The 8 Most Popular Mother's Day Gifts

Mother's Day is rapidly approaching. Yes, I know its still April, but May 12th will be arriving quickly and if you don't plan ahead, you'll be one of many who are trying to find the perfect gift the day before.  I usually manage to arrange something a few days in advance that can be delivered to my mother.

If you look at the internet, many websites list tons of suggestions down to the exact brand and price.  I figure you have to know your mother well to figure out what to get her.  For my mother, she loves growing flowers so I try to find some type of flower that is easy to care for and are pretty so I usually send her some sort of orchid.  I found one on Amazon that you drop an ice cube in like twice a week.  She loved it when I sent it.

Although there are tons of suggestions, most gifts end up falling into one of 10 categories.

1.  a gift of a relaxing day at a spa where mom can spend time getting pampered, massaged, and taken care of so at the end, she feels like the most important person out there.  Most mothers don't have time to indulge themselves and this is perfect.

2.  Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate.  Most mothers enjoy chocolate, especially if its one of the more expensive brands.  I love when I can swing one of those fancy bars with different flavors like ginger in dark chocolate or toffee with sea salt so some years I try to get one of those for my mom because she has a sweet tooth.

3. Flowers are always a nice choice in May, especially here in Alaska because in many places, the snow has not melted and there is still a layer of snow on the ground.  In addition, flowers are a nice touch that brighten a day and make you feel so special.

4.  If you can't afford a day at the spa for your mother, how about some beautiful candles combined with a great bath set and time out of the house so your mother can have her own quiet time to enjoy it all.

5.  My mother drinks coffee and is particular about the French press she uses so I keep my eye open for those on sale when her's is starting to get old.  On the other hand, my sister-in-law appreciates one of those fancy machines that will make coffee exactly the way she wants.  You might want to consider getting her either a coffee machine, or new cups.

6. Mother's Day is a great day for purchasing some perfume for her.  Maybe get another bottle of her usual or perhaps purchase a brand she has always wanted but never gotten for herself.

7. This is a time to buy her something she's been wanting but hasn't been willing to buy for herself.  It might be a cookware set, a cashmere sweater, or a pair of shoes.  One year I bought my mother a pair of Nike sneakers because she needed them and she'd never spend the money on the for herself.

8. If you mother has a garden, take her down to the local nursery to pick out something like a fruit tree or starts she'd love for her garden but wouldn't buy for herself.  I've gotten my mother rose bushes because she loves them but isn't willing to buy them.

These the most popular gifts given to mother's on Mother's Day.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Its Prom Season

 Its that time of year again, when high school students rent limousines, buy dresses or rent suits, get flowers, boutonnieres, get hair fixed, polish shoes, and panic as the night for one of the biggest events in high school approaches.

Many high school have their proms at hotels, with people arriving by limo so no one has to drive.  To afford it, several couples pool resources and afford the fancy wheels.

Out in the bush of Alaska, it is so different.  Usually the prom takes place in the school gym or cafeteria.  In my village, they decorate the entrance to the school building by the office, to the double doors going into the main part of the school.  They also decorate the gym which is opposite the office.

Entrance

Kids, hang up everything from that fancy stuff you buy from the Prom people to black garbage bags hung over windows to keep light out.  The sun is not setting until close to midnight now and if they want the room to be dark, they have to effectively cover the windows.  They will hire someone locally to be the DJ because the person has a great selection of music and a set of speakers.

Dancing and food

The music is set up in the little area leading to the gym from the cafeteria because it is out of the way.  They bring tables in from the library and spread them around the foyer and a few in the cafeteria with chairs here and there so people can sit and eat.  They only have the music, the food, and lots of open space in the cafeteria.



The doors open about 6:30 for a 7:00 start so the girls can get here early enough to change.  You do not want to get ready at home, hop on the back of a snow machine, or ATV to drive to school.  I think there are like 3 maybe 4 cars in the whole village so its better to get ready at school.  During the day, the girls get their mothers, sister, or aunts to help fix their hair so its picture perfect to go with their fantastic gowns.

The boys dress in their suits at home before coming to school where they have either myself or one of the men help them tie their ties.  The guys only wear ties at graduation or the prom so people do not get much experience in this so one of the teachers has to do it.

photo op.

At 7 P.M, the dance begins where for no more than $30 for the pair, they get four hours of music, dance, and food. Through out the evening they snap photos at the photo place and have a great time.

This year, they had a space type theme but the back is covered by hand painted garbage bags.  Since prom ended up on a Sunday night, school is starting late. 

I hope you enjoyed a quick look at a prom in bush Alaska where things are very different than in most other places in the world.

Have a great day and let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.

Spring is Here

A major sign, spring is here.

Dating.

How about Friday night?

Best Things to Buy in May

The month of May is quickly approaching.  It starts in less than one week.  For shoppers, its always nice to know what to look for so they can plan ahead.

Check out thrift stores for sales because this is when people donate more due to cleaning out their closets after a long winter.

This month is when many gyms offer specials on their memberships because many of their members move to the outdoors to exercise with the nicer weather.  Its possible to haggle for a better price because they want to keep their memberships up.

If you want a new vacuum cleaner, now is the time to look for one because the new models are coming out in June and stores want to clear out the ones they have to make more room for the new inventory.  Another appliance that comes out with newer models are refrigerators.  Start looking for one in May because stores are beginning to lower prices to get rid of current inventory.

