Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake

I used this tutorial from Cakes.com and this tutorial from Jennifer Valentine to create this fun 

"Ugly Christmas Sweater" Cake.

Dear Readers,

Thank you to any and all who have taken the time to visit my blog. For the time being, due to time constraints, I am unable to update my holiday lists or submit any new posts. Please refer to the following sites to find helpful information concerning upcoming holidays and events.

Brownielocks and the Three Bears
Holiday Insights
State Symbols USA
Healthfinder.gov
timeanddate.com

Grandma Moses Day

We celebrate "Grandma Moses Day" every September 7th in commemoration of the birth date of American artist, Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as "Grandma Moses", born September 7, 1860.

"Grandma Moses" was unique and inspirational in that she did not begin her painting career or become a famous artist until she was in her late 70's. Her American Folk Art/"Primitive" style paintings of quaint farms, villages, and countrysides evoke comforting, "down home" feelings and are loved and prized by many. Her cheerful, unassuming, and at times "spunky" ways endeared her to all.

Childhood History
Anna Mary Robertson was born on September 7, 1860, in Greewich, New York. She was the third of ten children born to Russell King Robertson and Margaret Shanahan. Anna Mary grew up on a farm where she and her siblings were taught the virtues of hard work. Despite times of tragedy and sadness, such as the burning of her father's mill and illnesses which took the lives of two of her brothers and one sister before adulthood, Anna Mary spoke of her childhood as a happy time, she said, "Those were my happy days, free from care or worry; helping mother... sporting with my brothers, making rafts to float over the mill pond, roaming the wild woods, gathering flowers, and building air castles."

As a child, Anna Mary loved to draw. Her father, who loved to see his children's drawings, would procure large sheets of blank newspaper upon which they could draw. Anna Mary attended school sporadically and only in the warmer months of the year, as she did not have sufficient warm clothing for the winter months. At age twelve, Anna Mary went to work at a neighboring farm as a "hired girl". She continued this type of work into adulthood, when in 1887, she met and married a farm worker named Thomas S. Moses.

Family Life
Soon after their wedding, Thomas and Anna Mary Moses boarded a train for North Carolina where Thomas had secured a job as the manager of a horse ranch. On the way to North Carolina, the couple stopped in Staunton, Virginia to sleep for the night. While there, they were convinced to take over as tenants for a local farm. Anna Mary loved the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. While in Virginia, Anna Mary gave birth to ten children, five of which died in infancy. Thomas and Anna Mary worked hard to earn enough money to buy their own farm. Anna Mary bought a cow and churned butter to sell. Later, when times got hard, she made and sold potato chips to help the family get by. Eventually, the couple was able to buy their own farm in Virginia.

In 1905, Thomas, who was feeling homesick for New York, persuaded Anna Mary to leave her beautiful Virginia home, and they returned to buy a farm in Eagle Bridge, New York, not far from Anna Mary's birthplace. They named the farm "Mount Nebo" after the biblical mountain where the prophet Moses disappeared. In 1927, Thomas Moses died of a heart attack. Anna Mary continued on at the farm. With the help of her son and his wife, Anna Mary continued to work the farm until 1932, when she left the farm to care for her daughter Anna, who had contracted tuberculosis.

A Hobby Rekindled
As a young mother in Virginia, Anna Mary used her creative abilities to beautify her home. Her earliest known painting was done on a fireboard in her Virginia home. While doing a bit of wallpapering, Anna Mary did not have quite enough paper to cover the fireboard (a piece of wood that people used to cover their fireplace during summer months) so she decided to paint a landscape on it. The fireboard now hangs in the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont.

At one point, Anna Mary's daughter, Anna, showed her mother an embroidered picture and asked if she could duplicate it. Anna Mary did, and with that she had a new found hobby. She embroidered pictures and gave them away as gifts to family and friends, but as the years progressed, Anna Mary's hands began to develop arthritis and she could no longer grasp the needle comfortably. Her sister, Celestia, suggested she work on developing her gift for painting to replace needle working, so Anna Mary did.

Anna Mary drew inspiration from Currier and Ives prints and illustrated books, but mostly from memories of her own life experiences. As a child, she and her brothers and sisters would go for long walks with their father. Anna Mary learned to be very observant of nature and the world around her. When she painted she would close her eyes, remember, and imagine how things used to be. She would paint pictures of farm scenes and activities of rural life such as maple sugaring, apple butter making, candle making, and haying. She was able to capture the beauty and excitement of winter's first snow, the joy of a Christmas feast, and the cheerfulness of a county fair. Anna Mary said she would sit quietly, think and remember, "Then I'll get an inspiration and start painting; then I'll forget everything, everything except how things used to be and how to paint it so people will know how we used to live."

