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2 Your Hometown Magazine
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Clothing Jewelry ACCessories
shopbellaC Boutique has something for everyone to enjoy; carrying clothing sizes XS -XL with price points starting at $6 for gift items.
2411 w. BeeBe CApps • seArCy • (501) 279-2929 www.shopBellAC.Com open mon-fri 10:30-5:30, sAt 10:30-4
proud retAiler of
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issue 4 2014
What Businesses Are Saying
28
The Reading & Learning Diagnostic Center
44
77 OutAbout&
Culture Swap 48 Cooking With The Williams
50
Peace Within The Storm 52 Elizabeth Smart Story: Continuing To Live
56
Miracles Happen 58 Budding Athlete From Rose Bud
62
A Heart For Haiti 64 Nothing To Gain 66 Carmichael Kids 68 Are You At Risk For Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
72
Great Strides For Cystic Fibrosis
74
What Businesses Are Saying
76
Publisher’s Note 11
“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.”
Hope Believe 12
– Unknown
Fashion Fun 18 Living In Searcy 22 We The People 30 Fab Do It Yourself 40
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Over The Counter 70 Out & About 77 Dinner & A Magazine 78 Games & Puzzles 80
On the Cover
Lyla Abraham daughter of Andrew & Trina Abraham
Photo by Kimberly brackins 501.279.1515 SearcyLiving.com 9
Publisher Christine Walker Art Director & Webmaster Garrett Johnson Graphic Assistant Ikey Ray Editorial Assistant Cherie Sewell Makeover Coordinator Christine Locke Office Manager Chasity Thomas Contributing Independent Photographers Kimberly Brackins (501)279-1515 George Dillin (501)268-9304 Cassie Jones (501)230-0539 Candace Skarda (501)281-6297 Taylor Howard Photography (870)917-8012 Feature Writer Cecelia Wilson
Searcy Living Locally Owned and Operated 812 South Main Street Searcy, AR 72143 searcyliving@yahoo.com (501) 368-0095 SearcyLiving.com For subscription information go to SearcyLiving.com
Copyright 2014 Shark Promotions LLC. Searcy Living, Cabot Living, and Your Hometown Magazine are trademarks of Shark Promotions. All rights reserved. Ownership, rights, and logos are property of their respected businesses. No part may be reproduced without written permission. Shark Promotions LLC is not responsible for claims, misprints, discrepancies, advice of any kind, or content in advertisements or editorials, but will rectify errors in forthcoming issues.
Copyright Š 2014 Shark Promotions LLC
Searcy Living Magazine is a subsidiary of Shark Promotions LLC.
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“ Every success, every failure, every heartbreak… all of it has shaped you into the person you are today. And that person is a masterpiece.” ~ Ann Mehl You. That’s really what Searcy Living Magazine is all about. Your accomplishments, your joys, your triumphs, but also your sorrows and pain, shared with others to help them through their tough times. As you have shared with each other for over a decade through this publication, how you have improved lives, learned lessons, overcome defeat, improved this community, and supported each other. With each new issue, I am so humbled yet so excited that we can continue to help you make this connection. We are all a work in progress. As Charles De Gaulle once said, “Nothing is ever definitely acquired; everything has to be remade all the time.” And so it is with improving each other’s lives and this community. As always, thank you for reading Searcy Living Magazine!
“ Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Remember The Extras On Peace Within The Storm
Continuing To Live
“...We are all storm cells in an atmosphere that is constantly changing.”
“I’ve been so immersed in anger and heartache that I haven’t been able to appreciate the blessing in seeing these children continue to live.”
Page 52
Page 56
Reading & Learning Diagnostic Center “So why do we expect all children to learn to read the same way?” Page 44
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Hope Believe
Children enter foster care through no fault of their own. Most are in care due to abuse or extreme neglect.
* The Searcy Living Foster Care Boutique is simply a room in the Searcy Living business office that we have dedicated for use in helping foster families in need. Our awesome Searcy Living readers bring in donations, and DHS case workers and foster parents are able to “shop� for what they need for foster and disadvantaged children, at no cost. Our office is located at 812 S. Main Street in Searcy. We welcome gently used or new items. Thank you, Searcy, for your generosity and time spent to support the Foster Care Boutique!
ou! Thank Y
Thank You! Mackenzie Eads
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Thank You Mt. Pleasant 4-H Club Flip flops for foster kids
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Hope Believe
Thank You!
Hays Family Clothing
A Special Thank You To The Elks Lodge! Danny Hobbs E.R., Pam Boggan, Taylor Champlin
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Ethel Hall, Brenda Henry, & Dee Henry donated diapers
Claudette Smith Donated flip-flops and diapers
ou! Thank Y
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Hope Believe
o Thank Y
u!
Thank You!
Nancy Fisher donated pull ups
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As the old Proverb says, sometimes it does take a village to raise a child. Not one entity can provide the resources and support for all the children in need, but we can pull together and do our part. The children that the Foster Care Boutique helps are sometimes the most extreme needs in the community. Thank you for the clothing, diapers, and volunteer hours you have provided to this project.
Emma’s Birthday (Left to Right) Emma Hendricks, Katie Long, Sara Feather, & Bailey Mills
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Many thanks to our generous sponsors who made Paula Butterfield’s makeover special! Melissa Prince at Hays assembled Paula’s outfit, Doris Yates of The Cosmetic Studio applied her makeup, and Kim Grimes of Symmetrix Salon and Day Spa styled her hair. New sponsor Cristie Merritt of ShopbellaC accessorized the look. Kimberly Brackins preserved memories of Paula’s special day.
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Christine Locke Makeover Coordinator
3005 E. Race St. • Searcy (501) 268-0800
O u t f it F r o m
By Doris Yates at
Hays
acc e ss o r i es by
ShopbellaC
In the Heart & Soul Plaza 1623 E. Beebe-Capps • Searcy (501) 279-2526
By Kim Grimes at
2904 Hawkins Dr. • Searcy (501) 268-4540 www.symmetrixsalon.com
2411 W. Beebe-Capps • Searcy (501) 279-2929 www.shopbellac.com
Turn the page for more fashion & beauty retailers. >>>>>>>>>>>>
119 N. Spring St. • Searcy (501) 279-1515 www.kbrackins.com
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SearcyLiving.com 21
IN SEARCY
When you pass through the Ekdahl’s side gate and into their backyard, it feels as though you have just taken a step out of Searcy and into an exotic oasis. Time slows down, and the coolness of the breeze that passes through the endless variety of flowers and trees simply takes your breath away. One decorative sign nestled between two beautiful bushes says it best: “This isn’t a garden, it’s a botanical masterpiece.” The garden of Sue and Sonny Ekdahl emerged out of modest beginnings. They purchased their home in February of 1977 and began to makeover their yard in the spring of that same year. There were large tasks to tackle in the beginning, as it was necessary to remedy and remove the damage done by three giant dogs, fifteen aged pine trees, a rotten arbor and many loads of dirty white gravel. After getting the yard down to its bare bones, the first matter of business was to install French drains all around the garden and behind the house. Next, Sue sought out the only nursery in town at the time, owned by Sherman Brown, and had him plant all of the azaleas behind the house and along the west fence line. The spa is centrally located in the garden and has been the hot spot for entertainment over the years when company comes to visit. Construction of the spa.
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In 1979, the in-ground spa was born. This addition took place because Sue’s doctor prescribed heat therapy to help with the back pain she experiences as a result of a lifetime of bending over to do garden work. After much hard labor digging into the thick, wet red clay, the spa was complete. The spa is centrally located in the garden and has been the hot spot for entertainment over the years when company comes to visit. It stays cold in the summer for a nice refreshing escape from the summer sun, or it can be heated, transforming into a hot tub with only two hours notice, for a relaxing and therapeutic evening dip. Sue shared that in winter months there is nothing more tranquil than to unwind in the hot tub, enjoying the heat of the spa contrasted with the cool winter air and a fresh dusting of snow upon the garden. After discovering the existence of the red clay in the yard, the Ekdahl’s knew something new had to be done. 150 railroad ties later, the blossoming backyard was completely terraced with beds awaiting their new family of plants. Many different plantings were tried, but only the Dogwood and Japanese Maple trees survived. They are all between 16 and 25 years old now.
The Ekdahl Garden is full of surprises. It is home to one Butterfly bush, two Crepe Myrtle trees, four Dogwood trees, four different types of Japanese Maples, ten varieties of Hydrangeas, and an array of Azaleas, Camellias, Gardenias and Rose bushes. SearcyLiving.com 23
“
and the coolness of the breeze that passes through the endless variety of flowers and trees simply takes your breath away.”
The Ekdahl’s side gate opens into the backyard.
Gardening is not a hobby to be taken lightly. Especially in the early years of their garden, much attention had to be given to find what worked best. After exhausting many avenues, the present tiled terrace was installed in 1995 to replace the ugly, chipping concrete that had been there since the couple had purchased the property. Another challenge was presented when the railroad ties began to lose their original beauty and the deterioration process set in. These aging ties were replaced with the present rock walls. Just when everything had begun to shape up, another curveball was thrown their way when the old workshop was burned to the ground in 1998. The present structure (pictured below) was built in its place and now serves as Sonny’s workshop, where his favorite thing to do is work on his sailing equipment. At the same time, the garden also got a facelift with the addition of four Japanese pergolas. Last, but certainly not least, Steve Saunders (Landscape Solutions) hand dug a sprinkling system for the perimeter and throughout the garden. This was a tall order considering he had to be mindful not to harm any roots from the garden that had already been around for nearly 22 years. The Ekdahl Garden is full of surprises. It is home to one Butterfly bush, two Crepe Myrtle trees, four Dogwood trees, four different types of Japanese Maples, ten varieties of Hydrangeas, and an array of Azaleas, Camellias, Gardenias and Rose bushes. Along with the beauties that Sue has planted over the years, God has also given her a few trees that she cherishes as true blessings. To accentuate these God-given additions to her garden, she has worked in Hostas and Wild Ferns around them.
Subtle decor adds another dimension to the garden. Sonny creates and fixes his sailing equipment in the workshop.
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Just when you think you have experienced all that the garden has to offer, you begin to notice all of the subtle untold secrets and knickknacks scattered quietly around the flowerbeds. For example, mirrors along the rear fence of the back garden are actually old shower doors, repurposed to add depth and a sense of intrigue to the area. Another neat find is an antique chandelier nestled quietly among the branches of a tree. These and many other trinkets help to create a romantic fairytale-like atmosphere when combined with the beauty of nature. The charm and allure are taken to a whole new level when enjoying the garden in the evening, as the sun is tucked away and little lights scattered throughout the garden illuminate the space.
Because the Ekdahls always knew they were going to put emphasis on the garden and make it their little spot of heaven, they wanted to have as many ways to enjoy it as possible. To this end, they added onto their home, creating a covered patio with giant windows overlooking the garden in its entirety. The patio is now home to a large grill that is perfect for barbeques and plentiful seating for people to gather around and share stories. So, how much time does it take to acquire a fanciful garden oasis like the Ekdahls’? For years, Sue was in the habit of rising as the sun rose to work in her garden from 6:30-8:30 a.m., before work. To some, this may sound like a demanding job instead of an enjoyable pastime, but in Sue’s mind gardening serves as her therapy. To her, it is not a hassle that causes distress, but instead a hobby that induces happiness. Her passion for gardening also led her to become a White County Master Gardener, and she has remained a member for 15 years. Nowadays, the hard labor required to do all of the installing and planting in the early years has been replaced by simple maintenance. Because Sue and Sonny chose to have a perennial garden, they need only maintain their garden from year to year now by clipping, weeding and watering when need be. Sue’s advice to gardeners of all levels is the same: “Don’t pass a weed!” In her eyes, a good gardener is not a procrastinator. If you keep putting off the weed, it is going to continue to grow, and wreak havoc along the way. Instead, eradicate the weed as soon as you come across it. By doing so, all potential problems will be put to rest. This mindset can carry over into wise words of advice for our daily lives: instead of procrastinating your days away, tackle life as it comes and stay ahead of the game.
