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HICA and the Fun of Tamale Pick Up Day

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Doors of HICA last December – welcoming tamale sale supporters!

I think I’ve lost count as to the number of HICA tamale sales I’ve been a part of all these years!  It’s the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama’s signature fundraiser and a labor of love each year to put together and pull off.  It’s gone from a group of people making tamales in a church kitchen, to volunteers making them at the Culinard kitchen to outsourcing to restaurants one year when the demand got so great.  Over the years I like to think we’ve finally perfected the sale, the way we market the sale and most of all, the tamale pick up day!  On a personal note, I rolled off the HICA board in December last year, but this organization is close to my heart and I’ll always use the word “we” when talking about it.

I’ve written a lot about the sale over the years but I don’t know that I’ve really talked about tamale pick up day.  It always takes place on a Friday in December and it’s the day set aside for people who have bought tamales to stop by the HICA office and pick them up.  We always ask HICA board members to be on hand to help with the pick up day in shifts.  Of course, the HICA staff is always on hand to make sure there is a good flow to everything and the orders are fulfilled.

Holly Hilton makes calls to people who purchased tamales to remind them to pick up!

Calls are placed to people who placed large orders to remind them to come by and pick up.  Over the past few years, Tamale Captains were created to help with this.  When you order, you can select a tamale captain that you know and request for them to be delivered to you through this person.

For me, tamale pick up day is my favorite part of this fundraiser.  I don’t sign up for a shift because I like being there all day!  I love seeing all the people who come by and support HICA by buying tamales and listen to their stories.  That’s one of the best parts.  These stories are often unsolicited too.  As they are waiting for their tamales to be bagged, they offer stories on what they will be doing with the tamales, when they will enjoy them and how often they’ve been buying them from HICA!  It’s become such a tradition for so many people in the Birmingham area.

HICA Staff in their Christmas antlers!
HICA board members during pick up day 2012 – Vivian Mora, Joyce Spielberger, RG Lyons, Liliana Salas-Grip, ED Isabel Rubio and me.
HICA tamales!

In the past, I’ve brought Christmas music to play and also a box of goofy  Christmas headbands – antlers, santa hats, elf ears, etc. – for the board and staff to wear and greet everyone.  This past year, I had a blinking Christmas light necklace that I wore.   I bought it at Walgreens and several of the staff members loved it and wanted one.   So after I went to make a tamale drop off downtown, I hit up several Walgreens stores looking for a few more to share with the staff with no luck!  I’m hoping I can find a few in the next few weeks to take with me this year!!!  It just adds to the fun of the day!

Catherine Alexander picks up tamales to make deliveries last year.
Long time supporter Suzanne Martin with her tamales!
Former HICA board member, Willie Chriesman with his tamales!
Me with HICA supporter Tina Savas
Photo opp with Isabel Rubio (center) and Sheri Spaine Long
HICA chicas!!!
With Stanley Robinson

Because of my love for “pick up” day,  I have recorded it with photos over the years.  Here are a few of my favorites and some of my friends who continue to support HICA by buying tamales every year.

HICA pick up day 2016 – this group of college students from Georgia volunteered to help out – they were awesome!
Silvia Hoyos helps at the tamale pick up day.
2009 – Miguel Vilchez picks up his tamales!
2012 – Isabel Rubio reviews the pick up list with board and staff.
2012 – Tamale orders ready for pick up!
2008- Isabel Rubio’s daughter – Sofia – helps with the tamale pick up
2012 – Board member Jennifer Kilburn with her hubby, Ray
2012 – Liliana Salas- Grip talks with a tamale customer
2009 – Board member Joyce Spielberger arrives to help with pick up day!
2009 – Photos I took during the 2005 tamale sale when we made tamales in the Culinard kitchen. We had these enlarged to showcase the tamales!

If you are in the Birmingham area and want to experience the HICA tamale sale this year, like HICA’s Facebook page to keep up with the updates.  The sale begins on Thanksgiving day (Nov 23rd) and ends Dec 10.  Pick up day is on Friday, Dec 14th at the HICA offices.  I’ll be there so let me know you read this blog post and let’s take a photo together!

