Evaluate Your Life Day

Today is Evaluate Your Life Day. This is a good time to read The Optimist's Creed.

Read The Optimist's Creed daily. Use it as a powerful tool to become the most brilliant magnet for magnificence and joy in your life.

Inspirational writer CHRISTIAN DAA LARSON (b. 1874) is the author of the well-known Optimist Creed. He wrote "Our destiny is not mapped out for us by some exterior power; we map it out for ourselves. What we think and do in the present determines what shall happen to us in the future."

To Read The Optimist's Creed Click Here

Come Little Children - Hocus Pocus

In the fall some people start thinking of celebrating the traditions of Hallowe'en or "All Hollows Eve". 

There are a few movies that come to mind. Hocus Pocus is one of them. 

Here is a video to celebrate the season. 



Fantasies Ghost "The song 'Come Little Children' from Hocus Pocus was created using the first verse of the Poem 'Come Little Children' by Edgar Allen Poe."
 

~*Lyrics*~

Come little children,
I'll take thee away,
into a land of Enchantment.

Come little children,
The time's come to play,
Here in my garden of Shadows.

Song/Poem: Come Little Children
Poet: Edgar Allen Poe
Cover Artist: Kate Covington (katethegreat19)

Happy National Sugar Cookie Day!

Tea Cup Sugar Cookies

Today we honor a food that is simple, versatile, and delicious.

The recipes for sugar cookies are simple with 6 ingredients and they can be dropped for an everyday treat or cut out with themed cookie cutters and decorated with frosting or sprinkles for a special celebration.


Love this photo of Tea Cup Sugar Cookies used with permission
from Oh Sugar Events




How To Make Sugar Cookies with Icing

Do you have a recipe for sugar cookies? 
Share it in the comments.

More Cookie Photos
Cookies: Teacups

Check out this 101-Piece Cookie Cutter Set
Looking for cookie cutters for that special occasion cookie? Try this cookie cutter collection. Click the image to see what shapes are included and get the current price.

These can also be used for playdough!

Today is National Go Barefoot Day!

Why can't every day be a barefoot day? I love to go barefooted as often as possible. I love to feel dirt, grass or sand between my toes! Today is a good day to go barefooted and a good day to show your support for charities like Soles4Souls, a global not-for-profit institution that collects new or used shoes and clothes for people in need.  They also help to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities.

Let's Celebrate today with dancing to BAREFOOTIN! Who doesn't love to dance to this music by Robert Parker (Video by Ardman Animation)

Want to make every day Go Barefoot Day?

National Go Barefoot Day shares this day with  National Running Day. Do you run?

And here's another special day that deserves attention today! National Trails Day is the first Saturday in June. 

 

Everyday is a great day to celebrate.

Click here to find more days to Celebrate in June! 

Edited 6/1/19

Celebrate National Senior Health & Fitness Day

tai chi man by Hren Design

Always set for the last Wednesday in May, National Senior Health & Fitness Day. The common goal for this day: to help keep older Americans healthy and fit. 

Here's a tip! Try singing and chanting for your health!

Singing, laughing and chanting make the sternum (the breast bone) vibrate which stimulates the immune system as the oscillations boost the Thymus, a small gland in the chest behind the sternum which controls the production of the body’s key defense cells called T lymphocytes. When you sing or shout, pray or chant, or listen to music, whether it be recorded or played live by many musicians, the Thymus is stimulated.

Unfortunately, the thymus becomes smaller and smaller with age and almost disappears in old age. Some researchers believe that different infections and cancers in old people are closely linked to the decline in T lymphocyte production. So stimulating the thymus in some way either through laughing, chanting or singing can be helpful in maintaining or improving health as we age.

Vibrations in the throat also stimulate the thyroid, the gland which produces hormones that regulate metabolism which affects the body’s energy consumption and body weight.

Read more about the Thymus, health and sound at my Cultivating Balance Blog

So now you know! The Fountain of Youth was inside YOU all the time. Keep laughing and singing for a long and healthy life!

Here's a video that will keep you seniors singing! Remember this?

The Song That Never Ends

What are you doing to stay young and healthy? Please leave a comment.

I use Anti-Aging products from NuSkin. Want to see a more youthful you? NuSkin is committed to helping you achieve the best version of you. - click here

Learn more about them here: 
Learn more about Chanting  

Check out these links for Health and Fitness   

Green Tea for Health   

Qigong For Health  

Staying Young With Okinawan Longevity

Read more about National Senior Health & Fitness Day Click Here

edited 5/22/16

Memorial Day in Hawaii

Originally created after the Civil War to honor the fallen Union soldiers, Memorial Day has now evolved to commemorate every American soldier and service member. FoxNews.com recently listed the top 10 destinations to celebrate and honor America’s heroes in the "Top 10 moving Memorial Day Getaways."  The article listed Honolulu and Waikiki as #1 for a deeply memorable Memorial Day Weekend with a trip over to Waikiki to check out Oahu's most visually breathtaking annual event The Lantern Floating Hawaii ceremony at Ala Moana Beach Park that honors ancestors and those who have sacrificed their lives in war.

