Northland Family - December 2015

December 2015LIberTY TrIbUNe

THe KeArNeY cOUrIerGLADSTONe DISPATcHTHe SmITHVILLe HerALD

Keep your kids active over winter break Book Buzz: Gift

of a good book

LIBERTY TRIBUNE, THE KEARNEY COURIER, GLADSTONE DISPATCH, THE SMITHVILLE HERALDDecember 20152

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ON THE COVER: JONAH SALSbUrY GeTS A HUG FrOm SANTA ON LIberTY SQUAre AFTer THe mAYOr’S cHrISTmAS Tree LIGHTING ceremONY IN 2014.

By Chris Geinosky

Winter break will be here in no time.OK, so your kids are going to be home for a few

to three weeks, and you don’t want them to sit in front of the television the whole time. What can you do to keep them busy?

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with some good old-fashioned outside fun (preferably in the snow), followed by a cup of hot chocolate. but if you’re looking to get out and do more than that, there’s a number of other possibilities around town.

check out any of Kansas city’s many museums, a list that usually begins with the unique Arabia Steamboat museum in the river market District. Stop at any — or all — of the attractions at crown center, including Sea Life Aquarium, Legoland Discovery center, Kaleidoscope, the Hallmark Visitors center or the ice terrace to skate. And don’t

forget that even if it’s cold outside, there are inside exhibits at the Kansas city Zoo.

Plenty of holiday shows can be found around town. Or catch a movie.

Just want to play? Hit an indoor pool. community

centers often offer inexpensive rates during the holidays. Or check for open times at indoor gyms.

Here’s some other indoor activities you might want to consider:

Arts and crafts — It can be as simple as pulling out crayons or paints and constructing homemade christmas ornaments.

Bird feeders — make and then hang them in the tree outside your window and enjoy watching your feathered friends.

Cook or bake — You don’t normally have time to share this activity with your kids on those busy school nights. Here’s your chance.

Game night — You loved it when your parents played games with you, right?

For other ideas for activities around the Kansas city area, check the community calendar in your community newspaper or check the calendars at www.ifamily.com or kckidsfun.com.

Keep your kids active over winter break

METRO CREATIVE

Add a game night to your schedule during winter break to help stave off the kids’ boredom.

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By Ryne Dittmer

There is no shortage of distractions getting in the way of a student’s focus on school work during the final weeks of the first semester. but before classes are dismissed for the carefree respite that is winter break, there are projects to finish and finals to take that can dramatically affect final grades.

To avoid the pre-break coast, we asked a pair of school district administrators to share their advice for parents, guardians and students on how to close out the semester on a positive note.

Kearney r-1 School District Director of Academic Services Jennifer Kopp said finishing strong relies on plans made at the beginning of the school year.

“You should set goals at the beginning of the semester and bring those goals back up and go over what you set out to do,” Kopp said. “I believe if parents talk to their kids about their goals and talk to them about how they want to finish the semester, it makes things more accountable.”

Staying organized with assignments and avoiding procrastination are important as well.

“At the secondary level especially,

there are a lot of big projects due at the end of the semester. Parents need to make sure their students don’t wait until the last week of semester to start working on them,” Kopp said.

Liberty Public Schools Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services marlie Williams also noted the risks of procrastination.

“Good time management is very important,” Williams said. “Parents and students need to be aware of school due dates, exams and events you might be attending outside of school.”

Williams also advised parents and guardians to monitor students’ progress throughout the semester to prevent any surprises during the final weeks.

“Parents and students should work together to check online grade books, teacher websites and syllabi,” Williams said.

With some initial planning and making note of due dates, families can set themselves up for a good first semester that can carry over into the second half of the school year.

END ON A HIGH NOTEEducators offer words of advice for finishing semester strong

Northland school administrators recommend parent-student conversations about expectations throughout the semester, not just when grades come out.

