November 2023 Edition

Family & Consumer Sciences
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Homemaker Newsletter - November 2023

 

Thought of the Month: “The holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on our blessings and seek out ways to make life better for those around us.” – Terri Marshall 
Roll Call:  In November, we celebrate Thanksgiving. Name one of your blessings this year OR how you plan to be a blessing for others. 

 

Annual Christmas Event Coming Soon

We are currently planning to hold the annual Christmas Party on Tuesday, December 5th, at 5 p.m. We will have the event at the Russell County Public Library’s Community Room. We will be having a hot potato bar that evening. The Council is requesting that guests call the Extension Office to sign up to bring different potato toppings. More information on the event will be provided in the next newsletter. 

 

Dues are Due!  Reminder, Homemaker dues are due by November 30th! Dues are $12 this year. 

 

Homemaker Week October 9-13   

We had an excellent Homemakers Week this year! We had a lot of fun  meeting in fellowship at Bunco Night and for brunch, as well as making mason jar flowers for our craft!  Thank you for making this year a success! 

 

Fundraisers

Homemaker have two fundraisers going on right now!  Sales of pecan pieces are going on now, and we have only around 100 bags left!  Please contact Melonie Eubank (or the Ext. Office) for information on how to sell, or purchase, pecans.  

Homemakers are now selling Rada products! We have 5 catalogs, and there is an online option to sell as well. To share the link, search radafundraising.com, and then type in Russell County Extension Homemakers in the search box. 
Online link:  https://radafundraising.com/pages/select-your-fundraising-group
Rada sales will currently run 10/9-11/17 so that orders can be delivered before Christmas.  

 

Community Service Projects

Celebrating Veterans:  Homemakers are collecting the below items for veterans at the local nursing home for Veteran’s Day. The deadline is Nov. 3rd.  Collecting:  non-skid socks (gripper socks), chapstick, crackers/nabs, pudding, jello, brownie-ie foods (fudge rounds, etc.) (No Hard Candies)

Gideon Bibles to Mary Bessie Malone's Family:  The Homemakers are donating Gideon Bibles to Mary Bessie Malone’s family in her memory. Mary Bessie was a loving member of the Sunset Club. 

Warm the Children:  Homemakers are collecting winter clothing items through November 17th for children in need. The items will be donated to the various schools in the county in November.  Coats, hat, gloves, socks, etc. 

Ham Donation to the Jaycees Auction:  The Homemakers voted to purchase a ham, or ham package, from Penn’s Hams in Campbellsville, KY, to donate. The donation of the ham will go to the Jaycees' annual auction for a children's toy drive this winter.

 

Club Meeting Information

Homemakers on the Go Meeting:  Hold the date of November 9th for a trip to Glasgow! Homemakers on the Go invite you to join them at a luncheon at the Little Taste of Texas in Glasgow, KY, and a day of antiquing at the local stores. If you are interested in carpooling, please meet at the Extension Office no later than 9:00.  Address: 303 S. Broadway St, Glasgow, KY   Please RSVP by Nov. 6th @ 12, by calling 270-866-4477.  Please bring either pasta, cereal, or 12 oz. bags of pinto beans for God's Food Pantry. 

Sunset Club:  The Sunset Club will be meeting tentatively on Tuesday, November 14th  @ 6 PM.   All are welcome to join them for a time of fellowship, leadership, and good food! 

Piecemakers Quilt Guild:  The Quilt Guild will be meeting on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month for fellowship and quilting. on the 2nd Monday, the meeting starts at 10 AM, and on the 4th Monday, they will start at noon.  

New Club - Crafty Ladies:  Some Homemakers are interested in starting a new specialty club, the Craft Ladies! Their first meeting is scheduled for November 28th @ 5:30 PM. They will be making one of the two crafts pictured below. Please call 270-866-4477 to RSVP to attend this class. There may be a small registration fee for the lesson to cover the costs of materials. 

 

Talk About Family Health History this Thanksgiving

SOU RC E : AMY F . KOS T E L I C , A S SOC I A T E E X T E N S I ON P RO F E S SOR , ADU L T D E V E L OPME N T AND AG I NG 

Talk about family health history this holiday season. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, knowing your family’s health history is an important first step in identifying risk that might run in your family. When you know a family member has had a health issue or disease, you are better armed to talk to a health-care provider about recommended screenings, early diagnosis, and/or prevention. Knowing your family health history may also motivate you to change unhealthy behaviors.

Talking about health issues may be uncomfortable conversations for some families or family members. Sometimes it can be helpful to remind everyone that such conversation is for the health of the family, including future generations. Because family often gets together around the holidays, Thanksgiving is National Family History Day.

When you talk to your family, write down names, relationships, conditions, and age of diagnosis. Sometimes you will find you know less than you thought you did. The CDC recommends asking the following list of specific questions:

• Do you have any chronic diseases, such as heart disease or diabetes, or health conditions, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol?
• Have you had any other serious diseases, such as cancer or stroke? What type of cancer? How old were you when each of these diseases or health conditions was diagnosed? (If your relative doesn’t remember the exact age, knowing the approximate age is still useful.)
• What is your family’s ancestry? From what countries or regions did your ancestors come to the United States?
• What were the causes and ages of death for relatives who have died?

My Family Health Portrait is a free web-based tool the CDC recommends that can help you record and organize information about your family health history. You can save it and update it as needed. You can also print it and share it with health-care providers and family members. https://cbiit.github.io/FHH/html/index.html

Sharing information among family and with your doctors can help you stay on top of your health. For more information about National Family History Day and the importance of family health history, go to https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/famhistory/knowing_not_enough.htm.

Reference:  CDC. (2023). Knowing is Not Enough—Act on Your Family Health History. Retrieved April 17,
2023 from https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/famhistory/knowing_not_enough.htm

 

Potato Hash

Servings:  12                 Serving size:  1/2 cup            Source:  Teri King, Meade County EFNEP Assistant Senior

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 pounds petite red or gold potatoes, diced to ½ -inch cubes
• 2 diced onions
• 2 diced red bell peppers  
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic  
• Salt and pepper to taste  
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese 

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. 
2. Add potatoes and toss to coat with oil. 
3. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring for time to time. 
4. Add onion and peppers. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until golden brown. 
5. Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes. 
6. Season with salt and pepper. 
7. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

160 calories; 4.5g total fat; 1.5g saturated fat; 0gtrans fat; 5mg cholesterol;75mg sodium 26g carbohydrate; 3g fiber; 3g sugar; 0g added sugar; 4g protein; 0% Daily Value of vitamin D; 4% Daily Value of calcium; 6% Daily Value of iron; 15% Daily Value of potassium. 

 

Megan Gullett, CEA for Family & Consumer Sciences