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Simple Times________________________________Vol. 10, No. 23 -- December 20th, 2008http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/ DSimple

Copyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-HoughISSN: 1527-1269 ________________________________Subscribe: join-simple-timesUnsubscribe: leave-simple-times________________________________Celebrating more than a decade of saving your time, money and sanity!________________________________IN THIS ISSUE:-- "Dear Readers"-- Simple Living Quote-- A Free Christmas Gift from Mother Nature-- Handling Holidays: A Stress Less Guide to the Season-- Letters to the Editor / Reader Tips-- Assorted Information (archives, etc.)________________________________< < < O.U.R S.P.O.N.S.O.R > > > "What the heck ... I'll give it a try!""I have to say I'm so glad I purchased your DebtIntoWealthSystem! I was skeptical at first, so I went to the web site.It sounded good, so I figured "what the heck," I'll give ita try. My goal was to pay off $5,000 in credit card debt anda car loan so I could buy a new home, and get me and my 4girls out of our 2-bedroom apartment. It worked! It's now 9months later and ALL of my debt is paid off, and I justsigned a contract on a new 5-bedroom house! There is nobetter feeling than to have NO debts, and a savings accounttoo! Thanks to your system, my family is going to have abetter life by not being enslaved to debt."--Katrina S. in Houston, TXWhat the heck ... Give DebtIntoWealth a try, today!Click:http://www.debtintowealth.com/simpletimes.html________________________________Dear Readers, In November, I shared with Simple Times readers about the financialcrisis that ACAP, a local child and family services agency, was facing.A number of readers sent donations to help keep them in business,and now I have some great news to report! Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the community (both on- andoff-line), ACAP was able to build the two hour fire wall required by theState of Washington, and ACAP should be up and running again -- andmeeting the needs of children and families -- around the first of the year. The Director of ACAP, Largo Wales, was particularly touched by thegifts that arrived from Simple Times and Bright-Kids readers from allover the country -- from places as diverse as the Midwest, Florida, NewHampshire, Texas, and all over the West Coast.Thank you so much for sharing your donations, love and encouragementwith this wonderful agency that's faithfully served the needs of our localAuburn, Washington community for nearly 40 years. Here's a link to the latest article in our local newspaper (by the way, themoney raised that's mentioned in the article also includes some of thegifts sent to them by Simple Times readers!).: ACAP is Back in the Gamehttp://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/aub/news/36058719.html And if you missed the earlier story, here's my original plea for help forACAP, followed by two previous articles from the newspaper: Debi's Special Requesthttp://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/special-request/ ACAP Finds New Homehttp://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/aub/news/29913534.html Abruptly, ACAP Says It's Finishedhttp://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/aub/news/34890684.html Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this worthy cause! You'vedefinitely shown the true spirit of the Season. :-)Simply Yours,Debi(Deborah Taylor-Hough)Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter--Author of the Frozen Assets series; A Simple Choice: Apractical guide for saving your time, money & sanity; and FrugalLiving for Dummies®--Editor, Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters________________________________Visit my new site!http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/________________________________SIMPLE LIVING QUOTE "Maturity begins to grow when you can sense your concern for othersout-weighing your concern for yourself." --John McNaughton________________________________ A FREE CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM MOTHER NATURECopyright S. RobertsUsed with permission from EzineArticles.com.All rights reserved.Not many flowers grow in the winter, but dried flowers,grasses and seed heads can make attractive bouquets andflower arrangements, but best of all it can all be obtained freely.Go out for a walk, maybe with your dog or a friend. Go to a park,field or overgrown area, these are the places that you will findlots of dried vegetation. I say vegetation because weed meansunwanted plant, and although you are collecting what otherpeople deem as weeds, you in fact want them.Take a bag with you and a pair of scissors. Some stalks maybe too tough to break with just your fingers. You may needgloves too in case some plants have thorns or spikes. Underno circumstances should you pick plants from other people'sgardens, unless you have asked for permission to do so.You may find grasses of different types. Some with heads likemini fox’s tails others may look more like trees.Look out for unusual seedpods on the plants, you may be luckyenough to find a poppy seed head or a thistle. Pinecones aretreasures, use craft wire or glue to attach the cone to a woodkabob skewer and then use as another specimen to add to yourcollection.Sometimes flowering plants dry out and leave a structure whichonce supported flowers. These stems can look very dramatic ina dried flower arrangement.When you get home stand all your stems in a vase. Seeds willprobably drop out along with the odd bug. You may want to returnthese later.Give some of your findings that frosty Christmas feel by spraypainting them silver or white. Read the back of the tin before youbegin and follow the directions for using spray paints. Don't paintall of your stems remember less is more.Add a splash of colour to the bouquet by introducing Christmasbaubles or ribbons. Glue or wire a bauble to a kebab skewer andadd to the display.To make a bow, take a length of wide ribbon and fold it back andforth a couple of times. Scrunch up one end and secure it with wire.Stick the ribbon onto a kabob stick.To present this gift of nature as a gift, arrange the dried and paintedflowers in a vase or form a bouquet secured in place with an elasticband and tie a large ribbon in a bow around the stems covering theelastic band.ABOUT THE AUTHOR:--S. Roberts writes for http://www.santaspostbag.co.uka website offering Christmas information, education andtips and advice to help your Christmas be the greatestever. Plus correspond with Santa for FREE athttp://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/your-letter-from-santa.phpIn association with http://www.bigboystoyz.