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WEXFORD WIREWexford Conservancy Homeowners Association

M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R

w h a t y o u n e e d t o k n o w

I tems of Interest in the local area

CHRISTMAS

Pet Pics with Santa

Dec 3, 2011; 11:00 am; $8 for 1 pic, $12 for 2

Bring your pets to Veterans Memorial Regional Park to meet and have their picture taken with Santa! You’ll receive a holiday picture mount and/or a keepsake ornament of your pet. Bring your pet’s shot records with you to register for the

event.

Gar-Field Holiday Craft Show

Dec 10, 2011; 9:00 am - 3:00 pm; Free

More than 125 artisans are offering a variety of quality handcrafted items in-cludes candles, jewelry, soaps, paint-ings, photography, wood items, decora-tions, candy, quilts and more! Proceeds go to support orches-tra programs and scholarships.

Inova Blood Drive

Dec 20, 2011; 1:30 pm

Give the gift of life this holiday season. Sentara Potomac Hospital holds a blood drive provided by Inova every third Tues-day of every other month. The drive is held in the Hylton Education Center, Garden Level. Appointments are avail-able every 15 minutes.

Upcoming Events

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Give the Gift of Your Time this Holiday Season

uring the holiday season we often take pleasure in the many blessings present in our lives. The warmth of shelter,

the comfort of favorite foods, the bond between family and friends, the secu-rity of our jobs, and the companionship of our pets enrich our lives. Of course, not everyone’s experiences are as joy-ful or abundant. Here are some ideas on how you can share the spirit of giv-ing in our local community: A.C.T.SA.C.T.S offers emergency assistance programs, transitional living, “Turning Points” (a domestic violence program), a 24 hour help-line, as well as a thrift store that collects/sells items at rea-sonable prices. There are a variety of ways to volunteer at this comprehen-sive community organization. www.actspwc.orgCompassion HouseChrist Chapel’s Compassion House is a food outreach program that distrib-

utes food to those in need on a weekly basis. Donations can be brought to the church M-F from 10am-4pm. For a list of needed items, visit www.christchapel.org/food_pantryPrince William SPCAAn all-volunteer organization dedicated to protecting domestic animals from cruelty, neglect and abandonment. Multiple opportunities exist for both adult and youth animal lovers to con-tribute their time and talent in support of the PWSPCA mission. www.pwspca.orgSERVEVolunteers are needed to serve as children’s activity specialists who lead shelter children in recreational and educational activities (such as board games, crafts, story time, etc). www.nvfs.org

- Traci Cosio, Editor

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2011 Year in Review JANUARYRep. Gabrielle Giffords Among 17 Shot in Assassina-tion Attempt: Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Gif-fords was shot in an assassination attempt in Ari-zona. A gunman opened fire on the congress-woman's con-

stituent meeting, killing six people. Jared Lee Loughner was charged with five federal counts for the Arizona shooting spree, in-cluding attempted assassination of a mem-ber of Congress.

FEBRUARY Teachers & State Employees Pro-test: Wisconsin governor Scott Walker put forward a plan to cut the bargaining rights and benefits of public workers. State employees and teachers staged protests in Madi-son. Democratic

senators fled to halt action in the state Senate.

MARCH National Foot-ball League Shuts Down: NFL owners and players couldn’t agree to terms of a new collective bargaining agreement, even after an exten-sion and 16 ses-sions with a fed-eral mediator. Owners an-nounced they were locking out the players. Players filed an antitrust suit against the NFL, with quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees among the plaintiffs.

APRILPossible Shutdown of Federal Gov-ernment: The partisan debate over spend-ing cuts pushed the federal budget agree-ment to its deadline. With less than two hours to spare, an agreement on the federal budget was made, narrowly avoiding a gov-ernment shutdown.

MAY Osama bin Laden Killed: Osama bin Laden was killed in a firefight with CIA paramilitaries and Navy SEAL Team Six, then quickly buried at sea. Long believed to be hiding in caves, bin Laden was tracked down to a hideout near a Pakistani military academy.

JUNERep. Giffords Released from Hospital: Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords was released from the hospital after being shot point-blank in the head on January 8. Gif-fords had to relearn how to walk and talk in a Houston rehabilitation hospital.. Her discharge from the hospital is a major milestone in her recovery

JULYCasey Anthony Found Not Guilty of Murder: After almost six weeks of testimony, a jury of five men and seven women found Casey Anthony not guilty of killing her daugh-ter, Caylee Marie who was last seen with her mother on

June 16, 2008. The verdict ended a case that captivated the nation for three years. The jury found Anthony guilty of the lesser charges of providing false information to law enforcement officers.

AUGUSTStandard & Poor's Lowers the U.S. Credit Rating: For the first time in his-tory, the U.S. had its credit rating lowered. Credit agency Stan-dard & Poor's lowered the nation's credit rating from the top grade of AAA to AA+, removing the U.S. from its list of risk-free borrowers.