LIBERTY TRIBUNE, THE KEARNEY COURIER, GLADSTONE DISPATCH, THE SMITHVILLE HERALDDECEMBER 20154

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Good times abound during

the holidays — memories

made and shared as families

gather. Together time provides

opportunities to share the

“Gift of a Good Book,” to revel

in the joy the written word

presents, intimate moments

in a busy season. Books

provide a great excuse to just

stop and lose yourself in a

marvelous story.

‘Waiting’ by Kevin Henkes

Kevin Henkes’ new book, “Waiting,” is pastel eye-candy, an endearing tale that will warm the cockles of the coldest heart. “There were fi ve of them and they were waiting ….”

The fi ve aren’t extraordinary, just a group of knickknacks on a windowsill, all desiring something, or perhaps nothing.

The little band includes a pink piggy with an umbrella, “waiting for rain,” a brown bear with a kite “waiting for wind,” a spotted pup on a sled, “waiting for snow,” a tall bunny who “just liked to look out the window and wait,” and a wise owl with spots “waiting for the moon.”

When each gets what he/she wants, they are content; including rabbit, who didn’t want anything but “was just happy looking out the window.” The knickknacks’ lives are predictable, other than the time the ceramic elephant came to call and careened off the sill.

None of them are prepared for what’s in store for them when “a cat with patches joined them.” They soon get much more than they bargained for, as young readers will in this marvelous picture book.

‘Finding Winnie, the True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear’ by Lindsay Mattick

Winnie the Pooh’s illustrious past comes to light in “Finding Winnie, the True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear,” by Lindsay Mattick.

Who knew that this special bear, revered by so many, was a real living, breathing animal? Readers fi nd out his story when a mother tells it to her

son Cole. It begins “A very long, long time ago ….” with a veterinarian named Harry Colebourn, who cared deeply for animals and “knew how to make them feel just right.”

Harry loved his job, but had to leave Winnipeg,

Canada, to fi ght in World War I. On his travels, he came upon a man with a bear cub. “I’ll give you $20 for the bear,” Harry

offered, full well knowing he shouldn’t.

The cub became the darling of Capt. Colebourn’s regiment, but when Harry was shipped from France to England, he grew concerned because now he was going to have to fi ght in the war. There was no other option but to donate Winnie to the London Zoo. And so Winnie’s odyssey continued, a journey that eventually came full circle, right back to the child named Cole sitting on his mother’s lap.

Illustrations by Sophie Blackwell couldn’t be more perfect, many inspired by family photographs provided by the book’s author.

‘Lassie Come Home’ by Eric Knight

Some books have quite a long history, and are cherished, held close to readers’ hearts. So it is with “Lassie Come Home,” by Eric Knight, this year celebrating its 75th anniversary. A new edition was recently published with a forward by Ann M. Martin, herself a dog lover and the author of a number of books about dogs, including a couple of past Book Buzz Picks.

Many will be familiar with the story of the outstanding Yorkshire collie named Lassie, the pride of Joe Carraclough’s life. It’s a hardscrabble existence on the moors and hills of Northern England, and one day after

class Joe is shocked that Lassie isn’t waiting for him by the school door.

You could set a watch by the dog, everyone in the village of Greenall Bridge knew that. So, of course, Sam is alarmed, but then he becomes deeply saddened when he fi nds out

his family has sold the dog because they’re in dire fi nancial straits.

So begins a journey for Lassie, a perilous trek from Scotland to England that involves great dangers, all her instincts guiding her home. Through it all Lassie shows great courage and fortitude in a classic book

now reissued for another generation of young readers to enjoy.

— Reprinted with permission, Missourian Publishing Company. Copyright 2015.

Book Buzz: Gift of a good book

fi ght in World War I. On his travels, he came upon a man with a bear cub.

offered, full well knowing

cockles of the coldest heart. “There were fi ve of them and they were

son Cole. It begins “A very

animals and “knew how to make them feel just right.”

had to leave Winnipeg,

Many will be familiar with the story

fi nancial straits.

