Hello one and all. I hope I'll get this sent out on time, but am having internet connection troubles. Our latest thing here is that when it rains my phone line is getting wet and that messes up my connection since I'm still on dial up. Now the phone company tells me that the problem area can only be found when I'm actually having the problem...but anytime I call them when I'm having the problem they tell me they can't get anyone sent out then. You gotta love Verizon customer service. Well luckily I have better things to talk about than my phone service. :)
For the benefit of our new subscribers, at the bottom you'll find a website where I have archived all the old newsletter issues. Also if you have anything at all you want to share (tips, recipes, book reviews, new products reviews, etc.), send it to me or Phyllis and we'll get it in the next issue. Until next time...~Toni
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~Tips from Cheryl~
Shining Stainless Steel Sinks Try this shortcut: Pour several drops of mineral or baby oil onto a sponge or paper towel and then wipe down the sink. Spots will disappear and the sink will shine.
Jazz Up Plain Yogurt You can make it more interesting (and save money) by adding tasty items from your refrigerator or the pantry: fruit cocktail or fresh fruit, crunch cereal, jam or jelly or even chocolate chips.
Difference Between Sanitizers and Disinfectants? Sanitizers must reduce microorganisms on a surface by 99.9 percent. Disinfectants must kill all the organisms listed on the label; this includes viruses, bacteria and fungi (but not hair spores).
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Houseplants are more than just decorative. If you get the right plant, it will do double duty, improving the air quality in your home by absorbing dangerous toxins. Best bets: philodendrons, green spider plants, palms, ferns, English ivy and dracaenas.
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Prevent freezer burn by pressing plastic wrap onto the surface of your ice cream before putting the lid back on. This protects against frost.
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New Stamp Issue
Bob Hope (1903-2003) returns to a “stamping ovation” May 29 on the USS Midway in San Diego when the Postal Service issues a stamp in his likeness on what would have been his 106th birthday. Kazuhiko Sano of Mill Valley, CA, worked under the direction of art director Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, to create the stamp image that is based on a photograph of Hope.
Hope devoted his life to making people laugh. He is most known for his unwavering commitment — from World War II through Operation Desert Storm — to supporting morale by entertaining military personnel serving overseas. He had a top rated television show on NBC, and also found success on the live stage, in radio shows and in motion pictures. He became one of the most honored and beloved performers of the 20th century.
Although Hope never officially served in the U.S. Armed Forces, he dedicated a significant part of his life to entertaining America’s men and women in uniform, starting in 1941 and continuing through the Persian Gulf War five decades later. After giving hundreds of performances overseas, he earned the nickname “G.I. Bob” and in 1997 became the first person recognized by the U.S. Congress as an “honorary veteran of the United States Armed Forces.”
Hope’s thousands of honors also included the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Among his many friends were several U.S. presidents, with whom he often played golf for charity. Bob Hope died at his home in Toluca Lake, CA, on July 27, 2003, two months after his 100th birthday.
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~Marie's Laughter~
Leroy and L'Quiesha go to a revival and listen to the preacher. After awhile the preacher asks anyone with needs to be prayed over to come forward to the front at the altar. Leroy gets in line, and when it's his turn, the preacher asks: 'Leroy, what do you want me to pray about for you.'Leroy replies: 'Preacher, I need you to pray for my hearing.' The preacher puts one finger in Leroy's ear, and he places the other hand on top of Leroy's head and prays and prays and prays, he prays a blue streak for Leroy. After a few minutes, the preacher removes his hands, stands back and asks, 'Leroy , how is your hearing now?' Leroy says, 'I don't know, Reverend, it ain't till next Wednesday!
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~from Sharon~
Ronald McDonald Houses also take old cell phones, and soda cans, and if you can pull the tabs off of them and bag them seperately it saves the volunteers a lot of time. It's a great way to help and out support families that stay at their homes around the nation. They also take the little soaps and shampoos you get at hotels, so save those and drop them by any RMH... When my son, Austin had his accident, I stayed there for 4 months and those items were so appreciated. After we left I started donating the items listed above and even had our apartment complex save soda tabs. The kids were given treats for every 100 they brought in and then we put their names in a drawing when we were going to deliver the tabs for prizes.
