Amy Dacyczyn — A new interview with Amy Dacyczyn, in response to today’s economy
A new interview with Amy Dacyczyn, in response to today’s economy
If you remember her from the 1990s–this is a great read!
April 26, 2009
March 7, 2009
Bonanzle!
Bonanzle!
Have you found this site yet? I love it!
I love that there are NO listing fees and the selling fees are very reasonable, plus I can go in and change the price or any other details on any listing at any time–very easy!
I’ve listed some things there and sold one item…and bought several items.
It’s a very friendly, low-stress place; I like it.
I’m including a referral link in case you haven’t signed up.
http://www.bonanzle.com/users/new?referred_by_user_id=54519
There is no cost to register at Bonanzle.
If you register; send me a link to your newly registered id, I’ll send you a free ebook.
Check it out!
Leslie
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Bubble Wrap for Privacy - Cheap and Easy!
Bubble Wrap for Privacy - Cheap and Easy!
My home has LOTS of windows and privacy can be an issue sometimes, BUT I want the natural light coming in…my solution is bubble wrap! Really!
I bought a box of bubble wrap that is 1 ft x 100 ft for about $10.
Simple cut strips of bubble wrap to fit your window.
My windows are 3 ft wide, so I needed 3 strips side by side–I did mine vertical.
I also cut the bubble wrap to fit the bottom part and top part separately so the window could be opened easier.
Next, spritz your clean window with a fine mist of water; I used cheap all-purpose glass and surface cleaner instead and it took a day for the little bubbles in the cleaner to disappear.
Smooth the bubble wrap into place.
The water holds it on the window!
That’s it–you’re done!
This is a great solution for me:
1. It’s cheap.
2. It’s easy.
3. It insulates the window a little bit (sound and temperature).
4. It can easily be removed/replaced.
5. Natural light is slightly diffused, but still comes in.
6. It gives the perfect amount of privacy I need.
7. Need to take a peek outside? Pull up a little corner! 
Try it!
December 9, 2008
News Story: Words associated with Christianity and British history taken out of children’s dictionary
For the complete story, here is the link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3569045/Words-associated-with-Christianity-and-British-history-taken-out-of-childrens-dictionary.html
Words associated with Christianity and British history taken out of children’s dictionary
Words associated with Christianity, the monarchy and British history have been dropped from a leading dictionary for children.
Julie Henry, Education Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:48PM GMT 08 Dec 2008
Westminster Abbey may be one of Britain’s most famous landmarks, but the word abbey has been removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary.
Creative Zen MP3 player - Words associated with Christianity and British history taken out of children’s dictionary
Instead, words such as ‘MP3 player’, ‘voicemail’ and ‘attachment’ have been included.
Oxford University Press has removed words like “aisle”, “bishop”, “chapel”, “empire” and “monarch” from its Junior Dictionary and replaced them with words like “blog”, “broadband” and “celebrity”. Dozens of words related to the countryside have also been culled.
The publisher claims the changes have been made to reflect the fact that Britain is a modern, multicultural, multifaith society.
But academics and head teachers said that the changes to the 10,000 word Junior Dictionary could mean that children lose touch with Britain’s heritage.
“We have a certain Christian narrative which has given meaning to us over the last 2,000 years. To say it is all relative and replaceable is questionable,” said Professor Alan Smithers, the director of the centre for education and employment at Buckingham University. “The word selections are a very interesting reflection of the way childhood is going, moving away from our spiritual background and the natural world and towards the world that information technology creates for us.”
An analysis of the word choices made by the dictionary lexicographers has revealed that entries from “abbey” to “willow” have been axed. Instead, words such as “MP3 player”, “voicemail” and “attachment” have taken their place.
Lisa Saunders, a worried mother who has painstakingly compared entries from the junior dictionaries, aimed at children aged seven or over, dating from 1978, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007, said she was “horrified” by the vast number of words that have been removed, most since 2003.
“The Christian faith still has a strong following,” she said. “To eradicate so many words associated with the Christianity will have a big effect on the numerous primary schools who use it.”
Ms Saunders realised words were being removed when she was helping her son with his homework and discovered that “moss” and “fern”, which were in editions up until 2003, were no longer listed.
“I decide to take a closer look and compare the new version to the other editions,” said the mother of four from Co Down, Northern Ireland. “I was completely horrified by the vast number of words which have been removed. We know that language moves on and we can’t be fuddy-duddy about it but you don’t cull hundreds of important words in order to get in a different set of ICT words.”
Anthony Seldon, the master of Wellington College, a leading private school in Berkshire, said: “I am stunned that words like “saint”, “buttercup”, “heather” and “sycamore” have all gone and I grieve it.
“I think as well as being descriptive, the Oxford Junior Dictionary, has to be prescriptive too, suggesting not just words that are used but words that should be used. It has a duty to keep these words within usage, not merely pander to an audience. We are looking at the loss of words of great beauty. I would rather have “marzipan” and “mistletoe” then “MP3 player.”
Oxford University Press, which produces the junior edition, selects words with the aid of the Children’s Corpus, a list of about 50 million words made up of general language, words from children’s books and terms related to the school curriculum. Lexicographers consider word frequency when making additions and deletions.
