Bell Gram: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

March Birthdays and Dates To Remember!

1st - Veronica

2nd - Nicholas

23rd - Takako

28th - Aiden

29th - Khloe

30th - Charisse

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Black Artists Per Huff.Post!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/26/black-artists-under-40-contemporary-painters-sculptors-performance-race-representation-art_n_2725639.html?utm_hp_ref=arts&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

Friday, February 22, 2013

Carteret High School Black History Month/Passport To Manhood Group!

Ishmael, 4th from right

Monday, February 18, 2013

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Random Photos! From TT

T.T. & Rodney and the famous Supra and looks like Aunt Mattie's Nissan Turbo in the driveway

Candice

T.T. & Anika

Cutest Baby Ever

T.T. & Candice

Kenan, Wallace, Urs, Karl, Roni, Candice & Carl....
Please let everyone know that is not Wallace with the muscles.

LOL Love you
TT

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Happy Fat Tuesday!

1) What is Mardi Gras and why is it celebrated?

Mardi Gras dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility. When Christianity arrived in Rome, religious leaders decided to incorporate the popular tradition into the new faith, so the excess and debauchery of the Carnival season became a prelude to Lent, the 40 days of penance between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Mardi Gras marks the final day of feasting and revelry before the fasting, prayer and moderation of Lent. So, in its most basic form, Carnival and Mardi Gras is all about overindulging.

The first Carnival season made its way to the United States via the French. Many historians say the first American Mardi Gras was on March 3, 1699, when French explorers Bienville and Iberville landed in Louisiana. As the years passed, the holiday became more lavish — and more festive.

The first recorded New Orleans Carnival parade occurred in 1827, when a group of students in colorful costumes danced through the streets.

In New Orleans today, the early weeks of Carnival are marked with elaborate balls. These balls, which are invitation-only, celebrate the chosen royalty for each krewe, or private club, and also serve as a “coming out” for the season’s crop of debutantes, the daughters of the city’s social scions.

The final weeks, mainly the two leading up to Mardi Gras, are packed with street parades featuring bands, marching groups and large floats packed with costumed riders throwing beads and other trinkets to the masses in the streets. Weekly king cake parties are held in neighborhoods, schools and offices.

By Ash Wednesday, New Orleanians are back at work, albeit a little sluggishly.

2) When is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, or the beginning of Lent. The term refers to the last chance to eat rich, fatty foods – and for many, the last chance to drink copious amounts of alcohol -- before the Lenten season and its penance, which for many includes giving up something for the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter.

A common misconception is that Mardi Gras is the name for all of the revelry that begins Jan. 6 and continues through Ash Wednesday. This season of revelry is called Carnival; Mardi Gras is the culmination of it all.

The day Carnival season officially begins, Jan. 6, is the Feast of the Epiphany, also known as Twelfth Night or Kings Day. Traditionally, this is the day the first king cakes are eaten.

3) What is king cake all about?

King cakes are traditionally served for the first time on Jan. 6, or Kings Day, and are enjoyed throughout the Carnival season. A traditional king cake is a braided cinnamon-laced brioche-like cake topped with icing and colored sugars: purple, green and gold, symbolizing justice, faith and power.

Chocolate King Cake at tasting at Gambino's Bakery on Tuesday, February 7, 2011.ELIOT KAMENITZ / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Many bakeries now offer king cakes with fillings of fruit, cream cheese, even chocolate. A small plastic baby is placed inside the cake to symbolize the baby Jesus; the person who gets the piece of cake with the baby is responsible for buying the next king cake, usually within the next week.

Other cultures celebrate Jan. 6 with king cakes as well: In England in the early 19th century, for example, people would eat bits of the“twelfth night cake” in hopes of finding a bean or pea. Whoever found the bean would get to masquerade as a king or queen for the night. In some Spanish-speaking countries, beans or peas are still used.

4) Is New Orleans the only place Mardi Gras is celebrated?

Absolutely not! New Orleans might have the biggest parades and biggest parties throughout the Carnival season, but other cities across Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, join in on the fun.Mobile, Ala., also holds a big Mardi Gras celebration.

Outside Louisiana, the most well-known festivals are in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Cologne, Germany; and Italy.

5) In Baton Rouge, what’s with all the flamingos at the parades?

Pink flamingos are an integral part of the Spanish Town Parade, which rolls the weekend before Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge. Flamingos are the somewhat official mascot of the Spanish Town residents. Residents of this historic Baton Rouge community have traditionally bonded over their differences, a fact those residents are proud to recognize.

Spanish Town Flamingos on City Park Lake

Spanish Town Flamingos await new owners on City Park Lake in Baton Rouge on Jan. 12, 2012. Tradition holds that these birds will find new owners once they're picked up by boat.Chelsea Brasted, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

“Today, the neighborhood still has a unique sense of community — a sense of difference. To symbolize our difference from the rest of Baton Rouge, my neighbors and I have adopted the pink flamingo as our mascot,” writes Jocelyn Donlon on The Spanish Town Mardi Gras website.

Spanish Town resident Charles Fisher says he was there for the beginning of the flamingo craze, which began in the early 1980s.

"I do remember talk of 'this is tacky, that is tacky' and so on," Fisher wrote in an email to NOLA.com. "(Spanish Town resident) Clyde Carlson (found) an ad for flamingos in Old House Magazine that was headed 'RUIN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.' Several of us then placed our orders and away it went. The old flyers from the early 1980s and all my letters always read 'Plant a Flamingo'."

Spanish Town was planned in 1805 and is the oldest neighborhood in Baton Rouge. The area is marked by narrow streets, old buildings, little parking and lots of history.

6) Is Mardi Gras family-friendly?

