World’s Fastest Disappearing Dessert

Need a fast crowd pleaser??  Even the kitchen illiterate can master this one . . .

With 38 of us (including T.A.’s) in the English department, there’s always food in the office.  We celebrate birthdays and “half” birthdays (for those born in the summer) by taking turns bringing in a small spread usually consisting of cake and/or snacks or lunch.  A dear, close colleague is retiring this year and we requested to host each other’s birthdays since we won’t be able to again.  🙁  Her birthday is approaching and below is the cake she requested.  Every time I make this, this is gone by Period 3 of an 8-period day!!!

To satisfy 38 hungry intellectuals, I’ll be making this along with Crème de Menthe Brownies

and Chicken Sausage Pasta with Vodka Creme Sauce (ask me for this recipe!).

Notice a theme?!

Warning:  This is not an Eat Clean recipe!!!!!

Amoretto Cake

Cake:

• 1 Vanilla Cake Mix
• 1 Instant Vanilla Pudding mix
• 1/2 cup Orange Juice
• 1/2 cup Amoretto
• 1/2 cup Oil (I use Vegetable or Corn)
• 4 eggs

Glaze:

• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 tbs. Orange Juice
• 2 tbs. Amoretto

Mix the cake ingredients and place in a greased bundt pan.  Bake according to the cake mix directions.  While cake is baking, mix the glaze ingredients and set aside. Once the cake has cooled, pour on the glaze.  Voilà

This cake is so moist that some like it without the glaze as well.

. . . thank you to my dear Aunt Adelle for the recipe long ago.

Best Yoga Pants EVER!

I’ve been working out at the gym since college and have yet to come across a better piece of exercise apparel.    These yoga pants are universally body-friendly for women of varied shapes and sizes. Over the past few years, I’ve donned a couple pairs from other brands but I always come back to my go-to gear from Victoria’s Secret.

I’m getting friends and family hooked on these!  Just tonight, two of my friends who asked me where I get them had on pairs of their own!  I love to share the wealth when I find something I can truly stand behind.

Where can one get these?! Order them by phone through the Victoria’s Secret catalog.  These are NOT exactly the same as those carried in the Victoria’s Secret store.  I’ve tried the store styles on and, while nice, not quite as many colors are offered; additionally, the store version fits me higher on the hips.

What is truly unique about these is that they are offered in 4 inseams: 30, 32, 34, and 36.  Additionally, they come in XS – XL.  One of my friends who just purchased her first pair is fairly tall and the other friend is rather short.  The pants flatter both equally well because of the different inseams.  I don’t like my pants too short, and having a few inseams to choose from ensure the length is just right.   To further my point, I convinced my choosy mother, my impeccably-fashioned sis-in-law and my hard-to-convince colleague to try these.  I can vouch that these pants flatter women of varied shapes and ages.  And did I mention how comfy these are?!

Let’s not forget what else makes these difficult to pass up:  they are priced modestly in comparison to the average workout pant, $29.50 or two for $50.00 (at times, on sale for as low as $14/pair).  New colors and styles are offered each season so many of these are placed on clearance fairly regularly.  Plus, Victoria’s Secret always offers money off with a minimum purchase . . . that alone offsets the shipping cost.   Despite this lower price, quality is not compromised.  I own some that I’ve had for years – the stretch still holds and the cotton maintains its durability.  Btw, these are officially called “yoga pants” but I wear them for both strength training and cardio.  Yes, they stretch seamlessly for yoga, but they definitely hold up for more rigorous exercise.

Grading Girl gives these pants an A+ for economical style, versatile color choice and flattering shape.

For the record, because I’ve been asked, 31 of these pants live in my closet.  Mind you, I’ve purchased them over the course of the past few years . . . and a girl needs her colors . . . . umm . . .  am I obsessed?!

Collaborating Words

Fresh from this evening’s EC Ning Webstitute, “Work with Me:  The Essence of Authentic Collaboration,”

I’m devoting my most recent collection of Quotable Quotations to the art of collaboration.  Teamwork!