Lassie, a perilous trek from Scotland to England that involves great dangers, all her instincts guiding her home. Through it all Lassie shows great courage and


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By Corey Edwards

Freezing temperatures can take a toll on any vehicle. Kenny Omland, store manager of Kearney’s O’reilly Auto Parts, said preparation is the key to battling sub-zero weather.

“You should check your wiper blades, check your antifreeze and oil and washer fluids. Fluids like that are important,” Omland said. “The cold weather makes it worse. Also, make sure your tires are good and the tire pressure is at the right level. You should have an ice scraper and a can of de-icer.”

Omland said the de-icer is import-ant for windshield maintenance.

“Spraying it on the windshield makes it easier to scrape it and

makes it a lot easier to scrape the ice off,” Omland said. “It kind of dissolves it.”

Omland said that under-deflated tires can be dangerous, but over-in-flated tires can be just as bad.

“You are dealing with traction issues. If you have them over-inflated then you might spin when if they were at a proper pressure they wouldn’t spin,” Omland said. “If they are un-der-inflated you might hit a patch of snow and it will pull you to one side or the other.”

Omland recommends that vehicle owners with balding tires should invest in a new set before snowy weather, adding that fluid levels are the most important items to check during the winter.

“If your engine oil is low in cold weather, that is really the life blood of your engine. If you don’t have enough oil in there, you can do severe dam-age to the engine. If your transmission fluid is low, it could possibly do dam-age to it. The first thing you will notice is it won’t shift right. … Same with your power steering fluid — and make sure you antifreeze is full. If you don’t have enough antifreeze, your car could overheat and leave you stranded.”

In case of being stranded, Omland said every car owner should have basic items to keep them safe.

“Like I said, you should have some de-icer and, of course, a blanket,” Omland said. “You should maybe keep a couple of flares just in case it is late at night.”

Vehicle maintenance important as winter weather blows in

METRO CREATIVE

The tire pressure and traction of the family vehicle should be checked before snow starts to fall, says Kenny Omland, the manager of a Northland auto parts store.


It’s the season for feasting,

but 29 million Americans with

diabetes can find this season

particularly challenging

when trying to manage their

diet. People with diabetes

don’t have to skip all the

good stuff to eat during

the holidays, but Liberty

Hospital certified Diabetes

educator Jessica chavez

recommends following

these five guidelines from

the American Diabetes

Association to stay on track

during holiday parties.

Eat breakfast or snacks earlier in the day. “It is a myth that a person with diabetes can save all of their carbs for one meal,” said chavez, a registered nurse. “If you save all carbohydrates for one meal, then blood sugars skyrocket. Avoid that by keeping meals consistent to help

control your blood sugar throughout the day.”

Choose to eat your vegetables first. “Fill up on veggies first, then you’re not as tempted to go for the things that are more unhealthy,” she said.

Remember to regularly check your blood sugar throughout the

holidays. “On party days, add a few extra blood sugar checks to help you stay on track,” chavez said.

Take a walk or attend your usual exercise session the day of a party — it doesn’t matter if it’s before or after eating. “exercise will help you absorb extra glucose in your system and use your insulin properly,” she said.

Don’t beat yourself up. “If you overindulge and eat more carbs or food than you planned, don’t think you have failed,” she said. “Just make a plan to get back on track.”

For extra support for those with diabetes, Liberty Hospital offers two support groups that meet quarterly in classroom 1 on the ground floor of the Doctors building, 2521 Glenn Hendren Drive, Liberty. The next groups are Saturday, Dec. 19. No registration is necessary, and groups are free and open to anyone with Type 1 or 2 diabetes.

Diabetes Support Group meets from 8 to 9:45 a.m. Pumpers Support Group, for those with insulin pumps, meets from 10 a.m. to noon.

One-on-one sessions with a certified diabetes educator and group classes are available with a physician’s order and are covered by insurance. The program includes education on diabetes management, medications, diet, exercise and stress management.

For more information, contact the Diabetes education Department at Liberty Hospital at 792-7267.

