Pets #71

1. I took the Pet Picker Quiz and the right type of pet for me was a reptile. I do agree with that, since I do not have very much time to take care of an animal that requires a lot of attention, since I spend almost all of my free time taking care of my baby daughter. I also do not like animal hair wandering all over the house. I used to have a Labrador Retriever (weighed 80 pounds!), but she is now at my in-laws house, since my father-in-law walks her every day and takes good care of her. Before the birth of my daughter, I used to walk “Guera” every day around the block, feed her, bathe her, and brush her hair. A pet like that requires a lot of attention! Now, I don’t even have time to exercise for myself, so I couldn’t keep Guera. I do miss her, but I get to see her when I visit my in-laws.

2. I did a search in Pet Finder and I found a baby male iguana up for adoption at “Pets Are Us Rescue” (Cypress, TX). His name is Stripe and looks very cute. I also went to Pet Harbor and found a Chihuahua named Lulu. Here are the comments that the staff made about her:

Lulu is a sweet little girl Chihuahua that was found wandering around a parking lot. She was so sweet and came right up to her rescuer licking her and wagging her tail. Unfortunately, she was absolutely covered in fleas and quite a mess. She was also wearing a little harness that was too small and rubbing her under her arms as well as having some scabs on her ears. After a few baths and some flea medicine, she was all cleaned up and doing well. Lulu has lots of love and energy to give. Her age is estimated at 1 year old. She is about 8 lbs and gets along nicely with other dogs and children. She is quickly learning to sit before she gets her leash on, or her food. She has learned to wait nicely for her food to be made and sit nicely before it is given to her. She is crate trained and house trained with the use of a doggie door. She responds very well to corrections and walks well on a leash. She loves to play and also loves to cuddle up to you on the bed or couch. She knows to sit nicely and calmly before she is allowed to be put up on the bed since she cannot jump up on it by herself. She has quite a bit of energy and enjoys being walked twice a day. She is current on all vaccinations, is heartworm negative and will be spayed on 10/2/09. Lulu will be up for adoption starting 10/9/09. Please come and take her for a walk at Petco Humble on FM 1960 just east of Hwy 59 on weekends 12-4:30 and see if she is a match for your family!

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family finder - Old pictures

I made a Celebrity Collage and the results are posted at the top of this page. About 15 people have told me throughout my life that I look like the deceased singer, Selena Quintanilla. I see some similiarity between us, but not to the point where we were separated at birth. I also think I resemble my mother more than my father. My mom and me have the same nose (it's rounded at the bottom).

2. I visited Footnote and browsed the Member Discoveries. People are telling their family history on this site and other members may view and make comments about it. One member posted a column called "A Hard Row to Hoe", and he talked about the harsh life that his great grandmother and grandmother lived.

Genealogy #69

I searched the HeritageQuest website, and it allowed me to find an ancestor within the census date range of 1790-1930. Since all of my ancestors were not born in the USA, I could not use this feature.

I did visit Ancestry.com and I found the birth records of my mom, my husband, and myself. It also listed my mom's and husband's physical address. Under my husband's name, the site also listed his neighbors.

Genealogy #68

1. No, I’ve never pursued an oral history project. Yes, I might consider doing one to record my family history. My grandmother would be the best candidate.

I visited the Tejano Voices Project. It contains 77 oral history interviews with Tejano and Tejana leaders from across Texas, conducted by University of Texas at Arlington Professor Dr. Jose Angel Gutierrez.

2. I went to Find-A-Grave and picked the Oakwood Cemetery (located in Waco, TX-McLennan County). The oldest burial listed was for Jerome B. Patterson, this is the information that was provided about him:

Birth: Mar. 14, 1815
Death: Jan. 7, 1890
Civil War Confederate Brigadier General. Born in Woodford County, Kentucky, he served as a Captain in the Army of the Republic of Texas during the Indian and Mexican campaigns. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1847 and to the State Senate in 1849. With the start of the Civil War, he became part of the 5th Texas Infantry and was made Colonel in command on June 1, 1862. He led the 5th Texas in Peninsular campaign and was promoted Brigadier General in November, 1862. He led a Texas Brigade in actions at Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga and in 1864, he commanded the Texas state reserve forces until the end of the war. After the war, he served as passenger and emigration agent for the Houston and Texas Central Railroads.

