Forest, VA

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Lake Vista Residents: Enjoy Refreshments and Christmas Cheer by the cozy fire at the Annual Lake Vista Christmas Open House. Held at the Lake Vista Centre (200 Lake vista Drive) this coming Sunday, December 6, 2009 from 2-4PM. There will be a balloon artist, face painting and Christmas music to enjoy.

Santa will be stopping by to say hello to all the good boys and girls!

Gingerbread People Recipe

Baking is one of my holiday traditions and making Gingerbread People is one of my favorite things to do this time of year. I've been making these wonderful cookies every Christmas season for over 25 years. It's a fun project for the kids, they love to cut out the shapes and decorate. I make a lot of mini gingerbread people- when you add the frosting they can be on the sweet side. The cookies store well; you can bake and freeze or freeze some of the dough to bake a fresh batch at your convenience.

1 1/2 cups dark molassas

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup cold water

1/4 cup shortening

7 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp allspice

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix the molassas, brown sugar water and shortening in one bowl. I mix the rest of the dry ingredients together then add to the molassas mix. Cover and refrigerate for two hours.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Flour your countertop and roll the dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookies with your favorite cookie cutters and place about 2" apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes. Frost with an icing made from powdered sugar and water.

Don't forget to enjoy your creations with a cup of tea or hot chocolate with your little men and women.

Merry Christmas!

HOW AWESOME IS THIS! October was Fire Safety Month and I posted about the BARK 10-4 Program where you can donate a pet oxygen mask to your local fire department. I used paypal and donated a mask to my local volunteer fire department in Forest, Virginia. I just received notification that THE MOST PET OXYGEN MASKS EVER (I counted 143!!!) had been shipped to the following fire departments:

Alpine Fire Department
Blue Ridge Fire Department
Plainfield Fire Department
Town of Sheboygan Falls Fire
Kohler Village
Menasha Town Fire Department
Pickerel Fire & Rescue Squad
Whitewater Fire Department
Town of Greenville Fire Dept
Milwaukee Fire Department
Richard Hansen Fire Chief
Lewis County Fire District #5
Easton Fire District #3
Bothell Fire Department
Fire District 1 DJ Evans, Fire Chief
Springfield Fire Station
Bailey's Crossroads Volunteer Fire Depart
North Pointe Fire Station #39
Station 12 - Volunteer Organization
Scruggs Volunteer Fire Department
Fairfax County Fire & Rescue
Forest VA FD
Ebony Volunteer Fire Department
Matewan Fire Department
Fire Deputy Chief Virginia Beach VA
Public Safety Dept.,
Pearland Fire Department
Waco Fire Department
Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal Midlothian TX
Greenville Fire Department
Freer Volunteer Fire Dep & Ems
Travis County Emergency Service District #9
Village Fire Department
Flower Mound Fire Station 2
North Montgomery County Fire Dept
Frisco Fire Department Administration: Station No 1
Flat Creek-Bethesda Volunteer Fire Department
Lonas Fire Station #12
Munford-Atoka Fire Department
Sulphur Springs Volunteer Fire Dept
City of Cookeville Fire Department: Chief
Nashville Fire Department‎
Lexington Fire Fairview Fire Station #14
Conway Station 1 Fire Dept.
Greer Fire Dept -
Charlestown Fire District‎
Newtown Square Fire Company
Lititz Fire Company No 1‎
Conneaut Lake Volunteer Fire Department Station 3‎
Mont Alto Fire Co‎
Independence TWP VOL Fire Department
Reliance Fire Co
Greater Valley EMS
Elfinwild Volunteer Fire Company
Franklin Park Volunteer Fire Department
Union township Vol fire dept
Hampden Twp Volunteer Fire Co
Clarendon Fire Department
Mifflinburg Borough: Mifflinburg Hose Co #1
Lowell Rural Fire Department‎
Yukon Fire Department‎
Norman Fire Department‎
Tulsa Fire Department‎
Sharon Township Fire Department
Cincinnati Fire Department
Upper Arlington Fire Division
Norwich Fire Department‎
Scioto Twp Fire Department‎
Coolville Fire House‎
Bath Fire Department‎
Harrison Township Fire House‎
Coolville Fire House‎
Bellbrook Fire Department‎
Mason Fire Station No 1‎
Washington Township Fire Dept Fire Department
Village of Ottawa Hills: Fire Department‎
Bloomfield Hills Fire Department‎
Lawrence Cedarhurst Fire Department‎
Hook, Ladder and Hose Co., No. 1
Lily Dale Volunteer Fire Department‎
Walker Fire Station
Unionville Volunteer Fire Department
Pine Island Volunteer Fire Department
Oswego Fire Department
Ransomville Fire Co No 1
Jackson Volunteer Fire Co‎
Gordons Corner Fire Co‎
South Wall Fire Rescue,
Long Branch Fire Department‎
Allendale Volunteer Fire Department
Holland Township Volunteer Fire Company
Oakland Fire Department‎
Colonia Fire Co‎
Ho Ho Kus Fire Department‎
River Vale Fire Department‎
FIRE CHIEF Acworth NH
Somersworth Fire Department‎
Epping Fire Department‎
Concord Fire Department‎
North Conway Fire Dept: Fire Station
Juniata Fire Department Station
Hubert Volunteer Fire Department‎
Winston-Salem Fire Department‎
Cary Fire Department‎
Denver Fire Department‎
Harrisburg Fire Department‎
Sidney Volunteer Fire Department‎
Reidsville Fire Department‎
Cary Fire Department
Beaufort Fire Department‎
Montana City VFD
Marble Hill Fire Department‎
Knob Noster Fire Department‎
Ballwin Fire Department
David Frazier Jr Chief of EMS & Fire Services
Lake Elmo City Fire Department‎
St Michael Fire Department‎
City of North Branch: Fire Dept‎
Montevideo Fire Department‎
Fire Station No. 1
Bemidji Fire Department
Auburn Hills Fire Department
Rochester Fire Dept
Niles Fire Dept
Bloomfield Township Fire Department‎
Ottawa Hills Village Fire Department‎
Pepperell Fire Department
Andover Town Fire Department
Acushnet Fire Department‎
Stoughton Fire Department
North Attleboro Fire Department‎
Weymouth FD
Provincetown Fire Department
Oxford Fire Department
County of Anne Arunde FD
Level Fire Dept
Fallston Vol Fire Co
Kent Island Fire Department
Long Reach Fire Station 9
Neck District Fire Co
Kennebunkport Fire Dept
Bowdoinham Fire Department‎
Fire CHIEF Shelby Township

