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Hello,
Congratulations to Syd who won our latest contest drawing. We had 455 contest entries in the last 15 days. I believe that is the most we have received over a 15 day period. As always I wish we could give out more and bigger prizes because you guys are submitting a lot of useful information. We even had a poem submission!
Thanks for reading and...
Thank you for your generous participation,
Susan
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Holiday Travel Tips Ebook
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Today's Tips
Today's Family Tradition...
Robin's Favorite Holiday Salad Recipes
Cranberry Salad
This is a holiday family favorite!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Grind all fruit. Add to the sugar. Mix well with sugar. Add to Jello and mold.
Cinnamon Salad
Another Christmas favorite!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Dissolve Jello and red hots in boiling water. Cool to room temperature before adding applesauce. Chill until set. Mix well and top salad with:
Mix well and top salad.
Watergate Salad
This is my personal holiday favorite!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Mix all ingredients well. Chill well before serving.
By Robin
View More Christmas Family Traditions
Share Your Christmas Family Tradition
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I use a small plastic 3-tier shelf lined with plastic dishpans to separate clean laundry. Each dishpan is labeled with each person's name and one labeled "upstairs." 2 of my kids are old enough to put up their laundry and they know to check their bins each day. It keeps everything neat and organized, teaches them responsibility, and save me from having to put up FIVE people's laundry.
By ~Kayla~
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Spoon into crust. Chill. Spoon pie filling over the top.
Graham cracker crust...
Ingredients:
Directions:
Mix well and press firmly into a greased 9 inch pie pan. Chill.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix in egg, vanilla and chopped apples. Bet thoroughly. Add chopped nuts and mix by hand. Bake in a 9 inch greased pie pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with whipped topping sprinkled with nutmeats.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Mix sugar and flour. Add to boiling water slowly and boil until clear, stirring constantly. Add butter and gradually the yolks of eggs, beating lightly. Cook over boiling water until it holds its shape, stirring constantly.. Add lemon. When cool, pour into a 8 inch baked pie crust. Cover with meringue.
Meringue:
Beat 2 egg white until stiff but not dry. Add 2 tablespoons sugar for each egg white used in meringue. Spread over pie and bake in 300 degree oven for 15 minute.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Add to:
Combine above ingredients and cook in saucepan until clear. Add: 1/4 teaspoon almond. Let cool slightly. Line baked pie shell with 3 cups sliced fresh peaches. Pour in filling. Chill 3 hours. Top with shipped topping. Garnish with fresh peach slices.
By Robin
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When a load of wet laundry got left in the dryer for a week the smell was horrendous. I soak the whole load in the washer overnight with a cup of vinegar in the water, then drained it and rewashed with laundry soap. As good as new!
By Linda
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I don't like giving money to panhandlers but sometimes want to do something. I fixed up lunch bags with a juice box, snack mix, apple, cookies and a candy or two, and a reminder that God loves them. I can hand this to someone on the freeway ramp easily.
By Linda
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To simplify my baking I make a lot of bar cookies. I bought some extra pans at the thrift store, so now I can leave the cookies in the pans until I am ready to cut them and arrange the gift trays. When empty, they nest so they don't take up a lot of room either.
By Linda
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Tips for Storing Christmas Ornaments and Other Decorations
Tips an ideas for storing Christmas ornaments and all the other decorations that you won't need for a year. Post your ideas.
Storing Christmas Ornaments
Do not store Christmas ornaments in newspaper. The ink may come off on the ornaments while in storage.
By Linda
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Homemade bean bags are a great gift for children. Use the sleeve or leg of an old garment and then sew in pieces. I fill them with rice, not beans. They are lighter and don't hurt if you get hit in the head.
By Linda
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Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with a thin layer of cooking spray. Place squash halves cut side down on the baking sheet.
Bake squash 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife can be easily inserted. Remove from oven, and cool.
Meanwhile, spray a non-stick saucepan with cooking spray. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until golden brown. Stir in tomatoes, basil, bouillon cube, and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until you have a medium thick sauce.
Remove squash strands with a fork, reserving the shells. Layer each half with a spoonful of the sauce, a layer of spaghetti squash strands, olives, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers until shells are full, or until all of the ingredients are used. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until Parmesan cheese melts.
By Anna
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Ingredients:
Directions:
In a microwave safe bowl, combine apples, maple syrup and cinnamon. Microwave on high for 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender and process until smooth. Return mixture to bowl and microwave 5 minutes more. Cool and transfer to a jar. Store in refrigerator.
By Anna
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Red and Green Christmas Jalapeño Jelly
Ingredients:
Directions:
Remove stems, veins and most of the seeds of the bell and jalapeño peppers. Mince peppers in a food processor. In a 5-quart pot over high heat, combine bell peppers, jalapeño, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a rolling boil; boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
Stirring constantly, add the pectin and let mixture continue to cool for 2 minutes more. Now stir for 1 minute. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and top with sterilized lids. Secure lids with bands and allow jars to cool slowly, creating a vacuum seal.
By Anna
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Did you know that you can put salt in your window seals to keep out ants. Or anywhere you might have an ant problem. It works
By jenny
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Keeping Flies Away From You (And Your Horse)
Try Avon Skin So Soft after bath spray to keep flies away also works on horses.