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R Retreat (noun): a quiet or secluded place in which one can rest and relax.
From the street, you would never suspect that Tommie Pemberton’s backyard has been transformed into the incredibly cozy and serene outdoor retreat that it is today. Transformation is the key word there, because when Tommie purchased the property back in May 2012, her backyard was in need of a transformation. After first tackling a full renovation of the interior of her home, Tommie turned her focus to making her backyard the dream escape that she had always wanted. First things first, the problem of where and how to drain rain water had to be addressed. Not only was the water attracting mosquitos, but there was also no hope of successfully planting a garden because plants can’t survive in an area where the soil is soggy for extended periods of time. The roots need to breathe, and planting a tree or shrub in a watery area will eventually kill it. In November 2013, Tommie contacted Steve Saunders with Landscape Solutions to help fix her flooded backyard woes. His solution was twofold: 1) Install French drains, which carry water away from the low area, allowing the water to seep into the ground over a larger distance, where the soil is not quite so compacted. 2) Haul in five dump trucks full of topsoil to help absorb excess water and give the future garden fertile soil to grow in. This dynamic approach was successful! After the big issues were taken care of, the fun of decorating and planting began to take place. On the top of Tommie’s priority list was the addition of an outdoor gas fire pit. For the glass in the middle of the fire pit, she chose a dazzling shade of cobalt blue. Tommie then used that color as the inspiration for the rest of the décor around the outdoor space: the rug, chair cushions, and other knickknacks mimic that same bold blue. When it came to deciding what to plant in her garden, Tommie consulted her good friend Sue Ekdahl on what would work best for the space. The focal points among the shrubbery are two beautiful Japanese maple trees. On the opposite side of her yard, there is a special place for both a small herb garden and vegetable patch. Tommie grows lemon thyme, sweet basil, dill, rosemary, banana peppers and tomatoes that she in turn picks fresh and uses when cooking. Each plant has such a sweet and enticing aroma; it is really quite a treat! These fresh, homegrown spices come in handy for seasoning meat when Tommie decides to do some grilling on her outdoor barbeque. She invites friends over for dinner often and loves their conversations while lounging on the patio together. As great as the space is for entertaining, Tommie adds that there are many other opportunities to enjoy her backyard. In her opinion, there is no better way to start the day than by sipping on her morning cup of coffee in the garden around 5:30-6:00 a.m. as 26 Your Hometown Magazine
the birds are chirping and the sun is coming out from its night of rest. Speaking of the sun, Tommie’s backyard is positioned on the east side of the house, so no awning is necessary and it avoids ever having too much direct sunlight throughout the day. On the flip side, as the weather begins to get cooler, the space is still very usable thanks to the exceptional warmth that the fire pit gives off. As fond as Tommie is of her backyard, there may be someone who is even more delighted about it. Bindi, her Australian Silky Terrier, happily romps around the yard every chance she gets and loves exploring the garden (not to worry, she’s not a digger). Tommie is glad that Bindi shares her enthusiasm for the outdoors and appreciates having a companion to enjoy the space with.
“...Tommie turned her focus to making her backyard the dream escape that she had always wanted.”
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What Businesses Are Saying
have been proud to be affiliated with Searcy Living “ IMagazine since the very infancy of the publication.
Living is such a professionally done publication. “ Searcy I keep copies at the front counter of my store and love
hearing all the positive feedback about the magazine. I feel like the ads I place in Searcy Living are seen by more people than any other media that I use. Searcy is very fortunate to have this publication in our community! Nancy Showalter, Stotts’ Drug Store
”
It has been great to watch such a family orientated publication grow and have success. The exposure I have gotten from the magazine over the last decade has been terrific. We are very fortunate to have such a first class publication in the Searcy market. Mike Hart, Jr., Agent State Farm Insurance
Searcy Living Office 501.368.0095
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Excellence In Spanish
Pictured are Searcy High School students who placed on the 2014 National Spanish Exam, including Susannah Stubbs, Evelyn Perez, and Diego Soria. Not pictured are Kaleigh Ramey and Crystal Neill.
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Congratulations to several world language students from Searcy High School who attained national recognition for excellent performance on the 2014 National Spanish Examinations. Susanna Stubbs placed 2nd in the state on the Level III exam. Susanna received a medal and a cash prize for her achievement on the exam. Diego Soria, Evelyn Perez, and Kaleigh Ramey placed in the top 10% on the Level II exam. Crystal Neill placed in the top 10% on the Level III exam. These students received a medal for their achievement on the exam. Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, National Director of the Exams, “because the exams are the largest of their kind in the United States, with over 154,000 students participating in 2014.” Students from Searcy Schools have a long history of high achievement on these exams and were taught by Spanish teachers, Lori Nielsen and Rachel Sandoval. The National Spanish Examinations are administered each year in grades 6 through 12, and are sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.
Horse Demonstration Students in Ms. Kim Rupard’s McRae Elementary School kindergarten class enjoy a horse demonstration by Mr. Randy Carr of Mountain View and his granddaughter Gracie Oliphant. The horse who visited McRae is named Dolly.
Honoring Retirees Searcy School District recently honored thirteen retirees at a reception. The combined years of service to young people by these individuals totals 357 years. Pictured are retirees Debbie Bell, Carla Chance, Patricia Covington, Calvin Estes, Carol Frank, Steve Garrison, Debbie Latimer, Matt Stewart, and Sherry Wilson. Not pictured are Glenda Butler, Ramona Griffin, David Hatfield, and Jacalyn Romey.
Active Partnership and Heart to Heart Educate Community
Cardiologist Katherine Durham, M.D., with the WCMC Cardiology Clinic, discusses a unique condition known as Broken Heart Syndrome at a recent Active Partnership for Healthy Living/Heart to Heart program. Active Partnership for Healthy Living meets in Hubach Conference Center Rooms B and D the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. There is a $5 fee for the heart-healthy meal; attending the meeting is free. For more information, please call (501) 380-1161. SearcyLiving.com 31
Donation To Sidney Deener The Ann Fildes Children’s Fund, managed by Mr. Frank Adams, recently donated five chromebooks to benefit all students at Sidney Deener Elementary School. Mr. Adams recently met with Deener students and Deener principal Kim Wilkerson to make the contribution. Pictured are third grade students Parker Brown, Landen Stewart, Oscar Sanchez, Julie Lieu, and Shaniyah Poe with Mr. Adams and Mrs. Wilkerson.
ASU-Beebe: Alumni Attend 1950’s Class Reunion Arkansas State University-Beebe hosted the Third Annual 1950’s Class Reunion at the Student Center on the Beebe campus in May. There were 42 alumni and 16 guests in attendance. Former students were represented from the years 1950 to 1962. Phillip G. Fuller, who lives in Hollywood, FL, traveled the farthest to attend the reunion. Fuller attended ASU-Beebe, formerly Beebe Junior College, from 1954 to 1956. For many alumni, this was their first time to return to campus. Several were surprised and pleased with the changes to the campus, and voted to return in 2016 for another class reunion. 32 Your Hometown Magazine
Download the Free QuikTip App Today to Report Underage Drinking, Drugs, and Bullying
Grant For WC Single Parent Scholarship Fund The employees of Eaton Searcy recently awarded a $3,600 grant to the White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Inc. The funds will be used to award a fall scholarship and begin the establishment of an endowed scholarship. Pictured are the Eaton Searcy Leadership Team and WCSPSF, Inc. Executive Director, Dan Newsom. WCSPSF, Inc. awards scholarships to White County single parents of minor children who are pursuing post-secondary education. Since its inception in 1999, WCSPSF, Inc. has awarded 457 scholarships with a combined value of $222,944.00. For more information about WCSPSF, Inc., contact Newsom at 501-230-2414 or wcspsf.inc@gmail.com.
W•I•S•E Coalition and the White County 911 Center brought the idea of an anonymous tip line to Relativity, Inc. As a result of this partnership, Relativity, Inc. developed QuikTip, a life-changing software that can be implemented anywhere. QuikTip is an app that allows for anonymous tipping by anyone. This allows an individual to safely report illegal or inappropriate activity using a device they are familiar with. QuikTip allows for two-way communication between safety personnel and users. When a tip is sent, the hosting organization will dispatch the tip to the proper law enforcement agency. QuikTip is meant to prevent bullying, underage drinking, illegal drug use, domestic violence and other crimes. QuikTip is a free app available on iPhone, iPad and Android devices through the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Please contact Juliana Crawley at Relativity, Inc. for more information (870802-3622, Juliana.Crawley@relativityinc.com). In the event of an emergency, please always dial 911 from your phone.
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44th Annual Special Olympics Arkansas Summer Games Nearly 2,000 Special Olympics Arkansas athletes from all over the state gathered to compete at Harding University for the 2014 Special Olympics Arkansas Summer Games. Athletes competed in six different sports: athletics, bocce, flag football, powerlifting, softball, and aquatics. The three day event was preceded by the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR). The LETR originates in 12 locations in Arkansas and culminates at the site of the Summer Games. Monday June 19th marked the beginning of the LETR with the Flame of Hope’s Final Leg ending at Harding University for Opening Ceremonies Thursday the 22nd. The event officially kicked off with the Opening Ceremonies, an exciting event jam packed with entertainment, as well as messages from Searcy Mayor David Morris, Executive Vice President of Harding University David Collins, and CEO of Special Olympics Arkansas Terri Weir. 2014 marked the first year for Special Olympics Arkansas to have three Athlete Ambassadors, Chelsea Durham, Scarlett Hamby and Sharon Johnson, emcee the evening. Athlete Ambassadors are Special Olympics Arkansas athlete leaders who have undergone training to learn presentation skills so they can help spread the message of Special Olympics to the general public. The Athlete Leadership program provides a way for athletes to showcase talents and interests that may have gone unnoticed, such as public speaking.
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The competition began the following morning. The two days of competition were made possible by the 2,000 volunteers that came out to help with the event. Volunteers participated in numerous ways throughout the weekend. Just some of those tasks included: event timers, scorekeepers, officials, announcers, venue set up, and venue break down. “Special Olympics Arkansas is a very grass roots organization with our volunteers and athletes at the core. It would be impossible for us to pull off an event of this size without the great support from the Searcy community and the volunteers that come from all corners of the state to help,” said Terri Weir, CEO, Special Olympics Arkansas. “Our 21st year in Searcy at Harding University proved to be the best Summer Games to date.” In addition to the sports competitions, athletes took part in the Healthy Athletes clinic offered onsite. Athletes received screenings in the following disciplines: Opening Eyes, Healthy Hearing, Fun Fitness, Health Promotion and Special Smiles. The Healthy Athletes initiative began in 1997 and is dedicated to providing health services and education to Special Olympics athletes, and changing the way health systems interact with people with intellectual disabilities. Through free health screenings, training for healthcare professionals, and evaluation of the health status of people with intellectual disabilities, Healthy Athletes has become a powerful public health organization worldwide. “Searcy is so fortunate to be the host of not just a large sporting event, but such a marvelous event like Special Olympics Arkansas Summer Games. This is more of a movement than anything else. They’re all about celebrating ability. It’s so inspiring to see people focus on what a person CAN do instead of what they can’t do. I encourage everyone in the community to embrace this annual event and find some way to get involved. It will transform your life just like it has mine and millions of others around the world,” said Searcy Police Chief, Jeremy Clark. While it is the largest event for Special Olympics Arkansas, Summer Games is just one of the 240 competitions the organization hosts throughout the year. 14,000 Athletes from all counties in Arkansas train year-round in a variety of sports. Searcy is host to several other competitions and fundraising events as a part of Special Olympics Arkansas Area 6. To get involved in Special Olympics Arkansas events happening in your area please visit specialolympicsarkansas.org
“Special Olympics Arkansas is a very grass roots organization with our volunteers and athletes at the core. It would be impossible for us to pull off an event of this size without the great support from the Searcy community and the volunteers that come from all corners of the state to help.” – Terri Weir, CEO, Special Olympics Arkansas
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(Left to Right) Vice President of Patient Services LaDonna Johnston, RN; Infection Control Nurse Samantha Green, RN; Director of Quality, Risk and Regulatory Compliance Debbie Hare, BSN, RN, CPHQ; Director of the Critical Care Unit Vicki Dahlem, RN; and Infection Control Practitioner Mary Lou Adams, RN.
