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WOODED WONDERLAND

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Wooded Wonderland: Lush backyard oasis boasts natural plants and plenty of space to host

Photos by India Garrish

Sonya and Gerald Ross are plant enthusiasts and become more so as they develop the garden at their Jefferson City home. Not only has the property become a labor of love, but it has provided spaces to host guests — and even other garden fanatics. The Ross’ home was chosen as a stop on the Bittersweet Garden Club’s 21st annual garden tour in June, standing out thanks to native plants and trees, for which they spent three months preparing. Over a stream and through the woods, you’ll find a local ecosystem that provides an oasis for those who visit.

A wooden structure creates a focal point looking over a koi pond in the Ross’ backyard garden.

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HOUSING A GREEN THUMB

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Housing a green thumb: Greenhouses keep garden growing all year

Story and photos by Jordan Thornsberry

The leaves are beginning to change from green to orange, the abundance of fall decorations are hitting the store and pumpkin-picking is in full swing. It’s time to clean out your flower pots and put your gardening tools in the shed. 

Wait, forget that last sentence. 

Just because fall is approaching doesn’t mean it is time to hang up your trowel. If you want to garden all year round, consider buying a greenhouse, which allows plants to still flourish in the colder fall and winter months. A true greenhouse will cost you anywhere from $600 to a few thousand dollars, but it may be worth it if you are looking to take advantage of your green thumb all year. 

For beginners wanting to experiment with gardening in a greenhouse without committing to buying the building, Green Horizons Garden Center manager Jason Dubbert recommends constructing a cold frame, which he described as “the simplest greenhouse.” 

A cold frame, Dubbert said, is a box-like structure usually built out of wood or PVC pipe that’s covered with polyfilm or acrylic. Cold frames mimic that of a greenhouse, protecting plants from fall and winter weather, while still letting in sunlight. 

Unlike a greenhouse, a cold frame usually doesn’t regulate temperature as well since there is not a heat source. Also, cold frames tend to be much smaller. 

A cold frame can be purchased for around $300, or you can build one yourself using just a few tools and components found at most hardware stores.

A polyhouse is seen with plants at Green Horizons Gardening Center.

Green Horizons uses polyhouses, or polytunnels, during their growing season and to store plants throughout the fall and winter. 

Like cold frames, polyhouses protect plants from the winter climate, but they are more comparable in size to a greenhouse and can be heated. Uniquely, polyhouses are built right into the soil and covered with a polythene sheet. Plants can then be planted right into the ground with the protection of the polythene or set up on tables, similar to the inside of a greenhouse. 

“The plants are dormant in the winter,” Green Horizon’s owner Joan Penno said. 

Then in February, they will fire up the propane heaters and prepare for the growing season, but during the colder months, they store shrubs and plants in the polyhouses to protect them from the elements. 

A flourishing garden year-round

One of the most essential tricks to being a successful year-round gardener is knowing what plants can still thrive in the cooler months. 

“You can grow lettuce, mainly late fall and early winter. You can do a lot of different greens, like kale and collard greens throughout the winter,”  Dubbert said. “You can also get a second round of cold crops in, like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbages.”  

There are also a handful of flowers that flourish in the colder weather, like winter pansies, crocus flowers and lenten roses, also known as the Christmas flower. 

In any season, water is the most essential nutrient for plants. 

Cindy Crecelius from Jefferson City’s Gardens 2 Go recommends keeping a closer eye on how much water your plants are (or aren’t) receiving in the colder months. 

“Sometimes, if we don’t get rain or snowfall, some people may need to water their gardens or their trees and shrubs even though their irrigation is turned off,” she said. 

Overwatering can be an issue as well, so check that your pots have holes in the bottom for drainage. When watering your plants, remember to water the roots, not just the leaves. By just misting the leaves, you are leaving a perfect place for bacteria to grow. In the winter, most plants just need 1-2 inches of water each week. It is important to check on your plants every day to confirm the soil is moist.  

Temperature

The ideal temperature for a greenhouse is 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit, author and master gardener Jeanne Grunert said in an article from Love to Know.

In the fall and winter months, using an infrared heater — as well as small heating pads that lay flat underneath the potted plants — help regulate the temperature inside the greenhouse, keeping it consistent throughout the night and on cloudy days. 

“You have to be aware of the freezing and thawing of the soil in the container,” Crecelius said. “With larger products, like trees and shrubs, freezing and thawing is not good for them. That container should be insulated to help maintain a constant temperature.” 

Adversely, on days it is sunny with higher temperatures, turning off the heaters and opening the greenhouse doors allows for more airflow and invites insects to naturally pollinate. 

Make sure your greenhouse has windows and an adequate ventilation system, and if your structure is lacking these features, consider setting up a fan. This will help with air circulation in the greenhouse as well as dry any condensation that might attract pests and unwanted bugs. 

Pollination

No matter the season, each plant has a different way of thriving and needs specific care to flourish. 

“Some people do hand pollinate,” Penno said, adding if you notice your plants are not blooming or producing fruit, you may need to pollinate them by hand, especially in the winter. 

To manually pollinate your plants, use a small paintbrush (a Q-Tip would work, too) and brush it over the middle of the male flower to pick up the pollen, and then, roll the bristles over the center of the female flower. 

The male flowers usually grow in clusters of three to five and have no fruit at the base; whereas, female flowers bloom alone with small fruit following.

If the weather is nice and your plants are still not blooming, you may want to move them outside. 

“It’s better to take the plants out of the greenhouse and let Mother Nature run its course,” Penno noted.  

Surrounding your fruits and vegetables with flowering plants also helps with pollination because flowers attract more bees and other beneficial insects that will fly from plant to plant. 

With a greenhouse, any season is gardening season. Knowing how to take care of your plants in the colder months is essential to being a successful fall and winter gardener. Using these tips and tools, your green thumb will come naturally.

The post HOUSING A GREEN THUMB appeared first on HER Magazine.

