december 2008
Board Meeting: December 4, 9:30 am at Karen Gilston’s home.
Please give a warm welcome to our newest members! Diana Hurrie, Tonie LaPenta, Beatrice Mango and Lisa Peake are former members who have recently returned to our little group. We welcome you back, and are glad to see you again! And welcome to brand new members Cherry Brennan, Catherine Casper and Sheryl Sheridan! Be sure to greet them all when you see them at any of our upcoming events.
Do you have a daughter/son who would like to baby-sit? Send Patty information of members’ children who are interested to baby-sit. Do you have a service provider you would like to recommend? Patty maintains a “List of Services Recommended by Newcomers”. This is available at the Coffees or can be emailed to members upon request. If you have a recommended service provider, or if you have feedback (good or bad) on anyone on a previous version of this list, please contact Patty Howland.
Dear Newcomers,
I cannot believe that the Holidays are upon us! I have my usual mixture of excitement and “I wonder if I’ll get everything done”!! I feel ready to create some new decorations, taking the ideas Horan’s shared with us at the Potluck luncheon forward into December ideas. I also am grateful to the Daytime Book Group for providing me with a great gift idea. I’m so excited I have to share: I enjoyed being part of the group for our latest “Gathering” and also loved hearing about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society so much that I’m about to read it. When I’m finished I know I’ll love it, and it will be the book I’ve been looking for to give 5 women in my family to go in an adorable Vera Bradley quilted, zippered book holder. (No, this is not an ad for Vera, but check them out if you like to read!)
Anyway, on to more important items. I hope most of you will be able to attend our annual Holiday party, this year on Dec 20th. As always, it promises to be a delicious and fun evening!
Also, please read our Civic Concerns section as we are adopting a family through Simsbury Social Services, and Janet will be collecting gifts as well as money to provide them with presents and a Christmas meal. If you can’t get out to buy a specific item, just give money and we will shop with it!
I wish you all a very happy Holiday Season!
Marion
This year’s Holiday Party is just around the corner! Save the date: December 20 from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm at Jane Porterfield’s home. If you have any questions, feel free to call Wendy Sue – but watch your mailboxes! Invites are coming soon.
Welcome to Girlfriend’s Corner, where we wish our Newcomer friends happy birthday, and send them get-well wishes as needed. If you think there is a Newcomer who would appreciate a get-well card, new baby, or condolence card, please contact Charlotte Ray by phone or by email.
Happy Birthday Wishes to the following members:
Babysitting is made available for numerous morning events (coffees, sign-ups and special activities, like the Fall Potluck Luncheon) for a small fee of $5.00 (regardless of how many kids you bring), and also for board meetings. If your child has a toy he/she would like to share, feel free to bring it along. Please RSVP to me at least four days prior. Thank you.
This holiday season we will be donating food and gifts to a mother and three children in Simsbury through the Simsbury Social Services. More information on what is needed will be sent to everyone when I receive a wish list. Hopefully, by the time you receive your newsletter, you will have that list. You may contact me by e-mail or phone.
Please invite your friends and neighbors to join the fun and become members of Simsbury Newcomers Club. Encourage them to come to one of our many events as your guest. Do they know you do not have to be new to the area or live in Simsbury to become a member? With more than 20 diverse activity groups there’s something for everyone!
Dues are $24 for the 2008-2009 membership year. Checks should be made payable to “Simsbury Newcomers Club” and sent to Sherry Hill at 12 Olde Orchard Road, West Granby, CT 06090 along with the completed membership form.
Membership entitles you to:
Please note that the Directory is for the exclusive use of Club members, cannot be used for solicitation, and will NOT be included on the website. Additional copies of the directory may be purchased while available for $2.00.
Membership forms will be available at coffees, general meetings and online @: http://simsburynewcomersclub.org/join-us/membership-form
Anyone selling, renting or providing a non-club service can advertise in our newsletter. A business card size or ¼ page ad is $15/month. A ½ page ad is $20, a full page ad is $30. Ads will be included based on available space.
Featured Activity – Evening Book Club
This month the Evening Book Club will host our “Gathering.” So if you are new to SNC or a current member who is interested in Evening Book Club, then come on out. Check the Evening Book Club article to see the title of the book to be discussed. You DO NOT have to read the book to come! For more information contact Cindy Schafer 232-2690.
Host: Cheryl Cook – 408-1577
Date: Tuesday, December 2
Place: 15 Newberry Court
Time: 7:30
Welcome to Daytime Book Group! We meet either the third or fourth Friday morning of each month and enjoy lively but informal discussion about our book selections. Our meetings last about 1 1/2 hours while a volunteer reviewer provides background information on the author and introduces discussion questions. Rotating hostesses supply coffee, snacks and the venue. Both new and seasoned members are welcome. We look forward to seeing you! Please R.S.V.P. to Patrice Sala or Camilla Thompson if you have any questions.
Other selections for 2009:
A good book is even better when you can talk about it with friends! Join us for lively discussions in our members’ homes one evening a month. For locations and more details, please contact Cindy.
Upcoming titles:
Couple’s Bridge meets on the third Saturday of the month. We usually meet in couples’ homes and begin at 7:30 PM. We have a variety of bridge levels, so please don’t be intimidated. Also, a commitment to one month does not commit you for the whole year. We sign up month to month according to our social schedules. I need a call in advance just to be sure we will have even tables.
