"There's An App For That"

Since I am still reading the same books as the last few weeks, I found a magazine article in Scrapbooks Etc.-which is no longer being published and that is sad- August 2012 issue (page 80) with a topic I wanted to share. I have posted about all the apps and games I have on my phone but here are some I'm interested in learning more about. *Side note-yes, I just found this article in a 2012 issue... I was cleaning out my craft room/office-yes, I organize it, but I really worked on purging and cleaning out again, recently-and found this issue.

The article is called "there's an app for that": "Here are a few of our favorite image-editing applications" {I haven't typed every bit and bob from the article, just linked the apps they listed. I linked them to their itunes page because itunes provides good information about each image-editing application.}

1. 100 Cameras in 1 Here is some info about it via itunes
2. Instagram I have posted about before here on my blog.
3. Adobe Photoshop Express
4. BeFunky
5. Camerabag
6. Camera Zoom FX
7. Diptic
8. ImgEdit-only available for blackberry
9. Lightbox Photos-available only for android
10. Pano
11. Photo Editor-available for blackberry
12. Picoli
13. PicSay-available only for android
14. Radical Draw with Photo Editing-available for blackberry 
15. Snapseed
16. Thumba Photo Editor

Thursday's Apps

Usually the apps I link here are Thursday's "Helpful" Apps. However, the category I am placing here today is "Time Waster" Apps-these are games I play in down time, like while waiting at the doctor's office or in the car when my husband is driving and my eyes are too tired to read. I actually have a segment on my phone labeled "Time Wasters" with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and some of the games listed below. Sometimes it helps to remind me that I will look up again in a few minutes and realize time has disappeared... Also, every so often I can find a fun game to try and it will be free, but as it gains in popularity prices appear/rise. Some below are still free, as well. So, I didn't pay the full price for all the games below, fyi. ;)

1. Angry Birds-I have loved almost all versions of this game since it first came out. However, the one I play right now is seasons. I like to play the season we are in. I have played them all and achieved three stars on most on our ipad, but that was long before I got my iphone. Now I get to work on them on my phone. With multiple seasons for three different years, it feels like new. I wonder if they will update those this year... I don't care for the Star Wars or Space versions as well, but I don't have those on my phone right now.
2. Another game/app I enjoy is Ski Safari. I played it quite a bit last year on the ipad, as well. Then, with winter approaching, I was in the mood to play this again and started on my phone. itunes has this to say about it: Ski Safari is where Animals, Avalanches and Action come together to create a new casual gameplay experience.
   
   Our deep sleeping hero has to stay ahead of a relentless avalanche that threatens the local mountainsides. Sven, as we like to call him, can use animals to aid his escape from an icey end. Each of the hillside animals have different attributes to make a speedier escape. Penguins glide further, Yetis are tougher, Eagles soar to great heights, each of these can provide useful advantage for Sven. Sometimes on the slopes Sven can find fast Snowmobiles which can ferry multiple animals a maintain a very high top speed.
   
   Staying ahead of the avalanche has its advantages and perks. Completing objectives can 'level up' Sven and increase his score multiplier. Riding animals, performing backflips add to the score and with an increased score multiplier Sven will rocketing up the highscore table with ease.
3. I also play a variety of "with friends" games. They sync with Facebook and your opponents can be your facebook friends. I play Words Free/With Friends, which is like Scrabble, Scramble With Friends which is like Boggle, and Hanging Free which is like hangman. All are word games and I usually try to get to a game of each every other day or so since I'm playing against my friends. You can play them via facebook, too, I think.
4. Tiny Wings is a fun game my girls and I enjoy every so often, too. Cute and simple. 
5. I have other games that I don't play regularly, but every now and again I am inclined to try a game or two. These games include: Plants vs Zombies (I don't like zombies or the zombie craze that is popular right now, but this is a cute game involving some strategy, which a lot of the games I like to play do.) Bejeweled Blitz, which I can also play via Facebook with friends and family, Triple Town, Link That Gugl, Little Things which is a search and find game with great graphics, Search 60 which is also search and find but all in 60 seconds, Word Ladder and Cribbage Lite.