ON THE HUNT

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On the hunt: Low inventory creates high competition for wannabe homebuyers in sellers’ market

Story by Molly Morris
Photos by India Garrish

House hunting can be addicting. 

Do you want three bedrooms or four? Oh, and a yard with a deck or patio is must. Walk-in closets? Yes, please.

With dozens of online listings popping up daily across numerous platforms, buying a home, especially for the first time, can be chaos. 

Thrilling, hopeful and terrifying chaos. 

And right now, the normal mayhem you’d expect from making one of the biggest purchases of your life is amplified by historically low interest rates and a depleted inventory. 

Low interest rates — currently in the 3 percent range — allow you to afford more, but with so few houses available as a result of increased building costs over the last decade, competition is at all-time high. Gone are the days of haggling with the seller; no longer can you spend days or weeks mulling over placing an offer on a property and negotiating contract terms. 

Once you’ve found “the home,” RE/MAX agent Denise McCorkle said buyers need to be willing to make their highest offer first and fast — within a matter of hours fast.

“My best advice to give the first-time homebuyer is to be prepared and go in with no regrets,” said McCorkle, who is also the Jefferson City Board of Realtors president.

So to be prepared, where do you begin? 

RE/MAX agent Denise McCorkle places a for sale sign in front of an area home.

Start local

McCorkle said working with a local real estate agent in your community as well as a local lender is key. 

Relying on online sources alone can be tricky and often misleading. 

Clicking a button online to qualify for a mortgage rate doesn’t give an accurate picture of what a potential buyer can afford, she said. Some online sources may just be looking to sell your data to other websites, and more often, they aren’t taking into account all your information. 

After a quick survey, an online source may say you qualify for $800-a-month payments at a certain interest rate, for example. A local lender, though, will run your credit report, which could show a very different payment amount based on your credit score. They also will be able to explain if you qualify for different grants or programs to lower your payments, giving you a more accurate picture of what you can afford. 

Local lenders also provide a critical first component for buying a home in the 2021 market: a pre-approval letter. 

“Sellers aren’t even going to consider your offer if you don’t have a pre-approval letter,” McCorkle said. 

Once you know what you can afford, Action Realty agent Blake Werner said it’s a good idea to establish a relationship with a local real estate agent. 

“You can go shop at open houses, but when you’re ready to buy, I encourage you to interview a couple Realtors because your goal is to feel comfortable working with them because that makes for a much smoother process,” Werner said, explaining a local agent may have a deeper insight into the area market and what houses will be available in your community as soon as or even before they officially hit the market. 

That was the case for first-time homebuyers Rachel Schulte, 22, and Jake Wieberg, 21. 

After house hunting for a few months, their agent, McCorkle, contacted the couple on a Friday afternoon in mid-May about a house that became available that same day.

They went to see it immediately, fell in love and had their offer approved 24 hours later. 

Schulte and Wieberg closed on their three-bedroom, one-bathroom starter home on Moreland Avenue on June 3 and moved in shortly after.

“The number one thing for sure is having a Realtor,” Schulte said. “Don’t try to tackle it yourself.”

Having a Realtor didn’t stop the couple of three and a half years from scouring online home listing websites in their spare time, though. (Remember: It can be addicting.)

Schulte said she looked online daily and would send listings they liked to McCorkle, who would then set up a showing. Several times, though, the house listed for sale online actually had been off the market for months — another reason Schulte and Wieberg said they were glad they had a local professional on their side versus just a computer.

RE/MAX Realtor Denise McCorkle, right, talks with Jake Wieberg and Rachel Schulte outside the home she helped them find on Moreland Avenue.

Know the game 

With high demand and low inventory, we’re in the midst of a sellers’ market unlike one McCorkle, who has 24 years experience in the industry, has ever seen. 

“A seller is going to be sitting there with multiple offers, and the one that’s going to put the most dollars in their pocket at bottom line is what they go with,” McCorkle said, noting paying more than the asking price is inevitable in today’s market.

That can be overwhelming for first-time homebuyers like Schulte and Wieberg. 

Before scoring their new home, the couple had an offer rejected at a previous listing that had 15-20 competing bids and went for $30,000 over asking price, which surpassed their budget and took them out of the running. 

“It was really chaotic at first,” Wieberg said, explaining they expected there to be more negotiating and back-and-forth with the seller over a matter of days or even weeks. 

But with that first listing, the seller asked for all offers by a certain date then was able to pick from the stack. 

That’s a fairly new trend in homebuying thanks to the competitive state of the market, McCorkle said, and unfortunately for those unfamiliar with the game, that may mean they miss out on the home they desire.

A seller could say all offers will be looked at in seven days, but if the perfect one is submitted on day four, nothing prevents them accepting it right away.

“(Realtors) have a high code of ethics, but the seller is the boss. … So (the seller) can accept an offer at any time they want,” McCorkle said. 

Werner, who’s been an agent for seven years, echoed that sentiment, saying sellers have little incentive to be flexible with potential buyers. 

In past markets, for example, it was common for sellers to pay closing costs — inspection, appraisal and titling fees, to name a few — which can total a few thousand dollars. 

That’s no longer the case. 

“What I’m seeing is sometimes (the buyers) need closing costs to be paid by the seller, and that used to be able to work into the negotiation,” Werner said. “But from the sellers’ perspective, it’s always about their bottom dollar … so they’ll pick another offer that may be better.”

Seal the deal 

Once a seller accepts an offer, next is the inspection, the details of which may be specified by the lender.

If any issues pop up, the buyer can ask the seller to fix it; if they say no, the buyer can purchase it as is or walk away.

Werner and McCorkle said, despite the sellers’ market, they aren’t seeing sellers be too unreasonable with repairs when justified because if it was a problem on one inspection, it will keep being a problem. However, they noted, buyers are being more lenient on what they are willing to take on themselves. 

