March 2024 Edition

Family & Consumer Sciences
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Homemaker Newsletter - March 2024

 

Thought of the Month: “Think outside – no box required.” -Unknown
Roll Call:  Thinking of spring, share your favorite outdoors activity. 

 

Homemaker Council Meeting will be on March 25th
The Russell County Extension Homemaker Council will meet on Monday, March 25th, at 5 PM at the Russell County Extension Office.

At 4 p.m., Clinton and Cumberland County FCS Agents will teach “Spring Cleaning Your Home and Finances”. Please call the office at 270-866-4477 to RSVP. The deadline to RSVP is March 18th. 

The KEHA State Meeting will be held in Bowling Green, KY, May 7th-9th at the Sloan Center. Registration information will be on the KEHA website soon. 

The Homemaker Scholarship for college students is accepting applications until March 29th. If you know someone currently or planning to enroll in college for the Fall 2024 academic year, please encourage them to apply.   

 

Community Service Projects
The Russell County Extension Homemakers will be drawing for the winner of a hand-autographed basketball signed by Coach Calipari on March 14th at the Extension Office. If you have tickets, please return them to Sue Foley to be entered into the drawing. All proceeds of this fund raiser will go toward the scholarship fund and community service projects. 

 

Cultural Arts Competition

County Competition

 

Name	Category, sub-category	Ribbon
Linda Helm	Art, recycled, other	Blue
	Holiday decorations, winter	White
	Photography, black & white	Blue
	Photography, color	Red
Kris Nelson	Basketry, novelty	Blue
	Wall/door hanging, other	Blue
Elaine Mattox	Beading, non-jewelry	Blue
	Holiday decorations, winter	Red
	Jewelry, beaded	Blue
Melonie Eubank	Ceramics, pre-formed	Blue
	Counted cross-stitch	Blue
	Crochet, home decor & afghans	Red
	Holiday decorations, winter	Blue
	Quilts, machine pieced & quilted	Red
	Quilts, miscellaneous	Blue
	Papercraft, card making	Red
	Miscellaneous	Blue
Diane Hainey	Crochet, accessory	Blue
	Holiday decorations, fall	Blue
Angelia Miller	Crochet, home decor & afghans	Blue
Wanda Conatser	Crochet, home decor & afghans	White
	Needlepoint, plastic canvas	Blue
Sue Foley	Drawing, color pencil	Blue
	Drawing, pen & ink	Blue
	Decorative painting, wood	Blue
Glenda York	Photography, color	Blue
Sue Hendrickson	Quilts, machine pieced & quilted	Blue
Cindy Mills	Quilts, lap size, hand pieced & quilted	Blue
Christy Martin	Papercraft, card making	Blue

Area Competition:  The area competition will be held in Cumberland County on March 6th.  County winners who want to compete at the area level will need to have their items at the office no later than March 4th by 4 PM. 

 

Club Meeting Information

Homemakers on the Go - Hold the date of March 14  at 10 a.m. for the Homemakers on the Go meeting. They plan to meet at the Extension Office and travel to Greensburg, KY, for lunch at Long Hunter Coffee and Tea. Please RSVP by March 11th for reservations. If you are interested in attending, please call the Extension Office at 270-866-4477.

Homemakers by Heart - Homemakers by Heart will meet on March 18th at the Russell County Public Library at 6 p.m. for a recipe exchange!  Bring your favorite meal cooked in a slow cooker, air fryer, or pressure cooker to share with everyone! If you bring a dish, please bring a copy of your recipe!  Please RSVP by calling Caitlyn Helm or the Russell County Extension Office by March 15th.  270-866-4477. 

Sunset Club - The Sunset Club will meet on March 12th at 6 p.m. at the Extension Office. The club will be offering a lesson, a craft, and a potluck. Please wear green for St. Patrick’s Day.  
No RSVP is required for this meeting. 

The Piecemakers Quilt Guild - The Quilt Guild will be meeting on March 11th and March 25th at noon for fellowship and quilting.  They are currently working on two hanging quilts for the hospital.  

Crafty Bees - The Crafty Bees will meet on March 26th at 5:30 p.m. in the Extension Office’s Gray Space. They will be making a DIY Tissue Dispenser Box. Please bring a new square tissue box, and two pieces of 9x12 felt. Call 270-866-4477 to RSVP by March 22nd.

 

Connect with Nature for Health and Well-Being
Source:  Amy F. Kostelic, Assoc. Extension Professor, Adult Development & Aging
     Did you know that birdsong can enhance your mental health? Listening to birdsong brings people a sense of peace and calm and helps connect them to nature. In some hospital settings, recordings of birds are played to encourage a therapeutic and uplifting experience, according to the Audubon Society. 
     With spring in the air, March is a good time to go outdoors.  If walking is difficult, find a quiet place to sit where you can take in the sounds, sights, and smells of nature. Research demonstrates that in just 15 to 20 minutes, nature can lower stress. Nature can also decrease heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety, inflammation, fatigue, and depression. Nature can enhance happiness, mood, social interactions, attention, cognition, sleep, and vision. For some people, feeling connected to nature has even helped buffer the effects of loneliness and social isolation. It can even contribute to longevity.
     Because nature is free and comes in all shapes and sizes, nature can be accessible to most people. Find ways to connect to the outdoors that fit your ability and comfort. You may go for a hike or camp overnight in a remote biodiverse space. Or you may choose to look out a window, add plants to your indoor space, grow a garden, feed the birds, or read a book outdoors. Even a little time in nature is better for your well-being than none.

References
Audubon Society. (2023). Around the World, the Soothing Sounds of Birdsong Are Used as Therapy. Retrieved October 6, 2023 from https://www.audubon.org/news/around-world-soothing-sounds-birdsong-are-used-therapy
Stanton, L. & Gallop, S. (2023, September 27). Nature matters across the lifespan [Conference presentation]. Epsilon Sigma Phi Annual Meeting, Billings, MT, United States.
Weir, K. (2020). Nurtured by nature. American Psychological Association. Retrieved October 6, 2023 from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature

 

Baked Fruit as a Dessert

Servings: 4                                    Serving Size:  1 Roll up
Source:  A Guide to Good Nutrition, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, Kentucky Expanded Food and Nutrition Program 1998 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of fresh or canned fruit (drain if using canned)
• 1 tablespoon margarine  
• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed  
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Arrange fruit in a flat baking dish.
3. Dot top of fruit with margarine.
4. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over fruit. 
5. Bake 30 minutes.

Tips:

• Look for canned fruit packed in light syrup or water.
• Fresh fruit may be used in season. For added color and nutrients use strawberries, blackberries or blueberries.

80 calories; 1.5g total fat; 0g saturated fat; 0g trans fat; 0mg cholesterol; 15mg sodium; 19g total carbohydrate; 2g dietary fiber; 16g sugar; 1g protein; 2% Daily Value of vitamin A; 25% Daily Value of vitamin C; 2% Daily Value of calcium; 2% Daily Value of iron

 

Megan Gullett, CEA for Family & Consumer Sciences