Contents & More

State of the Branch

Hello to all and Happy Holidays from the staff at the Duluth Branch. 2011 has been a good year here. We added Doggie Tales, designed a paper dress, saw the birth of two babies and have another on the way. After years of wishin’ and hopin’, we got a new carpet—Wahoo! - and we’ve kept our customers read-ing and happy and coming back for more. Reviewing my calendar (I still use a paper one) reveals the following from the past year: Paper dress meetings, Let’s Talk sessions, an Assistant Branch Manager leaving (bye Elisa-beth) and another joining the team (hello Melissa). There were Cub Scout tours, a Cat in the Hat visit, Gayle’s retirement (having fun?) Read Across America Day, school visits, Doggie Tales, SRP crafting, a Pirate Super Saturday. Webinars, Barefoot in the Park, Steet Magic, evaluations, Henna, puppet shows, box punk, story times, board meetings, end of the fiscal year. After that came Craft-a-Rama, button art, Web Reporter training for all, school supplies for DFCS, Asian-Pacific-American month, Korean radio, for Dummies books, curriculum nights, RECARPETING. Laura went to BUF and Liz came from SUW. Overdrive, eBooks, Nooks, iPads, photography and drawing for teens. Art exhibits, Little Tikes tours, Turkey Talk, and December. I know your year has been eventful too. Please enjoy our holiday news magazine, courtesy of the staff at Duluth and put into its format by Michelle Sienkiewicz. 2011 will be remembered for eBooks. Here’s ours.

—— Lorena Gay-Griffin, Branch Manager

bride came down a hillside to

Miranda Lambert’s song

“Makin’ Plans” and met her

husband at the wedding alter

surrounded by redwood

trees and ferns. Josh’s

younger brother ,Noah, per-

formed the ceremony and the

vows were written by the

bride and bridegroom . After

the ceremony, guests were

invited for refreshments in an

charming old barn. Later that

evening a wedding dinner was

held at the Palo Alto restau-

rant where Julie and Josh had

their first date. Josh’s fraternity

brothers and Julie’s friends

took turns toasting the new

couple.

The following evening, Satur-

day, October 29th, a bigger

dance party reception was

held for more guests at the

Hillside Terrace. Another din-

ner, toasts, dancing, cake,

games and fun was had by all.

After wards, the newlyweds

headed off to a three week

honeymoon in Australia and

New Zealand.

Congratulations and good

wishes to both of them!

Beckmann-Veltman Wedding in Sunny California

“The Night Circus” by Erin

Morganstern is a magical

treat. Written with lyrical and

lush descriptions, the story is a

fairy tale involving two duel-

ing magicians , Marco and

Celia, in a game they are

forced to play to the death.

But what happens when they

fall in love? This novel is

full of interesting charac-

ters and highly imaginative

ideas all centered in a cir-

cus which appears and

disappears mysteriously

and is only open at night.

Perfect for readers who

enjoy magic realism.

Are you looking for a unique and inexpensive gift idea? You might con-

sider making a glitter painting. This craft involves finding an image,

making a photocopy of it, gluing it to a hard surface and covering it with

sparkling glitter. It’s relatively simple, and the results can be fantastic

or rather kitschy, depending on the effect you desire! For easy-to-

follow instructions and inspiration check out the video at …

www.marthastewart.com/266792/glitter-painting

Duluth Library Associate

Sue Beckmann’s daugh-

ter Julie was married in

sunny California re-

cently to Josh Veltman at

3pm on Friday, Oct. 28th.

The ceremony was held

at Nesltledown in the

Santa Cruz hills. The

Ch

ec

k i

t o

ut!

X

Above content is strictly

the opinion of the author

and does not necessarily

reflect the views of this

publication

Down with Leaf Blowers!!!!

Aren’t you sick and tired of hear-

ing that deafening noise and

breathing that choking air? It’s

about time for us to ban gas-

powered leaf blowers! Other

cool cities like Palo Alto, Cali-

fornia and Denver, Colorado

have passed laws restricting

the use of these annoying

“helpers”. Wouldn’t it be MORE

helpful to use a rake or mulch-

ing mower for those “nasty”

leaves?