Stained carpets or a leaking sink may be easy enough for a new owner to tackle and not worth asking the seller, which could prolong the closing process.

After inspection, the lender will then order an appraisal on the buyer’s behalf before the title is settled and final loan approval is granted.

Now it’s time to close and “hurry up and wait” for the paperwork to be completed by all involved parties, according to McCorkle, who noted agents typically guide buyers through all these steps.

During this period, agents tend to encourage buyers to secure insurance and set up utilities — the little things so on the day of closing, they are ready to get the keys and move in.

With a standard mortgage, from when the offer is accepted, McCorkle said, it can take 30-40 days before buyers sign for the final time and are able to get into their new home. 

For new owners Wieberg and Schulte, then came the fun part: making it their own. 

While they have a list of cosmetic updates they’d like to tackle down the line, repainting the bright pink kitchen a more neutral gray was up first. Next, the front door, which is also pink, will be getting a makeover.

“It can be kind of intimidating when you walk in and see all these bright colors, but I thought it’d be a fun place for us to begin (living together),” Schulte said of the couple’s first home. “I like this house because we can make it our own. It’s a fun canvas for that.”

Someday, they’d like to create a master bathroom and replace the back deck, but for now, they’re grateful they were able to secure their new home despite the chaos and enjoy spending time with their four cats and 12-week-old Labrador retriever, Margo, who is a big fan of the fenced-in yard.

The post ON THE HUNT appeared first on HER Magazine.

DECORATE WITH LOVE

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Decorate with love: Incorporating treasured items always in style

Story by Molly Morris
Photos by India Garrish

Sure, every season brings a host of trends — light linens in the summer; warm and cozy colors in the winter — but for Mary Gardner and Sheila Owens, decorating your home should be more about surrounding yourself with items you love. 

The pair of friends co-owns Southern Willow Interiors in New Bloomfield and stocks their storeroom with pieces — most of which they embellish, upcycle or completely build — in what they call “rustic elegance” style. 

Best friends and Southern Willow Interiors owners Mary Gardner, left, and Sheila Owens stand in their New Bloomfield store.

After purchasing furniture or decorative items through estate sales, auctions, Facebook Marketplace and antique stores across the state, Gardner and Owens start the process of breathing new life into the old pieces.

“We love the old furniture; it’s such good quality and made so beautifully,” Owens said. “And when we work on pieces, we think ‘Oh, for some little lady, this was something she really loved and had in her house.’ So we fix anything that maybe doesn’t work right and make it functional again and try to make it so it will go in today’s homes.” 

To do that, the duo gets creative. 

Maybe it’s a fresh coat of paint on a table or new hardware on a chest of drawers, or sometimes, it’s marrying two pieces together to create something entirely new — adding feet to an ornate framed mirror creates a table tray, or topping a candle holder with a flower pot and greenery builds height. 

While not everyone may be interested in reconstructing their home décor items, the experts at Southern Willow shared their tips on how to style a space with the pieces you love.

When decorating her own home, Owens started with the main pieces — a sofa and two chairs in neutral colors.

“All my furniture is neutral,” she said. “I do my colors with pillows or chachkies or wall color or art,” which she noted are often easier and cheaper to change than bigger furniture if craving a new look. 

Once you’ve established the base, now comes the fun part: adding the items you love, even if they don’t necessarily “go” with the rest of the décor, Gardner said, pointing toward a small white and cobalt blue ceramic elephant surrounded by pine cones and other traditional autumnal decorations in orange, brown and dark greens.

“People wouldn’t think that you can add those pops of color and keep it cohesive. As long as you don’t add too much, just here and there, it works out,” she said, explaining art pieces in a different color than the rest of the décor stand out more than if everything were too similar. 

Once equipped with the main pieces and treasured items, Owens and Gardner recommend paying attention to height and textures to tie the space together.

For example, varying the size and shape of items on a mantle — floral arrangements, knickknacks, candle sticks, etc. — creates intrigue, making your eye linger on an area a bit longer to take it all in. 

And mixing different textures in pillows and blankets — think a tweed pillow against a velvet blanket — adds contrast to the design and can soften a space. 

A trend Owens suggested is adding a fabric element, like a burlap table runner, to a coffee table to add texture and combat the sometimes harsh-looking wood or metal.  

Other looks en vogue this fall, according to Owens and Gardner, are white pumpkins, pops of cobalt blue or sage green, and muted color palettes.

Logs painted white make for a fall “pumpkin” look.

“There’s trends and styles, and those go in and out. But if it’s your home and it’s something you love, then it doesn’t really matter as long as you can keep it cohesive,” Owens said.

And remember to have fun with it, the duo noted.

In their own homes and in the Southern Willow storefront, pieces are constantly moving and evolving with the season or just when the pair are in need of a change. 

Taking a favorite lamp from a bedroom and moving it to the living room, for example, brings attention back to a piece that may have gotten overlooked after years in the same spot. It gives it a new function. 

Owens said they also like to create looks that can be built upon throughout the year. Pine needles and pine cones are a constant throughout the fall and winter months with other pieces interchanging. Once Thanksgiving has passed, pumpkins are replaced with pops of red berries or bows, which then can be removed after Christmas leaving the still-appropriate piney elements for the remainder of winter.

 “That’s what we love: bringing old things to new life,” Gardner said. “That is just exciting to us.”

Southern Willow is open the first and third Saturday of each month at 9130 Old U.S. Highway 54 in New Bloomfield. Check their Facebook page for possible additional hours. The rest of the month, Owens and Gardner — along with help from their husbands Gary Owens and Monte Trisler — are busy shopping for and creating their one-of-a-kind pieces.

The post DECORATE WITH LOVE appeared first on HER Magazine.

