Tag Archives: Barbara Jones
Celebration – Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day … the holiday of love and romance!
Valentine’s Day is celebrated every year on February 14 in many countries around the world. It is a day to remember and honor your loved ones with cards, flowers, candy, etc. I personally think that we should be celebrating our love every day of the year and not just one single day. I know that I feel very happy when my husband brings me flowers unexpectedly … a guaranteed smile on my face!! But, how did this romantic holiday start?
The legend of the patron saint, St. Valentine, goes back many centuries and the origin of the tale has become something of a mystery. One legend says that Valentine was a priest during the third century in Rome. At the time, Emperor Claudius II decided single men made better soldiers and prohibited them from marriage. Valentine defied the Emperor and continued to perform secret marriages for the soldiers. The Emperor discovered this, Valentine was sent to prison and the Emperor ordered his execution. While Valentine was imprisoned he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer and before he was executed, he sent her a note and signed it “from your Valentine”. There are several other stories about Valentine, but he is always portrayed as a sympathetic, heroic and romantic person.
In the Middle Ages, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem, “Parlement of Foules”, which is said to be the first recorded association of Valentine’s Day with romantic love. By the 15th century, Valentine’s Day had become an occasion for lovers to express their love by presenting flowers, offering confectionery delights and sending handwritten sentimental notes, known as valentines, to their loved ones. By the 19th century, paper valentines became so popular in Victorian England that factories started mass producing greeting cards with popular symbols of love such as: the heart, doves or lovebirds and Cupid with his bow or arrows.
In the United States, it is estimated that 190 million valentines are sent each year making Valentine’s Day the second largest card holiday. According to those statistics, women purchase and send 85 percent of those valentines. Those numbers do not include the mass-produced character themed valentines that students give to each other and their teachers. The idea of exchanging cards has extended into gifts such as: roses, heart-shaped boxes filled with an assortment of chocolates and in the 1980’s the diamond industry began to promote giving jewelry to that special someone! Now, with the Internet, it is estimated in 2010 that over 17 million e-valentines were sent.
l remember as a child, sending and receiving valentines in grammar school! Luckily, my mother saved us boxes filled with our school papers, art projects and within those boxes were the valentines cards from my fellow classmates. It is fun to see the old fashioned style of these 1960s valentines and remembering all those friends from so long ago. I kept up that family tradition of saving the valentines for my kids. For my daughter I found a cute Valentine-themed box and this is where she has saved her valentines from school. Every year she likes to sort through them and remember her old friends back in California and her new friends here.
Do you do any special ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day? I would love to hear from you, send me a comment with your traditions or ideas.
Celebration – Last Minute Valentine’s Day Ideas
Sometimes with our busy lives the holidays come too soon and we are not prepared!! Valentine’s Day is one of those times; it comes after Christmas when most of the time in we have just finished packing the holiday decorations and moving them into storage. Well, Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and here are some ideas for last minute projects that are easy to make and take very little money.
“Showered with Love”
This a great project to do with the kids! All that’s needed are a couple of bags of balloons, I used red and hot pink balloons, but you could also add white balloons. A variety of colors keeps the display visually interesting. You can blow up all the balloons in advance and store them in a place hidden from the person you are surprising. You can fill the balloons with fun messages. Just write the notes on small pieces of papers tightly roll them up and insert them into the balloons. Fill the shower stall with the balloons and close the shower curtain. Tape a large note to the shower door that says, “Good morning! You have been showered with love!” It is a lot of fun and the kids will love writing the notes and surprising the person!!
This is also a great idea to surprise someone with on a special birthday!! Just attach a note to the shower door that says, “Happy Birthday! You are showered with love!”
“Heart Attack”
This is another great project for your spouse, family or friend. The supplies needed for this project are simply some construction paper or scrapbook paper and tape. You can get fancy; I used red glitter foam left over from the Queen of Hearts Party. Cut the paper into the shape of different size hearts. You can use red, pink and white for a great look. Be sure to include one larger heart that says, “With love from your name(s). Attach the paper or foam hearts with tape and please be sure not to obstruct the front window. Now, you have one of two chooses: decorate the special person’s car at their home either parked inside the garage or outside on the driveway or street. Where you decorate the car should be determined by the local weather because snow or rain will definitely affect the paper hearts, please keep that in mind when you are planning this project!
This is another project that could be used for a birthday or anniversary, you can use others colors of paper or foam hearts for the decorations.
