Re-energize!

Everyone experiences days when they feel lazy or weary, when their lives are too hectic and stressful, and/or when they can't seem to be happy and think optimistically. How do you overcome this? We personally feel that the following have brought us better joy:A wholesome vegan diet andFaith in GodDespite weariness and stress, we are more assured and energized each day. God gives us eternal strength and hope. And, being vegan gives us inner peace, knowing that we are doing the right thing and eating fresh, nutritious plant foods that are good for our bodies, good for the animals, and good for the earth. Nourishing our bodies and souls the right way is so energizing and uplifting!Some vegan food we've recently made has put smiles on our faces :) We've enjoyed using our Vitamix to blend smoothies and soups!We are officially on the "green smoothie" bandwagon. We enjoyed our first Kale Berry Banana smoothie this weekend, and it was a great way to start the day. Our smoothie we based off of the Green Smoothie Blog's recipe. We blended together some red kale leaves, bananas, hemp protein powder, and frozen marionberries for a delicious, creamy breakfast smoothie! As if we hadn't had enough Kale, we've also been enjoying raw kale salads, with some garlic, olive oil, and lemon dressing or sundried tomatoes.With our handy pressure cooker, we easily cooked up some red potatoes and whipped up Creamy Potato Broccoli Soup, adapted slightly from Veganomicon!We also tried a refreshing citrus fruit - the pummelo! This fruit is a big citrus fruit, with a greenish-yellow skin and a pink flesh. Similar to a grapefruit with a hint of lemon, yet mild and sweet in flavor.A few weeks ago we enjoyed a trip to New Season's Market in Lake Oswego, OR. These markets are like Whole Foods. The employees are the nicest people - they really care about customer service. Shopping at New Seasons is so much fun!Trying new products always boosts our mood, and at New Seasons we got to purchase a lot of great eats.(Note, some of the products in the photo above we've already reviewed)Dr. McDougal's Lentil Couscous Soup Mixes, low in sodium, yet very flavorful and filling!Terra Sweet Potato and Carrot Chips, although fried, are a nice variation to the usual chip.Suzie's Puffed Kamut Cake - so good, with a nice "popcorn" bite and flavor, all whole grain.Dagoba 'Single Origin' Milagros Dark Chocolate bar - with notes of banana and fruit.Panda Licorice - the best licorice bar with a great molasses-licorice flavor, soft and chewy!Laura's Wholesome Junk Food Gingerbread Bites - good because healthier ingredients (such as dates); but too much sugar/sweetness, and expensive.Woodstock Farms Mango Applesauce - natural and flavorful!What are some ways you all find energy and happiness each day? The coming of Spring is another thing to find happiness about!-LK

Great food. Great company

Blk C peeps gathered for a great Birthday celebration for our dearest Der@FRIENDS, Serangoon gardens.Ever since zel has intro-ed me the Women's Wkly 1-for-1 coupon deals back in 2004, I've been buying that particular issue the first moment they've released it! Same goes for this year as well. Isn't too ex after the discount and here was my meal....(ripped the name of the dishes fr der's blog...haha)1) Smoked Mackerel with potato cake and turmeric cream cheese2) Soup of the day: Cream of vegetable3) Duo of Bratwurst and Chicken Nuremberg served with chilled garden salad,mustard cream4) Crème brûléeCheck out how happy the Birthday girl was that night...Happy 24th Birthday Derlyn!!! Hugs..

Filth...

this is what Owen's shirt looked like at the end of the day yesterday. The photo doesn't even do it justice. And here's the thing: When he put it on that morning, it was brand new. Yes, brand new. Never before been worn. According to Margie (who has been doing professional childcare for over 15 years, and has cared for literally hundreds of children), in her expert opinion, Owen is truly the messiest, muddiest, dirtiest, filthiest, hardiest player ever. In her words, "I've seen a lot of kids -- boys especially -- play hard. But these kids, Owen in particular, play real hard!" She says she's never seen anything like it. It is also her opinion that our only hope for this shirt is to "soak it good and long in BLEACH."har·dy 1 (härd) adj.- har·di·er, - har·di·estBeing in robust and sturdy good health.