STRESS-FREE HOLIDAYS

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Deck the halls with stress-free holidays

By Tricia Orscheln

Holiday stress is like “stress on steroids.” Leading up to and throughout the holidays, one’s stress tends to amplify due to extreme planning, coordinating family gatherings, fulfilling expectations, excessive commitments, financial pressures and travel anxiety. These stressors can be overwhelming and unbearable and potentially lead into seasonal affective disorder, commonly known as seasonal depression. 

Tricia Orscheln

Am I experiencing holiday depression?

This type of depression only occurs during the holidays and most refer to it as, “my holiday blues.” 

The Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons for most people are the time of year people generally look forward to things like decorating, planning social gatherings, work parties, putting thought into gift giving, spiritual reflections, and being among family and friends. Unfortunately, when experiencing holiday blues, a person becomes overwhelmed with feelings of increased anxiety, sadness and the fear of being alone, and they dip into negative self-reflections.

Developing an awareness early in the holiday season would be a great intervention to the following root causes of holiday sadness which include: increased stress, setting up unrealistic expectations, barriers to being with family and friends, fatigue, insomnia, inability to balance all of the expectations, headaches, and emotional eating or drinking, among other sources. In some cases, a person may experience post-holiday sadness after New Year’s Day. This can result from built-up expectations and disappointments from the recent holidays. 

How can I manage holiday expectations?

1. Set realistic expectations and goals. It is understandable to strive for perfection throughout the holidays, but it is not always attainable. Create a plan that will not create unreasonable stress. 

2. Create a budget. Finances are a common stressor, especially within the holiday season. Make a budget and stick to it! Try setting a certain amount of money to spend on each individual you are giving gifts to; this will create an organized plan when shopping and hold you accountable. 

3. Create a plan for shopping and find the best time to shop. If shopping the deals on Black Friday is not overwhelming, then do so! If not, purchase gifts little by little months prior to the holiday season. The gifts will accumulate, and you can cross them off of your list.

How can I cope with the stress of the season?

1. Plan in advance. By planning in advance, the stress of procrastination and surprises can be eliminated. You can plan ahead of time by booking a flight months before the holiday season and planning a day to shop and wrap gifts. 

2. Efficient communication. Making sure you are effectively communicating with family and friends will aid in the planning process. If you communicate plans ahead of time, you can avoid the stress of unorganized plans. 

3. Continue healthy habits and your daily routine. The holidays can be stressful, sometimes leading to little sleep, irregular meals and a lack of exercise. Continue your normal activities throughout the holidays. Planning in advance and efficient communication will ensure you still have time to partake in the tasks of your normal schedule!

How can I incorporate healthy self-care habits?

The holiday season is a time when we truly think about others in our life, then comes the hustle and bustle of holiday planning. Being mindful of how important setting aside time for your own personal self-care can make a huge difference in your attitude and generate more positive energy.  Create your own personal list of self-care awareness activities you can do for yourself or with a loved one.  Here are a few suggestions:

• The daily vitamin — Think of one thing you are thankful for and be sure to share it with someone you love. Ask them to share their attitude of gratitude with you too!

• Being present is the ultimate gift — In the physical moment (make tea, coffee or cocoa) sit back and relax while enjoying something mindful. Focus on the sounds of nature and the amazing scenery attached to it.

• Stress management spa session with yourself — Take time relaxing in a bath, painting your nails or taking care of your skin, and don’t forget the mood music! 

Tricia Orscheln, M.Ed., LPC, NCC, CCATP, is a licensed professional counselor.  She is the founder and owner of Tree of Hope and Wellness Counseling Center.  Coming soon in 2022, Tricia will be opening the Rejuvenation Stations at the Branch offering a unique self-care experience.

The post STRESS-FREE HOLIDAYS appeared first on HER Magazine.

CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER

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CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER: Local women recount their most memorable gifts

Story by Anne E. Fisher
Photos by India Garrish

What makes a gift special? Whether it’s the giver, the thought behind the gift or the memories associated with it, some gifts hold a special place in our hearts years after ripping off the paper.

Crystal Miller

Crystal Miller

The Miller family began building a new house in March 2020 with the expectation they would be able to occupy it in November 2020. Of course, COVID-19 changed those plans. In the end, they didn’t move in until February.

However, Crystal and her husband promised their kids — Taylor, Bailey and Dylan, then 11, 6 and 3 — that they’d be able to spend Christmas at the new house. And the construction crew and family worked to make it happen.

While the house wasn’t complete by any means, Crystal said the builders made sure the house had flooring, windows, a working toilet and one working electric plug. They hooked up the fireplace on Christmas Eve.

She and her husband, Jason, snuck over to blow up the air mattresses and leave presents under the tree. Jason and Crystal’s dad, Charlie Bax, also put up a few lights on the front porch. After spending Christmas Eve with the Bax family, the Millers told their children they needed to “check on something” at the new house.

“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” Crystal said. “It was more for me, but then I saw their reactions. Their faces lit up. They were so excited that they got what we promised them. They were with us the whole building process, and it is more of ‘home’ because they were involved.”

The children had their own air mattresses with new pillows and blankets, the fire was roaring, and the family watched a Christmas movie as they went to bed beneath the twinkling lights of the tree.

The children liked sleeping next to the lighted tree so much, it might even become a new family tradition.

Adrian Heckman

Adrian Heckman

Adrian Heckman received her 2016 Christmas gift a week early.

Although she doesn’t like snow, she went trapping in the snow with her boyfriend of a little over a year, Curt.

When they arrived home, Curt started a fire in the wood stove and then surprised Adrian with an engagement ring, a princess cut diamond on a thin band.

“He was holding the ring, and he was hiding the diamond, so I thought he was lying,” Adrian said. “He always said he’d make my ring, but he picked it out by himself. I didn’t want anything over the top, and it’s very simple. He just kind of knew my style.”

Adrian said it was a special gift not just because of the meaning, but also because of the way Curt presented it, in the home he built for himself and eventually shared with her, which they’ll “probably live in for life.” 

“It was very genuine,” Adrian said. It was just for the two of them, and now, the ring is “something I get to see every day.”

