Elkins Dental - November 2019

FOR A BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY SMILE

ELKINSDENTAL.COM NOVEMBER 2019

THAT TIME I BUILT A GUITAR

As you know, I spend my spare moments creating, whether it’s stained glass projects or music. For the last several months, though, I took a break from my usual projects to try my hand at something new: building a guitar. A friend of mine has a website that sells guitar parts, and it sounded like a fun undertaking to build my own. Instead of getting prepainted parts, though, I wanted to start from scratch. I did a ton of YouTube research and reached out to my friend who’s built a couple guitars. Before I started on the actual guitar parts, I practiced staining and doing clear coats on wood to make sure I got the process just right.Then, I bought the body and neck of the guitar, both unfinished, and added pearl inlays into each piece. After that, I stained, finished, and added all the electronic components. From start to finish, it took me about five months to build. Once it was finished, I was kind of scared to play the guitar for the first time. I hoped it would be a functional instrument and wouldn’t just become wall art, but it was also my first time building anything like this. Fortunately, I love how it plays. With how well this project went, I think it’s going to become another hobby. I’m already excited to build my next guitar. Around the Elkins household, we finished up September with celebrations for our birthday people, Adam and Beth. Adam was over the moon about his doughnut cake, which he’d personally requested. Beth and I happily agreed, as it was a simple and fun cake to put together: a stack of doughnuts with a candle in the middle. Adam loved it, and I think the rest of the family did, too.

We celebrated Beth’s birthday with a trip to McCall, kind of a last hurrah for summer at the lake.My parents and my brother and his family joined us, and it was a lot of fun.We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weekend. This month, I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving and sharing that time with my family. We’ll celebrate with my parents and brother who all live locally. I’m excited for the turkey, mashed potatoes, and plenty of gravy. I’d be pretty happy if that’s all we had for dinner.That being said, I won’t pass up a piece of pumpkin pie. As soon as we finish the meal, we start one of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions: We put on “Elf,” and it marks the official start of the Christmas season. Before I get ahead of myself, though, I’m going to focus on enjoying Thanksgiving. I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving! –Dr. Elkins

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ENGAGE YOUR KIDS ON THANKSGIVING With These Gratitude-Themed Games

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 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. PICK-UP STICKS 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 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. For Victoria, it’s been a happy homecoming, as well. “I really like working with Dr. Elkins and Robin,” she says. She’s appreciative of the supportive and welcoming team here who have helped her transition easily into her role. “It’s been great. What I’ve enjoyed most is that every day is different. I get a mix of hands-on work and communicating with our team and patients,” she describes. Victoria enjoys working directly with patients and getting to know each person who comes into our office. Victoria grew up in Emmett and is a lifelong Idahoan. Most of her time outside of work is spent with her beautiful baby girl, Mirielly. Victoria also enjoys the outdoors and loves going on camping and fishing trips in the summer. Oh, and she designs and sews headbands for newborns, littles, and adults. It’s something her sister taught her how to do, and she’s enjoyed creating them ever since. Together, Victoria and her sister make handmade headbands and other items that they sell. (You can find them on Instagram, @EllyRoseCo.) It seems like a knack for creativity is a common thread around our office! We’re so happy to have this ray of sunshine at our office. Say hi to Victoria next time you’re here!

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. PICTIONARY 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 turkey and stuffing and give them an imaginative way to express their gratitude. Plus, who doesn’t love a good art contest?

Meet Victoria!

A Bright Light at Our Office

This fall, we were overjoyed to welcome Victoria back to our team. She returned to Elkins Dental after being on maternity leave and is doing an amazing job in her role as our hygiene coordinator. She has been an absolute breath of fresh air to have at the office.

