happy holidays from the duluth branch
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Holiday greeting from your friends at the Duluth Branch Library.TRANSCRIPT
Contents & More
State of the Branch
Hello to all and Happy Holidays from the staff at the Duluth Branch. 2011 has been a good year here. We added Doggie Tales, designed a paper dress, saw the birth of two babies and have another on the way. After years of wishin’ and hopin’, we got a new carpet—Wahoo! - and we’ve kept our customers read-ing and happy and coming back for more. Reviewing my calendar (I still use a paper one) reveals the following from the past year: Paper dress meetings, Let’s Talk sessions, an Assistant Branch Manager leaving (bye Elisa-beth) and another joining the team (hello Melissa). There were Cub Scout tours, a Cat in the Hat visit, Gayle’s retirement (having fun?) Read Across America Day, school visits, Doggie Tales, SRP crafting, a Pirate Super Saturday. Webinars, Barefoot in the Park, Steet Magic, evaluations, Henna, puppet shows, box punk, story times, board meetings, end of the fiscal year. After that came Craft-a-Rama, button art, Web Reporter training for all, school supplies for DFCS, Asian-Pacific-American month, Korean radio, for Dummies books, curriculum nights, RECARPETING. Laura went to BUF and Liz came from SUW. Overdrive, eBooks, Nooks, iPads, photography and drawing for teens. Art exhibits, Little Tikes tours, Turkey Talk, and December. I know your year has been eventful too. Please enjoy our holiday news magazine, courtesy of the staff at Duluth and put into its format by Michelle Sienkiewicz. 2011 will be remembered for eBooks. Here’s ours.
—— Lorena Gay-Griffin, Branch Manager
bride came down a hillside to
Miranda Lambert’s song
“Makin’ Plans” and met her
husband at the wedding alter
surrounded by redwood
trees and ferns. Josh’s
younger brother ,Noah, per-
formed the ceremony and the
vows were written by the
bride and bridegroom . After
the ceremony, guests were
invited for refreshments in an
charming old barn. Later that
evening a wedding dinner was
held at the Palo Alto restau-
rant where Julie and Josh had
their first date. Josh’s fraternity
brothers and Julie’s friends
took turns toasting the new
couple.
The following evening, Satur-
day, October 29th, a bigger
dance party reception was
held for more guests at the
Hillside Terrace. Another din-
ner, toasts, dancing, cake,
games and fun was had by all.
After wards, the newlyweds
headed off to a three week
honeymoon in Australia and
New Zealand.
Congratulations and good
wishes to both of them!
Beckmann-Veltman Wedding in Sunny California
“The Night Circus” by Erin
Morganstern is a magical
treat. Written with lyrical and
lush descriptions, the story is a
fairy tale involving two duel-
ing magicians , Marco and
Celia, in a game they are
forced to play to the death.
But what happens when they
fall in love? This novel is
full of interesting charac-
ters and highly imaginative
ideas all centered in a cir-
cus which appears and
disappears mysteriously
and is only open at night.
Perfect for readers who
enjoy magic realism.
Are you looking for a unique and inexpensive gift idea? You might con-
sider making a glitter painting. This craft involves finding an image,
making a photocopy of it, gluing it to a hard surface and covering it with
sparkling glitter. It’s relatively simple, and the results can be fantastic
or rather kitschy, depending on the effect you desire! For easy-to-
follow instructions and inspiration check out the video at …
www.marthastewart.com/266792/glitter-painting
Duluth Library Associate
Sue Beckmann’s daugh-
ter Julie was married in
sunny California re-
cently to Josh Veltman at
3pm on Friday, Oct. 28th.
The ceremony was held
at Nesltledown in the
Santa Cruz hills. The
Ch
ec
k i
t o
ut!
X
Above content is strictly
the opinion of the author
and does not necessarily
reflect the views of this
publication
Down with Leaf Blowers!!!!
