From Our Recipe Box to Yours....Caramel Apples and Holiday Music

My youngest son and I had a stay home day the other day and he asked if we could make caramel apples. I'd never made them before but I said sure, why not. I wondered where he got the idea for caramel apples from, but was game to try. Turns out he read about them in a story at school. He was so excited, opening all of the caramels for our project and then when his brother and sister got home from school, making them up a snack plate, with our caramel apples on them. They may not have been the prettiest apples, but they were yummy and we had fun making them!! They were entertaining to eat, too!! You should try them!

Caramel Apples

1 bag caramels
2 T. water
5 popsicle sticks
5 apples, your choice (my fav are Braeburn)

Prepare a plate covered with wax paper. Butter the paper so the apples won't stick. Wash and dry your apples and insert the popsicle sticks next to the stem. Set aside. Open all of the caramels and add to a pan with 2 T. of water. Heat slowly until all of the caramels are melted. Dip your apples and spoon on where needed until all apples are covered. Place on plate and put in refrigerator for at least an hour. Don't let the apples touch or it will be a mess. Enjoy!!


Holiday Music starts this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. here @ the library. Come in and enjoy the sounds of Ms. Arthur and her piano students as they serenade us with music for the holiday season.

What's in Your Library Bag Wednesday??....

It's Wednesday again!!! Don't you just love Wednesdays? Not only is it half way through the week, but it's the day we get to talk about what we are reading!! At least I do...Isn't it great?

So, what I am reading right now I am not finished with yet, but I am 2/3 through, so I thought I'd talk a little bit about it. It's the new one by Nora Roberts, The Search. Boy, it's a wonder that woman ever sleeps with all the books she has coming out!! And they all have quite different story lines. She's good.

Back to The Search. I came to work the other day and saw this book in my mailbox and thought, "Huh. I don't remember wanting to read this one, but hey, I need a book and here one is!" I took it home and started in. After the first chapter, I thought, "Wierd. I don't usually read books about dogs, but it seems interesting enough." Now, 300 pages later, I can't wait to see how it all pans out. I've only had an hour a day or so to read, so it's taking me longer than normal. I like to call it savoring the story.

Fiona Bristow, lives on a remote island, Orcas, off the coast of Seattle, and runs her own dog obedience school. She owns three dogs of her own and is a part of a Search and Rescue unit. Throughout the story, she is called out on searches with her dogs and you get to see first hand what it's like. Being a puppy owner myself, I am amazed at how well behaved her dogs are! Then again, this is a fictional story...Fiona is actually a 12 year survivor of a kidnapping and attempted murder which is always in the background waiting.

Through her obedience classes, she meets Simon Doyle, owner of Jaws, an incorrigible puppy. They hit it off in an odd sort of way and their relationship keeps you laughing as the story goes on. I am getting to the point in the story where tension is building because the murders have started again 12 years later...just like before. Is Fiona a target again? The man who kidnapped her before is still safely in prison, so who is behind the murders this time? Will the murderer find her on the remote island where she lives? Will she get away again? What will Simon do? How do the dogs play a part? All these questions and more are yet to be answered....But, Nora Roberts weaves a beautiful story that keeps you turning the pages and wanting to read moreand find the answers. I wouldn't want to tell you the ending anyway, so you'll just have to pick up The Search for yourself to find out how it all ends!!! Hopefully I hooked you all just like Nora Roberts did me! Come on in and check it out!! Of course, you'll have to wait until I am finished, but I'll hurry! *smile* Until next time,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
AND HAPPY READING!!!

Librarian Humor

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...Bubble Pizza and a new blog.

My son recently had tonsil surgery and the hardest part for him has been not being able to eat his favorite foods. Namely: Pizza!!! So in the interest of not being able to eat crust, I pulled out an old recipe for Bubble Pizza.

Bubble Pizza
2 tubes refrigerator biscuits
15 oz. can pizza sauce
1 lb. hamburger
2 C. cheese, Cheddar
1 C. cheese, Mozzererlla
Onion
Green Pepper
Mushrooms
Pepperoni

Simmer hamburger, onion, and pepper. In a large bow, cut biscuits into quarters and add pizza sauce and mushrooms. Drain hamburger, onion, and pepper and mix with other ingredients. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with Cheddar and Mozzerella cheese and bake another 10 minutes until cheese is muted.

