It’s the first InstaFriday of February! As always, you can follow me on Instagram (@mandi224) or if you don’t have an iPhone, you can see all my pics on gramfeed.
Baking a cake for Mike’s 29th birthday.
The resulting cake.
A cute little heart pin a couple of my sweet coworkers surprised me with!
#FEBphotoaday, Day 1: YourView
#FEBphotoaday, Day 3: Hands (got my hands on my first shamrock shake for the year!)
As a Pennsylvanian, it was always a big deal — I remember making paper groundhog cutouts in elementary school, and perching on the edge of my seat watching Good Morning America every February 2nd to find out if he’d see his shadow! Even in college, I’d sport a cute “Punxy Phil” baby-tee to class to celebrate. I think it’s such a fun, quirky holiday; plus I think groundhogs are darn-cute little critters!
Did you ever wonder how Groundhog Day got started?
German families settling in central Pennsylvania during the 1700s brought with them the tradition of Candlemas Day, which can be traced back to the pagan Imbolic celebration that falls mid-way between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Tradition suggests that if the weather was fair and the sun was out on that day, the second half of winter would be stormy and cold.
In Europe, Germans used a badger for their prognostication: if the sun was shining and the badger cast a shadow, then they could expect more wintery weather. In Pennsylvania, the badger was replaced by the groundhog.
Of course, lots of other cities have joined in the fun! There are at least 15 other groundhog-meterologists across the US, including Buckeye Chuck in Ohio and General Beauregard Lee in Georgia.
This year, Punxutawney Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter, but according to Wikipedia, a majority of his counterparts predicted an early spring for 2012 … here’s hoping!
February is my birthday month. On the 24th, I’ll be turning 30 years old. Eeek! I was thinking about what I’d wish for if I could have anything for this milestone-birthday…
I know I’ve posted before about how much my rescue-pup Grace means to me. So, my wish is this: that all my blog readers would send a donation to an animal rescue or animal welfare organization during the month of February!
It can be $1 or $100. It can be to a national organization like the ASPCA or the the PetFinder Foundation, or to a local shelter or rescue in your area. Every little bit helps! These animals have SO much joy to give and just need the opportunity to be matched with a loving home!
How could you resist that pout!?
Here’s the extra-fun part: Birthdays are no fun without gifts right? So I also wanted to include a BIG giveaway! Three of my very favorite bloggers have donated prizes and I’ll be choosing 5 winners!…
My name is Kaelah Bee and I’m a 23 year old small business owner, graphic designer and lifestyle blogger living in Nashville, Tennessee. I share my day to day with my fiance Mike and our two fat bulldogs, Georgia and Pipkin. (And there’s a silly cat named Enid hiding somewhere!) I like to make handmade pretty things and I run Honeybean Mobile Boutique out of a renovated peach + white 1968 Yellowstone camper. Our three munchkins are the equivalent to children for us and we spoil them rotten. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Prize #2 & 3: A Print from Lady Hue (TWO Winners!)
I am thrilled to support Mandi and this great cause! I was never a big animal person growing up, but just over a year ago I happened to come across the cutest puppy I had ever seen. My heart melted and two days later, to my husbands surprise, I took him home with me. Albus is a quirky, overly-energetic mini poodle that I have come to love. I never knew animals could be so clever or loving, but he filled a little animal sized hole in my heart that I didn’t even know existed. I hope we can all join in this cause to help all of the lonely animals out there that are looking for a little loving.
I’m Brittney, a late twenties interwebs geek — wearing the hats of wife, pet parent, worker bee & charity crafter — sharing life with my husband & our furry little zoo. A former vet tech and rescue rehabilitation specialist, the plight of animals has always been dear to my heart. I’m mama to four rescue kitties and three crazy spaniels; our latest being a puppy mill survivor who has stolen our hearts as he learns to enjoy a cruelty-free life. My shop, named after my first two pups, was born out a desire to create quality goods while also helping those in need – so 50% of more of my profit is donated to varying animal welfare groups each month, and everything comes gift-wrapped in 100% eco-friendly materials for free. When I’m not doing the 9-5, I moonlight whenever possible in: blogging, senses of humor, animal welfare, all things Disney & Tim Burton, photography, gluten-free cooking, books & films, zombie fighting and dreaming of the day I am no longer just a Muggle.
Finally, I wanted to contribute a prize myself, and lately I have been loving the Blog Bling Kit from PuglyPixel. The photo templates I used for this post come from the kit, along with lots of other fun “bling” for your blog!
How to Enter
Make a donation of any amount to your favorite animal rescue, shelter or welfare organization between February 1, 2012 and February 29, 2012. After donating, enter your info into the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! Get extra entries by Tweeting, posting to Facebook, or posting about this giveaway on your blog then entering that info into the Rafflecopter widget also.
Feel free to comment on this post, but please note that comments on this post will not count as entries. Please make sure to put your entries into the Rafflecopter widget (above).
Winners will be announced March 1, 2012 and will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter/Random.org. One prize per person.
German families settling in central Pennsylvania during the 1700s brought with them the tradition of 
How could you resist that pout!?