Consider the benefits...a buff,

healthy body...a world where

you can hear the twitter of

birds...and a bigger wallet, no

angry neighbors, healthier

plants...

“The Night Circus” Book Review by Sue Beckmann

Cake Ingredients

1 cup butter (2 sticks) 2 cups granulated sugar 2 cups sweet potato (boiled, cooled and

mashed) 1 tsp. vanilla 4 eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. salt

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

This cake bakes up moist and delicious!

It’s also budget-friendly and perfect for the holidays.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. 2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl, cream sugar and butter well. 4. Add sweet potato and vanilla; beat until well combined.

(Mixture will look curdled) 5. Alternate adding each egg and some of the dry ingredients

beating well between each addition. 6. Pour mixture into greased pan. 7. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.

For the Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 3-5 tsp. orange juice Sift 1 cup powdered sugar, add 3 teaspoons orange juice and whisk. Add more OJ, one teaspoon at a time, for a thinner glaze.

From the kitchen of Natasha Washington

Tie Dye 4 Bakery www.TieDye4.net

3107-C Main Street

(678) 235-5322

HOURS:

M-W 6:30am-8pm

R-F 6:30am-11pm

Sat 8am-11pm

Sun 8am-5pm

PURE TAQUERIA www.PureTaqueria.com

Mexican Restaurant 3108 Main St.

Open 11am– 11pm daily

(770) 609-2630

www.bestofbrews.com (770) 910-9101

Open Mon 12-6 Tue-Thu 12-7

Fri-Sat 12-9 Closed Sunday

Contributed by Keli Morgan

Tie Dye 4 Bakery

www.TieDye4.net

3107-C Main Street

(678) 235-5322

HOURS:

PURE TAQUERIA

www.PureTaqueria.com

Mexican Restaurant

3108 Main St.

www.bestofbrews.com

(770) 910-9101

Contrib-Tie Dye 4 Bakery

www.TieDye4.net

3107-C Main Street

(678) 235-5322

HOURS:

M-W 6:30am-8pm

PURE TAQUERIA

www.PureTaqueria.com

Mexican Restaurant 3108

Main St.

www.bestofbrews.com (770) 910-

9101

Open Mon 12-6 Tue-Thu 12-7

Contributed by

Tie Dye 4 Bakery

www.TieDye4.net

3107-C Main Street

(678) 235-5322

HOURS:

M-W 6:30am-8pm

R-F 6:30am-11pm

PURE TAQUERIA

www.PureTaqueria.com

Mexican Restaurant 3108 Main St.

Open 11am– 11pm daily

www.bestofbrews.com

(770) 910-9101

Contributed by Keli Mor-

Tie Dye 4 Bakery

www.TieDye4.net

3107-C Main Street

(678) 235-5322

HOURS:

M-W 6:30am-8pm

R-F 6:30am-11pm

Contributed by Keli Mor-

Dear Dee,

My Mother in Law is notorious for

very bad gift giving. She loves to

give holiday themed gifts that

never match my décor. Is it tacky

of me to return these items and get

something else instead?

- Dazed Daughter-in-Law

Dear DiL,

Your question highly depends on the

relationship you have with your MiL.

If you have a healthy relationship

with her then, by all means, return

the items. If you have a normal rela-

tionship with her (meaning you don’t

really see eye to eye on most things)

then you may consider keeping the

gift in storage and pulling it out when

she comes over to appease the situa-

tion. In the end, it’s the thought that

counts and keeping the relationship is

much more important than a few dis-

appointing gifts. Look on the bright

side, at least she likes you enough to

actually get you a gift.

Dear Dee,

My children are ages 5 and 7. At

what point should I tell them about

Santa Claus?

- Puzzled Parent

Dear Puzzled Parent,

What’s there to tell? Santa is real!

