National Nutrition Month is upon us – why not make it a family decision by taking the 'Just One More for Healthy Living' pledge at www.eatjustonemore.com. The campaign is dedicated to encouraging families to incorporate an additional serving of fruits and veggies daily and lean protein weekly.  They are manageable steps that produce big results. 

There are lots of small steps you can take to ensure you and your family is eating healthy amounts of the right foods.  (brought to you by foodreference.com)

• Be Creative. Try something different, like washing and clipping grapes into small bunches and putting them in the freezer.  Try with bananas too!

•Cut Down on Fat. Try low-fat dairy products, poultry without skin and lean meats to get flavor without a lot of calories.

• Serve healthy snacks and have smaller meals.  Stock your kitchen with healthy lunch and snack foods, such as raisins, popcorn, sliced vegetables and fruit.
•Don't use food as punishment or reward.

• Keep Track.  Let your kids "eat the rainbow."  Keep a chart on the fridge so your kids can record each color fruit or vegetable they have each day.  You can also have then plan, shop for and prepare meals – they are likely to make better choices when they are involved in the process. 

• Get Moving.  Encourage informal play virtually everyday.  If you can't participate with your kids during the week, plan on being active during the weekend.  Go skating, walk your dog, clean the house…

• Turn off the TV. Never eat in front of the TV and encourage your children to do something active instead of watching TV. 
 

Here are some delicious recipes to get you started and guaranteed your whole family will love!
FOR BREAKFAST TRY:
Sunrise Sunday
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 3

Ingredients
• 1-1/2 cups low-fat granola or other dry cereal
• 1 cup low-fat plain or vanilla yogurt
• 1 can (15.25 oz.) Del Monte Lite Fruit Cocktail, drained
Directions
In tall glasses, spoon alternating layers of granola or any other dry cereal, yogurt and fruit cocktail.
For easy variety use any 6 pack of single serving assorted dry cereals and Fruits.

FOR LUNCH TRY:
Corn and Chicken Tostada
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
• 4 tostada shells or tortilla chips
• 6 or 1-1/4 oz or cups chicken strips, cooked
• 2/3 cup salsa or taco sauce
• 1 or 11 can or oz Del Monte Golden Sweet Corn, drained
• Lettuce, Shredded
• Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
Directions:
Warm tostada shells according to package directions.  Meanwhile, combine chicken, salsa and corn in medium saucepan.  Heat through.  Layer lettuce, cheese and corn mixture on tostada shells or over tortilla chips.  Serve with sour cream, if desired.

FOR DINNER TRY:
Beef Macaroni and Cheese
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 can (14 ½ oz) Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano
• 1 cup elbow macaroni
• 1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
Directions
Brown meat and onion over medium-high heat in skillet; drain.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Add tomatoes and 1 cup water; bring to boil.
Stir in macaroni.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until cooked.
Stir in cheese.  Garnish with sour cream, if desired.

FOR DESERT TRY:
Caramelized Pineapple with Ice Cream
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
• 1 can (15-1/2 oz.) Del Monte® Pineapple Chunks in Syrup
• 2 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. melted butter
Directions
Spread pineapple with 2 tablespoons syrup in 2-quart baking dish.  Top with sugar and drizzle with butter.  Bake at 450°F 7 minutes or until lightly browned.  Spoon hot pineapple over ice cream.  Serve immediately.

Our library has many resources available on nutrition, diet, and exercise for males, females and kids.  We have workout videos, cookbooks, and many books on diet and nutrition for all ages.   If you’re interested in something that we don’t have in our collection we can also borrow for you through Interlibrary Loan.  Just let us know what you need, we’re here to help you get the information and resources that you need.  Until next time, Happy Reading!

January is National Eye Care Month. So celebrate! This month has been dedicated by eye care professionals nationwide to the promotion of healthy vision. Optometrists and ophthalmologists suggest strongly that you get your eyes checked every year, and what better time to do so than in January when we are celebrating all things new? It doesn’t matter whether or not you wear corrective lenses, or even if you think your eyes are in perfect condition. Getting regular eye exams is an important part of your overall health care, and vital to ensure your continued healthy vision.

• White icing
• Vanilla or chocolate cupcakes
• Green gel icing
• One Junior Mint or black gumdrop
• Red gel icing

Season’s Readings!

 

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated in United States and Canada on February 2.  The legend of Groundhog Day is based on an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year."  Every February 2, people gather at Gobbler's Knob, a wooded knoll just outside of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  Residents contend that the groundhog has never been wrong.

The ceremony in Punxsutawney was held in secret until 1966, and only Phil's prediction was revealed to the public. Since then, Phil's fearless forecast has been a national media event.  The groundhog comes out of his electrically heated burrow, looks for his shadow and utters his prediction to a Groundhog Club representative in "groundhogese." The representative then translates the prediction for the general public.