Friday-Books Not Recipes!

I haven't tried any new recipes this week since my husband was out of town, we had activities in the evenings and my vegetarian daughter didn't want dinners that required thinking outside the box. :) However, I did notice on my Goodreads account that I made my 2013 reading goal already. It passed without me even noticing. I set my goal at 20 books, thinking that I should not be overzealous and try for two books per month since I would be busy teaching. Here I am with 8 weeks left in the year (only 8 weeks?!) and I have already made my goal! I have amended it and will try for at least 4 more, but as my lack of progression as of late has shown me, one never knows! I have listed my 20 books that helped me to make my goal below. You will see, that out of 20 books, 13 were mysteries this year-65%! I do like mysteries, but this has been unusual, I think! I was correct in calling it my "year of mystery books"!

1. Gingerbread Bump-Off by Livia J Washington
2. Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs
3. Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly (I liked this book, but I think she started an apple series that has taken over-her first one of those One Bad Apple is sitting on my desk in my "to read" pile!)
4. Sweet Tea Revenge by Laura Childs
5. Stake and Eggs by Laura Childs
6. All You Could Ask For by Mike Greenberg
7. The Woods by Harlan Coben
8. Murder at Longbourn by Tracy Kiely
9. Murder on the Bride's Side by Tracy Kiely
10. Later at the Bar by Rebecca Barry
11. Murder Most Persuasive by Tracy Kiely
12. Murder Most Austen by Tracy Kiely
13. (re-read) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
14. Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling)
15. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is also sitting on my desk in my "to read" pile!)
16. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
17. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
18. Bossypants by Tina Fey
19. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
20. Art of Being a Healing Presence... by James E Miller

Last Thursday's Helpful Apps

I got behind, sorry! Catching up! Today's Helpful Apps Category is Miscellaneous. This is a jumble of different types of apps I like. Next week will be Time Wasters, I mean games, that I enjoy when I have a few minutes to kill. However, since we have covered organization, health and fitness, listening, photography, social interaction, and the basics, I have some apps that just don't fit into another category. Enjoy!

https://itunes.apple.com/CA/app/id300048137

• One thing I used quite regularly was the flashlight app, but, as you know, I updated the iOS to 7 and it now comes with a flashlight app so I deleted the old one. I love that I can click it on quickly as I am trying to get the dogs to come back in the house after I have let them out. ;)
• I mentioned in my last post that I use an app called Vivino for cataloging wines. I have used it about ten times, so I'm not totally into a great habit with it, and, for that matter, I'm not always trying new wines. I do use it to keep track and I like the ease with which I can use it.  Here is the itunes description, and the app is free! • Take a photo and get to know any wine in seconds.
  • Remember wines and explore more of them
  • Get personalized wine recommendations
  • Share experiences and be inspired by friends.
  • Find the best rated wines in nearby shops.
  
  Vivino simplifies your path to enjoying great wines.
  The app helps you remember your favorites, know more about wine, and which one to choose for next occasion. Snap a photo of any wine, and while you have a sip we automatically recognize it from our database of more than 1,000,000 wines. If the app doesn’t match it immediately, our team will do it for you as quickly as we can.
  
  Discover all you want to know about wines, explore friend’s ratings and get personal recommendations based on your taste, simply browse wines in nearby stores or locate the ones on your Vivino Wish List.
  
  Best of all: It’s free!
• I use the Starbucks app, too. I, at most, am drinking Starbucks every other day. Usually less, these days, since I'm not working. I don't mind coffee at home, but I do love the ease of this app. Here is some information posted on itunes about the Starbucks app, which you can also get via the Starbucks site itself. The official iPhone application from Starbucks! In addition to paying from Starbucks for iPhone, you can now add a Starbucks Card to Passbook. It’s the fastest way to pay at Starbucks – just scan and go!
  
