March 25 - Pecan Day

Pecan Pie Recipe, from Karo Syrup


Are you missing the holiday food we were sharing just a few months ago? If so, you can celebrate Pecan Day by making a Pecan Pie. I always thought I had my Grandmother's secret recipe for pecan pie. Then, this year I looked at the recipe on the Karo Syrup label, and was disappointed to find it was exactly the same. Oh well, it's still super delicious! Enjoy with some whipped cream - fresh is best, of course.

March 24 - National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day

Official Site


Grab a box of Raisinets and celebrate spring! Personally, I like to mix Raisinets and Goobers in my popcorn at the movies...YUM!

(LAZY POST!!)

March 22 - International Goof-Off Day

March 22 - Int'l Goof-Off Day
More Info

I was going to clean my apartment today, then I remembered that today is Goof-Off Day. So I flopped on the couch to watch crappy movies for awhile, talked on the phone for about an hour, then the mail came. My mom sent me a package of Easter goodies. I was inspired to have a Peeps Duel. They made it into the microwave but then they chickened out. (Ha! I am so funny.) So I ate them.

I was going to boil some eggs so we could die them later, but that means I would have to go buy eggs, then boil them, then dye them, then clean up afterwards. Not to mention I would have to clean my kitchen in order to make room for this project. I don't feel like doing all of that. Maybe tomorrow. Today I plan on goofing off some more.

Have fun goofing off today!

March 20 - Grab Bag

March 20th is...

Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
Do you know an absolutely incredible kid? If so, let them know how great they are. Write them a letter. Encourage them in their absolutely incredible-ness, and let them know you care about them and want them to succeed.

National Agriculture Day
My suggestion for celebrating this day would be to find out when and where your nearest farmer's market is. Support the local guys. If you are a foodie at all, you will soon become addicted to shopping this way. Thank the local farmers while you are there.

Great American Meat Out Day
From meatout.org:

The purpose is to expose the public to the joys and benefits of a plant-based diet, while promoting the availability and selection of meat and dairy alternatives in mainstream grocery stores, restaurants, and catering operations.

Proposal Day
While I believe this holiday refers to marriage proposals, those of you already married (or not inclined to become so) can use this day to propose...a meat-free meal. Or whatever.

Snowman Burning Day
Also known as the first day of Spring, some people celebrate by burning snowmen. I know, I know - "But snowmen are made of snow. How can they burn?" They make snowman effigies out of newspaper or something and burn those. The purpose: why, to celebrate Spring's arrival, of course. I can't make this stuff up, people!

Some people hold that rising smoke rising from the fire is supposed to ward off blizzards and usher in spring-like weather.

Kids, don't try this at home!

March 19 - National Chocolate Caramel Day

March 19 - National Chocolate Caramel Day
Official Site

Yum...chocolate and caramel are a match made in heaven, second only to chocolate and peanut butter. I like to make Turtle Bars on Chocolate Caramel Day; here's the recipe.

Turtle Bars
14 oz caramels (unwrap before cooking!)
1/2 cup milk, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 German Chocolate cake mix
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
12 oz chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Combine caramels and 1/4 cup milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramels are melted. Set aside.
• Combine melted butter, dry cake mix, nuts, 1/4 cup milk. Mix well. Press half of this mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.
• Bake at 325F for six minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Spread caramel over chips. Place remaining cake mixture over caramel.
• Return pan to 325F oven for 15-18 minutes. Cool, then cut into squares.

March 18 - Awkward Moments Day

March 18 - Awkward Moments Day
Official Site?


Here are the top 10 awkward moments in pop culture for 2007.

For 2008, I expect to see the Gary Busey/Jennifer Garner fiasco at the top of the list.

March 17 - St. Patrick's Day

March 17 - St. Patrick's Day

I was going to post earlier in the day but I got caught up in making dinner, then eating it, then recovering from it. I made a traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage with boiled potatoes and Irish Soda Bread. Ok, so it may or may not be authentic, but it is traditional in my (Polish) family.

