Sunday, January 31, 2010

February 1-7

Feb 1 - National Freedom Day
Feb 2 - Candlemas
Feb 3 - Four Chaplains Memorial Day
Feb 4 - Thank A Mailman Day
Feb 5 - National Weatherpersons's Day
Feb 6 - National Frozen Yogurt Day
Feb 7 - Send A Card To A Friend Day

*This is going to be a couple of crazy weeks so I will do my best to post regularly!

January 31 – Inspire Your Heart With Art

This is my favorite piece of art that I own…and one of my favorite pieces of art every. I bought it in Cape Town, South Africa after I watched a man paint it on the street. It was amazing; I love the bright colors and the simple design -so simple, but at the same time so powerful. Art is odd because it is SOOO subjective, and people get so many different things out of it.

I love contemporary art, clean lines, shapes, colors, black & white. If you take me to see portraits or paintings of real things…I am just not that interested. For some, I am sure it is the other way around. I also LOVE black & white photos; I think they are amazing and more powerful then color.

I believe there is art all around us - what people wear, nature, how people express themselves, pictures, paintings, vases, flower arrangements…it is all so interesting! I hope today you can look around and enjoy the art in your life, and let it inspire you!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

January 30 – Insane Answering Message Day

I made up a little impromptu message for my cell phone today. I am lucky that this day fell on a weekend, if someone was calling me about anything remotely serious I would have to keep my phone within reach all day so that they didn’t get the answering machine!

I made up a little song it went like this:

"This is Michelle,
You’ve reached Michelle,
I can’t get to my phone right now,
But leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can, and it insane message day WHOOOO!”

To the tune of I am a C, I am a C-H, I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N!
If you have the privilege of hearing it I hope you like it!

January 28 – National Puzzle Day

• I gave a puzzled look

• I was puzzled

• I did a logic puzzle

• I did a suduko puzzle

• I watched people on Ellen put a puzzle together

• I did a numbers puzzle

• I am horrible at crossword puzzles, so I stared at one for a bit but was unable to get any of the words

• I was unable to do a jigsaw puzzle because they are all packed up…

The reason I have not been able to post daily…we will be moving home to Michigan! We have been packing and getting everything ready so things have been a little chaotic. This leads me to the greatest puzzle… what am I going to do with my life? ...Whoever solves that puzzle is a genius!

January 28 – National Kazoo Day

Much of this day was spent searching for a kazoo…Outrageous!


I was expecting them to be lining the aisles of every store, being played by all the employees, perhaps some kazoo easy listening over the PA system…alas, none of that happened and in-fact I was unable to find a kazoo!

Fortunately, I have many skills & I discovered that I can make a sound pretty close to that of a kazoo. I played my new found “kazoo” for Jared while we aimlessly searched through the stores looking for an actual kazoo.

WOW some people are really into this kazoo thing!
http://www.kazoos.com/nationalkazooday.htm

Friday, January 29, 2010

January 27 – Thomas Crapper Day


This day commemorates the death of Thomas Crapper – Plumber.

What came first the crap or the crapper? This is a chicken and egg question to me. Did people actually start calling poop crap because of this man’s name? And why only did poop pick up this name – you do a lot more then that in the crapper. For that matter if that truly is why it is called the crapper, why is that a slang word for toilet? Shouldn’t toilet be slang for crapper?

Actually it is a myth that Thomas Crapper invented the toilet.

In his research, Grabowski has created a detailed history of Crapper's business life. The man holds nine patents, four for improvements to drains, three for water closets, one for manhole covers and the last for pipe joints. Every patent application for plumbing related products filed by Crapper made it through the process, and actual patents were granted.

The most famous product attributed to Thomas Crapper wasn't invented by him at all. The "Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer" (No. 814) was a symphonic discharge system that allowed a toilet to flush effectively when the cistern was only half full. British Patent 4990 for 1898 was issued to a Mr. Albert Giblin for this product. (www.theplumber.com)

So maybe just because he was a plumber and his name was Crapper we celebrate this day to honor him! I do love people whose names TOTALLY fit their job… My sister’s baby doctor is Dr.Bump, a librarian named Paige, a really dumb person named Dick…you know those sorts of things.

P.S. There is a Thomas Crapper Co.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

January 26 – Australia Day



Well, I celebrated this day last night…or began my celebration. Jared and I went out to Outback…I mean if that isn’t Australian I don’t know what is. (I’m kidding)

While we were there I almost made us get up and leave, I couldn’t believe we were going on Opposite Day and not on Australia Day, so I am just saying that we started celebrating earlier.

Australia is one of the two continents I have not yet had the privilege of visiting. Jared and I plan to one day take a motor home around Australia and see as much as we can! I am very excited!


