Joey and Rory were a much-loved couple, but sadly, Joey lost her battle to cervical cancer leaving her husband and their then-two-year-old daughter behind.
Indiana, the couple’s child, was born several months before her mother’s cancer diagnosis. Following her passing, it was Rory who took all the care for the sweet girl who was born with Down Syndrome.
No matter how much it hurt, Rory knew he had to remain strong for his little girl. Sweet Indy is 8 today, and her father says she’s the best thing that has ever happened to him.
In one of his blogs he titled “Crib Notes,” Rory speaks of Indy and says, “God doesn’t make mistakes.”
He wants people to know that being a girl with Down Syndrome doesn’t make Indy less loved, or a mistake, as some people would call her. No child can ever be a mistake, regardless of how they look. And Indy is a real beauty.
Rory goes on writing how his daughter’s life is as meaningful as that of any other child out there. She has her likes, dislikes, and dreams.
Today, she loves what her father does and she even accompanies him on stage.
Recently, the two sang Daddy What If together and the video of the father-duo performance melted millions of hearts.
“It didn’t take me but a moment to think of which song it should be – one that I’ve known and loved for years. Actually for decades,” the county singer wrote on his blog.
Rory helped Indy with the lyrics by typing them out and then drawing pictures next to the parts Indy would sing. He also changed the lyrics from “Daddy” to “Papa” because that’s what Indy calls him.
Indy spent a lot of time practicing.
“She was so proud of herself and so happy that she could sing a real song with her Papa.
“By Christmas time, she was joining me on stage to sing it in front of the room full of folks who’d traveled from all across the country to be with us… and oh, what a special moment it was for her, for me, and for the surprised people in the concert hall,” he wrote.
Following an onstage performance, Rory got thinking to himself it would be great if he and Indy record the song in a studio.
“I am thinking of my own father this morning and of Joey’s father Jack. And of my older girls Heidi and Hopie and the gift God gave me to be their father and Indiana’s. And of course, I’m thinking of Joey and how she would so love this moment. To hear our little one sing with her Papa, and see what a beautiful young lady she’s becoming. And to know that the music that was inside her, is also inside her little girl,” Rory wrote when he released the video of the song on Father’s Day.
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Ozzy Osbourne, ‘The Prince of Darkness,’ has suffered a number of health issues throughout his life, but the last years have been the most difficult ones.
Ever since his quad-bike accident in 2003, everything went downfall for the Black Sabbath singer. Later, in 2019, he suffered yet another life-threatening fall when he fell in his bathroom and dislodged metal screws in his spine.
His wife, Sharon Osbourne, has opened up of her husband’s heath recently and revealed that the musician was about to undergo yet another surgery that will likely “determine the rest of his life.”
Ozzy, 74, now gave a health update himself and spoke of his final surgery to mend his broken neck, describing the last few years as “absolute hell.”
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 15: Singer Ozzy Osbourne is seen outside Tribeca Grill in NYC on August 15, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/FilmMagic)
While on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Ozzy was asked how he was feeling.
His response was: “I finally had my last procedure two days ago.
“I can’t believe I’ve come to the end of it. The main thing is over now, I’m done with the surgery.”
He then added: “But it’s been five years of absolute hell for me and my family. The family has been so supportive of me. I couldn’t have done it without them. It’s been a really bad scene. I have Parkinson’s, but I never think about it.”
Ozzy’s son, Jack, said many people believe that his father’s fragile health is a result of his Parkinson’s disease, but that’s not true. In fact, his struggles started after the neck injury and subsequent fall he took in 2019.
“I carried on working with it, until I had a fall and then it just, everything came undone,” Ozzy said.
“I don’t gripe, I get on with it. If you are still moving, you ain’t going to be dead.”
Credit / Getty Images
On the podcast The Osbournes, the Hellraiser singer spoke of his fourth and last neck surgery.
“It is gonna be the final surgery, because I can’t do it anymore. Regardless of the way it ends up after tomorrow, I’m not doing it anymore. I can’t.”
Earlier this year, Ozzy announced he was canceling his tours and told fans he would be retiring.
Since his last tour, which took place back in 2018, the Black Sabbath singer has only performed twice at live events.
