The Times They Are A Changing

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Card (tarot) Reading Day is February 21

“And each one there has one thing shared:
They have sweated beneath the same sun,
Looked up in wonder at the same moon,
And wept when it was all done,
For being done too soon.” Neil Diamond

February 21

Card Reading Day (tarot)
Love Your Pet Day
Tyne Daly’s Birthday (1946)
Kelsey Grammer’s Birthday (1955)
Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Birthday (1958)
Jenifer Love Hewitt’s Birthday (1979)
Nina Simone’s Birthday (1933)

February 22

Be Humble Day
Walking the Dog Day
International World Thinking Day
George Washington’s Birthday (1732)
Drew Barrymore’s Birthday (1975)
Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin’s Birthday (1962)
Julius Irving’s Birthday (1950)
Edward Kennedy’s Birthday (1932)
Robert Young’s Birthday (1907)

February 23

International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
Tennis Day
Dakota Fanning’s Birthday (1994)
Peter Fonda’s Birthday (1939)

February 24

National Tortilla Chip Day
Edward James Olmos’ Birthday (1947)
Enrico Curuso’s Birthday (1873)

February 25

Ash Wednesday
Pistol Patent Day
Paper Currency (introduced by Lincoln in 1862)
George Harrison’s Birthday (1943)
Zeppo Marx’s Birthday (1901)

February 26

National Pistachio Day
Carnival Day
Tell a Fairy Tale Day
Michael Bolton’s Birthday (1953)
Johnny Cash’s Birthday (1932)
Fats Domino’s Birthday (1928)
Tony Randle’s Birthday (1920)
Jackie Gleason’s Birthday (1916)
“Buffalo Bill” Cody’s Birthday (1846)
Levi Strauss’ Birthday (1829)

February 27

International Polar Bear Day
No Brainer Day
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Birthday (1807)
Josh Groban’s Birthday (1981)
Chelsea Clinton’s Birthday (1980)
Ralph Nader’s Birthday (1934)
Elizabeth Taylor’s Birthday (1932)
Joanne Woodward’s Birthday (1930)
John Steinbeck’s Birthday (1902)

February 28

Public Sleeping Day
Floral Design Day (acknowledge floral designers for making life a little prettier)
Bernadette Peters’ Birthday (1948)
Mario Andretti’s Birthday (1940)
Gavin MacLeod’s Birthday (1930)
Zero Mostel’s Birthday (1915)

Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day (Feb 11)

February 11

White T-shirt Day
Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
Make a Friend Day
National Foundation Day (Japan)
National Inventor’s Day
Thomas Edison’s Birthday (1847)
Eva Gabor’s Birthday (1911)
Burt Reynolds’ Birthday (1936)
Sheryl Crow’s Birthday (1962)
Jennifer Aniston’s Birthday (1969)

February 12

National Plum Pudding Day
Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday (1809)
Lorne Green’s Birthday (1915)
Kirsty Alley’s Birthday (1954)
Charles Darwin’s Birthday (1809)

February 13

Get a Different Name Day
Dream Your Sweet Day
Blame Someone Else Day
Stockard Charnning’s Birthday (1944)
Chuck Yeager’s Birthday (1923)
Bess Truman’s Birthday (1885)

February 14

Valentines Day
Ferris Wheel Day
National Heart to Heart Day
National Organ Donor’s Day
Gregory Hines Birthday (1946)
Jimmy Hoffa’s Birthday (1913)
Jack Benny’s Birthday (1894)

February 15

National Gum Drop Day
National Flag Day (Canada)
Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday (1820)
Jane Seymour’s Birthday (1951)

February 16

President’s Day
Do a Grouch a Favor Day
Family Day (Canada)
Margaux Hemmingway’s Birthday (1955)
John McEnroe’s Birthday (1959)
Sonny Bono’s Birthday (1935)

February 17

Random Acts of Kindness Day
Champion Crab Races Day
Lou Diamond Phillips’ Birthday (1962)
Michael Jordan’s Birthday (1963)

