Today is...

National Fruit Cake Day

Today is National Fruit Cake Day! Although fruit cakes are certainly a delicious treat to enjoy around the holidays, they are quite possibly the most popular item for re-gifting. A whopping 38% of people say they give fruit cakes away when they receive them!

Nevertheless, fruit cakes have remained popular for thousands of years. The Ancient Egyptians buried their loved ones with fruit cakes because they believed this particular food was essential for the journey to the afterlife. The Crusaders were known for eating fruit cakes during their campaigns. The small cakes could withstand long journeys without spoiling and were full of nutritious items like dried fruits and nuts.

To celebrate National Fruit Cake Day, buy one of these holiday treats at your local grocery store to share with friends!

December is National Fruit Cake Month & National Egg Nog Month

images and text courtesy of MyPunchbowl.com" -- http://www.mypunchbowl.com/

History for December 27   1831 - Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin's discoveries during the voyage helped him form the basis of his theories on evolution. 1932 - Radio City Music Hall opened its doors to the public for the first time. 1945 - The World Bank was created with an agreement signed by 28 nations. 1947 - The children's television program "Howdy Doody," hosted by Bob Smith, made its debut on NBC. 1971 - Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Woodstock of Charles Schulz’ "Peanuts" comic strip were on the cover of "Newsweek" magazine. 1978 - Spain adopted a new constitution and became a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship. 2000 - Mario Lemeiux (Pittsburgh Penguins) returned to the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player after over 3 years of retirement. He was the first owner-player in the modern era of pro sports. Lemieux had purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins during his retirement from playing. 2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush granted China permanent normal trade status with the United States. ________________________________________________________ "You don’t just luck into things as much as you’d like to think you do. You build step by step, whether it’s friendships or opportunities." --Barbara Bush

Today is...

National Hard Candy Day

Celebrate National Hard Candy Day! Who doesn't love a piece of hard candy now and again? Its sweet, sugary taste literally causes your mouth to water. Today is a celebration of all types of hard candies—everything from lollipops to candy canes to caramels. It's no wonder that hard candy has remained so popular all these years!

Hard candy can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, Arabia, and China. Archaeologists in all of these regions have found traces of “candied” fruits and nuts that had been dipped in honey, which is a preservative. There is also evidence that people stuck sticks into their candy treats to keep their hands from getting sticky as they ate them, just like our modern lollipops!

Did you know that the world's largest lollipop weighs 6,514 pounds? Ashrita Furman and members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre made it in August of 2009 to break the Guinness World Record. To celebrate National Hard Candy Day, enjoy a piece (or two) of your favorite hard candies!

December is National Fruit Cake Month & National Egg Nog Month

images and text courtesy of MyPunchbowl.com" -- http://www.mypunchbowl.com/

History for December 19   1562 - The Battle of Dreux was fought between the Huguenots and the Catholics, beginning the French Wars of Religion. 1843 - Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was first published in England. 1871 - Corrugated paper was patented by Albert L. Jones. 1917 - The first games of the new National Hockey League (NHL) were played. Five teams made up the league 1959 - Walter Williams died in Houston, TX, at the age of 117. He was said to be the last surviving veteran of the U.S. Civil War. 1980 - The film "9 to 5," with Dolly Parton, opened. 1984 - Britain and China signed an accord returning Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997. 1997 - "Titanic," the highest grossing film ever made, opened in American movie theaters. ________________________________________________________ "If you are called to be a street sweeper, sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.'” --Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is...

National Cocoa Day

It’s National Cocoa Day! Nothing warms you up better on a cold winter day than a nice cup of hot cocoa! Cocoa (the dried, fully fermented seeds of the cacao tree) is the basis for cocoa powder, which is used to make the hot cocoa beverage we all know and love. Did you know that monkeys were the first creatures to discover that the cacao plant was edible and quite tasty? Over 1500 years ago, monkeys began to consume the pulp of the plant and spit out the beans. Humans soon began to follow the monkey's example and the rest is history.

Cacao trees are grown all over the world, but it is believed that the first cacao trees grew in South America. Cocoa is similar to wine in that its flavor differs depending on the location where it is grown. It's a good thing that cacao trees are plentiful because approximately 300 to 600 cocoa beans are needed to make just two pounds of chocolate!

To celebrate National Cocoa Day, make your favorite type of cocoa to enjoy. For a holiday twist on a traditional cup of cocoa, try adding a candy cane!

December is National Fruit Cake Month & National Egg Nog Month

images and text courtesy of MyPunchbowl.com" -- http://www.mypunchbowl.com/

History for December 13   1913 - Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" was found. It had been stolen on August 22, 1911. 1961 - Anna Mary Robertson Moses, "Grandma Moses," passed away at the age of 101. 1978 - The Philadelphia Mint began stamping the Susan B. Anthony U.S. dollar. The coin began circulation the following July. 1987 - U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz told reporters in Copenhagen, Denmark, that the Reagan administration would begin making funding requests for the proposed Star Wars defense system. 1991 - Five Central Asian republics of the Soviet Union agreed to join the new Commonwealth of Independent States. ________________________________________________________ "The amount of satisfaction you get from life depends largely on your own ingenuity, self-sufficiency, and resourcefulness. People who wait around for life to supply their satisfaction usually find boredom instead." --Dr. William Menninger

Today is...

National Watermelon Day

Today is National Watermelon Day! Watermelon is a delicious summer fruit that has become a staple at family picnics and cookouts. Did you know that watermelons are 92% water? No wonder they’re so refreshing!

There are around 300 different kinds of watermelon in the U.S. and Mexico. You can find red, pink, white, and yellow varieties in various sizes and shapes. Watermelons are usually quite large, and many county fairs award prizes for the biggest ones. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest watermelon weighed 262 pounds. To learn more interesting watermelon facts, check out www.watermelon.org.

To celebrate National Watermelon Day, have some watermelon for dessert tonight! Slice it up and eat it plain, cook it on the grill, mix it into a salsa, or blend it into a cocktail. Enjoy!

Today is also Grab Some Nuts Day 

August is National Goat Cheese Month & National Peach Month & National Water Quality Month

This week is Simplify Your Life Week

 

images and text courtesy of MyPunchbowl.com" -- http://www.mypunchbowl.com/

History for August 3   1900 - Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. was founded. 1914 - Germany declared war on France. The next day World War I began when Britain declared war on Germany. 1933 - The Mickey Mouse Watch was introduced for the price of $2.75. 1936 - Jesse Owens won the first of his four Olympic gold medals. 1949 - The National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed. The league was formed by the merger between the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League. 1984 - Mary Lou Retton won a gold medal at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics. _________________________________________________________ "I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." --George Bernard Shaw

Daily Challenge

Share 1 healthy activity that you do to help manage stress.

How to do it:

Share one healthy activity that you do to minimize or manage stress in your life. Here are a few to get you started: take a walk, knit, jog, play with a pet, soak in a bubble bath, clean, or hug a friend.

Why it matters:

For most people, there's no way around having at least some stress. But having healthy ways to counteract it can make all the difference! When we take part in activities that we like, it helps to boost our endorphins, feel-good chemicals that our bodies make naturally. When you're distracted and doing something you like, it's also harder to worry about things that might be stressing you out, another bonus.

Let us know if you tried it.

Fun Fact:
Calgon bubble bath stopped using its iconic "Take me away" slogan between 1989 and 1995. Its temporary replacement was "It's Calgon time."