NEXT MEETING: Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 14th, at the West Milford Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall with coffee and refreshments available at 9:30 a.m. and the meeting beginning at 10 a.m. On-site babysitting is provided – see details below.

Prepare to look gorgeous for the holidays! Our program for the November meeting features Lory Dill of Essential Skin and Body Spa located on Union Valley Road right across the street from the Presbyterian Church. Lory is a licensed esthetician who will be telling us on how to care for our skin, especially how to counteract the effects of time and giving us make-up tips that also help in this regard. Services offered at the Spa include facials, professional makeup, glycolic peels, paraffin treatments, herbal body wraps, waxing, reflexology and several types of massage.

Refreshments will be provided by Maria-Elena Grant and Renee Weiss.

If you are able, we need help in setting up the tables and chairs before the meeting and in taking them down at the end. It would also help if each person puts their own chair back before they leave.

DECEMBER MEETING: Please plan to join us for one of our favorite meetings, our annual Holiday Brunch. You will be asked to bring an item of your choice (quiches, casseroles, salads, muffins/breads, side dishes, desserts, etc.). Ovens will be available for warming. A sign-up sheet will be coming around at the November meeting. If you are not coming to our November meeting, you can call or e-mail in your dish selection to the person to be designated as coordinator of this list.

Also for the December meeting, please bring a wrapped gift worth approximately $10 for our ever popular gift exchange game.

At this meeting, we will also have our voluntary, home-made cookie exchange. A sign-up sheet will be passed around at the November meeting or you can call the person who will be designated as coordinator of this list. If you wish to participate, please bring 6 dozen of one type of cookie divided into 12 zip-lock bags with 6 cookies in each. You will end up with a wonder full assortment of cookies to take home. Only those bringing cookies collect cookies, so you must sign up specifically for this exchange.

BABYSITTING:On site babysitting is provided for $5 per family at our meetings. Please pay our treasurer, Diane Brewer, when you come in. Please pack snacks and drinks for your own children and label their belongings, especially if they have their own drinking cup.

NEW KIND OF SUNSHINE SQUAD: We have decided to help each other in a new way when a member is in need of assistance. If a member is severely ill, had a baby or surgery, please put the message out on our yahoo e-mail of this person’s needs. We have found over the summer that this method works very well. Many sweet Newcomers have stepped-up and brought over meals, etc. to their fellow members and even to strangers in this way. We have also found that is not necessary to coordinate days. If you are bringing meals, please prepare something that can be frozen or refrigerated in a disposable container so that coordination of days is not necessary. Please don’t feel that you have to bring everything from bread and butter through dessert – just do what you can. Another option is to have a local establishment deliver a meal. We hope that this method will make it easier for more people to help out and assure assistance to our members when they need it.

MANY THANKS to Maria-Elena Grant and Renee Weiss for planning the wonderful 20th Anniversary Party for the Newcomers Club. Great job, ladies!

HAPPY NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS TO: Maria Eriksson – 11/12, Cristina Kamala – 11/11, Darlene Kohan – 11/14, Sandy Maciel – 11/24 and Kathy Maguire – 11/17.

NEW MEMBERS: We would like to welcome our new members: Blanche DeSimone, Lisa Fleury, Karen Lavin, and our returning member Anneke Hoek. They will be included in our coming Membership Directory.

ACTIVITIES UPDATE:

• COMPUTER GROUP: Jody Goldenberg. This group will be meeting on Tuesday, November 7th, at 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Jody’s house and then will not meet again until January due to holiday time pressure. Due to having to gather around one computer, space is limited. Please contact Jody to see if space is available for a particular class.

• CHILD’S PLAY PLAYGROUP: Wendy Rosica. This group is starting up on Tuesday, November 7th, at 10 a.m. at Wendy’s house, 6 Rockburn Pass in West Milford. Bring your children to play while you enjoy coffee and bagels with the other moms. Please let Wendy know if you are planning to attend.

• WALKING IN WAYWAYANDA: Mary Loudin. This group meets every Monday in Waywayanda State Park, meeting at the parking lot down by the lake at 1 p.m.unless there is inclement weather. Children and dogs are welcome. Park regulations require that dogs be on leashes. You do not have to call Mary if you are walking, just show up by the scheduled time.

• LET’S DO LUNCH: Merrilee McKittrick. This group will be going to The Phoenecian Restaurant for middle-eastern cuisine on Wednesday, November 15th, meeting at the restaurant at 12:30 p.m. The restaurant is located on Main Street in Warwick. Further information will be coming by e-mail. Please let Merrilee know if you plan to attend so she can make reservations.

• HIKER BABES: Debra Manfredonio. This group will be hiking every Thursday, meeting at 1 p.m., at various levels of difficulty and to different destinations. Contact Debra if you would like to be notified of this group’s plans each week

• A NOVEL GROUP: Debbie Maynard. The next meeting of this group will be on Wednesday, November 8th, at 8 p.m. at the home of Brenda Melstein. They will be discussing “The Plot Against America” by Philip Roth. If you are already a member of this group, please call the hostess if you are NOT attending. Guests trying it out are always welcome.

• ON-LINE SKYPE BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP: For those members who wish they could participate in our Book Club discussions but cannot get out at night, our Book Club chairman, Debbie Maynard, and our webmaster, Jody Goldenberg, have put together a “novel” idea. Using Skype software, as well a microphone and speakers or headsets with your computer, you can participate in a live discussion of the book with other members. This month this will take place on Thursday, November 9th, at 8 p.m. They will be discussing “Yellow Raft in Blue Water” by Michael Dorris. This is a fun, easy and very relaxed way to talk about the book from the comfort of your own home. If you need instructions on how to do this, please contact either Debbie or Jody.

• BREAKFAST BUNCH: Cindy Forrest. Cindy is now chairing this group which will be meeting on the last Thursday of the month. For November, the group will be meeting on Thursday, November 30th, at the Oasis Diner at the Shoprite Center at 9:45 a.m. You do not have to contact Cindy if you are attending, just show up at the diner. The group can meet more often if enough attendees desire it.

• SUPPER CLUB: Renee Weiss. This group will meet on Saturday evening, November 11th , at 7 p.m. at Renee’s home. The theme for this dinner will be Eastern European dishes from Hungary, Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic. Renee will be putting together a menu and including recipes for each dish. Space is limited to 12 people. Since this event was postponed from last month, all the spaces are filled at this point. Contact Renee if you wish to be notified if someone cancels.

• MOVIE NIGHT: Maria-Elena Grant. Movie Night will be on the first Tuesday of each month, attending a showing that starts after 7 p.m. but before 8 p.m. at either the Abbey Cinema in West Milford or the Clearview Cinema in Kinnelon. Selections will be based on show times, variety and popularity. Approximately one week prior to Movie Night, Maria-Elena will send out an e-mail announcement to the Club, letting everyone know the title, theatre and show time. If posssible, a link that contains a synopsis will be provided. Anyone interested in attending, please reply back to Maria-Elena and plan to meet up with everyone at the ticket counter of the theatre 10 minutes before show time.

• FIELD TRIPS FOR TOTS PLUS: Erika Crocco. Erika is taking over this group and is expanding it to include older children up to third grade. She will be sending out an e-mail to let you know of plans for November.