Earth Day 2010

Happy Earth Day!

Every year, since 1969, we have observed Earth Day on April 22nd. Earth Day's purpose is to increase public awareness of environmental issues such as recycling, pollution, energy, and global warming.

There are lots of easy, small things you can do to help care for our planet. Here are a few ideas:

1. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Or, better yet, if there's enough sunlight coming in, leave the lights off when you enter a room.

2. Reuse the back-sides of paper.

3. Turn off the water when you're not using it, specifically when brushing your teeth.

4. Don't leave the refridgerator open for too long. Decide what you want before opening the door because it takes more energy to cool the refridgerator down after the warmer air has come in.

5. Unplug unused electrical devices throughout your house. Anything plugged into an electrical socket, but not turned on will still use some amount of energy. This energy is being wasted! So besure to unplug old toys, stereos, and chargers that you aren't using.

6. Pack a greener lunch: Use a cloth bag instead of paper bags, and pack your food in reusable plastic or metal containers, instead of plastic wrap or foil. You can also pack your drink in a reusable bottle or thermos, and even try using a cloth napkin instead of paper ones.

7. Check out a book on Earth-friendly crafting, such as this one, for instance.

And why not read a few short storioes about the saving the Earth for inspiration? Here are some titles to get you started:

Just A Dream, by Chris Van Allsburg

Charlie & Lola: We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers, by Lauren Child

Stuff!: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, by Steven Kross

The Great Trash Bash, by Loreen Leedy

Abigale the Happy Whale, by Peter Farrelly

New Stephenie Meyer Book

Attention Twilight lovers! Stephenie Meyer's new novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, comes out exactly two months from today, on June 5th! And it's her first new book in two years.

The story is told from the point of view of Bree, one of the newborn vampires introduced to us in Eclipse. Throughout the novel, "Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion" (Amazon).

If you want to, you can pre-order the book from Books-A-Million or from Amazon now!

Or, click here to read more about the book in a USA Today article.

Peeps as...

This week is (was?) officially Peeps Week 2010 and, in honor of this delicious holiday week(end), I thought I would share with you some fun and interesting ways to eat and serve Peeps. I got ALL of them from awesome Serious Eats website, which also has all kinds of other interesting and yummy recipes.

Here goes...

(1) Peeps as Peeps Krispie Treats



Apparently, although these are made the same way regular rice crispy treats are made, Peeps Krispie Treats taste sweeter that regular ones (sprinkly sugar on top, maybe?). Plus, they're so pretty and colorful! I'm thinking of giving these a shot myself actually, because they look so easy to make. Click the link above for instructions.

(2) Peeps as Peepshi



You can make Peepshi (Peeps Sushi!) with just some peeps, rice crispy treats, and Fruit by the Foot. But you have take a picture before you eat it, because this one's all about the image. Click the link above for a Beginners Guide to Peepshi.

(3) Peeps as S'meeps



Seems so obvious, but I didn't think of it! Apparently these taste just like regular s'mores, but have an extra (and delightful) subtle crunch. I'm also considering making these.

(4) Peeps as Fluffernutter



This one has a surprise! It's not just a regular fluffernutter sandwich with a marshmallow swap. Nope. Instead of ordinary bread, this sandwich is made with 1" pieces of POUND CAKE. Mmmmm!

(5) Peeps as Peepza



Okay, I'll be honest, when I first stumbled upon this I let out an, "Ewww!" But then I gave it a bit of actual consideration and yep, I can see this giving me the exact salty/sweet combo I am always craving (you know, like chocolate covered pretzels do). You're actually supposed to melt the peeps, and when you think about it (really) pizza with a little extra sweet... probably pretty okay.

(6) Peeps as Chocolate Covered Peepsicles



I don't know how you can go wrong with this one, really. Plus it seems totally easy to make. I'd imagine that, in addition to coconut, you could probably cover these guys in sprinkles or even maybe a caramel drizzle or something.

Happy Peeps Week, guys!

Behind the Scenes of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie

If you've read Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, than chances are, by now, you've seen the totally awesome Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie (seriously, wasn't it awesome?) We've got some exclusive pictures, care of Custom Film Effects, of some special visual effects used to create some scenes.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Opening Date

Big news!!! Universal Studios has unveiled the opening date of their new and very much anticipated theme park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

The park, which is part of Universal's Islands of Adventure, will officially be opening their towering castle gates on...

June 18th!!!!

But! If you're really, super, extra excited and you just canNOT wait until June 18th, the attraction will be open beginning May 28th for park guests who buy a special Harry Potter Travel Package (which are still available here under "tickets and vacation".)

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will provide its visitors the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the magical world of Harry Potter. Guests will be able to visit iconic locations found in the books and movies, including Dumbledore's Office, the Defence Agency Against the Dark Arts classroom, and the Gryffindor common room.

Rides will include the Dragon Challenge and the Flight of the Hippogriff.

About the park, J.K. Rowling says, “The plans I’ve seen look incredibly exciting, and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed.”

Hey, if J.K. Rowling isn't disappointed, how can any of us be?

Ramona and Beezus are coming to the big screen!

A little sister goes a long way. We'll find out this summer when Beverly Cleary's Ramona comes to the big screen in Ramona and Beezus!

The movie, due out July 23, 2010, is written by Laurie Craig and Nick Putsay. It stars acting-newcomer Joey King (as Ramona Quimby), Selna Gomez (as her big sister Beezus), Ginnifer Goodwin (as Aunt Bea), Sandra Oh (as Mrs. Meacham), and several others!

"Ramona’s vivid imagination, boundless energy, and accident-prone antics keep everyone she meets on their toes. But her irrepressible sense of fun, adventure and mischief come in handy when she puts her mind to helping save her family’s home" (Walden Media).

If you haven't read Beverly Cleary's popular Ramona books, click below to try a few out:

Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Ramona the Brave

Ramona Forever

Ramona and Her Mother

Beezus and Ramona

Or come into the library for others. There are a ton in the series!

And, if you can't wait these four long months (exactly, to the day!) for the movie, take a peek at the trailer below:

Hunger Games Movie

Newsflash! Lionsgate officially announced, today, that it has acquired the rights to the film version of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins!

Suzanne Collins is at work adapting the screenplay from her novel and Nina Jacobson will be producing the movie, due out in 2011. The announcement was made by Joe Drake, Lionsgate President. (Comingsoon.net)

Get excited by watching Suzanne Collins read part of The Hunger Games below:



For more Hunger Games fun, check out this site!

Or, if you haven't read the book yet (but now you really want to), click here to put a copy on hold!