Live Everyday like a Holiday!

National Fried Chicken Day!

2009-07-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

July 6 is National Fried Chicken Day

You guys know I'm from the South and we love our fried chicken that's for sure. If fact we ate chicken ah-many-ah-Sundays after church when I was a little girl. I can't tell you how many times I pigged out on Aunt Pat's fried chicken. She could cook the best friend chicken ever and she always cooked it in a big black cast iron skillet too. Ummm umm it sure was good! If she was with us today; I would sure be knocking on her door to help her celebrate National Fried Chicken Day! hahaha!

Photo Pick of the week: Chili Dog!

2009-07-06T07:09:00.001-07:00

Chili Dog
Originally uploaded by Doich

Hey guys its National Hot Dog month (July) and while I was doing research about chili dogs I ran across this adorable photo on flickr and just had to post it :)
Photo: Chili Dog, originally uploaded by: Doich

Food Facts:

Chili con carne (literally "Chili with meat", often known simply as chili) is a spicy stew made from chili peppers, meat, garlic, onions, and cumin.
Traditional chili is made with chopped or ground beef.
Variations, either geographic or by personal preference, may substitute different types of meat and may also include tomatoes, beans, or other ingredients.
The name "chili con carne" is a variation of the Spanish chile con carne, which means "peppers with meat."
Chili con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas.
It can be found worldwide in local variations and also in certain American-style fast food restaurants." wikipedia

Caesar Salads Birthday!

2009-07-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

It's Fourth of July in the United States but did you know that today is also Caesar Salads Birthday? Yep it sure is, today is National Caesar Salad Day!

A typical Caesar salad comprises romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, sardines, and black pepper originally prepared tableside.

Happy Holidays Everyone! Pam

June 16 is National Fudge Day

2009-06-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Fudge Day and this week I made a pan of triple chocolate fudge for Stephen. I personally think it's to much of a good thing but the hubby loved it.
see National Fudge Day

More Holidays around the world for June 16

Bloomsday: Anniversary of events in Dublin on June 16, 1904, as fictionalized by James Joyce in Ulysses.

South Africa: Youth Day

England: Royal Ascot begins (June 16-20) at Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Berkshire. See www.ascot.co.uk

Birth anniversary of comedian Stan Laurel (1890-1965)

In 1858, Illinois senatorial candidate Abraham Lincoln made his “House Divided” speech at the Republican State Convention in Springfield, IL.

In 1960, the thriller Psycho premiered and millions of filmgoers began avoiding the shower.

National Strawberry Shortcake Day!

2009-06-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

This holiday is celebrated on June 14th
I have been waiting all week long for this holiday. Nothing reminds me of summer more than fresh, cold strawberries on top of shortbread. I've loved this dessert since I was a little girl.
Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Other June 14 Holidays around the world

Children’s Sunday

Corpus Christi (US observance)

Orthodox Festival of All Saints

Race Unity Day (Baha’i)

Malawi: Freedom Day

Flag Day

June 15 - Tomorrow is me and the hubbies anniversary! We are sharing this day with
National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day

National Turkey Lovers Month!

2009-06-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

June is National Turkey Lovers Month
Hello to everyone. Today we're passing on the information about National Turkey Lovers Month. Yep I know.... you would think that November would be Turkey Lovers Month because of so many people eating turkey for Thanksgiving but it's not. The VDACS website says "June celebration emphasizes turkey’s year-round popularity. " It's all about getting people to eat more turkey. If you do a lot of blog surfing you've probably noticed a lot of turkey recipes being passed around in honor of Turkey Lovers Month.

