NATIONAL TOASTED MARSHMALLOW DAY

Thursday, August 30^th: A little sugar, a little smoke … heaven on a stick! Today is NATIONAL TOASTED MARSHMALLOW DAY. Although I couldn’t locate the origin of the holiday, lots of people are celebrating the day.

You haven’t made toasted marshmallows before? Why, I thought it was a good-ole American tradition that everyone knew how to make. But if not, here’s a site with great directions. http://www.ehow.com/how_2085322_toast-marshmallows.html

Celebrate life; celebrate every chance you get, especially when marshmallows are involved!

Want to take it up a notch? Here’s a link to a recipe for Toasted Marshmallow Fudge: http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/02/toasted-marshmallow-fudge-on-valentines.html

And, here’s a link to a Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake I just have to try!: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/drinks/stande28099s-toasted-marshmallow-milkshake/

ACCORDING TO HOYLE DAY

Wednesday, August 29^th: Whoever knew? Whoever knew that Hoyle would become such a popular guy? It’s ACCORDING TO HOYLE DAY. Here it is 270 years after Hoyle’s ‘Short Treatise’ on the game of whist was published (1742) and we still talk about ‘according to Hoyle.’

Edmond Hoyle was born in London, England about 1672 and died there. It’s believed that he studied law. His published instructions became a model guide to the rules of the game. His name became synonymous with the idea of correct play according to the rules, and the phrase “according to Hoyle” became a part of the English language.

And here we are, hundreds of years later, celebrating a day to remember Edmond Hoyle and a day for fun and games according to the rules.

LEARN JAPANESE MONTH

Tuesday, August 28th: Konnichiwa! August is LEARN JAPANESE MONTH. According to About.com, “Konnichiwa — pronounced “kon-nee-chee-wah” — is a basic way to say hello in Japanese, however, it is mostly heard in the afternoon. Konnichiwa is used as a respectful-yet-generic way to say hello.”

I may not be able to learn Japanese this month (especially since the month is almost over) but I can learn a new phrase for the day.

There’s also: Ohayou (Good morning), Konbanwa (Good evening), Nanika atta? (What’s up?), or Dou shiteru? (How’s everything?).

For more phrases, check out this site: http://goasia.about.com/od/Language/a/How-to-Say-Hello-in-Japanese.htm

THE DUCHESS WHO WASN’T DAY

Monday, August 27^th: In honor of the duchess, today is THE DUCHESS WHO WASN’T DAY. According to Chase’s Calendar of Events:

“At least once on this day repeat the following now-famous quotation from the novel Molly Bawn: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Margaret Wolfe Hungerford often wrote under the pseudonym “The Duchess,” which was the title of her most popular novel—hence the name of this event. A popular romance novelist with about 40 books published, Hungerford was born at Rosscarbery, County Cork, Ireland, on Aug 27, 1850; she died at Bandon, CountyCork, in 1897. (Originated by the late Peggy Shirley.)”

Celebrate life; celebrate the beauty of life, inside and out.

NATIONAL DOG DAY

Sunday, August 26th: Today is for the dogs; it’s NATIONAL DOG DAY. Sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation, they share a slew of ideas about how to celebrate the day. Below are a few, for the rest go check out their site http://www.nationaldogday.com/ways_to_celebrate.htm

• Adopt a dog from your local shelter or pure breed rescue organization. Volunteer at your local shelter and offer to walk a dog or play with a dog, clean cages or anything else they need help with.
• Donate blankets, food and toys to animal welfare organizations.
• Have a National Dog Day party and invite all your friends and their dogs!
• Join a fun, dog friendly community online and post pics of your pooch for the world to ooh and ahh over!
• Assist an ill or elderly neighbor by walking their dog.
• Buy your dog a fun new dog toy.
• Give your dog some fun exercise by taking him or her to a doggy play resort.
• Brush your dog to eliminate excess fur.
• Give your dog a massage or holistic spa treatment.
• Buy your dog a new collar.
• Take your dog on a pet friendly vacation.
• Buy yourself and your dog some matching tee shirts!
• Create a Facebook page for your dog to share photos and stories for friends and family.
• Dog-proof your pool to prevent the risk of drowning.
• Microchip & I.D. Tag your dog so the shelter can locate you if he gets lost.
• Teach your children and their friends to be kind to your dog by never pulling on his ears or tail.
• Pledge to walk your dog every day for proper health and behavior management.
• Install a fence around your unfenced yard so your dog can run and enjoy some freedom at home.
• Pledge to never chain your dog to a tree or doghouse. Always include your dog in your family by letting him live inside the home with you.
• And last but not least – pledge to never yell at or hit your dog…to be patient and kind and give your dog lots of love and praise every day.

