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Hello,
If you are looking for some Thanksgiving Tips be sure to check out this week's TF News. It contains tons of tips from our archive. You can read it here:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf46367027.tip.html
Thanks for reading,
Susan
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Today's Photos
My Aunt Lourdes loves to grow vegetables in her garden. This is a picture of her tomatoes this year. She decided to make tomato sauce, add them to big jars and sell them in her near by flea market. The sale went great! She is planning to grow other vegetables next year.
By Maria Lozano from Somerville, Ma
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This is a picture of my son last year snow storm. Without any idea we pushed him in the snow and this is what came out of this picture ... A BIG POLAR BEAR!
By Maria Lozano from Somerville , Ma
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Baby is a mixed mutt, 8 weeks old. We received Baby for my granddaughter. She chose him herself.
She saw this one first and would not even look at any others. This one was it. looks like she knew a good friend when she saw one. He likes to ride in the stroller.
By Randa Wagner from Martindale TX.
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Today's Tips
For a Christmas party, one of the quickest appetizers that can be prepared, is to put a 8 oz. brick of cream cheese on a platter and pour a jar of Pepper Jelly over it, place crackers around it. Pepper Jelly can be found at most grocery stores, in the condiment aisle.
It comes in red or green, so this is perfect for Christmas. This appetizer is highly welcomed at most parties.
By Terri from NV
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Using Your Skills and Talents to Make Extra Christmas Money
If you're a stay-at-home mom, use your skills and talents to make extra holiday spending money. The following are things I have done:
1. If you have goodies that you are familiar with and good at baking, contact friend who doesn't have the extra time and take orders. Most are glad to pay for the convenience of having someone else to do the work for them.
2. Help a friend decorate. I have a friend with a HUGE house and a 10 ft tree. I have decorated for years. She enjoys the help and I make extra Christmas money.
3. If there are crafts you are good at, sell them. One particular year I made decorated cinnamon brooms with "faux" christmas cookies and made over $500.00 selling them to factory workers and teachers I knew.
Brainstorm to think of things you can do well and use those skills. Trust me--Santa AND HUBBY will thank you for the money made. Hope this has been helpful! Happy Holidays!
By Sharon Shearer from Ravenna,Ky
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Cleaning Tar Spatters from Your Vehicle
To remove tar spatters from your vehicle, spray with Avon Skin So Soft on the tar, let it set a minute or so and wipe off.
By Harlean from Arkansas
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If your Christmas includes travel, allow plenty of time at the airport or on the road. If flying, drink lots of water during the flight to stay hydrated and help combat jet lag.
By Linda
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One year I typed all the recipes I had used since my children were little, one recipe per page. I decorated each page to match the theme of the recipe with graphics and borders.
On the backside of each recipe, I put a photo of someone in the family. When you looked at the recipe page entitled "Stew", for example, the picture on the left was a picture of all the grandchildren entitled the "Smith Stew" (but I used our last name).
I put all the pages in page protector sheets I bought at Costco. I put all the pages in a binder that you can remove or add pages as needed. I designed the cover, side binding and the backside of the binder with appropriate graphics, title and year. I didn't have a hole punch, so went to Office Max. They have a place where you can use paper cutter, copier, hole punch, etc.
After all the gifts had been opened, my children sat for hours looking through the book at the recipes and the "old" pictures they had forgotten about.
It was truly a labor of love. It took 2 months writing and editing, working it around my life.
I hope this gives someone an idea they can use.
By Eletha
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Be sure to shop after holiday sales aisles. These aisles might not be close to the front of the store, so ask if you can't find them. You'll find items, close to nothing in price, not to mention candies that can be frozen (if need be) to your next gift giving occasion or brought out when you're expecting company or need an unexpected gift.
By Terri from NV
Editor's Note: Our local JoAnn's had lots of Halloween items for up to 90% off. If you want some of those carveable pumpkins, they had plenty.
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Saving Money by Decorating Yourself
A friend recently told me they'd received a bid of over $1,000. to put up their Christmas lights, this year. To save money, she's decided to put up their own Christmas lights themselves. I never knew till I moved here, that people hire others to put up decorations and holiday lights for them. Where I'm from, you do it yourselves and take pride in it.
By Terri from NV
Editor's Note: It's common around here also to decorate yourself except possibly businesses. Definitely a good way to save money if you are used to paying for it.
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Today is Veteran's Day in the U.S. Remember the Veterans in your life today with a hug, a card or a phone call. Make sure you let them know you appreciate them and their service.
Here are some E-card Sites:
http://mypostcards.com/search/?qt=f&cat=h&val=vetd
Susan from ThriftyFun
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House all "DECKED" for the holidays, and no one but family to share it with? May I suggest a few fun holidays get-togethers that don't have to break you up,but allow Moms a night out with friends? The following are fun and inexpensive get-togethers which will be enjoyed by everyone but won't have to cost a fortune to host:
1. Invite a few friends and have a Baking Party. Keep your list according to the number you can comfortably fit in your kitchen. Make a list of the items you intend to make and have each person bring the ingredients for a batch or two of their favorite candy or cookies, plus a container to take home their "stash". Since you'll have plenty of sweets to sample, make a cheese ball and serve soft drinks. A friend and I did this faithfully for many, many years. We split the cost of the ingredients and each had a good supply for family and friends.
