HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOBO

Tuesday, July 31^st: It’s all about me and you and a dog named Boo. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOBO! On this day, more than several years ago (1943 to be exact) Roland Kent LaVoie was born in Tallahassee, Florida. His musical career began in 1961 with a local band, The Rumours. And the rest, as “they” say, is history. His career spans several decades and several continents. He had several Top 10 Hits, including I’d Love You to Want Me and Don’t Expect Me to Be Your Friend. But my all-time favorite (and I can still sing along with the song, is that dating ME?) is Me and You and a Dog Named Boo.

Let’s pull out the vinyl (or download some old-school songs) and party along, celebrating LOBO’S birthday.

NATIONAL CHEESECAKE DAY

Monday, July 30^th: Yummy, yummy; here’s MY kind of holiday. Today is NATIONAL CHEESECAKE DAY! Although an unofficial holiday, I couldn’t locate the origin of the day; it’s still a popular holiday. My goodness, who knew there were so many kinds of cheesecake?

North American styled cheesecakes vary by region. There’s New York style, Pennsylvania Dutch style, Philadelphia-style, and a St. Louis variant called Gooey butter cake.

If that isn’t enough to confuse a person, then take a look at cheesecakes in other countries. The United Kingdom and Ireland use a base of crushed, buttered biscuits, often topped with fruit compote. They also feature unique flavors as coffee, tea, Irish cream and even marshmallow.

Germany has a unique cheesecake using quark that has a bit of a sweet and sour taste.

Bulgaria uses cream cheese, similar to our New York style filling, with Smetana for a top layer, often with ground nuts added to the crust mixture.

I want to try a Brazilian style cheesecake, with a layer of guava marmalade. Most of all, I want to try a Japanese style cheesecake using matcha (powdered Japanese green tea), topped with a scoop of green tea ice cream.

Since there’s some chocolate cheesecake waiting in the freezer for me, I’ll be celebrating with that tonight. What’s your favorite cheesecake?

Happy Cheesecake Day!

LASAGNA DAY

Sunday, July 29^th: My taste buds are ready to celebrate today. It’s LASAGNA DAY. Although I couldn’t locate the origin of this food holiday, I’ll still make observe the day with bells on. My all time favorite lasagna is my homemade lasagna, compliments of the Betty Crocker cookbook I’ve used since high school. However, with our Texas heating reaching 105 degrees today, I don’t think I’ll heat up the kitchen. Hmmm, so now my choices are between one of the decent frozen lasagnas for the microwave or a local Italian restaurant tonight. Which would you choose?

For a delicious vegetable lasagna recipe (from the MagicKingdom itself!), check out my favorite food blog for this treat: http://monthsofediblecelebrations.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-donald-duck-day.html

Happy lasagna eating!

BUFFALO SOLDIERS DAY

Saturday, July 28^th: Today honors our often unrecognized heroes. It’s BUFFALO SOLDIERS DAY. This day commemorates the formation on that date in 1866 of the first regular Army regiments comprising African-American soldiers.

In 1992 the U.S. Congress passed a law designating July 28 as Buffalo Soldiers Day in the United States.

According to answers.com, “African-American soldiers fought for the Union during the Civil War. But it was not until after the war that permanent all-black regiments were established, maintaining the U.S. armed forces policy of segregation. The African-American regiments were deployed in the southwest and in the plains states to serve U.S. interests against Native American tribes, to protect important shipments, and to construct roads and trails. A longstanding debate ranges around the origin of the term “Buffalo Soldier,” with some maintaining that the nickname reflected the toughness of the soldiers and others claiming that it was a disparaging racial term used by Native Americans to describe the dark-skinned soldiers they met in battle. The segregated regiments served in the Spanish-American War, World War II, and other conflicts, before being disbanded during the 1940s and 1950s as the U.S. armed forces embraced integration.

