Bethany J. Mitchell » Sundry

Happy Michaelmas Day

Bethany — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 15:59:12 +0000

Three things that never come to any good:
Christmas pigs, Michaelmas fowls, and parsons’ daughters.
Traditional English proverb

I love history and although my family doesn’t celebrate Michaelmas Day, I have enjoyed learning about its traditions. Michaelmas Day is the feast day of St. Michael and All Angels in the Christian calendar. Archangel Michael is widely regarded as the “chief of angels” and the patron saint of the sea, ships and horses.

In medieval times, Michaelmas Day was a “quarter-day”, one of four days in the year to pay rents and settle old debts. In England and northern Ireland, it was thought that if you ate a goose on Michaelmas Day you’d have good luck for the next year. Enjoying a goose on September 29th is still a tradition today for many families in the United Kingdom.

In some circles, archangel Michael is considered to be the angel of protection.

More about Michaelmas Day and the archangel Michael:

Angels have been a favorite subject for artists and we’ve found many incredible pieces of art featuring archangel Michael.

Michael the Archangel by CRDesigns
Browse more Michael Cards

Archangel Michael By Angelo Bronzino by artpaintings

Archangel Michael by sunspiritgallery

Archangel Michael Notecard by matthewalderman

Icon Archangel Michael by Mark_Killingsworth
View other Saint T-Shirts

The archangel michael by souporstars

Penguin of the Day

Bethany — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 02:05:26 +0000

Chinstrap Penguins on Aitcho Island (Photo: Bethany Mitchell)

Calling all penguin lovers! The British Antarctic Survey posts a new penguin photo every day in its “Penguin of the Day” image gallery. The penguins are adorable and the photos are fantastic.

See one or two you love? You can purchase the images as well!

The Antarctic penguins await you here>>

On the left, I’ve included one of the lovely penguin photos I took on my trip to the Antarctic Peninsula in 2001.

Terra Nova Found Off Greenland

Bethany — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 02:14:55 +0000

Scott’s Cape Evans Hut (Photo: Alan Light)

A U.S. research company recently found what it believes to be the wreckage of the ship Terra Nova off the coast of Greenland. The wooden ship sank in 1943 while on a supply mission. But it is best known as the ship that carried Robert Scott and his fellow explorers to Antarctica in 1910-1912 as they attempted to be the first to reach the South Pole. Unfortunately, Scott and his four companions discovered the Norwegian party led by Roald Amundsen had reached the Pole first. All the members of Scott’s party died on the return trek back from South Pole.

It’s rather extraordinary that the wreckage was found now when the world is celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Scott’s fateful Terra Nova Expedition.

More about the discovery of the Terra Nova wreckage:

More about Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition:

Happy National Duran Duran Appreciation Day!

Bethany — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 20:07:32 +0000

No, I didn’t take the day off work but I did post a message on the FB walls of a few friends who are diehard Duran Duran fans and added some of my favorite songs into today’s playlist. Whether or not you came of age in the ’80s, you’ve probably at least heard of the British band who released so many popular songs over the years. One of my favorites is “(Reach Up For The) Sunrise” a relatively recent release that always gets me singing and grooving.

I really enjoyed the band’s concert in Hyde Park at the start of the Olympics in London on July 27th (more about that). I hear they’re touring again with the recent release of their A Diamond in the Mind album. Hope all you Duran Duran fans enjoy this special day!

Who Do U Think U R?

Bethany — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 18:12:56 +0000

Okay, I’ll admit it: one of my greatest joys in life is seeing people doing something they love and using their talents. While hanging out online the other day, I stumbled across this amazing video created by some truly talented teens from Cypress Ranch High School in Cypress, TX. The high-energy pop song was written and sung by 15-year old KaitlynK and high-school senior Preston Cox filmed and edited the production. Over 1,000 students appear in the 5-minute LipDub (lip-syncing with audio dubbed) video with a strong Bullying Prevention message. I loved the message, the energy, and the variety of students participating. Amazing!

“When you’re out in the crowd knockin’ little kids down/ Does it make you feel big? Does it make you feel proud? You’ve got all the right stuff when it comes to your clothes/ But your attitude sucks, you need a new one of those”

The song “Who Do U Think U R” is available for download at iTunes and you can read more about the video and its production at The Huffington Post.

Riding the Rails for the First Time

Bethany — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 01:32:49 +0000

Have you ever been present when someone who LOVES something beyond measure does that something for the first time? Like, oh, a 2-year-old who has loved trains since he could grab a toy train and push it across the floor. Who rarely sits still but will sit through an entire episode of Thomas and Friends. Who will spend hours driving a remote-control train around the tracks.

Not so long ago, I had the immense pleasure of being present when this little boy took his first ride on a real train during A Day Out with Thomas at the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, WA. The ride was short, the seat was hard, the train car was from the early 1900s, and he could barely see out the window but he didn’t care. And the look on his face as we boarded the train and the train started to move was a priceless moment.

Khal and Daenerys Crochet Dolls

Bethany — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 23:37:07 +0000

Khal & Daenerys Crocheted Dolls by Deadcraft.com

I’ve been a Game of Thrones fan for several years now…more a fan of the books than the TV show but I’ve enjoyed seeing the story come to life. Found these wonderfully detailed crocheted dolls of Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen from Deadcraft.com (available for sale, too!). Simply amazing. She’s also designed dolls for Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Jamie Lannister, Cersei Lannister, the Hound, and my fav character Arya Stark.