Look for athletic clothing during May.  Since more people are spending more time outdoors, stores are placing athletic gear on sale to get people thinking about being outdoors.  If you need an air conditioner, now is the time to buy it because as the temperatures go up, air conditioner prices also go up.  The same is true of swimsuits.  If you wait, till after Memorial Day, prices on swimwear tend to go up.

Do you need new summer clothing?  Start looking for sales about mid month because of Memorial Day coming up but the best prices happen just before Memorial Day.  Memorial Day is good time to look for mattresses because most stores are trying to move inventory.

May is also the month many stores are offering office furniture at a discount.  This is a great time to pick up swivel chairs, small desks, and shelving.  So if you want to spruce up your home office or you want to set one up, now is the time to look for office furniture.

Memorial Day also marks the beginning of the summer entertaining season so many places offer deep discounts on party supplies.   On the other hand, if you are a Star Wars fan, keep your eyes peeled on Amazon and Target for everything Star Wars to be on sale on May 4th.

Finally, keep an eye out on last minute Mothers Day gifts.  Although most sales have happened, some places still have a last minute sale so you can find something great.  I hope this helps you plan your shopping for next month.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

It's Not Funny Money

 Since the United States has been around for a couple hundred years, it has changed the type of bills and coins in circulation.  Some are familiar to us but many if you saw them, you'd think were fake.

1.  The United States issued $1.00 silver certificates from 1878 to 1964.     These bills could be turned in for $1.00 worth of silver.  Some of the bills had "One dollar in Silver payable to the Bearer on demand."

One interesting fact about this particular bill is that the ones issued between 1886 and 1891 bore the picture of Martha Washington, wife of George Washington. This was the first form of paper currency in this country to have the picture of a woman.

2. Back in 1775, the Continental Congress issued its own Continental currency because the 13 unified colonies needed some form of common money.  Unfortunately, this currency was only backed by the word that it would be repaid by money collected via taxes rather than being by backed by gold or silver.  The money died in 1781 because there was no standardized set value because it varied from colony to colony.  In addition, the British flooded the colonies with counterfeit Continental currency causing the government to incur a lot of debt by the end of the Revolutionary war.

3. In 1933, during the height of the depression, President Franklin Roosevelt demanded everyone turn in their gold bullion, gold certificates, and gold coins because the population were hoarding them and refused to use paper currency.  Soon after, paper money began circulating and was more popular.  In 1934, the government issued the $100,000 bill with Woodrow Wilson's picture.  it was only used to transfer money with the Federal Reserve.

4.  From 1861 to 1862, the United States Government issued a Demand Note in denominations of $5, $10, and $20.  The Demand Note was a type of paper currency the government put into circulation by using it to pay for war expenses including salaries.  These notes had a distinctive green ink on the back which lead to the term "Greenbacks" because confederate money didn't have anything on the back.   The name came from the fact the holder of this could turn the note in for an equal value in coin.

5. Fractional currency was also issued by the government during the Civil War.  These coins represented values from one to fifty cents but they were made out of a thin paper leading to this currency being called "shinplasters" after the type of paper used to make them.  All fractional currency disappeared in 1876.

6. The $1,000 bills were first issued during the civil war as a way of purchasing supplies such as ammunition for the military.  Once the war ended, the government restricted their use between banks or property sales.  The government quit printing them in 1946 but they remained in use until 1969 when Nixon took them out of circulation.

7.  In 1890, the Secretary of the Treasury issued a set of bills in $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $1,000 denominations.  These were used by the government to purchase silver bullion from the Treasury and could be redeemed in coin, either gold or silver depending on which was better at the time.  These notes were also known as "Coin Notes".  They didn't last long and were no longer being issued by 1893.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the different types of bills issued by the United States government over the years.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Are You Sure Easter Is Over?

I am sure you read the title of this blog entry and you automatically replied "Of course it's over.  It was this past Sunday!"  That is true but only for the churches who follow the normal religious calendar such as Catholics and Protestants.

There is, however, a group who have not yet celebrated Easter.  I am aware of this group because some are found in the state of Alaska.

The group that still has to celebrate Easter are often classified as "Eastern Orthodox". Eastern Orthodox churches developed in the Eastern Roman Empire around Byzantium and is often called "Byzantium Christianity". I am most familiar with the Russian Orthodox Church which came  when Russia sent people over to settle and hunt for furs.

Here in Alaska, the Russian Orthodox celebrate Christmas about a week later and Easter is also about one week later.  Most of the time Easter is celebrated on different days but every so often the two Easters coincide but that won't be until 2025.

One reason for this is that the Eastern Orthodox calendar is based on the Julian calendar while the Western group uses the Gregorian calendar leading to a difference of 13 days.  One thing that keeps the dates relatively close is that both groups agreed Easter should happen the first Sunday after the first new moon after the Spring Equinox.

Add in to this that some Eastern Orthodox churches have adopted a revised Julian calendar which allows them to celebrate Christmas on the same day as everyone else does but Easter is still calculated the old way.  I know the local Russian Orthodox groups here in Alaska still use the original Julian calendar because they celebrate these holidays at different times.

According to one source, the reason the Eastern Orthodox churches refused to change to the Gregorian calendar had to do with a canon which prohibited Easter from coinciding with Passover and the new calendar allowed this to happen.  They did not want to break church law.

Another reason for refusing the new calendar is that by accepting to follow it, they were recognizing the authority of the Pope who headed the Catholic Church. Thus it indicates a unity with non-Orthodox churches.  Others felt that the acceptance of the new calendar challenged the purity of the Orthodox beliefs.

I chose this topic because the Russian Orthodox Church have been in many of the villages I've lived in so I'm more aware of the differences than most people.  I hope you found this interesting.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.