— Liberty Hospital

Eat, drink & be healthy

5 tips for feasting with diabetes

METRO CREATIVE

Registered Nurse Jessica Chavez, a diabetes educator, recommends diabetics fill up on veggies first at holiday meals.


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In ellisville, a desperate young moth-er left her newborn baby wrapped in a towel beneath a pine tree. In Kansas city, city workers found the remains of an infant in a trash truck.

If a desperate mother decides to abandon her baby in a trash can, or bury it in the woods, it may never be found. If the baby is found, the mother may face a life of imprisonment, and suffers the guilt of two lives destroyed. However, if that mother decides to

take her infant to a Safe Haven, the baby will be taken care of and two lives are saved.

missouri, as well as all the other 49 states, have some form of the Safe Haven for Newborns Law, designed to prevent the abuse, abandonment or murder of infants.

These laws allow parents to safe-ly relinquish their newborn into the hands of an employee of a Safe Ha-ven site instead of resorting to aban-

donment or abuse, with no questions asked, and no threat of arrest or prosecution. State laws vary from one day to one year.

As of April 2015, 40 babies had been relinquished under Safe Haven law in missouri since 2003.

In missouri, the child must be 45 days old or less and show no signs of abuse.

In missouri hospitals, fire stations, po-lice stations, and ambulance stations

are Safe Havens.United Way 2-1-1 operators are

standing by, ready to answer ques-tions when a desperate parent calls not knowing where to turn.

To learn more about Safe Haven for Newborns, visit the mother & child Health coalition website at http://mchc.net/programs/safe havens.aspx.

Safe Haven for Newborns Law designed to prevent abuse, abandonment, deaths


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Although you can’t stop time, the right type and amount of physical activity can help stave off many age-related health problems.

more than half (59 percent) of Americans expect to still be living at home independently at the age of 80, according to a recent survey by the American Physical Therapy Association. However, the same study showed that at least half of the same population recognizes they will see a decline in strength and flexibility as they age.

movement experts such as physical therapists can help aging individuals overcome pain, gain and maintain movement, and preserve independence — often helping to avoid the need for surgery or long-term use of prescription drugs.

These nine tips, provided by the experts at the American Physical Therapy Association, are keys to helping you age well:

Chronic pain doesn’t have to be the boss of you. each year 116 million Americans experience chronic pain from arthritis or other conditions. Proper exercise, mobility, and pain management techniques can ease pain, improving your overall quality of life.

You can get better and stronger at any age. research shows that

an appropriate exercise program can improve your muscle strength and flexibility as you age. Progressive resistance training, where muscles are exercised against resistance that gets more difficult as strength improves, has been shown to help prevent frailty.

You may not need surgery or drugs for your low back pain. Low back pain is often over-treated with surgery and drugs despite a wealth of scientific evidence demonstrating that physical therapy can be an effective alternative with less risk.

You can lower your risk of

diabetes with exercise. One in four Americans over the age of 60 has diabetes. Obesity and physical inactivity can put you at risk for this disease, but a regular, appropriate physical activity routine is one of the best ways to prevent and manage type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Exercise can help you avoid falls and keep your independence. more than half of adults over 65 report problems with movement, including walking a quarter mile, stooping and standing. exercise can improve movement and balance and reduce your risk of falls.

9 tips for AGING WELL

9December 2015

GETTY IMAGES/BLEND IMAGES

Almost 60 percent of Americans expect to still be living at home independently at the age of 80, according to a recent survey by the American Physical Therapy Association.

Your bones want you to exercise. Osteoporosis, or weak bones, affects more than half of Americans over the age of 54. exercises that keep you on your feet, like walking, jogging or dancing, and exercises using resistance such as weight lifting, can improve bone strength or reduce bone loss.

Your heart wants you to exercise. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. One of the top ways of preventing it and other cardiovascular diseases is exercise. research shows that if you already have heart disease, appropriate exercise can improve your health.

Your brain wants you to exercise. People who are physically active,

even later in life, are less likely to develop memory problems or Alzheimer’s disease, a condition which affects more than 40 percent of people over the age of 85.

