The Newsy Neighbour January Issue 87

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NewsyThe Neighbour January 2015

Issue 87

A Complimentary Magazine

Since 2008

New Year! New You!202, 320 West Creek Drive, Chestermere

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Travel & Music

2015 - The Year Of Sport

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Blender Chocolate Mousse

1/2 cup milk 1 cup heavy cream, divided

2 tsp butter 1/2 tsp instant coffee

2 eggs 6 oz mint chocolate chips

Vanilla extract1 tsp powdered sugar

2 tbsp rum, cognac or Brandy, Grand Marnier or any orange flavoured cognac or pretty much your favourite Liqueur! I think I put

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TAKE OUT MENUS

NEXT ISSUE: February Issue 88How fantastic would it be to have all of the take-out menus nicely kept in one

place, easy for you look through when you are trying to decide what you feel like eating and where you feel like ordering from?

We were going to print all of these menus in the February issue of the magazine, but now, to open this up to more readers and restaurant owners we are just going to

have them all available for download off our website for 1 full year. You can download them by visiting:

http://www.thenewsyneighbour.com/#!restaurant-menus/c1dwxSave this link. You will want to visit this page often

Attention Restaurant Owners:Placing any regular ad in our February issue will get

your menu on our website free for one full year.Contact Denise Geremia for more information!

Phone: 403-608-0686 Email: [email protected]

www.thenewsyneighbour.com

Mark Your Calenders for 2015...March Issue 89 - HEALTH ISSUEApril Issue 90 - WEDDING ISSUEMay Issue 91 - WOMEN’S ISSUEJune Issue 92 - MEN’s ISSUE & DT FestivalJuly Issue 93 - DIRECTORY ISSUE

August Issue 94 - KIDS & BABY ISSUESeptember Issue 95 - FAMILY ISSUE

October Issue 96 - HOME & REAL ESTATENovember Issue 97 - SENIOR’s ISSUE

December Issue 98 - CHRISTMAS ISSUEAnd wait until you see what we have in store

for Issue 100 next February 2016

New Year Resolutions you should REALLY doEmail less. Cancel at least a few of the 9 or 10 e-mail accounts I currently have.Not talk on my cell phone while in the bathroom, doing...

Try driving at or under the speed limit... at least when I’m not hungry, tired or late.

Watch more television - it is the “window into the world”, right?

Stop procrastinating... maybe.

Enjoy the sweeter side of life - M&Ms, Hershey kisses, candy corns, and cheesecake

Be more decisive ... I’ll absolutely try to attempt to think about resolving to be more decisive, if I possibly can.

I will avoid taking a bath whenever possible and conserve more water.

I will give up chocolates totally. 100%. Completely. Honestly…

I will stop sending e-mail, SMS, Instant Messages and be on the phone at the same time with the same person.

I will spend less than one hour a day on the Internet. This, of course, will be hard to estimate since I’m not a clock watcher.

I will not tell the same story at every get together.

I will spend less than $1825 on coffee at Starbucks this year.

I will claim all my pets as dependents on my taxes.

I will watch more cute and cuddly kitten videos on YouTube.

I will switch my username to “password” and my password to “username” to make each a lot harder for hackers to figure out.

I will stop buying worthless junk on Ebay, because Etsy has better

specials. I will open a new credit card with a higher limit to pay off my old credit cards once and for all... and finally start going to the mall again.

I will put more embarrassing items in random peoples carts while shopping at Wal-Mart. After all, who doesn’t need a family size bottle of lube?!

My New Year’s resolution is to write 2015 instead of 2014.

I will stop ignoring the auto-correct.

Less T, way more G and L.

Put more faith in the GPS lady.

I will try hard not to consider tequila my best friend.

Do not say “I can skip the gym to-day, I played Wii Bowling.”

Do not say, “It was the dog,” when I fart.

Stop pretending it isn’t time to take the garbage out yet, by pushing it down farther and farther into the garbage can ‘til it’s back to being only half full.

Stop drinking water instead of pop just so I can eat a sweet snack after dinner. Seriously, just drink the Pepsi and get the sugar craving over with.

Stop setting three alarms on my phone, just so I can turn the volume off after the first one.

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TAKE OUT MENUS

NEXT ISSUE: February Issue 88How fantastic would it be to have all of the take-out menus nicely kept in one

place, easy for you look through when you are trying to decide what you feel like eating and where you feel like ordering from?

We were going to print all of these menus in the February issue of the magazine, but now, to open this up to more readers and restaurant owners we are just going to

have them all available for download off our website for 1 full year. You can download them by visiting:

http://www.thenewsyneighbour.com/#!restaurant-menus/c1dwxSave this link. You will want to visit this page often

Attention Restaurant Owners:Placing any regular ad in our February issue will get

your menu on our website free for one full year.Contact Denise Geremia for more information!



Mark Your Calenders for 2015...March Issue 89 - HEALTH ISSUEApril Issue 90 - WEDDING ISSUEMay Issue 91 - WOMEN’S ISSUEJune Issue 92 - MEN’s ISSUE & DT FestivalJuly Issue 93 - DIRECTORY ISSUE

August Issue 94 - KIDS & BABY ISSUESeptember Issue 95 - FAMILY ISSUE

October Issue 96 - HOME & REAL ESTATENovember Issue 97 - SENIOR’s ISSUE

December Issue 98 - CHRISTMAS ISSUEAnd wait until you see what we have in store

for Issue 100 next February 2016


The Newsy Neighbour is published 12 times a year, printed by Cen-tral Web and distributed by Strathmore Standard, Sun Media, Cana-da Post and The Newsy Neighbour delivery team.

A Note To Our Readers:The opinions expressed in the advertisements of this publication are those of the advertisers and not of The Newsy Neighbour directly. The information in this paper is believed to be accurate but not war-ranted to be so. Before taking action based on the information in this magazine, study the information independently. The mention of any brand in article or photos does not imply endorsement.Images are supplied by readers, advertisers and from shutterstock.com. Our database is confidential we will not share our information with third parties. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent of The Newsy Neighbour Inc.

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The Business Awards provide recognition for Strathmore and Area businesses that demonstrate a continued passion for ex-cellence and promote the advancement of business leadership within our community.

Winner of 2013 Business of the Year - Small Enterprise

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If you don’t get a copy of the magazine to your home or are out of our distribution area, there are many places to pick one up. You can also subscribe to our hard copy for $39 a year or subscribe to our digital copy for free.

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Get In Touch With Us!


Since 2008


Owner/Editor, Content Development & Articles

Kathryn HartwellPhone: 403-561-0888

[email protected]

Owner/Publisher, Layout, Design, Accounts Payable/

Receivable & Website.

Aleesha GoslingPhone: 403-478-9114

[email protected]

Advertising; Regional Sales Manager

Denise GeremiaPhone: 403-608-0686

[email protected]

Publishers Letter:Our Team

Our Contributors

JockTalk Jock

Wilson

Life Lines Jody

Brown

Shaken & Stirred

Marcy Field

Natural Choices

CynthiaBarnesky

InteriorDesign EmilyHogan

Guiding you OVER thesteps .....of Real Estate.

The REPs

Additional contribution provided by:

Langdon Chiropractic, PJ’s Appliances, Victoria Mairs,

Langdon Dental

A MindfulMinute

RebeccaStone

StoriesMusings

SuzanneShaver

Holdin’Holden

JennySchoberl

LomendaEnergy

CarlaLomenda

Natural Options

DerekHenry

AmaliasOils

AmaliaZarokostas

2015 is going to be a big year for many, a positive year where everything changes including “The Newsy Neighbour”. We have added a new Travel section and other surprises coming up in each and every Issue. If you think we are diversified now, just wait to see what is in our future. In this 1st Issue of 2015 you will discover the Magic of Music, letter ’s from our readers, Life is a Miracle, “2015 is The Year of Sports in Canada”, Politics, Improving your health, the Facebook dilemma, Breakfast (The most important meal of the Day), Change comes from within – pretty much anything and everything for everyone!!

January is the 1st month for “New Year – New You” and the same goes for the magazine, in 2015 we will have a distinctive, remarkable and outstanding theme for each and every month. For February and Valentines we will sharing everything Canadian and have the biggest news ever!! We have been given permission from RANDOM HOUSE CANA-DA to publish a story from one of Canada’s most famous writers. Carol Shields, she has so many awards I do not have room to mention them all in this note. Her, “The Stone Diaries” was published in Canada and the Unit-ed Kingdom in 1993. It won Canada’s Governor General Award for fiction that year. The book was published in the United States in 1994 and won US National Book Critics Award that year. Also in 1994, the book won the McNally Robinson Award for Manitoba Book of the Year, and the Canadian Booksellers Association Prize. In 1995, The Stone Diaries won the Pulitzer Prize. The story we have been honored to publish comes from her “The Col-lected Stories” National Bestseller, a book I recently read and which evoked emotions of sheer happiness and great sadness, a book as none other. We are delighted to share this honor with you our devoted readers and followers. And that’s just February, we have the whole rest of the year filled with stupendous new themes and surprises.

2015 is going to be the Best Year of all Time!!

We look forward to spending another year with our de-voted readers and advertisers. Wishing you all the very best in 2015. Life is a Miracle.

Kathryn, Aleesha and Denise


FARM SUCCESSIONFarm succession is a process not a single event. With planning you will save taxes and provide all of your children with an equal share value of the farm, thus creating a legacy of harmony and

goodwill for your family.

CALL US TODAY FOR A FREE CONSULTATION ON HOW PLANNING CAN BENEFIT YOU, YOUR FAMILY

AND YOUR FARM.

Monika (Independent Financial Advisor) or Ken (Certified Financial Planner) 403-512-5227

This monthly column by Joanne (Jody)Brown, MSW, RSW, is designed to help you make better connections, and live happier lives. Some-times we just need to ask the question. You can learn more about her practice at www. Authenticbeing.ca or contact her at 403-983-2230 or NLP4you@ shaw.ca to book a free 30 minute consultation today.

Life Lines

Dear Lifelines;I am stressed about New Year’s and how many resolutions I’m going to break this year, so I wonder if I should even make any. Signed,New Year’s Party Crasher

Dear Party Crasher,

Making commitments to change yourself can be a challenge, so why not switch it up a bit this year? Maybe find one thing about yourself that you can learn to accept. Reflect on this one thing about yourself – maybe a behaviour or physical trait – that has been bothersome in some way to you in the past. Set your goals for this New Year to learn to embrace this trait and move to-wards acceptance. Just like any other goal – there doesn’t have to be an immediate change. Try and imagine if it was your child or loved one with this trait and how you would want others to respond. Attempt to mimic this desired behaviour when think-ing about your own situation. Try and lighten up your attitude

and take steps to forgive yourself for not being perfect. Make a point of accentuating the positive and give yourself permission to have wrinkles, to have imperfect teeth, to have that limp from an injury, that scar across your belly or that thinning hair.

If this seems like too daunting a task, another option for a change on the typical New Years resolution is to try to learn to accept other people more in the New Year. Perhaps you can select one person that rubs you the wrong way or that you have had conflict with in the past. You can set the goal to find some positive characteristic in them – everyone has something you can identify like a sense of humour, a nice smile, a gift with creativity, being able to chat, being a good storyteller, being realistic, having good posture, being good at manipulation…no matter how far you have to reach. In identifying and changing your focus to being more positive regarding this person, you will undoubtedly find your interactions with them to be more positive and rewarding. Keep track of your interactions and see how your involvement with this particular person evolves. Make it a game that entertains you and aids in eliminating the stress and tension that sometimes surfaces when engaging with particular people.

Life gets much easier when we simplify and reduce the amount of stress we continually cope with. At this time of year there’s a significant amount of stress created when trying to improve ourselves – sometimes we tend to bring ourselves down by focusing on the negative in our lives. We all have to deal with tension and stress and it serves us better as human beings to be able to develop the skills to be adaptable, flexible and more accepting.

Happy New Year!!

Lifelines

“Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable.” Denis Waitley

This New Year, I resolve to be less awesome since that is really the

only thing I do in excess.


��ddin�� a�

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Your Neighbourhood Dentist

Langdon dental

Your complete stop for cosmetic and family dentistry

& proud sponsors of the Langdon Community

Phone: 403-936-8432 www.langdondental.com

Formerly Prairie Pharmacy IDANEW LOCATION NOW OPEN!!

Unit 201, 97 Centre Street SWLangdon, Alberta

ReikiLife Coaching

Organic FacialsHolistic Nutrition

403.936.3670angelamarieinc.ca

Langdon Chiropractic & Wellness Centre

#117, 355 Center Street403-936-2450

Langdon Chiropractic

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Massage Therapy, Decompression,

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Nutritional Products.

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103 355 Centre St. Langdon Ph: 403-936-7691

www.botsforddeli.com

$5 Breakfast Served All Day!

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Coffee, Toast, Eggs, & Bacon, Sausage or Ham??

doug donSAT, CET, ASETresident potter

T: (403) 874-8313

Langdon, ABSebastopol, CA (California), [email protected]

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Consider a pottery class Christmas gift!

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A little while back, I received this letter in the mail and was quite taken back. The letter upset me. We really got it wrong on this one! I know we are a little monthly magazine and not a big newspaper, but we also have a responsibility to second guess every comment and article we choose to publish. It hurts my heart when I think we may print something to cause someone emotional grief and never have we, at any level, thought we were the kind of people to do such a thing.

It really goes to show how easy it is to hurt someone’s feeling with a remark. We want to apologize and take personal respon-sibility for our actions. I truly appreciate “Anonymous” sending this letter to me and we promise we will take a very serious look at everything we print, as to not hurt anyone’s feelings, make you angry or cause any pain or grief. Our main goal in pub-lishing “The Newsy Neighbour” is to make you all happy, share great articles and just make your day a little better.

“Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past” -Tryon Edwards

Dear Kathryn Hartwell,

I am writing to express my disappointment of an article in your wonderful paper. You have so many inspiring and enjoyable tid-bits that lift my heart and spirits, but I was saddened by “Work vs. Prison”, Pg.l3, October 2014 issue.

I was incarcerated ( jailed, imprisoned, whatever!) in the 1960’s when young offenders and juvenile laws were virtually unheard of. I was sixteen years old and my passion for life caused me to make some very wrong choices. After earning all of my ‘good behaviour days’ and all of the amnesty days that the Queen granted on her visits here, I was released from prison shortly after my 21st birthday.

I had no idea back then that I had a life sentence! I lost so any good years when all of my friends were playing sports and dat-ing, graduating, getting jobs, and starting families.

Prince Albert Penitentiary is a hellhole, especially for a sixteen year old. I was moved to a safer haven, too far from home for family and friends to visit much, but every long weekend, my mom and dad came. Many outside concerned citizens from the local community came to my aid, and completely turned my life around! There actually is rehabilitation for those who seek it!

The problem is, you see, not the 8x10 cell; it’s the loss of free-dom for the remainder of your life! The humiliation and shame, the knot in your stomach, the lump in your throat when you apply for a job, knowing full well that a “criminal records” check is inevitable, and the “positions” available seemed to be labour-ing on a rock pile where they really don’t care to check. I’m now over sixty and still paying for my youthful exuberance.

I met the most beautiful person in the world and made her my wife. She kept me rehabilitated, and we raised a beautiful family. We decided that the only way around my criminal past was to open our own business. I graduated SAIT in 1981, and with the support of our children, we operated successfully for over two decades.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. My sadness at her early death caused me to close down, feeling hopeless and lost. Since rejoining the workforce again, I am reminded of who, or what, I am: a criminal, an ex-con, with less chance of landing a job than an immigrant with a clean record, even if he can’t speak our language. I have been forced to falsify my job applications, just to gain an interview!

I love life, I love my children and grandchildren, I love my friends and neighbours and I believe they love me. I love Canada, my province and I love my country, but most of all, I love being out of that 8x10 cell and being free to make my own choices.

I did see the humour intended in the joke (Work vs. Prison), but NOTHING is funny about prison.

Please don’t take prison lightly and don’t ever think it’s easy. TV shows are made to sell things, but “jailed” is a fantasy.

Anonymous

Hello, Kathryn!

Just wanted to say a quick THANKS for including your article on prepping for pandemics in the newest Newsy Neighbour.

It’s VERY nice to see you put that out there, as it’s a topic that can bring out plenty of sensitive emotions and even more criticism and ridicule. People often used terms like ‘kook’ or ‘tin-foil-hat-wearer’. But I’m not anything of the sorts. I’m just someone who’s put his family first, taking steps that are akin to what our grandparents used to do back in the day, making sure their families were always looked after in any conditions.

