NOVEMBER HOLIDAYS, SPECIAL DAYS, & JUST WACKY DAYS!

DID YOU KNOW...

November is:

• Aviation History Month
• Child Safety Protection Month
• International Drum Month
• National Adoption Awareness Month
• National Epilepsy Month
• National Model Railroad Month
• National Novel Writing Month
• Native American Heritage Month
• Peanut Butter Lovers Month
• Real Jewelry Month
• National Sleep Comfort Month

November Week Celebrations:

• Week 1 Chemistry Week
• Week 3 Game and Puzzle Week

November, 2013 Daily Holidays, Special and Wacky Days:

1 All Saint's Day
2 All Soul's Day
2 Book Lovers Day - This means that I get to read ALL DAY, right?
2 Deviled Egg Day
2 Look for Circles Day
3 Housewife's Day
3 Sandwich Day
4 King Tut Day
5 Gunpowder Day
5 Guy Fawkes Day
6 Marooned without a Compass Day
6 Saxophone Day
7 Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
8 Cook Something Bold Day
8 Dunce Day
9 Chaos Never Dies Day
10 Forget-Me-Not Day
10 USMC Day
11 Veteran's Day
12 Chicken Soup for the Soul Day
12 Young Readers Day
13 National Indian Pudding Day
13 Sadie Hawkins Day
13 World Kindness Day
14 Operating Room Nurse Day
15 Clean Your Refrigerator Day
15 America Recycles Day
15 National Philanthropy Day
16 Button Day
16 Have a Party With Your Bear Day
17 Electronic Greeting Card Day
17 Homemade Bread Day
17 Take A Hike Day
17 World Peace Day
18 Occult Day
19 Have a Bad Day Day
20 Absurdity Day
20 Beautiful Day
20 Universal Children's Day
21 False Confession Day
21 Great American Smoke-out  - third Thursday in November
21 World Hello Day
22 Go For a Ride Day
23 Eat a Cranberry Day
23 National Cashew Day
23 National Adoption Day - Saturday before Thanksgiving
25 National Parfait Day 
26 Shopping Reminder Day
27 Pins and Needles Day
28 Make Your Own Head Day
28 Red Planet Day
28 Thanksgiving
29 Black Friday
29 Square Dance Day
29 You're Welcome Day - the day after Thanksgiving
30 Stay At Home Because You Are Well Day 

MAY YOU HAVE A SAVVY, SERENE, 

& SUCCESSFUL NOVEMBER!

ARE WE THERE YET? ORGANIZATION 101

SO! What started out as a 'I AM SERIOUSLY SLEEP DEPRIVED', and 'let's see what might help with that' quest, has taken on a bit of a life of its' own. This QUEST started with Feng Shui-ing my bedroom. After moving furniture, cleaning said DUSTY furniture, rearranging everything so that my bed was in the optimal position for the room, and going on an all out quest of everything having a place AND living in that place... Not dumping clothes on the chair is KILLING me, but WHO KNEW - it's a great spot to SIT! Since creating great energy flow in the room while I am SLEEPING, limiting stimulants (namely chocolate and tea, as well as night use of the computer), changing evening bedroom lighting (candles and soft light lamps), and getting to bed AT A DECENT TIME has ALL contributed to relieving the ZOMBIE BRAIN state, I suddenly realized what life in a fog had bestowed upon me - A HUGE, UGLY, OVERWHELMING MESS!

 

That's when I started attacking the rest of the house, going into 'I CAN'T STAND ALL THIS CRUD' organizing and REMOVING CRUD mode! And it didn't all happen in Octobers' 'GET ORGANIZED' week. It has taken WEEKS. But now that everything has a home, and I have counter space in the kitchen, the bookshelves in the living room are once again accessible (WOO HOO! Got more books than you have space? Stack creatively!), my stress level is once again manageable, I find myself wanting to get rid of excess.  

If it doesn't serve me, then bye-bye!

 

And that leads me up to my HUGE-A-MONSTROUS closet. I turned all of the hangers BACKWARDS. As I wear things, I will rehang them RIGHT. Next October everything that doesn't get worn, GOES. I'm not exactly sure what I will do for everything on the shelves... Clear out a shelf and put things on it as I wear them???  

ANY IDEAS? PLEASE POST!

What do you do to keep organized? Please share in the comments, and as always, 

Be Savvy, Be Serene, and Be Successful!

SIMPLE, SIMPLY SCRUMPTIOUS GRAIN-FREE SCONES

I've been reading Christina Li's A Little Bit of Coffee, Flowers, and Romance books. Great books! Humorous, good mystery, great characters, British tea FOOD descriptions... Needless to say, I found myself DYING for scones! For someone who doesn't eat grain, this presented a challenge. But don't worry, I got my delectable scones!

