Sand Castle Competition

Aquatennial, a water festival in Minneapolis, was this weekend. I went with my old roommates Erin and Nikki today to check out the sand castle competition at Lake Calhoun. We didn't stay long enough to find out who won, but they all were really well done. This takes a lot of talent!

This one above represents the movie The Mummy

This one ^^^ was my favorite

You maybe can't see this one very clearly, but it's title was "Got Gas?". There are 3 people with their butts hooked up to a car. On their backs, one says "Unleaded", another says, "Ethanol", and the other one I'm not sure.

Saving Gas

Just came across some interesting stuff on the Carbonrally website. I went to fueleconomy.gov to investigate more. On our trip home from southern Wisconsin last weekend, Dad and I were discussing/commenting/pondering at the benefits on gas mileage of going a few miles per hour slower. Turns out:

"While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.

You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon for gas.

Observing the speed limit is also safer."

I like the plug on the last line haha.

CarbonRally.com also says:

"You get fewer miles per gallon. For every 5 mph over 60 mph, your vehicle’s miles per gallon drops about 7%. On a 200 mile trip, an average car driving at 75 mph instead of 65 mph burns an extra 1.6 gallons, costs an additional $6.50, and releases an additional 30 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere."

WHO KNEW?
well, maybe you did.

support and Grandpa

Grandpa Barnes passed away on Sunday, July 6th. It took us all by surprise, yet it is peaceful knowing that he's with God and Grandma. I figure that's a pretty good combination. Yet I have to admit, I wasn't (and am still not completely) ready to let him go. I loved Grandpa so dearly, and he really touched my heart. I have countless memories from childhood that involve gpa, like being out at the lake and playing in his office, counting bluebird eggs at Lake Wissota and learning to waterski. I will cherish those memories forever. I also have a fresh batch of memories; those from the past couple of years when Grandpa's health was declining and he was weaker. The memories I have from this time, especially the past year, are from visits we had when I really got around to appreciating his wisdom. The last time I saw Grandpa was 2 weeks before he died, when we spent a large chunk of the day together at the Emergency Room in Sacred Heart Hospital. Grandpa was in fairly good spirits when I was with him, and we actually had a great visit with good conversation. It was several hours later when the nurses told Grandpa that he really shouldn't be talking much as it decreased his strength. I felt guilty for having engaged him in conversation about setting up house on Lake Wissota, although now I wouldn't take back that day for anything. He was an extraordinary man, and will be missed.





I discovered another plus of working with kids- they have an ability to affect you in a positive way without even trying. I came back to work at Jackson Elementary School on Monday after having been home for the previous week to be with the fam, and received a batch of homemade sympathy cards. They are adorable, and touched me so much!!! I am going to really miss the kids in my classroom, they just have beautiful, untainted hearts.

Miss Betty Crocker Jr

Some of you may know that my mom earned the title of Betty Crocker in high school, beating out stiff competition and skipping class to earn a trophy of Miss Betty herself, proudly hoisting a freshly iced cake toward the heavens. Well, as the daughter and grandaughter of great cooks/bakers, I feel it is my duty to keep on keepin on. I also feel VERY fortunate to have grown up in a family that LOVES food. Food is meant to be enjoyed, and I certainly do savor it. Now, while I can't say that I have yet fully developed into the same caliber cook/baker as the Barnes and Goessling women before me, I can say that I try.


I've recently gotten into making banana bread... mostly because I live in a college house and we tend to not eat all of our bananas before they turn brown and gross. Hence, banana bread! I made the latest loaf sometime last week and it turned out great. Then, on Saturday afternoon I decided to make chocolate chip cookies... Turns out that sometimes I get SO excited about becoming a culinary wizard that I forget to read the recipe. I put in baking powder, instead of baking soda. Well, I discovered this slip-up as I was putting the first sheet into the oven. I thought I was going to get disastrous results and was prepared for the worst. Now, at this point of my story, all 0f you more advanced bakers may know more than I did about how they would turn out. Which was great!! They are delicious. My only complaint is that they are a bit more crumbly and all fall apart. BUT, if you don't mind eating your cookies in pieces, I'm your girl!!

This morning I went to the farmer's market in Minneapolis and got a bunch of fresh veggies, which is always exciting! I just whipped up some enchiladas and Spanish rice. The rice is a first for me, but it turned out great.

I work/volunteer at a library 2 afternoons a week. There are often no kids to read with/play games with... so I've developed a new hobby of copying recipes down from cookbooks. I spotted a "Best of the Bake-Off" Chocolate cookbook that will be tomorrow's task. I'll keep you posted on my future culinary creations (or attemps) :)

Happy 4th!