Genealogy #67

I have never studied genealogy in the past. I would take the following steps to begin my genealogical research:

1. Talk to my parents, grandparents, aunts, & uncles and ask them about any information they would know about our family descendants. I would document everything that they tell me. Working backwards is the first step.

2. Take pictures of documents (birth, death, marriage) and keep a record of my findings.

3. Visit cemeteries where ancestors are buried and take note of the gravestone, there might be a birth or death date.

4. Research government records for vital records.

The Genealogy for Beginners website made an eye-opening remark that stated - “Don’t lose sight of the fact, that although there may be only ONE of you and you may have had 2 parents and 4 grandparents, you had 8 great grandparents, 16 gg grandparents, 32 ggg grandparents, 64 gggg grandparents, 128 ggggg grandparents, etc.”

Wellness #42

1. I tried out the symptom checker on the Mayo Clinic website and I choose “foot pain” as my symptom. It then asked me to state the specific location of the pain and I checked the “middle part of foot.” It was triggered by “injury” and accompanied by “inability to bear weight.” The results that the site gave me were either a broken foot or flat feet. The results were not very accurate, because I don’t have either of those problems. Perhaps if the site had more “accompanied by” symptoms, such as pain felt when area is pressed or pain when walking, my results would have been more accurate. The bottom part of my right foot has been hurting me for a few months now. The pain came after an incident where I was wearing high heels and my foot slipped out of the heel. My foot twisted to the side and half of it was hanging onto the floor. I think that the side of the heel bruised the middle part of my foot, so this is why I have the pain. It feels better after I massage the area, but the pain is still there. I probably need to visit a podiatrist if the pain does not go away, because there might be swelling deep inside my foot that I do not know about.

2. I visited Medline Plus and searched the doctor finder in Texas. The site took me to the Texas Medical Board website and I found two OBGYN’s under my zip code search. I want to find a doctor that is close to my house, because my regular doctor is 40 minutes away from. I think I will visit Dr. Maricela Cantu, who is 10 minutes from my house.

3. I created a sample family medical history tree using the My Family Health Portrait from the Surgeon General. The site asked me my name, DOB, and it wanted me to list any diseases that I may have or had in the past. Next step was to state how many brother’s and sister’s that I had and how many uncles and aunts from both my mother’s and father’s side. It then created the tree for me and automatically included my grandmother’s and grandfather’s. I think this tree could be a useful addition to a genealogy study, because you can track down a specific disease that has been passed on from generation to generation.

Wellness #41 - (Part 2)

The activity that is easy to do and I can start doing right away to live a greener lifesyle is recycling products at home. I visited the site, The Internet Consumer Recycling Guide, and it contained a list of products that are safe to be recycled. This included paper, magazines, newspapers, aluminum cans, clear grocery bags, some glass bottles, and a few plastics.

The second activity that takes more commitment to do, but I want to give it a try, is taking my own "green" bags to the grocery store. I've seen people carry these around, but I've never used one before. The plastic bags are much more convenient, since they are already at the store, and all of my groceries fit in them. I go grocery shopping once a week and my cart is always full, which means that I would need at least 8 "green" bags to fill up my stuff. Hauling those bags around can be a hassle. I've seen Eva Mendez on a television commercial promoting her own personalized "green" bags line, so even celebrities are taking a step to protect our environment.

Wellness - #41

1. I visited the Yahoo Green website and discovered that I emit 13.7 tons of carbon dioxide per year (5.7 at home, 8.0 on the road, 0 in the air). The average American emits 9.44 tons per year, so I am a little bit over the norm. I can reduce my carbon footprint by a couple of ways: washing my clothes in cold water, instead of hot; hanging half of my clothes outside on a clothes line, instead of using the dryer; and changing my truck's tires when they are in need of a replacement and getting scheduled oil changes.

2. I have visited the Canino's Farmers Market on Airline several times. They have a variety of produce and it is fairly inexpensive (compared to Krogers). I usually buy onions, bell peppers, lemons, lettuce, cilantro, squash, tomatoes, apples, oranges, melons, beans, & nuts. My bill is never over $20 dollars, which is a great deal!