A Trail of Kisses
Here is a fun project to do for your kids or adults, too! Buy a bag of Hershey’s kisses, any flavor. Leave a trail of kisses on the floor leading to a special gift, maybe a stuffed animal, Barbie, Lego set, etc. Decide if you want one special gift or several, it is up to you! It’s easy; the child would follow the trail of kisses to get to the special present!
SPECIAL NOTE: Please be advised that chocolate can be very harmful for dogs, so take caution when you are doing this activity, we don’t want any dogs getting sick.
Travel – Springfield, Illinois (Part Two)
In honor of Abraham Lincoln (Born: February 12, 1809 Died: April 15, 1865) and President’s Day in February, I would like to share some of the historic places we have visited in Springfield, Illinois. Due to the numerous Lincoln historic sites in Springfield, I have divided the content into two separate posts. The first post, Springfield, IL (Part One), covers the Lincoln Library and Museum. The Lincoln Library and Museum are located within walking distance from two additional Lincoln historic sites, the old State Capitol building, and the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices. This second post, Springfield, IL (Part Two), covers the old State Capitol, the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices and also the Lincoln Home and the Lincoln Tomb which are located within any easy drive from downtown Springfield.
The Old State Capitol
From 1820 to 1837 the capitol of the state of Illinois was located in the small town of Vandalia, Illinois which is located in the southern part of the State. Then in the 1830s the northern portion of the state was opened to settlement and there was pressure to relocate the state capitol closer to the geographic center of the state. A group of nine Illinois lawmakers, including a young lawyer named Abraham Lincoln, lobbied to have the state capitol moved to Springfield. In 1837 their efforts proved successful, a law was passed and with a two year transitional period the state capitol eventually moved to Springfield in 1839.
Built on Springfield central town square, the Greek Revival-style building was constructed from local yellow Sugar Creek limestone. When Lincoln was a lawyer, he tried many cases before the Illinois Supreme Court. In 1858 he delivered the famous “House Divided” speech in Representatives Hall when he was campaigning for the U.S. Senate. Lincoln lost the Senate race to Stephen Douglas but two years later he was nominated and won the Presidency of the United States. Sadly, four years later he was assassinated and Lincoln’s body returned to the Capitol building to lay-in-state before his burial in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
By the 1870s the building was becoming too small for the growing Illinois State government. The current State Capitol was built four blocks to the southwest and the Old State Capitol became the local county courthouse. From 1966–69, preservation work was done on the building and it was restored to how it appeared in 1861 when Lincoln left for Washington D.C.
For travel information on the old state capitol please visit their website at www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/old_capitol.htm.
The Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices
In 1844 when Abraham Lincoln’s first law partner Stephen Logan left the firm, Lincoln hired a junior partner named William Herndon. Lincoln and Herndon prepared cases for the Federal courts and the Illinois Supreme Court as well as the Illinois Eight Judicial Circuit. Lincoln rode the circuit for about six months during the year while Herndon usually stayed in Springfield. The site of their original law office, from 1844 to 1852, was a very convenient location given the fact that most of their cases met in the State Capitol across the street. In 1852 their office was moved to another location near the town square in a building that has since been demolished.
Written after Lincoln’s death, Herndon’s Lincoln biography describes his law partner’s habits as disorganized and chaotic with Lincoln’s two mischievous and very loud young sons visiting often. Another annoying habit of Lincoln’s, one that constantly disturbed Herndon’s concentration, was that sitting sprawled across the office’s old sofa, Lincoln would read aloud from his newspapers or books. A curious trait from his boyhood, when as a young boy he would read aloud from his books while sitting in front of the fireplace in the family’s log cabin, it seems that this was the only way that Lincoln ever read.
The partnership of Lincoln-Herndon was never officially dissolved at the time that Lincoln became President and left Springfield for Washington D.C. He is reported to have told Herndon, “If I live I’m coming back some time, and then we’ll go right on practicing law as if nothing had ever happened.”
In 1872, at the time that the old brick building was being torn down, the wise decision was made to preserve that section of the building where the original Lincoln-Herndon law offices were located on the third floor. In 1985, over a hundred years later, the building became an Illinois State Historic Site.
For more information on the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices see www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/lincoln_herndon.htm.
Lincoln’s Home
Abraham Lincoln, coming from very humble beginnings, believed in the American dream that everyone should have an opportunity to improve their economic and social condition. With that in mind, in 1844 Lincoln purchased the only house he would ever own. It was a small house located a short distance from his law offices in downtown Springfield. In 1856, the house was enlarged to include the second floor to accommodate Abraham and Mary’s growing family of four boys. While Lincoln was campaigning for President, the house became a place for numerous visitors and political gatherings. After winning the election and becoming the 16th President of the United States, the house was the site of a grand farewell reception. Before leaving for Washington D.C. in 1861, the Lincolns put the house up for rent and sold most of their furnishings.