WCMC Recognized For Improving Care Medicaid Program Provides Accolades
White County Medical Center has earned a CAUTI Reduction Award in the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care’s annual Quality Awards program. The Quality Awards are designed to recognize improvement in individual healthcare organizations’ performance in AFMC’s quality improvement projects. The Hospital CAUTI Reduction Award recognizes hospitals that have committed to focus efforts in the reduction of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). AFMC presented the award at a luncheon last month as part of its annual Quality Conference in Little Rock. AFMC congratulates White County Medical Center on its commitment to high-quality health care for the citizens of Arkansas.
Local High School Students Place At The White County High School Art Show High school students from Harding Academy, White County Central and Beebe were recognized at the White County High School Art Show held May 14-22. The following students placed in the drawing portion. Micah Wood First Harding Academy Tiffany Taggart Second Harding Academy Elizabeth Shores Third Harding Academy Tara Finley Honorable Mention Harding Academy The following students placed in the painting portion. Desiree Clark First White County Central Lauren Song Second Harding Academy Jessica McGowan Third Harding Academy Amber Davis Honorable Mention Harding Academy The following students placed in the sculpture portion. Doss Pike First Riverview High School Elizabeth Shores Second Harding Academy Jacob Lively Third Riverview High School Paxton Miller Honorable Mention White County Central For more information on the show, contact the Harding University department of art and design at 501-279-4426. 36 Your Hometown Magazine
(Left to Right) WCSPSF, Inc. Executive Director Dan Newsom, Debbie Elgen, Tracey Jackson, and ASPSF Field Representative Kim Dollins.
Volunteers of the Month White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Inc. Tracey Jackson and Debbie Elgen were recently selected as Volunteers of the Month by the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund. Elgen and Jackson are former graduates of the White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Inc. Since February, 2013, they volunteer for the WCSPSF in Chairing/ViceChairing and organizing their recently formed Alumni Council and assisting with the also recently formed Mentoring Council. Jackson, Chair of the Alumni Council, single mother of two, currently works part-time as Church Administrator for Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Bald Knob and part-time as Data Trend Reviewer for ASU Searcy. Jackson spends her volunteer time organizing and overseeing the Alumni Council and being a mentor to current recipients, helping them budget time and money and providing encouragement to complete their goal of obtaining a college degree. Elgen, Vice-Chair of the Alumni Council, single mother of three daughters and grandmother of five, currently works full-time with Amy Daniels of Edward Jones and Associates of Searcy. Elgen spends her volunteer time speaking to community/civic organizations, helping at fund raisers and other WCSPSF events, and hosting workshops for current scholarship recipients and recent graduates. WCSPSF is one of 71 affiliates of the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund. Since its beginning in 1999, WCSPSF, Inc. has awarded 457 scholarships with a combined value of $222,944. For more information about WCSPSF, call 501-230-2414 or go to www. aspsf.org/county_white.html. You may also contact WCSPSF at wcspsf.inc@gmail.com.
Arkansas Girls and Boys State Searcy High School was represented well at Arkansas Girls and Boys State. Seven upcoming senior students attended the annual event with students from across Arkansas. Pictured are the Arkansas Girls/Boys State delegates from Searcy High School: Maegan Franklin, Haley Eason, Elizabeth Taylor, Nichole Cook, Tyler Galban, Hayden Evans, and Hunter Brasel. Members of this group ran for various offices including Governor, Chief Justice, and Attorney General. Evans was selected as the Vice-Chairman for the Electoral Commission, Cook was elected into the House of Representatives and as a Chancery Judge, Taylor served as County Vice Chairman, and Franklin served as Constable. SearcyLiving.com 37
Harding University Physical Therapy Program Awarded Full Accreditation; Graduates Inaugural Class
Harding University President Bruce McLarty presents the University’s first Doctor of Physical Therapy degree to Columbia, Missouri, native Leah Avery. The newly accredited program graduated their inaugural class of 21 students May 10. PHOTO by Jeff Montgomery, University photographer.
Harding University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program has been granted full accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The program was given a five-year term extending until June 2019. The CAPTE board of directors made their decision to award full accreditation status following a January site visit. The organization examined every aspect of the program including curriculum, faculty, scholarship, clinical rotation sites, facilities and resources. “We are very blessed that, from the board of trustees to the president, everyone has been very supportive of this program. This is a team effort,” said Dr. Mike McGalliard, director of the program. “They’ve given us great support in terms of equipment and facilities. Our priority is to fully embrace the mission of the University.” The timing of this accomplishment of full-accreditation status also comes with an historic milestone for the University with the graduation of the program’s inaugural class. Commencement ceremonies were held May 10, and Harding’s first-ever physical therapists received their Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees. “We had a really special group of students,” McGalliard said. “Many of them were accepted to other programs, but they chose to stay here at Harding even though, at the time they were accepted, we were not accredited. They believed enough in the program and in the University to stay.” The program’s inaugural class was seated in 2011. This first class included 11 female and 10 male students from 13 states. Commencement and hooding ceremonies were held on campus in Benson Auditorium with President Bruce D. McLarty presenting diplomas to all graduates. Harding’s physical therapy program is only the third in the state of Arkansas.
Ironmen Keith Shireman and Ricky Davis of Searcy completed a Half Ironman competition in Lawrence, Kansas on June 8, 2014. This was the first Ironman for both of these guys. They did well with their time and are currently in training for their next competition, a full Ironman, in Texas, May 2015. 38 Your Hometown Magazine
Students Develop Leadership Skills At Harding University National Leadership Forum
Dean Sikes, speaker and founder of You Matter, speaks to students June 2 as part of the 58th annual National Leadership Forum at Harding Universtiy. Sikes shared personal stories from his childhood and encouraged participants to have a distinguished passion and direction for their lives.
PHOTO by Jeff Montgomery, Harding University photographer.
More than 200 delegates from around the South gathered for the 58th annual National Leadership Forum at Harding University June 1-6. The program, designed for students in grades 9-12, develops leaders and motivates them to an expression of pride in our nation’s traditions and ideals. Each delegate must demonstrate excellent character and leadership ability. Throughout the week, students had the opportunity to hear from several experts in their field on topics such as economics, religion, leadership communication and education. Dean Sikes, speaker and founder of You Matter, a non-profit organization that seeks to encourage and uplift teenagers, spoke to delegates June 2 about having a vision for life and shared characteristics of a leader. “Here’s one of the key lessons in being a true leader: have a thankful heart,” he said. “Leaders are thankful. That’s what draws people toward you. ” Through labs, lectures, films and discussion, participating students had the opportunity to become more prepared, confident and equipped with the necessary tools to preserve the traditions and ideals upon which America was founded. Dr. Bob Reely, director of the University’s American Studies Institute and National Leadership Forum, hopes that through this program students can realize the influence they can have on the world. “Students have more potential for leadership than they would probably give themselves credit for,” Reely said. “They can be leaders in their homes by stopping a culture of abuse. They can be leaders in their schools as a drum major or captain of the football team. And eventually, they can be leaders in their community and state and realize they have the potential for a national as well as a world influence.”
“I have the hardest time with people who can but won’t, who blame everyone else but themselves, and always focus on the reasons why something won’t work. The world is a HUGE playground of endless opportunities to learn and grow personally, and to empower others to learn and grow. We have ONE shot at this life. Embrace its potential and its beauty. Use your heart, your capacity for love, and your God-given talents to do something meaningful today. Make a difference. If everyone would just increase their ability by 10% today, we would change the world for the better.”
~Amy Daniels
SearcyLiving.com 39
Fab
1
I started by removing the top drawer and drawer guide. This space will be used to house my satellite receiver, DVD players, etc.
2
Although the veneer on my buffet was in pretty bad shape, it still had some beautiful detail that I chose not to paint over. By leaving these unpainted, it adds contrast and leaves original character to the piece. I simply added painter’s tape around these areas. I then removed all of the hardware for a good cleaning.
3
Because I used chalk paint I was able to skip the prep work and go straight to painting the buffet.
4
When the paint was completely dry I went over the buffet with a fine grit sanding block to create a smooth finish.
Before
Upcycled TV Stand In my quest for a new TV stand, I knew that I would like to find an old piece and give it new life. When I found this vintage buffet, I knew it was the perfect piece. The veneer had a few rough places, but I knew that with a little TLC this would be the perfect addition to my living room.
40 Your Hometown Magazine
5
Since my buffet already had dings and imperfections, I chose to go with a “shabby chic� finish. I created this look by using a small hand sander around the edges and details of the piece making sure to create a distressed look wherever there would be any natural wear and tear.
7
In the back of the buffet I drilled a hole for the electronic cords to go through.
6
After wiping the buffet clean I used furniture wax to protect the piece and give it a bit of a shine.
8
I replaced the drawers and hardware to finish converting my banged-up buffet into a beautiful TV stand.
SearcyLiving.com 41
42 Your Hometown Magazine
All Listings...One Site. SearcyHomes.com 501.268.2445 • 1560 W. Beebe-Capps, Suite A • Searcy, AR 72143 www.facebook.com/dalrympleresidential
Janice Wright 501.230.7739
Rebecca Stone 501.278.6669
David Dale 501.281.3017
Shelley Dietz 501.827.2239
Judy Johnson Exec. Broker 501.305.1503
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new caRPets
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118 Northstar MLS 10374010 $379,900 Janice Wright 501.230.7739
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300 Potters Point MLS 10381832 $249,000 Greg Angel 501.230.9707
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213 Jennifer MLS 10383333 $129,900 Rebecca Stone 501.278.6669
147 Oakdale Church MLS 10381088 $174,900 Rebecca Stone 501.278.6669
13 Glenmere MLS 10375351 $124,000 Roxanne Miles 501.827.5403
315 Country Squire MLS 10377783 $165,000 Roxanne Miles 501.827.5403
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101 Mason Cove MLS 10384613 $395,000 David Dale 501.281.3017
2223 Hwy 157 MLS 10316247 $99,000 David Dale 501.281.3017
3206 Saddlebrook MLS 103700300 $314,900 Marla Duncan 501.230.9528
2102 Jonathan MLS 103366965 $117,500 Marla Duncan 501.230.9528
gReat Pool aRea!
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1135 Bent Tree MLS 10386985 $345,000 Shelley Dietz 501.827.2239
2313 Audley Bolton MLS 10378064 $159,900 Shelley Dietz 501.827.2239
3019 W. Country Club MLS 10377868 $382,000 Kelly VanHook 501.230.4567
806 W. Arch MLS 10376581 $39,900 Kelly VanHook 501.230.4567
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310 Jennifer MLS 10369373 $127,000 Judy Johnson 501.305.1503
309 Jennifer MLS 10381325 $135,000 Judy Johnson 501.305.1503
Thomas Rd. MLS 10386981 $82,500 Tommy Wood 501.593.0713
409 N. 367 Hwy. MLS 10362927 $ 76,000 Tommy Wood 501.593.0713
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neat, clean & cute!
