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Dian Thomas teaches homemakers how to put sizzle into family time
BY SUZANNE KEENE
HERSHEY Do you remember
the Halloween costumes you used
to make with scraps of material,
discarded clothing, paper bags,
crayons and glue?
Or the special birthday cake
your mom decorated just for you?
And how could you ever forget the
family camping trips and cookouts
your family enjoyed together’
When adults look back on their
childhoods, it is often the fun, but
inexpensive, times shared with
family that they remember,
television personality Dian
Thomas told homemakers at
tending an Extension-sponsored
‘Strengthen Your Family”
seminar last week in Hershey.
“You can do ordinary things in
an unordinary way and have
fun,” she explained. And, you don’t
have to spend a lot of money to do it
either.
Dian Thomas has shared her
ideas about how to add sizzle to
family time as a regular on the
“Today Show” and in the four
books she has authored. She has
also appeared on a number of other
television shows, including the
‘ Johnny Carson Show.”
Dian remembers making
Halloween costumes and win
ning some first prizes along the
way. "That was a highlight of the
yeai,” she recalls.
Now that she is an adult, she has
fun sharing costume ideas with
others. A favorite idea is to dress a
little girl m a leotard and surround
her with pink balloons to create a
“Bubble Bath” costume.
A little dry ice inside a number
10 tin can adds a spooky touch to
Halloween when it’s tucked inside
a jack-o’-lantem.
For a friendlier pumpkin, paint
on a happy face with acrylic paint,
she suggested. Oranges take on a
Halloween appearance with
similar faces.
And a flaming ghost cake will
add excitement to any Halloween
party no matter how old the
guests. For this special treat,
decorate a sheet cake to look like a
ghost. Make the ghost’s eyes out of
the halves of a broken egg sheH“
and place a sugar cube inside each
shell. When you’re ready to serve
the cake, put a drop or two of
lemon extract on the sugar cube
and ignite for a excitingly different
dessert.
For Thanksgiving entertaining,
Dian suggests a pineapple turkey.
To make this treat, perfect for a
luncheon, slice the pineapple in
half horizontally. Hollow out the
center of the pineapple and fill with
turkey salad. Skewer a few grapes
together for the neck and top this
with a head cut from cheese.
Once Thanksgiving has passed,
it’s time to look forward to the
busiest holiday of all Christmas.
To help everyone in the family
keep all those holiday parties and
celebrations in order, Dian
suggests making a family calendar
to hang on the refrigerator. All the
important dates can be added as
the invitations arrive.
When the Christmas cards start
samil
na
rolling in, don’t let them clutter
your kitchen counter and certainly
don’t throw them away. Dian has a
clever idea for organzmg these as
well. To hold them neatly in one
place, remove the lids from both
ends of a long aluminum can.
Wrap yarn around the can,
running the yarn from top to
bottom. When you’re done, each
strand will hold a single Christmas
card for a neat display.
If you send gifts in the mail, try
this creative idea from Dian Wrap
the presents individually in
colorful holiday paper, then place
them in a larger box for mailing.
Decorate the inside of the lid with a
Christams tree, so when your
friend opens the box, his gift will be
under the tree.
Families are an important part
of the Christmas celebration, so
keep yours in the picture with
personal Christmas ornaments,
Dian suggests. Each holiday
season, snap a family photo. Cover
a cardboard circle with colorful
fabric, mount the family picture on
the cardboard ornament and hang
it on the tree.
In the coming years, those
photographs will bring back
memories of happy holidays spent
with family members, Dian said.
During the hectic holiday
season, any shortcuts are
welcome. Efian’s cherry
cheesecake makes a perfect
dessert/centerpiece combination.
For this decorative dessert, bake
cheesecake batter in foil cupcake
papers. When cool, top with cherry
pie filling. Arrange decorated
cupcakes in a Christmas tree
shape and place in the center of the
table until it’s time to sample the
centerpiece.
To make hot chocolate a festive
holiday treat, toothpick two
marshmallows together to form a
snowman and decorate it with a
happy face, Dian recommends.
Dian has suggestions tq make
every occasion a special time to
remember. For a unique, but
Christmas in
LANCASTER - The
County Cooperative Extension’s
Annual Christmas In October
Program is scheduled for Oct. 21
and 22 in the auditorium of the
Farm and Home Center from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m.
The same program will be
presented both days. The schedule
for each day includes excellent
speakers presenting a variety of
exciting ideas. Topics to be
presented during the morning
include: "Gifts From A Country
Kitchen" by Paula Mayewski and
Dons Thomas, Christmas Ideas
For Children - Yours For The
Making" by Carol Pointer and
Yes Birdwatchers, There Is A
Santa Claus” by J. Carl Nolt.
Lunch will be served by mem
bers of the County Farm
simple birthday cake, fill a new,
clean flower pot with ice cream.