• “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” ~Henry Ford

• “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” ~Isaac Newton  Ask the experts, work with the best of the best.

• “Individually, we are one drop.  Together, we are an ocean.” ~ Ryunosuke Satoro

• “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” ~ Anonymous

• “Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it.” ~Bill Bradley   . . . a good formula to follow
  

• “Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe   A little goes a long way if we all pitch in.

• “One piece of log creates a small fire, adequate to warm you up, add just a few more pieces to blast an immense bonfire, large enough to warm up your entire circle of friends; needless to say that individuality counts but team work dynamites.”  ~ Jin Kwon
  

• “It’s amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.” ~ Anonymous

• “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” ~ Henry Ford  Everything has a way of falling into place.

• “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”  ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery . . . The author of one of my favorites, “The Little Prince.”
  

• “Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better.” ~ Andre Gide  I like this one a lot!!

A Unique Show of Spirit

Students appreciate when teachers demonstrate commitment and take that extra step (in this case, literally!) for them.  My fingers are flying on the keyboard because I’m still on a high from the success of an initiative I coordinated at my school – an initiative to showcase our staff’s unity and commitment to the spirit of our school.

This video showcases just how inspiringly excited the students were over the fabulous staff participation!  One of the teachers up front, you can’t tell here, but she’s got goosebumps! 😉

It all started thanks to my former high school French teacher.  She shared a video on FB this past May, depicting what her colleagues at Leyden Township conjured up at an assembly to surprise the students.  I was so inspired by this “flash mob” performance that I instantly wanted to do it!!  We’ve never done anything of the sort at my school, and I knew that the students would absolutely love it.  I imagined teachers, administrators, secretaries, custodians – everyone – to be out there on the gym floor.  During the last week of school in June, I proposed the idea to my principal for the following year.  He didn’t hesitate to say, “Go for it,” nor did he blink when I told him the catch – he had to dance smack dab in the center!!!

Over the summer, I brainstormed songs to use and dabbled with WavePad to mix the music.  I choreographed the majority of the dance and divided it into four sections with the idea that more staff members would enter at each point until the gym floor was completely full.  My principal and I decided the Winter Sports assembly in December would allow enough time for coordination.  That seemed ions away but as all teachers know, every year seems to trickle away faster than the last.  The middle of October crept in quickly and I finalized the dance with the help of two wonderful cheerleading coaches at my school.  Finally, it was time to announce the big event.  At an all-staff meeting, I explained the flash mob and emphasized that we must keep this a secret from students – hence the whole idea behind a flash mob, a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place and perform a surprise act.  I shared a mob video – there was so much laughter in the auditorium, I knew I had them all hooked . . . or so I thought. . .

When dealing with 200+ people, you can’t please them all.  About a week later, when I sent out the email detailing rehearsals I started to get a little slack:  “This really isn’t a good time with everything else we have going on” or “I can’t dance.”  I didn’t get discouraged, knowing all worthy causes require a little effort.  I sent out a second email explaining that participation was completely voluntary, that rehearsals were not mandatory, and that I’d be placing instructional videos online so that people could practice at home at their own convenience – including from the back (the key to making dance instruction easy).

I became a little nervous about participation with only about 25-40 people coming to rehearsals at a time. hmmm . . .  As time drew closer, more started to trickle in but I still was nervous because we never practiced as a whole group. With a late start date scheduled the Tuesday before our Friday performance,  I asked administration for just a half-hour before PLC work to congregate in the gym for an all-staff run-through.  That was when I knew it was a guaranteed success – I was floored by the turnout!  With the microphone in one hand, I excitedly walked everyone through Section 4 (the last section in which those that never came to a rehearsal would enter upon).  They mastered it within two takes.  We ran through the whole thing a few times, I got goosebumps, and called it a rap.