February 18

National Battery Day
Jack Palance’s Birthday (1919)
Helen Gurley Brown’s Birthday (1922)
Cybill Shepherd’s Birthday (1950)
John Travolta’s Birthday (1954)
Vanna White’s Birthday (1957)
Molly Ringwald’s Birthday (1968)
Yoko Ono’s Birthday (1933)

February 19

National Chocolate Mint Day
Prince Andrew’s Birthday (1960)
Seal’s Birthday (1963)

February 20

Cherry Pie Day
Love Your Pet Day
Hoodie Hoo Day (At high noon (which is really just noon) everyone yells “Hoodie-Hoo” to chase away winter and make way for spring)
John Glenn Orbited the Earth (1962)
Sandy Duncan’s Birthday (1946)
Sydney Poitier’s Birthday (1927)

Clark Gable’s Birthday is February 1st

It’s interesting that Hershey’s Chocolate was founded on the same day that we are celebrating Toothache Day. Of course, it’s also in preparation for Valentines Day and all the heart shaped boxes of chocolates that are given out. Maybe Toothache Day is a reminder.

February 1

Serpent Day
Super Bowl Sunday
National Freedom Day
Clark Gable’s Birthday (1901)
Don Everly’s Birthday (1937) Everly Brothers
Lisa Marie Presley’s Birthday (1968)

February 2

Purification Day
Groundhogs Day
Tommy Smother’s Birthday (1937)
Farrah Fawcett’s Birthday (1947)
Christy Brinkley’s Birthday (1954)

February 3

The Day the Music Died (Buddy Holly, Richie Valance and the Big Bopper died in a 1959 plane crash)
Norman Rockwell’s Birthday (1894)
Morgan Fairchild’s Birthday (1950)

February 4

Create a Vacuum Day
Thank a Mailman (person) Day
Charles Lindberg’s first solo flight across the Atlantic
Rosa Park’s Birthday (1913)
Alice Cooper’s Birthday (1948)

February 5

Disaster Day
National Weatherman’s (person) Day
Mexico’s Constitution Day
Western Monarch Day (migrating butterflies)
Hank Aaron’s Birthday (1934)
Red Buttons’ Birthday (1919)
Barbara Hershey’s Birthday (1948)

February 6

Lame Duck Day
Babe Ruth’s Birthday (1895) Real name George Herman
Tom Brokaw’s Birthday (1940)
Ronald Reagan’s Birthday (1911)
Fabian Forte’s Birthday (1943)
Bob Marley’s Birthday (1945)
Natalie Cole’s Birthday (1950)

February 7

Charles Dickens Day
John Deere’s Birthday
Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbor Day
Send a Card to a Friend Day
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Birthday (1867)
Garth Brooks’ Birthday (1962)
Chris Rock’s Birthday (1966)
Buster Crabbe’s Birthday (1908)

February 8

Kite Flying Day
Boy Scout Day
Jewels Vern’s Birthday (1828)
Lana Turner’s Birthday (1921)
Jack Lemmon’s Birthday (1925)
James Dean’s Birthday (1931)
Audrey Meadows’ Birthday (1922)
Nick Nolte’s Birthday (1941)
Dan Seals’ Birthday (1948)
John Grisham’s Birthday (1955)

February 9

Toothache Day
Clean Out Your Computer Day (second Monday of February)
Chinese Lantern Festival Day
Hershey’s Chocolate Founded (1894)
William Henry Harrison’s Birthday (1773) 9th U.S. President
Joe Pesci’s Birthday (1943)
Mia Farrow’s Birthday (1945)

February 10

Umbrella Day
Jimmy Durante’s Birthday (1893)
Robert Wagner’s Birthday (1930)
Mark Spitz’s Birthday (1950)

February brings to mind Valentines Day and Presidents Day or Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthdays. There is a whole lot more going on in February. Follow my blog for the next few days to find out what surprises fill this month.

