02.17.2009

Hello! I hope you all had a very romantic Valentines Day! ~Phyllis


Got a pair of old glasses that you don't want or need anymore, but they are still in good, useable shape? Donate them to

http://www.neweyesfortheneedy.org/
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COOL PICK

Wondering what to do with your old, nearly obsolete electronics? You can't just toss them in the trash, since the toxic metals used to make them will end up contaminating groundwater! Instead, why not trade them in for a gift card from Best Buy? Go to
https://www.bestbuytradein.com/bb/
There you will be able to get an estimate for the value of your item. If you are happy with the estimate, then complete the transaction, pack up the item, print out a pre-paid shipping label and send it in. In return you will be sent a Best Buy store gift card for the agreed upon amount, usually within 2 weeks.
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To help out schools in your area, check out;
http://www.donorschoose.org/about/about.html?zone=112
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If you've ever gone on a diet, you probably know what a plateau is! Its very frustrating to be exercising and eating right, and yet the scale is no longer moving DOWN. Instead of giving up, why not try some of these tips for beating the plateau?

1. First make sure you're not eating too much. This is where keeping a food journal really comes in handy! If you are being honest and writing down everything you eat (including little "tastes" here and there) then you'll be able to see if you are really eating within your calorie range, or if you are going overboard..

2. Don't underestimate the importance of drinking water. Hydration promotes muscle building, which boosts your metabolism.

3. Change your workout. If you're doing the same type of exercise every day, then your body will become used to it and you'll stop losing weight as quickly. If you're at a plateau, try doing a different exercise for a couple of weeks, and the scale should start moving again.

These three tips will usually do the trick for beating a plateau. Remember to check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.
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Are your kids (or grandkids) into creative writing? They might enjoy Tikatok! Tikatok is 'where kids channel their imagination into stories.' They can create their own books....cool! A very fun site for kids up to age 14.

http://www.tikatok.com/
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Here's a site for kids of all ages (that means you too!)
http://www.cardtricksite.com/
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Kitchen sponges are perfect...for spreading germs, that is! Because it is porous, a sponge is great for bacterial growth, especially if you use it to wipe up juices from raw meat. You can spread salmonella or e. coli!
Here's how to keep your sponge clean and germ free. After wiping up your spill, wash the sponge with soap and HOT water. You should also regularly put it in the dishwasher to disinfect it. If you don't have a dishwasher, you can sanitize your sponge by getting it damp and microwaving it on high for a minute or two. Be careful when removing it from the microwave because it will be very hot.
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Here's a tasty, low calorie recipe that your entire family will like.

Low Fat Cheeseburger Pie

Ingredients;

1 lbs extra lean ground turkey
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
3/4 cup Kraft 2% shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup Heartsmart Bisquick mix
4 slices of tomato

Preheat oven to 350.
Brown turkey, onion and garlic in pan.
While meat mixture is browning, mix Bisquick and water to form dough. You may or may not need to add a little more water as you mix. Use a rolling pin to roll dough flat and put in a pie tin. (You may have extra dough.)
Mix worcestershire sauce into meat mixture.
In a bowl, mix cottage cheese and egg.
Pour meat mixture over the Bisquick crust in the pie pan.
Pour cottage cheese and egg mixture over the meat.
Top with shredded cheddar cheese, then place tomato slices on top.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

YEILD: 8 servings at around 165 calories each, with 4.5 grams of fat per serving.

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Hello everyone. Thought I'd lay this out differently this time and see how it looked. Last week our temperatures got up to 70 two days in a row which was a welcome treat for February. Warm weather in February is seldom free though and this time we paid with a wind storm. We didn't have any damage locally for which I am thankful. We lost power for one day, which was mild compared to things I saw on the news that had happened in other places. Gas prices are going back up here; last time I was out it was $2.05.
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I had some positive feedback last week with the unusual town names, so I'll try to include a different state each week.

Unusual town names in Alaska

Chicken
Deadhorse
Eek
Lefthand Bay
Nightmute
Unalaska
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More great tips from Cheryl

Furndents? If there are dents in your carpet where furniture has been placed and you've moved it, get your steam iron out. Hold it an inch or two above the carpet (do not let it touch the carpet) over the dent and press the steam button several times. Allow the steam to hit the carpet dent. Then fluff up fibers with your fingers.

How to Store Bananas If bananas need a fast ripening, put them into a plastic or paper bag. When they've reached ripeness, place them into the refrigerator. Although the skins will darken, the fruit will be okay for about a week or so.
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Maine

~Eastport is the most eastern city in the United States. The city is considered the first place in the United States to receive the rays of the morning sun.
~In Wilton there's a cannery that imports and cans only dandelion greens.
~Approximately 40 millions pounds (nearly 90 percent) of the nation's lobster supply is caught off the coast of Maine.
~Maine produces 99% of all the blueberries in the country making it the single largest producer of blueberries in the United States.
~Acadia National Park is the second most visited national park in the United States.
~West Quoddy Head is the most easterly point in the United States.
~Mount Katahdin is the state's highest point at 5,268 feet above sea level.
~90% of the country's toothpick supply is produced in Maine.
~The skating scene in the movie "The Preacher's Wife" was filmed in Deering Oaks Park in Portland.
~With a total area of 33,215 square miles the state covers nearly as many square miles as the other five New England states combined.
~The coastline boasts so many deep harbors it is thought all the navies in the world could anchor in them.
~Numerous lighthouses dot the Main coast including Fort Point Lighthouse at Fort Point State Park in Stockton Springs and Grindle Point Lighthouse on Isleboro.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was considered the most influential poet of his day. The writer was born in Portland, on February 2, 1807. His most popular works include "The Courtship of Miles Standish", "Evangeline" and "Hiawatha".
~Maine contains 542,629 acres of state and national parks.
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Miscellaneous trivia
The Caesar salad is not named after Julius Caesar. It is named for its creator, Caesar Cardini, who first prepared the salad in his Caesar's Palace Restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico.
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~Marie's Laughter~