SEPTEM-BERAmericans Mark 10th Anniversary of 9/11 At-tacks: Family members at the World Trade Center in New York, the Pen-tagon in Wash-ington, D.C., and the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, paused to re-member the lives lost on September 11, 2001. For the first time they saw the etched names of their loved ones on the just-finished memorial in lower Manhattan.

OCTOBERNew Memorial: The Martin Luther King, Jr. monument was dedicated on October 16th. The only non-presidential monument to be featured along the Mall, the 30-foot-tall statue of King is complete with gran-

ite walls engraved with 14 of his quotations.

Death of Apple Visionary: One of the most revolutionary men of modern times, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away from complications related to his long battle with pancre-atic cancer. Jobs’ creative genius gave

us the iPod, iPhone, and iPad and secured Apple’s spot as a tech powerhouse.

NOVEMBERDoctor Found Guilty in Mi-chael Jackson Trial: A California jury found Dr. Conrad Murray guilty of involuntary man-slaughter in the sudden death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Murray served as Jackson’s personal physician as Jackson prepared for his comeback concerts. Ac-cording to testimony, Murray was giving Jackson surgical anesthetic propofol to help the pop icon sleep nearly every night for the last two months of his life.

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KIDZ KORNER: CHRISTMAS GIFT BOXThings you’ll need:- popsicle sticks- laces- box cutter- paint- glue

STEP 1: Lay out 11 pop-sicle sticks side by side and trim off the curved ends using the box cutter. Get your parents to help you with this part!

STEP 2: Line them up next to each other and lay two sticks horizontally on the top and bot-tom of the lined up craft sticks and use glue to hold the hori-zontal sticks down. Let it dry until the sticks are glued to-gether. Make 4 of these for the four sides of your box.

STEP 3: Glue each corner to form a box.

STEP 4: Put a popsicle stick along the bottom of the box to help support the base.

STEP5: Lay out popsicle sticks to form a base. Glue it down and let it dry.

STEP 6: Make a top for the box.

STEP 7: Paint the panels any color you like.

STEP 8: Add some details using glitter, paper cut outs, but-tons, ribbon etc. Use laces to trim the edges. Use laces or ribbon to form a loop and glue it on the lid to create a handle.

Fill the box with cool stuff and your Christmas present is ready to go!

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RECIPES FOR CHRISTMAS COOKIESPeanut Butter Kiss CookiesIngredients:1/2 cup peanut butter1/2 cup margarine1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup light/dark brown sugar1 tsp vanilla1 egg1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt1/4 cup granulated sugar3 dozen chocolate kissesDirections:Beat  margarine,  peanut  bu/er,  and  ½  granulated  and  brown  sugars  un6l  creamy.  Beat  in  eggs  and  vanilla.  In  another  bowl,  s6r  together  flour,  baking  soda,  and  salt;  gradually  add  and  blend  into  the  creamy  mixture.  Place  the  ¼  cup  of  granulated  sugar  in  a  small  bowl.  Roll  dough  into  1’’  balls  and  roll  in  sugar  to  coat.  Place  balls  2’’  apart  on  greased  baking  sheets.  Bake  at  350°F  for  10  minutes.  Remove  cookies  from  oven,  quickly  top  each  with  a  kiss.  Press  down  firmly.  Bake  for  3-­‐5  minutes  or  un6l  lightly  browned.

Turtle BarsIngredients:1 pkg caramels1/2 cup evaporated milk1 pkg German chocolate cake mix3/4 cup margarine1 cup chopped pecans1/3 cup evaporated milk1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:Melt  caramels  and  1/2c,  evaporated  milk  in  a  double  boiler  (or  microwave).  Mix  the  cake  mix,  margarine,  pe-­‐cans,  and  1/3c.  evaporated  milk  (similar  to  what  you  would  do  for  a  pie  crust).  Put  ½  of  the  mixture  into  a  13’’x9’’  greased  baking  pan.  Bake  in  a  350  oven  for  6-­‐8  minutes.  Allow  the  mix  to  cool  before  spreading  the  chocolate  chips  and  caramel  mixture  on  top.  Crumble  the  remaining  dough  over  the  top  of  the  dessert  and  bake  in  350  oven  for  20  minutes.  When  cooled,  cut  into  squares  and  serve!

Cranberry White Choco-late ChipIngredients:1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp baking powder1 cup margarine1 1/5 cups brown sugar1/2 cup granulated sugar2 large eggs1 tsp vanilla3 cups old-fashioned oats1 c dried, sweetened cranberries1 cup white chocolate chipsDirections:Preheat  oven  to  350.  Combine  flour  and  baking  powder  and  set  aside.  In  a  mixing  bowl,  beat  margarine  and  sug-­‐ars  un6l  fluffy.  Mix  eggs  and  vanilla  un6l  well  blended.  Next  add  the  flour  mixture  and  mix  un6l  just  combined.  S6r  in  oats,  cranberries,  and  white  chocolate  chips  to  the  mix.  Drop  cookie  dough  by  the  rounded  tablespoon  onto  a  cookie  sheet  and  bake  for  12-­‐14  minutes.  The  edges  will  be  a  light  brown  and  the  centers  s6ll  so`.  