Wellness #40

1. My BMI was a 29.6 (overweight) :(

2. My daily calorie requirements is 2,592 calories

3. My health age is 30.2 and my life expectancy was 81.1 years

* I wasn't surprised by the results. I know that I am overweight and it is due to a lack of exercise and not eating healthy. I recently bought a treadmill and I told myself that I would use it 3 times a week for an hour each time, but I have yet to get on it. I always find something else that is more important and needs to be taken care of: my baby, dinner, laundry, too tired, etc. My goal is to lose 30+ pounds and practice a healthier lifestyle. I can do without the cookies, chips, chocolates and eat more fruits and vegetables. I try to cook a lot of vegetables for dinner, but I hardly eat any fruits. I prefer to drink my fruits (apple/orange juice), but they usually contain a lot of sugar. I WILL accomplish my goal..... someday. *

Wellness #39

1. I found the website, Nutrition Data, to be useful. I liked the feature that allowed me to look up the nutrition facts for some fast food joints, such as McDonald's and Burger King. I also discovered that a healthy weight range for me is between 118-159 pounds, so I am about 25 pounds overweight (big frown), and my daily energy needs is 2,483 calories. I love to drink the Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino coffee and discovered that if I select the "light" version over the "regular" version, I can save 75 calories, 15g carbs, & 16g sugars. I have tasted both of them and can't really tell the difference in taste, so the light version will be my selection from now on.

2. This is my Cold Pasta Salad recipe (along with its nutritional info), which is super easy to make and is delicious. If I substitute a 16oz bag of rotini pasta for a 12oz bag, I can save 14g carbs.

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts
3 Medium Cucumbers (diced)
Feta Cheese (2 cups crumbled)
1 Small Can Black Olives (diced)
25 tbsp Kraft Light Done Right Italian Salad Dressing
1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
Healthy Harvest Pasta, Rotini, 16 oz

Nutrition Facts
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 551.7
Total Fat 22.2 g
Saturated Fat 8.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.5 g
Cholesterol 72.6 mg
Sodium 1,073.0 mg
Potassium 401.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 66.6 g
Dietary Fiber 9.8 g
Sugars 5.9 g
Protein 27.6 g
Vitamin A 11.6 %
Vitamin B-12 17.1 %
Vitamin B-6 27.2 %
Vitamin C 16.2 %
Vitamin D 0.0 %
Vitamin E 1.3 %
Calcium 28.6 %
Copper 6.3 %
Folate 48.9 %
Iron 20.2 %
Magnesium 9.4 %
Manganese 6.1 %
Niacin 56.6 %
Pantothenic Acid 11.7 %
Phosphorus 30.5 %
Riboflavin 49.6 %
Selenium 23.0 %
Thiamin 57.1 %
Zinc 13.4 %

Knitting and Crocheting

1. I do not knit or crochet. My grandma used to knit blankets and sweaters, but her hobby never rubbed off on me. If I were to ever knit or crochet, I would make a warm & cozy blanket. I visited the History of Knitting site and it contained a lot of information on knitting. I learned that the oldest form of knitting is called crossed knitting, where the stitches are rotated a half turn. I also discovered that crocheting differs from knitting, because only one loop is active at one time and only one hook is used, as opposed to two needles in knitting.

2. My branch does not have a knititng group.

Coin Collecting

1. I spread out my pocket change and I found a 1942 penny! The back of the coin read -ONE CENT - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and it contained two feathers on opposite ends. I think it is worth more than 1 cent, probably one dollar. I looked it up on the Historical Image Library, but I could not find it.

2. I searched for a coin dealer in Houston and I found a company called US Coins Inc. They had a lot of coins in their inventory. I browsed their featured coins and was shocked at how much they were selling for! A 1795 Small Eagle Capped Bust $5 coin was selling for $65,000 & an 1893 Morgan Dollar had a price tag of $16,125!! Wow, it is unbelievable how much antique coins cost.

3. I've never been intrigued by coin collecting, so I don't see myself picking up this hobby. But, I will save that 1942 penny, just in case it is worth major bucks in the future!

Zines

1. I didn't know what a zine was until I read the module. I thought this word was pronounced as "sign", but my co-worker Dave said it was "zeen", so I learned something new today. A zine is a homemade magazine or book that includes text or graphic. If I were to make a zine, it would contain my mom's homemade recipes and pictures of the food that she cooks. I've always wanted to make that "book" and pass it on to my sisters, nieces, and daughter. It would be a family cookbook that would be passed on for generations.

