Cloud Pic of the Day--July 31st

Sorry I didn't get a picture posted yesterday. I had to take Baby Jacob for his doctor's appointment. He's four months old now and needed some shots. Then after naps, Jacob, Quinn and I rode to Statesville, NC to visit my husband's sisters, one of whom we don't get to see except at Christmas time.  I had so much fun with my family I forgot to take a picture.

Here's the one for today.  I love how you can see the sunset colors reflecting onto this cloud.

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 29th

You would think by how dark this cloud looks that we had another summer storm, but you would be wrong. What you are seeing is the shadow of the cloud. The sun was just about to peek out of the hole in this cloud. I love how you can even see the beams of sunlight shining down.

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 28th

Another beautiful sunset! I am just amazed and in awe of how different the sky looks every single day.

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 27th

Check out how low these clouds are in the sky! Almost seems like you could reach up and touch them.

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 26th

I love seeing the bright white of the clouds up against the clear blue sky. This cloud looks like the top of an ice cream cone, don't you think?

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 25th

Didn't think I was going to get a picture today, but I wasn't disappointed.

Check out this amazing sunset!

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 24th

Another summer day....another afternoon storm.  I took this picture just a few minutes before the rain started.  I love how you can see the layers of stratus clouds. Now you can see why we say that stratus clouds are like a blanket covering the sky.

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 23rd

Today we had another summer afternoon storm. I went outside to take some pictures right after the rain stopped, hoping to catch a rainbow. Unfortunately there wasn't one, but I caught two images that I thought were really pretty.

This one shows the clouds at the back of the storm.

This one shows the sky over my house after the storm came through.

It was a little strange to see it cloudy and dark on one side of my street, yet beautiful and clear on the other side of my street. But that's how these summer storms work!

National Hot Dog Day!

Grab your ketchup and mustard....today is National Hot Dog Day!

Hot dogs are considered an "American" food, and is served often at our national events like Memorial Day or the Fourth Of July. Hot Dogs were actually first created in Germany. Another name for hot dog is frankfurter, after the town of Frankfurt, Germany, where the hot dog was created.

Here are some fun hot dog facts.

The longest hot dog was 1,996 feet long and was created for the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia.

Over 20 billion hot dogs are eaten in each year in just the United States.

The most popular way to eat a hot dog is with mustard. However many people prefer to add ketchup, onions, chili, relish, or other condiments.

My favorite way to eat a hot dog is with ketchup and mustard.

How do you eat your hot dog?

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 22nd

If clouds are my favorite thing to look at in the sky, then sunsets are my second favorite!

Doesn't get prettier than this!!

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 21st

I am just amazed at how different the clouds look each day, and I've only been taking these pictures for a week. Sometimes the clouds just seem as though you could reach right out and touch one.

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 20th

As usual in the late afternoon, the clouds build up to bring us those summer storms.  Check out these cumulonimbus clouds I spotted today.

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 19th

Today started out as a "perfect" day. As we say in the South, it was a "Carolina" blue sky, with hardly a cloud to speak of.

By evening, the clouds had arrived, but they still made a pretty picture!

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 18th

A summer sunset!

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 17th

Pretty, isn't it?  Clouds are one of my favorite things!

Cloud Pic of the Day--July 16th

Is this a cloud?  Or a duck?  You decide!

Can you see what I mean?



Cloud Pic of the Day--July 15th

Sunday was a beautiful day! I love to see blue sky and those "puffy" clouds.  I took this one as we left our subdivision, headed to the grocery store.

Do you remember the name of this type of cloud?

I scream, You scream, We all scream....

FOR ICE CREAM!!!

Today is National Ice Cream Day. Did you even know there even was a holiday for ice cream?  Me either!

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan declared July to be National Ice Cream month, and the third Sunday to be National Ice Cream Day. The ice cream cone was first invented in the late 1800s, but ice cream has been in the history books for hundreds of years before that.  It's amazing to me that before there was electricity, people figured out ways to keep ice cream cold enough to enjoy!

