Fun National Days in April

 It's that wonderful time of the month!  The National Days of April!  Let's look ahead and mark these dates on the calendar so we can all celebrate together. 

Here we go:

April 1

National One Cent Day

The first issued one cent coin was made in 1787 and was designed by Benjamin Franklin.  On one side of the coin read, "Mind Your Business" while the other read, "We Are One."  The coin was made of 100% copper and was larger than the modern day penny.  Today is a great day to do a little research on the penny.  Or, you can wait until two cent day and give out your opinions all day.

It's also

National Sourdough Bread Day

This is a great day for your brother to make you a loaf of sourdough bread.  Hint, hint...

April 2

National Reconciliation Day

This day encourages us to repair relationships damaged by words or actions.   A great way to reach out and extend the olive branch.

April 4

National Walk Around Day

This sounded like an interesting day.  You can take this day literally and walk around things, like puddles or mud or you can walk around certain subjects with people.  What will you "walk around" today?

April 5

National Deep Dish Pizza Day

Great Day for a family pizza party.  

April 7

National No Housework Day

Great day to take the day off!  I'm sure I will probably celebrate......by cleaning.

It's also

National Walking Day

For me, everyday is national walking day.

And

National Beer Day

For those that like beer. (obviously not me)

And, finally

National Coffeecake Day

For the coffee lovers.  A little tasty treat to go along with your coffee!

April 9

National Cherish an Antique Day

A day to pay tribute to those old people in your life.. I mean appreciate the old furniture family heirlooms passed on to you.

it's also

National Name Yourself Day

A day for you to choose your own name.  Have you always wanted to know what it would be like to have a different name?  Today is a great way to try out that new name.  Make yourself a nametag with your new name.  Order coffee and give them your new name.  Let me know how this works for you.  I will celebrate by keeping my name and just using RT's name when ordering food or drinks.

April 10

National Encourage a Young Writer Day

A day to encourage Bella to keep up her writings.   

It's also

National Siblings Day

I still can't find that picture of my brothers dressed (I think) as my parents.  I know one of you has that picture.  I want it!

April 11

National Pet Day

A day to give Pippen  your pet lots of love. 

April 12

National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

I think I should be recognized on this day for having  made so many grilled cheese sandwiches for my kids over the years.

April 14

National Look up at the Sky Day

Sit back, relax and look up!  Enjoy the beautiful sunrise and sunset.  Don't forget to make a wish upon a star tonight.

It's also

National Reach as High as You Can Day

Everything (and everyone) is looking up today!  Make sure to make goals and reach high to achieve them.

April 15

National High Five Day

Sorry.  This day is cancelled.  No hand touching allowed.  Elbow bumps will be allowed.

It's Also

National Tax Day

I believe this is when taxes are due.  Unless you are RT, then, this is the day that you start your taxes.

April 16

National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day

Only to be followed by those who work at home today.  I wouldn't suggest doing this if you are working out in public.

April 19

National Garlic Day

Garlic, also known as the stinking rose, is a member of the lily family.  Garlic is used in many different cuisines.  It has also been used for medicinal purposes (cold remedy, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol).  And is believed to ward off vampires, witches and evil spirits.  How to celebrate today?  Eat a meal with garlic.

It's also

National Hanging Out Day

I originally thought this meant to hang out such as hang with some friends.  Apparently this day encourages the use of a clothesline.  Hanging your laundry outside to dry has many benefits such as, good for the environment, saves you money and your clothes smell fresher.   

April 22

National Earth Day

Great way to celebrate Mother Earth.  Do your part by recycling, composting, hey, maybe even plant a tree!

It's also, 

National Girl Scout Leader's Day!

Celebrate today by thanking a volunteer in the Girl Scout Program.  You can also share your experiences as a leader or experiences you have had as a Girl Scout Volunteer.  

April 23

National Talk Like Shakespeare Day

I think you can use some of these throughout the day, why not try it? 

