On August 23rd, enjoy National Sponge Cake Day with the quintessential classic of the cake world. This airy queen of teas is the guest of honor, but we get the pleasure of tasting!
One of the trickiest cakes for bakers to master, a perfect sponge stands tall. Another balancing trick for bakers includes maintaining a fine crumb while keeping the cake moist. If you enjoy layering berries and whipped cream, the sponge handles this task beautifully.
The sponge cake is believed to be one of the first non-yeasted cakes.
The sponge cake is thought to have originated in the Caribbean. However, the earliest English printed recipe for sponge cake comes from an English poet and author, Gervase Markham. In 1615 he published a sponge cake recipe in the book The English Huswife, Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman.
I can’t knit or make plum jam, but I can bake a bloody Victoria sponge. ~ Helen Mirren as Chris in Calendar Girls (2003)
In 2003, the sponge cake played a tiny role in the movie Calendar Girls starring Helen Mirren. In the scene, Mirren’s character, Chris, enters a baking competition. However, she forgets she entered, and instead of entering a sponge cake of her own making, she submits a store-bought Victoria sponge cake.
Get some sponge cake and enjoy it. Or, if you are up to the challenge, try this Glorious Sponge Cake recipe. Serve it with berries or a preserve. Use #SpongeCakeDay to post on social media.
Smile on August 8th to share in National Happiness Happens Day. On this day each year just let it happen. You know. Happiness. Because happiness happens.
The day encourages happiness all day. Recognize every moment of glee, joy, delight, and pleasure. Don’t let it pass. Most importantly, a flicker of a giggle should be given its due, and should it blossom into full-blown happiness, don’t be surprised. It happens!
Need a mood lift? Immerse yourself in music. It will be hard to have anything but a sunny smile during or after listening to this playlist. There is nothing special about the order of the songs so feel free to skip around and sing along.
Another element of the day prohibits the squashing of other people’s happiness. From time to time, we might find other’s happiness might seem irritating. Those moments happen when we have particularly rotten days. However, our bad days don’t give us the right to squash another person’s joy. Instead, allow their delight in the day to infect us. Perhaps, their ability to smile will blow the storm clouds away from your day.
For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
Share your happiness and seek ways to infuse happiness in your life. Make it happen! Use #HappinessHappensDay to post on social media and let others know to do the same.
Founded in 1999 by the Secret Society of Happy People as “Admit You’re Happy Day,” Happiness Happens Day was created to recognize and express happiness. August 8th was chosen as it is the anniversary of the first membership in 1998.
The Secret Society of Happy People is an organization that was founded in August of 1998 and formed to celebrate the expression of happiness. The society encourages members to recognize their happy moments and think about happiness in their daily life. They have two motto’s which include “Happiness Happens” and “Don’t Even Think of Raining on My Parade.” Their purpose is to stimulate people’s right to express their happiness.
National Parents’ Day, honors all parents on the fourth Sunday in July. No matter where our parents may be, this day serves to celebrate their important role in our lives.
In May we celebrated mothers, and in June we celebrated fathers. It follows that in July we can bring all our parents together and show them some appreciation all at once.
Parents play a vital role in the lives of children. From our birth, parents protect, teach, provide, and serve as role models. As part of a family, we look to them for guidance. We mirror their behavior and learn to be a core part of our communities.
Throughout our lives, our parents lead us to be independent thinking individuals. As many of us know, those efforts can be challenging. The world is changing as quickly as they grow. Often the sleepless nights and worry seem endless. On this particular Sunday, we honor all parents who do everything to raise and protect their children.
Dont forget that families come in many shapes, sizes, and can be what you define it as. I grew up in a family with 2 parents 3 sets of grandparents and a lot of extended family. We gathered for holidays and stayed well in contact. I have 2 younger brothers and 4 half siblings, numerous cousins and even an pseudo adopted brother.
Upon adulthood my husband and I were not blessed with children of our own. We instead have fur babies that we spoil, and numerous nieces and nephews. While the kitties don’t bring us gifts on special days they give us love, laughter, and surprises daily.