Tales from the Thrift – the Clothing Edition

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I’ve written a lot recently about my thrift store finds and how I use them in my home.  In my post Tales from the Thrift Part Tres, I mentioned that my thrifting finds aren’t limited to household items and decor.  Sometimes I find some pretty nice clothing too!

I tend to get pretty lucky with jackets and tops.  Pants tend to be another story though.  I don’t know what it is but I have a problem with pants in general – finding the right fit and also with the length.  But every now and the I luck up on some!

Some of the brands I like to look for are J. Jill, Banana Republic, Chicos (more current items), Jones New York, Ralph Lauren and every now and then I find a great Eileen Fisher piece.  Naturally, just because it’s a brand name doesn’t always mean it’s a good deal.  I make sure to look for stains, tears and general wear and tear.  Some items have seen better days, as they say!  Occasionally, some show up at the thrift store with the original price tags!  I’m sure we’ve all done that before – bought something and maybe wondered – “what was I thinking” – when you got home and then put it in the back of the closet.  Then months later it ends up in the donation pile.  Like I said with the Chicos brand, I look for more current items but the same goes for most labels.  Every now and then though, I discover a vintage piece which is great!  Those are always nice to incorporate into your wardrobe!

As with household decor, these days I’m currently looking for things I can wear right now.  Since I’m no longer in the corporate world, I’ve stopped looking for blazers and dressier items.   In fact, I’ve sent quite a few items BACK to the thrift store these past few months.  That’s another thing that is always fun to me – seeing the things you’ve donated on the racks and the pricing on those items!

On a recent trip last week, I found several long-sleeved tops.  I don’t know what it is with me and stripes, but when I spotted this black and white stripped Ralph Lauren sweater, I hoped it would look nice when I tried it on.  Well, it did and I walked away with it for $2.99!  It’s sturdy but not too heavy and feels great on!  I also found this Banana Republic blue-green long sweater with pockets in front.  This one was $3.99, is lightweight and will work well with a jacket over it.  I like that both of these are long enough to go with yoga pants or heavy tights and boots.  It’s fall after all, y’all!!!

Ralph Lauren sweater
Banana Republic sweater

Getting excited about a plain white tee probably sounds crazy, but you can’t go wrong with a white tee, especially one that is both cotton and spandex.  These Chicos ultimate tees really hold their shape well and I decided to add it to my basket with the two sweaters for $2.99!

Chicos white tee – great go with anything piece!

J. Jill clothing is always so comfortable and I’ve found my share of great pieces over the years.  Earlier this year, I found this Pure Jill (a J. Jill line) red quilted jacket.  It is SO comfortable and this is the perfect weather for it!  I can match it up with that Chicos white tee, some black tights and my boots for a great weekend look!  I paid $6.99 for this jacket.  I also found this dressier jacket – I know, I know – I said I wasn’t buying dressier items but this J. Jill black jacket with the flower design is another comfy item and I’ve already worn it.  Interestingly, it was only $4.99 – two dollars less than the quilted jacket!

Pure Jill red quilted jacket
J Jill black jacket

Originally tagged items are always a fun find.  I spotted this short sweater by INC for $3.99 with an original $69 tag on it!  I had on a long shirt when I tried it on and it looked great with it as a way to dress up a casual look.  These two Karen Kane long sweaters were another bargain at $3.99 each!  Original price on both was $128!  Seriously…I can’t imagine paying that much for these items!

INC short sweater with original tags!
Karen Kane sweater with original tags
Red Karen Kane sweater with lace trim with original tags!

Finally, pants…it’s a struggle sometimes but then other times the thrifting gods smile upon you!  These J. Jill dark gray stretchy pants feel great on and were $6.99.  They look like they’ve barely been worn too, but I’m sure I’ll take care of that!  And these brown stretchy Jones New York brown pants are a nice change from the black pants and yoga pants I wear all the time.  These were also $6.99.  Honestly, it seems like every pair of pants I find are priced at $6.99.  Must be a rule or something!

J Jill black stretchy pants
Jones New York brown pants

I’ll share more about thrift store clothing in another post including my strategy for working a store.  Until then…happy thrifting!