Aren’t you sick and tired of hear-
ing that deafening noise and
breathing that choking air? It’s
about time for us to ban gas-
powered leaf blowers! Other
cool cities like Palo Alto, Cali-
fornia and Denver, Colorado
have passed laws restricting
the use of these annoying
“helpers”. Wouldn’t it be MORE
helpful to use a rake or mulch-
ing mower for those “nasty”
leaves?
Consider the benefits...a buff,
healthy body...a world where
you can hear the twitter of
birds...and a bigger wallet, no
angry neighbors, healthier
plants...
“The Night Circus” Book Review by Sue Beckmann
Cake Ingredients
1 cup butter (2 sticks) 2 cups granulated sugar 2 cups sweet potato (boiled, cooled and
mashed) 1 tsp. vanilla 4 eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. salt
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
This cake bakes up moist and delicious!
It’s also budget-friendly and perfect for the holidays.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. 2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, cream sugar and butter well. 4. Add sweet potato and vanilla; beat until well combined.
(Mixture will look curdled) 5. Alternate adding each egg and some of the dry ingredients
beating well between each addition. 6. Pour mixture into greased pan. 7. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.
For the Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 3-5 tsp. orange juice Sift 1 cup powdered sugar, add 3 teaspoons orange juice and whisk. Add more OJ, one teaspoon at a time, for a thinner glaze.
From the kitchen of Natasha Washington
Tie Dye 4 Bakery www.TieDye4.net
3107-C Main Street
(678) 235-5322
HOURS:
M-W 6:30am-8pm
R-F 6:30am-11pm
Sat 8am-11pm
Sun 8am-5pm
PURE TAQUERIA www.PureTaqueria.com
Mexican Restaurant 3108 Main St.
Open 11am– 11pm daily
(770) 609-2630
www.bestofbrews.com (770) 910-9101
Open Mon 12-6 Tue-Thu 12-7
Fri-Sat 12-9 Closed Sunday
Contributed by Keli Morgan
Tie Dye 4 Bakery
www.TieDye4.net
3107-C Main Street
(678) 235-5322
HOURS:
PURE TAQUERIA
www.PureTaqueria.com
Mexican Restaurant
3108 Main St.
www.bestofbrews.com
(770) 910-9101
Contrib-Tie Dye 4 Bakery
www.TieDye4.net
3107-C Main Street
(678) 235-5322
HOURS:
M-W 6:30am-8pm
PURE TAQUERIA
www.PureTaqueria.com
Mexican Restaurant 3108
Main St.
www.bestofbrews.com (770) 910-
9101
Open Mon 12-6 Tue-Thu 12-7
Contributed by
Tie Dye 4 Bakery
www.TieDye4.net
3107-C Main Street
(678) 235-5322
HOURS:
M-W 6:30am-8pm
R-F 6:30am-11pm
PURE TAQUERIA
www.PureTaqueria.com
Mexican Restaurant 3108 Main St.
Open 11am– 11pm daily
www.bestofbrews.com
(770) 910-9101
Contributed by Keli Mor-
Tie Dye 4 Bakery
www.TieDye4.net
3107-C Main Street
(678) 235-5322
HOURS:
M-W 6:30am-8pm
R-F 6:30am-11pm
Contributed by Keli Mor-
Dear Dee,
My Mother in Law is notorious for
very bad gift giving. She loves to
give holiday themed gifts that
never match my décor. Is it tacky
of me to return these items and get
something else instead?
- Dazed Daughter-in-Law
Dear DiL,
Your question highly depends on the
relationship you have with your MiL.
If you have a healthy relationship
with her then, by all means, return
the items. If you have a normal rela-
tionship with her (meaning you don’t
really see eye to eye on most things)
then you may consider keeping the
gift in storage and pulling it out when
she comes over to appease the situa-
tion. In the end, it’s the thought that
counts and keeping the relationship is
much more important than a few dis-
appointing gifts. Look on the bright
side, at least she likes you enough to
actually get you a gift.
Dear Dee,
My children are ages 5 and 7. At
what point should I tell them about
Santa Claus?
- Puzzled Parent
Dear Puzzled Parent,
What’s there to tell? Santa is real!
