What can I do to prevent lumps when thickening a mixture? Mix the starch with an equal amount of cold liquid until it forms a paste, then whisk it into the liquid you’re trying to thicken. Once the thickener is added, cook it briefly to remove the starchy flavor. Don’t overcook—liquids thickened with some starches will thin again if cooked too long or at too high a temperature.. What are the most popu ...

Those having Christmas Dinner with Roddy and Barbara Maddox were Sally Hardin, Barbara and Robert Grimes, and Roman and Angela Maddox and Ross and Dean. Christmas night the family got together to open presents. Those present were Ricky and Chris Maddox with David, Mickey and Coney Hanley with Payton and Preston, Jason and Crystal Mendl, Roman and Angela Maddox with Ross Dean. Anhelica Trinidad spent some time in South Carolina visiting family.

Do you have any goals that you desire to achieve this year? The sad part about many people is that they are willing to wander through life without any kind of planning. They let life happen to them instead of making plans to achieve. Is planning important? Yes! Before God ever spoke our world into existence, He had a plan.

Reading Recommendations: The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, particularly her father, until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she and her younger brother spent the summer with him in North Carolina. Ronnie's f ...

The New Year is fast approaching. A Facebook friend recently commented, "I’ll be happy to see 2009 in my rearview mirror." I suspect she is not the only one who feels this way. Yet even though some may be ready for their year to end, others are having some trepidation about the New Year and the changes it promises. New beginnings sometimes bring both an excitement and an uncertainty.

In the life of an artist or artisan, this season of gifting inevitably brings with it the choice of giving away your work as gifts to others. This choice should never be made hastily or lightly. The seemingly simple act of giving a handmade gift to someone holds the potential to make dramatic shifts in relationships. Those of us who create know that our gifts represent an enormous amount of our time and an even greater amount of ourselves.

About this time of year, many people make all kinds of New Years resolutions. I do something a little different and it is more of an annual spiritual review (Ephesians 5:15-21). I use the Christmas Season (Celebration of Christ Jesus birthday) as a review time. I usually try to look back over the year and ponder my successes and failures.

Well, Christmas has come and gone and we are all gearing up for the New Year. I am very happy to report that there were no major disturbances, wrecks and or problems over the Christmas weekend. It has been pretty uneventful and we are praying that it stays that way. A good job goes out to the fire departments for their hard work and big hearts during Christmas.

There is an unseen spiritual world around us. "Our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness" (Ephesians 6:12). This spiritual realm of wickedness is led by "the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world"

Although I’m gasping for breath and I think I need a ten day nap, it is still hard to believe Christmas is over! I hope everyone had a great time. I had a mother’s dream- a house full of family and friends. My Dallas kids Shane and Christine, brought their kids; Danielle, Sarah, Jason and John.

The holiday season is here, and many Texans are volunteering to feed the hungry or donating to area food banks. But the spirit of giving cannot and should not be just a seasonal occurrence. We know some Texas families have been hit hard by the recent economic storm, and so have our food banks.

Brooke Calcote and Adam Bagley of San Saba were married on December 19, 2009 at South Padre Island. Parents of the bride are Don and Karen Henson of Bowie, and Mike Calcote of McKinney. The groom’s parents are Dean and Alita Bagley of South Padre Island. Grandparents of the couple are Robert and Sandra Calcote of Graham, Bebe Bagley, the late Dean Bagley, the late Joe Smith, and the late Clara Smith, all of San Saba. The maid of honor was the groom’s sister-in-law ...

Dad finally came in from the fields to the early dinner Mom had prepared. All us kids sat around the table, eager to eat dinner so we could get to the annual Christmas Eve service at Harmony Ridge. Large glasses for fresh milk with homemade cornbread crumbled in it were at our places with spoons.

Damon and Martha Bush Celebrate 50 Years of Marriage - On Christmas Eve, Damon and Martha Bush of Richland Springs celebrated with their kids and grandchildren their 50th wedding anniversary. Damon and Martha were married on December 24, 1959 in Rockdale, Texas. They moved to Richland Springs, Texas in 1961 and have lived on the Gibbons Ranch, now Mays Ranch, since then.

Eventide's employees were treated to a party at Pepperbelly's Restaurant by their Administrator, Enedena Diaz, and owners, Michael Bumpass and Joe Neil. The food was "scrumptious", and the service was wonderful! The employees ate, played several games, were awarded door prizes, exchanged gifts, and had a great time! The Christmas Door Decorating Contest winners were also announced: 1st place with her Scrooge Coming Down the Chimney-Shawna Crawford, awarded $100; 2nd p ...

Dear Editor, WAKE UP, AMERICA! Your president and his marxist, socialist, and communist cronies are about to take over your everyday lives. They are about to take over your--health care, thermostat, type of car, food supply, job, salary, money and every other aspect of your life. The EPA has just ruled that C02 is a poisonous gas.