Take a piece of corned beef. Mine was about 4 lbs. Rinse off all the crap that is packaged with it. Place it in a pot and cover it with water (you are gonna need a big pot). Add 2 bay leaves and 20 black peppercorns. If you're like me, you don't have any peppercorns, so just toss a palm-ful of ground black pepper in. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cover it and let it simmer until a fork goes easily into the middle of the meat. This may take about 3 hours (mine did). About half an hour before you expect the meat to be done, grab a head of cabbage and cut into wedges. Put that in with the meat.

Like I said, I served with boiled potatoes. Hopefully I don't have to tell you how to cook those. I tossed mine with butter and fresh parsley.

As far as Irish Soda Bread goes, everyone has a different idea of what consistency it should be and how it should taste. I prefer a soft, dense bread with raisins. I used this recipe, but I added 1 cup of raisins. Caraway seeds or anise seeds would also be a good addition.

I'll leave you with tasty thoughts and some St Paddy's videos...

March 16 - National Craft Month

March is National Craft Month
Official Sponsor

Un-official song: She's Crafty!

When I was young, I used to think it was dorky that my mom enjoyed arts & crafts. Now that I’m older, I think that arts & crafts are fun. Then again, I am a dork.

I enjoy many different crafts, and crafting in general, but my favorite hobbies are painting and crochet. Currently I trying to teach myself how to knit and hope to soon pick up on sewing. I am using Craft Month to finish up some projects that got set aside. One thing I like about my hobbies is that I can do them while watching television. This keeps me from eating while I watch television.

If you are one of those who still think that crafts are dorky, you need to check out Craftster, stat! On Craftster, you will find some of the most talented people sharing their projects and ideas. It ain’t yo momma’s crafts.

If you’re like me and Jo-Ann Fabrics or Michaels is one of your favorite stores, you may already have a favorite crafting site online. If you haven’t already, you need to check out Craft magazine and Anticraft.

Don't forget to look online for how-to videos. When I began knitting, I turned to YouTube for beginner lessons.

My favorite crochet website
My favorite cross stitch website
Amazing embroidery patterns
Best craft fair ever

Here is a sweater I crocheted for myself last year:

March 15 - Maple Syrup Day

March 15 - Maple Syrup Day

Hooray for maple syrup! What else could go so well with pancakes and waffles?

Well, it turns out that maple flavoring goes well with many foods. I use maple extract in my zucchini bread (use instead of vanilla extract). Maple is commonly paired with nuts (usually walnuts) and is most often used in sweets and breakfast foods, but you can easily find other ways to use maple syrup.

Here are some Maple Syrup recipes I enjoyed:

Maple Bars (scroll down)
Maple Walnut Granola (second from top)
Maple Mustard Salmon (third from top)
Maple Ice Cream
Maple-Glazed Walnuts (second down on the right)

Here are the Maple-Glazed Walnuts I made:


Enjoy!

March 14 - Optimism Month

March is Optimism Month

Those who know me will tell you I'm no Pollyanna or Miss Mary Sunshine.

I think I've always fallen in the middle of the Optimism/Pessimism Scale. I feel that I do tend slightly to optimism and faith in the basic goodness of others. (Stop laughing. I said slightly.) While I tend to be a "glass is half-full" kind of gal, I do need help seeing the silver lining when things go sour. (How many mixed metaphors can I fit in to one sentence?) Prior to composing this post, I took a few (very un-scientific) personality tests, and the results seemed to bear this theory out.

My optimism can come and go, depending on who I'm with and how optimistic they are. My boyfriend can help me see the brighter side when things don't go my way. (Far more often than I would like.) Even though I love my job, I often fall into the rut of longing for Friday to come. Sometimes I feel like I am just wishing away my life by hoping Friday will come faster. When I’m with friends at work who are being negative about the work day (This day is too long! When will it be Friday? When do we get a day off?) I tend to fall in with them and it makes my day longer/worse than I was really experiencing. Lately, especially since planning this post, I've been trying to help them be more positive.

----------

Fake it till ya make it.

I have a friend who says that all the time. While it may not hold true (or advisable) for all situations, it does work for optimism. Often, I have to make myself see things positively, make myself smile, and make myself have a good attitude. And, more often than not, I end up actually feeling better.

Now, just because I am feeling particularly dorky, here are some optimism quotes I've handpicked for you.

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

-Winston Churchill

"Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!"