I have to admit, I love the taste of roasted turkey but I usually don't eat turkey except at Christmas and Thanksgiving. I have noticed a lot more turkey meat at the grocery store lately and quite a bit of ground turkey meat. I think in honor of Turkey Lovers Month I'm going to make an effort to buy some ground meat and put in in a couple of recipes. You know what they say right? That any recipe that calls for chicken can be substituted with turkey! :) I have tons of chicken recipes and none for turkey so I'm going to give it a try :)

More Holidays around the world for June 11, 2009
Libya: Evacuation Day
King Kamehameha I Day
National Nursing Assistants Day

Germany: Back Festival begins at Leipzig (June 11-21). See www.bachfestleipzig.de

Superman Celebration begins at Metropolis, IL (June 11-14). See www.metropolischamber.com

World Ocean Day

2009-06-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

June 8,2009
What a beautiful morning it is and a wonderful day to celebrate World Ocean Day!

The hubby had to go to work around 4:30 this morning so I pulled myself out of the bed and put on a pot of coffee. It's really hot here in Florida and it's really hard to drink coffee on hot days but when it's early in the morning it's a lot cooler outside and more pleasant for drinking something hot.

I started out like I always do; by going outside with coffee in hand. It was still dark outside but the smell of the cool salty ocean was filling the air. (A bit on the fishy smell) You see I live not to very far from the ocean and in walking distance to the bay. Early in the morning, you can sometimes hear the boats running down the bay or one of the ship horns- I lovvvvvveee to hear that sound. I am so very grateful for World Ocean Day and would like to pass on this great holiday. It's a holiday that's meant to bring awareness to everything ocean related. Everything from sea life to seafood!

World Ocean Day is always in June and I think this holiday is a favorite of mine because- not only do I love the ocean and it's creatures but me and the hubby got married barefoot, on the beach, with the waves sloshing on shore right behind us. We also picked the month of June. So, we are happy to celebrate World Ocean Day!

National Automotive Service Professionals Week begins (June 8-14) 2009
Well well well, we are celebrating this holiday whether we want to or not! Yep we have had a heck of a time with our truck and we are celebrating this holiday with a bang! New tires on the truck, wheel balance, oil change on both vehicles and a new battery to boot! Just our luck but the service engine light came on both vehicles at the same time! Geesh! It's a good thing though because we found we had bad tires that had to be replaced pronto :( So we have to say we're celebrated this holiday in a way we wish we didn't have to, by spending way to much money on repairs. But hey, thank goodiness for Automotive Service Professionals! Thank you, thank you!

Other Holidays to celebrate today are:
Upsy Daisy Day
World Brain Tumor Day
Germanic Neopaganism: Lindisfare Day
Norfolk Island: Bounty Day
Temotu Province: Province Day
Queen's Official Birthday: Australia, Belize, Cayman Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea

National Rocky Road Day

2009-06-03T08:22:00.001-07:00

rocky road
Originally uploaded by awyatt

Today we are not only celebrating National Tailors Day but we are celebrating National Rocky Road Day too! I found out that Rocky Road is a dessert that is enjoyed all over the world. In the United States we like to eat it with milk chocolate, walnuts or almonds and marshmallow. In the UK they like to add cherries & raisins. In Australia they like to add jelly, coconut, glace cherries & they seem to like peanuts over any other type of nuts. Sounds like some good eats to me, no matter which way it's made.

In reading blogs over the Internet (at Christmas time), I noticed that Rocky Road Candy is a favorite Christmas Candy for many. I know I usually get a gift bag of rocky road candy from at least one person each Christmas myself. Rocky Road is not only candy though. There's rocky road fudge, rocky road brownies & rocky road ice cream too.

So.... today's the day we're supposed to make- eat- and share anything rocky road style! :) "Live Everyday like a Holiday"

What's your favorite way to eat rocky road?

2009-05-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, it's May 31st, the last day of the month and today we're celebrating "World No Tobacco Day" This observance draws global attention to the widespread use of tobacco and its negative health effects. The aim is to reduce the yearly deaths from tobacco related health problems. Wikipedia tells that tobacco use leads to diseases affecting the heart and lungs, with smoking being a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema, and cancer.

What else is happening on this day?
Black Single Parents' Week begins (May 31-June 6)
National Meditation Day
National Macaroon Day

Last Chance to celebrate:
Well guys it's our last chance to celebrate National Barbecue Month, National Hamburger Month, National Salad Month, National Egg Month, National Salsa Month, and last but not least, National Strawberry Month until next year that is!