After Lincoln’s tragic death, Mary never returned to live in their Springfield home and moved instead to Chicago with her two remaining sons, Robert and Tad. When Robert married in 1868, Mary and Tad went to Europe on an extended trip aboard, Tad died in 1871. Mary’s mental health, always questionable, rapidly deteriorated and Robert became increasingly concerned. In 1875, with Robert’s urging, the courts declared Mary insane and she was sent to the Bellevue Nursing Home in Batavia, Illinois. This news shocked the nation and Robert and his mother became estranged. A few months after being committed, she was released into the care of her sister in Springfield. Quickly the courts ruled that she had regained her sanity. Mary traveled to Europe and stayed mainly in France to visit various health spas. In 1880, she returned to Springfield for the final time, once again living with her sister. Mary’s physical health was declining from undiagnosed diabetes and complications. Robert was able to reconcile with his mother before she died in 1882 at the age of 63.
In 1887, Robert Lincoln donated the family home to the State of Illinois with the stipulation that the house would be well-maintained and opened to the public at no charge. In 1960, the home was designated a National Historical Landmark. In 1971, the home and adjacent four block residential area became a National Historical Site and administrated by the National Park Service. Guided tours for the Lincoln Home are free and the timed tickets are available at the Visitor Center.
Additional information can be found at the National Park Services web site at www.nps.gov/liho/index.htm.
Lincoln Tomb
After Abraham Lincoln’s death in 1865, a group of Springfield citizens immediately sought permission from Mary Lincoln to arrange not only the funeral and burial but also to raise funds to build a memorial to honor the 16th President at Oak Ridge Cemetery. A funeral train consisting of nine special railroad cars carried the body of Lincoln back to Springfield, Illinois. Mary remained in Washington D.C., too distraught to make the trip. The funeral train took a northern route leaving Washington D.C. with stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, and Chicago, before finally arriving in Springfield 19 days after the night of the assassination and having traveled almost 1,700 miles. Once the funeral train arrived in Springfield, Lincoln’s coffin was transferred to the Illinois State Capitol where it lay-in-state for one night. After the funeral the coffin was placed into a receiving vault, then as construction began on the tomb and memorial it was moved to a temporary vault further up the hill. Over the next 30 years, the coffin was moved 15 more times, almost stolen in 1876, before Lincoln eventually reached his final resting place in 1901.
The Lincoln Tomb is in the center of a 12 acre plot in Oak Ridge Cemetery. The rectangular base of the memorial is made of granite with a 117 foot obelisk and a semicircular entrance way. Four separate flights of stairs exit onto an elevated terrace. This terrace area is now closed to the public for safety reasons. On the walls of base for the obelisk are 37 stone shields with the names engraved of the states at the time of Lincoln tomb was built. The shields are connected by raised bands symbolically representing an unbroken circle and the reunited states after the Civil War. Four bronze statues representing the infantry, navy, artillery and cavalry are placed at each corner of the base.
Entering the interior of the memorial, there is a rotunda, a burial room and connecting corridors. The first room is the rotunda which serves as an entrance foyer. As visitors enter the rotunda there is a small replica of the Lincoln Memorial statue located in Washington, D.C. and this dominates the entrance foyer. Around the room 16 marble columns are separated by marble panels. The columns represent Lincoln and the 15 presidents who preceded him. Corridors from the rotunda lead to the burial room at the rear of the memorial. Located along the corridors are a series of eight statues depicting various times of Lincoln’s life. In the center of the burial room stands red marble cenotaph engraved with Lincoln’s name, the years he lived and on the wall behind is the inscription “Now he belongs to the ages”. (A cenotaph is an “empty tomb” or a monument erected in honor of a person whose remains are elsewhere. In the case of Lincoln – he is actually buried in a cement vault 10 feet below the surface of the burial room.) Along the south wall of the burial are four crypts containing the remains of Mrs. Lincoln and three of Lincoln’s four sons: Edward, William (Willie) and Thomas (Tad). Their eldest son, Robert, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery just outside of Washington D.C.
TRAVEL NOTE: At the front of the Lincoln Tomb there is a bronze statue of Lincoln’s head. This statue was done by Gutzon Borglum, the man who is famous for Mount Rushmore. You will notice from the photo to the right that shows my son, visitors often stop to rub the nose for good luck.