2. I think zines inside the library are a good thing. It would reflect other people's opinions, interests, passions, etc. about a particular topic. I don't think cataloging them would be a good idea, but maybe have them out on a table, next to the bookshelf where that topic resides.

Digital Scrapbooking

I visited Scrapblog and created a pink postcard that contained my picture in the middle, a pink gemstone on the right-hand side, the words "oh la la", and a Kiss Me stamp. I tried to copy and paste it to my blog, but it wouldn't let me. So, I couldn't post my layout, but I had a fun time creating it. I think digital scrapbooking is a fun way to organize your pictures and it is less time consuming than doing the manual scrapbooking. Scrapblog lets you post your image to a social website (Facebook, My Space, Flickr, etc.), but I don't know why it wouldn't let me save it to my computer or let me copy & paste it to my blog?

Decoupage

I've never heard of decoupage, but it seems very artsy and time consuming. I don't think I will try my hand at decoupage, because it reminds me of scrapbooking (which I dislike to do). But, I really enjoyed looking at the decoupage art that other people have created and uploaded to the site Flickr. I saw a number of things that were decoupaged: sandals, earrings, boxes, vases, eggs (duck & hen), and some very cute white children's shoes that were decoupaged with a vintage children's picture book (they had a picture of a papa mouse pushing a baby mouse on a stroller out in the field). I also saw the poster chairs that were decoupaged on the Google site and they were a fine piece of art.

Craftspiration

I visited the site Repurposeful, and it contained many ideas on finding new uses for everyday things. I found an interesting and informative post, which stated that cocoa powder and human hair, when sprinkled in your garden, can both get rid of unwanted deer that eat your flowers. I will try the cocoa powder next time I visit our ranch house, where there is an abundance of deer. I don't plan to carry around my freshly cut hair in my purse, so that's out of the question.

I checked out Craftster.org and I saw a video on how to make earrings (I prefer to watch a video than read how-to instructions). I learned a new technique on wire wrapping. Over the summer, I picked up a jewelry making hobby, but I only know how to make basic things. I made a few earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. My goal is to be able to learn advanced jewelry skills and try to make a replica of my wedding earrings (they are dazzling... made with Swarvoski crystals)!

Recession Busters - #60

1. I enjoyed watching Clara's "Poor Man's Meal" video. Clara Cannucciari is a 93-year old grandmother who prepares affordable Depression meals in her state of New York. Her family used to depend on cheap staple food items to live through the Depression era. This is the recipe for her Poor Man's Meal: 1. Peel and cube a couple of potatoes, 2. Fry the potatoes in a pan with a little bit of oil and 1 onion chopped, 3 . Cut up some hot dog weiners, 4. Stick the weiners into the pan with the potatoes, add a little bit of tomato sauce and about half a cup of water, 5. Cook everything together until the potatoes are soft. Clara's grandson and his friends love eating this meal.

2. Consumer Report mentioned a a few recession busters on their site: 1. Run your dishwasher, washer, & dryer in the early morning or late evening, because they give off excessive amounts of heat, and this can cause your air conditioner to work harder to cool your house, 2. Use your ceiling fans more often, since they use up less energy, 3. Plant trees outside your house, since they can block the summer sun from entering through your windows.

3. I have recently been adjusting my air conditioner to 77 degrees whenever I leave my house in the morning, instead of turning it off and then turning it back on when I get home from work. Raising the thermostat to a higher degree when I leave my house causes the air conditioner to use less energy to cool the house back down to 73.

Money & Finance #59

1. I haven't checked my credit score in a few years, but I plan to do that soon by visiting annualcreditreport.com. I read the article on credit reports and learned that the best way to keep a good credit score is to pay your bills on time. I also learned that the main type of credit score is called FICO, because it originated with the Fair Isaac & Company.

2. The only time I have ever made a spending budget was when I bought my truck six years ago. I had to calculate the monthly payment that I could actually afford. My truck is now paid off, so that's a huge relief, but it's starting to break down on me. So, I may be shopping for a new truck very soon.

3. The most useful information that I read on the TCDRS website about my retirement benefits was that I get a 7% guaranteed rate of interest, and the ups & downs of the market do not affect my account.

