Homemaker Newsletter. Lesson for the Month Food Label Fundamentals. Roll Call What is your favorite Valentine s gift you received or gave to someone?

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1 FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES Homemaker Newsletter UPCOMING EVENTS/MEETINGS Thursday, February 2 KEHA Planning Committee meeting Extension Office, 6:00 p.m. Friday, February 24 Brown Bag Book Club Extension Office, 11:30 a.m. Thursday, March 9 Soup It Up Soup Day Fundraiser Zion United Church of Christ 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Monday, March 27 Green River Area Homemaker Council meeting Daviess County Extension Office 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 28 Lesson Leader Trainings 10:30 a.m. - April Lesson Noon - May Lesson SAVE YOUR GLASS JARS! The KEHA 2017 Planning Committee is collecting glass jars (with lids) for a hands-on craft that will be offered during the 2017 KEHA State Meeting. If you have jars that you would like to donate please bring them to the Extension Office no later than March 1. Any size or shape glass jar (with a lid) will work! Cooperative Extension Service Daviess County 4800A New Hartford Road Owensboro, KY Fax: FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL CHOCOLATE MONTH Lesson for the Month Food Label Fundamentals Roll Call What is your favorite Valentine s gift you received or gave to someone? Thought for the Month Love isn t something you find. Love is something that finds you FOOD AND NUTRITION The 2017 Food and Nutrition Calendars are available at the Extension Office. If you would like to have a calendar, you may come in and pick one up. BROWN BAG BOOK CLUB RECOMMENDATION BY LEILA GAINES Dumpling Soup, by Jama Rattigan, is a wonderful children s book to share with your children and grandchildren. This book is set in the Hawaiian islands and is about a family s celebration of the Chinese New Year. Today, when our country is faced with the challenge of creating one nation out of many peoples, there is a special place for a story that fosters love and respect for diversity. Please join us for the next meeting on February 24, at 11:30 a.m. Bring your lunch and any book that you would like to share.

2 SOUP IT UP SOUP DAY FUNDRAISER Join the Daviess County Extension Homemakers for a delicious Soup Luncheon! Proceeds will benefit the Daviess County Extension Homemakers Scholarship Fund MARCH 9, :30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Zion United Church of Christ 625 Allen Street Owensboro, KY Cost: $5.00 (includes soup, cornbread, drink & dessert) Please call the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Office at for more information. 2017/2018 Homemaker Lessons Your Green River Area FCS Extension Agents have some exciting news regarding Homemaker lessons for the upcoming 2017/2018 year! The University of Kentucky and KEHA have approved a series of lessons, titled Healthy Homemakers, which specifically focus on various aspects of being healthy throughout the lifespan. These lessons are based on University of Kentucky Extension research and publications and will provide up to date information about topics such as diabetes, personal safety, balance, and much more. We look forward to sharing these lessons with you all beginning with the lesson leader trainings in August of this year. If you have any questions about these lessons please contact your county FCS Extension Agent. SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE! Applications for the Daviess County Extension Homemaker s annual scholarship are now being accepted. Deadline to apply for the scholarship is March 15. Scholarship applications may be accessed online on the Extension Office webpage - KEHA CULTURAL ARTS Cultural Arts entries for the Green River Area will be due to the Extension Office no later than Friday, March 17. A separate letter and details regarding cultural arts rules and categories will be mailed to all Homemaker members in February. For more details please visit the KEHA website at: KEHA STATE MEETING Hear Tim Farmer of KET S Tim Farmer s Country Kitchen at the Opening Banquet. Enjoy a performance by the KEHA choir. Attend a variety of learning and training sessions. Visit with friends and network with KEHA members from across the state. Participate in the Quilt Square Showcase. Enjoy tours and hands-on sessions. Explore Owensboro. Learn, laugh, and have fun! Registration details will be included in the KEHA State Newsletter in February 2017! One day and full registration options will be available. Lodging reservation info posted at:

3 GREEN BEAN AND HAM SOUP 4 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 3 cups russet potatoes, unpeeled and cubed 2 small onions, thinly sliced 3 whole carrots, peeled and sliced 1 pound fully cooked ham, cut into bite-size pieces 9 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup half and half 2 tablespoons corn starch 1/4 cup cold water Place green beans, potatoes, onions, carrots, ham, and the 9 cups of water into a large soup pot, cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, about 45 minutes or until the vegetable are tender. Remove the pot from the heat and add the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and half and half. Return to heat and bring to a simmer again. Combine corn starch and 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl. When simmer begins, combine the corn starch mixture into the soup and stir well. Allow the soup to remain on the heat for 5-7 more minutes while it thickens. Yield: 12, 1 cup servings Nutritional Analysis: 140 calories, 4.5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 670 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 3 g sugar, 10 g protein. Buying Kentucky Proud is easy. Look for the label at your grocery store, farmers market, or roadside stand. INTERNATIONAL CLOTHING AND TEXTILE PROJECT Daviess County Homemakers are encouraged to participate in a sewing kit project to benefit women in the villages of Adjeikrom and Asseso (Ghana). The project will provide new career opportunities to the women in the two villages. The items that make up each kit are: 2 yards inexpensive cotton fabric 20 spools of thread (150 yards each) seam ripper 10 hand needles 8 1/2 inch scissors 25 safety pins pin cushion 60 inch tape measure thimble Please bring any items your club can donate to the Extension Office by March 7. Your donations will count on your club s International Program of Work report for this year. If you have any questions, please contact Leila Gaines at Love Is In The Air D N E I R F L R I G H D P Y E R O M A N C E R A E N C D N N E R P R E C O I A E R N G S I M T T H C B B R I D A O Y E T V Z A M P D T R U C I E J S N H F V L S S F Y C B F P W O E L C L C O Y P J D S X D U R L G M E O O C H C E K S I N C A X N T B W M O B I T N N F G V H L O V E E I H R H C N J M M Z T M I C O R S C U M E I B G U N E W J V H S O E K R B Z W Q S D Y X U O U Y H P R Q J X F U T P Z F S G G N D K C N U S E S S I K Y G Y S F B D V H BOYFRIEND CANDY CHOCOLATE CUPID DINNER FLOWERS GIRLFRIEND HEARTS HUGS KISSES LOVE ROMANCE ROSES VALENTINE Mary Higginbotham Daviess County Extension Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences Education

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5 Daviess County Extension Office 4800A New Hartford Road Owensboro KY (270)

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7 Jennifer Hunter, Ph.D. Associate Extension Professor Family Financial Management (859) AUGUST 2016 FEBRUARY 2017 THIS MONTH S TOPIC: AUTOMATING YOUR FINANCES Do you find it difficult to keep track of your monthly banking activity? If so, you may want to consider automating your finances. Over the past several years, financial institutions have introduced services that allow for you to pay bills and transfer money between accounts automatically after a one-time set up of your preferences. Automating your finances is an easy way to guarantee that your bills are paid on time and that you are on track to meeting your financial goals. Below are some considerations that you should keep in mind when automating your finances: Direct deposit. Why make a trip to the bank on payday when you can have your paycheck automatically deposited to your account? Setting up direct deposit gives your employer permission to deposit funds into your bank account. In addition to its convenience, there are other advantages as well. Many financial institutions offer perks to customers who are enrolled in direct deposit such as waived monthly checking fees. Bill payment. Setting up automatic bill payment is easy to do and will guarantee that all of your bills are paid on time. You will need to provide your financial institution with the account number and address of the vendor to which you are making the payment. For bills that vary from month to month, such as a utility bill, you will need to sign into your account each month, enter the amount of the payment, and schedule the payment date. Most financial institutions do not charge for automatic bill payment; however, if your institution does charge, you can set up automatic bill payment directly through the vendor s website at no cost.

8 Savings accounts. If your company offers a retirement savings program, chances are there is an option that will allow for you to automatically deposit a portion of your paycheck into the savings account. Enroll in or text alerts. If you are concerned about your account balances, consider enrolling in or text alerts. Your financial institution will send an or text alert if your account balance drops below a certain amount. Receiving these alerts can help you remain aware of how much money you are spending as well as avoid overdraft fees. Automating your finances is a great way to cut down on the stress that you may experience when managing your finances. Additionally, it s a great way to save money that is potentially lost to late fees, overdraft fees, and missed payments. Setting up automatic payments and transfers only requires a one-time set up in many cases. For that reason, it is important to be vigilant about your finances and take the time to periodically look at your accounts to ensure that your payments and transfers are occurring as scheduled. Automatic transfer. If you regularly transfer funds between banking accounts, consider setting up automatic transfers. Some financial institutions even allow you to automatically transfer to accounts at other financial institutions. Budgeting. If you use a budgeting software program or website, consider linking your checking and credit card accounts so that you are able to keep track of your spending. Many of these programs and websites will categorize your spending and alert you to overspending, according to limits that you have set for your budget. Become a fan of MoneyWi$e on Facebook! Facebook.com/MoneyWise Kristyn Jackson, LMFT, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Family Sciences, University of Kentucky Jennifer Hunter, Ph.D., Associate Extension Professor Family Financial Management, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, (859) ; jhunter@uky.edu Stock images: 123RF.com