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~from Mary Lou~
A six year old goes to the hospital with her grandmother to visit her Grandpa. When they get to the hospital, she runs ahead of her Grandma and bursts into her Grandpa's room...
"Grandpa, Grandpa," she says excitedly, "As soon as Grandma comes into the room, make a noise like a frog!"
"What?" said her Grandpa.
"Make a noise like a frog, because Granda said that as soon as you croak, we're all going to Disneyland!!"
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~from Carol~
I have yet another way used cell phones are helpful to others. When my daughter and I were in a shelter, all the residents were given a cell phone. I had been told that the 911 feature work on all cell phones, regardless of having a calling plan etc. Therefore when anyone who has been in a domestic violence situation will have a phone to be able to get help 24/7.
If anyone has an old cell phone, take it to the cell phone provider and tell them you wish for it to go to the women's shelter. They will service the phone and get to the local shelter. If you have chargers for the phone, be sure to donate those also. The worst thing that a victim needs is a cell phone that dies when they need it most.
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Use the freezer...If you don’t have enough food to fill your deep freezer, start saving your milk jugs right now. As they empty, rinse them out, fill them up with water (up to about an inch below the top, then cap them and stick them in the freezer).
Why do this, you might ask? It’s simple. Once the new items have been cooled down to the temperature of the freezer, they will help maintain the cold temperature of your freezer. In short, your freezer will run less often, and it won’t lose nearly as much cold when you open the door.
Even more important, during a power outage, a full freezer will warm up much slower than a partially full one. The items you stored in there will act as cold sinks, keeping all of the frozen food colder for longer than if the freezer was empty.
Even better, those frozen gallon jugs make for great ice packs for coolers. Just pull one out, split it open, and use it for ice when you need it. Also, you can grab a jug to take along on an outing as it makes an excellent source of drinking water.
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Regina sent me an email containing the Preamble for all of our United States. It's really interesting and also rather long, so I'm going to break it up into several issues:
Alabama 1901, We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution...
Alaska 1956, We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land....
Arizona 1911, We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...
Arkansas 1874, We, the people of the State of Arkansas, grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...
California 1879, We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom...
Colorado 1876, We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe....
Connecticut 1818, The People of Connecticut , acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy...
Delaware 1897, Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences...
Florida 1885, We, the people of the State of Florida, grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...
Georgia 1777, We, the people of Georgia, relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution.....
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This site will help you try to figure out who is calling when your Caller ID comes up "Unavailable", "Private Name", etc. For example today I had a call from a number I didn't recognize and they left a message saying "I need to speak to Toni (last name) please". I did a reverse search on the number and all I came up with was it was a land line call from Denver CO. I went to this site and entered the number and reaped the benefits of other people's experience when they answered calls from this number. It still doesn't stop the annoying calls, but it does allow us to know that it is a telemarketer so we don't worry when we don't answer.http://whocalled.us/
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All the best Amazon deals in one place... http://www.junglecrazy.com/
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~New Hampshire~
--Of the thirteen original colonies, New Hampshire was the first to declare its independence from Mother England; a full six months before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
--The highest wind speed recorded at ground level is at Mt. Washington, on April 12, 1934. The winds were three times as fast as those in most hurricanes. http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/recordwind.php
--New Hampshire is the only state that ever played host at the formal conclusion of a foreign war. In 1905, Portsmouth was the scene of the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War.
--The first potato planted in the United States was at Londonderry Common Field in 1719.
--Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr., the first American to travel in space is from East Derry, New Hampshire.
--Daniel Webster was a politician and statesman, born at Franklin in 1782. He was known in his day as a mighty orator, a reputation preserved in the Stephen Vincent Benet story The Devil and Daniel Webster, in which he beats the original lawyer, Lucifer, in a contract case over a man’s soul.
--New Hampshire’s State House is the oldest state capitol in which a legislature still meets in its original chambers.
--Alexandria was the birthplace of Luther C. Ladd, the first enlisted soldier to lose his life in the Civil War.
--The very first motorized ascent of the Mount Washington auto road was by Feelan O. Stanley, of Stanley Steamer fame, in 1899.
--The first free public library in the United States was established at Peterborough in 1833.