I used my basic scone recipe (measurements for a large batch are in ( ) ). 4 bags of Chocolate Coconut tea in 2 cups of water, made a nice strong flavor to my liquid for a perfect, light flavor to the actual scones. This light chocolate flavor married well with strawberry preserves. To make it grain-free, for flour I used 1/3 amount each of coconut flour, tapioca flour, and quinoa flour. I also made them a little thinner so that they wouldn't need to be cut open.

Basic Scones (Large batch) 
1. 2 (2 ½) c. flour / 1 Tbs. baking powder / ½ tsp. salt / 2 Tbs. sweetener (opt.) - mix
2. 6 (8) Tbs. butter - cut in
3. ½ (2/3) c. buttermilk, tea, or other liquid - make well in center, pour & mix. My scones used a good cup of liquid. Mix and add until a moist biscuit consistency.
4. Spread out on waxed paper, parchment paper, silpat and baking sheet and make into nice 1/2" - 1" thick circle. 
5. Cut into pie shape and move shapes out so that the sides aren't touching.
 
Bake 425* 10 - 20 minutes, or until light brown. 7 - 10 minutes in a 400* Convection oven if you are in a hurry!

Serve with complementing tea and toppings. ENJOY!

Please share you favorite scones and tea ideas!

BE SAVVY, BE SERENE, BE SUCCESSFUL 

OCTOBER WILD, WONDERFUL, & WACKY DAYS

OCTOBER IS:

• Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
• American Pharmacist Month
• Apple Jack Month
• Awareness Month
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Clergy Appreciation Month
• Computer Learning Month
• Cookie Month
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month
• Eat Country Ham Month
• International Drum Month
• Lupus Awareness Month
• National Diabetes Month
• National Pizza Month
• National Vegetarian Month
• National Popcorn Popping Month
• Sarcastic Month
• Seafood Month

A VIEW OF OCTOBER WEEKS:

• Week 1 Get Organized Week
• Week 1 Customer Service Week
• Week 2 Fire Prevention Week
• Week 2 Pet Peeve Week
• Week 3 Pastoral Care Week

WILD, WONDERFUL, & WACKY OCTOBER DAYS:

1 World Vegetarian Day
2 National Custodial Worker Day
2 Name Your Car Day
3 Techies Day
3 Virus Appreciation Day
4 National Golf Day
4 National Frappe Day
5 Do Something Nice Day
5 International Frugal Fun Day - first Saturday of the month
5 Oktoberfest in Germany, date varies
5 World Teacher's Day
6 Come and Take it Day
6 Mad Hatter Day
6 Physician Assistant Day
7 Bald and Free Day
7 World Smile Day
8 American Touch Tag Day
9 Curious Events Day
9 Emergency Nurses Day- date varies
9 Fire Prevention Day
9 Leif Erikson Day
9 Moldy Cheese Day
10 National Angel Food Cake Day
11 It's My Party Day
11 Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day
11 World Egg Day  - second Friday of month
12 Cookbook Launch Day
12 Old Farmer's Day
12 Moment of Frustration Day
14 Columbus Day - second Monday of month
13 International Skeptics Day
14 Be Bald and Free Day
14 National Dessert Day
15 White Cane Safety Day
16 Bosses Day
16 Dictionary Day
17 Wear Something Gaudy Day
18 No Beard Day 
19 Evaluate Your Life Day
19 International Newspaper Carrier Day -date varies each year
19 Sweetest Day - Third Saturday of month
20 Brandied Fruit Day   
21 Babbling Day
21 Count Your Buttons Day
21 National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day 
22 National Nut Day
23 National Mole Day
23 Tv Talk Show Host Day
24 National Bologna Day
24 United Nations Day 
19 Sweetest Day - Third Saturday of month 
25 Punk for a Day Day
25 World Pasta Day
25 Frankenstein Friday - last Friday in October
26 Make a Difference Day-  fourth Saturday of the month, neighbors helping neighbors.
26 National Mincemeat Day
27 National Tell a Story Day - in Scotland and the U.K.
27  Mother-In-Law Day - fourth Sunday in October
27 Navy Day
28 Plush Animal Lover's Day   
29 Hermit Day
29 National Frankenstein Day
30 National Candy Corn Day
30 Mischief Night
31 Carve a Pumpkin Day - no surprise here
31 Halloween
31 Increase Your Psychic Powers Day

Since this is the 1st week of October, I'm off to get organized! I'm also thinking up names for my car AND trying to decide what cookies to make. So, which days are you going to celebrate?

Have a wild, wonderful, and wacky October!