Too bad some see it as paranoia, and not something we need to bother with today. The good news is that there are more and more people who are taking personal control over their lives and enhancing their personal resilience. Even Mayor Naheed Nenshi has worked to bring this to light, including making sure HE has all his tools ready in his house following the floods last year.

Well done, Kathryn!!

Mike

LETTERSFrom Our Readers

This note was left on Denise’s windshield when she was in Invermere

ThankYou!


Your Neighbourhood Dentist

Langdon dental

Your complete stop for cosmetic and family dentistry

& proud sponsors of the Langdon Community

Phone: 403-936-8432 www.langdondental.com

Formerly Prairie Pharmacy IDANEW LOCATION NOW OPEN!!

Unit 201, 97 Centre Street SWLangdon, Alberta

ReikiLife Coaching

Organic FacialsHolistic Nutrition

403.936.3670angelamarieinc.ca

Langdon Chiropractic & Wellness Centre

#117, 355 Center Street403-936-2450

Langdon Chiropractic

Family Chiropractic Care, Holistic Nutritional Consulting,

Massage Therapy, Decompression,

Custom Orthotics, Traditional Chinese Medicine,

Nutritional Products.

LANGDON, AB The Good Luck Town

103 355 Centre St. Langdon Ph: 403-936-7691

www.botsforddeli.com

$5 Breakfast Served All Day!

Come In & Sit Down or Take With You! Open Daily at 6am

Check out our new website:

Facebook: Botsford Delicatessen in Langdon, Alberta

Coffee, Toast, Eggs, & Bacon, Sausage or Ham??

doug donSAT, CET, ASETresident potter

T: (403) 874-8313

Langdon, ABSebastopol, CA (California), [email protected]

classeslangdon pottery studio

Just returned from a pottery tour in Northern California

with lots of good information and ideas!

Consider a pottery class Christmas gift!

tel: 403-936-3611

[email protected]

www.DOCpersonaltraining.com

Langdon, AB

Save $80 on a Lifestyle 1 membership

Don’t nap the year away! Offer expires February 28, 2015

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?Suzanne is a native Calgarian that lived in Lang-don for 15 years before transplanting to Ches-termere in 2013. By day she is an accountant with a frustrated creative side that occasionally escapes in form of written musings, which is far more interesting than adding stuff up for people.

Stories, Musings, A Little Adventure And Humour

2015, Here We Come!!!

Somehow, while I wasn’t looking, 2014 disappeared. t didn’t start off that way. 2014 started off feeling like we were trapped in the winter that would never end, doomed to be crawling over icy snow humps to get to our cars for all of eternity. The sight of dry pavement seemed like a distant memory as we all grew weary of dressing in so many layers, the Michelin Man looked svelte by comparison.

Slowly, however, the calendar dragged away from everlasting winter to the spring that wasn’t, until suddenly, presto! Sum-mer… ish. And somewhere in there, time started rolling at light speed until here we are – 2015. Now I find myself sounding like my mother, grumbling about how time flies and every year seems shorter and shorter. Did I mention I had to walk 5 miles to school, uphill, in blizzards?

But in the spirit of embracing the New Year it seems appropri-ate to plan some New Year’s Resolutions. I have no idea why; just because it’s that time of year when none of us can write the proper date on anything, it also seems like a good time for massive lifestyle change? But who wants to mess with tradition?

I spent some time with The Google looking for self-improve-ment suggestions and came to the conclusion there are some lofty ambitions out there. Like really lofty. Whatever happened to “eat less, exercise more”? Apparently 2015 is the year we all need to change the world or something. I don’t think I’m up for the challenge, quite frankly, so I decided to stay a bit closer to home with my Resolutions. And so began my quest for a resolu-tion that wouldn’t be broken before the hangover subsided.

I gave some serious consideration to starting with “Quit

Procrastinating” but I don’t know… that seems tough.

I gave some serious consideration to starting with “Quit Pro-crastinating” but I don’t know… that seems tough. I mean really, I have a “To Do” list that is borderline novel length… where do I start not procrastinating? It’s not that I want to put stuff off and get nothing done, but my list runneth over; figuring out

I


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what gets priority is going to take a while. Maybe I’ll work on that later and start with something less daunting.

How about “Exercise More”? I really have let the exercise program fall by the wayside in 2014; I should probably work on that. I have a basement full of exercise stuff gathering dust but I have to say going down there by myself isn’t the most motivating. Honestly, if I didn’t have to venture into the dungeon to do laundry every now and again, I would be reasonably happy pretending the base-ment didn’t exist. The alternative is a gym membership but those cost money and I’m not sure the budget wants that extra expansion… maybe finances are a better resolution.

New plan - “Work on Finances”. I did start of 2014 with the spreadsheet of spread-sheets to track every nickel that left my bank account and for a while was doing

really well staying on top of it. Actually it was easy when hiber-nating through the winter of our discontent; who wants to go out and spend stuff when it’s minus a million and there’s snow up to our wazoo? But then summer-ish finally came, life picked up again and, well… there goes the financial tracking exercise.

I considered resolving to keep my house cleaner (“Clean House” Resolution) but then I’m back to the finance thing – not sure I can justify paying for a house cleaner. Which may defeat the “self-improvement” part of the resolution process anyhow and could be considered by some to be cheating. Next!!

Honestly this whole New Year’s thing would be easier if I had something simple to denounce, like smoking or something. How hard could that be? Just stop buying them, you’ve quit, resolution done, easy peasy!!* It would almost be worth starting just to feel good about quitting - way less work than actually starting a new, “better me” habit.

After at least minutes of thought and reflection it came to me – the New Year’s Resolution that cannot be broken. For 2015 I officially resolve to “Carry on With the Status Quo”. After all, it’s worked this far, why mess with things?

After at least minutes of thought and reflection it came to me – the New Year’s Resolution that cannot be broken...

Done… now bring on spring.

*author’s note – just kidding, all you smokers!! I’d start exercis-ing, eating less, getting my finances in order, clean my house myself AND change the world over quitting smoking if I were a smoker…

Suzanne Shaver

There have been many times in 2014 when I annoyed you, disturbed you and

irritated you... today, I just want to tell you I plan to continue all of that in 2015!


rrrrr! January has got to be the coldest month of the year, or at least it feels like it to me! Well, then again, February can be pretty nasty, too! So for when it’s cold outside, let’s make it a little hot inside with some very luscious special hot choco-late concoctions! I love hot chocolate! What’s not to love?!

Peppermint Patty from Life’s AmbrosiaRecipe by Deseree Kazda2 cups milk1/2 cup hot chocolate mix1/4 cup peppermint schnapps, add more as neededWhipped creamSprinklesIn a saucepan, heat 2 cups of milk over medium heat, just until steamy (about 5 minutes). Once milk starts to steam, whisk in hot chocolate mix. Continue cooking 2-3 minutes or until hot chocolate is at desired temperature. Do not boil. Remove from heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of peppermint schnapps. Ladle mix-ture into glasses, top with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Hot Cocoa (dairy-free, soy-free) Adapted from a recipe by Sally FallonCoconut milk tonic:1 can full-fat coconut milk 2 1/2 cups water2 tbsp maple syrup 1 tsp vanillaCombine all ingredients in a large saucepan, and stir thorough-ly (you can warm the mixture if your coconut milk has a lot of solids that won’t disperse — but heating it is not necessary). Pour all but 1 cup of the tonic into a quart-sized glass jar. You will make your cocoa directly in the pan, starting with the cup of tonic.For the cocoa:3 tbsp cocoa powder 3 tbsp sugarHeavy pinch salt 1/2 tsp vanilla2 more cups coconut tonicTo the 1 cup coconut milk in your saucepan, add the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Stir over medium heat until almost simmering, until the cocoa and sugar are dissolved. Stir in the remaining 2 cups coconut tonic. Heat until desired temperature, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Ladle into mugs and enjoy immediately.

But there’s no shame in going instant, espe-cially if you jazz it up with different flavours.Just follow the package instructions for making the hot choco-late, and then try one of these different ideas - topped off with marshmallows or whipped cream, of course.• Caramel: A tablespoon of caramel sauce can do wonders for hot chocolate. Spoon in your favourite brand and give it a good stir right before you take your first sip.• Ice cream: It may sound weird to put something cold in your hot cocoa, but a scoop of ice cream makes it really creamy and thick. Make sure your hot chocolate is as hot as you can get it without allowing it to boil, and pop in a scoop of your favourite ice cream.• Orange Zest: Carve three 2-inch long strips of orange rind (the skin) and let them steep in your drink for a while before tasting. That citrus flavour is a delight.• Espresso or Coffee: You can either add a tablespoon of fresh brewed coffee or espresso, or you can use the instant stuff.• Peppermint Stick: Drop a peppermint stick or peppermint candy. It adds great flavour, and a great smell. • Peanut Butter: If you’re crazy for peanut butter, take a table-spoon or two and mix it into your cocoa. Just be sure to mix really well until it melts.• A Shot of Hot Sauce: Got a hankering for something hot and spicy? A dash of your favourite hot sauce kicks a hot chocolate into high gear. • Hot Cherries: Nearly everyone has that jar of maraschino cherries sitting in the fridge, so drop two or three teaspoons of the juice into your drink, along with a cherry. Tastes like drink-ing a chocolate cordial.• Coconut Milk: Put a tropical spin on your hot chocolate by substituting some of the milk required with a 1/4 cup of coco-nut milk.• Maple Syrup: A squirt of the unique taste of maple syrup livens up ordinary old hot chocolate.

There are all sorts of liqueurs, spices or syrups you can add to your very own concoction for hot chocolate – just use your imagination!! Don’t worry about the calories; winter is only like 8 months if you live in Alberta – that gives you 4 months to work off all that enjoyment!

Kathryn HartwellReferences: startcooking.com and blogher.com

LusciousJoys

Hot ChocolateB


OPEN Monday to Saturday 10 to 7 #111- 355 Centre Street N Langdon, AB 403 880 9875 facebook.com/mybakeryshop

Cupcake& Frozen Yogurt Shopcustom cakes

cupcakes

mini cupcakes

cakepops

frozen yogurt

whole wheat bread

homemade jams

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The Newsy Neighbor ADD.pdf 1 2014-11-18 10:39 PM

Let’s get back to the basics y mom used to say we need to eat more fresh ground whole wheat flour and I thought she was crazy! We know way more than our parents, right? Then she let me taste the bread she made with fresh ground whole wheat flour. It was amazing and bread in general makes you crave more, but the natural sweetness of fresh ground whole wheat flour makes you want more. For years, she has been making desserts and breads from fresh ground flour. I think I am so used to it that I forget how really blessed I am. I decided to do some research and I was shocked. A single grain of wheat contains, B1, B2, B3, E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron, and fibre along with sev-eral other nutritional oils and vitamins. All of that is lost when it is processed because it will make the flour go rancid. It is added back but not to the level as if it were never removed. Preserva-tives are then added to give it a longer shelf life.

Wheat, once ground and exposed to oxygen, starts to lose all

of its nutrients. Just like all the things that are good for you, it has a short nutritional life. When you use the flour right after grinding it, there is no need to add preservatives.

The bran, which is the outside of the wheat, and, like other nu-tritional things, the skin is the part that is best for us. It contains vitamins, minerals, and proteins, and is a great source of fibre. It acts like a sponge absorbing and removing toxins from the body as it “scrubs” the digestive tract.

So you can have that second piece knowing you are adding nutrition to your body, making it a healthy choice. Let’s get back to the basics.

Submitted by My Bakery ShopWritten by Victoria Mairs M


REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN STRATHMORE

SUPPORT

LOCAL

Revitalize Downtown StrathmoreRipperzRipperzRipperz Rippin' with skateboards,

longboards & supplies.

Bench.

Come in and check us out!129 - 2nd Ave. Strathmore, AB • Ph: 403-934-2420

Immediate Dentures - Equilibrated Dentures - Dentures over Implants - Removable Partials - Relines

& Soft Liners - Repairs

Ph: 403.230.0837 • 115 2 Ave. Strathmore, ABUnder New Ownership • Your Local Denture Experts

Come visit us today for your Free Consultation

Proud A+ Members of The Better Business Bureau

Visit all of our listings & virtual tours at

RE/MAX REALTY HORIZON, P.O. Box 2116. Strathmore, AB

www.nancystairs.comwww.nancystairs.com

403-934-3122 ph 403-934-6474 fax132-2nd Ave Strathmore AB T1P 1K3

E: [email protected]

Warmest wishes for a HAPPY, HEALTHYand PROSPEROUS New Year!

www.valuedrugmart.com

#106, 304 - 3rd Ave. Strathmore, AB T1P 1Z1 Fax: 403-934-6278

Complimentary Market Evaluations 403-934-5533

WWW.AZTECREALESTATE.CA

Locally owned & operated, AND Proudly Independent serving Strathmore and area since 1993

Helping You Find Your Dream Home!Helping You Find Your Dream Home!

Lil Hoots Children's and Maternity Consignment Boutique

/lilhootsconsignmentVisit us on

We’ve Moved! 239 - 3 Avenue, Strathmore(old Music Centre Canada building)

403-934-9979

Come check out ournew location!

134 - 2ND STREET, STRATHMORE, AB

We Cater For All Occasions

403-983-1114• MON - FRI 11AM - 10PM

• SAT 12PM - 10PM • SUN 12PM - 9PM

Fully Licensed

Strathmore Dental Centre

www.strathmoredental.ca

Dr. Terry Lee Alston Dr. Hugh Kennedy

115-2nd Ave. Strathmore, Alberta Ph: 403-934-5620

Behind every small business, there's a story worth knowing. All the corner shops in our towns and cities, the restaurants, cleaners, gyms, hair salons, hardware stores - these didn't come out of nowhere. - Paul Ryan

On June 20th, the Newsy Neighbour is throwing a huge festival downtown.

Why?

Well, in short: it’s not The Ranch. There’s no ‘big names’… no Wal-Mart, no Dol-larama, no Rona, no Starbucks. Need some milk? It’s easier to run to Sobey’s than Co-Op. Want a coffee? Starbucks and Tim Horton’s has a drive-thru. Want take-out? Where are all of the fast food restaurants? Not downtown.

But what does downtown have?

Downtown Strathmore has one of the best clothing stores in Strathmore with high quality men’s, women’s, and kid’s clothing and shoes – and you can shop here in town instead of driving to the city, paying for gas, paying for parking, and spending time looking for a parking spot. Downtown Strathmore has a great drug store with some of the nicest staff mem-bers and some of the coolest items from hilarious birthday cards, to 3D cake pans, to beautiful jewellery – the list really does go on and on! Need good insurance? Check out downtown and get treated like you matter and are not just a number. On a budget but your kids need clothes? Why buy something new that will shrink and rip for twice the price when you can buy a pre-loved outfit for a frac-tion of the cost but is still in great shape!

This is why we are having the festival. People say, “I didn’t even know we had a kid’s consignment store.” “I didn’t know we had a computer repair shop.” “I didn’t know we had a place to buy skateboards.” “I didn’t know we had a bakery.” “I didn’t know we had an antique store.” “I didn’t know we had an East Indian restaurant.”

We do. We have that and much, much more. (BTW, I tried Masala Hub on Friday night and my husband and I are still talking about how delicious the garlic naan bread and butter chicken were!)

So we are throwing a down-town festival. We are shutting down 6 blocks for 1 day on January 20. There will be kiosks, open doors, happy people, balloons, buskers, entertainment, paintings, excitement, fun… everything.

Do you want to help out? Do you want to showcase your talent? Do you want to have your Strathmore business seen? Ask us more! You can contact me at [email protected]. We are helping the Town of Strathmore with their Downtown Revitalisation project because we love this Town and we want to see it, and the businesses within it, succeed!

Denise Geremia - 403-608-0686

2015 Project


REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN STRATHMORE

SUPPORT

LOCAL

Revitalize Downtown StrathmoreRipperzRipperzRipperz Rippin' with skateboards,

longboards & supplies.

Bench.

Come in and check us out!129 - 2nd Ave. Strathmore, AB • Ph: 403-934-2420

Immediate Dentures - Equilibrated Dentures - Dentures over Implants - Removable Partials - Relines

& Soft Liners - Repairs

Ph: 403.230.0837 • 115 2 Ave. Strathmore, ABUnder New Ownership • Your Local Denture Experts


Proud A+ Members of The Better Business Bureau

Visit all of our listings & virtual tours at

RE/MAX REALTY HORIZON, P.O. Box 2116. Strathmore, AB

www.nancystairs.comwww.nancystairs.com

403-934-3122 ph 403-934-6474 fax132-2nd Ave Strathmore AB T1P 1K3


Warmest wishes for a HAPPY, HEALTHYand PROSPEROUS New Year!

www.valuedrugmart.com

#106, 304 - 3rd Ave. Strathmore, AB T1P 1Z1 Fax: 403-934-6278

Complimentary Market Evaluations 403-934-5533

WWW.AZTECREALESTATE.CA

Locally owned & operated, AND Proudly Independent serving Strathmore and area since 1993

Helping You Find Your Dream Home!Helping You Find Your Dream Home!