The Piccou Family does Los Angeles

For the shared birthday of Mom and Daughter, Chris (the dad) planned a big, fun day in L.A. First they rented a stretch limo to take all of us around town. We hit the Ivy for brunch, then walked around the street and The Grove, Pink's, the Pier- just to name a few! Even though we were the photogs, we felt like we got the royal treatment all day with delicious food, riding in the limo and wonderful company. We were tired in the end (I think we all fell asleep on the ride home!) But it was a wonderful day to remember! There ended up being SO many pictures, so this blog is pretty big!Mattie Mae, birthday girl number 1:Lia cracks me up!We took that picture for Christmas!Brunch at The Ivy.Lia working her stuff!My little model!Jeremy: Friend, Photographer, Legend in his own mind!!The whole famdamily! Chris' parents joined us from Mississippi! Jeremy and Dana, doing what we do!Love her converse!Judah was serious about having a pic with the fur!LOVE this!Sums up The Picou kids!I adore this shot of Randy + Debbie. They held hands all day and just had a good time, even though it was a bit of culture shock for them. They were good sports!Lia, birthday girl number 2! I put her as number 2 because she puts her kids first : )No one told them to do this! But then 3 seconds later, a fight broke out! Sammy (and me.)This is so weird and I love it!Getting some trinkets for the kids.Loved the cloudy sunset on the pier.Happy Birthday Mattie Mae!Thank you Picou Family! We are so blessed to know you!

Drayson Racing to Start Seventh in Class at Renowned Spa Circuit

Drayson Racing
FRANCORCHAMPS, BELGIUM-
9 May, 2009
Drayson Racing will start Sunday's 1000 Km de Spa, the second of five Le Mans Series races in 2009, from seventh on the LM GT2 class grid. The fast and famous facility laid out in the Ardennes Forestof Belgium has quickly proven a favourite of drivers Paul Drayson (London/Gloucestershire, UK) and Jonny Cocker (Guisborough, Yorks, UK) despite limited track time in dry conditions. It was Cocker, with three previous starts on the 7.003 Km/4.35 mile Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, who set the qualifying time of two minutes, 23.694 seconds in the team's No. 87 Drayson Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT2. Cocker will also start the 1000Km/621.3 mile event at 12:50 local time on Sunday.
The weekend has continued to show the dramatic improvement of the Aston Martin Vantage GT2 under the Drayson Racing banner. A unique car in the Series, the V8-powered British sports car is rapidly being developed for its premiere in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 13-14 June. Cocker's quick lap was hindered by a wounded car making its way around the course. Despite the slowed time, the effort was still good for a top-10 run in the Aston Martin Vantage's first visit here. Data records show that an unencumbered lap would have placed the Official Partner Team of Aston Martin Racing (AMR) deep within the top-five of the 15-car class.
Spa is internationally recognised for its setting within the towering pines of this historic forest, its devastatingly quick lap times, the courage required of drivers to full-throttle the Eau Rouge corner and its weather. Friday's first free practice session of one hour was run entirely on a wet track and at moderate temperatures. The morning practice session on Saturday proved dry but cooler with a temperature of just 5.4° C/42° F. Qualifying warmed only slightly. The forecast calls for rain and only slightly warmer temperatures than today with a high of 20° C/68° F.
Le Mans will be the next round on the 2009 Drayson Racing calendar which sees the British-based team travelling to nine countries on three continents. The race at Spa is an excellent warm-up for the also dauntingly quick Circuit de la Sarthe, site of the 24 Heures du Mans. At Le Mans, Drayson and Cocker will be joined by Le Mans veteran Marino Franchitti (Edinburgh/London UK). Together, the trio will be the on-track presence for the full Drayson Racing team as they challenge for their first 24 Hour victory next month.
Quotes
Paul Drayson, Driver/Owner:
"I am very happy with my first outing here at Spa. The track has a fearsome reputation and having been out on it I can see why. All the character and the gradient changes, the enormously fast corners. Eau Rouge and Blanchimont; two corners that really take your breath away. I understand now why people talk about Spa so much. With 51 cars on the circuit all at once, four different classes, it is a real battle for space. That's what the race will be about too. I am really loving it. Six hours here; that's going to be brilliant."
Jonny Cocker, Driver: About qualifying:
"Qualifying went pretty well. We are getting closer. We were P6 [position six] but a theoretical P4. On our quick lap we had to pass a Lamborghini which had broken down. Unfortunately, we lost the best part of half-a-second. There wasn't time to do another lap. It was kind of a series of events but we are pleased. The important thing is that our car has good race pace. As we get closer in qualifying it means we are getting closer on race pace as well. Our relative drop-off seems much less than a lot of the other front running cars."
About the race:
"The start is going to be busy; it always is here. People have to bear in mind that it is a six hour race and shunting it in the first turn is probably not a good idea. We'll have to see what happens with the weather obviously. There is always a chance of rain or for it to be quite cold also. We think we are on the right Michelin tyre and we are quite looking forward to it."
To visit the official web site of Drayson Racing, please go to
www.draysonracing.com.
To learn more about Aston Martin Racing, please proceed to
www.astonmartinracing.com.
For Live Timing and Scoring as well as more on the Le Mans Series visit
www.lemans-series.com.
To see up-to-the-minute notes on Drayson Racing, please follow "DraysonRacing" on Twitter

Pakistan Swat valley roads reopen

The Pakistani military is preparing to reopen roads into the conflict-hit Swat valley and neighbouring regions.
The move is intended to encourage people displaced by earlier fighting against the Taliban to return home.

