N.C. Cooperative Extension-Alexander County Newsletter December 2022

Holiday Cleaning Checklist

The holidays can be a hectic time with visits from family and friends, shopping, and cooking special meals. But cleaning doesn't have to add to your stress. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, or ringing in the New Year, try this cleaning checklist to help you out during the busy holiday season.

Holiday gatherings typically center on main living areas, such as dining and living rooms. Determine which rooms guests are likely to congregate in and focus your holiday cleaning efforts there. Then, ensure these spaces look their best with a quick once-over before the doorbell rings.

Vacuum or sweep and mop floors
Spot-clean any stains on the carpet or furniture
Wipe down surfaces with a microfiber duster or damp cloth
Put away any items that don't belong in the room
If you're short on time, load the items into a basket and stash it somewhere until you have time to put them away.
Fluff pillows and sofa cushions and neatly fold throw blankets

If your holiday festivities include food, there's a good chance your kitchen will be on display for guests to see. To quickly clean your kitchen, focus on the problem areas that are most visibly messy. Remember to:

Declutter and wipe down countertops
Vacuum or sweep floors
Clear any dirty dishes from the sink and clean the basin
Wipe down kitchen appliances
Replace kitchen hand towels
Make room in the refrigerator for leftovers

Freshen up the bathroom guests are most likely to use. If your visitors are spending the night, make sure the bathroom is also stocked with plenty of supplies, including extra towels and toiletries. Follow this checklist to prep your bathroom for the holidays.

Clean mirrors to remove streaks and water spots
Clear clutter and personal products from the vanity
Wipe down the sink and countertops
Put out fresh hand towels
Sweep or mop the floor
Give the toilet a quick scrub with a toilet brush
Refill the soap dispenser and set out extra toiletries

Join us for the 3rd session of Foods Around the World 4H SPIN Club as we take a trip to Europe to learn more about their cultural cuisine. SPecial INterest (SPIN) clubs are short gatherings over a minimum of 6 sessions focusing on a specific topic for at least 1 hour. The program is free, but participants will need to enroll in 4-H Online. Our next session will be on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm in the Demonstration Kitchen at NC Cooperative Extension-Alexander County Center.

Last month, we made meat pies and fairy bread, a common dish made in Australia.
Pictures below: Raeghan carrying her two plates full of fairy bread. Fairy bread is a common dish found at kid’s birthday party and super easy to make. Meat pies are pies with meat filling and other savory ingredients. The bottom dough is usually thicker to hold the pie together, topped and covered with a flaky and soft dough. We made mini meat pies in a cupcake tin so that it’s easier to eat and share.

Pearls of Wisdom ECA Club Activities for the Month of November

“In the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips.”—Unknown author

For the month of November, The Pearls of Wisdom ECA volunteers learned about MED instead of MEDS. Members were given the steps on how to start eating the med way from Der Holcomb, FCS Agent. Did you know that two thirds of todays population has a chronic disease (such as diabetes and heart disease) that can be prevented by lifestyle changes? Research has shown that changing your diet and exercising can not only make you feel better but deminish the risk of chronic diseases. “Our goal is to help people start eating and moving in a way that can help prevent chronic disease and it starts with the type of food you’re eating” Der shares. Members were able to taste the Mediterranean Tuna Salad and a Med Meringue.

What is ECA? The North Carolina Extension & Community Association (ECA), formerly known as the Extension Homemakers Association, is an adult volunteer organization that works within the communities to empower families and individuals to improve their quality of life.

This month, The Pearl of Wisdom ECA will be have an outing and gather at Scotty's Hometown Grill for lunch on December 12th at noon followed by a cookie exchange at NC Cooperative Extension-Alexander County Service Center. Anyone interested in learning more about ECA or attending this session can contact Der Holcomb at 828.632.3125 or der_xiong@ncsu.edu

Tax time is nearing and soon you will be gathering your boxes with receipts and log books together. This chore is a dreaded time in most farming families with no exceptions in mine!

However this can also be an opportunity for you to really examine your beef cattle operation for the year. Since you have most of the information already gathered, this would be an excellent time for you to use a beef cow-calf enterprise budget spreadsheet.

The University of Wisconsin Extension has developed and released a new beef cow-calf enterprise budget spreadsheet. After entering your information into the spreadsheet, it will provide you with information that can be used to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement within your farming operation. The spreadsheet can also be used for doing projections, and looking at how potential changes can impact the cow-calf enterprise’s cash flow.

The enterprise budget is designed to calculate profit or loss and break evens on a whole herd, per cow, and per cwt of feeder calf sold basis when complete information is entered. It is designed to allow user defined parameters for calculating many overhead expenses.

Examples are included in each section, and users can modify by adding, removing or renaming items to fit their operation. Directions and guidelines for using the spreadsheet are located in an Adobe Acrobat file that can be accessed at the top, near the center of the spreadsheet.

There are many helpful spreadsheets related to cattle and sheep production that can be accessed at https://livestock.extension.wisc.edu/article-topic/decision-tools-and-software/

Click on the worksheets tab to see all spreadsheet options.

Don’t let all of your tax preparation go to waste. A few more minutes and you can know exactly how much each cow is costing you and what you need to make on each calf in order for her to turn a profit.