You don’t have to live with bladder leakage. more than 13 million women and men in the United States have bladder leakage. A physical therapist can help you avoid spending years relying on pads or rushing to the bathroom.

To learn more about the role of physical activity as you age, or to find a physical therapist near you, visit moveForwardPT.com.

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By Sheena Rice

When faced with adversity, humans make meaning of their experiences through storytelling. Scholars also have found that women, in particular, express their emotions through “narrative sense-making” and relate to and support each other by telling stories in everyday contexts. This is especially true when it comes to mothers and daughters.

Now, a recent study from a University of missouri professor has found that daughters “re-author” stories about adversity over time, often increasing the positivity of those stories through narrative. Scientists believe these changes in storytelling can improve mother and daughter interpersonal relationships and well-being.

“The goal of the research was to understand how communication can change the way daughters make sense of their experiences,” said Haley Horstman, a narrative scholar and assistant professor of interpersonal and family communication in the college of Arts and Science at mU. “When dealing with difficult situations from death to problems in school, how a daughter

communicates with her mother will impact her overall well-being. We wanted to learn how aspects of interpersonal communication such as perspective-taking, coherence and taking turns impact how we make sense of adversity.”

In the study, Horstman had 62 daughters write out a story of a difficulty they were experiencing

and complete a well-being survey. The daughters then met with their mothers to tell their stories. Two days later, the daughters completed another written survey with the story-writing prompt and measures of well-being. In analyzing the results, Horstman found that the stories between mothers and daughters changed over time and with respect to qualities of the mother-daughter conversation. researchers found that by taking turns and

sharing each other’s perspective during their conversation, daughters tended to write their stories more positively over time.

“The takeaway of this study is that our narratives matter,” said Horstman. “Interpersonal communication has the power to change the way we make sense of our lives. If mothers can foster warmth and affection in their

conversations, and if daughters listen to their mother’s perspective, the conversations can help daughters work through negative emotions associated with stress.”

Horstman and her colleagues’ study, “Unfolding narrative meaning over time: The contributions of mother-daughter conversations

of difficulty on daughter narrative sense-making and well-being,” was published in communication monographs. The paper was presented on the Top Four Panel of the Interpersonal communication Division at the National communication Association convention in November 2014.

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Haley Horstman and her colleagues found that daughters “re-author” stories about adversity over time, often increasing the positivity of those stories through narrative.

Interpersonal communication key to daughters’ well-being


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By Kellie Houx

Nothing beats puppy kisses or a kitten that snuggles on a lap, but when the kids are asking for a four-legged friend for christmas, some caution and well-placed advice may go a long way.

Kc Pet Project, with a pet adoption location at the Northland shopping destination Zona rosa, plus the other locations, will offer Home for the Holidays. marketing and Development manager Tori Fugate said the idea is to adopt as many animals out of the shelter as possible 10 days before christmas.

“So the element of surprise will be set aside, but it’s a chance to bring the whole family to one of our locations and see the animals,” she said. “clearly, the whole family is going to be involved and invested in the pet, so everyone should be in the decision to adopt a pet.”

She suggested allowing children to select toys and other necessities after the pet is chosen.

“We want families to come in with their eyes wide open that there is an added responsibility for a puppy or kitten, but a slightly older animal may be a better fit,” Fugate said. “We never know what animals will be at the locations for the holidays. I personally have seen children and teens gravitate toward an older animal. Fundamentally, it’s about whether or not the animal is good with everyone in the family.”

Fugate said every pet has its own personality. Sometimes the Pet Project locations may have guinea pigs, chickens, goats, pigs and rabbits as well.

“We would love to have 200 animals given a home for the holidays,” she said. “We are only closed two days a year — Thanksgiving and christmas. It would be great for our volunteers and staff to come in and care for fewer animals on christmas because many of them have been adopted.”

Another alternative might be fostering animals during the holiday as well. A third idea is to take a

Furry, feathered, scaly gift solutions

Planning needed before adopting animal addition

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Children may want a puppy for Christmas, but experts encourage that instead of making an animal addition an individual gift, the whole family should adopt an animal together before Christmas Day.