Black and White Photo Challenge

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You’ve probably seen the black and white photo challenge on Facebook these past few weeks.  You get tagged, you post one black and white photo a day for seven days, they can’t be of people and you can’t describe the photo (“no words”) – and you tag someone else to challenge.

I got tagged a week ago and decided it would be a good time to go through some of my photographs.  To say I take a lot of photos would be an understatement!  I used to think my dad was nuts when he would use up an entire roll of film on a single flower.  Now I get it!  And with digital photography now…gosh…just keep snapping away until you get the image you are looking for!

The challenge made me remember what it was like to take photos with film.  I remember buying black and white film at times to experiment.  I always loved the effect and the detail of the photos when I would have them developed.  And speaking of getting photos “developed,” it was always interesting to see what the final result would turn out to be when you picked them up from Walmart or Walgreens.  For the most part, you just never knew!  My dad took so many photos from the time he moved to Bangkok, Thailand for his work and bought his Leica camera.  This was around the time he met my mom.  Going through his photos and slides is always such a treasure to me.  It’s like seeing the world through his eyes at that point in time.

These days photo editing lets us take color photos and turn them into black and white, or sepia or other artsy variations.  The photos I used in the black and white challenge all started out in color but I used my Camera+ app to convert them and get them just right.  I am still amazed at the detail that comes through with the conversion.

Here are the photos I used in the challenge, only this time I’m breaking the rules and telling a little more about them!

Day One – Taken at a winery in January 2010.  This was our 25th anniversary trip to Napa and the wineries were pretty empty as the holiday and new year’s rush was over.  We received tons of extra attention from the wineries since they weren’t getting a lot of traffic.  I loved the way the wine barrels were lined up at this particular winery and the lighting was just perfect in this cave where they were all stashed.

Day One – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Two – My husband and I visited Ft. Worth, Texas earlier this year and visited the Stockyards.  We heard about the daily walk of The Herd and positioned ourselves directly in front of where the herd made their turn.  We couldn’t believe the horns of these magnificent creatures!  It felt like this one was looking right at me and saying “take the picture already!”

Day Two – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Three – This is a portion of the Four Little Girls monument called “Four Spirits” on the corner and across the street from the 16th Street Baptist Church.  It was unveiled in September 2013 and received a lot of traffic.  Everyday leaving work, I would pass it and see all the people taking pictures and paying respects to the four little girls who were killed when the church was bombed in 1963.  One evening I left work early and spotted the monument virtually empty.  Fortunately, I had my camera with me and pulled right up and was able to take a number of photos including this one.

Day 3 – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Four – In 2011, I was attending a conference in Washington, DC.  My colleagues and I were able to take some time to tour a little and it was unanimous that we wanted to go to Arlington Cemetery.  Seeing all the white tombstones stretching across all the hillsides was a sobering sight.  Everyone in our group was silent but emotion was visible on all of our faces.  Converting this photo to black and white, I believe, shows this emotion.

Day Four – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Five – This was taken on a very cold day after a little snow in Alabama.  The birds were going nuts in our backyard and flying all over the trees most likely in search for food.  Our bird feeder was empty so I’m sure this was their way of telling us to get it filled again!  This little guy decided to pose for my camera despite all the flying and chirping going on!

Day Five – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Six – For our 24th anniversary trip in 2010, Eddie and I went to Callaway Gardens for the weekend.  We toured the beautiful grounds one day and found this beautiful chapel – the Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel.  What I love most about this photo is the reflection of the chapel in the water.  Such a beautiful place!

Day Six – Black and White Photo Challenge

Day Seven – My last photo is of my favorite subject…my puppy, Lucy!  Lucy loves the snow and this was photo was taken on our back deck where she was frolicking and trying to eat the snow.  I think the coldness of the snow makes her frisky!  This is one of my favorite photos of her too with the snow falling on her black ears and one caught in flight right in front of her left eye.

Day Seven – Black and White Photo Challenge

If you like photography, I would encourage you to take a few photos and convert them to black and white.  Then, compare the color and B&W photos side by side and notice the difference in detail and dimension.  This black and white photo challenge was just what I needed to take a critical look at my photography.