But in the event that Santa actually

gets run over by reindeer and gift

giving must fall on the shoulders of

parents who would like to keep the

mishap under wraps, I suggest letting

your child figure it out themselves.

Children are naturally curious and

usually by age 8, 9, or 10 they have

put two and two together. When they

do figure it out, you can have a con-

versation with them about keeping

the secret (especially from younger

siblings and schoolmates who have

not been told) and possibly about the

history of St. Nick. Most kids are so

excited to grow up that they will

gladly keep the adult secret.

Dear Dee . . .

A special thank you to the staff of Duluth who contributed their questions.

Dear Dee,

My parents have decided to

only buy gifts this year for the

children under 18. This means

that my 19 year old will not get

a present but her 17 year old

cousin will. Am I off base in

feeling a little hurt by this?

- Sad Sally

Dear Sally,

This season has been tough on

many families due to economic

hardship, but your parents, who

no doubt love you and your child,

have not quite thought this

through. It is always important to

address these feelings with your

parents first. With luck, maybe

your parents will realize that ex-

cluding your child and hurting

feelings was not their intention

and you can agree - together - on

an alternate solution. If they

won’t budge on this new rule,

remember that the Holidays is

about love and understanding.

Dear Dee,

Every year there is always so

much food! How can I stay in

shape throughout the season?

- Fitness Female

Dear Fitness,

The best way to keep in check is

to stick to your routine. Got a

party to go to? Eat before you go

so you won’t be hungry and

tempted to splurge on the sweets.

Sitting down for a big family

meal? Pack away some leftovers

so you won’t feel the need to eat

so much then and there. Also,

make sure you squeeze in some

time to sneak away from the fam-

ily and do some cardio. If after

all is said and done and you have

gained a little weight, don’t let it

get you down. You know all the

right things to do in order to get

those couple pounds off.

Dear Dee,

I am recently married and this

will be our first Christmas as a

married couple. Problem is, he

grew up with a real tree and I

grew up with a fake tree. How

can I convince him that a fake

tree is the way to go?

- Wondering Wife

Dear Wondering Wife,

Is a fake tree really better or are

you more willing to let your hus-

band compromise instead of you?

The truth is, both fake and real

trees have pros and cons of their

own— real trees “smell” like

Christmas but need to be watered

and, while fake trees cut down

your risk of a fire hazard, they

look fake. I suggest having a dis-

cussion to uncover what the tree

means to both of you. Why does

the type of tree matter so much?

You may find that creating your

own traditions as a married couple

is much more satisfying than doing

something because you’ve always

done it that way.

Is it a bird or a bat or a red and green doll? Or perhaps a little elf here to save us all! Watch out for eLiz falling from shelves high above To serve library customers with compassion and love. In a blink of an eye; with the tip of a hat eLiz will inform you where your books are at. Her extremely friendly service will keep your fines in check, So sign up for eLiz’s Library Elf so you don’t become a wreck.

This book inspired me to try new things with drawing in my art. I photocopied the best pages and follow the exercises to stretch myself as an artist. —- Sue Beckmann

"Fated" is full of cynicism, sar-casm and truth, painting a modern portrait of self-absorbed mankind placating his mediocrity with material-ism and rampant sexuality while providing a great deal of food for thought. — Michelle Sienkiewicz

A well-researched fictional ac-count of one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan.” It tells the remark-able story of Achak, from his childhood in a tribal village to his struggle for survival in At-lanta. Engaging and inspiring —- Lorena Gay-Griffin

Christopher Moore populates his world with about 20 char-acters. It is nice to see famil-iar characters from his other stories take on new roles and fall into new situations. Sar-castic and very funny. —-Elisha Strong

I liked this book for several reasons, but mostly because it gives an in depth look at the struggles Margaret Mitchell faced with publish-ing Gone With the Wind, which is one of my favorite books. —-Melissa Welborn

It’s a great suspense book, full of twists and turns. It kept me on the “edge” of my seat. —- Liz Mangan