PLUTO DEMOTED DAY

Friday, August 24^th: Remember in the “old days” … you know, back when Pluto was a planet? Today is PLUTO DEMOTED DAY. This day, back in 2006, Pluto lost its official designation of a planet. Poor, poor Pluto! But whether we call it a planet or not, there it is, still rotating around the sun with the rest of us planets. I doubt its feelings are hurt. It is what it is, regardless of what we call it.

Here are some interesting Pluto facts and trivia:

• Light takes 6 hours to travel from Pluto to Earth.
• To an observer standing on Pluto, the Sun would appear no brighter than Venus appears in our evening sky.
• Pluto has a moon, called Charon.
• Pluto takes 248 Earth years to orbit the Sun.
• Pluto is smaller than Earth’s Moon.
• Pluto’s composition is unknown, but its density indicates that it is probably a mixture of 70% rock and 30% ice.
• Pluto is named after the Roman and Greek god of the underworld
• Pluto is 2.67 billion miles away from Earth.
• The surface temperature on Pluto varies between about -235 and -210 C
• Pluto is too faint to be seen with the naked eye. When viewed through a telescope, it looks like a star.
• During each revolution around the sun, Pluto passes inside Neptune’s orbit for 20 years, making Neptune the outermost planet.
• Pluto’s atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen and methane gas.
• Some astronomers believe Pluto wasn’t one of the original planets but a moon of Neptune that broke loose.

WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE MONTH

Thursday, August 23^rd: What is your legacy? What memories will you leave behind? August is WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE MONTH. Celebrate your life; take a few moments to reflect on what legacy will be left to honor your life.

This event is sponsored by http://www.jirehpublishers.com/. According to Jireh Publishers, “Many people do not realize how their actions impact others. They live their lives selfishly, not realizing the impact of their life choices on present and possibly future generations. What Will Your Legacy Be Month is a month for people to reflect on their past and present actions and vow to make positive changes that will affect generations. The time is NOW- not later. The seeds, whether positive or negative, that we plant in our children’s lives will grow and reflect our teachings.

What seeds of yours are sprouting in your children? Are the seeds sprouting in your children, seeds of promotion or seeds of destruction? Are the seeds something that you can be proud of or will the seeds bring pain to you and/or others? Be honest, for the bottom line is that the seeds will sprout and reflect your teachings.”

Jireh Publishers shares Five Tips to Remember in Creating Your Legacy:

• Treat others as you want to be treated.
• Character is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. Remember- what is done in the dark will eventually be brought to the light. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when.”
• Even though it may be difficult, toss away your “could haves” and “should haves.” The past is the past. Stop reminding yourself what you could have or should have done. Start today to live a life of purpose.
• To err may be human, but stop using this as an excuse to do the “wrong thing.”
• Be about it, rather than just…talk. Remember-talk is cheap.

BE AN ANGEL DAY

Wednesday, August 22^nd: We all need our angels. Celebrate BE AN ANGEL DAY by helping others. Today is a day to do “one small act of service for someone. Be a blessing in someone’s life.”

Jayne Howard Feldman was inspired to create this day in 1993. Jayne is inspired by angels and celebrates them everyday. Can’t we be someone’s angel today? What’s one thing (or more) that we can do to be an angel to someone who needs one?

http://www.earthangel4peace.com

SENIOR CITIZENS’ DAY

Tuesday, August 21^st: Celebrate the wisdom and maturity of age, it’s SENIOR CITIZENS’ DAY. Honor the senior citizens in your life today. Take your grandparents, or parents, to lunch or dinner, if you live close. If they’re far away, give them a call and tell them that you love them. Do you have an elderly neighbor that doesn’t get out much? Can you run an errand for them? Drop off a home baked meal or dessert? Mow a lawn or trim some trees?

President Ronald Reagan proclaimed August 21^st Senior Citizens Day in 1988. Keep the tradition alive, honor the elderly in your life.

NATIONAL CATFISH MONTH

Monday, August 20^th: Blackened, broiled, grilled or fried; however you serve it up, catfish tastes great. August is NATIONAL CATFISH MONTH.

According to http://www.uscatfish.com/august-is-national-catfish-month.html: August was designated as National Catfish Month in the late 1980s, to honor the hard work and innovations of U.S. catfish farmers.

The perfectly mild flavor that made U.S. catfish so popular in the first place and the strict standards of U.S. catfish farmers ensure superior freshness and taste. Blackened, broiled, grilled or fried – U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish works in virtually any recipe, which makes celebrating National Catfish Month pretty easy. Just make sure to look for the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish seal in the grocery store, and ask before you order if you don’t see it on the menu at your favorite restaurant.

For a selection of tasty recipes, Free Video Cooking Tutorials, andCulinary Techniques and Tutorials, check out this site: http://www.uscatfish.com/recipes.html