A Star is Born
Anna Mary began to give her paintings away as gifts to friends, family, the postman, anyone and everyone. She also decided to try to sell them in the Hoosick Falls drugstore at the price of $2.00 for small paintings and $3.00 for large. One day, in 1938, a man by the name of Louis J. Caldor, a New York engineer and art collector, drove through Hoosick Falls and saw several of Anna Mary's paintings in the drugstore window. He went inside, purchased all of the paintings, and inquired about the artist. Upon learning where Anna Mary lived, Mr. Caldor went to her home and purchased ten more of her paintings. Caldor told Anna Mary that one day she would be famous, a sentiment that she could hardly believe. Anna Mary was 78 years old.

Mr. Caldor began showing Anna Mary's paintings to galleries and museums, but even those who were interested in her work quickly lost interest when they heard her age. At 78 years old, it may not be worth it to them to put time and expense into an artist who may not be around much longer. In 1939 though, Louis Caldor was able to get three of Anna Mary's paintings into an exhibition of "Contemporary Unknown American Painters" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In 1940, Anna Mary's first solo exhibition entitled, "What a Farm Wife Painted", was showcased at Galerie St. Etienne in New York City, and from there, she was on a roll. She began to be featured in gallery showings across the U.S. and other countries. Her highly sought after paintings were reproduced into posters, greeting cards, china plates, and drapery fabrics, and her popularity began to grow as people learned of the "rags to riches" story of the petite 80 year old woman whose charming, homespun paintings rocketed her into worldwide fame.

Over the years, from the time that Anna Mary's children were young and began to grow, her neighbors lovingly referred to her as "Mother Moses". Once she became famous, the press christened her with the name of "Grandma Moses", and that is how she became to be known around the world.

Grandma Moses lived to be 101 years old. On her 100th birthday, Governor Rockefeller proclaimed her birthday as "Grandma Moses Day". In her three decades of painting, "Grandma Moses" painted more than 1600 paintings. Her work was cherished and admired by many, as she herself was among all who knew her. As a friend of Norman Rockwell, she can be found on the left side of his painting, "Christmas Homecoming". Grandma Moses died on December 13, 1961, in Hoosick Falls, New York.

In her autobiography, "My Life's History", Grandma Moses wrote, "I look back on my life like a good day's work, it was done and I feel satisfied with it. I was happy and contented, I knew nothing better and made the best out of what life offered. And life is what we make it, always has been, always will be."

To learn even more great stuff about Grandma Moses and her paintings click on my sources below.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4
Image: Flickr

National Cherry Turnovers Day

National Cherry Turnovers Day is celebrated every August 28.

A cherry turnover is a pastry made by placing a small amount of cherry pie filling on a piece of dough, usually puff pastry dough or a shortcrust pastry dough, then folding or "turning" one side over to cover the cherry filling. The turnover is then baked, or occasionally fried, then glazed with a sugar glaze or dipped in sugar.

Here's a yummy looking Cherry Turnover recipe which uses homemade puff pastry dough, or you could just run down to this place and get one of their delicious cherry turnovers. Yum! 

Image: Flickr

What's Pluto's Story Anyway?

August 24th is "Pluto Demoted Day".

On August 24, 2006, the heavenly sphere known as Pluto was reclassified from being one of the nine planets in the Solar System to a classification of dwarf planet. Have you ever wondered why? Well, for an extensive explanation, check out Pluto - on Wikipedia. For a simpler explanation, watch this video in which Dr. Robert Hurt explains, or read my post below.



Pluto's Story
In the late 1800's, through astronomical observations, astronomers speculated that Uranus' orbit was being disturbed by another planet besides Neptune. From Wikipedia we read, "In 1906, Percival Lowell, a wealthy Bostonian who had founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1894, started an extensive project in search of a possible ninth planet, which he termed, "Planet X". Lowell and his observatory conducted his search until his death in 1916, but to no avail."

Thirteen years after Lowell's death, the project was given to 23 year old astronomer, Clyde Tombaugh from Kansas. Again from Wikipedia we read, "Tombaugh's task was to systematically image the night sky in pairs of photographs taken two weeks apart, then examine each pair and determine whether any objects had shifted position. Using a machine called a blink comparator, he rapidly shifted back and forth between views of each of the plates to create the illusion of movement of any objects that had changed position or appearance between photographs. On February 18, 1930, after nearly a year of searching, Tombaugh discovered a possible moving object on photographic plates taken on January 23 and January 29 of that year. A lesser quality photograph taken on January 21 helped confirm the movement. After the observatory obtained further confirmatory photographs, news of the discovery was telegraphed to the Harvard College Observatory on March 13, 1930."