I know times are tough, but if you're considering making a donation to a local cause this holiday season, please consider Bark 10-4. Our pets thank you.

Flood water from Hurricane Ida in Virginia this past week- I spent the weekend in Surry, VA where many of the roads in this section of Virginia cut through marsh land. The photo above is from a beautiful swamp in the Surry, Isle of Wight area which is normally very tranquil. The ground was saturated after days of non-stop rain, causing a washout of sections of roads including Route 10 in Virginia. The ferry from Surry to Williamsburg was closed for several days.

The creek overflowed it's bank and fast moving water washed out the gravel road. Water was at least 18" deep, the gravel base had been washed out causing huge potholes and creating a dangerous situation. Locally, when the Timber Lake Dam broke several years ago after days of rain, people crossing flooded roadways were killed.

If you ever come across a FLOODED ROAD like this, be aware:

As little as one foot of water can move most cars off the road.

Just six inches of fast-moving flood water can sweep a person off his or her feet.

Most flood-related deaths occur at night and are vehicular.

Urban and small stream flash floods often occur in less than one hour.

Tropical cyclones pose significant risk well inland due to fresh water flooding.

Chicken Normandy is one of the family favorites, real comfort food.....It's suppose to be prepared the night before and refrigerated for the next day. I've done that once, it's just as good if you prepare and cook the same night. I don't use extra salt in cooking so you might want to add to the filling. This is a great dish to take to a party.

CHICKEN NORMANDY

Crust

2 packages of Stove Top Chicken Stuffing Mix (prepared)

Filling

3 cups of cooked, diced chicken

1 cup chopped onion (sauteed)

1 chopped celery (sauteed)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 eggs

1 cup milk

Topping

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (10.75 oz)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare stuffing mix and spread 3/4 into the bottom and sides of a greased 13x9x2 baking pan. Combine chicken, onions, celery and toss in mayonnaise. Spread chicken mixture over the bottom crust and top with remaining stuffing mix. Beat the eggs and milk and pour over the top. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, remove foil, spread top with cream of mushroom soup and bake at 325 for 40 minutes. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy. Substitute leftover Thanksgiving turkey for the chicken.