--The Christa McAuliffe Planetarium in Concord is a state-of-the art planetarium dedicated to the memory of New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe, who died in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.
--As leaders in the revolutionary cause, New Hampshire delegates received the honor of being the first to vote for the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
--Sarah Josepha Hale author and journalist who wrote the poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb" in 1830 is from Newport, New Hampshire.
--The Blue Ghost of Wolfeboro is the U.S. Mail Boat for Lake Winnipesaukee. It makes a daily 60-mile loop delivering mail to 30 stops at camps and islands around the lake.
--The USS Albacore was a prototype submarine built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and commissioned in 1953. At the time she was the fastest submarine ever designed.
--The granite profile "Old Man of the Mountain" is one of the most famous natural landmarks in the state. The Old Man’s head measures 40 feet from chin to forehead and is made up of five ledges. Nature carved this profile thousands of years ago. The natural sculpture is 1,200 feet above Echo Lake. http://mutha.com/oldmanmountain.jpg
--It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to make approximately 1 gallon of maple syrup.
--Captain John Smith named New Hampshire after the town of Hampshire, England.
--New Hampshire has a changeable climate, with wide variations in daily and seasonal temperatures. The variations are affected by proximity to the ocean, mountains, lakes or rivers. The state enjoys all four seasons. Summers are short and cool; winters are long and cold; fall is glorious with foliage. The weather station on Mount Washington has recorded some of the coldest temperatures and strongest winds in the continental United States.
--New Castle is the smallest town in New Hampshire. It covers .8 square miles, or 512 acres. The town is composed of one large island and several smaller islands, and serves as a scenic residential and recreational community.
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What Toni is reading...
A Nest of Sparrows by Deborah Raney
Reserved contractor Wade Sullivan never expected to fall in love with Starr Parnell or to love her three small kids as if they were his own. But that's exactly what happened. As their wedding draws near, however, tragedy strikes--and Wade must put aside his own grief in order to help Starr's children cope.
As Wade focuses his efforts on caring for the children, he discovers that their tender, young lives give tremendous meaning to his own broken one. Then Starr's abusive ex-husband shows up to claim the offspring who barely remember him--and Wade prepares for the fight of his life.
A powerful novel of loss and discovery, courage and grace, A Nest of Sparrows masterfully illustrates one man's struggle to know when to fight, when to let go and when to simply wait.
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Here's a site that will direct you how to send expired coupons to be used by military families at overseas bases.http://www.ocpnet.org/
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Check out your ceiling fan and make sure it's not inadvertently heating up your home. The blades are at an angle: During summer, they should rotate counterclockwise, blowing air down to cool you. In winter, they should go clockwise, circulating hot air in the room.
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Search the USA for free attractions and things to do.
http://www.free-attractions.com/
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Here we are at the end of May. I hope it was a great month for everyone! Now June is almost upon us. ~Phyllis
Flag Day is observed on June 14. Flag Day commemorates the day when the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the USA's official flag. Back then it had only 13 stars, along with the 13 stripes it still has today. There are seven red stripes and 6 red stripes, which represent the original 13 colonies. Flag Day is not an official holiday but it is a legal holiday in Pennsylvania.
Finland and Sweden also have a Flag Day. Finland celebrates theirs on June 24 and Sweden celebrates it on June 6.
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June Bug is the name for several large beetles seen in the USA during the months of May and June.. They feed on the young leaves of trees and plants. They bury their eggs in the ground. The young larvae then bury themselves into the soil in the fall and remain there for two years before coming out in May or June as adult beetles.
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June's birthstone is the pearl. The flower is rose.
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HEALTHY LIVING
When trying to lose weight, many people eat more salad..which is good but can also be bad! If you're not careful, your salad could have more calories than a Big Mac! Here are some tips for a healthy, nutritious and low calorie salad.
1. Avoid "white" foods which are usually made with sour cream or mayonaise and can be fattening. Foods to avoid or to eat sparingly include pasta salad, potato salad and chicken salad.. Remember, just because it has the word "salad" in it or is on the salad bar doesn't mean its low cal. (A taco salad from Taco Bell has 420 calories, and thats without the shell! If you do eat the shell, you'll have 850 calories and 48 grams of fat.)