President Bill Clinton established National Parents’ Day in 1994 when he signed Congressional Resolution (36 U.S.C. § 135) into law. The resolution recognized the “…uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.” Republican Senator Trent Lott introduced the bill.
Spend some time with your parents or visit someone who was like a parent to you. For those with small children, give yourself a pat on the back. Set the laundry aside and go to the park. Find a moment alone with each of your children and show them how glad you are to be their parent. Post on social media using #NationalParentsDay and encourage others to celebrate the day.
Every day in June, National Give a Bunch of Balloons Month brings joy to a child battling an illness or struggling with a life-altering diagnosis. When limitations, treatments or hospital stays prevent children from the joys of childhood, their smiles fade. National Give a Bunch of Balloons Month encourages giving children we know with an illness something to smile about by bringing them a bunch of balloons.
Often days of treatments and restrictions associated with an illness are long and tiring. Being ill is no fun especially for a child. A delightful bouquet of balloons brings energy to a room and delivers a smile to a child’s face. While it may not be a cure, the balloons brighten their day and add a distraction from their mundane reality.
National Give a Bunch of Balloons Month was submitted by Wanda Carter Roush, author at Ella’s Pearl Publishing, to celebrate another day for children dealing with incurable conditions. Their tireless journey with sick days, hospital stays, and missed celebrations makes receiving a bunch of balloons any day in June something for them to smile about.
HOW TO OBSERVE
If you know a child who is ill at home or spending time in the hospital, give him or her a bunch of brightly colored balloons. Find out their favorite color or cartoon character including a message just for them. The smile you receive will be worth more than anything money can buy.
Use #GiveABunchOfBalloonsMonth to share on social media.
Memorial Day, a United States Federal holiday, is observed each year on the last Monday in May. We honor and remember all the men and woman who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Memorial Day is also a day to remember all loved ones that have passed away.
Traditionally on Memorial Dayu, the flag of the United States of America is raised briskly to the top of the staff then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position where it remains until noon. At noon, it is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.
When the flag is at half-staff, the position is in remembrance of the more than one million men and women who gave their lives for their country. Raising the flag at noon signifies the nation lives, that the country is resolved not to let their sacrifice be in vain but to rise up in their honor and continue to fight for liberty and justice for all.
Honoring the men and women who have died while serving in the military, Memorial Day has been kept in various forms in the United States since the end of the Civil War. General John Logan called for a nationwide day of remembrance on May 5, 1868. On May 30 Decoration Day was first observed.
General James Garfield spoke at Arlington National Cemetery. Generals Grant, Howard, Logan, Pane, Wool, and Hancock attended the ceremony, and volunteers decorated the graves of 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers.
Across the country, humble tributes occurred on that first Decoration Day. Just outside Fort Stevens near Washington, D.C., there was a small cemetery where 40 soldiers were buried, one of whom belonged to a widow from Northern Vermont. He was one of three sons she lost to the war. On Decoration Day, she went to the cemetery carrying 40 wreaths for 40 graves.
Someone placed a laurel wreath upon the head of a Lincoln statue at City Hall, Washington D.C.
In Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroads transported passengers to the Spring Grove Cemetery. Flags were displayed at half-mast along the routes. Floral wreaths were placed on the soldiers’ graves and speeches made. Many of the first Decoration Days recognized only the Union soldiers, though some included the Confederate soldiers as well. Over time, the day grew to include all those soldiers lost during the conflict.
Decoration Day gradually became known as Memorial Day and now honors all U.S. military personnel who have died during a military conflict. Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30 until Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968. Since 1971, Memorial Day has been observed the last Monday of May.
Our family typically honors this holiday with a barbecue. We never forget those, some members of our family who have given their full measure of devotion, for the freedoms we enjoy.
If you do fire up the grill you might want to cook a little extra. Not only does it make great leftovers or a full meal, throw on some burgers and a brisket for National Hamburger Day on May 28th and National Brisket Day also on May 28th. May is also National Barbecue Month, so light up that grill for some awesome meals.
Attend Memorial Day services in your community. In your own way, pay tribute in remembrance of service members who have died while serving. Use #MemorialDay to post on social media.
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