Jared chose to celebrate this day bye saying “G’day Mate”, “The dingo ate my baby”, and trying to convince Duke that he was in-fact a Dingo…it was quite entertaining.

We have a book called THE TRAVEL BOOK it is amazing…here are some interesting things in says about Australia:

Best time to visit: Anytime is fine – and definitely before 1788 when the Europeans invaded

Essential Experience: Meeting the native wildlife on Kangaroo Island

Trademarks: Bronzed Aussies, dangerous creatures, endless beaches, friendly locals, Outback pubs, sizzling barbecues, Aussie Rules football

Surprises: Kangaroos don’t hop down city streets; it isn’t always hot and sunny; it has the oldest continuing culture in the world!



January 25 – Opposite Day

I learned a few valuable lessons today about when NOT to celebrate opposite day. Some of these were learned by personal experience and some I just don’t think would work well with the day:

1. At work – not a good idea, you may answer questions like – No, I am not busy at all. I can’t have that done for a long time. I have no idea what you are talking about…or on the other hand…I understand exactly! - These could get you into some sticky situations…sometimes, depending on your work circumstance, you could benefit from this day at work I suppose…I LOVE working here! You are the best boss ever! I get paid so much for doing so little!

2. When giving directions – left is right, right is left, this way is that way, keep going is stop…it’s all very confusing!

3. Wedding – I am thinking you never want to get married on this day… “I Don’t”…”does anyone object” – everyone would start screaming out how awful you were. "You look so ugly today, and your hair...what were you thinking!"

4. Receiving or giving a job offer - "We are not offering you a position, I can't believe you even applied, you have none of the things we are looking for." - "I don't want the position, I don't care about your company at all, and it really was just a waste of my time."

5. The birth of a child… “It’s a girl and WOW is she messed up!”

So, this day is a fun day, but beware how you use it…most importantly...make sure people you are talking to know that it is opposite day – which is hard in itself if you are a true player:

“It is NOT opposite day”
“Oh, so you aren’t talking in opposites”
“No”
“So what you’re saying is what you mean”
“Yes”…

This will take you back…

Sunday, January 24, 2010

January 25-31 Holidays


Jan 25 - Opposite Day
Jan 26 - Australia Day
Jan 27 - Thomas Crapper Day
Jan 28 - National Kazoo Day
Jan 29 - National Puzzle Day
Jan 30 - Insane Answering Message Day
Jan 31 - National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day

**You may notice that I have not been posting everyday lately.  We have been making some big changes over here at the our house...while I can not yet share these things specifically yet, I will just say we have been busy.  I can assure you that I celebrate each day, I just don't always have time to post on the actual day.  Thank you for your patience!  I will fill you in next week!**

January 24 – Peanut Butter Day!

Originally called Nutmeal, peanut butter has only been around for 100 years. But, it's a staple in 85% of American homes, and we eat about 3 pounds of peanut butter per person each year ... that's a total of 700 million pounds - enough to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon!


Peanut butter how I love the way you stick the roof of my mouth and prevent me from talking, or the fact that every time I put you on something, no matter how careful I am you get all over my fingers…oh the memories!

I have a few distinct memories that involve this favorite snack…

First of all when I was very small I would go to my friend’s house before and after preschool, our favorite snack was a scoop of peanut butter! One time I went back for seconds…that’s right I took 2 scoops of peanut butter! My friend, who shall remain nameless thought that this was an unforgivable act and ran into the other room…only to come running towards me with crazy eyes...scissors raised high in the air…That’s right people she chopped my hand open with scissors because I took an extra scoop of the delicious sticky butter tasting of peanuts! - I had to go to the Dr. and get stitches – I still have the scar to prove it. We are still very good friends…she doesn’t like me to bring it up, but after many years of therapy I now find it quite funny.

I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, when I was on Semester At Sea; I lived off of toasted PB & J’s for about 3 months. It was amazing!

I also love JIF peanut butter; I definitely think that choosy mom’s choose JIF. However, I am not a mom yet…and choosy moms may choose it, but I am cheap and I choose the one that costs about 1/3 as much as JIF. I long for the day when I can throw a big jar of JIF in my cart without a second thought.

If you haven’t ever heard this song before…it’s a classic. It has been on numerous TV shows and such, Jared had never heard it….big surprise…so here is it for all of you. I know today is Peanut Butter Day NOT peanut butter & jelly day, but they go hand in hand, it is one of peanut butter’s great talents, the way that it mixes with any flavor of jelly!

