The official blog of my youtube channel called "Holidays & Celebrations." Your invited to hang out with me as I go through the daily ups and downs of life. We are all calendar keepers so I like to keep up with Holiday Observances too. So have fun with me as I discuss life, animals, gardening, weird celebrations, food holidays & even holidays you didn't know existed.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Peach Pie Day
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
International Left Handers Day!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Smores Day!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
It's Pina Colada Day!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
July is here!
- 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
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
It's Watermelon Day!
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.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Strawberry Picking Day
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.
National Strawberry Shortcake Day (June 14)
Friday, May 09, 2008
Lost Sock Memorial Day!
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!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Significant May!
- 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.
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.
Monday, April 21, 2008
National Frog Month & 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
Friday, April 18, 2008
Animal Cracker Day
- 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.
- 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.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
It's Eggs Benedict Day
eggs benedict.
Originally uploaded by ktdub.
The hubby and I had the day off today so we spent a lazy morning drinking coffee and eating eggs benedict. We took our own sweet time and savored every minute of it too. I went for the home fries with mine but the hubby..... well he usually goes for the hashbrowns.
Egg Benedict Sauce Recipe:
* /2 cup butter
* 3 large egg yolks
* 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* dash cayenne pepper or hot pepper sauce
* 2 tablespoons hot water
*1 teaspoon Dijon mustard is a nice additive too!
* finely chopped fresh parsley, if desired
Heat butter in a heavy saucepan until hot and foamy, but not browned. In a small bowl, whisk or beat egg yolks with lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper or hot sauce. Gradually beat in butter, then water. Return mixture to saucepan and beat over very low heat until mixture is slightly thickened. Serve immediately or let stand over warm water for up to 30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Makes about 2/3 cup of hollandaise sauce.
Microwave Hollandaise
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1 dash pepper
1/2 cup butter -- melted
Combine soup, egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard and pepper in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Slowly add the melted butter to the container while processing. Place in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring every thirty seconds.
Mock Hollandaise Sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook and stir until heated through. Do not boil.
White Wine Hollandaise Sauce
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon white cooking wine
1 cup butter, melted
In blender, combine egg yolks, lemon juice and cooking wine; blend until smooth. Continue blending, gradually adding butter, until thickened.
Today In History
In 1912, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.
Something To Think About
You must not feel the burden of your failure. Go on in faith.
Today Joke
Why did the blonde take a ladder into the bar?
She heard the drinks were on the house.
Monday, April 14, 2008
National Pecan Month
Hey yall it's me Pam. The month of April is National Pecan month and do you know what today is??? Well the calendar says it's National Pecan Day. The calendar also says there a Pecan Day on March 25th as well. Could there be 2 of them?
Pecan Pies are really big in my family especially at Christmas. In fact my research shows that pecan pie is the pie of choice for Thanksgiving and Christmas for most people. Wow..... I would of thought it would of been pumpkin pie or potato pie for Thanksgiving. Which do you choose?
Most all my family has pecan trees growing in their yard so they never have to buy any during the holidays. Maybe that's why we ate pecan pie so much as a child and continue to eat it all year round. The family gathers up the pecans and freezes them until they need them. (National Pecan Pie Day is July 12th.)We also ate a lot of peach cobblers since we had peach trees too. In case you didn't know, yesterday was National Peach Cobbler Day.
Nutrition
Pecans Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Energy 690 kcal 2890 kJ | ||||||||||
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Wikipedia says Pecans are a good source of protein and unsaturated fats. A diet rich in nuts can lower the risk of gallstones in women. The antioxidants and plant sterols found in pecans reduce high cholesterol by reducing the "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.
April 14, 2008 / Fun Holiday Fact
Crocodile Sophism
A slim crocodile living in the Nile took a child. His mother begged to have him back. The crocodile could not only talk, but was also a great sophist and stated, "If you guess correctly what I will do with him, I will return him. However, if you don't guess his fate, I'll eat him." What statement should the mother make to save her child?
Sunday, April 13, 2008
It's Peach Cobbler Day!
Daisy Flower Month
A man was driving down a quiet country lane when out into the road strayed a rooster. Whack! The rooster disappeared under the car in a cloud of feathers. Shaken, the man pulled over at the farmhouse and rang the doorbell. A farmer appeared. The man somewhat nervously said, "I think I killed your rooster, please allow me to replace him." "Suit yourself," the farmer replied, "the hens are round the back."Fun Fact Did you know the original color of Cocoa Cola was green? Make everyday a Holiday! Pam~
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Holidays for Second Week in April
Monday, March 31, 2008
Last Day of March
"Graviola is very aggressive at breaking up tumors." "It appears that, as with many health problems, the body (in its wisdom) is trying to protect itself by creating a tumor to encase the toxins that can harm the body." "Breaking up the tumor releases toxins back into the body, making the person feel very sick." "When tumors are surgically removed, this also takes out the toxins which why this is the most effective medical treatment for cancer."