Naming the New Planet
News of the discovery of a ninth planet in the Solar System quickly spread throughout the world, and, of course, this new planet needed a name. Thousands of suggestions poured in from people all around the world. Percival Lowell's widow, Constance, suggested three names: Zeus, Percival, and Constance. All were rejected.

Finally, the name of Tombaugh's newly discovered planet came from a nine year old girl from Oxford, England. Venetia Burney, who was interested in mythology as well as astronomy, thought that Pluto, the name of the Greek god of the Underworld, would be a perfectly suitable name for a "presumably dark and cold world". After a unanimous vote from the members of the Lowell Observatory, the planet was officially named "Pluto" on May 1, 1930.

Interestingly, rumor is that in 1930, in honor of the planet Pluto, Walt Disney introduced a canine pal for Mickey Mouse whose name was, of course, Pluto. Also, following with the tradition of naming elements after planets (uranium after Uranus, neptunium after Neptune) in 1941, Glen T. Seaborg named the newly created element plutonium after Pluto.

Characteristics of Pluto
Because Pluto is so far away from the Earth, it has been difficult for astronomers to make an in-depth investigation of it. They do, however, know many things (please refer to Wiki), a small part of which are: that Pluto is relatively small. It is approximately one sixth the mass of the Earth's Moon and one third it's volume, and it is composed primarily of ice and rock.

A spacecraft is at this very moment heading towards Pluto to gather further information. The New Horizons spacecraft was launched on January 19, 2006 (interestingly just months before Pluto's classification was changed). It's closest approach to Pluto will be on July 14, 2015. It will make scientific observations of Pluto for six months prior to that date and one month after. Aboard the spacecraft are some of the ashes of Pluto's discoverer, Clyde Tombaugh, who died in 1997. Cool!

Pluto's Demotion
In 1992, a discovery was made of the Kuiper Belt (pronounced Kiper). This is a region in the Solar System containing small (relatively speaking), icy objects which are remnants of the formation of the Solar System. Pluto is among the objects in the Kuiper Belt.

There are three components which classify a planet: (from Wikipedia)

1. The object must be in orbit around the sun. (Pluto is).
2. The object must be massive enough to be a sphere by it's own gravitational force. More specifically, it's own gravity should pull it into a shape of hydrostatic equalibrium. (Pluto's does).
3. It must have cleared the neighbourhood around it's orbit. (This is where the question with Pluto lies).

With the discovery of the Kuiper Belt and Pluto's place within it, controversy arose among astronomers and scientists as to whether Pluto was a separate planet or simply a large piece belonging to the mass of objects in the Kuiper Belt.

On August 24, 2006, after a vote between 424 astronomers belonging to the International Astronomical Union, Pluto was designated, by them, as no longer being a "full-fledged" planet but rather a dwarf planet. This decision, while upheld by hundreds of astronomers, is still opposed by hundreds more and by many people around the world.

My mind may tell me Pluto is a dwarf planet, but my heart tells me it's a planet.

Valentino Day ~ August 23

Each year, on August 23rd, we commemorate the anniversary of Rudolph Valentino's death (May 6, 1895 - Aug. 23, 1926).

Rudolph Valentino, whose given name was Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filibert Guglielmi D'Antonguolla, was born in Italy and immigrated to America when he was 18 years old. In America, he became a silent film star who rose to fame in the 1920's as a sex symbol and exotic "Latin Lover".

On August 15, 1926 Valentino collapsed and was taken to the hospital. He was suffering from appendicitis and a ruptured ulcer. Emergency surgery was performed and Valentino was thought to be on the mend, but within days his condition worsened as he developed peritonitis and pleurisy. On August 23, 1926, without being apprised by the doctors of the seriousness of his condition, Rudolph Valentino slipped into a coma and died a few hours later. He was 31 years old.

News of Valentino's death spread through America like a shock wave. Valentino's fans were devastated. Some distraught fans actually committed suicide upon hearing of his death.

Charlie Chaplin said of Rudolph Valentino - "I believe there was a fine tenderness in his acting. His ability as an actor, seldom given credit, is the great reason for his success." 

Rudolph Valentino Biography

National Pecan Torte Day ~ August 22

National Pecan Torte Day is celebrated every year on August 22nd.

