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The project implements a new component palette that will be reused by other projects. The new palette should provide a common look and feel for Form editor, Mobility, J2EE and possible other modules as well. UI draft specification is available at http://ui.netbeans.org/docs/ui/palette/index.html
Question (arch-overall): Describe the overall architecture. Answer:The API provides access to the Common Component Palette. The palette clients can use this API to define content to be displayed in the common palette TopComponent when their editors are active. The module will autoload. Palette
The API includes support for the clients writing palette content insertable into the text editor.
This support covers the DTD definition of the palette item definition file format and the content
of the Lookup holding object(s) representing the selected item.
The Common Palette content is a two-level hierarchy. The top-most level are Categories, the Category children are Items. It's possible to select (highlight) items in the palette panel using a mouse or keyboard and then inserted/dropped into an editor that supports the palette.
The palette content can come from two different sources:
The following steps must be taken if a module wants to define its own palette content as a hierarchy of folders and files in its XML layer:
<filesystem> <folder name="MyModulePalette"> <folder name="Category1"> <file name="PaletteItem_1.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_1.xml" /> <file name="PaletteItem_2.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_2.xml" /> <file name="PaletteItem_3.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_3.xml" /> </folder> <folder name="Category2"> <file name="PaletteItem_4.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_4.xml" /> <file name="PaletteItem_5.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_5.xml" /> <file name="PaletteItem_6.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_6.xml" /> </folder> </folder> </filesystem>
class MyPaletteActions extends PaletteActions { public Action getPreferredAction(Lookup lookup) { Node itemNode = (Node)lookup.lookup( Node.class ); if( null != itemNode ) { return new InsertItemAtDefaultLocationAction( itemNode ); } return null; } public Action[] getCustomItemActions(Lookup lookup) { Node itemNode = (Node)lookup.lookup( Node.class ); if( null != itemNode ) { return new Action[] { new CustomizeItemAction( itemNode ) }; } return null; } public Action[] getCustomCategoryActions(Lookup lookup) { Node categoryNode = (Node)lookup.lookup( Node.class ); if( null != categoryNode ) { return new Action[] { new CustomizeCategoryAction( categoryNode ) }; } return null; } public Action[] getImportActions() { return new Action[] { new ImportItemsFromWebAction() }; } public Action[] getCustomPaletteActions() { return null; //no custom actions for palette's root } }
class MyClass { PaletteController controller; PaletteController initializePalette() { try { controller = PaletteFactory.createPalette( "MyPalette", new MyPaletteActions() ); } catch (IOException ex) { ex.printStackTrace(); return; } controller.addPropertyChangeListener( new PropertyChangeListener() { public void propertyChange(PropertyChangeEvent evt) { if( PaletteController.PROP_SELECTED_ITEM.equals( evt.getPropertyName() ) ) { Lookup selItem = controller.getSelectedItem(); if( null == selItem ) { //nothing is selected in palette } else { Node selNode = (Node)selItem.lookup( Node.class ); if( null != selNode ) { //change mouse cursor for editor window to indicate //the type of palette item that can be dropped changeCursorInEditorWindow( selNode ); } } } } }); return controller; } }
class MyEditorTopComponent extends TopComponent { private MyEditorTopComponent() { this( new InstanceContent() ); } private MyEditorTopComponent( InstanceContent content ) { super( new AbstractLookup( content ) ); content.add( initializePalette() ); initEditorComponents(); } PaletteController controller; private PaletteController initializePalette() { if( null == controller ) { controller = PaletteFactory.createPalette( "MyPalette", new MyPaletteActions() ); } return controller; } }
When an item is selected in the palette and user clicks into the editor window then the module can ask for selected item by calling PaletteController.getSelectedItem(). This method returns a Lookup that holds object(s) representing the selected item. After the item is inserted into the editor window the module may clear palette's selection (PaletteController.clearSelection()) or leave the item selected to implement 'multi drop' insertion scenario.
It is possible to filter palette content and hide some categories and/or items from the user by extending PaletteFilter class.
class MyPaletteFilter extends PaletteFilter { public boolean isValidItem(Lookup lookup) { Node itemNode = (Node)lookup.lookup( Node.class ); return isItemVisibleInCurrentEditorContext( itemNode ); } public boolean isValidCategory(Lookup lookup) { Node categoryNode = (Node)lookup.lookup( Node.class ); return isCategoryVisibleInCurrentEditorContext( categoryNode ); } private boolean isItemVisibleInCurrentEditorContext( Node item ) { boolean res = true; //check current cursor positions and/or item type and decide whether //the item is valid, i.e. can be selected and dropped into editor return res; } private boolean isCategoryVisibleInCurrentEditorContext( Node item ) { boolean res = true; //check current cursor positions and/or category type and decide whether //the category is valid, i.e. its items can be selected and dropped into editor return res; }
Then initialize the palette using the following method:
MyPaletteFilter filter = new MyPaletteFilter(); PaletteController controller = PaletteFactory.createPalette( "MyPalette", new MyPaletteActions(), filter, null );
It is necessary to call PaletteController.refresh() to refresh and repaint the palette window whenever the filtering condition has changed:
myPaletteFilter.setShowSomeSpecialCategories( false ); paletteController.refresh();
The initial state of the palette can be overridden by setting appropriate attributes to palette model. The list of supported attributes is defined in PaletteController class. If the palette model is create from Nodes then the attributes are extracted by calling Node.getValue() method on the root Node and category and item nodes. If the palette model is defined as folders and files in the layer then the attributes are extracted by calling FileObject.getAttribute().
In the example below the palette will not show item names initially
(only icons are visible), the user can change this in palette's context menu.
Category1 is read-only therefore the user cannot remove it.
Category2 is not initially visible, the user can change this in
palette's customizer.
<filesystem> <folder name="MyModulePalette"> <attr name="showItemNames" stringvalue="false"/> <folder name="Category1"> <attr name="isReadonly" stringvalue="true"/> <file name="PaletteItem_1.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_1.myitem" /> <file name="PaletteItem_2.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_2.myitem" /> <file name="PaletteItem_3.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_3.myitem" /> </folder> <folder name="Category2"> <attr name="isVisible" stringvalue="false"/> <file name="PaletteItem_4.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_4.myitem" /> <file name="PaletteItem_5.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_5.myitem" /> <file name="PaletteItem_6.myitem" url="palette/PaletteItem_6.myitem" /> </folder> </folder> </filesystem>
It is possible to add new palette categories and/or palette item at runtime when the palette window is already visible.
Adding a new category is very straight-forward, it basically means creating a new folder under palette's root folder in XML layer:
FileObject paletteRoot = FileUtil.getConfigFile( "MyModulePalette" ); paletteRoot.createFolder( "NewCategory" );
Adding a new item is a similar task:
FileObject paletteRoot = FileUtil.getConfigFile( "MyPalette" ); FileObject targetCategoryFO = paletteRoot.getFileObject( "CategoryName" ); DataFolder targetCategoryDF = DataFolder.findFolder( targetCategoryFO ); DataObject dobj = (DataObject)itemNode.getLookup().lookup( DataObject.class ); dobj.copy( targetCategoryFolder );
Please refer to Nodes API in case the palette content is defined as a hierarchy of arbitrary Nodes.
The following steps must be taken when writing the item using the support provided by this module:
The remaining work is about 1 man/weeks (July 20th 2005).
Question (arch-quality): How will the quality of your code be tested and how are future regressions going to be prevented? Answer:There are unit tests for Palette's model implementation and assertions are used where appropriate.
Question (arch-where): Where one can find sources for your module? Answer:
The sources for the module are in the NetBeans Mercurial repositories.