The rest of the week was nothing but thrilling . . . Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, I couldn’t walk in the hallway without a teacher or staff member exclaiming excitement:  “Thank you for making my retirement year so memorable” or “I was sick all last month, and now I have something to look forward to” or “We needed something like this to boost morale around here.”  WOW, let me just say it is a dream to have such a supportive administrative, faculty and staff!!!

For those thinking about coordinating this at your own school, the instructional videos turned out to be invaluable.  With my Flip camera, we taped 6 instructional videos:  1 front view of entire dance with music, 1 back view of entire dance with music (back view to ease coordination), and 1 of each ‘section’ in which I “walk through” and explain each step without the music (all back view).  I placed the videos on YouTube, keeping them on ‘private’ to avoid prying eyes.  There were many people who practiced entirely at home and surprisingly showed up at a last-minute rehearsal completely familiar the routine.

The bottom line is just as many of the staff members left their comfort zone to try something new, we’re asking students to not be afraid to ‘put themselves out there’ and join new clubs, take on more challenges in the classroom and commit to the spirit of our school.  The flash mob proved an exciting, memorable way to get that message across.

A+ to the teachers, teacher assistants, administrators, guidance counselors, and support staff who kept this a complete secret, made the commitment to learn this dance and shoved aside any hesitations to act silly in front of the students.  A+ to the students for being the best audience ever!!  They kept us motivated to move just as they keep us motivated to inspire in the classroom.

Here’s a closer recording taken by one of my students.  You don’t get the impact of the overwhelming number of participants but it’s a clearer view of the dance itself:

 

Which Punctuation Marks You?!

You know the line from Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall?” – “I’d rather be a comma than a full stop.” Which punctuation mark below would you rather be?! . . . .

.                    !                    ?                    ,                    ;

:                    –                   (   )                *                    #

@                 /                    ?!                 &                   =

”                  {   }                ^                  < >                ‘

~               . . .

• Why did you choose the one you did?  How does this represent and symbolize you?

This was one of the opening activities at an AP conference I attended.  I circled the exclamation point without hesitation because I tend to overuse this mark – both in written and oral expression! In my work emails, for instance, I find myself hitting the back button to delete some to not sound overzealous.  In person, I’m known to exclaim my excitement wholeheartedly and randomly.  I walk into class telling my students how wonderful they are; I clap at the gym; I jump around at home.  True story.  As another example, my colleague claimed the % because she feels her life is divided into percentages:  as teacher, mother, wife, club sponser, etc.  Another example, a friend claimed he’s a semi-colon because he’s misunderstood as the semi-colon seems to be.  🙂  Which one are you?

Finally . . . Seasons 52!

Yes, finally . . . there is a new restaurant in the Midwest that boasts healthful eating on its entire menu!  Seasons 52 maintains that every item they serve is 475 calories or less.  Consequently, you will not eye many people leaving the eatery with environmentally-unfriendly doggy bags nor will you exclaim how large that mound of food is on your plate.  But make no mistake, you will walk away satisfied; the difference is that you will be eating only the freshest, in-season foods cooked naturally via wood-fire grilling and brick oven cooking.

Seasons 52 offers weekly selections (a new selection of appetizer, soup, salad, flatbread, sushi, fresh market fish, entree, and dessert) – hence “Seasons 52” – to ensure freshness along with a guaranteed different experience for the regular patrons.  Additionally, they change their entire menu four times a year, during the winter, spring, summer and fall.

I’ve personally eaten at the restaurant on five occasions (and counting!!) since the middle of the summer and have been completely satisfied with each.  The Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Flatbread is great to share with the table or eat as an entree (I’ve done both!).  The Carmelized Sea Scallops melt in my mouth.  The Maui Tuna Crunch Salad is fresh and delicious.  I’ve tried the bison burger – sinfully good!! They even offer gluten free, vegan, or low sodium menu varieties.  Finally!!!!!  Whether its lunch or dinner, that place is always filled with happy people.