Happy Fall Y’all!

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My first picture of my favorite tree this year…still a little green but beginning its fall color show.

It’s finally fall!  This morning while I was walking my pup Lucy, it was a cool 50 degrees, sunny and the wind would blow just ever so slightly.  A few times, while we were walking the leaves would fall off the tree and float by us.  Listening to the wind and the rustle of the leaves was so calming.

It’s been a little rainy and dreary these past few weeks.  Around the end of October, I always start to watch my favorite tree in my neighborhood.  I wrote about it last year in a post called,  My Favorite Tree.  It’s just such a gorgeous tree and when the leaves start changing, they change quickly and then before you know it, they’re gone.

Two weeks ago, I noticed a spot on the top of the tree that was beginning to turn orange.  I knew the tree would begin its color change soon.  This past week, I began taking a photo of the tree everyday as I left my neighborhood.  The first day was a brilliantly blue and sunny day, much like last year when I photographed the tree.  I stopped my car just across the street and took my first photo of the tree this year.

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Over the next three days, the colors kept changing against a gray sky.  We had some rain and wind so I began seeing more and more leaves falling and covering the ground below the tree like a gold blanket.  I was so hoping the tree would be able to turn completely orange and gold before the leaves began falling.  But still…this tree is beautiful to me no matter what stage it is in.

Today, I was coming home from running errands around 4 p.m.  The sun was starting to set  and was catching the gold and yellow of the tree as I drove up.  I stopped briefly to capture one final photo this year.  I know in the next few days, all the leaves will fall and the tree will settle in for a long winter’s nap.

Today’s photo of the tree – it has already lost most of the leaves from the back side. In a few days, it will be bare.

The Piñata Exhibit – Sure to be a Smash Hit!

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The piñata exhibit at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Visiting the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque is always high on my list when I’m in New Mexico.  We were in town for our Zuniga Family Reunion over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and the family always builds in time for everyone to do a little exploring.  My cousin, Boogie (real name Ophelia),  my mother and I set out to check out the Center and found out there was a Piñata exhibit!

An entire exhibit devoted to piñatas???  We were intrigued!  I mean, we all know what piñatas are…. papier-mache figures, typically of donkeys that are filled with candy.  You are blindfolded, you hit them with a stick until they bust and then everyone scatters for the treats!  I still remember a birthday party I went to when I was around 8 years old in Puerto Rico.  All the kids were in a circle surrounding the hanging piñata waiting our turn to hit the donkey.  We were also close enough to dart for the candy if it got busted!  I guess I may have been a little too close, or maybe the stick was just that long.  I was standing in just the right spot for the little boy taking his turn to bring that long stick down, miss the donkey, and hit me squarely in the head!  I don’t remember if I got any candy after that or not!

Burro sin Vestir / Undecorated donkey piñata

While walking through the exhibit, we got a great history of piñatas as we admired the display.  The first ones were rather old, including one said to be a vintage China Poblana piñata from the 1930s.  This particular piñata was the inspiration to create this exhibit.  It’s faded from age and looks so fragile!  I guess I didn’t think of these objects of art as being very old but in truth, it’s thought that they originated in China and that Marco Polo was so fascinated by them in the late 1200’s that he took some back to Europe.  At the time, piñatas were made by using a clay jar (an “olla”) as the base.  They were then covered with paper or reeds and ultimately decorated with things like tissue paper, foil and other festive items.

Christmas in Mexico – Breaking the Piñata photo
Vintage China Poblana Piñata
Mexican girl piñata from the 1970s

Something I didn’t know was that piñatas were a religious custom in Spain during Lent in the 14th century.  In particular, they were broken on the Sunday after Ash Wednesday which was called “Piñata Sunday!”  They were seen as a symbol of temptation and represented evil.  Covering the person’s eyes while attempting to hit the piñata represented blind faith and the ability to conquer evil.  When the Spaniards arrived in Mexico during the 16th century they discovered piñatas already existed in the Indigenous culture to honor Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of war and the sun.  This festivity took place in December which was the god’s birth month.

