The Press-Dispatch
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C-4 Wednesday, December 12, 2018 The Press-Dispatch HOME LIFE TO ADVERTISE: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: ads@pressdispatch.net Visit: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Deadline: 5 p.m. on Monday Youth First Today by Youth First, Inc. Take steps now to de-stress the holidays Katiedid vs... by Katiedid Langrock Scary Christmas Sometimes the demands of this busy season can override the inherent joy, allowing stress to be an unwelcome guest at the table. Here are some tips to help reduce stress and appreciate the upcoming holidays. • Put first things first. In the words of Dr. Redford Williams, director of Behavioral Medicine Research Cen- ter at Duke University, "The holi- days are supposed to be about kind- ness and generosity and people most often neglect to extend these courte- sies to those who need them the most – themselves." • Remember the advice of the air- lines when "in the event of loss of cab- in pressure," adults are told to put on their oxygen masks first, then help their children. As parents, this may sound counterintuitive, but if you're not breathing, you can't help anyone else. • Healthy self-care allows us to han- dle those bumps in the road that are in- evitable for us all. • Set a realistic budget. The cost of food and gifts seems to have grown faster than Jack's proverbial beanstalk. Decide how much you can spend and stick to it. • Refrain from trying to buy the happiness of others, especially chil- dren. Those same children may try to convince you otherwise, but is that the message you want to instill? • Large families may opt for a gift exchange. Just decide what works best for your family. Overspending during the holidays could result in a post-hol- iday financial crisis, which is not a stress-free way to start the New Year. • Accept help. This is not a time to "out-Martha" Martha Stewart. Just think of the shopping, cleaning, bak- ing, and entertaining this season. Re- member, Martha has help and lots of it. All family members can help with shopping and cleaning, according to their age and abilities. • If Aunt Jane wants to contribute her famous horseradish-chocolate chip Jell-o mold, accept graciously. It may not be what you had planned, but it will make her feel appreciated and valued. Isn't that what we would all like? • Just say no. Avoid over-commit- ting your time when you know you are over-scheduled. Not speaking up can allow feelings of resentment, being overwhelmed, and being out of sorts. • If you're thinking, "They should know how busy I am! " Surprise! No one, outside of Cinderella's fairy god- mother, can discern our wishes or read our minds. • Similarly, no one can support and participate in every project, no matter how worthy. Schools, church- es, and charities can all benefit from our time, talent, and treasure, but it's up to us to choose what we can reason- ably support. • Remain open to the joy of the sea- son. Enjoy the first snowfall, the inno- cence of a kindergarten Christmas program, the gathering of family and friends around the dining table, or the sweet sounds of a church choir. All of these and more are available to us if we allow it. In the words of those accidental phi- losophers, the Rolling Stones, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime you find you get what you need." Peace and joy are gifts of the season, freely given. This column is written by Youth First, Inc., a local nonprofit dedicat- ed to strengthening youth and families. Youth First provides 54 Master's level so- cial workers to 75 schools in 10 Indiana counties. Over 38,000 youth and fami- lies per year have access to Youth First's school social work and after-school pro- grams that prevent substance abuse, pro- mote healthy behaviors, and maximize student success. We don't have a base- ment. We have a scary-base- ment. This dis- tinction must be honored. On our first day in our home, there was a 6 -foot snake hanging out down there. Since then, it has been home to fellow snake friends, mice, spiders, frogs and the occasional opossum. The garage door, which goes directly into this un- finished basement does not fully close, and holes around the piping and venting make an easy-access highway for all the creepy-crawlies. If we didn't have a very secure, heavy and deadbolted door leading to the basement, I might never sleep. The scary-basement has only been made worse by us. Never wanting to spend much time in the scary-basement, we have made it a dumping ground for all things unused, out- grown or still packed from our cross-country move two years ago. The floor has be- come an obstacle course, a hazard in its own right. That only makes the scary-base- ment feel scarier, as you nev- er know what may be lurk- ing beneath every precari- ously placed bag or box. There are only two occa- sions that make me spend significant time in the scary-basement. The first is during our tornado warn- ings, during which the add- ed darkness, the fear of death and, possibly worse, the fear that the tornado will whip those otherwise hiding snakes into my face at 140 miles per hour always make me consider robbing a bank so I can drop a hun- dred grand on finishing the basement. The second is during Christmas. As the song goes, it's the most wonderful fright of the year. The scary-basement is where I store all the gifts that don't contain food, be- cause, you know, opossums like gummy dinosaurs, too. It's where I wrap the pre- sents. And most important- ly, it's where I store the Christmas dec- orations. And by "store the Christ- mas decorations," I mean "keep the Christmas decora- tions strewn about, in no particular place or organized order, because I'm running back upstairs be- fore one of the many spiders descends from its web to eat my face." That is the problem of a scary-basement. There is never order because you are so busy attempting to quickly exit the scary-base- ment that items fall wherev- er there is space — an act that comes back to bite you in the face when you need to find said strewn items. This past weekend, the kids and I decorated for Christmas. I spent copious time swatting away cob- webs and jumping back- ward, turning over and step- ping into open boxes. Noth- ing gets you into the holiday spirit quite like cursing up a storm to the tune of "Jingle Bells." My scary-basement venture was only moderate- ly successful. I found the fake Christmas tree, and af- ter a thorough inspection through the lifelike limbs for