Lil Hoots Children's and Maternity Consignment Boutique

/lilhootsconsignmentVisit us on

We’ve Moved! 239 - 3 Avenue, Strathmore(old Music Centre Canada building)

403-934-9979

Come check out ournew location!

134 - 2ND STREET, STRATHMORE, AB

We Cater For All Occasions

403-983-1114• MON - FRI 11AM - 10PM

• SAT 12PM - 10PM • SUN 12PM - 9PM

Fully Licensed

Strathmore Dental Centre

www.strathmoredental.ca

Dr. Terry Lee Alston Dr. Hugh Kennedy

115-2nd Ave. Strathmore, Alberta Ph: 403-934-5620

Behind every small business, there's a story worth knowing. All the corner shops in our towns and cities, the restaurants, cleaners, gyms, hair salons, hardware stores - these didn't come out of nowhere. - Paul Ryan

On June 20th, the Newsy Neighbour is throwing a huge festival downtown.

Why?

Well, in short: it’s not The Ranch. There’s no ‘big names’… no Wal-Mart, no Dol-larama, no Rona, no Starbucks. Need some milk? It’s easier to run to Sobey’s than Co-Op. Want a coffee? Starbucks and Tim Horton’s has a drive-thru. Want take-out? Where are all of the fast food restaurants? Not downtown.

But what does downtown have?

Downtown Strathmore has one of the best clothing stores in Strathmore with high quality men’s, women’s, and kid’s clothing and shoes – and you can shop here in town instead of driving to the city, paying for gas, paying for parking, and spending time looking for a parking spot. Downtown Strathmore has a great drug store with some of the nicest staff mem-bers and some of the coolest items from hilarious birthday cards, to 3D cake pans, to beautiful jewellery – the list really does go on and on! Need good insurance? Check out downtown and get treated like you matter and are not just a number. On a budget but your kids need clothes? Why buy something new that will shrink and rip for twice the price when you can buy a pre-loved outfit for a frac-tion of the cost but is still in great shape!

This is why we are having the festival. People say, “I didn’t even know we had a kid’s consignment store.” “I didn’t know we had a computer repair shop.” “I didn’t know we had a place to buy skateboards.” “I didn’t know we had a bakery.” “I didn’t know we had an antique store.” “I didn’t know we had an East Indian restaurant.”

We do. We have that and much, much more. (BTW, I tried Masala Hub on Friday night and my husband and I are still talking about how delicious the garlic naan bread and butter chicken were!)

So we are throwing a down-town festival. We are shutting down 6 blocks for 1 day on January 20. There will be kiosks, open doors, happy people, balloons, buskers, entertainment, paintings, excitement, fun… everything.

Do you want to help out? Do you want to showcase your talent? Do you want to have your Strathmore business seen? Ask us more! You can contact me at [email protected]. We are helping the Town of Strathmore with their Downtown Revitalisation project because we love this Town and we want to see it, and the businesses within it, succeed!

Denise Geremia - 403-608-0686

2015 Project


& Gma's Strathmore

123 2 Ave, Strathmore, AB (403) 934-4200www.chads420.com

Hours: Monday - Saturday 12-8pmClosed Sundays & HolidaysSAll your family hair

care and spa needs!

119 - 2 Avenue. Strathmore, AB

Stylz Salon & Spa

Phone: 403-934-3940

At Coldwell we are real people

serving real people.





Tracy’s All Breed Dog Grooming

Tracy: 403-901-5162www.facebook.com/groups/tracysallbreeddoggrooming

107b - 2nd Ave., Strathmore, AB

$5 OFFHappy New Y ear!Happy New Y ear!

Ear Piercing, Waxing, Nails and More!

Hair Salon & Barbershop

Marlene Hill: 403-934-3442 107A-2nd Ave Strathmore, AB

We Specialize in Baby Boomers!

THEBANANA BREAD

HOUSE

232 3rd Ave. Strathmore, ABJill: 403-464-6140 Wayne: 403-669-1012

/TheBananaBreadHouseBaked Fresh DAILY!

& MarketBaked Fresh DAILY!

REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN STRATHMORERevitalize Downtown Strathmore2015 Project

SUPPORT

LOCAL1 Ave

Veteran’s Ave

3 Ave

Wheatland Trail

Trans-Canada Hwy

Strathmore, AlbertaDowntown

N

E

S

W

Kingsman Park

3 Street

DowntownStrathmore

www.strathmore.ca

DOWNTOWNSTRATHMORE

For part of the Revitalize Downtown Strathmore project, we are launching a shopping challenge.

This shopping challenge will now start the first week of February 2015.

This challenge is open to all shoppers, but is specific to the businesses in downtown Strathmore.

Visit www.thenewsyneighbour.com for more information as we update the list of participating businesses.

Details of the challenge:1) Each business that is participating will have cards and brochures for shoppers to pick up.2) People participating in the challenge must spend $25 at 80% of the stores on the card.3) When $25 has been spent, that store owner/employee will initial the card and then take note of the shopper’s name.4) Once the card is 80% full, the shopper can mail the card to us, or they can bring it to our booth at the fair. These cards are put into a basket for a draw to win on June 20th at the downtown festival.5) Participating shoppers will have a chance to win some HUGE and wonderful prizes.

Quality Consignment104 3rd ave Unit #9, Strathmore, Alberta

Phone: 403-983-8414

I'm a big fan of small business ownership. I think it's the backbone of Canadian innovation. But to be successful, you

first have to have the courage to go for it.

- Unknown

As you probably know, half of the people who work in this country work for small businesses.

And it's more than that, because two out of three net new jobs come from small business. So

we mean it when we talk about small business being the engine for the economy. - Karen Mills

This picture above is one of MANY ideas of what our downtown could look like!

This is just a simple sketch. To see it larger visit the “Highlights” page on our website:www.thenewsyneighbour.com


& Gma's Strathmore

123 2 Ave, Strathmore, AB (403) 934-4200www.chads420.com

Hours: Monday - Saturday 12-8pmClosed Sundays & HolidaysSAll your family hair

care and spa needs!

119 - 2 Avenue. Strathmore, AB

Stylz Salon & Spa

Phone: 403-934-3940

At Coldwell we are real people

serving real people.





Tracy’s All Breed Dog Grooming

Tracy: 403-901-5162www.facebook.com/groups/tracysallbreeddoggrooming

107b - 2nd Ave., Strathmore, AB

$5 OFFHappy New Y ear!Happy New Y ear!

Ear Piercing, Waxing, Nails and More!

Hair Salon & Barbershop

Marlene Hill: 403-934-3442 107A-2nd Ave Strathmore, AB

We Specialize in Baby Boomers!

THEBANANA BREAD

HOUSE

232 3rd Ave. Strathmore, ABJill: 403-464-6140 Wayne: 403-669-1012

/TheBananaBreadHouseBaked Fresh DAILY!

& MarketBaked Fresh DAILY!

REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN STRATHMORERevitalize Downtown Strathmore2015 Project

SUPPORT

LOCAL1 Ave

Veteran’s Ave

3 Ave

Wheatland Trail

Trans-Canada Hwy

Strathmore, AlbertaDowntown

N

E

S

W

Kingsman Park

3 Street

DowntownStrathmore

www.strathmore.ca

DOWNTOWNSTRATHMORE

For part of the Revitalize Downtown Strathmore project, we are launching a shopping challenge.

This shopping challenge will now start the first week of February 2015.

This challenge is open to all shoppers, but is specific to the businesses in downtown Strathmore.

Visit www.thenewsyneighbour.com for more information as we update the list of participating businesses.

Details of the challenge:1) Each business that is participating will have cards and brochures for shoppers to pick up.2) People participating in the challenge must spend $25 at 80% of the stores on the card.3) When $25 has been spent, that store owner/employee will initial the card and then take note of the shopper’s name.4) Once the card is 80% full, the shopper can mail the card to us, or they can bring it to our booth at the fair. These cards are put into a basket for a draw to win on June 20th at the downtown festival.5) Participating shoppers will have a chance to win some HUGE and wonderful prizes.

Quality Consignment104 3rd ave Unit #9, Strathmore, Alberta

Phone: 403-983-8414

I'm a big fan of small business ownership. I think it's the backbone of Canadian innovation. But to be successful, you

first have to have the courage to go for it.

- Unknown

As you probably know, half of the people who work in this country work for small businesses.

And it's more than that, because two out of three net new jobs come from small business. So

we mean it when we talk about small business being the engine for the economy. - Karen Mills

This picture above is one of MANY ideas of what our downtown could look like!

This is just a simple sketch. To see it larger visit the “Highlights” page on our website:www.thenewsyneighbour.com


How to REALLY Have a Happy and NEW Year

Holdin’ Holden

Jenny Schoberl is a 30 year old profession-al musician turned stay-at-home. In order to keep some semblance of her adult-brain working, she began writing the popular Mommy Blog “Holdin’ Holden” in 2008, which receives over 1,000 unique hits per day. Jen-ny also enjoys entertaining her ever-growing Facebook Fan Page with over 51,000 fans who have dubbed her the “Howard Stern of Mommy Blogging”. Contact Jenny at http://holdinholden.com or email her at: [email protected]

’ll admit it; in the past, I’ve been known to laugh at people who make New Year’s resolutions. It’s not that I’m overly cynical about people’s hopes and dreams and goals, it’s that I always thought it was silly to make what might be an unattain-able goal just because one year is ending and another is begin-ning. Why do you need a new year to make something happen? What’s so special about the changing of ONE number on a calendar that would suddenly make you change your entire life’s routine? No one is forcing you to do this but you, and let’s face it – motivation to keep a resolution, no matter how fabulous it is, is hard to come by at times.

The past few years have been a mixed bag for me. As many wonderful things that have happened, before the countdown began to ring in 2014, there were a lot of horrible things that had happened that made me doubt myself and the path I was on. I’d made a lot of mistakes; I’d done stupid and immature things, I’d hurt people that didn’t deserve to be hurt, and I’d

gone against things that I swore I never would. For a long time, I beat myself up over it, but I also learned from those ugly experiences. I now know that I am merely human, and we all make mistakes (of course I’ve known this for a long time, but have had trouble applying it to myself when I mess up) but it’s tough to watch yourself falter, fail, and flounder. The 3 F’s of doom. Even if the majority of your year was amazing, it’s always the few negative things that take hold of your brain and cast a dark cloud over your head and by New Year’s Eve, you’re yelling “GOOD RIDDANCE!” at the top of your lungs.

What’s so special about the changing of ONE number on a calendar that would suddenly make you change your entire

life’s routine?January 1st may have just been another day, but for some reason it felt different. It felt like I was closing the door on one part of our life, and opening a new door to the next. All the frustration, resentment, annoyance, sadness, mistakes, and failures build to a peak and when the ball drops on December 31st and the clock changes to 12:00, we finally feel like we can let all of it go, and the door to that year slams shut. It’s symbol-ic, and can be very powerful – but I think it sets us up for a bit of disappointment and possible disaster. That door might have been closed, but it wasn’t locked, and the negativity can come pouring under the cracks like little kid fingers under a bath-

I


Indus is located approximately15km East of Calgary

on Hwy 22x www.indusrec.ca

403-936-5474

January 24 - Adult Community Dance (for details see our website)

Ongoing Events: Free public skating (see website for details)

Banquet Hall Rentals & Catering Services

Unique Gifts!Unique Gifts!

room door when you’re just trying to poop in peace.

If we just think the changing of year alone is going to suddenly stop all the things we disliked about the previous, we’ve got another thing coming.

I know, I’m rambling, so let me just get to the point here: if we don’t face the crap that caused us to be THRILLED that the year is ending, those things will only come back to haunt us. A date is nothing more than a date, and at the risk of being horribly cheesy – change comes from within.

Last year, I started a new tradition. It’s not a resolution… I’m actually not sure WHAT to call it – and it’s less fun than those who swear in the New Year they’ll go to the gym every day, but it needed to be done, and it changed my life. I swore that 2014 would be a NEW year, and it’s because I finally looked my mis-takes right in their eyes… and lit those suckers on fire. Literally!

There’s a saying I’ve heard that really applies: “I don’t believe in burning bridges, but sometimes you have to in order to keep the crazies from following you!”

Obviously, that usually refers to people, but it still works!

Last year, I decided to write down the mistakes I made, the things making me glad that it was coming to an end, no matter how embarrassing or hard to admit and I put them all in a bowl and then burned them. I have to tell you – it was incredibly liberating to watch all the negativity that had built up over that past year get reduced to ashes.

I know that at the end of the day, burning some pieces of paper didn’t actually stop me from making mistakes again (I AM human, after all) but I always remembered the experience of watching them burn away. Gone. I remembered that and thought, I CAN’T do that again. It’s in the past. I learned from it, I burned it, and it’s over. That’s pretty awesome if you ask me!

Give it a shot! What have you got to lose other than a few scraps of paper and some negativity? Make the New Year a NEW year – even if the ball has already dropped and the streamers have been cleaned up.

Say goodbye to this year, and hello to a truly new one; one that you KNOW is going to be better than the last –because if NOTHING else, you learned from it. THAT is a truly new year.

A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and to celebrate, the whole family climbed into the car for his inau-gural drive. Dad sat in the back, direct-

ly behind the driver. The boy said: ‘I’ll bet you’re back there

to get a change of scenery after all those months of sitting in the front pas-senger seat teaching me how to drive.’

“No!” replied Dad. “I’m going to sit back here and kick the back of your seat while you drive, just like you’ve

been doing to me for seventeen years.”

What’s the problem with jogging on New Year’s Eve? You will probably spill

your drink!


My Favourite - Fabulous -

Fantastic and Fun Stuff

Life Is A Miracle“This life is what you make it. No matter

what, you’re going to mess up sometimes; it’s a universal truth. But the good part is, you get to decide how you’re going to

mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they’ll act like it anyway. But just remember, some

come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they’re your true best friends. Don’t let go of them. Also re-

member, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they’ll come and go too. And baby, I hate to say it, most of

them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can’t

give up because if you give up, you’ll never find your soul mate. You’ll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at every-

thing. Keep trying, hold on, and always, al-ways, always believe in yourself, because if you don’t, then who will, sweetie? So keep

your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because

life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” - Marilyn Monroe

sn’t “The New Year” just the best time ever? You get to start a new book of possibilities, opportunities and new dreams, it is a time to consider life changes and this becomes more important as you age. My own parents, aged 85 and 90, are going through major health issues and I’m feeling I may lose them both in 2015, but they have had long and marvelous lives.

My husband’s mother has advanced Alzheimer’s disease and it is heart breaking, but this article is not meant to be sad – it is to be fabulous and fantastic and that is what we should all try to achieve in our New Year of 2015, nothing short of miracu-lous!! Go for it baby, because you just don’t know what may happen tomorrow. In every moment, we are living in a miracle. Just our being here right now is proof of that miracle.

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this

moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

We often get caught up in the drama of life, in the stories of our lives that we don’t stop and realize how much of a miracle life really is. Every day of our life is a miracle, every moment is a miracle. We can take life for granted, we can focus on all our shortcomings, all our pain and trials, but even still, it is a miracle that these things even exist. Experience is the great-est miracle of all. When we realize this, even if we experience something bad, or something didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, we can still see that life is a miracle, because of the very experience of life itself.

I


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SUDOKU

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When you live as if everything is a miracle, something strange happens. You realize that there is no difference between the good and the bad. Sure, some situations are more desirable than others, and it doesn’t mean you try to end your life. When you realize the miracle of everything in life, you transcend and you see that there are differences, there is bad and good, but you no longer judge them as wrong or right. You see them equally as miracles.

Now, I know it is hard sometimes to see every little thing that happens in your life as a miracle, but the idea here is just try be happier with your life and here is a little secret to help direct you down that path: start writing a gratitude journal. Yep, that’s it! And before you think it might be a silly idea, just give it a try for a week or so and see what happens – you might be fabulously surprised.

All you need to start is to always look at things with a grateful heart. Whatever you have in your life, be grateful and thankful for it.

Having an attitude of gratitude attracts more of the good things that you will be thankful about.

Every day, make a list of 10-20 things to be grateful about. Doing this gratitude journal daily helps a lot in turning your at-titude from pessimism to optimism. Learn to love writing things to be thankful about every day; it will give you reasons to feel good about your life.