OpenAPIs -
For acces to Nodes, winsys TopComponent, ActiveEditorDrop, lookups, resource bundles etc.
The default answer to this question is:
These modules are required in project.xml:
Question (dep-platform): On which platforms does your module run? Does it run in the same way on each? Answer:No platform dependencies.
Question (dep-jre): Which version of JRE do you need (1.2, 1.3, 1.4, etc.)? Answer:1.4 or greater
Question (dep-jrejdk): Do you require the JDK or is the JRE enough? Answer:JRE should be enough.
Just the module jar file: org-netbeans-modules-palette.jar
Question (deploy-nbm): Can you deploy an NBM via the Update Center? Answer:Yes
Question (deploy-shared): Do you need to be installed in the shared location only, or in the user directory only, or can your module be installed anywhere? Answer:Install location should not matter.
Question (deploy-packages): Are packages of your module made inaccessible by not declaring them public? Answer:Yes, non-API packages are not declared public.
Question (deploy-dependencies): What do other modules need to do to declare a dependency on this one, in addition to or instead of the normal module dependency declaration (e.g. tokens to require)? Answer:Nothing.
Yes (any uninternationalized text will be fixed during implementation).
Question (compat-standards): Does the module implement or define any standards? Is the implementation exact or does it deviate somehow? Answer:The palette's user inteface should match the look and feel of comparable components in competitive IDEs as defined in the UI specification document.
Question (compat-version): Can your module coexist with earlier and future versions of itself? Can you correctly read all old settings? Will future versions be able to read your current settings? Can you read or politely ignore settings stored by a future version? Answer:API should be backwards compatible, old settings can be ignored if needed. All user settings are stored in an XML file that can be easily extended.
Question (compat-deprecation): How the introduction of your project influences functionality provided by previous version of the product? WARNING: Question with id="compat-deprecation" has not been answered!java.io.File
Question (resources-layer): Does your module provide own layer? Does it create any files or folders in it? What it is trying to communicate by that and with which components? Answer:
Yes, it creates folder PaletteSettings where a file is created for user settings
for each palette model.
There's also Window System definition of palette's TopComponent group and mode.
Palette clients (editor modules) may define palette contents in their layers.
The default palette model is based on Nodes that may be defined in layer hierarchy.
Question (resources-mask): Does your module mask/hide/override any resources provided by other modules in their layers? Answer:No
Question (resources-preferences): Does your module uses preferences via Preferences API? Does your module use NbPreferences or or regular JDK Preferences ? Does it read, write or both ? Does it share preferences with other modules ? If so, then why ? WARNING: Question with id="resources-preferences" has not been answered!org.openide.util.Lookup
or any similar technology to find any components to communicate with? Which ones?
Palette listens to system activated node changes. The palette TopComponent
opens when an editor TopComponent with a PaletteController instance in its Lookup
is opened or activated. Palette window closes when the editor window is closed
or deactivated and no other visible editor window supports the palette.
The palette window always shows the content from the last active editor
window regardless where the input focus is. The palette content is updated
when user activates a different editor window that supports the palette.
The palette item implementor can either directly provide the item body
or her own item class implementing org.openide.text.ActiveEditorDrop
Lookup that holds object(s) representing the selected item then associates
custom item class instance with the org.openide.text.ActiveEditorDrop.class
key and
the body with java.lang.String
Editor side implementor can use the Lookup content whenever the Lookup is given,
namely in the editor-provided implementations of the PaletteActions
and PropertyChangeListener
on the PaletteController
) interfaces.
) property?
On a similar note, is there something interesting that you
pass to java.util.logging.Logger
? Or do you observe
what others log?
Question (exec-component): Is execution of your code influenced by any (string) property of any of your components? Answer:No
Question (exec-ant-tasks): Do you define or register any ant tasks that other can use? Answer:No
Question (exec-classloader): Does your code create its own class loader(s)? Answer:No
Question (exec-reflection): Does your code use Java Reflection to execute other code? Answer:No
Question (exec-privateaccess): Are you aware of any other parts of the system calling some of your methods by reflection? Answer:No
Question (exec-process): Do you execute an external process from your module? How do you ensure that the result is the same on different platforms? Do you parse output? Do you depend on result code? Answer:No external processes.
Question (exec-introspection): Does your module use any kind of runtime type information (instanceof
work with java.lang.Class
, etc.)?
Question (exec-threading): What threading models, if any, does your module adhere to? How the project behaves with respect to threading? Answer:All API classes are thread safe.
Question (security-policy): Does your functionality require modifications to the standard policy file? Answer:No
Question (security-grant): Does your code grant additional rights to some other code? Answer:No
There's a private XML file for user settings for each palette model.
Question (format-dnd): Which protocols (if any) does your code understand during Drag & Drop? Answer:
Palette extends the default drag'n'drop implementation from Nodes. When an item
is being dragged from the palette to editor window the Transferable is provided
by the default Node.drag() method and a another data flavor is added
(see PaletteController.ITEM_DATA_FLAVOR) which contains the Lookup of dragged
item's Node.
Palette clients can provide their own data flavors to items being dragged by
subclassing the DragAndDropHandler class. This class also provides methods
to implement the drop of new items from e.g. editor area to the palette window.
Palette extends the default clipboard implementation from Nodes. When a palette item (Node) is copied/cut to clipboard it adds another data flavor to Transferable created by the default Node implementation, see PaletteController.ITEM_DATA_FLAVOR. The transfer data for this flavor is the Lookup of item's Node.
Question (perf-exit): Does your module run any code on exit? Answer:No
Question (perf-scale): Which external criteria influence the performance of your program (size of file in editor, number of files in menu, in source directory, etc.) and how well your code scales? Answer:The default palette model implementation is based on Nodes, therefore the performance criteria are the same as those for Nodes.
Question (perf-limit): Are there any hard-coded or practical limits in the number or size of elements your code can handle? Answer:No
Question (perf-mem): How much memory does your component consume? Estimate with a relation to the number of windows, etc. Answer:Depends on the palette contents provided by palette clients. The Palette module provides only user interface for the palette contents.
Question (perf-wakeup): Does any piece of your code wake up periodically and do something even when the system is otherwise idle (no user interaction)? Answer:No
Question (perf-progress): Does your module execute any long-running tasks? Answer:Depends on the palette contents provided by palette clients. When the palette contents is being switched (i.e. user activates a different editor) the palette UI must display icons and/or names for items in expanded categories. This is being done in AWT thread. On the other hand the palette can show only a limited number of items according to screen resolution so there will be only a limited number of of requests for item's name and icon during this switch.
Question (perf-huge_dialogs): Does your module contain any dialogs or wizards with a large number of GUI controls such as combo boxes, lists, trees, or text areas? Answer:There's a 'Palette Customizer' dialog window that displays hierarchy of palette contents (categories and their items) and contains some buttons to customize the palette contents. The Palette Customizer window design depends on the final version of the UI specification.
Question (perf-menus): Does your module use dynamically updated context menus, or context-sensitive actions with complicated and slow enablement logic? Answer:No
Question (perf-spi): How the performance of the plugged in code will be enforced? Answer:Just javadoc recommendations.


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Q: You really should consider posting about how you two budget and save for your purchases and DIY. I'm constantly amazed at how you seem to never charge anything and how you consistently mention saving up for things. Now just tell us how you do it!! What about making the decision to replace something that still works? Is that a hard call for you guys? I never know when to live with something, replace it with something semi-cheap for the interim or save up for the big thing I actually want and go right to buying that instead of putting money towards a placeholder while I save. I'd love to know more about how you know when to save and when to splurge and how you live such a debt free life full of projects and home makeovers! -Barbara
A: First and foremost, John and I are super lucky to each come from families with famously frugal dads. So we both learned all about saving up for things, paying off our entire credit card balance, and never buying anything that we can't afford on the day that we buy it. Of course it takes a decent amount of discipline (and it means that we're constantly walking away from great deals & lovely things), but if we can't afford them they're not such good deals after all. So to honor our dads, we thought we'd post embarrassing old photos of them. Notice John's dad's tie- it was a Father's Day gift John made using puffy paint… proof that paint doesn't always make something better.
