Christmas Toy Drive

One of the best things about Christmas time is playing Santa!

Members of the American Legion Post #37 have set up barrels for donations of new toys at over 50 locations in the Fernley area.
This year, the City of Fernley Youth City Council has joined the American Legion with the Christmas for Kids Toy Drive.

What: Donations of gift for youths ages infants to 16-year old teenagers are needed. (Don't forget the older kids! Donations for ages 9 to 16 are often in short supply!)

When: Donations will be accepted until Dec. 18.

Where: Collection barrels have been placed at the following locations, All tune and Lube, Bank of America, City of Fernley, Coldwell Banker, Kat & Crows, Fernley Chamber of Commerce, Chukar's, Contour Express, Cottonwood Elementary School, Curves, CTX Mortgage, D & D Tires, East Valley Elementary School, Eternal Image, Flower Shop, Fernley Elementary School, Fernley Senior Center, Fernley Hay & Grain, Fernley Physical Therapy, Fernley Swimming Pool, Frontier Fun Center, Four Seasons Hair Salon, Jack In the Box, Kragen's Auto Parts, LL Realty, Meadows Sales Office, Mirage Garden and Gifts, Modern Nails, Moose's Bar, Nevada State Bank, North Lyon County Fire Protection District Main Street Station, Optometry Family Vision Care, Pilot Truck Stop, Pioneer Crossing, Pizza Factory, Pizza Shack, Realty Denn, Silverado, Silver Spur, SOAR Physical Therapy, Scolari's, State Farm, Sunset Video, Synergy Salon, Universal Tae Kwon-do, Totally Hair Cuts, Truck Inn, Wallace Hardware, Wig Wam, 7-11, The Office.


Need Help?

Families in need of assistance can call the Lyon County Human Services office at 575-1703 or the American Legion at 575-1114 or 575-7573.

Fernley Food Drive

Get into the holiday spirit by helping out some of Fernley's families this year. Donations of non-perishable foods are needed to provide for holiday baskets for approximately 250 to 300 Fernley families.

The food baskets will include a turkey along with all the trimmings, as well as food for other meals so that each family will be able to enjoy a holiday feast.

Where to Donate: The Lions Club will be collecting non-perishable food items in the Scolari's parking lot on Dec. 8-9 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Food collection barrels have also been placed throughout the community at various businesses and at Fernley Elementary School, Cottonwood Elementary School, Fernley Intermediate School, and Fernley High School.

If you would like to make a cash donation towards purchase of the turkeys and fresh vegetables for the baskets mail a check to:

Fernley/Wadsworth Lions Club
P.O. Box 515
Fernley, NV 89408.

Need Help? If you or a family you know needs a food basket, sign up at Brim's coffee (in the Scolari's shopping center) on Dec. 8-9 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Individuals must bring a photo identification and the number of people in the household.

Families that cannot sign up at that date can call Eric Gothan at 575-1008 or Mildred Barcroft at 775-287-8061.

Kids In the Kitchen

Rudolph the Red Nosed Ritz?

Celebrate everyone's favorite reindeer with this yummy snack idea!

What You Will Need:

RITZ Crackers

peanut butter

raisins

maraschino cherries

halved pretzel twists

What to Do:

SPREAD crackers with peanut butter for "reindeers' heads." Add raisins for "eyes," cherry halves for "noses" and pretzel twist pieces for "antlers."

Kids In the Kitchen

Snowman on a Stick

Ingredients

3 Large Marshmallows
1 lollipop stick (8 inch)
1 peanut butter cup
1 Chocolate Wafer
1/2 tsp. creamy peanut butter
2 pretzel sticks
1 chewy fruit snack roll
5 M&Ms

Directions:

1. THREAD marshmallows on lollipop stick to resemble a snowman.

2. ATTACH peanut-butter cup to wafer with half of the peanut butter.

3. Place on top of snowman for the "hat," securing with remaining peanut butter.

4. Insert pretzel sticks into middle marshmallow for the "arms."

5. CUT fruit roll into desired length for the "scarf;" wrap around snowman.

6. Decorate with candies as desired.

North Pole Website

Looking for something to keep the kiddos busy this holiday season? Want to send a letter to Santa? Head over to the Northpole for lots of fun Christmas activities. Send a letter to Santa, play some fun games, find some yummy recipes, see if you are on the naughty or nice list, keep track of Santa, and so much more!