Mom admiring a painting at the exhibit.
Cupleaños de Lala y Tudi – Carmen (Lala) and Tudi’s Birthday party painting by Carmen Lomas Garza
Cousin Boogie checking
Traditional posada piñata
Piñata sticks!

In current Mexican culture, piñatas are very popular during Christmastime as part of Las Posadas.  These are the festivities that happen the nine days before Christmas when people gather to reenact  the Virgin Mary and Joseph in a procession, searching for a place to have the birth of Jesus.  During the procession, a piñata is carried from house to house and when the last house is reached, there is a piñata party.  The traditional style piñata used for the procession is a multi-pointed star representing the Star of Bethlehem that guided the three wise men.

Vintage Zozobra Piñatas

The vintage Zozobra piñatas were rather interesting!  This one is extremely popular in northern New Mexico and Santa Fe.  The Zozobra is part piñata and part marionette – an effigy – that is burned every year during the Santa Fe Fiestas in September.  He’s referred to as Old Man Gloom (OMG) and was introduced in 1926.  His burning is done to dispel the hardships and troubles of the past year.

Signing the visitors book with piñata pens.
Mom with the piñata
Boogie with the piñata
Selfie with the piñata!

Who knew there was such a rich history surrounding piñatas?!  Mom, Boogie and I had a lot of fun exploring the rest of museum afterward, but not before stopping for a photo shoot of us posing with a stick in front of a piñata!  If you are in Albuquerque between now and March 31, 2018, stop by the Hispanic National Cultural Center and check out this really unique exhibit.

 

Tales from the Thrift – Part Tres

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Thai temple rubbing found on a recent thrift store visit.

If you followed my previous Tales from the Thrift posts – part 1 and part 2 – I talked about trying to be a little more deliberate in the things I choose to bring home this year.  In July, my husband and I started the process of repainting three of our four bedrooms after our son Charlie moved out and our daughter Emily was set to move back home from Tuscaloosa.  Things around our house were quite a wreck for several weeks but as you know, it’s a process when you are redecorating and reorganizing.  And I worked hard to maintain my sanity because I am a bit of an organization freak!!!

I had quite a few things I wanted to use in the new rooms – some family related and others were thrift store finds.  I took my son’s room as my “she shack” – more about this in a later post.  Emily took our married daughter Anna Marie’s room and Emily’s room became the guest room.  Yay!  We finally have a guest room again!  Anyway, it felt great finally putting things back together and trying out “things” in the rooms.

One of my finds a few months ago was this Thai temple rubbing.  I rounded a corner and there it was…I was flabbergasted to say the least!  My parents have a set of five very large temple rubbings that they got when we lived in Thailand.  I was born there so they have a special significance to me.  Typically they are done on rice paper so they are very fragile.  I’ve learned through some research that rubbings at the temples are rather limited these days but you can find them online…and apparently you can find them in a thrift store!  I snapped the frame up and declared it mine…all for $4.99!  When I showed it to my mother, she had the very same reaction that I did to it.  Our new bedroom color is a blue-gray so this framed piece is perfect for our guest room.

When you find things with the original price tags and somewhat wrapped at the thrift store, it always catches my attention.  In this case, I walked in and made my way through the furniture section as I always do.  And there it was…a mirrored end table with the tag and with the drawer pull still wrapped.  It was brand new and beautiful and just what I needed for my She Shack!  I pulled the price tag off that end table and carried it with me until I checked out.  I also googled similar tables at close to $200.  I’ve seen them too at places like Z Gallery and always thought they added a special something to a room.  I paid $60 for this one!

Mirrored end table – brand new – perfect for my She Shack and found at the thrift!

A note on why I pulled the tag…a few years ago I found a farm style table for $75 at this store.  I had never bought furniture so wasn’t sure what to do.  Do you get someone to stand next to it?  How do you buy it when a store is so busy and you might have someone else walk up and want it too?  Well Stanley, who works at the store saw me standing there, said I needed to take off the bottom half of the tag and keep it with me.  He said, you could be standing there with your hand on the table and if someone else walks up and grabs that tag, you’ve lost the table!  That was my education on buying furniture at this particular store!  Plus, it was my introduction to this nice gentleman who always looks out for me when I shop there.  From that point on, when I would walk in he always asks me if I needed a buggy?  I generally say “no, I’m good!”  Next thing you know, I’m walking around juggling a bunch of items and he sees me struggling and walks up with a buggy.  That has become our banter when I walk into that store now.

