The 1889 Real Estate Group

02/18/2023

This looks like a great meal, anytime!

Loaded with fresh vegetables and a touch of bacon, this farmer's frittata has great texture, taste, and visual appeal and can be served at any meal of the day.

02/18/2023

National FFA Week
The FFA is a youth organization that’s designed to prepare its members for leadership, career success, and personal growth through agricultural education. This organization helps members achieve their potential and develop their talent through interactive experiences. Members of this organization will become veterinarians, chemists, bankers, government officials, and teachers of the future.

And every year, over 700,000 FFA members will celebrate National FFA Week. This week occurs on the Saturday of the week of George Washington’s birthday and continues to the following Saturday.

In 1928, the Future Farmers of America was established in Kansas City, Missouri. The first National FFA Convention was also held in that city shortly thereafter. It featured 33 delegates from 18 different U.S states and Leslie Applegate from New Jersey was elected as the first president of the organization. In 1929, national blue and corn gold are adopted as the organization’s official colors and in 1931, the National FFA Radio Program was launched on NBC’s platform.

In 1948, National FFA Week was established in recognition of U.S President George Washington’s legacy as a farmer and agriculturist. Now, the week is used for more than just recognizing Washington’s accomplishments as a farmer. It’s now a time for FFA members to share their agricultural knowledge with one another, but more importantly, with their communities.

02/17/2023

The Random Act of Casserole started out as a quick dinner for a friend who had a baby. What a perfect fit for today.

This easy pasta casserole is great to make for new parents and time-crunched friends.

02/17/2023

Random Acts of Kindness Day
Sometimes it’s the little things that can have a big effect on other people. A random act of kindness shared between two strangers can create a ripple that not only affects each of these people’s lives but may also echo through them for generations to come. And that’s why Random Acts of Kindness Day is such a powerful holiday. On this day, people are encouraged to do an act of kindness for a complete stranger, a coworker, or a family member.

A kind act that’s given without any thought of recognition or praise. It can be something as simple as giving a person a compliment out of the blue or paying for the person behind you while you’re waiting in a line at the grocery store. Anyone who wants to observe this holiday can do so by just offering a piece of kindness to another human being on the 17th of February. Maybe celebrating this holiday will set a pattern that you can follow for the rest of the year.

02/16/2023

Bet this would put a smile on Oscar the Grouch's face - Mine too!

Seasoned chicken breasts are served Oscar style with melted Havarti cheese, creamy Hollandaise sauce, asparagus, imitation crab meat, and small red potatoes in this elegant preparation.

02/16/2023

National Do A Grouch A Favor Day
Now, this wasn’t tailor-made for that grumpy Uncle we only see at Christmas, but the National Do A Grouch A Favor Day just might be the most important quirky day you observe all year. Everyone knows someone who is always a glass half empty kind of person, so this is a day dedicated to turning their frown upside down.

Observed on February 16th, interestingly as it is a couple of days after St. Valentines Day. This may have something to do with the grouchiness of some, but even if it is not, and they are just having a bad day, this is the time to spread some cheer. A grouch can be anyone – relative, friend, colleague, stranger, and it doesn’t have to be someone you know to be grumpy all the time.

Anyone that can reverse the mood of someone cranky or down in the dumps should be labelled a saint, just remember to look out for people who are continually moaning about something, big or small.

02/15/2023

One gum drop for the recipe, one for me. One gum drop for the recipe, two gum drops for me....

This gumdrop cookie recipe is chewy and sweet. The flavors of oatmeal, coconut, gumdrops, and pecans are blended to perfection.

02/15/2023

National Gumdrop Day
What’s a candy that’s made out of sweet gelatin and is then given a sugar coating? For those of you who don’t know, it’s the gumdrop. Gumdrops are a candy that is not only sweet and colorful but has also become somewhat of a cultural icon. They’ve been a trusted candy in the U.S since the middle of the nineteenth century, and they continue to be enjoyed by millions of people every year. That’s probably why this candy has received its own holiday—a day that’s known as National Gumdrop Day and is celebrated every February 15th.

Even though it seems like National Gumdrop Day is a recently invented holiday that was invented somewhere around 2001 through 2004, we couldn’t find out who actually invented it. Unfortunately, finding the history of the gumdrop proved to be almost as difficult as finding the origin of the holiday. What we do know, however, is that the gumdrop was probably created over 200-years ago.

What were the original gumdrops of the 17th and 18th centuries like? We’re not sure, but they were probably had more of a jelly consistency than modern gumdrops. The earliest written mention of gumdrops, however, wouldn’t occur until 1859. this is when a candy shop in Decatur, Illinois advertises a gelatin-based candy that was named gumdrops but was actually more like gummies instead of modern gumdrops.

As far as the modern gumdrop is concerned, it’s believed that these were invented by Percy Truesdell—an Ohio candy manufacturer. Supposedly, he invented the modern gumdrop in 1915. However, we should probably mention that the supporting facts are very thin, so we can’t positively identify Mister Truesdell as the inventor of the modern gumdrop.

02/14/2023

OMG! This link is LOADED with our favorite carnival and fairs foods - because where else would you find a Ferris Wheel? LOL

Looking for deep-fried butter and other State Fair-style recipes? Browse more than 60 recipes for fair foods like funnel cakes, elephant ears, corn dogs, and just about anything fried!

02/14/2023

National Ferris Wheel Day
The first thing you notice at the fairground is always the Ferris Wheel, but have you ever wondered how these massive constructions of fun came to be? We’re going to take a closer look as we urge everyone to acknowledge National Ferris Wheel Day on February 14th. Yes, they are named after the person behind its invention, but just who was George Washington Gale Ferris Jr?

The day marks the birth of the man behind the wheel and he was given quite the task at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. This is where the challenge was set to create something as remarkable as the Eiffel Tower. Whilst this seems to be an impossible want, what followed was something iconic. With the Eiffel Tower being wildly popular and with people around the world talking about it, the standard was set for something impressive.

What ensued were a series of plans that never came to fruition until one day, the Ferris Wheel was drawn onto a napkin at a Chicago chophouse, and the rest is history. Pitching it to the director of the Exposition was a tricky business. There were concerns over safety, which ended up seeing Ferris chip in with $25,000 of his own money. In the end, the engineers were recruited and the impressive 250 ft diameter wheel was made.

It made over $725,000 and was deemed a huge success. But all was not so well for Ferris Jr. Arguments over money owed left him bankrupt and he died only a few years later of Typhoid. The original wheel lasted only until 1906 where it was used for scrap metal but by this time other wheels were in operation, and the legacy keeps spinning around the world to this day.

02/14/2023

02/13/2023

Skip the time running back inside to grab drinks with this simple picnic table upgrade. Learn how to update your kitchen by painting the inside of your cabin...