Meghan Lane

Meghan Lane

When she was 11, Meghan Lane got one of those gifts that was a box inside of a box inside of a box, the kind you get when one box just isn’t enough pageantry for the gift inside.

When she finally got through the shrinking boxes and confetti, she found tickets to her first concert.

“My mom surprised me with tickets to the Backstreet Boys concert, my first concert ever,” Meghan said.

Meghan and her mom attended the concert, part of the Into The Millennium Tour, with her mom’s business partner and her daughter. Meghan’s best friend, also named Meghan, attended with a different group.

“I remember sitting there afterward, arguing with Meghan, that one of the band members made eye contact with me,” she said, although she admits now there is no way that actually happened. At the end of the concert, confetti or streamers fell from the ceiling and “I’m pretty sure I stuffed my pockets with it.”

Concert tickets were “something that was so different for me to get and something so big,” Meghan said. “I knew that Mom had put a lot of thought into it.”

Carrie Tergin

Carrie Tergin

Carrie Tergin had a difficult time narrowing down her favorite Christmas gift between a Hallmark ornament given to her when she was 4 and a little red rocking chair she received when she was 2.

The ornament, a small white Betsey Clark ball with pastel images, was a gift from her parents in 1976. It’s part of the first batch of ornaments from the year they opened Carrie’s Hallmark Shop, which they named after her. Carrie now owns the store herself.

“Every year, my mom puts up a tree filled to the brim with ornaments, and we think about what all the ornaments mean,” Carrie said. “It’s amazing how something as small as an ornament can make you think of something so big, like Christmas with the grandparents.”

The rocking chair from her grandparents evokes similar memories. 

“When my grandfather, Popou, would come home from work, I’d drag my little red rocking chair next to his chair and sit with him,” Carrie said. 

What makes the chair special now is that all of her siblings and nieces and nephews have enjoyed and still enjoy it as well.

“You would never think you’d still have it all these years later,” Carrie said. “You can’t replace all the memories it brings when you see that rocking chair.”

April Mertens

April Mertens

After two neck fusions, April Mertens wasn’t able to use her rifle anymore, which was disappointing for someone who has always loved to hunt and came from a family of hunters.

“I had been begging my husband for a crossbow for years,” April said. “Last year, my boys finally surprised me with one.”

One night during bow hunting season last year, her son Kody, now 23, had gone hunting and returned without his bow case. 

“He thought he had it in his truck and lost it out of the tailgate,” April said. 

When he was at the store to buy a replacement bow, he found out someone had responded to April’s Facebook post asking if anyone had found it. Rather than leave the store empty-handed, Kody and his brother, Kolin, decided to give April the bow she’d been asking for.

“I was folding clothes and they came in and asked me to come look right away,” April said. “They had the crossbow and all the things that went with it out on the kitchen table.”

In addition to the bow, the boys got a bow rest and a device that helps April pull the bow back so she doesn’t have to use her neck. 

While she hasn’t been able to take it out to hunt deer yet, she has been able to practice on a backyard target with her husband’s help.

“It’s the first time I’ve been surprised. They didn’t ask; they did it on their own.”

Bernie Houchens

Bernie Houchens

On Dec. 25, 2000, Bernie Houchens opened up a card during her family’s Christmas celebration. Inside the envelope was a get well card, not a Christmas greeting.

“I thought ‘What the heck, this makes no sense,’” Bernie said.

But the card made sense as soon as she saw what was included inside — a “certificate” for Lasik eye surgery on both eyes.

Bernie had worn thick, self-described “Coke-bottle” glasses for decades. Without them, she literally couldn’t see past her nose. She had been asking her eye doctor at every yearly exam if she was a candidate for corrective surgery. And every year, the doctor said she wasn’t.

Until 2000. That year, his response was to run some additional tests, and then he gave her the green light. He explained the procedure, along with the cost. When she got home, her excitement was tempered. She told her husband, Eddie, that it was too expensive and it wasn’t happening.

Eddie, however, had different plans. Over the next few months leading up to Christmas, he withdrew money from a savings account started with money left to Bernie by her father when he died. Eddie made an appointment for the surgery on Valentine’s Day 2001, and the doctor’s staff was sworn to secrecy until she opened her card.

“I went into surgery expecting to still wear glasses, but the doctor was able to do more than he thought,” Bernie said. “Once it was done, not only could I see, but I had 20/20 vision.”

In addition to her greatly improved vision, “I felt like I was seen,” Bernie said. “Now, people are seeing me, not those glasses. People treated me differently once I had the surgery, and I felt different.”

“Eddie got great joy giving it to me,” Bernie said. The couple both took off work the day after the surgery, and Bernie remembers that morning. 

“I woke up and said, ‘I can see you. I can see the curls in your hair.’ He was really happy to see how ecstatic I was.”

Bernie said this gift was truly life-changing.

“Here we are 20 years later, and it’s still giving. Sometimes, I realize I wouldn’t have noticed something particular before the surgery. And there are days where I still wake up and think, ‘Wow.’”

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A GIVING SPIRIT

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Mid-Missouri offers countless ways to give back this season

Here in Mid-Missouri, there are numerous ways to give back to the community all year round, but come the holiday season, our giving spirit shines even brighter.

Some of the many holiday-specific charitable events and programs are listed here, but this is by no means a complete list. Many area churches and nonprofits offer donation drives or host holiday meal services, and they need your help to be successful. 

Know of other ways to give back this season? Email molly@newstribune.com, and we’ll update this story. 

The Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign (News Tribune file)

The Salvation Army: The Red Kettle campaign will be back in action again this year. Bell-ringing occurs through Dec. 24. If you’d like to be a bell ringer, registration is available at registertoring.com. Lions Ring Day is Dec. 3, which is when Lions man every kettle in Jefferson City. They hope to raise $20,000 again this year.