It's a New Year and new beginnings for many. Did you get or give that special ring for Christmas? Planning to say "I do" soon? Want to save money for your big day? Want to learn to love for life? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, a Twogether in Texas marriage education class will be held Saturday, January 9th from 9 a.m.

Santa’s visit to Richland Springs on December 19th was a memorable day for all the children who came to sit in his lap and tell him all their secret wishes for Christmas. There were vendors selling wonderful gifts for Christmas, Moonwalk & games for the kids, a cake walk, a silent auction, live music with singers from Austin, Texas, Larry Oubre and his students, and wonderful food.

Ann and Don McElroy and family celebrated Christmas, Saturday, Dec. 19 at their home near Harmony Ridge. All 10 of the grandkids plus one of their cousins received gifts from Santa. Pictured on the sofa are (left to right) River McElroy, Trey Harrington, Owen Mezger (cousin), Avery Johnson, Will Johnson, Santa, Gracyn Harrington, Allison Dodds, Kennedy Guerra, Kaia Hatch.

The San Saba Volunteer Firemen delivered gifts for all the children on the Angel Tree on Tuesday. How fortunate we are to have such loving, caring, and giving people in San Saba County. A special thanks to all the people that gave their money and time to shop for the gifts, to the child welfare board for wrapping all the gifts, and to the firemen for delivering the gifts.

Anne Elizabeth Sanford passed away December 21, 2009 at Mansfield Methodist Hospital in Mansfield, Texas. Anne was born June 15, 1921 to Lula Mae and Edward Frank "Scotty" Durham in San Antonio, Texas. Anne graduated from high school at 16 and earned her Bachelor’s from South Western University in San Marcos and later her Masters from SMU.

Jack Hollis Sanderson, 77, of Glen Flora, Texas, passed away on Monday, December 7, 2009 at the Gulf Coast Medical Center in Wharton, Texas. He was born February 23, 1932 in San Saba, Texas, the son of William Mitchell Sanderson and Imogene Robbins. He was a retired rancher. He is survived by his wife Sylvia Sanderson of Glen Flora, Texas; his son Quint Hollis Sanderson of Wharton, Texas; his daughters Kathy Sanderson-Baca and her husband Odie of Taylor, Texas, Leigh Ann Blair and he ...

Last Friday, the 9th grade boys basketball team hosted the Hico Tigers in the White Gym. We were able to open the game with an aggressive and uptempo pace. This helped us get out to a 12 - 3 lead in the first quarter, and there was no looking back. Our zone defense was solid and only allowed three 3 pointers made for the entire game.

Do I need to pre-register my entries for the Youth Fair? No. All you have to do is bring them on Thursday January 14 Does it cost to enter? No, thanks to some donors there is no charge. What is a photo story? A group of several pictures related to the same topic, or tell a story.

The GED test will be given at Gatesville High School-January 12 and 13 at Gatesville High in Room 22. You must register to take the test Wednesday, January 6 in Room 22 at Gatesville High from 5-7 p.m. You need to bring your Texas Drivers License or State or Federal Photo ID, Social Security card, and $65.

Christian A. Gonzalez formerly of San Saba, Texas has been invited to study abroad his senior year with People to People. He will travel and study with others from the Eastern Phoenix area. He will travel to England, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland to study. This educational group was founded by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.

Wrangler, Inc. has 'cowboyed up' once again to develop America's largest youth rodeo sponsorship program. The NHSRA Wrangler Division All Star Rodeo Team is fashioned after Wrangler's Champion Pro Rodeo Team, which includes superstars like Trevor Brazile, Stran Smith, Kody Lohstroh, Guilherme Marchi, Kaycee Feild, Will Lowe, Rod Hay, Hall-of-Famer, and the late Jim Shoulders. McKenna earned a position on the NHSRA Wrangler Division All Star Rodeo Team based ...

Middle School UIL Region Band tryouts were held on Friday, December 11, in Early. Congratulations to the following students who made the band and traveled the following day to Ballinger High School for the Region Band Clinic and Concert: Mikayla Eden, 5th Chair French Horn; Jeremy Vaughn, 7th Chair French Horn; Joseph Messer, 4th Chair Percussion; John Welch, 6th Chair Percussion. Other students who tried out were: Brendon Bush, 9th in Percussion (missed by 1 chair); Wesley Gates, 9t ...

Consequences of Drug Use Adolescent girls are susceptible to the physical, mental, and sometimes social consequences of substance abuse, especially at a critical time in life when their bodies and brains are still developing. • Some research shows that marijuana use can precede symptoms of depression. Girls (ages 14-15) who used marijuana daily were five times more likely to face depression at age 21.