But in the event that Santa actually
gets run over by reindeer and gift
giving must fall on the shoulders of
parents who would like to keep the
mishap under wraps, I suggest letting
your child figure it out themselves.
Children are naturally curious and
usually by age 8, 9, or 10 they have
put two and two together. When they
do figure it out, you can have a con-
versation with them about keeping
the secret (especially from younger
siblings and schoolmates who have
not been told) and possibly about the
history of St. Nick. Most kids are so
excited to grow up that they will
gladly keep the adult secret.
Dear Dee . . .
A special thank you to the staff of Duluth who contributed their questions.
Dear Dee,
My parents have decided to
only buy gifts this year for the
children under 18. This means
that my 19 year old will not get
a present but her 17 year old
cousin will. Am I off base in
feeling a little hurt by this?
- Sad Sally
Dear Sally,
This season has been tough on
many families due to economic
hardship, but your parents, who
no doubt love you and your child,
have not quite thought this
through. It is always important to
address these feelings with your
parents first. With luck, maybe
your parents will realize that ex-
cluding your child and hurting
feelings was not their intention
and you can agree - together - on
an alternate solution. If they
won’t budge on this new rule,
remember that the Holidays is
about love and understanding.
Dear Dee,
Every year there is always so
much food! How can I stay in
shape throughout the season?
- Fitness Female
Dear Fitness,
The best way to keep in check is
to stick to your routine. Got a
party to go to? Eat before you go
so you won’t be hungry and
tempted to splurge on the sweets.
Sitting down for a big family
meal? Pack away some leftovers
so you won’t feel the need to eat
so much then and there. Also,
make sure you squeeze in some
time to sneak away from the fam-
ily and do some cardio. If after
all is said and done and you have
gained a little weight, don’t let it
get you down. You know all the
right things to do in order to get
those couple pounds off.
Dear Dee,
I am recently married and this
will be our first Christmas as a
married couple. Problem is, he
grew up with a real tree and I
grew up with a fake tree. How
can I convince him that a fake
tree is the way to go?
- Wondering Wife
Dear Wondering Wife,
Is a fake tree really better or are
you more willing to let your hus-
band compromise instead of you?
The truth is, both fake and real
trees have pros and cons of their
own— real trees “smell” like
Christmas but need to be watered
and, while fake trees cut down
your risk of a fire hazard, they
look fake. I suggest having a dis-
cussion to uncover what the tree
means to both of you. Why does
the type of tree matter so much?
You may find that creating your
own traditions as a married couple
is much more satisfying than doing
something because you’ve always
done it that way.
Is it a bird or a bat or a red and green doll? Or perhaps a little elf here to save us all! Watch out for eLiz falling from shelves high above To serve library customers with compassion and love. In a blink of an eye; with the tip of a hat eLiz will inform you where your books are at. Her extremely friendly service will keep your fines in check, So sign up for eLiz’s Library Elf so you don’t become a wreck.