January 23 – National Handwriting Day

This day opened up the discussion why do we learn cursive? I understand basically needing to know it…kind of, but compare the hours we spend learning it to the amount of time we spend using it…WAY out of balance…at least for me. I think it should be an elective in 2nd grade – not required. Jared thinks that we have to learn it so that we can learn our signature…then we thought about that and decided NO because you can’t read anyone’s signature anyway.


I also always think about in crime shows when they match people’s handwriting…I don’t think they could do that to mine. For 1. I write vastly different on different days sometimes big and round other times very small and scratchy, 2. Sometimes I write identical to my sister Katie and I can’t even tell or remember if I wrote something or if she did. Finally, 3. I like to switch up how I write letters & numbers. For a while I will write 4 with a triangle top, and then I will switch to an open square top, same with 8 sometimes I will do a figure 8, others two o’s places on top of one another. So, I don’t think that could ever be conclusive evidence against me…not that I will ever be convicted of anything…I gotta go.

January 22 – National Blonde Brownie Day

Well, I learned or thought I learned how to make Blonde Brownies already on this holiday quest on Dessert Day…


I lost that recipe and so I found another one online, I was making it and it looked like a powder – not like something you could stick in the oven and bake. Since the only form of liquid in the recipe was an egg…I added another one. Then just for good measure I threw in a little bit more flour and brown sugar.

I was a little scared, but they actually turned out quite good. – This holiday stuff may be making me better in the kitchen! They actually just look and taste like a big giant cookie…but that is OK with me...yumm! We are leaving to go out of town for the night so I shoveled as many as I could into my mouth and now we are off to Port Angeles! Blonde Brownies…you are so good!

January 21 – National Hugging Day

Hugging – this is one reason I am very glad that I am a girl. I can hug anyone and it’s not odd. Men however, have to think ok am I going to hug, shake hands, do the man hug with the pat on the back…it’s all very confusing. Today I enjoyed every hug I gave or received.

Duke has a very good hugging schedule. He starts out his day every morning with a morning hug – we uncover him from bed, pick him up, and give him a big hug and kisses and tell him what the plan for the day is. He also gets a hug every time I come home….he grabs a toy does a lap around the table and then sits at my feet until I pick him up and give him a big hug and tell him how much I love him. He gets many other hugs throughout the day as well.

I love getting hugs from Jared and today he thought it was so funny cause it was National Hugging Day when I would say something that I was annoyed with or anxious about he would just say “Let’s hug it out, come on Michelle, come here, let’s hug it out” he thought it was so funny, but it did actually help.

So I think that everyone should just hug. If you feel like hugging just do it, don’t let anything get in your way, stretch your arms out and run towards the person you want to hug. And if they are uncomfortable with it you can use Jared’s line – Let’s hug it out!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

January 20 – Cheese Day

Cheese a GREAT member of the dairy food group! My personal favorite is Colby Jack! OO and I LOVE eating small cubes of cheese and beef sticks…YUMM! I do not, however, like cheese on my pizza, I take it off and then put the toppings back on…weird I know, but I just don’t like it on pizza.

I also enjoy saying CHEESE for a picture & seeing cheesy people. Probably the biggest fan of cheese I know…Duke…as you can see from the size of his eyes in this picture, he very very rarely gets cheese. It’s not good for dogs in big quantities, but once in a while and EXCELLENT treat!


There are 670 types of cheeses that are well known and over 2000 types all together!

Some of my favorite snacks that incorporate some version or cheese:

• Macaroni and Cheese
• Tuna Melt (Tuna with Cheese melted on top)
• Cheez-Its
• Cheese Sticks
• Omelets (ham & cheese)
• Grilled Cheese
• Turkey and Provolone (that is what I get on every sub where ever I get it from)
• Cheese Balls
• Chips ‘n Cheese


YUMM! CHEESE! LOVE IT! Today was a good day!

January 19 – Popcorn Day


There was nothing I could find about why this day is popcorn day…one site did say that possibly it had something to do with the Super Bowl, since that used to be earlier in the year then it is now.

My step-dad LOVES popcorn! So much so that for Christmas he got a new popcorn bowl from my sister. It has this special thing in the bottom so all the un-popped kernels fall into it and you don’t accidentally grab then while shoveling in the otherwise perfectly plump popped kernels.


I am not a big popcorn eater; I will eat it if it is around, but only the plain kind…and I HATE butter on it. You would think this could cause a problem at the movies between Jared and me, but he just gets me a box of Buncha Crunch and I am good to go.

Popcorn has been around for a LONG time, and it is a healthy snack if you don’t load it down with butter or salt.

Enjoy your popped corn today…maybe someday they will come up with popstrawberry, or poppea? You never know, I could be on the cutting edge of something!