reptiles, my husband and I carried it upstairs and successfully set it up. I also found a stuffed reindeer, a snow globe and the blowup Santa for the front yard. Still missing are the Christmas stockings, ornaments and boxes stuffed with enough decor to light up a small country. I told my children I would not be going down to the scary-basement again — not this weekend, anyway. One's heart deserves a break after experiencing such trauma. I thought they would pitch a fit, but in scarcity came cre- ativity. They opted to get crafty with paper, scissors, stickers and paint. Every "ornament" on our tree was created by their hand- iwork, and it is by far the most rocking tree I have ev- er seen, complete with about 500 dragons and a handful of Mickey Mouses. We have hung winter hats over the mantel, perfectly accept- able receptacles for Santa's smaller presents. And we GINGERBREAD WANDS MEALS IN Monica's MINUTES Share your favorite recipe! www.facebook.com/mealsinminutes Monica's Meals in Minutes PO Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567 mealsinminutes@pressdispatch.net FACEBOOK MAIL EMAIL By Monica Sinclair Only 13 days until Christ- mas! Are you ready? We have purchased all our gifts, now just to get them wrapped. And, of course, I would like to do some holiday baking. As prom- ised last week, I am providing another idea for a holiday treat you can make for you, friends, coworkers or neighbors. If you don't own any cookie cutters, like me, then this rec- ipe will be perfect for you. In fact, I am going to try this recipe because my husband and I love ginger- bread. We even had a gingerbread cake as our wed- ding cake. This is a quick and easy recipe and makes several dozen, so you will have plenty to share. Enjoy! INGREDIENTS • 1/4 c. granulated sugar • 1/2 c. light (mild) molasses • 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper • 2 tsp. baking soda • 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter melted • 1 large egg • 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour • 1 large egg white, beaten • Colored decorating sugar, edible glitter and sprinkles for decorating (all available at wilton. com) DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In 4-quart sauce- pan, combine granulated sugar, molasses, pump- kin pie spice and black pepper, heat to boiling on medium, stirring occasionally. 2. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda, then but- ter. With fork, stir in egg, then flour until com- bined. 3. On floured surface, knead dough until smooth; di- vide in half. Wrap 1 piece of dough in plastic and set aside. With lightly floured rolling pin, roll re- maining half of dough into 12-inch by 8 -inch rec- tangle (should be about 1/4-inch thick). With piz- za cutter, cut dough into 1/4-inch-wide, 8 -inch- long strips. Transfer to large parchment-lined cookie sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. 4. Lightly brush strips with egg white. Sprinkle with desired decorations. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or un- til set. Cool on cookie sheet on wire rack. Mean- while, repeat rolling, cutting and decorating with remaining dough. Makes about 7 dozen wands. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Source: goodhousekeeping.com MIDWEST REALTY 1704 E. National Hwy., Washington • 812-254-3918 Check out these listings and more online at swindianarealtors.com Your own private retreat on almost 85 acres with 10 acre lake located in Pike County, adjoining state owned ground with an abundance of wild life, including deer, wild turkey and more. Enjoy the views from the covered porch of the ranch style home Featuring 5 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, including master suite with walk-in closet. The main living area of the home is an open concept living room with fireplace, dining room, kitchen with bar & pantry, family room, plus a mud room and office. There is a 2 car attached garage, rear deck and concrete patio. Bring your animals too, approx 3-4 acres in fenced pasture and a 40x40 pole building. Also, down by the lake is a 24x36 pole building with concrete floor and electric. HOUSE FOR SALE MLS# 201818525 Call Melissa: 812-617-0133 7684 E. CR 700 S., VELPEN $ 440,000 PRICE REDUCED Location: 2667 E. Co. Rd. 400 S., Winslow, IN View photos on auctionzip.com, I.D. number 46613 Terms and Conditions: Cash or check with proper I.D.; announcements day of auction take precedence over previous advertisements; buying everything as is, where is. Any questions: contact Kaleb Claridge 812-789-6761 Check auctionzip oen for updated listings and pictures. Tools and Misc.: All kinds of wrenches, sockets, ratchets name brands like Crasman, Napa, Williams, New Britton and other, 4 bolt bens, hammers and hatchets, screwdrivers, pliers, vice grips, 4 tool boxes, files, punches, chisels, 2 bolt cutters, log chains, jacks, coma longs, 2 chain host, Dremel, Skil circular saw, grinders, Drills, saws, 2 air compressors, power washer, battery charger, crescent wrenches, specialty tools, shop vac, stand up tool box, long handle tools, pry bars, tap and die set, jack stands, ladders, work bench, Drill press, 2 vices, fish fryer, lots of ammo, refrigerator, 3 tackle boxes with lures, motorcycle helmet, mini fridge, 15 fishing rods, heaters, fans, coolers, lots of box lots Antiques and Collectibles: Whiskey jug, old spools, jar of marbles, 2 cast iron wagon wheels, 2 old pitcher pumps, 2 cast iron kettles, 2 cast iron dinner bells, old lunch box, ice tongs, wood pulley, wooden crate, copper pans, old tele- phone, cast iron skillets, vintage heater, carbon lights, polit- ical memorabilia, pocket knife, vintage clock Furniture and Glassware: Cedar wardrobe, 3 book shelfs, kitchen table and chairs, 2 computer desk, maple, table, an- tique wash stand, desk, bed, barstools, roll top desk, coffee table, quilt rack, office chair, 2 recliners, whole set of Hull dishes, green and pink depression, cut glass and other kinds of glassware is auction is located indoors in a climate controlled build- ing with seats available. is is just a partial listing. Lots of items not listed or pictured. is will be 3+ hour long auc- tion. We will see you there as we are going out of 2018 in style! Auctioneer's Note: Last sale of 2018! You wont want to miss this auction as there are items for everyone. Lots of items, not listed. Auction will be held indoors with seats available. Sale will last for several hours. Hope to see you there. PETERSBURG ESTATE AUCTION SATURDAY, DEC. 15 10 a.m. EST Continued on page 5