We wish Ozzy Osbourne a good health.
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Whether fresh or dried, herbs make dishes more flavorful. They add to the taste and the texture and are irreplaceable part of every cuisine.
Of course, it’s safe to say that when used fresh, herbs intensify the taste even further. One drawback, however, of using fresh herbs instead of their dried counterparts is the time it takes to wash them, strip them, and chop them. This is one of the reasons people avoid using them when cooking.
Luckily, there are kitchen tools and gadgets which facilitate the process of preparing herbs to use them fresh. One of those is the underrated herb stripper.
This tool, which speeds the process of preparation significantly, helps remove leaves from stems. They come with different sized holes to fit different herbs, including bigger leafy vegetables as kale.
The usage is pretty simple. All you need to do is place the stem on one side of the fitting hole and pull it through until all the leaves come off.
Some herb strippers come with a blade and have bowls attached to catch the leaves as they go through the holes.
Jiaedge 9 Hole Stainless Steel Herb Stripper. Source: Amazon
Speaking of herbs and their wide usage in the cuisines from every corner of Earth, below is a list of some of the most widely used fresh herbs.
Basil is a flavorful, leafy green herb which comes in many varieties. Popular as a food seasoning and the main ingredient of the popular pesto sauce, this herb has found its way to almost every cuisine, despite being commonly found in Mediterranean recipes.
To get the most out of this herb add the leaves toward the end of the cooking process.
Rosemary goes ideally with dishes like lamb chops, chicken, roast beef, and roasted potatoes. However, it is also perfect for flatbread, sweet potato fries, and even in cake. The thing is that this herb is tough to prepare, which makes the herb stripper the ideal tool to use with it.
Cilantro, which comes from the fresh leaves of the coriander plant, is a herb that you either love or hate incorporated in your food. It is, however, a staple in Asian and Latin American food. Fresh cilantro tastes pungent, bright, lemony, and a little peppery, but many say it tastes like soap.
Dill, often paired with salmon, potatoes, and yogurt-based sauces, is commonly used to elevate the flavor of various dishes. It’s a delicate herb with a strong, fresh, earthy flavor.
Marjoram‘s flavour could be described like that of oregano, but milder and yet intense. While its leaves are nicely paired with salads, soups, sauces, and fish, its stems bring out the flavor when used in a stock or soup.
Thyme has a distinctive taste and that makes it a culinary staple to this day. Fresh leaves or whole sprigs can be used for meat or poultry. Thyme is also an excellent ingredient to use with fish. It also goes well in coctails.
Mint is used with a variety of dishes and goes well on top of fruit salads. It not only adds flavour, but it also helps reduce the intake of sodium and sugar at those who consume it. It is best to add raw mint leaves at the end of the cooking process. This helps them maintain their delicate flavor and texture.
Parsley is one of the most versatile herbs there are. Although the possibilities of its usage are endless, parsley is especially delicious with pasta, butter, eggs, and lemon.
Oregano is a herb quintessential to recipes like chili pasta and pizza sauces. Oregano provides antioxidants when people consume it in the diet. It can be grown in a pot on a windowsill or balcony or in the garden. It is a perennial, which means it can grow all year.
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With her enchanting music and hits such as Come on Over that topped the charts for a very long time, the ‘Queen of Country Pop,’ Shania Twain, caught the world by storm.
Born Eilleen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario, on August 28, 1965, Shania and her two sisters were brought up by their mother and her husband Jerry Twain, whom they considered a real dad as their biological father didn’t have much to do with their upbringing.
During her young years, Shania’s life, and that of her family, wasn’t an easy one. They had a hard time make ends meet and didn’t have much food on the table although their adoptive father Jerry worked hard to provide for the family. There were times when they survived only on “goulash,” a dish consisting of dry bread with boiled milk and brown sugar. Despite the hardship, Shania never really shared details of her life with anyone because she was afraid that authorities could break her family apart if they knew how bad they lived and how much they struggled.
