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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Megan Cooley

This individual is no longer an employee with The Spokesman-Review.

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Museum uncovers aged trunk’s origins

When people think of museum collections, images of dinosaur bones and famous artwork might come to mind. While Spokane's Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture has its share of precious items, it also collects the everyday items that tell the story of this region and its people. The clothing. The kitchen appliances. Even the lunchboxes.
News >  Features

Fashionable flowers

Carnations are hot. Ever since Carrie Bradshaw, the trendsetting character on "Sex in the City," declared carnations her favorite flower, they've been popping up in expected places, from the pages of shelter magazines to bridal bouquets.
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Learn how to corral nature’s warmth

Having grown up in the Midwest, Kelly Lerner is no stranger to cold weather. The Spokane architect remembers her parents replacing weather stripping, putting up storm windows and checking the fireplace damper for damage every fall.

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Tiles take shape from unwanted glass

Spokane resident Jeff Hazen makes jewelry – for floors and walls. In the garage of his South Hill home, the Gonzaga University employee crafts tiles out of recycled glass, creating unique pieces that have a translucent, liquid-like look that's vastly different from the mass-produced ceramic varieties available at big-box home improvement stores.
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Tricky Treats

Let them eat cake. And cookies. And cheeseburgers. And doughnuts. And chicken nuggets, for that matter.
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All-white flowers make crisp bouquet

Just because there's snow outside, doesn't mean we can't brighten our homes with a hint of spring. In fact, winter's beauty can be complemented with a bouquet of white flowers. The following arrangement was inspired by a bouquet featured a couple of years ago in "Cottage Living" magazine. Enjoy it on the table during a birthday dinner or some other celebration, then send it home with your guest of honor. Or, create it for yourself as a reminder of the cold season's crisp beauty – and as a tease of what's to come. Step by step
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Celebrate season with winter artwork

I'm constantly rescuing catalogs from our family's recycling bin. My husband hardly glances at their covers before he buries them under Diet Pepsi cans and stacks of newspaper. I'm not a shopaholic – far from it. I keep them around because catalogs are chock full of inspiration for my crafty to-do list.
A&E >  Food

Master mixers

What's the first word you think of when someone says "pumpkin"? If your response is "pie," you're not alone, says Chef David Blaine, of Spokane's Latah Bistro. For many Americans, that's the only way they eat autumn's ubiquitous orange squash.
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Bringing back the glory days

A stately, grand house at the southwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Manito Place might be as white as snow on the outside, but its interior is almost as colorful as its feisty owner. The dining room's walls are covered in red leather and floral tapestry. Custom-made sconces – small brass dragons holding up glass shades – illuminate the den, while enormous crystal chandeliers reign over other rooms. And a life-size replica of the ancient Greek Venus de Milo statue stands guard over the main staircase. "As soon as I get a little money, I'm going to get her a bra," deadpans George French, 79, who rescued the home 19 years ago after decades of neglect.
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Wrapping gives the gift of green

When Gloria Waggoner wraps her Christmas gifts, she often looks outside for inspiration. She might wrap a box in brown packaging paper, tie it up with hemp twine in place of ribbon, and adorn it with pine cones, dried herbs or holly sprigs from her yard instead of bows. "You can even dye the hemp twine by dipping it into watered-down acrylic paint," she says.
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Give kids a fun way to count the days

Raising kids is the ultimate déjÀ vu experience. When my 2-year-old daughter prances around the kitchen to the music of "John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together," I swear it feels like yesterday that my sister and I sprawled out on our family's brown and orange carpet watching that 1979 television special.
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Giving gifts and help

During this time of year, television ads prey upon our desire to make loved ones happy. Give your husband the keys to a new Lexus, and watch his face light up.
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Holidays help us whip up creativity

It's a wonderful time of the year, especially for crafters. The calendar is packed with craft shows, where shoppers can purchase handmade holiday gifts from some of the region's most creative people.
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Home cooks upgrade their wares

