Earn free books

The Barnes and Noble summer reading program is available to school-aged children in grades 1-6. Just download and print a reading journal, read 8 books, and take the completed and signed reading journal into your local Barnes and Noble book store between May 21, 2013 and September 3, 2013 and they will let your child choose a book from the free book list. 
you might be asking what kinds of books could we get? 
Well, there's a wide variety of free books available for kids from the Barnes and Noble summer reading program, here are some- 
  

Grades 1-2:

Calendar Mysteries Series #1: January Joker by Ron Roy 

DK Readers: Lego Legends of Chima: Tribes of Chima by DK Publishing 

Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth by Jane O' Connor 

Jorge el curioso: El baile by H.A. Rey 

My Little Pony: Meet the Ponies of Ponyville by Olivia London 

National Geographic Readers Series: Dolphins by Melissa Stewart 

Pete the Cat: Play Ball by James Dean

Grades 3-4: 

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pikey

Ellray Jakes Walks the Plank by Sally Warner

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

Traitor in the Shipyard: A Caroline Mystery by Kathleen Ernst

Grades 5-6:

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Books of Beginning Series #1: The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Esperanza renace by Pam Munoz Ryan

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Remarkable by Elizabeth Foley

The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler

Tuesdays at the Castel by Jessica Day George

Wings of Fire Book One: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

    

The Barnes and Noble summer reading program also has parent and educator activity kits. These kits include fun activities about reading that can be completed with a child.

Faire Time 2012

Celtic Faire

Phil fighting a knight

Noah fighting a knight

rubbings

jousting

Creamed Nettles {Gream Soup}

Every spring I like to try something new from the yard, this year I tried the stinging nettles, I've been wanting to for long while. Nettles are very high in minerals, especially, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, silica, and iodine. They also provide chlorophyll and they're a good source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and B complex vitamins. Nettles also have high levels of easily absorbable amino acids. They're ten percent protein, more than any other vegetable. It is also very easy to recognise, seeing as how it STINGS you.

 

Ingredients:

• 1/4+ cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1+ cup milk (as needed)
• soup pot full of nettle leaves
• onions, mushrooms, zucchini, can of corn, leaks, cooked potatoes (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash nutmeg, lemon pepper, cayenne (optional)

Preparation:

Nettles: pick lots of leaves, spring of fall is best. wear gloves, wash & chop. Fill the pot with leaves wet from washing, cover, low heat for 10-20 min 'till leaves are wilted. next I put them in the blender with more water (1 cup) if needed, if I have zucchini or mushrooms I steam them with the nettles and put them in the blender, too, but I put the onion into the blender raw.

while steaming the nettles I melt the butter over low heat. then blend in flour until smooth. Cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add blended nettles and veggies. Corn can be added now. Cover and cook stirring occasionally, until hot. Season with salt, pepper, and others of choice. let cool, serve.

My husband said it was good but tasted/smelled like fish, not sure where that came from?

The kids helped me pick the nettles so there were stems and even some roots nothing I had read said to just use the leaves so I lest them in, BIG MISTAKE the stems didn't blend well so when I was eating I had to keep pulling out fibers and woody stems, and when carefully washing I must have missed a root or two because there was dirt in it... yum :/

But I thought the flavor was very good {I had 3 bowls} and would like to make it again.

Faire Fun

 Well, I didn't get to go to the Celtic Faire :(
my three little ones had coughs too bad for a rainy out-door faire... BUT, to my great joy, my sister-in-law wanted to go and was willing to come here, get my two oldest sweethearts, then drive all the way up to Sonora! :D

they saw big dogs, heard celtic rock bands,...

... and played with wooden swords... 

they even got to watch jousting (video to be posted later)

Preparedness Fair

This coming Saturday, March 13th we will be attending a Preparedness Fair being held at the Lodi Stake Center on 1510 W. Century Blvd.

My friends in the stake have worked hard getting ready for it. The one they had last year went really well. This year they will have lots of booths and demonstrations done with the help of local public agencies and many experienced volunteers. Topics will include:
* Emergency food and waters kits for the home, car and workplace
* Alternate sources of cooking
* Home protection, home safety, security, crime prevention information
* Different facets of emergency communications
* Documents and important records preservation, child identification kits
* Basic first aid information kits for home and car
* Emergency needs for the elderly
* Gardening in small containers
* Cooking with food storage in an emergency

Celtic Faire

I love history, reenactment, and costume, That's why every March we go to the Celtic Faire in Sonora.

