3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

Family

My Youngest Daughter Graduates High School

by

Planning a High School Graduation Party for the Last Time

The day has come, I am an empty nester and my youngest has graduated from high school. I am planning my last high school graduation party.

Create personalized graduation gifts with a high school graduates baby picture and cap and gown photo. Then & now photo frames are unique graduation gift ideas for families. High school graduation gifts mean more when they are personal. Perfect graduation gifts for him and her. Order a frame with this 10x20 photo print along with your order, or purchase one after.

Where did the time go? It seemed like yesterday when she was just a baby.

THEN and NOW photo keepsake FrameTHEN and NOW photo keepsake Frame

It was a wild month leading up to the graduation ceremony and the graduation party. But I was so happy and glad we did everything to make the day and weekend special.

High School Graduation Party Ideas

When I mean we did everything we did everything. Including a photo-booth, chocolate-covered strawberries, and photo candy favors.

Graduation Candy Favors

It took me three weeks to recuperate, I think that’s a sign I’m getting older. Here are just a few from her party and graduation itself.

Hugging friends at graduation

I threw two high school graduation parties that year as my stepdaughter graduated from the same school. We had two parties, two sets of photos, twice as many pictures.

But, I had fun and wouldn’t have changed a thing. Ok, maybe not dipped so many chocolate-covered strawberries, but that’s another story.

High School graduation, a milestone event

These young adults are now on their way into adulthood, college, jobs, the military and places and experiences unknown.  As parents, we supported them in their activities, tried to correct behavior, and guided them in the ways of the world. It is now up to them.

My two sons graduated years ago and I kept several of their decorations. That saved some money. Since one party was a week before the other I could reuse decorations from one girl to the next, to a point.

Graduation party favors and streamers make a party special. Find high school party ideas and gifts for your special graduate.

Each had their own style and wanted to personalize their own celebration, which is the way it should be. These graduation party favor streamers are fun to wave and shake during the ceremony or during a graduation parade.

Popular Graduation Party Decorations

Photobooth for Graduation party

High school graduation is special and it represents not only the end of their general school career but is a starting point for adulthood.

Many parents will post photographs that represent the journey from infant to adulthood to compare how they have changed and grown.

Etsy graduation gifts for her. Unique graduation gift ideas are easy to find on Etsy.

There are so many themed party ideas and you can go crazy on Etsy graduation gifts for her.  

I Believe, in Music and In Life

by

Music has played an important part in my life and I have been blessed that my children have participated and enjoyed their scholastic music careers. My son sang at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and both he and my daughter have participated in numerous honor choirs across the state.

With each experience comes an increased appreciation for music and how it impacts their life. Each clinician and conductor teaches the students an improved breathing technique, a new warm up routine, or even how posture and carriage affects the sound and tone.

Choir Concert and Competition

My life as a choir and band Mom is ending with the close of my daughters senior year in high school. Last week was the Nebraska district music contests across the state and I made the trek down to Nebraska City to listen to the band and choir perform. I have been honored to be a part of a program where 75% of the students participate in either band, choir, or both. What other high school can make that claim? I’d challenge any school in the country.

The first song the choir sang at the District Music contest was Ani Ma’amin and although the students could say it and sing it they couldn’t spell the title.  They could tell me it was a Jewish Hebrew song sung during the Holocaust. During the warm up director Betty Colbert recited the translation before they started. What a great way to teach multiculturalism, and history.

English Translation: 

“I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and, though he may tarry, I wait daily for his coming.”

Hebrew:

“Ani Ma’amin be’emunah shlaima bevias haMoshiach, ve’af al pi sheyismame’ach im kol zeh achake lo b’chol yom sheyavo. Ani Ma’amin.”

It is not unusual for our choir selections to be religious or in another language, but I had not heard Hebrew before and the history of this song interested me. Ani Ma’amin is a song created and sung in the horrors of a cattle car full of Jewish prisoners. In one boxcar the sound of singing could be heard and it spread throughout the whole train.

The history of this song is stirring, inspirational, a song of faith and hope. From the Chabad.org website I learned the full story and it’s worth a visit.

I am partial to the choir, only because I sang in choir in high school and was the piano accompanist for several years, but I will post  the band performance later this week.

The day was especially moving for the seniors who will be graduating in just a few weeks. Their graduating class is only 32 students and in this small community most have been together since preschool. Out of the eleven students below eight of them started in preschool together. At this point it’s almost their whole lifetime.

 Related articles

Shamrock Shake Facts & Trivia

by

I do believe I’m one of the first people to ever try a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. I grew up in East Hartford Connecticut and my Dad loved mint, everything mint. As a little girl going to McDonald’s was a treat, not an every day occurrence. Until we were ten we were not allowed to drink pop or soda so my parents ordered shakes for us at McDonald’s.

I Love Shamrock Shakes
My third shake of the season…

Normally I got strawberry, but I have vague memories of drinking from my Dad’s straw a tangy green shake, and later it was a yearly trip to get a green shake. There was a pony ride in Enfield during the 1970’s and we would stop at the local Mickey D’s for french fries and a shake.