"Oh, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" 

To be or not to be?   

Is this a dagger I see before me?

Now is the winter of our discontent

Get thee to a nunnery.

What's in a name?  A rose by any other name will smell as sweet.

Friends, Romans, Countrymen lend me your ears!

April 25

National Pet Parent's Day

I expect a card, Pippen!

April 26

National Pretzel Day

Great day to make soft pretzels or pretzel bites.  

April 30

National Honesty Day

This day encourages us to be truthful in everything that we do.  How to celebrate?  Answer all questions honestly.   This may prove difficult in some situations, especially with a partner, so I suggest that you have the phone number of your local florist on hand.

It's also

National Hairball Awareness Day

For those cat people out there, this is just a reminder that there may be a hairball somewhere on the floor.  Try not to step on it!  Thankfully, we don't have a cat.

and it's 

National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day

There are lots of dogs and cats that need new homes.  If you can't help by adopting, why not see if you can volunteer or donate some much needed items?

and, lastly, we can't forget about

National Bubble Tea Day

Bubble tea is the combination of tea with milk and the addition of bubbles.  The bubbles, also known as Boba, are tapioca pearls. You can get different flavored  bubbles (boba).  This might just be my day to finally give Boba tea a try! 

The Group Chat

 The group text or group chat usually consists of a fun bunch of people all talking about the exciting things they are planning.

I found out about a text group by accident.  I was a little hurt that I was not included.  After hearing about the conversations that happen during this text, it's probably better that I'm the outsider.

Nick came home for one of his short  visits.  As he was standing in the kitchen he said, "Oh, good.  The dishes are done."  I thought, that was an odd statement to make and asked why he was so concerned about the dishes.  This is when the group text was introduced to me.

RT created a group text with the kids.  I was jealous that I wasn't included.  Admit it.  Doesn't a group chat with your kids just scream fun?  It's like a secret group.  I can just imagine the excitement that they were planning.  I want in on all of this fun!  

Nick informed me that the group text was not fun and exciting.  In fact, it was the opposite of fun.  The group text is where RT tells them things like,  "someone better wash the dishes before Mom comes home from work."  He's probably right.  That doesn't exactly scream fun.  I do like that, in a way, I am a part of it (the reason they have to clean up).

I am also happy that the dishes were done.  Thanks, honey!

Cardio with Curly

 I like that title and will probably keep it for Curly posts since she always keeps us on our toes.

I have many stories about Curly and will try to write about the most odd  weird  peculiar  scary interesting.  

One day, RT and I were on a zoom call.  I don't recall the details of the call, but, I do remember it was longer than what we expected.  At one point, I had to get up and check on dinner.  Yea.  Nothing like hanging on a zoom call and trying to make dinner at the same time.  And, you can't just wait until after the call because everyone will be starving.  Trying to make dinner with hangry people staring you down is not fun.  And, forgetting your dinner on the stove while on a zoom call can be a disaster.  So, I did what any normal person would do when in a tight spot.  I snuck out of the zoom call and checked on dinner.  To be fair, the call was focused on RT at the moment so it made perfect sense to break away.

I wasn't gone too long and I didn't go very far.  Our zoom call was taking place in the dining room and I just ran over into the kitchen.  I walked back to the dining room so I could take a seat.  Before I sat down, I looked down and saw a barbell by the food of my chair.  I was rather confused because it was not there when I left.  I don't recall RT walking out of the room to go get it.  Was he trying to squeeze a little work out in during the call?  Couldn't he wait until the call ended?  I mean, it's great if you can multi task, but, this seemed a bit over the top. 

I looked up and RT looked at the ground and saw the barbell.  We both were a little puzzled on how this barbell appeared out of nowhere.  Just then, Curly runs over, picks up the barbell and runs toward the family room.  Apparently the barbell is subbing for a bone.  RT and I looked at each other and I said, "That has got to be the weirdest thing I have ever seen."  

I think she might be trying to steal My Weird Dog's title.