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1312 W. Booth MLS 10383275 $295,000 Lara Beebe 501.207.1222
136 N. Sawmill MLS 10381613 $88,900 Lara Beebe 501.207.1222
106 Selvidge MLS 10369749 $149,900 Brenda Morea 501.322.5957
1001 Mcrae MLS 10384402 $68,000 Brenda Morea 501.322.5957
Greg Angel 501.230.9707
Roxanne Miles 501.827.5403
Marla Duncan 501.230.9528
Kelly VanHook Exec. Broker 501.230.4567
Tommy Wood 501.593.0713
Brenda Morea 501.322.5957 SearcyLiving.com 43
B
By Jennifer Skinner
uilding self-confidence can be difficult for children who are struggling in school. They feel like their abilities should match everyone else’s, and when they don’t, discouragement takes over quickly. Students who get discouraged often lose confidence in themselves to learn. But for nearly 700 children, self-confidence has been found behind the doors of the Reading and Learning Diagnostic Center for the past 19 years. Imagine for a moment that you’re an elementary student. All the kids around you are working hard finishing up math, science, and geography assignments, but you just want to understand the directions. If you’ve ever sat for hours with your child struggling to read, then you know the helplessness of parents everywhere. You see the tears, the frustrations, and the hopeless discouragement on those sweet little faces. You know the dread in their eyes and the battle to get homework done. But knowing how to read doesn’t have to be so hard and stressful. The truth is actually very simple. We are not all the same. We all have different talents, abilities and strongpoints. Likewise, we all have areas where we don’t excel. Maybe it’s difficult for you to understand directions, build a treehouse, change the oil, start
Summer Camp 44 Your Hometown Magazine
the push mower, write a poem, fix the car, install a window, or maybe… you have trouble reading. The truth is that we all need help sometimes. That’s just life. So why do we expect all children to learn to read the same way? Smart, intelligent, even brilliant children can have difficulty reading. It doesn’t mean they can’t read, and it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with them. It just means they need to be taught in a different way. Once children have lost their confidence in themselves, then it is difficult to help them understand that they can learn to read like everyone else. And not many things can bring a child’s selfconfidence down faster than seeing a classroom full of kids move ahead while they are falling behind. These are the things that Dr. Jeanine Peck and the teachers at the Reading and Learning Diagnostic Center understand very well. In fact, Dr. Peck has a doctoral degree in Reading Specialty and more than 40 years of teaching reading. She has developed a thorough program which not only teaches children to read, but also teaches them to learn and excel. Dr. Peck’s program has been very successful for 19 years. Every child leaves the program with significant improvement. The children in the reading program are one to three grade levels behind, but when they leave they are reading above their grade level. They have become strong readers. This is because the program is set up to help the children succeed. All of the six teachers have over ten years of teaching experience, and have been instructed in the program. This unique program was developed by Dr. Peck and is based on the initial testing each child receives. The diagnostic testing analyzes the children’s current reading levels, learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses. Then that information is used to create a specific individualized plan geared toward the learning style and levels of that child. The students in the program always receive one-on-one teaching by experienced certified teachers who build trusting relationships so that the students can have confidence. Because building self-confidence is so important in learning how to read, for the first two weeks sessions are focused on building that self-confidence by showing the child that they can succeed. Throughout the program children are taught life changing skills that will impact their entire educational experiences. They are taught comprehension skills, how to remember and recall, oral and silent reading, and of course to believe in themselves. One
of the program’s teachers, Caroline Smith writes, “Once a child believes in himself, then his mind is open for someone to teach him, and he is willing to learn.” Dr. Peck says, “I know every child can learn to read.” She believes passionately in what she teaches. “Every child cannot learn in a group setting. If people could understand, it’s not a shame to ask for help.” But for Dr. Peck it’s more than just teaching children to read. She says, “It’s my love. They leave here above grade level because I don’t want my children ever, ever, ever to experience failure [in reading] again in their life.” In the program, children meet with teachers for only 30 minutes, twice a week, and Dr. Peck is very adamant that the children never have homework! She wants “reading to be fun, something they enjoy doing, not something they have to do. They have enough of that already. It shouldn’t be stressful.” As I read through pages of thank you notes bragging about the huge successes that parents have seen in their children, I began to understand how much we take knowing how to read for granted. Dr. Peck explains, “Children who can’t read grow up to be adults
who can’t read. That doesn’t have to happen.” Nearly everything we do involves reading, and when we struggle with that, it makes everything difficult. When some of these children entered the program they were not going to advance to the next grade level, but when they leave the program, they are reading above their grade level. Some go on to be on the honor roll and receive academic awards. Many go on to college or even join the military. The stories of success range from eight year olds to high school kids who have made huge strides in their reading and academics. Sometimes when children enter the program they are afraid, embarrassed or ashamed, but their success is always a boost in confidence. When they learn to read above their grade level they leave the program, and they are often sad to go. One child even asked if he could come back. They learn that reading is fun, and they build confidence and learning skills that will help them in the future. The one-on-one attention from teachers, the testing, and the individualized plan mean that each child will succeed in the
“ The students in the program always receive one-on-one teaching by experienced certified teachers who build trusting relationships so that the students can have confidence.”
In the program, children meet with teachers for only 30 minutes twice a week, and Dr. Peck is very adamant that the children never have homework!
SearcyLiving.com 45
program. The teachers build trust and make learning to read fun. It is more than just tutoring. It is specialized teaching with corrective reading instruction. Students usually improve two grade levels in just one school year. The program offers so much more than just better grades. It is changing the lives and futures of these kids, and giving them the confidence and skills to succeed in school and life. The Reading and Diagnostic Center located in Searcy was on Harding University’s campus, but has now expanded in their new location. They have served 32 schools over the years. The organization is applying for their nonprofit 501C3 status and is affiliated with Searcy Children’s Homes, Inc. as a source of “intellectual growth.” The program is open to the public, and the prices are very reasonable. Their passion is helping children learn to read and building their confidence. They are also offering Summer Reading and Math Camps this year in two sessions. If you are interested in the services that the program has to offer, you can contact Dr. Peck. The program is seeking nonprofit status, and contributions are greatly needed so that no child has to be turned down. All contributions go toward helping the children. If you would like to contribute to the amazing things that the center is doing to change the lives of children, feel free to contact Dr. Peck or stop by the center in Searcy.
The Reading and Learning Diagnostic Center
1208 W. Pleasure • Searcy, AR Dr. Jeanine Peck, Executive Director (501) 278-1810
46 Your Hometown Magazine
“ Once
a child believes in himself, then his
mind is open for someone to teach him, and he is willing to learn.” – Caroline Smith
SearcyLiving.com 47
Culture Swap By Jackie Bacon hat started out as an opportunity to sharpen her English language skills transformed into a much broader learning experience that she would cherish for the rest of her life. Shahzoda Rafieva, who goes by Zody, was a foreign exchange student from Tajikistan who attended Searcy High School as a junior this past school year. The organization that provided Zody’s scholarship is known as PAX (Program of Academic Exchange), which gives 1,100 high school students a year the opportunity to participate in international exchange between the U.S. and 76 sending organizations around the world. Along with becoming proficient at writing, reading, and speaking in English, Zody enjoyed many other aspects of her academic experience here in the United States. One of her favorite times of the school day soon became attending art class, where she discovered her passion for drawing. She loves all forms of art and went on to join the Fine Arts club that Searcy has to offer. Zody’s creative juices didn’t stop flowing once she left art class. She found another new interest thanks to her Introduction to TV class, where she grew fond of creating and editing video. In addition to her well-rounded academic experience, Zody had the pleasure of creating friendships and memories that will last a lifetime. Beth Huddleston, her host parent, played a large role in helping to add to these joyful times by taking Zody on sightseeing trips and mini-vacations when possible. Zody’s experience epitomized what the PAX organization hopes to achieve with each student: “The rewards of international student exchange are not just practical. They are also personal. Studying abroad exposes students to fresh ideas and different cultures.” The prerequisites for becoming a PAX student are very thorough. Zody first began the process in 8th grade. To gain acceptance into the program requires three rounds of testing. The first tests the child’s English skills, the second, two months later, covers listening and grammar, and the final test six months after that is a psychology exam that assesses how well the student would cope with being on their own in a foreign country thousands of miles from home. Upon completion of the testing, three additional essays must be written and reviewed by PAX staff. If the student falls short on any aspect of this process, they must start over again if they want to be considered. Though the process was long, Zody knew that it would be well worth it for her in the end. The PAX program is not one-sided; instead, it is equally beneficial for both the student and their hosts alike. As the PAX program points out, host families get the opportunity to “experience a foreign culture without ever leaving home.” This can be a true
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blessing when traveling oversees is not a practical option because of lack of time or the finances to do so. Jan Smith, host mother from Turners Falls, MA, shares her success story on the PAX website: “Our ten year old stated that he knew we could not afford to take a trip around the world, and he thanked me for bringing the world to him.” Beth Huddleston, Zody’s host parent, is appreciative of the unique experiences that the PAX program has made available to her. Having always enjoyed working with young people, she found PAX to be a perfect platform to do so. She began with the program in 2009 when she hosted her first student, a girl from the Ukraine, and in 2012 hosted a girl from Russia, as well.
Foreign Exchange Student Zody with Host Parent Beth Huddleston.
Though she has acted as a host parent three times now, Beth’s main function with PAX is serving as a Community Coordinator for the surrounding area. The initial attraction to take on this endeavor was an opportunity for travel: Community Coordinators get an all expense paid trip to a different U.S. resort each year for the PAX national meeting! On top of that, there are opportunities for international incentive trips. What’s not to love about that? Responsibilities for Beth’s position include being a liaison between each of the PAX students in the area and their corresponding host families and schools. This year, she had three students under her supervision: Zody, a boy in Batesville from Russia, and a boy in Maumelle from Spain. Beth does her best to guide students into successfully becoming ambassadors for the United States and future leaders within their home countries. Last, but not least, Beth is responsible for raising local awareness for PAX and finding families nearby that wish to host a student. She goes about this by putting out flyers, entering public service announcements in local papers, and, best of all, encouraging positive word-of-mouth from host family alumni. Beth’s advice for prospective PAX students and host families alike is simple: “Be open to the experience!” She points out that you will learn things from one another that go beyond the basics that geography books and travel brochures cover. All in all, when practiced right, PAX creates a learning experience for everybody. To learn more, visit pax.org or call Beth Huddleston at (501) 230-4255 with questions regarding how you can get involved by hosting a PAX student.
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. —Wikipedia
SearcyLiving.com 49
After two and a half years of hard work, the Williams siblings – Benjamin, 22; Meredith, 19; Stephanie, 16; Emma, 15; and Daniel, 13 – recently released their first awardwinning recipe cookbook, “A Treat for the Week and… More: Cooking with the Williams.” It is a 160 page hardbound book featuring more than 150 recipes, colored photographs, and story lines about such things as 4-H, Arkansas agriculture, the military and autism. Additionally, favorite scriptures and motivational quotes are included. Many of the recipes that appear in the book are awardwinning dishes created by the siblings for national, state, district and county competitions. Family favorite recipes, as well as recipes received by others that have come to be regarded as family favorites, are also included throughout the pages of
the cookbook. Those who have watched the Williams siblings grow up on Arkansas KATV Channel 7's “Cooking with the Williams” segment will be pleased to know that many of their recipes they have shared with you on the show can be found in the cookbook, too. The cookbook is made in the USA and genuinely Arkansan, from the children to the publishing. To purchase, orders can be made through their website, cookingwiththewilliams. com. The cookbooks can also be found at many local stores. Searcy retailers carrying “A Treat for the Week and… More” are as follows: Hays, Becky’s Hallmark, The Boutique, and the WCMC gift shop. Find the siblings on Facebook at Cooking with the Williams to see the full and updated list of specialty retailers throughout Arkansas carrying the new cookbook. Everyone - from beginning cooks to expert chefs - will find something to love in this delightful collection of recipes. Get your copy today!
Orders can be made through their website, cookingwiththewilliams.com, or cookbooks can be found at many local stores. Find the siblings on Facebook at Cooking with the Williams to see the full and updated list of specialty retailers.
