November: Beards, Berlin, Billy and Bell

Seven days have flown by and my fingers have been itchin' to try and post a blog.  My husband arrived home on the first and even though we have tried to keep it quiet, restful and uneventful for him to be able to overcome the jet lag, this first week of November is gone and a memory!  I have much in my heart to share but well...November deserves a bit of honorary mention, this turkey-laden month tucked between the beautiful colors of October and the onslaught of winter in December.


Did you know...


** One of the four months on our calendar that has 30 days.


** November is National Beard Month (should I grow one?)


** The third day of November is National Sandwich Day; I found this tidbit of info on the fourth so I had a belated sandwich (pastrami on homemade bread with pumpkin curry soup :) Okay, let's have more sandwich days in November - who says we have to stick to the "national day"?


** November 5, 1935 Monopoly was first introduced to our game world.


** November 6th we turned our clocks back....whoa, it was so dark last night @ 6:00 p.m., but I definitely enjoyed it being lighter @ 6:00 a.m. when I got up!  It is just a tad bit over the top to send your child off to school when it is pitch dark outside.


** TODAY is Billy Graham's birthday (7th)  Happy Birthday sir - may you be blessed and surrounded by your loved ones!


** The day we celebrate called Veterans Day on November 11th actually represents Armistice Day, which is the day that marks the ending of World War One.


** In the country of Finland, November is known as "marraskuu", the "the month of the dead"...okay, that is a bit of trivia due to the fact that my husband just returned from Finland.  I'll find a cheerier one next time :)


** The Berlin Wall began coming down on November 9, 1989 - where were YOU when this happened...considering my background, I remember being glued to the TV and marveling at what an historical event was taking place!


** The first press-on fake fingernails were sold November 13, 1952 (couldn't resist that one...what a weird bit of trivia...you never know when you might need that one!)


** November 17th is National Take A Hike Day...the one day you can tell someone to "take a hike" and feel good about it :)


** November 18, 1963 Bell Telephone Company introduced the push-button phone - I remember thinking this was a very cool and up-to-date thing to have! What would Mr. Bell think of the iphone?


**  Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims, Indians, turkey, corn, pumpkin, squash....and the official date of Thanksgiving wasn't set in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November until 1941. Did they not have a four-day weekend before then...what about Black Friday....what about the sales....what about Cyber Monday... okay I'm getting carried away.


Now, what would you have done if you had to go through this month without knowing all that vital information...you may need it someday, especially during those holiday down-times when you are playing Cranium or Trivial Pursuit with crazy family or friends :)


My absolute favorite thing about this month though is the emphasis on being thankful...even though we are thankful year-round, I love that there is a special day and month-long devotion to it. For me, it would take longer than a month to list all I am thankful for. Let's every day of this incredible month find one thing to be very thankful for and thank God for His blessings in our lives.  That will put a smile on your face!  Perhaps a blog on that later :)


Enjoy the month and especially those with a beard, this is "your" month!  But be careful of the crumbs from Sandwich Day :)