2013

Online Article – GENEALOGY: THE TIME TO START IS NOW!

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Genealogy: the time to start is NOW! July 2013 Written for personal blog Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON

You want to let your children know where they come from, and, hey, so do you! But where do you start? You know there are online websites and books and things, but you just don’t have any time for those. You have CHILDREN and a family!

The easiest way to start is probably on your social calendar already. The picnics and family reunions that are popping up this time of year, especially around The Fourth, are the BEST time to start on your new hobby: genealogy.

Before going to the gathering do some preliminary note taking. Write down what you do know about your or your significant other’s (SO) family. You probably know your/SO’s mother and father’s name and where/when they were born; write down all siblings and their partner’s names, birthdates and wedding anniversaries, and children’s names, birthdates. You are off to a great start!

Now, try and remember the next generation BACK:  your/SO’s grandfathers and grandmothers names. Names are a great start. Hopefully, you may remember their birthdays, anniversaries, death dates, etc. Even bits and pieces can help put the puzzle together.

If you cannot remember this information, you will now know where to start!

Be sure to gather a couple of extra items to bring with you with that favorite bean dip: A couple of pens, a notepad, a digital recorder or camera. These are all great tools to help you catch all of the information. Recordings are great because you can just sit back and listen to the stories and go back later to write it all down!

“What was Great Aunt Rose’s full name? Did she ever get married? What about Chester? Was he a brother to Great Aunt Rose? Where did he move? What was that story about Papa and the anteater?”

Enjoy the process! Sure, you may want to visit with your closest family but chatting to that distant cousin might bring up some forgotten family history that you will want to record in your notes. Just think of the possibilities!

After you assemble what you can from the members in your family that are living, it is time to then hit the internet! There are several places to start your search from Ancestry.com to the online vital records of the towns, cities, or states where those family members from past generations lived.

Start with what you know. The clues will send you on your journey! Bon Voyage!

 

Online Article – IT’S LIKE A FOOD TRUCK RODEO IN HERE!

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It’s like a Food Truck Rodeo in here! August 2013 Written for personal blog Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON

Every day in the kitchen at my office there is a homemade snack or two sitting on the table, tempting the office staff to come and try it. At lunch, the refrigerator opens up to a plethora of sights and smells when the foodies bring out what they made the night before. They made extra so everyone can have a taste!

It has become almost like a Food Truck Rodeo every day! One lady brings a new kind of slaw made from Ramin noodles, cabbage and mandarin oranges. Another brings her husband’s bbq chicken and some fried okra. There is always a new cake, new salad or a new side dish popping up!

One day recently, I didn’t feel much like driving to the local sandwich shop so, as it turns out, my co-workers fed me with a little of this and a little of that! SO TASTY!

If our everyday fare is like the Rodeo, you can imagine what the office parties are like! When a birthday or a promotion or just Hump Day roll around, it is time to break out the family recipes and show off the ol’ chef skills! It is quite the presentation and gastronomic feast!

I wonder if it just us? Or, does this happen in other offices? And, if it is just here in the South or do others around the country do it too?

I bet it is happening everywhere. The economy is still rough for so many of us. And, the popularity of cooking channels along with the trends like the food-as-medicine, farm-to-table, and the fusions of different cuisines from around the world has us all wanting to learn more. It seems to be almost a zeitgeist moment.

I do work in a small office with mostly women and a few men. I have noticed that we are making connections through these daily rituals-much like communities did in the days of our great grandparents.

I actually like it. It is comforting slice of peace in the middle of the high-tech filled day.

Pass the pie!

Online Article – BLACK GOLD

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Black Gold June 2013 Written for TriangleMommies Blog Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON

My co-workers and I have discovered black gold. No, it isn’t the “Texas Tea” sort either.

We have discovered a little sandwich shop inside the corner gas station that sells Café Cubano or cafecito.

