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Paper Bag Scarecrow

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Very Easy

Age: 5 and up

Scarecrows not only watch crops and brave the weather, they make great puppets, too! Make one with your kids today and invite their friends over for an afternoon show.

What you'll need:

Brown paper lunch bag
White craft glue
2 medium wiggle eyes
2 feet of ribbon infall colors
A stir stick
2 sheets of newspaper
Black marker
Scissors
Orange foam flower
Construction paper: white/tan, brown, yellow, pink, orange
Pattern for hat

How to make it:

Trace the pattern onto white or tan construction paper. Cut out. Draw some stitches onto the rim and hat top by making tic-tac-toe symbols.
Lay the paper bag on a work surface with the flap side facing down. Glue the wiggle eyes in place roughly three inches from the top of the bag.
Cut out a triangle from the orange construction paper for the nose. Glue in place slightly below the middle of the eyes.
Cut out two circles from the pink construction paper. Glue on either side of the nose, and draw a smile from the bottom of one circle to the other (see photo). Draw a few stitches on the mouth.
Use a marker to draw eyebrows above the eyes.
Fold yellow construction paper in half, greeting card style. Cut along the fold so you have two pieces. Cut one piece into thin strips. Starting at the top of the bag, glue some strips on so they hang down like hair. Cut some strips shorter for bangs.
Cut a strip of brown construction paper to glue onto the hat top as the band. Fringe- or scissor-cut the top of the hat brim piece. Glue the brim to the hat top so it partially covers the brown brim.
Glue the yellow foam flower to the hat. Cut out a circle from brown construction paper and glue to the center of the flower.
Glue the hat on top of the yellow hair.
Carefully fill the bag with crumpled newspaper.
Coat the first three inches of the paint stir stick with glue and insert into the bottom of the bag.
Crumple the bag around the stir stick, being careful not to let the end of the bag stick to the stirrer.
Tie a ribbon around the end of the bag, about two inches above the bottom. Tie the ribbon in a tight knot and then tie into a bow to close the bag.
Cut some of the leftover yellow strips in half or thirds and glue them to the stick under the bag.
Carry your scarecrow by the stir stick.

Fall Landscape Tips

In the fall, a little groundwork is essential to keeping your yard water-efficient and looking great:

Mow, fertilize, aerate

Lower your mower's height to 1½ inches to stimulate new crown growth. Fertilize in late-September or early-October with a balanced mix of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Fertilizer not only improves turf quality, root growth and color—it also builds cold resistance into your grass. Fertilize once more in November to get your landscape through winter with style.

Aerate grass in September or October as well. Compacted soils are all too common in the Las Vegas Valley. Aeration boosts water penetration, which reduces runoff on slopes and helps water and fertilizer nutrients get down to the roots. Aerate again in the spring.

Stop watering daily

From Sept. 1 until Nov. 1, landscape watering is limited to three assigned days per week. Watering restrictions also apply to drip irrigation. Sunday is not an optional watering day. Landscape watering from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. is prohibited until Oct. 1.

To verify your watering group, check your monthly water bill or use the online Find your watering group tool.

Cycle-and-soak watering

Water in three short, four-minute cycles during the early-morning hours. For brown spots or problem areas, try hand watering rather than increasing the timer on your irrigation clock. As weather cools, water in several, short mid-morning cycles to prevent ice formation on driveways and walks.

Check your system

Inspect filter screens for damage. Clean the filter screens by opening the end of the filter and running water through briefly. Soak the screens in a 50/50 water and vinegar solution if there is mineral buildup.
Flush the irrigation lines. Find the end cap and briefly run the system to flush out debris.
Check valve boxes for debris buildup or muddy conditions indicating poor drainage.

Enjoy color now

For great fall color, plant flowers like Black-Eyed Susan and Snapdragon, grasses like Regal Mist and trees like the Chinese Pistache and Modesto Ash.

If you're the patient type, purchase fall bulbs now for planting in November. These bulbs will yield bright colors in the spring: Anemone, Daffodil, Dahlia, Gladiolus, Hyacinth, Narcissus, Ranunculus and Tulips.

Mulch

Mulch is the little-noticed workhorse of many a smart gardener’s landscape. Mulch is a protective covering—organic or inorganic—we place in a wide circle around plants to prevent moisture evaporation, root freezing and weed growth. Using mulch can reduce evaporation by as much as 30 percent.

