Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Marvelous Monday! : Lava Lamps

Do you remember lava lamps?

Perhaps you had one as a teenager?  Did you know that it is possible to make your own lava lamp?  We did it here at the library yesterday afternoon.



We mixed oil, water, food coloring, and a special secret ingredient to make the lava lamps bubble.

What do you think the secret ingredient is?


Monday, April 29, 2013

Something New!

So Lisa spent most of last week at the Texas Library Association (TLA) conference in Fort Worth.
 
Of the many things she brought back, one of my favorites are these small pins. 
 

We have placed them all over the library on our favorite books.  We hope you'll come in and look for them.  We promise that we can give you a personal review of anything with one of these pins on it!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Mango Languages

You can learn a new language at the library!  It's true!


We have an online program called Mango that allows you to learn any language of your choice.  I counted 49 foreign language programs including:
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Arabic
  • Hawaiian
  • Pirate!
  • Hebrew
  • Japanese
There are also options to help an English Language Learner as well.

So, if you are gearing up for a foreign travel adventure, need a new language for work, or are just interested in expanding your brain, Mango Languages can be your solution.

All you have to do is come into the library and update your information and let us set up a new account for you.  Then, you can access Mango from home, work, Franklin County Library or anywhere you have internet access!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Thank you!

What do all these people and groups have in common?
  • Pratik Patel
  • Shawn Cathey
  • John Tutor
  • Tom Sample
  • Paula Dewitt
  • Friends of the Library
  • National Junior Honor Society
Give up?  They are all volunteers here at Franklin County Library.  The library could not function without them.  They perform all kinds of tasks for us.  Everything from changing light bulbs and taking out trash to maintaining our website and running major fundraising programs.

This week is National Volunteer Worker's Week and so we'd like to send a big THANK YOU to all of the volunteers that sacrifice their time and energy to help the library.  I'm sure I missed some people and groups.  I hope everyone who has contributed to the library in any way knows that we appreciate every gesture of help and goodwill. 

We could not do it without you!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Marvelous Monday! : Gak

It's ooey. It's gooey. It's Gak!

We had a little bit of a sticky situation here yesterday at the Franklin County Library as kids learned how to create their own homemade Gak. For all you older folks, you may know it as Silly Putty. It's a fun experiment to try out and very easy to do.

 
All it takes is Borax (which can be found at Brookshires), Elmer's glue, water, and food coloring.  You can check out the full instructions on our Marvelous Monday's board on Pinterest.


 
 
We had over 15 kids here this week for Marvelous Monday.  Come by next week at 4:15 to see what we're up to.  We do science experiments, art projects, and much more.  It's always a surprise and a lot of fun!
 
 
My thanks this week to Bethany.  I was sick and had to go home early, so Bethany took up the slack and did a great job with Marvelous Monday!  I really appreciate her hard work.
 
 
The Gak experiment is from Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes by Steve Spangler.
 
 


Thursday, April 18, 2013

Did you know?

The library:
  • Has seven computers for public use.  The computers are print capable, have Microsoft office installed, and have access to the internet.
  • Has two children's computers that have games and stories on them and are not connected to the internet for safety.
  • Provides magazines and newspapers for check out.


  • Has a laminator that will laminate sheets up to 8 1/2" x 11".
  • Offers fax and copy services for a small fee.
  • Has used books for sale for a small donation.
  • Has a meeting room that can be reserved by nonprofit organizations.
  • Hosts events such as Pinterest parties, garden parties, recipe exchanges, cultural events, and learning opportunities.
  • Remodeled "The Vault" to make a special teen hangout.
  • Has comfortable seating for reading, studying, or visiting. 

  • Can proctor an exam.
  • Can provide notary services.
  • Can provide generic business and personal forms.
  • Has both adult and children's puzzles that can be checked out.
  • Has a large collection of books in various categories such as:
    • Mystery
    • Science Fiction
    • Large Print
    • Non Fiction
    • Inspirational Fiction
    • Best Sellers
    • Westerns
  • Has a large collection of audio books on CD.
 
Why not stop in today and see our great library?

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Something Fun for Wednesday!

So if you are bored and looking for five minutes of entertainment, I have a couple of sites for you.

www.deadwhale.com - I know the name is weird, but it has great games.  My favorites are Bubble Spinner and Cube Attack.