Since 1992, Buffalo Soldier Commemorations have been held throughout the country and typically include reenactments, museum displays, educational forums, prayer services, and dedication or groundbreaking ceremonies for sculptural or other permanent memorials. A monument to the Buffalo Soldiers was dedicated at Fort Leavenworth, Kans., on the first Buffalo Soldiers Day in 1992 by General Colin Powell, who had originated the idea of a memorial to the black soldiers when he was stationed at the fort. Ceremonies and reenactments honoring the Buffalo Soldiers are not limited to July 28, however. Communities throughout the United States present special programs designed to educate audiences about the history of the Buffalo Soldiers throughout the year, particularly during Black History Month in February and on such patriotic holidays as Memorial Day and Veterans Day, with displays of memorabilia and speeches recounting the accomplishments of the troops.”

BuffaloSoldiersNationalMuseum: www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com

TALK IN AN ELEVATOR DAY

Friday, July 27^th: Today is a day of courage. It’s TALK IN AN ELEVATOR DAY. You know those awkward moments of silence, the eyes forward, trying to avoid bodily contact until the elevator is too crowded to avoid it? Enliven the ride today. Try one of these tips. (Tips complement of Facebook postings)

• Say, “Ding!” at each floor.
• Sing along with the Muzak.
• Push a button, pretend it gave you a shock. Smile and go back for more.
• When there is only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder and then pretend it wasn’t you.
• Call the Psychic Hotline and ask them if they know which floor you’re on.
• Offer name tags to everyone getting on the elevator.
• Wave hands wildly at invisible flies buzzing around your head.
• Hold the doors open as if you’re waiting for a friend, but then let it close. Say to nobody, “Hey, Howard, how’s it been?”
• When the doors close, announce, “Don’t worry, they’ll open again soon.”
• Open your purse slightly and say, “Do you have enough air in there?”
• Make race car noises when anyone gets on or off.
• Stand silent and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.
• Whistle the first seven notes of “It’s a Small World” incessantly.
• Greet everyone getting on the elevator with a warm handshake and ask them to call you “Admiral”.
• Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce “You’re one of THEM!” and move to the far corner of the elevator.
• Start a sing-along.
• Announce in a demonic voice: “I must find a more suitable host body.”

NATIONAL CHILI DOG DAY

Thursday, July 26^th: Hot dogs and chili; what a great combination. Today is NATIONAL CHILI DOG DAY. Hard Times Café, on the East Coast, sponsors the celebration and offers free chili dogs today. We can celebrate all over the nation though, even if we don’t live on the east coast. Most of us have one or two local places that offer delicious chili dogs. You can whip up your own creations at home. A little chili, hot dogs, some buns, a few chopped onions … you’re on your way to your own eat-at-home-holiday. Celebrating at home always makes for a good day.

NATIONAL CAROUSEL DAY

 Wednesday, July 25^th: You say carousel; I say merry-go-round. Either way, we can both celebrate today. It’s NATIONAL CAROUSEL DAY.

The holiday was created to honor the 1871 carousel patented by William Schneider of Davenport, Iowa who is considered the official inventor of the modern carousel according to the U.S. patent office.

Of the hundreds (if not into the thousands) of beautiful wooden carousels carved in the late 1800s and early 1900s, there are maybe 200 or so of these original American treasures in operation today. It’s a great time to get out and ride and support your local carousel even if it is not a turn-of-the-century antique.

For more information, see: http://www.carouselnews.com/component/option,com_jcalpro/Itemid,10001/extid,77/extmode,view/

COUSINS DAY

Tuesday, July 24^th: Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Grandparents Day; and now there’s COUSINS DAY also. Today is a day to celebrate, honor and appreciate our cousins. Reach out today and share some love with your cousins. Let them know how much you appreciate them. Here’s a thank you Claudia Evart, of New York City, for sponsoring this special day.

Book Review: Reshaping Reality – Creating Your Life

Book Review
Reshaping Reality: Creating Your Life!
By Robin Marvel
Reviewed by Trisha Faye

Don’t allow your past to dictate who you are today. Robin Marvel, in her newest book, shows us that it is possible to reshape our reality and create a joyful, fulfilling, authentic life. Reshaping Reality – Creating Your Life has life-lessons and tools that empower us to release the past, remove the victim mind set and live a life of renewed personal growth.

