a complex and potentially dangerous process, and first and foremost it is important that only trained volunteers participate on the front lines. Untrained volunteers can pose a risk not only to themselves, but to the birds and wildlife they are trying to save. If you would like to receive updates on Audubon's response efforts and be notified when volunteer opportunities arise, please fill out our volunteer registration form.
Attention, Gulf Coast Birders! Your help is needed to help document bird distribution at Gulf coast sites, and the effects of the oil spill. Learn more.
Here's another way you can help. Urge Congress to fully fund restoration efforts in Coastal Louisiana. Restoring habitat is key to the survival of that region and the people and wildlife that depend upon it.
Your donation will support Audubon as we address the oil spill disaster affecting birds and other wildlife in the Gulf Coast's already-fragile ecosystem. Your gift of any amount helps provide important resources for our volunteers and for the vital work being done on the ground. Thank you for your support!
Kids Are Already Helping! The spreading Gulf oil spill threatens birds and wildlife on Louisiana's coast. Save Them! Help Audubon rebuild the healthy habitat they need.
Other ways to report oiled wildlife, call 1-866-557-1401 and leave a message. Messages will be checked hourly. Even if you don’t live in the Gulf coast region, you can provide healthy habitat for birds, especially migrants, by taking some of these simple steps from Audubon At Home.

Kidcessory Haven is donating 10% of all sales in the month of June towards the clean-up effort in the Gulf. Please visit our website and know that in addition to purchasing a beautiful Hair Tutu, Gift, or Accessory, you are doing a little bit to help those in the Gulf Coast area who have had their livelihoods destroyed by this disaster.

source; Audubon.org

The Memorial Day Poppy

That old vet sitting at his table a few weeks before Memorial Day got me wondering about the story of the red poppy.

Its legend reaches back thousands of years. They have been found in Egyptian tombs dating back 3,000 years. There is a drawing of a poppy that was found in the Codex Vindobonensis which was put together for the Byzantine princess Anicia Juliana. The Codex is dated at over a thousand years. Homer mentions poppies in the Iliad, comparing the head of a dying warrior to that of a hanging poppy flower. Many of the ancient Greek and Roman gods are associated with the poppy. The god Morpheus made crowns out of the poppy flowers and gave them to those he wanted to put to sleep. Poppy flowers were used to decorate his temple.

The Greeks have a legend that explains how the poppy came to be called the Corn Poppy. The poppy was created by the god of sleep, Somnus. You see Ceres, the goddess of grain, was having a hard time falling asleep. She was exhausted from searching for her lost daughter; still she couldn't fall asleep and had no energy to help the corn grow. Somnus cooked up a concoction and got her to take it, soon she was sleeping like a baby. Rested and relaxed Ceres could then turn her attention to the corn which began to grow. Ever since that time the people believed that poppies growing around cornfields ensure a bountiful harvest. And so was born the Corn Rose, or as we call it today the Corn Poppy.

Those are some of the ancient legends associated with the poppy. Now you are asking if I am ever going to explain the war connection. This too is an ancient connection going back to Ghengis Khan. It is said that after his annihilation of the enemy the fields were churned up and drenched in blood. Soon they were covered in pure white blooms of the poppy. During the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century the same phenomenon occurred. Churned up blood-drenched fields erupted in poppy flowers.

John McCrae was a Canadian who enlisted to help the allies in the war. He was made Medical Officer upon landing in Europe. During a lull in the battle with the nub of a pencil he scratched on a page from his dispatch book. The poem found its way into the pages of Punch magazine. By 1918 the poem was well known throughout the allied world. Moina Michael, an American woman, wrote these lines in reply.

We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies

She then adopted the custom of wearing a red poppy in memory of the sacrifices of war and also as a symbol of keeping the faith. A French women, Madam Guerin, visiting the United States, learned of the custom and took it one step further. When she returned to France she decided to hand make the red poppies and sell them to raise money for the benefit of the orphaned and destitute women and children in war torn areas of France. This tradition spread to Canada, The United States and Australia and is still followed today. The money collected from the sale of poppies goes to fund various veterans programs.

Why not celebrate Memorial Day this year in style by wearing Kidcessory Haven's United Hair Tutu, a beautiful hair tutu is made with Grosgrain, Satin, and Poly Blend ribbons? Come visit Kidcessory Haven for many more beautiful things to be 'Remembered' by as well!!

source; Botanical.com

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