2. Host a Goody Exchange where everyone brings already prepared batches of their favorite treat and a container and exchanges with everyone else at the party. Keep refreshments light for less work.
3. Get 4-5 friends and load up for House Tours. My family has done this several times. The kids stay home with the hubbies playing cards and we all get to share our holiday decorations with the others. I offered to be the last house and had a table of goodies, hot chocolate and hot cider before returning for the kids.
4. We're probably one of few families who love to get together and visit neighbors and shut-ins caroling. Afterwards share hot drinks and cookies. A little of your time can brighten someone else's holiday.
5. For several years my sisters and nieces have made a "traditon" of shopping the AFTER THANKSGIVING sales together. It's an all-night event with lots of fun and great buys,try it--you"ll like it! And you'll have plenty of extras to shop for the various items you'd otherwise have to stand in line to get.
Christmas fun doesn't have to be elaborate, stressful parties. Just a tip, I had a holiday party last night and refreshments were light (a cheeseball and crackers, chips and dip and I bought two boxes of cheap colorful holiday cookies for $1.50 each and a bag of fudge stripe cookies for $1.00 and arranged them on a pretty platter.) They were every bit as pretty as a store-bought tray which would have costed $10 or more. MAKE YOUR OWN HOLIDAY FUN this year. Making memories doesn't have to cost a fortune!
By Sharon Shearer from Ravenna, Ky
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I want to make draft stoppers to lay at the base of my windows. The idea is to sew a tube of fabric and fill it with something to hold its form. The question is what can I stuff it with that will fill in that right angle between the window and the ledge; and, I hope, be washable.
Stone from OKC
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Selling Gymboree Clothing on Ebay
I am interested in selling Gymboree Clothing on Ebay. Does anybody know where I can find out free information for buying the clothing wholesale? Everywhere I seem to look, it costs money for an e-book download. Also, can anybody tell me where I can find out the "lines" that Gymboree has sold over the years. Same as above, everywhere I look, it costs money to subscribe. Thanks in advance :-)
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How do bugs get into a light bulb?
How do bugs get into a light bulb?
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Homemade Bread Sticks for Baby
By Rachel Paxton
Is your baby teething? Homemade bread sticks are easy to make and are great teething biscuits for older babies. You can make bread sticks out of most any kind of bread by baking at a low temperature (150-200 degrees) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread sticks are hard and crunchy.
For the recipes below, after baking, let bread cool. Slice bread into "sticks" and bake at 150-200 degrees for 1 hour. Store in airtight container. Your baby will love it!
Banana Bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add mashed bananas and mix well. Blend in other ingredients. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for about 45 minutes.
Carrot Bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.
Apple Bread
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until well blended. Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake for about 1 hour.
About the author: Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com
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Rookie Moves When Baking Your First Turkey
These are all mistakes I have made over the years. After 30 or so years of cooking and eating Thanksgiving dinners, I have seen these mistakes made first hand.
Cooking a Turkey That is Still Frozen
It takes 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator to thaw a frozen turkey. If you don't have that much time, fill your kitchen sink with water (cold) and place it there. As the water gets colder from the frozen turkey, keep letting some out and adding more water. When it seems that the outside is unfrozen, unwrap it so the water can reach the inside of the turkey. Many a turkey is still frozen in the center when being cooked.
Taking Out the Neck and Giblets Package
There is a package of giblets and a neck that are stuck into the breast cavity of turkeys. Make sure you remove them. Sometimes they are put into little plastic bags which makes for a nasty mess. You don't want your beautiful turkey to taste like plastic. If you are fast thawing your turkey, make sure you take these out because they will keep the turkey frozen longer. It's near impossible to get them out until the turkey is thawed some.
Worrying About Stuffing the Turkey
I put an onion and a piece of celery inside the turkey while it is baking. It gives the turkey the flavor of stuffing without sucking up all the juices. I make my stuffing and cook it separately. You can put it in with the turkey in the last hour.
I'm sure there are more of these. Please add your own rookie moves to this post to help those that are making their first Thanksgiving dinner.
Turkey Breasts
If you don't feel up to baking a whole turkey, the turkey breasts are a great option. They take much less time to thaw, give you lots of good breast meat and even have a gravy packet inside to help. If it is the day before Thanksgiving, unless you buy a fresh turkey, this may be your only option.
If you have any more tips for rookie cooks, feel free to post them below.
Susan from ThriftyFun
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Making the Best of You
By Steve Goodier
They say "make the best of a bad situation." But I believe the bad situation makes the best of you. Even the irritations of life can be useful. President Abraham Lincoln showed us how this is so.
One of his cabinet appointees, Edwin Stanton, frequently found flaws with the president and criticized him -- sometimes in public. Lincoln seemed to show excessive patience with him. The president was asked why he kept such a man in a high level position.
Lincoln characteristically responded with a story. He told about a time he was visiting with an old farmer. He noticed a big horsefly biting the flank of the farmer's horse. Lincoln said he reached over to brush the fly away. As he did so, the farmer stopped him and cautioned, "Don't do that, friend. That horsefly is the only thing keeping this old horse moving."
Even life's many irritations and problems have their place. They may cause us to change directions. Or prod us to greater achievement. Or keep us moving along when it's easier to go nowhere.
Are you simply making the best of a bad situation, or will it make the best of you?
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