Money & Finance - #58

1. My Chase bank does offer free online banking. I use it every month to pay off my bills. It is very convenient, because I don't have to deal with writing checks or mailing the bills through the mail. I have all of the information set up for each bill (name, address, phone #), and once I am ready to pay them, I simply click on the box next to the bill's name and I enter the exact dollar figure that I want to send them. Chase displays a message on how long the money will take to reach them (usually 1, 2, or 3 days). Chase is a very secure site, so I trust it.

2. I visited the budgeting tools that were displayed and they are very similar. They keep your finances in order by being your balance sheet, you can see what purchases or deposits you have made to your account. I signed up for Mint.com, but once I got past registering my e-mail address and password, the site wanted me to tell them my bank account information, so they could upload it into their site. I didn't feel comfortable doing this, so I didn't. I browsed around the site and I like the feature that allows you to see the current promotions of many credit card companies.

3. I enjoyed reading the article on ways to cut back on spending, it was very informative. Under the Groceries section, the article mentioned that it is best to purchase store brands and to stock up on sale items that you would normally use. But it is essential to pay attention to the expiration dates, you don't want to go home with the product and then notice that it expires that same day or in that week. Also, it would be smart not to purchase nonfood items at the supermarket, such as batteries or cleaning products, since they tend to be more expensive. Buying bottled water is a no-no, since your home tap water is much more less expensive. The Utilities section recommended setting the thermostat in your home to no lower than 72 degrees during the summer when you are home, and then switch it over to 80-85 when no one is home. Washing clothes in cold water and removing clothes from the dryer when they are damp and also energy savers. Using a microwave, instead of a stove, saves a ton of energy. A microwave consumes 20% of the energy required by an oven. In the Personal Finance section, it stated that it would not be a good idea to pay an annual fee for a credit card, since many do not charge any fees. Also, ask the credit card issuer to lower your interest rate if it is too high. If they give you a hard time, threaten to balance transfer your debt over to another credit card company.

Pot Luck #57 - Texting

I am very familiar with sending text messages on my cell phone, I have been doing so for many years. I send about 2-3 text messages a day. If I am very busy and do not have time to chat on the phone with somebody, but I need to ask them a quick question, I just send them a text message. I am usually busy after work once I get home, because I have my routine where I cook dinner, eat, shower, then watch a dating game show and soap opera in the evening. I don't like being interrupted while doing any of those daily activities, so texting is a life saver. I visited the Lingo 2 Word website and it was very cool. I typed in "where are you" and it was translated to the text lingo "u@"; "how are you" was converted to "HRU"; "call me" was "911", which I do not agree with, because I don't want people thinking that I have an emergency, if I don't actually have one. I read the New York Times article on texting and driving and it discussed how dangerous this combination can be. There has been an increase in accidents over time, because people are distracted by texting and driving at the same time, sometimes it is even deadly. It also stated that a group representing emergency room doctors send out a warning in July against this dangerous combination, citing an increase in injuries and deaths in emergency rooms across the country.

Potluck #56 - Twitter

1. I visited two Twitter celebrity profiles, Ashton Kutcher & Britney Spears. They both posted short comments on what they are up to right now. Ashton had a lot of religious posts and said that he had finished reading "The Shack", and it "forces you to find the God like features in everyone and everything." I never pictured him as a spiritual guy, since he is always cracking jokes and trying to be mischevious. Britney's posts talked about her kids and her upcoming Circus concert. She also had posted pictures of her kids and concert appearances. She said that she had gone bowling a couple of days ago, so she seemed down to earth. I would probably search Twitter every now and then to get updates on the celebrities who have Twitter profiles.

2. I used the search feature and looked up "Austrian man." About 50 hits pulled up, and they were either links to articles or people's Twitter profiles, commenting on the Austrian man's case. He was sentenced to life in prison for his horrendous crimes: locking up his daughter for 24 years in a small room underneath his house, raping her at least 3,000 times, fathering her seven chidlren, and causing the death of his twin baby by not seeking medical help for him. All of the Twitter posts stated the same thing, he deserves life in prison and more!