Moon rocks from the Apollo landing are priceless, and Thad Roberts, a NASA in-tern, sets out to steal them in order to fulfill a promise to his girlfriend that he will give her the moon. —- DeAnna Espinoza

Press the yellow dot on the cover to begin the journey. Each page has instructions for manipulating the dots. They multiply, change color, and grow. Very creative. I can’t wait to share it with my grandchildren! —-Keli Morgan

Born in Georgia, John Henry Holliday goes west for health reasons. The frontier suits Doc, where he meets Wyatt Earp, and both men are for-ever etched in the history of the American west. —-Suzanne Bennett

Twenty years into her career, Garielle Hamilton recalls her life before opening her own restaurant in New York and becoming the chef she had no idea she would become. —- Suzanne Bennett

ACROSS: 2-SALLY 4-LUCY 7-WOODSTOCK 9-ANDY 10-VIOLET 12-SNOOPY 13-FIVE 14-THREE 15-PEPPERMINTPATTY

16-BELLE 17-MARBLES 23-CHARLIEBROWN 24-TAPIOCAPUDDING 25-RERUN 26-FRIEDA 27-FOUR 28-FRANKLIN 30-PIGPEN

DOWN: 1-PATTY 3-LYDIA 5-CHARLOTTEBRAUN 6-JOSEPETTERSON 8-SPIKE 11-SHERMY 18-EUDORA 19-MARCIE

20-SCHROEDER 21-OLAF 22-PEGGYJEAN 27-FARON 29-LINUS

PEANUTS for Christmas

I have always been a fan of the PEANUTS characters, movies, and

television shows. Watching a “Charlie Brown „s Christmas” as a child is one of my

fondest memories of the holidays. I combined my love of

games with my fascination of the PEANUTS characters to

create the crossword puzzle below. Test your knowledge

of the characters‟ names using the picture on the left to

fill in the words for the spreadsheet below.

May your holiday season be happy and bright! (eStrong)

Xuan-Thao is sitting next to her

daughter Allison (unfortunately

baby Ryan couldn’t make the

party) so she’s holding Deanna’s

baby Olivia.

DeAnna with her baby Olivia

Monica

with her daughter Sofia

Duluth’s children….Allison, Olivia, Sofia, and Elle pictured with grown-up Sarah

Holiday Greetings from Jay Nagy

Light Kitty

by Michelle Sienkiewicz

Contributed by Melissa Welborn Source: http://www.ricekrispies.com/recipes/festive-fruit-wreaths.aspx#/recipes/festive-fruit-wreaths

Directions 1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat.

Add marshmallows and stir until completely

melted. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. 2. Add KELOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal,

dates, red cherries, green cherries, and nuts.

Stir until well coated. 3. Transfer cereal mixture to wax paper. Using

buttered hands shape mixture into a wreath

approximately 8 inches in diameter. Decorate with candy and sprinkle with powered sugar, if

desired. Best if served the same day.

Microwave Directions:

In a microwave safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring

after 2 minutes. Sir until smooth. Add vanilla,

stirring until combined. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Note

For best results, use fresh marshmallows. 1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substi-

tuted for marshmallows. Diet, reduced calorie or

tub margarine is not recommended. Store no

more than two days at room temperature in air-tight container.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 oz, about 40) regular

Marshmallows

-OR-

4 cups miniatures marshmallows

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies®

Cereal

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup chopped red candied cherries

1/2 cup chopped green candied cher-

ries

1/2 cup broken walnuts

Multi-colored candies (optional)

Festive Fruit Wreaths

The Do’s and Don’ts of Re-gifting

Over the years, re-gifting has had a negative connotation, but in these tough economic times,

circumstances have changed. It is wonderful to receive a gift and accept it in the spirit it is given,

however the golden rule still remains, “It is better to give than to receive.” In my mind re-gifting is

perfectly acceptable if certain rules are followed. The most important thing to remember is that

the item must be something that gives you an ache with the thought of losing it. For instance, if my

best friend in the world received a duplicate designer purse or shoes (we happen to wear the same

shoe size) I would not hold it against her if she re-gifted to me.