Monday, January 18, 2010

January 18 – Winnie the Pooh Day


This day has my sister Erin’s name all over it! She LOVES pooh. Above you can see her collection of Poohs. She has a little Pooh that goes on all her adventures with her…much like my hippo she has her Pooh. (The travelling one is the one in the fron row with the little red shirt on.)

Here is the history of Winnie the Pooh: (I wonder if Erin even knows this!)

During the First World War troops from Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) were being transported to eastern Canada, on their way overseas to Europe where they should join the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade. When the train stopped at White River, Ontario, a lieutenant called Harry Colebourn bought a small female black bear cub for $20 from a hunter who had killed its mother. He named her 'Winnipeg', after his hometown of Winnipeg, or 'Winnie' for short.

Winnie became the mascot of the Brigade and went to Britain with the unit. When the Brigade was posted to the battlefields of France, Lt. Colebourn took Winnie to the London Zoo for a long loan. Formally Colebourn presented the London Zoo with Winnie in December 1919 where it became a popular attraction and lived until 1934.

The bear was also very popular by Christopher Robin, son of author A.A. Milne. It was his favorite at the zoo, and he often spent time inside the cage with it. The bear was Christopher Robin's inspiration for calling his own teddy bear Winnie.... Winnie the Pooh (this teddy bear started out with the name of Edward Bear). The name of Pooh originally belonged to a swan, as can be seen in a poem from Milne's When We Were Very Young.

A.A. Milne started to write a series of books about Winnie the Pooh, his son Christopher Robin, and their friends at 100-Aker-Wood. These other characters, such as Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga and Roo were also based on stuffed animals belonging to Christopher Robin. Other characters as Rabbit and Owl were based on animals that lived, just like the swan Pooh, in the surrounding area of Milne's country home Cotchford Farm in Ashdown Forest, Sussex, on which 100-Aker-wood was based.

(Source: www.winniethepoohbear.net)
Today is Winnie the Pooh Day because it is the birthday of A.A. Milne.

So enjoy your cuddly bear today…and sing along…I know you know the words…

Sunday, January 17, 2010

January 18-24


Jan 18 - Winnie The Pooh Day
Jan 19 - National Popcorn Day
Jan 20 - Cheese Day
Jan 21 - National Hugging Day
Jan 22 - National Blonde Brownie Day
Jan 23 - National Handwriting Day
Jan 24 - National Peanut Butter Day

January 17 – Kid Inventor's Day

Sorry, there was a typo in the weekly list of holidays that I put out last Sunday, I thought originally today was: Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral Day…it’s not.

When I was a kid, I tried to invent things ALL the time. One time I thought I had invented something that took ink off of your hands…my mom always used to put some ingredients out for me in the kitchen and then while she was making something I will throw in a little of this, a little of that, and com up with my own concoction – It was one of my favorite things to do with her. Well…one day, I mixed up some stuff, I think I threw in some food coloring cause I remember it being purple and I washed my hands with it and voila the pen on my hand was gone! I was so impressed with myself, that I remember taking it to school for show and tell. I then wrote on my hand with a pen, took half of the class (the girls and my teacher) into the bathroom and used my invention to clean my hands! It was amazing. I am pretty sure my secret ingredient was soap, although I can say I am not 100% sure. I may have had something revolutionary.

Here is another kid inventor from my favorite show Ellen:

Saturday, January 16, 2010

January 16 – National Nothing Day


So…I have discovered that you are never doing “nothing”. At first I was a little perplexed on what to do today since it is impossible to do nothing.

Luckily, I decided that I have Nothing planned for today! It was great! I woke up at 9am and just laid in bed because I had nothing that I had to do. I talked to some friends on the phone, checked my email…then Duke asked to go to the dog park so SURE we went, we had nothing else to do.

Overall, so far it has been a very relaxing day of nothing.

I called my sister today to see what she was doing and she said “Nothing, we are bored!” and to that I said, “PERFECT! Today is National Nothing Day! You are participating to the fullest!” She was not that excited at her grand participation in the day, but I was.

So, I am going to keep doing nothing in particular, well still doing something…only because I have to.

I think it is very odd that you can never be doing NOTHING. I guess that saying is becoming truer the longer I think about this…. If you are not helping the situation then you are hurting it. (Something like that anyway) – For me it applies to everything…relationships, attitude, etc. Things are always happening…never Nothing! – Maybe today is the day to recognize that?

(That picture is Duke doing as close to nothing as you can get!)

January 15 – Hat Day

Hats – I think they have been around since the beginning of time. I am sure Adam and Eve had some made out of leaves or something. I think it is interesting how some people look GREAT in hats and others look…well…not so great.

My favorite hat I have ever seen is one we used to own. It was a brown hat with a Moose face coming out the front and big antlers! I wish I had a picture to post here, but I don’t.

