This project has been on the back burner for months. We finally tackled it over the holiday break, and boy, do I feel more organized with such a simple upgrade.
One pint of chalkboard paint later, we have the perfect spot for grocery lists and random art. Now I’m thinking I ought to paint all my cupboards?? Maybe?? Too much?? Yes!?!
Chocolate. I promise.
Cross my heart.
I am NOT deliberately trying to derail your New Year’s resolutions.
Honest!
It’s just that I think you should know …
There are chocolate holidays on the horizon.
Sure, there’s Valentine’s Day.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
And Mother’s Day follows shortly thereafter.
But sometimes, a woman needs more excuses to succumb to her urges—no, let’s call them “instincts.”
Your intuition knows when you need a nibble.
And quite frankly, a couple of heart-shaped-box holidays are not enough.
Photo by John Hritz via Wikimedia Commons
After all, there is new science cropping up all the time, telling us how fabulous chocolate can be for body and spirit.
So get out your calendars and mark down these days (they appear throughout the year!) as reasons to celebrate chocolate with abandon.
February 1: National Dark Chocolate Day
February 5: National Chocolate Fondue Day
February 19: National Chocolate Mint Day
February 25: National Chocolate-covered Nuts Day
Photo by David Leggett via Wikimedia Commons
March 19: National Chocolate Caramel Day
March 24: National Chocolate-covered Raisins Day
April 21: National Chocolate-covered Cashews Day
May 15: National Chocolate Chip Day
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
June 7: National Chocolate Ice Cream Day
June 26: National Chocolate Pudding Day
July 28: National Milk Chocolate Day
August 10: National S’mores Day
September 12: National Chocolate Milkshake Day
Photo by Peter M. via Wikimedia Commons
September 13: International Chocolate Day
September 22: National White Chocolate Day
October 28: National Chocolate Day
November 7: National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
December 16: National Chocolate-covered Anything Day
Photo by Bryan Ochalla via Wikimedia Commons
December 28: National Chocolate Day
If you have any deep, dark secrets about how to best commemorate any of these delicious days, do tell.
The April/May issue of our magazine, MaryJanesFarm, is now in the works and will hit newsstands mid-March. Each issue is filled with great tips like this one:
These days, it’s hard to find a good-quality clothespin. The last large American clothespin manufacturer went out of business in 2007, and imported clothespins just aren’t the same—wimpy springs and low-grade mystery wood that doesn’t last throughout the seasons. At least that’s what Herrick Kimball’s wife told him. So Herrick got busy developing beautiful clothespins made to last a lifetime, crafted from sturdy ash with heavy-gauge, tight-coil, American-made, stainless-steel springs.
Classic American Clothespins is a small, home-based business with a big mission: to bring the manufacture of high-quality clothespins back to America by encouraging small-scale, decentralized production by entrepreneurial woodworkers all across the nation. With that in mind, Herrick sells both kits and clothespin springs (as well as finished pins).
Said Herrick, “I would love to see a network of clothespin crafters spring up all across the country, supplying heirloom-quality clothespins to people in their communities.” Find out more at ClassicAmericanClothespins.com.
If you’re not already enjoying our magazine, MaryJanesFarm, click here to subscribe.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
