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Used Book Stores around Puyallup

I love stories. It doesnt matter the mediumfilm, video games, print, or oral storytellingI love it all. And Im not alone. The entertainment industry puts out billions upon billions of copies of books, movies, and games every year. We eat it up. Some of us like to escape to new worlds and new situations, some of us want deeper insights into the minds of others, some of us want to learn about the earth and its people, and some want all of this and more. And while new media like movies and video games are wonderful, sometimes you just cant beat the written word. Written stories have been around for thousands of years, and theyre not going away any time soon. With new technology making e-books and audio books widely available like never before, no one could ever run out of stories to read. But no matter how wonderful new technology gets, sometimes you just cant beat a good, old-fashioned book. Some people like to say that books are dead and outdated, that Kindles and iPads have rendered them obsoletedont listen to those people! If they like e-books best, thats great for them. But if you still love your books in print form, you have nothing to be ashamed of. One of my favorite things to do is go out and browse used book stores for hidden treasures. I have several series of books that Im trying to complete, to find just the right format and edition of the missing books to make my set complete. I dont always find what Im looking for in used book stores, but I usually find something I love, anyway. If you enjoy browsing used book stores as much as I do, then youre in luckIve compiled a short list of some of my favorite stores in and around Puyallup. None of these will take you any further than Tacoma, and all of them are worth a visit. Puyallup Bookmark812 39th Ave SW, Puyallup Half Price Books 4027 Tacoma Mall Blvd, Tacoma Culpepper Books 2521 North Proctor Street, Tacoma Kings Books 218 St Helens Ave, Tacoma Go ahead and check out some of these great stores; besides mountains of books, youll also find book clubs and events that are well worth participating in. Have a great time!

Southern Barbeque in Puyallup

Southern barbeque is one of the few types of food that I always crave the moment someone mentions it. Doesnt matter what mood Im in, or if Ive been craving something else; once my thought are on Southern food, thats all I want. But there are precious few places to find really good barbeque if youre not in the South. Here are a few great barbeque restaurants in Puyallup: Po-Boy & Bar-B-Q Often, if youre trying to find good barbeque outside the south, youll run into too-high prices and mediocre food. At Po-Boy, however, youll find just the opposite. Their barbeque is prepared in a real wood smoker outside the restaurant and is served in generous portions. Sandwiches, salads, coleslaw, corn muffins, and other traditional Southern sides round out the meal, and all for a price that wont make your pocket feel much lighter. Famous Daves Although its a chain restaurant, Famous Daves in Puyallup is known for its local feel and great food. They pride themselves on picking choice cuts of meat, hand-rubbing them with the best spices, and slow-smoking them for hours over smoldering hickory logs. Famous Daves barbeque has won over seven hundred awards around the nationtheres a reason the chain does so well! Plus, they offer catering for events, so you can get great barbeque for any occasion. Bourbon Street Bar and Grill If you really want to dig into the food of the American South, however, Id recommend the Bourbon Street Bar and Grill. In addition to slow-smoked barbeque and delicious cornbread, youll find amazing gumbo, jambalaya, baked oysters, homemade beignets, and a wide variety of other Creole and Cajun dishes. In true Southern fashion, the restaurant is as unassuming as it gets, homey and simple and more focused on the food than the dÃ©cor. But the trade-off is a delicious variety of Southern food at good prices.

Energy-Saving Tips For Your Puyallup Apartment

When it comes to trying to save energy, there really isnt a downside. Lower energy uses means less damage to the environment and will also result in a lower utilities bill. And who doesnt want that? Here at Canyon Park Apartments in Puyallup, were all about helping you saveso if youre looking for a few more ways to conserve energy and save money, heres some ideas: Turn appliances off: Its always a good idea to be in the habit of turning off the light or a fan when you leave the room. Beyond those, though, there are many appliances that are frequently missed or which continue running in standby mode, draining extra energy. People often forget to turn off Blu-ray, DVD, and VCR players, for instance, as well as gaming consoles, computers, and printers. Leaving a laptop plugged in after it is fully charged not only uses extra electricity, but is also bad for the laptop battery! Adjust the temperature: Air conditioning can be a big energy sink; and the colder you set it, the more energy it will use! Try raising the temperature a few degrees closer to the outside temperatureyou might be surprised at the difference it will make. And if youre going to be out of town, turn the A/C off entirely! Theres no point in cooling an unused apartment, after all. Air dry: Air-drying clothing instead of putting them through the dryer can be a bit more space- and time-consuming, but it can save a lot of energy. Plus, if the Gilbert air is too dry for you, this can be a nice way to get some humidity into your apartment without the cost and energy-consumption of a humidifier. If you dont want to go to the effort, then you can set your dryer to use the auto-sensor function so that it doesnt keep running after the clothes dry. Most dishwashers have an air-dry setting, too, which uses less energy than the heat-dry setting. Watch that water: Laundry and dishwashers usually have various water settingssome use more water than others, and you can save water by switching to the lowest. Make sure not to let the water run while youre brushing your teeth or washing dishes, keep your showers quick, and put a bottle or jar filled with sand or rocks into the tank of your toiletthat way, it will use less water per flush. And dont forget to keep an eye out for leaks; one little dripping faucet can cost you quite a lot come the end of the month! Have any other great energy-saving tips? Let us know in the comments!

