Top of the Heap!

Monday's Riddle was unmasked, and Lizzy's review of Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix was double the trouble. Friday, Margaret Peterson Haddix will be dropping by to chat with us about her stories, and Saturday on The DMS Wants to Know, we always enjoy hearing from you! Today, we've found a few look-alikes that we think are spot on!


This week's top of the heap: Great Look-alikes! 

Fairday & Lizzy: Look-alikes are always so fun- and today, we're seeing double!

:)

Monday's Riddle was delicious, and Lizzy's review of Gingersnap by Patricia Reilly Giff was a treat. Friday, the Character Book Club will be gathering once more, and Saturday, we always love to hear from you on The DMS Wants to Know. Today, we're heading into the Hogsmeade bakery, because where else would we go? lol : )

This week's top of the heap: Treacle Tart and Pumpkin Pasties!

Fairday & Lizzy: We found these recipes on this excellent site- all sorts of goodies!

Bon a petit!

1½ cups golden syrup (recipe follows or you can buy it on amazon for about ten bucks. You can also just substitute corn syrup, but it won’t be quite the same.)
Zest of 1 large lemon, finely grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp ground ginger
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (you can use panko bread crumbs, but, again, it won’t be quite the same)
Special Equipment:
9 in tart pan with removable bottom
2 pie crusts (recipe follows or you can use a store-bought one. 

The recipe here is more like a pâte sucré or sugar dough, so if you use a store-bought crust, it will be less sweet, but it still works.)
Preheat the oven to 400. Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and mix until the dough resembles coarse bread crumbs. Mix the egg yolk with 3 tbsp cold water. Add to the dough and stir until it comes together.
 
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 1/8 inch thick circle to line the tart pan. Trim the excess and prick with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes. Line with wax paper, fill with baking beans, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and reduce the oven temperature to 375.
Warm the syrup in a saucepan with the lemon. Add the ginger. 

Sprinkle the bread crumbs in the tart shell (I know it sounds so weird, but it works), pour in the syrup, and let stand for 5 minutes. Use the dough trimmings to make a lattice top. Bake for 20–30 minutes.

2 cups canned pure pumpkin
1 egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar mixed with 1 t cinnamon, set aside
 
Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. For the lazy route (which I highly recommend): Use store-bought pie crust or sheets of crescent dough (They sell them in sheets now and they are AWESOME!)

For home-made dough: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt together. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs; stir the water in, about 2 tablespoons at a time, just until you can gather the dough together. Knead the dough a few times in the bowl, then scrape it out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough in quarters, and cut each quarter into thirds to make 12 equal portions. Roll the portions into balls. Cover the dough balls with a cloth, and allow to rest while you make the filling.
 
Mix the pumpkin, egg, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger together until smooth. On a floured surface, roll each dough ball out into a thin circle about 6 inches across; spoon about 2-3 T of filling into the center of the dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half-moon shaped pie, and crimp the edges of the crust together with a fork, leaving little fork lines in the dough. Gently lay the empanadas onto the prepared baking sheets. Brush the top of each pie with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake 11-13 minutes

YUM!

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Monday's Riddle opened the door to the spirits, and Lizzy's review of The Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia DeFelice was a ghostly connection. Friday, Cornelia Funke will be stopping by to tell us about her story Inkheart, and Saturday, we always enjoy hearing from you on The DMS Wants to Know. Today, we're conjuring up a spooky story of mysticism. : ) 

This week's top of the heap: Spooky spirit stories!

Pru Morrow: Hello everyone! Fairday asked me to tell you my story about the Ouija board incident that I experienced with my older sister, Isabel. When we were young, we decided to have a secret party one cold afternoon in October, right around Halloween time. We turned out the lights, pulled down the shades to set the scene, and she dressed up in an old cloak that we found in the attic. We pulled out the Ouija board and set it up next to this fascinating crystal ball that was held by a rusty claw. Isabel is four years older than I am, and I always believed every word she ever said. So, given that, I was convinced that it really was a crystal ball, and that she actually did find it in the graveyard near our house. We lit a candle and began to play. We asked the board all sorts of gossipy things, nonsensical and mystical, and then the phone rang. Isabel went out to answer it, leaving me alone in the room. I sat there for a few minutes in silence, watching the glass ball glimmer in the candlelight. It was very still for a moment, and then suddenly the shades flew up, and a breeze blew back my hair. At that same moment, a piece of the crystal ball splintered and cracked off, then flew across the room. It's one of the craziest moments I can remember. To this day, Isabel still thinks I'm making it all up. I'm not sure who we were communicating with, but what I experienced that day happened just the way I told you! ~ Pru

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Monday's riddle was puzzling, and Lizzy's review of Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper kept us guessing. Friday, Margo will be sharing a story with us, and Saturday, we always enjoy hearing from you on The DMS Wants to Know! Today, we thought we'd just give you a fun puzzle to solve...

This week's top of the heap: Puzzles ; ) 

Answer this question:
What goes on four legs, then on two, and at last on three? 