If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means spring is just around the corner.  Approximately 90% o the time, Phil sees his shadow.  Phil started making predictions in 1887 and has become an American institution.

The children's programs here at the library (Story Hour and Kids' First Afterschool Program) that week will be learning and having fun with Groundhog Day. They will be hearing stories on Groundhog Day, participating in activities and creating crafts that have to do with this theme.
Here's a little Groundhog poem: 
Here's a little groundhog furry and brown
He's coming up to look around
If he see's his shadow, down he'll go
Then six more weeks of winter, OH NO!

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays.  This year it begins on Monday, January 26th.  Chinese New Year is a holiday that celebrates the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar.  It is considered to be one of the most important holidays for Chinese families.  The holiday is celebrated with big family gatherings, gift giving, the eating of symbolic foods and display of festive decorations--all focused on bringing good luck for the new year and celebrating the coming of Spring.  The children's programs here at the library (Story Hour and Kids' First Afterschool Program) this week have the the Chinese New Year theme.  They will be hearing stories on the Chinese New Year, participating in activities and creating crafts that have to do with this theme also. 
 

Calling all knitters & crocheters...
Have we got a great way for you to meet others and to learn new ideas and patterns.  If you are currently a knitter/crocheter you are welcome to meet with a group that gets together every other Tuesday. They started back up on January 6th and they will have met again this month on January 20th. Next month, they will meet Tuesday, February 3rd and the 17th from 7-8 p.m.   If you would like to learn to knit or crochet have we got the right people for the job.  We have 2 of the most caring & patient teachers, whom are so dedicated to helping you learn. So we offer a class for those who want to learn knitting and crocheting and we also offer a wonderful opportunity for those who already knit/crochet to come together to share ideas and conversation with others in our group.

The library offers scrapbookers a place to come together to share their ideas and their hobby. We have a scrapbooking group that shares their ideas and our wonderful teacher, Mary Pothast, is there to help you get started or to help spark an idea. She also brings various paper, stamps, scissors, punches, etc. for you to use. You may purchase and complete a page for $1.00. Come to create your albums or pages and hang out with others who enjoy doing the same thing you do- capturing those special moments and finding just the right way to accentuate them. They meet every other Tuesday also. Same dates as the Knitters/Crocheters but they meet from 7-9 p.m. So they will meet Tuesday, February 3rd and the 17th. Ages 10 and up are welcome to join these groups. 

Be sure to check out our website often for other Library Happenings. www.melbourne.lib.ia.us  We also have a news blog that you may subscribe to on our website and post comments. This is located on our homepage. We have one for the Young Adults also. Theirs is found on the Teen Tab, just click on the Teen Scene Blog. We try to keep these updated so you know what’s going on here at the library and other things for “your information.”  Until next time, Happy Reading! 

New Children and Young Adult Books:
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Operating Codes by Nick Manns
Yubisaki: Milk Tea
Celestial Legend: Yuhi
Real Life, Here I Come
Chocolate for a Teen’s Dreams
Where do Babies Come From?
Toestomper and the Caterpillars by Sharleen Collicott
Lucia and the Light by Phillis Root

New Adult Books at the library:
Texas! Lucky by Sandra Brown
Texas! Lucky (Large Print) by Sandra Brown
Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz
Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood
Santa Cruise by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark
Time to Embrace by Karen Kingsbury
This is How it Happened by Jo Barrett
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
A Ghostly Good Time
The Playskool Guide to Potty Training

“Lead Poisoning: How to Protect Iowa Families” is a program that will be held at the library on February 5 at 7:00 p.m. Jackie Pippen, Coordinator of East Central Iowa Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention serving Marshall, Hardin, Tama and Benton counties, will be presenting the program. You will learn about the federal law on lead based paint, lead-based paint and the hazards, how to check your home for these paint hazards, and much more. What a perfect way to educate yourself so that you can protect yourself and your loved ones.  Please stop in the library, give us a call (641)482-3115, or email us at karen-antle@melbourne.lib.ia.us by Monday, January 26^th.   * As always, our classes and programs are FREE!!!! Please take advantage of these wonderful opportunities for you and your family. 

My husband and I are expecting a new baby in February of 2009. I will be having a maternity leave as soon as baby comes so there will not be any children and teen programs at the library during my leave. (As I am the one who works with this age group.) I will try to keep you aware of when the programs will stop and then again when they will start back up. Please watch for advertising and you can always check our website www.melbourne.lib.ia.us I will be leaving you in good hands- Karen and Rita will help you the best they can with your library needs while I am away.   These girls are great and are ready to assist you. Please don’t hesitate to let them know what you need.

