Friday, July 27, 2012

Did You Know the Olympics Started Today?

Did you know the olympics started today?

Well, actually the opening ceremony was today. My dad told me some events have already started. But I am excited. We always love to watch the games. I especially am looking forward to gymnastics, swimming and the triathlon.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Did You Know the Perfect Paneer Substitute?

Did you know the perfect paneer substitute?

I make a spinach curry that we all enjoy, but have had a hard time finding a substitute for the "paneer" (Indian cheese, similar to ricotta.) I have tried hard white cheddar, aged cheddar, even made my own paneer (not a great success.) But today I found this blog recommending the perfect sub for paneer. I went to the Latino market to make sure I got the right thing and sure enough found the recommended queso fresco. It worked out really well. I was even able to fry it for a few seconds without it getting too mushy or melting. It didn't even start to melt when I put it in the curry sauce. The taste was just right for us. I think the grocery store will likely have the queso fresco as well, making this dish even easier to make.


Saturday, July 14, 2012

Did You Know How to Choose a Briefcase?

Did you know how to choose a briefcase?

 While most women will probably answer "yes" (they likely see it as another accessory), many men may not know the best way to choose a briefcase. When setting out to choose a leather briefcase for men, there are some obvious things to consider. Of course, how large will you need your case to be? What all do you need to carry? Do you need a locking case? Other things that most women certainly eye is the style. As for men, this is important too. While a man may not want to end up looking like he is carrying a "man purse" his style and function will play a role in what kind of case he is comfortable carrying.

Did You Know My Hit or Miss List May/June 2012?

Did you know my Hit or Miss List for May and June 2012?

This is a little behind! Since I can't remember them all here are the highlights:

The Pillars of the Earth: This book had been recommended to me. While it is seemingly about a cathedral built during the Middle Ages, I found it to be way too sexually graphic for me. I was completely unprepared for that. After reading one rather graphic rape scene I nearly did not finish reading the book. Then I decided I would be able to skim over any sex scenes. It sort of worked but not good enough (I still caught some "glimpses" of rather disgusting sexual encounters.) While I tried to enjoy the story, and did for most of the book, I felt like the more I read, the less I enjoyed it. It got to where I like every character less and less the more I read. And the book is LONG-983 pages of small print! This is not a book I would recommend to anyone who does not want to read graphic sex scenes and I don't feel like the story is good enough to justify having to wade through them. This for me ended up being a MISS and I won't be reading the sequel.


The Rook:-see below


The Knight:-see below


The Bishop:- This series of books, The Patrick Bowers Series, has been pretty enjoyable to me. While they are listed as "Christian Fiction" I have to say they are nothing like any other Christian fiction I've read. There is mention of "spiritual" things and God, but it's mostly people's search for Him and their dealings with being human in a fallen world. The stories center around FBI Agent Patrick Bowers and his dealings with solving heinous crimes while figuring out how to be the best human he can in his dealings with himself and those around him-particularly his 17 year old stepdaughter. While there is no foul language explicitly stated there are times when characters curse and do other things humans do. And some Christian readers may not like some of the slang terminology used by some of the characters. While there is physical attraction in Patrick's life, no explicit sexuality is focused on in the stories. The hardest part of reading the stories is the graphic violence. Many of the crimes are described in gritty detail. The stories move along well and keep the reader interested with plenty of guesswork in figuring out "who dun'it". While any of the stories can be read on their own, it's much easier to follow the bigger story line reading the whole series. This is a HIT for readers who get tired of formulaic Christian fiction.


Shoeless Joe: This is the book the movie Field of Dreams was based on. I love the movie so figured I'd love the book. As I read along I found myself wanting to see the movie again. I enjoyed the story well enough, with a few small misses along the way, but honestly think I like the movie better (unusual for me!) So while not a complete MISS I say it was not a complete HIT either.

Did You Know To Check Your City Ordinance Before Building in Your Yard?

Did you know to check your city ordinance before building in your backyard? Our neighbor has been wanting to put a shed in his backyard for sometime now. This summer he is getting it done. Thankfully he checked the city ordinances before starting. Even though he is not getting to do what he originally wanted, at least he is not having to undo anything since he checked first. So no matter what permanent structure you are putting in your backyard-steel arch buildings, decking, pools, etc-be sure to check your city ordinances before proceeding!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Did You Know About The Artist?

Did you know about The Artist? It's a movie that won awards last year. I've never seen it but my husband just walked in and said he is in the middle of watching it. It's a movie about the silent movie era, and it's done in black and white and yes, silent! He said it's really fascinating and that I should watch it. I guess I know what's next on my viewing list!

Did You Know My Daughter Passed Her AP Exam?

Did you know my daughter passed her AP exam? And she did so with a really good score! I am very proud of her, as it was not easy and it took a lot of work throughout the school year. But she studied hard, went to test preps and wrote essays at home nearly every weekend. I think her studying and test prep really paid off. I would encourage all students to use test prepping to their advantage! And I would think this would apply not only to younger high school students but all the way up to those looking at the kaplan gre test prep for grad school. Every bit of help makes a difference (but only if you use it and work/study hard!)

Did You Know Even Apples Need A Tune Up?

Did you know even Apples need a tune up? Apple computers that is. Ours is less than two years old and we had to replace the mother board and hard drive!! I had no idea we would even need a pc tuneup with an Apple computer. So when this one died on us we were pretty surprised. And ever since we got it back after ten days in the shop, it just has not really ever run the same again. We did do some tweaking of things yesterday and it seems to be doing a little better now. I just hope this one will last until we are ready to decide to upgrade!