Autumn is in the Air Fall Party Ideas

With fall in full swing, its the perfect time to plan a get-together with family, friends, or neighbors, and make good use of the clubhouse at your community. Or if you are in charge of a youth group, a book club, or a special interest group, your clubhouse might be the perfect place to meet. But planning a party, function, or get together can be a pain. Here are some ideas of what to include for an autumn themed gathering. Decorations - Tablecloths in fall colors, red, brown, orange, yellow set the tone. Add some fall leaves (real or paper), and pumpkins, gourds, or cornucopia all are simple, easy ways to decorate. And if you are feeling ambitious, grab some hay bales and corn stalks for an outdoorsy, country feel. Food -- What says fall more than pumpkins? Serve one of these recipes for instant crowd approval. Pumpkin Soup from The Pioneer Woman Cooks Moist Pumpkin Muffins from Food.com Or this personal favorite, Pumpkin Pie Cake Pumpkin Pie Cake Directions: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees; then complete each step as directed. Crust: 1 yellow cake mix minus 1 cup. (Set 1 cup aside) c butter, melted 1 egg Mix cake mix, melted butter, and egg together until it forms a soft dough. Lightly grease a 9X13 baking pan. Press dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Set aside. Filling: 2 cups pumpkin puree 2 eggs ? cup milk cup brown sugar 3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to equal 3 tsp.) Mix together until well blended. Pour over top of crust. Topping: 1 cup reserved cake mix cup butter cup brown sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon Mix cake mix, sugar, and cinnamon together, then cut butter into cake mix with a pastry blender (or two knives) until the chunks are the size of peas. Sprinkle over the top of the filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes (until a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean). Cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream. Along with food, an activity where everyone disconnects from their media and concentrates on conversation and building relationships is a win. Here are some suggestions to get folks interacting. For a group who does not know each other well icebreaker or mingling games work well to get everyone involved: Mingle - Everyone walks around the room repeating the work, Mingle, repeatedly, until the MC calls out a number. Then everyone has two get in groups of that number. If there is anyone left-over at the end (they cant make up the correct number) they go to the Conversation Club (or you can call it jail) where they can visit with each other. Repeat the mingling and calling out of numbers until everyone is in the Conversation Club. And this is another variation of a mingling game to help people get to know each other. Simply having an assortment of board games or card games is also a fun way to promote conversation and provides the opportunity of getting better acquainted. Or putting together a puzzle, doing a craft together, or doing a service project, can all create a sense of camaraderie. Whatever you do, isnt it great to have access to the clubhouse at your community? Leave a comment and tell us about your event.

Puyallup Library Events

Libraries are amazing placeshow many other institutions allow you to come in, borrow whatever you want for free, and return it when youre done? With a wider collection of books, movies, and music than you could ever manage to consume, a library is a dream come true for people learning to learn, escape, or grow. But that isnt all that the Puyallup Public Library offers! In addition to its collection the library hosts regular community evenssome for adults and teenagers, and others for children. Here are a few of the librarys upcoming events that you might want to check out. Lego My Library!Saturdays until November 22nd, 11:00am Lego builders let your imaginations go wild! The Puyallup Public Library is continuing its NEW type of storytime a Lego club. Families are invited to participate in this FREE special storytime where young architects and engineers are invited to listen to great books and then build LEGO creations inspired by the stories. The Winter-Spring session of this storytime series begins Saturday, October 4th at 11 am. It will take place every Saturday morning at the same time until November 22nd. Why Legos? Creating with Lego building bricks enhances reading skills by increasing attention span, memory, creativity, language and vocabulary, and lays the foundation for logical mathematical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving. All skill levels, from Duplo through expert, are invited to join the fun and express their creativity. And parents did you know that using their imagination with Legos, helps develop hand-eye coordination and other reading skills? This fun LEGO building storytime is aimed at families with children ages 4 to 8 years old. No registration required. Play to Learn in the CommunityOctober 28th Play to Learn is a free collaborative program for children ages six and under and the adults who care for them. Thematic curriculum invites individual play, engaging activities, songs and a whole group circle time for children and adults to enjoy together! Play to Learn is a free drop-in program facilitated by Children's Museum of Tacoma. Geeky Tea Blends: The ReturnOctober 29th, 6:00pm Tea blending is back by popular demand - now for teens and adults! At this hands-on workshop, create your own tea blend. Base your blend off of your favorite literary characters, TV shows, or video games. From Doctor Who to Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter to Captain Picard's favorite blend, you can make a tea that will reflect your interest. We'll discuss how themes translate to ingredients and then apply that knowledge, with a little sampling, to bring your favorite stories to life in the tastiest way! Local tea show Friday Afternoon will lead this free workshop. This program is for teens and adults - the minimum age to participate is 12 years old. Registration is required - sign up in the Library at a desk or by phone (253.841.5454). Sponsored by the Friends of the Puyallup Public Library. For more information on the Puyallup Public Library and its events, check out their website here !

Hands-on Crafting near Puyallup

I came across a quote this week from a Serbian poet and journalist named Dejan Stojanovic: Creating means living. Thats certainly true for many people, whether theyre creating visual art, crafting stories, composing music, or even coding a perfect program. Other people prefer creation of a more hands-on variety, and there are quite a few studios around Puyallup that cater to their needs. Heres a few that you can check out. Pottery and ceramics : The Throwing Mud Gallery offers six-week courses in beginning and advanced pottery for students over eighteen years old. If you dont have six weeks of evening to spare, you can drop in on their ninety-minute Try It class or just stop by their ceramics studio for some pottery painting, which is available for all ages if an adult comes along. Glassblowing : The Tacoma Glassblowing Studio holds workshops and classes with expert glassblowers. Whether youre an old hand at crafting glass or a complete beginner, they have something for you. In addition to their classes, they also have a gallery filled with the work of local glassblowers and their Northwest Glass Pumpkin Patches. Metalworking : If youre interested in blacksmithing or crafting metal jewelry, check out the Tacoma Metal Arts Center . They offer classes, workshops, and private lessons in a variety of metalworking, and even rent out studios to advanced artists. Learn to craft fine jewelry, home decorations, and even your own tools! They also offer tours and an open gallery for curious visitors.