Yum, yum!! Just 3 more days until real pizza!!


I attended my Reader's Advisory class this week and they told us that they are just starting a new blog on reading and that we can all submit occasionally about the books we are reading! You should check it out!!!

http://www.ireadandtalk.blogspot.com






 

What's in Your Library Bag Wednesday??

Here we are at Wednesday again and I am wondering what's in your library bag today? I would have thought that staying home with my son would have given me ample time to read, but I only managed to re-read an Anita Blake, Vampire Slayer favorite and read a small Christmas story by Karen Kingsbury.

The Karen Kingsbury book was Sarah's Song and it was one of her Red Glove Series. The Red Glove Series is a collection of short Christmas stories that always include a pair of red gloves in the story along with the inspirational message. At the end of the books, Karen lists ideas for Red Glove Projects you can do in your own community. Sarah's Song was a story about love, love lost and love regained, second chances and God's grace if you only believe. Sarah, recounts her life through a series of word ornaments that trigger different memories in her life throughout the 12 days of Christmas. Beth, one of her caregivers at the retirement village, who also is having marriage problems, listens to Sarah's story and her heart is softened through the telling. In the end, Sarah's song, yes it's an actual song, too, transforms her life and Beth's as well and inspires readers to take a second look and give second chances in love. What else really matters?

So, the red glove projects in the back of the book coincide with the story. Karen suggests taking a box of red gloves and caroling at a retirement village. Or just picking a single resident to visit during the holidays and giving him/her a pair of red gloves. There are more ideas of giving for the readers and Karen Kingsbury inspires you to come up with your own and spread the good will.

Her red glove series are a nice short feel good read that inspires more out of us in life. I would recommend this uplifting series to anyone.

What have you been reading??? Let us know.

From Our Recipe Box to Yours....An Apple Tart and a Reminder

Fruit Tart

What you need:

1 single pie crust

3 C. fruit (can use apples, plums, peaches, strawberries, etc.)

1/4 C. sugar

2 T. flour

cinnamon/sugar mixture

3 oz. cream cheese

Put crust in sprayed pie pan. Spread cream cheese in bottom of crust. Cut up fruit; mix with flour and sugar. Put in crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. Enjoy warm.

Just a Reminder that the library will be closed Thursday, November 25, for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Normal hours will resume Friday, November 26, 10-5 p.m.

What's In Your Library Bag Wednesday??

It's Wednesday again my Reading Friends!!! I've had kind of a hectic week. My son had surgery and we're all still catching up around here.So, I thought I'd add to my list of suggested reads. What I mean by that is, good reads that have been suggested to me to read. The list just keeps getting longer and longer!! There are soo many good books out there, I'll never have time to read them all!!

Here goes....

The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson
Tweak by Nicholas Sheff
Beautiful Boy by Nicholas Sheff
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Mysteries by P.J. Tracy and Nevada Barr
Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series
Dexter books by Jeff Lindsay, like the HBO tv series, but much, much better, so I've heard!!


That's all for now. Comment and let me know of any others I should add!! Happy Reading!

Is it the Holiday season already????

I know you’ll think this is crazy, but have you thought about Christmas yet? You know there are only 65 shopping days left until the big holiday. I’m just kidding. Kind of. I have never really been prepared for Christmas ahead of time, except for one thing. I try very hard to have my Christmas cards done by Thanksgiving every year so that I can hand them out at the family gatherings we attend. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t just sign 100 cards; I make them. A couple of years, I did an “I Spy” theme where you had to find certain objects in the picture that signified things we did throughout the year. Another year it was a “Where’s Waldo” theme. Last year, the kids laid themselves out in the shapes of the letters “Merry” for the cover….Since I really try to put a lot of effort into my cards, it usually takes me a while to figure it out and get it created. This is why I end up thinking about the holidays early, not because I’m a good shopper that can get everything on sale early and hide it until Christmas. I am not very good at keeping secrets anyway. *Smile.


This year is different only because I don’t have any good ideas yet. Hopefully, they are coming soon. But, what I have been thinking about is possibly making some Christmas ornaments for gifts this year; another thing that really must be thought about and started early. Maybe I am getting more organized in my old age after all. Nah!!