Lantern floating is an Asian spiritual tradition, part of a traditional Buddhist rite which originated in Japan, that beautifully symbolizes the wish for all beings to live in peaceful coexistence...in remembrance of loved ones, or as symbolic prayer for a harmonious future. Those who cast afloat lanterns hope that Lantern Floating Hawai`i brings you a sense of peace and warm remembrance of your departed loved ones. The ceremony also features live music and speeches.

Live streaming of the ceremony will be available here on May 27, 2013, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Hawai‘i-Aleutian Standard Time.

Lantern Floating Hawaii in 2010
at Ala Moana Beach Park, Honolulu, HI

Watch this video for a brief history of the journey of lantern floating ceremony to Hawaii.

Visit Lantern Floating Hawaii on Facebook
More Info Lantern Floating Hawaii
See the photos from last year Here

Celebrating Scotland With Tartan Day

Scottish Board of Highland Dancing

Everyone knows about St. Patrick's Day when people all over the world celebrate their Irish Heritage. But do you know about Tartan Day when people all over the world celebrate their Scottish Heritage?

Every year people with Scottish heritage celebrate Tartan Week during March and April with Tartan Day falling on April 6, Throughout this week festivals are dedicated to celebrating the full, rich culture of Scotland.

In the United States there are more than 20 million people who can claim descent from Scotland, most of whom take immense pride in their Scottish heritage.

Woodrow Wilson said: "Every line of strength in American history is a line colored with Scottish blood."

Learn more about Tartan Day at Celebrating Scotland With Tartan Week

Facebook Page Celebration Everyday

Image by Jim.Henderson used under Creative Commons 
CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

International Children's Book Day

My grandson eating his first book!

Today we are celebrating International Children's Book Day, a yearly event sponsored by the International Board on Books for Young People. This day is celebrated to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books.

Instilling a love of reading promotes a lifetime of learning and enjoyment. I have created a page Best Children's Books For The Early Years that promotes the books that I enjoyed reading to my children and my grandchildren.
 
 "There is a whole host of fabulous children's books out there waiting to be discovered - not just by children but by adults who are young at heart too!"

To find out more about the day and events happening near you, visit International Childrens Book Day website.

What is your favorite children's book? (or 2 or 3)

Click here for More April Holidays and Celebrations

Happy Saint David's Day For My Welsh Friends

St David. Late 19th Century.

Happy Saint David's Day 

(Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi) to all of the Welsh people who celebrate.

March 1 is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, in remembrance of the death of Saint David in 569. The date was declared a national day of celebration within Wales in the 18th century, and a public holiday in 2000.

Public celebrations of Saint David's Day are held in Wales with an annual parade, concerts are held in pubs, clubs, and other venues, and food festivals.

The Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival - National Day of Wales is the largest annual event of its kind in the United States. 

For more celebrations see:

March Holidays and Celebrations
Celebrate Everyday

Update 3/3/15
I found a lovely site that I want to share with you here. 
Tuesday Cuppa Tea, St. David's Day, 
Shelley Daffodil Time Teacup, Things Welsh


Image: Stained glass window in Jesus College Chapel, Oxford, showing St David. Late 19th century.
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic

A Busy Week For Celebrating

This week is a busy week for celebrating. As this is the midpoint between Winter and Spring, and some of us are suffering from not enough sunlight, spending too much time indoors and sometimes unfriendly weather, the holidays this week come at a good time to lift spirits and help us remember that life is to be celebrated.

Today is the new moon which means that in addition to being the dark time of the year, it's also a dark night. Chinese New Year officially falls on the second new moon after the Winter Solstice.

Holidays we will be observing this week.

Chinese New Year
Celebrated around the world 2013 is the Year of the Yin Black Water Snake - The year of feminine wisdom & renewal. This holiday is also called the Spring Festival  and the the Lunar New Year.

Mardi Gras
Observed by various locales usually historically associated with Catholic populations, Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," the day before Ash Wednesday/ It's also called "Shrove Tuesday," or "Pancake Day".


Lincoln's Birthday
Abraham Lincoln's Birthday is a legal holiday in some U.S. states including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Indiana.

It is observed on the anniversary of the slain president's birth on February 12, 1809. The day is marked by traditional wreath-laying ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

Celebrate Lincoln's birthday by seeing the award winning film Lincoln.

Will you be celebrating one of these Holidays? How will you celebrate?

Paper Cut-Out Art - Chinese Zodiac - Year of the Snake
Mardi Gras Image cc by DoctorWho
Lincoln Image cc by  Jeff Kubina

edited 2/9/16

Celebrate National Pie Day

billy.bebop CC BY 2.0

The American Pie Council promotes January 23 as Celebrate National Pie Day. They say the pie-sibilities are endless! According to them the apple pie is America's favorite (of 231 varieties, not sure where they get these numbers), followed by pumpkin pie which seems to me is a seasonal favorite and coming in third is the pecan pie, which my family only ever ate during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays.

I grew up with sweet potato pie as my favorite until I went to Miami and ate real key lime pie....  mmmm!! Sweet potato pie is probably the healthier choice! 

What is your favorite pie? Leave me a comment!


Image billy.bebop CC BY 2.0)

edited 1/23/17