Grab a pen and notebook and start writing what you’re grateful for; it takes 5 minutes! Feel the feelings of gratitude while writ-ing each item that you are thankful for. I assure you it will make you feel good. Don’t do this exercise like a chore. Don’t do it if you don’t feel like doing it. This daily activity is something you do with your heart into it.

For your “New Year; New You,” give it a shot – try something new and it could quite possibly change your life. I’m going to do it, why not? Quite frankly I cannot think of any reason why I should not do this little gift for myself! It just might bring a miracle into my life!

Peter, at a New Year’s party, turns to his friend, Ken, and asks for a cigarette.

‘I thought you made a New Year’s resolution to quit smoking,’ Ken responds.

‘I’m in the process of quitting,’ replies Peter with a grin.

‘Right now, I am in the middle of phase one.’ ‘Phase one?’ wonders Ken.

‘Yeah,’ laughs Peter. ‘I’ve quit buying.’


he Algarve, meaning “The West”, is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal. The Algarve is the most popular tourist destination in Portugal, and one of the most popular in Europe. Its population triples in the peak holiday season thanks to a high influx of visitors, and receives an average of 7 million foreign tourists each year. Coastal Algarve receives much expo-sure for its breathtaking cliffs, golden beaches, scalloped bays and sandy islands.

The letter ‘S’ (for sun, surf and sand) is only one letter in the Algarvian alphabet: activities, beach bars (and discos), castles, diving, entertainment, fun... the list goes on!Let’s be frank: Portugal’s premier holiday destination sold its soul to tourism in the sixties and never really looked back. Behind sections of the south coast’s beachscape, looms mas-sive conglomerations of bland holiday villas and brash resorts. However the west coast is another story – it’s more about nature and less about development. And yet coastal Algarve is a ‘drop in the ocean’ for any visitor. The enchanting inner Algarve boasts pretty castle towns and historic villages, cork tree – and flower-covered hillsides, and birdlife. And the wonderful Via

Algarve Portugal

Algarviana walking track crosses its breadth. Algarve, Portugal, is without a doubt the perfect holiday destination for families, couples, independent travelers and backpackers, mixed groups and retired people...in fact, anyone who wants to enjoy a lovely chilled break!

Aleesha and her husband went to Algarve Portugal for their honeymoon, and the photos on this page are of their trip.

Kathryn HartwellReferences: Wikipedia.com, algarveuncovered.com and lonelyplanet.com

Travel

T


Country Lane Mall510 Hwy 1 Bay G. Strathmore, AB www.kaleidoscopetravel.ca [email protected]

403-934-9447 • 1-888-Y-CRUISE

Full Service Travel Agency Specializing in:Destination Weddings

CruisesDisney VacationsAdventure Travel

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Algarve, Portugal

Huacachina, Peru

Have you ever wanted to go to a beautiful place in the middle of nowhere?

his is the place for you - built right in the middle of the southwestern desert of Peru, this little village is an oasis in the middle of nowhere. Huacachina is a tiny town in southern Peru, an hour away from the Pacific coast. The town is basical-ly a collection of resorts and restaurants around a blue-green Laguna, surrounded by huge sand dunes. An antique image of the town is featured on Peru´s 50 soles bill. Its interest to tourists is three-fold: the novelty and beauty of a dry desert with huge sand dunes, plus the opportunity to sand board and to ride in four-wheel-drive dune buggies that cruise up and down the dunes at break-neck speeds. The town depends entirely on tour-ism; as most visitors are foreigner tourists. The town is extremely

small, and visitors can walk from one end to another within a few minutes. Watch the sunset from the rim of the dunes with amazing colours and views. You can walk up for the sunrise, but be careful as there are no marked paths.

You can enjoy an extraordinary adventure tour called the dune buggy and sandboarding tour. This tour is both thrilling and jaw-dropping, transporting you deep into the desert to see the huge sand dunes on the coast. These ancient mountains of sand are beautiful and surreal. And adventurous travelers are welcome to try sandboarding down the dunes! There is much more to do here, including winery tours, flights over the world-famous Nazca Lines, and boat tours to see Humboldt penguins and sea lions.

Do something different for a change – sounds fun to me!

Kathryn HartwellReferences: huacachina.com, wikitravel.org and earthporm.com

T


SnowFacts about

Did you know that each winter ,one septillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) of snow crystals drop from the sky and that it takes about a million little droplets to make one snow-flake?

The Guinness Book of World Records states that a giant snowflake was found at Fort Keogh, Montana on January 28, 1887. It was 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick.

If you ever wondered where the most snow fell in one year, here is the answer: Mount Bak-er in the North Cascades of Washington State, holds this amazing world record, a reported 1,140 inches accumulated during the 1998-99 snowfall season.

Snow is not white: Snow is actually clear and colourless. The complex structure of snow crys-tals results in countless tiny surfaces from which visible light is efficiently reflected. What little sunlight is absorbed by snow is absorbed uniformly over the wavelengths of visible light, thus giving snow its white appearance.

Earth’s fresh water is frozen: 80% of all the freshwater on earth is frozen as ice or snow. This accounts for 12% of the earth’s surface.

A single snowstorm can drop 39 million tonnes of snow, carrying the energy equivalent to 120 atomic bombs!

Want To Learn More?

?Visit Our Website:http://www.thenewsyn-eighbour.com/#!high-

lights/c1srtSources: http://www.almanac.com/http://snowbrains.com/10-interesting-facts-about-snow/http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-fascinating-facts-about-snow.php

KIDS


LAUGH

LEARN

PLAY

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Registration for 2014-2015 is Feb. 6th from 6pm to 7:30pm at the Preschool.

Check out the website for additional information!

www.hope-community.ca/preschool

Hope Community Preschool

Classes Available:

Mon/Wed am (9:00-11:30) 3 or 4 y.o. Mon/Wed pm (12:30-3:00) 3 or 4 y.o.

Tues/Thurs am (9:00-11:30) 3 or 4 y.o. Tues/Thurs pm (12:30-3:00) 3 or 4 y.o.

Children must be 3 years old as of December 31st, 2014

We are partners with I’m For Kids Team for screening for our speech /language and

fine motor skills developmental program

funded by Alberta Education. .

Email: [email protected] 245 Brent Blvd. Phone: 403-934-8586

LAUGH

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Classes Available:








LAUGH

LEARN

PLAY

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Classes Available:








LAUGH

LEARN

PLAY

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Classes Available:








Spaces are still available in the 3 year old program!


Registration night for our 2015/2016 programs is Feb. 4,

2015 from 6-7:30 pm

Children must be 3 years old as of Dec. 31, 2015

We are partners with I’m For Kids Team for

screening for our speech/language and


funded by Alberta Education.

Ph: 403-901-6392126 Canal Garden. Strathmore, AB

www.expressionsthedancegallery.com

New Programs Beginning in 2015!!KinderKombo

Jump Hop Skip (3yr old Hip Hop)Tot Trot

(parent assisted class for 1-2yrs old)Adult Dance Fit

AerialHand Balancing

www.fitkidschestermere.ca

Contact Barb Howes: 403-607-8647 [email protected]

REGISTER TODAY!!

Program is available for children ages 2 to 6 years. Offering parented and unparented classes Monday evenings and Tuesday daytime.Registrations open January 1st for

all new members!!!All classes start Feb 23rd and 24th and runs until

June 8th and 9th (13 weeks)

Join The Winter Session Of Fit Kids

Chestermere Preschool

Gymnastics!

5 things you didn’t know about Lego

1.There are 62 Lego pieces for every human on earth!

2. They’re the largest tire manufacturer in the world. In fact, they turn out more per year than Goodyear and Bridgestone… combined. How many does it take to be at the top? 381 million mini tires.

3. Over 4 billion minifigs have been produced to date.

4. Master Builders are paid to build sets. Yes, there are profes-sional LEGO builders, though applicants must build in front of an audience and judges to prove their prowess.

5. There are solid 14K gold Lego bricks floating around. From 1979 through 1981, they gave these out to long-serving employees as a token of appreciation, which today are worth around $15,000.

Facts about


CRCA MUNCHKIN FLOOR HOCKEY Sundays @ the Rec Centre Main Hall Cost: $80.00 for 8 wks

3 – 4 yrs as of start of program: 4:00 - 4:45 pm 4 – 5 yrs as of start of program: 4:45 - 5:30 pm

Jan 18th – Mar 29th No Class Feb 18th & 22nd and Mar 15th

FLOOR HOCKEY SCRIMMAGE Ages 6 -11 years Sundays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm@ the Rec Centre Main Hall Cost: $80.00 for 8 wks

Jan 18th – Mar 29th No Class Feb 18th & 22nd and Mar 15th

CRCA MUNCHKIN SOCCER Sundays @ the Rec Centre MPP Rm Cost: $80.00 for 8 weeks

4 yrs as of start of program: 4:00 - 5:00 pm 5 yrs as of start of program: 5:00 - 6:00 pm

Jan 25th – Mar 29th No class Feb 18th and 22nd.

CRCA LEARN TO SKATE PROGRAMS with certified coach Alex Sergeev For Ages 3 - 6 yrs Tues & Thurs Blue Arena Cost: $120.00 (12 classes)

Pre Snowflake 1 is for beginners who have never skated before. 9:30 - 10:00 am or 1:00 - 1:30 pm

Snowflake 1 is for beginners who can walk on skates by themselves. 10:00 - 10:30 am or 1:30 - 2:00 pm

Snowflake 2 is for skaters who have completed Snowflake 1 10:30—11:00 am or 2:00 - 2:30 pm

Snowflake 3 - is for skaters who have completed Snowflake 2 11:00 - 11:30 am or 2:30 - 3:00 pm

Session #1 Runs Jan 13th – Feb 26th No class Feb 17th & 19th Session #2 Runs Mar 10th – Apr 23rd No class April 7th & 9th

CRCA SPORTBALL with certified Sportball Instructors Thurs MPP Rm Cost: $100.00 for each 6 week session

Parent & Tot 2 - 3 yrs: 3:15 pm – 4:00 pm MultiSport for ages 3-4 yrs: 1:00 – 2:00 pm or ages: 5 – 6 yrs 2:00 – 3:00 pm

MultiSport for 6 – 10 yrs: 4:00 – 5:00 pm Session # 1 Jan 15, 22, 29, Feb 5, 12 & 26. No class Feb 19

Session # 2 Mar 5, Mar 12, Mar 19, Apr 2, 16 & 23 No class on April 9th

CRCA/YOGART with Chantalle Stott Wed Meeting Room #1 Cost: $90.00 for 6 wks

3 – 5 yrs / 1:30 - 2:30 /6 – 9 yrs / 6:30 - 7:30 / 10 – 14 yrs 7:30 - 8:30 Session #1 Runs Jan 14th – Feb 25th No class Feb 18th

Session #2 Runs Mar 4th – Apr 22nd No class Mar 18th or April 8th

*NEW*: CRCA “INSPIRED TOASTMASTERS” PROGRAM FOR YOUTH This program will build confidence, speaking and leadership skills.

Saturdays at the Chestermere Rec Centre Out of School Care Office Ages 6 – 12 yrs 10:30 – Noon Ages 13 – 17 yrs 9:00 – 10:30 Cost: $20.00 for 8 weeks Jan 24th – Mar 28th (No class Feb 14th and 21st)

SKIPKIDS with Instructor Carla Jennings

A skill progression-based learning system for Rope Skipping in Canada Free Demo & Participation Night – Fri Jan 16th at Prairie Waters School 6:30 – 7:30

Fridays at Prairie Waters Elementary School Recreational: Ages 6 – 9 Fri 6– 7 Cost: $65 10 wks – includes skip rope

PreCompetitive: Ages 8 – 15 Fri, 6:30 – 8 $90.00 10 wks – includes skip rope !Session runs Jan 23rd – April 24th (No class Feb 13th & 20th and Apr 3rd & 10th)

(Jan 30th class will be at the Rec Centre Main Hall)

CRCA/STARS YOUTH VOLLEYBALL with Instructor Bob Baker Grades 1 - 4 & Grades 5 – 10 Cost: $120.00 for each 6 week session

Wed: 6:00 - 7:30 pm Chestermere Lake Middle School Gym Session 1 Jan 14th – Feb 25th (No class Feb 18th) Session 2 runs Apr 15th - May 20th

CRCA YOUTH RECREATIONAL BASKETBALL with Laura Costello Mondays @ the Chestermere Lake Middle School Gym Cost: $80.00 for 8 weeks

Grades 2 - 5 6:00 - 7:00 pm & Grades 6 - 9 7:00 - 8:00 pm Session runs Mar 23rd—May 25th (No class Apr 6 & May 18)

CRCA YOUTH BADMINTON PROGRAMS with Yuriko Boyce Wed at Prairie Waters School Cost: $120.00 for 12 week session

Gr 2-5 6:30-7:30 Gr 6-9 7:30 - 8:30 Gr 10 – 12 8:30 - 9:30 Session runs Jan 14th – Apr 22nd (No class Feb 18th and Apr 8th)

CRCA/MAD SCIENCE – THE MAD LAB Che-MYSTERY/Current Events/Fun-damental Forces/Science of Magic/Fantastic

Fliers/Super Structures/Under Pressure/Wacky Water Wednesdays @ the Rec Centre Meeting Room #2 Cost: $135.00 for 8 weeks

Ages 6 – 10 4:45 – 5:45

2 0 1 5

W I N T E R

P R O G R A MS

Session runs Jan 28th – Mar 25th (No class Feb 18th)

Chestermere Regional Recreation Centre CRCA 2015 Winter Recreation Programs

www.chestermerecrca.com

Register for CRCA Programs online at www.chestermerecrca.com . For help with registrations call 403-272-7170 ext 221 or email [email protected].

Need more info about any CRCA Programs or Special Events? Please call 403-272-7170 or email [email protected].

FRIDAY AFTERNOON SKI/SNOWBOARD TRIPS TO COP for ages 9 – 17 A Supervised CRCA Rec Program Bus leaves at 3:20-returns at 9:30

Session 1: Dec 5th, Dec 12th, Jan 9 and Jan 16th Session 2: Feb 6th, Feb 13th, Feb 27th and Mar 6th

Cost per Session: Lift & Bus: $200.00 Bus Only: $60.00 Rentals and lessons available at COP. Please check their website for details.

MUSICAL THEATRE: BROADWAY KIDS Ages 4 – 18 with Artistic Director Steve McMullen & Instructors Melanie Porter and Jody Sikora

For more info please email [email protected]. Welcome meeting Jan 11! 4 – 5 pm Meet the instructors and learn about the program!

Sundays @ the Chestermere Rec Centre Meeting Rooms 1 & 2 4 – 6 yrs 3:30 – 5:00 pm Cost $250.00 (max 16) 7 – 9 yrs 3:30 – 5:00 pm Cost $250.00 (max 24)

10 – 12 yrs 5:00 – 6:30 pm Cost $250.00 (max 24) 13 – 18 yrs 6:00 – 7:30 Cost $250.00 (max 20)

Program runs Jan 18th – Apr 26th No program on Feb 15 & 22 and Apr 5 & 12 All participants must be available for dress rehearsal on Apr 24th and/or 25th

& the final performance on Sun Apr 26th @ 7:00 pm

ADULT COMMUNITY PICKLEBALL (18+) Thursdays, 6:30 – 8:30 pm Rec Centre Hall Runs Jan 8th – Apr 30th (app 15 wks)

Cost: $60.00 (Drop In $5.00 – Community Membership required)

50+ COMMUNITY PICKLEBALL Tues & Thurs11:45 am - 2 pm Drop-in $2.00 - Community Membership required (There may be some cancellations due to Hall bookings-call 272-7170 to check)

ADULT COMMUNITY BADMINTON (18+) Wed 7– 9 pm Chestermere High School (Highway 791) Cost: $60.00 (Drop In $8.00)

Runs Jan 7th – April 29th (app 20 wks)

ADULT COMMUNITY VOLLEYBALL (18+) Chestermere Lake Middle School Runs Jan 6th – April 29th

REC: Tues 7:30 – 9:30 pm COMPETITIVE: Wed 7:30 – 9:30 pm COMBO: Tuesday and Wednesday, 7:30 – 9:30 pm Cost /$60.00 for one night or

$100.00 for both nights (app 12 wks) (Drop In $8.00)

ADULT LEARN TO SKATE (18+) with certified coach Alex Sergeev Tues and Thurs Noon – 12:45 Blue Arena /½ hour practice time 12:45 – 1:15

Cost: $125.00 for each 6 week session Session #1 Runs Jan 13th – Feb 26th No class Feb 17th & 19th Session #2 Runs Mar 10th – Apr 23rd No class April 7th & 9th

ANNETTE’S STRENGTH AND CORE FITNESS with AFLCA Instructor Annette Gillon Resistance training and core work through circuit training.