There is a great hat store in Breckenridge Colorado, my family has family reunions up there a lot and one year we all bought these crazy hats and wore them around…family bonding. There was one black rounded top hat with LONG brownish/red hair hanging out of it. Another with 2 LONG bills sticking out each side, my Grandma had one that looked like a putting green – complete with pin and golf ball rolling around the top! It was great.

I really enjoy wearing hats, however, I don’t think the traditional baseball hat looks that great on me, I really want it to…but that doesn’t mean it does. I have 2 hats that I like to wear, a brown one and a camo one. I also really like winter hats. The problem I have with them is that once I am wearing one, I am stuck wearing it until the end of the day. My hair gets all pressed down on top and frizzy on the bottom – the curse of curly hair.

Here is my sister participating in Hat Day!


Most Popular Men's Styles over the Centuries
Capotain - Early 17th Century, originally came from Spain. It was a tall hat, with a medium brim and tapered crown. Made from felt. Most popular colour was black.

Sugar Loaf - Mid 17th Century - High Crown, stiff brim, it became associated with the dress worn by the Puritans.

The Tricorne Hat (Three cornered hat) - 18th Century.

Bicorne Hat - Late 18th Century - Most popular amongst artists and intellectuals.

Top Hat - Mid 19th Century

Coke Hat - Mid 19th Century - synonymous with bowler hat.

Panamas and soft hats - became popular head attire from the mid 1800s. With styles such as the pork pie in both felt and straw and the helmet in straw being introduced in the mid-late 1800s. After this period men's hats varied little. To this day top hats and bowler hats continue to be worn for formal dress, with felts and panamas being worn for everyday wear.       (source: thehatsite.com)

Thursday, January 14, 2010

January 14 – National Dress Up Your Pet Day


I am pretty sure pet’s dread this day every year. Running to their kennels and behind furniture when mom & dad start pulling out “that box” from the closet!  But like a proud mom I DID pull out that box and put on a show for myself...and you...I hope you enjoy!

As with humans some clothes are worn out of necessity and some just to make us humans laugh. Much like babies – pets are dressed up in ridiculous things simply, I’m convinced, so people can laugh at them.

Duke is no different. His sweatshirt he does actually wear outside when it is cold out, seeing that when it is below 50 he is shaking. He is very skinny, has no fat, and barely any fur. Therefore we tried to get him some “cool” looking things. He also has a winter coat that he wears when we go to Michigan or anywhere that is actually cold.

So tonight Duke had a fashion show…he put up with it…that’s about all I can say. His eyes did get really big when I gave him his treat for being so good…all in all I think he is ok with it.

Here is Duke, Bullet (the hot dog), Bella (in yellow), and my nephew Emmet in the polo!




January 13 – Blame Someone Else Day


I blamed:
   · Jared for:
                o Popping our air mattress
                o Making me eat cupcakes – everytime he had one I felt obligated to also have one
                o Ruining my workout plan
   · Duke for:
                o Making me feel bad when I leave the house
                o The constant sprawling field of his toys that is our floor.
   · Washington drivers and planners for the awful traffic…especially you in the red Excursion!
   · My chair at work for making my back HURT!
   · My sister for making me close to my limit on text messages for the month
   · Everyone else for everything that went wrong at work today

January 12 – The Feast of Fabulous Wild Men

With such a great name you would think that there would be a great reason behind this day…no can find any. A lot of holiday sites have this day listed, but on one really knows where it came from. So what does this mean? Here were my ideas:

1. Fabulous Wild Men eat a feast made by themselves
2. I FEAST my eyes on Fabulous Wild Men
3. I make a feast for the Fabulous Wild Men



Jared was sure that he was the Fabulous Wild Man I was supposed to FEAST my eyes upon…I asked him “you think you are wild?” in response to this, he grabbed me by the shoulders and in a “big manyly voice” (haha) he stated loudly “I am a WILD man” then he walked out of the kitchen and went to check his email on the computer! Hahaha – that made me laugh.

I made Jared some cupcakes for him to feast on.

I watched Biggest Loser, which I believe some of the contestants are wild, and fabulous because they are making a great change in their life. I also watched a little bit of American Idol auditions – there were a few fabulous people, and some WILD people, but I am not sure they were the same people.

Here are other men I think are FABULOUS and/or WILD.



Wednesday, January 13, 2010

January 11 – Puddles



Puddle splashing – why as we get older do we lose these small joyous moments! Today I was happy that I live in Seattle…it rained…what a surprise and we had plenty of puddles! Jared and I went outside to jump in puddles. At first I wasn’t very good my splash was going about 2 inches…then Jared showed me the winning technique.