Having said that, there are certain items you must never re-gift no matter what. The first on the

list are edible items. If grandma baked you a fruitcake, please do not pass it on. Next, if it comes

from MOM, it is not eligible to be re-gifted even if she gives you the same gift every year. You just

have to suck it up and wear it, eat it or display it. Thirty hours of labor gives her the right to be

happy with HER choices for you.

In a nutshell, the concept of re-gifting is no longer taboo and can be an economical way to enjoy

the holiday season with your friends and family.

from the desk of Miriam

Holiday

Shopping

Without all

the Stress

By DeAnna

Espinoza

If done correctly, your shopping time will be decreased and time spent with family doubled. And that

lady screaming at the clerk in Walmart? Just hope that it’s not your mother.

There is no time like the holiday season; everyone is full of holiday cheer, children are ripe with

anticipation, and the lady standing next to you in line at Walmart is screaming at the top of her lungs be-

cause the TV advertised is out of stock and no rainchecks are allowed. It can all be a little overwhelming,

I know, but, with the right plan and shopping technique you can truly make this the most wonderful time

of the year.

There are great bargains to be had out there and if you follow these rules, you will have a stress

free holiday:

1. Make a budget—I know it hurts to sit down and look at your finances,

but this season will not be bright if it puts you into debt. Make a list

of everyone you need to buy for and allocate a spending amount on

each person. It helps to have a notebook if you have multiple people

to buy for and, especially, if you have a person(s) who will be receiv-

ing multiple gifts. Give each person a page in the notebook and keep

track of your spending by writing down each item bought.

2. Brainstorm—Some people are much easier to buy for than others. If

your dad plays golf every Sunday morning then you usually have a

pretty good fallback. If when you ask your mom what she would like

for Christmas and all she replies is “anything you get me will be fine,

dear” then you know that you have your work cut out for you. Before

stepping foot inside a retailer, grab your notebook and use that to jot

down hobbies and interests on each person’s page. If you don’t know

the person well enough to list at least one interest, then they shouldn’t

be receiving a gift, you’re just wasting your money (this does not ap-

ply to gift exchanges you participate in where a generic gift must be

bought.)

3. Look at ads—Almost all ads come out in the Sunday paper (which can be bought Saturday evening and a

good way to stay on top of sales) and most prices are in effect from Sunday to Saturday. If it is a good

discount on an electronic item, get to the store when or before they open on Sunday to make sure you get

it before it sells out. Always comparison shop. Before buying anything, check other ads to see what other

deals you can get. Don’t forget about price matching. Almost every store now has a price matching pol-

icy so you can shop at one retailer and get the same deals that were advertised at another store.

4. Make a List—There should be a specific purpose for going

into a store, even if it is just to comparison shop. When

shopping for the holidays, we often do what I like to call In-

spirational Shopping. We go to the stores to get inspired for

a gift idea. Guess what? It’s very rare that you find some-

thing so wonderful and perfect when doing Inspirational

Shopping—you usually just settle on what’s available. You

already know what’s in the store so use online catalogs and

Amazon to do the Inspiring and then you will be less tempted

to buy something the gift receiver doesn’t want.

5. Shop Early—Thanksgiving has already passed but if you can

complete your holiday shopping the week before Christmas

comes around then you’ve already done better than half of

the population. When you wait until the last minute you get

stressed out and are willing to buy anything. Last minute

presents are rarely good gifts.

Happy Holidays

from the staff at

DUL (anything but dull)

Sarah Breiding

Monica Garcia

Cathy Hillard

Christopher Hudson

Suzanne Bennett

Keli Morgan

Elisha Strong

Sue Beckmann

Liz Mangan

Xuan Thao Ngo

Maria Rittenhouse

Michelle Sienkiewicz

Miriam Smellie

Natasha Washington

DeAnna Espinoza

Jay Nagy

Melissa Welborn

Lorena Gay-Griffin