&

Shake Your Shamrocks cute and sexy t-shirt for men and womenShake Your Shamrocks cute and sexy t-shirt for men and women

&

Shamrock Shake Facts and Trivia

  1. Invented at an Enfield Connecticut McDonald’s  in 1966 (although the McDonald’s website claims 1970)
  2. First called the St Patrick’s Day Green Milkshake
  3. Started selling nationally in 1970 in response to a Ronald McDonald House fundraiser
  4. Calorie Content: 420, Small, 740 Medium, 820 Large (but who really cares?)
  5. Large Shamrock shake provides up to 60% of your daily calcium requirement (oh yeah!)
  6. Available only for a limited time around St. Patrick’s Day
  7. A Shamrock sundae was proposed and tried in 1980, but was a failure (wonder why?)
  8. You can post  Shamrock Shake sightings and  reviews at  Shamrock Shake Locator

If you can’t find a Shamrock Shake at your local Mickey D’s, or it’s not  St. Patricks  season, here is a recipe to make your own minty shake. But, it’s not the same memory or experience. There is just something about those McDonalds straws and sharing with your Dad when you’re six you can’t duplicate.

Shamrock Shake recipe

* 2 cups vanilla ice cream
* 1 cup milk
* 1/4 cup half & half
* 1/2 teaspoon mint extract (spearmint, not peppermint)
* 8 drops green food coloring

Who remembers the old McDonald commercials from the 1970’s, they were a lot more fun back then. McDonalds was a rare treat, they weren’t on every corner, their food was fresh, hamburgers grilled, buns toasted and real chicken in their chicken McNuggets, without the over processing.

Going to Mickie D’s was a destination, and they were the king of fast food. It is still a guilty pleasure of mine and I even have a Grimace glass.

Ladies Mighty Fine McDonalds Do The Shamrock ShakeVintage 1977 McDonalds 6 inch Grimace Glass

Eat and Drink Irish on St. Patricks Day

Ok, I get it, Shamrocks Shakes are NOT irish and not traditional Irish food to eat and drink on St. Patricks Day. My husband loves Corned Beef, but I’m always on the lookout for something a little sweeter, more dessert themed and of course “green” for the Luck of the Irish flair.

&

A Catered St. Patrick's Day (A Mystery With Recipes)A Catered St. Patrick’s Day (A Mystery With Recipes)St. Patrick's Day Recipes: 43 Fantastically Fun, Entertaining and Super Tasty St. Paddy's Day Foods!St. Patrick’s Day Recipes: 43 Fantastically Fun, Entertaining and Super Tasty St. Paddy’s Day Foods!IRISH TREATS - 30 Dessert Recipes for St. Patrick's Day or Whenever You Want to Celebrate Like the IrishIRISH TREATS – 30 Dessert Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day or Whenever You Want to Celebrate Like the IrishIRISH DRINKS - 27 Cocktail Recipes for St. Patrick's Day or Whenever You Want to Celebrate Like the IrishIRISH DRINKS – 27 Cocktail Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day or Whenever You Want to Celebrate Like the Irish

&

More Information About McDonalds Shamrock Shakes

What’s really in McDonald’s Shamrock Shake?

With more than 60 million sold, it generates almost as much buzz as the popular McRib sandwich. The Shamrock Shake–the bright green sweet treat that signals that St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner– is another long-time McDonald’s cult …

How To Make A Shamrock Shake Faster Than You Can Drive To McDs

Planning to get your green on for St. Patrick’s Day? Don’t stop with your head-to-toe solid color ensemble. Take all that bright green fun into the kitchen too. This holiday is the perfect opportunity to play with your food, and the fact that you have …

Shamrock Shake 101: The popular St. Patrick’s Day drink wasn’t always minty …

Millennials know the Shamrock Shake only as the McDonald’s minty vanilla concoction that it’s been since 1983. Things weren’t always so creamy and dreamy. The Shamrock Shake dates back to 1970 and started out more like a thick 7Up, flavored with …

When Will The Shamrock Shake Be Available? Get Ready For Some Minty Amazingness

Long before the introduction of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, there was one seasonal drink that was eagerly awaited every year: the Shamrock Shake. Released around St. Patrick’s Day every year, this minty vanilla confection with its pastel green hue is one …

We tried McDonald’s classic Shamrock Shake next to its biggest competition …

The Shamrock Shake has amassed a cult following since its inception in 1970; the sight of the minty green shake is a sure harbinger of spring and vaguely Irish themed kitsch. But with Burger King’s release of the Oreo Irish Mint Shake, McDonald’s reign …

Shamrock Shake Dupes: How To Make McDonald’s Famous Green Milkshake At Home

The return of McDonald’s beloved Shamrock Shake usually signals that spring is just around the corner, and it is finally that time of year again! McDonald’s announced the return of the shake on Feb. 9. The Shamrock Shake is one of the fast food chain’s …

Shamrock Shake: Delectably delicious or deceivingly dangerous?