13December 2015

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Families can go through training together to serve together at shelters.

Pick a petThe American Society for the Prevention of cruelty to Animals offers

these guidelines to consider when choosing pets for children:

u With children under 3, introduce current pets, but most new pets would vie for lots of attention. With children 3 to 5, guinea pigs are a good choice as they like to be held, seldom bite and squeak when excited or happy. children can begin to take responsibility by filling the water bottle or food dish.

u For children 5 to 10, mice, rats and fish make good pets, as kids can help clean cages with adult help. There’s also a chance to learn responsibility to make sure the pets have food and water and cages are secured.

u by late elementary school through 13 years of age, children may be ready for a dog, cat or rabbit. A child can help feed the pet, clean a rabbit hutch and cat litter, plus walk the dog. Participation in dog obedience classes may be an opportunity to further involve children. As a teenager ages, more school and extracurricular activities could divert attention from pets. Less time-involved pets might be fish.

u Families should also discuss what will happen to the pet when the teen leaves for college.

training course as a family and volunteering together.

“There are multiple training classes monthly,” she said. “You attend those classes at the location you wish to help at, and that’s great.”

The final idea might be to make a donation as a family to a shelter during the holidays. That might be monetary, Fugate said, or the gift of canned food for dogs and cats. For details, visit kcpetproject.org.

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OAK POINTE OF KEARNEY

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Personalized winter weather wearables and year-round accessories are also a good option for holiday gifts. From stocking caps and winter socks to lanyards and wristbands, embroidery shops provide viable options for people seeking a gift in someone’s favorite color, with their favorite team logo or a personal touch on it.

“Another thing people like to do for gifts is to have their initials on it. They like to monogram things they already have... Towels are a big thing at christmas; people like to monogram them,” Stan Kienast, owner of Stitch of the Time, an embroidery shop in Kearney, said.

If having a gift personalized, Kienast

said, people need to remember it takes time. The shop owner suggests taking the item to be personalized to, or buy it from, the shop and get the order placed at least two weeks before the holiday.

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GIFTS FOR UNDER $10each year around this time, Northlanders run

themselves ragged shopping for, and going

to, holiday party after holiday party, giving gift

after gift. It’s exhausting and can break the

bank, depending on the number of people

you buy for. To help keep your pocketbook

or wallet a little extra merry and full of green

(backs, that is), the following is a list of frugal

unisex finds for everyone on your list that cost

less than $10.

By Amanda LubinskiFor the deeply creative

or those who simply like to chronicle segments of everyday life, a well-made blank journal is a wonderful gift. They come in various sizes, come in a variety of cover designs and can be purchased at many big-box stores, drugstores and boutiques throughout the Northland.

Whether you’re buying for a techie or a sentimental parent, USb port memory sticks make great gifts when you fill them with personalized photos, audio and video files. memory sticks, or flash drives, can be purchased at big-box retailers, electronics stores, as well as many small retailers, drugstores, and even gas stations and grocery stores.

For those always keeping track of the time or who are hard to rouse for work in the morning, a wall or alarm clock is an inexpensive gift option. Clocks come in a variety of sizes and colors, making them ideal to go with any room’s decor. Clocks can be purchased at a variety of stores.

Body wash and/or lotion gift sets from the holiday gift set aisle of your favorite retailer can also be a welcomed holiday gift. They deliver the notion of relaxation and can be slightly tailored by choosing a scent the receiver finds pleasant.


75058530

Best Student/Teacher Ratio North of the Riverand Excellent Teacher Tenure

Monday thru Friday open 7:00 am - 6:00 pm

Voted 2011 and 2012 Silver Award and 2013 Gold Award for Daycare/Preschool in The Northland

Over 34 years of educating and caring for children

Accepting children ages 6 weeks thru Kindergarten

650 E. Ruth Ewing RoadLiberty, Missouri 64068

www.libertymontessoricenter.com

816-781-6295

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Best Daycare/Preschool in the Northland for 5 years running!