Pot Luck #55 - Getting the Most out of Facebook

I had already signed up for a Facebook account about three months ago. I joined because a friend of mine had e-mailed me asking me to join Facebook and add them as a friend to my account. Facebook also suggested friends that I may know (by high school connection or other friends friends) and would want to add, so I added more friends this way. I don't visit Facebook on a daily basis, more like a monthly basis, so I had a few things waiting for me. I had two quizzes to take and I had a best friend request. The application that I added was the "add a fairy" selection. I named the fairy Bianca and I created a fairy garden named Serene. The garden will eventually contain colorful exotic flowers, tropical palm trees with coconuts, and a large waterfall that cascades into a pool with red rose petals floating around. The fairy garden gives you gold coins and bonus diamonds, depending on the different games that you play and by joining the garden. I played the magical mushrooms game and the object of the game was to match up two mushrooms that contained the same amount of gold coins underneath it. Towards the end, I had collected 60 gold coins and it was time to go shopping! I bought a flower pot for 5 gold coins, a new seed (cumulus albiflorus) worth 3 gold coins, and a sprinkling of water for 1 gold coin. If I don't log onto Facebook within 48 hours, my plant will never grow and it will die.

Books, Readers, and Beyond - #54 Social Networking Through Books

1. I have never been a member of a book club. Octavia Fields’ Read It and Eat It Book Club sounds fascinating though. I like the fact the members get to sample the recipes that are displayed in the books. If I were to join a book club, I would probably do it in person as opposed to online. I think it would be more entertaining in person, especially if I get to sample food!

2. I visited the Reading Group Guides website and they had some suggestions for implementing a book club in a library. They mention that an ideal group size would be between 8-12 people. Less than 8 people might lead to fewer discussions and more than 12 people may cause some members not to be heard. Members need to be dedicated and commit to attend the book club meetings. Notices on bulletin boards or word of mouth can trigger new members to sign up for the book club. A good title to discuss at a book club is The Break-Up Diet: A Memoir by Annette Fix. I found this book on the Reading Group Guides website, and they also provide discussion questions for the book, a big plus!

3. I searched The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks on the website Shelfari and it contained 618 reviews. They were mostly all positive and the majority of the reviewers gave the book very high remarks. But, many comments stated that the movie was better than the book. I also visited the Good Reads website and discovered that A LOT of people have read this book. The book received the following star ratings : 5*(by 11,089 readers), 4* (by 8,456 readers), 3* (by 5,169 readers), 2* (by 2,032 readers), and 1*(by 1,209 readers). So overall, The Notebook is a highly loved book!

Books, Readers, and Beyond- #53 Finding Books Online

1. These are the three booksellers that are the closest to my job, which I found by doing a Google search: Major Books Incorporated (7205 Fannin), Inner Harmony Books (2616 S Loop W #602), & Brazos Bookstore (2421 Bissonnet). The only bookstore that had a website was the Brazos Bookstore. They do have an online presence, because their website is very organized. It looks similar to a public library’s website, since they include a search feature that allows customers to search for a specific book in their collection. They also have updates on author appearances and upcoming events.

2. I found The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks for sale at the Brazos Bookstore. The HBK sells for $20.00, the Mass Market PBK for $7.99, the Trade PBK for $13.99, and they do have an audio version (CD) for $14.98.

3. I downloaded an e-book from the planetpdf.com website. The book was called Vanity Fair and it contained 1,396 pages. This was my first time downloading and reading an e-book, and it was quite a challenge. First, I tried downloading an e-book from the HCPL website, but I couldn’t do it from my computer (our computers are not set up to do this), so I ventured over to the planetpdf.com website. Reading an e-book from the computer is very different from holding an actual print copy. It doesn’t have that curl in your couch with a warm blanket and good book feel. It feels more like reading a very long document and I know my eyes will get tired faster from staring at the computer screen for so long. I do like the fact that you can download an e-book from a computer whenever you want though, especially if you are bored and don’t have a print book at hand.

Books, Readers, and Beyond- #52 What to Read

1. One of my favorite books is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I searched Novelist Plus to find a read-alike and it displayed 5 different authors with the recommended books that they wrote : Emily Grayson (The Gazebo), James Michael Pratt (The Last Valentine, The Lighthouse Keeper, Ticket Home), Richard Paul Evans (Christmas Box trilogy, The Last Promise), Lynne Hinton (Friendship Cake), K. C .McKinnon (Candles on Bay Street). I also performed the same search at the “What Should I Read Next” website and it pulled up 10 different authors. The only record that was identical to the Novelist Plus search was The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans. The rest of the records contained different titles & authors. I also searched “Morton Grove Public Library’s Webrary” and the read-alike search displayed 12 hits. This website had 3 identical records to the Novelist Plus search, so it is very similar to it. I might just read those three books (The Christmas Box, The Gazebo, & The Last Valentine) and be the judge of the similarities.

