To celebrate the 50th Birthday of Lego here are some facts I got from the Lego site:
The LEGO history began in 1932 in Denmark, when Ole Kirk Christansen founded a small factory for wooden toys.
Christansen came up with the name: LEGO – a fusion of the Danish words “LEg” and “GOdt” (“play well”).
15 years later Christiansen discovered plastic as the ideal material for toy production, and bought the first injection moulding machine in Denmark.
In 1949 he developed the LEGO brick prototype and in 1958 the Lego was sold!
Today’s LEGO bricks still fit bricks from 1958.
Production of LEGO bricks with Acrylonitrile Butadine Styrene (ABS) began in 1963. This matte finish plastic is extremely hard, has a scratch and bite-resistant surface, and is ideal for keeping the bricks connected. The ABS compound is not delivered in a liquid form, but rather as granules, which are heated to 232° C until they melt. Injection moulding machines weighing up to 150 tons then press the hot and “gooey” plastic mass into LEGO brick shapes. The shapes dry and harden and, voilà – you have the famous LEGO brick!
There are 2,400 different LEGO brick shapes
LEGO bricks in boxes that are not sold are melted again and turned into new bricks, in accordance with waste prevention and environmental responsibility.
The LEGO Group with its headquarters in Billund, Denmark, is the fifth largest toy manufacturer in the world in terms of sales.
Thank you Lego for 50 years of fun! I know Chase for one is very thankful to Mr Christiansen for his brilliant idea!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Happy Birthday LEGO!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Nice Surprise
My Mom, Wonderful Auntie & I
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Soul, Like Nature, Has Seasons, Too
When you feel cast down and despondently sad
And you long to be happy and carefree and glad,
Do you ask yourself as I often do,
Why is the song silenced in a heart that was gay?
And then I ask God what makes life this way.
His explanation makes everything clear-
Man too must pass through life’s autumn of death
And have his heart frozen by winter’s cold breath,
But spring always comes with new life and birth,
Followed by summer to warm the soft earth…
That souls like nature, must too have their seasons-
Bounteous seasons and barren ones, too,
For only life’s challenge can set the soul free…
It’s a mixture of both bitter and sweet
To season our lives and make them complete.
Reflection
Today is my due date. If everything had went as planned I would be giving birth to a beautiful baby girl today. Instead I visited the cemetery where my angel baby was laid to rest in September. It's hard to describe how I feel about the whole situation. Naturally there are countless ifs, buts, maybes and whys but like most things you just have to except that this is life and things don't always go the way you plan.
Miscarriage is something I never thought would happen to me, especially after already having one healthy baby. It is by far the hardest thing I have ever gone through and has changed the way I feel about so many things. I am thankful for having had her even for a sort time and I thank god every day for all the many blessings he has giving me. Going through this has made me appreciate my life and the people in my life so much more than I did before. Because of her my eyes are open to a better world, despite the pain of losing her.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Sunday Ritual #2
Every Sunday I make sure to disinfect our toothbrushes. This is especially important for Chase's as it can often touch some pretty nasty surfaces when I'm not looking. Like me finding him brushing his stuffed animals teeth or running it along the wall as he comes out of the bathroom!
I totally got freaked out a few years ago by a dateline special that tested a bathroom and found out the the toothbrush had equal to if not more germs and virus's then your toilet! Yeah gross right? The thing we put in our mouths twice a day can be a breeding ground for all sort's of icky things.
A simple Google search brought up a few solutions for sanitizing your brushes. One was to soak them in a bleach solution... umm no thanks! Another was to throw them in your dishwasher, which I did a few times until I got creaped out buy the idea of my brush among the dirty dishes. So I switched to soaking them in hydrogen peroxide, then they came out with Aquafresh tablets which I used for awhile as well. Finally last year I bought the VIOlight Sanitizer which I love.
The Violight claims to kill 99% of germs by subjecting the tooth brush head to a ten minute UV shower. Now I haven't found any real data that says UV light actually works to disinfect your brushes but hey it sounds right doesn't it? Whether it actually does what it claims or not at least it I get the peace of mind of thinking they are clean and germ free.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Double Edged Sword
On most occasions I pride myself as being a compassionate person but I sometimes can't help but think it's also a detriment.
The last half of 2007 was a horrible year for me as well as some of my close friends. We experienced the loss of an old spirit as well as a new one, dealt with the mistrust of spouses and friends, had health problems as well as financial downfalls. I was so excited to start a new year, a new beginning, my light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately the first couple weeks of 08 have been just as bad. I am now convinced that the universe may be conspiring against me.
I am sorely torn between wanting so badly to feel sorry for myself but at the same time realizing that it could be much worse. How do you balance feeling so blessed for all you have and still getting to act like a whiny brat? I would like nothing more than to lock myself in my room and cry, obviously this isn't practical but why am i having such a hard time feeling sorry for myself?
My breaking point happened when Chase shattered the screen on my iPhone by bludgeoning it with his wiggles light stick. I wanted to go ballistic I wanted to scream and shout and throw a hissy fit but I was just too upset to do anything. But even while in my shock and dismay I couldn't stop thinking about how I'm crying over a $400 phone while their are people out there with REAL problems. Sure my issue is a loss and sucks horribly but it's not the worse thing in the world.
I wish for once I could just let my emotions feel sorry for myself without thinking of others. Can I have my moment of udder breakdown without feeling bad for it?
My Broken Iphone....
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The ships have finally sailed!
It's been a looong couple of months at my "day job".
I work for the Buying Network which is a marine buying/procurement company. Sounds super exciting right? Hehehe The short of it is we supply supplies of all kinds to fishing vessels, processing vessel, processing plant's, the Alaska ferry boats and various other's.
I am the Office Manager Extraordinaire! Fancy title that basically means I handle lots and lots of paperwork. I wish I would have taken a picture of my desk during our busy time, it was so covered you could only see a little square of wood under the sea of papers.
Late November into early January is SUPER busy for us because all the ships are gearing up for Pollock season in Alaska. We are so busy processing orders, receiving and shipping good's and just flat running around like chickens with our heads cut off. I am relieved it's over although I do secretly miss the busy days once all the ships are gone and I'm left with nothing but boring Internet orders. At least I'll have more time for the fun stuff!
Here's a picture of the Intrepid Explorer, one of the boat's be buy for. It's next to one of the fleet that sunk last March.