-Kalie and Caryn

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Inspired by 40Aprons.com

PALEO STUFFING

Ingredients

GOOD CHEER Beer lovers, rejoice! Idaho is the world’s largest hop producer, and more and more people are taking advantage of our agricultural bounty by opening breweries in the Treasure Valley. Share a few of these treasures with visiting family members and their only question will be “How did we not come here sooner?” 4. Remove from heat. Stir in almond flour. Once ixed well, stir in eggs. Transfer to oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 our. 5. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. • 1/2 tsp salt • 1/2 tsp black pepper • 2 cups almond flour • 3 eggs, beaten

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped • 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped • 3 tsp poultry seasoning

MOUNTAIN RANGES Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, we don’t have to go far to find mountaintop winter activities. If skiing or tubing is your idea of winter fun, Bogus Basin is just a short drive away, and heading to McCall makes a fun weekend getaway. ... AND RIVERS Not only are we surrounded by the Payette and Boise rivers, Idaho is also home to the deepest gorge in North America: Hells Canyon. Take that, Arizona! 1. Heat an oven to 350 F. 2. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat ghee or avocado oil over medium heat. 3. Add onion, celery, mushrooms, apple, cranberries, parsley, seas ning, salt, and pepper to pan. Sauté for 7 minutes. Directions • 2 tbsp ghee or avocado oil • 3 cups onion, diced • 2 c ps celery, diced • 1 cup mushroom, diced • 1 cup apple, cored and diced

Out-of-town relatives who are visiting for the holidays might wonder what makes Emmett so special. But we already know the Treasure Valley is full of gems — and we don’t just mean the rocks. Here are some additional reasons Emmett and The Gem State are great. WE’VE GOT SUNSHINE On average, we have 210 sunny days per year. Compare that to 144 rainy days in Portland and we can feel pretty happy about all our free vitamin D.

GEM STATE? WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE Festival of Trees When: Nov. 20–23, 2019 Where: Gem County Fairgrounds Winter Wonderland Festival When: Nov. 22, 2019 Where: Indian Creek Plaza

DID YOU KNOW?

PUSH BACK THE CLOCKS

On Nov. 3, daylight saving time ended. It’s been suggested that the idea for saving daylight was first introduced by Benjamin Franklin. Mostly, Franklin really wanted people to get up early to save on the expense of candlelight. In his paper that put forth the idea that everyone rise with the sun, Franklin suggested for those who had trouble getting up at dawn, “Let cannon be fired in every street to wake the sluggards effectually.” Whew! Can you imagine? During World War I, the idea of saving daylight became really important for conserving

resources, and Congress passed the Standard Time Act. Farmers, as the Farmers’ Almanac points out, have historically been one of the groups most opposed to daylight saving time. However you feel about it, at least for now, it’s probably best that you set your clocks back, unless you want to be extra early to work.

THANK YOU TO ALL VETERANS

In honor of Veterans Day, Elkins Dental is offering $25 off any copay in the month of November!

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. Dr. Elkins Builds a Guitar 2. Gratitude- Themed Games for Kids

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

3. Paleo Stuffing

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The Gift of Giving

Did You Know?

1110 S. Washington Ave. Emmett, ID 83617

Meet Our Team!

8TH ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE Save $25 with a donation of 10 nonperishable items. Come in between Oct. 14 and Dec. 20!

208-369-4532 Elkinsdental.com

CELEBRATING GIVING TUESDAY Supporting the People You Believe In

#GivingTuesday.The website states that “... technology and social media could be used to make generosity go viral; that people fundamentally want to give and talk about giving.”Through massive social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, the individuals and companies participating in Giving Tuesday can spread their missions and messages all over the world, encouraging others to do the same. HOWYOU CAN CELEBRATE Now is the perfect opportunity to support your community and the causes you believe in.The best part of this holiday is that “giving” doesn’t just refer to donating money. People can give back by volunteering their time to help a nonprofit business, donating goods and food, or just buying a stranger some lunch. Even the smallest actions can have the biggest impact. If you’re interested in participating in Giving Tuesday, get together with your friends, family, sports team members, or neighbors to brainstorm on how you can give back. To learn more about how you can participate, visit GivingTuesday.org .

November is usually all about Thanksgiving, but it isn’t the only holiday that encourages generosity. Giving Tuesday is a phenomenal celebration in which millions of people from across the globe are inspired to spend 24 hours giving back to the communities they love. ORIGIN AND GOAL

Giving Tuesday is celebrated every year on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, and this year, the holiday lands on Dec. 3! It was established in 2012 by the United Nations Foundation and New York’s 92nd Street Y as a response to consumer-driven holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The purpose of the holiday was to spread the spirit of giving, not only for the people in our nation but individuals across the world.The goal is “to create a massive wave of generosity that lasts well beyond that day and touches every person on the planet.” TECHNOLOGY AT ITS BEST

Through the use of social media and technology, the organization hopes to encourage and spread generosity on a global scale using the hashtag

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