Staying Focused with Detailed Instructions

When Ellie and I were getting some behavioral modification help last year, one of the suggestions I was given was to make sure I was providing her with very specific instructions as autistic children will have trouble intuiting and planning the multiple steps that are implied in traditional educational instructions. For example, when doing a math sheet where you need to color a picture according to the answers of math problems, the sheet instructions just say "Add. Then Color." There is then a code beneath the instructions that says something like 2=green, 3=purple, 4=blue, etc. Ellie needs the instructions to be more specific she needs the instructions to say "Solve the addition problems in the shapes below and write the answers. Then look at the code. Watch your answer to the color code and color each shape with the color listed. When you are done there will be a picture. Tell me what the picture is." The Dr. we were working with suggested I just write these additional notes on Post-Its and stick them to the worksheets I put in Ellie's daily folders. It was a simple suggestion but one that made a huge difference in my homeschooling day. Ellie doesn't have to spend as much time struggling to plan out intermediate steps (which causes her to loose focus) and I don't have to keep after her to get back to work. So with this change of providing more detailed directions, Ellie is able focus better and complete independent work more expediently.Interestingly, the idea of providing specific instructions to achieve specific results was provided as another tip in John Wesley's article on increasing motivation at PicktheBrain.com . I know that some of the curriculums I choose have very detailed instructions, they lay out exactly what I am to say and exactly what the girls are to do. I have found that these curriculums tend to be the easiest for me to use because I don't find myself putting off planning our assignments because I know everything I need will be spelled out for me and I won't have to spend a lot of extra time planning out my lessons. The curriculums that work this way for me are:Math-Saxon Math Language-First Language LessonsSpelling-All About SpellingWriting-Just Write by EPSGeography-Evan-Moor's daily Geography PracticeThe subjects that send me meandering around are:Reading-I sort of choose an eclectic bunch of books based on various reading lists including Sonlight suggestions.Penmanship-We are done with Handwriting Without Tears for the Year and not ready to move into the next books so I spend time trying to figure out different sorts of copywork. Ellie primarily uses Draw, Write Now and I usually make Savannah her own copywork sheets using the Start Write Program.Art/Fine Motor-I have the A Beka Art books but I'm not thrilled with all the projects so I am always searching the Internet, looking into my craft boxes or running to Michael's to find things to do.Social Studies-I have been creating my own curriculum for the past 2 years and end up getting very distracted and loosing focus when I am trying to plan our lessons.I am coming to terms with the fact that although it is cheaper for me to come up with my curriculum, I may need to actually purchase a few extra products next year to help me stay focused and motivated. Like Ellie, I need those specific instructions to achieve the specific results I want, otherwise my mind wanders, I loose track of the task that I am working on and my job doesn't get done. And needless to say, the job not getting done, brings on my stress and anxiety. So in the end, I need to recognize my distractibility and realize how that impacts my ability to work without a detailed and structured system and make the necessary changes so that I will be more focused and productive.

Bees join hunt for serial killers*

Yes indeed. The BBC News website today (30 July 2008) reports on some research on the way in which bees seek food which could help detectives hunt down serial killers, scientists believe. Heres some more from the report: Just as bees forage some distance away from their hives, so murderers avoid killing near their homes, says the University of London team. This geographic profiling works so well in bees, the scientists say future experiments on the animals could now be fed back to improve crime-solving. The teams work is reported in the Royal Society journal Interface. Were really hopeful that we can improve the model for criminology, Dr Nigel Raine, from Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL), told BBC News. Later the report reveals that the research team includes Kim Rossmo, detective-turned-geo-profiler. Instead of using information about the distribution of flowers visited by bees to explain the insects behaviour, criminologists models will use details about crime scenes, robbery locations, abandoned cars, even dead bodies, to hone the search for a suspect. Bees have much simpler brains and so understanding how bees are recruited to flowers is much easier than understanding the complex thoughts of a serial murderer, Dr Raine said. Well the cynics would say thats one reason why a bee-model might have some limitations when it comes to hunting serial killers. Heres the reference: Raine NE, DK Rossmo & SC Le Comber. Geographic profiling applied to testing models of bumblebee foraging. Journal of the Royal Society Interface *In the entertaining headline contest, the BBC lags far behind the Royal Society with Bees can help detectives to ’sting’ criminals and the Welcome Trust with Criminal Bee-haviour. Is no one going to use scientists set a honey-trap for murderers? (Ill get my coat.) UPDATE: Thank you to Aaron Jacklin for a link to the pre-publication paper [pdf] on Nigel Raines QMUL web pages. Photo credit: Automania, Creative Commons Licence

