Holiday # 7 for February: Daytona 500

Yesterday was the seventh and final holiday for February....the Daytona 500!!  I know this is a holiday for some and not for all.  To us it is a holiday because Sundays are now back to sports Sundays.  The last few weeks without football have been nerve wracking.  Walking around the house on Sunday after church trying to find something to do and the only things I can find are laundry to do and food to eat!  Not good.

This year's Daytona 500 was extra cool because there was a GIRL in the pole position.  Yes, you read right a GIRL...Danica Patrick!  Now I'm not actually a fan of hers.  I hate her stupid Go Daddy commercials, but I think it is awesome that a female has made her way into a predominately male sport.  She didn't win but she didn't do too bad either.  She stayed in the whole race and ended up with a top 10 finish...8th place.

A friend once asked me how I can watch a race when all the cars do is go around and around in a circle?  I told her it's the adrenaline you get when watching a race.  The speed, the noise, the chance of one wrong slip up and you're in the wall.  It's the "just by a nose" finishes and the race to leave pit row that keep me pumped up.  I even get excited about the wrecks!  What?  I wouldn't want to be seeing a 10 car pile up on 159 but seeing it during a race is sometimes cool. (As long as no one gets hurt.)  I know, I'll schedule the appointment with a psychiatrist when I get finished with my blog.

My favorite driver is Carl Edwards in the #99 car.  My girls like him too.  They think it's neat when he does the back flip out of his car.   He didn't do too well in the race yesterday thanks to a multi-car pile up.  He ended up in 33rd place.  Boo!  Good news is there is a new race next Sunday!!  Of course, the hubby likes Tony Stewart in the #14 car.  As Carl, he didn't do too well in the race either thanks to the wreck.  He ended up in 41st place.  I'm thinking that's behind Carl.  Hee! Hee!

Thanks to NASCAR for coming back to the T.V. just when I needed you.  Now we just need to add a little Cardinal baseball and I'm set to go until football season!

Holidays #3-6 for February: Holiday catch up

Where in the world does the time go?  I feel like I just typed my Holiday #2 for February only a couple of days ago but alas it's been almost 3 weeks.  Oh wait, I know where all the time has gone...playing Candy Crush Saga.  Yep, and laundry.  And children.

Anyway, time to catch up.  Holiday # 3 for February, Mardi Gras, is not really a holiday my family and I celebrate.  I guess I could celebrate it since I am of French dissent on my dad's side and I already technically celebrate Fat Tuesday, and Fat Monday, and Fat Wednesday, and Fat Thursday, and Fat Friday.  I do like the colors of purple and green together but I hate BEADS!!!  I hate untangling beads, I hate picking up beads, I hate stepping on beads, I hate getting hit in the head with beads at parades.  (JUST THROW CHOCOLATE PEOPLE!!!)  Needless to say beads are not one of my favorite things.  (Did anyone else just hear Julie Andrews singing that last line in their head?)  I did consider buying a King Cake this year, but then it does disturb me a little bit to have a baby stuck inside a cake possibly going to be stabbed by a knife.  Besides I don't really need anymore children right now. :)

Holiday #4 for February, Chinese New Year, is also a holiday that my family doesn't celebrate.  I do like to read the girls books about this day just to introduce them to different cultures.  I like the decorations of the Chinese lanterns too.  They are so pretty.  I also think it's cool to have years themed after animals. 2013 is the Year of the Snake.  Apparently snakes are not highly thought of in China so instead of saying you were born in the Year of the Snake they say they were born in the year of the "little dragon".  That sounds much cooler anyway.  I was born in the Year of the Rat.  I didn't like this at first because rats are yucky, but then I looked it up.  Being born in the Year of the Rat is actually way cool!  Those born in this year are respected and are a courageous and enterprising person and it is considered a privilege to be associated with a rat. Just think you are all privileged people because you know me...a Rat.  Your welcome!  And to top it all off, my Chinese element is water which means that in 2013 I will obtain fortune.  Awesome!!!  I'm pretty sure I don't have any Asian background but it might not be so bad to celebrate this holiday!  The Chinese New Year is like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's all celebrated together for 15 days.

Holiday #5 for February, Valentine's Day.  This one we do celebrate.  I decorate the house with red and pink hearts.  We usually get the girls a box of candy and a small toy/trinket.  This year for Valentine's Day my hubby got me the usual pretty bouquet (oooo a little more of my French coming out) of flowers and the must have chocolate covered strawberries, but he also got me something he has never gotten me before.  

He adopted a Fennec Fox from the St. Louis Zoo for me.  