I looked around during my latest visit this weekend and noticed there is a nice mixture of both the younger and older crowd.  A piano player in the middle of the bar – yes, smack dab in the middle, right there with the bartender – plays pleasing background music.  It makes for quite the inviting ambience.

Wait, there’s more . . . we can’t forget my favorite part – dessert!!  The mini-indulgences are too cute too resist!  It’s indulgence in smaller proportion. Their desserts are designed to feature high-impact flavors and top quality ingredients, such as Belgian Callibut chocolate.  In other words, you get all of the pleasure and none of the guilt.  Chocolate Peanut Butter Mouse, Blueberry Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, Rocky Road are examples.  I want to buy these little glasses and make my own versions of these at home.  How fun!!

Luckily, new Seasons 52 restaurants are popping up all over the nation – Texas, Arizona, Indiana, Virginia are just a sampling of the numerous locations.  I am certain these places will be welcomed with open arms (and mouths!).  Grading Girl gives Seasons 52 an A+ for healthful eating, sumptuous signature foods, and all-around pleasant customer service. They know my name already!!  🙂  Stop in; you will not leave unsatisfied!  This is my new favorite restaurant, can you tell?!

Technology Tools to Try

This week, I attended a workshop on practical ways to incorporate my school’s new net books into our Title 1 classes.  Besides training on the net books, my colleagues conducting this shared some great online tools they use in the classroom.  Here are the new tools I’d like to try in all of my classes – Title 1, accelerated, and college-bound.   ⇒

To my followers who are not educators, these sites offer great resources for you as well.  Create a Photostory with your family photos, utilize BrainFlips to help your child memorize terms, turn to Diigo if you’re taking college courses and want to bookmark and organize your online research, peruse TedTalks when you’re looking for videos from credible speakers, etc.

Diigo – a great way for students (and teachers) to organize, store and share research.  This can be a convenient method to move toward paperless research that can be available on-the-go.   I would like to try this with my senior expository writing class.

Photostory – I’ve heard so much about how much the most reluctant reader enjoys this.  I watched some powerful examples from students who normally never turn in homework (I was told).  I’m definitely using this VERY SOON with my reading students!   It’s a user-friendly way for students to create slide shows that go beyond the average PowerPoint with voice narration, fun effects, etc.

Brain Flips – I may try these with both my reading students and my accelerated freshmen.  Another method for internalizing vocabulary is always welcome.

Voice Thread – This could be an interesting motivator as a personable way to comment on blogs, videos, artwork, etc.  Besides the usual typed comments, one can leave voice messages. Perhaps I’ll use this with online book talks.

Ted Talks – Use these video resources here to supplement discussions and units of study.  More organized and less commercial than YouTube, these credible, educational speakers and presentations are categorized by theme.

TeacherTube – I’ve already been using this, but I felt the need to add it here.  You will find videos specifically recorded for classroom use.    (Search for “Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration” for a ‘rocking’ take on the Declaration of Independence.  I never thought I’d see Ben Franklin play the electric guitar! 🙂 )

Edmodo – this social network for teachers & students looks like Facebook once you log in.  I’m not sure what I’ll use this for.  I’m having my students each create their own blogs (via WordPress) and the discussion threads on those blogs should be sufficient for sharing comments.  We’ll see . . . there’s so much great stuff out there!!

I Am a Mini Cooper

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:  Letter of Introduction

a.k.a.

Using Metaphors to Identify Ourselves

I probably should have posted this at the very beginning of the school year but it’s been a whirlwind of a year already – and we’ve only reached the very first midterm.  Yippee yikes!  This is the first writing assignment I gave to my accelerated freshmen this year. At the opening of the second day of class, I reveal the assignment; they have the class period in the lab to complete the letter.  During Open House, I pass out the final drafts to parents.

Parents got such a kick out of this. I always try to send them home with something besides a syllabus.  I received numerous emails from parents this year, in particular, stating they usually never receive anything other than a syllabus from other teachers and appreciate the bit of insight to their child’s work. Because of the great response I get, I’d thought I’d pass it on to my English/Language Arts followers. Just because their children are teenagers does not mean parents don’t need or desire detailed information about students’ lives at school.   It really does not take that much more effort on our part to get that information to them; and, it feels so gratifying when we do.

