Welcome back!

I apologize that this is still 2012ish, and probably will remain that way -- I've decided that at least for now I'll just be playing with this on my own computer and maybe (future) scrapbooks. But I thought that an idea like this can be very helpful when one's universe is difficult...

A brand-new site though has been opened that could give you ideas for making your own happy calendar: https://ofholidayscalendarsandplanners.blogspot.com/

Yikes, this new post will probably mess up the "table of contents." Oh well, better so you know what's going on...

Table of Contents

I'm no longer maintaining this site, due to serious technical difficulties. It's been a huge pleasure to put it together, until the technicalities stormed me!, and I hope one of these decades to come out with a book very loosely based on this idea. Meanwhile, perhaps someone will enjoy looking at the old posts, which if the site works is one for each day of the year...


To make it easier for you to get to various dates, here's a clickable Table of Contents. Enjoy, and may you have a beautiful day...in a good place...and not need anything sustaining but if you do may you find it quickly and enjoy it thoroughly.

January 1-29 (and some of December) Dec30-Jan29 

January 30 through February 29 Jan30-Feb29

March March

April http://bkofhappydays.blogspot.com/

May 1-26 May1-26

May 27 through June 26 May27-June26

June 27 through July 27 June 27-July27

July 28 through August 27 July 28-Aug27

August 28 through September 27 Aug28-Sept27

September 28 through October 28 Sept28-Oct28

October 29 through November 28 Oct29-Nov28

November 29 through December 29 Nov29-Dec29

December 30 through January 29 Dec30-Jan29

April 30

According to Susan Wittig Albert, tonight is May Eve, and one should "be on the lookout for fairies"!!! Okay!!


Perhaps they'll be wearing the latest from The House of Ellwand, as described in the delightful Fairieality book by David Ellwand, David Downton, and Eugenie Bird.
http://www.amazon.com/Fairie-ality-Fashion-Collection-House-Ellwand/dp/0763614130

At least in my copy from zinio.com, it included wonderful home designs for our small friends as well.

Yum, back in mortal land it's national Raisin Day!

April 29

It's Duke Ellington's birthday! He was born in 1899!

April 28

Today a guest post about A Beautiful Day, from my mom, who very well may be the most clever person at the world at planning beautiful days...

I finally got around to requesting the book by Susan Wittig Albert concerning Beatrix Potter, and found our library had several. They're fun, Susan Wittig Albert writes well, makes it a pleasant read. I don't read mysteries, but these are different -- I know I would have enjoyed knowing her in person!

My agenda today is cleaning the sunporch, taking upstairs our lovely bed linens (gifts from you and your husband :)) and exchanging for another set. When I'm done I hope to have time to just sit and enjoy, either the clean sunporch, or the seat on our front porch and read some more of my book.

Yesterday was FULL, 2 hours cleaning up the bed behind the stone bench and Rose of Sharon bushes, making a pot of chili, 4 hours at the museum gardens. Tired! But today will be more relaxed, not strenuous.

And tomorrow sounds like a grand day. I'm finally going to go to the nearby herb meeting at the Botanical Garden, the theme is fun-sounding, about the start of the herb garden there. They always have such nice hors d'oeu'vres, good programs, and the friends there are great (they love gardening, and there's something special about those people :)). Then at 1 I have an appointment with the owner of my favorite consignment shop, Change of Seasons, she's going to have her hubby take charge for an hour of the shop while she and I go to a restaurant or somewhere to discuss the style show she's going to put on in June at the museum during the 'Living Large on a Tight Budget' tea I'm organizing. Then I'll do laundry, before going to the class I'm taking in the evening. All lovely times with friends and no work. Don't you love a day like that :).

And for future pleasure, I signed up for a trip to  "The Big House, a 32 room mansion of Pulitzer Prize winning author Louis Bromfield, and another tour of this vast working farm, which is the largest environmental education destination in Ohio." Doesn't that sound like a perfect day!