Beth Gwinn/Redferns
At one point of her life, Shania’s parents’ marriage turned into a rocky one and she forced her mother to leave Jerry, which is exactly what happened. But some time later, the two decided to give their relationship another try and stayed together until the tragic incident in which they both lost their lives. At the time her parents died in a crash after they collided with a truck loaded with timber, Shania had already been involved with music. In fact, she did gigs at the age of just eight. She performed at rural bars, and when she reached 13, she got to perform on the Tommy Hunter Show, a legendary country music variety show that aired on CBC Television and ran for 27 years. When she was 21, she relocated to Toronto, and just a year later, when both her parents died, she almost gave up on music in order to raise her two sisters and two brothers. “I thought, my family comes first. I have to take care of them. I didn’t even think of my future… I’m lucky I got the job at Deerhurst, because it was music. I didn’t know where I was going to go from there,” the singer said.
“I feel like I’ve been this tree with good sturdy roots for 30 years, then all of a sudden someone comes along and is trying to cut me down, cut a part me off,” Shania said of the loss of her parents.
“It was a very, very difficult time. But it was also a turning point in my life that, I think, matured me, brought me up to where I should have been in the first place at that age,” she told CBC.
Frank Mullen/WireImage
In 1993, after putting together a demo tape of her song, she caught the attention of a Mercury Nashville Records executive and released her self-titled debut album, Shania Twain.
This album caught the attention of South African record producer Mutt Lange who offered to do some music for Shania. Partnering with him happened to be the best decision she could make at the time as it was then that she released some of her most prominent hits that turned her into a worldwide star almost over night. Even today, Come On Over is the ninth highest-selling album by any type of artist in the US, and the top-selling country album in history.
During the late 90’s America went into “Shaniamania” frenzy.
Shania and Mutt Lange fell in love and tied the knot. They welcomed son Eja in 2001. The marriage resembled a picture perfect one and Shania denied every rumor published by the gossip columnists. “There’s been talk in the tabloids that we’re divorcing, but we are very happy. We love each other in every way. We have a great creative relationship and a great personal relationship. We feel as strong as ever – and “Still the One” is sort of my own personal song about marriage.”
But then in 2008, the couple divorced. The reason was a heartbreaking one. Mutt had an affair with Shania’s closest friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, who entered the former-couple’s life when she was hired as Mutt’s personal assistant and a translator. “I’ll be honest: when your husband leaves you, and falls into the arms of your close friend, your self-esteem can really suffer,” Shania told EW, adding that she felt that she would die.
Some years later, in a strange twist of events, Shania found love again. This time, with Marie-Anne Thiébaud’s ex-husband, Frédéric Thiébaud, whom she married in 2008. It was the heartbreak they suffered by their former spouses that brought them together.
“I don’t take any day for granted any more. Fred has give me a new lease on love,” the country pop star told the Daily Mail.
Today, Shania lives in Switzerland, but she has her show in Las Vegas.
Her music and her incredible career was an inspiration for many singers to follow her path, among them Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood. “I think we were all definitely influenced by Shania, even if we don’t realize it. (Her music) was so different and kind of revolutionary at the time. She definitely paved the way for a lot of us,” Carrie Underwood told AP in 2016.
At the age of 56, Shania Twain looks as stunning as ever. She is believed to be a vegetarian who keeps her looks young by eating mostly raw food.
“I’m pretty insecure about my changing body… I’m letting ‘the girls’ hang loose under my sweat clothes around the house and when someone comes to the door, I cross my arms under them for support,” she told EW.
“For me personally, I’m sure it’s very different for everybody, but I just started with time. Stepping out of battles that I couldn’t win. I mean, you know, aging is a battle you can’t win,” she said in 2020, in the LadyGang podcast.
“That battle and the focus and energy it takes, is taking up too much space! In my life, my emotional state, my mental state. I’ve got songs to write. I’m not gonna sit around,” Shania said.
Jared Blackwelder, a farmer from Springfield, Missouri, experienced the shock of his life when he went to the pasture to collect the cows for the evening milking.
To his disbelief, all of his 32 cows were piled on top of each other, dead on the mulch.
Blackwelder couldn’t believe his eyes and was initially unaware of what could have caused this horrific scene, but once he got to his senses, he realized that his cows were likely struck by lightning.