Here’s the assignment.  This doesn’t necessarily have to be given at the beginning of the year:

Letter of Introduction

I also give my own letter as an example.  Here’s an excerpt from my letter:

I am thrilled to get to know and work with each one of you this year.  You don’t know too much about me yet but you soon will.  To give you an idea, I am a Mini Cooper because I look small but have a powerful engine underneath.  I am a wrapped present because you never know what is inside until you try to get to know me.  I am a lioness because I work quietly raising my young but will roar loudly to protect.  Finally, I am an unfinished novel because I have experienced many chapters in life, look forward to experiencing many more, and have yet to know the ending.

Having the students guess who wrote each letter provides additional bonus of fun.  Enjoy this assignment with your students!

Write while the heat is in you.  ~ Henry David Thoreau

My Students’ Interesting Lives!

My Senior Expository Writing students recently finished the “Find the Fib” assignment.  Click here for the assignment.  At first, they claimed profusely they had nothing interesting about themselves to reveal.  I insisted that each and every one of them did; they only had to think about it for a moment.  Here are some of the interesting things they soon realized and revealed about themselves.  These are the truths, not the fibs!  I asked for detailed elaboration in their writing to prove it.   →

~ I was a Gerber baby model.

~ I’m missing a bone from my neck.

~ I play the guitar with my teeth.

~ Starting at age 5, I skated with Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek for a few years.

~ I played hacky-sack on the top of a 12,400 foot mountain.                                          

~ Olympic gymnast Nastia Luskin taught at my summer camp.

~ I have 34 first cousins.

~ My family frequently has dinner with celebrities including Robert Downey, Jr. (this summer), Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews and Felicity Huffman.

~ I’ve lived in 6 different states.

~ I placed 3rd in a Super Smash Bros. tournament.

~ I found a noose in my backyard.

~ I came face-to-face with a barracuda.

~ I’ve dislocated my knee 5 times.

~ I’ve seen bears up close in the wild.                                                                                                         

~ I became a black belt in Tae Kwon Do in 6th grade. (a female student!)

~ My middle name is 10 letters long.

~ My grandparents are candy makers, as were many generations of my ancestors before them.

~ I met Barack Obama when he was an Illinois senator.

~ I swam with sharks.

~ I’ve never been on an airplane.

~ I met Jessica Simpson backstage at her concert benefiting Hurricane Katrina victims.

~ I had seats right next to the stage at a recent Taylor Swift concert.                  

My students are such interesting individuals!! 🙂

Foods I’m Eating and You’re Not (But Should Be)

I recently added these 3 foods into my diet.  Not only are they very surprisingly palatable, they pack quite the healthful punch.  Grading Girl recommends these for EVERYONE!!  Try them once . . . you just may be glad you did.

Chia Seeds

Talk about super food, chia is a high fiber seed that is the richest known vegetable source of omega-3 fatty acids.  It has three times the antioxidants of blueberries, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach and is a better protein source than beans or soy!!!!!!  I mix them in fat free cottage cheese, yogurt, oatmeal, and I even sneakily sprinkle them in my baked goodies.  2 tablespoons a day is all it takes.  Buy this – your body will thank you!  I bought my 1lb container at Whole Foods for $19.99.  Check it out!!!

Pitted Prunes

My favorite is Trader Joe’s Dried Fruit Pitted Prunes.  With only 12 grams of sugar per serving, it holds less sugar than most dried fruit . . . and less sugar ultimately means less belly fat.  Don’t underestimate the power of prune – it is a rich source of potassium, Vitamin A and iron.  This will give you energy and boost your immune system.  Pop a couple of these prunes when your sweet tooth is nagging at you.

