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NOV. 2019
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WINDING ROAD TRIPS, PECAN PIE, AND SEC FOOTBALL
Thanksgivings Past and Present
Even though so much changes as we grow older, some things still stay the same. I’m glad one of the things that’s stayed the same are our Thanksgiving trips to Cleveland, Mississippi to my wife Diane’s mother’s house. Even though the trip might have changed, after over three decades we still journey down to the Mississippi River Delta to be with family, watch SEC football, and eat some delicious Thanksgiving food. backroads through little towns until Cleveland, and the trip felt like it took forever. Now, the trip only takes about six and a half hours since they’ve added in some new highways. But those long, winding trips when the kids were young were full of road trip bingo and cow sightings. Sometimes, Grandmama would give each of them a nickel for every cow they counted. Of our three kids, two of them, our son Sam and our younger daughter Janie, both still make the trip down to Grandmama’s house every year. Marcie, our oldest, who live in Colorado Springs makes the trip about every other year. Diane’s mother is 88 years old, and, until recently, she cooked all the Thanksgiving food. All the traditional Thanksgiving foods were present, including turkey, casseroles, dressing (made with cornbread), and pies. Regarding the turkey, you can count on “Even though the trip might have changed, after over three decades we still journey down to the Mississippi River Delta to be with family, watch SEC football, and eat some delicious Thanksgiving food.” Back when our kids were little, we made the drive from Atlanta along the interstate to Tuscaloosa. From there, it was all two things every year at Thanksgiving in our family: There will be a debate between me and three other guys in the family over who will carve the turkey, and there will never be a sharp knife in the whole house to cut it with. But somehow, we get it done. For years, the main event of dessert time was pecan pie, but now it’s been usurped by an Italian creme cake that someone brought one year.
The rest of the standard fare includes sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cornbread dressing, and congealed
strawberry salad. Grandmama always had Mississippi Spice Muffins awaiting our arrival. Those, plus a hot cup of coffee, always made the drive worth it for me.
And, of course, no Thanksgiving day is complete without SEC football on TV. While any NFL game is usually just background noise for family time, the minute Mississippi State plays Ole Miss, or Georgia plays Georgia Tech, the TV becomes the focal point for everyone in the house. Like most people in the South, our family isn’t liable to miss any SEC games. That said, even though Missouri and Texas are technically in the SEC, we don’t really consider them to be Southern states. But give us a Mississippi, Alabama, or Georgia game, we’ll watch it all day long. Thanksgiving may not be the same as it always was, but I’m glad some of it hasn’t changed. And, even though the day looks different in some respects, we’ll always have the memories of Thanksgivings past to reflect on as we move forward year to year.
–Pa u l Little
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Too Busy to Work Out? Being active doesn’t have to mean going to the gym every single day. An active lifestyle can be as simple as going for a walk around the neighborhood for a few minutes a day. There are plenty of ways to exercise during daily activities like shopping, spending time with your kids, or hanging around the house. this time to be active. Get the family together for a walk around the neighborhood, take a few minutes to dance to some of your favorite tunes, or do some light cleaning around the house.
Put a spin on date night. Forget dinner and a movie. Instead, try taking your date out for a round of miniature golf, indoor rock climbing, an evening stroll, a bike ride, or dancing. You’ll have more fun while doing your body good. Grab a leash. Having a dog gives you plenty of opportunities to stay active. If you don’t have a dog, try asking a neighbor or friend if they would like their dog walked, start a dog-walking service, or volunteer at a local animal shelter. There are plenty of ways to make staying active a part of your daily routine! With enough creativity and motivation, you can turn any activity into an active one.
Park farther away. A lot of people will spend several minutes trying to find a parking space as close as they can to the entrance of a store. However, parking a little farther away will help you score a better parking space and make sure you get your steps in for the day. Do some yoga. You don’t have to push yourself to your absolute limit in order to stay active. There are other, gentler ways to exercise than running 5 miles a day. Tai chi or yoga are excellent low-impact alternatives to keep your body fit and healthy.
