Life with my sister

I was asked to participate in Wanna Dance this year. It is a fundraising event for the Woman's Discovery Center here in Jonesboro. I was asked when I moved to town in 2008 but the job I was in dictated my every move and they would not allow me to represent them in this event, so I had to bow out. I love that I now have my life back and can represent my company in such a fun event for a great cause. They team up 16 women and 16 men in the community who can potentially raise a good amount of money. The winner is not who dances the best, but who raises the most. As the website and Facebook page gets up and running, I will share the links so you can see what it is all about and donate! My partner is Barry. He works at our local Chamber. He is a hoot and a half. We are gonna have some serious fun I am afraid! This is Barry and me together at our planning lunch. We met with our dance instructor Libii. We are going to mimic our dance after the video below. We will of course modify it quit...

Last week I posted about the ferris wheel at WestEnd in our hometown having orange lights this month for hunger awareness. Well, we rode it last weekend while we were home in support of the cause and had SO much fun! I thought this would be my little foodie pic for this week. We are so fortunate to be able to fill the Fab 5's little bellies without a struggle. Samuel cracks me up in the photo....he looked mad on purpose. That was his pose. To be 13 again....ahhh. This week I want to focus on my local food bank, since it is near and dear to my heart. I serve on the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas Development Council. It is rewarding to serve in this capacity and see the benefits of sharing the mission and passion of the food bank with the community. Our food bank serves 84 agencies in northeast Arkansas. An agency can be a church panty, a senior citizens home, shelter, etc. These agencies come and buy or are given cases of food. Where we can purchase a box of cereal for $3, they ca...

As you know by now, we are dedicating Food Friday in September as a platform for hunger awareness. It is Hunger Action Month and we live in the hungriest state in the nation. Working directly with the local food bank in various capacities, it has become a cause close to our hearts. Hunger is a problem 365 days a year, but for one month it is the focus of much attention. This is evidence of it. I loved, loved loved seeing this on the Hunger Action Month blog. It actually made me tear up a bit and smile from ear to ear. I love my hometown and seriously dig riding this ferris wheel with my family. "The lights of this Ft. Smith, AR Ferris wheel will remain orange all month long as part of River Valley Regional Food Bank’s Light Up Hunger food drive. The historic wheel, also known as Big Eli, is a San Diego World’s Fair relic. It can now officially add Hunger Action Month advocate to it’s colorful timeline." Like Eli, you too can get involved with hunger awareness and help 1...

As you read last Food Friday, this is Hunger Action Month and we are dedicating our Food Friday's to highlight hunger and ways we can help. When most of us think of the hungry we picture children. Their little brains and bodies are growing at nano speed and proper nutrition is so important for them. It hurts any of us to think that there are children who are unable to eat because nothing is provided for them. Yet, what REALLY gets me these days is this statistic. We don't think about our parents and grandparents being hungry. When we first moved to J'Town 3+ years ago I got involved with the Food Bank by delivering senior packs. Every two weeks I would load my Maxima with 20+ boxes of food and take them to a senior apartment complex. I had a love/hate relationship with it. I loved helping and felt the need was great, yet I hated the sadness it left in my heart for days afterwards. I am not one of those people that helps and feels good about it. I still see the need and foc...

Every morning this sweet boy wakes up and asks for his "muk" and his "pop pop". He knows how to open the pantry to find his "pop pop" and tries his hardest to pull open the fridge door to get his own "muk". That milk and pop tart are essential to us in the mornings. We always have an extra gallon of "muk" in the fridge out in the garage and we always have a stash of pop tarts hidden in the pantry. We think nothing of it. We don't realize how blessed we are to not only have what we need to meet his immediate need, but we have enough supply to meet the need for days and even weeks. Sometimes I think about it. It breaks my heart to think about it. What if one morning he woke up and there was no "muk" or "pop pop". What would I say or do and how would he react? How would I fill his little belly? Yes, I would go to a food pantry or find government assistance, more than likely, but what if we did not have that avail...

We had a fun-filled weekend at home. It was much needed for our little daddy. I was so shocked that his phone did not ring concerning corn or beans at all on Saturday. I know Henry loved it. He needed a few days of rest, that is for sure. He works so hard to provide for us and does it very well. Saturday was the National Letter Carriers Food Drive. I serve on the development committee at The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas and took great delight in helping with this event. Our committee members have servant hearts and it is such a joy to serve the community along side them. We brought in over 20,000 pounds of food on Saturday. One day of people giving at their mailboxes...amazing! We have great leaders at our food bank who help share the mission and need in our community. I am so glad to have this resource right down the road from my house. I may not ever need it, but it is there if I am ever in need. What a fun and heartwarming way to spend a Saturday afternoon! The oldest expirati...

The 19th annual Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive will be held again on the second Saturday in May—this year, on May 14—local letter carriers in 10,000 cities will help stock community food banks, pantries and shelters for the summer months. To help paint a picture of what’s at stake for this year’s drive, NALC President Fredric V. Rolando pointed to recent Department of Agriculture statistics measuring hunger in the United States. “Those figures show that the number of Americans living in homes lacking sufficient food topped 50 million in 2009,” Rolando said, “with one in three of those—17.2 million—a child. Sadly, Arkansas is the hungriest state in our nation. Please join me in donating a large, sturdy bag of non-perishable food items at your mailbox on May 14th. Note: Please check the expiration dates...if your family won't eat it because it is expired, neither will those you are helping. Food banks throw away expired food just like you do. You would be amazed at what I have...

This week I had the privilege to help with the annual food drive for our local food bank. I am a thankful supporter of the area food bank. I serve on the development committee, I delivered senior packs until it got too emotional for me, and I give of our family treasure when possible. I can honestly say that is a cause in which I give my time, talent and treasure! I love the idea of helping meet the most basic need. What a blessing to help feed the hungry. Can you imagine being hungry, not having food in your cabinets and having no money to buy any? I can't imagine and I hope to never experience it firsthand. My Meemaw always gave to the Union Rescue Mission at the holidays. I remember the joy it gave her and how she would talk about it with passion. The year she died I gave a donation to the Union Rescue Mission in memory of her and I gave every year after that until we moved out of the area. Now I give to our local food bank. I love how she taught me the joy of giving....and s...

Because it is my birthday week, I can vent and stand on my soapbox. Here goes: Don't volunteer people for non-profit or civic organizations without asking them if it is okay! If you know me well, you know that most of my young career has taken place in non-profit organizations and I have learned that you don't volunteer your time, talents or treasures for things unless you are passionate about the cause. I am an advocate for this belief and know that burning your candle at both ends because you can't say "no" is not how we are suppose to use the 3 T's (listed above). Also, if you can't say "no", don't volunteer someone else for the job and not tell them. There is nothing like getting phone calls and emails from all these places telling you your responsibilities and you are like " Wha, WHAT?!" Don't be tacky. Say "no" with confidence if you don't want to be involved... and NEVER volunteer someone else for a job you...