There's more about the fabulous Beatrix Potter mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert at http://www.cottagetales.com/index.shtml .

April 27

Ludwig Bemelmans was born today in 1898. I love his Madeline books! Their official site is http://www.madeline.com/ .

April 26

It's John James Audubon's birthday (he was born in 1785). What beautiful art he made.

Ooo, when I looked for some Audubon art, I ran across this beautiful blog!
http://threesixfiveart.blogspot.com/2011/04/happy-birthday-john-james-audubon.html

And if you're in the mood, at least as I write this the Metropolitan Museum of Art's shop has some beautiful items based on his work. I found them again via a search at http://store.metmuseum.org .

It's also national Pretzel Day!

April 25

Now that's what I call camping I could actually enjoy! From http://blogs.cotemaison.fr/archiboom/2012/04/29/une-maison-tres-design-tout-en-angles .

April 24

The luncheon suggestion for today from 365 Luncheon Dishes (from 1902) is an Asparagus Salad.

April 23

Birthdays for people in theater  today -- William Shakespeare was born today in 1564; Shirley Temple Black in 1928.

There's an official Shirley Temple website at http://www.shirleytemple.com/ .

The luncheon suggestion for today from 365 Luncheon Dishes (from 1902) is a paté. Hmm, perhaps one could dine on it while watching a Shirley Temple movie at lunch, and enjoy the leftovers while reading over a favorite play in the afternoon.

April 22

Think about the planet -- today in 2012 at least is Earth Day.

A guest post:

I enjoyed a sandwich yesterday in Findlay, a long favorite old-fashioned hamburg establishment there, my husband and I ate there once, Wilson's. My aunt, in fact, took me there for lunch several years ago when I visited her. I was close to the long-anticipated tour of homes, on a lovely balmy Sunday afternoon, and I needed some nourishment for the coming hours.

It was such a lovely day. I saw beautiful homes, loved and cared for, in their glory of wonderful craftsmanship. And I was so happy to see 2 of the homes that I have always wished I could find on the tours...and even more so was able to converse with both of the owners at length. They were delightful ladies, both have lived in these homes built at the beginning of the 20th century with their families for quite some time. One is a huge 3 floor 'castle', the other has a huge doll house in the second story window that always caught my eye as we'd drive by. A grand-daughter just loves coming to visit in Grandma's 'castle'! And it looks so like one, with turrets, stained glass windows, unbelievable doors that are layered, i.e. cherry wood on one side, walnut on the other...each one SO interesting as you can see the edges of each wood...a sweeping staircase crafted by a French Canadian master builder who took approximately one year to carve this magnificent butternut stairway, he lived with them while doing so back in 1886, on the third floor during this time, his room is still there the paperwork the owner has relates, marvelous pages that will become a part of her book she's working on of her home's history.

Then I stopped at the shop we loved behind the antique place, and bought a simple tall black iron 3 legged tower to plant a vining flower near perhaps, then, stopped at a friend's to see her lovely garden, and she gave me a sweet pea start to plant at it's feet :). What a perfect day.

Today my husband and I will likely stay indoors, because it's thundering and raining out our windows! I wanted to plant that sweet pea, and perhaps work on the City Park garden, instead we'll enjoy a day of relaxing.

April 21

Another beautiful library. I have a note that it's Riggs Library, but I need to check all these...

April 20

Today is national Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day. Perhaps you feel like doing a lot of baking today? The luncheon suggestion for today from 365 Luncheon Dishes (from 1902) is a homemade Oatmeal Yeast Bread.
from Shabby Blogs, thank you so much:

April 19

Hmm, it's national Garlic Day!

April 18

Here's one of my favorite take-a-break songs, by Enya -- "Lazy Days" -- in a surprising but fascinating science fiction setting!

April 17

The luncheon suggestion for today from 365 Luncheon Dishes (from 1902) is a Grapefruit Salad you make by placing grapefruit pieces on lettuce and pouring over a mixture of sherry and sugar! I have to try that!

