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Germs Be Gone

Friday, May 1st, 2009

We are a family of clean freaks. In our house, hands are washed before eating dinner, after eating dinner, before working on the computer, after touching dirty laundry, before handling food, after unloading groceries . . . and on and on and on.

We also love those handy waterless cleansers. Pumps can be found in the cars, in purses, in backpacks, and in pockets. Whenever we’re out and about, we use Purell and Germ-X religiously. On long marathon road-trips where even the handles in public restrooms are suspect, they have been the life-savers.

One day, though, the subtitle on one of the bottles caught my eye. “Kills 99.9% of bacteria.” Most common illnesses aren’t caused by bacteria, though, but by viruses.

A Great Debate began in our household over the waterless cleansers. Were they completely ineffective? Had we simply been imagining their cleansing powers? Or were they as effective as soap in warding off those creepy germs?

None of us bothered to research the answer. We simply added a disclaimer as the Purell made its way around the car. “Remember . . . this isn’t actually doing anything.” We like to cover our bases.

The recent onset of swine flu has brought questions about cleanliness and germs to the forefront of everyone’s minds. A cough or a sniffle in a public places now inspires looks of rage and panic. Teachers are carrying around bottles of Lysol. People are washing and disinfecting themselves and their children with a vengeance.

It would be nice to know if those waterless cleansers worked.

So, I spent some time this morning searching for an answer. This is what I found:

The answer, it seems, lies partly in the alcohol. According to one article on Healthunit.com, “Alcohol kills bacteria and most viruses.”

So alcohol-based hand cleansers will protect users from common colds and other nasty germs. However, if the cleanser doesn’t contain at least 60% alcohol, then it may be ineffective.

Additionally, the article on WebMD noted that the most effective weapon against bacteria was a product called chlorhexadine gluconate (CHG). Benzethonium chloride worked most effectively against viruses. According to WebMD’s article, alchohol-based cleansers were less effective than CHG or the benzethonium choloride, though cleansers that contained ethyl alcohol still killed significant numbers of viruses.

We’re going to continue carrying those hand sanitizers around. Not that we had stopped.

Posted in Family and Children | 1 Comment »

Franky’s Story, Part I

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Franky was born into a world of silence. Stark, empty silence. He couldn’t hear our clamoring voices as we held him for the first time. He couldn’t hear the piano notes that drummed endlessly under the fingers of six older siblings. He couldn’t even hear his own cry.

Franky’s only access to the world of sound for the first three years came as he pressed his head up against walls and furniture and people. His only connection to our noisy world was through the pulses he felt a as he pressed his forehead against the piano or the floor in an attempt to feel sounds and voices.

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At first, Franky’s deafness went unnoticed. Adopted as an infant, Franky was diagnosed with a number of issues that  never manifested themselves. But at the age of one, Franky didn’t make normal noises. He didn’t try to mimic his older brothers’ words. He didn’t try to call for his mom. The only sound he could make was a piercing scream.

His inability to hear took a toll on other areas as well. At one year of age, Franky could barely crawl. He didn’t learn to walk until he was two. He was extremely shy around strangers and terrified in crowded situations. As the first suspicions began to dawn upon Mom, an ENT told her that Franky probably simply had fluid in his ears.

Surgically inserting tubes into the ears of young children is a fairly common procedure that is frequently used to solve hearing-deficiencies. But Franky had tubes put in his ears twice and even wore hearing aids for a time.

Nothing worked. At three years old, Franky still could only make the simplest gurgling noises. Words like “Mama!’ and “Dad!” were huge milestones. And there was no solution in sight.

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So Franky went to a specialist. At three years old, Franky was diagnosed with profound deafness. For three years, he had been unable to hear the sounds around him. Hearing is measured in decibels. Franky could only hear sounds above 135 decibels. Sounds like jet engines and gunshots were the only sounds accessible to him.

A choice had to be made. We could help Franky succeed in the deaf community, using American Sign Language to communicate with those around him. Or we could give him access to the world of sound through a cochlear implant and slowly teach him to speak English.  Both paths require tremendous work. Both have passionate advocates.

We felt that, as a deaf user of ASL, Franky would only ever be able to communicate with others who used ASL. Studies show that ASL users, on average, only learn to read at a 4th-grade level, since ASL and English are entirely different languages.

