December The name comes from decem, "ten", which is Latin. It seems odd that the name of the twelfth month of the year, "December", is derived from the Latin word for "ten", until you realize that the earliest Roman calendar had just ten months. ( source ) Bingo Month The Invention and History of Bingo Bingo Fun Facts Different Variations of the Popular Bingo Game Make your own Bingo game Write a Friend Month On December 7 we celebrate the day by writing letters. This month is well known for "catching up" with friends and updating friends on what is going on in your life.  Human Rights Month "When, in the history of this country, have we ever given rights to a group of people and - once we've had time to adjust to the change - regretted the decision later? Never. Not once." Todd Glass December 10 is the day this month that we take time to really study human rights and bring awareness to it. But don't wait u...

Homemade Bread Day Basic Homemade Bread Recipe I love making bread from scratch, I love watching the dough come together, I love the feel of the dough, I love the smell filling the house, I looooove the taste.  :) Entrepreneurship Day What is Entrepreneurship?  Resources the start, run, and grow your business EO is the only global network exclusively for entrepreneurs. EO helps leading entrepreneurs learn and grow through peer-to-peer learning, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and connections to experts. 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs In Africa 2014 What Do Entrepreneurs Contribute to Society? Famous Entrepreneurs: Who They Are And How They Were Educated Take a Hike Day So, here's the deal.  I hate hiking. I won't bore you with all the reasons why. Don't judge. There's something I like that you don't, we can have different things! :) American Hiking Society 20 Great American Hikes Day Hiking Checklist Combine your hike with a nature scaveng...

National Women's Friendship Day A landmark study by UCLA suggests that friendships between women are special. They shape who we are and who we are yet to be. They soothe our tumultuous inner world, fill the emotional gaps in our marriage, and help us remember who we really are. But they may do even more. ( source ) On Women's Friendship Day: Five Ways to Make Yourself a Keeper Here are some ideas of how to celebrate your women friends: Throw a Friendship Party Send a card or short note to your best friend telling her how much she means to you. Celebrate your relationship over high tea or coffee. Remember a special friend with a book of poetry or fiction. Send a card, and perhaps a photo, to a faraway friend. Plan a girls' night out. Go see a movie. Make reservations for dinner. Visit a spa together. Make appointments for manicures. Get makeovers. Reconnect with a childhood friend with whom you've lost contact. Sign up for a cooking or gardening class. ...

Friendship Day    Silver and Gold Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold. New-made friendships, like new wine, Age will mellow and refine. Friendships that have stood the test- Time and change-are surely best; Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray; Friendship never knows decay. For 'mid old friends, tried and true, Once more we our youth renew. But old friends, alas! may die; New friends must their place supply. Cherish friendship in your breast- New is good, but old is best; Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold. Sometimes this is exactly what friendship looks like. Sticking with someone as they find their way. Rebecca (L) has been a part of our family since 1998! And Adele (R) has been a part of our family since 2012. They are THE BEST. <3 Sisters Day    I don't have any sisters by birth, but I have two amazing sisters by marriage! My brothe...

August Originally this month was called Sextilis (from sextus, "six"), but the name was later changed in honor of the first of the Roman emperors, Augustus Caesar in 8 B.C. (because several fortunate events of his life occurred during this month). National Golf Month The Timeline of Golf Invention & History of Golf Equipment Admit You're Happy Month (also called Happiness Happens Month) 10 Ways to Embrace Happy Moments The Secret Society of Happy People Family Fun Month 31 Ideas that are budget friendly 7 Secrets of Fun Families Healthy Activity Ideas for Family Fun National Catfish Month The Catfish Not a fan, they are bottom feeders. BOTTOM FEEDERS. EW! National Eye Exam Month Eye Exams are Important for Your Overall Health Peach Month Recipes using peaches Romance Awareness Month 21 Uncommon Romantic Gestures That Would Make Any Girl Melt The Life Span Of Romantic Gestures Romantic gestures your man will love 7 Uncommon Romantic Ges...

Upsy Daisy Day Send someone an Upsy Daisy Bouquet! Best Friends Day World Oceans Day Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet 2015 The Oceans of the World Name Your Poison Day So what's YOUR "poison"?

I have some bomb diggity friends.  I have one friend, in particular, who prays for me every month on the date of my birthday.  I get a text every month with a prayer for me.  I can't tell you how many times the prayer has spoken exactly to something I am experiencing at that time.  It happened again this month, I am so grateful. Today at work I had a friend quietly and sweetly let me know she was praying for me, for a situation that's going on in my life.  I'm so grateful.  I'm so grateful for the prayers of friends, known and unknown to me, that lift my spirit.  I hope *you* have friends in your life that lift your spirit.  If you do, have you thanked them recently?

(For Friday June 27) I'm incredibly grateful for silver and gold friendships .  Last night I had dinner and real face time with a friend of 18 years.  She lives states away so any face time we get is a real treat.  She's known me, and chosen to be friends with me, for 18 years.  Through my thick and thins - both literally and figuratively, ha.  We go months without talking and can pick right back up where we leave off.  I'm so grateful for these friendships that choose to go the distance with me.  Sometimes my distances are exhausting and to have a friend willing to plod along with me is a true gift.  Those are silver and gold friendships.  How about you?  Do you have silver and gold friendships?

Ever received a communication (email, text, phone call, handwritten note, etc) from someone for no reason at all except they just wanted you to know they were thinking of you?  How did it make you feel?  When I get those "out of the blue" communications from people I feel embraced.  It feels nice that someone somewhere is thinking about me in a nice way - haha!  I'm sure people think about me, I'm not sure it's always in positive ways.  (Just being real people, I am NOT easy to live with.)  A while back I was studying in the book of Philippians and in chapter one, verse three I paused.  It says, "Whenever you cross my mind, I thank my God for you and for the gift of knowing you."  And I got to thinking that my relationships might change, for the better, when I am intentional in reaching out and just saying "hey" when someone crosses my mind. Just to let them know I thought of them, maybe prayed for them, etc.  I know how grateful I feel when ...

Today a friend and I cooked up a couple of soups together.  I found myself grateful for the opportunity to cook with a friend. Maybe it's that whole "many hands make light work" philosophy or maybe it's the companionship or maybe it's the comfort of cooking with someone else who can kind of read your mind and you can read theirs and the dance around the kitchen is fluid.  Maybe it's all of those things! But I was grateful for the time we spent boiling this, chopping that, stirring this, tasting that.  

Today I was grateful for a breakfast of friends which is better than a breakfast of champions any day. In fact these friends are champions in my opinion.  This morning I had as close to legit Kenyan chai as I'm going to have in America in a mug given to me by my kindred as I munched on toast spread with wild huckleberry jam from Seattle.  The Kenyan chai reminds me of all of the people I know and love in Kenya, the mug is purple and says Chicago on it to remind me of my kindred and the jam is from the home of another of my besties who I visited at the beginning of October.  I'm grateful for these seemingly silly little reminders of my friends, both near and far.

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to getaway and visit one of my besties in a city that I have wanted to visit "forever."  Today I flew into Seattle and am staying with the fabulous Stephanie Almeida.  Stephanie and I go all the way back to high school and in the past 6 years especially we have become close and I treasure her friendship in my life.  A few months ago she proposed me visiting for a long weekend.  The hub said go for it so I did and here I am!  And Seattle is putting on quite a display for me - beautiful weather - dry, sunny, perfect fall temps - and the hospitality and generosity of my friend is humbling.  Today we walked through the famed Pike Market and inhaled Seattle.  It was a perfect day to spend with my friend.  This getaway comes at a good  time, I needed a break from the day to day and my soul needed a chance to breathe.  I'm so grateful to my friend for hosting my getaway.  <3

You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family.   Trenton Lee Stewart I'm really blessed and I hope *you* are too.  I've got a great family and I've got great friends.  I've got framily.  I've got people in my life that aren't related to me by blood but by heart.  I've got people in my life who became family through shared experiences that served to knit our hearts together.  I've got family that I also call friend.  My life is richer for the framily I have.  I hope the same is true for *you*.   Do you have family?  Friends?  Framily?   Some, but certainly not all , of my framily.  <3  SO BLESSED!

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.   Ralph Waldo Emerson Oh gosh.  I am so grateful for the friends in my life that I can be stupid with.  Whether it's a silly stupid, an emotional stupid, or just plain stupid.  I'm so grateful for the ones who put up with me and my stupidity.  And I've got a few that have gone the distance with me.  I've got some that I know I am being stupid but I still go to them because I know they will put up with it and still love and even like me!  How about you?  Do you have people in your life that you can be all kinds of stupid with?  I sure hope so because Emerson is right, it is a blessing!