Part of shining is creating.  Painter, writer, banker, doctor, landscaper, teacher, stay-at-home mom, baker, it doesn't matter.  People who shine can't help but create, because people who shine are in search of excellence.

I like to think we do a little creating of our own at the House of Shine.

Each month, readers from the House of Shine join up with visionary folks at Fancy Flours.  We pool our resources and usually create something pretty terrific.  Fancy Flours brings the cookie cutters and House of Shine brings its collective creativity.  We entered this partnership because handmade sugar cookies are an inexpensive way to spread shine and their huge selection of cutters mandates the use of our creativity.  

Here's how it works.

The House of Shine suggests three dates each month that we think are worth celebrating.  We agree to celebrate the winning holiday by baking and packaging yummy sugar cookies.  Fancy Flours sweetens the pot by allowing readers to select the winning cookie cutter from an inventory of more than 600.

There's a catch.  

House of Shine readers pledge not to make it easy.  They don't hear Valentine's Day and think, "heart."  No, it's far more likely to be something such as: helicopter or sheep.

Last month we merged National Pencil Day with pigs and the month before it was a house warming party, using a butterfly cookie cutter.  What will it be this month?  Only you know.  

Today we will vote.  We'll vote Brian-style, a slight variation from past methods, thanks to a suggestion from loyal and long-time reader BKRoot.  Notice we will be voting for April and May's cookie cutters at once.  April marks one year of Cookie Cutter Challenges and, as we head into Year Two, I would like to adjust the schedule.  By voting early for May's cookie cutter, I can shift from celebrating only holidays at the end of each month to celebrating holidays at the beginning of each month.

Confused?  No worries.  Just check out the four polls below and cast a vote in each.  The holidays and cutters receiving the most votes by the end of today will win.  Then, tune in toward the end of the month to see April's winning cookie and again in early May to see May's winning cookie.  By June we'll have it all ironed out. 

Vote now.