ASL users also find it difficult to mainstream themselves. If Franky was given access to the world of sound, though, he could learn to speak and understand English. He would have the ability to communicate with everyone around him, unhindered by language barriers.

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Ultimately, we chose for Franky to be a part of our world, a world of hearing and sound and speech. And so, after months of testing, at four years of age, Franky underwent surgery at the University of Michigan. A tiny wire was implanted into the cochlea of his right ear.

The wire communicated with a device that Franky wore on his head. Theoretically, Franky now had total access to the world of sound. He could hear a pencil scratching across paper, the sound of a bus down the street, and the sound of Mom’s voice.

But the journey was far from over.

Franky’s Story, Part I is the first part in a series of blog posts detailing our family’s journey through deafness. Part II will be published on Wednesday, May 6.

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Lemonade out of Lemons

Monday, April 27th, 2009

When we relocated to Indiana eighteen months ago, we left our home in Northern Michigan unsold. Our plight was similar to dozens of others in our area. The dwindling manufacturing economy began forcing families out of Michigan long before the rest of the nation even began to ponder the word “recession”.

We visit our home as often as we can,  as frequently as twice a month. We have been able to spend festive holiday weekends and long, drowsy summer weeks at our northern home. In fact, we now enjoy our home and 20 acres perhaps more than we would if we lived there. But as we began to lay plans for the coming summer, weekends at our home up north promised to stretch far apart.  So, we were forced to come up with a new plan.

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In the past, we have taken advantage of local vacation rentals for our vacation accommodations. This has allowed us to minimize the costs of vacation and enjoy a relaxed, flexible trip. We cook our own meals rather than constantly eating at restaurants. We can easily store mountains of luggage rather than tripping constantly over duffel bags and surfboards in diminutive hotel rooms.  We know the advantages of vacation rentals. We enjoy our home, located in the middle of Michigan’s tourist region. Why wouldn’t others?

We registered for an account on Vacation Rentals by Owner. Then we checked with our accountant to clarify any tax laws and ramifications. After determining rates, we drafted a renter’s contract using the resources available at the VRBO site. Our lawyer finalized the contract.  We had a group brainstorming session and filled out the details and information for our vacation rental on the VRBO forms. Then we uploaded the allotted 5 pictures of the home to our VRBO account.

Meanwhile, we set up a separate website for our home using WordPress. A personal website, linked to our VRBO page, allows us to provide visitors with many additional pictures and a great deal of information about both the home and the area.

So now we wait. Hopefully, we’ll hear from prospective renters soon! If you’d like to check out our website, visit our listing at VRBO or the home page of The House at Cherry Grove.

Meanwhile, share your experiences in the comments. Have you ever utilized vacation rentals? What adjustments has the economy forced you to make?

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Posted in Finance | 2 Comments »

Simply Cupcakes

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

A recent issue of Martha Stewart Living featured an array of cupcakes, each frosted in a beautiful pastel. Inside, recipes for cream-cheese frosting, brown-sugar frosting, and lemon frosting were featured along with seemingly endless recipes for the cupcakes themselves. All were collected into a stunning collage of dramatic photographs. I’ve been hungry ever since.

I love frosting. It’s easy to make. There’s very little measuring involved. (Too thin? Add another cup of powdered sugar. Too thick? Add a drip of milk.) Simple cupcakes can look classy and sophisticated with minimal effort.

Two days ago, Mom whipped up (literally) a frosting to put on some cupcakes of her own. The frosting was creamy. It was thick. The cinnamon and and vanilla and almond all blended together to create a rich, soft flavor. It was scrumptious.Take some time this week to celebrate spring with these lovely cupcakes.

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Cupcakes

1 box of carrot-cake mix

1 cup milk

1/2 cup melted butter (1 cube)

4 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine milk, melted butter, and cake mix. Add eggs one a time, beating after each addition. Add cinnamon and vanilla. Beat again. Separate into 18-20 cupcakes, rather than making 24 for large, fluffy cupcakes. Bake at 350° for 16-21 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

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Cinnamon Frosting

8 cups powdered sugar

1 cup softened butter (2 cubes)

4-6 tbl milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp almond flavoring

1 tsp vanilla flavoring

Whip powdered sugar and butter. Add flavoring. Continue whipping. Add enough mik for frosting to reach spreading or piping consistency. Mom used a stiffer frosting in order to pipe it using a Wilton 1 millimeter star tip (large).  Delicately sprinkle with India Tree sparkling sugar.