Wed 7:30 - 8:30 pm @ the Rec Centre Main Hall Cost: $96.00 (8 weeks) Session 1 runs Jan 14th – Mar 11th (8 wks) (No class Feb 18th) Session 2 runs Mar 18th – May 13th (8 wks) No class Apr 8th)

DANCE SAMPLER FOR ADULTS (18+) with Instructor Jody Sikora Wed 7—8:30 Chestermere Lake Middle School (No class Feb 18th) Cost $90.00

Try a variety of styles like jazz, hip hop, salsa & more! No partner needed!

201 West Chestermere Dr. Chestermere AB

T1X 1B2 403-272-7170

WINTER CARNIVAL FAMILY DANCE Friday Jan 23rd

7—9:30 pm Chestermere Rec Centre Main Hall

$5/person or $10/family

MINI ENERGIZER Wed, Jan 7th 6 – 8 pm Rec Centre Hall Get info on upcoming programs and services available in the Chester-

mere area! For more info or to book a table (no charge) -

CHESTERMERE GO GIRL For girls ages 10 – 15 An activity day to promote physical activity to girls. Saturday, January 17th

8:45 am – 5 pm Register online at

www.chestermerecrca.com

FAMILY DAY UNPLUGGED FEB 16TH 1:00—4:00 PM CHESTERMERE REC CENTRE

Disconnect from Technology and Connect with Family and Friends! Family Fun, Board Games and Much, Much More!


The Remarkable Joy Of Music

I used to love playing my piano and not a day goes by that I wish I still had my beautiful piano.

I took lessons for many years and completed level two of The Royal Conservatory of Music Piano Degree and, following in my footsteps,

both my daughter’s Aleesha and Tifannie took piano lessons. Aleesha still has the piano her Auntie Sherry bought for her many years ago,

and I’m pretty sure she probably sits down every once in a while to fill her heart with the

joy of remembering a few of her favourite tunes. Every time I walk by a piano, I can still hear

those special songs playing in my heart and the feel of those beautiful ivory keys.

eonard Bernstein, the great pianist and conductor, wrote a book back in 1959 titled “The Joy of Music.” You cannot read this without getting excited about music and that excitement will last for years once you have been bitten by the piano bug. And I am just one of millions who feel that joy, as I remembering playing my piano or listen to another musician play a haunting phrase.

Music brings not only joy, but sanity and peace in a busy and tumultuous world. Is it time for music to sound forth and restore your sanity? I am a Facebook person and I have seen many pianos on local garage sale and bidding wars sites and have even seen

advertisements with people who are actually “giving” pianos away. The truth is, they are hard to move (every heavy), you need the perfect place in your home for them and don’t (unfortunate-ly) buy them to make money. Buy them for your children to enjoy experience, love and perhaps change their lives.

But it is not just the piano that can change a child’s life, for a child to learn to play any instrument, be it guitar, flute, trumpet, violin, the list goes on and on; will help them build self-esteem and give them an extreme sense of accomplishment.

The joy of music has been with me my entire lifetime. I still have the flute I played in high school – which was 39 years ago!! Every once in a while I pull it out and blow gently across the mouth piece to make the haughtingly melody of my magical flute. Mu-sic is truly magical.

Can you imagine living your life without music? It would be very hard to do, as music has been hard-wired into our very existence as human beings. While everyone enjoys listening to good mu-sic, not many of us are what the world calls ‘musicians’- the ones with the ability to play a musical instrument. However, music is

Music brings not only joy, but sanity and peace in

a busy and tumultuous world.

Music

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something that is never too late to learn.

Here are 10 good reasons as to why everyone should learn to play a musical instrument.

1. Playing a musical instrument relieves stress.Researchers studying the benefits of music have reported that playing a musical instrument on a regular basis can help bring down stress. Studies show that playing an instrument helps in lowering the heart rate and blood pressure, which in turn lowers the stress hormone cortisol, thus making us feel relaxed. While just listening to music also helps, learning to play an instrument brings with it a comforting routine of daily practice that helps in keeping the stress hormones away. Michael Jolkovski, a psychol-ogist who specializes in musicians, feels that music also helps in bringing down stress by helping people connect with others. “It (music) can satisfy the need to unwind from the worries of life, but unlike the other things people often use for this purpose, such as excessive eating, drinking, or TV or aimless web brows-ing, it makes people more alive and connected with one another.”

2. Playing a musical instrument makes you smarter.People who have received a music education are generally smarter than their non-musical counterparts are. Extensive re-search done in this area has proved that children who learn to play a musical instrument do better in academics. Shaw, Raus-cher, Levine, Wright, Dennis and Newcomb, in their research pa-per titled Music Training Causes Long-Term Enhancement Of Pre-school Children’s Spatial-Temporal Reasoning, speak about, “a research team exploring the link between music and intelligence reported that music training is far superior to computer instruc-tion in dramatically enhancing children’s abstract reasoning skills, the skills necessary for learning math and science.”

3. Playing a musical instrument improves your social life.Music helps you connect. Learning an instrument enlarges your social circle since you get to meet more people than you usually would. In children, music can help develop social skills. Maestro Eduardo Marturet, a conductor, composer and musical director for the Miami Symphony Orchestra, who also oversees the MISO Young Artist program in South Florida, has observed the effect that music has on a child’s social skills. “Socially, children who become involved in a musical group or ensemble learn important life skills, such as how to relate to others, how to work as a team and appreciate the rewards that come from working together, and the development of leadership skills and discipline.”

4. Playing a musical instrument helps build confidence.Choosing to take music lessons can help build confidence. Once you are aware that you are able to do something well, like play

Can you imagine living your life without music? It would be very hard to do,as music has been hard-wired into our very existence as human beings.


Pianissimo Piano Studio


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LESSONS - INSTRUMENTS - BOOKS

the flute for instance, you naturally become more confident of your skills. Learning to play an instrument can help both children and adults who face confidence issues. Elizabeth Dotson-West-phalen, a music teacher and performer, has found that music has helped many of students develop confidence. “They find that once they can develop a skill by themselves that they can get better and better.”

5. Playing a musical instrument teaches patience.Music teachers feel that music can help teach patience. In a world of instant gratification, learning to play an instrument is not something that can happen overnight. It is the daily efforts of everyday practice that can help a musician learn how to play without mistakes. This in turn develops patience. Most musicians go through years of regular practice that includes daily musical exercises and the tackling of progressively difficult musical piec-es, which in turn helps them conquer the virtue of patience.

6. Playing a musical instrument fosters creativity.Stuck in everyday routine lives, many of us lose touch with our creative side. Learning to play a musical instrument, especially when you reach advanced levels, can foster that lost creativity. Since music education plays on your mental, emotional and cog-nitive abilities, the brain is stimulated to think out of the ordinary, which results in improved creativity.

7. Playing a musical instrument improves memory.Music and memory go hand in hand. Learning to play a musical instrument makes you use both parts of your brain and this in turn boosts memory power. Maestro Eduardo Marturet, reiter-ates this point when he says, “Further research has shown that participation in music at an early age can help improve a child’s learning ability and memory by stimulating different patterns of brain development.” Music education is also linked to higher IQ levels and the physical development of certain parts of the brain.

8. Playing a musical instrument develops discipline.Music requires dedication and regular practice. Allotting a spe-cific amount of time to practice music daily develops discipline in the learner. This can prove to be extremely advantageous in children. Mira Stulberg-Halpert, of 3D Learner Inc., who works with children who have ADHD, has seen music discipline children when everything else fails. She has this to say on the effect of music on kids: “Exposing kids to musical instruments is the key. They are naturally curious and excited about them-and the dis-cipline that parents and kids learn by sticking with it is a lesson in itself.”

9. Playing a musical instrument gives you a sense of achievement.Learning to play a musical instrument gives you an immense sense of achievement. Pianist Emily Singers, in her article titled, 12 Reasons You Should Learn to Play the Piano, writes that piano playing can bring true satisfaction. “It’s truly one of the most satisfying things you can do,” she says. “There’s no feeling like playing a difficult song and playing it flawlessly. (It is) quite an ego-boost.” This feeling of satisfaction leads to a tremendous sense of self-achievement that can help you accomplish more in other areas of your life.

10. Playing a musical instrument is fun.Lastly, learning to play a musical instrument is fun. “The art of

music is so deep and profound that it has to be approached with a bit of intensity laced with great affectionate joy”, says noted singer, musician and Bollywood film music composer Shankar Mahadevan. Playing a musical instrument can bring back the fun factor into your life. Music has the special quality to bring joy; peace and fulfillment that helps lift the spirit and make life enjoy-able for everyone involved.

It is never too late to learn and take the challenge in this New Year to help your child learn to play music. You will never regret it!

Kathryn Hartwell

References: shankarmahadevanacademy.com, thejoyofmusic.org


Family Pages

We have all heard it a million times, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But how many of us really take

it seriously?

We all run out the door in such a hurry, that sometimes we neglect to make sure our chil-

dren have had a proper healthy breakfast. While adults need to eat breakfast each day to

perform their best, kids need it even more. Their growing bodies and developing brains

need regular refueling, often from food. When kids skip breakfast, they don't get what they

need to be at their best.

Breakfast provides the body and brain with fuel after an overnight fast - that's where its name originates, breaking the fast! Without breakfast you are effectively running on empty, like trying to start the car with no petrol! Nutri-tionists advise that breakfast should be eaten within two hours of waking and a healthy breakfast should provide calories in the range of 20-35% of your guideline daily allowance (GDA).

Apart from providing us with energy, breakfast foods are good sources of important nutrients such as calcium, iron and B vitamins as well as protein and fibre. The body needs these essential nutrients and research shows that if these are missed at breakfast, they are less likely to be compensated for later in the day. Fruit and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and minerals so try to include a portion of your daily five at breakfast, whether that is a banana or glass of fruit juice.

Breakfast also restores glucose levels, an essential carbohydrate that is needed for the brain to function. Many studies have shown how eating breakfast can improve memory and concentration levels and it can also make us happier as it can improve mood and lower stress levels. In studies amongst children, breakfast can improve attainment, behaviour and has been linked to improved grades. Just like any other organ in the body, the brain needs energy to work at its best!

Breakfast is an excellent occasion to eat together as a family when possible. Establishing good breakfast habits in childhood and maintaining them throughout adoles-cence may be an important factor in reducing the prevalence of breakfast skipping and developing good eating habits that last a lifetime.

Interestingly, studies show that kids who skip breakfast are tardy and absent from school more often than children who eat breakfast on a regular basis. Preparing a good breakfast can be as quick and easy as splashing some milk over cereal, or making oatmeal or a healthy smoothie.

You could also consider packing a breakfast brown bag or smoothie the night before that they can eat on their way to school.

"Eating breakfast has long term health benefits. It can reduce obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes." So, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day!

I know all this information is truly important but trust me, I know what it can be like to get your children ready in the morning and still make sure they have time to eat a good breakfast! I remember when I had three children to get washed, dressed and fed before we were all rushing out the door to school and work – it was hard and stressful! So here are a few ideas for making breakfast the night before.

Each recipe is well-balanced and filling and can be made in batches before the busy week starts.

Peanut Butter-Banana Muffins 1 cup flour¾ cup quick-cooking oats½ cup sugar1 tbsp Baking Powder½ tsp salt½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter1 cup milk½ cup mashed fully ripe bananas (about 1 large)1 egg2 tbsp oil1 tsp vanillaHeat oven to 375°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk peanut butter and milk in medium bowl until blended; stir in bananas, egg, oil and vanilla. Add banana mixture to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened. Spoon into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 18 to 20 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool slightly.

Egg Muffins A tasty & eggcellent way to start the day1 tablespoon olive oil 6 eggs 4 scallions (chopped) 1 red bell pepper (diced) 1/4 cup ham (chopped) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix together all of

the ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour into a lightly oiled muffin tin, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until "muffins" have cooked and set. Pop out and serve, or refrigerate and reheat to serve.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut OatsWhat I love about this recipe is that you pretty much throw all of the ingredients in a pot, flip the switch, go to bed, and in the morning everything is ready to go! All you need to do is throw some toppings on and you’ve got a beautiful breakfast.2 cups steel cut oatmeal 1 can full fat coconut milk 8 cups water 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar (optional)Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Turn to low and let sit over night for about 8 hours or until creamy. Serve with: nut butter, coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried fruit, chia seeds, etc. 8 cups may seem/look like a lot of water, but it sure does soak it all up! 1 cup of uncooked steel cut oatmeal will serve 4, so this recipe serves 8. Throw leftovers in a Tupperware container and put it in the fridge to eat for the rest of the week.

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole1 bag frozen hash brown potatoes (32 oz.)1 lb. bacon1 small onion diced8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese1/2 red bell pepper diced1/2 green bell pepper diced12 eggs1 cup milkCut bacon in to small pieces, cook and drain. Add half bag of hash browns to bottom of slow cooker. Add half your bacon. Add half your onions. Add half your green and red peppers.Add half your cheese. Add remaining hash browns. Add remaining bacon. Add remaining onions. Add remaining green and red peppers. Add remaining cheese. In a medium sized bowl beat eggs and milk together. Pour egg mixture over your casserole. Add salt and pepper on top.Cook on Low for 4 hours or warm for 8 hours.

Remember “New Year – New You!” Start 2015 by making sure you and your children start the morning off with eating a proper breakfast, the “most important meal of the day”.

Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day


Kathryn Hartwell

References: webmd.com,

shakeupyourwakeup.com, fitfoodfinds.com

today.com

Family


Family Pages

We have all heard it a million times, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But how many of us really take

it seriously?

We all run out the door in such a hurry, that sometimes we neglect to make sure our chil-

dren have had a proper healthy breakfast. While adults need to eat breakfast each day to

perform their best, kids need it even more. Their growing bodies and developing brains

need regular refueling, often from food. When kids skip breakfast, they don't get what they

need to be at their best.

Breakfast provides the body and brain with fuel after an overnight fast - that's where its name originates, breaking the fast! Without breakfast you are effectively running on empty, like trying to start the car with no petrol! Nutri-tionists advise that breakfast should be eaten within two hours of waking and a healthy breakfast should provide calories in the range of 20-35% of your guideline daily allowance (GDA).

Apart from providing us with energy, breakfast foods are good sources of important nutrients such as calcium, iron and B vitamins as well as protein and fibre. The body needs these essential nutrients and research shows that if these are missed at breakfast, they are less likely to be compensated for later in the day. Fruit and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and minerals so try to include a portion of your daily five at breakfast, whether that is a banana or glass of fruit juice.

Breakfast also restores glucose levels, an essential carbohydrate that is needed for the brain to function. Many studies have shown how eating breakfast can improve memory and concentration levels and it can also make us happier as it can improve mood and lower stress levels. In studies amongst children, breakfast can improve attainment, behaviour and has been linked to improved grades. Just like any other organ in the body, the brain needs energy to work at its best!

Breakfast is an excellent occasion to eat together as a family when possible. Establishing good breakfast habits in childhood and maintaining them throughout adoles-cence may be an important factor in reducing the prevalence of breakfast skipping and developing good eating habits that last a lifetime.

Interestingly, studies show that kids who skip breakfast are tardy and absent from school more often than children who eat breakfast on a regular basis. Preparing a good breakfast can be as quick and easy as splashing some milk over cereal, or making oatmeal or a healthy smoothie.

You could also consider packing a breakfast brown bag or smoothie the night before that they can eat on their way to school.

"Eating breakfast has long term health benefits. It can reduce obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes." So, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day!

I know all this information is truly important but trust me, I know what it can be like to get your children ready in the morning and still make sure they have time to eat a good breakfast! I remember when I had three children to get washed, dressed and fed before we were all rushing out the door to school and work – it was hard and stressful! So here are a few ideas for making breakfast the night before.

Each recipe is well-balanced and filling and can be made in batches before the busy week starts.

Peanut Butter-Banana Muffins 1 cup flour¾ cup quick-cooking oats½ cup sugar1 tbsp Baking Powder½ tsp salt½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter1 cup milk½ cup mashed fully ripe bananas (about 1 large)1 egg2 tbsp oil1 tsp vanillaHeat oven to 375°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk peanut butter and milk in medium bowl until blended; stir in bananas, egg, oil and vanilla. Add banana mixture to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened. Spoon into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 18 to 20 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool slightly.

