Holiday... Celebrate...

As you know, my house is still in the stages of reconstruction from our DIY summer projects.  Many buried treasures have been found throughout the unpacking process:

--My grandfather's harmonica

(which I fully intend to learn to play, in case I meet Tom Petty & he wants to jam)

--An engraved cup with my birthdate, weight, height etc

(telling everyone I was a chunkster... apparently low self-esteem was on the registry?)

--A pamphlet detailing the secret to a happy marriage

(there will be an entire blog post about this coming soon) 

and countless other artifacts that had been tucked away for quite some time.

Aside from providing comedic relief to us weary unpaid laborers and offering rather enlightening information about our parents' lives BC (before children), some of these antiques are pretty awesome and still useful today. Case in point: The Art of Mixing Drinks.

This book-- with its 1,000 recipes for alcoholic drinks-- was originally published in 1957, when drinking during the middle of the day, at the office, or while pregnant were all socially acceptable practices.

Those were the days, amiright?
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In addition to providing readers with super-complex recipes such as Whiskey Mist: 1.5 oz whiskey, lemon peel. Pour Whiskey over ice. Add lemon peel. [Call me crazy, but I think that's just whiskey with a garnish...], the last 9 pages of the book are entitled 365 Reasons for a Party.

Jackpot.

Needless to say, my sister and I had a blast going through these. Our first thought was to look up today's date... and wouldn't you know it, we just missed celebrating the anniversary of Arkansas' Tribute to a Mule Pageant.

Worst pageant title. EVER.

Forget Columbus Day, THIS is a reason to celebrate. Already planning for next year.

Next task: see what "holidays" fall on our birthdays... this is where it started to get weird, folks.

Eileen's (February 8th): Anniversary of the N.Y. Dog Show

Bella Rafferty is our resident mutt and she approves of this sign.
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Dad's (April 11th): Anniversary of FDR's increase of the National Debt Limit

My dad is one of the cheapest... er, thriftiest people I've ever met. Which makes this even funnier.
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Chris's (May 4th): Rhode Island Independence Day

R.I is so hipster, they celebrated independence before it was mainstream.
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Mine (July 21st): Anniversary of Belgian Independence

Why yes, I will raise a glass to any country who can cleverly fit a beer stein into their national flag.
Op uw gezondheid!
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Erin's (September 14th): Anniversary of the Gregorian Calendar

You now have a foolproof way to remember which days have 30/31 days... and an awesome party trick.
You're welcome. Also, those are supposed to be knuckles, fyi.
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Mom's (October 27th): First mink bottle opener appears

Not even kidding, this is what popped up when I googled "mink bottle opener"...
Raise your hand if you're glad you didn't grow up in the '50s.
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Dave [Eileen's bf] (December 28th): Holy Innocent's Day

Riiiight.

I will scan and upload the full list for you guys soon... in the meantime, go forth and party hard on these ridiculous holidays, just as your grandparents did back in the day.

P.S. To all of my sorority sisters: according to this book, October 20th is the Alpha Delta Pi Alumnae Meeting... reunion party, anyone?