2.Remember that the darker the lettuce, the more nutrients it has. Lighter colored lettuce such as iceburg lettuce doesn't have as many nutrients and is made mostly of water.
3. Add plenty of vegetables to your salad but avoid veggies that are in oil or cream sauces.
4. Go easy on the crunchy toppings such as bacon bits, croutons, chinese noodles, sunflower seeds, banana chips, etc. Just one or two teaspoons of these can add up to 100 calories to your salad.
5. You'll want protein for your salad, but remember that one ounce of shredded cheese can have up to 150 calories and 9 grams of fat. Instead of getting your protein from cheese, why not add egg whites or turkey?
6. Be careful about the salad dressing. Two tablespoons can have as much as 150 calories. Try a vinegarette, or if you must have ranch or honey mustard, keep it on the side and dip your fork in it for each bite.
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Take a trip down Memory Lane! How many of these cereals do you remember?
http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/archives/2009/04/ten_cereals_you_1.html
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Did you know?...
The rainforest is being destroyed at a rate of one and a half acres every second!
(Source; http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm )
One way you can help to have new trees planted is to use the Ecocho search engine. Ecocho is totally free, and for every 1000 searches that are made on the site, five trees will be planted. The search results come directly from Yahoo.
http://www.ecocho.com.au/
Another site to help get trees planted is
http://jogogreen.com/
Jogogreen is similar to Free Rice in that you play a game to do a good deed! At Jogogreen, simply answer 10 questions correctly and they will plant one tree in a deforested area of Africa.
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If you're looking to save paper and ink with your next printing job, check out
http://www.printwhatyoulike.com/
Follow the instructions to cut down on ads and other junk on the pages you wish to print. Print only the parts you want!
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Forgotten Chicken
This is an easy crock pot dinner recipe;
6 lbs boneless , skinless chicken breasts
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 small cans mushroom pieces and stems, drained
6 carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
Place half of the carrots on the bottom of your crock pot. Then add chicken, soup, mushrooms and remaining carrots. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook on LOW for 8 to ten hours. Serve over rice.
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Just for fun!
http://www.stretchyourface.com/
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Here's a website for "teens and tweens"...
http://www.piperspicks.tv/
Piper is a "kid entertainment reporter" , and she talks about movies, teen celebrities, TV shows and even theme parks. There's a message board, too.
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Tips for spotting counterfeit money;
http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-spot-counterfeit-money
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If you're going on a vacation this year and are on a budget, why not go on a factory tour? Its a free way to spend an hour or two. To find a factory tour anywhere in America, click on;
http://factorytoursusa.com/
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COOL PICK
This weeks Cool Pick website is all about eating healthy. Eat Better America is a site full of recipes, articles about diet and nutrition, fitness tips and a community message board where you can connect and talk to other people who care about being healthy. Check it out at;
http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/
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Sneaky, sneaky....
If you want to tell someone something on their phone but you don't want to text them or actually talk to them, how about "slydialing" them? At slydial you can find out how to call someone and go directly to their voice mail!
http://www.slydial.com/
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If your life was a movie, what part would you be in now? Find out at
http://www.amberdigital.com/where/
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Creative fun for kids, using salt! (Some parental supervision required.)
http://home.howstuffworks.com/uses-for-salt-childrens-activities-ga.htm
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New uses for things you already have!
1. If you have a jar lid that won't budge, wrap a rubber band around the lid. It will give you a better grip and make it easier to open the jar.
2. When using a roll of tape, wrap the end around the toothpick. That way, the next time you need to use the tape it will be easier to find the end.
3. Here's a tip I learned from my Grandma...when sewing on a button, put a toothpick between the fabric and the button. It will give you just enough space so that you don't sew the button on too close the to fabric, which makes it harder to fasten.
4. If you drop an egg on the floor and it breaks, just pour salt over it. It makes it easer to wipe up.
5. Use the sticky part of a post it note to clean your computer's keyboard. Just run the sticky part between the keys to pick up crumbs and lint.
If you have any new uses for things around the house, send them to me and I'll use them in a future issue of the newsletter.
About Me
- Two Friends Newsletter
- Two Friends Newsletter is published by Toni in WV and Phyllis in MD.
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