Create Free Read Along Books for Read Across America Day

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      Today, Friday, March 2, 2012 is NEA Read Across America Day. 

                Reading is a favorite pastime in our household.  Books, magazines and e-readers are stacked in every room.  Each night, my husband and I read to our toddler, hoping to pass our love of reading on to her.  As she matures, I see that our work is not in vain.  She appears to love books as much as we do.

                Unfortunately, bed time stories are no longer enough to pacify our little one.  She also likes to spend time perusing her books with some autonomy.  For her third birthday, she received a children's e-reader and several electronic books as a gift.  During the months since, I frequently find her attentively listening as her electronic device reads books to her.  She is also mastering the letter, word and language games it offers.

                Another favorite of my toddler is read along books.  (They were the only thing she requested from Santa last year.)  Years ago, my husband and I enjoyed playing 45s on portable record players as we eagerly awaited the sound of chimes signaling us to turn the page of our favorite books.  Later the books came with cassette tapes.  The newer versions our child enjoys come with CDs or an MP3 download.

                In order to assist Santa in locating these items, I perused online book stores like Barnes and Noble and Amazon.  Both retailers stock read along books, but at prices ranging from $10-$30, it can be difficult to stock a library with them.  Dollar Tree stores can help round out read along book collections by offering a wide variety of religious and fairy tale CD books at $1 each.  Of course, there is a way to turn all your children's and even adult books into audio books for free.  All it takes is a little time and a home computer.  Here's how to make your own.

                First, open the Voice Recorder program on your computer.  (It's free software available on most Windows systems.  Then record yourself reading each page of your favorite book onto a separate track. i.e. 5 pages will equal 5 separate recordings.

                Next, open Windows Live Movie Maker.  (This is another free software application available on most Windows systems.)  Download each page's recording into the project task bar.  You may have to also insert a picture or text into the video track in order to get started.

                Between each page sound track, insert a sound effect track which will cue the listener to turn the page.  I like to use sounds like chimes or bells.  Several websites like www.soungle.com offer royalty free sound effects downloads at no cost.

                Then, save the completed project as a WAV file.  Some CD players will play WAV files.  If yours will.  You're done.  Burn a CD, slip in an envelope, and affix it to the inside cover of your child's favorite book to transform it to a read along version.  If your CD player does not recognize WAV files, or your child prefers to utilize his or her MP3 player, another step is required to convert the WAV into an MP3 file.

                Download a freeware WAV to MP3 converter online.  www.wavtomp3converter.com and www.free.mp3-converter.com are just a couple sites offering free downloads.  www.convertfiles.com/convert/audio/WAV-to-MP3.html  allows users to make the conversion without installing a new program.

                And that's it!  It may take some time to complete your first read along book, but once you get the hang of it, subsequent ones take only minutes.  I like to set aside a few minutes each month, to make CDs for the books my child already has.  I also encourage other family members to help me add to her collection by making recordings and emailing them to me for editing.

                On days, I'm feeling especially creative, I recruit grandma and grandpa to read books while chatting with us on Skype.  I use the VOD Burner program to record our conversation.  That way, I end up with a home movie and sound which can be edited into read along story for my little one.  *Note, VOD Burner software can be a little pricey (around $100,)  but it does come with a 14-day free trial.  If you utilize Skype frequently, it is well worth the purchase price. 

                Creating audio books and videos to encourage reading is a wonderful gift for your loved one.  Don't worry, the finished project doesn't have to be as slick as a professional recording.  Young readers will love yours more because you made it especially for them.

               

                In honor of Read Across America Day, I would like to give something back to my friends and neighbors in Buchanan County, Virginia.  I am providing free MP3 downloads I created for my daughter's Dolly Parton's Imagination Library books.  To obtain a copy to supplement your child's reading experience  contact me on Facebook to request an MP3 of their favorite story.  Happy Reading!                              

Breaker I-9, Hot Beignets!

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image courtesy of www.rachelleb.com

      
             As Christians around the world prepare for the season of Lent, popular culture places heightened focus on Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, which refers to the practice of eating richer or fatty foods before beginning ritual fasting for the next forty days (excluding Sundays.)  Media coverage of Fat Tuesday in the United States focuses on celebrations, parades and social events taking place in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana  during its world famous Carnival.  Almost one quarter of the Big Easy's four million annual tourists will converge on the southern city's streets to take part in the revelry during this time.