Egg Muffins A tasty & eggcellent way to start the day1 tablespoon olive oil 6 eggs 4 scallions (chopped) 1 red bell pepper (diced) 1/4 cup ham (chopped) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix together all of

the ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour into a lightly oiled muffin tin, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until "muffins" have cooked and set. Pop out and serve, or refrigerate and reheat to serve.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut OatsWhat I love about this recipe is that you pretty much throw all of the ingredients in a pot, flip the switch, go to bed, and in the morning everything is ready to go! All you need to do is throw some toppings on and you’ve got a beautiful breakfast.2 cups steel cut oatmeal 1 can full fat coconut milk 8 cups water 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar (optional)Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Turn to low and let sit over night for about 8 hours or until creamy. Serve with: nut butter, coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried fruit, chia seeds, etc. 8 cups may seem/look like a lot of water, but it sure does soak it all up! 1 cup of uncooked steel cut oatmeal will serve 4, so this recipe serves 8. Throw leftovers in a Tupperware container and put it in the fridge to eat for the rest of the week.

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole1 bag frozen hash brown potatoes (32 oz.)1 lb. bacon1 small onion diced8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese1/2 red bell pepper diced1/2 green bell pepper diced12 eggs1 cup milkCut bacon in to small pieces, cook and drain. Add half bag of hash browns to bottom of slow cooker. Add half your bacon. Add half your onions. Add half your green and red peppers.Add half your cheese. Add remaining hash browns. Add remaining bacon. Add remaining onions. Add remaining green and red peppers. Add remaining cheese. In a medium sized bowl beat eggs and milk together. Pour egg mixture over your casserole. Add salt and pepper on top.Cook on Low for 4 hours or warm for 8 hours.

Remember “New Year – New You!” Start 2015 by making sure you and your children start the morning off with eating a proper breakfast, the “most important meal of the day”.



Kathryn Hartwell

References: webmd.com,

shakeupyourwakeup.com, fitfoodfinds.com

today.com


Jocktalk2015 is the

year of Sport!The Canada Winter Games (Prince George), The Pan American Games (Toronto/Greater Golden Horseshoe), the IIHF World Junior

Hockey Championships (Toronto/Montreal), the Men’s World Curling Championships (Halifax) and the FIFA Women’s World Cup of Soccer (multiple locations), our country truly will be a

sporting hot spot in 2015.

“It will be a memorable year for Canadians,” says Governor Gen-eral David Johnston as he officially proclaimed 2015 as the year of Sport in Canada. During the year, sport events and other cel-ebratory activities will highlight how sport benefits Canadians. The Year of Sport will promote Canada’s position as a leading sport nation and highlight the power of sport to enhance the lives of all Canadians.

While the Pan American Games will likely be the pinnacle from Canadian perspective with more than 10,000 athletes from 41

countries invading Ontario in July, let’s not forget it’s going to be a very exiting sporting year for Calgary and the surrounding area. Here are some of the local highlights in order of dates.

Tim Horton’s Brier (February 28th - March 8th): The Cal-gary Flames will be kicked out of the Scotiabank Saddledome and the rocks will fly as top curlers in this country compete for a chance to represent Canada at the Men’s Worlds in Halifax. Calgary last hosted in 2009 as Kevin Martin beat Jeff Stoughton in the final.

World Allround Speed Skating Championships (March 7 - 8): It’s going to be a busy weekend in Calgary as they crown a Brier champion and two world champions in Speed Skating. The Olympic Oval is still a world class venue and this will be their major international event in 2015. Winsport’s Cana-da Olympic Park will also host the World in Bobsleigh and Luge and Lake Louise will once again host the Winterstart Men’s and Women’s World Cup speed events.

Canadian Volleyball Championships (May 13th - May 19th): The 2015 Calgary Open is hoping to attract close to 800 teams from across the country. This championship will feature close to 10,000 participants, 50 courts (BMO Center and Olym-pic Oval) and over 20,000 spectators. This event is expected to inject a lot of money into the local economy with over 18,000

“It will be a memorable year for Canadians!”

Sports


About Jock Wilson:Jock has been involved in the Calgary sport media scene for over 30 years. He hosts the Calgary Stampeder foot-ball broadcasts on News Talk 770 and is the co-host of Sportstalk with Mark Stephen from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.

[email protected] Twitter: @talkwithjock

room nights booked for Calgary hotels. The estimated econom-ic impact is 23.2 million for the province of Alberta.

ATB Financial Classic (July 27 to August 2nd): Yes golf fans, the PGA tour Canada returns but with a brand new venue at Glen Eagles in Cochrane. Glen Eagles hosted the nationwide tour in 2003. This year’s event takes place over the August long weekend and the week before the Shaw Charity Classic at Glen Meadows. We are not sure if Brock McKenzie will be back to defend his title as he is looking to move on the Web.com tour.

Shaw Charity Classic (August 5 - 9): It was tough to top the inaugural Shaw Charity Classic, but organizers did raising over 2.4 million dollars for local charities. The tournament has been so successful in two seasons, the event was given a new prime spot on the Champions Tour schedule and no longer goes on the September long weekend. Who isn’t excited to see Fred Couples back in town to defend his title he won last year in a playoff?

UANA Pan American Synchronized Swimming Championships (August 16 - 22): The very first edition of this event was held at Lindsay Park in Calgary, in 2008, and now that it has gone around the Americas’ continents, it is returning to its original location for the 8th edition.

UFC (Date TBA): Yes UFC 149 in Calgary was a complete disas-ter as President Dana White called it “embarrassing.” However White didn’t refund any of the UFC record gate to the ticket buying public. He did promise Calgary a do over. Former CFL commissioner Tom Wright is the managing director of UFC in Canada and he admits “we owe it” to Calgary. Expect a summer date at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Yes 2015 is going to be a very exciting year for sports fans in Southern Alberta and I will leave you with a couple of fearless predictions for the next 12 months.

The Calgary Stampeders will repeat as Grey Cup Champions on the frozen turf in Winnipeg in the 103rd Grey Cup Champion-ship. The will be the first team to win back to back champion-ships since Montreal in 2009 and 2010.

Speaking of the Stampeders, they will not be getting a new home in 2015 but I will not be surprised if their home gets a new name. The Calgary Flames organization is actively seeking a new title sponsor for McMahon Stadium. Rumour has it they

are very close to making it happen with the blessing of the McMahon family.

The Calgary Flames will announce plans for a funding model for a brand new arena. However, construction of the new arena will not start for a couple of more years.

It will be close, but the Flames will fall just short in their bid for a playoff spot in 2015. However the future is bright as two Flames will be nominated for major awards, Captain Mark Gior-dano and Johnny Gaudreau.

The Edmonton Oilers will fire general manager Craig MacTavish in the off season and a new five year re-build will begin.

Happy New Year everyone (unless you are an Oilers fan)!

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We hope everyone had a great Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!


Did YouSee This

Coming?

Marcy enjoys helping others experience the joy in life. She started Mountain Lion Leadership, in 2003. As a leadership & community advocate, she is actively involved with organizations & businesses working to aid growth and devel-opment. This is combined with a passion to see women grow both personally & professionally whatever their stage of life. Contact Marcy: [email protected]. Follow Marcy on Twitter @MarcyLField to my profile.

Shaken & Stirred

Most times when you wake up, it is often

another day of more of the same.

Some folks like this while others like to mix things up.

The truth is, life is changing.

You may not choose to believe so; however, the

cacophony of media assaulting us daily

provides affirmation. A brief summary of the

happenings of December 16, 2014

provides an apt example.

o Sydney, Australia hostage siege at Lindt café: gunmen & two hostages dead – Actions of a lone wolf religious extremisto Peshawar, Pakistan – Seven suicidal Taliban attack an army run school - 141 dead – primarily children and staffo Oil plunge takes prices below $55, putting the world into turmoil (look into what is happening in Russia) o Announcement by President Obama & President Castro to resume full diplomatic relations. Deal brokered by Canada and encouraged by Pope Francis.o Nine (9) Wildrose Party MLAs, including leader, Danielle Smith announce their intentions to cross the floor and sit as members of the PC caucus.

Simplified, these events occur primarily due to political and/or religious ideologies; plus the desire for control.

Democracy - is a charming form of government,

full of variety and disorder; and dispensing a sort of equality

to equals and unequals alike. - Plato

The latest actions by members of the Wildrose Party contribute to the disorder and illusion of democracy in Alberta. Yet Danielle Smith, in November 2014, stated that once you cross the floor “You lose your voice for your constituents and you lose your voice to advocate…” True democracy requires a healthy opposi-tion, who are placed in office by the electorate. Obviously this is not democracy as experienced by Albertans over the last several decades. Instead, we continue to see back room dealings and negotiations occurring so the PCs retain their power. The desire of a large portion of the electorate continues to be ignored, leaving many feeling disillusioned and helpless.

Harry Tucker states, “Political floor crossers are often opportun-ists serving their own needs and not the needs of the people who elected them.”

It is impossible to know what is in the hearts and minds of those WRP MLAs as they remained silent; however, their actions are being judged as lacking a true commitment to ideals that their party espouses and a lack of tenacity/perseverance when the going gets tough. Although political polling numbers are down during the last few months according to threehundre-deight.com, the WRP, as many other opposition parties, was down but not out. (See their blog post “The Polls in Alberta as Wildrose Implodes”).

Nationally, Alberta has been referred to as hillbillies, but are the actions of these few a true reflection of all Albertans? Will we choose to accept the spin politicians are dispersing or will we demand our right to a voice in the decisions being made on our behalf? This is up to us.

On December 9, 2014 Premier Jim Prentice delivered a State of the Province Speech to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce summarized that “relying on oil prices is a significant risk but we won’t consider alternatives.” How strategic is this when pre-dictions are that prices could drop below $40 barrel?

The ability to silence your critics may be considered a win; however, at this time, I fail to see the actions of either Smith or Prentice inspiring confidence in Alberta’s leadership to build a strong democratic future for the province.

Politics


Maggie Peters

Bookkeeping ServicesPersonal & Small Business Tax

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Maggie PetersPhone: 403-934-3220

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Crazy Volunteer Project of the MonthThe Fat Study that Requires Volunteers to Eat

Four Cupcakes per Day

Would you like to be involved in a study that only requires you to eat cupcakes? Students at the Swedish Uppsala Universi-ty certainly did when asked by PhD students conducting an experiment on fat. The only catch was that they have to eat four cupcakes a day for six weeks.

The 40 volunteers were participating in a study on how fat affects the human body. They would be prepared by Fredrik Rosqvist, a PhD student specializing in fatty acids and metab-olism who is the lead researcher/baker for this study. “The idea is that different kinds of fat have different effects on the human body,” Rosqvist told Sveriges Radio.

Those participating were all between the ages of 20 and 35 and had a normal, healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) between 20 and 27. The volunteers were expected to live and eat as they normal-ly would and simply add the four cupcakes to their daily diets.

http://www.oddee.com/

A man was driving on the highway when his mobile phone rang. It was

his wife, saying that she had just heard a news report about a car that was driving the wrong way.

“I know” said the old man. “But it’s not just one car, it’s hundreds of

them!”

A car mechanic received a repair order that read: “Check for clunk-

ing sound when going around corners”. So he took it out on a test drive and, sure enough, whenever

he went around a corner, he heard a clunk.

However he quickly located the problem and returned the repair or-der to the service manager with the

notation: ‘Removed bowling ball from trunk.’

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4321 84th St NE

Every Saturday!

Ph: 403 777-9393

www.grahamauctions.comwww.grahamauctions.com

Every Saturday!9:00AM - Bargains on new furniture,

electronics, household goods, shop tools, clothing, food.

12:30PM - Regular Vehicle SalesSEE YOU SALE DAY!!


Chestermere Whitecappers’ News & HappeningsCARPET BOWLING - Mondays and Wednesdays – 1:00pm.QUILTING - Thursdays 9:30am, everyone is welcome. Come share in making “Comfort Quilts.” The quilts are given to the RCMP & Victims Services At the same time as the quilting… knitting and crocheting! FITNESS FOR SENIORS – Fridays, 11:00am, the focus is strength and balance. This is a drop-in class so come when you can. Please contact Nancy Brazier, Fit2Age, 403-569-6612.FRIDAY EVENING GAMES - 6:30pm - There will be euchre and many other games available. Contact Marilyn Conrad 403-248-1998 for further details.SATURDAY MORNING COFFEE - 10:00 – 11:30am - Come enjoy a visit, share a joke and have some laughs.

ATTENTION: If there are members who are interested in play-ing pool, Thursdays, at 2:00pm, please contact Graham Cox at 403-226-0900.OPEN STUDIO PAINTING TIME will be Wednesdays 9am-1pm. Drop-in fee to non-members. Everyone is welcome!EVENTS: Thursday, January 22 - Deerfoot Casino Trip - Meet at the Deerfoot Casino for 11:00am for lunch and some casino time. Lunch is $9 per person. Minimum of 20 people required. No transportation provided but suggest car pooling. • Tuesday, January 27 - POTLUCK SUPPER – 5:00pm Bring a favorite main dish, salad or dessert. Enjoy an evening of fun n laughter. Wine & beer available for purchase.PICKLE-BALL – Held in the Rec. Centre Main Hall NEW!! Tues-days + Thursdays, 12:00pm to 2:00pm - Pay only for the times you attend. . Wednesdays 8:30am to 10:30am - Whitecapper membership is required or by special invitation. Contact Vicki [email protected]’ office hours: every Tuesday, 12:30-3:00pm NOTE: reopening after holiday closure - January 6, 2015Address: 201B West Chestermere Drive (South end of the Rec. Centre) Office phone # 403-235-2117

Wheatland Seniors Transportation Society Bus Trips 2015 Seniors + CaregiversPLEASE NOTE:---BUS WILL NOW BE GOING ONLY ONCE A MONTH ON THE SECOND TUESDAY.

Tues, Jan. 13/15 Chinook MallTues. Feb. 10/15 Marlborough MallTues. March 10/15 Market MallTues. Aprill 14/15 Northland MallTues. May 12/15 Cross Iron Mills Mall Tues. June 9/15 Sunridge Mall

The Fee Will Be$ 25.00 Return. This service is for the County of Wheatland. To reserve a ride call before 9.00P.M. ThursdayFor Strathmore: Carol (403) 934-4106 Ruth (403) 934-3106For Standard: Marie (403) 644-2147 Joan (403) 644-3860For Rockyford & Drumheller: Frances (403) 677-2278 Irene (403) 677-2235, These numbers are not long distance for Drumheller.

This advertising space is sponsored by The Newsy Neighbour.

Wi l d l i f e C o n s e r v a t i

o n

Alb

e r t a I n s t i t u t e For 2015

Cover/January: A. WeerstraFebruary: ??????March: C. Vavasour-WilliamsApril: G. Poggiali

May: C. StoneJune: G. PoggialiaJuly: G. PoggialiaAugusr: K. Pederson

September: G. PoggialiOctober: C. StoneNovember: K. PedersonDecember: G. Giagli

Protecting their future, and ours!

The Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) is a non-profit charitable organization, located approximately 20 minutes northwest of Airdrie.

AIWC is in its 22nd year of rescuing and caring for injured and orphaned native Alberta wildlife, with the goal of releasing these animals back into the wild. Nearly 2,000 animals are brought to the trauma centre each year.

As a charitable organization with no government funding, AIWC relies almost completely on donations and fundraising to keep the centre operating.

This year, AIWC is selling 2015 calendars, with the goal of raising $4,000. Two sizes are available - standard for $14.00 and small for $10.00. The calendars focus on the positive aspects of patient rehabilitation, and each month features an actual AIWC patient. To purchase calendars please call Deb at 403-946-2361. Small calendars can also be purchased at Sevick Veterinary clinic in Strathmore.


OxymoronsAn ‘oxymoron’ is best described as a linking of opposites. Words or phrases that, on examining, don’t really belong together. Sometimes they can indicate a meaning (sounds of silence) or can be closer to a paradox where they appear to be opposite but have a deeper meaning; “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others” (G. Orwell – Animal Farm).

Do you have any oxymorons or paradoxes you’d like to see printed? Send them to us! [email protected]

Here are a modern bountiful few…Almost neverFairly accurateLiving deadAct naturallyExpert journalistJumbo shrimp (oxymoron or paradox???)Modern historyFound missing


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Uniquely Deadly Animals in the World

Hippopotamus

While the hippopotamus are usually peaceful creatures, these 9,000 pound animals are also very territorial. They kill more hu-mans on average each year than all African animals combined. This is a massive statistic when you think about it.

This animal has the potential to kill at any time, and people should take massive notice. The tour guides in the area know the signs of a hippo that is miffed at them. They will give clues. However, novices won’t pick up on them, and those are the people that die.

They are territorial animals that simply want to be left alone and given their space. If you do neither, you will pay with your life. Hippos cannot swim, which is one interesting fact about them. But when they chase you, they will basically run underwater, and they can move around 5 mph. This can be faster than you think. They also don’t tire easy, so you better have good cardio to outswim one. When they get you, you will die. There is not even a doubt. It’s rare when the hippo stops early. They make sure you’re dead so you don’t come back. This is why they are naturally deadly.

