Here is something for the homeowners. Tag your water line, gas lines and power boxes. If this is the house you have lived in for years or you just moved in this is a great idea.

Find a friend who knows their way around a house. No not the way to your kitchen, but someone who knows the difference between a gas line and a water line. Have this friend or better yet you might want to hire a trusted professional to do the job.

Your mission is to have them show you what is what. So in the event of an emergency you know what to turn off and sometimes you can simply correct very minor issues. For instance if the pilot goes out in your furnace, do you know how to restart it? It’s very simple if you follow the instructions inside of the furnace.

Founder of Ambrose Consulting & Training, LLC, Delorese Ambrose provided coaching and training for both the public and private sectors for such notable clients as Boeing, Hallmark Cards, KPMG, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Reserve Bank, Shell Oil Co., the U.S. Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency and the Veterans Administration.

DELORESE AMBROSE

She also lectured as a faculty member of the Institute of Management Studies throughout the U.S. and in Canada, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Manchester and Scotland.

More than 300 ladies were all-in for the annual Delta Sigma Theta Card Party Jan. 23 at the Rivers Club in Oxford Center. The gathering got off to a great start at 11 a.m. as the large group took stock of the Chinese auction items. The day was full of laughter, gifts and a lot of joyous noise. Event co-chair, Chris White Taylor, encouraged everyone to look at the person next to them and say, “Girl, you look good.” During the luncheon 50/50 raffle tickets and chances on the box of money were available.

THEY DEALT THE WINNING HAND— Curtistine Walker (president), Chris White Taylor and Anita Walker.

The sunny afternoon was a great opportunity for those who had been snowed in to thaw out and recover from cabin fever. A comfort food menu consisting of turkey, cornbread stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes was tasty and well received.

While most people associate Mardi Gras with New Orleans, you can throw your own Fat Tuesday fest wherever you live. Let the good times roll with authentic New Orleans-style food to make your party as genuine as the Big Easy celebration. Mardi Gras is actually part of a larger celebration, Carnival, that begins 12 days after Christmas (Jan. 6) and ends Fat Tuesday, 46 days before Easter, so the celebration can extend beyond just one day.

No matter where you live, celebrate Mardi Gras with authentic New Orleans-style flavor and your guests will come dancing in.