It's funny because a lot of our stuff falls into the "simple and affordable" category (our dining table was around $150 from Target and we have a $25 thrift store chair in our den and a $30 consignment shop coffee table in the living room). So that really helps us keep money in the bank. We don't believe in buying chintzy low-quality stuff to save a quick buck, but if there's a chunky wood dining table at target.com with good reviews for a third as much as the one on potterybarn.com, we're likely to go for the thrifty Tar-jay version (we've had our current dining table over three years and haven't had one complaint yet).
But although we usually shop around for the best deal (and read reviews to be sure we're not seduced by a lemon), every once in a while we do fall in love with the notion of something pricey and save for it like crazy (like our plush organic mattress or the new 2009 Altima that we saved for over the course of the past few years and then paid for in full on the day we drove it off the lot). But more on that a bit later. Basically, the key to our financial approach really is just to hold out for sales, use coupons, shop around, and aim for affordable items to mostly fill our home- and then devote a sliver of our savings to spendy stuff here or there (so we don't feel totally deprived but also don't drain all that money that we saved up overnight either).
Oh and living in Richmond helps! The cost of living is waaaay lower than it was in Manhattan, so years of dealing with those insanely inflated expenses makes it seem a lot easier to cut costs and save money here (since our mortgage is half of what we used to pay to rent two tiny NYC apartments). Our house was also completely affordable since it was a total fixer-upper (as in: less than 200K, you guys have seen the befores!). So we knew we could afford to put money towards fixing it up since we didn't spend it all up front by purchasing a newly renovated casa to come home to (and since our monthly mortgage payment is a lot lower than it would have been for an already gorgeous new home in the area).
We also try to be frugal in other ways like by sharing a car, getting books from the library, making our own bagged lunches, and DIYing whatever we can (from tiling to haircuts) instead of paying an expert (you'll see some links to other how-we-save-money posts at the bottom of this one). It's not always glamorous, but the old a-penny-saved-is-a-penny-earned adage really rings true to us. So instead of making lots of money and spending it just as quickly, we choose to do what we love- aka: blogging- but live comfortably on less with a few simple switcheroos like haircuts at home and one dollar spaghetti dinners.
As for what we do when it comes to replacing something that works but still bothers us (like a functional old fridge that's big and yellowed and probably not terribly energy efficient) we just save our pennies up if it truly makes us cringe. Once we have enough to actually afford a new one without putting it on a credit card that we won't be able to pay off right away (which makes us feel so guilty that we wouldn't enjoy the spurge) we go for it. Oh and we always sell the working thing that we'll be replacing on Craigslist so we don't send it off to a landfill. Plus then we get a bit of money for it (which we can mentally put towards our upgraded version, so it feels even more affordable in the long run).
We've learned that in our case it's never smart to buy something cheap for the interim just to tide us over because we end up hating the fact that we spent money on something that's just a placeholder for the real thing that we want (and we would rather have waited and put our money towards the forever-item instead of some temporary solution). This is a personal thing though, so if replacing your cringeworthy chandelier with a $50 version from Home Depot will help tide you over while you save for the $250 beauty that you'll love forever, then it might be the best approach for you. Just think about what makes you happy and what you can honestly afford and try to weigh the pros and cons to come up with a plan that feels right for your situation.
We also always talk a lot before taking on a major room makeover to be sure that we're both on the same page about how much we'll spend. For example, after a lot of chatting and number crunching we guessed that we'd spend 3-5K on the bathroom remodel- and were totally surprised when we got it done for $1800 by doing all the labor ourselves and hunting down some amazing deals. So in the case of the big bathroom reno, we saved our pennies until we had 5K sitting there in our high yield savings account and ended up super happy to just spend the 1800- which meant we could move on to our nursery makeover with extra funds already on hand… which is always a bonus!
We actually find that we overestimate things a lot more often than we go over our budget- which we're very thankful for- but we still like to save up all the money and make sure it's in the bank just in case we don't come in under budget (it would be super stressful if we only saved two thirds of what we needed for a project just because we assumed we were overestimating again). Oh and there's a bonus to having our renovation dollars in the bank before we start. We've found that it takes a lot of stress and anxiety out of the equation, so the project is a lot more fun.
Take the nursery makeover for example, we went into it thinking that we'd spend around $1500 since we needed totally new furniture and accessories (like a crib, mattress, dresser, chair, ottoman, rug, curtains, chandelier, lamp, art, etc). But thanks to some deal hunting we've actually done everything from scoring a $20 thrift store chair and a $20 Craigslist dresser to hunting down a clearance rug and chandelier- which makes us confident that we'll get 'er done without reaching or exceeding our budget. Who knows, we might just come in substantially under if we're lucky. It really does pay to spend the time pounding the pavement for the best deals and trolling places like Craigslist for solid well made furniture that you can refinish (a lot of which is much better quality than the cheap stuff that companies churn out today). See how the Craigslist dresser below turned out after we made it over with some stain, some paint, and some elbow grease.
All told, we probably spend between five and ten percent of our total income on home improvements (not bad considering that we're pretty much constantly painting something or pulling up at Home Depot). But that's just a rough approximation and it's a really personal thing so each family should look at their bank account and their house to figure out what budget and home improvement priorities are the most important to them. Plus it's kind of our job now (since I'm a full time home blogger we need to constantly take on projects to sustain our site). So because it's such a high priority in our life, we go out of our way to save a lot of money in other areas, like by having just one car that's fully paid off.
We drove a ten year old Maxima for four years with over 170,000 miles on it until we could save enough cash to fully pay for a safer-for-the-baby 2009 Altima, which we did a few months ago (yeah, that was a fun day). So making sacrifices and cutting costs in other areas has allowed us to save money which we use to pay things off completely (instead of continually laying out cash each month for a car payment or a credit card bill that we just can't squash). And of course we do save a bundle on the transportation front by making the decision to be a one car household, so we can save all the money that might otherwise go towards purchasing, insuring and gassing up a second car.
We know the way that we save and pay things off is rare. And we know that there are probably people reading this post who have no idea how on earth two people like us could save up for renos before we do them or pay off a new car the day they drive it off the lot (hint: it's not because we make a lot of money- in fact by national averages we fall way below the average income level, even in our area). So we'll share this factoid about our spending habits. We're insanely frugal in many areas where other "normal" people are not. A nice meal out for us is a once monthly trip to Chipotle. We probably spend about $10 a month on clothing (combined, and some months it's zero). In fact I've spent less than $20 on my entire maternity wardrobe (thanks to generous friends and family members who have passed their leftovers my way). We've even begun to make our own cleaning products to save more money in that area and we already mentioned that we give each other haircuts instead of paying a professional.
So before you think it's totally impossible to save a few hundred dollars a month towards some big reno goal or some dream furnishings that you've had your eye on, consider whether you can cut anything out at all (from that Starbucks coffee to that monthly haircut). And if you want to save even more, try going a whole month without buying clothing or going out to eat. All of a sudden you'll see that it's not that hard to save money once you really decide to make a major change. Heck, you can even downgrade from two cars to one (and start carpooling or riding your bike). Or you can even sell your expensive vehicle for something a bit older with more miles on it (trading car glamour for house glamour isn't a foreign concept to us since we drove our last car into the ground and sold it to Carmax with nearly 200,000 miles on it when we finally had enough saved up to replace it).