May is my favorite month for food holidays, no question about it.
I'm crazy about barbecue food and I can't get enough grilling time in at all. In fact me and Stephen are grilling again this afternoon once it cools down outside. And cheeseburgers have to be a favorite food of mine along with salads and salsa too. I could snack on salsa and chips everyday too. It doesn't matter to me how hot the salsa is. If Stephen is going to have salsa too, then I have to cool it on so many hot peppers. He's not to keen on hot stuff.

Well guys get yourself ready for tomorrow! We get a whole new set of holidays to celebrate!
Live everyday like a holiday! Pam

National Hamburger Day!

2009-05-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh it's May 28th and that means it's National Hamburger Day! Funny enough, me and the hubby were already planning on grilling burgers this afternoon and I completely forgot it was Hamburger day. I guess I picked the right day to grill burgers didn't I! giggle~

Well this photo says it all for me. I usually like lettuce on my burgers with french fries too, but today my frig doesn't have either one- so the burger is going without lettuce but it will taste just as good I think.

I have to grill my burgers with barbecue sauce though. It's my favorite way to eat them. Gotta have em' charred and crispy on the edges too! Is your mouth watering yet?

How do you like your burgers?

It's May 28, and today the World is Celebrating:

Orthodox Ascension Day

Shavuot begins at sundown.

Azerbaijan: Day of the Republic

China: Dragon Boat Festival

Ethiopia: National Day

Korea: Tano Day

Philippines: National Flag Day

Feast day of the following saints in the Roman Catholic Church:

We are also celebrating:
Whooping Crane Day (First Born in Captivity)

National Hug Your Cat Day!

2009-05-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Up-Coming Holidays!

Memorial Day was yesterday and those lucky enough to enjoy a long weekend off, did just that. I noticed the parks and beaches were packed with people all weekend long. But now Memorial Day weekend is over and it's time to get ready for the next holiday. There are several holidays coming up this week but the one I want to talk about today is "National Hug Your Cat Day." This holiday is just around the corner and is celebrated on May 30th. This holiday is for all cat owners to be reminded to give their cats some extra attention on this day. I know I love cat holidays because I'm a real true cat lover that's for sure. hahaha! So for those of you who didn't know this holiday existed. ... hereeee ya go! So on this day, give your kitty a nice long hug-

It's May 26 and Today The World Is Celebrating:

Feast Day of Saint Augustine of Canterbury (May 28 outside England and Wales)

Australia: Sorry Day

Georgia: Independence Day

In 1940, the evacuation at Dunkirk began.

In 1994, the US and Vietnam agreed to resume diplomatic relations.

In 2008, NASA’s Phoenix spacecraft successfully landed on Mars.

Birth anniversary of John Wayne (1907-1979)

Blueberry Cheesecake Day:

We say, "Live Everyday Like A Holiday!" ~Pam:)

National Nurses Week!

2009-05-07T12:32:00.001-07:00

vintage nurse
Originally uploaded by topcat_angel

Don't you just love the photo of the "vintage nurses!"

This week we are celebrating National Nurses Week!
National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. You can visit www.nursingworld.org for more about the nursing world-

This holiday was Proclaimed by Richard Nixon (the 37th President of the United States) in 1974 as a period for Americans to recognize nurses' service and contributions-

Do you have a nurse in your family? Not to many people in my family took the medical field route but I do have two twin cousins that are both nurses! A big thank you goes out to everyone in the nursing field!
See our page on International Nurses Day!

Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day

2009-04-16T10:14:00.001-07:00

Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day
Originally uploaded by librarytcpl

April 16

Cream Cheese Brownie Day!

2009-02-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

February 10 is National Cream Cheese Brownie Day and I have to tell you that my hubby could eat brownies every week! I don't crave brownies like my hubby does but I will say that I really love cream cheese brownies. While I was doing research for this food holiday, I found a pumpkin cream cheese swirl brownie recipe that I didn't have. You can find the recipe blogged at 9010rule. I'm looking forward to trying this recipe. I think it's going to be a great recipe for the Fall season too.

