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* Everything you do will always leave a mark.
* You can always correct the mistake you make.
* What is important is inside of you.
* In life, you will undergo painful sharpening, which will only make you better.
* To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.
We all need to be constantly sharpened. This may encourage you to know that you are a special person, with unique God-given talents and abilities. Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed and, like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of who you are, is what's inside of you.
Before Tink met Peter Pan and the lost boys, she met Lizzie - a girl who believed in fairies with all of her heart. Their two worlds collide and Tink risks her own safety and the safety of her fairy friends as the Fairies set out on an adventure to London to save one of their own! Lizzy is quite the character and reminded me so much of myself when I was a kid, especially her little "Scientific Fairy Research Journal". I have two girls (age 8 and 2). They LOVE Tinker Bell. Even my 5 year old son loves the Tinker Bell movies. He probably wouldn't want to announce that on the school playground, but really he does!
Emily has blossomed into quite the character these days. She is showing signs of potty training. Sometimes she will tell me if she needs to go potty, and other times she will run from me if I ask her. Yesterday this conversation occured:
Emily: "Mommy, I poo-pooed in my diaper."
Me: "You did?! You're not supposed to do that in your diaper, you need to go to the potty and do that like a big girl. I thought you were a big girl?"
Emily: "No, Mommy. I not a big gwirl."
Me: "Oh, so you're a baby."
Emily: "No, mommy I not a baby either."
Me: "Well, if you're not a big girl or a baby, what are you?"
Emily: "I'm two!"
This two year old girl LOVES Dora The Explorer. Shelby had quite the infatuation with this Latino cartoon character as well. Emily got a Dora Cowgirl DVD for her birthday and I think we've watched it over a hundred times since her birthday, less than a month ago! She will pull up a chair in front of the television and use it to stand eye level with Dora and Boots as they're riding on their "horsey".
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| Kisses for Dora and Boots. |
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| Swiper No Swiping...Awwww man! |
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| "Cowgirl Dora is my fwend." |
Tomorrow is the big day!!! Myself along with some of my "team" mates will be setting up a booth at Searcy's 3rd Annual Get Down Downtown Celebration. I couldn't be more excited!!! I already pooped with spending the week collecting donations from some of the most generous vendors around. We'll be serving pink lemonade and cookies for donations. All proceeds will go toward the Arkansas Chapter of the Susan G Komen Foundation. Team CrAzY For A Cure will be participating in the 17th Annual Susan G Komen Race For The Cure on Saturday, October 16, 2010. We are PROUDLY sponsored by Hanes who is providing us with team shirts! They were generous enough to donate some things from the pink collection for our cause. Shelby and I are modeling the T-shirts here:
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| Two Thumbs up for Hanes Pink Merchandise |
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| Banner donated by All Around Graphics! |
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| Wanna go for a ride?!?! |
Twelve Years ago today, I married my Knight in Shining Armor. Brien Black swept me off my feet when we were mere teenagers and now 16 years, 3 kids, and a mortgage later we're living happily ever after. I love that man with every being of my soul and I thank God every day for putting us together and blessing and enriching our lives daily. What a wonderful feeling it is to know that I get to spend my days with my soul mate. We a big part of our high school days going dancing at a teenage country dance hall called 89 Country in Cabot, Arkansas. We were also married there. It has since been turned into a church and our lives have been filled with many memories and so much love shared between us that I cannot imagine my life without him. It's been 12 wonderful years of wedded bliss and I would not change one single minute. I love you, Brien Lynn Black! Today, tomorrow, and forever. Thank you for making me your wife.
The other day as I dropped Emily off at daycare Tyler and Shelby spotted another mom who apparently worked in the medical field as she was wearing scrubs. When we returned to the car, Tyler asked me if I saw the woman wearing a "nurse's uniform". I told him that I did not see her to which he responded,
It's that time of year again...FAIR TIME! For us that means, not only cooler weather (hopefully!!!) but, caramel apples, funnel cakes, horses, exhibits, talent shows, rodeos, and demolitions derby! What's your favorite part of the fair? Do you like to ride rides, play games, or steer clear of the midway?