In general our advice is just never to spend beyond your means and to take the time to save for items and projects that are truly important to you… instead of frittering away funds by grabbing a bunch of cheap accessories (but they're on sale!) that you don't need every time you walk into a store. Resist the urge! Really, if we don't have the money in savings that we're talking about spending then we just don't spend it. Instead we use paint and other items that we already have around the house for some free mini makeovers to tide us over. And we're always sure to take our time hunting down the best deals while our savings account grows (even doing things like hosting a garage sale or selling unnecessary items on Craigslist to make money to put towards our latest goal). And it seems to work for us- so we certainly hope that it does for you guys as well. Happy saving (and smart spending) to you and yours!
Oh and we'd love to hear how you save your pennies (any envelope system peeps out there?) or how you live well on less income. Share and share alike!
Pssst- To learn more about how we pinch pennies here at Casa Petersik check out our Save It series (read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here) and find even more money saving ideas right here. Oh and this post about living with less (along with this one and this one) might help too.


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Click here to view this Subject Guide in the new Civil War Governors interface.
On June 14, 1864, John T. Smith penned a letter to Kentucky governor Thomas E. Bramlette. According to Smith, the County Court of Logan County had selected him to serve as a special messenger. His task: hashing out a solution for Logan County's guerrilla infestation. "Our object," Smith wrote, "is to fall upon some plan so as to have a company to act against Guerillas … the condition of most of us is such that we can not be spared long at a time from our families and therefore can not with propriety volunteer regularly and devote our whole time to the Service but we can raise a sufficient number to keep off guerillas and robbers by taking turn about with each others."
Stationing troops in the area—an oft-used solution for localized outbreaks of irregular violence in Kentucky—wouldn't do in this case; outside soldiers, the Logan County contingent argued, "are unacquainted with the country and its citizens and can do but little in catching guerillas who are well acquainted with both people and country." Put another way, guerrillas had home field advantage against regular troops and it would take an insider to catch an insider. Smith and his comrades were willing to use their own intimate knowledge of Logan County to hunt pro-Confederate bushwhackers (on a part-time basis), so long as Governor Bramlette would provide them with supplies, firearms, and the state's permission to wield them with lethal force.
Perhaps most interesting, though, is the postscript of Smith's letter. It reads as follows:
P.S. We are troubled by all sorts of Guerillas. Since writing the above, I learn that a squad of federal guerillas or negro Soldiers from Clarksville Tenn. came into the neighborhood of Voleny last night (the place visited by rebel guerillas two nights before) and stripped the citizens of their negroes and horses. It is a perfect outrage upon our country. The Federal Soldiers at Clarksville are so busy recruiting negroes that they pay no more attention to guerillas and robbers than if they belonged to the same class of individuals. If we are permitted to raise our company give us instruction what is to be done with negro guerillas. I think we can raise from 150 to 200 men a portion of whom can always be in motion and when necessary all can act.
Aside from Smith's views on black enlistment, this addendum reveals the extent to which Logan County residents were caught between a gray rock and a blue hard place: pro-Confederate guerrillas would raid a neighborhood and take what food and horseflesh they needed to operate in the bush. Then a group of Unionist guerrillas—sometimes even black Unionist guerrillas—would come through the same neighborhood, accusing the residents of having willingly supplied the Confederates. This cycle could repeat itself ad infinitum (and often in the reverse order), with local citizens trapped in the middle. And it was anything but limited to Logan County — this was a state-wide problem.
So if you're interested in finding out how Governor Bramlette, private citizens like John Smith, and/or Kentucky's military forces waged war against irregular combatants, check out this subject guide on Guerrilla Warfare — but be advised that it only represents the tip of the iceberg.
SUBJECT GUIDE: Guerrilla Warfare
KYR-0001-001-0008 – Thomas E. Bramlette, Proclamation by the Governor, Jan. 4, 1864
It is in the power of persons whose sympathies are with the rebellion to prevent guerrilla raids, almost invariably, by furnishing to Military Officers of the United States or State of Kentucky, the information which experience has proved them to be, as a general thing, possessed of.
If all would unite, as is their duty, in putting down guerrillas, we should soon cease to be troubled with their raids. A neglect to afford all assistance and information which may aid in defeating the designs of marauding parties, can but be construed as a culpable and active assistance to our enemies.
I, therefore, request that the various Military Commandants in the State of Kentucky will, in every instance where a loyal citizen is taken off by bands of guerrillas, immediately arrest at least five of the most prominent and active rebel sympathizers in the vicinity of such outrage for every loyal man taken by guerrillas. These sympathizers should be held as hostages for the safe and speedy return of the loyal citizens. Where there are disloyal relatives of guerrillas, they should be the chief sufferers. Let them learn that if they refuse to exert themselves actively for the assistance and protection of the loyal, they must expect to reap the just fruits of their complicity with the enemies of our State and people.
KYR-0001-002-0018 – Berry S. Young et al. to Thomas E. Bramlette, Feb. 16, 1864
The Undersigned citizens of Crittenden having been informed that by Legislative enactment and by the authority vested in you as Governor of said State that forces are to be Raised for the defense of the state against Guerrilla invasion if such be the fact We would Recommend to your favorable Consideration Lieut F S Loyd of Co H 20th Ky Regt as Col and J N Hughey 1st Sergt Co E 48th Ills Regt ^for Lt Col^ both Recruited from this (Crittenden) County both of them accomplished Gentlemen and Soldiers they Refer you to Col Edward of your Staff By promoting those Young Gentlemen you will greatly oblige the Undersigned and Reward merit gained by gallant service in their countrys cause
Berry S Young clk c c c
James M Steele
W C Carnahan
S L. R. Wilson
Robt F Haynes County Atty,,
J H Walker Clerk
Crittenden Circuit Court
D N Stinson Post Master at Marion Crittenden Co Ky
John N Woods
Alfred Armstrong
James W Wilson —
- E. Black
J C Henson
- L. Leigh
S U Elder
KYR-0001-004-0996 – George Shirley and E. Wilty, Affidavit, Jun. 13, 1864
State that John Branstetter an infirm old man of near 70- years has lived many years in this county (formerly Barren County) a respected & good citizen and up to the commencement of this Rebellion a Sober & discreet man- that the Guerrilas Robbed him of a great deal of his property. From the troubles consequent there to & the additional fact we suppose, that his two sons Joined an independent company called the "Metcalfe Tigers" for the purpose of hunting down guerrillas & were exposed to many dangers the Old man took to drink- While in one of his drinking sprees he was induced by some bad men to go into the woods & play a game of cards. The game was played on his land & money was bet & won as appears by the evidence Testimony of a credible witness- who chanced to come upon them & saw the game He has been indicted therefore tried & fined $200- which is the least the law provides in such cases This old man is often delirious & wild wherein these drinking sprees & has to be guarded sometimes We his neighbors & friends are candid in representing that we think this is one of the few cases which demand the interposition of the Governor and ask that his fine be remitted.
KYR-0001-004-1941 – Z. Wheats to Thomas E. Bramlette, Jun. 19, 1865
I called at your office to-day & left for your consideration, the Petition of Capt. Edwin Terrell of the Independent Ky Scouts. I hope you will grant the prayer of his petition. He is one of the bravest men I ever saw, & has done more to rid Kentucky of Guerrillas than any man I have heard of. The fact is, his little band have been more effective in this service, than some Brigades of Cavalry. His head quarters were in Shelbyville & they gave our town & county protection which we could not have obtained from any other source.