You may be asking yourself, "What is a torte anyway?" I was fully prepared to tell you that a torte was a multiple layered cake with some sort of filling, such as frosting, fruit, or nuts, between the layers, but I decided before I opened my mouth, that I should find out what a torte really is. I found out that in a way I was right, but I was also wrong.

First, tortes originated in Europe, and are a type of cake, but they differ from the traditional cakes that we know here in America. A traditional cake consists primarily of flour, usually cake flour, and various typical baking ingredients including baking soda. When baked, these ingredients make the cake light and fluffy, and give it height. A traditional torte uses smaller amounts of flour to which is added ground nut meal or breadcrumbs, along with sugar, eggs, and flavorings. The nut meal/breadcrumbs causes a more dense batter which, when baked, results in a flatter, heavier cake. 

Secondly, cakes are typically assembled with some type of frosting between the layers and then simply frosted on the top and sides. Tortes are usually frosted between the layers with rich buttercreams, mousses, and jams. The cake layers themselves are sometimes soaked in simple syrup or liquer. The torte is then frosted or glazed, and garnished with fruits, nuts, or chocolate. The ingredients used in making a torte are usually of the highest quality, like fine chocolates and liquer, which causes tortes to be on the more expensive side. 

Lastly, a torte may range from being a single layer cake like the Linzer torte from Austria, to having two layers like the Sachertorte from Vienna (Austria), to multiple layers like the Dobos torte from Hungary. 

Here, at GoodHousekeeping.com, you'll find a recipe for a European Style Pecan Torte. Enjoy National Pecan Torte Day! 

Today is also Be An Angel Day, Eat a Peach Day, Southern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day, and National Tooth Fairy Day. 

Picture: Flickr

National Spumoni Day

National Spumoni Day is celebrated every August 21st.

Spumoni is an Italian ice cream dessert that originated in Naples, Italy. It is traditionally made using different flavors of ice cream containing whipped cream, crushed nuts, and candied fruits, which are formed into a Bombe (a molded, layered ice cream dessert) or as a loaf which can be sliced. The most common 3-flavor combination is: chocolate, which may or may not contain chopped hazelnuts or chocolate shavings, pistachio, which almost always contains chopped pistachios, and cherry, which contains either candied or maraschino cherries. Spumoni ice cream was the precursor to the more commonly known Neapolitan ice cream.

You can make your own homemade Spumoni ice cream dessert using this recipe from BrownEyedBaker, or this more simple recipe (which uses store bought ice cream) from MyRecipes. You can also find Blue Bunny Spumoni Ice Cream at your grocery store.

Spumoni, which comes from the Italian word Spumone (from spuma or "foam") is also the name of an Italian cocktail which contains Campari, grapefruit juice, and tonic water.

Funny Spumoni tidbit ~ in 2008, Hatch Family Chocolates in Salt Lake City, Utah found Jesus' image in a bucket of Spumoni ice cream. Holy Spumoni!


Image: Flickr

Happy National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

There's only one observance celebrated today, August 2. It is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day and with something this great to celebrate who needs anything more?!

The Ice Cream Sandwich was reportedly invented in New York City during the hot summer of 1900. Several newspaper articles of the day reported on the popularity of a wonderful new ice cream invention. The stories told of a young street vendor who wheeled his pushcart onto the street one hot day in July. He had a tin mold in which he first inserted a cookie described as a water wafer or a graham wafer, he then filled the mold with ice cream and placed another wafer on top. The ice cream sandwiches were sold for 1, 2 or 3 cents depending on the thickness of ice cream.

News of this wonderful new ice cream treat spread throughout the Wall street district and the vendor's cart was constantly surrounded by a crowd of eager customers, which included everyone from bankers to messengers and newsboys, much to the chagrin of the other vendors on the street. The Washington Post said, "the man is simply coining money, where he eked out a meager revenue before. He has simply tickled the public's fancy for something new". And the rest, as they say, is history.

Here's a yummy looking ice cream sandwich recipe from NotSoHumblePie.blogspot.com.

And here's a simple and clever dessert recipe using ice cream sandwiches from allrecipes.com.

Source
Image

Raspberry Cream Pie Day

August 1st is Raspberry Cream Pie Day. Raspberry Cream Pie Day?! I've never had Raspberry Cream Pie!

This one looks good! And this one, this one, and this one! This one is Raspberry Chiffon Pie, close enough to Raspberry Cream Pie, it looks incredible! And you certainly can't go wrong by adding chocolate like this one, yum!