  With Starbucks for iPhone, you can manage your Starbucks Card balance, reload your card, track your Stars in the My Starbucks Rewards program and send an eGift to a friend. And there’s more!
  
  Our easy-to-navigate store locator points you to the closest store and lets you search by amenities. You can also explore our whole bean coffees, find nutrition information and build your own perfect drink. And if you feel like being social, you can share your location or favorite drinks through Facebook and Twitter.
• I use the app for my bank, too. I won't share which one I use here, but I do like that I can deposit small checks without having to leave my house. I like that I can check my balances in the palm of my hand, too. I checked most local banks and they all have a safe, secure app for your account.
• I have a few weather apps. I cannot ever decide which one I like better. I like them each for different reasons. While searching for information for this bullet point, I came across this article: Comparing iphone Weather Apps at a Glance. First, in my apps, the "weather" that came with the phone. I can't delete it and it gives me a nice, quick peek at the current conditions pretty well. I have found that I like the radar view the best via The Weather Channel (or TWC) app. Then, if I feel like one more point of view, I use Accuweather. Each itunes link has more information about each one, and these are just blurbs for information. They often have other types of apps for other types of devices. I just used itunes because that is what I know.

That's all for today! Hope these help!

What I'm Reading Wednesday

What am I reading today? The same things I was reading last week at this time! :) I haven't sat down to read much so far this week. I have been pretty busy! I have been:

• emptying and cleaning out our laundry room, cupboards and all for starters. 
• I also emptied and cleaned our closet-my husband and I share a closet. It isn't huge, I could stand in it and touch the front and back at the same time, and the length is not much bigger. However, we are just fine with it. It has a few drawers for husband's folded clothes and a few cubbies for things like luggage and sleeping bags. I got rid of a trash bag of clothes/bags I don't use and husband got rid of a bag of clothes, as well; things we just don't wear because of the style or fit.
• Also, we worked on our "junk drawer" in the kitchen, the catch all for miscellaneous stuff-we didn't get rid of the drawer altogether, but it is much emptier. :) 
• I emptied out our front coat/shoe closet, too! We needed to sort out and put away summer shoes, get out boots (I certainly hope we don't need snow boots soon, but it was time to get them out...) I vacuumed the carpet in it since shoe dirt falls there, and organized the shoes as I put them back into the closet. 

So, three big tasks and one small task down. They were tasks I thought wouldn't take too long, but each took longer than expected. All three made me sigh in relief when they were done, and glad I had completed the tasks. We also carved our pumpkins, and I got to go get new running shoes! So, it has been a busy, productive week, thus far. Tomorrow I am planning on getting out my children's books and sorting through my "future classroom" items. I am planning on attempting to put favorite books on either Book Retriever or Book Crawler so I know what I have. I have so many children's books-so many tubs full! I would love to have them sorted and out on bookshelves. Someday I will have a wonderful "Grandma" library at my house that my grandchildren will love to come read/be read to in. :) At least that's my dream someday. :)
I did do some reading yesterday, I almost forgot! I kept a kindergarten age little girl for a neighbor and we headed to the bookstore to pick a few books, read and enjoy. I read to her and loved it. :) We read:

• The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. It was the first time I had read it and it was a cute book-would be great to introduce children to, or refresh minds about, writing letters. 
• Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson was a good book to read with someone. I don't foresee it being a good read-aloud classroom book, but it was very cute, also, showing changes in seasons and trees through the seasons. It was also the first time I had read this and I found it sweet and simple.
• Last I read A Turkey For Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting. We have it here at home and I didn't care for the selection of Halloween stories/Fall stories, so we jumped ahead to this cute story about Mr. and Mrs. Moose wanting a turkey for Thanksgiving. Also a heart-warming story. What I really wanted to read was Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White, but they didn't have it. Sadly, I don't have it either, I lent it to a fellow teacher while I was subbing and they kept forgetting it. I never got it back. I will have to re-order it so I have it for my collection.

