Category Archives: Home and Family

Time to fire up the grill

Posted on May 9, 2013 | Leave a comment

It’s time to get out of the kitchen and start cooking on the backyard grill. If you need ideas for what to grill or how to do it, try one of the Library’s many cookbooks and DVDs devoted to grilling. Here are a few:

s barbeque addictionBobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction (641.5784 FLA) is written by the celebrity chef and Food Network host.

Fire It Up: More than 400 Recipes for Grilling Everything (641.76 SCH), by Andrew Schloss and David Joachim, answers the question “What can we grill?” Answer is “Everything!”

fire it upBarbeque Makes Everything Better (641.76 CHR), by Aaron Chronister and Jason Day, is a collection of easy-to-follow recipes for any occasion.

BBQ makes everything better

 

 

Zinio, your resource for full digital copies of favorite magazines, has cooking magazines, and you will find some tasty recipes. Questions? Ask Us!

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Posted in Books, Food & Drink, Home and Family

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Your Piece of the World

Posted on April 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

Now that the weather is finally warming up and Earth Day is here, it’s time to think about sprucing up our own piece of the world. It’s time for clean-up now, and soon it will be time to start planting flowers and vegetables. The Library has a huge collection of gardening books to inspire and assist you. Here are a few new titles to get you started:

Beautiful Edible GardenThe Beautiful Edible Garden: Design a Stylish Outdoor Space Using Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs (635 BEN)

Everyday rosesEveryday Roses: How to Grow Knock Out and Other Easy-care Garden Roses (635.933734 ZIM)

Straw Bale Gardens: the Breakthrough Method for Growing Vegetables Anywhere, Earlier and with no Weeding (635 KAR)

Annuals, Perennials & Bulbs for Your Home (635.9 HAL)

Straw bale gardensAnnuals, Perennials & Bulbs

 

 

 

 

Online, StCPL cardholders have access to Hobbies & Crafts, which has books and magazines about gardening. Zinio also has gardening magazines that you can download. Questions? Ask us!

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Posted in Books, Hobbies & Crafts

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Greener Gadgets and More

Posted on March 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

Greenergadgets.org is a website devoted to helping you live greener. The site is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association.

greenergadgets

Do you want to recycle electronics? There is a handy tool that provides a list of certified eCycling locations in your zip code.

Try the energy calculator to help you find which devices use more energy, and thus how to conserve energy in your home.Energy Calculator

Also, use the site to buy greener by discovering the most sustainable products. Other tips show you how to  decrease the environmental impact of your electronic products.

The consumer electronics industry has launched an industry-wide initiative with the ambitious goal of recycling one billion pounds of electronics annually by 2016. This amount would fill up an NFL stadium!

For more green tips, check out our Green Living and Healthy Homes hot topics.

More questions?  Ask Us!

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Posted in Home and Family, Technology

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Taxing, indeed

Posted on January 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

Tax helpIf you’re an early tax filer, you’re probably frustrated by your inability to get your hands on the forms you need.

Because of the legislation passed on January 1 (remember the “fiscal cliff” deal?), many federal forms and instructions need to be rewritten. In addition to updating forms, the IRS must also test their programming and processing systems. According to the IRS, most people will be able to begin filing January 30.

Some forms may not be available until late February or early March, including a few popular forms like Form 8396 Mortgage Interest Credit and Form 8909 Energy Efficient Appliance Credit.

The fastest way to get your refund is to e-file. You can file for free with the IRS, if you meet income requirements. And everyone can file their Illinois returns free online with WebFile from the Illinois Department of Revenue. WebFile will begin accepting returns January 30.

Need help with forms, filing, or have questions? Try our Tax Time hot topic; come in to use our print and online resources; or check out a book or pick up forms (when they send us some), to take home.

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Posted in Government & Politics, Home and Family, Reference & Research

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Soup’s On!

Posted on January 9, 2013 | Leave a comment

National Soup MonthJanuary is National Soup Month. The Library has many soup cookbooks to help you find the perfect recipe to please your family during these cold winter days. Browse the cookbook section with the call number 641.813 or try one of these titles:

Soup, Glorious Soup by Annie Bell (641.813 BEL)

The Best Soups in the World by Clifford A. Wright (641.813 WRI)

Soup of the Day by Kate McMillan (641.813 MCM)

Taste of Home Soups  (641.813 TAS)

Soup! by Vava Berry (641.813 BER)

125 Best Soup Recipes by Marilyn Crowley (641.813 CRO)

Too cold to leave the house? Download Saveur, The Food Network Magazine, Taste of Home, or one of the other cooking magazines available from Zinio, our online magazine resource.

As always, if you require any assistance, please Ask Us!

The best soups in the worldSoup of the DayTaste of Home Soups

 

 

 

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Posted in Food & Drink, Hobbies & Crafts, Home and Family, Technology

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Rock On! Or at least read about it…

Posted on October 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

Wonder what the rock ‘n’ roll life is really like?  Read all about it in one of these new rock tell-alls.