Reduce TV time. It can be tempting to plop down in front of the television after a long day at work or after dinner, but you can also use
IF YOU’RE BUYING A HOME ... Be Plumb Smart!
Plumb Smart questions to ask when buying your next home:
5.
Where is the whole house water shut off valve? Does it work? If it’s a gate valve, a home inspector will not close and open it, and there’s a 99% chance it doesn’t work. If it’s closed, there’s a 50/50 chance it won’t open again. Make sure you knowwhere this valve is!
1. Does the water line from the meter to the house go under a driveway? That’s not a good scenario! When a water line leaks under a driveway, it results in a very expensive repair or replacement. 2. Does the home have copper pipes? If so, the plumbing system can develop pinhole leaks caused by corrosion inside the pipes. Pinhole leaks are unique to copper pipes, and having a copper plumbing systemmeans you might have to get your entire house replumbed one day.
6. Has the sewer main has ever backed up? If so, find out why and how the problemwas corrected.
7. Has the sewer line ever been repaired/replaced and why?
8. Where is the outside sewer clean-out access pipe? Every home has one, so if it’s not visible, a plumbing company may have to run a camera down inside the line to locate it. 9. Where are all the fixture shutoff valves? Ask for the real estate agent to demonstrate that they work. If they are not ball valves, many of themmay not work, and I would ask to have them replaced.
3. What’s the age of the water heater? If the water heater is over 12 years old, you’ll need to replace it in 3–5 years.
4. Has the pressure reducing valve ever been replaced? If so, when? These valves generally last 5–15 years depending on the quality of the valve, so be sure you know how long it’s been since the previous owners got a new one.
10. You knowwhat? These tips are great even if you aren’t buying your next home!
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5 SIMPLE WAYS TO STAY ACTIVE
WORD SEARCH
Mississippi Spice Muffins
Apples Pie Pumpkin Harvest
Crops Thanksgiving Holiday Fall
Scarecrow Chilly Sweater
SUDOKU
Ingredients
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1 cup butter, softened
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2 cups applesauce
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3 tsp cinnamon
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1 tsp salt
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2 cups sugar
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4 cups flour
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2 tsp allspice
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2 tsp baking soda
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2 eggs
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1 cup pecans
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1 tsp ground cloves
Directions
1.
Put all dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix.
2.
Add in each wet ingredient.
3.
Stir until thoroughly mixed.
4.
Pour in muffin pans.
5.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8–10 minutes. Makes 100 miniature muffins.
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Winding Road Trips, Pecan Pie, and SEC Football 1
Simple Ways to Stay Active
10 Plumb Smart Tips for Homebuyers 2
Mississippi Spice Muffins
Puzzles 3
Gratitude-Themed Games for Kids 4
With These Gratitude-Themed Games
Thanksgiving is an excellent time to teach children about gratefulness. By planning some fun, gratitude-themed games, you can impart a valuable lesson and spend some quality family time together. Get your kids in the holiday spirit by adding a Thanksgiving twist to these classic games.
dinner table, have each person draw a random slip and read what it says without saying the name while everyone else tries to guess who wrote it. While Pictionary may get your kids talking about what they are thankful for, Guess Who? will tune them into what others around them are thankful for too.
Pictionary
Pick-Up Sticks
Want to bring out your kids’ creative sides? Pictionary is the perfect way to encourage artistic expression and grateful thinking. Try adding a rule where players have to draw something they’re grateful for. This will get your kids thinking beyond
Like regular pick-up sticks, the goal is to remove a stick from a haphazard pile without disturbing the others. However, by using colored sticks that represent different kinds of thankfulness — such as places, people, or food — you can make players think outside the box. This will
turkey and stuffing and give them an imaginative way to express their gratitude. Plus, who doesn’t love a good art contest?
ensure you get a wide range of creative, thoughtful answers whenever the kids pick up a stick.
These modified games are great for helping your kids realize how much they have to be thankful for. Use these to spend some fun, educational, quality time with your family this Thanksgiving.
GuessWho?
To play gratitude-themed Guess Who?, have each participant write down their name and something they’re thankful for on a slip of paper and put it in a bowl. Then, at the
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