One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken Little to her class. She came to the part of the story where Chicken Little tried to warn the farmer. She read, ".... and so Chicken Little went up to the farmer and said, "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" The teacher paused then asked the class, "And what do you think that farmer said?"One little girl raised her hand and said, "I think he said: 'Holy Mackerel! A talking chicken!'"
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$2 off coupon
http://www.bizstainfighter.com/
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Cleaning Vinyl Floors

Vinyl floors generally only require warm water when cleaning. We don't use a detergent on vinyl floors because it always leaves a sticky residue and does not rinse clean. We use a 50/50 water and vinegar solution which is residue free and deodorizes at the same time.

If you find your vinyl floor requires a deeper cleaning, you can try using ivory dish liquid. This detergent rinses clean and leaves no sticky build up. It is inexpensive and works very well.

Damp mop your floors on a regular basis, using 1gallon of water and a mild pH neutral cleaner.

Wet the floors with your cleaning solution and wait a few minutes to allow the detergent to soften and loosed the grime, then wipe dry with a soft dry cloth.

If you work on harder and more stubborn girt or grime you can scrub your floor with the white nylon-backed sponge.

To mop your vinyl floors we use just warm water or water and vinegar at a 50/50 ratio. Do not allow water to sit for long periods at it may damage or loosen the glue around the edges.
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HubbleSite--out of the ordinary...out of this world! http://hubblesite.org/
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Digging shallow Unlike some taxpayers, one Queens, NY property owner probably won't need to reach too far into his pocket to foot this bill. Victor Serby, who owns property in Queens but lives in Woodmere, NY received a bill from New York City's finance department in the amount of 23 cents. City officials say the tiny charge was one of 10,000 bills the city mistakenly sent out trying to collect amounts less than $5. According to city records, the finance department will book a minus -62 percent return on investment considering the 60-cent capital cost of postage, paper and processing per bill mailed. And, though the Long Island patent attorney paid his back taxes all at once, the city's installment plan could have allowed him to mail in a 12-cent payment in January and the remaining 11 cents in April.
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Word of the Day
pogonip
Pronunciation: /PO-gan-ip/
n : a dense winter fog containing frozen particle that is formed in deep mountain valleys of the western U.S.
"As the hikers descended from the mountain peak into a frigid pogonip , a frozen mist blotted out the trail and made breathing painful."
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New stamps:

The public is welcome to attend the Feb. 21 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Board Meeting in New York City, when the Postal Service immortalizes the courage, commitment and achievements of 12 civil rights leaders. The dedication ceremony will take place at 10:15 a.m. in the New York Hilton Hotel and Towers’ Trianon Ballroom, 2nd Floor, 2335 Ave. of the Americas.

Art director Ethel Kessler and stamp designer Greg Berger, both of Bethesda, MD, chose to approach this project through photographic montage. Pairing two pioneers in each stamp was a way of intensifying the montage effect.

Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954) Throughout her long life as a writer, activist, and lecturer, she was a powerful advocate for racial justice and women’s rights in America and abroad.

Mary White Ovington (1865-1951) This journalist and social worker believed passionately in racial equality and was a founder of the NAACP.

J. R. Clifford (1848-1933) He was the first black attorney licensed in West Virginia; in two landmark cases before his state’s Supreme Court, he attacked racial discrimination in education.

Joel Elias Spingarn (1875-1939) Because coverage of blacks in the media tended to be negative, he endowed the prestigious Spingarn Medal, awarded annually since 1915, to highlight black achievement.

Oswald Garrison Villard (1872-1949) He was one of the founders of the NAACP and wrote the “Call” leading to its formation.

Daisy Gatson Bates (1914-1999) She mentored nine black students who enrolled at all-white Central High School in Little Rock, AR, in 1957. The students used her home as an organizational hub.

Charles Hamilton Houston (1895-1950) This lawyer and educator was a main architect of the civil rights movement. He believed in using laws to better the lives of underprivileged citizens.

Walter White (1893-1955) Blue eyes and a fair complexion enabled this leader of the NAACP to make daring undercover investigations.

Medgar Evers (1925-1963) He served with distinction as an official of the NAACP in Mississippi until his assassination in 1963.

Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) She was a Mississippi sharecropper who fought for black voting rights and spoke for many when she said, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Ella Baker (1903-1986) Her lifetime of activism made her a skillful organizer. She encouraged women and young people to assume positions of leadership in the civil rights movement.

Ruby Hurley (1909-1980) As a courageous and capable official with the NAACP, she did difficult, dangerous work in the South.
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100 ideas to save money...http://tinyurl.com/yw5lqm
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The grass is not greener on the other side; the grass is greener where you water it.