Peach Pie Day

2008-08-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

It's August 24th and that means its National Peach Pie Day. So today you have an excuse to bake yourself a crusty peach pie right.

My mother was forever baking pies when I was growing up but every time she gathered a basket of peaches from our peach trees, she always made a peach cobbler instead of a peach pie. Her second choice was always fried peach pies. But I guess anyway you can get a sweet dessert made with peaches is fantastic.

I hope everyone enjoys National Peach Pie Day by baking a pie.
See recipe here

International Left Handers Day!

2008-08-13T06:15:00.000-07:00

It's August 13th and that means it's International Left Handers Day! I'm a lefty myself and I'm happy to know there is a day especially for us left handers. From what I've been reading, left handers are from seven to ten percent of the world's population.

What is this holiday for anyway?
It is meant to promote awareness of the inconveniences facing left-handers in a predominantly right-handed world and since I'm a lefty myself I can witness to the fact that finding items that accommodate a left handed person is hard to find.

So for all you left handers.... today is your day so A very Happy Left Handers Day to you from me Pam :)

Smores Day!

2008-08-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

It's August 10th and that means it's Smores Day everyone!
I love having this chocolate treat when melted over a fire outside. Somehow it tastes better to me when eaten fireside. I actually like to eat smores in the winter time when it's cold outside so it's a bit hard to eat it on a hot August day like today. That makes me wonder why this day was picked to represent National Smores Day when I think they are mostly eaten in the winter time? But what the heck, do it anyway and enjoy this sweet treat holiday.
Visit National Smores Day for more information.

It's Pina Colada Day!

2008-07-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

Today is National Pina Colada Day everyone!

What is a Pina Colada? Well it's a popular drink that is now known around the world as a symbol of the Tropics.

Pina Colada Recipe
one part white rum
one part coconut cream
3 partspineapple juice
Soda water as necessary

Mix with crushed ice until smooth. Pour into chilled glass and top up with soda water. Garnish and serve.

Visit National Pina Colada Day

July is here!

2008-07-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

July is here everyone! It's the seventh month of the year. It is, on average, the warmest month within most of the Northern hemisphere, and the coldest month within much of the Southern hemisphere. Personally speaking I think August is the hottest month of the year where I'm at. Are you ready to know what is significant for July? Well here ya go!

SIGNIFICANT JULY:

July Flower of the month: The Larkspur & Water Lily

Zodiac Signs: Cancer / The Crab, June 22 - July 22

Leo /The Lion, July 23 - Aug. 22

The name for the Moon in July is called Hay Moon, Thunder Moon, Ripe Corn Moon.

The Full Moon is: July 18, 2008 / 08:00 / Friday

July Birthstone: Ruby -- Meaning: Contentment.
Most Noted Holiday for July is: July 4th, Independence Day

Weird Holidays: Just to name a few of the weird holidays for this month are...

Build A Scarecrow Day : July 1 / Hillbilly Day: July 4 / Gone-ta-pott Day: July 28
Flitch Day, The Holiday: July 19

_________________________________________________________________

July is all about picnics for those of us who live in the northern hemisphere. That must be why there are so many food holidays that relate to outdoor eating. Holidays like National Picnic Month. A great pass time is eating nice cold ice cream outside as well and that's why we the month of July is National Ice Cream Month. There's a long list of ice cream holidays in our calendar and the National Ice Cream page will give you a list of all of them. Berries are very popular during this month because it's the growing season for many of them. That explains why we have a lot of National berry holidays during the month of July as well. And ohhhh my goodiness , we can not leave out National Hot Dog month and pickle month! We eat more hot dogs and pickles during this month than any other time of the year. Wow! Who would of guessed. I think this has to do with the July 4th holiday don't you?