The best thing to do is watch the hippo from a safe distance. In doing so, the hippo won’t see you as an issue. The closer you get, the closer you are to death.

Source: http://www.oddee.com/

Jemima was taking an afternoon nap on New Year’s Eve before the festivities. After she woke

up, she confided to Max, her husband, ‘I just dreamed that you gave me a diamond ring

for a New Year’s present. What do you think it all means?’

‘Aha, you’ll know tonight,’ answered Max smiling broadly.

At midnight, as the New Year was chiming, Max approached Jemima and handed her small package. Delighted and excited she

opened it quickly. There in her hand rested a book entitled: ‘The meaning of dreams’.


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hen you’re not ready to disconnect from your devices but you know it leaves you feeling empty, what should you do? You know you spend too much time on your smartphone or computer and sometimes don’t even notice your surroundings, you’ve tuned out, you feel connected in some way but very disconnected at the same time.

What has Facebook done for you lately? Why do we love Facebook and other social media so much? Facebook is full of happy faces. This is very much the opposite of what you see on the news, read in the newspaper or hear on the radio. We see happy faces in happy places. We secretly escape from our own reality without even realizing at times. We live vicariously through our friends and our friend’s friends. We scroll down the page and see even more happy faces. This can be so much different than the regular routine of our day.

So how do you go from wanting to be ‘connected’ but really feeling disconnected? Don’t make Facebook just a pastime that leaves you feeling empty. If you’re going to be on social media, put it to use in your life.

We all have a voice we hear now and then, usually talking to us in a way we would never let anyone else talk. This is called your Saboteur. Notice your saboteur. For example, say you’re looking at a friend’s vacation to Cabo San Lucas. The dialogue in your head quickly goes from, “wow, how beautiful”, to, “aren’t they lucky and hmmm they get to travel every year, that’ll never hap-pen for me”. Just noticing a dialogue like this can change life quickly for you and leave you feeling empty or even depressed.

Now if the dialogue went like this? “Wow how beautiful”, NO-TICE here the saboteur enters, “aren’t they lucky”, now NIP IT and CREATE. Get imaginative with childlike curiosity. What is it that you like about this photo? Is it because they are travelling with their family or maybe they’re venturing alone? Do you just love scenery and being one with the earth? Ask and allow your answers to come quickly to these questions and quickly CREATE your vision. Make a mini vision board or vision video in your mind. When you do close Facebook down, ask yourself what dreams and desires were unearthed today? You can take this a step further and grab a pen and paper and write your vision as if it has already happened for you. Here is where you get to play in it and see yourself it and feel yourself in it. Be free. Freedom is probably what you were looking for anyway.

Use this same strategy while you work toward your 2015 goals. Quickly notice it. Nip it. Get curious and create. Remember childlike curiosity just means no judgement allowed.

You have the power in you to create and live your dreams. You were born this way so simply unlearn a few things and remem-ber who you are. You are that curious little dreamer. You are that giggle that makes everyone around you giggle. You are full of childlike curiosity. You are full of life. Let your life live outside and pour out of you. Don’t suppress it. Encourage it and all around you to let it out. 2015 is your year. Dare to be simple. Dare to be free.Dare to act from love.

SocialMedia

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ow, I realize that this title is the complete opposite of what January usually is, and it certainly isn’t meant to be depressing. In fact, my hope is that it is the complete opposite. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is very important to always strive to be the best version of ourselves that we can, even if it means each year we make a valiant effort to try something new or improved. However, if I was a betting woman, my guess would be that very few of us actually keep up with all of our “make-over” promises and efforts. Sometimes, it seems it is easy to get caught up in losing weight, making more money, spending more time with friends, spending more time with family, chang-ing our hair, clothes, house, etcetera, etcetera. What if, instead we took the time to just love who we are; right now in this very moment? What if we just for once forgave ourselves for letting the kids watch too much TV, or not walking the dog for 2 weeks, or the fact that we fed our kids (and ourselves) Kraft Dinner for supper more than twice in one week?? Life is busy, life can be hard, yet we continuously put ourselves in situations that are headed straight for disappointment and failure. Then the guilt sets in... oh, the guilt. I don’t know about you, but I experience guilt on a daily basis, and I hate feeling guilty. But the reality is, I am going to be the exact same person at 12:01am on January

1, 2015 as I was at 11:59pm on December 31, 2014. So what if, instead of changing something drastic and then allowing that “resolution” to dominate our thoughts and affect our emotions on a daily basis, we just stop and forgive ourselves? It can be easy to forgive others of their trespasses, but why is it so hard to forgive ourselves of our trespasses? So, my challenge to all of you this year is to take a minute to stop and allow yourself forgiveness every time you are tempted to feel guilty about something. I relate it to running. When I go out to run, if I am focused on how far or how fast or how long I “need” to run, I am automatically not enjoying myself and the run feels hard and my thoughts immediately start to fill with negative emotions of failure. But, if I just go out and crank my favourite music and get lost in the beat and focus on the fact that I am out and the weather is beautiful, some-thing magical happens. I enjoy the run, and I begin to run to the beat of the music and, in turn, I generally end up running faster

HealthNew Year... same you.

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Amalia is a stay at home Mom who has recently started dabbling in the social work world again. She was raised with the knowledge and benefits of natural alternatives and her passion in this area continues to grow as she strives to provide her own family with the same values. As she ex-periences the health and overall well-being essen-tial oils has to offer her family, her desire to share this information with the world continues to grow. Contact Amalia @ [email protected]

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and further without knowing it. AND, if I get out and it’s just not working for me, I forgive myself and embrace the fact that I tried and maybe next time will be better. My point is, perhaps if we let ourselves just be happy and accept exactly who we are in this very moment, maybe a “better” more “happier” version of ourselves will begin to take shape and it will feel effortless instead of burdensome. After all, it is so enjoyable to be around happy people, people who are just taking it moment by moment. So, for anyone who may be interested in indulging into a delectable, happy and easy version of themselves, there just may be an oil to help with that!Joy- promotes feelings of love, self-love and confidence. Bergamot - uplifting and calming. Relieves anxiety & streeeYlang-ylang - ignites feelings of self love, confidence & joy.Geranium - ease nervous tension and stress, balance emotions.Rosewood - relaxes the body, creates feelings of peace.Lemon - invigorating, promotes feelings of physical energy Mandarin- promotes happiness, refreshing and upliftingJasmine - very uplifting to the emotions, confidenceRoman chamomile - reduced irritability and nervousness Palmarosa - reduces stress and tension

Happy New Year, everyone!

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Benefits Of Chiropractic Care ost people know that chiropractic care can help with back and neck pain, headaches and sciatica. But what many people don’t know is that it can help with so much more! Chiropractic care is not just about “cracking” a bone “back into place,” but rather it is about stimulat-ing the nervous system to work more efficiently. Since your nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves) is the MASTER CONTROLLER of your body, everything else in your body works more efficiently when it is working optimally. The benefits of chiropractic care are virtually endless. Here is a small list of conditions that chiropractic care has been known to help:

Acid reflux/heartburnDepressionChronic fatigue/fibromyalgiaConstipation/Irritable Bowel SyndromePlantar fasciitisArthritisInfantile colicChildhood ear infectionsSports injuries… and many more!

Besides helping the above conditions, chiropractic care has been proven to improve your immune system, lower blood pressure and reduce pain. Getting your spine and nervous system checked is essential to leading a healthy life, no matter what age you are.

Dr. Nicole StordyLangdon Chiropractor

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Why Does Bad Breath Happen?

Does stinky breath have you avoiding social gatherings?

re you always armed with breath mints and mouthwash, regardless of whether you’ve had a garlicky supper? Sounds like you’ve got bad breath worries and you may be trying to mask the offending aroma instead of tackling it head-on.

Why does bad breath happen?

It’s normal to experience random moments of bad breath, thanks to a particularly spicy dish, or due to a lingering head cold that can really dry out the mouth and leave not only a bad taste in the mouth, but a stinky smell as well.

Halitosis, known as bad breath to most people, could be caused by many reasons. The good news is that most common causes of bad breath are preventable and easily treated, however certain medical conditions may also cause bad breath. Chronic halitosis may indicate an underlying medical concern that should be addressed by your dentist or medical doctor.

So what can you do to help ward off the bugs that con-tribute to bad breath?

Well it won’t come as a surprise to read that the best armour against offensive oral smells starts with good oral hygiene. But you’re probably thinking, ‘I brush like a crazy person and floss every opportunity I get, so why does my breath still smell?’ which can be a common problem for

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some people due to certain medications, lifestyle choices, and illnesses like diabetes or acid reflux. There’s also a piece missing from the puzzle – and that’s remembering to scrape your tongue as part of your daily oral hygiene routine. The mouth contains millions of bacteria – a lot of which reside on your tongue – and cause the mouth to have a stale, pungent smell. Cleaning the tongue is a step often overlooked by people trying to head out the door to work, or trying to get to bed as quick as possible – but it really may be contributing to your bad breath, so don’t forget to clean this bacteria loaded muscle. Handy tongue scrapers make quick and light work of keeping your mouth clean.

Other tips for eliminating bad breath include:

• Stay hydrated – drinking lots of water not only keeps your mouth moist but helps rinse away pesky food parti-cles.• See your dentist if you’ve had a persistent bad taste in your mouth accompanied by bad breath – dental decay and/or infection can cause bad breath.• Eat fruits and vegetables that help clean your teeth – like biting in to a crunchy apple or carrot.• Try to stay away from breath mints that contain sugar – as these can often exacerbate the situation.

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5 Easy Ways To Improve Your Health On A Tight Budget here’s no question that putting premium fuel into your body will cost more than making a meal plan around Ramen noodles. However, higher quality nutritional and lifestyle choices over time will create a higher quality of life, so the investment is certainly worth the return.Unfortunately, adjusting the family budget to include healthier foods and lifestyle choices can be a show-stop-per. We are simply not used to prioritizing funds for proper food, and in the current economic climate, some funds are so tight that there is really very little room to negotiate.

Here are 5 great ways you can start to improve your health on a tight budget.

Fermented VegetablesOne of the first things you definitely need to consider is fermented vegetables. A healthy body is always rooted in a diet that includes a copious amount of vegetables. Fermenting them unlocks even more power (largely due to assimilation) and is also a preservation method so your fresh vegetables can last an extended period of time.Consuming fermented vegetables keeps bad bacteria and yeast in check as the lactic acid producing lactobacilli in

these foods alter the pH balance in the intestine which helps prevent the overgrowth of friendly bacteria, molds, and candida. A healthy intestinal tract is a primary consid-eration to achieving good health.A popular fermented product is sauerkraut, which is an excellent source of numerous vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics, fibre, and antioxidants. You can easily make this nutritional gift, and the cost to benefit ratio is very difficult to beat.

EarthingEarthing is another low cost health technique that can reap incredible rewards. Having a connection to the earth’s electrical energy promotes well-being, not only because it resonates with our own electrical field, but also because it helps discharge the negative health conse-quences of EMFs.Earthing can improve a number of health conditions, most notably around inflammation, sleep, mood, energy, and the immune system.The most effective way to get grounded is to get your bare skin (feet and hands are most popular) in the grass, soil, sand, or other earth material for 20-30 minutes a day. The longer, the better. If the season or other factor prevents you from doing this, consider doing a long-term investment in earthing technology, which can ground you by proxy for pennies a day.

Vitamin DVitamin D is crucial due to its miracle-class ability to halt cancer (77% of ALL cancers are prevented by vitamin D alone), to ease depression, boost bone health, improve brain function, enhance heart health, and much more.To maximize the absorption and storage of vitamin D, (it can be stored for up to 3 months) get in the sun and allow it to penetrate the skin of at least the arms and legs for 15 to 30 minutes in peak hours of the day.When the sun goes away, consider supplementing with a liquid Vitamin D3/K2 formula, which is very inexpensive to obtain.

Pure WaterWith approximately 70% of our physiology being made

Derek Henry, B.Kin, is a highly revered holistic health coach and world renowned natural health blogger from Kelowna, BC who created Healing the Body to help people understand the fundamental principles and intimate details to exceptional health. His pop-ular wellness guides, coaching programs, and educa-tional courses gives people step by step solutions to achieve a healthier body and mind, while empower-ing them to maintain that lifestyle on their own ac-cord. If you would like to learn more about what he can do holistically to improve your health, check out his website, www.healingthebody.ca

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up of water, the purity and nutrients contained in it is of quantum importance. Drinking water from a source that is clean and provides trace minerals is one of the most health promoting activities you can undertake. Howev-er, people are still drinking inferior sources, such as tap, bottled, or poorly filtered water.The absolutely best source of water is from a spring that has been proven to be clean of environmental contam-inants. It is highly oxygenated, mineralized, and easy to absorb. In fact, it is what all water filters try to mimic, as it is the premiere source.Failing that, get a good water filter that removes un-friendly contaminants, which will be a low cost and prof-itable investment over the course of their lifetime.

MeditationFor thousands of years meditation has been practiced as the path to enlightenment and a greater understanding of the universe. Regardless of your interest in either of those things, meditation is a healing exercise that has definite benefits for the body and mind.Some of these benefits include better immune system response, reduced stress, and greater cognitive ability. Simply taking a few minutes each day to sit comfortably in silence or with meditation music will go a long way to improving your health, and it’s free!In addition to these recommendations, make sure to avoid or severely minimize all sugar, processed foods, gluten, refined grains, and alcohol.The first step to better health for most people is to balance the gut flora (kill Candida). Check out Healing Benefits of Sauerkraut on The Newsy Neighbour website (see link below) for your homemade probiotic recipe, and check out the second source below for more on Vitamin D.

Sauerkraut - www.thenewsyneighbour.com/#!highlights/c1srtVitamin D - http://truthwiki.org/Vitamin_D

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are

making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your

world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.

So that’s my wish for you and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make new mistakes. Make glorious,

amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it

isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, do it. Make your mistakes,

next year and forever.” ~Neil Gaiman


It’s all about MINDSET

How to Get Things Done in 2015

By Rebecca Stone – Becky is a yoga instructor and the owner of Pranava Yoga in Strathmore, AB. Pra-nava yoga is a community minded studio, fostering the growth of the yoga community in Strathmore (and the world) by promoting the values of personal practice, creativity, abundance and community spirit. Make sure to check out her website at www.pranav-ayoga.ca, call her at (587) 365-3651 or email her at: [email protected]

A Mindful Minute

It’s that time of year, isn’t it? Like a blank sheet of paper, or a layer of fresh snow without a track to mar its perfection – the whole brand spanking New Year laid out before us, just waiting to be

planned to perfection.

he New Year inevitably, and with great hope and optimism, inspires us to set our resolutions. We so want this year to be the best one yet, where we set our goals like a marksman at target practice, ready to knock them off the fence one by one. If only we accomplish this, we will be happy with our self, our body, our work, our life... Not surprisingly (considering) what I have learned from yoga has translated a lot into seeing success in goal setting. It has also been a major contributing factor into how I feel about myself and my abilities - whether or not I actually see the goals to fruition.

It’s all about MINDSET. Here are a few thoughts to guide your goal setting mind and the work that you do towards those goals, as we begin the New Year together.

Set goals, strive toward them, but let the journey unfold. Letting go of expectations of what will be accomplished at the end will allow the journey to be truly experienced. Isn’t that what makes life so great? Not where we end up, but what happens along the way.

Learn to recognize your ego. Practise letting it go. There is no ideal to live up to, there is only the experience, the journey, the moment.

Be gentle on yourself. Forgive yourself for your failures. Don’t let

yesterday’s mistakes turn to regret. Learn from them today.

Challenge yourself sometimes. Rest at other times. Learn to listen to your body, mind, heart, to their needs. Don’t ignore the cues that they are giving you.

Trust your intuition, meditate upon things.

Mind &Thinking

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Ask for help or guidance if you need it.

Be organized – don’t just hope you will find time to work towards your goal, plan it in. Look forward in your week and prioritize your time.

Be flexible. Just like rigidity in our muscles will set us up for pain, so will the inability to adjust to life’s challenges.

Breathe. Be mindful in all things throughout your day, as much as you can. Practise this.

Be grateful. Grateful for your Body and all it does for you each day, for your Mind and the remarkable abilities and creativity that it has, and for your Spirit’s ability for love unconditional. See the beauty that you bestow upon the world.

I wish you luck, if you have set a resolution or goal for the year. It is a worthy thing, to strive and work towards something.

