My kids love Snickerdoodles and they are easy to make so it’s a good recipe they can help out with. It’s great for all these cold days that we’ve been having and they are so yummy fresh out of the oven.

Snickerdoodles Recipe

1 cup Crisco
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar

Also:
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

* If more sugar/cinnamon is needed for rolling, just be sure to mix with a 50/50 ratio.

Directions: Mix Crisco and sugar well in a large bowl. Add eggs. Mix again.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar.
Pour the flour mixture into the Crisco mixture and mix well.Chill for one hour.

Roll into balls about the size of a small superball.
Combine the 2 tsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the cookie dough balls in the sugar and cinnamon. Shake off excess coating. Make more sugar/cinnamon mixture as needed.

Bake 8 to 12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees.

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The thought of Black Friday brings strong emotions to many people. Some are filled with excitement and the thrill of a good deal, while others cringe in horror at the thought of rising at 3AM to fight a horde of people and possibly in up in a fight. For those that are brave enough to attempt Black Friday (and no it’s not really all that bad) here are a few tips to make things run smoother.

1) Check out the sales. You can look at www.bfads.net or others like it for an early glimpse of store sales. Some stores have the sales on their sites or you can wait and pick up a newspaper on Thanksgiving when all of the sales flyers are sent out.

2) Compare prices just like any other time. Determine which sales prices are the best.

3) Get a buddy. It’s always safer to travel in pairs, however, with this season being as tight as it is people may be a little meaner. Keep your cell phone handy and charged in case you and your buddy get separated.

4) Plan your strategy. Which stores open first? Which have a limited product only offer? What order are you going to visit the stores? Make a list of items and prices and what stores they are at.

***Special note for the “While supplies last”. Be prepared to be there first. I noticed a Walmart ad for a flat screen tv for only $398 on Black Friday. The ad audibly said “while supplies last” but the small print at the bottom it said “only 5 per store”. No joke 5 per store. So figure out if it’s worth your time and the stress if you’re not able to get one.

5) Don’t expect to be able to run in and run out. Even if you’re only purchasing one thing you may have to wait to check out. Have fun. Grab a cup of coffee. Expect long lines and a few cranky people. You’re all in the same boat so take a deep breath.

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Every dream is a story about the dreamer and is often times teaching us a lesson or showing us about who we are and why we are here and doing what we are doing. It is important that you always interpret your dreams in a way that you feel is right. There are a plethora of dream dictionaries available at any bookstore and online that are not highly recommended. The language of the mind is very complex and many of the dream dictionaries out there are filled with old wives’ tales and superstitions from many cultures and have no collective meaning. The language of our mind is that of our personality, cultural background and personal life experiences in addition to our personal meaning of words. The language of dreams is like learning a foreign language. As in dictionaries for a particular language, there are some words that can be used for various meanings. There are basic words in all languages that are understood collectively as to their meaning. The same goes for dream language. There are basic symbols which are understood by all of our minds as to their meaning. Below is a list of 25 common symbols and their collective meaning.

25 Common Dream Symbols And Meanings by Cheri http://blossomplace.com

1. Animals in general represent habits, urges, instincts and aspects we attribute to them which are found in ourselves.

2. Baby is a new idea, new concept or ideal - something you have just given birth to, a responsibility you have accepted. It is your “baby” personal project “thing” to do.

3. Clothing shows our attitude and Self expression. Things we “put on”. Clothing is the part of the Self that we show others, what we allow or want others to see. The Self is described in some cultures as the part we show to others; the part we believe we are and the part we truly are.

4. Death means change. It means the end of something: an idea, relationship, habit, etc. and on to something else. Death is nothing more than a transition because physical life, by nature, is a temporary existence for the soul. Death is a change from one state of being to another.

5. Tests and/or Examinations are about knowing the truth. This has to do with self esteem and confidence or lack of it. Being prepared or not, making the grade or not, measuring up to other people’s expectations or fear of not being good enough. The most important test of our lives is knowing our own goals, standards, hopes and wishes - being crystal clear about what you want in life and standing up for what you believe. For further insight into the area where you feel you are being tested in, look at what the test was on in your dream.

6. Falling is basically just waking back up - the action of returning to consciousness. The old wives� tale that if you fall in your dream and hit the ground, you will die, IS NOT TRUE. If you hit the ground in the dream, you will bounce right back and the dream will continue… falling at this point would have the meaning of “falling from grace” or “fall on your face” - embarrassment.

7. Food is knowledge. The saying “food for thought” comes from the idea that knowledge feeds the mind and soul just as physical food feeds and nourishes the physical body. Pay attention to what you are “feeding” yourself.

8. Games are the dreamer’s perspective of life. “Game of Life” or we can say the “games people play” and how they play them. Games have to do with learning skills, rules, talents, showmanship, training, practice, winning or losing, teamwork or solo performance. Particular games have different meaning to different people, depending on whether they do this for work or fun. A particular game interpretation will depend on your feelings and associations with it.

9. Hair represents outward conscious thoughts and feelings/sensitivity. Messy hair would mean mixed up thoughts, confused, can’t think straight.

10. Hands mean service, giving or receiving and expression of emotion. Also how you “handle” things or having/giving a hand in a situation.

11. House represents your mind. The floors in the house represent different levels of thinking. The mind is made up of three major parts: the conscious mind, the subconscious mind and the super-conscious mind. Within these three parts are seven levels of consciousness. The house is where you stay/live - your belief system.

12. Killing indicates change. Killing of yourself indicates a part of yourself and is a good thing when it is an undesirable trait, but a warning if the trait is a good quality. Killing of an animal is the killing of a habit. Killing can also be viewed as an expression, such as the death of a relationship or job.