Monday thru Friday open 7:00 am - 6:00 pm

Best Student/Teacher Ratio North of the River and Excellent Teacher Tenure

Over 36 years of educating and caring for children

Accepting children ages 6 weeks thru Kindergarten

By Mark Johnson

The holiday season can be one of excitement, laughter and anticipation. It can also be a major hurdle for a blended family, especially when they are spending their first christmas together.

An important step is to clear up confusing family issues for children with the number of new people in their lives, which can often double or even triple, said Jim Landers, associate pastor of marriage at Pleasant Valley baptist church. He said that included defining the roles of those people.

“There is no doubt that the first year is tough,” Landers said. “You find out who you are as a new family.”

To ease that transition Landers offers a series of suggestions:

• First and foremost, remember, your children need you.

• Share your values about christmas.

• make sure you have time for the immediate family group.

• Don’t use children as the

communicator with an ex-wife or ex-husband.

• Do a service project at christmastime as a family.

• realize that children come into a blended family considering children from the other family as peers, not brothers or sisters.

Those sibling ties are relationships that Landers said can take a while to take root.

“It takes time for that to happen,” he said.

Where discipline is concerned, he

said it is often recommended that the biological parent take the lead in handing the situation with the other parent standing beside them.

Going back to holiday celebrations, Landers said it can be a good idea to let each family keep some of its traditions with the blended family creating new traditions.

Meeting the challenges of being a newly

BLENDED FAMILY

It’s not uncommon for children in newly blended families to view one another as peers instead of siblings. Those relationships take time to cultivate.

METRO CREATIVE


Cinnamon and Pine Fragrance JarPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: 15 minutesMakes: 1 jar2-3 pine branches (4 inches long)2 mccormick Gourmet cinnamon Sticks1 teaspoon mccormick

Gourmet Whole Jamaican Allspice

water

Place pine, cinnamon and allspice inside 8-ounce jar. Pour water to fill jar, leaving 1/2-inch headspace; seal.

To add a lovely fragrance around the house, pour all contents of jar into small saucepan. Simmer on medium heat 10 to 15 minutes or until fragrant, adding additional water as needed.

— Family Features

Gingerbread Cookie ButterPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: 2 minutesServings: 24 (1 tablespoon each)

8 ounces gingerbread cookies, about 8 (3 1/2-inch long) cookies

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar1/2 cup coconut oil1/4 cup water2 teaspoons mccormick Pure

Vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon mccormick

Ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon mccormick

Ground Ginger

Pulse cookies in food processor until resembling fine crumbs. Add sugar; pulse until just blended.

Heat oil and water in small saucepan on low heat until coconut oil is melted. Slowly add oil mixture to processor while pulsing. Add vanilla and spices; pulse until just blended.

8300 N.W. Barry Rd., Kansas City, MO 64153-1634

“I think the entire staff are exceptional, very compassionate, very attentive, and wonderful to my dad. It is a very, very clean and wonderful environment that I have recommended to several friends for their parents. I don’t think there could be a better place.”

Sandy B., Family Member

The best place for my dad

Call or stop by today for a tour, then stay for a

free lunch!

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Instead of fighting crowds at the store, head to the kitchen and whip up Pinterest-worthy treats and crafts. Whether you’re gifting a gracious host or just want a few extra presents on hand for unexpected holiday guests, flavorful and aromatic kitchen creations are a delicious way to show you care this holiday season.

“christmas cookies are always a popular gift but they’re not the only homemade option for the cookie lovers on your list,” said chef Kevan Vetter of the mccormick Kitchens. “A small jar of spreadable Gingerbread cookie butter brings the taste of a classic holiday treat to unexpected places like toast and pancakes.”

Discover new ideas and recipes for everything from homemade seasonal butters to fragrance jars by visiting mccormick Spice on Pinterest and Facebook.

Homemade gifts for a heartwarming holiday season

Northland Family - December 2015

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Transcript of Northland Family - December 2015