Pupcakes - Cupcakes for Dogs or Puppies

 We celebrated My Weird Dog's  Pippen's birthday on Monday.  He enjoyed a day of long naps, lots of dog treats and, of course, cake!  More specifically, Pupcake, cake made specifically for dogs.

I found this recipe online and made a few changes to suit my needs.  The ingredients used are dog friendly (are there any dogs out there that don't like peanut butter?) and chef friendly (you probably have these in your pantry).   It's a very simple recipe that doesn't require a lot of time.

I did make a substitution.  I used apple sauce for the banana in the cake recipe due to a shortage of bananas we had on hand.  Pippen certainly did not complain about this change of ingredients.

Here's the recipe:

Pupcake Recipe

ingredients:

2 TBSP peanut butter

2 TBSP oil

1 medium mashed banana

2 TBSP honey

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

Frosting recipe:

1 medium mashed banana

4 TBSP peanut butter

directions:

Oven to 350*F.  Spray mini muffin tins with nonstick spray.

Mix banana, oil, peanut butter and honey in bowl.

Add flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Stir to combine.

Scoop batter into mini muffin tin (up to 3/4 full).

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clear.

Cool pupcakes completely before frosting.

Pupcake Frosting recipe:

Mash banana.  The smoother the mash the smoother your frosting. 

Add peanut butter and mix until smooth.

Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes.  

Top with a small bone shaped dog treat.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* I substituted 1/2 cup applesauce for the 1 medium banana in the cake recipe and it came out nicely

* I  used a large muffin tin.  The recipe made about 6 larger pupcakes instead of 12 mini pupcakes

* feel free to put frosting in a plastic bag and pipe onto cupcakes.

If you make some pupcakes for your pooch, let me know how the recipe worked for you.

Enjoy!

When You Work in Retail

 I have a few more funny weird  strange  stories to record.  Just some interesting incidents that happened at work that can't be classified as Karen stories.  I found them to be amusing and thought I would share them with you.  Here we go:

During my stint as a Walmart greeter:

A customer walks in to the store.

Me:  Hello.  How are you?

Customer: Right now?

Me:  Sure.  How are you right now?

Customer:  I don't know.  And, I don't think I want to know.

A customer walks into the store:

Me:  Hello

Customer:  Thank you.

A customer walks into the store.

Me:  Hello

Customer:  No kissing because of Covid.

Me:  I'm not afraid of Covid.

Same customer as he's leaving, handing me his shopping cart:

Customer:  Now, remember, no licking the carts.

Me:  Aww, you just ruined my fun for the day!

Every week like clockwork, there is a woman who pulls up and hauls a large trash bag (or three) and tosses it into the public trash can in front of our store.  She drives a nice SUV so I'm assuming she has a home.  I'm not sure what the attraction she has with public dumping.  Does she get a thrill from it?  Maybe she's trying to hide something?  A shopping addiction?  Scratch off tickets?  An addiction?  A drinking problem?  Corn nut addiction?

A woman came in to the store, her first time visiting.  I started describing the store to her.  She told me that she wanted to discover the store on her own.  As she was leaving, I noticed she made a purchase.  I told her I was happy she found something today.  She told me I was very sweet and if I say the word, she will go get me a cup of coffee.  I politely declined and thanked her and told her that she was my new best friend.

And, I will leave you with this last story.

I was at the register and asked the customer to press the red button on the pin pad.  The customer told me that he didn't want to press the button because of germs (we have hand sanitizer and we clean the pin pads between customers).  When I tell him the total of his purchase he pulls out his wallet and proceeds to hand me dirty  cash to pay for his transaction.  He told me to keep the change ($0.01) and left without using any hand sanitizer. 