13. Marriage symbolizes commitment between the conscious and subconscious minds for fulfillment of a desire. It symbolizes a new beginning or something you are “married” to until you “divorce” yourself from it by taking positive action.

14. Money symbolizes exchange value and worth. Things of value would be a new talent you weren’t aware you had, a new quality or gift within you. It could also represent a new vision or new understanding of something. Look at how you are receiving money/valuables to interpret how you feel about yourself.

15. Mountain is a challenge or obstacle. Depending on your mind set, you may see a mountain as representation of something that you feel is an overwhelming obstacle, or you may view it positively as a great challenge you are ready to take on.

16. Naked represents honesty and openness. You are showing your true Self. How are you feeling about being naked in the dream - exposed/vulnerable,embarrassed, or content.

17. People. All people represent aspects or personality of the Self. These are characters in the dream - parts of you, some you know and some you don’t know. Some you don’t like and some you love. The successful businessman, the glamour girl, the bag lady, the playboy, the thief, the idiot, the comic, friends, relatives are all parts of our Self. We are made up of many people. As in Shakespeare�s words, “All the world’s a stage and we are merely the players.” Our dreams are our inner stage and we are everything and every character.

18. Radio represents mind-to-mind communication. Telepathy is the sending and receiving of thoughts. A radio is receiving and a radio station is broadcasting, sending out thoughts.

19. Roads symbolize your direction in life. The direction of your life is determined by your desires and goals. There are highways, streets, roads, dead-end streets, bumpy roads, smooth roads, etc. You can make a right turn, a u-turn or a left turn (not right or unpredictable).

20. School is a place for learning. This can be your level of learning or school of thought. What grade level you are attending in the dream is an indication as to what level you are operating in a particular situation.

21. Sex symbolizes unification of opposites, oneness, marriage, a creative act,a longing to be whole. It can also represent fear or power depending on your feelings about the dream when you awoke.

22. Teacher/Guide is your higher Self. This is your source of knowledge. The soul holds the complete plan for its maturity and its desires and goals here in this lifetime and all others before and after this lifetime.

23. Teeth represent assimilation of knowledge so it can be used. Teeth are the first part of the physical digestive system, and teeth in a dream mean assimilation of knowledge. Losing teeth, which is a common dream, means a change in the way you take things in or learn.

24. Vehicles are means of conveyance from one place to another. The soul uses the body as a vehicle much the same way - going in and out at will. In general, vehicles represent lifestyles, such as work, play, independence, sporty, fast, luxury, economic. Different cars represent these different lifestyles. Your own car generally represents your own body so pay attention to how your car is in your dream. For example, having a flat tire on your car indicates you have gone flat, lost your enthusiasm and energy.

25. Water is the source of all life. It represents conscious life experiences. These are our everyday, physical, waking interactions, situations, and circumstances that arise and bring opportunity for growth and enrichment. Water can also represent emotions and feelings overall.

 Please feel free to leave a comment or discuss this on our message board.

1. Never push back dry cuticles. Pushing back dry cuticles can crack polish at the base, which leads to chipping your polish.  You don’t want any cuticle skin on the nail’s surface (it can interfere with your base coat) — so loosen ragged edges by rubbing in a softening cream. Then gently cuticles back with an orangewood stick.

2. Don’t soak your fingertips. When you soak your nails, they absorb water, which temporarily puffs them up — but they go back to their normal shape when the water evaporates. This expansion and contraction causes chipping, peeling, and cracking of polish.

3. Get the surface clean, clean, clean. Any traces of moisture, dust, or leftover enamel will get in the way of new-polish adhesion.  Use a nail brush or an old toothbrush to clean hard to reach areas of the nail.  Then wipe your nails with an acetone polish remover to temporarily dehydrate your nail.

4. Shape up. To maximize nail strength, tips should be rounded and corners left somewhat square. Filing is healthier than clipping, because clippling can crack the nail. Use a fine-grit nail file and file in one direction.

5. Apply a base coat. A base coat sticks to nails better than polish does.Try Avon’s Smooth Beginnings Base Coat.  It instantly smoothes and evens out ridges.

6. Once polish is on, seal it with a slow-setting topcoat. Quick-dry polish evaporates too fast and leaves polish soft and prone to denting. Avon’s UV Gloss Guard Top Coat prevents nail enamel from yellowing and fading.

7. Polish should be applied in three narrow, even strokes — one down the center and one down each side — and then be allowed to dry for two minutes before a second coat is applied. The thicker the layer is, the more difficult it is for the solvent — the liquid agent in enamel — to evaporate, boosting the chances that polish will peel.

8. Practice good maintenance.  Every other day, apply a layer of quick-dry topcoat  to form a protective shield and increase shine.

9. Moisturize your polish. The more your enamel dries out, the greater the likelihood that it will separate from your nail. Since topcoats don’t seal in hydration, apply oil to nails and cuticles before bedtime, and slather on a thick hand cream twice a day.

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This isn’t about who you vote for it’s about a woman’s right to vote. Did you know that women didn’t get the right to vote until 1920? The movement started in 1848. “The women’s suffrage movement”
Do you know how much women really suffered because of picketing the White House for the right to vote? I didn’t either until I read this:
Women picketing for the right to vote were arrested and by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden’s blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of ‘obstructing sidewalk traffic.’

They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating,choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.
Thus unfolded the ‘Night of Terror’ on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson’s White House for the right to vote.

For weeks, the women’s only water came from an open pail. Their food–all of it colorless slop–was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

Why is it that you won’t make it to the polls this year?
We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn’t matter? It’s raining?

Last February HBO released the movie ‘Iron Jawed Angels.’
It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that you and I could pull the curtain at the polling booth. Here’s a clip, I have to warn you it is disturbing.YouTube - Iron Jawed Angels- Psych Ward/Force Feeding

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