Picture: Flickr ~ The Big Shamu

Rounds Resounding Day

Every August 1st is Rounds Resounding Day. Here's a funny video from Cuckoo Concertos. It cracks me up but my husband says it about drove him crazy. I guess he just doesn't have my kind of patience. :0)

National Jump For Jelly Beans Day

National Jump For Jelly Beans Day is celebrated every year on July 31st. It is one of two Jelly Bean holidays celebrated throughout the year, the first being National Jelly Bean Day on April 22nd. Not much is known about the creation or purpose of National Jump For Jelly Beans Day. I would guess it's a day for all lover's of Jelly Beans to jump for joy at the very thought of nibbling on some of these tasty little sugary legumes.

The Beatles Weren't Jumping For Jelly Beans
Did you know that fans of The Beatles would throw jelly beans at them when they performed? Reportedly in an interview, George Harrison mentioned that he liked a familiar British confection called Jelly Babies, when the U.K. fans got wind of this they began throwing Jelly Babies on stage while The Beatles performed. When The Beatles came to America, we didn't have Jelly Babies, so American fans began throwing jelly beans. The Beatles were not at all happy about this! Can you imagine being beaned in the noggin by flying jelly beans? George Harrison was quoted as saying, "Imagine waves of rock-hard little bullets raining down on you from the sky. It's a bit dangerous, you know, 'cause if a jelly bean, travelling about 50 miles and hour through the air, hits you in the eye, you're finished. You're blind aren't you?" Sounds like The Beatles weren't jumping for jelly beans they were jumping from jelly beans.

Singing For Jelly Beans
Greg Jardin, the director of this amazing Kina Grannis music video, used about 288,000 Jelly Belly brand jelly beans in the production of this video. It took almost 2 years to make from conception to final product. It's really cute. I think you'll like it. Happy National Jump For Jelly Beans Day!



This video shows how the music video was made.



Sources: The Beatles Bible  Daily Mail

National Cotton Candy Day

National Cotton Candy Day is celebrated twice during the year, July 31st and December 7th.

I fondly remember standing in a crowd of joyful onlookers at the amusement park, smelling the sweet, warm smell of melting sugar while I watched strands of pink floss flying around the inside of a large metal bowl. As the cotton candy man spun pink clouds of sweetness onto long paper cones I cheerfully anticipated his candy filament covered arm handing the yummy treat to me.

Cotton Candy is a sweet, fluffy, soft candy confection made mostly from sugar, with food coloring and flavoring added. I like the way Christine Venzon of TLC Cooking describes it as "pillows of wool [that] melts in your mouth like a snowflake". You can read her excellent article about the science of making cotton candy here, at howstuffworks.com

A precursor to cotton candy, was spun sugar, made back in the 15th century. Pastry chefs from Venice drizzled caramelized sugar syrup with a fork around broom handles, and then worked the warm pliable threads into various shapes. But these sugar masterpieces were not for commoners. Sugar was very rare and expensive at the time and was considered a luxury, only for wealthy aristocrats.

Here, at sugarstand.com you will find a recipe on how to make your own homemade cotton candy, which I imagine is similar to the spun sugar made in the 15th century.

In 1897, machine spun cotton candy was invented by William Morrison and John C. Wharton. The machine had a small bowl in which sugar was poured and then food coloring added. The sugar reserve bowl was then spun at high speed while heaters near the rim melted the sugar, which squeezed out through tiny holes by centrifugal force.The molten sugar would then solidify in the air and be caught in a large metal bowl surrounding the central sugar reservoir bowl. The operator of the machine then twirled a stick or cone around the rim of the large catching bowl gathering the sugar strands into portions.

Morrison and Wharton introduced "Fairy Floss" to a wide audience at the 1904 St. Louis World's fair and met with great success. "Fairy Floss" was scooped up into a box and sold for 25 cents, half the admission price to the fair. Despite it's high price, the pair were able to sell 68,655 boxes of the fluffy candy, making $17,163.75 during the 6 month duration of the fair, quite a lot of money for that time. (It's nothing to sneeze at now either!)

The name was later changed from "Fairy Floss" to "Cotton Candy", but people in the industry refer to it simply as "floss".

Cotton candy machines work much the same way now as they did back then. And you don't have to wait for the local fair to open to buy this yummy nostalgic treat, you can now buy cotton candy at many stores and online, and it comes in various colors and flavors, such as blue raspberry, bubble gum, watermelon, and still the favorite - classic (pink) vanilla.


Sources: wikipedia.com howstuffworks.com
Image: Photobucket samiandlove321

The First Stamp Collection

According to familycrafts.about.com the first stamp collection was started on May 7 (it did not say what year). While I was unable to find any information containing exact dates, I did find some interesting things about stamp collecting.