My Weird Dog

Clipping Pippen's nails is one of those chores that RT and I dread.  You see, Pippen does not enjoy getting manicures  his nails cut.   A nail clipping session requires both of us.  One is sitting on  holding Pippen (me) while the other (RT) tries to hold a paw and trim the nails.  It sounds like an easy task, but, believe me, it's a workout! A session can last 45 minutes to one hour with only a few of his nails getting trimmed and lots of calories burned for us.  I always think that we should make a video to show what really happens.  We have had witnesses (our kids).  They have even stepped in to help.

One day, after dropping Curly off at the groomer (yes, she is one of those dogs), RT came home and told me that they can cut Pippen's nails.  I said, "Go for it!"  Of course, in my mind, I'm picturing the groomer trying to pin Pippen down and clip his nails at the same time.  I also envision her quitting her line of work after trying to tend to Pippen's needs.  

When Pippen came back with nicely trimmed nails, I was quite impressed.  Apparently they have a way to keep the dog on the table, his head away from you and they grab a paw and just start snipping.  RT said she was done in minutes and didn't break a sweat.  We both agreed that it's the best $10 we have ever spent in our life.  I'm not so sure you will get the same response from Pippen.

Today is Pippen's birthday.  As an early birthday present he had his nails trimmed again last week.  That leaves today open for lots of fur snuffles, long walks, naps, treats and many more years of My Weird Dog stories.

National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day - Fun National Days

Today is National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day!  Go ahead, open up your umbrella in the house!  

Oh, you're afraid of the bad luck that will come your way?  Well, this day was set aside as a "science experiment."  It's a day to open up that umbrella indoors and see if you suffer any bad luck.

There is a superstition that says opening an umbrella indoors will bring you bad luck.  This day encourages you to test this superstition and note if any bad luck comes your way.  Take a good long look at it and decide whether it really is bad luck or just happenstance .

I remember, as a child, being told not to open an umbrella indoors.  I decided to do a little digging on this superstition.  I mean, is the bad luck immediate?  

How "bad" is the bad luck? 

Does only one bad thing happen to you?  

Does the bad luck continue all day? 

All year? 

The rest of your life?

According to my research on opening umbrellas indoors, the bad luck part came about in the 18th Century when they added the metal spokes to the umbrellas.  The umbrellas were large and awkward to open which could cause an injury to people or break objects in a small space or home.  This could lead to an argument with family or friends which some considered bad luck. 

It doesn't sound like the bad luck will haunt you forever.  Go ahead and give it a try today!  Open up that umbrella.  You can even post on social media using #OpenAnUmbrellaIndoorsDay . Make sure not to open it up in a small hallway or room with lots of breakable objects.  And, most importantly, make sure to warn those around you.  We don't need any eyeballs poked out today.

National Girl Scout Day

 National Girl Scout Day is celebrates the anniversary of the very first Girl Scout Meeting held on March 12, 1912 by Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Lowe.  This first meeting was held in Savannah, Georgia.  The meetings were enrichment programs, service projects and outdoor activities and adventures.  From this moment on, Girl Scouts became an international movement. 

Girl Scouts provides engaging, fun and challenging activities like earning badges, going on trips, selling cookies, exploring science, getting outdoors and doing community service projects.  She will also learn important skills in four different areas:  

Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)

Outdoors 

Life Skills

Entrepreneurship 

Some fun facts:

Originally called Girl Guides of America

In 1912 18 girls attended that very first meeting

In 1920, there were 70, 000 members

In 1930 there were over 200,000 members

Today there are over 2.5 million members - -1.7 million girls and 750,000 adults

The Girl Scout Mission:

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor I will try 

to serve God and my country

to help people at all times

and to live by the Girl Scout Law.

Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be 

honest and fair,

friendly and helpful,

considerate and caring,

courageous and strong, and

responsible for what I say and do,

and to

respect myself and others,

respect authority,

use resources wisely,

make the world a better place, and

be a sister to every Girl Scout.

How to observe #NationalGirlScoutDay

Celebrate what the organization has done to empower girls in communities across the country.

Support your local troops

Learn more about the Girl Scout organization and its impact on girls and young women

Share your experience with girl scouting

Volunteer to be a leader. 

