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I intended to put this in before Veteran's Day but that didn't work out. For many years I have collected used postage stamps to send to a group called Stamps for the Wounded. Basically they take the stamps that are donated to disabled Veterans and they use them for their collections... Here is a web site for the organization that tells all about the program and also gives info on how to send the stamps in, etc. http://35dlions.org/stamps.html
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A nice soup recipe from Phyllis H:
Sweet Potato and Roasted Apple Soup
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into half inch pieces
1 sweet apple, peeled and cut into one inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into large pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
Preheat oven to 450. Put sweet potatoes, apple, onion and garlic in roasting pan. Toss with oil. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Roast, tossing twice during cooking time, until soft and onions are starting to brown, about 25 minutes. Place half the mixture in a blender, adding just enough broth to cover. Puree, pouring in more broth until soup is smooth and not too thick. Repeat with rest of mixture. You can top this soup with a dollop of sour cream if desired.
Yield; 6 servings
This soup is very hearty and filling, with 2 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, 0 grams unsaturated fat and 120 calories per serving (without the sour cream garnish).
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~Cool Picks by Phyllis~
Thanksgiving will be here soon...most of us will sit down to a huge meal with our families. But unfortunately there are a lot of families who are not so blessed. Thats why in this issue of Toni's Newsletter, I want to share with you a site called
http://www.pantrynet.org/ZipCalc.asp
At Pantrynet you will see a map...click on your state to find Food Pantries in your area where you can donate nonperishable foods to help those less fortunate. The site doesn't have a compete listing of Food Pantries, only ones who have submitted their name to the site. But its a great starting point to find pantries in your state. So please, check it out, and do something good for others. It'll make you feel good about yourself too.
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This week we're learning about Colorado:
"Beulah red" is the name of the red marble that gives the Colorado State Capitol its distinctive splendor. Cutting, polishing, and installing the marble in the Capitol took six years, from 1894 to 1900. All of the "Beulah red" marble in the world went into the Capitol. It cannot be replaced, at any price.
Colorado is the only state in history, to turn down the Olympics. In 1976 the Winter Olympics were planned to be held in Denver. 62% of all state Voters choose at almost the last minute not to host the Olympics, because of the cost, pollution and population boom it would have on the State Of Colorado, and the City of Denver.
In Fruita, the town folk celebrate 'Mike the Headless Chicken Day'. Seems that a farmer named L.A. Olsen cut off Mike's head on September 10, 1945 in anticipation of a chicken dinner - and Mike lived for another one and a half years without a head. (Note from Toni: I'd never heard of this so I looked it up. Check it out here: http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/story.html )
Denver, lays claim to the invention of the cheeseburger. The trademark for the name Cheeseburger was awarded in 1935 to Louis Ballast.
The highest paved road in North America is the Road to Mt. Evans off of I-70 from Idaho Springs. The Road climbs up to 14,258 Ft. above sea level...
Colorado means “colored red” and is known as the “Centennial State.”
The 13th step of the state capital building in Denver is exactly 1 mile high above sea level.
The Dwight Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel between Clear Creek & Summit counties is the highest auto tunnel in the world. Bored at an elevation of 11,000 feet under the Continental Divide it is 8,960 feet long and the average daily traffic exceeds 26,000 vehicles.
Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States at 10,430 feet elevation. Because there was lots of "silver" named towns at the time, the founding fathers suggested Leadville.
Katherine Lee Bates wrote “America the Beautiful” after being inspired by the view from Pikes Peak.
Hundreds of thousands of valentines are re-mailed each year from Loveland.
Dove Creek is the "Pinto Bean" capital of the world.
The tallest sand dune in America is in Great Sand Dunes National Monument outside of Alamosa. This bizarre 46,000-acre landscape of 700-foot sand peaks was the creation of ocean waters and wind more than one million years ago.