The first postage stamp ever made was the Penny Black. It was issued by Britain in 1840 and pictured a Young Queen Victoria. It was produced without perforations and therefore had to be cut from the page with scissors in order to be used. Unused examples of the Penny Black are scarce, while used examples are quite common and can be bought for between $20 and $200, depending upon condition.

Stamp Collecting Begins
Stamp collecting began shortly after the production of the first stamps. In 1841 The Times newspaper published a letter asking readers to send postage stamps to a young girl who was making a collection of them. Her name is unknown, but she was probably the first  stamp collector.

Early stamp collectors were primarily children and teenagers. Adults thought of it as a child's game. Before long these children grew up, began publishing books about available stamps, and the hobby of stamp collecting began to grow in popularity.

Stamp albums were not available when the first stamp collections began. Albums were not introduced until about 1862 and were virtual works of art in their own right, and are considered collectors' items today. Interestingly, the first stamp collections were applied to just about every surface that could hold them, chairs, tables, walls, even ceilings. One of the early collectors made a map of England and Wales using 2,139 postage stamps.

One of the most astonishing collections of this kind belonged to a circus performer and acrobat named Albert Schafer (1876-1958) who decorated an entire room and it's contents with hundreds and hundreds of stamps. He began working on his Stamp Room at his home in Chiswick, London, while recovering from falling off the circus high wire. It took him sixty years to construct.

The Most Valuable Stamp in the World
The world's most valuable stamp is the One Cent Magenta of British Guiana (Guyana) which was first issued in 1852. It is the most valuable because there is only one genuine copy known to exist. Vernon Vaughan, a 12 year old Scots schoolboy living in British Guiana found the One Cent Magenta on a letter belonging to his uncle. Not knowing how valuable it was, he sold it to a Guianese dealer for a modest sum. The stamp's rarity soon became famous, and it was bought and sold by many collector's including Phillippe von Ferrary, the richest man in the world at that time. After Ferrary died in 1917, his massive collection was auctioned off and the One Cent Magenta ended up in the hands of an American multi-millionaire named Alfred Hind.

Soon after Hind acquired the One Cent Magenta, he discovered another copy of the stamp in Paris. This, of course, damaged the stamp's reputation as the only one of it's kind in the world. Upon this discovery, Hind bought the second stamp and burned it so that the first stamp would retain it's uniqueness.

The One Cent Magenta's estimated value at this time is $935,000.

Sources:
weuropeanhistory.suite101.com
en.wikipedia.org

Joseph Brackett Day ~ May 6

Joseph Brackett was a Shaker leader born on May 6, 1797 in Cumberland, Maine. Many individual Shaker members wrote songs which are still sung today. One of the most popular Shaker songs (and I think most lovely) was written by Elder Joseph Brackett . It is called Simple Gifts. It has been classified as a hymn or a work song but it is better classified as a dance song. This song extols the blessings of living a simple life.

A Brief History of Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo - Spanish, for the "fifth of May", is a holiday that originated in Mexico. This holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

In 1861, Mexico's economy was in ruin. It's struggle to gain independence from Spain, in 1821, along with the Mexican-American war (1846-1848), and the Mexican Civil war of 1858 had left Mexico devastated, bankrupt, and heavily in debt to Spain, England and France.

On July 17, 1861, Mexico's President Benito Juarez issued a moratorium which suspended payment of these debts for two years until Mexico could get back on it's feet. When the loan payments stopped, France, who was eager to expand it's empire and establish leadership in Mexico, decided to take advantage of Mexico's situation and began action to invade the country.

In 1862, the French army began it's march toward Mexico City, but when it reached the city of Puebla it was met and subsequently defeated by a smaller, ill-equipped Mexican army led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin. The victory was a glorious moment for Mexican Patriots. It helped in developing a needed sense of national unity and is the cause for the historical date's celebration.

You may not be aware that Cinco de Mayo is more popular in the U.S. than it is in Mexico. Although Cinco de Mayo was a notable day in Mexican history, it is not a nationally recognized holiday in Mexico and is not widely celebrated there.  Mexican Cinco de Mayo celebrations are primarily limited to the state of Puebla, where they celebrate with food, dancing, and the reenactment of the Battle of Puebla.

Cinco de Mayo has become more and more popular in America where it serves as an opportunity to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture among the Mexican population as well as many non-Mexican Americans. Many special events are held all over America and in many places around the world in honor of Cinco de Mayo. It has also become increasingly more commercialized.

Cinco de Mayo is often confused with Mexico's Independence Day which is September 16.