See all Significant Food Holidays for July

July Belongs To Berries Month

National Ice Cream Month

National Picnic Month

National Baked Bean Month

National Hot Dog Month

National Pickle Month
_______________________________________________________________

Events in July by wiki

Julius Caesar's birthday July 13
First man lands on the moon July 20
New York State joins the Union July 26
Elections of Japanese House of Councillors, which replace half of its seats, are held every three years.

Holidays in July

Canada Day July 1
Independence Day in the United States of America July 4
Tanabata July 7
12th July (Battle of the Boyne)Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland
Bastille Day July 14
Foundation Day Cleveland July 22
Feast of St. James July 25
Foundation Day Baltimore July 30

_______________________________________________________________

Happy Holidays to all! Pam

It's Watermelon Day!

2008-06-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

It's June 3rd and that means it's National Watermelon Day everyone! -- I love yellow watermelon but it's hard to find. My Mother loves watermelon more than I do and I think she would eat it everyday if she could. The both of us like to sprinkle salt on top of our watermelon before we eat it.

I love sweet watermelon rind pickles too. If fact I have a jar of Amish sitting in my frig right now. I eat it along side my hamburgers and hot dogs.

Watermelon is Good for us:
A one-cup serving of watermelon will provide around 48 Calories. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A, with one serving containing 14.59 mg of vitamin C and 556.32 IU of vitamin A. Watermelon also provides significant amounts of vitamin B6 and vitamin B1, as well as the minerals potassium and magnesium. Pink watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene.

Watermelon rinds are also edible, and sometimes used as a vegetable. In China, they are stir-fried, stewed, or more often pickled. When stir-fried, the de-skinned and de-fruited rind is cooked with olive oil, garlic, chili peppers, scallions, sugar and rum (and provides a great way to utilize the whole watermelon). Pickled watermelon rind is also commonly consumed in the Southern US, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania.

Strawberry Picking Day

2008-05-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

It's May and those of us in the Deep South know that May means Spring and Spring means fresh strawberries and fresh strawberries mean it's time for some strawberry picking!

In the United States strawberries typically peak during the month of May in the South and usually in the month of June in the North. Crops will get ready at various times depending on what part of the state your from.

Now for strawberry picking tips:
When you pick strawberries you need to look for the plump ones, look for the firm ones, and last but not least you need to look for the veryyy red ones. Usually the smaller berries are the most flavorful it seems.

When your strawberry picking, be very careful with each berry because they bruise very easily. Never toss your strawberry into the basket and never fill your basket more than 4 inches deep. If you pile the berries up you will have a mess to clean up and your strawberries will spoil very fast.

Don't wash the berries until your ready to use them. Washing them makes them more prone to spoiling.

We Love Strawberries at our house!
I think one of my favorite strawberry things to eat is Strawberry Shortcake. I think everyone has had this dessert at least once in their life and Strawberry Shortcake seems to be the traditional dessert for the 4th of July Holiday too.

We had strawberry shortcake just a couple of nights ago. I served the strawberries on top of a coconut pound cake with whipped cream on top. The berries were veryyyy cold and it was fantastic eating! To make it a bit more devilish I added a layer of creamy cheesecake spooned between the pound cake and the strawberries.

When is National Strawberry Month?

The month of May is always National Strawberry Month.

Are there other Strawberry Holidays to celebrate? Yes!

National Strawberry Cream Pie Day (September 28)

National Strawberry Ice Cream Day (January 15)

National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day (June 9)

National Strawberries & Cream Day (May 21)
National Strawberry Shortcake Day (June 14)

National Strawberry Parfait Day (June 25)

National Strawberry Sundae Day (July 7)

National Strawberry Day (February 27)

Pick Strawberries Day (May 20)

National Food Holiday Directory

Lost Sock Memorial Day!

2008-05-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

Here we go guys- here's another Weird & Wacky Holiday for you. This one is called "Lost Sock Memorial Day" where we hold in memory our favorite lost socks. Yes I have to say this is one of the weirdest holidays that's been thought up yet, but it is a fun one and believe it or not but it's becoming popular!! Did I really say that? haha!