2. I searched the DAWCL (Database of Award-Winning Children’s Literature) website and found two books for the fourth grade girl who is interested in animals (Bad Kitty Gets a Bath / by: Nick Brue & Charlotte’s Web / by: E. B. White). I also found two books for her thirteen year old brother who is interested in ghost stories (The Haunting / by: Margaret Mahy & Dead Connection / by: Charlie Price).

3. Novelist Plus recommends authors Greg Bear (Darwin’s Radio & Vitals) and Dan Simmons (Summer of Night). The “What Should I Read Next” website recommends Privileged Information by Stephen White. These are the Dean-Koontz read-alikes.

4. The series title is “Song of the Lioness”. These are the books in order: 1. Alanna: The First Adventure, 2. In the Hand of the Goddess, 3. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, 4. Lioness Rampant. I obtained this information from Mid-Continent Public Library’s website.

Holidays and Cooking & Recipes - #51

I really enjoyed this exercise, since I love to cook, and I am always looking up new recipes. I found a wonderful recipe for cinnamon rolls on the bakespace.com website. The original recipe is for 12 servings and I converted it to 24 servings using the Recipe Ingredient Conversion Calculator's website. Here are my findings:

CINNAMON ROLLS

· 1 cup milk
· 1/4 cup butter
· 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
· 1/4 cup granulated sugar
· 1 egg, room temperature, slightly beaten
· 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups flour (I use bread flour, but you can use all purpose)
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 cup brown sugar, packed
· 1 tablespoon cinnamon
· 1/2 cup butter, softened
· 1/2 cup pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the milk, 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Let cool until temperature is about 110 degrees F (like bathwater warm).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine milk mixture with yeast, egg, and 2 cups of the flour and the salt; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. (Alternately, just use the dough hook on your mixer and let the mixer knead the dough for about five minutes)
3. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean damp towel. Allow dough to rise until double, about 1 hour. In the mean time, in a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
4. Roll out the dough into a 12X9 inch rectangle (I like to do this on my Silpat). Spread the dough with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with pecans if desired. Roll up the dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal sized pieces and place into a greased 9X13 inch pan. Cover and let rise until doubled.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and frost while warm.

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24 servings conversion:

2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
7 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup butter
1 cup pecans
2 eggs

Global Nation - Potluck #50

I visited Igougo and planned my dream vacation to Venice, Italy. I chose to stay at the Hotel Abbazia, because it had a 5* member rating and it is 1 minute away from the Grand Canal, where I will be taking a breathtaking gondola ride across the many canals Venice has to offer. The gondola driver will enlighten me with the history of the city and pinpoint important buildings. I know I will be very comfortable, since many reviewers stated that the gondolas had very plush seats. After my gondola ride, I will visit Piazza San Marco in St. Mark's Square, to go on a heavy shopping spree and enjoy a nice cup of cappuccino at one of the many cafes. All of this walking around and shopping will get me very hungry, so I will stop by the Pizzeria Marciana, located behind St. Mark's Square, to indulge on a slice of pizza and some spaghetti. I want to taste the difference between Americanized Italian food and the real Italian food, I'm sure I will be very surprised by the difference in taste! In the late afternoon, I will walk away the pounds at the Gallerie dell Accademia, which is an art gallery best known for its pre-1800's art in Venice. Then, I will grab dinner at Iguana (a Mexican restaurant), just to see what the Italian's interpretation of Mexican food is. Possibly similar to Tex-Mex food? I shall see on my visit. I can just imagine meatball tacos being served on the menu!

Love of Languages - Potluck #49

I browsed through the language sites and I registered for Livemocha. The site asked me what language I currently know and what language I am trying to learn. I chose Italian, because I love the Italian culture and I want to be able to speak the language. I enrolled in the Italian 101 course and it basically displayed a few words and pictures of those words. I was then quizzed on matching the words to the pictures and learning how to write those words correctly. The site also allows you to ask another member (who speaks the language that you are trying to learn) a question. I did not like the site, Mangolanguages, because there were too many slides and the training was at a very slow speed. I am a very impatient person and I like to go through things very quickly and not at a slow speed. Too many slides saying the same word over and over again. For work purposes, I can always brush up on my Spanish when translating documents, and visit Livemocha.