One more item I found that I’m loving right now is this glass jewelry box.  I noticed the filigree detail around it from across the store and quickly made my way over to check it out.  When I turned it over it was a Pottery Barn item and the thrift store price was $4.99.  I looked it up on the Pottery Barn website and found the original price was $79!  The inside had to be cleaned up a bit.  It was a little dusty…but now I use it in my She Shack for a few collectibles.

Pottery Barn jewelry box for $4.99 at the thrift store! Retails for $79!

My thrifting finds are limited to household items.  I’ve also run across quite a few great clothing pieces too!  I’ll save those for a future post because this one is getting a little long!

That Awkward Space Above Your Kitchen Cabinets

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That space between the top of the kitchen cabinets and the ceiling – my original display with vine wreaths and lights.

There’s that space between my kitchen ceiling and the kitchen cabinets that I’ve always wondered about.  I guess if I had known more about building a house when we built ours I would have asked for more storage in the form of cabinets all the way to the ceiling.  But that was a long time ago and I digress…

Instead, many years ago I was at a friend’s house and I noticed she had a similar situation and she did something very simple and creative…she unwound a grapevine wreath and added white Christmas lights and voila…problem solved!  I got home determined to so something similar.  I went to Michael’s and bought two wreaths and thought it would be a simple project for a Saturday afternoon – one hour max!  Wrong!  First of all, those dang wreaths would not unwind the way I wanted them too so I ended up separating them into sections and using brown pipe cleaners to put them together side by side by side.  Next I began wrapping the lights around the separated wreaths and was making headway.  I had several extra strands of lights from Christmas that I decided to use.  Of course, I tested the lights before I wound them.  I finished up and placed them on top of the cabinets, plugged them in and…a section right in the middle of the display wouldn’t light.  Really???!!!  Yep…I then remembered why these lights were in a bag and in the attic!  I should have introduced them to the trash can!  So after a quick trip to the store for another set of lights, unwinding the bad lights, rewrapping the new ones…it was now 3 hours later and I was finally finished! Yay!

Over the years, I started adding things to the top of the cabinets.  At first it was pretty sparse but over time I was loving the look!  It was a nice way to display things that I loved.  I didn’t turn the lights on all the time either.  Usually they were plugged in over the holidays and on special occasions.  With just the under the cabinet lights on, it gave the kitchen a really cozy hue.

Lucy helped by sitting in the middle of my project…
All items from the top of the cabinets are down and ready for a bath
Clean and shiny items waiting for their new spot above the cabinets!
LED lights I got at Michaels – they are battery operated and set on a timer.

Now…over time, as you can probably imagine, things get a little…well, dusty.  And not just a use a Swiffer and get rid of the dust dusty, but sticky dusty from cooking and all that goes on in the kitchen.  I’ve taken everything down on occasion to clean it all off but it’s been awhile.  These past two weeks, I’ve really noticed that everything had a cloudy and fuzzy look so I pulled up a bar stool and took a closer look.  UGH!  The wreath and lights looked like they were growing fur!  Not good…

The original vine wreaths with lights I used over the kitchen cabinets
Growing a little fur!
Cloudy margarita pitcher…
Clean margarita pitcher!
Furry little chicken about to get a bath!

So today I retired the wreaths – to the garbage – and bought some cute little LED lights, cleaned off the top of the cabinets – more UGH – and washed EVERYTHING from the top of the cabinets.  Some things had to be washed twice!  I got rid of some items, and added others from around the house.  It turned out to be a fun project and tonight I’m sitting in the kitchen really enjoying the finished look.  Now…on to the next project!

Finished project! I like the clean look of it all – and by clean I really mean CLEAN!

Honoring Volunteers in Birmingham through Ignite

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“Volunteers are not paid…not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.”

