National Months - December

We made it a whole year of looking at the National Month long holidays!  December is up with Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years. I found a few more holidays that we can celebrate.  Let's get started!

National Tie Month

Do people still wear neck ties?  Are they still the "go to" gift for dads?  I do find the "tie that blocks a 9mm bullet from piercing your skin" rather interesting, though.  Well, if you find yourself wearing a tie, why not post it on social media #NationalTieMonth.  And if you have a tie that blocks a bullet, let me know in the comments.

Bingo's Birthday Month

B-I-N-G-O and BINGO was his name - o.  We are celebrating the game this month, not the song.  BINGO was first played in Italy in 1530.  The game made it's way to American in 1929 and was called Beano (not to be confused with the product that prevents gas).  The name was changed to Bingo and was used as a church fundraiser in the 1930's.

Operation Santa Paws  

December is a time of giving, so why not donate to your local animal shelter.  A new blanket, dog or cat toys, dog or cat food, kitty litter or some treats.  Contact your local animal shelter for a list of items they need.  Use #OperationSantaPaws on social media to spread the word.

I had a great time discovering all of the fun holidays that are being celebrated.  Thanks for playing along this year with the National Months!  

Retail Problems - Bicycle

 I often wonder about the people who ride their bicycle to the grocery store.  They buy a ton of stuff, and they stand at the register trying to figure out how they are going to get all of it home.  They go ahead with the entire purchase and I'm left trying to fit the items in a couple of bags.  If I'm lucky, I get to watch them try to shove them all into a backpack.

Black Friday

It's Black Friday!  That fun time of year where we exercise our credit cards.  Let's push them to the limit folks!  This is a great day for you to get in your daily workout by trying to snag that big screen TV before someone else grabs it.  Just don't get tackled in the process!  Want to be the first one in the store, why not camp out overnight!

Oh, yea, and it's also time for my world famous usual Black Friday post.  

The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday and it is the biggest shopping day of the year.  For retailers, it marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.   In recent years, every Friday leading up to Christmas has been referred to a "Black Friday Sale."  Today, though, is the real Black Friday.

For those of us that are out there working on Black Friday, it's a crazy, long and tiring day.  Make sure you take those vitamins, drink lots of water, plaster a smile on your face and, well, just try to have some fun.

If you are out there shopping, it can get crazy, so, try to be safe.  Also, be nice to the store employees.  They don't make the rules or have any control over the amount of inventory the store has of that item you want to purchase.  So, go easy on them!

And now, what everyone has been waiting for, here is my famous Black Friday song playlist for your listening pleasure:

Man in Black - Johnny Cash
Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones
Back in Black - AC/DC
Black Cat - Janet Jackson
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Black or White - Michael Jackson
Black Widow - Iggy Azalea
Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
Black - Pearl Jam
Blackbird - The Beatles
Black Betty - Ram Jam
Black Gold - Soul Asylum
Men in Black 3 Back in Time - Pitbull
Black Night - Deep Purple
Black Rain - Soundgarden
The Long Black Veil - Johnny Cash
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
Black Velvet - Alannah Miles
Black Water - The Doobie Brothers
Men in Black - Will Smith

Blue on Black - Five Finger Death Punch

Back to Black  -Amy Winehouse

Fade to Black - Metallica

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall

Two Black Cadillacs - Carrie Underwood

Black Honey - Thrice

Black Rose  - Volbeat

Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress - The Hollies

Now get out there and have some fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

  In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast.  They invited the great Indian chief, Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food.  Governor Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests.  Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this;

"We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land.  We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice."

Linus Van Pelt
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Vegan Diaries - Restaurants

 I feel like times are changing for the better for vegans.  More information is out there and more people are interested in veganism.  I am also finding that more restaurants are waking up trying to cater to the vegan customers.

I remember starting my vegetarian journey.  We would go on vacation and there would be little to no options for me to eat.  The "little" options the restaurants had would be a side salad.  Basically, iceberg lettuce and maybe a tomato or cucumber slice tossed in for fun.  Everyone is ordering a meal while I'm trying to slowly eat a tiny bowl of lettuce salad.  Of course, that was over ten years ago.

Today, some restaurants are accommodating the vegetarians and vegans of the world with a couple of options.  Hey, I know it's not a full menu, but it is certainly progress.  

I think it's great that there are more people out there trying this type of diet and pleased that the restaurants are embracing this opportunity to offer a vegan meal option.

Pretty Paper

 Well, you read about my blank notebook obsession, so I guess I should confess to my pretty paper fascination.  

I have quite an assortment of pretty paper, various colors and designs.  Some were purchased and others gifted to me. I have used some of the paper over the years.  Recently it was brought to my attention that there was an obscene amount of paper and that I had to do something about it.  The child who mentioned this knows that this paper is part of her inheritance and would like the amount to decrease before it becomes entirely in her possession.

A side note:  I think I'm in good shape because I have used quite a bit of the paper on a recent project and have plans to use some for an activity in the next couple of months.

Do you need any pretty paper for future projects?

Do you have a stockpile of pretty paper?

World Kindness Day

 Today is World Kindness Day.  A day that promotes the importance of being kind to others, yourself and the world.

How to celebrate the day?

Whether at work, school, at home or out and about in the world, there are many ways you can spread kindness.  

Try to perform three random acts of kindness today.   Let someone go ahead of you in line, buy the person behind you a cup of coffee, hold the door open for someone, smile at strangers or greet your cashier. 

It pays to be kind!  Performing these niceties lowers your stress, blood pressure, your aging process and helps you live longer. 

Remember, kindness is contagious.  Your one kind act can start a long string of kindness because it's contagious and fun.  