KYR-0001-004-1380 – Hill and Knott to Thomas E. Bramlette, Dec. 16, 1864
Sir: As you are doubtless aware this portion of our State has long been infested by a gang of Guerrillas whose depredations have been committed almost with impunity, in Spite of the utmost vigilence of the Military, whose efforts to capture or destroy them, they have constantly managed to elude. So frequent and successful have been their forays—characterized by murder robbery and plunder—that their presence has become a cause of extreme terror to the citizens of whatever portion of our community they may mark as their prey. Some three weeks ago they made a raid through a portion of this County murdering some, robbing others, and maltreating in some manner, nearly all with whom they met.
KYR-0002-225-0083 – M. E. Poynter to Thomas E. Bramlette, Feb. 15, 1865
I trouble you with a line in regard to the recruiting officer for the State Service at this place who professes to have authority— from you to raise a company &c. I refer to W. W. Harper— and as a citizen and a Union man in behalf of the cause—the community, your own good name and of common decency I protest against such an appointment—As badly as this service demands men and as much as we have suffered from guerrillas we as a community had rather Quantrell, would pay an occasional visit than be annoyed by this man in "brief authority"— all the time.
KYR-0001-003-0086 – E. H. Hobson to Thomas E. Bramlette, Mar. 5, 1864
The 37th Ky Mounted Inft has greatly improved, Since Col C J Hann took command this Regt has recd its Horse equipments and enfield rifles but to make them more efficient would most respectfully Suggest that you arm two or four compns of the regt with Ballard Carbines or muskatoons I am anxious to have the Regt mounted and send them to the Cumberland to protect the Border Counties. the notorious Gurilla Capt Richardson and nine of his men will arrive here to day as Prisoners, they Justly merit and I hope will be punished with death give Col Hansons wishes your favourable consideration.
KYR-0002-022-0062 – W. M. Allen to Thomas E. Bramlette, Dec. 23, 1864
The last raid resulted in the death of two of our best citizens, and the killing of three of the band, and the wounding of three others of them. It was at first supposed that two of them killed at Jeffersontown were Federal soldiers, taken prisoners by the gurillas but we are all satisfied that they were deserters & gurillas. Our people are now pretty thoroughly aroused, and are anxious to have them pursued and exterminated. When pursued, these cut throats flee to the Salt River hills and scatter about among their friends and cant be found. We know who many of their aiders and abettors are but have no power to punish. The Military Authorities give us but little protection. We want something of our own that will be more efficient. It is proposed by some to raise 100 men in our county at our own expense!
KYR-0002-225-0079 – John F. Lay to Thomas E. Bramlette, Mar. 11, 1865
I have the Honor to make aplication to you for authority to recruit a Company of State troops to Serve in the State of Ky for the period of twelve months I have Served over three years in the Fedral army and know Cannot remain at Home on account of Gurillas if you will favor me with authority please Send me Some Blank Enlistment papers
KYR-0002-225-0037 – W. H. H. Faris to Thomas E. Bramlette, Apr. 24, 1864
I have presumed to address your excellency on a matter of some importance. It is the method we should adopt as the most proper for the defence of our state. The two already provided, the state troops and militia, have not proved sufficiently available. It is as much as the state troops can do, to guard the frontier, so, as to prevent the greater inroads of bodies of five hundred men. And sometimes a thousand. While parties of from thirty to forty can slip in between the posts that establishes the military chain along the southern border, effect every species of robbery, and commit any depredations they wish, and pass out again with perfect impunity. This predatory warfare is to be made on Kentucky during the three seasons when the woods are thicker, so they (the guerrillas) can practice it with greater security. This mode of warfare is characterized by the guerilla chieftains as the scouting systems. All this the militia are intended to prevent, but in which they will most signally fail; as they have done as they have done already.
Because there is ^no^ method, no arrangement no anything about them that is calculated to intercept, or overtake one of those flying bands of guerillas that pass through one county, and into another (committing all the mischief they wish) before the one has been, or the other is aware of its approach.
KYR-0001-019-0156 – Bennett Spearger to D. E. Downing, Aug. 14, 1862
The guerrilla warfare is working its ruin as a cause produces its effect a few yesterday about 2. oclock. P.M. there were 2 Union Men Killed on the Road leading from my house to Thompson Arterberry's Hamilton and a bout 30 other men came into Tompkinsville yesterday morning a bout 8. oclk a.m. and had Nathaniel Austin and ^a^ young Hefflin Prisenors they shot Austin through the head and lefthis Brains was scatered in the road and they shot Heflin in several places, you are acquaintd ^with^ Austin and Heflin Both neither of them you Know never belong to any army the man who stealthily takes deliborate aim at the husband and Father of a helpless family ^and^ because he is freind to his Country, sends the mesenger of death to drink his life blood and compells the heart stricken widow and helpless Orphans to seek protection and support at the hands of a cold unfeeling world. Could the hands of a cold grave's dread monster enter claim to such a fiend in any form too horrid to mete out to them there just deserts
SOURCE: John T. Smith to Thomas E. Bramlette, 14 June 1864, Kentucky Department of Military Affairs (KDMA).


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Four years ago, my husband & I spent an idyllic honeymoon in Anguilla (at the Cap Juluca resort)—a deluxe slice of paradise in the British West Indies—so to say I'd been aching to get back since is the understatement of a lifetime. I had also yet to see the much-anticipated and very controversial Viceroy Anguilla; that happens to be decorated by one of my favorite designers, Kelly Wearstler. After recently meeting with the sweet, petit duo (Kelly Wearstler & mogul husband Brad Korzan)—while doing some creative consulting for them—I was even more compelled.
Getting to Anguilla is an adventure on it's own. If you don't have a PJ or a small fortune to fly to the island directly, you can (do what I've done twice now) and catch a reasonable direct flight to St. Martin. You land in the Dutch side of St. Martin, go through customs, take a half-hour cab to the French side of the same island, go through customs, take a 45-min boat ride to Anguilla, go through British customs, and then you've got a 15-minute drive. The streets are not well marked and everyone gives you directions by way of "large tree" or "old stone church", but there are so few roads, it's almost impossible to get lost.
The Viceroy is at the west end of the island in an area called Meads Bay. After about 15 minutes of dusty roads speckled with modest shelters, the sight of the grand Viceroy entrance is a startling one. In perfect mid-century-glam Wearstler-fashion, large slabs of marble, smooth waterfalls and pedestals-of-fire lure you into the enclave and deliver instant chills: of fear and excitement.
Upon arrival, you are swallowed into a dark, ornate lobby—robust with decorative bobbles—and then spat out into a vast, sun-drenched colonnade of empire palms flanked by two marble halls that direct you out to the water's edge. Jutting out from the top of a craggy reef cliff, sits the head of the Viceroy. Waves crash up against the rocks from below and (if you're a Bond girl) you can't help but think 'ooh, villain lair!'.
According to forthcoming Anguillans, this particular part of the main structure was so impulsively built that during storms large waves pound right into the main restaurant, Coba, and flood the space—damaging the exquisite decor and custom furniture—regularly. Adventurous diners have reportedly requested the up-close experience at the risk of being abandoned and soaked. This phenomenon comes as pure amusement to some locals whom dreaded the construction of the resort from the get-go: native Anguillans and visitors alike covet Anguilla for it's serenity and small-town-security, so such a large compound threatened the volume of outsiders coming to the island.
A cucumber-infused-vodka bloody mary (in an alligator-skin seat at the Sunset Lounge bar) and the alluring infinity pool nearby will help you forget this dichotomy immediately. As it turns out, the private pool-side cabanas and spa are not to be missed either. And if you get a spa treatment, you are welcome to use to the private patio & pool that overlooks the ocean: it's incredibly sexy! I'd also recommend dinner at Coba: the view is to die for, the food is excellent, and the sound of the crashing waves is energizing.