For a successful puddle jump: jump as high as you can, put both feet next to each other and stomp down at the same time like you are trying to break through the floor.

I was thinking of puddles around this time in a typical Michigan winter…then puddle jumping (if you can find a puddle) might not be as fun. Slushy ice flying everywhere, ice chunks hitting your friend in the face…leading to retaliation with a “snowball” (more like ICE ball) thrown in your face…which would lead to a facewash…then ice/snow thrown down the back of your shirt…it just gets ugly from there.

Hence, I was glad to celebrate this day in rainy Seattle today!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

January 11-17

Alright now we are back on track...the craziness from the holidays is over.  Here are the upcoming holiday's this week!



Jan 11 - National Step Into A Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day
Jan 12 - Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day
Jan 13 - Blame Someone Else Day
Jan 14 - National Dress Up Your Pet Day
Jan 15 - Hat Day
Jan 16 - National Nothing Day
Jan 17 - Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral Day

January 10 – National Peculiar People Day

Peculiar:
–adjective
Strange; queer; odd
Uncommon; unusual
Distinctive in nature or character from others.



I decided to me someone is peculiar when I look at them and say to myself (sometimes out loud…hopefully quietly) “What is that person thinking?”

I am not meaning that they are wrong or anything, I truly want to know what they were thinking. This website http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/?paged=113 will show you some of the most peculiar people I have ever seen. It is the People of Wal-Mart website.

Following the website advice Jared and I took a trip to Wal-Mart today…the website is right, there are some very peculiar people there. I am not yet swift enough to capture them like the ones who post on the website, but I’ll get there. We some a few crazy outfits: one consisted of very TIGHT florescent yellow pants on…let’s just say someone who shouldn’t have been wearing them…although I am not sure ANYONE should be wearing them. We also saw some GREAT hot pink clothes, mohawks, other interesting outfits, and we also saw things showing that you just don’t want to see.

All in all it was interesting. Makes me appreciate how different everyone is. If it weren’t offensive to people I honestly would LOVE to talk to these people and see what they were thinking when they left the house, or bought whatever they had on…that would be VERY interesting to me.



So enjoy the peculiar people in your life! And check out the website…these pictures are a few teaser pictures from there. Also, people are putting up new pictures constantly…I looked at it this morning and now again and there were over 30 new pictures put up just today!

January 9 – Static Electricity Day!

Oh the joys of static electricity! I was wishing today that this day would have been over Christmas while we were at my mom’s house in Michigan. Whenever you were on the floor in the basement you were static electric! We were all shocking everyone, I was shocking my sister’s baby, the dogs, and anyone else I touched…and they were shocking me too.

Alas, it was not then…it is today. I tried rubbing my feet around on our carpet and then shocking Jared and I got nothing! I am pretty sure that means the apartment complex should have replaced the carpet well before we moved in…seeing that it is so matted down and nasty that I can’t even generate a little static electricity!


So I went to the next best thing…balloons rubbed on the hair! It took a while for me to remember where I had put my balloons from “Balloons Around the World Day (Oct 7)”, but when I did look what happened!

Then I quickly made Jared a sword – with which he played with and then “stabbed” himself with and stumbled to his death. (Just acting people, Jared is still alive and well).

To learn more about static electricity check out this website: http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/static.html

Did you know?
*Static Electricity is much more of a problem in the winter…BEWARE!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

January 8 – Bubble Bath Day

I decided to spread the cheer on this day. Instead of enjoying a bubble bath myself, I made one for Jared! We only had enough bubbles for one bath and since I had just had one on Bathtub Party Day, and Jared hadn’t had one since he was like 4 we decided that he should go in! He was a little sad we didn’t have any bath toys to play with, but he made due without them.



He said he felt the bubbles were invigorating! He felt totally relaxed and refreshed...SUCCESS!!!

There seriously must be a card for EVERYTHING!
http://www.123greetings.com/events/bubblebathday

Thursday, January 7, 2010

January 7 – Old Rock Day


Luckily, I am now related to a rock expert! My brother-in-law, Luke, is a graduate from University of Michigan with a degree in Geology. Jared called him today to ask him some questions about rocks…here is what we discovered:

  •  The oldest rocks are Igneous and Metamorphic
  • The oldest rocks can be found in Australia and date back 2.5-3.8 billion years
  • “Rocks are cool” (that is a direct quote)
  • Luke’s favorite rock: Gneiss (pictured above)
  • Diamonds are NOT rocks…they are minerals, but diamonds are found in Kimberlights (which is a rock)
 I hope I have expanded your rock knowledge.

Jared and I got to thinking, in the rock world an OLD rock has to be pretty old. So treat them with respect…they may look tough, but they are eroding away everyday!