Shop Worth Knowing: Three Potato Four

Looking for storage options with character? Take a look at Three Potato Four! I found this site through The Haystack Needle, and I'm so grateful to Jen for the pointer. Note that vintage items will sell out - and others may, too - so the specific pieces listed here may not be available later. But there will probably be new wonderful things to admire. I'm just trying to give you an idea of the range of things available. I've been having a wonderful doing some virtual window shopping.The item above is a vintage Hovis bread tin, size small - there's a larger one available, too.Another option are the burlap buckets from Mayamade - each one is "re-purposed from a recycled (fair trade) coffee sack." (Maya also has an Etsy shop, but every time I look, there are no buckets in stock.)I'm very fond of this vintage hardware store yardstick tray organizer, which seems to be a one-of-a-kind item.There are also a few different old wooden salt codfish boxes.For a change of pace, here's a wooden elephant stapler from the 1960s.And moving beyond containers, the apple coathangers, in three different colors, are another organizing option.

Toronto Blue Jays Team Report

INSIDE PITCH Even though they sport the best record in the American League at 22-12, the Blue Jays still have a long way to go as far as proving they are a legitimate contender for postseason play. Critics point to the fact that the Jays have yet to play the big boys in their division Boston, New York and Tampa Bay because of a quirk in their early season scheduling. So far, the only East Division opponent they've faced has been the Orioles, a team they swept (3-0) at home to open May. But that all changes beginning Tuesday night when the Jays play host to the Yankees in the opener of a three-game set. It starts with Roy Halladay, who at 6-1 is off to the best start of his career, going against friend and former teammate A.J. Burnett, who bolted from the Jays to join the Yankees in the offseason. No doubt the boobirds will be out in force at the Rogers Centre to blast Burnett. Halladay should be looking forward to facing the Yankees. Last year in six starts against the Yankees, Halladay went 5-1 with a 2.40 ERA. His career mark against them is 15-5 with a 2.86 ERA. The Jays get to face their division foes often this month. Of their remaining 19 games in May, 12 will be against East Division rivals, including two three-game series against the Red Sox. The Jays are attempting to keep these big series in perspective and not make too much of them. "For us, every series is a big series," second baseman Aaron Hill said. "We have to do a good job, do the little things it takes to win games. I guess the buzz is bigger because it's the Yankees and the AL East." How the Jays fare in these games will go a long way in determining if the club is for real or a pretender.NOTES, QUOTESWith the five runs scored in Sunday's victory, the Jays became the first team in baseball to reach 200 runs scored this year. The Jays have scored 204 runs, an average of six per game.LHP B.J. Ryan made a rehab appearance with Class A Dunedin (Fla.) on Saturday night, working one inning and allowing one hit, one walk and an earned run. Ryan, who went on the DL April 23 with back tightness, had pitched a perfect inning on Thursday for Dunedin. Toronto hasn't indicated a specific timetable for the closer's return to the big leagues.SS Marco Scutaro leads the majors in walks with 29 and he's third in the majors in runs scored with 31. Batting leadoff, Scutaro's patience is helping fuel the majors' top-scoring offense he has 16 walks to lead off innings. In 2004, Scutaro's first year with Oakland, he had 16 walks in 137 games.BY THE NUMBERS: 204 Blue Jays' run total through 34 games, making them the first team in the majors to the 200-run mark.QUOTE TO NOTE: "We do have to make some decisions. If he continues to pitch like that, there's no reason to take him out of the rotation. He was able to get through the seventh inning and looked like he was still strong. He comes to pitch." Toronto manager Cito Gaston, after Brian Tallet made his second consecutive strong start, beating the A's in Oakland.ROSTER REPORTCF Vernon Wells hit safely in all five games on the Jays' 3-2 West Coast road trip, where they played the Angels and Oakland.DH Adam Lind hit safely in all five games on the Jays' 3-2 West Coast road trip where they played the Angels and Oakland. Lind is on a seven-game hit streak, going 12-for-29 (.414.)SS Marco Scutaro is the lone everyday shortstop in the American League to have not made an error in the field. In 34 games, Scutaro has had 162 chances 51 putouts and 111 assists. Offensively, Scutaro tops all shortstops and leadoff hitters in the American League with 32 runs scored and 29 walks. He also has struck out just 19 times. In his previous seven seasons in the majors, Scutaro has never finished a season with more walks than strikeouts.2B Aaron Hill has not gone hitless in back-to-back games all season and has hit safely in 30-of-34 games. In the 30 games in which he has hit safely, 17 were multi-hit games. MEDICAL WATCH: RHP Casey Janssen (right labrum surgery in March 2008) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27. He missed all of last season. He began a rehab assignment with Class A Dunedin on April 27, and he could be back with the Blue Jays in mid-May. LHP Ricky Romero (strained right oblique muscle) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 20. He began a rehab assignment with Class A Dunedin on May 8. LHP B.J. Ryan (left trapezius tightness) went on the 15-day disabled list April 23. He began a rehab assignment with Class A Dunedin on May 7. C Michael Barrett (torn right shoulder muscle) went on the 15-day disabled list April 18. RHP Jesse Litsch (strained right forearm) went on the 15-day disabled list April 14. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Litsch experienced discomfort while throwing on April 25. RHP Dustin McGowan (right shoulder surgery in July 2008) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27. Initially, he was expected to be able to contribute by mid-June 2009 at the latest, but it appears that a late-July date is a best-case scenario. RHP Shawn Marcum (Tommy John elbow surgery in September 2008) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27. Initially, the Blue Jays didn't expect him back until 2010, but more recently he was expected to return by August. ROTATION: RHP Roy Halladay RHP Robert Ray RHP Scott Richmond LHP Brian Tallet LHP Brett Cecil BULLPEN: LHP Scott Downs (closer) RHP Brandon League LHP Jesse Carlson LHP Bill Murphy RHP Jason Frasor RHP Shawn Camp RHP Brian Wolfe CATCHERS: Rod Barajas Raul Chavez INFIELDERS: 1B Lyle Overbay 2B Aaron Hill SS Marco Scutaro 3B Scott Rolen INF John McDonald INF/OF Kevin Millar INF/OF Jose Bautista OUTFIELDERS: LF Travis Snider CF Vernon Wells RF Alex Rios DH Adam Lind