Rhythm & Booms

We went to Madison this weekend for Adam and Andrea's annual 4th of July get together!! It was my first time seeing Rhythm and Booms, and it was definitely worth the hype!!! I'd have to count the show as the best fireworks I've seen in my (almost) 22 years on this Earth. Adam and Andrea made delicious shish kabobs (sp?) and PEANUT BUTTER PIE. delish. It was great to see everybody, and to meet precious little Noah too! Thanks for your hospitality A team!

It sprinkled a little bit before the show started..

Hanging out at the Hampton Inn..Tim's old stomping ground!

Little baby Noah and Grandma!! and an admiring bystander :) haha and mom

In the big blue van

insomnia

If you know me, you know I'm a planner. Or a dreamer. Perhaps a combination?? Well, I get on these kicks of trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. Or what I'm going to major in. And what I'm going to minor in. Or what I'm going to do next May when I graduate. You get the idea. Seeing that it is 1:00 am on a Friday, it should be obvious that I am on one of these kicks. I can't fall asleep, so I figured instead of trying I would share my musings and silent anxiety-driven mental rants with all of you.

I am approaching my senior year of college. Here are the majors I have been through:
1. Interior Design (freshman year)
2. Family Social Science (sophomore year)
3. Spanish Studies (current)

And the minors...
1. Economics
2. Family Social Science
3. Teaching English as a Second Language

#3 on the minor list is what I am currently contemplating. You see, my problem is that I LOVE to contemplate this stuff. It's what I do. Which makes me think I want to be some type of career counselor/high school guidance counselor someday. But that's another topic.

HOW MUCH DOES A MINOR MATTER???? I think it doesn't. I also think that if anyone ever looks at my college transcript, they will think, "This girl cannot make up her mind and is spastic". I have courses in Design, Spanish, Economics, Self-Defense, Family Social Science, Music Therapy, and a whole bunch of other random stuff. Maybe they'll consider me well-rounded. So ANYWAYS, I had been planning on minoring in Family Social Science, since I have a fair amount of credits in the department already. However, I really don't want to take the remaining 2 classes that I need for the minor. SO, I had signed up for 2 Chicano Studies classes this fall about Immigration and border issues that just sounded interesting. Now, I'm thinking about dropping the Family Social Science minor and adding a Teaching English as a Second Language minor. I figured it out, and I can do the whole minor in my remaining 2 semesters. Are you confused yet???? Luckily, there is a hold on my record from the advising department so I can't drop and add classes right now. I think that was probably wise of them to block me from changing my registration, because I get click-happy and change my entire schedule all the time.

So, what do you think? If you followed any of that. I'm starting to feel nauseous, I think I'll try to count sheep now or something.

Free Rice

Random Fact about me: I have several websites that I routinely check several times a day. CNN.com, Time.com, People.com, facebook, email, etc. I was on the Time website today and read an article titled something like "50 cool websites". I had some downtime and was sufficiently fried from my 10 hour day working with kids, so I clicked through all 50. Among them I came across a few worth passing along:

www.freerice.com: You should really go to this site. It features a vocabulary game, through which 20 grains of rice are donated for every correct answer. The site partners with the UN World Food Program to donate rice. In it's first 5 months as a site, FreeRice generated enough rice to feed 1 million people--so that's pretty sweet. The game gives you a vocab word and possible definitions, from which you have to choose. A good way to spend a few minutes, very educational and helping a worthy cause!

digitalvaults.org: This site is called "National Archives Experience", and has digital records of all kinds of documents that you probably wouldn't normally get to see. For example, I looked at the memo sent after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, describing the success of the bombing and the conditions of the attack. There's all kinds of stuff...Supreme Court decrees, memos, photos, etc.

www.carbonrally.com: This is a site dedicated to cutting carbon emissions and challenging people to live more environmentally friendly lives. It features "challenges", such as "Use the clothesline for a few loads of laundry this month. By line-drying 1 load per week, you will reduce your CO2 emissions by 18.8 lbs after one month." It puts people in competition from different parts of the country and offers a lot of tips. Another challenge: "De-cup your decaf- Challenge: Are coffee cups part of your daily routine? If so, go one week without using any disposable coffee cups. By using your own coffee cup, you will your total CO2 emissions by 1.25 lbs this week." This stuff probably makes a miniscule difference, but I'm sure it all adds up and works toward maintaining an environmentally friendly lifestyle! Wow, I'm not usually such an advocate for this, but it's a site worth browsing!!