For more information on the Lincoln Tomb and War Memorials please refer to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency website at www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/lincoln_tomb.htm.
For additional Abraham Lincoln sites and landmarks in other parts of the United States, please click on the link to New Salem, IL for information about where Lincoln lived during his early adult years and the Lincoln Memorial which is located in Washington, D.C.
Travel – Springfield, Illinois (Part One)
In honor of Abraham Lincoln (Born: February 12, 1809 Died: April 15, 1865) and President’s Day in February, I would like to share some of the historic places we have visited in Springfield, Illinois. Over the last twenty years, we have made several road trips to Springfield. Three places mentioned are within walking distance from each other. They are the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the old State Capitol building, and the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices. The other two sites, the Lincoln Home and the Lincoln Tomb, are within any easy drive from downtown Springfield.
Due to Springfield’s numerous Lincoln historic sites, I have divided the content into two separate posts. The first post, Springfield, IL (Part One), covers the Lincoln Library and Museum and the second post Springfield, IL (Part Two), covers the old State Capitol, the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices, the Lincoln Home and the Lincoln Tomb.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is a great place to start a visit to Springfield. Here you can learn about Abraham Lincoln’s life and his time as the 16th President of the United States. There are actually three separate buildings that comprise the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum complex. The old Union Station Depot serves as the Visitor Center. The Library opened in 2004, houses the largest archive of papers and artifacts on Lincoln and also an extensive collection on the history of the state Illinois. Originally founded in 189, the Library started as the Illinois State Historical Library and members of the staff maintain the papers, books and artifacts of the Lincoln Library collection. The Museum opened in 2005 and has several state-of-the-art advanced technology exhibits which tell the Lincoln story.
As visitors enter the Lincoln Museum, they walk into the spectacular central area known as the Plaza. Near the center of the Plaza stand life-size figures of the Lincoln family in 1861 at the start of the Lincoln Presidency. (This is a fun opportunity to take a photo of your family standing with the Lincoln family!) Behind the Lincoln family stands a replica of the south portico of the White House with additional figures, such as: General Grant and McClellan, Frederick Douglass and even John Wilkes Booth.
I would advise visitors to start their tour with the Ghosts of Library. Shown in a theatre is a dramatic presentation where visitors are allowed a peak into the “library” to learn about the activities and discoveries researchers are being made in the presidential archives while the ghost of Lincoln and others seem to walk amongst them. The presentation ends in a very dramatic way.
As visitors return to the Plaza after the presentation, to the left is the exhibit called “Journey One – The Pre-Presidential Years”. The area is beautifully decorated with a log cabin surrounded by a forest with the figure of a 9 Year old Lincoln sitting on a tree stump. Visitors enter through the log cabin into an exhibit which depicts Lincoln’s early life before he became President.
The Union Theatre is another state-of-the-art multi-media theater that features a presentation called “Lincoln’s Eyes”. Lincoln’s story is told by a portrait artist and through the eyes of Lincoln we learn and understand the feelings of hope, sorrow and forgiveness which explains the personal and political issues that surrounded Lincoln’s Presidency. SPECIAL NOTE: To advise parents visiting with small children – the dramatic Civil War battle scene sights and sounds can be very intense.
After viewing the presentation, visitors exit onto the Plaza. Entering through the doors of the White House façade is the exhibit called “Journey Two – the White House Years”.
Visitors find themselves in the “Blue Room” of the White House where Mrs. Lincoln is being fitted for an elaborate gown by her dressmaker. As visitors continue through the various displays they learn about Lincoln’s Presidency as well as both the personal and political events that effected his family’s time in the White House.
One fascinating exhibit is the Treasures Gallery which displays several artifacts including family photos, china and crystal used at the White House and other items from the Lincoln family. Within this exhibit is a special circular walled area which displays a rotating exhibit the most historically significant items from the Lincoln Library.
Additional areas and exhibits at the Lincoln Museum include: The Illinois Gallery which features an ever-changing series of exhibits pertaining to Lincoln and the state of Illinois. Mrs. Lincoln’s Attic which is an inter-active area for children where there are numerous hands-on activities such as dressing in Lincoln’s suit, Mrs. Lincoln’s dress or a Civil War soldier’s uniform. Please note children must be accompanied by their parents.
There is also a wonderful museum gift store and a restaurant to grab a quick lunch. It is very easy to spend several hours at the museum but I guarantee you and your family will enjoy the exhibits, learn important history lessons and come away with a better understanding and appreciation of Abraham Lincoln.
For more travel information regarding the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum please refer to their web site, www.alplm.org