DIY SPRING CLEANING

Homemade cleaners save time and money

SSpring time is here, and when I can open my windows and get fresh air in the house, I find myself inspired to deep clean and freshen up our entire home.

Now if you are anything like me, not only do you like a clean and fresh home, but you also like to save money. Here are three of my favorite homemade cleaners that work just as well as, or better than, all those pre-made store-bought ones. With some basic ingredients, you can make all sorts of homemade cleaners that not only work great but are cost effective as well. It’s a win-win!

FAB FRESH

First of all, is there anything that smells better than linens that have dried on a clothesline? I don’t know what it is about sunshine that smells so wonderful, but science has yet to duplicate that aroma that takes me straight back to my childhood and my grandma’s house.

While we can take the blankets and linens out to the clothesline, one thing we cannot take out to soak up the sunshine is our upholstery fabric or carpets. To give those a refreshing scent, I have a homemade deodorizing spray I use. I call it Fab Fresh.

WHAT YOU NEED • 1 1/2 cups warm water • 1/2 cup witch hazel • 20 drops essential oils • 1 drop pure Castile liquid soap • 16 oz. spray bottle

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Put the water, witch hazel, oils and drop of pure Castile soap in the spray bottle. 2. Shake to combine. 3. Spray as desired.

Note

You can use your favorite “fresh” essential oils in this, such as lavender, peppermint or refreshing blends.

GLASS AND SURFACE CLEANER

Finally, when it comes to all of that spring cleaning, you’ll probably find yourself washing your hands quite a bit. I for one love foaming hand soaps, but I don’t love paying the price of most of them out there. This homemade foaming hand soap uses some of the same basic ingredients I have used in the other recipes and costs about a quarter of the premade kinds. I’ve also found it doesn’t dry my skin out as much as other soaps tend to do.

WHAT YOU NEED • 1 1/2 cups water • 1/2 cup pure Castile liquid soap • 10 drops essential oil • 16 oz. foaming soap bottle

INSTRUCTIONS:

To make your hand soap, simply combine the ingredients in the bottle and invert it a few times to mix the ingredients. Note

I like using lemon or citrus essential oil for hand soap in my kitchen. In the bathroom I might use lavender, or I might choose peppermint during the holidays. Have fun experimenting with different oils to create your own fragrance blends.

HHartselle City Schools is home to eight pre-kindergarten classrooms, and all seek to ready students and families for the kindergarten classroom and beyond.

Seven of the eight classrooms are Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education First Class Pre-K classrooms, which are funded through a grant process requiring schools to abide by rigorous operating guidelines. One of the eight classrooms is the Early Childhood Learning in a PreSchool Environment pre-kindergarten classroom, which is an inclusive program for preschoolers with and without disabilities. Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program has been awarded the highest quality rating by the National Institute for Early Education Research for 13 consecutive years. The program seeks to ready students for the kindergarten classroom, and it defi nes a “ready” student as one who has an enthusiasm for learning, has an ability to function in a school setting, has age-appropriate communication and problem-solving skills and is healthy.

The Department of Early Childhood Education points to numerous studies that have shown students who participate in high quality Pre-K programs are less likely to repeat a grade or require remedial education and tend to score higher on achievement tests. They are then more likely to graduate from high school and go on to college, and they tend to get higher paying salaries as adults.

The Department of Early Childhood Education sees First Class Pre-K as a benefi t it can offer students before kindergarten ever begins.

Hartselle City Schools wants to offer this gift of readiness to Hartselle’s children. First Class Pre-K registration has begun for the 2020-2021 school year and will continue every Friday through the month of February and until all classrooms have reached capacity.

Details can be found at www.hartselletigers.org or by calling 256-773-5419. There are seats available for the current school year as well for those students who turned 4 on or before Sept. 1, 2019.

The ECLIPSE pre-kindergarten classroom will be housed at Crestline Elementary School in the 2020- 2021 school year. Children with special needs who meet the state requirements for eligibility and need a full range of services as determined by their Individualized Education Plan teams are eligible to attend starting after their third birthday. They do not have to be three when the school year starts. They may continue to receive services until they are eligible for kindergarten. These students will be joined by typical peers who are without disabilities and who attend either full-day or half-day sessions, up to fi ve days per week. Interested parents of students with or without disabilities can call Crestline Elementary School at 256-773-9967 for details. The benefi ts of a pre-kindergarten year extend well beyond the calendar year itself. SUSAN HAYES HCS FEDERAL PROGRAMS COORDINATOR Hooray for Pre-K!