My Cross to Bear by Gregg Allman  (B Allman)

Waging Heavy Peace: a Hippie Dream by Neil Young (781.66 YOU)

The John Lennon Letters by John Lennon (781.66 LEN)

Who I Am: a Memoir by Pete Townshend (781.66 TOW)

Rod: the Autobiography by Rod Stewart (B Stewart)

Cyndi Lauper: a Memoir by Cyndi Lauper (781.64 LAU)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For other titles or biographical works, check our online catalog,  biography subject guide, or Ask Us!

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Posted in Arts, Biographies, Books, Music

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Music Hath Charms…

Posted on October 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Singer/Songwriter Emilia Dahlin
CC Photo by: Ctd 2005 via Flickr

If you’re a crooner, a diva or a wedding singer, we’ll make you want to sing about our resources.

Like what?

Photo: Chance Agrella

Sheet music: We’ve got hundreds and hundreds of books of sheet music (classical, rock, pop, historical, patriotic, and Christmas carols, to name a few). Don’t see the song you need for your instrument? Music can be a little tricky to search, so just ask!

Instruction: We have books, CDs and DVDs on mastering everything from piano to ukelele. You can even take music appreciation online (see Universal Class).

Shopping: If you need a new cello, piano, or guitar, we have books to help you buy the right instrument, or even build your own.

Online:  Check out our Naxos sheet music database to download sheet music–legally! While best for classical pieces, it has a great feature for singers–transpose (change the key) online before you print most pieces. Hobbies & Crafts database features thousands of articles (with pictures) on everything from mixing your music in a studio to violin restoration.

Listening: Of course we have thousands and thousands of CDs, plus streaming and downloadable music. There are books to help you choose your next great listen or to learn about music styles and history. Don’t forget DVDs of musical performances, and all of the concerts at the library, too!

Seeking inspiration? Check out print or online biographies of musicians.

Whether you like to dabble or are trying to make it as a musician, let’s make beautiful music together.

   

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Posted in Biographies, Databases, Education, Hobbies & Crafts, Music

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Choosing the Right College for You

Posted on August 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

St. Charles Public Library IL - Choosing the Right CollegeSt. Charles Public Library IL - Four Year CollegesSt. Charles Public Library IL - How To Get Money For College

St. Charles Public Library IL - ACT Premier 2012St. Charles Public Library IL - Barron's AP United States History

Are you starting the college application process and need info on colleges, financial aid, the dreaded ACT and SAT tests, and more?  The library has many resources in print and online that can help you.

A good place to start is the library’s online catalog or you can browse the shelves in the 370 area.  For online resources try our topic guide on colleges which includes practice tests, information on scholarships, and more.

Questions?  Ask Us!

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Posted in Books, Education, Home and Family, Reference & Research

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How do I keep my plants alive in this heat?

Posted on August 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

We are setting records for hot weather this summer, and our poor gardens are certainly showing it.  Wondering how to keep your yard and gardens alive despite watering restrictions and hot, dry weather?

We have several books in our gardening collection that might help you.

Success with Water-Saving Gardens by Graham Clarke provides lots of tips on how to garden in adverse conditions.  The book has numerous  illustrations plus an A-to-Z list of low-water plants. (635.9525 CLA)

The low-water no-water garden: gardening for drought and heat the Mediterranean way by Pattie Barron shows how to garden in today’s hotter and drier conditions.  She uses the Mediterranean garden as a model because these plants are, by nature, drought-proof and work in the increasingly dry, hot summers we are experiencing. (635.9525 BAR)

The dry gardening handbook: plants and practices for a changing climate by Olivier Filippi helps gardeners create gardens that will thrive despite water shortages and dry conditions.  (635.9525 FIL)

For additional books on gardening check our online catalog, Hobbies & Crafts Resource Center or Ask Us!

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Posted in Databases, Hobbies & Crafts, Home and Family, Reference & Research

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Does that hurt?

Posted on July 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

St. Charles Public Library IL - Does that hurt?

If you’re wondering if your child has a cold or allergies, if the new drug prescribed to your husband has side-effects, or if you can treat headaches without drugs, we’d like to recommend a couple of databases to you.

Health & Wellness Resource is a great place to start for consumer health information (including those pamphlets they hand you at the MD), traditional and alternative treatments, and drug information.  Gale is a trusted publisher of medical information and supplies most of the entries, in addition to providing up-to-date articles on a wide variety of medical topics.

St. Charles Public Library IL - Doctor

Similarly, MedlinePlus from the National Institutes of Health is a consumer health site, in this case government sponsored. Both sites are easy to use, have trusted information, a lot of content in Spanish, and refer you to other trusted sites.

St. Charles Public Library IL - Sneeze

Want to learn more? Take a guided tour of Health & Wellness or just start searching. As always, ask a reference librarian if you need any help. We have lots of experience in finding information on doctors, medical conditions, treatments, and even clinical trials.

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Posted in Databases, Home and Family, Medical, Reference & Research