And, most importantly, buy a box (or three) of Girl Scout Cookies!

Purse

 I have some exciting news.   I found two more purses!  

If you are new, just search purse on my blog and you will find millions  many posts on my purse problems. 

You would think that with all of the new purses that I have found I should have a closet full of purses.  Unfortunately, I had to say good bye to a very well-loved purse over the weekend.  It was one of my favorite purses, maybe we can all have a moment of silence to honor my purse?

My search for the perfect purse is an everyday occurrence.  I always check out the purses in a store.  I never know what I might find.  And, well, if I do find one, I can't just purchase it.  I have to go home and obsess  think about it for days  weeks  months  awhile.  Sometimes I go back to the store and visit the purse.  You know,  date the purse before marrying making a purchase.

Keep the prayers coming.  I'm always on the lookout for a new purse and can use all the positive vibes.

International Women's Day 2021

 Today is International Women's Day! 

This day was first celebrated in 1911.  I'm glad women persisted.  We have the right to vote, we can hold any job that we want, we can get an education and work in any field we choose and we have property rights, reproductive rights and the right to work for equal pay.

Unfortunately, there are some countries where women do not have all of these rights.  They are not able to get an education,  they are married before they turn 18 and some women are killed because they are perceived to bring shame to their family.  The list goes on and on.

We have come so far as women.  It's hard to believe what we have done.  It's also hard to believe how much more work has to be done.

The theme this year is Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.

"Women's full and effective participation and decision making in public life as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls."  This calls for women's right to make decisions in all areas of life, equal pay, equal share of unpaid care and domestic work an end to all forms of violence against women and girls and health care services that respond to their needs.*

"Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights."


So, put your hands out and strike a pose.  The #InternationalWomensDay pose (or #IWD2021).  Post it on social media using the hashtag.   And, do what you can to make a positive difference for women everywhere.

taken from Internationalwomensday.com *

 Let's see what we can do this year to improve women's rights throughout the world.

*need some more info?  check out this link

My Ice Scraper

 You are probably wondering why I mentioned purchasing an ice scraper for your loved one for Valentine's Day.

My car was parked on the driveway for a long time.  Yes, we have a two car garage, but, due to some family situations only one side of our garage is clear.  RT was doing some remodeling on our bathroom and needed to utilize the garage as a workspace and storage.

I was working early morning shifts and had my morning routine set.  Getting dressed, eating breakfast, gathering the days supplies, hopping into the car and heading to work.  Throw in some frost on the windows and my entire morning is out of whack.

I have this red ice scraper that RT bought for me.  I've had it for many years.  The problem is that it scrapes a very fine line at a time.  So, if you need to scrape an entire window (or 6 windows) it's going to take awhile.  I was lucky if I could get just enough scraped so I can see out of it.

It's pretty quiet at 4:30am in our neighborhood.  I was afraid that my loud diesel car and my 30 minute window scraping was going to set off one of the neighbors.  

My car is back in the garage and I still have the same ice scraper.  Let's just hope I don't have to use it.

The Birthday Post

I try to make birthdays a special day for my kids.  Growing up, I felt special on my birthday and I wanted to pass along that feeling to my children.

I always wondered about people who aren't big on their birthday.  And, then I heard about those who don't know their exact birthday date.  I thought, how do you not know your birthday?

Then I met someone who didn't know their birth date.  

I got to know this person over time.  We enjoyed lots of random talks on various subjects.  One day, we got on the subject of birthdays.  That's when she told me that she didn't know her exact birth date.  I actually felt sad.  Your debut into the world and you don't know the exact date?   I asked her why she didn't have that information.   That's when she told me that she was adopted.  She was left at an orphanage as an infant.  Because she was abandoned, the orphanage did not have any paperwork for her and assigned her a birth date.  She told me that other babies were abandoned around the same time and they were all given the same birth date.  She is in touch with these women and feels close to them, calling them sisters.  In fact, they try to celebrate their special day together whenever possible.