Here's a clue:

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Monday's Riddle brought us together, and Lizzy's review of Saving Armpit by Natalie Hyde showed us what helping hands can accomplish together. Friday, Michael Rothman will be stopping by to tell us about his story Heirs of Prophecy, and Saturday, we always enjoy hearing from you on The DMS Wants to Know. Today, we want to tell you about two extraordinary community efforts.

This week's top of the heap: Great Communities! 

Lizzy: I can't say enough about the town of Greensburg in Kansas. In the wake of a terrible disaster, the community decided it was time to change. And, instead of rebuilding in the same old ways, they took on the challenge of making their town as green and eco-friendly as possible. How inspiring! I hope this trend catches on- a new understanding and new ideas have the power to bring on a brilliant future, for everyone! ~ L

Here's more about this awesome community:

At 9:45 pm on May 4th, 2007 an EF5 tornado leveled the rural town of Greensburg, Kansas. Just days after the storm, the community came together and decided to rebuild sustainably, striving to become a model green town for the future. Ever since this landmark commitment was made, Greensburg GreenTown -- a grassroots community-based organization -- has worked side-by-side with city and county officials, business owners and local residents to incorporate sustainable principles into their rebuilding process. We serve as an educational resource for the community, a conduit through which donations can be distributed, and a representative to those outside the community who are interested in the Green Initiative. Read more... 

Fairday: I want to shout out to someone who chooses to reach out and help another community across the world. Christine Ieronimo is a local children's author from Connecticut that lends a helping hand to a struggling community in Ethiopia that desperately needs help and resources. Way to go Christine! Read more!  ~ F

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Monday's Riddle helped us break down the wall, and Lizzy's review of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang told us about a young girl who put one up. Friday, we have another great independent book store to tell you about, and Saturday, we always enjoy hearing from you on The DMS Wants to Know. Today, we thought we'd share a little history about these interesting structures- after all, it's just another brick in the wall ; ) 

This week's top of the heap: Great walls!


Fairday: I am going to go with The Great Wall of China. It's seriously amazing. Can you imagine the work involved in building this structure- talk about determination! I would have given up after block #2 and said, "Oh, who cares? Just come over!"- lol. I wonder what the moon thinks of it? ~ F

Here's some facts: 

The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire during the rule of successive dynasties. Several walls, referred to as the Great Wall of China, were built since the 5th century BC. The most famous is the wall built between 220 BC and 200 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang; little of it remains; it was much farther north than the current wall, which was built during the Ming Dynasty.

The Great Wall is the world's longest human-made structure, stretching over approximately 6,400 km (4,000 miles) from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia, but stretches to over 6,700 km (4,160 miles) in total. It is also the largest human-made structure ever built in terms of surface area and mass. At its peak the Ming Wall was guarded by more than one million men. It has been estimated that somewhere in the range of 2 to 3 million Chinese died as part of the centuries-long project of building the wall.

The first major wall was built during the reign of the First Emperor, the main emperor of the short-lived Qin dynasty. This wall was not constructed as a single endeavor, but rather was created by the joining of several regional walls built by the Warring States. It was located much further north than the current Great Wall, and very little remains of it. A defensive wall on the northern border was built and maintained by several dynasties at different times in Chinese history. The Great Wall that can still be seen today was built during the Ming Dynasty, on a much larger scale and with longer lasting materials (solid stone used for the sides and the top of the Wall) than any wall that had been built before. The primary purpose of the wall was not to keep out people, who could scale the wall, but to insure that semi-nomadic people on the outside of the wall could not cross with their horses or return easily with stolen property. Read More! 

Lizzy: I am going to pick the Berlin Wall. It is such a great symbol of freedom and a mark to the end of the Cold War. And, it's amazing to think about what people can accomplish, regardless of the objective. The Berlin Wall was erected virtually overnight, and taken down just as fast. Fascinating! ~ L

Here's some facts:

On August 13, 1961, the Communist government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany) began to build a barbed wire and concrete "Antifascistischer Schutzwall," or "antifascist bulwark," between East and West Berlin. The official purpose of this Berlin Wall was to keep Western "fascists" from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state, but it primarily served the objective of stemming mass defections from East to West. The Berlin Wall stood until November 9, 1989, when the head of the East German Communist Party announced that citizens of the GDR could cross the border whenever they pleased. That night, ecstatic crowds swarmed the wall. Some crossed freely into West Berlin, while others brought hammers and picks and began to chip away at the wall itself. To this day, the Berlin Wall remains one of the most powerful and enduring symbols of the Cold War.

On November 9, 1989, as the Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party announced a change in his city’s relations with the West. Starting at midnight that day, he said, citizens of the GDR were free to cross the country’s borders. East and West Berliners flocked to the wall, drinking beer and champagne and chanting “Tor auf!” (“Open the gate!”). At midnight, they flooded through the checkpoints. Read More!

Top of the Heap!

Monday's Riddle kept us circling, and Lizzy's review of Signal by Cynthia DeFelice led us into the maize. Friday, The Character Book Club is meeting over at our friend Millie's blog. Stop by to find out what A Pirate, A Blockade Runner, and a Cat have in common, and Saturday,we always like to hear from you on The DMS Wants to Know. Today, we thought we'd show off a few cool crop circles that have mysteriously appeared on our planet!

