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3 Nifty Things to do with old Christmas cards
       1. A friend of mine shared this cool idea with me. She wanted to send out Christmas cards, but couldn't make the time to address them each year. So she purchased a box of labels and handwrote each address on a label, adding embellishments and black and white stickers. Then she took them to a copy store and had the labels copied in various colors. Nifty! She also took colored pens and filled in some of the stickers. Of course, she could have used a computer program like PrintShop or PrintMaster to do this, but she liked the handwritten look.
      2. You can buy blank cards at your local office supply store, print your message inside, and then paste the front of old cards as the front of the new cards. Another friend actually takes the front of the old cards and uses it as a postcard by drawing a dividing line down the middle, writing her greeting on the left, and placing the address and stamp on the right.
      3. You can decorate with old cards by arranging them on your mantel or by punching holes in them and stringing them as a garland or by creating a Christmas card tree on an undecorated wall by arranging the cards in a tree shape. You can also cut old cards into gift tags for presents or cut them into interesting shapes to paste on gifts wrapped in white craft paper.
      If you have a Nifty Christmas Idea, please share it with us!

2 Recipes From My Sister's Kitchen
      My sister is an incredible cook. Here are two of her delicious recipes.

Mexican Quick Comfort Soup
      1 can of chicken broth
      1 can of chicken
      1 can of chopped tomatoes & mild green chilies
      2 stalks of chopped celery
      1 chopped medium sweet onion
      1/2 bag of baby carrots, sliced thinly
      1 teaspoon of butter
      1 heaping teaspoon of flour
      1 small can of mushrooms
      Black pepper to taste
      Put a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet. Turn heat up to medium. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook until the onions are transparent. Put in large heavy pot. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil.
      Add one teaspoon of butter to the first skillet. Melt butter, and then add a heaping teaspoon of flour. Cook flour until it begins to change color. Drain one small can of mushrooms. Pour the liquid into the skillet. Stir until smooth. Then pour the mixture and the mushrooms into the pot.
      Turn the heat down to low. Replace the lid. The chilies will increase in heat the longer they cook, but you can add a small can of chopped green chilies. This will open your sinuses! You can replace the mushroom liquid with 1/4 cup of milk and then add a two-inch block of grated Velveeta cheese to the soup with the thickened roux. Tasty!

All the Children of the World Chili
      1 can of Red beans
      1 can of Yellow beans (Garbanzo)
      1 can of Black beans
      1 can of White beans (navy)
      1 can of Brown beans (pinto)
      1 large can of pureed tomatoes
      1 large can of diced tomatoes
      1 package of mild chili seasoning
      1 chopped yellow or white onion
      1 1/2 lb. hamburger
      Brown hamburger and add onions. Drain excess fat. Put meat and onions into crock-pot. Add all beans and tomatoes. Stir in the seasoning mix. Cook on low for at least eight hours or overnight. Yummy!

1 Christmas Joke
      A Russian couple was walking down the street in St. Petersburg the other night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose. "I think it's raining," he said to his wife.
      "No, that felt more like snow to me," she replied. "No, I'm sure it was just rain, he said." Well, as these things go, they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing. Just then they saw a minor communist party official walking toward them. "Let's not fight about it," the man said, "let's ask Comrade Rudolph whether it's officially raining or snowing."
      As the official approached, the man said, "Tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?"
      "It's raining, of course," he answered and walked on. But the woman insisted: "I know that felt like snow!" To which the man quietly replied: "Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear!"
***
      And with that, good night. See you tomorrow.

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