Ladies’ Bridge meets the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month between 7:00-7:30 PM at the host house. We are a fun group of 2 or 3 tables of party bridge. Come join us by signing up early. Call Ida after 6 PM or call the hostess to see if there’s a cancellation. Please contact Ida for this month’s schedule.
Are you looking for something fun to fill one morning a month? Do you love the thrill of competition? If so, why not sign up to play Bunko. This is an easy dice game you can learn in a few minutes. Join us as a regular or a sub. If you are interested, call Arlene Zappile at 408-9044.
The new cooking club has had a terrific response! We are now looking for the next demonstration, as its coming up to the Holidays and everyone is busy. Unless anyone has a dire urge to share their cuisine, I am happy to do a small demo of:
English Tea Scones with clotted cream and jam (my last delivery of these were to a group of students on a roof in New Orleans post-Katrina…and even if I do say so myself they were very well received! The fact that NO at the time was existing on McDonald’s – the only “food” to be found – has absolutely nothing to do with it.)
English Mince Pies which is an English Christmas tradition.
Christmas Chocolate Liquor The only problem I have with making the liquor is it tastes sooooooo good while it is warm. I sometimes end up drinking most of it before it is decantered. Many a time my has my husband arrived home from work, to find me happily getting tea ready with a silly grin on my face, and a little bit the worse for wear. Any of you due to have blood work done in the early new year beware as your cholesterol figures will look more like telephone numbers.
Otherwise if anyone would like to volunteer to cook for us after the Holidays, I would be very grateful. I have also been asked by few foreign ladies if it is not possible for someone to cook typical American dishes?
So as our experimental cook-ins were by Pen and Youngjoo (Thai and Korean) we cannot ask them to cook again too soon, although I have already been asked if Pen gives Thai cooking lessons, this is something I am sure we could sort out if the demand is there, so please let me know if this is something you think you would like.
Please call to RSVP for the next Cooking Club get-together – or if you’d like to host the event yourself!
Join your fellow Newcomer members for a cup of coffee and a play date. We have added an afternoon playgroup for those of you with little ones who have started pre-school. Come join us Monday mornings, 9:30-11:30 AM, or every other Friday afternoon, 3-5 PM. Please contact the playgroup coordinator or host to RSVP or if you are interested in joining. Ages birth to 5.
Monday AM
Friday PM
No Playgroup for December
Please join us for Movie Night!. Movie Night is usually the 4th Friday of the month, although we sometimes select a Saturday evening or Sunday matinee. “Good eats” afterward is always an option. Please email Marylou if you would like to get on the Movie Night Mailing List. Husbands, boyfriends, families are all welcome!
Simsbury Newcomers’ Needlework Group meets from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM in members’ homes for knitting, crocheting, mending or just good conversation. New members are welcome and we can offer help to beginners. Please call Sherry or Vivienne if you have any questions. Our December hostesses are as follows:
The Couple’s Paddle Tennis Group plays at Simsbury Farms every Sunday afternoon from 4:30 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. throughout the winter. This is an informal, noncompetitive league combining social activity with good outdoor winter exercise. Each session follows a round-robin format so members experience playing with different partners. We start in November and end in March. Please contact Camilla Thompson if you are interested in participating. See you on the courts!
Ladies Paddle has begun!! We have a full roster, but can always use subs. Play is on Mon. and Thurs. mornings, on ice-free courts, at Simsbury Farms. Please call or email if interested.
This group meets once a month at a different member’s home for an evening of fun and cards. New players are welcome. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to play, we’ll teach you. We generally play on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, but call Judy to confirm the location. There is also a Couple’s Pinochle Group outside of Newcomers. Judy can get you connected to this group.
Our split-group potluck was a huge success largely due to the efforts of our gracious hosts. Kudos to the Henrys and the Klippels for all their hard work.
Traditionally there is no potluck in December because of the Newcomers’ Holiday Party. This year’s party will be on December 20th, we hope many of are able to attend.
Our January potluck will be on January 10th, this should give us time to recover from the holidays. The invitation and theme for this event will come out in early December.
As we start the new year we are compiling our list of hosts. We have hosting opportunities for February, March and April. Remember, the split group works so you don’t have to commit to hosting the whole group. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Ginny and Shari
Start off your day during this busy time of year by walking with the Walking Group on any weekday morning. Walking for exercise is much more fun when you have a companion for conversation, and it’s a great stress reducer too. I usually walk each weekday morning at 9 AM along the Greenway trail by Iron Horse Boulevard. We meet in the Park ‘n Ride lot on the lower level behind CVS. You can call me between 7:45 and 8:30 AM if you want to verify that I will be walking that morning. Come join us. Happy Holidays!
Wine and Women will take a break during the month of December. Mark your calendar for January 22 – our first meeting in 2009.
Board Meeting: December 4, 9:30 am at Karen Gilston’s home.
Please give a warm welcome to our newest members! Diana Hurrie, Tonie LaPenta, Beatrice Mango and Lisa Peake are former members who have recently returned to our little group. We welcome you back, and are glad to see you again! And welcome to brand new members Cherry Brennan, Catherine Casper and Sheryl Sheridan! Be sure to greet them all when you see them at any of our upcoming events.
Do you have a daughter/son who would like to baby-sit? Send Patty information of members’ children who are interested to baby-sit. Do you have a service provider you would like to recommend? Patty maintains a “List of Services Recommended by Newcomers”. This is available at the Coffees or can be emailed to members upon request. If you have a recommended service provider, or if you have feedback (good or bad) on anyone on a previous version of this list, please contact Patty Howland.