-Oscar Wilde

"An optimist will tell you the glass is half-full; the pessimist, half-empty; and the engineer will tell you the glass is twice the size it needs to be."

"It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right."

"In the long run, the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip."
-Daniel L. Reardon

March 13 - National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day

March 13 - National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day


You may have heard that it is considered to be unlucky if you open an umbrella indoors. However, some have said it is only unlucky if the umbrella is black...


if it was a gift...



or if it has never been used outdoors.



Goody. Mine is blue, I bought it myself, and I have used it outside.

March 12 - Girl Scout Day

March 12 - Girl Scout Day
Girl Scouts of America official website
Find Girl Scout Cookies near you
Holiday Insights

On this day in 1912, Juliette Gordon Low assembled the first Girl Scout meeting in Savannah, Georgia. Eighteen girls attended. Approximately 73 years later, a cute little blonde girl joined her local Daisy Girl Scout group. OK that little girl was me. And I was kind of cute. Except for the 80s hair.

Anyway, I don't remember much about being a Daisy Girl Scout. I remember that we met at my friend Jackie's house (her mom was the troop leader). I couldn't say what we did during those meetings, but I do remember that Jackie had a bunny rabbit.

After kindergarten, Daisies become Brownie Girl Scouts. I was always jealous of the girls that got the full GS uniform. My parents could only afford to buy me the sash. The sash that I never filled up with badges.

We seemed to do a lot of crafts. We went camping once or twice, nothing too rugged though. Of course, I remember selling the cookies, and going door-to-door with my Dad.

One time, we had to cook a meal at home for our family. My parents took pictures of me as I did this. I think I may still have those pictures somewhere. I remember that we used them on a poster board to show what I cooked for my family.

March 11 - Organize Your Home Office Day Part 2

All done! Here is the "after" picture!

After work today I took about 3 hours to sort through my papers and re-work my file system. I still need a few filing supplies, but my project is essentially complete!

March 11 - Organize Your Home Office Day

March 11 - Organize Your Home Office Day

Five Tips to Organize Your Home Office (My favorite)
Organizing Your Home Office
Ten Tips to Organize Your Home Office

I took this opportunity to clean up my home office. I don't work out of the home, but I have a desk where I conduct the business of my life, my boyfriend's life, and our life together. As you can see from the "Before" picture, I have a bad habit of letting my crap pile up everywhere.

Laziness. I has it.

And, as you can probably guess, this organization project will likely take more than one day. So I got started on Sunday.

Step one: I admitted I am powerless over my clutter – my life has become unmanageable. Ahh. I feel better already.

Step two: Cleaning and pre-organization. (Yes, pre-organization. I have to organize before I can organize. )

I grabbed a kitchen timer, a garbage bag, and two boxes. The garbage bag is for garbage (duh), one box is for items that need to remain in the desk/office area, and the second box is for items that belong in other parts of my apartment. I set the timer for 30 minutes, and hit the start button. When I came across papers that need to stay in the desk area, but need to be filed OR acted on, I just added them to the KEEP pile, to be sorted through again. Yes, this sounds like extra work, but I will get too distracted if I try to micro-manage my papers at this juncture. I really need to see what the top of my desk looks like. I haven’t seen it in a while.

A half hour later – I feel better. Sweatier and dirtier, but better. I still have LOTS to do, but I have made a marked improvement. Here’s what I did:

I started by going through the stuff on the floor. Some things, like craft items and books, I set aside for later organization. I have to focus on organizing my home office. Hobbies and other cleaning tasks can be done later. I was able to weed out some garbage, including some old phone books. I collected the library books in one place, my personal books were stacked on the table (for later organization), and some items that I want to take to work with me are stacked near the front door for me to grab on my way out the door in the morning.

With a few minutes left on the timer, I put away some of the items on my desk that belonged in other rooms. I was able to pretty much clear my desk top. I still must go through everything on the desk shelves, in the desk drawer, and of course, I must go through my pile once again to sort through all the papers.

I found my calendars! (You'll notice from the "before" picture that a 2007 calendar is still up on my wall.) My new wall calendar was a Christmas present from my mother, and it features photographs of Chicago. I heart Chicago.