Thanksgiving Day Pie Run: Before you feast, get in a bit of exercise with the Thanksgiving Day Pie Run on Nov. 25. Bring canned food items to benefit the Samaritan Center. Participate in either a 5K run or walk or a 10K run starting at 8:15 a.m. at the JC Parks Multipurpose Building in North Jefferson City, 810 Sandstone. It costs $25 for adults and $15 for children under 15.

Optimist Club of Jefferson City Tree Sale Fundraiser: Known as a “friend of youth,” the Jefferson City Optimist Club will once again sell Christmas trees from the lot alongside Hawthorn Bank on Dunklin Street. Tree sales typically begin the day after Thanksgiving, and the lot closes once trees are gone. Each year, the club gives all proceeds to a variety of youth projects across the city, including Special Olympics Missouri, the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City, and the Jefferson City High School Baseball Booster Club.

SERVE Inc.: SERVE Inc. is accepting applications to “adopt” a child for the holidays — once matched, adopters are sent a child’s wish list, which includes a list of their favorite colors and things, sizes, age, grade and hobbies, and adopters then buy four Christmas gifts for that child/multiple children. The process is confidential. Its goal is to have all children adopted by Dec. 1; all gifts will be dropped off to SERVE volunteers Dec. 7-8. To apply, click here.

SOMA Affordable Christmas: SOMA Community Church’s holiday project offers a dignified way to help under-resourced parents provide a joyful Christmas for their children. The gift drive takes place Dec. 11 at the church, 804 Fairmount Blvd., and volunteers are needed. Donations of gifts or money are accepted until Dec. 5. To donate or volunteer, visit the SOMA website

Jingle Dash 5K: Festive and for a good cause, the annual YMCA’s Jingle Dash benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters. The race starts at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at the entrance to Binder Park off Henwick Lane. This is not a timed competitive event. However, awards will be presented to those dressed in the most festive holiday attire. Registration costs $25 in advance and $30 on race day.

Hope for Christmas: The Redeem Project’s Hope for Christmas program provides assistance during Christmas to families who have suffered a health or other crisis in the past six or eight months. As they are identified, the nonprofit posts families and seniors that need adoption for Christmas on its website or on Facebook. The websites also accept financial donations.

Operation Christmas Child: Operation Christmas Child, a project from the international relief organization called Samaritan’s Purse, provides local partners around the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items and school supplies, and seeks to demonstrate God’s love through each gift. The age-specific boxes are shipped to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine and disease. Visit samaritanspurse.org to order boxes and find out what may be placed in the boxes.

Toys for Tots charity drive (News Tribune file)

Toys for Tots: The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots campaign is once again collecting toys and monetary donations for area youth this Christmas season. Click here for a list of donation sites, to volunteer for a donation drive or to sign up to receive toys.

Samaritan Center: The Samaritan Center works to ease the burden on families during the holiday season offering Thanksgiving meals and the Santa’s Workshop program, in which toys, hats and gloves are handed out during a drive-thru event. Donations of food, clothing and money are welcome; click here for how to give.

From His House to Your House Free Store of Fulton: The Free Store is accepting food donations around the Thanksgiving season. It is also accepting donations for Christmas stockings for teens and younger now through December. Donations of coloring books, crayons, toy cars, bouncy balls, bubbles, hats and gloves, and miscellaneous gift items are welcome. Both new and gently used toys are accepted. Applications to receive a stocking are required. For more information, call 573-253-4323 or visit its Facebook page.

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‘ALL ABOUT JOY’

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Fulton free store preps stockings, shares ways to give

Story and photos by India Garrish

Each year, a small free store in Fulton receives a donation of more than 300 Christmas stockings. Hundreds more Facebook messages come in on top of the hundreds they receive each day. And miraculously, they distribute more stockings each year — it’s just that time of year for From His House to Your House Free Store of Fulton.

“Last year, God helped us get 370 kids three gifts each and a full stocking,” said Lori Collins, who coordinates the Christmas stocking. “I don’t know how it happens. At no point did we feel like we had that much in here — it comes out as we go. That’s how Christmas is.”

Volunteer Lori Collins puts together a Christmas stocking for a teen girl at From His House to Your House Free Store of Fulton.

The Free Store has been in operation for six years after being given use to a building by the Fulton Housing Authority. Its longstanding tradition of giving out Christmas stockings has increased in magnitude every year, founder Connie Cashion said. Stockings are made for teens and younger, and as the store doesn’t accept funding, they are all based on donations.

Christmas stockings are made up of three gifts which can range from candy, fruit, coloring books, crayons, toy cars, bouncy balls, bubbles, stuffed animals, a hat and gloves, and more. Stockings are assembled in November to be given out the first part of December through Dec. 22. Even after that date, people can come in and ask for help — in the past, volunteers have saved extra toys in a tub in case an emergency request comes in.

“Sometimes, we get a call after the 22nd saying ‘I have nothing, we had a fire or someone stole my toys,’ so we give out whatever we have,” Collins said.

With many nonprofits hosting toy drives going during the holidays, she recommends people check those out first to see if they qualify. Some organizations set a deadline of October so store customers might not know until November or December that they need help with toys. As such, Collins starts taking down names in October from interested families and cross-references with organizations like Toys For Tots to make sure there is no double dipping.

“We encourage everyone to ask with organizations as they have brand new toys, to go sign up ahead of time,” she said.

Before the Free Store existed, Cashion’s first donation drive started around this time of year with a clothing drive — any extra clothing left at her church would be put in the fellowship hall and handed out during the winter. That idea snowballed — soon it was hot chocolate and a book, then it was renting a community center where 600 people were served food, all donations-based. Fourteen years later, the Free Store has been steadily increasing by around 100 stockings each year and donations have started early as it is expecting another increase this year.

“Christmas has gotten bigger, especially since people have been losing their jobs,” Cashion said.