They have a school day on Friday March 12th that is less expensive. Just one more week to go!
I LOVE me some Wicked Tinkers! I feel so like a tribal warrior, when the drums really get going I start jumping around like a leprechaun. :P

so grab you wooden sword and join us!

Blueberries!

Today, I'm all about blueberries!
I've allways wanted to grow blueberries, but I didn't think I could in my area... then the other day I saw that there was a blueberry farm in my town (http://www.blueskyblueberries.com/) and I thought that's what I want! so now I am all excited about blueberries.
so this is what I've learned:
The type of blueberries we would grow in my area is "highbush"

I think we are in zone 8. You should plant two plants per person in your family.
I want plants that will ripen early, mid, and late, that are hardy and can withstand the heat.
The species that I think are best suited for us are:

O’Neal: Very Early, Ripens in early May. Blooms and ripens over an extended period. Best flavor of the southern highbush. The bush is vigorous and upright to 6 feet.  Suggested chilling requirement of 200-400 hours. Zones 7-9

Misty: Early, A perfect compliment to “Sunshine Blue”, evergreen, about 5' tall, thrives along the west coast to the Canadian border. It yields best when planted with another variety. Tolerance for higher pH soils. best for Zones 7-9 Chilling needs are very low (150-300 hours) Zones 5-10.




Georgia Gem: Mid-season, An upright bush to 5-6 feet. Quite cold hardy, yet tolerant of high temperatures. It is performing exceptionally well in California. Requires a minimum of 200-300 chilling hours. Zones 7-9

Reveille: Late Mid-season, easy to grow, to 5-6 feet tall, a great hedge plant. Hardy to 0 deg. F, it thrives in hot climates or in the cool Pacific Northwest. Needs at least 500 chilling hours for best production. Zones 7-9

Sunshine Blue:  semi-dwarf evergreen, Produces up to ten pounds of berries. Ripeing over a very long season, from early August through early September, up to 9 weeks. Hardiness to 0 degrees F, a very low chilling requirement of only 150 chilling hours and a tolerance for higher pH soils. 3-4 feet tall. self-pollinating Zones 5-10.

Southmoon: early-bearing, fine-tasting blueberry and the only one in a local collection of 20 varieties that didn’t show leaf burn in the hot California Summer.

Rally for Life

On Wednesday, January 27th, I met with strangers, friends, and family on the West Steps of the State Capitol in Sacramento to speak for those who have no voice. Every January we go to the Rally for Life, in remembrance of Roe vs. Wade, and walk silently around the capital grounds. Thankfully the weather was very nice this year.

This rally marked the end of nearly a week of activities, the high light being Walk For Life in San Francisco. To view some amazing photos of that event go to Walk For Life It is amazing that we had such a huge turn-out in such a morally liberal city.

I have been going to these rallies sense I was in my teens now I take my own children. I want them to know what it is to peaceable assemble for a cause you believe in. To aline yourself with something you know to be right and true- even if the current morality seems to oppose you. I enjoy the comrodary with so many from different faiths and backgrounds.

The real reason I go is to send a message to God and government as to where I stand when it comes to life. The creation of life is a most powerful thing never to be taken lightly only to be surpassed in seriousness by the taking of life; abortion encompasses a careless infraction of each. It leads to unhappiness and disappointment.

Wickedness never was happiness.

written for Dot Net

open carry in Cailfornia?!?

well, it can be done...
we all know it is legal...
here I am at the Bass Pro Shop, in Manteca CA, with the kids doing "summer camp" activities there...

I got lots of strange looks, but the only one who said anything was a high school boy who wanted to know if I was in law enforcement, I chuckled and said no, "Is it to intimidate bad guys?" I smiled "No, I'm making a political statement." "Oh"

My husband said only I could get away with it... he might be right.

the gun I was carrying is a Power Line 15XT Semi-automatic Repeater, it is a .177 caliber, with blade and ramp front / fixed open rear sights, a smooth bore steel barrel, a 15 shot magazine, and a maximum shooting distance of 220 meters.   :P


(when making a stand I find that it is best not to just stand there and wait... or drive your own car... or carry your cell phone with you... oh, and don't forget to keep your ID/credit cards in your faraday wallet)