TAKING CENTER STAGE

Becca Faulk sets sights on Broadway

DDancer. Actress. Singer. Becca Faulk isn’t defined by just one of her many extracurricular activities. The senior at Hartselle High School is a lover of all things theatre, and she has her eyes set on Broadway.

That love started when she was a young child. The Faulk family moved to Hartselle when Becca was in the first grade, and her first taste of the spotlight was being involved in Hartselle’s community theatre troupe, the College Street Players, for its production of “Alice in Wonderland.” According to mother Jenny, after that, there was no going back for her daughter.

“I can close my eyes and still vividly picture that 7-year-old girl in the middle of the stage, and I could tell she was at

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home,” Jenny said. “I knew then that she loved it and would continue performing.”

More than a decade later, Becca’s resume is packed with musical theatre experience. She has been cast in countless roles with the CSP as well

as the Hartselle High School drama program, the Bank Street Players in Decatur and Independent Music Production. She’s had roles in “Hello, Dolly!,” “High School Musical,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “The Music Man” and “Mary Poppins.”

She hasn’t stopped with musical theatre though – Becca is also the captain of Tiger Paws, the HHS dance line, and president of the International Thespian Society, and she sings in the high school chorus.

Becca has spent the past several months traveling the country for her various auditions. She’s performed her songs and monologues at more than 20 schools across the United States to date. Nazareth College, Baldwin-Wallace

University, James Madison University and Texas Christian University are a few of the institutions she’s visited either on campus or during National Unified Auditions, a convention-like event that brings students and drama programs together.

“Being accepted to any of these schools is a two-step process,” Jenny said. “First you have to academically be accepted to the school, and then you have to audition either on campus or at a Unified event.” The mom-anddaughter duo have been to New York, Wisconsin and Chicago in recent months on a quest to find the perfect drama program for Becca.

Becca said something happens when she’s on stage and, while she’s not a shy person by any means, she said she feels like she’s fullfilling her calling when she’s performing. “I’m

more completely me when I’m on stage,” said Becca – and she said her passion is something her family has always supported.

“In my family, when you want to do something, they’re all in. They have helped me every step of the way to get where I want to be.”

Becca’s father Andy and her brother Logan can often be found running the tech side of the things during her shows, and when not traveling with her daughter, Jenny is involved with the College Street Players herself.

Jenny said she is impressed by her daughter and all that she’s accomplished in her 18 years. “She’s so mature and together because of this,” she said. “You fail a lot, to get to where she is, because you have to be willing to try, and you can’t be afraid to fail. It’s been fun to see her overcome things other people will never get to experience their own children accomplish.

She used to be terrified of auditioning, and now to watch her standing in a hallway in a studio in New York surrounded my thousands of kids and their parents … to see her be ready and watch that preparation come to fruition is impressive.”

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PARKER’S “U - NAME - IT” Tony Parker 256-227-5265 Lawn service Rotted wood repair Clean & seal decks Paint inside & out Sheet rock repair Pressure washing A little bit of EVERYTHING We accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express References Upon Request Free Estimates

WWelcome to the William Bradford Huie Library of Hartselle. If you have never had the pleasure of visiting us, we hope you can make time soon. We offer a wide selection of books, activities and services.

We have approximately 30,000 books, 300 audiobooks and more than 750 movies available for checkout. We are continually looking for new books and new authors to expand our collection. Please talk to one of the librarians if you have a suggestion or recommendation for a new book or author!

Additionally, both the Decatur Daily and the Hartselle Enquirer newspapers are available for our patrons to enjoy.

We have preschool activities, story time for adults with special needs, craft classes for adults, special programs throughout the year and Summer Reading Programs for all ages.

We offer seven computers with internet access and multiple programs, such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel for creating documents. We also have one computer dedicated to our Online Public Access Catalog. For children, there are three computers with learning activities. Free Wi-Fi is available, as well.

Your library card also gives you access to our free e-book service, Camellia Net. There are thousands of e-books and audiobooks to check out.

Through Alabama Public Library Services, we have free online resources to provide assistance for: • Homework • Online tutoring • ACT, SAT, ASVAB, GRE and GED test prep • Career prep • Resume writing • Job search Are you in a book club? Alabama Public Library Services has more than 160 books with multiple copies available for checkout through our library.

We also have two used book rooms that have a wide range of books and magazines for sell.

Other services available through our library are printing, photocopying, test proctoring, scanning to email or thumb drive.

We have something for everybody! We hope to see you soon at the library! MICHELLE BLAYLOCK LIBRARY MANAGER There’s something for everyone at the library

LES AMIES WINTER FORMAL The Les Amies Winter Formal was held Jan. 18 at Brook Haven in Cullman. The theme of the night was “A Fairytale Ending.”