It has been a fun, busy week! :) I hope yours has been too, Reader!

Top Ten Favorite Podcasts

In my Thursday's Helpful Apps post earlier today, I mentioned the podcast app and I wanted to share some I like. A few of my favorites are: 

1.  The Alton Browncast via nerdist. Alton Brown does a great podcast where he talks with chefs and shares his culinary knowledge.  
2. Travel with Rick Steves is a good podcast, although I haven't listened to many, I loved his Italy book when we traveled there two years ago. I do enjoy his show, as well, and these podcasts are often full of information.  
3. NPR's Ask Me Another, which is a trivia game show for the ears. I love it! 
4. The Nutrition Diva's Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling Fabulous shows you "simple and painless" ways to change your eating habits to head to a healthier you. 
5. Stuff You Should Know Podcast tells you lots about things you may not know. They discuss a variety of topics and I have found many of them interesting. 
6. NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me is a show where they quiz you on current events-or quiz the guests. It is very funny! 
7. The Paperclipping Roundtable is a show about scrapbooking where they often talk to people about inspiration, creativity and educate you in the process. I often like the episodes with mainstream scrapbooking artists that I've seen online or in magazines the best.   
8. Stuff You Missed In History Class   This has long been one of my top favorite podcasts. I love listening to historical stories made interesting. I would often let my students listen to a podcast or make it "bonus" if they did so on a weekend, to supplement their learning about topics from our class. The topics range in areas and time periods. 
9. What Really Matters with Vicky and Jen "Each weekly show offers candid, entertaining and informative interviews with a wide variety of guests: professional organizers to chefs, parenting experts to doctors and television personalities to best-selling authors. Join us as we learn, laugh and grow together. And make every day matter." 
10. Another Mother Runner Podcast is a podcast where the authors of the Another Mother Runner book are "engaging and encouraging you to run like a mother"

I hope you find some to listen to, that you would like, Reader! They are a lovely way to pass the time when you aren't in the mood for music. On long driving trips, when I am the driver, and even when I am not, they help me pass the time.

Thursday's Helpful Apps

The apps I'm linking today are the apps I listen to. I listen to music or podcasts on them, normally. 
Those apps are:

• itunes- With iTunes, it’s easy to get all your music organized. Any song or album you purchase from iTunes goes straight into your music library. And when you import your CDs, iTunes automatically adds the album, artist, and song names, along with the album art. Then, with your whole collection to choose from, you can create the ultimate playlists for rocking out, working out, or chilling out. You can also rate your songs with one to five stars, so it’s easy to find your favorites later.
• iphone's app: "music" which plays my itunes songs-This is essentially itunes on my phone. It just lists it as a "music" app. However, it is organized the same as my itunes/music from my laptop. 
• podcasts-this is similar to the music app-but it is strictly for podcasts. Podcasts are so enjoyable for me to listen to! They are sometimes radio shows being replayed, sometimes stories, sometimes facts-whatever you'd like to listen to or learn about you can most likely find a podcast about! And quite frequently they are free to download. I listen to my favorites and then delete them when I am done. I will be posting my top ten favorite podcasts in another podcasts later today.
• Shazam is a fun app because it can tell me what song I am listening to. I can be in the car, hear a song I like and the radio personalities might not let me know the song or artist. While it is playing, I can hit the Shazam button and it will listen and promptly tell me both! It can't always, such as if there is too much other noise or a very new song, but it is often correct with its response. You can then, if you want, order the song from itunes or tag it for later.
• ESPN radio app-In the mornings, I often like to listen to the Mike and Mike radio show. Sometimes I want to work in the yard, especially in the summer, and I will listen to Mike and Mike from this app. Good sports information on some radio stations. This isn't a daily used app, but it it helpful when I want to use it. 
• Pandora-Here you can like or dislike songs on a radio-like station. Eventually, it will try to discover songs you like and play those streaming like a radio station. Here is what it tells you on itunes: Great music discovery is effortless and free with Pandora. Just start with the name of one of your favorite artists, songs, genres or composers and we will do the rest. It’s easy to create personalized stations that play only music you’ll love.
  Tap into an entire world of music, including almost a century of popular recordings - new and old, well known and obscure. Create up to 100 personalized radio stations with your free account.
  Not sure where to start? Create a free account to explore hundreds of music and comedy genre stations.
  Already a Pandora listener? Even easier. Just log in and enjoy the same free radio service. Your Pandora is the same across the web, on your TV and in your car—access your free personalized radio wherever you want to hear great music. Enjoy all your existing music and comedy stations - and create new ones right from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
• and itunes Radio-which is Apple's answer to Pandora and Spotify, where you can listen to a radio-like station to the genre of music of your choice, "liking" or "disliking" music so it will play more of the songs you like: "Check out iTunes Radio on your iPhone, iPad,iPod touch, Mac, PC, or Apple TV. You’ll have access to more than 250 DJ-curated and genre-focused stations — including everything from Hard Rock to Doo Wop, all with crystal-clear sound quality. Your stations evolve based on the music you play and download. So the more you use iTunes Radio and iTunes, the more iTunes Radio knows what you like to listen to — and the more it can play music you’ll love."