Baby Beets

Tired of a side of potatoes?!  These are normally messy to prepare but Trader Joe’s Steamed & Peeled Baby Beets are ready to eat hot or cold.  I was hesitant to place these in my cart one day, but they were something new and different . . . and I’m constantly looking for unique food to try or cook.  (ask me about my new chicken burger recipe!!)  B is for beet – they are a good source of Vitamin B, an essential folate that helps our tissue grow and prevent cancerous diseases.

First Week of School Assignment

Top 10 Nouns That Represent Me Speech

Here is a first week of school, getting-to-know-you assignment I’ve been using off and on for 11 years now!!!  I’ve used this for my speech, reading and English literature classes; it suits almost all levels and classes.  It’s a fun, easy exercise for the students to get to know the teacher and each other at the beginning of the year.

Summary:  Students brainstorm a list of 50 nouns that represent them.  {This proves to be a terrific parts of speech review.}  Many students find this to be a daunting list .  . . one hint I offer is to go home and stand in the middle of their rooms.  What do they see?  Write down those things.  Once the list is generated, students must narrow it down to their 10 favorites, being sure that each of those 10 items can be easily represented with a tangible token (that they can bring in!).  Students will present their top 10 list along with the ten tokens in a short glorified show and tell.  I tell the students they can explain each item as much or as little as they choose:  some opt to simply read off the list and hold up each item; others unleash unique stories behind each item.  Either way, the speeches tend to run 1 – 3 minutes each.

Students find out more interesting quirks, passions and values about each other in one – three minutes than they may otherwise have the opportunity to discover if we dive directly into curriculum. This a great way to get them up in front of the class very early in a relaxed atmosphere; I don’t evaluate their presentation skills for this early speech.  As a model, I present my own noun speech on the very first day of school.  It’s the perfect context to disclose a little about myself (past items I’ve shared – movie ticket stubs from my favorite movies, health magazines I read to exemplify my fitness enthusiasm, my colored whisk to reveal my propensity for kitchen experimentation, my favorite sports team pencil, etc) As I tell my students, it’s an easy A!  By the same token, this is super easy to evaluate.  As illustrated in the rubric, if the student completes the assignment, it’s an almost guaranteed A.  The only real way to fail this one is not to complete it.  Check it out →

Worksheet:

Top Ten Nouns That Represent Me

Rubric:

Noun Speech Rubric

Come back and share your experiences with this assignment.  How did your students like it?  I’ll share my own classroom experiences with this speech as soon as school starts.  TTFN, as Tigger says!

GG Summer Reads

What I’m Reading This Summer

At the beginning of every school year, I sit down with my reading students, forming a circle – either with our desks or on the floor – and I share every single book I read over the summer.  I lug every single book in and give a little book talk on each one.  Regardless of whether every book is interesting and/or appropriate for them is irrelevant.  My goal is simply for them to understand right away just how much I enjoy reading – yes, I practice what I preach.  If one of the books I describe happens to catch their fancy, wonderful! – They have a book idea for the coming semester!  If not, I’ve hopefully at least motivated them to choose a book they enjoy as much as I’ve enjoyed mine.

WHAT I’VE READ SO FAR (in this order):

Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult A:  Jodi does it again – the author’s known for her surprising twists and shocking connections.  This story of a man wrongly accused of statutory rape is a page-turner.  It was a good one for me to kick off my summer reading, and it is definitely in my Top 5 Jodi Picoult books (along with My Sister’s Keeper, 19 Minutes, and Change of Heart).

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hussein A+:  I should have read this a loooong time ago.  Let me tell you, it left an impression.  It is the story of a young boy from the a district of Kabul, who befriends the son of his father’s servant. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of Afganistan’s monarchy through the Soviet invasion.  As a side note, the dirt imagery fascinated me all along.  Men, women, young and old will find this story of redemption so endearing!!!!