Source:  mexonline.com
Image: Sunflower
Originally uploaded by G60Pulse

National Cheeseball Day

National Cheeseball Day is celebrated every April 17th. As with most foodie holidays, we don't know what the origin or who the creators of National Cheeseball Day are. I believe the intention of the day is to celebrate and enjoy the kind of cheeseballs that are found at parties or gatherings which are made by blending cream cheese with various ingredients and spices and then rolling it in nuts, or some other little goody, and spreading it on crackers or cookies. But if you're pressed for time, I'm sure it's perfectly fine to run out and buy a bag of the crunchy, orange-y, cheesy cheeseballs to gobble down, because any celebration is better than no celebration at all. I'm sure the Cheeseball Chick would concur.

Technically, cheeseball is actually two words - "cheese ball" - but I guess for this day we're blending the words together just as we blend ingredients together with creamy cheese to form a delectable and cheesy cheese ball.

Easy Ranch and Ham Cheese Ball from: Creations by Kara

Cheddar Pistachio Cheese Ball from: Nummy Kitchen

Nutty Pimiento Cheese Balls from: Delish.com

Shrimp Cheese Ball from: ifood.tv

Sweet Cherry Cheese Ball from: A Bear in the Kitchen

Red Velvet Cheese Ball from: Taste and Tell

The Mother of all cheese balls ~ 12 layers of cheesiness!

The Turducken of Cheese Balls from: Chow.com

Happy Birthday Albert Einstein ~ March 14

Albert Einstein was a world renowned, German-born physicist and iconic genius best known for his Theory of Relativity. He was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany. If you go to Biography.com, you can watch two videos about the biography of Albert Einstein. The first video to play is a brief biography and if you stay on it a  more detailed biography will play.

Albert Einstein was recognized by TIME Magazine as "Person of the Century" in 1999. He is someone well worth getting to know better.

Here is a video describing the Theory of Relativity in easy terms.

Image - NobelPrize.org

Here's What's Happening ~ March 3rd

Bonza Bottler Day-
Bonza Bottler Day is celebrated each month on the day that is the same number as the month it is in, for example: Jan. 1, Feb. 2, Mar. 3, etc. It is a day meant to have a party just for the fun of it.

Bonza Bottler Day was created in 1985 by Elaine Fremont from Greenville, South Carolina. Ms. Fremont liked to party and have fun, but she noticed that the month of August contained no special holidays to celebrate, so she decided to create a day that would insure each month of the year had at least one reason to party.

Ms. Fremont held a contest to name the day. An Australian student, who delivered mail to her office each day, came up with the name Bonza (which is an Australian expression meaning: "super", "great", or "fantastic") Bottler (which is slang for "something excellent"). Ms. Fremont thought it was a perfect name for her special day.

But wait! That's not all. Along with Bonza Bottler Day, there are Bodacious Bonza Bottler Days. Bodacious Bonza Bottler Days are celebrated in months when the day, month, and year coincide, so for 2012, the Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day will be December 12th. If my brain is working the way it should, by my calculations, this will be the last BBBD for the next 88 years. So, you may want to plan ahead and have a wing dinger of a party on 12-12-12, maybe at 12:12 p.m.. You could call it your Bodacious Bonza Bottler Wing Dinger Ringer! :0)

Sadly, Elaine Fremont died in a car accident on April 8, 1995, just short of ten years after the first Bonza Bottler Day was held on August 8, 1985.

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Begins-
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a race held annually in early March which runs 1,049 miles from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. The trail runs through several cities and towns, spruce forests and mountains, across rivers, and along the shore of the Bering Sea. Mushers and their teams of 12 to 16 sled dogs travel the distance in 9-15 days, often through blizzards, sub-zero temperatures, and gale force winds. The winner is the first team to cross the finish line and must have at least 6 dogs on the towline when crossing.

The race was started in 1973 and has become a highly competitive event. Most of the mushers and sled dog teams hale from Alaska, but competitors from fourteen different countries have participated over the years.

I Want You To Be Happy Day-
Celebrated every year on March 3rd, I Want You To Be Happy Day is a day for us to forget about our own wants and desires and focus on bringing happiness to others through kind words and deeds. Do something special for the special people in your life to show them how much you appreciate them, or for someone who is feeling down.

The origin and creator of I Want You To Be Happy Day are unknown.

National Anthem Day-
The Star-Spangled Banner is the National Anthem of the United States of America. It was written in 1814, during the War of 1812 (1812-1814), by lawyer and Georgetown, Washington, D.C. resident, Francis Scott Key. The song became a popular tune to be sung at various patriotic events, but was not officially designated by Congress as the National Anthem until March 3, 1931.