A member of the delightful and attentive staff gave us a tour of the lodging options at the resort. Each room and suite is meticulously decorated a la Wearstler, and with great attention to privacy. The Residences (villas & townhouse) are delicious, multi-suite, beach-front homes equipped with pools, to-die-for outdoor showers, gigantic bathrooms, and gorgeous professional kitchens.
Although we found that most of the seating in the resort is challenging to actually sit in (exhibit A, shown below), I was pleased to see the beachy-take on some of Wearstler's signature pieces—like the seagrass-upholstery on her typically leather Souffle Chair. I was impressed that she was not only able to blend her rock 'n roll signature with the natural surroundings, but also make them sing. With all the opulent lounging, dining, bathing and recreational options at The Viceroy Anguilla, the guests will never want for more (nor a flight home)… but maybe just one more cucumber-infused bloody mary…
Rental car: Bass Car Rental. They can meet you at your hotel or ferry. Beats catching super-pricey cabs everywhere. And it's so fun to be able to freely explore the whole island.
Fishing: If you like hard-core deep-sea fishing, take a day-trip with local fisherman, "Nature Boy" Webster. His family (of Irish decent, though you'd never know from his sun-kissed skin) has been living on Anguilla for 300 years. He's a fascinating guy to spend the day with.
Dining: Don't miss Veya, Straw Hat, Blanchard's, Blanchard's Beach Shack (is the best bang for buck on the island). Le Bon Pain Bakery makes the best cafe latte, baguettes, sandwiches and pastries on the island.
Don't Miss: Bankie Banx Dune Preserve beach bungalow/bar. It's the funkiest place you'll ever see (treehouse meets shipwreck) and Bankie is one cool ass, sexy ol' rasta. They regularly have live music, and make great drinks & bbq.
Sandy Island: an incredibly beautiful & tiny island about a half mile off the shore of Anguilla. Pack a book, some serious sunblock, snorkeling gear and your wallet and go for the afternoon. They have a hut with a nearly-full bar and a great seafood menu, but other than that, it's just sand and water. You can catch a shuttle boat from the dock in Sandy Ground (ask the bar tender at Johnno's: they will keep you rum-punched-up until the boat arrives to pick you up).
amerelife.com by Meredith McBride Kipp is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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The "love hormone" oxytocin can relieve symptoms of withdrawal in people recovering from alcoholism, according to a small new study.
Research has long suggested that oxytocin— called the "love" or "hug" hormone for its role in social bonding— is a complicated chemical. It is released during orgasm and birth and other bonding moments between lovers or family members, but oxytocin may also help create the unhealthy ties that bind alcoholics and addicts to their drugs of choice.
Indeed, in rodents, oxytocin can successfully fight unpleasant alcohol and heroin withdrawal symptoms. And if given before the addiction even occurs, the hormone may even prevent the development of tolerance and symptoms of physical dependence.
(MORE: Love and Addiction: Voles in Love Just Say No To Speed)
The new study included 11 people with alcoholism severe enough to produce withdrawal symptoms, but not so severe that this withdrawal would produce potentially life-threatening seizures.
That was important, because during detox, people with alcoholism are typically given benzodiazepines. These are drugs like Valium (diazepam) or Ativan (lorazepam) and they relieve withdrawal symptoms, including seizures. People who suffer seizures must be given regular doses of the drugs; others can just take them as needed for comfort. The doses taken by those not at risk of seizures, consequently, provide a good measure of how bad the withdrawal is.
And oxytocin was found to help dramatically. Those given the hormone required nearly five times less lorazepam to get through detox, compared to those on placebo. They also had less anxiety.
"Our results are the first evidence that [oxytocin] may block alcohol withdrawal symptoms in humans," the authors write. They say, however, that the results should be considered "very preliminary" because of the extremely small number of participants.
Oxytocin itself is not addictive: most people given a nasal spray containing the hormone cannot distinguish it from placebo, although about 1/3 of men get erections and people do become more trusting and cooperative in some settings. It does not automatically cause people to fall in love either, at least not in any of the research conducted so far.
So why might it be involved in addiction? It's not yet clear but some research suggests that oxytocin essentially "wires" your lover or child to your reward system, so that it is activated and you feel good when the person is present— and not so good when he or she is not there or you fear the loss of the relationship. The oxytocin itself isn't rewarding: it is simply connecting the reward with the memory of the person and the relationship. In the case of addiction, it could instead "wire" the system to the presence or absence of the drug. Increasing oxytocin levels, therefore, might cue the reward system to react the way it does in the presence of the drug, relieving withdrawal.
The research was led by Cort Pederson of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Maia Szalavitz is a health writer for TIME.com. Find her on Twitter at @maiasz. You can also continue the discussion on TIME Healthland's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIMEHealthland.


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Don't forget to complete your window treatments set with matching pillow cases! Order coordinating cushion covers in any size and edge style to suit your decor. From centrepiece bolster pillows for your bed to throw pillows for your sofa, these gorgeous little things go a long way to give any space a perfectly finished look.
All our covers are *very* lovingly handcrafted in a small village in India and come with envelope-style zippers on the back.
Good to Know:
– Sizes for flange edge cushions are as measured *without* the flange edge border.
– We offer covers only. Inserts are not included.
– Covers are sold only with drapes/shades purchase. We do not sell cushion covers standalone .
– Each cover is handcrafted from start to finish so variances are unavoidable. We try to match patterns across pieces where possible but we do not guarantee this.
Here are some spiffy pointers from our stylists on choosing the most suitable cushion covers from our range:
Your chosen cushions should work to tie together your room's color palette. The best way to do so is to pick one or two focal or accent colors, then choose cushions in those colors.
To give your space a coordinated look that looks truly stylish, we recommend matching your custom cushion covers with the draperies. Choose some in the same fabric and the rest in the same color palette. If your drapes are in a patterned fabric, order the bigger sizes in solid color coordinates. Order smaller size cover in drapery pattern at the front to serve as accent pieces.
More titbits: Avoid neutral cushions on neutral couch colors, as this is likely to look dull and insipid. Think contrast, color block, or tonal variations (dark to light in the same color family) to break the monotony.
When it comes to cushions, it is usually better to think more rather than less in terms of number. So far as odd or even count is concerned, we recommend odd numbers for a casual, informal and lived-in space. For traditional and formal spaces, even numbers usually work well.
The joy of getting cushions from Spiffy Spools is that we stock 13 sizes and can custom sew cushion covers for any dimensions to suit your specifications. Rather than stick to one uniform size, opt for a mix of multiple sizes. Choose centerpiece bolster pillows for beds, square cushions and throw pillows for couches, and floor cushions for casual lounging. Big, small, squares, rectangles—you can pick as you like and make them all work. An in-house bit of adventure!
Have fun experimenting with edge styles, textures and prints, and edgings. Edge styles can create their own charm. We offer three edging types to choose from: knife (crisp and clean), corded (piped and homely), and flange (formal and chic).
On plain and solid colored backdrops, use cushions with bold prints. On patterned upholstery, try color blocked cushions in key colors. You can even pull off the one small print, one big print and one solid color look in cushions for a haute vibe. Similarly, textures also give plenty of scope for experimentation. Cushions in velvet, suede and faux fur give a lush, luxurious look. Embroidered cushions add an ornate touch.
Remember, we advised mixing the sizes of cushions. Well, bedroom or living room, get the best out of your mixed sizes by trying out various placements. We usually recommend keeping larger cushions in corners or backs, and smaller ones to front and insides. Consider keeping the smaller cushions more ornate, as these can be made to look almost like scattered artworks.


