When I think about all of the events and moments they have experienced in their lives, it is truly amazing and mind boggling. Just think of it…the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Civil Right Movement, the Assassination of JFK, the invention of the computer, the explosion of the Challenger, Columbine, the first Republican female Vice Presidential candidate, and the first African American Presidential candidate, of course I could go on and on, but it is truly AMAZING!

With all of their life experiences, I have gained great wisdom and hope from their stories of struggle and success. I am thankful each day that they have enriched and helped mold my life, and the lives of others around them.

Happy Birthday Grandpa & Grandma!!

Feel free to share…

Angie

Yesterday, the entire PGC team celebrated their accomplishments with some festivities and cake.  The day was extra special for Pipe, as he also celebrated his 50th birthday! Congratulations!

Following are some photos from the event I wanted to share:

King’s Wings

1 package frozen chicken wings, or other prepared chicken wings (thawed)
1 bottle soy sauce
1 bottle tabasco sauce

Perpare grill. Place chicken wings on hot grill and turn frequently. Baste with prepared mixture of soy sauce and tabasco sauce. I usually use equal parts of each. (Half bottle of soy sauce and equal amount of tabasco, but this is definitely to taste.) They are fairly hot this way. You can experiment with the mix and make it to your liking.

Enjoy!

Barb

Like many others, I use to-do lists both at work and at home to help me keep track of projects and tasks that need to get completed. Some people however, feel trapped by lists because they always feel like there is something that has to be done. (e.g. When I get this done, I can do that.) According to When To-Do Lists Take Over, an article found in the April/May 2007 issue of Body + Soul magazine, “It’s a common but deadly trap in which we use to-do lists to put off the present and focus, instead, on the future — either waiting for it to begin or hurrying to get there. We instead need to think of lists as tools by which you learn to live each moment.” Often it is a better idea to write down just those things that can be accomplished in a day.

Following are a few links for some online To-Do Lists to help you stay organized:

http://www.tadalist.com/

http://www.solutionwatch.com/450/25-to-do-lists-to-stay-productive/

Thanks for reading!

Barb

I don’t know about you, but every year, I look forward to hearing what the new food “on a stick,” will be at the fair. This year, I had heard a lot about chocolate covered bacon, and pickle juice popsicles. While both of these sounded interesting, I was not brave enough to try either. Maybe I am boring…or traditional, but I stuck to the old stand-by’s of french fries and corn dogs. Take a look at some of the photos below for other strange, but interesting items on a stick. 

We finished the day off with the big finale, the Brad Paisley concert. He played all of my favorites, including Waitin’ on a Woman, Whiskey Lullaby, I’m Still a Guy, Letter to Me, Mud on the Tires, She’s Everything, and Celebrity. It was great!

I hope you get a chance to experience the fair this year!!

Feel free to share…

Angie

It is sad when anyone, especially a competing product/company, would use scare tactics, and mis-leading information to try and gain market share. The stone industry however, is fighting back. The MIA, Marble Institute of America, has talked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to facilitate new scientific standards for testing granite countertops for radon and is also working with the scientific community, etc.

If you have any questions, or concerns, please feel free to contact us. You can also research the topic further by investigating following links.

For information from an independent website, please click on the link below:

http://www.radon.com/radon/granite.html

For more information from the MIA, Marble Institute of America, please click on the link below:

http://www.marble-institute.com/industryresources/granite_radoninfo.cfm

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Anyway—it has been refreshing the last week, or so watching the Olympics! I’ve always enjoyed the spirit of all of the various countries coming together, as well as the competition. My favorite event has always been gymnastics! There’s just something about the strength, endurance, and elegance that has always drawn me to it. Last night, I was able to catch the girls un-even parallel bars event. Although there were some fantastic performances, I’m not sure I agree with the out-come, and their new tie-breaking rule. If it were my decision, I would have given both the USA and China a gold. Life isn’t always fair…but that’s another whole blog.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

When our customers select a flowing granite for their countertops, we often times get asked the question, “Will your installers be able to match the flow where my countertops needs to be seamed?”

The answer to that question is, “We will do our best.” While some granite’s are consistent in their overall look and feel, there are a lot of colors available that are not. Many granite’s have flow, and movement, which make them unique and truly beautiful, but these characteristics can sometimes pose some issues when it comes to seaming.

At PGC, we always strive to match the flow on pieces, but it just isn’t always possible. Our pricing structure is calculated and based on the total square footage needed for a job. Slabs are then ordered based on this square footage to accommodate all pieces being cut from the pre-determined number of slabs. The lay-out process for flowing granite’s can sometimes be a bit tricky for several reasons. First of all, there might not be enough material available to get a piece to flow a certain way. Secondly, depending on the color selected, there might not be another area of the slab that even matches. A third reason laying out a flowing granite might be tricky and cause mis-match is the slab length itself. If the slab is not long enough to accommodate a piece, another one would have to seam up to it that might not match.

If you select a flowing granite for your countertops, please make sure that you realize that a consistent, picture perfect seam is not always possible. If you are concerned about flow match, you might want to consider a granite that is more consistent.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Ginger Snap Ice Cream Sandwiches

Make the gingersnaps: Preheat the oven to 350F. In a bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, add egg and the molasses, and beat the mixture until it is smooth. In another bowl whisk together the flour, the ginger, the cinnamon, the allspice, the baking soda, and the salt, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and stir the mixture until it forms a soft dough. Form the dough into 24 balls (each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter), roll the balls in the additional granulated sugar, coating them, and arrange them 2 inches apart on buttered baking sheets. Bake the gingersnaps in batches in the middle of the oven for 13 to 15 minutes, until they are crisp and cracked but still soft inside, and let them cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer the gingersnaps with a metal spatula to racks and let them cool completely. Sandwich a scoop of the ice cream between 2 of the gingersnaps, pressing the cookies together, form 11 more sandwiches in the same manner, and roll the edges in the pistachios, or other type of nut if desired. Freeze the sandwiches on a tray, covered, until they are hard. The sandwiches may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and frozen. Makes 12 ice cream sandwiches.

Note: This recipe called for lemon ice cream, but you can use vanilla, coffee, chocolate chip, etc. Coffee-chocolate chip sounds good to me!

Enjoy!

Barb

Many consumers are attracted to granite because of its natural occuring quartz. Some granite colors contain large areas of quartz that actually give you the visual appeal of looking down into the stone. Other granite colors may contain smaller areas of quartz throughout. Other consumers are drawn to the reflective, mirror-like mica, which is prominent in some colors. Still others are drawn to the veining and movement of some stones, and some are drawn to those granite colors consistent in their overall look.

Marble, slate, soapstone, travertine, and onyx are some other popular stones used in building and remodeling. They are often used in combination with granite countertops to compliment a room.

Whatever your stone preference, you can’t go wrong the lasting visual appeal of genuine stone! To learn more about genuine stone, please feel free to visit the MIA, Marble Institute of America website.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Following are a few photo’s I wanted to share:

 Granite: Black Polar Russian (Large areas of mica and quartz)

Granite: Black Polar Russian; Slate backsplash