How The Song Came To Be
Less than three decades after the Revolutionary War, America was once again embroiled in conflict with the British. Feelings of resentment arose towards Great Britain because of their interference with American international trade. That, along with America's visions to expand, led Congress to declare war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. A little more than a year after the war began, America suffered a tremendous blow, when on August 24, 1814, British forces stormed Washington, D.C., setting fire to many buildings, including The White House and The Capital Building.

Thinking he was a spy, British troops took Key's good friend, Dr. William Beanes, prisoner in the attack. The British then headed towards Maryland where they awaited in the Baltimore Harbor readying for an attack on Baltimore's Fort McHenry. With permission from President Madison, Keys, and a prisoner of war exchange agent, Colonel John Skinner, sailed along the Chesapeake Bay, under the flag of truce, to meet with the British and negotiate the release of Dr. Beanes.

The two men were successful in convincing the British that Beanes was not a spy. The British agreed upon his release, but since all three men knew of the plan to attack Ft. McHenry, the British decided to detain the three, in the ship, until the attack was over.

On the morning of September 13, 1814, the British bombarded Ft. McHenry in an attack that would last 25 hours. Throughout the battle, Keys kept his eye on the American storm flag which flew above the fort. As darkness fell, Keys listened and watched as rockets shot across the sky, wondering what the fate of the Fort would be. When morning broke, and the battle had silenced, Keys looked out to see the larger American flag (that American troops had raised in place of the storm flag) waving triumphantly above the Fort. The British had retreated, Fort McHenry had stood strong. Keys was so inspired by the sight of the American flag, that upon his release, he penned the words of The Star Spangled Banner, which was later set to the tune of a popular British song called "Anacreon in Heaven". The Star Spangled Banner became a symbol of American patriotism from that day forward.

National Cold Cuts Day-
Celebrated annually on March 3rd, today is a great day to make a yummy cold cut sandwich for lunch. Here is a video teaching us how to make the perfect cold cut sandwich. Just a word of warning, I did read recently that sprouts may not be so safe to eat, so proceed with caution there.

National Mulled Wine Day-
Celebrated every March 3rd. Mulled wine refers to any type of wine that has been heated and spiced.

Peach Blossom Day-
Peach Blossom Day is related to the Japanese culture. Springtime is approaching in Japan, a time when fruit trees are beginning to blossom. In Japan, the peach blossom signifies feminine traits such as: gentility, composure, and tranquility. It is a symbol of all that is feminine: beauty, delicacy, daintiness, and smelling sweet.

On March 3rd, a Doll Festival, or Peach Blossom Festival is held in Japan, it is also known as Girl's Day. Peach Blossom Day is a day to honor the beauty of the peach blossom, as well as the beauty of a delicate young lady. A day to enjoy being a girl. Even if you're not a "froo froo" kind of a girl, today, just enjoy being you.

What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs? Day-
Every March 3rd. This holiday was created by Thomas and Ruth Roy of Wellcat Holidays and Herbs. It begs the question, "How crazy would this world be if cats and dogs had opposable thumbs and could grab onto things the way, say, a monkey can?" They'd really have the rule of the roost then. They'd be writing out checks.. buying catnip by the truckload... having thumb wars... putting your hand in a bowl of warm water while you slept... it'd be frightening!

Leap Year Day ~ Feb. 29th

We all know that there are 365 days in a year, but, in actuality, it takes the earth approximately 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to make one trip around the sun. So, to keep our calendar system on track with nature we must add an extra day every four years to the calendar. We call that a Leap Year.

Leap years occur every 4 years. Well, almost. It's a little confusing, but if you go to timeanddate.com, they'll tell you all about that. 

Here's a fun explanation about why we need a Leap Year from The Veggie Tales.



Leap Year Freebies
All around the U.S., restaurants and businesses are offering Leap Year Day freebies and deals. Here are a few that you may want to take advantage of today.

• Einstein Bros. Bagels - Buy one lunch sandwich and get another one for free. Go to their Facebook page, click on "Get Offer" and a coupon will be sent to your email inbox. Apparently, you must download the coupon today, but the coupon is good until March 4, 2012.
• Subway - You receive a free cookie today with any purchase from Subway. No coupon necessary. 
• McDonald's - Some McDonald's locations are offering a free cup of coffee all day today. Check your local McDonald's for participation.
• Buca Di Beppo - Offering a family meal deal for 4, with coupon.
• Disneyland and Disney World Magic Kingdom - Staying open for 24 hrs. straight on Feb. 29, 2012.