 

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

January 6 – Cuddle Up Day

Well, this would be a much better day if I was in one of the cold places in the country. Seems like everyone is having cold weather right now…even Texas and Florida, but not here, we are in the 40’s-50’s it’s pretty mild, and not even that rainy. Luckily, I can always cuddle up and enjoy it tremendously. Right now we are all (Jared, Duke, and myself) cuddled on the couch together, we built a fire, and we are watching the MSU basketball game. I am not that into the game…hence why I am writing my blog, but I thoroughly enjoy the cuddling.

Good cuddling to me involves:
• A very comfy place to cuddle
• A nice warm big blanky (mine is Pinky – again it has a name)
• A person or doggie to cuddle with
• Perhaps a hot chocolate, fire, something that makes you feel cuddly
• A good background CD, movie, or in my case basketball game
• And if possible snow or big storm outside!

 If you need other information on how to celebrate this day check out this website:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2172436_celebrate-cuddle-up-day.html

December 5 – National Bird Day


(This bird was outside of our old house just walking around on the carport...apparently they used to live at one of the wineries around here and then something happened and they let all the peacocks go - so now they just wonder around Kirkland/Woodinville WA)

I was discussing this with my sister and decided that ducks don’t seem like birds, I am aware that they fly and have feathers and everything, but ducks just sort of seem like they should be in their own category.

Jared and I have a few bird friends out here in Seattle. We have: Barry the Bald Eagle – who sits by the 520 bridge, Bob the Blue Heron – who hangs out at the dog park and sometimes visits our church, and Doris & Dewy the ducks who live by our church as well. We say “Hi” to them every time we see them. (We have a picture of Barry somewhere, but I can't find it! - He is quite handsome!)

I really enjoy penguins as well. One of my life goals is to ride an ostrich! - Did you know that you can stand on their eggs and they won’t break…it’s true! OOO and I LOVE seeing birds nose-dive into the water, when they are flying and then just go straight in…it’s GREAT! Along those same lines, I think it is hilarious when the ducks/swans/etc put their heads under water and their booty’s stick up in the air…LOVE IT.

Overall birds bring me great joy - always looking so free and happy. However, I must say that I am TERRIFIED of being pooped on. I think this stems from when I was little a seagull pooped on me and my teddy on the beach – traumatizing.  One time one pooped on Jared while he was talking on the phone to me...that was funny.

January 4 – Trivia Day

All Hail Jared…this is his day. I have no idea how he knows so many random facts, but he does. He constantly is spewing out facts about things.

An anonymous source gave me these trivia facts today…after recently becoming a little obsessed with Keeping Up With The Kardashians my source learned these facts when Googling Bruce Jenner:
• Bruce Jenner won the decathlon in the 1976 Olympics
• He has been married 3 times with a total of 6 kids…2 with each wife
• He is now a motivational speaker


Here are some facts from Jared:
• The capital of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou (Jared told me this and I stopped typing and said, “No really I need real ones” to that he said, “that is real!”
• Wolverines can bite through bones
• FYI when put on the spot…he can’t think of anything

One time we were playing Trivia Pursuit and Jared was asked who the prince of this one nation was and I didn’t even know the nation existed…he knew who the prince was.


Here are some facts from me:
• A hippo can bite through a canoe in one chomp
• Hippos can run up to 25 mph
• The only natural predator of Hippos are Humans, and when they are baby hippos –Crocodiles

January 3 – Drinking Straw Day

On January 3, 1888, Marvin C. Stone patented the drinking straw.

Marvin first made a "straw" by sucking drinks through dry hollow rye...possibly where the name STRAW came from!  Marvin didn’t like that the drink would then get a grassy taste to it. He worked at a paper factory, so he took a piece of paper and coated it with wax...and the drinking straw was born!


I very much enjoy drinking straws; my favorite thing to drink is apple juice. I really would prefer to only ever drink apple juice through a drinking straw. I bought some bendy drinking straws with different colored stripes on them for my family to use today. It took a little bit of reminding, but they all enjoyed it I think.

Enjoy your drinking straws today!

Don’t worry, you can send someone an E-card for this day!
http://www1.yahoo.americangreetings.com/ecards/display.pd?path=41157&prodnum=3001658

January 2 – 55 MPH Speed Limit Day

History of the day:

The Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act was a bill in the legislature of the United States federal government that enacted the 55 mph National Maximum Speed Law.[10] States had to agree to the limit if they desired to receive federal funding for highway repair. The uniform speed limit was signed into law by President Nixon on January 2, 1974 and became effective 60 days later,[11] by requiring the limit as a condition of each state receiving highway funds, a use of the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution[12].