This is a black coffee, sweetened oh so perfectly, and served hot with foam in a small little Styrofoam cup. It smells perfectly pungent with hints of the tropics swimming in a dark sea of caffeine. It tastes like the smoothest dark chocolate, almost liquor-like in its consistency. The foam just tickles your lips with buttery kisses while the coffee warms your whole being.

Beware! It is STRONG. Ah, so strong-strong enough to carry you through the rest of your stressful day on just that one cup.

Of course, it is strong enough to last into the evening too. A couple of us have had a cup of cafecito in the middle of a particularly hard afternoon and found out that it did get us all through the day without killing anyone, but we were up half the night ready to kill someone for lack of sleep!

There are several places throughout the Triangle where you too can try a cup of Café Cubano: The Oakwood Café in Raleigh, the Havana Grill in Cary, The Old Havana Sandwich Shop in downtown Durham, and our little secret in Morrisville, The Latin Corner.

If you love coffee, and you haven’t had a cup of joe you could call “black gold”, then you must seek out this lyric-poem-in-a-cup, a cafecito.  Be warned, you might get addicted.

Online Article – “All the Single Ladies”…HAPPY FATHER’s DAY!

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“All the Single Ladies”…HAPPY FATHER’s DAY! June 2013 Written for the TriangleMommies Blog Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON

Normally, we would all just burst into song, until you read the last few words of that title.

I am calling out to a segment of Motherhood that usually only gets bad press: single mothers. Single mothers are so much more than what those sad accounts tell us.

There are mothers who choose to be single and there are mothers who are divorced; there are mothers who have lost their partners in numerous different ways like accidents, disease, and even war. Some are dumbfounded on how they even became single mothers!

Single mothers are more than a statistic on your economic chart; they are more than blights on the welfare system. Single mothers are hard working women. Most have full time jobs and come home to their other full time job. Most juggle schedules that would drive the White House secretaries into tears.

Many single mothers still have the father in the child’s life to help with the schedules, the decisions, and the childcare. Just like other women, single mothers can have great family or social support systems and of course, some do not. These ladies can seek out great groups like Triangle Mommies to fill that void.

Oh, and those single mothers are NOT trying to “steal” your husband, partner, or significant other. It seems like a funny statement at this moment. However, society norms make us leery of those single moms all the same. Basically, they don’t have time to “steal” anyone. Think about it.

The next time you meet a single mother, don’t pity her. Think of how strong she is! Think about the time, effort, and finesse it takes to raise a child (or children) on her own.

So, for those single mothers who fill both roles of mother and father, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! You are all doing a GREAT JOB!

 

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY ARTICLE – Name that ‘shroom

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Children’s Activities: NAME THAT ‘SHROOM! July 2013 Written for Triangle Mommies Blog Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON

With all the crazy wet weather we are having here in North Carolina, it has been a boon year for mushrooms. You can see them in the forests, in the country and even in many urban/suburban neighborhoods!

I have found at least three different types along my walk in the mornings!

So, I have invented a new activity for the kiddies: NAME THAT ‘SHROOM! This activity includes a hunt-and-find outdoor game and a make-it-yourself field guide.

First the HUNT! While traipsing through the woods or sticking to the sidewalks, be on the lookout for interesting shapes and colors and textures among the landscape. Mushrooms come in many different colors and textures.

**PLEASE BE AWARE, especially with children, do not touch the mushrooms you find until you know for sure that they are safe. You don’t want the kid to accidentally ingest the sample.

It is best to take a digital picture of the mushroom from all angles. Try and get the tops, the surrounding area, underneath the dome and the stems too.

Now off to the library, or the internet, to see what great treasure you have found!  See the guide below for some titles and websites.

Things to figure out: What is its name? Where does it normally grow? What are its tell-tale features? Is it safe to touch or to pick? Is it edible?

Once you find out some of these basics, you and your little one can create a great little field guide of your own back yard. Include pictures, drawings, facts, and even spore prints in a little self-made or store-bought sketch book. See website #1 for how to make a spore print.