Today is my birthday.  I don't remember my debut into the world or anything about that day.  I do know that an exact date (or time) isn't that important.  Your birthday is just a date for you to celebrate you.

Today I will be celebrating me.

Easy Vanilla Cake

 Made this cake for Valentine's Day and it was a huge hit in our house.   There's nothing like cake made from scratch.   

I made some changes and added them below the recipe.  I don't use milk, so Oat Milk was used as a substitute.  And, if you follow along you know that I don't use a lot of sugar in my baking.  The cake will have frosting on top so there's your extra sugar.  I did not try aquafaba or a flax egg with this recipe.  When I do, I will make sure to update this post.

Does anyone else make their own birthday cake?  This cake is pretty easy to make and won't take up all of your time.  Easy and delicious.  Perfect combination!

Here's the recipe:

Easy Vanilla Cake

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup hot water

2 tsp vanilla 

for frosting:

1/2 cup softened butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 TBSP milk (oat milk, almond milk)

directions:

Oven 350*F.   Grease and flour 8" square or round pan.

In large bowl whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

Add egg, buttermilk, vanilla and oil.  Add hot water and whisk well until batter is smooth.  It might be a little runny.

Pour batter into pan.  Tap pan gently against counter to release air bubbles

Bake cake for 28 minutes or until golden on top and tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Cook cake completely before frosting.

Frosting:

Place butter in bowl and beat for 5 minutes.  Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and mix well.  Add heavy cream and beat for 1 minute.  Add vanilla and mix.  Frosting should be very fluffy.  Spread over cooled cake and decorate with sprinkles.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

*You can make this vegan quite easily.  I used oat milk to make my buttermilk.  Just add 2 tsp apple cider vinegar to 1/2 cup oat milk and let sit for 5 minutes.  

*Feel free to use less sugar in the recipe.  I used 1/3 cup sugar and it tasted delicious.

*I used vegan butter instead of the oil and it turned out ok.  

*I would think aquafaba or a flax egg could work as an egg substitute in this recipe.

Enjoy!

Cardio with Curly

 Curly's arrival has brought many scary  weird  interesting experiences to our home.  We were used to all of the weirdness that surrounded Pippen.  Add in another weird  dog and, well, life here can be quite chaotic  challenging interesting.

Curly lived with my in-laws.  She's pretty laid back and adapted to whatever life threw at her.  When she moved in with us, she was quite overwhelmed with all of the people in our house. Running from room to room, making sure she didn't miss anything.  

I'm usually the first person awake in the morning.  If it's too early, the dogs will ignore me.  At some point in the morning, I will hear the sounds of a dog about to be sick (I'm trying to put this in gentle terms for those with weak stomachs).  This always occurs in my dining room.  The carpet in my dining room is one of my favorite things in our home.  It's also the place where my dogs think they can be sick.  When I hear the awful sound, my heart starts pumping and I'm running around trying to figure out which dog and where this might be going down.  Of course, it's always in the dining room and the dog is on my carpet.

I really think there needs to be a video attached to this post for you to laugh at me running around like a crazy lady  understand the seriousness of the situation.  My main goal is to get the dog off that carpet.  It's a lot easier to clean up a hardwood floor.  It's even better if I can get them outside.

The sick one is always Curly.  And, she doesn't understand that I'm trying to move her off the carpet.  She will go around the table several times (with me chasing her).  I will finally move her into the kitchen, where she will settle by my throw rugs.  Again, oblivious to my, "only on the floor" pleas.  After chasing her around the kitchen, I finally get her outside, only to have to chase her down the deck.  The entire time I'm yelling, "Oh no!  Oh no!  Not there!  Oh no!  Oh no!  Not there!"  

My family is no help.  They know what's happening and just leave me on my own.

When Curly is finally outside, I come in and my heart is racing.

This happens in the morning several times a week.  I'm beginning to think my family is bribing Curly to make sure that I get in a good workout.