Mongolian Oak at Buffalo Trace

I visited Buffalo Trace last year in June, working on a piece that's finally going to see light in the next issue of Malt Advocate (don't worry, it's timeless). While I was there, I talked to Warehouse Supervisor Ronnie Eddins, a true master in bourbon warehousing, the man behind many of the interesting experimental whiskeys that distillery has been working on. In the early stages of the interview, mention was made of barrels, and how they have to be made of oak. Not white oak, as many people think, but...oak. And either Ronnie or Angela Travers -- memory fails me -- mentioned something about barrels made of Mongolian Oak -- and I was immediately asked to keep that under my hat. It was painful -- that stuff's heavy! -- but I did.And here it is.The mad scientists at Buffalo Trace Distillery are at it again! This round of unique experimentation involves the type of oak barrel used in the aging process. Any guesses? If you said Mongolian Oak, you are correct!Master Distiller, Harlen Wheatley, has reached deep into his bag of tricks and is ready to see what interesting things will happen by aging his precious spirit in Mongolian Oak barrels.Why Mongolian Oak you ask? “It’s a really unique proposition and something that hasn’t been tried before,” commented Wheatley. “We love to try new and innovative things and this one was on our list. We can’t wait to see how it turns out eight or ten years down the road.”Not only are these barrels new and innovative, they are also expensive. Ten barrels have been put away for aging at a cost of $530 each—about four times the cost of an American White Oak barrel. It also took more than a year to coordinate production of these barrels.The Mongolian Oak barrels are an industry standard 53 gallons. A cooperage in Spain supplied the Mongolian Oak to the Independent Stave Company and they crafted the barrels. The barrels received a #4 char—about 55 seconds—and will be filled with Buffalo Trace mash bill #1. This is the same recipe which is used for Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.Look for more of these types of experiments to be conducted. Also on the list for trial are Japanese and Canadian Oak.You'll notice that the outcoming spirit has not been called "bourbon." But as I read it, the regs only say that the barrels must be new, charred, oak barrels. Nothing about what kind of oak, or where it was grown. We'll see. $10 a gallon just for wood!