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Just the Facts

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Mom’s obsession with drills of every shape and size stretches far into my distant memory. Images of hours spent on MathBlaster hover in my subconscious. Little pieces of floating space garbage still haunt my dreams. Our version of the program was rendered obsolete years ago and stories of geeky space aliens are now only legendary in our house. But Mom’s love for math drills remains strong.

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Recently, she had the opportunity to subscribe  to a new program at a heavily discounted price through the Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op. IXL is a web-based math program that provides drills beginning at the pre-K level and extending up to the 5th grade. Topics covered include:

  • counting
  • addition
  • subtraction
  • identifying money
  • identifying shapes
  • multiplication
  • division
  • decimals
  • word graphs

The system keep track of each student’s accuracy and provides parents with reports for each session. Students are rewarded with virtual prizes as they successfully master levels. IXL also tracks education standards by state. Your students’ lesson plan can be tailored to meet the education standards of your state. The program will even provide you with feedback about your child’s readiness for state testing.

The program’s design is light and attractive and graphics are kept to a minimum. This is helpful for young children who are easily distracted by overwhelming images. Since the program is web-based, users can access IXL Math from anywhere. A subscription for one child is $9.95 per month or $79.95 for the year. However, if you decide to subscribe, search first for discounts available on the web.

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Posted in Education | 1 Comment »

Here Today, Ganache Tomorrow

Friday, April 17th, 2009

The weekend is coming. It’s time to relax and spend time outside enjoying the newly arrived warm weather. Or not. If your to-do list is anything like the one on my desk, Saturday is probably more of an overflow bin for tasks remaining from the week than it is a day to relax.  I wonder if my wireless will reach the back deck.

Even if your schedule is packed, take some time to slow down this weekend. And while you’re at it, enjoy this fabulous ganache recipe. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and is the perfect topping for cheesecake or the first dish of summer ice cream.

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Chocolate Ganache

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

2 tbl butter

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Combine whipping cream and butter in a heavy saucepan. Heat until mixture just begins to bubble around the edges. Do not boil the mixture! Pour over chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Stir until chocolate chips are melted and ganache is smooth. Drizzle over cheesecake or ice-cream. Ganache may be stored in the fridge and reheated for up to two days.

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Posted in Recipes | 5 Comments »

A New Beginning

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

Welcome to Bona Vita’s new home! Be sure to subscribe by using one of the buttons provided. I am looking forward to contributing here over the coming months. For the moment, here’s a new recipe to try.

On a recent Saturday night, we had dinner with some dear friends at our Michigan home. Mom’s new recipe for Burgundy Mushroom Sauce was a delicious garnish for the steak that we enjoyed. The mushrooms were tender and richly flavored. I’ve never really appreciated mushrooms, but I loved this dish!

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Burgundy Mushroom Sauce

2 lbs fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

4 large minced garlic cloves

1 cup butter

1/4 cup Worchestershire

1 cup Burgundy (or equivalent red wine)

1 cube beef bouillon

1 cube chicken bouillon

1/4 cup cold water

4 tblsp corn starch

In a skillet or saucepan, saute mushrooms and garlic cloves in butter over low heat until tender, at least 1 hour. Mushrooms should be tender. Transfer mixture to 4-quart saucepan. Add burgundy and Worchestershire. Simmer for 4 hours, covered. Check often, adding wine as needed. Simmer 2 hours, uncovered.

Mix 1/4 cup cold water and 4 tblsp corn starch. Combine thoroughly. Add to mushroom sauce to thicken. Sauce is delicious served warm over beef tenderloin.

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Posted in Recipes | 7 Comments »

The Great Chocolate Nightmare

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Thanks to Mom’s culinary endeavors, our pantry is generally stocked to overflowing with nutritious and yet gourmet foods that please everyone from the youngest to the oldest. They’re designed to stretch our pallates while soothing us with a sense of the familiar. Or not.

Do we love great food? Oh yes. But we’re not that weird. Five nights out of seven, most of us would just as soon eat a grilled cheese sandwich as the gourmet meals that Mom prepares. Complete with the fake Kraft cheese. And non-organic ketchup. However, we do fully appreciate Mom’s efforts in the kitchen.

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However, sometimes even the best cooks try recipes that really do go awry. One perfect example is presented by what we fondly refer to as “The Chocolate Nightmare Cake”. Her intentions were noble. It was the middle of summer, the sun was beating down, the thermometer was soaring, and bored family members aimlessly wandered the path between the garage and the living room. So Mom decided to make a sumptuous chocolate cake. This wasn’t just a plain sheet cake, either. It was the real deal.