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen A:  I already knew that elephants understood emotions but this story helped me appreciate just how smart they truly can be.  This fictional novel focuses on one man’s adventures with a traveling circus he runs away with after his parents’ sudden deaths.  The most poignant piece of this is the narration as flashback:  the protagonist, Jacob Jankowski, is a 93-year old man living in an assisted living facility; the reader catches a glimpse into the agonizing frustration one goes through as faculties fade away.  As he deals with the tribulations around him, Jacob flashbacks to his young self’s adventures.  I’m very much looking forward to the movie starring Robert Pattinson.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer  B-:   I finished this over-600 page book in 2 days!!  While I appreciated the passion and romance, I quickly grew weary of Bella’s whining. Parts were predictable as well.  The most fun part was shouting out turning points to my daughter as I approached them in my reading.  She finished the series long ago but still holds a passion as she just saw the movie (twice.)  I’m going next week and looking forward to it in spite of Bella’s inevitable drawn-out laments.  I’ll read Breaking Dawn soon before that movie comes out . . . but I can wait.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer B+:   The book’s narrator is a nine-year-old boy, Oskar Schell, who lost his father on 9/11 two years before the story began.  In the story, Oskar discovers a key in a vase that belonged to his father.  He is determined to find what that key opens; his determination takes him through all of New York’s burroughs.  What is so uniquely interesting about this book that will keep you on your toes as you read is that the author brings a multimedia sense to the book.  He uses type settings, spaces and even blank pages to give the book a visual dimension beyond the narrative.  Additionally, this brought back all my nightmarish thoughts about 9/11.

Complications by Atul Gawande A: This is a fascinating peak into the very human side of medicine.  I never was one to put all my faith into every single thing my doctors say – now I won’t for sure!!!  Dr. Gawande, who teaches at Harvard Medical School and is a general surgeon at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, is very VERY candid in his behind-the-scenes portrayals of hospital life.  Very thought provoking.  I may read his other book, Better, as well.

One Day by David Nicholls A-:  Dexter and Emma met on their college graduation day in 1988.  The book depicts a day in their lives (the same calendar day) over the next 20 years.  Dramatic irony takes great form here as the reader watches these two run circles around each other but never quite getting in synce in spite of their apparent strong affection for one another.  I actually exclaimed out loud at one point when reading – and I was outside at the pool.  Books rarely make me do that.  The movie version is already in production.  Run to the bookstore before the movie; you won’t regret it.

Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert B+:  My favorite line from this book talks about our power of thinking – we can choose our way of thinking just as we choose our wardrobes.  It’s up to us how we perceive situations occuring in our lives.  The author takes the reader on her mental and spiritual journey as she travels to Italy, India and Indonesia .  Her revelations are inspiring and endearing.  Plus, her sensory-detailed depictions of the Italian food she feasts on made me want to grab a deep-dish pizza that very second.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick B:  This is a darker novel than I normally pick up but it came highly recommended by two colleagues.  This is definitely NOT a recommendation for students.  Set in Wisconsin in 1907, Ralph Truitt places an ad for a wife.  Catherine Land, a woman with a scandalous past, answers the ad.  She secretly invents a plan to benefit from his riches; but, Ralph is more knowing than he seems.  The twists are shocking, the illustrations are sensual, and the characters are colorful.  The ending, however, was disappointing.  After the preceeding tumultuous events, I was left with an emptiness. 

The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer A+:  This is one of those books that changes your life after you read it!  Some may be familiar with Dr. Dyer as he appears frequently on PBS.  This book emphasizes the belief that we can find spiritual solutions to problems by “living at higher levels and calling upon faster energies.”  This may sound like The Law of Attraction, but Dr. Dyer takes the belief much further with practical, every day steps to take along with fascinating research to back up the claims.

Boundaries – When to Say Yes & How to Say No by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend A: Physical boundaries are usually easy to discern (fences, walls, signs, etc) but emotional and spiritual boundaries are not.  This book illustrates how boundaries such as skin, words, time, geographical distance, emotional distance, etc. defines us.  It is up to us to make those definitions clear, understand what is within our boundaries (or responsibilities) and what is not.  I found myself nodding my head in agreement as I read this.  Well worth the read!!