Everybody has had a favorite pair of socks and everybody has cried buckets of tears when one of them has gone missing. (well maybe not everybody) but the point is... what the heck actually happens to all those socks anyway??? That is one mystery that I don't know if we will ever find out about.

When I was young I had a favorite pair of socks that had a face on them and the nose was a pompom ball. When I would sit down the bottom of my pants would hike up and you could see a big pair of eyes peeping out over my shoes with a big nose. I loved them! When ever the family would go to a restaurant to eat; if I ever had those socks on I would always see people pointing at my feet. hahaha! Now that's one childhood memory for you. I was so upset when my favorite sock lost a mate. I looked everywhere for it too. Did any of you have a favorite pair of socks that went missing? Something warm and cozy maybe? Tell us about it.

If you would like to know more about Lost Sock Memorial Day and how popular it's becoming just visit... Lost Sock Memorial Day and learn how you can get in on the Holiday fun.

Happy Holidays to all!

Significant May!

2008-05-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

SIGNIFICANT MAY:

May Flower of the month: Lily of the Valley, Hawthorn.

Zodiac Signs: Gemini / The Twins / May 21 - June 21

The name for the Moon in May is Planter's Moon, Milk Moon.

The Full Moon is: May 20, 2008 at 02:13 Tuesday

May Birthstone: Emerald, agate.

Meaning: Love, Success

Hello Everybody, welcome to my blog and welcome to the first day of May! I sure hated to see April go because I really love those cool nights and warm days. Get this, my favorite time to drink coffee is in the month of April. Yep! I think it's because I know that April is the last month that I enjoy hot drinks. For some reason in the hotter months I had much rather drink cold sweet tea instead because coffee is to hot and makes me sweat. Oh how much I love the taste of coffee though.

Now on with the subject of May! Guys your not going to believe this but while doing my research for Holidays I found out that the month of May has around 400 listed Holidays in the United States Alone. Holy Cow right! To see the complete list go to gone-ta-pott.com/maycalendar. Many of these Holidays are pretty weird and wacky too. Holidays like

Lumpy Rug Day--May 3

Respect for Chickens Day - May 4

No Sock Day - May 8

Have A Coke Day - May 8

Tear the Tags Off the Mattress Day - May 9

Lost Sock Memorial Day - May 9

Hurray for Buttons Day - May 9

Root Canal Appreciation Day -May 10

Eat What You Want Day - May 11

I Just Called to Say I Love You Day - May 13

Blame Someone Else Day - May 13

National Dance Like A Chicken Day - May 14

Crazy Day- May 14

Marshmallow Fluff Birthday- May 14

Over The Rainbow Day - May 15

International Pickle Day - May 16

Pack Rat Day - May 17

Turn Beauty Inside Out Day - May 17

Brown Bag It Thursday - May 17

No Dirty Dishes day - May 19

Frog Jump Day - May 19

I Need a Patch For That Day - May 21

National Pickle Day - May 23

Scavenger Hunt Day - May 24

National Something day - May 25

My Bucket's Got a Hole in It Day - May 30
Great American grump out Day - May - 31

and these are just a few. For the life of me I can't see how these are listed as holidays and how they got started but they sure do make great conversation pieces that's for sure. I guess they give you some great excuses to have a party too, right! To see the complete list of Weird Holidays go to Weird Holidays and have fun reading.

Significant Dates:

Spring: Spring Time runs from March 20th to June 20th.

Mothers Day: Mother's Day is celebrated all over the world to honor our Mothers, although the dates and months of Mother's Day differ from country to country. Mother's day is the occasion to pay tributes to our Mothers.

Cinco de Mayo ("5th of May" in English) is primarily a regional and not an obligatory federal holiday in Mexico. The date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

Memorial Day Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed in 2008 on May 26) (observed in 2009 on May 25). It was formerly known as Decoration Day.

About May

May is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. The month may have been named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May.