Then the next time we get weather like this again, your little field guide will help you identify what pops up in your yard!

BOOKS:

 

1. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guides)by NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY

2.    The Mushroom Book For Beginners: 2nd Edition Revised : A Mycology Starter or How To Be A Backyard Mushroom Farmer… by Frank Randall

3.   The Complete Mushroom Hunter: An Illustrated Guide to Finding, Harvesting, and Enjoying Wild Mushrooms by Gary Lincoff

4.    A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America (Peterson Field Guides) by Kent H. McKnight, Vera B. McKnight and Roger Tory Peterson

WEBSITES:

  1. Urban Mushrooms: http://urbanmushrooms.com/index.php?id=69
  2. American Mushrooms: http://americanmushrooms.com/lawnandgarden.htm
  3. Mushroom Expert: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/index.html
  4. The Mushroom Patch: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/index.html

 

COMPANY MISSION ARTICLE- 2013 Year in Review: Missions Complete

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2013 Year in Review: Missions Complete  Article written for Caliber Technologies March 2014 Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON/ Caliber Technologies

Caliber Technologies is excited to give you a fantastic recap of the five missions and our Annual TOYS FOR TROOPS Campaign in 2013. From reaching out and helping three of our military service personnel and families in need to expanding our donations this summer to cover two community programs here in North Carolina, we are utilizing your contributions from ink, toner and office supply purchases to help where it is needed most! And, our Holiday toy and clothing reached further than we even expected! Read on…

We started out 2013 with a call to help little Piper with our “Print for Piper” mission. Piper Wilhide is a baby girl diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. Both her parents currently serve in our armed forces in different branches. The diagnosis, as you can imagine, brought a series of debts that was difficult for the family to handle all at once.

We were successful with our mission! We dearly wanted to raise enough money, to purchase plane tickets for Piper’s grandparents to fly in and provide the much needed assistance and support during the recovery process. In addition to the tickets, we would love to be able to assist Piper’s parents’ with their unexpected travel costs to and from Piper’s hospital and their hotel stays. With the tickets and a monetary donation, this family is well on its way to recovery!

During our Second Mission of 2013, Caliber Technologies was able to help two of our military families! We’d like to introduce you to the families of Sergeant (SGT) James Ray and Airman (AMN) Nichole Murphy.

On duty in Iraq, SGT Ray was enjoying his military career, a loving family, and a promotion in the near future. Unfortunately, one day his vehicle was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) resulting in burns over 60% of his body.

Fast forward to his stateside recovery, SGT Ray was adjusting nicely to life as a disabled veteran. He bought a home both near his family and the Veterans Affairs Office in Lometa, TX. The home was equipped to accommodate his needs.

Everything was on track on moving day until, while driving with his wife to his new home, the couple was hit by a semi-truck. The timing of this accident is made worse by the fact that former SGT Ray’s wife was to start a new job the very next week.  Although both are recovering from this accident, the couple is currently living off of only former SGT Ray’s disability payments. This loving and patriotic couple is now in need of funds for housing. Caliber Technologies is delighted to contribute towards their needs.

Air Force Airman (AMN) Nichole Murphy is a dedicated servicewoman and loving mother to a daughter named Haley. AMN Murphy recently received the hard news that her daughter’s illness may shorten Haley’s life; in fact, she may not live through the summer.  Haley was born without urinary organs and she is on constant dialysis and has a colostomy bag.

Having nothing more than a disposable camera to record what may her daughter’s last few happy months, Caliber Technologies is delighted to help donate a Nikon Digital Video Camcorder to the family.

Sadly, we were just informed that Haley did pass away in September, 2013. We all are heartbroken to hear this news. We are very proud to be a part of giving AMN Murphy some lasting memories of her daughter and wish her peace.