Stan Coday, president of the Wright County Missouri Farm Bureau, spoke to CBS News of Blackwelder misfortune and said, “[Blackwelder] went out to bring the cows in and that’s when he found them.
“It’s a common occurrence. It does happen. The thing that made this the worst was just the sheer number of cows that were affected.”
The vet who examined the dead cows determined that in was indeed lighting that claimed their lives.
It is believed that the animals were trying to find shelter and hide from the heavy rain and thunder, and that’s when they all gathered under a tree.
“You’re at the mercy of mother nature,” Coday said and added that he lost a cow in the same manner some years ago.
“It’s not like they are pets. But the ones I’m milking, I’ve raised every one of them,” Blackwelder told the Springfield News-Leader. “Dairy cattle are a little different because you mess with them twice a day. It knocks you hard.”
Sadly, the issue with this loss is that it is a financial one at the same time.
News-Leader reported that Blackwelder had insurance but is unsure if that would be enough to cover he losses.
His total loss is over $60,000.
“Most producers don’t carry insurance,” Coday said. “If you lose a cow you’ve lost everything.”
The dead cows can’t even be used for their meat because it’s been hours since the owner found them dead.
“Those animals are damaged and of course they had been there for a few hours when he found them,” Coday said. “In processing an animal, there’s a process that needs to be gone through. They wouldn’t have been fit for human consumption.”
The issue with most farmers of Missouri is that they don’t have dedicated cow barns due to the the state’s milder weather and this incident wasn’t something Blackwelder had control on.
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Meeting members of the British royal family is always a delight for their fans. When they announce official visits, a great number of people gather to greet them. Those who get the chance to speak to them feel privileged.
I believe that although Charles is the head of the monarchy following his mother’s passing, it is still the Prince and Princess of Wales that royal fans are most enthusiastic about.
Both William and Kate have been extremely busy with their royal engagements that involve plenty of visits not only of places within the Kingdom but also abroad.
The couple visited United States for the first time since 2014 and attended the Earthshot Prize Awards which William founded in 2020. Earlier this year, however, it became an independent charity and William serves as its president.
“Protecting the environment was a cause close to my grandmother’s heart. And I know she would have been delighted to hear about this event and the support you’re all giving our Earthshot finalists, the next generation of environmental pioneers,” William said in a recorded message after he was forced to cancel the September Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York because of Queen Elizabeth’s passing.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Instead, the trip took place some two months later and what caught everyone’s attention was that the royals didn’t fly to the States privately but used a commercial flight and remained-low key the entire time.
“As soon as people saw them get on you could tell there was a buzz on the airplane,” passenger Jonathan Wood shared with CBS News. “It was a wild experience, but it was great.”
“Surprising … you assume they’d have a private jet,” passenger Jo Atkins told CBS. “[William is] a lot slimmer… can I say that? He’s very slight. She’s beautiful, obviously, as one would expect. I didn’t expect that getting on the plane.”
“Well look, they’re coming for Earthshot. It’s an environmental thing, right, so being on a commercial flight makes sense,” another passenger, Luke Howard, added.
Upon landing, the Prince and Princess of Wales were greeted by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and William thanked the people who were there to welcome them “for their many tributes paid to the late queen,” adding that his late grandmother always spoke of her 1976 visit to Boston “with great fondness.”
Samir Hussein – Pool/WireImage
Among those who got to greet and meet the royal couple was an 8-year-old boy named Henry Dynov-Teixeira. The sweet boy was dressed as a Buckingham Palace guard and presented them with roses.
“I am going to scream and tell my best friend that I am now famous,” Henry told Mirror UK.
Kate and William also met with the Boston mayor and the US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy. They attended an NBA game and watched Boston Celtic play. All in all, their time there was fulfilling and fun as it was effective.
Paul Edwards – Pool/Getty Images
When the couple are away from home, the care for their children is handed to Kate’s parents and the children’s long-time nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo.
Borrallo has been with the family since Prince George was just 8 months old.
“She is not married and doesn’t have a boyfriend, as her life is totally dedicated to the family she is working with. She is known for being totally professional – married to the job,” an insider told Hello Magazine.