50 Your Hometown Magazine
2 cans crescent rolls 2 cups cooked rice (brown or white) 1 (12.5 oz.) can white chicken (drained & flaked) 6 bacon strips (cooked & crumbled) 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese 1 cup light mayonnaise 1/2 cup sweet red pepper (finely chopped) 1/4 cup onion (finely chopped) 1 tbsp. poppy seeds Grease a 14 inch pizza pan. Unroll crescents; separate into 16 triangles. Place wide end of one triangle 3 inches away from edge of pizza pan with points overhanging the edge of pan. Repeat. Lightly press wide ends together. In a medium bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Mix well. Spoon over wide ends of crescent and fold points and sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired. Bake at 375º for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Leftover filling is great for dipping! Makes 8 Servings Overall Winner of the Arkansas Farm Bureau Rice Cooking Contest. Rice is a staple at our house. Our mom grew up on a rice and soybean farm.
5 cups powdered sugar 1 1/2 cups flaked coconut 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk 1 cup nuts (optional) almond bark (white or chocolate) Mix all ingredients except almond bark together in a large mixing bowl. Roll into ping-pong sized balls. If mixture is slightly sticky, place a small amount of powdered sugar in your hands while forming the balls. On a baking sheet, place wax paper on top; then place coconut balls. Place toothpicks in them and refrigerate 1-2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, then dip into melted almond bark and place on wax paper. Remove toothpick. To make fancier, you can drizzle melted white almond bark after coconut bonbon has been covered with chocolate and hardened. Note: Do not use chocolate chips, as the chocolate is not designed to re-harden completely after melting. Makes 24 to 48 bonbons Emma's signature candy, as seen on Arkansas KATV Channel 7's “Cooking with the Williams.” Has also won Best of Show at the County, District, and Arkansas State fairs.
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By Kayla Curl
F
irst, I have to begin with this: There will always be
a storm. Indefinitely, for the rest of mankind, there will be a storm. Theoretically speaking, we are all storm cells in an atmosphere that is constantly changing. In each and every person’s life there is an inner storm brewing, and we all fight the destructive tendencies of our human nature. At this point in my life, at the age of 29, I can say I have endured more than I ever thought I would and have seen my own children endure things I never imagined they would at their age. At the age of 17, I wasn’t thinking about the big picture. I was raised to know better than to make some of the decisions I made, and I was smart enough to know I wasn’t being realistic in my choices. Smarts had nothing on my inner storm though, as I was bound and determined to leave my Christian home, where my family worked so hard to raise me to be a Godly woman. See, this tiny little rain cloud came up inside me, causing my judgment to be clouded just enough that I got off my path, after which I wondered into a severely unsteady atmosphere. That small rain cloud picked up momentum and grew into a downpour that I couldn’t handle. Being the stubborn personality that I am, I couldn’t go back to a sunny place where the rain would cease and that little rain cloud in me would disappear, I had to keep moving. When it was all said and done, over an eight year period, I had been through so many atmosphere changes that I had created this horrid funnel of destruction that was ripping my life apart. Over those eight years I went back and forth in my faith. I knew God was the atmosphere that I needed; I knew what to do to make my inner storm calm again. But, I also knew how many bridges I destroyed when I let my inner storm take over. I had to find a peace within the storm, I had to reach deep into the heart of the storm and find the calm in the middle. One day, as I was sitting heartbroken at the life I was living, I looked into my children’s eyes and saw their hope that I would find more strength. I saw their faith in God when they reminded me that Jesus loves me and that they loved me, even though I had failed on many occasions. That was it, those three children that I had picked up and tossed around in my tornado of a life were my peace in the storm. They were the calm in the middle of my storm. The bolts 52 Your Hometown Magazine
of lightning that I was destructively firing at my hopes and dreams were grounded by the reality that if I wanted better for them, it was on me. I had to change! Since that day, I have done nothing but move forward, dedicating my life to the plan God has for me. I have no doubt in my mind or my heart that the storms I have endured are testaments to God’s goodness. I was in no way prepared to be a mother or even prepared to be on my own. So, in His mercy, my Father never left me alone. Though I pushed Him away, He had His hand of protection over me and my children. When Jesus Christ hung on that cross and said “It is finished,” He gave His life to be the calm in our storms. When I finally grasped the calling the Lord had for my life, I knew I wanted to live like that. I determined to be the life that leads others to the everlasting calm, to the almighty peacemaker, to The One who has the power to say “Peace, be still!” and the storm clouds roll away! On Sunday April 27, 2014, I went to bed with such heartache. Such destruction and devastation had hit my hometowns and the surrounding areas. I began praying and asking God to please tell me what I needed to do to help my fellow Arkansans, my neighbors, my brothers and sisters in Christ, in their time of need. How in the world could I reach out and give them hope and peace of any kind? All through the night the same direction kept coming to me, the children… I just kept thinking, “God, I have no idea how I will do this. How am I, this one woman, going to organize and manage an outreach of such large proportions?” The next day, I picked up my 10th grade student that I home school and drove to Conway from my home in Greenbrier, praying and listening to K-LOVE, juggling thoughts and ideas of how I could do what He was directing me to do. When we reached my brother and sister-in-law’s house, I told them that I have to do this, somehow I have to find a place to take on the children of Vilonia and Mayflower. This is my calling, and this is where I use what God has given me to bring out the peace within the storm. I posted on Facebook, asking if anyone knew of somewhere I could set up such an outreach and was immediately overwhelmed with volunteers, others offering their help to find a place! Then it hit me. I am a part of the Unlimited Realm. I attend an on-fire
church, have an amazing church family and, more than anything, have a pastor that works for the Glory of The Lord… I am calling him! I called The Church Alive and was put in contact with Pastor Randy Long.(Might I add that, though my parents have attended this church for some time now, my husband and I have only been in regular attendance for about two months.) I told Pastor something along the lines of, “I would like to set up childcare at our church for the victims, volunteers and the emergency personnel who are working tornado relief. I already have food, toys, diapers, clothing and the means to bathe and give these children a week of comfort, peace, rest and volunteer childcare workers, and the time to see this through until Friday… can we do this? Within minutes I had the word GO, and boy did it go! My heart was thrilled by the outpouring of volunteers and by the donations of food, clothing, books, toys, diapers, wipes, and many other much needed items. I was even more blessed to experience this great outreach with some of my closest friends and family, as well as others whom I did not know but had the pleasure of working with. I would like to say a special thanks to The Church Alive for supporting this outreach and facilitating it, and to Pastor Randy Long and his family for jumping on board so quickly and the encouraging words. Thank you to Angela Ansel who was there for us all the way, with words of encouragement and a helping hand at any moment, to Janet Oltjenbruns, Autumn Landreth, Nancy Sulton, and Brandi for helping care for the children and supporting me through the whole week, and also to my mother Paula Strickland, Jeremiah and Pam Bullington and Keith Wilcox who helped with donations and caring for the precious children we had with us. Also my wonderful husband Doug Curl Jr. and my best friend Jennifer Wiggs, for holding down the fort at home while I was busy with The Church Alive - Tornado Childcare Relief Outreach. Thank you so much to everyone else who played a part in this, whether by donations of items or time -- all of you made this possible! In conclusion, my final answer from the Lord was, “Was I not there for you in your storm, and will I not make a way for you in their storm?” Every single one of us has a Savior available to us who is present in our storm, and if we are willing to give Him the power to calm the storm, he will! Please, all of you, reach out to another today. If you want to find peace in the storm, locate a child and be the blue sky they need! The Church Alive - Tornado Childcare Relief Outreach was beyond successful. At the end of the day, by Friday we had a total count of 47 donated boxes of clothing, food, shoes and toys! Since we were unable to place all of those items in the Mayflower and Vilonia impact areas, I was lead to Searcy Living where I met with Christine. She was so grateful to accept the remainder for use in the Foster Care Boutique! Again, thank you so much! To God be the Glory and Praise!!
The tornado outreach at Kayla’s church helped give children a week of comfort, peace, and rest.
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54 Your Hometown Magazine
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By Robin Connell
hat does it mean to survive? When heartache that I haven’t been able to appreciate the blessing
I looked up the word in the dictionary, I found definitions such as, “to carry on despite hardship,” “to remain functional or usable,” “to endure life through affliction,” “to remain unaffected in spite of some occurrence.” None of those definitions felt right to me. To remain usable? What does that mean? The one that really upset me was, “unaffected in spite of some occurrence.” Unaffected, really? No survivor I know would say they’ve been left unaffected. Finally, I found the definition I was looking for... “to continue to live.” That’s it. It’s that simple. It’s that pure. Survival definitely means to overcome hardship and endure adversity, but when one triumphs over that adversity, victory is found in the ability to continue to live. Unaffected... definitely not. But definitely alive. Our work at the Child Safety Center everyday is hard and it’s ugly. Child sexual abuse is tough to hear about and think about. Often I get overwhelmed with hopelessness and anger. Who would do such horrible things to children? What kind of world are we living in? It’s dark, it’s heavy, and it’s unspoken. For the past six years, we have been trying to educate people about the epidemic of sexual abuse that is claiming so many children in our community, but very few want to listen. I don’t blame them, because to acknowledge it means that it’s really happening; and who wants to believe that such horrific acts are being perpetrated upon children. It’s easier to put our heads down and pretend like our community is somehow different from all the others. The 245 children who visited the Child Safety Center last year would tell you that our community is no different. Those 245 children, who have been offended upon in violent unimaginable ways, would ask you to open your eyes and stop pretending like they don’t exist. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I’ve been looking at these children all wrong. I’ve been looking at them as victims, not survivors. I’ve been so immersed in anger and
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in seeing these children continue to live. I was at a school honor roll assembly a few months ago, and as I was listening for my child’s name to be called, I heard a familiar name; one of a sweet girl we had seen at the center many years before. This child was so traumatized by the abuse of her father that she was actually diagnosed as autistic. She was unable to function in a normal classroom setting, and spent most of her time one on one with a teacher assigned just to her. I knew that she had successfully completed trauma therapy and was doing well, but I had no idea how well. As that precious child walked across the stage and received her certificate for the honor roll, with a huge smile on her face, I realized at that moment that she was no longer a victim, but she was a survivor. She was continuing to live. The Child Safety Center doesn’t serve 245 victims a year, we serve 245 child abuse survivors a year. We have the pleasure everyday of serving some of the bravest members of our community. I never thought that some of the most courageous people I would ever meet would be under the age of ten. Every child that visits the center gets to leave their handprint on our wall. For so long, I looked at those handprints everyday with sadness in my heart, but now I look at them with admiration. Those children are smiling and excited to put their hand on our walls, and I think it’s because they are empowered to say, “my name is…and I’m a survivor.” They are an inspiration to us. They are not to be defined by their abuse. These children might be wounded and scarred from battle, but they are fighters. They are warriors fighting for their chance to continue to live. As a way to celebrate the lives of these young survivors, the Child Safety Center is hosting a “Celebration of Survival” benefit on Tuesday, September 16, 2014. While trying to decide who to ask to be our guest speaker, we came across the story of Elizabeth Smart. Who better to tell the story of childhood survival than Elizabeth Smart, but how on earth
were we going to convince her to come to Searcy, Arkansas? After a few phone calls and the financial support of two local businesses, Elizabeth Smart is set to be in Searcy on September 16th. As it turns out, Elizabeth travels the country sharing her story and advocating for various children’s causes, not to mention she is a huge supporter of child safety centers. The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth was abducted from her bedroom on June 5, 2002, at the age of fourteen. She endured daily abuse, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately, the police safely returned Elizabeth to her family on March 12, 2003, after being held prisoner for nine grueling months. Elizabeth triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about the very private nightmare she suffered during her abduction, which ultimately lead to conviction. Elizabeth has recently chronicled the details of her kidnapping in her New York Times best-selling book, My Story. Like all of the children we serve, I think Elizabeth Smart considers herself a survivor, not a victim. Elizabeth’s life is a daily demonstration of how life continues after surviving adversity. I can’t help but wonder if Elizabeth Smart’s handprint isn’t on the wall of a child safety center somewhere. What I do know is that despite the unspeakable abuse she endured… she is continuing to live.
Children at The Child Safety Center put their hand prints on the wall as a sign of empowerment.
Guest Speaker: Elizabeth Smart When: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 from 7:30 – 9:00 Where: Harding University’s Benson Auditorium Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.whitecountycsc.com or email info@whitecountycsc.com for more information. Also visit our Facebook page at White County Children’s Safety Center. 100% of the proceeds from the event go directly to The Child Safety Center.