Use #WorldKindnessDay on social media.

My Weird Dog - Halloween Recovery

Halloween is always a fun time of year at our house.  Even my weird dog Pippen gets in on the fun.  You see, every time the doorbell rings he jumps up and runs to the door.  You're probably thinking, "That's what all normal dogs do."  You have to remember that Pippen is not normal.

One of Pippen's favorite hangouts is in the family room.  He is usually engaged in his favorite activity:  sleeping.  When the doorbell rings, he will jump up and start barking.  It's nice, because he has a loud bark and people can hear it at the front door.  The only problem is, if we remain seated, he just stands there and barks.  He doesn't run to the door to protect us.  If we start walking towards the door, he will follow.  It's like he is afraid to go near the door (my fearless protector).  

I should also mention that our front door is down a flight of stairs and that Pippen is not a puppy.  With every doorbell ring on Halloween, he runs down and up a flight of stairs.

Pippen has been a little tired and out of sorts for the last week.  Hopefully with a few more naps, he should be back to "normal" soon.

Retail Problems - Two Cents

 It was one of those crazy days at work.  I had a long line of customers at the service desk.  As I was helping someone, a customer came up and demanded her change.  "The cashier forgot to give me the change."  I told her that I can't just take it out of any register.  The change has to come from the register that rang up her purchase, otherwise both register drawers will be off when counted.  

I brought the customer over to the register and realize that it's a new cashier.  She has no idea how to open her drawer and get change and she is in the middle of ringing up a large order.  So, I start bagging for her and explain the situation to the customer.  The customer, of course, becomes upset because she does not want to wait.  I try to calm her down.  The transaction ends and I instruct the cashier on how to do a "no sale."  She's new, so I want to teach her how to do this so we don't get in the same situation in the future.  

The cashier opens the drawer and pulls out the change.  Two cents.  Yes, you read that correctly.  The customer threw a fit because she needed her two cents back.

I try to carry change in my pocket (my own money) so I don't have to go through these nightmares.  Unfortunately, this was one of the times I did not have any money on me.

National Harvey Wallbanger Day

 Happy Harvey Wallbanger Day!

I think this is one of my favorite days of the year and I want to make sure that everyone out there is celebrating with me.  Of course, I'm starting early this morning, so I might be a few drinks ahead of you.  

A Harvey Wallbanger is a fruity cocktail made with vodka, Galliano and orange juice.    It's basically a screwdriver, but a little fruitier.  Galliano is an Italian liqueur that contains Juniper, Anise, Mint and Vanilla.  If you are unable to locate Galliano, you can always substitute Kahlua, Triple Sec or peppermint Schnapps. 

The Harvey Wallbanger originated in the sixties.  There are several stories out there, but I prefer this one:  A bartender named Donato Antone created the drink and served it at a party.  The one person remaining after the party, Harvey, was banging his head against the wall.  The drink made its debut to the rest of the world in 1968.  Galliano used Harvey in their marketing campaign in 1969 with, "Harvey Wallbanger is the name and I can be made."  The drink's name also became a metaphor to describe someone who goofs off or makes mistakes.  Harvey Wallbanger was also a frequent write in vote during elections.  

How can you observe Harvey Wallbanger Day?  Meet your friends at your local hang out and order a Harvey Wallbanger and toast good ol' Harvey (just don't be the one banging your head on the wall at the end of the night).  You can use #HarveyWallbangerDay when posting on social media.

How to make the perfect Harvey Wallbanger?  I'm glad you asked!

1.5 oz Vodka
4 oz orange juice
.5oz Galliano
cherry or orange slice for garnish

Mix vodka and orange juice.  Pour Galliano on top and don't mix it in the drink (best if you pour over a spoon).  Garnish with a cherry or orange slice and serve.

Cheers!

Blank Notebooks

 I have quite the collection of blank notebooks.  I'm a sucker for the pretty designs.  The ideas flow through my head of how I could use them.  I mean, there are so many things that you can do with a new blank notebook. 

Here's my list of what to do with those beautiful, blank notebooks:

Gratitude Journal

Daily planner

To Do List

Personal Journal (Diary)

Food Journal

Travel Jornal

Place to write down your thoughts

Favorite quotes

Favorite lists (songs, flowers, food, movies, etc.)

Bullet journal

Journaling prompts

Recipes

Goal Setting

Bucket List

Doodle or drawing book

Write stories (or blog posts)

Learn a new language

Track your finances

Prayers or reflections

Memories

I could go on and on.

What's holding me back from using my journals?  Oh, afraid that I use them for the wrong thing.  Messing up the book with my bad handwriting (you would agree if you saw the original writing of this post in my, believe it or not, blank notebook).  

Do you have a blank notebook obsession?

Do you use blank notebooks?  If yes, how do you use them?  Let me know in the comments below.

Belly Ache Day

 Another Halloween has come and gone.  How much candy did you eat?

My Dad always called the day after Halloween, "Belly Ache Day."  The belly ache came from eating too much candy the day before (Halloween).  I never suffered on Belly Ache Day.  I was allowed a few pieces of candy on Halloween, and then the rest of my candy was squirreled away by my mom, never to be seen again.  I think she probably threw it all in the garbage (Thanks, Mom).

If you have some energy and are looking for some ways to use up that Halloween candy (besides hiding it or throwing it away), check out my recipe for Halloween cupcakes.  You can make a few batches and give them out to the neighbors.   You can always donate some candy to a food pantry or bring candy to a nursing home (the seniors love getting the candy as a bingo prize!).  There are local dentists that collect candy, also.

Here's hoping that you aren't suffering too much on this Belly Ache Day!