Everyone Can Have a Winter Wonderland

In this part of the country it is warm throughout the year.  Experiencing snow is very unlikely.  However, you can create a winter wonderland right in your home.  Keep reading to learn how to create snow right in your own home.

With my husband's office Christmas party just around the corner, I have already begun decorating. It takes a while to get all of our Christmas items up and set in stone.

Last year, the main focus of our house for the party was the Florida Room, which I turned into a Santa's Toyland. This year, the focus is once again on that room but this time, I'm turning it into a snow land.

Turning any room in your house into a snow land can be fun and it offers a slightly different twist to the more traditional Christmas theme. I chose the Florida Room because it is the room in which my guests most like to congregate. Additionally, the green curtains and blue carpet lend themselves automatically to the theme.

You can do something similar for your house by using some or all of the following ideas:

Idea #1. Start the theme with the Christmas Tree. This year I scaled back my 8' tree to allow more room for seating. Instead, I chose a smaller, thinner 6' tree, which I decorated in keeping with the snow land theme.

Think about placing cotton batting inside the tree to simulate snow. To make it glisten more, accent it with aurora borealis tinsel. Glittering snowball tinsel round around the branches works well too.

Choose ornaments that fit in with the overall theme. I used old world Santas, snowmen, angels and Christmas bulbs in clear, white and silver. Then, I popped it with color by placing red glitter poinsettias and snowflakes inside the branches as well.

Use a bow made of snowmen or a similar theme as a tree topper or pick out a glistening snowflake or star topper instead. Even an angel will work if you stick to clear or aurora borealis glass or plastic or choose something done in corresponding colors.

Idea #2. Temporarily cover furniture cushions and pillows with snow themed fabric.

The floral cushions in my wicker chairs were inappropriate for my snow land theme. So I used inexpensive ($1 yard) fabric in a snow theme to temporarily cover them. A simple running whip stitch allowed me to complete the job quickly. It will also make for easy removal once Christmas is over.

To pull the fabric together with the curtains, I replaced the curtain on my door to match the cushions. I left the other green curtains in place and simply dangled snowflakes from the tops of each. I also covered throw pillows in white felt and glued matching snowflakes to the front.

You can also replace throw pillows with store bought ones if you prefer. I added a couple that fit in with the theme but also popped in a bit more color.

Idea #3. Cover surfaces with a blanket of snow.

I used several different kinds of materials to achieve the look I wanted. For the large round wicker table in the center of the room I had to use white felt. It was the only fabric I could find that was large enough to cover the circumference. The fabric was around $5 a yard but one yard was all I needed.

Snow blankets can be purchased for smaller surfaces almost anywhere that Christmas decorations are sold. I used that material for my large rectangular table. These blankets retail for anywhere from $4 to $10, depending upon their size the features (e.g., glitter, glisten, etc.)

You can also use cotton pull-apart stuffing to make snow banks on large surfaces to cover really small areas. That material is inexpensive and can be found at any arts & crafts store, at Wal-Mart or fabric stores for around $4 a bag.

Increase the glitter factor with white glitter netting from Michael's Arts & Crafts. It can be draped or round a surface. The cost is about $7 per 84" by 15" piece.

Add snow flakes made from foam, fabric, or tinsel to accent the surfaces. Also think about using glittered white poinsettias.

Don't forget the snowmen. The ones I used happened to be wine bottle covers that will house Christmas gifts for some of our party guests.

Idea #4. Decorate surfaces.

I found cute little cardboard houses at Dollar Tree that doubled as gift boxes for party guests. They were perfect for decorating the top of one of the room's tables.

Add a bouquet of flowers or a plant to bring extra pizzazz to any surface.

Idea #5. Add some stockings on the fireplace.

Even a small fireplace in the room is still perfect for stocking accents. The top or mantel also provides another surface upon which you can place plants or other decorations.

Idea #6. Sit snowmen around the room.

I picked up the giant snowman pictured at a yard sale for $5. He sits inside the door to greet guests as they arrive.

Sit other woodland creatures around on the floor, between chairs, etc. Although they are not pictured, I have the perimeters of the room strewn with snowmen, old word Santas, reindeer and more. They cover up extension cords, trash cans and other things I don't want attention called to. They also add warmth and charm to the space.

Idea #7. Pipe in music with a snow theme like "Winter Wonderland," "Frosty the Snowman," or anything else appropriate. It will help set the mood and help calm the guests and remove the stress of their day.

Have fun with the theme. Get a bit wild and crazy with ideas if you want. The whole idea is to make a fantasy room that you and your guests will enjoy.

For more information see Yahoo.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! Spend some time with your friends and family and remember everything in life that you are thankful for.

New Theater Production at Emory

 Make sure not to miss this new theater production at Emory that opens November 18th.  It is part of the New Works Festival and features tales of the Brothers Grimm.  There are five professional and nine student actors that portray each character in the various tales.