Gifts are not pre-wrapped so parents and guardians have the chance to address them from Santa or their desired gifter. Both new and gently used toys are accepted. Collins and Cashion began in October asking about stocking stuffers on the store’s Facebook page as processing so many families out of their kitchen requires a head start.

“A lot of times (the items) will come in before I even post it,” Cashion said. “The Lord likes to show off.”

Customers aren’t required to show proof of income to receive a stocking, which Cashion said points back to the mission of the Free Store, where anyone regardless of financial situation can give or receive.

“When you come through that door, you’re no longer rich and you’re no longer poor,” she said. “I wanted it to feel like we can all bring something to the table, and everything brought to that table is just as good as another.”

Collins said this fills a need for families who are working to provide for their children from season to season — and it’s her joy to volunteer to help.

“It’s our joy to give, it’s peoples’ joy to receive,” she said. “It’s Christmas; it’s all about joy.”

Store hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Cashion can be reached at 573-253-4323, and more information and updates on donations can be found at the Free Store Facebook page

Daily ways to give

Connie Cashion, founder of From His House to Your House Free Store of Fulton, shares a few ways people can give during the holidays that don’t depend on financial status:

• Tie scarves and gloves on a tree outside your home for passersby

• Shovel snow for someone

• Stop and shake a person’s hand

• Put together a food box or donate a turkey during Thanksgiving

• During Thanksgiving or Christmas, go through your clothes and furniture and see what you can give away

• Around Christmas, keep candy canes tied with a dollar bill in your purse, and give them out when you see someone in need

• If you’re worried about where your giving is going, bring supplies to places like free stores where they will be distributed according to need

Her ultimate advice: Go next door or across the street. Giving doesn’t have to be a show because anywhere you serve matters.

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GRAZE ON

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Grazing boards offer sharable alternative to holiday feasts

Story by Molly Morris
Photos by India Garrish

Want the festive without all the fuss of turkey and dressing?

Consider a grazing board for your holiday feast. 

Unlike it’s meat, cheese and crackers cousin, the charcuterie board, a grazing board is packed with sweet, savory and fresh items — allowing party-goers to munch all evening. 

The experts at Jefferson City’s Amazing Graze gave us tips and tricks for assembling your own grazing board perfect for the thanksgiving season. 

Completed Amazing Graze grazing board

Where to begin

Start by deciding how many folks will be eating off the board, and is this an appetizer or the main event? 

Friends and Amazing Graze business partners Kelly Bone and Kris Michitsch said most parties have grazing boards in addition to other snacks or desserts.

A general rule of thumb: An 8-inch plate serves about two to four people; 10-inch plate feeds four to six; 12-inch plate is good for six to eight; and for up to 12 people, go with a 16-inch plate.

If it’s an appetizer, a serving size is about 2 ounces of meat and 2 ounces of cheese; double that if it’s the main meal. 

What to include

Kris and Kelly’s grazing boards feature two to four types of cheeses (a mix between soft and firm) and two to three kinds of salamis or sausages.

The packed board also contains hummus and veggies, olives, jam, fresh fruit, honey, nuts, pickles, chocolate, a few types of crackers and to-die-for maple leaf cookies. 

“You can’t go wrong,” Kris said. “You just go with what you like and put it on a platter. It’s going to look good.”

How to assemble 

First, Kris and Kelly start with the larger items — bowls with hummus, olives, jam and honey as well as festive pumpkins for decoration. 

After that, assembling your grazing board is all about filling in the holes with goodies. 

Some tips to make it a success: 

• Cut cheese in different sizes and shapes — wedges, triangles, sticks. Or, consider using cookie cutters for a leaf shape or to make letters to spell out a special message. “If everything was just square, that’s like getting those cracker kits at the grocery store,” Kelly noted.

• Mix colors and textures just like you would in a painting — avoid putting all the light-colored cheeses in one section; it’s more appealing if the different types are woven throughout. 

• Be conscious of placement — no one wants their blackberries tasting like the neighboring pickle. And avoid putting anything too moist next to a cracker so you’re not left with a soggy mess. 

• Don’t forget about the details — sprigs of fresh rosemary or sage and edible flowers turn a delicious grazing board into deliciously beautiful, ideal for a festive setting. 

• Consider timing — if making a day in advance, individually wrap the crackers so they stay fresh. You’ll want to take the board out of the fridge about 15 minutes before serving as most items are best at room temperature.

Rather leave it to the pros?

Amazing Graze’s large or extra large boards go for $84-$128. Look for them on Facebook or Instagram at amazinggrazejc or email amazinggrazejc@gmail.com.

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INTRODUCING MRS. SANTA CLAUS

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Retired teacher Susie Jones brings sleigh-full of love to Mother Christmas role

Story by Molly Morris
Photos by India Garrish and Julie Smith

She’s not showy. She doesn’t need to be. 

Her costume is simple, classic — a red and green plaid apron and a white blouse, its collar and cuffs embroidered with small red flowers. Christmas bell earrings and a fuzzy red hat complete the look, her snowy white hair poking out underneath. A glimmer of magic in her warm eyes.

Susie Jones is Mrs. Santa Claus.

It’s not just a character she plays each holiday season. Susie embodies all the Mother of Christmas stands for — she’s full of genuine love and patience for children and undeniably believes in the spirit of Christmas, lighting up as she talks about her favorite holiday and memories from years past. 

A retired kindergarten teacher of 30 years, Susie, now 87, promised to return to West Elementary School every year to visit her last class until they graduated. 

Susie isn’t the type to break a promise. 

One year, around Christmas time, she decided to make the visit a little extra special. 

“Maybe Mrs. Santa ought to just come and read the story this time,” she said. “Oh, they got such a kick out of it, so we did that every year.” 

Susie Jones as Mrs. Santa Claus

Word spread, and she donned her new look at other area schools, church events and even women’s groups from time to time. 

But her main gig started about a decade ago: Santa Day at Southwest Early Childhood Center. It’s Susie’s favorite day of the year. 