Although the kids can’t join them on every trip, William and Kate try to involve them in their own special way.
“They are always asking us where we are going. “And we show them where we are on the map,” William said during their 2022 March trip to the Caribbean.
“We let them know where we are, and [George] finds us on the map and puts a pin in it and shares with the others.”
Karwai Tang/WireImage
It has been announced that William will travel to New York for the Earthshot Prize finalist’s celebration in New York by himself. However, he was supposed to be accompanied by Kate and George to Singapore later this year for the Earthshot Awards.
Now, there have been rumors that Kate and George won’t go with William, which disappointed their fans there.
As reported by Hello! Magazine, many took to social media when the update was provided.
“So sad. We wanna see Princess Catherine,” one royal fan wrote on social media.
Another commented: “Noooooo,” and a third simply posted a crying emoji.
Many hope this isn’t true.
“Hopefully, this is not true. From what we have seen so far, it is basically confirmed (not officially by the palace) that Catherine will be there,” one person wrote.
Another stated: “I don’t believe this for one second.”
Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images
While in New York, the Prince of Wales is meeting with UN secretary-general António Guterres, with delegations from Ecuador and Vanuatu, wading into the Hudson River in aid of a new water project and, of course, unveiling the 15 Earthshot finalists.
“This trip is part of his evolution as a global statesman which is incredibly important, especially since becoming Prince of Wales. He and his courtiers have been thinking about how to manage that transition from Duke of Cambridge to the next King,” a royal aide told The Times.
“The US is very important to him. The world’s climate movers and shakers will be in New York having conversations about the future of the planet and the prince is keen to be part of those conversations and put Earthshot front and centre,” the aide continued. “He has huge ambitions for what the prize can become and is extremely focused on its legacy and impact.”
American TV Networks all requested an interview with the Prince, and he allegedly banned them from asking questions about his brother.
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Salt is one of the most fundamental seasonings in every cuisine in the world. But as much as it makes every dish tastier, salt has other usage too.
Have you ever tried using salt in order to clean something or get rid of stains? If not, we’ll show you how.
1. Salt can fix the odor in the toilet
Coarse salt is excellent at eliminating odors and it’s a key ingredient to a number of cleaning solutions. If you want to try its effectiveness, just place a tumbler of coarse salt into the bowl of the toilet and leave it there overnight. It will absorb any unpleasant scents.
In the morning, just pour a cattle of boiling water into the toilet.
2. Salt as a drain cleaner
If your drain is clogged, you can try to fix it without calling a plumber by putting a lot of salt in the drain, similar as to how you put it in the dishwasher.
Leave it for some time, the best would be overnight, and pour hot, almost boiling water, into the drain the following morning.
3. Remove stains with salt: A natural alternative to chemicals
Removing stubborn yellow stains off walls, tubs, and toilet bowls may be a real pain.
The chemical cleaners can affect our health, so if you want to avoid using them, turn to a natural alternative.
In order to come up with a cleaning paste at home, use half a cup of salt, one teaspoon of baking soda, and water. Mix it well and then use it to get rid of the stains. How it’s done? Place the paste over the stains and leave it overnight. The next morning, rub it gently and then rinse it, and you are done.
4. Whitening
If you are in need of polishing the ceramics, just put some salt, either coarse or fine, into a bowl. Then use it to rub the ceramics with a brush. They will get brighter and would be sterilized.
Using salt in the process of cleaning can be both effective and will cost you less money than buying expensive products. Japanese have been using it for centuries.
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According to researchers, elephants are most similar to humans when it comes to expressing emotions.
These animals are capable of expressing grief when some of their family dies, and they are also capable of ‘adopting’ young calves who lost their moms.
The story of Shirley and Jenny, two circus elephants who had been separated for 22 years before they finally reunited is just another proof of the caring and loving nature of this species.
The video of the long-anticipated reunion was taken at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. The love and affection these long-lost friends showed to one another is astonishing. It shows that elephants do have incredible memory.
It looks like no time passed by for these incredible creatures. The time they once spent together at the circus where they performed was enough to form a bond that would last a lifetime.
You can take a look at the video of Shirley and Jenny below.
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