“The Child Safety Center doesn’t serve 245 victims a year, we serve 245 child abuse survivors a year.” SearcyLiving.com 57
When Jason was just over one year of age, we moved to Searcy. Jason attended the Sidney Deener Elementary School, Southwest Middle School, and Searcy Jr/ Sr High School, graduated Class of 1998. Jason played the trumpet for eight years under Director Claude Smith. Upon graduation from UALR, Jason moved to Austin, Texas to pursue his masters degree at UT. He met Laura Flores, and they married in 2005. They were blessed the next year by the birth of their son, James. The story you are about to read was difficult to live through. It was a roller coaster of sadness, acceptance, fear, and joy, with these feelings just rotating as Jason was facing one problem after another. The thing we want to stress to everyone is that God is there with you. Prayers are answered. Friends that knew us prayed for Jason and Laura, their churches prayed for them. We were touched to say the least. Miracles did happen. I want to say that again, “Miracles Happen.” What Jason and Laura did not say, is that her cancer treatment has left them with outstanding medical bills, and more to come. —Jim and Janet Berkley, the parents of Jim and Jason
To our friends and family “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” —Matthew 5:45
We have certainly had a lot of rain. Each member of our family has been soaked. In 2009, Jason had a stroke. We watched him struggle to regain his speech and wrestle with memory loss. Just as he was getting better in 2010, it became clear that our son, James, wasn’t developing normally, and compared to other 5 year-olds, he wasn’t communicating. He had difficulty with tasks he should already have mastered. Soon, what followed was the diagnosis that little James was Autistic. And on Thanksgiving 2011, Laura was hospitalized with a serious bowel obstruction. Without mom around, James and our daughter Victoria struggled terribly. 58 Your Hometown Magazine
The community has established: Laura Berkley Cancer Fund University Federal Credit Union PO Box 9350 Austin, Texas 78766-9350 Go to SearcyLiving.com for more information.
Sometimes life is just hard. There is no cause; there is no one to blame. And certainly everyone has a personal cross to carry. Jason’s mother, Janet, always says that the Lord never gives us a cross that we cannot carry, a burden we cannot lift upon our shoulders. And as Christ carried the cross, though he stumbled and fell, we too must struggle to fulfill our own promise with grace and faith, without regard to obstacle or opposition. But last year, the rain came in a monsoon, and we all feared that we would drown. Cancer came to our house with a burden that was so great, our knees buckled and our backs bent under the strain. Laura had been losing weight for months. By May 2013, she had lost nearly twenty pounds. Her brothers began to ask if she was ok, but she had been watching what she ate and exercising more and seemed genuinely pleased with the results. That was the first time we felt the twinge of uncertainty - that maybe something wasn’t quite right. We felt that dark clouds were assembling over our heads.
His treatment plan sounded right. But Laura’s cancer was advanced and stakes were high. What is the right therapy? Who are the best cancer doctors to take care of her? Jason prayed for wisdom, he talked to friends, and he did his research. He concluded that we needed a second opinion from the highest ranked cancer hospital in the country. Soon, we were off to MD Anderson in Houston, simultaneously hopeful and terrified.
In July, we received news that the company that Jason worked for had been sold to a competitor, and the prospects of continued employment after the transaction closed were grim. As a singleincome household, this news cast an anxious shadow on the family. Jason began working on his resume and tried to accept that after 20 years of service, he was about to have to start over. It was then that thunder began to roll, and in early August the skies opened up and rain began to pour. Laura became terribly sick. In an eerily familiar, agonizing pain, we rushed Laura to the emergency room with another bowel obstruction. It did not take triage doctors long to see that there was a serious problem. Jason had a really bad feeling, and Victoria, though only twelve years old recognized that something was different and that something was terribly wrong. She spent days in the hospital, and the kids were inconsolable. James could not understand why he had to leave his mommy every night in a place he came to call the “laydown hospital,” where mom went away to lay down. And Victoria scarcely left her mother’s side, spending most nights sleeping cramped on a cot or chair in her mother’s hospital room. Jason barely slept at all. After days of testing, we were told that Laura had stage 4, nonHodgkin’s follicular lymphoma. There were multiple tumors in her abdomen and chest. Her bowels were riddled with the disease, and the cancer had spread to her bones as well. Surgeons removed tumors from her colon, on the other side of the blockage. One of the tumors in her abdomen was pushing against the intestinal wall and was causing the blockage. Surgeons were being consulted again, and action was imminent. She had been in the hospital for more than a week, and a cavalcade of doctors, specialists, lab results, and grim faces made the whole family feel like a driver who has lost control on an icy road, sliding and spinning to a terrible and uncertain conclusion. Days and nights were filled with prayer, and gospel dominated iPads and iPhones. We begged and pleaded for comfort and strength. God’s will would be done, and what was going to happen was according to his will, but we prayed for acceptance and peace. A sense of comfort came over Laura and she found herself comforting others more than she found herself in need of comfort.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” —James 1:5
We met with the head of the faculty at the lymphoma center. He reviewed all of her radiology, and, for the first time, we saw the images of her CT and PET scans. We had read the radiology report, but we were not prepared for what we saw. Cancer was everywhere. Entire sections of intestine showed black as night, and as the imagery passed forward and backward through her body, cancer showed black in every layer. Tears streamed from our eyes. The doctor then told us that there was a lot of disease and that Laura’s case was not straightforward. Aggressively treating her cancer raised the risk of complication. With so much cancer, there was a chance that as the cancer was destroyed by the chemotherapy, holes might appear in her bowels, a situation that could immediately jeopardize her life. He added that this cancer grows slowly, and to be this pervasive, it certainly had a couple of years head start on us. He explained that the head start made it more likely that it could become aggressive and spread rapidly without warning. Because of that, MD Anderson’s suggestion was that Laura should be on R-Chop. But, since we had already begun B-R treatment, we could continue and evaluate our progress after a couple of treatments.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” —Psalms 46:1
Without any treatment for her cancer, and much to the surprise of her oncologist, the tumor responsible for the blockage suddenly reduced in size and surgery was cancelled as she prepared to come home. This was truly a blessing because a surgery would have delayed chemotherapy. She had lost another twenty pounds. After nearly two weeks in the hospital, she had lost considerable muscle tone and was terribly weak. But, she was home! A week later she had a chemo-port installed in her chest, and a week after that, Laura had her first of six doses of chemotherapy. Her doctor was bright and capable, and had suggested that we try B-R chemotherapy. It is less toxic and a generally less aggressive treatment plan. The risks of side effects would be less, and the medicine would be better tolerated than the alternative R-CHOP. SearcyLiving.com 59
The drive home was an ordeal. Road trips are usually chatty and bright. Miles passed without a single word said. The kids slept most of the way. Silence cast a dark shadow, and though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, Laura and Jason felt they were in a thunderstorm. We called family to tell them that although there was little new information to relay, we both were deflated and scared by our new understanding. Just when we thought that we could not be in a deeper hole, we found that we were nowhere near the floor. In the next months we prayed for healing. Friends prayed for us; colleagues prayed for us. Prayers came from people we had never even met. Songs of redemption and salvation topped her play list, but with each treatment, Laura became sicker. There was a lot of pain. Her body ached as if she had been beaten. Her appetite was non-existent and she lost so much weight. When she did eat she rarely kept it down. Jason watched in horror as his sweet wife became frail. The kids would come home from school and rush upstairs to lay down with mom. But strangely enough, Laura’s spirits were up. She prayed for peace and strength, and she had received both. And Jason was strengthened by her courage. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” —Matthew 11:28-30
When November arrived, Laura had a CT scan at the local radiology office. Laura was delighted, but Jason was not moved by the news. We were pleased to find out that the cancer had decreased in size. That, of course, was good news from the standpoint that any decrease is a good thing, but the radiology report, consisting of less than 120 words, conveyed no context for the concept of “less cancer.” And Jason believed that we needed more than that. If someone was to say you have less cancer, and follow that with “but
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it has not decreased as much as we would have hoped,” then the concept of “cancer has decreased” doesn’t seem like good news at all. Conversely, if someone were to say you have less cancer, and then follow that with “and there is less cancer than we could have expected,” then it would be great news indeed! That it was working wasn’t the real question for Jason; he needed to know how well it was working. So just before Thanksgiving, a nervous family loaded up the car and headed back to Houston. The car was a strange mix of fear and enthusiasm, of hope and despair. Laura was not looking forward to the trip. She had managed to keep her spirits up, but MD Anderson is a formidable place full of the very sick and dying. And our last visit to the hospital added to our burdens. She couldn’t bear the thought of receiving different or worse news. But strangely, Jason had been strengthened. He was optimistic, and if his positive attitude was contagious to Laura, it was at least comforting. The next morning Laura completed the PET scan, and on the following morning we met again with the head of the Lymphoma department at MD Anderson. The night before, we had each tried to prepare ourselves for anything. But nothing could have prepared us for what we saw on the images. Laura’s cancer is gone! On one side of the monitor, he brought up the images from the PET scan done in August. The disease was rampant, in some areas, entire
sections of bowel were black as night. Organs like her spleen and cecum were enlarged and dark. Active lymphomas were readily visible in her chest and neck. On the other side of the monitor, he displayed the new PET scan. On the new imagery, he passed through the layers of her body, but there was no sign of the disease. He changed the orientation of the images, and passed through her body again, starting at her head continuing the length of her body. The cancer was gone! “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” —Isaiah 53:5
We wept together as the doctor explained that the results of the PET scan were simply remarkable and virtually unheard of. As the doctor said, “I could never have anticipated the destruction of so much disease in such a short amount of time.” He did not try to hide his expression of amazement, and he had a couple of delighted students with him as he described the results. “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.” —Psalm 107:19-20
We were receiving medical treatment. Having said that, we feel that we had received the blessing of something extraordinary, from something that cannot simply be explained in medical terms. Our family is closer than ever before. The sale of Jason’s employer was delayed which has kept him employed and insured throughout our ordeal. When we were in despair, we received hope. When we were weakened by fear, we were strengthened. When we were sick, we felt HIS healing touch. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” —Isaiah 41:10
Lymphoma is an indolent cancer - slow moving and everpresent. You treat it and defeat it, but it is never really completely gone. And even though she can never be “cured” and our war against cancer can never be totally won, our foe called follicular lymphoma has been soundly defeated and has made full withdrawal from the battlefield. And this victory strengthened and encouraged us in the battle to come. This January, we rushed to the emergency room with another bowel obstruction. The damage cancer has done to her intestines is extensive, requiring surgery to remove a terribly damaged section. Shortly after the surgery, Laura suffered complications. Fever rose and her heart raced, and twice she was near cardiac arrest – her mother and daughter prayed as nurses worked to stabilize her. Her husband was by her side with ice packs and cool rags for hours. But each time, by HIS grace, she was restored; each time, by HIS mercy, she was saved. Blessed be the name of the Lord! Our family would like to thank you all for your prayers and good will. And we feel blessed to have such good friends! We cannot possibly express our gratitude for all the prayers and good will we have received from you all. Please pray for continued healing and feel the warmth and confirmation of this testament. SearcyLiving.com 61
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Budding Athlete From Rose Bud By Erica Clements
For the past six years, Amber has been training and competing for the USA Women’s Trapshooting Team with one goal in mind: the Olympics. She is well on her way, too. Amber currently shoots in the J1 category, Junior Olympic competitions for 18-20 year olds. Last summer, Amber earned a spot at the International Shooting Sports Federation World Cup in Granada, Spain. She shot a qualifying 61 out of 75 targets. She followed that up with a trip to Lima, Peru in September for her first World Championship. Her three-woman Junior Team included Miranda Wilder of Diana, Texas and Kimberly Bowers of Lafayette, California. With their Bronze Medal win, the U.S. Junior Women’s Trap teams have brought home a medal in all five World Championships. Most recently, Amber led a three-woman squad at the 2014 ISSF World Cup in Suhl, Germany. This International Championship took place the week of Monday, May 26 through Sunday, June 1. After battling tough competitors from around the world, Colorado Springs National
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Amber and her teammates brought home a bronze medal for their combined scores. To top that off, Amber’s personal score also earned her an individual bronze medal, as well! While Amber is seeing a lot of the world through the sights of her Krieghoff K-80 112 gage shotgun, these team positions are not offered up lightly. For a spot on this year’s team, Amber had to make the finals in three different qualifying matches, two of which she won. She fires as many as 500 practice rounds a week, whether she is at home or on the road. And she is ever on the road. Prior to her trip to Germany, Amber also competed in Texas and Arizona this year. In past seasons, she has participated in matches in Tennessee, Georgia, and Colorado, as well. Most high school graduates get to spend their graduation night celebrating with friends and family. Last year, Amber celebrated hers with a nine hour drive to Fort Benning, Georgia where she finished second in the trapshooting Spring Selection, which earned her a spot on the World Team. Amber may be slight of frame, but she is a serious competitor and a natural athlete. She has the determination and discipline required to not only stay at the top of her game, but to constantly improve it. In high school Amber competed in track and field and brought home two class 3A cross country state titles. She also participated in basketball and softball before turning her focus to trapshooting. Trapshooting is a sport that requires an amazing amount of commitment, and a fair balance of talent and technique. The game is not all physical, either. It takes patience, and emotional control. There are too many variables at play to allow a bad mood or lack of concentration. Amber also has another advantage in her shoot career: a supportive family that keeps her on task and well rounded. When she’s not traveling for shooting competitions, Amber can be found in her hometown of Rose Bud where she works part time for the family business, Rose Bud Insulation. She is currently
working towards a career as a Veterinary Assistant. Last May, she graduated with honors from Rose Bud High School. She is a member of Mount Bethel Freewill Baptist Church, the same church her parents and grandparents have always attended. She is a first responder on the volunteer Fire Department. Her family is very important to her. As a matter of fact, family is how she got her start in trapshooting. Amber began shooting sports with the Rose Bud Sharp Shooters, the team her dad, Elton Culwell, began and coached, as a way to keep up with her dad and older brother, Tim, who has also competed in Junior Olympic shooting competitions. Her dad now coaches Amber full time. Amber and her family have a lot of confidence in her shooting abilities and acknowledge the need for practice and the challenge to constantly improve. She has an optimistic attitude that will carry her far in the shooting world, and we are sure we will be seeing her on the Olympic podium in the near future.