By Jenny
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Pack a Lunch for the Preschooler, Too
When I pack lunch for my school age children, I pack one for my younger child as well that way he gets a kick out of using his lunch box and we have lunch prepared if we are on the go at lunchtime. This is a healthier and less expensive alternative to fast food.
By Mary
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To make quick and cheap curtain valances take a dust ruffle from a bed and remove the lower ruffle, flip down about 2-3 inches along the top cut side and sew it down on the machine. The rest of the curtain will already have a nice finished edge. Just hang up on curtain rod like you normally would.
By Melanie
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Making Quick Curtains With Sheets
To make quick curtains just use sheets that are of a good quality 2-4 per window depending on how full you want them. They already come with finished edges and a place to put the rod through. You can even put tie backs on or valances on top.
By Melanie
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Using Clothing Material for Crafts
If you end up with a clothing item you would never wear but like the pattern, think about using the material for pillows, quilts, etc. You can also stock up on material from clothes for quilts at bag sales from thrift stores or yard sales.
By Melanie
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Boil the elbow pasta as usual.
In a separate pan make a "rue" by melting 1/3 cup butter with just a bit less than 1/3 cup of flour till it's a thick paste. Add in about 1 1/2 cups of milk and warm until it's combined, melted and thickening.
Then add in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese or 3-4 cheese slices. If any clumps are there just take them out with a fork.
Add in macaroni stir and eat immediately or you can put in buttered casserole dish and then top with more shredded cheese and bake till cheese melts. I tend to use less cheese this way.
By Melanie
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Tips for making good soup. Post your ideas.
Chopping Meat for Soups
Take a hint from the big soup companies. To make a soup look like it has more meat in it, chop the meat into small bites instead of big chunks.
By Lynn
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Using it All - Getting All the Motor Oil
Make sure to get all the motor oil out of the containers used in oil changes buy letting them drip upside down in a funnel back into one of the containers, letting each one drain for a couple of days.
By Melanie
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Tips and ideas for washing, drying and folding sheets. Post your ideas.
Drying Sheets
When drying sheets in the dryer, loosely fold them before putting them in and they will dry faster and not end up in a ball with wet spots in the middle.
By June S.
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Saving Money on Wrapping Paper
Tips for saving money on wrapping paper. Post your ideas.
Deli Containers
I can usually get the deli counter to give me a few extra clear containers that I use for packing holiday food gifts. Add a few stickers and a bow on top!
By Linda
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In our newest contest we are giving away a $30.00 Gift Card at one of the following stores: Home Depot, Jo-Ann's Crafts or Amazon.com. If you are the winner, you get to choose which gift card! We figured it would be more valuable if you pick out your own prize, that's why we have decided to go the gift card route. This contest will end on December 31st.
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Dear Webby's Humor Letter
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New Requests:
Where's Erma Bombeck When We Need Her? Uses For Unmatched Socks.
I am the proud owner of a large trash bag of widowed and orphaned socks--all colors, all sizes. Although Erma Bombeck would have known where to search for the mates, we've lost her and are on our own. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to use these single socks--or is there anyone who would like this bag for quilting scraps or something? Thanks.
Kathleen in Dallas
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Buying Foam Cover for an Earbud?
This seems so simple but I'm having the darnedest time! I lost the foam cover that goes on an "earbud" style (in the ear) headset for the phone. I can't seem to find any place that sells just the cover, so I'd have to replace the whole thing when I just need a small piece of foam. This really seems like a waste!
I tried Wal-Mart, RadioShack, and Staples. Any ideas? Your thoughts are much appreciated!
Todd from Wisconsin
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Ink or Permanent Marker on Suede Jacket
I have an ink line or permanent marker in red on my new suede jacket on the back. I need to found out how I can get it clean.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Teresa
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Looking for Zachary Creme Drops
I used to buy Zachary Cream drops in Walgreens in Marysville or Yuba City, CA. They no longer carry them. The Wal-Mart, Lindhurst Av., Marysville clerk says she has never seen them. I want cream drops for my grandson Zachary.
Inez, California
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More Reading:
Decorating On a Shoestring Budget
By Amy Allen Clark
Right now one of the most popular shows on television is, Trading Spaces. If you havent gotten an opportunity to watch this show, the object of the game is to decorate one room in someone elses house with a budget of a $1,000. The decorators truly struggle to accomplish this so you know it is hard when even they, trained professionals, are having problems creating the room of the homeowners dreams. Do not despair just because your money is limited- you can still create a warm and inviting home frugally.
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'Ho Ho Ho' and Other Secrets of the Holiday Season
By Colleen Langenfeld
Pssst. Come over here. I have a secret.
Santa doesn't work alone. He has help. Lots of it.
Here's another secret. Presents DO mysteriously appear under Christmas trees...and sometimes on doorsteps, too.
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Secondhand but Not Second-Rate
By Sara Noel
Are you saving your hard-earned money by shopping at thrift stores? Why pay retail when you can purchase many items secondhand for the fraction of the cost? No one knows it's previously owned, unless you're like I am and many others that LOVE bragging how we got an item for a steal! It's a definite way to ease your budget and environmentally friendly too. Shopping secondhand is like a treasure hunt. It takes time to learn how to bargain shop, but you can become a money-saving thrift store shopper by planning ahead and being prepared.
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