Bridal Shower

Over the summer my mom asked if I would help her host a bridal shower for my cousin. My cousin had been married before, so we wanted it to be different, not all the usual games. We had fun planning! My oldest daughter and I drove the three hours to my parents' town and began to get things organized, then the guests came, ate, played games, watched the gift opening, etc. and then we drove back. It was a LONG day, but a nice thing to do-fun to share those activities with my mom, daughter and extended family. I share this with you because some of the food and activities were successes. :) *games and activities: We started the shower, as the ladies arrived, with taking their picture with the bride-to-be. The guests also took a small (2 x 3, I think) card and wrote a note, memory, etc. on it. Then I printed their photos, later, and glued them to the back of the note. I put them into a pocket in a small album I made. Here is the link to the idea: "Memories & Advice-I think this would be nice to do as the guest are entering. There's a pic of this idea on this website on the 9th slide", here is the link to the "you make life Blissful" Scrapscription scrapbook kit I made, scan down about mid-page. After they had sidled up next to the bride for pictures, laughed with her, and got settled, I sent the bride into the house (we had the shower outside and it was a lovely day!) and then asked "what's the bride wearing?" The guests had to remember as much as they could about her outfit. Then she came back out after 5-10 minutes and we all laughed at those who said, "who knows?" :) The bride and groom were just going on a short honeymoon and they were essentially camping in upper Michigan. I packed a cute bag for them with magazines, sunscreen, etc. I asked them each (unbeknownst to them) what they would pack in their honeymoon bag and they told me a few items. One for groom was toothbrush, one for bride was gas prevention medicine! So, I added those, as well, getting quite a giggle from the attendees. :) The guests weren't able to see what was in the bag, so game 2 was "what is in the honeymoon bag?" and they had a few minutes to guess. Then she opened it and people checked things off their list. I had created a "he said, she said" form, here, and got quotes from each of them for the guests to try. The groom's mom was most successful! :) We had a few laughs at the "Newlywed Game" using what they each answered without the other knowing. :) We had quite a few laughs and it seemed like everyone had fun! One guest said that was the most fun shower she had been to! *food: My mom is a good cook! She made small shredded pork sandwiches on pretzel buns as well as MANY bite-sized desserts. I made this for a different fruit salad. Fruit salad with Lemoncello-and it was delicious! I made tomato-mozzerella-bites, and Paula Dean's Italian Pasta Salad. I also made an orzo salad. I made the classic stand-by for us, as well, the broccoli slaw salad. The things I made were easy to put in a cooler and transport it in the car. It was a very fun day-I hope the bride enjoyed it! :)