 Amber with the U.S. Junior Team at the World Championship in Lima, Peru.
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T
his idea comes from Depraved Indifference, a video Angela Bolding and her husband, Adam, stumbled upon back in June of 2012. Prior to seeing this video, the couple had been introduced to the idea of adoption by friends at church. The message of Depraved Indifference calls for people to move out of their comfort zone of “Suburbia, USA” and reach out to help children in need around the world. For Adam and Angela, this was the final straw; they had made up their mind once and for all that they were going to adopt children into their home. For one reason or another, God put it on each of their hearts to adopt from Haiti. Neither of them hesitated or questioned, “Why Haiti?” On the contrary, they dove straight into the adoption process that June. They got connected with a little girl in Haiti and began the paperwork. However, as soon as they had started, they had to stop - the girl’s family changed their mind and decided to keep their child. The Boldings didn’t let this setback dampen their spirits; instead, they kept marching forward and continued their search. It wasn’t long at all before two little angels stole their hearts. They planned to name the new baby girl Katheryn, and the baby boy, Canaan. Paperwork was underway by early July and the couple were able to travel to Haiti in September to meet the two new additions to the family. Not surprisingly, the couple fell even more in love after getting to spend an entire week with the duo. Just as everything was shaping up in the adoption process, Mother Nature threw a nasty curveball into the situation. In late August 2012, Hurricane Isaac had swept across Haiti’s southern peninsula, bringing flooding and storms in areas already affected by the January 2010 earthquake. The initial death toll was around 24, but one of the main concerns became the threat of cholera spreading. As stated on actionaiduse.org, “An estimated 600,000 cases of the disease [cholera] – and 7,500 deaths - have been registered in Haiti since late 2010, a few months after the devastating earthquake from which the country is still recovering.” Unfortunately for Adam and Angela, these statistics became a reality in their lives. As a result of Hurricane Isaac, both of the Bolding babies fell ill with cholera in January 2013. On the same day that Adam and Angela first heard that each of their children had contracted the disease, they also learned that cholera had taken sweet baby Katheryn’s life. 64 Your Hometown Magazine
Once again, the Boldings had to overcome the obstacles placed in their path. Some people may have shaken their fist at God and said, “Why us?” “Why punish people who are trying to do good?” That is not at all the attitude they took; instead, they were just as determined as ever to fulfill their calling and bring their children home. Rewind to two weeks prior to learning the troubling news about the cholera outbreak. Adam and Angela happened to come across a 3 year-old girl that stole their hearts. In light of everything that had happened in the following weeks, the couple decided to begin the adoption process with this little girl, Angeléa, in May 2013. One more hiccup was in the works for the Boldings. Little did they know, but there were underlying problems with the adoption paperwork. The agency they had been using for Canaan and Angeléa’s adoption lost its license. The adoption process in Haiti is already long to begin with, but this complication added more confusion and waiting into the mix. Because the agency was no longer certified to handle adoptions,
Adam and Angela Bolding
The Boldings with Angeléa and Canaan
Florida to Northwest Approximately 800 Miles
Cuba
Haiti Dominican Republic
Adam and Angela had to find a new agency to process their adoption and then wait to have it approved by the Haitian government. Without a doubt, Haitian adoption is not for the impatient, as there are various steps to undergo throughout the process, some longer than others. However, the Boldings have been at the same stage in the process with their son Canaan since September 2012! Why so long of a delay you may ask? One reason is because their technology for bookkeeping is extremely outdated, and even non-existent in many cases. In the past, documents, such as requests for approval of adoption or death certificates, simply got written down into large spiral notebooks. The biggest downfall to this is that they wait until the entire notebook is full before they deliver it to Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti and home to the government headquarters which has the authority to record and make such documents official. If yours happened to be one of the first documents to go into the notebook, the wait might be years before its delivery to Port-au-Prince for processing. On a positive note, Haiti is actively taking steps to speed up the adoption process by implementing new procedures and laws. Haiti has hopes that the new regulations will speed up the adoption process to where it only takes one year to complete from start to finish. While all of this was getting sorted out, the Boldings headed down to Haiti last October (2013) to visit their son and meet their daughter in person for the first time. This trip made the couple fall in love with the children all over again and remember that all of the hassle would be well worth it in the end. Shocking as it may be, the Boldings have received some criticism for choosing Haiti to adopt from. “Why Haiti, of all places?” “Why not just adopt from the United States?” But, Adam and Angela do not let these comments get them down. As Adam reflects, “The poorest of poor here in America are considered rich in Haiti.” That helps to put things into perspective. The Boldings have nothing against adopting from the U.S., and are even open to the idea of doing so in the future, but for now Haiti is where their hearts lie. Angela summarizes it perfectly: “Our calling now is Haiti.” Though there are a few who question them from time to time, Adam and Angela have seen an outpouring of love and support from many in their lives. For fundraising efforts, the Boldings have hosted a car wash and two garage sales thus far. Each time, family and friends are always eager to step up to the plate and help. Members of their church donated items for the garage sales, one of which raised over $2,600. Small acts of kindness are crucial for the couple, especially
considering how pricey the adoption process has been. The Boldings have already spent a lot, and still have another $30,000 to go before finishing the adoption process once and for all. Though that number may seem overwhelming, Adam and Angela stay positive because they trust that the Lord will provide and work things out. They urge those interested in adoption to stay optimistic and not let the money become a hindrance. Having a strong support system is the key to undergoing the adoption process. In addition to family, Adam and Angela have found comfort in sharing their experiences with a group called Adoption Connect. The group is lead by John Hendrix and his wife Maggie, who are also adopting from Haiti (3 and 5 year old boys). There are two other couples adopting from Haiti that are members of the group, and another couple who adopted from China just two years ago. The group meets once a month to stay connected and share stories of both praises and hardships that come along with the adoption process. Adam and Angela hope to have Canaan home to Arkansas for good by this December, 2014. Because they didn’t get the process started until later with Angeléa, it will likely be 2015 before she gets to come home to the States for good. When all is said and done, all of the hoops that the Boldings have had to jump through for the adoption will dull in comparison to the infinite joy added to their lives from these two new beautiful additions to the family.
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“Long-term use can cause serious health
complications affecting virtually every organ in your body, including your brain.” A product that comes with a warning as grave as that should be handled with caution. The product in reference is alcohol. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board first adopted the basic body of regulations over the issue of alcohol in Arkansas on August 27, 1952. Since that date, the Board has revised the regulations numerous times, but the regulations have never been altogether revoked. Not yet, anyway. However, a new alcohol-related proposal will be on the ballots in November that could change the course of Arkansas history. From 1952 to present day, the law of the land for the state of Arkansas has been that it is up to each individual county to determine their “wet/dry” status. In a wet county, the retail sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages is legal. In dry counties, only a private club permit may be issued. Most of the wet counties even have dry areas within their borders, such as townships or cities. (These counties are designated on the map by the county name being underlined.) As it now stands, the state is nearly an even split, with 37 dry and 38 wet counties. The proposed Amendment, going by the popular name of The Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Amendment, would change the Arkansas Constitution “effective July 1, 2015 by making the manufacture, sale, distribution and transportation of intoxicating liquors lawful within the entire geographic area of each and every county of this state.” Yes, you read that right - the sale of alcohol would be lawful across the entire state. The Amendment makes it a point to outlaw any kind of exceptions: “All laws which conflict with this amendment, including laws providing for a local option election (wet/dry election) to determine whether intoxicating liquors may be sold or not sold, are hereby repealed to the extent that they conflict with this amendment.” If this Amendment is successful, then the entire state will be wet and counties, wards, and precincts will no longer have a say in whether they are wet or dry. In a state that is currently split 50/50 on the issue of allowing alcohol sales, a change such as this is much too drastic. There is a reason 50% of the state doesn’t want alcohol to be so freely distributed, and that 50% needs to take a stand in the November elections if they want to keep the status quo of counties deciding their own fate on the issue. Our neighbors in Independence County have been pushing back against this legislation for some time now. K.I.D.S. is a group of 66 Your Hometown Magazine
concerned residents working to “Keep Independence Dry & Safe.” Since the state petition will override the local option election, this group is fighting to keep their county dry by seeking to help other counties completely understand the issues. They are urging voters to decline to sign the petition that would legalize alcohol sales statewide. There is one group in particular whose opinions and wellbeing get forgotten when the issue of opening the floodgates for alcohol sales gets brought to the table. Who is that group you may ask? Children. Today, 1 in 4 children live in a household with an alcoholic adult. What’s more? Children whose parents abuse alcohol and other drugs were 3x more likely to be abused, and over 4x more likely to be neglected than children from non-abusing families. One member of the K.I.D.S. movement summed up the issue best: “When do peaceful people give up their time, money, even relationships, to fight an issue where they have absolutely NOTHING to gain? When they have so VERY MUCH to lose.” Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself what you’re willing to do to keep our current alcohol laws in place. To protect the innocence of our children and families as well as our freedom for local option elections, vote against the upcoming Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Amendment.
What you might imagine...
According to the 2010 Census population figure, there could be as many as 15 liquor stores in White County. That is the number allowed by the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Division. 1 per 5,000 residents.
 Since the state petition will override the local option election, Keep Independence Dry & Safe is fighting to keep their county dry by seeking to help other counties completely understand the issues.