WHAT I WILL READ BEFORE SUMMER IS OVER (also in this order):  I better get busy . . . . these books are all piled and waiting for me →

House Rules by Jodi Picoult – this is her latest, a story of a teenage boy with Asperger’s syndrome.

 A Thousand Splendid Suns by Kholed Hosseini – another one I should have read long ago – many told me they enjoyed this more than The Kite Runner.  We shall see . . . it has much to live up to.

The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, MD. – can’t wait!  I heard this offers stunning insights into the “hormonal roller coasters” that seem to rule our lives sometimes.

The Male Brain by Louann Brizendine, MD. – this book promises to show how and why every phase of a man’s life is vastly different from a woman’s.  I’m looking forward to the new understanding. 🙂

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss – the story of lost love and the journey to find it.  Every woman needs to read at least one great love story over the summer.

comeback by Claire Fontaine & Mia Fontaine – a memoir recounting a mother and daughter’s journey through hell and back. I read a great review on this so I am anxious to see if it lives up to its critique.

Fair Isn’t Always Equal – by Rick Wormeli – this year’s summer read for my English department.  I am particularly interested to read the sections on grades and assessments.

**WHAT I READ EVERY DAY:  Until Today!  Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind by Iyanla Vanzant A:  I  bought this at the beginning of the summer and it now sits on my nightstand as the first thing I read each morning.  It is filled with devotionals for each day of the year.  Each month focuses on a different spiritual principle:  June focuses on forgiveness, July on understanding, August on faith, and so on.  It’s a wonderful tool to ponder over aspects of ourselves and what we can do to transform to help us grow and learn.    GG side note:  I started reading this on June 21st and have already discovered four grammar goofs.  While the words inspire, the English teacher in me cringes when I read such lines as written for yesterday’s devotional:  “When you spend time honoring the dreams of one who has changed, when you continuing standing up for the things they believed in and when you. . . ”  Oops!!

WHAT ARE YOU READING THESE DAYS?  PERHAPS YOU CAN GIVE ME SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR MY NEXT PILE TO BEGIN ATTACKING DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR?!

I Scream, You Scream, We ALL Scream for Ice Cream

Blue Moon Ice Cream

I recently stayed overnight at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, WI and enjoyed a sweet treat I haven’t tasted since, well, since the last time I was in Lake Geneva about 6 years ago . . . Blue Moon ice cream!!!  Apparently, it’s only available in upper areas of the Midwest – Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.  As I sat savoring the indulgence, I attempted to identify just what is Blue Moon ice cream.  Coupled with its refreshing sky blue hue, it has a hard-to-describe taste all its own.  After happily testing my analysis over and over and over again, I decided it definitely had a hint of lemon with a touch of raspberry.  When I returned home, I frantically searched online and discovered the “original” recipe is a secret but there are two recipes out there that come close.  I dug out my ice cream maker, tried the one I’ve listed below and – sure enough – it is VERY close!!!   Oh . . . and I was right about the lemon and raspberry!!

This is definitely a repeater in my house.  The blue color is a refreshing pretty touch!  For next year’s 4th of July party, I’ll serve this in tall clear ice cream dishes with fresh raspberries and homemade whipped cream on top.  Voilà – a deliciously indulgent red, white and blue treat!! 🙂

Blue Moon Ice Cream

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla oil (I used extract)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon blue food coloring
3 teaspoons vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon raspberry flavored oil or 1 cup frozen raspberries, pureed (I pureed fresh raspberries)
1 teaspoon lemon flavored oil or lemon extract (I used fresh lemon juice)

Directions:
-1/2 Cup of milk scalded in pan.
-add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 tsp of salt. stir till dissolved
-add 1/2 cup of half and half.
-add 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream.
-add vanilla, raspberry, lemon flavoring.
-add blue food coloring.
-chill in fridge till very cold.
-put in ice cream machine for about 20 minutes and devour!

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