Christmas decorations are packed up but still out. These need to be stored in the bedroom closet. I can put them away later; they are not really in the way right now. (A few hours later I got around to putting away all the Christmas decorations.)

On Monday, for half an hour between work and dinner, I went in for another go-round of sorting through my crap. Here’s what I got done:

I collected all my current bills and set them aside to pay them tonight. Books that belonged at the desk stayed, books that did not belong were moved elsewhere. Everything in and on the desk was sorted through and garbage was thrown out. I was even able to start putting things back in place.

After dinner, I sat down to pay my current bills. Then, while watching The Godfather, I went through my papers more carefully and tried to sort them into rough piles. I was done by the time the guy finds his horse's head in his bed with him.

On Tuesday's agenda:
Step three: The actual organization begins!Plus, re-organizing the filing system and find homes for things that do not belong in the desk.

I'll be back later tonight or tomorrow to show you the "After" picture!

March 10 - Salvation Army Day

March 10 - Salvation Army Day
Official Site
US Site

On this day in 1880, the Salvation Army arrived from London, ready to spread the gospel and to help all who needed it.

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. - The Salvation Army mission statement.

To locate a Salvation Army thrift store near you, enter your zip code here.

March 9 - Get Over It Day

March 9 - Get Over It Day
Official Site

One of my most-used phrases is, "You'll get over it." Today is dedicated to that concept. GET OVER IT! A sucky job, a bad relationship, lame friends, money trouble...everyone has something to get over. The official poem says it better...

We ALL have our issues; ALL lives contain stress,
At some point, we're ALL, an emotional mess.
Ex-boyfriends, ex-girlfriends, ex-husbands, ex-wives,
These are people to get over in EVERYONE'S lives.

But as much as things suck, as bad as they get,
If you got cheated on, if you're swimming in debt,
If you're aging or balding or get a cold sore,
Don't ever forget: It Could Always Suck More!

It's all part of life; it will help you grow stronger,
But this "pity party" of yours can't last any longer.
You can sit home alone, being sad and depressed,
Or you can choose to be strong, and do as we suggest:

March 9th is the day to finally say,
"Move on! It's done! It's GET OVER IT DAY!"

by Jeff G., "Get Over It Day" founder and creator

Oh...and check out my pick for official song of Get Over It Day:

March 8 - Genealogy Day

March 8 - Genealogy Day

Yay! A day dedicated to one of my favorite hobbies (ok, they're all my favorite).

I could tell you the importance of genealogy but either you already agree with me or I won't be able to change your mind. Plus I don't feel like it.

Instead, I'd like to supply you with my personal list of genealogy links. This is heavy on Polish, Illinois, and Chicago links, because that is where my family is from. But I have many generally useful sites as well.

Don't forget to check for genealogy groups on your favorite social networking site (MySpace, Facebook, et al). The people in those groups are usually very friendly and willing to help point you in the right direction.

GENERAL SITES

Cyndi's List
A far more comprehensive pile of links than you will find in my humble blog.

1 Step Searches
Help in searching some common genealogy databases.

Free Cemetery Records
I haven't found any information on my family here, but others have had better luck.

Genealogy at About.com
I love About.com. I can always find help (or a point in the right direction) here. Not just for genealogy, but just about any topic.

WorldGenWeb Project
Lots of international help here.

USGenWeb Search Engine
1-click search of all the USGenWeb indices.

RootsWeb Surname List
If you can't find your ancestors, you may be able to find someone else who is researching the same last name. I came in contact with a lady who may or may not be related to me, but she was very friendly and helped me find more info on my family.

FamilySearch International Genealogical Index
This is part of the LDS FamilySearch site.

Social Security Death Index
This is the best SS death index I've found.

Obituary Search

COMING TO AMERICA

Ellis Island
If you are trying to determine when an ancestor arrived in America, start here.

Castle Garden
If you can't find your ancestor at the Ellis Island site, try this one.

Immigrant Ships Passenger Lists

(More) Immigrant Ship Passenger Lists

Guide to Immigration Records and Ships' Passenger Lists

POLISH LINKS (mmm...sausage)

Polish Genealogical Society of America
Click on Directory for lots of help, useful databases, and links.