I have always enjoyed being creative and crafting, ever since I was a little girl. I would spend a week every summer at my grandma’s house doing and making all kinds of things. I learned to needlepoint and cross stitch to make magnets and bookmarks and all kinds of fun things. I loved it. My kids love to craft, too. They are always so proud of the things they bring home that they have made for mom and dad. My husband’s mom is teaching them to sew with a sewing machine now and they are creating all kinds of fun projects with grandma, just like I did.

Since one of my passions is photography, I have been thinking of making an ornament out of photos. I got a book called “Photojojo” (we have this at the library) for Christmas last year that has all kinds of projects for using your photos in creative ways. One of the ideas is a simple Christmas ornament. Not only is it cool, it not too involved as we all know how time just seems to slip away from us when we need it the most.

Because other people love to create and craft as much as we here at the library do, we are offering a series of special DIY (Do It Yourself) nights every month through May of 2011 that showcase a new skill or craft to learn. I am going to be teaching the photo Christmas ornament I found in “Photojojo”in November and Beth is having a Family Fun Night making gingerbread houses in December. Space is limited, so you need to register, but we would love to share a love of creating with you. Call 319-352-1223 or e-mail to waverly@waverly.lib.ia.us soon to reserve your spot. And get thinking about what you want to do this Christmas season. Even if it just seems wrong to think about Christmas right now, sign up and we’ll break you in with an ornament you can gift.


THERE IS STILL TIME TO GET INTO OUR HOLIDAY ORNAMENT CLASS!! CALL RIGHT NOW OR E-MAIL OR FACEBOOK!! BUT DO IT NOW!!!

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...Parmesan Potatoes and a Preview of good things to come...

In the spirit of having fun with food this Friday, I want to share a yummy side dish that finally got my daughter to eat potatoes.

I give you......

Parmesan Potatoes

6 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges (keep dry)

Mix together:
1/4 C. flour
1/4 C. Parmesan
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Place in plastic ziploc bag. Toss potatoe wedges in mixture. Melt 1 stick of butter on foil covered baking pan(15 x 18 with edges). Add potatoes. Bake half an hour at 350 degrees. Flip potatoes over and bake another half hour at 350 degrees or until nicely browned and crispy. These are especially good when they are nice and brown and crispy. It's hard to eat anything else when these are on the table!

A Preview of good things to come...Starting the first Sunday after Thanksgiving and continuing through the Advent season, we will be having the "Gift of Music" here at the library. Sundays, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. stop in and enjoy live holiday music. One week, our own Jon Wolfe will entertain with his guitar. Another week, is going to be a bassoon ensemble. Plan to come, relax and enjoy with us here at the library this holiday season.

What's In Your Library Bag Wednesday? Inspirational Fiction at its Best

Remember last week when I told you all I had to read Insipirational Fiction for my next class? Well, I did some research on the Librarian's iread wiki, http://iread.pbworks.com/, which is always highlighted in my classes. Clicking through the tabs of adult fiction and then Inspirational Fiction, I ran across this definition for Inspirational Fiction.

"Inspirational Fiction is fiction that inspires people to become better in some way, to believe in themselves, to find hope/comfort, or proceed on a sprititual quest. These may include books with some with Christian principles/tenets, but are abooks that generally wouldn't fall under the CBA guidelines for Christian Fiction; those can be found on the Christian Fiction page.)"

And this list of possible titles...
The five people you meet in heaven, by Mitch Albom
Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach
Soulmate, by Deepak Chopra
God on a Harley, by Joan Brady
Keeping faith, by Jodi Picoult
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
Gates of Zion, by Bodie Thoene

Books by:
Beverly Lewis
Deanne Gist
Francine Rivers
Tracie Peterson
Karen Kingsbury
Jan Karon
I think Richard Paul Evans should be added here, too!

And I realized that I have already read a lot of Inspirational Fiction. And that I like it.

Mitch Albom is a definite jewel. The first book that I actually read of his was, Have a little Faith, a non-fiction book about being asked to write a eulogy for his rabbi. After having finished this title, I quickly moved on to reading ALL of his other works. Two titles which could be classified as Inspirational Fiction, are The Five People You Meet in Heaven (now a major motion picture for those of you who don't always take time to read) and For One More Day being as those are actually Fiction. But, I feel that all of his works are definitely inspirational in nature.