He also adopted a red panda from the St. Louis Zoo for the girls.  

I love both of these animals and the zoo.  What a wonderful gift to give, a donation to something I love in my name instead of having things sitting around the house. Just to clarify, I would never consider anything BLING to be just sitting around the house.  Thought I would throw that out there for future purchases. 

Holiday # 6 for February, President's Day.  This one gets celebrated basically with just a day off school.  Believe it or not, I don't think we have any actual President's Day books.  May need to remedy that with a book shopping expedition.  I think President Lincoln is my favorite President thus far.  I just love his era, his demeanor, his accomplishments, the fact that he is from my home state, and that he loved to read.  One of my favorite places to go is to the Lincoln Sites in Springfield.  We took the girls there this summer to visit some of them.  Hoping to hit his Presidential library this summer. Need to catch the Lincoln movie when it hits DVD, too.   Some of my favorite President Lincoln quotes:  "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count.  It's the life in your years."  "My best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read." "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."  Shout out to President Washington for having cool hair and being the first person brave enough to lead this nation!

Sorry, this blog is a long one.  That's what happens when I slack off and have too much to say. I hope you enjoy! 

Holiday # 2 for February - Super Bowl Sunday!

Happy Super Bowl everyone!!  Even though it's not considered a "national" holiday, it's still a holiday!  Why, even the stores think it's a holiday.  They now have Super Bowl decorations, plates, napkins, cups, balloons, cookies, and cakes.  Some of it's just football theme others actually says NFL Super Bowl and the date.

Being that I am a huge football fan, I enjoy the Super Bowl even though my beloved Cowboys haven't made it to the Bowl in years.  (Come on Romo, get your butt in gear!)  I love the excitement and the suspense.

I LOVE the commercials!  Some years they are my favorite part of the game.  There are usually new movie trailers released during the Super Bowl too.

One thing I'm not a huge fan of is the half time show!  Last couple of years they haven't been worth watching.  
It should just be Bon Jovi every year.  I don't know why the half time committee can't see that.

Anyway, today we are just celebrating with my little family.  We have our Super Bowl food:  nachos, mini corn dog muffins, Jello jiggles in the shape of football helmets grape for Ravens and Cherry for 49ers, toasted raviolis, cheese sticks, Jalepeno Poppers, Artichoke Dip, and for dessert Cupcakes with footballs on them.  I do have my football plates, napkins, and even two balloons:  one for the Ravens and one for the 49ers.

I don't care who wins this year.  It would be nice to see future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis go out with a bang but it would also be neat for second string quarterback Kaepernick take the win.  Good luck to both teams and here's hoping for some blue jigglers for next year.

Holiday #1 for February: Groundhog's Day!

It's hard to believe that another holiday is upon us!  I haven't even finished eating all of my Christmas candy, yet!  But here we are in February, a shortened month crammed full of holidays!  Today we celebrate the Groundhog!  A fat little rodent from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania who somehow manages to write a bunch of big words on a scroll, then gives it to a guy in a tuxedo and top hat, who then let's us know if Spring is coming early this year!

As crazy as it all sounds,  every year I love to find out if that pudgy animal saw his shadow or not.  And I blame all of it on my high school biology teacher, Mr. Rushing.  Every year on Groundhog day, he would throw a pop quiz.  As a freshman and never having Mr. Rushing for a biology teacher when you hear pop quiz coming out of his mouth, you panic.  He made us number a paper from 1 to 5 and would then proceed to ask us questions about Groundhog's Day.  We had to know what his name was, Punxsutawney Phil, and it had to be spelled right, where he was from, did he see his shadow, and what does it mean if he sees his shadow and what does it mean if he doesn't.  Thank goodness it was for extra credit and not part of your grade.  Fast forward to sophomore year and you once again have Mr. Rushing for Human Anatomy and it's Groundhog Day and he calls for a pop quiz.  Good thing you remembered to get up early to watch the Today show and get all the answers so you can ace that quiz, only to realize you can't remember how to spell Punxsutawney and Mr. Rushing still gets you.  Forward one more time to Junior year when you are Mr. Rushing's teachers aide and you can now sit back with a smirk and watch the looks of horror on the freshman's faces when he calls Pop Quiz time!  Priceless!!

I will admit that I watched the proclamation being read this morning.  I also have books for the girls about Groundhog's Day that we read.  And thanks to a picture one of my friends put on facebook today, I might even make a Groundhog cake for next year.

That crazy groundhog Phil did see his shadow this year so I guess we will be getting an early spring.  I don't mind as long as there is one significant snowfall yet before we enter into baseball season.  I mean spring.