Freeze until solid, then top with
crushed chocolate cookies. A paper
flower printed with Happy Bir
thday, mounted on a pipe cleaner
and stuck in the ice cream “cake”
adds the finishing touches.
Dian has found that using
household items in unordinary
ways allows her to add a little
excitement to all her parties. An
ironing board covered with a
colorful tablecloth makes a perfect
snack table. A wheelbarrow filled
with ice is a unique way to serve a
fruit-filled watermelon and to keep
sodas cold.
A wicker basket filled with fresh
vegetables becomes a “make-it
yourself” salad bar.
Cooking in the outdoors offers
additional opportunities for family
fun. No one wants to spend time
outdoors doing dishes, so Dian
recommends cooking breakfast in
a paper bag. Simply lay two strips
of bacon in the bottom of the bag,
break an egg on top (for scrambled
eggs, drop from an arm’s length),
close the bag and cook for about 10
minutes on top your buddy burner.
If you don’t have a buddy burner
in your camping supplies, you can
easily make one from a number 10
tin can, a tuna can, rolled card
board and paraffin.
Starting at the lip of the number
10 can, cut a square large enough
to fit a tuna can through. Then roll
a strip of cardboard up and place
in the tuna can. Pour melted
paraffin into the tuna can and
allow to solidify. When you’re
ready to use your outdoor stove,
ignite the paraffin in the tuna can
and place it inside the number 10
can. The lid of the large can
provides you with a cooking sur
face.
Cooking on a buddy burner, or
serving food in a wheelbarrow may
sound a little foreign to you now,
but Dian says with a twinkle of
delight in her eye, “These are the
kinds of things that can create fun
and special memories. ’'
October set
for Oct.
21,22
Women societies,
The afternoon program, A
Country Christmas," will feature
Brian Horn. He will demonstrate
how to make Christmas
decorations for your home and
tree.
The program will also be offered
in the evenings of the 21st and 22nd.
The morning program will be
presented Monday evening and the
afternoon program will be
presented Tuesday evening.
Some of the Farm Women
Societies will have bazaar tables
where they will be selling holiday
decorations, gifts and food.
For more information on how to
register to attend any of these
sessions, please call the I Lancaster
County Extension. Office <394-
6851)
' II
Having fun is a way of life for television personality Dian
Thomas. Here, she demonstrates the art of cooking breakfast
in a paper bag.
Best Seat in the House
"Blame it on my birth order!”
My husband and I have had cir
cular discussions about “the best
seat in the house.” He argues the
point that being the middle child
such as he is the worst position. He
remembers hand-me-down
clothing, more restrictions than his
brother, less attention, and fewer
pictures in the baby book.
I contend that being the oldest
girl in our family was more dif
ficult-! was the one who had to
break the ground work, and it
seemed my younger sisters got to
do things earlier than I did,
although I did get the new clothing.
It doesn’t matter who you ask,
everyone seems to have their spot
in the birth order pegged as the
most difficult. Without question, it
is different in every family, but
there are several aspects of the
birth-order question that can be
generalized.
Whether there are two or six
children in a family, each child will
carve out his own role. Each child
will play a unique part in the total
family. Each will influence the
others and be influenced by them.
The larger the family, the more
complex the relationships.
According to Dr. James Van
Horn, Extension family living
specialist, some generalizations
can be made about the birth order.
The oldest child usually will
continue to demand the center
stage he enjoyed before other
children arrived and will seek to
pleaseius parent. He will feel more
powerful and responsible for little
things that happen than a later
born child
The second child, because he is a
unique individual, will certainly
deviate from what the first child
By Michelle S. Rodgers
Berks Extension
Home Economist
did. This frequently causes some
concern. The second child is seen
at times as a bit of a troublemaker,
or a parent will say, “He has a
mind of his own.” That’s because
he deviates from the so-called
standard.
Parents often worry that the
third child will get lost, especially
if a fourth comes along. Usually
the third is very sensitive and a
real doer but the parents are now
more relaxed. The runny nose that
caused such concern with the first
child may even go unnoticed in the
third child.
The last child will always be the
baby and has the distinct honor of
having not one but two sets of
parents. Older brothers and sisters
will exert their influence in a kind
of parental fashion. The last born
will probably do many things
earlier since he has good teachers.
Regardless of the number of
children in the family and the
order of birth, it is important that
parents remember these tips:
• Spend time with each child.
• Try not to compare one child
with another.
•Do not expect the same
behavior or performance from
each child. Each has his own
personality and abilities and each
will develop by his own schedule.
• Be fair in dealing with all the
children, being careful not to
always favor the younger or
presume the older one is always
blameless.
So, whether you were born first,
last or in between, there's ad
vantages and disadvantages to
each spot. And even though our
families are becoming smaller, I
imagine the arguments for who
has the best seat in the house"
will probably continue for years to
come.