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It's a shame bread has taken a beating over the last decade or so, because there's little on this earth — I mean, save the obvious stuff, babies in hippo onesies, world peace — that makes me happier than the aroma rolling off a slice from a freshly baked loaf. So when I went on my bender of frenetic-nesting-by-way-of-freezer meals this summer, I also made a couple loaves of sandwich bread to stash away.
I cannot recommend this enough. Even if you don't have a kid that needed to have a sandwich packed for camp every day this summer, even if you think you're too old for peanut butter and jelly yourself, even if you're really trying hard not to eat too much gluten/flour/bread/carbs/or other villian-du-jour, I resolutely believe that if/when you're going to, you might as well make it excellent.
And here's the other thing with homemade bread; I think we're all making it too complicated, all of these very specific amounts of yeast, water, precise rising times, vessels and right-wrong ways to knead. Although we've talked about this before, the bread recipes on this site are indeed guilty as charged, and while these very detailed recipes provide a blueprint for bread that works as directed just about every time (I mean, sometimes yeast is just going to be a jerk), they also make it seem harder than it is. Bread is surprisingly forgiving. So long as you don't overheat and kill the yeast while proofing, so long as you roughly follow rising times (quite often, an extra hour on the counter or several days in the fridge won't harm a thing), you're going to make something excellent, something you're going to be really proud of.
Trust me on this. Because I was a gazillion months pregnant when I made this and had all of the forgetfulness and low energy that came with it, I made the dough for these loaves and ended up leaving it in the fridge for five days before finally baking it off. It ended up being the best sandwich bread I'd ever made, deeply tender and fermented, soft with an excellent chew and a scent that you need to fill your home with ASAP. Do you need five days to make this? No, not at all. But if you only have a few minutes to put the dough together on a Monday night, you can still pop it in the oven at the end of this week and regret nothing. And then oh, the sandwiches you will have.
One year ago: Cauliflower Slaw and Cucumber Lemonade
Two years ago: Fudgy Chocolate Sheet Cake
Three years ago: Roasted Apple Spice Sheet Cake
Four years ago: Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar
Five years ago: Skirt Steak Salad with Blue Cheese
Six years ago: Chocolate Pudding Pie, Roasted Tomatoes and Cipollini and Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies
Seven years ago: Sour Cherry Compote, Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee, Bourbon Peach Hand Pies and Raspberry Breakfast Bars
Eight years ago: Lemon Layer Cake and Tortilla de Patatas
Nine years ago: Summer Squash Soup and Giardiniera
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Potatoes with Soft Eggs and Bacon Vinaigrette and The Consolation Prize (A Mocktail)
1.5 Years Ago: Double Chocolate Banana Bread and Sizzling Chicken Fajitas
2.5 Years Ago: Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroon Torte
3.5 Years Ago: Carrot Cake Pancakes and Soft Eggs with Buttery Herb-Gruyere Soldiers
4.5 Years Ago: The Best Baked Spinach and Sally Lunn Bread + Honeyed Brown Butter Spread
Oat and Wheat Sandwich Bread
Adapted from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day
This is my go-to sandwich bread and I find that a stash of it in the freezer makes even the most sad desk sandwich something to look forward to. The dough is quite forgiving; use more water if you want to skip the milk, or use a soy milk. Use more sugar or salt, use less. Forget what you're doing and it will forgive you if it rises a little too long. Accidentally leave it in the fridge for the better part of a week and it will taste even better than if you'd baked it on the first day, growing more flavorful with age.
Yield: 2 standard sandwich bread loaves
5 cups (635 grams) whole-wheat flour
2 cups (160 grams) rolled oats (I used quick-cooking for the least noticable texture)
1 tablespoon kosher or coarse salt
3 tablespoons raw or brown sugar, honey or agave nectar
1 large egg
1/4 cup (55 grams grams) vegetable or olive oil, plus a little more to coat bowl
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk, any kind
1 1/2 tablespoons (about 13 grams) instant yeast
Make bread dough: In the bottom of large mixing bowl, combine water, milk and sugar or honey, then stir in yeast. Add egg and oil and whisk until combined. Add flour, oats and salt and if mixing with a machine, combine with paddle attachment at the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for 1 minute. The dough will be wet and coarse; do not fret. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
If using a mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix the dough on medium-low for 2 more minutes. By hand, do the same with your spoon. The dough will seem firm and more smooth, ideally supple and sticky, but if it's still very wet, add a bit more flour, a spoonful at a time. If it seems excessively stiff, add a little more water, a spoonful at a time. Continue to mix with dough hook or by hand for 4 minutes.
Scrape dough out onto lightly floured counter. Knead a few times, then form the dough into a ball. Oil your empty mixing bowl and return dough to it. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof at room temperature for 60 to 70 minutes, or until doubled in buik or transfer to the fridge and let it ferment overnight or up to 5 days. If proofing in the fridge, remove the dough before the fridge about 3 hours before you plan to bake it.
Form loaves: Turn dough onto a floured counter and divide it into two equal pieces. Press each gently into a rough rectangle-ish shape. Fold in sides so that the first dough is roughly the width of your bread loaf pan (about 9 inches). Roll from bottom to top and then put this log into your bread loaf pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining dough. Let proof at room temperature for about an hour, or until the dough has crowned 1 inch above the rim of the baking pan. Halfway through, heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake bread: For 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pans once for even color. A cooked loaf of bread will sound a bit hollow when tapped and the internal temperature should read 190 degrees F. Remove loaves from tins and let cool on a rack. If you're planning to freeze bread, I like to let it cool completely before slicing it, then sliding the sliced loaf into freezer bags. You can mark them with a date, but they rarely last long enough to be forgotten.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/smittenkitchen/~3/16id8q0XEKQ/


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My prize from the Visit Seoul Summer Sale contest! |
Inside the box. |
Product description and list of ingredients at the back of the box. |
The bottle. |
Very elegant-looking. |
The cap and the bottle itself have the same size, lol. |
Comes with a plastic seal. |
Inside the bottle. |
Pearl capsules inside. |
Scoop them with the spatula provided. |
The pearl capsules up close. |
A few seconds after applying the cream. |
After two weeks of use. |


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Looking for IB Physics Notes?
Optics Notes Added - April 7, 2013
Follow the links below or the menu above to find notes on most topics covered in HL & SL IB Physics.
Lab Ideas
There are also some lab ideas for teachers and students… Plus some resources that might help you find information that isn't contained on this site.


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Real World Projects for Hardworking Students
Friday, March 31, 2017
By Joe Simon
The most interesting and challenging questions don't have a single right answer. Sure, 2 + 2 = 4. Everyone learns that in school. But what is the best design for a livable home powered entirely by the sun that can be transported anywhere in the world and assembled in just a few days? Solar Decathlon competitions worldwide have netted 274 different-yet-correct answers to this question since it was first posed in 2002. (more…)


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Encore Worsted 0240 - taupe heather
America's Best Selling Yarn, found exclusively at local yarn shops. Encore Worsted continues to be the preferred yarn of knitters and crocheters. Perfect for beginners and experienced knitters. Encore, offers a great value for the crafters that demand the highest quality. Loved for the Machine Wash and Machine Dry, the extensive array of colors and proven dependability for decades. Bouncy 3- ply incorporates just enough wool for a fleecy feel.
75% Acrylic, 25% Wool
Machine Wash, Machine Dry Low
Machine Wash, Machine Dry Low
Gauge: 5 sts = 1"/US8 needle
Yardage: 200 yards
Weight(s): Worsted


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Precision Home Services
Looking for a reliable home services company that can make your home or businesses look its finest? Precision Home Services offers a wide variety of residential and commercial services to ensure your home or building looks as beautiful as new. We are your local, professional experts for air duct cleaning, power washing, gutter cleaning, chimney cleaning, dryer vent cleaning and much more.