Blame it on television's Food Network. Restaurant supply stores in Spokane are seeing more noncommercial customers come through their doors. During the last five years or so, homeowners have begun buying everything from knives to professional ranges at shops that normally cater to chefs and restaurant owners.
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Don’t let cost of Halloween scare you

What is going on with Halloween these days? Various sources say Americans spend up to $8 billion on the holiday each year and that it's second only to Christmas in terms of commercialization.
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Let green set stage for décor

After months of cold, dreary weather, green floral arrangements can understandably make people think of spring. But green – nature's neutral – is an autumnal color, as well. Green bouquets can be appropriate and appealing, even in October.
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Give kids a reason to cheer

Whether you're a Cougar, an Eagle, a Vandal, a Pirate, or you cheer for some other team, fall is a great time to show your school spirit. We're Cougars and (Linfield College) Wildcats at our house, and we have the Sallie Mae bill stubs to prove it.
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Backyard deck brings fall into focus

When most homeowners build a deck, they likely envision using it for midsummer barbecues and afternoon sunbathing. But for South Hill residents Cheri and Scott Baker, their deck is all about autumn. That's when they invite friends over for candlelight dinners at their handcrafted outdoor table. It's the season when cousins visit to roast marshmallows in the built-in fireplace. And when it rains, the Bakers simply cover the deck's pergola with a canvas.
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Local businesses keep things clean – and green

When friends Heather Brown and Ruthanne Eberly decided to enter the workforce after several years as stay-at-home moms, they wanted careers that their kids—ages 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8—could be a part of. So what are they doing blending cleaning products from scratch inside Eberly's home?
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Prepare to let creativity flow

I am a child of the '70s, an era when macrame plant holders ruled and even the boys made latch-hook rugs (I have proof). It seems like almost everyone I know born within a decade of me – 1974 – remembers a childhood heavy on crafts. And many of us, including those with children of their own now, are finding ways to bring creativity back to our lives today.
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It’s never too early to be thinking green

Kids these days. They've got the weight of the world – and the atmosphere – on their shoulders. When it comes to environmental issues, they're caught between conflicting tensions, says Jennifer Hattam, lifestyle editor for "Sierra" magazine. On one hand, today's children are hearing more about global warming than youngsters did before them, "so there's more worry," she says.
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GU students return to new digs

It's a scenario that a lot of parents with children away at college likely have experienced. A student visits her family after a few months away, and it slips. At the dinner table, she refers to campus as "home," as opposed to the place she was reared for the last 18 years. It might be hard for Mom and Dad to hear, but that's exactly what Dennis Colestock, director of housing and residential life at Gonzaga University, wants to have happen. Part of his job is to foster relationships among students, and often those friendships are made in the places where people live.
News >  Spokane

Hopeful to the end

Jesse Garland had a lot of goals. Some were big. He wanted to share his life with Kelli Cook, whom he married at Holy Family Hospital in February. He wanted to teach foreign language at North Central High School, his alma mater. Some were small. He wanted to live until Christmas. He hoped to be alive Dec. 29, when friends from Korea were scheduled to visit. Maybe he could make it to the New Year.
News >  Features

Score Card shows area diabetics in better control of disease

WASHINGTONIANS WITH DIABETES are making dramatic improvements in their control of the disease. That's one of the results of the 2005 Premera Quality Score Card, a collaborative effort between Premera Blue Cross and doctors to share information and improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. The Score Card, available at www.premera.com, rates clinics using 19 variables such as how many patients undergo preventive screenings and the use of generic versus brand-name drugs.
News >  Spokane

Taking the Slavic pulse

Six of the Kaskevica children stood elbow to elbow around the family's kitchen counter on a recent Tuesday evening. Four were on one side of the Formica island, two were on the other, and 6-week-old Aenamul-Alen slept in a bedroom down the hall. They took turns washing their hands, singing the words to "Happy Birthday" twice to ensure all the germs went down the drain. They good-naturedly fought over who got to brown the hamburger. And, in a sweet chorus of "Aw, c'mon," they coaxed 6-year-old Marks to pull his face from the crook of his elbow when shyness overtook him.