MAKE A NOTE!! -- January 16th, 2002
CIRCULATION - 22,661 (From Around the World! :-)
WEB SITE VISITORS - 41,333
A Free Twice Monthly (1st and 3d Wednesday of each month) Ezine with (Hopefully) Useful Info on a Wide Variety of Topics
NEXT ISSUE TO BE PUBLISHED ON/ABOUT FEBRUARY 6th, 2002
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NOTE: Each entry has a suggested "POST IT..." location at the end. We recommend that you print out the ezine, cut out each entry, & post it in these locations to make it easier for you to find when you need it. And if you like what you read, be sure to pass it on to someone else who can use it.
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FREE Cat/Dog Calendars
We've done stories on this almost annual offer before, but they keep changing the web site on us. Purina offers free celebrity and their dogs or cats calendars on their web sites. These are gorgeous glossy calendars that they initially charge for, but near the end of the year often offer free. Here are the links for each calendar. If you don't have web access you can try calling in the request at 1-800-778-7462, but some years they haven't taken phone orders.
POST IT...near your computer or phone.
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Hidden Gift Card Charges
It used to be stores had gift certificates available, but now, most have switched & only offer gift cards. Chances are you were either on the giving or receiving end of one this year. While many recipients will go out & burn up that store credit as fast as they can, quite a few others are waiting for that right sale or product to come around that grabs our attention. Well, don't wait too long or you may lose that credit. Most gift cards have small print on the back that lets people know that usually in 1 1/2-2 yrs the stores will start subtracting a "dormant" or "non-use" fee every MONTH until it is used again. This charge can run anywhere from $1.50-$5.00! The time starts over every time you use the card. So don't store it away or forget about it until the store gets it all back. Try to keep the receipt from the last time you used it WITH the card, or even better, put a little square of masking tape in the corner on the front & mark in pencil the date last used & amount remaining. If you have multiple gift cards for other family members too, then you can also put the initials of the person whose card it is. Mark on your calendar or in your datebook a note ONE WEEK BEFORE it starts charging. Keep the cards with your coupons, so you will be more likely to see it when you need it.
POST IT...with your gift cards and on your calendar.
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Great Source for Children's Books
This little company, Children's Books, is one of those best kept secrets. They don't have the fancy, glossy catalogs, or long descriptions, but if you know what you are looking for, then they have some of the best prices around. Their sales are to die for, and they are running one right now. How about hardback Henty books for $11.95, Focus on the Family-Family Night Tool Chests for $8.95, or Music Master CDs for $3.95?
You can read all about it at their web site http://www.childsbooks.com,
send them an email at childrensbooks@earthlink.net,
or give them a call at 1-800-344-3198. But whatever you do, get on their mailing list if you want to save some money on some great books.
POST IT...by your computer or phone, and with your curriculum catalogs if you homeschool.
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Getting Rid of Gas Fireplace Odors
The latest craze in homes is gas fireplaces. They make them easy to put in now, most coming in with a complete unit that fits right into the space. But many of you may have also noticed that they often produce a chemical fume order, unrelated to the burning or leaking of gas. This is due to the painted metal, or "logs" that often are treated with chemicals during manufacture. If you read your manual, the manufacturers will often say to leave the fireplace lit for 6 hours the first time & that should get rid of any odors. BUT the fireplace installers I talked with said they have actually complained to the companies about this information. They recommend burning the fireplace on high for about 6 hours/day for a week, with windows opened in a well ventilated room, at the beginning of EVERY year in the fall (before it turns too cool to have the windows open). Open all the windows in the room & have a fan blowing the air out of the one closest to the fireplace. They also recommend NOT turning the pilot light out during the summer months (thanks to Speedy for the info :-), this can allow moisture into the metal tubing that could eventually corrode it. Even better solution, if you have a regular brick fireplace, see if they can install a gas "fireplace" without the metal compartment. And it never hurts to have an expert check out the fireplace periodically.
POST IT...on your calendar a month before it usually starts getting cold in your area.
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Recipe: Chicken & Biscuit Casserole (our thanks to Matt R. for sharing it with us)
Cut up 2 lbs of chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces & put into pot with a little butter & white wine or oil, & fry it until pretty much done. Add 2 normal cans of cream of chicken soup (not family sized), DO NOT ADD WATER! Stir until soup is smooth & hot over medium-medium/high heat. Add 2 normal cans of french cut string beans, and 2 small cans (more if you like) of mushrooms. Keep stirring. Add 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese & stir until melted in. Turn heat off & let cool some while you grease the bottom of 9x13 pan with some butter. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir 1C mayonnaise into pot w/other ingredients (add other spices to taste), the reason you do this now is that if the mixture is too hot, it may break the mayo. Pour mixture into 9x13 pan. Arrange 2 big cans of flaky biscuits in rows on top of mixture in pan so that they are evenly spaced & almost cover the entire top. Sprinkle Italian Style bread crumbs on top. Place in oven & bake for 20-30 minutes or until biscuits are nicely browned on top.
POST IT...in your recipe box.
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Back Issue Treasure: May 18th, 1997 Issue
If you are looking for the perfect Mother's or Father's Day gifts, now is the time to start working on that Memory Book. If you haven't heard how to do it, then read up on it in this issue. I haven't heard of man or woman who could receive one with dry eyes. You can also read why you might consider buying a large dog bone, even if you don't have a dog. Tips on pest control and how to recharge those markers that your kids go through so fast. So click HERE to access all the wonderful info in this back issue.
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Final Words
JOKE (Thanks to Geoff C.)
"The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mic, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mic cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, "If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"
QUOTE
"("Blackhawk Down")...is about the Battle of the Bakara Market in Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993. In (a movie) scene, the actor Tom Sizemore, playing your basic tough-guy U.S. Army Ranger colonel, is in charge of a small convoy of humvees trying to make its way back to base under heavy gun and rocket fire. The colonel stops the convoy, takes in some wounded, tears a dead driver out of a driver's seat, and barks at a bleeding sergeant who's standing in shock nearby:
Colonel: Get into that truck and drive. Sergeant: But I'm shot, Colonel. Colonel: Everybody's shot, get in and drive.
"Everybody's shot." Those are great metaphoric words...What does that mean? It means something we used to know. It means everyone has it hard, everyone takes hits, everyone's been fragged, everyone gets tagged, life isn't easy for anyone." --Peggy Noonan's column, "Everybody's Been Shot" To read the entire article telling people to, in my opinion, "quit your complaining", go to http://opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/
If you access it after it is placed in archives, you are looking for the January 11th column. I only wish I had space for the entire article.
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AT&T's Community Port
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