It is even worthier to be present moment to moment along the way. But most important in all this, is to un-derstand that YOU ARE WORTHY. Right now, without a resolution set or accomplished, you are so very worthy. I wish you the very best in this brand New Year.

Namaste, Becky


Saturday, January 17th, 2015 8:45 am—5:00 pm

Chestermere Town Hall 105 Marina Road

14 workshops for women aged 18 –108 to choose from:

Edible Gardens Tracing Your Family History Yin and Yang Yoga Speak Up! Share Your Wisdom Living a Passionate Life Relieve Stress Now Preparing for a Successful Retirement Living with Chronic Food Restrictions The Story of Me Who Am I? The Importance of Social

Media Branding One Day Wonders with Travel Alberta Infant CPR Anytime Introduction to Calligraphy Vision Boards with No Limits

Registration fee includes keynote speaker, gift bag

with book She Said, workshops, resource fair,

doorprizes, breakfast, lunch and closing reception.

$65 EARLY BIRD RATE UNTIL

OCTOBER 31!

Register today at chestermere.ca/sharedwisdom

or by calling 403-207-8152

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Independent business

TOYS,

he New Year is a time to embrace the new and let go of the old. Many of us are thinking about how to lose weight, ways to quit smoking or drinking, the right lifestyle choices to make to get back into shape, or trying to make more time for yourself. The best start for a new goal or resolution comes through cleaning, clearing, smudging and angelically letting go of lower (negative) energies that are weighing you, your space and your life down.

First de-clutter your office or home. Getting rid of clothes, items, papers, and things you are not using will produce a feeling of lightness. Shred old paperwork, then sort items into piles - throw away, donate, sell and store. The process releases the lower energies allowing for higher (positive) energies to move freely around your home, office or even around you.

It is then a good idea to smudge, clear or angelically release lower (negative) energies at least every third

Smudging, Clearing and Protecting Your Space

By Cynthia Barnesky – Holistic Practitioner/Certi-fied Professional Spiritual Life Coach and owner of SunRise Healing Center: Specializes in helping you with the natural ways of healing through her ser-vices of Inner Clarity Spiritual Life Coaching, Intui-tive Massage, Reflexology, IonCleanse Detox Foot Bath, Intuitive Readings, Reconnective Healing, and many natural healing products. For more in-formation visit her website: www.sunrisehealing-center.com or give her a call: 403-934-6416.

Natural Choices

“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering ‘it will be happier’...” - Alfred Tennyson

“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” - Brad Paisley

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month; unless you have experienced certain events such as illness or death, an argument, you have moved into a new space or office (after a divorce or break-up), if a roommate or companion moves out, after you have bought in an old/new item in your home or office, or even before you start a new project.

Here are my three favourite ways you can achieve smudg-ing, clearing and last but not least angelical protection:

- Smudging is a very old ritual of clearing your space, yourself, or others from lower (negative) energies. You can use sweet grass, white sage, cedar, lavender, sandalwood, rosemary, frankincense and incense for smudging. As the smoke rises, you can direct it with a feather in a counter clock wise direction into each corner of your chosen area; closet, inside cabinets, laundry room, basement and even in the garage. Use your intention to bring in the Divine’s Love, Light and Informational Healing Energy. Ask for the space, yourself, an item, or a Loved One to have the energies, spirits, lower emotions, and attachments to be released, cleared, restored and healed on all levels of your life - mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, con-scious and subconscious. Then say, “Thank you!”

- Singing bowls bring in a higher powerful positive vibrational energy to the room. They may cost a pretty penny, but are well worth it! Hit the edge of the bowl with the wooden stick and trance the edge with the stick counter clockwise; you will start to hear the vibrational energy which is removing lower energies. Walk around the rooms in a counter clockwise pattern while you continue to trance the edge with the stick. If for some reason the sounds stops, hit it again and begin to trace the edge again until you have finished the space or item you are wishing to clear. If you want a healing on yourself or someone else, hit the edge of bowl with the stick and trance the edge clockwise and this brings in healing, lov-ing and renewing energy to you. Remember to say “Thank you!” when you have finished.

- You can place crystals to release, clear, balance and renew the energies in your home, office or even on you. Here are my favourite crystals that I use in my home. Putting Rose Quartz or Amethyst in the windows helps to bring in Love, Peace and Harmony; while placing Smoky Quartz, Obsidian, Hematite, or Tourmaline in the higher places (the top of the counters, selves or you can hang them from a higher point) to collect the lower energies or emotions of everyday life and releasing higher ener-gies. Remember to clean, cleanse and renew the energies of each of these crystals about once a month except for Hematite as it will crack when it cannot absorb any more lower energies. When this happens make a hole in the soil and cover it up! Crystals are very powerful and easy to work with, but one should learn more about the proper-ties of each crystal first.

- For just a quick touch up cleanse, use your intention to

bring in the Divine’s Love, Light and Informational Healing Energy and ask for the space, yourself, item, or a Loved One to have the energies, spirits, lower emotions, and at-tachments to be released, cleared, restored and healed on all levels of your life; mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, conscious and subconscious and remember to say “Thank you!”

- If you are around and about, or after a releasing, clear-ing or cleanse session and you feel you need protection, hug yourself and say this phrase, “Dear Archangel Mi-chael, come to me now and stay with me the whole day and night wrapping me with your wings, surrounding me with Divine’s White Light of Love, Green Light of Healing and Silver, Gold and Blue Platinum Light of Protection only allowing the energy’s and spirits that benefit my higher-self and my higher purpose. Can you protect my family (you can name names at this time), property, and friends near and far. I thank you, Archangel Michael!”

Now you are cleared and protected. May the Angels, Spir-it and The Divine be with you always, sending you White Light of Love, Healing and Protection!


The REPs... Guiding you over the STEPS... Of Real

Estate. We are... 3 REMAX horizon Real Estate Professionals ...DEDICATED to work together and licensed in Residential, Rural, Commercial, Condo. We are here to help our clients reach ALL their real estate goals. Contact us: [email protected]. Web: www.the-reps.ca

2015 Real Estate Market

ost Most regions posted modest gains in average residential sale price, despite increased inventory in many of Canada’s housing markets. Residential property markets in Toronto, Vancouver and their surrounding areas, as well as Calgary and Edmonton continued to see prices and sales rise. The economic outlook for Canada in 2015 is stable. The Bank of Canada has projected GDP to grow by approximately 2.5 per cent, a rate that is roughly on par with 2014’s growth. Small in-creases in employment rates and wages are anticipated as well. Canada expects to welcome between 260,000 and 285,000 new permanent residents in 2015, which should positively impact the residential real estate market.

Calgary’s housing market had another year of healthy price appreciation as the average residential sale price has grown and is expected to finish off 2014 with an approximate six per cent gain to $483,000 from $456,000 in 2013. House price increases

have been attributed to good employment in the energy sector driving migration to the city.

A city-wide Civic Census showed that in April 2014, Calgary saw the migration of approximately 28,000 people to the area in the past 12 months, an increase of about 1,800 compared to the previous year. Migration has significantly impacted the real estate market, fueling Calgary’s consistent strong performance over the past few years. However, in the fall of 2014, the housing market started to show a shift from a seller’s market to a more balanced market, likely due to a decrease in oil prices.

The price adjustment in the energy industry should likely have an impact on the 2015 Calgary housing market. While it is still expected to see a slight increase in price, it is anticipated to be less active as potential buyers wait to see if lower oil prices re-sult in more favourable house prices. However, RE/MAX expects 2015 to be a balanced market, creating a more level playing field for buyers and sellers.

A combination of oil prices and dollar value should have the greatest impact on Calgary’s housing market in 2015. One ad-vantage is that most oil industry corporations are being paid in the American dollar, thereby lessening the current effect of the low Canadian dollar.

Calgary is projected to see a four per cent increase in unit sales and a more modest three per cent increase in average residen-tial sale price increasing to $497,500.

Buyers who are looking to move up are likely to drive demand

2015 Real Estate Market

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in Calgary’s real estate market in 2015. Also, the low vacancy rate for rentals has made potential tenants look at purchasing sooner than they anticipated.

Condominiums and townhouses are expected to represent a growing share of the active marketplace, as long as they are priced competitively. With increasing house prices, condomini-ums and townhouses are an affordable way to purchase real estate in the city.

The city’s growth is prompting optimism for its housing market in 2015. Today, the population is close to 1,195,000, and grow-ing. There is a mild concern as to how the city will keep up with such growth, as new infrastructure will be required. Despite this need, it is anticipated that Calgary’s real estate market should continue to flourish throughout 2015.

Strathmore’s single family total number of sales increased about

57% in 2014 over 2013. We still have not hit the numbers we saw in 2007, the height of the boom. The average sales price in-creased about 47% in 2014 over 2013 from $311,973 in 2013 to $346,170 in 2014. The time it took for single family home to sell also improved to only 54 days. Condominium sales increased about 60% in 2014 over 2013, with the average sales price go-ing from $188,686 in 2013 to $223,575 in 2014. The population in Strathmore has seen growth as well. The commercial sector has seen growth in 2014 with the addition of the new Co-op currently being built. New subdivisions came on board in 2014 with starts happening in Edgefield in spring 2015.

2015 is going to be much the same as 2014 with no major increases. The oil & gas sector slowdown will impact the 2015 real estate market in Strathmore; however, it shouldn’t be dras-tic as Strathmore remains a very affordable option. Mortgage interest rates are expected to increase but only slightly and not until late in 2015. Strathmore has become a strong independent

community that is a great place to live and raise a family.

For more information contact The REPs 587-316-2000 www.the-reps.ca

Data Source: Historical data is sourced from CREA or Local Real Estate Boards.

Estimates and forecasts are based on the opinion of independent RE/MAX broker/owners


Dark SkiesThe earth takes roughly 24 hours to rotate once on its axis. For many countries, this works out to an averaging type of daylight. We are not one of those countries. This time of the year brings cold and dark. Even on a sunny day, night comes early. This means our bodies

think we should be in ‘sleep’ mode – what did our cave dwelling ancestors do on long dark

nights? What if our bodies think we should be sleeping and we aren’t getting a good restful

sleep? Stiff and sore when you wake up? Has your significant other taken to hiding in the morning? Not returning your calls until after

lunch?

ot only is it tough to exercise and do healthy activities in January, many of us cut our sleep time, (work, computer, TV), even though we know the importance of quality sleep. If we have to reduce sleep time we need to make sure the sleep we are getting is the best. Sleep is a health critical rejuvenating and rebuilding process.

A mattress that supports us evenly, reduces pressure ar-

eas and allows us deeper, uninterrupted sleep is essential to our physical and mental health. Life will become a little easier as our significant other benefits as well.

How do we check out a mattress?First – take your partner along – both of you will be sleeping on it. Either one can check out some mattresses but both should be in on the final selection. Take a few minutes to lie down on the mattress in your usual sleep position. A good position is the one you’re in when you wake up in the morning.Ask the sales person about the mattress and its features. A very important question is, ‘What makes this a suitable mattress for you?’Ask about the mattress construction and any environ-mental issues.Ask about the manufacturer – do they stand behind their product? Is it Canadian made?Note that price is not always an indicator of ‘the right mattress’ but you still get what you pay for.

Mattress size is important as well. The most common couples’ mattress size is a Queen (60” X 80” or 152 cm X 203 cm). A King is next most popular (76” X 80” or 193 cm X 203 cm) but does take up a lot of space in a bedroom. Very important: mattress means mattress and foundation.

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Talk to your local independent mattress retailer. They know the product they have chosen to carry and will be able to advise you on what will be best for you. You spend about 1/3 of your life sleeping; you don’t need marketing hype – you need a good supported sleep.

Be a savvy consumer – remember, there are four sides to every story: one side, the other side, the political/media side and the truth. It’s January; check out www.scientifi-camericanmind.com, read a good book, (almost anything by Christopher Anvil or Gordon R. Dickson).

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he New Year is the perfect time to throw out the old and bring in the new. Just like our New Year’s resolutions, it is always about improving and making adjustments to our life to feel more healthy and happy and I do strongly believe that your surroundings is a large contributor to this. With some of these tips and tricks, it will put you on the path to wellbeing and hap-piness in your home.

De-clutter: Over the holidays, we seem to accumulate that many more items in our homes, nothing seems to have a place and now we have all these new additional items we need to find room for. It is hard to let go of “well, I may need this” but chances are you won’t, so the key is to be decisive. Look at all of your items objectively; if it is something that you have not used within the last year or something that doesn’t have any personal hold to you, then it’s time to let it go. Create space and edit your items – this will allow additional storage for your Christmas presents and allow you to see your space with fresh eyes. De-clutter the space – de-clutter your brain.

When it comes to clothing items, I am the worst. Whether I have worn something a million times and it’s held together with bits of thread, or that impulse buy that just looks to good hang-ing in my closet, I have a really hard time letting go. One trick that I use consistently is rotating my clothes every 6 months; I hang my clothes inside out on their hangers (you can also do this by positioning all your hangers the same way). Any items of clothing that are either still inside out or facing the same way after 6 months are to be donated.

Take a walk through your space and make a list of the décor items room by room. Then do another walk through your space and see where things can be re-arranged, switched out or refin-ished to give a fresh feel to your home. Normally, we are all on a tight budget this time of year due to the holidays and this is a way to re-invent your space without spending any money. That lamp you are bored of could be sprayed a punchy bold colour and a perfect accent for your daughter’s room, an area rug that has been in storage can be brought to life in your dining room or your artwork that has been in the same place for years could use a change of scenery and create a whole new look of a room.

The New Year is a time of excitement and new beginnings, not only for yourself but the space you live in and that surrounds you. I believe a home with personal character, organization and balance is important for everyone; your home is your sanctuary, safe place and somewhere you can express your true self. In or-der to stick to all of our New Year’s resolutions (a little bit more successfully than last year), I feel it becomes a little easier when you are at ease with the space around you.

New You - New Space!

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Jason EldridgeMortgage Specialist PFP, B.Admin

Cell: 403.630.1718 Fax: 866-708-5807Apply Online: http://jason.axiommortgage.ca

Email: [email protected]

Residential First, Second and Third Mortgages ~ Pre-Approved Mortgages ~ Mortgage Renewals ~ Financing of Revenue/Investment and Vacation Properties ~ New Construction ~ Refinances ~ Debt Consolidations ~ Equity Lending

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Self Employed Applicants ~ Client Applications With Less Than Perfect Credit

Corporate TaxesBookkeeping

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The Accountable$ “We make your dollars make sense”

Contact: Bud Duncan for a FREE Consultation

Visit us on the web at www.theaccountables.caPh: 587-717-7621 Email: [email protected]

Let us help!

Self-EmployedPayroll Services

CRA Appeals

Personal TaxesGST, WCB Filings

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Accountable for keeping your books straight!


Complimentary Market Evaluations ~ Retirement ~ Empty Nesters ~ Adult Living

DEBBIE MITZNER(403) 934-5555

[email protected]

Acreages ~ Farms ~ Commercial/Residential Relocation ~ Estates~ Condominiums

Development

Sell your homeFASTER and for

TOP DOLLAR!

Call DEBBIE MITZNER NowFor a FREE MARKET EVALUATION

of your property

(403) 934-55551-800-661-6262

[email protected] EXPIRY DATE. File with important documents.

This is not intended to solicit properties already for sale.

30 YearsOf Award

Winning Service!

OPENING DOORS


Carey Rose

Hayley Poirier

Debbie Enslen

The KEEN NEGOTIATING SKILLS of the Real Estate REPs helped

Save our BUYERS approximately $322,900 off the listing prices!

Our Listings, SOLD on average

in 59 days and for 96% of List Price!

We love helping and giving back to our community and believe in being involved in a variety of ways...

Over 200 man hrs. Volunteered in the community this year and we were happy

to donate to these fine organizations and causes:

Free Admission for 200 avid Spidey fans for the Amazing Spider Man 2 movie at the

Joyland Theatre

Children’s Miracle Network: We Raised $1,150

Celebration of Lights: We donated 500 Bags of Cotton Candy and we raised $150 cash donations.

Wheatland Food Bank: 35 lbs.of food and $225.00 cash donations

The Boob Tour – Fighting Cancer with Laughter:

We donated a Cutco Knife Set ($250.00 Value)

Strathmore Triathalon: 2 Triathalons & approx. 30 man hours helping with

these 2 events and cheering on the courageous athletes!

Strathmore Sub-Division and Development Appeal

Board

for all your Real Estate Needs 587-316-2000

or [email protected]

Did you know, in 2014…

We believe in serving our community and staying current

with Real Estate knowledge:

Actively Volunteer with:

Call The REPs today

The Lions Club Of Strathmore

Documents

The Newsy Neighbour January Issue 87