Events in May / by Wikipedia

In the Roman Catholic calendar, May 1 is the feast of St. Joseph the worker.
In the neopagan Wheel of the Year May begins on Beltane in the northern hemisphere and Samhain in the southern hemisphere.
In the Irish calendar May 1 is Beltane (Bealtaine), the first day of Summer, and a public holiday is held on the first Monday in May.
In many countries, May Day is May 1. This is celebrated as Labor Day in many countries.
In the United Kingdom, May Day is May 1, but a public holiday is held on the first Monday in May.
In Germany it is an old custom to plant a "tree of May" to honor someone. Often young men set up an adorned birch in front of their girlfriend's house in the night before May 1.
The first Saturday in May is the date of the annual Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in the United States.
May 4th in the Netherlands is the day of Remembrance of the Dead, commemorating all the casualties in military conflicts involving the Netherlands.
Cinco de Mayo or the Batalla de Puebla is celebrated in Mexico on May 5.
May 5th is the Children's Day in Japan and Korea.
May 5th is Liberation Day in the Netherlands, celebrating the ending of the German occupation.
In Western Europe May 8 is VE Day. In Eastern Europe it is celebrated on May 9.
In the European Union May 9 is Europe Day
Golden Spike Day (1869 - Completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad - Promontory Summit, Utah)
On May 12, International Nurses Day is celebrated.
Finland's Day in Finland on the 12th of May.
May 12 is also International Awareness Day for Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases (CIND). These diseases include Neurofibromatosis, Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS)/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Fibromyalgia, Gulf War Syndrome and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
On May 17, the Norwegian Constitution Day is celebrated.
In Chile, the Battle of Iquique (Combate Naval de Iquique), is celebrated on May 21, and it is a national holiday.
Eritrea celebrates its Independence Day (Independence from Ethiopia) on May 24.
In Argentina, the May Revolution (or Revolución de Mayo), a national holiday, is on May 25.
Towel Day is celebrated in May in tribute to Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Under the French Ancien Régime, it was of habit to "plant a May" or a "tree of May" in the honor of somebody. The County of Nice saw girls and boys "turn the May" with the sound of fife and drum, i.e. to dance rounds of May around the tree of May planted on the place of the village.
The second Sunday in May is Mother's Day in the United States.
Each year in May, the Eurovision Song Contest is held.
The Indianapolis 500 is held on the Sunday before Memorial Day.
Labor Day in Queensland, Australia is celebrated on the 1st Monday in May.

Love Quote of the Day
"Love sought is good, but given unsought is better." William Shakespeare

Quote of the Day
Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity.
- Christopher Morley

Short Joke of the Day
A skeleton walks into a bar. The bartender says, "What'll you have?"
The skeleton says, "A beer and a mop."

National Frog Month & Pet Frogs

2008-04-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

April is National Frog Month and I though it would be the perfect time to tell you a true little frog story and to also talk about pet frogs.

Did you know that American green tree frogs are one of the most popular pet frogs? This delightful little fellow is available in most pet stores and cost between US$10.00-$20.00 each. They are relatively easy frogs to take care of. They need a large (at least ten-gallon) terrarium and do well with bark and pebbles for the bottom and a nice tree branch.

Frogs like plants and will benefit from having live plants in their terrarium. You see the Pothos plant in terrariums at pet stores. Pothos can be left in pots, grown in jars of water or planted directly into soil on the bottom of the terrarium. The plants will provide the frogs with places to perch and will help maintain high humidity. Green tree frogs thrive best at humidity levels around 75%; spray the terrarium once or twice a day using a plant mister filled with pure water to help maintain appropriate humidity levels. Do not use water containing chlorine or heavy metals, as these chemicals can soak into the frogs and kill them. Water should be provided in a shallow non-metal bowl on the bottom of the terrarium. Water in this bowl should be changed often. Captive green tree frogs should be offered small crickets, waxworms and silkworms.