Pedoodles Giveaway

Aren't these shoes the cutest things you have ever seen? They are called Pedoodles and you can win a pair for free by heading over to http://ourblessedarrows.blogspot.com/2007/11/this-weeks-giveaway-pedoodles.html and leave some commenting love!

Go Elf Yourself!

I can now safely say Christmas is on the way... I have turned my children into elves!

Check out this fun site http://www.elfyourself.com/ and get ready to have some fun! Just upload pics of family and friends and "Go Elf Yourself!"

If you would like to see ours we are here:

Older boys and baby nephew: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9577177125

Youngest boys and newborn pic of baby nephew: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9577096150

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Kids In The Kitchen - Handprint Pies

Handprint Pumpkin Pies

Need a way to keep the little ones from underfoot while you're slaving in the kitchen on Thanksgiving? Why not get them involved? Little ones can smash the potatoes, pour the ingredients, or even lend a hand with these fun pumpkin pies!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

1 15-oz. pkg. refrigerated piecrust

1 16-oz. can packed pumpkin

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees, then begin making the turkey handprint for the pie. Trace your child's handprint on a piece of lightweight cardboard, then cut it out to create a stencil. Place the stencil over one of the circles of pie dough and cut around it, adding turkey feet to the bottom of the hand.

2. Place the cutout on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush with water and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

3. Next, place the remaining circle of pie dough in a 9-inch glass pie pan. Press the crust firmly against the sides and bottom of the pan. Crimp the edges.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until smooth.

5. Pour the mixture into the piecrust and bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

6. Place the baked turkey cutout in the center of the pie and allow the pie to cool before serving.

Makes one 9-inch pie.

Dental Freebies

The tooth fairy has been a frequent visitor at our house these days as our 6 year old finally starts to lose his teeth! In honor of her visits I have scoured the web for some fun dental freebies for you!

Colgate Healthy Bedtime Habits - sign-up and keep an on-line log to earn a free character toothbrush for each child in your home. There are also fun games for the kiddos to play!
Reach Access Daily FlosserAquafresh
Arm & Hammer Toothpaste - skip the intro, choose "Oral Hygiene" from the "Roll over to Choose a Solution" menu, click on the giant toothbrush, click on "Free Sample"

Kizoodle -Go Shopping For Free!

I just joined a new site called Kizoodle. Using Kizoodle is almost like getting stuff for free because you never exchange money with anyone!

Here is a simple overview of how it works:

• Kizoodle is an open swap forum where you post things to "sell" for credits, after you successfully "sell" an item then you can "buy" things with the credits in your account. The only cash you will ever spend is on shipping your items that "sell", but you request credits to cover the shipping costs.
• What types of items are available to buy on Kizoodle? Everything for baby, kids, and moms!!!
• How do YOU get started with 7 Kiz Credits in your account and start swapping in Kizoodle? Follow these simple instructions:

1. Sign up for your account here: http://kizoodle.com/MemberLogin.aspx?su=1
2. Sign-in to your account with your username and password
3. Click on "My Kizoodle" in the menu on the left, then on "My Kiz Store" in the pop-up menu. Enter this promo code: GLNYDE and you will receive 7 Kiz Credits in your account!!!!

What's next? To use your credits to start "buying" items, you need to first list at least one item and successfully "sell" it:

1. From "My Kiz Store" click on "Post an Item"
2. Fill out the form with information about your item, you can also upload a photo of the item (I highly recommend taking the time to take a photo of your item, it will "sell" faster)
3. You have complete control of how many credits you request for the item and for shipping, but the general guideline is that one credit equals about one dollar.
4. Browse the store by clicking on "Go Shopping" to compare your item with other similar items posted (but don't get too excited about the things you want to "buy", you have to focus on "selling" something first!)

Guess what I'm doing today? Looking for stuff to list on Kizoodle so that I can start getting the stuff on my wish list! I hope that you are as excited about Kizoodle as I am and I look forward to reading your posts about your experiences using this new tool for the budget-conscious mom!

Aquadots Recall

Well, I can scratch another toy off of my son's Christmas list. This time they are recalling Aquadots, a popular craft kit with tiny beads that fuse together when sprayed with water. The very same chemical that causes the beads to stick together can also be toxic when swallowed. Children who have ingested the beads have become comatose. Other possible complications include slowed breathing and seizures.

Anybody else longing for the toys of old?