                Ten years ago, a fortuitous business trip sent me for a two week stay on NOLA's famous Bourbon Street.  I fell in love with the graceful city and his French and Spanish history.  In the hours after work, I explored graveyards on tiptoe, shivered through midnight ghost tours, marveled at the old plantations, swayed the night away listening to jazz and zydeco musicians, shopped in offbeat boutiques and tasted amazing cuisine.  New Orleans was in life exactly what Hollywood had portrayed in the movies I had seen.

                Of course, there are always downsides to travel.  The city was dirty, crowded and crime-ridden.  One of my biggest let downs though came from an unlikely place: a visit to the internationally acclaimed Cafe Du Monde on Decatur Street, in the French Quarter.  The 24-hour French market and coffee stand has been serving its chicory coffee  and beignets fried in cotton seed oil since 1862 -- and both are superb. 

                My problem with Cafe Du Monde's fare was simple.  The cafe didn't make beignets the way my grandmother did.  I remember waiting anxiously for her to scoop the crispy, golden deep-fried dough dabs out of her Fry Daddy and sprinkle the treats with a lacy dusting of powdered sugar.  I wasn't the only one who thought they were tasty either.  I was usually standing in line with several coal truck drivers who stopped at my aunt's Buchanan County, Virginia grocery store when she would make a CB announcement that Memow was in the store kitchen, cooking for the day.  I was sure my aunt needed to invest in a neon Hot Doughnuts Now sign like the ones I had seen at Krispy Kreme.

                Years later, Memow shared her simple recipe with me so I could continue to make her tasty treats.  She passed away in 1995, and I didn't taste another beignet until my visit to Cafe Du Monde.  Maybe this year I'll make an attempt at whipping them up myself.  My husband must be eagerly anticipating the event.  Yesterday he brought home a fire extinguisher and told me he had programmed the fire department's phone number into our home and cell phones.  In honor of Memow, I decided to share her recipe in hopes you will enjoy a beignet brunch this February 21^st as well.

Memow's Easy Beignets

1 package crescent Rolls                                                                                                    1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Oil for frying 

Heat oil in a deep fryer to about 360 degrees.

Separate each crescent roll triangle from roll. Cut each large triangle into 2 smaller equal-sized triangles, making 16 triangles total. 
 

Drop into oil and fry for 2.5-3 minutes until evenly browned.  Remove from fryer and drain on paper towels. Sift a generous amount of sugar over each beignet and serve warm.

Unmentionables Heat Up Winter Days and Nights

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SmartWool Thong

          

    
   During winter months new snow blankets the ground and gives a fresh white cover to our surroundings and temperatures plunge.  As the mercury drops below freezing, we take many precautions to care for our homes, vehicles and even pets.  Don't forget to take time to check your unmentionables drawer and make sure to winterize it too.

            Because a larger percentage of men than women have jobs and physical pursuits that place them in the great outdoors for longer periods of time, it is understandable they have a larger selection of retail outdoor apparel.  But outdoor outfitters and manufacturers see the potential of the female consumer in this marketplace too.  Over the last ten years, we have seen an appearance of pink hunting gear on retailers' shelves.  Now a new trend is core layering foundation garments.

            Boxers, briefs, panties and bras are the items worn closest to the body.  It is necessary for these garments to perform as well as all the other heat preserving layers wearers pile on top of them.   So, what  should one know when lingerie shopping for individuals spending time exposed to the elements?

            First, decide what type of activity you will be doing while wearing these items.  If the answer is less strenuous activity that will not require you to sweat or get wet,  regular cotton undies and thermal underwear are great choices.  Most stores carry these items in a variety of sizes for adults and children during this season.  Carters markets one piece infant versions and Max Grey has designed a toddler separates currently available at Dollar Tree Stores.  Cotton does excel at providing extra layers of warmth, but fails in the water resistance test.  It acts like a sponge when wet and takes a long time to dry.