Here in White County (Searcy, Arkansas) we kick off the White County Fair with a parade on Monday afternoon. The fair queen hopefuls, politicians, bands, and lots of local businesses participate in the fun. Shelby, my 7 year old daughter and Tyler, my 5 year old son both rode horseback in the parade. Since Shelby decided last minute that she wanted to ride, she rode behind Tyler in a buddy saddle.
Emily and I watched from the sidelines and she was anxiously awaiting the arrival of her siblings on the fair route!
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| Sour Faced Emily! |
Picking seed ticks (teeny tiny newborn ticks) from my two year old daughter was not how I'd envisioned spending my Labor Day, but that's just how I spent a big part of my afternoon.
Brien bought a new automatic corn feeder and decided to take it to his deer camp today to set it up. The kids and I chose to tag along because we had a free day. We were on the go all weekend with birthday parties so we took the opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. Even Oscar the wiener dog tagged along with us. Everyone was excited for a road trip followed by adventures in the woods. All three kids were excited. Of course, 2 year old Emily was just excited because the other two were. Tyler has a bit of "buck fever" like his father, so he's super excited to get back out in the woods and look for signs of deer, etc. Shelby just doesn't want Tyler to be doing something without her, so I think that's why she takes such interest. Don't get me wrong, she loves spending time with her daddy, but being hot and mostly being outdoors is just not her thing. She's more of a shopper than a hunter, and she gets that from me!
Okay, all of you parents out there. I'm about to tell you about a product that's going to make you say, "Why didn't I think of that?"!!! I know when I saw them I thought the same thing. A father decided that when his daughter was having trouble learning to self feed he needed to figure out a simpler way. So, off to the work bench he went and the first prototype was designed for Little Grips. After prayer and a lot of support from family and friends who knew this idea was marketable, Idea Blvd Inc. was created and promises several other products in development that they look forward to introducing in the future. Not just baby products but inventions that will solve some of the most basic annoyances we face on a daily basis. To read more about this company, you can click their About Us Page.
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| Fork full of eggs and no spilling! |
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| Contact!! |
Wednesday night we had a late night at church, so on the way home we stopped at a fast food joint for dinner. Emily was already asleep so I decided to drive through and just take it home to eat. We were in the drive through and proceeded to wait there a good 15 to 20 minutes after placing our order before getting to the first window. The money taker was very friendly and replied when I said hello. She carried on conversation with me and was very well-mannered and polite.
As I moved on to the pick up window I did NOT have the same experience. I always say "Hello" when I am in the drive through. I was raised to respect everyone and use my manners and greet people when I see them. She did not even acknowledge my existence. She never looked me in the eyes. She proceeded to hand me my drinks. At least she did have all 5 of them in a cup holder. Of course after waiting 15 minutes in the drive through line I waited another 3 or 4 there while they figured out which food was mine. Then she shoved it at me and turned her back away from me. She not once even said a word to me. I was nothing but nice to her and in return got horrible customer service.
To top it off, as I was pulling out, I grabbed a french fry out of the sack and they were as cold as ice and had obviously been sitting a while. I don't know why in the world we would have been served cold fries if the place was that busy that we'd be sitting in a line full of people for so long. But, I was not about to go back, unload all of the kids and go in to complain.
When we got home, the only thing warm was Brien's sandwich. Everything else looked (and tasted) like it had been sitting there for hours. Thankfully we were all so tired and hungry we didn't complain too much. But it really got me to thinking a lot about customer service. It seems like anymore, especially at eating establishments it's just overlooked. More important than the food being prepared correctly, I care about customer service. If I have someone who is nice and caring waiting on me then I am most likely not going to complain about something. But, if they are already being a jerk or acting like they don't care, why should I?
I posted this on my Facebook and got a lot of input on the subject. Apparently it's something that others struggle with as well. Someone mentioned that if I worked there would I not be cranky and the answer is simple, "NO"! It shouldn't matter where you work or what you do, you should always take pride in yourself and your work. Never treat people with disrespect and handle yourself with class...even in a fast food drive through! You never know, you could be serving your future boss some day.
I think that businesses should stand back and take a long hard look at their customer service and see how they can strive to improve it. In today's down turned economy, it could potentially increase their business! Wouldn't you rather go somewhere you knew you were going to be treated well over some place where you aren't?!
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| Emily's new ride: Princess 4 Wheeler |
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| The truck chants: "Big Foot, Big Foot" - so she danced! |
