A History of Memorial Day

I am lucky enough to have grown up in an area of New York that is rich in history. I grew up and graduated from the town know for it being the Birth Place of Woman's Rights (for which i will write about this summer), and my neighboring town over is the Birth Place of Memorial Day. This is the town my mother grew up in, and the history of the start of Memorial Day, I share with you today.


The story of Memorial Day begins in the summer of 1865, when a prominent local druggist, Henry C. Welles, mentioned to some of his friends at a social gathering that while praising the living veterans of the Civil War it would be well to remember the patriotic dead by placing flowers on their graves. Nothing resulted from this suggestion until he advanced the idea again the following spring to General John B. Murray. Murray, a civil war hero and intensely patriotic, supported the idea wholeheartedly and marshalled veterans' support. Plans were developed for a more complete celebration by a local citizens' committee headed by Welles and Murray.

On May 5, 1866, the Village was decorated with flags at half mast, draped with evergreens and mourning black. Veterans, civic societies and residents, led by General Murray, marched to the strains of martial music to the three village cemeteries. There impressive ceremonies were held and soldiers' graves decorated. One year later, on May 5, 1867, the ceremonies were repeated. In 1868, Waterloo joined with other communities in holding their observance on May 30th, in accordance with General Logan's orders. It has been held annually ever since.

Waterloo held the first formal, village wide, annual observance of a day dedicated to honoring the war dead. On March 7, 1966, the State of New York recognized Waterloo by a proclamation signed by Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. This was followed by recognition from Congress of the United States when the House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 587 on May 17th and May 19th, 1966 respectively. This reads in part as follows: "Resolved that the Congress of the United States, in recognition of the patriotic tradition set in motion one hundred years ago in the Village of Waterloo, NY, does hereby officially recognize Waterloo, New York as the birthplace of Memorial Day..."

On May 26, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed a Presidential Proclamation recognizing Waterloo as the Birthplace of Memorial Day.


Today, Waterloo, NY, like many communities, celebrate Memorial Day. There is usually a town wide celebration the last week of May, with reenactments (this year is the Civil War), past Presidents (along with other typical "fair" type things). Waterloo still however commemorates Memorial Day on May 30th, Memorial Day's official date, regardless of what day it falls on that year. Waterloo is also the host to The National Memorial Day Museum.

For all of you you may be reading my blog, I hope you take the time today (May 30th) to thank a veteran for their time in service, as well as pay tribute to our fallen soldiers, who gave the ultimate sacrifice that allow us the freedoms we enjoy today. Remember this day, a solemn day in deed.

history of Memorial Day from this website: Memorial Day History

Menu Planning Monday - Memorial Day and beyond

Welcome! I'm posting this Saturday - as with our busy weekend - not sure I'll get the chance to get back on blogger. It's a holiday and I'm going to take advantage of my grill! We'll be trying 2 new recipes, one the grill and the other baked. And this week my husband goes back to work, after being laid off for almost 18 months! I can just tell, it's going to be a good week!

Memorial Day: Basil Turkey burgers, chicken thighs, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and salad.

Tuesday: Baked Teriyaki chicken and rice

Wednesday: Pasta night

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Going out!

Saturday: home made pizzas

Sunday: Slow cooker ham, potatoes and green beans

And of course - jump over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Menu Planning ideas!

Giveaway - from the blog of This Little Family

Another weekend, another blogging giveaway to share with all of you (however many you are reading this).

Skoy has been generous enough to be sponsoring this give away - enough for 2 winners!

"Skoy cloth is a fabulous, absorbent, biodegradable and natural multi-use cloth. Our re-usable earth friendly cloth is perfect in your kitchen, bathroom, and on most surface areas in your home or office. Skoy cloth can be used in place of your sponge, wash cloth or paper towels."

For more information on Skoy, as well as the full product review that our blogging host was so kind to do and share, head over to This Little Family... and maybe you too can have a shot at winning this great product!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. inspired by soulemama - pop over to see her moment, as well as the comment section for more shared moments.

W.I.P. Wednesday : Doll sweaters

So I missed out last week, since I finished my first baby doll sweater Tuesday afternoon before the baby doll's mama (aka Lizzy) came home from school. I also quick whipped out a reuseable mop cover for our "swiffer" mop (its not the swiffer brand, just like the wet mop though), and got that done too that evening, so, no actual wip last Wednesday. Here is the finished sweater:


pattern link on Ravelry: Pull-over for 16in Waldorf Dolls


But this Wednesday, I have another doll sweater to share. It's the same pattern at the first, only I learned a lot of things on the first one, I changed for the second. First, since there is no gauge listed, since not every 16" doll is the same, the first sweater was SO HUGE i ended up knitting it longer into more of a dress (that really could use a pair of bloomers, since the hem rolls up). This time, I didn't knit as many rounds to make the top part, hoping to narrow the sweater a bit. And while it worked, I likely could have taken it in a bit more, but this is still better then the first. And while both yarns are 10ply worsted, this yarn is knitting up tighter then the first did, I imagine my next one will be made with sport weight.



I'm hoping to sew some little shorts and make some felt shoes, and warp this all up for doll mama's birthday next month. If I had more time/ambition, I would make them matching sweaters, but I don't see that happening this time! There is always Christmas!

