Happy National Cherry Pie Day ~ February 20

National Cherry Pie Day February 20 by Everydays_A_Holiday
Browse Pie Aprons

I suspect the reason for Cherry Pie Day at this time of year has something to do with the old story about George Washington chopping down a cherry tree. 

If you do decide to make a home made cherry pie today don't forget the apron and this sweet gadget I found at GadgetTown.com.

Pulling out that oven rack will never worry you again. And they are so unique looking people will wonder what they are.  You can't see it, but there is a magnet on the back so they'll stay handy attached right to the stove.


Need a good recipe now?  Recipe.com is celebrating "National Cherry Month" so pop over there for some great recipes using cherries.


And it you want the pie but not the work...

January 31 ~ !YaD SdrawkcaB YppaH

happy backwards day

I found several references to this day on the internet, but nothing that seemed very official.  In any event it sounds like it could be fun to do things backwards for a day...

Happy Kazoo Day ~ January 28

Learn everything you need to know about Kazoos and even buy your very own at Kazoobie Kazoos.

Or visit Amazon for one of these...

  

Or find other great toys here...

It's Pie Day ~ January 23

ME OH MY ~~ I LOVE PIE!!!

One of my favorite movies...I'm a bit partial to John Travolta because we share the same birthday...but that song was the first thing that came to my head when I learned about "Pie Day" (and yes, I love pie!)

In honor of Pie Day, I created a whole line of items at Zazzle...

Look for a personalized gift at Zazzle.

For those of us that will be spending the day baking our favorite pies some handy gadgets from Amazon...
  

And for those of us looking from some great pie recipes...

CDKitchen 

AllRecipes.com 

PastryWiz.com 

CooksRecipes.com 

MomsWhoThink 

All You 

Homemade Dessert Recipes 

Just to name a few...guess I'm not the only one that likes pie.

Go Nuts! It's Squirrel Appreciation Day ~ January 21

When I searched the word SQUIRREL on the internet I came across this colorful site all about the little critters...it's mostly just links to other sites, but I liked the way it looked.

If you love these cute rodents you can send out a Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day card to your friends...

And if one day a year isn't enough for you, these greeting cards are also available for other occasions...

Just a few of the thousands of cards available at Greeting Card Universe...

Happy Penguin Awareness Day ~ January 20

View more personalized gifts from Zazzle.

For those of you who are not sure, yes penguins are birds. There are 17 to 20 different species of penguins, all living in the southern hemisphere, with major populations in Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and South Africa.

Movies like March of the Penguins and Happy Feet have made the penguin a star in modern culture.

    

One of the reasons they are such an easy creature to love is their resemblence to humams...walking upright with a funny waddle and coloring that reminds of us a tuxedo...

Whether they are favorite of yours or not, you have to admit they do have their charms.. 

Hot and Spicy Food Day ~ January 16

Happy Hot & Spicy Food Day Apron January 16 by Everydays_A_Holiday
See other Hot and spicy food day Aprons

Just so we don't get too confused, today is "International" Hot and Spicy Food Day.  I did find some references to the fact that there is also a "National" Hot and Spicy" Food Day in August, but those of us that love spicy food won't mind at all if we need to celebrate twice a year.

When we think "hot" - we think of peppers...and I found this visual guide to hot pepper to help you decide just how hot you like your peppers.  Pick a pepper today...and have a spicy day!

January 15 ~ National Hat Day

National Hat Day January 15 by Everydays_A_Holiday
Browse other Fashion Cards

To find out more about hats and vote for the "Hat Person of the Year" visit The Headwear Association's website.  

To celebrate today, wear your best chapeau. And if you don't have one, today's a good day to go out and buy one...

and for those of you that would love to learn how to make your own fabulous fashion hats...

Dress up your Pet Day ~ January 14

I have to say that I'm not one to dress my pets, but for those of you who do, today is a great day to buy them a new outfit.   The photos below will link you to a variety of places you can find fun fashions for your furry friends...

Duke and Fritz

Cat Prin

Paw Palace

Posh Pet Glamour Boutique

Little Pampered Pets

January 13 ~ Rubber Ducky Day

Who could not be happy on Rubber Ducky Day???

I didn't find any reason why January 13th in particular is "Rubber Ducky" day, but who cares...it's time for a bath and some fun with my ducky!!!

Rubber ducks have come a long way since their creation...you can now find them dressed in all sorts of costumes to fit your personality...

 

January 12 ~ National Pharmacist Day

The facts about this day are pretty much confirmed... no one knows who invented it, no one can say why it's on January 12th, and it isn't actually a "National" holiday which needs to be declared by Congress.  In any event, many sites dedicated to pharmacists and pharmaceuticals recognize the day as an important holiday.

I found this pharmacist job description on YouTube...it seems a little bit simplified, but you'll get the idea.

It's a good day to stop by your pharmacy and thank the staff behind the counter for all of their hard work and dedication.

January 9 ~ Happy Apricot Day

This beautiful artwork is available on a greeting card at Greeting Card Universe.com by artist Gail Morrison.




Why apricot day falls in the winter I'm not exactly sure, but not to worry because there are still plenty of good things you can do with either canned or dried apricots.

