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Calico Kitten
Designs is so happy to welcome Country Chatter Newsletter to our website.
The newsletter is just my way of sharing my part of the world with
everyone, and helping people with their businesses. I am hoping to make
the world just a little bit better for a couple minutes, to bring a laugh
or a smile to your face and just a way of saying thanks.
I hope everyone
had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Around here is was
real quiet, did not put up as much decorations inside as I have in the
past, the kittens think that mom's snowmen are for them to lay on rather
that for decorations. The outside was done up with over 900 lights,
reindeers, geese, bears and of course snowmen. And let's hope that
the New Year is a lot better than last year for everyone. I know
Claudia is enjoying the new year in her new home. In fact we are
going to the Home and Garden Show this weekend because she is a home owner
now, before she really didn't want to go but now...........
I managed to drag
Morlene out to downtown Glendale to see the lights before Christmas, she
sat and people watched and I walked around to check out all the booths.
Yes, the ankle is starting to heal so I am not walking like an old lady
anymore and Claudia and I have managed to go out shopping.
To everyone back
East and in the Midwest, I am so sorry that it is soooooooooo cold and so
nice out here but we did get a couple days when we had ice on the trucks.
But it has been in the 70's so in a couple weeks will start planting in
the back yard. I have plans for a huge garden this year.
A couple New Year
resolutions that I have made this year is to FINISH the house both inside
and out, and to try to be a better friend to my friends here in the
valley, my friends back in Chicago and of course my family. So what
better way than the newsletter.
Now the kittens have one big request, they want to be called Kitties now
and the other three would like to be mentioned once in a while instead of
just Bandit. They are all cats now, don't tell them that
but ............ Bear is my bathroom buddy, he has to come in and watch me
put on my make-up and do my hair in the mornings, Special is still
special, she is a real girlie girl, she walks around like she has just had
her nails done and they are wet all the time, and finally Callie, she has
not grown out of the kitten stage, still enjoys jumping on everyone when
they are sleeping and does the Indy 500 throughout the house. They
have heard a nasty rumor that mom is going to get a puppy, that will grow
to be bigger than them. Bandit has said that he will guard mom and
attack anyone that comes near his Pringles, so why do we need a puppy?
But Country Chatter is back!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Girlfriend Wisdom
Perseverance
"In the
confrontation between the stream and the rock.
The stream always wins not through strength but by perseverance."
Nature is a great teacher for us to observe and learn. There are
lessons for situations
in our lives right before our eyes everyday. Whatever the weather,
going for a walk on
a nature trail, or in our own neighborhood will lift your spirit to build
endurance for a
well balanced life.
Think of yourself
as the Stream: traveling down the river's road of life. There
will be
pebbles in the river's bed and there will be giant boulders. Get
yourself ready for the
thrill of a waterfall and rest time in shallow waters at the river's edge.
Perseverance
will keep you going, Perseverance is being steadfast.
Girlfriend Wisdom
May your interpretation of
Perseverance be full of grace,
a knowing that life is good,
and that all will be well.
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Activities
Around the Valley
This is for my friends who need a little reminder about what is going
on around my part of the world.
Well, this is the time of the year that we all live out for out here, not
to hot and not to cold, you need a light jacket at night. So much to
do, go and enjoy before it gets too hot.
Time to take a class or two at the Park District or your local craft shop
Home and
Garden Show - January 15, 16 & 17
The Arizona State Fairgrounds - 1826 W. Mc Dowell Road, Phoenix
www.maricopacountyhomeshows.com
Glendale
Glitter and Glow Block Party - January 16
Downtown Glendale and Catlin Court - 59th Ave. and Glendale
End of the Holiday Season - 1.5 million lights, 20 Hot Air Balloons and
Bands on every other corner
Phoenix Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival - January 28, 29 and 30
The Arizona State Fairgrounds - 1826 W. Mc Dowell, Phoenix
www.guiltcraftsew.com
Glendale
Chocolate Affaire Feb 5, 6 and 7
Downtown Glendale in the Park, Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate
Did I mention there is Chocolate there?????????