            If you plan on performing tasks which require more physical exertion, a good choice is a synthetic fiber blend found in pricier performance underwear.  Synthetic fibers wick moisture from the body and dry quickly.  Under Armor, Silvertec and Polarmax are just a few of the companies now making underwear that puts dad's old Fruit of the Looms to shame.  ExOfficio, Wickers, and Patagonia also market women's products in a few styles and colors.  The primary drawback to this product is the nature of synthetic fibers.  Man-made fiber tends to hold bacteria, so after a few wears a garment will emit  the perpetual funk of body odor even after laundering in detergents like Tide plus Febreze Freshness Sport, which is specifically designed to clean synthetic fabrics.

            Of course, when it comes to beating the cold, you just can't beat good old mother nature.  Foundation garments made from natural fibers like silk and wool are the best choices.  They effectively wick moisture,  are antibacterial, warm the body efficiently and feel luxurious against the skin.  WinterSilks markets 100% silk garments for men, women and children.  Icebreaker  and Ibex Outdoor Clothing weigh in with high quality 100% wool and some wool/synthetic blends.  They also claim that softer skin is an added benefit for wearers because the wool  releases its lanolin as it rubs against the body. 

            While performance unmentionables have not rocketed into the marketing stratosphere of Victoria's Secret, don't mistake their popularity.  At about the same price as items from the sexy lingerie chain, performance undies are making a play for part of the Valentine's Day retail market.   SmartWool is expecting some February 14 shoppers.  The company is now advertising its Microweight Thong in two colors: a sweet lavender and racy black.

Digitizing Home Movies and Pictures

           

    
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 Each year many make a New Year's resolution to clear clutter while packing away all the paraphernalia  painstakingly pulled out and proudly displayed during the holidays.  But before putting 2011 to rest, take a look around the house and locate your video camera.  If it's like mine, it is probably tucked in a bag laying around like a faithful hound, awaiting the rare moment I show it some attention.  For generations many of us have made home movies and then stored them away too.   Unlike holiday decorations, too many of our home movies are not even viewed once a year.

            New digital cameras are quickly changing the way we view, share and store our personal moments.  A click of a computer mouse allows us to enjoy a pictorial history now, but just a few years ago, that wasn't the case.  I still have stacks of pictures,  8mm film, VHS and mini-DV tapes with content that was never viewed.  As time continues, our projectors and video players are going the way of the Edsel.  Sooner than we think, we will have a library of media and no way to see its content.

            In the past, film and tape conversion was cost prohibitive and many feared their precious home movies might be lost or damaged when mailing them to professionals.   Another concern was rapidly changing technology;  by the time we converted to a new format, we would just have to turn around and do it again. Now,  for a small investment of money and time, we can do the job ourselves.  I recently converted my in-laws'  8mm film and presented them with a DVD for Christmas.  The gift was such a success that I continue to receive phone calls from individuals who hire me to convert their movies too!  The process was relatively easy.  All I had to do was select the film setting on my camcorder and record the film as I projected it onto a white screen.  I was then able to manipulate the digital file in my computer video editing software and burn the DVD.

            For VHS tapes, I have utilized two methods.  A DVD/VHS recorder will make the conversion easily.  When VHS tapes have tracking problems, I prefer to use an old VHS player with a tracking knob on the remote and hook it to an ION Video 2 PC Conversion System or a Roxio Easy VHS to DVD Conversion System (both available at walmart.com for under $50.)  This allows me to manually adjust out most of the wavy lines on the video before creating the DVD.  HDVSplit is freeware that will capture streaming video from your camcorder directly onto your computer.  The file can then be manipulated in a variety of video editing programs like Windows Live Movie Maker (free software on most computers with Windows operating systems) or Sony Vegas.

            Most computer scanners are capable of digitizing photographs.   Make sure each photo is scanned at 300dpi or greater to ensure that image quality is high enough for reproduction. The scanning process can be a bit lengthy, but I considered it well worth my time when I was able to pull my photos out of those sticky backed album pages and safely store them in acid free archival boxes.

            The great thing about deciding to complete photo and video conversion in 2012 is that technology has advanced to a point where the original quality is not compromised by digitizing to DVD.  It cannot be further enhanced by waiting for new technologies like BluRay, which was developed for high definition television.  Of course,  at some time in the future we may decide to change formats of our home archives again, but digitization will make it so much easier.  Besides, I don't know how many more years I'll be able to purchase replacement filament light bulbs for my Kodak projector before they're outlawed.