The Family Knook

Impressive

Gifts

This Joy Budget Is Not A

Bad Word

How To Create

Postcards for

Christmas

Holiday

Truffles

The Easy Way to

Organize Your

Wardrobe

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December 2013

Once Again I thank you for

your continued support. As

we move forward let’s

continue working together to

get the job done for families

around the world.

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Message From Our

Editor-in-Chief

Merry Christmas

&

Happy New Years

Ideas For Job Related Gifts By: Matthias Zeitler

Buying gifts for people is not always a simple task. It is one thing to buy a gift for someone you are close to, but what do you do when you are trying to find the perfect or proper gift for a colleague or manager? What do you buy? How much should you spend? What is the occasion? Is it better to buy a group gift? One of the first things you need to do is to set the price. This will allow you to narrow down your search and prevent you from getting out of control as well. If you are buying something for your boss, you don't want to buy something too cheap but also not too expensive. You don't want your colleagues wondering if you are trying to be nice or if you are trying to get the next promotion. It has to be just right. The trick is to figure out what to buy. This will to some degree depend a little bit on what they do and what their interests are. There are some gifts that will work no matter what. If your boss travels a lot, a new leather suit case that fits one or two laptops can always come in handy. If they are too expensive, talk to your colleagues and see what they are doing. Maybe you can go in together? After all, it is better to buy one gift your boss will appreciate instead of buying her a couple of gifts that will end up in the trash can the next day. If you really want to get your boss something she will appreciate and you don't mind spending time with her outside work, then go ahead and buy a round of golf for two at your favorite golf course. In conclusion, buying gifts for colleagues and managers is not always an easy task. There are several things we have to take into consideration. If you are going to do it though, you might as well do it right. Talk to your colleagues. Ask them what they are thinking about buying. Use a service to organize the perfect gift and divide up the cost. And most importantly, don't stress over it. Buying a gift should be a fun experience.

From The Family Knook Team

Tonya, Dionne, Betty, Josie, Lakeshia, Nakiah,

Djuanet, Nikki, Sandra, and Tina

Budget Is Not A Bad Word By: Eddie Lamb

Sit amongst a group of friends and associates and mention the word budget, and suddenly everyone has somewhere else they need to be. Usually no one wants to talk about budgets, no one wants to think about budgets, and no one wants to follow a budget. However, when looked at with open eyes a budget is actually a fantastic thing. Here are three reasons why budget may become your favorite word: Reason #1: A budget puts you in control of your money instead of your money controlling you. What did you spend your last $100 on? You may not remember. Maybe it was a pizza, or stickers for your children, maybe it went to piano lessons or a new pair of boots. The point is, many people have no idea where their money goes. When you set, and follow, a realistic budget your cash is freed up so you can spend your money on things that are important to you and your family rather than spending it on purchases you won't remember buying ten minutes later. Reason #2: A budget can improve your relationships. There's little worse than the stress money can cause. Debt causes tremendous stress and so does the fear that you won't be able to pay your bills. It can ruin your health and it can destroy relationships. When you form a financial plan with your family you work together as a team to reach your goals. The lines of communication are opened and the stress is eliminated because you have a plan and a team of support. Additionally, when you're all on the same page financially there are no arguments about money, which makes better relationships with your spouse and your children. Reason #3: Most people would agree that it is better to live within your means than to get into debt. However, some people don't realize they're living beyond their means until it is too late and the debt has become overwhelming and stressful. A sound budget keeps you living within your means and prevents or eliminates debt. A structured and realistic budget prevents the 'Oops I spent too much on my credit card this month' mistake that we often make month after month until we're paying more on our minimum balance than on our mortgage. If this applies to you, don't let it get to this point. Take advantage of the power of a budget and gain control over your financial life. There is absolutely no downside to forming a budget and we've only scratched the surface of the benefits they provide. Take a few minutes to realistically analyze your spending habits, your income, and your financial goals. I promise you'll be glad you did.

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How To Create Fun Postcards For Christmas By Expert Author: John C Arkin

If you are interested in creating holiday postcards, below are a few ideas to help you create them: With the project: Use clip art designs, Add family photos Let kids color in the pictures, Include a fun holiday game Write a personal message, Include a map to your home for holiday visitors, Create a countdown to Christmas calendar While you’re working on the holiday postcards, be sure to include the whole family and don’t forget to “MAKE IT FUN”!

Cooking With Josie

Ingredients 2-1/2 cups pecans, toasted and finely chopped 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/2 teaspoon salt 5 Tablespoons pure maple syrup 1/4 cup molasses 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 lb. of melting milk chocolate

In a mixing bowl, combine the pecans, graham crackers, brown sugar and salt. Add the maple syrup, molasses and vanilla, and mix well to incorporate. Place the bowl in your freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls, using your hands to compress the mixture as needed. Place rolled truffle balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or even overnight. Melt dipping chocolate using a double boiler (or microwave-safe bowl if you prefer). Dip each ball into the melted chocolate. Lightly shake off excess chocolate. A useful technique to try is to use a spoon to dip the dough ball into the melting chocolate. After it is coated, pick up the ball using the spoon, then shift the ball onto a fork, so it rests sitting on the tongs. Gently shake over the bowl, letting excess chocolate drip off. Place chocolate covered ball on a second cookie tray lined with parchment paper or foil. If using sprinkles, lightly shake over truffles before the chocolate coating hardens. If you wish to do a chocolate drizzle, refrigerate for about 15 minutes first. An easy technique for achieving a delicate drizzle is to dip a fork in melted chocolate, then lightly shake the fork back and forth over the tray of truffles. Refrigerate finished truffles for 1 hour before serving. If making in advance or as gifts, store in an air-tight container. Makes 3-4 dozen truffles.

Preparation

Holiday Truffles

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The Easy Way to Organize Your Wardrobe in 15 Minutes Per Day by Barbara Myers - barbmyers@adelphia.net

Description: Tips for organizing your wardrobe.

1. Separate clothing into categories. Pants with pants, skirts with skirts, and so on.

2. Find five containers (boxes, baskets, plastic storage) and label as follows: Donate, Mend, Trash, Hold, Store Until (date six months from today). Over the next three days, you will sort your clothing. Any item that doesn't fit or look beautiful on you goes into the donate container. If buttons are loose or alterations are needed, the item belongs in the mend pile. Trash is for anything stained or beyond repair. Hold is for items you're not sure about. Put them away for one month and then make a decision. Store Until is for items which don't currently fit but might in six months if you continue on your weight loss program. 3. Go through your pants, skirts and shorts. Try on each pair. Sort. 4. Today, try on all your shirts and sweaters. Sort. 5. Go through cardigans, jackets and dresses. Sort. 6. Take the donate box to The Salvation Army or a consignment shop today. Mend items or drop them off at the seamstress. Store your other two containers elsewhere in your home. 7. Organize each category by color -- from white to cream to tan to brown to green and so on. You did it! This is your current wardrobe. Everything fits and is ready to wear.

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