This book inspired me to try new things with drawing in my art. I photocopied the best pages and follow the exercises to stretch myself as an artist. —- Sue Beckmann
"Fated" is full of cynicism, sar-casm and truth, painting a modern portrait of self-absorbed mankind placating his mediocrity with material-ism and rampant sexuality while providing a great deal of food for thought. — Michelle Sienkiewicz
A well-researched fictional ac-count of one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan.” It tells the remark-able story of Achak, from his childhood in a tribal village to his struggle for survival in At-lanta. Engaging and inspiring —- Lorena Gay-Griffin
Christopher Moore populates his world with about 20 char-acters. It is nice to see famil-iar characters from his other stories take on new roles and fall into new situations. Sar-castic and very funny. —-Elisha Strong
I liked this book for several reasons, but mostly because it gives an in depth look at the struggles Margaret Mitchell faced with publish-ing Gone With the Wind, which is one of my favorite books. —-Melissa Welborn
It’s a great suspense book, full of twists and turns. It kept me on the “edge” of my seat. —- Liz Mangan
Moon rocks from the Apollo landing are priceless, and Thad Roberts, a NASA in-tern, sets out to steal them in order to fulfill a promise to his girlfriend that he will give her the moon. —- DeAnna Espinoza
Press the yellow dot on the cover to begin the journey. Each page has instructions for manipulating the dots. They multiply, change color, and grow. Very creative. I can’t wait to share it with my grandchildren! —-Keli Morgan
Born in Georgia, John Henry Holliday goes west for health reasons. The frontier suits Doc, where he meets Wyatt Earp, and both men are for-ever etched in the history of the American west. —-Suzanne Bennett
Twenty years into her career, Garielle Hamilton recalls her life before opening her own restaurant in New York and becoming the chef she had no idea she would become. —- Suzanne Bennett
ACROSS: 2-SALLY 4-LUCY 7-WOODSTOCK 9-ANDY 10-VIOLET 12-SNOOPY 13-FIVE 14-THREE 15-PEPPERMINTPATTY
16-BELLE 17-MARBLES 23-CHARLIEBROWN 24-TAPIOCAPUDDING 25-RERUN 26-FRIEDA 27-FOUR 28-FRANKLIN 30-PIGPEN
DOWN: 1-PATTY 3-LYDIA 5-CHARLOTTEBRAUN 6-JOSEPETTERSON 8-SPIKE 11-SHERMY 18-EUDORA 19-MARCIE
20-SCHROEDER 21-OLAF 22-PEGGYJEAN 27-FARON 29-LINUS
PEANUTS for Christmas
I have always been a fan of the PEANUTS characters, movies, and
television shows. Watching a “Charlie Brown „s Christmas” as a child is one of my
fondest memories of the holidays. I combined my love of
games with my fascination of the PEANUTS characters to
create the crossword puzzle below. Test your knowledge
of the characters‟ names using the picture on the left to
fill in the words for the spreadsheet below.
May your holiday season be happy and bright! (eStrong)
Xuan-Thao is sitting next to her
daughter Allison (unfortunately
baby Ryan couldn’t make the
party) so she’s holding Deanna’s
baby Olivia.
DeAnna with her baby Olivia
Monica
with her daughter Sofia
Duluth’s children….Allison, Olivia, Sofia, and Elle pictured with grown-up Sarah
Holiday Greetings from Jay Nagy
Light Kitty
by Michelle Sienkiewicz
Contributed by Melissa Welborn Source: http://www.ricekrispies.com/recipes/festive-fruit-wreaths.aspx#/recipes/festive-fruit-wreaths
Directions 1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat.
Add marshmallows and stir until completely
melted. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. 2. Add KELOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal,
dates, red cherries, green cherries, and nuts.
Stir until well coated. 3. Transfer cereal mixture to wax paper. Using
buttered hands shape mixture into a wreath
approximately 8 inches in diameter. Decorate with candy and sprinkle with powered sugar, if
desired. Best if served the same day.
Microwave Directions:
In a microwave safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring
after 2 minutes. Sir until smooth. Add vanilla,
stirring until combined. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.
Note
For best results, use fresh marshmallows. 1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substi-
tuted for marshmallows. Diet, reduced calorie or
tub margarine is not recommended. Store no
more than two days at room temperature in air-tight container.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz, about 40) regular
Marshmallows
-OR-
4 cups miniatures marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies®
Cereal
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped red candied cherries
1/2 cup chopped green candied cher-
ries
1/2 cup broken walnuts
Multi-colored candies (optional)
Festive Fruit Wreaths
The Do’s and Don’ts of Re-gifting
Over the years, re-gifting has had a negative connotation, but in these tough economic times,
circumstances have changed. It is wonderful to receive a gift and accept it in the spirit it is given,
however the golden rule still remains, “It is better to give than to receive.” In my mind re-gifting is
perfectly acceptable if certain rules are followed. The most important thing to remember is that
the item must be something that gives you an ache with the thought of losing it. For instance, if my
best friend in the world received a duplicate designer purse or shoes (we happen to wear the same
shoe size) I would not hold it against her if she re-gifted to me.