 

http://www.jigzone.com/puzzles/daily-jigsaw - This one is just what it sounds like.  Everyday there is a new jigsaw puzzle.  You can change how many pieces the puzzle has, and you can change the shape of the pieces. 

Click to Mix and Solve

http://reasonsmysoniscrying.tumblr.com/ - Anyone who is a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or acquaintance of a toddler will get a kick out of this.  The blog has gone viral and the entire family was featured on Good Morning America last week. 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Marvelous Monday! : Bubble Painting

Yesterday's Marvelous Monday! activity was bubble painting.  This was an easy activity and the kids had a great time.  All you need to do is mix 1/2 cup of water, two or three drops of dish soap, and lots of food coloring.  You'll want to make several colors.  Then the kids take a straw and blow into the mixture to create bubbles that rise up over the edges of the dish.  They then place a piece of white cardstock over the bubbles and gently use the paper to pop the bubbles.  The bubbles will leave a pretty pattern on the paper.



Monday, April 15, 2013

New York Times Bestseller List : April 14, 2013

Fiction:

  1. Starting Now, by Debbie Macomber
  2. Manuscript Found in Accra, by Paul Coelho
  3. Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson
  4. The Burgess Boys, by Elizabeth Strout
  5. Six Years, by Harlan Coben
  6. Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
  7. Lover at Last, by J.R. Ward
  8. The Storyteller, by Jodi Picoult
  9. A Week in Winter, by Maeve Binchy
  10. Z, by Therese Fowler

Nonfiction:

  1. Lean In : Women, Work and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg
  2. Gulp : Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, by Mary Roach
  3. Carry On, Warrior : Thoughts on Life Unarmed, by Glennon Doyle Melton
  4. The Great Deformation, by David Stockman
  5. Secrets of Silicon Valley, by Deborah Perry Piscione
  6. Salt Sugar Fat : How the Food Giants Hooked Us, by Michael Moss
  7. Unsinkable, by Debbie Reynolds
  8. Mom & Me & Mom, by Maya Angelou
  9. Sum it Up, by Pat Head Summitt
  10. Clean : Overcoming Addiction and Ending America's Greatest Tragedy, by David Sheff
Highlighted titles are available at Franklin County Library.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Did you know? : Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Did you know that April is Grilled Cheese Month and April 12th is Grilled Cheese Day?  Everything has a day now!!



To celebrate this popular American lunch I googled some facts about grilled cheese through the years.

1920's: The grilled cheese sandwich was made with processed cheese and sliced white bread.

1940: Grilled cheese sandwiches were open-faced and usually made with prepackaged grated "American" cheddar cheese.

1960: The top piece of bread was added to the grilled cheese and became standard.

2004: The Golden Palace purchases a piece of grilled cheese pop culture for $28,000. The partially eaten sandwich bore the image of the Virgin Mary.

2006: Sonya Thomas is a 100 pound woman who ate 26 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes, winning the World Grilled Cheese Eating Championship and $8,000 for her ability to consume a large amount of food.

What is your favorite way to eat a grilled cheese?  Do you like them plain, or do you jazz yours up with additional ingredients? 

Lisa's Chocolate Lasagna

So those of you who attended our Pinterest party last night got to sample lots of goodies.  One of them was the Chocolate Lasagna that Lisa brought. 

Doesn't it look great?

Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 package regular Oreo cookies (Not Double Stuff) – about 36 cookies
  • 6 Tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cold milk
  • 1- 12 ounce tub Cool Whip, divided
  • 2 – 3.9 ounce packages Chocolate Instant Pudding.
  • 3 1/4 cups cold milk
  • 1 and 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

  1. Begin by crushing 36 Oreo cookies. I used my food processor for this, but you could also place them in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. When the Oreos have turned into fine crumbs, you are done.
  2. Transfer the Oreo crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter and use a fork to incorporate the butter into the cookie crumbs. When the butter is distributed, transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you work on the additional layers.
  3. Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in 2 Tablespoons of milk, and sugar, and mix well. Stir in 1 and 1/4 cups Cool Whip. Spread this mixture over the crust.
  4. In a bowl, combine chocolate instant pudding with 3 and 1/4 cups cold milk. Whisk for several minutes until the pudding starts to thicken. Use a spatula to spread the mixture over the previous cream cheese layer. Allow the dessert to rest for about 5 minutes so that the pudding can firm up further.
  5. Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the top. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips evenly over the top. Place in the freezer for 1 hour, or the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving.
Hope you enjoy!!