Caliber Technologies is proud to announce we are a participating sponsor of the North Raleigh Athletic Association (NRAA), the largest organization in the CFF and Pop Warner Mid-South Region.

As an “Ultimate Fan” level supporter we help fund the wonderful boys and girls and their football and cheer activities in our own community.  Go Bulldogs!!

The North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) Teen Council and Caliber Technologies have teamed up to help teens of deployed National Guardsmen with the inaugural NCNG Teen Challenge Retreat at Camp Butner in June 2013.

The teens that attended the four day retreat worked on developing their communication, leadership and team building skills in a small team environment. By donating the official camp tee shirts, we helped these teens meet their goals and take an active role in their learning! Congratulations to all participants! Way to go!!

Caliber Technologies started working on our TOYS FOR TROOPS campaign earlier than usual in 2013. TOYS FOR TROOPS is our annual toy and clothing drive for the children of military families in need during the Holiday Season. This time, we were fortunate enough that we were able to select three families through the “New Beginnings” website for special recognition and help.

We are very proud of our eighteen community partners for 2013! Each hosted a box and sign at their location throughout the Triangle Area of North Carolina. All of these locations were thanked personally by staff members when the donation boxes were picked up. Several locations were thanked in person by military personnel in tow with our staff. What a great campaign!

Oh, we also need to mention, this year we had some extra help outside the Triangle Area. Our partner in West Virginia, Mary B’s Restaurant in Parkersburg, helped to gather donations for children whose parents are with the West Virginia National Guard.

Please remember, Caliber Technologies proudly donates a portion of every order for ink, toner and office supplies back to our Veterans and our local community. We could not do it without your support and we greatly appreciate you! Thank you!

COMPANY MISSION ARTICLE- Mission One 2013: Print for Piper

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MISSION ONE 2013: Print for Piper  Article written for Caliber Technologies March 2013 Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON/ Caliber Technologies

We are very happy to announce our first Mission of 2013: PRINT FOR PIPER! We are helping little Piper Wilhide and her family. Of course, we wouldn’t be able to do it without your continuous support.

Caliber Technologies usually receives requests through various charities to help distressed military families and veterans; however, Piper’s request was a bit different.

One of our recently hired veterans, former USAF SSgt Mac Hobgood, had actually served with Piper’s father in Germany.  The two had remained friends and when Mac shared Piper’s story (see side panel) it was obvious that we had to help in any way possible.

Both Piper’s mom and dad proudly serve our country. The father has been in the Air Force for 15 years and now is stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB. Piper’s mom is in the Air National Guard and is an instructor at Wayne Community College.

Unfortunately, since Piper was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, her mom cannot go back to work. As a result, the family is incurring increasing debt including childcare and travel costs.

Caliber Technologies’  Mission is to raise enough money, to purchase plane tickets for Piper’s grandparents to fly in and provide the much needed assistance and support during the recovery process.  In addition to the tickets, we would love to be able to assist Piper’s parents’ with their unexpected travel costs to and from Piper’s hospital and their hotel stays.

We greatly appreciate all the continuous support through your purchases.  If you would like more information on how you can best help with our Mission, please contact your didicated Business  Development Manager.

PRINT FOR PIPER- Her Story

Piper Wilhide was only four weeks old when she first went in to see the doctor. She had been waking up from her naps with the sweats. The doctors were confused because nothing seemed wrong.

While doctors ran tests, her heart rate was in the 190’s, which is abnormally high. Peper then had an EKG done at Wayne Memorial Hospital. The pediatric cardiologist took a look at here and did a heart echo; that is when they saw a mass behind her heart.

Piper was quickly admitted to Vidant Memorial Hospital for more tests to establish the best diagnosis. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Neuroblastoma, a malignant tumor that develops from nerve tissues.

Little Piper has to go through eight cycles of chemotherapy due to the size of the tumor. Each cycle consists of getting the chemo administered over three days with 21 days between each cycle.

As you can see, Piper has a long fight ahead of her.