Photos by RAW Images 1. Kenzie Hamlett, Shelby Moore, Maddie Ferguson and Catherine Cline 2. Lexie Smith and Rocky Smith 3. Shannon Ferguson and Maddie Ferguson. 4. Brad Bodine and Shelby Moore 5. Jonathan Carnes and Shanna Alexander. 6. David Sittason and Grace Sittason 7. Carlton Guyse and Maggie Guyse 8. Chasity Moore, Shelby Moore and Charlie Moore. 9. Cayden Davis and Katie Harris 10. Maddie Grace and Chad Gladden 11. Kalysta Hobbs and Jim Nixon 12. Dana Ferguson, Maddie Ferguson, Shelby Moore and Brandi Bodine

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NEW MEMBER PERKS

Did you know new members receive a free ad in Hartselle Living? Additionally, they receive several exclusive benefi ts, such as a listing in the Chamber’s online Membership Directory and recognition in the Chamber’s bi-monthly e-newsletter, Hartselle Living Magazine and the Chamber’s social media accounts. They are invited to serve on community committees and the HACC Board of Directors. They receive exclusive invitations to attend Chamber events and member discounts. Members can leave their information in the Chamber offi ce visitor center, and Chamber staff only refer Chamber members to visitors of the area.

UPCOMING EVENTS Cinderella Ball - March 7 The Chamber’s Cinderella Ball will be March 7 at 6 p.m. at The Burleson Center. For more information visit www.hartsellechamber.com.

Total Resource Campaign - March 23 through May 13 Oceans of Opportunity will be our third annual campaign. The sponsorships and marketing opportunities offered to our membership during this campaign help the Chamber provide a variety of programs, including workforce development, leadership, networking opportunities and business development events. Annual Meeting - May 1 Presented by Redstone Federal Credit Union, the annual meeting is an opportunity to celebrate the past 12 months in our community while looking ahead to anticipate what’s next for the Hartselle Area. The Chamber will present the Dr. Thomas M. Guyton Humanitarian Award, the Rosie E. R. Roberts Business Award, the John J. Sparkman Citizenship Award, The Tommy Ed Roberts Civic Award and our HCAA Ambassador of the Year Award.

We are delighted to host Ralph E. Nelson Jr., president and chief executive offi cer of the Rocket City Trash Pandas, right off their opening, as our keynote speaker.

RSVP information will be available as the event approaches.

NEW MEMBERS

North Alabama Cat & Bird Veterinary Clinic

Stillwater Washing Co.

Stopwatch Urgent Care Centers LLC

New Members from Dec. 1, 2019, to Jan. 31, 2020

2019-2020 HARTSELLE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS/STAFF

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chairman of the Board: Grant McKelvey, McKelvey Technologies Treasurer/Secretary: Brad Sheats, Life Church Incoming Chair: Tammy Lott, Redstone Federal Credit Union

DIRECTORS Dr. Chuck Gill, Morgan Animal Hospital Janan Downs, Zoey’s Downtown

RaJane Hampton, United Country Four Oaks Realty and Auction Dr. Ashley Holladay, Hartselle Family Dentistry Bradley Colburn, Hartselle City Schools Daxton Maze, Hartselle Utilities and Green Pro Mike Tucker, LifeWork Physical Therapy Pastor Brad Sheats, Life Church Chad Hughey, State Farm Insurance Sherry Floyd, Sonoco

STAFF Missy Evans, Executive Director Kassi Hill, Administration and Events Coordinator

Dec. 12, 2019, the Chamber hosted the 2019 City Appreciation Luncheon, presented by Sonoco Reels & Plugs. This luncheon is done as a way to express our gratitude for the City of Hartselle and Hartselle Utilities employees for all they do for the Chamber and our city throughout the year. We could not pull off any of our annual events without all of their hard work and dedication!

NETWORKING @ NINE SCHEDULE

March 17

RAW Images will host at the Chamber

We would like to thank all of our sponsors: Sonoco Reels & Plugs, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Hartselle Enquirer, Redstone Federal Credit Union, Inline Lighting & Electrical and Bill Burdette State Farm.

John Kyzer was the winner of the Grand Door Prize from the City Appreciation Luncheon, donated by Main St. Mortgage.

Soaring into the Future

For more than 82 years, Joe Wheeler EMC has been lifting the communities of Lawrence and Morgan Counties. Providing electricity to areas left in the dark all those years ago was only the beginning.We’ve been goingstrongsince 1937, and thanks to ourmembers in thecommunities we serve, we’re taking JWEMC to new heights.