Floral Design Day

This is a day dedicated to appreciating the art of floral design (making arrangements out of flowers). This could be making a floral arrangement (out of real, fake, or dried flowers), admiring floral arrangements, taking pictures of arrangements or drawing a flower arrangement.

I have never actually tried to do any sort of floral design. Other than weddings and funerals, I don't see too many floral arrangements. But I do have a few friends that are great at making flowers prettier than they already are. One of them works at a flower shop. Her entire job is about creating beautiful works of art with flowers and plants. The other is a teacher that I had in high school. When you walk in her house there are plants/flowers through out the house. Expecially in the warmer months. She will pick the flowers from her backyard and create a display for her living room table. It is a different arrangement almost every time I see it!

So no matter if you are "good" with flowers or not, take the time to appreciate the different floral arrangements that you see - because they didn't grow that way!

Have fun!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Polar Bear Day

With this cold, no wonder they put polar bear day this time of the year!

What better way to celebrate the Polar Bear than to learn more about them? Here we go:

- Polar Bears primarily live in the Arctic (Russia, Alaska, etc)

-They are the largest carnivore (meat eaters) that live on land

- Seals make up most of their diet. They can actually smell seals from a mile away.

-Male bears can weigh up to 1500 pounds and females are usually half that size.

- Polar Bears have 42 teeth

- Females don't start having cubs until they are about 4 or 5 years old.

- Polar Bears stay warm thanks to almost 10 cm of blubber under their skin.

- The only thing that preys or hunts Polar Bears are humans.

Happy Polar Bear Day!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Fairy tales where one of my favorite things when I was growing up. Most of the Disney movies that I loved where based off of fairy tales. It wasn't until I was older that I learned that most of the movies that I watched, where not actually how the story happened.

Take Cinderella for example. In the movie, the prince found Cinderella by having every maiden in the kingdom try on a glass slipper that was left on the steps of his castle. The evil step sisters tried on the glass slipper and could not fit it on their feet. In the original story by the Grimm Brothers, the step sisters actually cut off parts of their feet (Big toe and heels) to be able to fit into the slippers. They are discovered by the blood that covers the shoe.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs story is different from the movie as well. The evil queen actually tries to kill Snow White more than what they showed in the movie. Along with the Huntsman and the poison apple the Queen also uses a laced bodice to try and kill Snow. The queen comes dressed as a pedlar selling bodices and convinces snow to try one on. She then ties the bodice so tightly that snow collapses and is left for dead. The dwarfs find her just in time to untie the laces. She also tries to kill Snow with a poison comb, but once again the dwarfs come to her rescue.

We owe a good chunk of our Fairy Tales to the Grimm Brothers, who put together their book of fairy tales. So to celebrate, we continue to read fairy tales and watch movies about them as well!

So have fun, and tell a fairy tale today!

Quiet Day

Being quiet is not something that comes naturally to my family. To be honest, we are actually pretty darn loud. When I was seven years old I went to a Michigan football game with my dad. Now for those of you not familiar with the Michigan stadium, it can hold over 100,000 people. So imagine my dads horror, when we came back a YEAR later and the usher looks at me and say's "Hey look, the screamers back!".

So we have established that my family (me included) are very loud. So the "quiet game" (see who can stay quiet the longest) never worked very well in my family. My brother and I seldom played it, and when we did, it only lasted about 5 minutes because we wanted to go back to yelling and arguing with each other.

I took a communications class a few years ago in college. The professor would always have us do rather strange things and then we would have to write a speech about our experience.  For one such experience, we had to go an entire 24 hours without talking. Do you know how hard that is for someone like me who is constantly singing and talking to herself?!? It was very difficult for me, but very interesting at the same time!

So make sure you get some quiet time into your day!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

National Tortilla Chip Day

A day devoted to the Tortilla Chip! The chip that is most popular during football games.

I attempted to learn more about this popular snack food, but I did not find out much. Here is some of what I found:

- According to the U.S. Census Bureau there were 337 tortilla manufacturing establishments in the U.S. in 2004.

- Is usually made from corn meal or wheat

-  The triangle shaped tortilla chip was popularized by Rebecca Webb Carranza as a way to make use of misshapen tortillas rejected from automated tortilla manufacturing machines.

So there is some small information. But really the best way to celebrate is to go out and eat a few tortilla chips today!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Tennis Day

I'm not going to lie. I am absolutely horrible at tennis. I am pretty good at racquetball, but for some reason, trying to hit a bigger ball with a bigger racquet is hard for me!  But I have to say that Reese absolutely love's tennis balls! (Although, if you don't watch him, he will destroy it in under a minute!).

So lets learn some things about tennis:

- The modern game of tennis originated in Birmingham, England, in the late 19th century as “lawn tennis”

-  Prior to the use of rackets in tennis, people used their palms to hit the ball back and forth

-  Tennis balls were white until 1972, when it was found that a bright yellow color was easier to see on a television screen.

- The first women to play in the Wimbledon tournament wore full length dresses.

Have a great Tennis Day!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom

Walking the Dog Day

It is currently above 0 degrees where I live (it's about 10 degrees)! What great weather to take my two dogs for a walk!

It is walk the dog day. So if you have a dog, take some time to walk it. If the weather won't allow either the dog, or their owner to walk outside then go someplace that will allow pets inside their building (Pet store, Tractor Supply, etc).

This time of year always seems to be the time when the dogs are most restless. It makes sense. A good chunk of the time it is so cold that they don't get as many walks or out door time as they should really have. If I was stuck in my house for 3 months during the year and only went outside for 3 minute increments at a time, I would go a little stir crazy too!

So let your dogs get out some of that extra energy by taking them for a walk. Not only will they enjoy it, but you will love when they are calmer in your house!

Erin
   Reeses & Blossom