The Colorado Rockies are part of the North American Cordillera, which stretches 3,000 miles from Alaska, through western Canada and the United States, into northern Mexico. The centerpieces of this dramatic uplift are the peaks over 14,000 feet, or "Fourteeners", as they are affectionately referred to by climbers. There are 52 Fourteeners in Colorado.
The Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington dates back to 1905, making it the oldest wooden merry-go-round in the United States. It is the only wooden carousel in America still with its original paint.
The highest suspension bridge in the world is over the Royal Gorge near Canon City. The Royal Gorge Bridge spans the Arkansas River at a height of 1,053 feet.
The world's largest natural hot springs pool located in Glenwood Springs. The two-block long pool is across the street from the historic Hotel Colorado.
Colorado's southwest corner borders Arizona, New Mexico and Utah the only place in America where the corners of four states meet.
In 1859, John Gregory discovered "The Gregory Lode" in a gulch near Central City. Within two weeks, the gold rush was on and within two months the population grew to 10,000 people in search of their fortune. It came to be known as "The Richest Square Mile on Earth".
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~Handyman John~
John had his gallbladder removed and an umbilical cord hernia repaired on 11-3. Since then he's had to rest and get well, take care of me later that week when I got sick and then go back to work on 11-12...so I'm cutting him some slack and giving him a few weeks off.
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I am looking at our Christmas tree as I write and wanted to mention lights! In previous years I have just not used enough lights. I think I was afraid of overdoing it so ended up underdoing instead. So I'm going to personally go on record of saying that 100-150 lights per vertical foot of tree is going to give you a fantastic look. The variance from 100-150 per foot is where I'm allowing for whether you have a fat or skinny tree. So what I did was take white steady on lights and go up the tree close to the trunk. Then I took colored steady on lights and put those on about mid-way in. Lastly I took white lights that can be programmed and put those on at the outside. The three has so much depth with the lights inside staying on and then the outer lights twinkling. Of course you'll most likely have different color preferences than I did, but I just wanted to create the visual image of what I did. I had never used a combo of steady-on and twinkle lights and I just love the look. And if you have any great tree-decorating ideas, send them in to share!!
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Part 2 in my salt uses series:
Cleaning brass - Mix equal parts of salt, flour and vinegar to make a paste, rub the paste on the brass item, leave on for an hour or so, then clean with a soft cloth or brush and buff with a dry cloth.
Cleaning wicker - To prevent yellowing, scrub wicker furniture with a stiff brush moistened with warm saltwater and allow to dry in the sun.
Cleaning grease spots on rugs - Some grease spots can be removed with a solution of one part salt and four parts alcohol and rubbing hard but carefully to avoid damage to the nap.
Extending broom life - New brooms will wear longer if soaked in hot saltwater before they are first used.
Removing wine stains - If wine is spilled on a tablecloth or rug, blot up as much as possible and immediately cover the wine with salt, which will absorb the remaining wine. Later rinse the tablecloth with cold water; scrape up the salt from the rug and then vacuum the spot.
Removing rings from tables - White rings left on tables from wet or hot dishes or glasses can be removed by rubbing a thin paste of salad oil and salt on the spot with your fingers, letting it stand an hour or two, then wiping it off.
Restoring sponges - Give sponges new life by soaking them in cold saltwater after they are washed.
Settling suds - If a washing machine bubbles over from too many suds, sprinkle salt on the suds to reduce them.
Brightening colors - Wash colored curtains or washable fiber rugs in a saltwater solution to brighten the colors. Brighten faded rugs and carpets by rubbing them briskly with a cloth that has been dipped in a strong saltwater solution and wrung out.
Removing perspiration stains - Add four tablespoons of salt to one quart of hot water and sponge the fabric with the solution until stains disappear.
Brightening yellowed cottons or linens - Boil the yellowed items for one hour in a salt and baking soda solution
Removing blood stains - Soak the stained clothing or other cloth item in cold saltwater, then launder in warm, soapy water and boil after the wash. (Use only on cotton, linen or other natural fibers that can take high heat.)