This quote has been around for some time and I’ve heard it spoken over the years.  I’ve even used it myself when thanking volunteers for the work they’ve done to help at an event, nonprofit or other special occasion I’ve headed up or lead.  When people step up to help, they may not think it at the time, but they are making a difference that can be felt and seen in our communities.

Inaugural Ignite Volunteer Awards Ceremony on April 25, 2017 at The Club in Birmingham, AL.

Last year, Hands on Birmingham, United Way’s volunteer arm, created an event they named Ignite, to recognize and celebrate outstanding volunteer service.  Because it was a brand new event, I hadn’t heard much about it until my sweet friend Vanessa Vargas mentioned she had been asked to be on the host committee by the executive director, Benga Harrison.  Now, Benga is a powerhouse in our community and a great friend to me.  She is someone with so much passion that when she speaks to you, your own passion is ignited!  I kid you not!  When I heard the name of the event I thought it was a perfect reflection of her!  So, when I found out she was the driving force behind this event, I knew it would be a hit!

What I didn’t know at the time was that Vanessa was going to nominate me in the corporate/company category for this awards ceremony.  There were quite a number of people nominated in this category.  I surely wasn’t expecting anything to come of the nomination but to my surprise, I was one of two finalists!  The two finalists in each category received a special medal to wear at the brunch so they could be recognized to attendees, which was really a nice touch.  The other categories included Hands on Birmingham volunteer, government/community volunteer, nonprofit volunteer, student volunteer, small business volunteer, and faith based volunteer.

List of nominees in each category
Host Committee for Ignite 2017
Finalist medals
Chicken and Waffles for brunch!

It was thrilling to be in a room filled with such wonderful community servants.  It was even more wonderful to actually know so many of these people who give so much.  Another reason for my excitement was due to the number of Hispanics nominees!  Hispanics were definitely represented at this event and of the six, three were finalists (me, Theresa Deleon, and Jairo Vargas) with one going on to win his category!  I was so pleased when Jairo Vargas, Publisher of Latino News, was announced as the winner in the small business category!  I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving and it was great being able to celebrate this honor with Jairo, his wife Lucero and of course, his daughter Vanessa!

Me and Theresa DeLeon with winner, Jairo Vargas of Latino news
Jairo Vargas with his wife, Lucero and daughter Vanessa
My nominator, Vanessa Vargas!

For a first time event, the turnout was tremendous and the number of nominees in each category was so diverse.  I know Benga and the organizers were thrilled and ready to jump into year two of Ignite!  And on that note, Benga recently asked me to serve as the Chair of the Host Committee this year and I said yes!  I can’t think of a better way to give back to our community than to help nominate those who do so much to make it a better place for us all.

Placing fingerprints on a set of trees
My fingerprint and Eddie’s fingerprint…
More fingerprints were added after the awards ceremony
With Tina Savas and Ellyn Grady
Me and my honey!
With Jestina Howard and Suzanne Martin
Selfie with Benga after the event – smiling because the event was such a huge success!

If you are in the Birmingham area and want to nominate a dedicated volunteer who has made a significant difference in Central Alabama, you have until November 30, 2017 to do so!  Click here for more information on how to submit your deserving community volunteer!  Then mark your calendar for the 2nd Annual Ignite Awards on April 17, 2018 at The Club Birmingham!

Blog Like Crazy…Round Three!

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If it’s November…it’s Blog Like Crazy month!!!  This is a month-long writing event created by Javacia Bowser, founder of the See Jane Write network, to encourage bloggers to exercise their writing muscles!  I’ve participated in this challenge for the past two years and loved it, but I wasn’t sure about doing it again this year…until yesterday.

I was taking my pup Lucy on her morning walk and thinking about my week.  I had just checked my emails before heading out the door with Lucy and saw one from Javacia with the subject line – “how to make the most of #bloglikecrazy.”  A few months ago I didn’t think I would do this again but the closer it was getting to November, the more I found myself thinking about the challenge.  I also found myself debating the pros and cons of participating and even talking about it out loud on my walk!   Yes, Lucy looked at me like I was nuts but sometimes it helps to hear my thoughts out loud!  Things like…what would I write about?  What if ideas don’t come through for me this year like they have in the past?  What am I afraid of, anyway???