The original source for this recipe is http://centercutcook.com/chocolate-lasagna/ or you can find it on Franklin County Library's Pinterest page.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Chance's Corner: The Great Gatsby

Of all the books I was forced to read throughout my academic years, one I actually enjoyed was F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. And while Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, and Lois Chiles (Bond Girl's always get mentioned) already brought the story of unbridled, forbidden love and tragedy to the silver screen, I'm excited to see the new visionary take of the 1920's classic. Director Baz Luhrmann, best known for his stylistic renditions of Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge,  casts Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby with a hidden past, Carey Mulligan as Daisy the wispy flapper, and Tobey Maguire as Nick the neighbor who gets tangled up in the whole mess of deception and the struggle of social superiority.

Sounds like something you might want to see? How about reading it first? We have several copies of The Great Gatsby available here at the Franklin County Library.


Monday, April 8, 2013

Pinterest Party / Seed and Plant Swap - Thursday

Don't forget about our Pinterest Party and Plant and Seed Swap on Thursday at 5:30.  Bring plants and seeds to swap, Pinterest projects to show off, and recipes to share!!  We always have a great time!  Hope to see you here!

Author Profile : Kristin Cashore

Kristin Cashore grew up in Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts.  She began her writing career writing educational materials for Kindergarten through 6th grade, but has recently published three YA novels.  They are Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue.  Ms. Cashore says that she planted the seeds for writing in her youth when she spent her time either reading or daydreaming. 

Graceling is the story of Katsa.  She lives with her Uncle who is King of the Middluns, which is one of the Seven Kingdoms.  She is a Graceling, or someone with special skills and is marked by the graceling trademark of two different colored eyes.  While there are many types of graces, Katsa's grace is killing and her uncle uses her to punish, and frighten his subjects.  However, her uncle doesn't realize that Katsa has started the Council, a group that works in secret to help the people of the Seven Kingdoms in spite of the mindlessness of their kings.  Eventually Katsa sets out on an adventure with a strange boy with a mysterious grace, and along the way she discovers the true nature of her own grace along with saving the Seven Kingdoms from a menacing and horrible evil. 

Fire is a companion to Graceling and takes place about 35 years earlier in the Dells, a kingdom across the Great Grays.  In the Dells there are regular animals, and there are monsters.  Monsters look just like their regular counterparts except for their remarkably colored fur, hair, or scales.  Monsters also have the ability to read and influence minds and are incredibly beautiful to regular animals and people.  There are also human monsters.  Fire is the last of the human monsters.  Her hair is red, but not just ordinary red; it contains all the colors of the spectrum.  Fire is afraid of her abilities to read and control minds because her father was cruel in his use of his powers.  She stays hidden on the outskirts of her kingdom, unwilling to explore her abilities.  However, unrest in the kingdom and a threat to the King draws Fire away from her home to King City where she must learn to use her abilities for the good of her kingdom and herself.

Bitterblue is the final book in this series and takes place about 8 years after Graceling in the kingdom of Monsea in the Seven Kingdoms.  Bitterblue is the 18 year old queen of Monsea.  She became queen at 10 years of age after her father was killed.  She begins to realize that although her days are filled with queenly duties, she really knows very little about her kingdom.  Bitterblue begins sneaking out of her castle at night, disguised, and exploring her own city.  What she learns about her advisers, her father's continuing influence, and the state of the people in her kingdom will change everything she knows.  And a boy she meets in her wanderings will change the state of her heart.  Bitterblue must become a true leader to finally free her kingdom from the evil her father perpetuated. 

All three of Kristin Cashore's books are available at Franklin County Library in our Young Adult section. 

Friday, April 5, 2013

Don't Forget : Yeti Cooler/Duck Dynasty Drawing

We are still selling chances to WIN our Yeti Cooler and Duck Dynasty Gift Package. 

Tickets are $5.00 apiece or 5 tickets for $20.00.

The drawing will be held May 15th.  Don't miss out on your chance to WIN!!!

Miracle for Jen Giveaway : Winner!