"So a company created a product that contains graviola (called Gravizon) but also has herbs from the rainforest that helps the body to drain these toxins faster, strengthen the immune system and recover from sickness." Product: Graviola 2oz.
Read the Story about Graviola and Cancer.
I thought the month of March was Fantastic and exciting! It's going to be hard for April to stand up to this month but we will see how the holidays go. Happy Holidays everyone and remember..... "Make Everyday a Holiday." Live everyday to it's fullest and never let love take a back seat in life. ~ Pam :)
P.S. The photo is one I took of my beautiful 10 year old cat named Smokey who is being treated for cancer. He loves being in the middle of all the ferns so as a treat we take him outside and let him enjoy nature for a few hours each day. (yes he is a house cat.) Today was day 1 for adding the Product: Graviola 2oz. in his diet as part of treatment for cancer. A big thank you goes out to all of you who have added my little Smokey into your prayers.
Friday, March 28, 2008
April Fools Prank Ideas.
Prank Ideas
Photo is a picture of someones dorm room that was filled with crumpled up news paper.
Hey guys! April Fools Day is less than a week away so I thought it would be nice to get some great prank ideas flowing. Here's a few that I found on the Internet that look great. Share your ideas with us too ok. Just click the comment button at the bottom of this subject. Have a fun and safe April Fools Day.
Get a piece of paper and pen...and write.."To the owner of this vehicle...I'm sorry for the damage I did to your vehicle" and put it on their windshield under the wipers and when the person sees it they will look for damage and there really isn't any damage. This prank was found at wikihow.com/Play-a-Prank
Prank Calls have always been traditional on April Fools Day.
Heres some tips on "How to Make a Prank Call."
Unexpeced Dandriff: The victum: His mom, Lynne. Talk about hair-raising! On April 1, Lynne says, Nathan began complaining during dinner that his head was itching like crazy. "When I looked at his scalp, I encountered the worst case of dandruff I'd ever seen. Apparently, a friend had poured salt into his hair as a prank--and now my son was using that to pull a prank on me!"
THE REACTION: Lynne immediately instructed Nathan about the proper shampoo and scrubbing method. Nathan listened for a few moments, then burst into laughter. This prank was found at familyfun.com
I love this one! Office covered in foil.
April Fools Cake that looks like sandwiches
Find more April Fools fun at http://www.gone-ta-pott.com/April_fools_day.html
The photo is Explosivo: April Fools in Havana.
Another old April Fool's Day doodle. This time, the old "exploding cigar gag" goes a bit too far when the recipient actually loses face.... and half his arm. A good reminder to prank it safe this April Fools.
Earth Hour Goes Global
On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.
Earth Hour was created by WWF in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and in one year has grown from an event in one city to a global movement. In 2008, millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations in nearly 200 cities around the globe will turn out for Earth Hour. More than 100 cities across North America will participate, including the US flagships–Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco and Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
Everyone throughout North America and around the world are invited to turn off the lights for an hour starting at 8 p.m. (your own local time)–( to support global warming) whether at home or at work, with friends and family or solo, in a big city or a small town.
See http://www4.earthhourus.org/ for more information.
Http://www.worldwildlife.org/earthhour/
Something to Ponder
Why is a keyboard called a keyboard if it just has little buttons?
How-To of the Day
How to Make an Origami Jumping Frog from an Index Card
Look at this sequence of letters and then tell us what the last letter should be.
O T T F F S S ? Solution
Have a wonderful day today everyone. And remember, Make everyday a Holiday. -Pam
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Flax Seeds and Nutrition
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
See the Cats Tongue! In honor of cleaning week.
Macro photo of a cat cleaning itself, showing the hooked papilla on the tongue. Wowwwww! Look at that! No wonder when a cat licks you it feels like sandpaper.
Licking is a common way for animals to clean themselves. In mammals, licking helps keep the fur clean and untangled. The tongues of many mammals have a rough upper surface that acts like a brush when the animal licks its fur.Some animals, such as cats, also use licking to cool themselves. As cats do not sweat the way humans do, the saliva deposited by licking provides a similar means of evaporative cooling.
Many animals also drink by licking. While young mammals drink milk from their mothers' nipples by sucking, the typical method of drinking for adult mammals involves dipping the tongue repeatedly into water and using it to scoop water into the mouth. This method of drinking relies in part on the water adhering to the surface of the tongue and in part on muscular control of the tongue to form it into a spoonlike shape.
Animals also use their tongue to enhance their sense of smell. By licking a surface, molecules on it are transferred via the tongue to the olfactory receptors in the nose and in the vomeronasal organ.
Dogs and cats use licking both to clean, and to show affection among themselves or to humans typically licking their faces..
We have 7 beautiful cats in our home and we love each of them dearly. Do you have any comments on a cats tongue? Would you like to tell us something about a cat cleaning? Please do. Just click the comments button. Make everyday a Holiday.. Pam~