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By Jackie Bacon Searcy Parks & Recreation is continually searching for ways to reach out to the community and give its people what they need. From putting leagues together for youth sports to hosting aerobics classes for adults, the Parks & Rec staff orchestrates a wide variety of activities to engage the residents of Searcy. Three years back, in summer 2012, Parks & Rec began to offer a class in the summer to help deliver a vital dose of art to children twice a week. “Art is as natural as sunshine and as vital as nourishment.” -MaryAnn F. Kohl
One Searcy mom has nothing but positive things to say about the addition of this art program hosted at the Carmichael Center. Shana Honse, mother of two, first began bringing her children Armando (7) and Zeonna (13) to the ‘Carmichael Kids’ program three years ago at its beginning. Zeonna
Shana points out how much of a blessing it is to this town to have an option for a free children’s activity that gets the kids both out of the house and also out of the heat of the summer sun. So what all does the ‘Carmichael Kids’ program have to offer? Program director Terri Brannon keeps the kids guessing from day to day by offering new art projects every time the kids come to class. The projects range greatly from making dream catchers, finger paintings, and piggy banks to tie-dye shirts, rain sticks, and even decorating cookies and cupcakes that the 68 Your Hometown Magazine
kids get to eat when they finish. Of all of the projects, Armando’s favorite was a bobble-head dinosaur that he got to paint his very first year, while Zeonna’s favorite was decorating her own personal journal. Shana shares that it is so heartwarming to see the excitement on her children’s faces as they are creating their projects and how proud they are each time they bring their finished work home to put on display. Shana believes that the program has become such a success because of the attention that Terri Brannon gives to all of the activities and her genuine care about the development of each child. The art projects always use quality material, so much so that Shana’s children still use and display their various creations from as far as 3 summers ago throughout their home to this day. All parents can relate that at times, you have to bribe and convince your children to get out of the house and join certain activities. For Shana’s children Armando and Zeonna, this is never the case when it comes time to head to the Carmichael Center; instead, they are always eager for when the next session is and look forward to finding out what project they will be working on. “This program is like a locomotive,” Shana added, “it has continued to build up steam and accelerate over the years.” There is nowhere to go but up for the “Carmichael Kids” summer program. For now, the classes meet every Monday and Wednesday at the Carmichael Center from 11:00-1:00 in the afternoon. Take the time to get your children’s creative juices flowing and sign them up for a chance to join in the future.
Armando
ENJOY SEarcY tO YOur fullESt!
DiD YOu KNOw? We offer a variety of FREE educational and creative classes! Check out our calendar or stop by the Carmichael Center for details today!
Offices Inside Carmichael Community Center
801 S. Elm St • 501-279-1010
Find Us On Facebook! Event calendar on Searcyliving.com Parks • Sports complex • Event center • Dog Park • Biking & walking trails community center with rentable rooms & Gym
“We are dedicated to directing and improving recreational programs, special events, facilities, and services to best serve the citizens of Searcy!” SearcyLiving.com 69
To Vaccinate or Not Vaccinate By Brian Knoske and Samantha Morrison Rodney G. Richmond, RPh, MS, CGP, FASCP, FACFE
Over The Counter Harding University Center for Drug and Health Information
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The year is 1796. For centuries, humans had waged the war against bacteria and viruses with little or no success, but things were about to drastically change. With a simple inoculation of cowpox, Edward Jenner found a way to prevent people from getting smallpox, a very deadly and, at the least, debilitating disease. This event effectively changed the landscape for treating infectious diseases forever. Since that time, vaccinations have been a mainstay of general health and wellness. Diseases such as tuberculosis, smallpox and polio have been virtually eliminated from the United States because of stringent vaccination policies which have become standard medical practice. Over recent years, however, there have been rampant attacks on vaccinations, producing two opposing views on vaccine administration. The anti-vaccination movement is based on a “study” done by Dr. Andrew Wakefield in 1998. Dr. Wakefield, a British physician, set out to determine whether there was a link between routine vaccination of children and their development of autism. His “research” supposedly demonstrated a significant correlation between vaccinations and autism or autoimmune diseases. However, it wasn’t until after Dr. Wakefield’s work was published that news of fraud, study bias, and falsification of data became known—revealing his own selfish interests because he was developing “safer” vaccines that would not cause autism or autoimmune diseases. Shortly after the scandal broke, Wakefield’s study was retracted and his medical license revoked. Unfortunately, these actions have not stopped people from quoting his paper as justification for avoiding vaccinations. Even celebrities have taken up the cause and used Wakefield’s personal opinions as a platform to convince people not to vaccinate. The “bad science” having been scrapped, it became critical that proper research be performed, without bias, to examine the actual risks of vaccines. Over the past decade more than a dozen studies have been published, emanating from all corners of the globe, revealing there is in fact no correlation between vaccines and the development of autism or autoimmune diseases. So now the question is, “To vaccinate or not to vaccinate?” Current scientific evidence supports that it is imperative for children to continue to become vaccinated, and that as adults we should receive periodic boosters or vaccines to prevent disease. These vaccines are not given solely to protect the individual, but also to confer “herd immunity” as a way to prevent disease from affecting individuals too young or unable to be vaccinated because of coexisting diseases. If more evidence is needed to make the case for vaccination, it is necessary to look no further than the increasing number of preventable diseases and deaths that are occurring as a result of growing numbers of children not being vaccinated. If we return to our stringent vaccination practices, we may succeed in eliminating many preventable diseases! For more information, talk to your pharmacist or doctor or visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines.
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By Casey McLeod, Medical Center Pharmacy We rarely consider that vitamins have a REAL and specific purpose in our bodies. For example, vitamin D causes your body to be able to properly use calcium. Vitamin A is important for healthy eyes. Vitamin C protects cells from damage from toxins. Vitamin B12 keeps our nerve and blood cells healthy and helps our bodies produce DNA, the genetic material in cells. Each vitamin has a specific job in helping our bodies function properly. Many people are deficient in one or more of the vitamins our bodies need. Vitamin B12 deficiency is fairly common, especially in some groups of people.
Are you at risk for Vitamin B12 deficiency? There are many causes for B12 deficiency. Vegetarians are at a high risk of low B12 levels because vegetables do contain little to no B12. Those who have had weight loss surgery are also at a high risk of B12 deficiency because the surgery has a significant impact on the ability of your body to extract vitamins from foods. Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease or other issues that interfere with the gastrointestinal system can also increase the risk of low B12 levels. Vitamin B12 needs an acidic environment to be absorbed, so
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anything that decreases stomach acid can cause low B12 levels. Medications for acid reflux, such as Prilosec® or Prevacid®, decrease the production of acid in the stomach. Also, our bodies produce lower amounts of stomach acid as we age. People over the age of 50 have a significantly greater risk of having low levels of B12.
Symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency Vitamin B12 deficiency may appear with a number of symptoms ranging from mild to severe. These symptoms can be mistakenly attributed to other issues because they are often vague or appear as another problem. Some of the effects of B12 deficiency are: • Fatigue • Weakness • Swollen or inflamed tongue • Difficulty thinking
• Memory loss • Paranoia or hallucinations • Difficulty walking
It is a good idea to ask your doctor if he or she thinks you should have your B12 level checked especially if you: • Are 50 years or older. • Take a proton pump inhibitor or medication for acid reflux. • Take Metformin for diabetes. • Are a strict vegetarian. • Have had weight loss surgery. • Have a condition that interferes with food absorption.
What can you do for B12 deficiency? A vitamin B12 deficiency is easily treated with one of a few options. Some people need B12 injections on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. This is the most effective and rapid way to raise B12 levels. Oral B12 supplements are available for patients whose levels are not extremely low or who do not wish to have the injections. It is important, however, to choose the correct oral B12 supplement. Most oral formulations of B12 are in the form of cyanocobalamin. Although your body will convert cyanocobalamin to the active form of B12, methylcobalamin, it is not well absorbed from the stomach. The most effective oral forms of B12 are chewable or sublingual methylcobalamin. Methylcobalamin is more easily absorbed and does not have to be converted by the body in order to be active and useful. Food is another good way to take in vitamin B12. The following foods are excellent sources of B12: • Salmon
• Ham
• Cod
• Chicken
• Eggs
• Fortified grains
• Milk • Yogurt • Cheese
• Scallops • Shrimp • Lamb
A well balanced diet is a great start to providing all the vitamins your body needs. Sometimes, however, changes in diet are not enough to meet the need for specific vitamins. Be sure to talk to your doctor about having the proper lab work done to see if there is a need to supplement with vitamins. Your pharmacist should be able to direct you to a good B12 supplement if needed.
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Cystic Fibrosis is a life shortening disease that has no cure! Great Strides is a walk that fundraises for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to help fund research for treatment, and eventually a cure. My son Trenton Williams is 9 years old and fights for his life everyday. Please help us spread awareness for this disease that hardly anyone knows about and claims the life of innocent babies, children, and young adults! Rachel Leah Williams
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Family Fun at
S e a rc y c o u n t ry c lu b
2729 W. Country Club rd. • 501-268-8577 • www.searcycountryclub.com
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y o u r
h o m e t o w n
m a g a z ine
What Businesses Are Saying has been a huge success “ Advertising with SearcyforLiving Dalco! The additional exposure from their ads has greatly increased our business county-wide. Christine and the entire Searcy Living team are truly amazing to work with! Like Dalco, they genuinely care about their customers, and strive to go above and beyond to make sure each and every customer is satisfied. If you're considering advertising, contact them today and see what they can do for your business. We think you'll be glad you did!
”
Anna Layne, Closing Agent Dalco Closing & Title
“ Searcy Living is our top print media for advertising our sale! ” Angela Stewart Twice As Nice Children’s Consignment Sale
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Sweet Mustard BBQ Sauce
With summer in full swing, it’s time to fire up that grill! What better recipe to have for this month than a great BBQ sauce? I am a fan of the tangy type of sauce more than the sweet kind, and this is by far my favorite out of them all. Whether you brush it on grilled chicken, pork, or beef or even serve it alongside them at the table, this is a great sauce. It will keep for a very long period of time stored in the fridge in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid. Your “Nawf Caaaahlina” (North Carolina) friends will thank you for this, I promise. :)
INGREDIENTS
COMBINE
1 c. cider vinegar
Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and mix well.
2/3 c. yellow mustard
BOIL
1/2 c. sugar 2 Tbsp chili powder 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp white pepper
Bring to a boil then reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
COOL
Cool and store in a covered jar in the fridge. Makes a little more than 2 cups of sauce. Enjoy!
1/4 tsp ground red pepper 1/2 tsp hot sauce 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1/2 tsp Tamari soy sauce (Real soy, not wheat)
Tanya Turner Leckie’s cookbook Cartwheels In The Kitchen, is available at Tonya’s Consignment, Midnight Oil Coffee House, as well as through Tanya by e-mailing her at lazydaygourmet@sbcglobal.net. Partial proceeds through sales benefit the Makonde Team mission work in Tanzania, Africa.
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Experience Historic Elegance Currently booking for 2015 events. Call today to reserve for your special day.
For tours or booking info call Wendy Dalrymple 501-207-1864 118 N. SpriNg • Searcy, arkaNSaS check out our new website at www.robbinssanford.com wendy@dcommercial.com • Like Us on
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Across
4. If the Amendment is successful, the _____ state will be wet. 5. Abused children are considered _____, not victims. 7. Dr. Peck is very adamant that the children never have _____. 8. The _____ program is beneficial for both the student and the hosts alike. 9. Haitian adoption is not for the _____.
What belongs to you, but is used more by others?
Down
1. Many of the recipes in the Williams cookbook have won _____. 2. What is Tommie’s dog’s name? 3. Laura’s doctor suggested B-R _____. 6. Amber’s goal is going to the _____. 7. Sue’s doctor prescribed _____ therapy.
Find The Answers On
What always sleeps with its shoes on?
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Keep your head up. God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers. Show your support for life and help raise money at the same time! Purchase an Official Choose Life Arkansas License Plate for the rear of your car. You can obtain one through direct purchase from the Department of Finance and Administration. Let’s make the readership of Searcy Living the BIGGEST supporters for life in the state! SearcyLiving.com 81
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