This week's top of the heap: It's all about crop circles...

Fairday & Lizzy: We're both in awe of the creativity and detail involved in making a crop circle, and the mystery of it all is intriguing! ~ F & L

Here's some cool shots of this land art from around the world: 

In "real" crop circles it has been observed that the nodes are often bent -- sometimes at 90 degrees -- and this accounts for the horizontal positioning that makes the designs of the crop circle. Other nodes exhibit holes in the nodes, while surrounding crops show none of these changes.

The Stonehenge Julian formation is the best documented enigma. No one has yet claimed responsibility for it, nor has anyone explained how it was made so fast and clandestine. Learn more!

Doh!

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Monday's Riddle was forged in mystery, and Lizzy's review of Heirs of Prophecy by Michael A. Rothman told us about a family learning to live by a smithy's code. Friday, Dan Gutman will be stopping by to chat with us about his story The Million Dollar Shot, and Saturday, we always like to hear your thoughts on The DMS Wants to Know. Today, we're being fitted for some lucky shoes...


This week's top of the heap: The art of blacksmithing!

Fairday & Lizzy: Here's a little about this industrious past time...

Definition of Blacksmith:
1) A person who makes horseshoes and shoes horses.
2) A person who forges objects of iron.

A Victorian Blacksmith's Shop

Blacksmiths had a place among the working classes, and worked with their hands and arms in a smithy. Blacksmiths are highly skilled artisans. A farrier specializes in making horseshoes and shoeing horses.

What an amazing industry to learn about! The work is hard, but the ingenuity of craftsmanship remains invaluable. It's a fascinating trade to learn about, plus, the farrier is usually the nicest person in the barn- they have a great sense of humor. ~ F & L 

This horse in Turkey was announced the most beautiful horse in the world- can you imagine the pressure of fitting this star with a pair of fancy horseshoes? 

Here's another beauty, just because I love horses : ) ~ F

A day in the life of a farrier- great tutorial! 

Top of the Heap!

Jack (aka Tooties) on Nauset Beach in Cape Cod

Monday's Riddle brought us to the beach, and Lizzy's review of Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes cast a line off shore and into the deep. Friday, Margo will be stopping by to share a story with us, and Saturday, we always enjoy hearing from you on The DMS Wants to Know.

Are your fingers itching to draw something fun? The summer drawing contest is happening on Fairday's Blog! Stop by the page for more details on how to enter this exciting fan art challenge! The winner will receive a signed, limited edition hardcover copy of The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow, plus a $25 gift card to Amazon.com. 

Today, it's all about the beach...

This week's top of the heap: Beach Getaway! 

Fairday & Lizzy: We are both completely fascinated by Tristan da Cuhna. Can you imagine what it would be like to live so far away, surrounded by the ocean? It must be very quiet and peaceful! We would love to take a wild trip to this remote island. Cast yourself off of the mainland, and settle onto this beach for a spell! ~ F & L

Tristan da Cunha, colloquially Tristan, is both a remote group of volcanic islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group.

Population: (2010) 264 
Area: 79.92 sq. miles 

Top of the Heap!

Monday's Riddle gave us the code, and Lizzy's review of The Klipfish Code by Mary Casanova revealed a secret story about a young girl struggling to survive in Norway during WWII. Friday, Timothy Davis will be stopping by to tell us about his story Sea Cutter: Book 1 in The Chronicles of Nathaniel Childe, and Saturday, we always love to hear your thoughts on The DMS Wants to Know. Today, we'll crack the code! 

This week's top of the heap: Secret Codes : ) 

Fairday: There are so ways to transfer information cryptically, but I think the most amazing one is through DNA. How mysterious it is to know that the answers to most of our questions is kept safe in the cells of our own bodies- our "inner space". What's so miraculous about DNA is that it carries a genetic code from one form to another- like life's map or diary. Every living thing has a code spiraling around in its cells, which has been written in by creation. The greatest thrill is experiencing your own code and recognizing its unique pattern. ~ F

Here's the definition of DNA: (fascinating when you consider it for a moment!)

Noun Deoxyribonucleic acid, a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. The fundamental and distinctive characteristics of someone or somthing, esp. when regarded as unchangeable. Here's what DNA looks like: Space radiation hitting a cell DNA: photo credit: NASA

Here's a fun experiment with the DNA code of a strawberry:

Lizzy- There are so many types of codes, but I have to say that I love secret codes. I have always enjoyed being able to communicate with my friends and have no one else know what we are saying. It certainly makes passing a note less stressful if I know most people won’t be able to decipher the message if it falls into their hands. There are so many types of secret messages, invisible ink, mirror writing, and letters for numbers, just to name a few. Each one is a blast and has its benefits. My favorite type of secret code is Pig Latin, even though a lot of people can speak it. It always makes me giggle to rearrange the letters and tell someone something using Pig Latin because it sounds silly. My grandma taught it to me, and I taught it to Fairday. If you speak it really fast it can be hard for most Pig Latin speakers to understand, so practice is a must! It can come in handy! Or should I say t-ihay an-cay ome-cay n-ihay andy-hay! ~ L