She enhanced two white boxed cakes and created four layers of vanilla richness. Then she created a sinfully delicious milk-chocolate frosting. Emphasis on the milk. It was nothing short of fabulous. The only hitch was that, by the time she was done thickening the frosting with powdered sugar, there was about 3 gallons of the stuff. (Or should I measure that in pounds?) There was a lot. Way too much.

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Ignoring that issue for the moment, Mom turned to the task at hand: applying the frosting to the cake. Have I mentioned that the kitchen was hot? The first layer went on as expected. Mom set the second cake layer on and began to frost the top. And then things started to slide downhill. Literally. The second layer started to slide off towards its impending doom.

The gravity of the situation began to dawn upon us. The frosting was melting before our eyes. Mom shoved the bowl into the fridge to chill. A few minutes later, the frosting looked stable. So Mom pulled it out and began to frost the sides. This time she moved fast. And the frosting moved faster. Drip. Drip.

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And suddenly, her magnificent tower of chocolate began to look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Finally, every inch of the cake was covered in (rapidly liquifying) chocolate frosting. Mom pushed the cake into the fridge, slammed the door shut and reassessed the situation. What were we going to do with the massive amount of extra (melting) chocolate?

What are neighbors for? Mom whipped up another cake mix and slathered excess frosting on it. Then we bore it down the street and delivered with a stern warning: “This is  . . . um . . .  melting. You should probably put it in the fridge. Soon.”

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Don’t get me wrong – the cake tasted great. And I’d love to provide you with a recipe so that you could recreate The Chocolate Nightmare for your home. Unfortunately, in the rush of rescuing the cake, Mom neglected to write the recipe down. Sadly, that recipe has disappeared from history forever.

The End.

~Emily

Emily Adams is the oldest daughter of Kathy Adams and a 2007 graduate of  Belhaven College. She is a freelance writer and firmly belives that reality is funnier than fiction.

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Posted in Recipes | 8 Comments »

Truth Be Told

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

This is a guest post by my eldest daughter, Emily.  My disclaimer: Take everything with a grain of salt . . .

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My mother’s skills abound. She is an extraordinary cook, a charming hostess, and a tasteful decorator. However, I think the time has come for truth to prevail. Contrary to common misconception, domestic catastrophe is never far away.

For every Lucious Lemon Cake, there is a discarded disaster. To top this off, Mom holds tightly to an aggravating habit of remaining in sweats up until 30 minutes before guests are scheduled to arrive. I’ve tried to break this terrifying habit, but it’s hopeless.

Her taste is generally impeccable, but there was that time that she painted tiger stripes on the living room bookshelf. It was awful. Fortunately, my brother’s brutal honesty saved our reputation and decor.

Lately, she has, to the consternation of her already-intimidated friends and family, also discovered her love and talent for photography. However, the pictures which effortlessly grace the pages of Bona Vita, frankly, hide a dark secret.

Several dozen shots have been discarded for every lovely photo published. Mom, having never mastered the over-achiever within, is an obsessive editor. I have padded sleepily into the kitchen on many a dark and snowy morning to find Mom holding out a camera. “Emily, can you upload these really quickly?” Three hours later, we’re still tweaking.

Fortunately, what works for my mom is Paint.net. Paint.net was designed by some brilliant undergraduate students. These students will have my (and my mother’s) eternal gratitude. This program makes editing, tweaking, and enhancing photos enjoyable and simple. (For others, the process might even be faster). It  has several attractive aspects:

  • It’s cheap. The suggested donation is $12.00
  • It’s easy to use.
  • It’s a simplistic copy-cat of Photoshop.

How, exactly, does Photo.net enhance Mom’s photography? The following is an example. Here is an unmodified picture, hot off the press:

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And here is a modified version:

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Here’s another example:

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Here is the “Photo-netified” version:

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You see? The originals are really quite . . . . normal. The magic lies in the editing.

For more tips, tricks, and secrets revealed, visit Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer.

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” – William Shakespeare

Emily Adams is the oldest daughter of Kathy Adams and a 2007 graduate of  Belhaven College. She is a freelance writer and offers classes for homeschooled students through Alethea Academy when not uploading pictures for Bona Vita.

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