Genealogy of Halychyna/Eastern Galicia

Polish Genealogy at About.com
I love About.com. I can always find help (or a point in the right direction) here. Not just for genealogy, but just about any topic. (Yes, I know I'm repeating myself.)

Common Polish First Names
This isn't exactly a genealogy site, but I enjoy learning about my family's Polish names.

Poznan Project
A Polish marriage database.

ILLINOIS (the "S" is silent)

Illinois Marriage Index, 1763-1900
Obviously you are restricted to pre-1900 marriages here.

Ordering Birth Records from Illinois

Illinois State Genealogical Society

CHICAGO/COOK COUNTY

St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery, Niles, Illinois
I have a lot of family members here. Also see this link.

Cook County USGenWeb site

Cook County Clerk's Office - Vital Records

Chicago Genealogical Society
Their list of links is very useful.

Polk's Directory for 1928-1929
This is very interesting. It is like a phone book, but without the phone numbers. It lists all the addresses in Chicago, and all the residents at those addresses. (It also lists businesses.) This is not useful if you have a name, and are looking for an address, but I obtained an address for a relative and was able to locate them in this directory. This is a very large PDF file, be patient while it loads.

CALIFORNIA

Polish Genealogical Society of California

Los Angeles Regional Family History Center (LDS)
I am looking forward to visiting this place sometime this year. I can't wait to see all the great info available there.

March 8 - Read an E-book Week

March 2-8 - Read an E-book Week
Official Site

Today is the conclusion of Read an E-book Week. But there is still time to read!

I don’t think that e-books will replace paper books, at least not in my lifetime. There is something about having books in your hand, on your shelf, at the store or library that cannot be replaced with a computer, e-reader or iPhone.

Despite this desire for actual, physical books, I do read e-books from time to time. I often read books found at Internet Archive, a pioneer in the book digitization industry. This non-profit organization only digitizes books that are in the public domain, which means that the books available are largely pre-1923. While you may initially feel restricted by this, you will eventually be surprised by the large number of popular titles available. The books vary widely in subject. There is plenty of non-fiction, novels, poetry, cookbooks, how-to, and more. You will certainly be able to find something to read there.

There are many other sites with free e-books available. Project Gutenberg is a partner with Internet Archive. More books can be found here and here.

I would love to get a Kindle, but for now I will read physical books, and some e-books online.

March 6 - Celebrate Your Name Week

March 2-8 - Celebrate Your Name Week
Official Site
More info, on Wikipedia

Just about each day this week has had a different name-related holiday. Yesterday, I posted about learning the meaning of your names.

One way to celebrate your name is to find out your Name Day. This is a more popular activity in Europe, but I think it is a good idea that we should adopt in the US. I think that Name Days could be like a second birthday, only without the questions about your age. (Yes, I am old enough to start fretting about that.)

Oddly enough, my Name Day falls on the same day as my boyfriend's birthday (September 6). I guess this means I get presents too. When is your Name Day?

Another way to celebrate is to listen to songs with your name in them. Jennys of the world, you can omit this. (You know, 867-5309...remember now?)

My favorite Alyson song is "Alison's the Bomb," by the Huntingtons. Not only because I am the bomb, but because in the liner of this CD, instead of the lyrics, there is a drawing of a girl wearing a Ghoti Hook shirt. And Ghoti Hook is just about my favoritest band in the world (RIP).

My second favorite would have to be "Alison," by Elvis Costello. This is the song most frequently sung to me when people discover my name.

I also like "Allison," by The Pixies. Even though it is not about a girl named Allison. (It is actually about Mose Allison, the jazz/blues musician.) Lyrics here, and a video here.

March 5 - Learn What Your Name Means Day

March 5 - Learn What Your Name Means Day

Aly (short for Alyson, variant of Alice): truth, noble, or noble type

I found my name on Wikipedia, but there are many baby name websites that have the meaning and origin of first names.

As for last names, those may be trickier to define. Try some genealogy websites; I found mine on about.com. My last name is Polish, and translates as "little evening."

According to the website, my surname "may have been intended as a nickname for someone who was active or worked in the late afternoon or evening, or one who often held little parties in the evening."

What do your names mean?