The February gemstone is amethyst and the flower is Primrose.

February is:

* National Blah Buster Month
* National Embroidery Month
* National Grapefruit Month
* National Snack Food Month
* National Wedding Month (I thought that was in June)
* Responsible Pet Owner Month
* Return Carts to the Supermarket Month
* Creative Romance Month
* International Twit Award Month (I’ve probably earned that one a time or two)
* Canned Food Month
* American Heart Month
* American History Month
* Black History Month
* Children’s Dental Health Month
* International Friendship Month
* National Cherry Month
* National Bird Feeding Month

Find something you resonate with about February and celebrate it.

Tomorrow we’ll start check out the days one by one.

I love making homemade cards, mostly for the response they get from the receiving person. My cards can get pretty intricate and detailed. However, for the beginner a simple card can be made easily with just a few items.

Envelope

Items needed: Scissors, old newspaper ads, glue

In an effort to work towards a greener way of living, make your envelope from newspaper ads. They are black and white which is perfect for a valentine color pallet. All you need is an envelope the right size for your card. In fact, a used envelope is even better. Take it apart carefully and use it as your template. Now, trace around it onto the newspaper and cut it out. The back side of your cutout will be the outside of the envelope so none of your tracing lines will show.

Place the cutout on top of the template and fold up the template, pressing hard to make crease folds for the new envelope. Remove the newspaper envelope and press on creases to make them permanent. Using a paper glue that dries clear, glue your envelope together. After the card is made, you will glue the flap shut. If you need to mail your card, use a white mailing label on the front.

Note: Sunday funnies make a great envelope for other cards.

Card

Items needed: 1 sheet red cardstock, 2 piece white cardstock, 1 piece of white paper, length of ribbon, glue, decorative scissors and regular scissors, single hole punch.

Measure your finished envelope. Mark the sheet of red card stock for the base of the card. It should be slightly shorter than the envelope from top to bottom. And, twice as wide, minus just a tad so it will fit in the envelope. After cutting your red cardstock, fold it in half.

Make a heart template with one of the white cardstock sheets. This is easy to do by folding the paper in half and cutting half a heart shape. Practice on a piece of printer paper, if needed. Using the heat template trace a red heart, slightly inside the lines, from the remainder of the red cardstock paper. Punch a hole on each side of the heart. Cut a length of ribbon (satin or printed) and run it through both sides of the heart and tie a bow in the front. Remember you want any lines on the heart to face downwards.

Trace the heart onto the white cardstock with your template. Using the decorative scissors cut along the outside of the lines. Glue the deco heart to the center of the front of the card.

Now, glue the red heart on top of the white deco heart. It should show as lace on the outside of the red heart.

Print a valentine sentiment on white paper in your computer. Cut it out to fit on the inside of the card and glue it in.

There are a lot of contests and sweepstakes to enter out on the web. If there are ones that allow you to enter each day or each week, it’s a good idea to make a folder in your “favorites” with a listing of them. That way you can enter them each time allowed without having to hunt them down each time. Of course, the more you enter the better chance you have of winning. It’s also best to focus on contests with prizes you really want to win. After all, you will be required to pay federal income taxes on the prize in most cases. It’s only worth it if you can actually use the prize.

HGTV Software Sweepstake - $10,000 and home design software to transform you home. You can enter no more than once a day until August 31.

Randy Owen Sweepstakes - Spend some time with the lead singer of Alabama. You get plane tickets to Nashville, hotel for 3 days and two nights, Grand Ole Opry tickets, Country Music Hall of Fame tickets and an autographed guitar. You can enter no more than once a day until January 31.

Silk Soy Milk - Maui Getaway contest and one-on-one with Bob Green (Oprah’s Trainer).

Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash sweepstakes for a trip of four to the Super Bowl. The entire package is over $20,000. Hurry, this contest ends January 29th.