We all have a past. We all have blemishes. We do not need to let the imperfections of our journey continue to tarnish our daily life. Robin reveals tools and exercises that help us take our negative life situations and propel us into a life of purpose and meaning.

Helen Hayes said, “From your parents you learn love and laughter and how to put one foot before the other. But when books are opened you discover you have wings.” Robin’s life is proof that this quote is not always true. She freely and openly shares stories of her past that show she did not learn love and laughter and how to put one foot before the other from her parents. Robin says that we all have choices in life. She made different choices than the ones she was taught. She didn’t let her abusive childhood and the difficulties she experienced determine who she would become as an adult. She also chose to share her wisdom with others, so that others can open a book and discover that they have wings.

Robin states, “I have used these unfortunate circumstances I lived as a child and turned them into a way to encourage others to live a life of confidence and strength.” Robin had choices. We have choices.

Reshaping Reality – Creating Your Life is an easy and understandable book to read. The only downside was that I finished the book and wasn’t ready for it to be over. I wanted to keep reading.

Although this book reads easily, it’s not one that should be read and set aside. Change does not happen overnight. This book is far from a quick fix. Each chapter is only two pages long and is followed by three exercises to reshape our beliefs and our daily life. My own thought is that since each chapter only takes five to ten minutes to read, it would be effective to read one chapter a day. Choose a time of day to sit, read and contemplate that days chapter, either in the morning as our day starts to gear up, or in the evening as we’re winding down for the night. Work your way from beginning to end, or use your intuition to randomly pick a chapter each day. During the day, as you go about your daily life, reflect on the words you read and the exercises that follow. Integrate the wisdom into your life on a daily basis, small pieces at a time.

Some of the chapters you encounter in this book may not be lessons you need to learn at this present time on your current path. ‘It’s My Energy’ was one of those for me. Robin reveals how energetic interactions impact our life and health. It’s an excellent chapter, however my beliefs on energy are already aligned with Robin’s.

Now, ‘Let Go … My Ego’; that chapter … not so easy. In this chapter Robin talks about the need for approval, the need to judge, and the need to control. Ouch!  Another difficult chapter (for me) was ‘Mirror, Mirror On the Wall’. Here Robin shares how each relationship we experience reflects a lesson our soul needs. She states, “Each person we encounter acts as a mirror, allowing us to see who we are, revealing our true issues and true inner state.” Double-ouch!

Reshaping Reality – Creating Your Life contains wisdom for a journey of self-discovery. It’s a road map written by someone who has walked a rocky path and elevated their life to one that’s rich, rewarding and authentic. In writing this book, she holds out a hand to help others over the bumps and obstacles that can so easily mire us down. As with all lessons in life, open your heart, take what you can use and accept the knowledge that awaits you.

One of Robin’s recent Facebook posts sums up the essence of Reshaping Reality, “Today I encourage you to Own Your Life! Accept personal responsibility for where you are today and if you do not like it, start changing it. Be confident that each step of change your make is a step in the direction of Owning Your Life!!”

Reshaping Reality – Creating Your Life is Robin’s fourth book. Other books by Robin Marvel are: Awakening Consciousness A Girl’s Guide, Awakening Consciousness A Boy’s Guide, and Awakening Consciousness A Woman’s Guide. Check out her web site for more information http://www.robinmarvel.com/

(Trisha received a copy of this book for review from the author, publisher, or publicist.
Any personal opinions stated in this review are her own.)

SPOONER’S DAY

Sunday, July 22^nd: And a half-warmed fish for you too; today is SPOONER’S DAY. Today celebrates the man famous for the slip of the tongue, Reverend William Archibald Spooner. Born in London, July 22, 1844, Dr. Spooner was a scholarly and prominent figure of the time. He was warden of New College, Oxford from 1903-1924. Here we are, eighty years after his death (August 29, 1930) finding a reason to celebrate from Dr. Spooner’s slip-of-the-tongues. His frequent mishaps with the spoken word led to the term spoonerism to describe them. Some of his slips gave us blushing crow (for crushing blow), tons of soil (for sons of toil), queer old dean (for dear old queen), swell foop (for fell swoop) and half-warmed fish (for half-formed wish).

So, off to celebrate, and mind your words today.