Each year during the St. Patrick’s Day season, McDonald’s brings back that heavenly green minty milkshake called the McCafe Shamrock Shake. These delicious milkshakes are only around for a few short weeks; meanwhile the claims of why you should not …

Terminal Lance: Dueling Knife Hands

by

I rocked this past Christmas! Yup, got the perfect gifts for my Marines, “Terminal Lance” a comic for Marines, written by a United States Marine. It just so happened my Lance Corporal son opened his Knifehand comic before his brother, the Corporal. What ensued was quite the scene.

United States Marine opens Christmas gift
“This is Awesome”

As David opened his present a smirk came across his face. He immediately covered the title and began to tease and taunt his older Marine brother. “You won’t guess what I got, and you can’t have it! It’s awesome!” (said with great possessiveness and gloating)

Marine with Terminal Lance Knifehands

“You don’t get one. You’re no longer a Lance, so you’re no longer part of the underground” The taunting continues, remember these are men (did I just say that of my sons??) and they are quibbling like six year olds.

After about 30 minutes the Marine Corporal got to his copy of “Knife Hands, Terminal Lance” under the tree.

Marines square off with Knife-Hands
Marines square off with Knife-Hands

You can pretty much get the gist of the conversation just by the expression on his face. “I do so rank! I have my own copy of Terminal Lance, so there! HA!”

Terminal Lance is a mature comic written by Lance Corporal Maximilian Uriarte, USMC to poke fun at the various absurdities in the Marine Corps. Both my sons love this comic and my youngest had me send his the weekly editions during boot camp.

Terminal Lance
Terminal Lance (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Each comic is accompanied by an essay that explains the back story. If you’re a Marine Mom I caution, before you head to the Terminal Lance site, you may not want to read the essays. They may render you blind. But it’s Marine, adult, male humor, and not meant for Mom’s. I made this mistake last summer as I read one particular essay and immediately had a visual image of my youngest son I did NOT want in my brain.

I do read the website, and the Facebook page, because, in a way it’s how I understand my boys. I learn a little of the lingo, a little Marine culture, and thus feel as though I share a part of their lives.

MCRD San Diego at graduation and I’ve watched many YouTube videos with several drill instructors getting in a boot’s face with several knife-hands.

Terminal Lance Sample Comics

Related Marine Corps Articles

Don’t forget to visit my CafePress Marine and Military store if you are looking for custom Marine Corps gifts. Just click on the image below and it will take you right there.

Purchase United States Marine and Military branded gifts for your son, daughter or family member in the Marine Corps at my 3QuarterToday CafePress Store.

Christmas Family Games on the 9th Day of Christmas

by

Playing Christmas Family Games Brings Back my Childhood

Talk about getting excited? While having our second Christmas at my in-laws I spotted a favorite childhood game in the cabinet. Mattels “Tip It!“!

Tip it board game
Matell Tip It, Vintage Game with circus man

Oh, how I remember this game and how this wobbly little circus man on top made me laugh. Everyone in the room thought I was slightly crazy, and I thank them for not laughing at me. They even indulged me with a game!

While I remember playing the game, I couldn’t remember how to set it up or the rules. So, for those who have forgotten. The short stick goes under the yellow base, place the yellow coins on the pegs and then the long stick in the middle hole.

Vintage Mattel Tip It GameVintage Mattel Tip It Game

Don’t forget the little black gravity ring that slides onto the stick. This is VERY important! If you leave it off the result is a very difficult game with a very wobbly man on top.  Slide the doughnut closer to the base and it’s a little easier. Note where our gravity doughnut is placed? Last, balance the nose of the little man on the top of the stick.

Now comes the playing. After selecting who goes first  (person who spins red first) spin the spinner and remove the appropriate coin from the peg without the little man falling off the top. One by one each person is eliminated as the circus man tips off his perch. Seems there is always one color which doesn’t get selected and the tower becomes heavy on one side. Then players start praying “Noooo not blue!” because you just know you’re going to TIP IT!

Vintage family game

You can still buy Mattels Tip It from Amazon and although it more modernized, and harder with more pegs.  The little man has been replaced, which is disappointing, but I’m sure it will result in the same feeling of silly laughter.

I read the directions online and they have changed a little, but feel free to make up your own “house rules”, kinda like UNO, which we also played.

Who won? My son David who was home on leave from the Marine Corp. He also won three games of UNO, and two out of three games of the card game speed.

Humanity Hates the Holidays (80 White Cards, 30 Black Cards) - The Adult Card Game For Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, KwanzaHumanity Hates the Holidays (80 White Cards, 30 Black Cards) – The Adult Card Game For Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, KwanzaChristmas TriviaChristmas TriviaChristmas Charades Board GameChristmas Charades Board GamePass The Ugly Sweater Card GamePass The Ugly Sweater Card Game