                                                                             
Need some recipes to help make your Apricot Day special?   Try one of these:


Apricot Nut Bread

• 1 1 pound can apricot halves
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain apricots and reserve liquid.  Sieve apricots and then add reserved liquid to make 1 cup.  Cream shortening and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy.  Stir together dry ingredients.  Add to creamed mixture alternately with apricot mixture.  Stir in nuts.  Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes.  Cool on rack.  This is great sliced with cream cheese...yum!

Apricot Drop Cookies

• 2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup egg whites (3 or 4)
• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and egg whites.  Add walnuts and apricots mixing well.  Drop by teaspoon onto well-greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on rack.  Makes about 3 dozen.


Apricot Liqueur

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 9 ripe apricots
• 3 cups vodka 

Peel and chop apricots discarding skin and pits.  Add apricots in a large jar with vodka.  Let marinate a few weeks shaking several times during the process.  Strain contents in a wire strainer, pressing liquid from fruit.  Make sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water for several minutes until it is clear and thickened.  Add sugar syrup.  Strain several times to remove any particles.  Let stand for 4 to 6 weeks.

National Bird Day ~ January 5

For some of you today would be a good day to learn about the hobby of bird watching.

 

For others, you non nature lovers, it's a good day to renew your love for that Alfred Hitchcock classic....

December 22 ~ Haiku Poetry Day

Haiku is a form of traditional Japanese poetry that adheres to strict rules. The entire poem is short containing only 17 syllables in 3 lines. The first line must be 5 syllables, the second lines is 7, and the last line is 5 again, giving the poem a graceful meter. Traditionally the poetry will make reference to the season, and most often it pertained to winter which is why this holiday is on the Winter Solstice.

Obviously well known traditional Japanese Haiku when translated to English will not necessarily have 17 syllables, but by reading some of them, you will get the idea of the imagery associated with this form of poetry.

* Night; and once again,

* the while I wait for you, cold wind

* turns into rain.

Masaoka Shiki

* The crow has flown away:

* swaying in the evening sun,

* a leafless tree.

Soseki Natsume

* The moment two bubbles

* are united, they both vanish.

* A lotus blooms.

Kijo Murakami

To learn more about Haiku, or to learn to write some of your own, try some of these books available at Amazon.

National Cashew Day ~ November 22

My Favorite Nut!!!  Wish I could find a good sale on them today.

If you are familiar with how the cashew is grown you understand why it is a tasty but expense snack.  Not only are cashews good on their own, they are often used in recipes and candy confections.

Add cashews to your dinner menu tonight with this Garlic buttered broccoli with cashews...

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped salted cashews

1. Place the broccoli into a large pot with about 1 inch of water in the bottom. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Drain, and arrange broccoli on a serving platter.
2. While the broccoli is cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Mix in the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Mix in the cashews, and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately.

November 21 ~ World Television Day

You might think that this is a funny day to honor our favorite baby-sitter, the boob tube...but in fact, November 21st was proclaimed World Television Day by the United Nations to commemorate the first World Television Forum in 1996.  The idea is that we recognize and appreciate the usefulness of the broadcast media to enlighten and educate and bring the people of the world closer together.
Will you be watching something enlightening and educational tonight?  Cook up a TV dinner, get comfy on the couch, and enjoy!

National Adoption Day ~ November 20

Gee I hope I don't have to go adopt something today, I already have a houseful (pets that is, all my kids are grown ups)... 

Joking again of course, this day is about child adoption.  You may have seen the recent commercials thanking everyone, birth families, adoptive families, etc for their participation in adoption. National Adoption Day is sponsored by a variety of organizations to celebrate "A family for every child."  Today the family courts across the country will break records on the number of foster children that will be adopted.


There are all kinds of adoption story out there, if you're interested in know my personal story involving adoption you can read about it on my Hub Page.

Great American Smoke Out ~ November 18

This is a moving holiday and is celebrated every year on the 3rd Thursday in November.  Sponsored by The American Cancer Society, their site is full of useful information to get you through the day, and continue on to become smoke-free.

And once that smoker in your family has quit...make sure to send them a pat on the back.

November 17 ~ Happy GIS Day

I suppose we should start out by finding out what GIS means...

GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems. Use this link to learn more about GIS and why it's important.  GIS Day is a moving holiday, and is always celebrated on the Wednesday of GIS week.

I'll leave you to your own devices to learn about GIS... but will share with you a similar activity that my son taught me about... Geo-caching.  All you need is a GPS tracking device, a few trinkets in your pocket, and some free time....  oh yeah, some bug spray is helpful too, and a flashlight, and water, and a rope...  Just kidding, as long as you don't trust my son to be your guide you'll be fine.  Should I tell you about our adventures?  You might think I was trying to discourage you from this fun activity if I did... But, if any of my family reads this it will definitely make them laugh.

 

 

National Fast Food Day ~ November 16

Well I suppose having a day to eat "fast food" guilt free isn't such a bad thing.  At Fast Foods.com you can get a rundown on the nutritional values of some popular fast food meals.

What's your favorite fast food joint?

McDonalds

Burger King

Taco Bell 

Wendy's 

Chick-fil-A 

Sonic 

Just a few of the many... Check out Wikipedia for a very long list with links to your favorites.