In the story of The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Eddie, the main character starts the novel by dying. But, he does not become immediately rewarded with heaven. The novel progresses as we relive moments in Eddie's life where five different people touched him in profound ways. Eddie didn't realize some of them at the time, because the meetings seemed so insignificant, yet they altered the course of his life. Each person has a question to answer about Eddie's life and why he lived and what he lived for. How perhaps, he impacted their lives, which impacted other lives, which impacted yet other lives. This novel in its simplicity, inspires us to take note of the small moments in life and to realize that we are all a part of a  much larger whole; that all of our stories entwine. What we do and say may not seem all that important, but it may matter to someone and in turn, alter the course of their lives.

Inspirational books are books that really make you think about life and to see the more of the good in people and all the things we do. They are definitley feel good stories that hold an important message. Who says fiction isn't important?

Things you notice...

I read on a blog the other day where the author said, “Sometimes I open my mouth and my mother comes out!” Isn’t it funny how true this can be? I have to admit, I don’t always notice, but sometimes it just hits me out of the blue. Like, for example, the other day when Emily got home from school and was telling me about her day. I wanted to stop her and tell her to slow down and breathe she was talking so fast and so much. This reminded me of a car trip with my husband where he said essentially the same thing to me after about a half an hour of driving and talking!!! Funny the things we notice coming out in our kids. My parents will always comment on how Emily slouches at the table when she eats…just like her mother did. Or, it’s funny to see how Emily is always saving tiny pieces of fabric, ribbon or beads. Anything that is pretty, just like her Grandma Lucille. Yesterday, Emily kind of laughed while she was telling me a story about school. Then, she stopped and said, “Oh, I sound just like Mom when I laugh like that, and that’s bad!” Ha, ha.


A funny thing that Carter likes to do is to play tricks on me. Just like his Dad. If either one of them can think of a way to trip me up, they take it!! Like telling me that he has to retake a test or something when he really got an A. Or Al telling me something came up and he won’t be home until late, when he is really out in the driveway. Both Al and Carter also “see outside of the box.” They can look at something, electronic or mechanical and “see” where things should go and how they should work. I, on the other hand, get frustrated on my first try and hand it off to one of them to make it work.

It’s ironic how when Al was a child, he loved Spaghettios so much, his mom got him a matching Spaghettios bowl and spoon to eat them with. And Casey could eat can after can, lunch, dinner, lunch, dinner. He definitely didn’t get that from me!

Another thing that is apparent in our children is their love for loud rock and roll music. Every time Al turns the stereo on they all come running and say, “Louder Dad!.” Emily even went so far as to say that Mom listens to stuff that can put you to sleep!!! Madonna will not put you to sleep thank you very much.

My co-worker, Kathy, notices food habits in her children. Her son Ian hates mayonnaise and pickles, just like his dad. But her daughter, Erin, loves them, just like she does! Erin also loves to go to Kathy’s parents’ farm and spend the day with all the little animals running around. Kathy said the barn and the baby kitties were always where you could find her growing up.

Beth comments that her oldest boy, Russ, from the moment he had the coordination to sleep with his arms crossed behind his head he has. Just like Dad and Grandma do. Her other son, Jedd, is a leg crosser, just like Grandpa.

Sarah’s daughter, Grace has such a tender heart for animals that she was upset after they hit an animal on the road last week. And even I’ve heard the story of Sarah playing with a woodchuck when she was little. Turns out it wasn’t really alive, but I’m not sure she knew that! She can’t seem to keep her son Ethan out of the puddles and dirt piles. All the stories of her husband growing up corroborate that he was like this, too.

Unlike me, Janette had two sisters growing up, one of which has children now, too. She says it’s funny to get together and see their kids together. She’ll be on the floor playing with them and her sister’s daughter will say or do something and Janette does a double take. She has to stop and ask herself, “Now where am I?” Or should I say, “When am I?” because it will be so much like being with her sister as a child that it’s hard to remember that this is her sister’s daughter she is playing with.

Of course, not all of the mannerisms and habits I notice are great. Sometimes I hear them say something or see them do something and think, “I must do that. They must have heard that from me. Oh, I don’t want them to be like that. I need to stop that.” Like, fussing at the dog or complaining about other drivers on the road, for instance. Our children can really be mirrors for us, reflecting some of best and worst qualities along with many of their own.

I love to watch my children grow and change and become more their own person every day. The part of them that is like me makes me proud and at the same time makes me want to do and be better for them. What do you notice passing on through the generations in your families?