Grim, Grimmer, Grimmest: Tales of a Precarious Nature," the latest Theater Emory production opening Thursday, Nov. 8, follows a current trend of innovative approaches to creating theater.

The play, which runs through Nov. 18 at the Mary Gray Munroe Theater, takes modern, urban travelers into the shocking, forbidden and magical stories of the Brothers Grimm and drops them into places of disequilibrium and transformation.

"Grim, Grimmer, Grimmest" was conceived and directed by Theater Emory's artistic director, Janice Akers, originally developed in the 2011 Brave New Works festival on campus.

The characters are portrayed by an ensemble of five professional and nine student actors, who find themselves in compelling tales, "wrestling not only with the beast in the woods but with the demons inside of themselves," says Akers, "We are on a path to creating a piece that feels both primal and industrial, a world in which there are sudden and inexplicable events, both outside the characters and in their interior lives."

" 'Grim' has been a unique project to work on," says actor Nicholas Surbey, communications coordinator for Emory College Center for Creativity and Arts ('10C). "We started rehearsal with a concept and text from different stories, and worked together as an ensemble, under the guidance of our director, to put together a completed show."

"The resulting play doesn't have a traditional structure or chronological story line, but rather explores the intense complexity of experience reflected in these children's stories. We can go from being totally terrified and lost in the woods, to finding ourselves magically transported into something manically funny. Everything can change in a moment, so the drama of the evening really comes from waiting for the next extreme shift," Surbey adds.

Performances of "Grim, Grimmer, Grimmest" are Nov. 8-10 and 14-17 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 11 and 18 at 2 p.m. in the Mary Gray Munroe Theater of the Dobbs University Center. Tickets are $20 general admission, $16 discount category members, $6 Emory students and may be purchased at the Arts at 
Emory box office at 404-727-5050. For more information, visit theater.emory.edu.

For more information see Emory.edu

New Fall Recipe

Now that the Election is over, it is time for everyone to relax.  Here is a great delicious recipe for an apple tart that everyone should try.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup ice water

For the apples:

• 4 Granny Smith apples
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced
• 1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
• 2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

Directions

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. 

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. 

Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature. 

For more information see Food Network.
Clairmont Reserve

Fall Back Time is Sunday

Do not show up an hour early for class on Monday.  This Saturday night to Sunday make sure to set your clocks back an hour for fall back time.  Enjoy your extra hour of sleep this weekend.

It's time once again for the annual ritual of resetting our clocks for a return to standard time. In fall, we turn daylight saving* time off, which means moving clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, November 4, 2012. This return to "normal" time (Pacific Standard Time) moves sunset back an hour with the corresponding effect of an earlier sunrise.

Unless you plan on being awake and functional at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, set your clocks back one hour before retiring on Saturday night. You'll then be on time for Sunday activities and refreshed from getting an extra hour of sleep. 

For more information see About.com
Clairmont Reserve

Tips for College Graduates

College graduates are having more trouble finding jobs than ever before.  As they are forced to move home, they end up working part time retail jobs until they may land a job a few years later.  Here are ten great tips on how to improve your chances at landing a job post graduation.

Many companies are biased against hiring recent grads. Diana Zimmerman of the marketing communications agency CMS Communications, Intl., says she doesn't interview recent college grads anymore: "I have found, overall, they have, (right or wrong) a very different work ethic, and are just too self-absorbed. A job interview is not about them. It's about what value they can bring to the company. Many of them haven't even researched the company they are interviewing for."
But all hope isn't lost. Here's a list of 10 steps you can take to increase your chances of snagging a great job once you graduate.

1. Find hands-on learning opportunities. According to Sabrina Ali, career counselor and writer, participating in cooperative education or practicum opportunities gives college students "paid work experience, industry mentoring, and [they] become a known entity in their industry of choice prior to needing or wanting full-time work, and have a chance to figure out better what they want for themselves in terms of a career after they graduate."
See if your university or department offers opportunities that would allow you to try out working in the field you're studying in.

2. Socialize online (beyond Facebook). Maria Stephens, PR manager at the pattern-based analytics company Emcien Corporation, says it's important to manage your online reputation. According to her, employers will Google you, so it's best to be prepared by knowing what they'll find. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is polished and up-to-date. Either don't post anything embarrassing that might prevent you from being hired on Facebook or Twitter, or change your privacy settings so your updates don't appear in search results.

3. Become more than just a resume. Stephens also suggests managing a blog to give you a leg up in the competitive job market. "[Find] something professional that relates in a way to something that could strengthen your chances of getting an interview because you'll instantly become more than just a resume," she says. "Whether it's your interests with running or cooking, show that you're an interesting person with talents and a personality."