“Everybody I know brings their kids to the Quarter and the Marigny on Fat Tuesday. It’s a very fun, family time in costume. It’s easy to steer away from Bourbon Street crowds when you have a stroller and a good costume.” – Chris Waddington, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune staff writer

He’s right. Not only are kids OK — with discretion — in the French Quarter on Mardi Gras, but the whole Carnival season is kid-friendly. Most parades are family-friendly. In fact, the Uptown parade route and the suburban parades are packed with families that build their whole days around the Carnival parade schedule.

Although crowds can get tight and there is the occasional bad egg, much of the boozy crowds stick to Bourbon Street, which is home to the huge drag queen contest, where costumes are elaborate, and often fairly raunchy. And contrary to the beliefs of many Mardi Gras novices, women aren’t likely to bare all in family-friendly areas.

7) What’s a krewe and how do I join one?

A Mardi Gras krewe is an organization that puts on a parade and/or a ball during the Carnival season. Krewe members pay annual dues, which finance the krewe’s activities. Many krewes also participate in public service projects throughout the year in New Orleans.

8) Is there a dress code for a Mardi Gras ball? What about for parades?

The traditional Mardi Gras ball is a lavish affair, calling for floor-length gowns for women and tuxedos for men.

For the parades leading up to Mardi Gras, it’s casual, comfortable attire.

On Mardi Gras, however, costuming is expected. Many New Orleanians go for the satirical, the ironic, the bizarre or just something pretty. Costumes are by no means a requirement, but Mardi Gras is a great time to join the fun. Often, families or groups of friends will don a group-themed costume. Often, the best costumes tend to riff on current events.

9) Can I go to a Mardi Gras ball?

That depends on whom you know. Most balls are invitation-only events, though tickets for some of the newer krewes’ balls are available to the public for a steep fee. The Rex ball, for example, is invitation-only, but the Krewe of Endymion and the Krewe of Cleopatra offer tickets to their parties, which include live music, dancing, food and drink.

10) What’s with the beads?

Parade-goers in New Orleans aren’t just spectators; they are full participants in the spectacle. Each parade krewe is expected to toss beads and other trinkets from their floats, which means parade-goers go home with bags of loot. There are urban legends of New Orleanians having to reinforce their attics to support the weight of the beads caught during Carnival.

Beads refers to the strands of colored plastic or glass beads tossed from the float riders.

A word of caution: Beads are worn only during Carnival, and then, only if you’ve just come from a parade. Tourists identify themselves by wearing beads in the off-season.

The Times Picayune -

Saturday, February 9, 2013

After The Storm - New Jersey!

Billie's front yard

Ishmael's fort

Billie's back yard

Alijah & Angel's Fort

Friday, February 8, 2013

Random Song! (Simple Life - Casey Abrams)

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Remembering Joe on His Birthday!

http://familybellgram.blogspot.com/2012/02/remembering-joe-on-his-birthday.html

http://familybellgram.blogspot.com/2011/02/remembering-joe-on-his-birthday.html

Dorothy

Margaret

Sissy

Middlesex County braces as winter storm bears down

MIDDLESEX COUNTY — For most hardware stores, the threat of winter weather usually means an uptick in business.

But as a potentially major storm bore down on New Jersey on Thursday — bringing with it the threat of blizzard conditions, in some places — one area storeowner sensed a little extra urgency.

“After the last bouts of severe weather, I think people are trying to prepare earlier this time,” said Jeff Clayton, co-owner of Jamesburg Hardware and Appliance. “They don’t want to get caught flat-footed like they have in the past.”

The latest forecasts from the National Weather Service called for between six and 10 inches of snow in Central New Jersey, with a winter storm watch in effect from 3 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday. But forecasters warned that the storm was extremely volatile, and that outlook could change drastically.

“We’re just planning as normal,” said John Ferguson, assistant coordinator of the Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management. “The county is getting the trucks together. We keep sending out the (weather) info to our municipalities.”

In Jamesburg, Clayton said customers were buying up the usual items: Flashlights, generators, snow shovels, ice melters.

“All the emergency kind of things,” he said.

As of Thursday at noon, Clayton said he still had all those items in stock.

Elsewhere, police departments in several towns — including Spotswood, Sayreville, Milltown and North Brunswick — sent out advisories to their residents reminding them to avoid parking on streets during the storm to allow for snow removal.

Milltown police advised residents that they can park in borough-operated lots, such as Borough Park, Borough Hall, and the Library lot.

As of Thursday afternoon, New Brunswick schools had announced early dismissals for Friday.

Thursday, Feb 7th news http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2013/02/middlesex_county_braces_as_win.html

It’s coming — and this time a nor’easter snowstorm named Nemo is looking to dump about 10 inches of snow on Central Jersey by Saturday in an area still recuperating from the damage caused by high winds and the storm surge from Superstorm Sandy.

Local towns, counties, transportation and utility companies began alerting residents to be prepared for the storm that could bring a mixture of heavy snow, to sleet or even a mix with rain Thursday.

As of late Thursday afternoon the National Weather Service, Mount Holly Office forecast called for up to 14 inches of snow in some parts of Central Jersey. Most of Central Jersey is under a Winter Storm Warning, while New York City and coastal portions of northeast New Jersey are under a Blizzard Warning.

Perth Amboy has partnered with the Middlesex County’s Community Notification System for alerts by telephone, e-mail or mobile text message for notifications on emergencies such as severe weather, boil water alerts, health emergencies and other urgent information impacting the public. The service is available to all Middlesex County residents. (continuted at: http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20130207/NJNEWS/302070047/First-Sandy-now-Nemo)

http://www.nj.com/weather- guy/index.ssf/2013/02/blizzard_set_to_strike_new_jer.html (Friday, Feb 8, 2013 below)