Why Choose Us?
Our trained professionals provide service beyond your expectations ensuring complete satisfaction to home and business owners throughout Southeast Michigan. You can rely on our home maintenance services team to get the job done efficiently at an affordable price. Precision Home Services is fully insured and bonded with general liability insurance and carries workers compensation. We are a local owned and operated company that provides the highest quality services to throughout Southeast Michigan. We take pride in our workmanship and customer service which is demonstrated on every job we take on.
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Hard News: Where do you get yours? (Food Edition)
143 Responses
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Chris Waugh, in reply to
Thanks, Russell and Sofie. If Winnie's complaining then something good must be happening.
Logically, I thought there must be plenty of Asian shops in Auckland, I just don't know Auckland at all and didn't know where to start looking for them. Now one fear has been soothed, and in a Muttonbirdy kind of way, just remember Dominion Road.
Next mission: Longjing tea. I've managed to find some the last couple of times I've been in NZ, but only of the adequate variety. Whereas here I just walk 10 minutes to the nearest branch of Wuyutai and I've got 3 liang (150g) of good Longjing for 30 yuan (100 yuan/jin). And other teas, too. I'm currently refreshing myself with a nice (for a supermarket tea) Pu'er - beautiful red stuff from Yunnan. It's really hard to beat a nice Renshen Wulong or Tieguanyin (the Iron Goddess of Mercy - a very suitable name) for an afternoon pickmeup.
And I wonder if 花椒/huājiāo/Chinese prickly ash (the dictionary says) - that numbing Sichuan 'pepper corn' - is available. I've heard it's illegal in some places. I don't think my wife would want to contemplate life without it.
I have contemplated taking our soy milk machine back with us, but then again, moving to NZ will lose us one big advantage of living here. My parents in law are farmers, and it's really nice to be able to get soy beans, millet, corn, apples, etc straight from the people who grow them and who have a vested interest in our continued health. Really really nice when you live in a country of constant food safety scandals.
you can grow your own
Che Tibby, in reply to
I do find $25 for an actual organic chook a bit steep most days.
holy moly. i don't blame you. for that kind of money you should set up a chook house. you can buy the wee ones for $8, grow them, and have the dubious "pleasure" of killing them yourself.
-not illegal here! Freely available as a dried ingedient- cheers!
Islander, in reply to
Family haz chooks. Family haz eggs(lotsa.) Family only rarely kills chooks (they can live, happily and productively for up to 20 years…afterwards, I haz—-recipes!<
q> do find $25 for an actual organic chook a bit steep most days.heavens, that is ridiculous!
@ Islander: OMG OMG you just reminded me of the post-September 4 fleeing to Dunedin with the children when I was lent a house by an angel, who also left a tub of the Gourmet Ice-cream Company's Brandy Snap icecream and a lemon curd icecream in the freezer as a destress pack. The brandy snap one was a-ma-zing, and the lemon curd was good too, and they worked well in the same bowl!.
The Dunedin market at the railway station was great for all sorts of yum things -- my boys still lust after the whitebait fritters.
The star was the Evansdale cheese factory just north of Dunedin: Tania (smoked farmhouse), the Laurel, and the Bay Blue. http://www.evansdalecheese.co.nz/pages/9/Store-order
On the way home we stayed at Moeraki for the night, and Fleur at Fleur's Place let we four squeeze in at the end of the bar to have a bowl of primo seafood chowder.
Islander, in reply to
O, O I was saving some of this stuff for next time – but Hebe, you are absolutely right – Evansdale is somewhere I always call into and as for the Dunedin Farmers' Market? Hear a tremendouys *major YESSS! Gourmet IceCream? Well, really, is there no other of the rest of the sweet-loving hoard?
*The only celebratory correct spelling insofar as I am concerned- -
Che Tibby, in reply to
The star was the Evansdale cheese factory just north of Dunedin: Tania (smoked farmhouse), the Laurel, and the Bay Blue.
they do decent cheese. we buy a round whenever we visit the family in waitati
Hebe, in reply to
Sorry I gazumped you. Have you tried the smoked eggs at the Farmer's Market?
Islander, in reply to
There is NO gazumphing for food references!
Manuka-smoked? YES! -
Hebe, in reply to
I do find $25 for an actual organic chook a bit steep most days.
I did until we got chickens. Now, having three fat and bossy good-for-nothings who haven't laid since January (they are only two years old!) and spend their time gobbling gold-plated organic pellets and booting the crap out of the vege garden like demented hockey players from an English girls' boarding school novel, I would want $50 a chook to raise them in an any numbers.
Trouble is dinner is now unlikely because I would not be able to say "Gosh Bluebell makes a nice risotto" and not feel guilty. Chickens have feelings too you know.
Hebe, in reply to
I sound obsessed with "smoked" thises and thats. Actually the Tania cheese was my intro to smoked and it seems to keep coming up coincidentally. Smoked garlic aioli from Cannon Hill foods in chch is very fine.
Emma Hart, in reply to
I sound obsessed with "smoked" thises and thats.
We live about two blocks from Holy Smoke, and its salmon. I think you sound perfectly reasonable.
Lilith __, in reply to
the Tania cheese was my intro to smoked
Gateway drug. ;-)
Hebe, in reply to
the Tania cheese was my intro to smoked
Gateway drug. ;-)Yeah man; next the blue vein.
Islander, in reply to
Now, if I get into farmed/ then harvested/ then smoked or otherwise processed salmon – we're in for a looong ride – about which I know a considerable lot.
Summary: good, basically, against wild harvest-Hebe – after yet another tooth in my my head has fallen out ,all I can add is -
even edentious people can suck smoked salmon with satisfaction (but cry at the same time-) -
Hebe, in reply to
Ouch. Implants?
Hebe, in reply to
Now, if I get into farmed/ then harvested/ then smoked or otherwise processed salmon – we're in for a looong ride –
I would like to find out about smoking cheese - and mussels - some time ...
Lilith __, in reply to
I would like to find out about smoking cheese – and mussels
Both quite hard to light.
Hebe, in reply to
[Snort] Nice.
Islander, in reply to
Hey! Can do!
My uncle Bill taught me to smoke fish when I was 12 years old (the year after my father died.) I can literally( after weighing, ascetaining sugar content (U. Bill just licked it but he showed me how to *taste* it - including in meat-) and salt content
(especially important for fish) know what kind of brine/sugar mix to make. How long to weather after soaking/dry after brining/ what kind of sawdusts to make what kind of smokes...
cheeses and mussels are not a difficult matter- -
Hebe, in reply to
Ooh yes please. But are you sure this doesn't deserve a book? Would Huia accept that -- I feel in my marketing bones that it would do well.
Islander, in reply to
Ouch. Implants?
I've never had lower jaw back molars, and as the rest of perilously-anchored teeth die - ah well, i will invent the most brillant savoury vege/fish smoothies there has ever been! -
Islander, in reply to
It would do ok - but I think Brian & Robyn et al hate me - I am soooo way behind with the Huia book (and I have put so much in it) and - well, it wont be wasted, but wont be on time - onward!
Chris Waugh, in reply to
-not illegal here! Freely available as a dried ingedient- cheers!
Please tell me that's an answer to my 花椒/huājiāo/prickly ash/numbing 'pepper' query. Although I basically disagree with its use in food (back in Hunan (where I spent my first year in China) we go straight spicy with no numbing, and damn, do you get one hell of a rush from that), used in moderation it certainly can add a certain extra frisson to the flavour. And far more importantly, my wife loves it.
But are you sure this doesn't deserve a book?
I suspect this certainly does deserve at least a book.
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