Rosie the Riveter Dies at Age 86

Original story, posted December 30, 2010: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/30/rosie-riveter-dead-geraldine-hoff-doyle_n_802772.html

Geraldine Hoff Doyle, the inspiration for "Rosie the Riveter," died on Sunday at the age of 86 due to complications from arthritis, the Washington Post reports.

Rosie's story began in the 1940s, when the 17-year-old Doyle was working at a metal factory in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A visiting United Press International photographer snapped a pic of her on the job.

The image was then used by artist J. Howard Miller for the "We Can Do It!" poster, released during World War II. As the Washington Post writes, "For millions of Americans throughout the decades since World War II, the stunning brunette in the red and white polka-dot bandanna was Rosie the Riveter." A later "Rosie the Riveter" interpretation, done by Norman Rockwell, was featured on the Saturday Evening Post in 1943. Ultimately, the idea of "Rosie the Riveter" came to represent all female factory workers at the time. But for decades, Doyle had no idea that her
likeness was used on the original poster.

The New York Times writes: Mrs. Doyle was unaware of the poster's existence until 1982, when, while thumbing through a magazine, she saw a photograph of it and recognized herself. Her daughter said that the face on the poster was her mother's, but that the muscles were not. "She didn't have big, muscular arms," [her daughter Stephanie] Gregg said. "She was 5-foot-10 and very slender. She was a glamour girl. The arched eyebrows, the beautiful lips, the shape of the face -- that's her."

According to the Wall Street Journal, Doyle quit after just one week at the factory where her picture was made famous. "She later married a dentist and raised a family in Lansing, Mich.," the Journal reports.

Doyle is survived by five children, 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

When Parents Text.

Just as amusing as Damn You, Auto Correct! comes the newest internet sensation site: When Parents Text.

WPT is dedicated to your entertainment via mocking the complicated relationship between your parents, technology, and you. "This blog is dedicated to the trials and errorsthat come when a parent handles a cellphone."

Be sure to check out both sites, and "like" them on Facebook as well.

A true Winter Wonderland

Trust me... you've gotta check this out:

http://www.staplenews.com/home/2010/12/20/snow-under-a-microscope.html

Congratulations, Zac!

Remember all that nostaglia stuff? Well, it goes for music too. Last Christmas my parents gave me an iPod... I've got it packed with every Pop and R&B hit I loved in the 90's. Guess I know what they mean when they say, "You can take the kid out of Generation X, but you can't take the Gen X out of the kid". Okay, maybe no one says that.

Anyway, my first musical love struck me in 7th or 8th grade when I stumbled across Hanson's MMMBop music video. Thus began a borderline-unhealthy obsession that lasted ever since (though I would have denied this in my high school years). Zac Hanson, they youngest and seemingly more attainable portion of the trio was my favorite. My parents didn't allow me to date then, but I was even smart enough to striked a deal with my dad that I could date Zac, if he ever asked.

Well, we've all grown up... even little Zac! He and wife, Kate, welcomed their second child, a girl, last Wednesday. Congratulations!

Don't Wake the Dragon and Pizza Party.

I'm nostalgic, to a fault. I love anything and everything I grew up with, or I can somehow link to a childhood or family memory.

Last Christmas I took advantage of the internet and re-purchased an enormous collection of original Polly Pocket compacts and vintage Littlest Pet Shop toys... the first and "better" versions of toys that are still made today, but are far different from the versions I cherished in the 80's. My daughter was thrilled, and we have since often enjoyed my old toys together.

Sell.com, Amazon, eBay, and my personal favorite, Craigslist, can help you find and purchase many of your favorite things. A few months ago I bought a DVD with original episodes of Strawberry Shortcake (again, the show from the 80's... not the weird, modern-day computer generated version). Another new favorite of my daughter's. I found my favorite Charlie Brown movie, and of course, my Saved By The Bell collection.

My newest quest is for the 1986 Don't Wake the Dragon and 1987 Pizza Party board games.

I receieved Don't Wake the Dragon for Christmas, and have vivid memories of playing it with my Mom and friends. The premise of the game is to rescue your stolen penguin eggs from the sleeping dragon, Big Snore. Land on an egg space and collect an egg; land on a dragon space and you're forced to shake Big Snore and risk everyone losing the eggs they've collected atop their penguin's hat.

In Pizza Party, each player aims to collect the pizza toppings that match the color of their handle. Occasionally a player will draw a "Switch" card, forcing them to swap pizza slices with an opponet. First to fill their slice, wins.

So far these two board games have been difficult to find, and those in good condition are quite expensive. I look forward to finding these gems while my kids are still young enough to enjoy them with me :)

My new collection

Did I mention I need these? I'm a HUGE Saved By The Bell fan... I have all of the seasons of the original show on DVD, including the two made-for-TV movies. I have College Years greeting cards, a novel, and more. When I was in junior high, I remember running home from the school bus (which dropped me off at 2:35) to catch the TV program (which started at 2:30pm).

Above all, I have been head-over-heels in love with AC Slater ever since. I have several of his autographs, including a signed copy of his children's book, Mud Tacos. A few weeks ago my wildest dream was realized when Mario Lopez , himself, came to a local mall.

Naturally, we fell in love ;)

NAUGHTY vs. NICE?

A British Survey has revealed the boys and girls most likely to grace the Naughty and Nice Lists:

The survey also suggests that kids who do not shorten their names are better behaved. "The study, by School Stickers, analysed good behavior and aheivement stickers awarded to 57,000 pupils online throughout the UK." Read HERE.

Holiday shopping.

I am super proud of myself for committing to Christmas early this year. With threats of bad weather looming, I started, and nearly finished, my holiday shopping in mid-November. When snow hit Thanksgiving week, I was relieved that our Christmas photos were taken, and I could avoid the nasty weather. During that time we set-up the tree, I made our handmade Christmas cards, and we even saw Santa.

The only problem? Black Friday and the deals that follow.

I had already laid my kid's gifts out across my living room, meticulously documenting each gift, and how much it cost on my color-coded Excel spreadsheet (a wonderful tool-- I know who I need to shop for, what I've purchased and for how much, and what still needs to be taken care of). My children were past the point of "spoiled" and didn't need anything else. But I couldn't stop myself! There were jammies and movies at Walmart. Dolls and board games at Target. Don't even get me started on TJ Maxx.

Here's another deal I couldn't pass up, and it's only good TODAY. JCPenney has Disney Princess Dress-up Gowns for $9.99! And with the promo code 4RELVES you can get an additional 20% off (that's only $7.99 each, folks) and use the free Ship-to-Store feature. There are other Wednesday-only deals, too, and trust me... I found them.

Disney Dress-up Gowns