One of the real joys of the season is the opportunity to say “Thank you!” for choosing to use your Melbourne Library. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you with all your library needs.  We are wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a New Year of peace and happiness!! 

If you would like to give “End of the Year Donations” to the library or would like to give a memorial in someone’s name- please make your checks out to the “Friends of the Melbourne Library”.   Donations are more than welcome at any time of the year. We will also take book, movie, audio tapes or CDs, and board game donations if they are in good shape. If we can’t put them into our collection they will be given to our ongoing Friends of the Library book sale. Craft items & snack and drink donations for children and teens are also much appreciated.
 

We will be having another shutdown again this month. We will be closed December 24th – January 1st. We will reopen on Friday, January 2. All library programs will be cancelled during our shutdown, but will resume as normal after. You may come in and stock up on your books, movies, etc. to get you through the shutdown. We will extend all due dates. We are sorry for the inconvenience. 

We always know that there are others in our community that are less fortunate than we are.   We come to take those normal dinner items for granted- turkey, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy- when there are so many others who won't even experience a special Thanksgiving meal.  We would like to help those in need and at the same time help you lose your fines- this is how it works...  For every canned food or boxed item you bring in we will deduct the value of those items-from your fines. Then when we have collected all that we can by the end of November we will turn them into our local food bank- making sure it goes to the people right in our local community.  We may continue this through Christmas as well.  

Here is a list below of the new adult fiction books that we have here at the library- we also keep them on an in-house book list or visit our website under “New Books & Reading”. Then click on “New Materials” and then the appropriate area that you are interested in. For all the adult books you may also click on the “What’s Hot Bookshelf” for a virtual look at what the library has new in it’s collection. It’s great!!

If you ever have a suggestion for an item that you would like us to try and purchase for the collection you may do this in-house, over the phone, or online also on our website under “New Books and Reading”- then “Suggestion for Purchase”.   If it meets the criteria we use for selection of new books, then we will try to purchase, if not then we can always try to borrow that item for you through our Interlibrary Loan program. Our web address is www.melbourne.lib.ia.us Check this out often for the latest happenings or info at your library. 

New Adult Fiction Books @ your Library:
For One More Day                   Mitch Albom
One of Those Malibu Nights        E. Adler
Silent Thunder                        Iris & Roy Johansen
Time Traveler’s Wife               A. Niffenegger
Sister's Choice                         Emilie Richards
Keepsake, A novel                  Tess Gerritsen
The Lucky One                       Nicholas Sparks
The Lucky One(LP)               Nicholas Sparks
Sunset                                     Karen Kingsbury
The Letters                              Luanne Rice - J. Monninger
Last Words                              Mariah Stewart
The Outsider                           Ann H.Gabhart
8 Sandpiper Way                    Debbie Macomber
The 19th Wife                         David Ebershoff
Dark Summer                         Iris Johansen
Exposed            &n

With Christmas just around the corner, we are offering a wonderful opportunity for you to get a jump start on your Christmas cards. On Thursday, November 20 from 7-9 p.m. here at the library we will have a program that allows for you to create 10 of your very own Christmas cards to take home and then give to others. There is a supply cost of $15.00 that will be paid to Mary Pothast. All supplies are then furnished for you to create those 10 cards! Class size is limited so you must register before Monday, November 17. Call 641-482-3115 or email Karen at karen-antle@melbourne.lib.ia.us

                    
Friends' of the Library has their ongoing book sale all year.  But this July and August they are having a "Beat the Heat Summer Sale"  where all books and audios are only $.10.  What a great way to get you and your loved ones some books or books on tape.   This is a great way to get you and them through the summer heat, and any car or plane trips while going on vacation, or what a wonderful way to spend a lazy day at the beach or pool.  You can't beat the price!  Stop on by to see what goodies you can find. 

Just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have put up with the mess we have had here at the library.   For those of you who rely on our website for information on programs and library events, who were not aware of what was going on for the month of January, I apologize.  It was so important for us to get things back in shape here at the physical library that many of the virtual aspects were lacking due to not being able to put these things on our "to do" list.

For those of you who were not aware, during our shut down we had experienced a water leak from a toilet.  Water had been running for a while and so the library building suffered from water damage.   We had a crew that came in and got the water all cleaned up and then Service Master took care of the drying up process with the fans and the dehumidifiers.  So for a couple of days it had  been pretty loud in here.  We still just went about our library business as usual and our customers were great about this also.  

So again thank you for your patience and understanding with this whole mess.  We will begin shortly the construction and painting needed to fix the damage.  Hopefully our library will be back to it's normal condition real soon.