I decided to do Wordy Wednesday instead of Wordless Wednesday because I like to talk about my photos. This little sparrow is hunting for seeds that the other birds dropped from the feeder and looks more than ready for Spring to arrive. I guess he’s afraid of some of the bigger birds, but several other little sparrows are eating right out of the feeder along with the bigger birds.
I’m also looking forward to having the Winter weather come to an end for awhile. After all, we’ve got all these lovely holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, April Fool’s Day and …read more

photo by me

I know. Sick days are not holidays. However, they are a time when we need some fun activities for kids and, with flu season still a possibility, I thought you might be able to use some tips I remember from my childhood.
Start with a very mild breakfast of tea and toast. For a child, “tea” should be made with a bit of decaf tea, a ton of milk and some honey. (A straw is mandatory. You cannot be sick and drink a beverage of any kind without a straw. It allows you to really be dramatic about how exhausted …read more

I rarely go out on Black Friday. I don’t like crowds and I’m usually basically done with my shopping by then, anyway. However, if I did want to go, I should be able to do so without fearing for my life. I am heartbroken to hear that people were so intent on getting deals that they caused the death of a Walmart employee. Someone caught the attempt to revive the trampled employee on camera phone. I couldn’t watch it. Too sad. How can people care so much about some deals that frankly weren’t that spectacular that they’d push and shove …read more

I thought I’d introduce myself before I just started posting madly away here at All Holiday Cafe. I love holidays. Pig Day, Easter, Thanksgiving…you name it. But I am absolutely wild about Christmas. I love the way people become more giving and understanding as we approach December. I love the decorations. I love the music. I love all of our silly family traditions.
I’ve been tempted to turn a room in my home into a 24/7 Christmas themed room, but it is just too fun and exciting to decorate for the holidays each year. We clear away all the …read more

October 13 (2008) is Columbus Day in the United States. The holiday, celebrated on the second Monday in October, commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus and his party on the Caribbean island of Hispanola on October 12, 1492.
The first Columbus Day celebration took place in 1792, on the 300th anniversary on the landing. Since then, it has become an annual event and legal holiday. America’s Italian-American communities have also embraced the event and parades are held in “Little Italy” in New York, Cleveland, San Francisco, and other cities on Columbus Day.
(Photo Currier and Ives/Library of Congress)
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This is a Blogtoberfest-sponsored …read more

October 1st is World Vegetarian Day, the kick-off to World Vegetarian Month. The sponsors offer a list of suggestions on how to celebrate the day, including hosting a vegetarian dinner for your friends and family, suggesting that your local library or bookstore set up a display of vegetarian titles (and offering to help), and writing your local city hall to have October 1 declared officially Vegetarian Day in your community. The site also lists a number of activities around the United States to celebrate the day. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to join in the festivities. You can …read more

September 23 is National Day in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The day commemorates the unification of the country on this day in 1932. Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, is governed using the principles of the Koran. Eating pork, alcoholic beverages, and even cinemas are prohibited. The country occupies around 80 percent of the Arabian Peninsula, contains the Muslim shrines of Mecca and Medina, and is home to approximately 28 million residents.
(photo courtesy of the CIA Fact Book)

September is National Flamingo Month. In celebration of this event, here are a few flamingo facts for you:

Flamingos can grow to be more than four feet tall and weight more than seven pounds.
Flamingos eat brine shrimp
Their pink color is due to the Beta Carotene in their diet.
Flamingos live an average of 20 years in the wild and 50 years in captivity.
The ancient Egyptians worshiped a flamingo god, Ra.
Flamingos joints bend “backwards.”
Flamingos are indigenous to the Yucatan, Caribbean, and NE South America as well as the Mediterranean, Africa, and Eurasia.

September 3 is Good Neighbor Day at FTD florists around the United States and Canada. In celebration, participating outlets are giving away free bouquets of fresh flowers. The idea is to keep one stem and pass the others out to friends, neighbors, and passers-by. What a great plan.
To see if there’s an FTD participating near you, visit the FTD Web site.
(photo © istockphoto)