One question kept popping up as I mulled all these questions over… did I have time to plan and write a blog post every single day in November?  Seriously, we have a weekend get-together with friends in two weeks, Thanksgiving planning is underway and we are also planning a trip to the beach…not to mention the Christmas decorating that has to happen at the end of the month before my December cookie swap party.  But the more I rolled that question around in my head the more laughable it became!  I mean, I’m recently RETIRED!  I have all sorts of time now, right?!  Well…

This writing challenge was quickly becoming a personal challenge since I no longer have an 8-5 job and structure has pretty much gone out the window these past four month!  Actually, I began to think that this would be a good way to introduce some sort of structure back into my life while doing something I love…writing and sharing my photography.  So…here I go again…about to blog like crazy for the third time.  You know what they say…third time is the charm!  Here we go…!!!

The House I Live In

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Sheet music to "The House I Live In."

Sheet music to “The House I Live In.”

I was visiting my sister Kanista in North Carolina last month.  On our last night together, she pulled out a Frank Sinatra songbook she had found at a thrift store.  What a treasure of Sinatra songs over the years!  We both flashed back to memories of listening to our parents’ Sinatra albums when we were growing up.  I opened the book and we went page by page singing the songs we knew – and that was most of them!

The Sinatra Songbook that my sister found at a thrift store! We know practically all the songs in this book and sang then all our last night together in North Carolina!

The Sinatra Songbook that my sister found at a thrift store! We know practically all the songs in this book and sang then all our last night together in North Carolina!

When we got to “The House I Live In,” Kanista didn’t know this one.  I only knew about it because of a Sinatra documentary I had seen on cable and got excited recalling the song and story.  And although I couldn’t sing the song for her we both started reading the lyrics and couldn’t look it up on YouTube fast enough…

What is America to me
A name, a map, or a flag I see
A certain word, democracy
What is America to me

The house I live in
A plot of Earth, a street
The grocer and the butcher
And the people that I meet

The children in the playground
The faces that I see
All races and religions
That’s America to me

The song was part of a short 10 minute film written in 1945 by Albert Maltz and produced by Frank Ross and Mervyn LeRoy.  The film was made to oppose anti-Semitism at the end of World War II and received an honorary Academy Award and a special Golden Globe award in 1946.

In the short movie, Sinatra plays himself taking a break from a recording session and stepping outside of the studio when he sees a group of boys chasing a Jewish boy and he steps in.  First he talks to the boys and then goes into the song.  He explains to the boys that we are “all” Americans and that one American’s blood is as good as another’s.  He also explains that all our religions are to be respected equally.

Me and my sister watch the 10 minute video of "The House I Live In" on YouTube.

Me and my sister watch the 10 minute video of “The House I Live In” on YouTube.

As Kanista and I watched the video we began talking about the current election cycle and how crazy things have gotten.  We reflected on how interesting it is that the same themes keep coming back over time.  This video is as relevant now and it was in the 1940s.  The Library of Congress selected the movie to be preserved in the US National Film Registry as “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”  In fact, this was done in 2007.

The place I work in
The worker by my side
The little town the city
Where my people lived and died

The howdy and the handshake
The air a feeling free
And the right to speak your mind out
That’s America to me

The things I see about me
The big things and the small
The little corner newsstand
Or the house a mile tall

The song has been covered and recorded by a number of artists including Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke.  Sinatra performed the song as part of his repertory for decades in particular at a White House dinner during the Nixon Administration and the Reagan inaugural ceremonies in 1985.

As we go to vote tomorrow, this song and what it means will be on my mind.  Regardless of who wins this election, my hope is that everyone will be able to come together for the good of our country after the dust settles.  I know it’s not as easy as an actor/singer telling a story to a bunch of adolescents, but I think that’s a starting point and we need a place to start.

The wedding and the churchyard
The laughter and the tears
The dream that’s been a growing
For a hundred and fifty years

The town I live in
The street, the house, the room
The pavement of the city
Or the garden all in bloom

The church the school the clubhouse
The million lights I see
But especially the people
That’s America to me