Fall Maintenance Tips for Your Home

Check all window and door locks for proper operation
Check your home for water leaks
Review your fire escape plan with your family
Make sure there are working nightlights at the top and bottom of all stairs
Have a heating professional check your heating system every year
Protect your home from frozen pipes
Replace your furnace filter
Run all gas-powered lawn equipment until the fuel is gone
Test your emergency generator
Have a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the flues and check your fireplace damper
Remove bird nests from chimney flues and outdoor electrical fixtures
Inspect and clean dust from the covers of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Make sure the caulking around doors and windows is adequate to reduce heat/cooling loss
Make sure that the caulking around your bathroom fixtures is adequate to prevent water from seeping into the sub-flooring

Check all window and door locks for proper operation

Windows that can be opened by breaking the glass and unlocking them, are less effective deterrents to criminals. Check with the hardware store for window lock alternatives.
All exterior doors should have deadbolt locks.

For the full list of maintenance tips, please go to http://www.statefarm.com/learning/be_safe/home/seasonal/fall.asp

10 Tips for Fall Fitness

Fall is a super season for shaping up, experts say.

By Barbara Russi Sarnataro
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

How many New Year's Eves have you spent sipping champagne and vowing to get more fit in the coming year? And how many times have you failed to follow through?

"December 31 over a drink is too late to set goals and make promises," says Justin Price, owner of The Biomechanics, a personal training and wellness coaching facility in San Diego, Calif.

Fall, on the other hand, is a great time to start a fitness program because "'you're going to create good habits for the holiday season and the upcoming winter months," says Price.

Chris Freytag, a fitness instructor and fitness expert with Prevention magazine, agrees.

"With the change of seasons comes a renewed time to rethink and restart," she says. "'What's so special about January?"

Besides, says Freytag, a mother of three, moms with school-aged kids "think of September as the new year."

Here are 10 ways to start making the most of the season. And who knows? This year, you might be in great shape before that New Year's Eve party rolls around.

1. Take advantage of the weather. Fall can be a treat for the senses: the crisp air, apple picking, pumpkin carving, a gorgeous canopy of fall foliage, and the crunch of leaves underfoot. These months are a great time to exercise outdoors and enjoy cooler temperatures.

"Walking, hiking and cycling are all awesome in the fall," says Todd Durkin, MS, fitness coach and owner of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, Calif.

Discover park trails and take in some new scenery, whether you're walking, biking, or in-line skating, he suggests.

In places where snow falls early, try cross country skiing or snowshoeing. Or, if you live near the beach, get out and play volleyball, throw the Frisbee around, or play a vigorous game of fetch with your dog.

"It's a great time to do beach activities because it's so much less crowded," says Price.

If you're near a lake, try kayaking or canoeing, for an excellent whole-body workout and a great change of pace.

And remember, it doesn't have to seem like exercise to be a great workout.

"Raking leaves or doing some fall outdoor yard work is a great way to get the heart pumping, and it's great calorie-burning," says Freytag.

2. Think outside the box. Always wanted to learn to tap dance? Attempt to box? Master the jump rope? Ask any schoolchild: Fall is a great time to learn something new.

Many classes at gyms and elsewhere get started in the fall, so look around and see if something intrigues you.

And with the kids in school, parents have more time to check out those classes, Freytag says.

Fall is the perfect time to gain new physical skills, Price says, because you burn fewer calories when you begin a new activity (thanks to the learning curve). If you learn something new now, by next summer, you'll have mastered the skill -- and you'll burn more calories doing it, just in time for swimsuit season.

For the next 8 tips please go to http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/10-tips-fall-fitness

Cinnamon Raisin Soft Pretzels

Tantalize your taste buds with the sweet smells of cinnamon sugar and freshly baked bread swirling through your kitchen. These soft pretzels are simply scrumptious served warm from the oven or reheated in a toaster oven.

Ingredients

3/4 cup (175 mL) raisins
3-3/4 cup (850 mL) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 mL) brown sugar
1-1/2 tbsp (22 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp. (1 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp. (2 mL) salt
2 cups (500 mL) plain yogurt
1 egg
1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp. (5 mL) cinnamon
2 tbsp. (30 mL) butter

Cooking Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper lightly.
Measure the raisins into a bowl and pour boiling water over to cover. Let soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt and the egg. Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir well until everything is blended. Drain the raisins and add to the dough, mixing well -- the dough will be quite soft.
Sprinkle some additional flour onto the counter or table (or wherever you like to work) and turn the dough out onto this floured surface. Knead the dough about 10 to 15 times, just to make it all uniform, then cut into 12 equal pieces. Working with one lump of dough at a time, roll it out into an even rope about 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick. Twist it into a pretzel shape -- experiment until you get it right -- and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining lumps of dough.
Stir together the cinnamon and sugar and melt the butter in a small dish. Brush each pretzel with some butter, then sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Servings: Makes 12 pretzels (or whatever they turn out to be!).

How kids can help

Mix and knead the dough.
Form the pretzel shapes and sprinkle with sugar mixture.