4. Never waste a summer. Sure, you know that interning is one way to get some job experience while still in college, but don't be afraid to take on more than one over the years of your entire college education. "In this tough job climate, it is important that college students prove that they are worth the risk of being hired," says Christie Haynes, president of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau in Dawsonville, Ga. "They can do this by never wasting a summer in college ... Find an internship that allows you to gain valuable experience in the field you hope to enter upon graduation."

5. Take classes outside of your major. You can assume that if you take all the sociology classes your major requires that you'll be hireable when you finish your degree, but the truth is: that's not always the case. Other classes, especially those in business, can give you real-world knowledge that employers will appreciate. Consider taking classes in communications, public speaking, finance, and general business.

6. Get a part-time job in the field you're interested in. Scooping ice cream to pay for your college courses won't do you any good when you graduate. Robert Sollars of Today's Training LLC says if you take an entry-level position in the industry you want to work in (such as working a private security position if you're working toward a degree in criminal justice), you can get a sense of what the work requires to see if you're truly interested in making a career out of it. "This will allow them to get their 'feet wet' and learn more about a different side of the law enforcement community," he says.

7. Meet people. Most college students aren't thinking about networking, but that's exactly what you should be doing before you graduate. Many colleges have strong alumni networks that students can tap into, and many college departments offer opportunities to meet professionals in the community who are working in that field. Get out and shake hands. Get advice on the profession you're interested in and ask questions to get tips on how to best position yourself.

Ali says you should ask questions you can't find the answers to online: "What do you wish you'd known about the job before you started? What skills and traits make someone ideally suited for this kind of work in the long-term?"

8. Know how to talk about yourself. Early in your career, you may find it hard to toot your own horn, but Ali says it's important to be able to do so: "This element is so important and so often overlooked, yet it's a crucial step in determining your success in finding work," she says. "What are you going to say when someone asks: 'Who are you and what are you looking for (in relation to work)?'"

Be confident in your response, and don't be afraid to say what you want. Knowing what you want out of a career proves you're a go-getter, which appeals to employers.

9. Nail the interview process. Even before you apply for your first job, find out what a professional job interview will look like. Talk to professionals that you network with to see what questions you should expect to be asked, and practice your answers. Have a friend mock interview you so you can get your nervous tics out and learn to smoothly answer questions.

10. Be open. If you zero in on one single job that you want, you might miss out on other great opportunities. Spend your college time exploring different industries you could work in, as well as different roles you might be eligible for once you graduate. Your ideal job may come from left field, so be open to possibilities.

For more information see US News.

Emory joins Teach for America

The Rollins School of Public Health students have collaborated with Teach for America to educate students on valuable health skills.  This is a great partnership to reach Atlanta schools and the next generation of Americans.

"They're big! If only they fit," jokes Carrie Oliver of her "Teacher Pants"—metaphorical trousers that represent the self-reflection, patience, and vision required to teach PreK-12 students about health.

Last spring, Oliver was among the first Rollins School of Public Health students enrolled in Classroom to Community, a seminar that paired them with Teach for America (TFA) teachers in Atlanta-area schools. The seminar is part of ConnectEd4Health, an alliance between Rollins and TFA to promote health in the classroom to overcome barriers to education. The collaboration is the first of its kind between a school of public health and TFA, the national program that places outstanding college graduates in underserved areas to teach for two years.

"Our partnership with TFA is a launch pad for using local schools as a vehicle to teach critical health skills to the next generation," says Ariela Freedman, assistant research professor at Rollins and a TFA alumna.

ConnectEd4Health grew out of student interest fostered by Freedman. Although it offered no course credit, the first seminar drew in a landslide of applicants. Freedman chose 15 students who were paired with TFA mentors to learn to guide them in becoming effective health educators.
As RSPH students quickly learned, the classroom can be an unforgiving place. "It's a reality check from Rollins, where everyone tells you to change the world. Then you're out in the world, and it's big," says Gaëlle Gourmelon 12MPH.

But the difficulties were part of the learning process for Lolly Beck-Pancer 13MPH. Her first lesson on high levels of sugar in food might have been ambitious for a kindergarten class, but she made an impression—one 5-year-old was so taken aback by the presence of sugar in his chocolate milk that he flatly refused the beverage in favor of water.

Throughout spring semester, Rollins students and TFA members discussed how to better promote health in the classroom. In an entry on the Classroom to Community blog, Sahar Salek 12MPH discussed her volunteer work as a dental assistant at a school-based health center in south San Diego. Such centers, she wrote, can be crucial to combating the social determinants of health in underserved schools and integrating health and education.

Audra Williams, an MD/MPH student at Emory and a TFA alumna from Atlanta, concurs. "This year brought together my lives as a teacher and medical student," says Williams, who co-taught the Classroom to Community seminar with Freedman. "We all need to take on the responsibility to learn what's going on in our schools to build healthier communities."

For more information see Emory.