Removing mildew or rust stains - Moisten stained spots with a mixture of lemon juice and salt, then spread the item in the sun for bleaching; and finally, rinse and dry.
Color-matching nylons - Good nylons that don't have a match can be made the same color by boiling them a few minutes in a pan of lightly salted water.
Fixing sticking iron - Sprinkle a little salt on a piece of paper and run the hot iron over it to remove rough, sticky spots.
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~Marie's Laughter~
Three men were discussing at a bar about coincidences. The first man said, "My wife was reading A Tale of Two Cities and she gave birth to twins"."Thatʼs funny", the second man remarked, "my wife was reading The Three Musketeers and she gave birth to triplets".The third man shouted, "Good gracious, I have to rush home!"When asked what the problem was, he exclaimed, "When I left the house, my wife was reading Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"!!!
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For anyone that subscribes to NetFlix...
A fun way to recycle your NetFlix flaps.
http://www.netflixorigami.com/
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I recently bought one of those battery operated, hands-free can openers that used to be advertised on TV. We've had it less than 2 weeks, but so far it is really working good and I love the way it opens the cans from the side. The only complaint I have so far is I can't seem to figure out how to get it to kick off after it's finished opening the can. We got ours at Wal-Mart but here is the web site in case you're interested in the can opener and can't find it locally.
https://www.onetouchopener.com/ver5/index.asp?refcode=Opener5
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Phyllis H sent this one in. It is such a good thing to do if you're getting a major haircut. Terrie's daughter Alyssa did this last summer and I thought it was such a sweet thing to do. Also you can check with your local salon to see if they'll fix the hair up to mail it in for you.
http://www.locksoflove.org/donate.html
This site tells you how to donate your hair to children who have lost theirs due to illness, chemotherapy, etc. If your hair is long and you're ready to go short, please consider donating your hair to Locks of Love. The minimum length accepted is 10 inches.
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~Healthy Living by Phyllis~
Have you ever started an exercise program but then abandoned it a few weeks (or days) later? Exercise is good for you, but its hard to stay motivated! And unfortunately, we start out with good intentions, but then we find that we just can't stick with it. Part of the problem may be that you are working out TOO hard for a beginner! If you've never exercised before, you should start your exercise program at a low intensity for a few weeks, to give your body time to adjust to working out. Doing too much too soon could lead to muscle strains and plain old frustration.
It's important to choose an exercise that you enjoy doing, otherwise you probably won't stick with it. It's also important to exercise at the right time of day. If you're not a morning person, working out first thing in the morning probably won't work for you.
Whatever exercise plan you choose, there will be times when you just don't feel like doing it. When this happens, try to imagine yourself exercising...believe it or not, this will sometimes really help! You could also put on your workout clothes...you might find that just the act of getting dressed to workout will renew your motivation.
Commit to small goals, and write them down. Don't think "I need to exercise every day for the rest of my life." Break it into smaller goals such as "I want to work out 4 times a week this month." After that month passes, commit to another month. Always remind yourself of the health benefits of exercise, and remember that this is something you are doing for yourself that is GOOD for you...think of it in a positive way! And give yourself a reward each time you meet your goal. Buy yourself a book, a new pair of workout shoes...anything but food!
And remember, small things do add up. Take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. Park your car at the far end of the parking lot so you'll have to walk further to the store. Wear a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day.
Always check with your doctor before starting a workout program...
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Cyber Monday is December 1
http://www.bestcybermondaysales.com/
http://www.cybermonday.com/
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"The stripped and shapely
"The stripped and shapely
Maple grieves
The ghosts of her
Departed leaves.
The ground is hard,
The ground is hard,
As hard as stone.
The year is old,
The birds are flown.
And yet the world,
In its distress,
Displays a certain
Loveliness"
- John Updike, A Child's Calendar
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