Having said that, there are certain items you must never re-gift no matter what. The first on the
list are edible items. If grandma baked you a fruitcake, please do not pass it on. Next, if it comes
from MOM, it is not eligible to be re-gifted even if she gives you the same gift every year. You just
have to suck it up and wear it, eat it or display it. Thirty hours of labor gives her the right to be
happy with HER choices for you.
In a nutshell, the concept of re-gifting is no longer taboo and can be an economical way to enjoy
the holiday season with your friends and family.
from the desk of Miriam
Holiday
Shopping
Without all
the Stress
By DeAnna
Espinoza
If done correctly, your shopping time will be decreased and time spent with family doubled. And that
lady screaming at the clerk in Walmart? Just hope that it’s not your mother.
There is no time like the holiday season; everyone is full of holiday cheer, children are ripe with
anticipation, and the lady standing next to you in line at Walmart is screaming at the top of her lungs be-
cause the TV advertised is out of stock and no rainchecks are allowed. It can all be a little overwhelming,
I know, but, with the right plan and shopping technique you can truly make this the most wonderful time
of the year.
There are great bargains to be had out there and if you follow these rules, you will have a stress
free holiday:
1. Make a budget—I know it hurts to sit down and look at your finances,
but this season will not be bright if it puts you into debt. Make a list
of everyone you need to buy for and allocate a spending amount on
each person. It helps to have a notebook if you have multiple people
to buy for and, especially, if you have a person(s) who will be receiv-
ing multiple gifts. Give each person a page in the notebook and keep
track of your spending by writing down each item bought.
2. Brainstorm—Some people are much easier to buy for than others. If
your dad plays golf every Sunday morning then you usually have a
pretty good fallback. If when you ask your mom what she would like
for Christmas and all she replies is “anything you get me will be fine,
dear” then you know that you have your work cut out for you. Before
stepping foot inside a retailer, grab your notebook and use that to jot
down hobbies and interests on each person’s page. If you don’t know
the person well enough to list at least one interest, then they shouldn’t
be receiving a gift, you’re just wasting your money (this does not ap-
ply to gift exchanges you participate in where a generic gift must be
bought.)
3. Look at ads—Almost all ads come out in the Sunday paper (which can be bought Saturday evening and a
good way to stay on top of sales) and most prices are in effect from Sunday to Saturday. If it is a good
discount on an electronic item, get to the store when or before they open on Sunday to make sure you get
it before it sells out. Always comparison shop. Before buying anything, check other ads to see what other
deals you can get. Don’t forget about price matching. Almost every store now has a price matching pol-
icy so you can shop at one retailer and get the same deals that were advertised at another store.
4. Make a List—There should be a specific purpose for going
into a store, even if it is just to comparison shop. When
shopping for the holidays, we often do what I like to call In-
spirational Shopping. We go to the stores to get inspired for
a gift idea. Guess what? It’s very rare that you find some-
thing so wonderful and perfect when doing Inspirational
Shopping—you usually just settle on what’s available. You
already know what’s in the store so use online catalogs and
Amazon to do the Inspiring and then you will be less tempted
to buy something the gift receiver doesn’t want.
5. Shop Early—Thanksgiving has already passed but if you can
complete your holiday shopping the week before Christmas
comes around then you’ve already done better than half of
the population. When you wait until the last minute you get
stressed out and are willing to buy anything. Last minute
presents are rarely good gifts.
Happy Holidays
from the staff at
DUL (anything but dull)
Sarah Breiding
Monica Garcia
Cathy Hillard
Christopher Hudson
Suzanne Bennett
Keli Morgan
Elisha Strong
Sue Beckmann
Liz Mangan
Xuan Thao Ngo
Maria Rittenhouse
Michelle Sienkiewicz
Miriam Smellie
Natasha Washington
DeAnna Espinoza
Jay Nagy
Melissa Welborn
Lorena Gay-Griffin