Frog Story
Ok I couldn't pass up telling you my frog story. hahaha!
When I was around 23 years old I had this huge fascination for frogs. One day I noticed a fishing boat in my brothers yard was full of rain water and I thought it would be a good idea to pull the plug and drain it. As I was about to do that I noticed that the boat was full of little black tadpoles. After watching them for a while I just couldn't bring myself to pull the plug and kill all those little fellows so instead I dipped them all out and put them in a bucket. I then took them home with me and placed them in a beautiful fish tank with a nice little island for them to crawl up on once they turned into bull frogs.

This little project was so fascinating. I watched every day my little bullfrogs loose their tails and then grow their legs. One morning I got up and headed to the kitchen to fix some breakfast and noticed that my dining room wall was completely covered in blackish green dots. I thought.... what is that??? I looked closer and OH MY GOD I was in shock. My tadpoles that I thought were bullfrogs that would stay in the tank, were not bullfrogs at all. They were little green tree frogs (you know the ones that have the little suction cup fingers and can crawl up walls) Well they were crawling everywhere! Not just a few either. I had saved at least 400 little tadpoles from the bottom of the boat that day and I had at least 300 out of the tank. They were everywhere! It took me a whole week to get all the frogs out of the house. I couldn't even eat a meal at the table without a baby tree frog coming out of nowhere and leaping on my head. True Pet Frog Story of mine. Giggle~ Pam

Animal Cracker Day

2008-04-18T11:03:00.001-07:00

Arky Arky
Originally uploaded by ~ Paige ~ will hopefully be back on Friday

Did everybody eat animal crackers as a kid or what? I know I sure did and I thought the circus them of the box was great too. I played with the box as much as I played with the cookies before I ate them. These little cookies are just slightly sweet but fun to eat. I remember floating them in milk and pretending they were swimming across a river. haha! Then I would eat them.

I was reading up on Animal Crackers and found out that they are sometimes called "Circus Crackers", other times simply "Animals."

1902 the now-familiar box was designed for the Christmas season with the innovative idea of attaching a string to hang from the Christmas tree. This idea took off and is now popular today but we like to use the sting as a handle to tote the crackers around with. It was a neat gimick idea to hang it from a christmas tree though.

Fun Animal Cracker Facts

More than 40 million packages of Barnum's Animal Crackers are sold each month.
In total, there have been 54 different animals represented by animal crackers since 1902.
Animal Crackers are exported to 17 countries worldwide.
There will probably always be lions and tigers, bears and elephants.
Today each package contains 22 crackers with a variety of animals.
The Koala Bear joined the 18 other animals in September 2002.
There have been three different and limited edition boxes produced in the last decade Endangered Animals box in 1995, the Chocolate Zoo in 1997 and the Marine Collection in 1998.
Purity of the ingredients: Flour, sugar, shortening, corn flour, whey solids, salt, leaving and oil-of-lemon combine to make a not-too-sweet-cracker/cookie.
In 1948 the company changed the product name to Barnum's Animal Crackers a designation still used today.
The crackers are baked in a 300 foot long traveling band oven. They are in the oven for about four minutes and are baked at the rate of 12,000 per minute.

Bear Cookie Jar with Animal Crackers
Wilton Animal Crackers Pan

Animal Cracker Recipe

1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup buttermilk

In a medium bowl, stir together the blended oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the butter lumps are smaller than peas. Stir in the buttermilk and honey to form a stiff dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto cookie sheets.
Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges are lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grind oats until fine using a blender or food processor.

Todays Joke
A hack golfer spends a day at a plush country club, playing golf and enjoying the luxury of a complimentary caddy. Being a hack golfer, he plays poorly all day. Round about the 18th hole, he spots a lake off to the left of the fairway. He looks at the caddy and says, "I've played so poorly all day, I think I'm going to go drown myself in that lake."

The caddy looks back at him and says, "I don't think you could keep your head down that long."

Quote of the day
Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them.
- Paul Valery

A Life Suggestion
Take control of your life by using your thoughts to visualize your future as you want it to happen.