So how do you celebrate National Ice Cream Day?

By eating it of course!

And what kind of ice cream should  you eat?

According to a survey by FoodChannel.com, the most popular flavor is vanilla. My absolute favorite flavor is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, but I'll eat just about any flavor.  Even plain old vanilla!  You know how much I love red velvet cake. I even found a brand called Blue Bunny that makes red velvet ice cream!  You should try it...amazing!

What's your favorite flavor?

Cloud of the day---July 14th

I took this picture on Saturday in the mid-afternoon. This is a typical summer day in North Carolina.  Do you see all those clouds in the distance? Perfect way to build up a summer storm!

A new feature starts today

I have decided I am going to start posting a "Cloud of the Day" picture to our class blog. Weather is a big topic for us in 5th grade science, and knowing the different kinds of clouds is also important.

So look each day for a new picture! 

If you think you remember the name of the cloud, you can leave a comment!

I took this from my front yard, just before the storm came in this evening.

Click here to see a cloud picture I posted last summer. I've never seen a heart in the sky before!

Hot and Now for 75 years

Today is a special day for world-famous company that started right here in our town. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is 75 years old today!

Krispy Kreme started in Winston-Salem on July 13, 1937, with the first store being on South Main Street. This is now part of historic Old Salem. The doughnuts were originally sold to grocery stores, but as they were being baked, the yummy scent could be smelled up and down the street. So many people came asking if they could buy a doughnut that a hole was cut in the wall so doughnuts could be sold individually. That was 75 years ago and now there are Krispy Kreme stores in 38 states and 22 countries. 

I love the original, plain glazed ones, but earlier this year I discovered they made a red velvet doughnut! Boy was that tasty!

What's your favorite Krispy Kreme doughnut?

Happy Birthday America!!

For every other country in the world, July 4 is just another day. For the United States however, it is a day of celebration, because this is our country's birthday!  This year, the United States is 236 years old! While that seems like a large number, our country is very young compared to other countries. For example, England is 1,085 years old.

In 1997, I spent 8 weeks in Germany as an exchange student. Because I was there in the summer, I happened to be there on July 4th. It was so strange to not see red, white, and blue decorations everywhere. Our German classmates took all of us American students to a restaurant that day because they knew we wanted to celebrate. This particular restaurant was having a "sale" that day on all drinks from America...like Coke, Pepsi, and other things. The owner was so proud to have real Americans in his restaurant on that day that he came to take a picture with us!

Here are some fun facts about July 4th.

The oldest known documented Fourth Of July celebration happened right here in Winston-Salem! The communities of Salem, Bethania, and Bethabara got together on July 4, 1783 to have a time of music and reflection of our nation's birthday.

Only one President has ever been born on July 4th. That would be Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President.

Three Presidents have died on July 4th. The 2nd President, John Adams, and the 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826. James Monroe, the 5th President, died on July 4, 1831.

Any military base that is able to fires a 50-gun salute called the Salute to the Union. They fire one gun shot for each state on July 4th at noon.

What will your family do to celebrate our Nation's Birthday?

Mayberry will never be the same....

If you were a student in my class this past year, you may remember a story I read to you. It was about a man who was watching something happen for the first time, and as I read the description, you had to make an inference to figure out what he was talking about.  Several of you guessed right, that the man was watching a football game.

Well, the man who wrote the story died today. Andy Griffith was born in Mt. Airy, NC, not far from where we live. Have you ever been to Pilot Mountain? Mt. Airy is just a few miles from there. He was the star of the Andy Griffith Show, and played the role of Sheriff Andy Taylor who lived in the town of Mayberry.  It is said that he created Mayberry to remind himself of his hometown.

Would you like to hear that story again? Click here to see the video.

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Cloud Pic of the Day--July 24th

Another summer day, another afternoon storm. I took this one right outside my front door, just a few minutes before the rain started. 

Can you see why we said that stratus clouds lay on the sky like a blanket. Layers and layers of stratus clouds, just waiting to dump their precipitation on us!