The legislation required 55 mph speed limits on all 4 lane divided highways unless the road had a lower limit before November 1, 1973. In some cases, like the New York Thruway, the 50 mph speed limit had to be raised to 55 mph to comply with the law. The law capped speed limits at 55 mph on all other roads.[11] (Wikepedia)
Today I drove with a self-imposed 55mph speed limit. As I drove along the back roads I thought to myself about the difference with a 55mph speed limit between Seattle and Michigan. For starters, I couldn’t take the highway in Michigan and drive 55…I would be a driving hazard as everyone else would be flying by me, even on the back roads I was causing a back-up. In Seattle, however, I would have to be on the highway to go 55mph and I would be in the fast lane, if not the carpool lane passing everyone.

Michigan – The speed limit on the highway is 70mph and if you are going slower then 75-80 you are driving too slowly.

Seattle – Highway speed limit is 60 and if you are going 60 you will be flying past everyone and will be dubbed the “crazy driver”.

I love driving though the open fields in Michigan, farm land on both sides. Quite a difference from the constant buildings, cement barriers, and people in Seattle.

My favorite speed limit signs I have ever seen are in Oregon! They are HUGE! I think people there must have eye problems or something…you would never be able to tell the officer you “didn’t see the speed limit sign”.  (This pic is from a couple years ago...and obviously NOT 55mph)

I tried to drive the whole day at 55mph, but we were about 20 minutes from home and the MSU football game was going to be on in 15 minutes…Jared stole the keys and drove well above 55mph – we made it just in time.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

January 1 – National Z Day

I have found two VASTLY different things that this day is supposedly about…



1. I found information that this is a day about all the zombies come to life and walk the streets. This made sense to me, seeing that people are out so late for New Year’s. (I was sleeping by 11:15…oops!) However, the majority of people were out late last night and so today they are probably wondering around like zombies, crazy eyes and all.

2. Celebrating the letter Z letting people with names that start with Z go first instead of being last. I think my kids will appreciate this; I grew up being a Meyer. Didn’t really make much difference what side of the alphabet they started with, I was always in the middle. My kids, however, will LOVE when the Z’s go first, unless of course it is for an orthodontist appointment or first in speech class. (YUCK!)

So, HOORAY for you Z people strut your stuff and tell that lady at the grocery store it’s Z day so you should be able to go ahead of her, and you zombie people…get some sleep, watch out, and stay off the road...and if you must...DANCE!

December 31 – Make Up Your Mind Day

Oh, the last day of the year…I HATE the end of things. Every New Year’s Eve, I get all sad that I will never be in that year again, I tell the year that it has been great and I will miss it (here’s me thinking everything is alive again).

Making up my mind is sometimes very difficult…mostly because 97% of the time I really don’t care, I really don’t have a preference. Here are some things that I made up my mind about today;
• I will not make a New Year’s Resolution
• I will eat as many chocolate balls as I can while I am home and not worry about the consequences
• Duke must continue to wear his ear warmer outside in the cold (his ears get frost bitten if he doesn't - but I feel bad for him having to wear it)
• I do like winter
• I will make an effort for the rest of my life to stay in contact with family and friends
• I will continue to put forth effort in relationships that I feel I don’t get very much in return because even so, they are important to me & worth it
• I will not let other people decide my worth
• I will choose love my hubby every day

It feels good to make some decisions…I still have a LOT that I haven’t made up my mind about…what I am going to do with my life, where I will live, when we will have kids, where our next trip will be…SO MANY DECISIONS! At least I have a few of them taken care of!

December 30 – National Bicarbonate of Soda Day

So, if you were to look at this day what would you think it was celebrating? Well, I thought it was the carbonation in soda (or POP where I am from)…WRONG! It is baking soda!!! Who would have thought! I guess this again demonstrates how useless I am in the kitchen.

All of these little everyday things that we celebrate…seem so small, but yet they are the foundation of my life. For instance…baking soda is used in making cookie dough – one of my major food groups! Let’s see what other GLORIOUS things baking soda has a part in shall we…here we go:

Here is a link to 60 uses of baking soda:

Some of my favorites:
* Keep a container of baking soda in your garage as well as in your car to put out a fire. It won't damage anything it touches.
* Soak your shower curtains in water and soda to clean them.
* Bee sting: use a poultice of baking soda and water.
* Use soda as an underarm deodorant.
* Use to remove melted plastic bread wrapper from toaster.  (I find this one particularly interesting)

I find it odd and a little disturbing that the same thing that is in my cookie dough is used as deodorant, and for putting out a fire. Such a versatile little thing, BAKING SODA! I see now why it deserves its own day.