The cost of raising kids

Bethany — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:02:13 +0000

Wow. In a report recently released by the US Department of Agriculture, the average middle-income American family will pay almost a quarter of a million dollars to raise a child (not including college expenses). A family that earns more than $100K a year pays over $150K more than the middle income family. In this article at THE WEEK, they break down the amount into categories (food, child care, etc.). I was most interested in how much the numbers had changed from 1960.

Total amount is 23% higher in 2011 than it was in 1960.
In 1960 only 2% of the total was used for child care and education. In 2011 that number is 18%.

I wonder if the cost goes down per child if you are raising more than one child at a time. I wonder if some folks who decide not to have children will cite this as a reason (with numbers to prove their case). And, of course, I wonder how many parents don’t really care how much it costs because the intangible benefits are so valuable!

Penguin Model for Minecraft

Bethany — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:39:46 +0000

Minecraft – Penguin by ~Dragonith on deviantART

With a Minecraft fantatic in the house it’s a no brainer to appreciate the talent it took to create these Minecraft penguin models. Doesn’t look like they are part of an actual mod yet but I’m sure someone will do the programming and these little guys can wander around our Minecraft lands!

FISH! FISH!

Bethany — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:29:18 +0000

Young salmon swimming

Mama and baby otter

In addition to a love of all things train and car, my almost 2-year-old nephew has a funny obsession with fish. I say funny because it’s funny to watch his reaction whenever he sees a fish of any kind in any medium…he jumps up and down shouting “FISH! FISH!” until we acknowledge that we, too, are marveling at the wonderfulness that is fish.

So you can imagine how excited he was when his older brother and I took him on his first aquarium visit last weekend. It was three hours of fantastic fish sightings! The Seattle Aquarium now boasts an amazing wall aquarium that towers over visitors as you enter the aquarium. We spent almost a third of our time there, just watching the large variety of fish swim by (even catching sight of a diver during feeding time).

My older nephew is a longtime aquarium fan and eagerly dove into the role of trip photographer. This was our first trip since the baby otter was born so, of course, we huddled in the rain with the other guests to catch a few glimpses of the adorable baby.

Science Fair Season Again

Bethany — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:19:41 +0000

It’s that time of year when students around the country scramble to develop a science fair project that is at least somewhat interesting to them AND can be completed before the deadline.

This year our science fair project (I say “our” because it really is a group effort helping him narrow down his options, select a topic, discuss the best way to do the experiment, guide the production of the final board and presentation, etc.) was all about a heat lamp, colored construction paper, jars of water, a thermometer, and lots of hours.

After last year’s successful project my nephew was much more confident with organizing his time and materials and performing the experiment. He also better understood what the presentation board needed and how to make it more pleasing.

As a sixth grader he still needed a lot of hand-holding and step-by-step guidance but much less than he needed the previous year. And, I hear tell that performed exceedingly well on his oral presentation. Good show!

Muppets Cupcakes

Bethany — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:20:58 +0000

My family and I are loving the explosion of creative Muppet-related items appearing in the world! And I’m always on the look out for new ways to decorate cupcakes. There are no how-to instructions but I think I can figure it out with a little work. Love these!

The Muppets by ~gertygetsgangster on deviantART

A Snow Monster Fit to Eat

Bethany — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:56:30 +0000

Another fantastic holiday Gingerbread Village display at the Seattle Sheraton this year. The theme was “Holiday Express” and we were all amazed at what these fine chefs and artists could create using candy! We saw a surfin’ Santa, the abominable snow monster, short yellow minions celebrating the holiday, and much more.

Our favorite “houses” included King’s Cross Station from the Harry Potter books/movies and the toy train from The Island of Misfit Toys.

And the youngest member of our group was completely delighted to see that each display featured his favorite things in the world: trains!

Arrr! It be Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Bethany — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:21:27 +0000

“Why does it take pirates so long to learn the alphabet?
Because they can spend years at C!”
- PirateJokes.net

Arrr, mateys! Did ya know it be International Talk Like a Pirate Day today? Aye, ’tis and we be eager ta join the fun! Ah, we’re not experts at “pirate-speak” yet but it is quite funny to try! This made up holiday began in 1995 by John Baur and Mark Summers and quickly became an international sensation.

Ready for more Talk Like a Pirate Day fun? Try these sites:

And we found some cute and funny pirate art over at Zazzle. This is just a small sampling!

To Arrr is PIRATE! by Jack_of_Arts

Pirate Girls by juliahazeltine

Pirates Bookmark on Postcard by KirstenEdwards

PIRATES PARTY THEME SHIP SAILS JR FLAG INVITATION by layooper

i Love Pirates- Cool Vintage Retro Style T Shirt by iheart

EpicTreasure Map #1 by epicpirates

Cool Video of the Many Sides to Antarctica

Bethany — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:50:22 +0000

I stumbled across this great video of Antarctica recently. I love how it shows so much of the beautiful scenery intermingled with what it is like to live there.