Pumpkin BarsIngredients:1 stick margarine1 cup brown sugar1 cup flour1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp baking soda1/4 tsp salt1 cup prepared pumpkin1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice2 eggs1 tsp vanillaDirections:Combine  all  ingredients  and  beat  un6l  well  mixed.  Grease  and  flour  a  9x13  cake  pan.  Spread  the  mixture  evenly  over  the  bo/om  of  the  pan.  Bake  at  350  for  20-­‐25  minutes.  Cut  into  squares  un6l  slightly  cooled.  Bars  may  be  frosted  before  they  are  cut.  Topping:3 oz cream cheese1 tsp vanilla1 stick margarine2 cups sifted powdered sugarDirections:Cream  the  cheese  and  margarine,  then  add  vanilla.  Add  sugar  gradually  and  mix  un6l  smooth.  Spread  on  cooled  Pumpkin  Bars  and  then  cut  to  serve.  

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R-E-S-P-E-C-T ... Find out what it means to Me!

WEXFORD CONSERVANCYc/o RH1 Management, LLC18139 Triangle Shopping PlazaSuite 216Dumfries, VA 22026

FOR PAYMENTS (with coupon)Wexford ConservancyC/O RH1 ManagementP.O. Box 60098Phoenix, AZ 85082-0098

CONTACT NUMBERS:Office: (703) 221-5405Fax: (703) 221-1689

WEBSITE:http://wexfordpwc.org

COMMUNITY MANAGERS:Val Reynoldsval@rh1management.com Demetra Randolphrandolphd@rh1management.com

Mail ing Address

Contact usBOARD OF TRUSTEES

Jon Williams - PresidentJason Salley - Vice PresidentJoe Buckley - TreasurerRonna Parish - SecretaryAndrew Okolo - Member at LargeKameshia Pate - Member at LargeBrendan McCann - Member at Large

Contact your board members at: eboard@wexfordpwc.org

GET THE NEWSLETTER

✦ Join the email distribution list at wexfordwire@gmail.com. Send us an email with your name and address.

✦ Visit the Wexford homepage at wexfordpwc.org.

✦ Get a hard copy mailed to your U.S. Postal Service address. Keep in mind, you will only receive a newsletter once a quarter with this option so you might miss out on cool stuff !

NEWSLETTEREDITORS

Jini Ryan & Traci Cosiowexfordwire@gmail.com

Wexford  could  use  a  li/le  visit  from  Aretha  right  about  now.  It  seems  as  though  some  of  our  community  members  are  forgebng  some  of  the  basics  when  it  comes  to  being  neigh-­‐borly.  

  While  what  you  do  with/on  your  prop-­‐erty  is  your  business,  living  in  close  proximity  to  others  warrants  a  certain  level  of  respect.  

Here  are  some  of  the  top  un-­‐neighborly  be-­‐haviors  no6ced  by  our  residents…

Li;er:  Nobody  likes  a  li/erbug!  Well,  except  maybe  the  rodents  we’re  trying  to  prevent.  Snack  wrappers,  soda/water  bo/les  abound  (par6cularly  near  the  playgrounds)  and  do  not  create  an  image  of  a  community  that  cares.    There  are  trash  cans  located  near  the  common  areas  in  our  community  for  your  convenience,  or  of  course  take  it  with  you  rather  than  leaving  it  behind.

Destroying  Landscape:    A  large  por6on  of  our  community  budget/dues  each  year  is  used  to  maintain  the  common  areas  (plants,  shrubs,  

trees,  etc)  in  our  community,  not  to  men6on  individual  homeowner’s  expense.    Trampling  and  riding  through  landscaping  causes  visual  and  structural  damages  that  are  costly  to  re-­‐pair.  Sidewalks  are  there  for  good  reason;  please  encourage  your  family  members  to  use  them  opposed  to  cubng  through  others’  yards  or  common  area  landscaping.

Una;ended  Children:  Ignorance  is  not  bliss!  Parents,  please  be  aware  of  your  children’s  comings  and  goings.  Loitering  on  other  peo-­‐ple’s  property,  playing  ball  around  other  resi-­‐dent’s  cars,  and  leaving  scooter/bikes  lying  about  do  not  show  respect  to  your  neighbors.  As  adults,  we  have  a  be/er  understanding  of  these  behaviors,  and  it  is  up  to  us  to  ins6ll  re-­‐spect  in  our  children.

‘Tis  the  season  to  be  a  respeceul  neighbor!  Please  help  keep  our  community  clean  and  our  property  values  up.  With  mutual  respect,  we  can  make  our  neighborhood  desirable  for  pro-­‐spec6ve  buyers  as  well  for  the  residents  who  call  Wexford  home.

- Adrianne Turbok, Resident & Traci Cosio, Editor