April 16

It's national Eggs Benedict day!

April 15

Leonardo da Vinci was born today in 1452.

April 14

Happy birthday to Sarah Michelle Gellar! It's also the day Loretta Lynn was born, in 1935.

It's also national Pecan Day -- mentioned by the very talented writer Susan Wittig Albert in her charming All About Thyme: A Weekly Calendar of Times & Seasonings newsletter in 2012 -- in case you miss this issue, here's what Mrs. Albert suggests for national Pecan Day:

"On National Pecan Day, plant a pecan tree! (You'll be celebrating the first Arbor Day, as well). If you don't have room for a pecan tree in your yard, bake Susan's favorite pecan pie. And yes, pecans do qualify as an herb (naturally!). The Comanche Indians used the leaves to treat ringworm, and the Kiowas drank a decoction of the bark as a treatment for tuberculosis. (Personally, we prefer pie.)"

 You can read her most recent issue at http://www.abouthyme.com/dayletters/latest.html . (Note I don't do herbal stuff, but I really admire her writing and her other ideas.)

April 13

What a beautiful blog! Such as this post...
http://thedaintydollshouse.blogspot.com/2012/05/10-ways-to-sparkle-more.html
with ideas like 

If you've been feeling uninspired lately: You need to broaden your horizons, step out into the world and discover something new. Take a random trip to a place  you've never been to, a store you keep passing, but never stop to look inside. Visit a museum or a library or bookstore and randomly choose a book to read something new. Listen to nature or a piece of music. Trying something new can spark the imagination and bring on new inspirations. You may try something and find out you didn't like it, but if you tried it the next time another way, it'd be something new in your life. Instant inspiration!

and pictures like...

Of course I'm adding her to my blog list here...

April 12

Happy birthday to very creative, brilliant people: Beverly Cleary in 1916; David Letterman in 1947; and Herbie Hancock in 1940. I'm crazy about what Herbie Hancock has done with the already amazing Gershwin...


Today in 1709 Richard Steele published the first issue of The Tatler.

It's national Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day!

April 11

I'd like to live for some time in this fairy-tale-but real place in Oxfordshire, the Garden Cottages, built in the 1500s. Better yet, I'd like to own it; it was for sale at least in late 2011, and there was a beautiful brochure available from its agents, Savills. The floor plan is of the smaller cottage; I adore the hallway with windows on each side leading to the bedroom.

 

Today is Cheese Fondue Day; perhaps I'll make some with English cheese as I dream of my "cottages in the country." (FYI one may want to save some cheese for tomorrow.)

April 10

 For your restaurant-choosing dreamy pleasure, by Aime Stevens:

April 9

Mark Twain got his pilot's license for Mississippi steamboats today in 1859.

April 8

The luncheon suggestion for today from 365 Luncheon Dishes (from 1902) is homemade winter squash/pumpkin yeast bread – yum! It's Easter today in 2012 -- maybe some rolls like this would be lovely with your dinner!

April 7

Happy birthdays to William Wordsworth (1770) and Billie Holiday (1915).

It's national Coffee Cake Day, yum!

April 6

It's a Middle Earth big holiday!
Elves' New Year

It's also national Caramel Popcorn Day!

April 5

Booker T Washington was born today in 1856.

April 4

April showers and all that -- remind me of a favorite (and my-award winning) song, Eddie Rabbitt's "I Love a Rainy Night."

April 3

Lots of brilliant people were born today! Washington Irving in 1783; Eddie Murphy in 1961; Alec Baldwin in 1958; and Jane Goodall in 1934. The first, and still my favorite, vintage book I ever got was by Mr. Irving. And of course I adore learning from Ms. Goodall, and Mr. Murphy and Mr. Baldwin make me smile.

April 2

Hans Christian Andersen was born today in 1805. I'd like to reread some of his stories (in translation)...and visit his statue in Central Park!

One of my favorite childhood movies was Dannie Kaye playing Mr. Andersen!