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=S._Roberts________________________________O.U.R S.P.O.N.S.O.R Save Money with Easy Way to Budget!Unique budgeting system helps you stop unwanted spendingand effortlessly get control of your personal finances. "BudgetMap is compact, tidy, and amazingly effective." --Mary Hunt, author of Debt-Proof LivingCarry it with you -- it replaces your checkbook and fits in yourpurse or pocket. Instantly see your finances as you make eachtransaction. Eliminate month-end surprises!See it now at:http://www.budgetmap.com/A1/simpletimes/20081220________________________________ HANDLING HOLIDAYS: A STRESS LESS GUIDE TO THE SEASONBy Donna Kai WilsonUsed with permission from EzineArticles.com.All rights reserved.Christmas and the New Year are probably the most stressfuland hectic times in your home -- and it's very easy to get caughtup in the 'fever' of getting everything completed without actuallytaking downtime to relax. Relaxation in the home is an integralpart of surviving the holiday season gracefully.Here are some top tips to keep your home running smoothly:1) Take some time to relax every day. no matter how busy you are,take some time to do something YOU enjoy, even if it means thedishes go undone, or the washing gets behind.2) Remember that your house doesn't have to be completely spotless.There is a vast difference between a dirty house and a messy one.Consider the most used and most often seen areas of your house,declutter them before the holiday party season and keep themdecluttered. Don't worry if your cupboards are dirty, or your children'sbedroom looks like a bomb went off in it -- as long as the areas yourguests see are clear of clutter, your house will look good. 3) Spring clean those old toys BEFORE Spring. If you can, take aday or two to throw out any old toys that your children have. Nokids? Throw out some old things of your own. Not only will it makeroom for the new, but it will give you a renewed sense of what youhave got and what you need.4) Sleep. It sounds funny, but make sure you're getting enough sleepand that your quality of sleep is good. Although the weather differsover the year, winter is usually the time that people get the leastsleep, due to colds, or having the heating on too high/low. Yourhouse should be warm, not cold or hot, and if you can manage it,ensuring a constant temperature is maintained will aid in yourhealth and those all important sleep patterns.5) Take a dose of what's good for you -- like fruit and vegetables, andsupplement your diet (with advice from your doctor/pharmacist/natural health advisor) with vitamins and minerals. Taking therecommended dose of vitamin C staves off and shortens colds.Ensuring that you've got plenty of fruit juice (especially citrus)in your house aids you in staying well.6) Learn to say no. We are NOT Superwoman! The SuperwomanComplex has no place in the heart of anyone that truly wants toenjoy the season. We can't do everything, and where it's greatto ensure you're doing as much as you can, its also a good ideato know where to draw the line.7) Enjoy! If you can't enjoy Christmas, then find out why. Whetheryou have bad memories, are having a tough time adjusting to a change in circumstances, or loss, or you're just too stressed,there are always ways to address the issues you face. Look toyour friends and family for support, and remember, Christmas isabout interaction, not money and gifts. Enjoy what the holiday season brings ... and go with the flow.ABOUT THE AUTHOR:--Donna Kai Wilson is a blogger and writer, with a passion formental health. You can find her works at http://bi-polarbears.comHer book, Pictures in the Dark: A guide to good mental health,has been described as a 'manual for bipolars, and a roadmap thatsuccessfully navigates the issues that mental health causes is init's second revision. You can find more details at;http://booksbykai.com/nonfictionArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donna_Kai_Wilson________________________________Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)________________________________LETTERS TO THE EDITOR / READER TIPSWe'd love to hear YOUR tips and ideas for simplifying daily life.Send your simple living comments/tips to: DSimple == Countdown Calendar Idea ==I love making paper chains with my 4 year old. She can't read orunderstand a calendar yet, so we make paper chains and decoratethem with our daily activities. It works great when she knows thather birthday or a holiday is coming up. For example, we would drawa toothy smile for a dentist appointment on Friday, five stick figuresfor Saturday indicating that all five of us will be home together, achurch for Sunday, and a bus for school on Monday. Then we hangthem up and she takes the bottom link off every night before bed soshe can see what's happening the next day.--Nichol L.== Kids and Creative Crafts ==I have taught crafts to kids for years, and I find that allowing them tobe creative builds self-esteem and enthusiasm about the craft. Forexample, one year I taught a group of kids how to make Santa Clausmagnets out of wood pieces, and rather then having them paint SantaClaus red and white, I let them pick the colors. They were so pleasedto have made something unique and different and I think they enjoyedhaving control over their own creativity.--Chiki D.________________________________SIMPLE TIMES RECOMMENDED BOOKSBook list for frugality and simple livingGo to: http://snurl.com/simplebooks_______________________________< < B E . O U R . S P O N S O R > >Would you like to place an ad in this newsletter? ContactLaura at marketing Subject line: simple-timesDiscover the modest rates for reaching this targeted market.________________________________As always, a special "Thank you!" goes out to Gary Foremanand the friendly folks at The Dollar Stretcher for making thismailing list possible!== http://www.stretcher.com/ ==________________________________DEBI'S ON-LINE RESOURCES:Personal Blog: http://dsimple.wordpress.com/Frugality/Simplicity: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.comCooking Ahead: http://frozenassets.wordpress.com/Bright-Kids: http://brightkids.wordpress.comTupperware®: http://snurl.com/DebiTupperwareKids' Books: http://snurl.com/books4kids________________________________NEWSLETTER INFORMATIONSubscribe: join-simple-timesUnsubscribe: leave-simple-timesPlease feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. This is a private mailing list which isn't sold or shared with anyone else. Tips and articles are printed for entertainment purposes only. This free service is brought to you by www.SimpleMom.comCopyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough. .3930 A Street SE, Ste 305-119, Auburn WA 98002Contact us at: DSimple

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