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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1996-12-23, Page 1.v,• I—IV 1 • ,•4-. .'i 'r SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 nside Letters to the Editor See page 5 Penny Club raises money See page 13 International - Christmas traditions See Crossroads Second front Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! SEIP'S valu-mart One hundred and one... mittens At nearly 80 -years -old, Carrie Kyle has no problem turning out dozens of mitts to donate to local charities By Heather Mir T -A Reporter LUCAN - After giving away more than 45 pairs of mittens, Carrie Kyle still managed to do- nate 106 pairs to the Salvation Army in time for Christmas. But that's not all Kyle knits. She is also making slippers for seniors at the local re- tirement home and constantly gives friends and family gifts of hand- made doll dresses, afghans, sweat- ers and doilies. Although she now prefers small projects, the goals she sets for herself are not small. Last "Mayb g thi can January Kyle had plans to knit 200 pairs of mitts. But because nearly everone who crosses her path seems to go home with one of her projects, her target was lowered to 100, which she surpassed. Friends and family describe Kyle as a very generous person who enjoys doing fa- vors for others. At nearly 80 -years -old, she shows no signs of slowing down and although ar- thritis sometimes bothers her, it won't stop her from achieving her goals. She has five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren to knit for, but always finds time to e it will et other women nking..1 do this." give to those less fortunate. "I enjoy every stitch," she said. "Maybe it will get other women thinking..I can do this." In return for yarn, which a rel- ative buys at garage sales, Kyle knits an additional two dozen mitts for bazaars. She is never without a project on the go and is rarely seen without a pair of knit- ting needles in her hands. When the Salvation Army learned of Kyle's intentions, they were delighted, said daughter Car- ol Hartle. And already, Kyle is planning for next year's project, which she thinks she'll donate to another charity. Carrie Kyle knit more than 100 mittens to donate to the Salvation Army before Christmas. She also knit dozens of slippers for the Lucan Retirement Home Christmas party. Baking champs gear up for holidays By Brenda Burke T -A Reporter EXETER - Exeter Fall Fair baking pros Sheila Miller and Melanie Seip have been looking forward to the second busi- est baking time of the year - Christmas. They have cookies, shortbread and squares on their hol- iday menus for 1996. "Fruit cake isn't as popular as it was a few years ago," said Miller, who likes to create her treats a week before the big day. "Shortbread is a tradition at Christmas." She recommends using confectionery sugar in place of ic- ing sugar when rolling outhoitbread dough. "You can decorate with cherries or little sprinkles or what- ever you like," she added, warning lcttrg'me'final product >re>tiia's Shortbread 1 cup butter '1 /2 cup icing or confectionery sugar 2-3 cups pastry flour ` Cream butter and sugar. Gradually add two cups flour. Knead dough until It begins to crack, slowly adding the third cup of flour. Roil,; cut into shapes. r and decorate with sprinkles or cherries. Bake at 300 degrees celsius for 20 minutes or until golden brown. overpowers its mild taste. Seip, who decided to concentrate on perfecting cookies just a few days before Christmas, advised the best shortbread should "melt in your mouth." Both bakers, who credit their talent to their mothers' baking skills, will use their creations as Christmas gifts, Miller in the form of jam gift baskets and Seip offering her cookies. When preparing holiday treats, they suggest cutting up small portions, which encourages people to sample many different items. But most importantly they insist, baking at any time of the year requires cpntiiflence. "You havee:4e`hkvo+e•pesitivo attitude when you bake," ex. plained Miller. "When you have to bake so much in a short time, you're not going to have success with every item." "When you have to bake so much in a short time, you're not go- ing to have success with every item." 40Sheila Miller, at left, and Melanie Seip celebrate the season with home- made Christmas goodies that Include a gingerbread Christmas tree, cherry curorises, shortbread cookies and an easy -to -make eggnog loaf. Metanie's Cherry Surprises 1/2 cup soft butter 1 and 3/4 cup icing sugar 1 teaspoon orange juice 1-1/2 cup coconut 3 and 1/2 dozen maraschino cherries 1 cup fine graham wafer crumbs Cream butter. Add sugar, orange juice and coconut. Wrap small por- tions of mixture around each cherry. Roll In graham crumbs and chill. Food Bank demands increase during holidays More than 40 families receive assistance each month EXETER - Food bank volunteers estimate demand for hampers have increased by nearly 50 per cent from this time last year. The beginning of the month showed a drop in donations but community efforts such as the scout and guide food drive last Fri- day, helped to re -stock shelves. Drop-offs at the food bank have also picked up in recent weeks. The depot provides 40 to 50 fam- ilies with food each month. Num- bers vary from one to eight people and food is distributed accordingly. In addition to canned and dry goods, the food bank also offers bread, sweets, margarine and meat when available. People use the food bank for a variety of reasons including short- term assistance need for new res- idents as well as those who have changed jobs or are waiting to col- lect employment insurance ben- efits. After the announcement of wel- fare cuts last June, the food bank saw a jump in the numbers they help but this has levelled out. "We always need more. It goes out fast," said one volunteer. The Exeter Community Food Bank is an outreach of the Pen- tecostal Tabernacle that has been operating since July 1994. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. except Thursday and Sunday. De- cember 24 will be the last day be- fore the holidays people can pick up food. The depot will re -open Jan. 3. • �r\� / •V� • Up in the Attic By Meridith Webster Grade 8 student McGllllvrgQ_ hool Christine steja d dFihb amily veld smiled at the familiar slght,before her. Her grandmother's house was beautifully lit up in Christmas colours. Evergreen boughs were placed neatly on the porch, giving the home a peaceful look. Christine hurried up the walk and rang the doorbell only to give her grand- ma a warning of their presence. She'then opened the door, took off her heavy boots and followed her nose to the aroma of cook- ing turkey in the kitchen. There she found her grandmother, smiling and cheerful. "Christine! Merry Christmas!" the elderly wom- an greeted as she embraced her grand- daughter. "Merry Christmas grandma!" Christine an- swered. Christine's younger brother, Brent, was soon in the kitchen, followed by their parents, who were carrying boxes full of presents. Christine stood among the joyous procession of warm greetings and 'Merry Christmas's'. How won- derful she felt at the family gathering. A sense of belonging mixed with gratitude flowed through Christine. "Why don't you all go put your bags up- stairs? Then when you come back down we can chat," grandma directed them. On the way up the stairs Christine suddenly took notice of a door at the top that she had completely Ignored before. When she opened it, she saw that there was another set of stairs, obviously leading to an attic; Filled with curiosi- ty, Christine headed up the stairs. The room at the top was dusty and, with only one window, was very dark. Setting it aside in her mind to ask her grand- ma to show her around the attic later, she headed back down the stairs. After she had put her bags in the bedroom she always slept in, she went back down to the kitchen. her parents were there, sitting and talking with her grandmother. - Continued on page 2 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1,\\/iti1•C•,I111 rte' .r p. Audio & Video Specialist!, Derick and Rick 63 Main St. S. Exeter, Ontario (519) 235-0003 Christmas Hours Mon. to Fri. 11-9 Sat. 11-6 Sun. 12 w •J Wish You A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Thank you for your patronage and look forward to serving you in 1997. We also would like to remind you there are many items lege to finish off your Christmas List. 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