Well, by virtue of being our only entry, Sarah Baker has won the book Miracle for Jen

Come by the library anytime to pick up your prize!!!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

This Day in History : Pony Express Debuts

On April 3rd in 1860, the first Pony Express mail, traveling by horse and rider relay teams, simultaneously leaves St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Ten days later, on April 13, the westbound rider and mail packet completed the approximately 1,800-mile journey and arrived in Sacramento, beating the eastbound packet's arrival in St. Joseph by two days and setting a new standard for speedy mail delivery. Although ultimately short-lived and unprofitable, the Pony Express captivated America's imagination and helped win federal aid for a more economical overland postal system. It also contributed to the economy of the towns on its route and served the mail-service needs of the American West in the days before the telegraph or an efficient transcontinental railroad.

Pony Express Rider
The Pony Express debuted at a time before radios and telephones, when California was still largely cut off from the eastern part of the country. Letters sent from New York to the West Coast traveled by ship, which typically took at least a month, or by stagecoach on the recently established Butterfield Express overland route, which could take from three weeks to many months to arrive. Compared to the snail's pace of the existing delivery methods, the Pony Express' average delivery time of 10 days seemed like lightning speed.

Pony Express Station
The Pony Express Company was set up over 150 relay stations along a pioneer trail across the present-day states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. Riders, who were paid approximately $25 per week and carried loads estimated at up to 20 pounds of mail, were changed every 75 to 100 miles, with horses switched out every 10 to 15 miles. Among the riders was the legendary frontiersman and showman William "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917), who reportedly signed on with the Pony Express at age 14. The company's riders set their fastest time with Lincoln's inaugural address, which was delivered in just less than eight days.

Pony Express Poster
The initial cost of Pony Express delivery was $5 for every half-ounce of mail. The company began as a private enterprise and its owners hoped to gain a profitable delivery contract from the U.S. government, but that never happened. With the advent of the first transcontinental telegraph line in October 1861, the Pony Express ceased operations. However, the legend of the lone Pony Express rider galloping across the Old West frontier to deliver the mail lives on today.

Source : http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Save the Date : Plant and Seed Swap/Pinterest Party

We are planning a Plant and Seed Swap and a Pinterest Party for Thursday, April 11th at 5:30.

Bring any plant, seed, or bulb to exchange for something new for your garden.  House plants, garden plants, edible, or flowers : bring anything you have and are willing to share.  We had a ton of fun and tons of plants last spring and we hope to do so again.

Also, the same evening, directly after the plant swap, we will be having a Pinterest Party.  Bring your crafts, projects, and recipes that have been inspired by Pinterest to show off and share. 



We hope you'll come.  We always have lots of fun, food, and laughter!

Don't forget to follow us on Pinterest, too!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Miracle for Jen : Giveaway!


Miracle for Jen is the true story of Jen Barrick and the entire Barrick family.  In a split second the family of four was shattered by a drunk driver.  Only one member, Josh, would walk away from the accident with minor injuries.  Both Andy and Linda (mom and dad) and especially daughter Jen suffered life-threatening injuries.  The aftermath of the accident changed their lives forever.  The powerful story of how God intervened in their lives and provided miracle after miracle is awe-inspiring.

The library is giving away one copy of this book.  If you want to be entered in the drawing please leave a comment on this post.  Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, April 4th at 5:00 p.m. and I will announce a winner Thursday morning.

Good luck!

New York Times Bestsellers : March 31, 2013

Fiction:
  1. The Storyteller, by Jodi Picoult
  2. Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
  3. Alex Cross, Run, by James Patterson
  4. A Week in Winter, by Maeve Binchy
  5. Breaking Point, by C.J. Box
  6. The Striker, by Clive Cussler
  7. Bloodfire Quest, by Terry Brooks
  8. Calculated in Death, by J.D. Robb
  9. Frost Burned, by Patricia Briggs
  10. Damascus Countdown, by Joel C. Rosenberg
Nonfiction:
  1. Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg
  2. Sum it Up, by Pat Head Summitt
  3. Until I Say Goodbye, by Bret Witter
  4. Killing Kennedy, by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  5. Salt Sugar Fat : How the Food Giants Hooked Us, by Michael Moss
  6. A Higher Call, by Adam Makos
  7. My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor
  8. American Sniper, by Chris Kyle and Jim DeFelice
  9. The Soundtrack of My Life, by Clive Davis
  10. No Easy Day, by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer
Highlighted titles are available at Franklin County Library.