Vineeta Gupta, the head of children’s dictionaries at Oxford University Press, said: “We are limited by how big the dictionary can be – little hands must be able to handle it – but we produce 17 children’s dictionaries with different selections and numbers of words.
“When you look back at older versions of dictionaries, there were lots of examples of flowers for instance. That was because many children lived in semi-rural environments and saw the seasons. Nowadays, the environment has changed. We are also much more multicultural. People don’t go to Church as often as before. Our understanding of religion is within multiculturalism, which is why some words such as “Pentecost” or “Whitsun” would have been in 20 years ago but not now.”
She said children’s dictionaries were trialed in schools and advice taken from teachers. Many words are added to reflect the age-related school curriculum.
Words taken out:
Carol, cracker, holly, ivy, mistletoe
Dwarf, elf, goblin
Abbey, aisle, altar, bishop, chapel, christen, disciple, minister, monastery, monk, nun, nunnery, parish, pew, psalm, pulpit, saint, sin, devil, vicar
Coronation, duchess, duke, emperor, empire, monarch, decade
adder, ass, beaver, boar, budgerigar, bullock, cheetah, colt, corgi, cygnet, doe, drake, ferret, gerbil, goldfish, guinea pig, hamster, heron, herring, kingfisher, lark, leopard, lobster, magpie, minnow, mussel, newt, otter, ox, oyster, panther, pelican, piglet, plaice, poodle, porcupine, porpoise, raven, spaniel, starling, stoat, stork, terrapin, thrush, weasel, wren.
Acorn, allotment, almond, apricot, ash, bacon, beech, beetroot, blackberry, blacksmith, bloom, bluebell, bramble, bran, bray, bridle, brook, buttercup, canary, canter, carnation, catkin, cauliflower, chestnut, clover, conker, county, cowslip, crocus, dandelion, diesel, fern, fungus, gooseberry, gorse, hazel, hazelnut, heather, holly, horse chestnut, ivy, lavender, leek, liquorice, manger, marzipan, melon, minnow, mint, nectar, nectarine, oats, pansy, parsnip, pasture, poppy, porridge, poultry, primrose, prune, radish, rhubarb, sheaf, spinach, sycamore, tulip, turnip, vine, violet, walnut, willow
Words put in:
Blog, broadband, MP3 player, voicemail, attachment, database, export, chatroom, bullet point, cut and paste, analogue
Celebrity, tolerant, vandalism, negotiate, interdependent, creep, citizenship, childhood, conflict, common sense, debate, EU, drought, brainy, boisterous, cautionary tale, bilingual, bungee jumping, committee, compulsory, cope, democratic, allergic, biodegradable, emotion, dyslexic, donate, endangered, Euro
Apparatus, food chain, incisor, square number, trapezium, alliteration, colloquial, idiom, curriculum, classify, chronological, block graph
October 27, 2008
Test Post for Comments
Hello Everyone
I turned the comments off awhile back because the spammers had completely taken over the blog and erased all my posts and replaced them with spam. 
The settings have been changed.
Please try to register and leave a comment.
Thank you!
Leslie
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October 26, 2008
Ahhhh….Homemade Bread…Easy, but it takes overnight…
We made this recipe over the weekend–very good!
I baked it in my 10-inch Dutch Oven and it was perfect–really did crackle when it came out of the oven.
This recipe is EXTREMELY easy, but it takes overnight. I let it rest the full 18 hours.
It didn’t last long–barely had time to take some pictures of it.
I’ve included a printable version of the recipe without photos; the link is down below.
Enjoy!
Leslie
–
No-Knead Bread
Yields one 1 1/2 pound loaf
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed. 1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. 
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
No Knead Bread Printable Recipe PDF
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October 25, 2008
Saving Money on Groceries
- Plan meals from what you already have at home. Find out what you already have at home in the pantry, freezer, and the fridge before you go shopping.
- Check your calendar to see when you may need to have easy/fast meals during the week. I have a few crockpot recipes that are very easy–and so nice to come home to–my favorite is beef roast, potatoes and carrots.
-
Keep your favorite recipes handy. Make copies of favorite recipes from cookbooks and keep them in a binder (even better if you use sheet protectors to keep the pages clean).
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Make a shopping list and only buy what’s on the list. Actually, I do include a few dollars for extra special buys I may find along the way. Last week I found a bargain and couldn’t pass it up–olive oil! The store was re-doing their olive oil shelves and olive oil/extra virgin olive oil was a BARGAIN at .92 to 1.49 for several medium-size name brand bottles.
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Make some meals for the freezer. Even pre-cooking a few pounds of ground beef for easy tacos or spaghetti can save you from getting fast food for dinner.
:)
Leslie
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October 24, 2008
Soft Cake Cookies
Soft Cake Cookies
Enjoy these delicious soft cookies
Ingredients:
1 box cake mix
1 large egg
8 oz. Cool Whip
10x sugar
Directions: Combine dry cake mix, egg and Cool Whip. Grease cookie sheet. Drop cookies by teaspoon. Bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees. After they come out of the oven, sprinkle with 10x sugar. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
These are really good and they stay soft! Enjoy!
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