Groups of students pass through to make cards, decorate cookies, read stories and sing Christmas carols while patiently waiting for the main event: a trip to see Santa and Mrs. Claus. 

After talking with the big man in red, it’s Susie’s turn. 

“They have a big red wagon, and the wagon is full of stocking caps. … My job is when the child comes to me, we have to pick out the hat. Sometimes it takes a while because you have to have just the right color. And I love that part,” she chuckled.

Susie’s son Brad Jones, who participates in community theater productions and is a fellow lover of Christmas, comes along as a jack-of-all-trades elf, encouraging the children to smile for photos or helping decorate cookies. 

Scholastic Inc. donates a book for each of the 200 or so children, and numerous current and retired teachers and other community members volunteer to make the day special for the children at SWECC, which caters to students with special needs or from low-income families.

“It’s so special. It just tells you what good people we have in this town,” Susie said.

“You are viewing all of these children who need love. And when they walk in the door in the morning, that’s what they get. They are so loved. And that’s what Mrs. Santa puts out; she tries to be a loving person, and some of those children don’t have a lot of love.”

After a long, but joyous, day Susie and Brad get in the car and say the same thing each year: “‘Are you tired?’ ‘Yes, but it was still the best day of the year,’” Susie recalls, her voice catching as she reminisces, followed shortly by a quick dabbing of her eye with a tissue. “And then we go home and collapse.”

Watching the news as the coronavirus spread through 2020, Susie knew what was coming: They wouldn’t be able to go to the schools last year; it wasn’t safe.

However, the Santa Day organizers got creative. After all, a pandemic can’t stop Christmas. 

Dressed in costume and full of more love than ever, Susie and Brad made a short video to send to the students. They wrote a script, and Susie sat in front of a snowman-covered fireplace at Brad’s house checking through the naughty and nice list. 

“We were so disappointed last year that we couldn’t go into the school,” she said. “(But we thought) this year is more important than any year because these children have to know that Santa is still going to come. Everything else in our life is kind of turned upside down, but let’s keep their little hopes up.”

Christmases past 

Some of Susie’s most cherished memories are from Christmases past. As a child in Hannibal, she remembers waking up early Christmas morning to see what she and her brother got in their stockings. They didn’t have much, and it was always the same thing — oranges, nuts and maybe a new pair of socks — but it didn’t matter. It was Christmas, and Santa provided.

She recalls when her dad starting joining in on the fun, playfully filling his stocking with coal and rocks, hoping to get a laugh from Susie and her older brother. 

“I never could understand why Santa would do anything like that because my dad, he was just the sweetest, kindest person. He finally stopped doing it because it emotionally really affected me,” Susie, said, caught in the simplicity of the memory.

“Things like that just come back to you, and that’s what makes Christmas so wonderful when you have a good, close, loving family and everyone together.”

During those early years, Susie dreamed of becoming a nurse. She had several dolls as a child and was always playing hospital, tending to their ailments.

But one day in about the sixth grade, a teacher asked if she would help with the kindergarten class for the afternoon. They played games and painted, and “I just wanted to do that every day,” she said. 

Slowly she started changing her mind, and when she realized as a nurse she would have to do the unthinkable task of taking care of sick children, it was settled. She was going to be a teacher and relish in the happy moments watching children succeed and grow. 

Susie earned her teaching license, got married and eventually moved to Jefferson City with her husband, who was a civil engineer with the highway department. 

The young couple bought a house on West Main Street, catty corner from West School. While she taught at a few area schools over the years — and took a break from teaching when her two sons were young — Susie spent much of her career at West. 

“I always joked, that rut that is in West Main Street, I made it walking back and forth from my house to West School, but I loved West School,” she said.

Susie retired in 1992, but she really never stopped being a teacher — never stopped caring about her fellow teachers or taking pride in her former students’ accomplishments. For years, she kept a scrapbook of her students who were in the newspaper, their wedding announcements or other accomplishments. 

“Nothing makes me prouder than when one of my students comes up to me and says, ‘Oh, Mrs. Jones, I was in your kindergarten class, and this is my little boy.’” 

In a lot of ways, the evolution from kindergarten teacher Susie Jones to Mrs. Santa Claus was pretty natural, even though she didn’t don the signature red fuzzy hat until after retirement. 

“It was an ongoing thing,” Susie said of her connection with Mrs. Claus, “and I love every minute of it. It’s a little bit of school teaching but a lot of fun.”

As Mrs. Claus, Susie has countless anecdotes of sweet moments with the children — like the little girl who was unable to walk or talk, but whose face lit up as her cheek brushed the plush, white fur on Santa’s lapel as she laid in his lap. 

“When she was out, everyone who was helping on that stage had tears running down their cheeks, me included, because it was so touching,” she said, adding she saw that girl passed away several years later. “I will never forget that child for the rest of my life. That’s what it does to you. Mrs. Santa’s putting out, but oh my goodness, I’m gaining so much more.”

Most of her memories, though, are about the teachers.

“Those wonderful teachers, they already have their halos,” Susie said, noting working with children with special needs requires a lot of patience and even more love. “It’s just a thrill to me to watch them.”

Christmases present

Not one to crave the spotlight for too long, when she’s not talking about her students or fellow teachers, Susie is beaming with pride for her family.

Her granddaughter, Katie, followed in her footsteps to become an elementary school teacher, and the proud grandma is looking forward to spending Christmas with the entire family, including Katie’s son, Susie’s first great-grandchild.

With the whole family together — hopefully even Susie’s other son who often travels back to Missouri with his wife and dog from New York — the Joneses will enjoy a good meal; Brad’s wife, Brenda, does a lot of the cooking.

It’s simple; it’s joyous; it’s packed with love.

It’s just perfect for Mrs. Claus.

“I just wish everybody had Christmas like I do. It’s such a happy time with the ones you love most. That’s all that matters.”

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