And my favorite - The Farm at South Mountain is open again
Check it out at
www.thefarmatsouthmountain.com
Phoenix Community Farmer's Market
Located at 721 N. Central Ave. Phoenix
Hours - Every Wednesday 4pm to 8 pm
Every Saturday 8am to Noon
Worth the trip down to see it. |
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Crafter's Corner
If you are in the Phoenix area and are interested in any shows, please get
in touch with the kittens, opps I mean kitties at
admin@calicokittendesigns.com and they will be more than happy to send
you a list of shows.
Calico Kitten Designs is looking for crafters that would like to move into
the website, if you are interested, please email me
and I will send you all the details -
admin@calicokittendesigns.com
I would still
like to start a Quilting Club for quilters or anyone who would like to
give it a try.
I want to start a mailing list of people who would be interested in doing
this. Each month, you will send to one person on the list, four 5 inch
squares of fabric of one theme. We will do this for 3 months with one
theme and then choose another theme for the next 3 months. At the end of
the three months, please design something with your fabric and send me a
photo and I will put it in the newsletter with your name and website. If
you are interested in doing this, please email the staff at
Admin@calicokittendesigns.com
and please put quilts in the message line.
Bear is in
charge of link exchanges and was wondering if anyone would like to
exchange links with Calico Kitten Designs.
You can get in touch with him at
admin@calicokittendesigns.com and he will be more than happy to sent
you ours. One small note from Bandit, if you have any EXTRA Pringles (the
original favor) he will make sure that you on the front page of the links.
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Recipes
Each and every month,
there will be a special section for them.
This month we are featuring just some wonderful recipes
If you would like to have yours in
the next issue of Country Chatter, please email Bandit at
admin@calicokittendesigns.com
and he just loves samples.
Beef Fried Rice
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, thinly sliced
2 cups frozen stir fry vegetables
1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. Light Catalina dressing
2 Tbsp. lite soy sauce
2 cups instant rice, uncooked
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin orange segments, drained
1/3 cup chopped green onions
Brown steak in nonstick wok or large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on
high head 3 minutes
Add stir fry vegetables, broth, dressing, soy sauce and rice; stir.
Bring to a boil, cover.
Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Let stand 5 minutes. Add oranges and onions; fluff with fork.
Strawberry Cheese Tarts
Makes up to 12, depending on size of cookie cutter.
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 oz. cream cheese
Small jar of strawberry jam
1 egg, beaten
1. Preheat
oven to 400 F
2. Mix all above ingredients to make a pastry. Roll in a ball
and chill
for several hours.
3. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness, on a floured surface.
Cut circles with a cookie cutter or water glass.
4. Spoon a teaspoon of strawberry jam in center. Brush edges
with beaten egg.
Put another circle on top and press edges all around together with a fork.
Brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
5. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes until
golden brown.
Can serve warm.
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Well, I hope
that you have made it down to this little part, I love talking about
Arizona, sharing this state with everyone. I want to share a part of my
world
with everyone and doing this newsletter is my way of thanking
everyone for being a friend.
Say a prayer for our Armed Forces and pray
that
they will be home soon.
Tigger and Katie want to say hello, they
share the computer room with me. They are so happy that the computer
is fixed, my mother board died and I was without a computer for over a
week and I think they know something was wrong. We have tried and
tried to teach Tigger how
to talk and he knows one word - pretty, which he yells all the time. And
as much as Bandit hates mom yelling at the TV during football season, Tigger
loves it when the games are on in the computer room, and when it is over,
all he wants to know is when does the football season start again.
Count your blessings, hug your family and friends,
thanks for being a part of Country Chatter
Hugs,
Cindy and the Kittens
Country Chatter
Cindy Kingren
623-210-3511
(after 3 pm - pacific time)
dacarebear@yahoo.com
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