Menu Planning Monday - May 17th

Lots has changed in the last week. Wednesday, J had a job interview, and I lost my job the same day. Now that we're really pinching pennies, meals will be a frugal as possible. BUT, I want to keep moving towards a more healthy trend in eating for the kids... more whole foods, less processed crap. And we'll still be attempting a new recipe once a week (hopefully foods they haven't tried before, or at least eat-out favorite made better at home).

Monday: Breakfast (pancakes, strawberries, eggs, toast... maybe muffins too)

Tuesday: Grilled Cheese and soup

Wednesday: Over to a friends house (with a full day of baking goodies too!)

Thursday: homemade Pasta night

Friday: Mac & Cheese (likely not - i'm just really uninspired right now!)

Saturday: Lunch:
Dinner: Pizza night (still looking for a "new" way to try this Saturday night tradition)

Sunday: Baked Ziti

As always, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more meal planning blog links!

About another Green and Crunchy blog giveaway

Green and Crunchy is sharing the wealth of knowledge, and goodies, again! Today, Stephine from Organicology was a a special guest post today, with a lot of info on "pinkwashing", Race for the Cure and more cancer information. With todays guest posting, the giveaway is for 50 organic skin care samples!

If you would like more info about "pinkwashing" or the giveaway, hop over to Green and Crunchy!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. inspired by soulemama

*** *** ***

W.I.P Wednesday... err... Friday

It's been awhile since I posted a WIP Wednesday post... that's cause between work, kids school stuff, church, I haven't had much time to even get a WIP going! This week, I have a couple, food and knit.

This past weekend, I decided to try making sushi rolls for the family. They LOVE sushi rolls, and we often buy them from Wegmans (a local/northeastern grocery chain), but man, its EXPENSIVE to buy some prepared rice and veggie rolled in seaweed. So we got the goods, and gave it a try.



They LOVED it! *whew* I see a LOT more of these being made around here...

As far as a knit WIP, we have a certain little girl, who has a upcoming birthday, and a very naked doll. So, a knit doll sweater commenced, only to find out - its HUGE on the doll - so its going to become a sweater dress (hey - it means i dont have to knit pants right away now!)


Hopfully I can get this posted on the correct day next week!! Until then - have fun creating!

Meal Planning.... Thursday?

After a week of hurting my back and ending up with a high fever, it's great to be back and feeling semi-normal... whatever "normal" may be!! So a late start and posting the blog entry, but here is our menu for this week. One of these days I'll post the recipe for my 1-pot chicken and rice dish that we all love, but for this week, our new dish to try for the week is featured with recipe links on Sunday.

Baking: Not so much this week - as i'm planning a big bake day with my friend Joanne next Wednesday (as much coin flipping for which day!), but if i get ambitious, i want to try Strawberry Scones and French Breakfast Muffins.

Monday: Pasta

Tuesday: Chicken and Rice

Wednesday: Sub sandwiches

Thursday: leftovers/fend-for-yourself night

Friday: breaded chicken patty on buns, veggie sticks and fruit

Saturday: lunch: PB&J Blossom sandwiches
dinner: Pizza (the cheap frozen kind - we seem to like them the best!)

Sunday: Coconut chicken wings, vegetable lo mein

And as always, for more meal planning ideas, stop over to I'm an Organized Junkie!

Meal Planning Monday - New month, fresh start

Spring in finally in full swing here (even with the freak snow we had last week), and with it, our eating is starting to shift from heavy, winter meals to lighter fare.

I am also going to try and do some bulk baking for throughout the week... pancakes and such to make breakfast and snack time quick and easy for dad while I'm at work.

Monday: BBQing, Pasta salad

Tuesday: Pasta night

Wednesday: Tacos

Thursday: leftovers/fend-for-yourself night

Friday: homemade vegetable pizzas (personal size, dough recipe)

Saturday: homemade California sushi rolls

For more meal planning ideas, stop over to I'm an Organized Junkie!

From the blog of "Green and Crunchy"... a combo giveaway!

In my own blogging absence, I've been reading many blogs about food, for recipes, etc. What can i say - food interests me (and a tad bit of an unhealthy obsession at times).

My newest blog obsession find, Green and Crunchy, is hosting an excellent giveaway from Xagave. The giveaway is for a 25oz bottle of their organic Agave, as well as a recipe book!

From Xagave's website:

“Xagave is a Premium Blend of Agave Nectar derived from organic Agave Salmiana (White Agave) and organic inulin from Agave Tequilana (Blue Agave). This combination results in the highest quality nectar with the best taste, best Cooking Qualities and the most Health Benefits of any nectar on the market; making our nectar the perfect sweetener for all of your cooking, canning, and baking needs. Your foods will taste better while saving calories and our nectar can be simply exchanged for sugar or honey in any of your favorite recipes (see Sugar Exchange Table). A natural and healthy substitute for sugar, brown sugar and honey makes our nectar perfect for everyday use in coffee, tea and cereal. Avoid “spiking” your blood sugar levels with this naturally low Glycemic Index Food (approximately 30) and feel the difference. Our nectar contains no artificial additives or artificial sweeteners and is processed at very low temperatures that qualify it as a raw food. Organic & Kosher certified, we are 100% confident that you will not only taste but feel the difference.”

So, if you would love a chance at this excellent giveaway, take a jump over to Green and Crunchy for all the details to enter! Contest closes Sunday May 9th at Midnight - so Hurry!