HSN - Feel Good Sweepstakes - $75,000 (in gift certificates) spin to win, one time daily. But, hurry as this contest ends January 31.

Ordinarily I’m not a particularly lucky person when it comes to contests and sweepstakes. However, I do visit http://entersweepstakes.today.com/ , who finds some pretty interesting sweepstakes and contests. She’s won well over $3,000 in prizes this year. So, apparently it can be done. HGTV has a contest every year where they give away a new house, completely decorated and they throw in a new car on top of it. This year’s house is in Sonoma, California. Although, it’s a lovely place to live, I’ve become kind of attached to Oregon. Even so, it’s worth two million dollars, so I’ve applied a couple of times. You never know.

Publisher’s Clearing House (yes, you can apply on line). They’ve bee around for as long as I can remember. However, they did have a bit of a glitch, years ago, when it was found that they threw all of the entries not purchasing magazines into a warehouse where they never got opened or entered into the contest. I hope that they have changed their ways, if nothing else but because the law required them to. If you win, $5000 a week for life sounds pretty good. I could retire from entering contests and sweepstakes.

HGTV Dream Home and GMC Arcadia (worth $2 million) - apply no more than once a day until February 19 for this contest.

HGTV Pick Your Prize weekly contest - win tools or construction products. If you win you pick between the different prizes in this sweepstakes.

DIY Network Great Garage Giveaway - $25,000 to customize your garage plus a GMC Sierra. You can enter no more than once a day until February 23.

Food Network has a bunch of cooking contests. Check them out if you love to invent new recipes.

DYI Network Fun & Fit as a Family Sweepstakes - win a Fun & Fit trip to Miami for a family of four. 4 days and 3 nights hotel and round trip airfare in this contest.

More contests and sweepstakes tomorrow.

It’s been around for a while now, but I’m still attracted to indoor bamboo and am thinking of looking online for a plant. I’ve just never seen anything of good quality in my area.
Clump bamboo, apparently, are better for indoor use as it doesn’t grow as quickly as other bamboo and the container also keeps it from getting to it’s natural height.

Step 1: Hold the bamboo canes, root down, in the center of a container and fill with decorative stones.

Step 2: Fill with water and that’s it.

Step 3: No fertilizer is required and it grows in even minimal sunlight, so placement is not an issue.

Sounds pretty simple with little need of care other than changing the water every week or so. This plant, by Chinese lore, is supposed to bring happiness, prosperity and fortune (luck). And who couldn’t use more of that in their life.

Cool Bamboo Choices

Most of us play the game, “What if I could go back in time and change…” You wonder how your life would be different. In fact, how you would be changed. The truth is, by changing even small things your life would be completely different. It’s not worth speculating on it too much as it’s a no deal proposition. However, I was thinking if I could go back in time and spend an hour with just a few people, who have already passed, on who would they be.

1. My dad. I have a lot of questions about who he is and why that only come to a person after they are adults.

2. Jesus, because I want to know how you would know. In other words, if someone like him or even he came back today, how would we know he wasn’t some psycho. Was it just a knowing, a feeling or the miracles that were convincing. Would we call them miracles today?

3. Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. I put them together because they are just old movie stars that I really liked and admired - would have liked to have spent an hour with.

Who is in your list?

I have a secret. I would love to live a life and diet of “the devil may care” attitude. Unfortunately, with a diet like that, the devil will get you in extra pounds and health issues. So, whenever I really have to have something I shouldn’t, I try to make it as healthy as possible even if it can’t be entirely. Here’s a recipe for blond brownies that’s a bit more healthy than the traditional one.

Healthy Blond Brownies

Ingredients

½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup butter, soft
¾ cup light brown sugar (or ½ cup honey)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup chopped almonds (or preferred nuts)
1 cup extra dark chocolate chips (from health food store)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and 8-inch square baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a separate bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla, mix to a cream stage. Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture and combine. Add the almonds and chocolate chips, mix. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy.