Miss me? I missed you, too!

Hello, Celebrate Holiday readers!

I must apologize for the severe lack of blogs in the past few months. There have obviously been many holidays worth celebrating, including the patriotic holidays Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Due to a change in job for my husband, we’ve been house hunting, I’ve been packing up my family and moving back to the Bay Area from San Diego, changing up my work schedule, and helping everyone get into their new schools or jobs, respectively.

So, I’ve been a little busy!

But I am also on the lookout for a new job in marketing copywriting and social media, and so keeping up with this blog is a vital part of that task.

Prepare for some awesome blog posts in the very near future.

Until then, I remain,

Your friend on the web,
Michelle

Pls Help: SUPER QUICK survey for 6th grade math project

Hello, please click this link to take this SUPER QUICK survey (only 2
questions!) to help Miles with a math project.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWSRNV2http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWSRNV2

Thank you very much!

*Michelle (Miles’s mom)

Posted via email from michellecrawford’s posterous

Top 5 Reasons Why I’d Prefer My Anniversary Not To Fall on Easter Sunday

Hello, Celebrate Holiday readers!

As you may have guessed, today, Easter Sunday, also happens to be my
anniversary this year. Lucky me, I have been happily married for
twelve years now. And having your anniversary fall on Easter Sunday
every so often is one of the risks of getting married late in Lent, I
suppose. However, I have to say I am not a fan of sharing my day big
day with Jesus & that Bunny. I guess this is what it feels like every
year for folks whose birthdays are on Christmas. Boo!

So, without further delay let me present to you the top five reasons
why I’d prefer my anniversary NOT fall on Easter Sunday:

5. I’d rather not have my day encumbered by the numerous FAMILY
obligations. (Still, I do wish my Aunt a Happy Birthday & it was a
good party!)
4. I’d rather not have my day encumbered by the numerous CHURCH
obligations. (this is not as fun as other things I could do.)
3. Avoiding crazy Spring Break people crowding all the nice tourist
spots! (we can’t go anywhere!)
2. Avoiding Easter people crowding all the nice restaurants! (now we
have to cook!)
1. Having to play the Bunny when all the presents are supposed to be
coming my way! (I’m selfish, I know.)

Thanks for putting up with this whiny post. Would you believe most of
the above reasons actually came from my husband? It’s good to know we
still are seeing eye-to-eye, after all these years. Phew!

Thanks for visiting! Happy Easter, everyone!

Posted via email from michellecrawford’s posterous

I’m Waffling on the Feast of the Annunciation!

Hello, my dear Celebrate Holiday readers!

The Crawford domicile has been very busy of late and I am afraid I have left you with nothing to celebrate for far too long.

So let's get right to it:

Today, March 25th we have a harmonious mix of holidays for which I have a perfectly coordinated way to celebrate both.

It is International Waffle Day (not to be confused with Waffle Day traditionally celebrated on August 24th and only in America) and the Feast of the Annunciation, a Holy Day of Obligation (translation- we go to church). This is the day we Catholics believe the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she would conceive the Son of God- coincidentally nine months before, you guessed it: Christmas. We Catholics know our gestation periods, all right!

So, what can you do to celebrate both? Well, if you are like me, you will do anything that involves eating, and then you'll feel guilty- the perfect reason to go to Mass! Eat waffles, then go to Mass. If you walk to church, you might even burn off some of those syrup calories!

Here's an even bigger debate- should you go to the "International" House of Pancakes to eat your waffles? It is, after all "International". Hmm…

I will be eating at Denny's, however, enjoying their Belgian Waffle Platter, and then attending my church, which is, conveniently, across the street. The main debate is whether to get up early and take my kids there for breakfast before school or waiting until they are gone before heading out leisurely by myself at a decent hour…. I'm sure God will understand. And besides, it's things like that that Confession is for.

Notice how I have focused on eating your waffles out? Yes, after my last, rather cooking-heavy post, I have grown slightly tired of the kitchen drudgery and am simply not Martha Stewart enough to prepare any of her delicious-sounding homemade waffle recipes before I go celebrate God knocking up the Virgin Mary without even having to have SEX with her for goodness' sake. Wow, God, what a gyp.

Well, I better go to bed before I go to h-e-double hockey sticks!

Good luck, and goodnight!

Posted via email from michellecrawford’s posterous

BRRrrr- It’s National Frozen Food Month!

Folks, if you follow me on Facebook, you may recall that last week I posted that I had created a two-week menu plan and shopping list. With Little League starting up for my two sons the days of being unorganized are over. Practices and games abound and hot, timely meals are crucial to everyone’s health and satisfaction.

Well, I tell you, frozen foods are a big part of our diet here at Casa de Crawford. Just to give you an idea of what I’m talking about, I’ll illustrate it with week one of my two week meal plan, calling out which items are frozen.

Monday: BBQ Sauce Chicken with Baked Beans (canned) and Corn (Frozen)

Tuesday: Crock Pot Clam Chowder with Rolls (in my chowder I used frozen potatoes o’brien, frozen corn, & frozen diced onions)

Wednesday: Fish (frozen fillets) with Vegetables (frozen broccoli) and Pasta side dish (Lipton)

Thursday: Baked Potatoes with Chicken Curry (in my curry I use frozen peas & carrots and frozen diced onions)

Friday: Breakfast for Dinner (BFD)= pancakes (sometimes these have frozen fruit) and eggs

Saturday- eat out

Sunday- Mini Thanksgiving= Turkey Roast (frozen), Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Peas (frozen)

Yes, I believe that is frozen food every day. And we are not even counting breakfasts and lunches.

I buy frozen foods as well as freeze lots of food (bread, milk, meats, leftovers, fruits) – so much I have always wanted my own deep freezer, but haven’t yet quite had the space.

Do you eat lots of frozen foods like me? Well, then, Happy National Frozen Food Month!

MMM-mmm-Mint Chocolate Day!

Holy Mint Chocolate Day, Batman!

I really love these food holidays, they are the easiest and yummiest to celebrate! Last night at dinner my older son asked me which direction I am taking my blog- am I going to specialize in national holidays or historical holidays or just try to find the zaniest ones to share with my readers. I told him that the beauty of Celebrate Holiday is that it could be any of those and more. However, if I had to choose, it might very well be food holidays.

So today being Mint Chocolate Day, I have decided to share a phenomenal recipe for Chocolate Mint Cookies that I found on one of my favorite recipe websites, www.allrecipes.com.

Chocolate Mint Cookies (photo by mckarlson)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 36 chocolate mint wafer candies (like Andes)

Directions

1. In a large pan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool off slightly.
2. At high speed, beat in eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until blended. Chill dough about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Roll dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. While cookies are baking unwrap mints and divide each in half. When cookies are brought out of the oven, put 1/2 mint on top of each cookie. Let the mint sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then spread the mint on top of the cookie. Eat and enjoy!

Many reviewers recommend placing the tray of cookies back in the refrigerator after spreading the melted mint on top so that they can cool and harden faster. Yummy!

My Aunt used to always give me Andes Mints on St. Patrick’s Day, saying they were a gift from her ‘leprechaun friend’, but that is a story for another holiday…

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This one is going out to all the LOVERS in the world…. an oldie but a goodie from Jazz royalty, Nat King Cole, “LOVE”!

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can

Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don’t break it
Love was made for me and you

At our wedding, our DJ had anyone who wanted the bride and groom to kiss come up front and sing a song with the word LOVE in the lyrics- of course this one was performed (by my husband’s cousin I believe).  It was really a cute thing to do and that portion of our video is one of the best!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Celebrate Holiday readers!

XOXO, Michelle

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Opens Tonight!

Tonight, “With Glowing Hearts”, we will witness the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games! I am thrilled to have had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful city last summer and cannot wait to see the Opening Ceremony on television tonight (NBC, 7:30 PM PST for me).

Watching the Olympic Games has always been emotional for me. I am always affected by the cultural inspiration & spectacle of the host city.

2010 Vancouver Olympics logo from Business Week "Hot Property" post by Dan Foust

I love the torch relay and the final lighting of the cauldron usually brings me to tears!  Seeing representative athletes from each country also can move me, especially since they each have their compelling stories to tell.  Of course, my national pride comes out completely when the USA enters the stadium!

It is an inspirational moment in time, when the most dedicated athletes from every nation have an opportunity to come together, compete, and make new friends. It is a time of great national pride for virtually every citizen on the planet. We are amazed by the achievements of these athletes, by the graciousness of the host city, and by the spirit of friendship and tolerance that inspires the games.

It is going to be an exciting few weeks! GO TEAM USA!

Happy Groundhog Day!

**Update: The Groundhog has spoken, “If you want to know next, you must read my text. As the sky shines bright above me, my shadow I see beside me. So six more weeks of winter it will be.”**

Here I sit in balmy southern California, anticipating another sunny, 60 degree San Diego day. But in Punxsutawney, Philadelphia, the people are gathering in Gobbler’s Knob, in 20 degree weather, preparing for the most famous groundhog in the world Punxsutawney Phil to make his 2010 weather prognostication!

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!

Phil’s inner circle in Punxsutawney are more than ready to share the news with the world this year as they present Groundhog Day via a live webcast ! Want to get a text of the outcome? Just send “Groundhog” to 247365 on your mobile device between now and Groundhog Day. Follow the event on twitter! You can even send free ecards for your Groundhog bash!

Will Phil see his shadow and ensure 6 more weeks of winter in that chilly clime?

Or will he predict an early spring?

I promise to update as soon as I get my text!

Celebrate National Freedom Day & Black History Month

National Freedom Day on February 1st celebrates the signing of  the resolution that became the 13th Amendment that outlawed slavery in the United States by President Lincoln in 1865.  Major Richard Robert Wright, Sr., a former slave, first commemorated Freedom Day in 1945 at Independence Hall and with the ceremonious laying of a wreath at the Liberty Bell. President Truman ratified the holiday in 1948.

February 1st also marks the celebration of Black History Month, which observes remembrances of important

Black History Month (image from Kevin Fell at HOZA!)

people and events of the African diaspora in the United States and Canada. Media outlets and educators use this month to highlight the special achievements, notable moments in history, and influential people of African descent whose words and deeds have contributed to the shaping of the world today.

Some criticism of Black History Month has been aired by religious leaders, celebrities, and journalists who contend that one race should not be singled out for observance and, moreover,  ‘Black’ history is American history.

What do you think?