In February’s issue we featured Coupsicle.com in our Community section. Did you miss it? Here’s some more information on this up-and-coming deal site.

Coupsicle.com offers discounts to Cherokee, North Fulton, Cobb and Forsyth counties. Subscribers can save 40-90% off things like restaurants, children’s clothing, activity centers, classes and more.

Local Canton resident Jennifer Gettens started Coupsicle.com after seeing the popularity of other online deal sites like Groupon skyrocket. “People love daily deal sites, but most of them cater to young, urban singles in the greater Atlanta area,” said Gettens. “We felt there was a need for a new type of deal site geared towards kids and families in a more specific local area.” Coupsicle.com currently runs three to four deals each week, but will be increasing to seven in the coming months. Best of all, subscription is free, just sign up via email to receive daily alerts. Payments for deals can be made online, similar to other deal sites.

“Coupsicle.com is locally owned and operated,” says Jennifer Gettens. “We love to meet our subscribers and we are involved in the community. You’ll frequently see us at local events and fairs interacting with families.” She added that her community involvement has allowed her to get to know almost every kid-friendly business owner in the area and communicate directly with thousands of parents throughout the community.

You can keep up with Coupsicle’s local deals on their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.

The Volunteer Aging Counsel is still in need of volunteers to Adopt-A-Senior for this upcoming holiday season. 

Volunteers are asked to adopt a senior who is currently receiving services through the Meals-On-Wheels, Congregate Meal or Homemaker Programs. If you are interested in adopting a senior please contact Kim Watt, Recreation Coordinator with CRPA to register. Once registered you are asked to put together a gift package of a queen sized blanket, six washcloths and a decorative/accent pillow. Please wrap all packages before delivery.

No canned goods are being requested this year.

Call: 770-924-7768 or email kwatt@cherokeega.com. Drop off NEW & WRAPPED gifts through December 9th to: Cherokee Recreation & Parks Agency 7545 Main Street, Building 200 Woodstock

Buying bags of candy for the trick or treaters can be expensive!   We’ve compiled a list of local retailers, courtesy of http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com so you can price compare as well as download some coupons to further help your wallet!  Happy Halloween!

Click on hyperlinks to get coupons!

Rite Aid 10/23-10/29

Fun Size or Snack Size Candy (7.6 to 22 oz) – $2.50

CVS 10/23-10/29

Mars Chocolate, Wrigley’s Fun Size, or Hershey’s Snack Size (9.34-12 oz) (must buy 4) – $2.50

Walgreens 10/23-10/29

Hershey’s, Mars, or Nestle Fun or Snack Size Candy (10.23 to 12.5 oz) – $1.99

Walmart 10/23-10/29

Snack Size Candy Bars-Variety of Flavors (10.5-11.24 oz) – $2.48

Target 10/23-10/29

10.5-oz. Reese’s, 10.78-oz. Kit Kat, 11.18-oz. Snickers and selected others – $2.49

Courtesy of the Cherokee Parks & Recreation Agency:

Cherokee County Volunteer Aging Council’s (VAC) Adopt-a-Senior Program 2011

The VAC is in preparation for its annual Adopt-A-Senior Program for this upcoming holiday season. Volunteers are asked to adopt a senior who is currently receiving services through the Meals-On-Wheels, Congregate Meal or Homemaker Programs.

If you are interested in adopting a senior please contact Kim Watt, Recreation Coordinator with CRPA to register. Once registered you are asked to put together a gift package of a queen sized blanket, six washcloths and a decorative/accent pillow.  Please wrap all packages before delivery. No canned goods are being requested this year.

Register Starting: November 14, 2011

Call: 770-924-7768 or email kwatt@cherokeega.com. 

Drop off NEW & WRAPPED gifts beginning November 28, 2011 to: 

Cherokee Recreation & Parks Agency

7545 Main Street, Building 200

Woodstock, GA 30188

When Superintendent of the Cherokee County School District, Dr. Frank Petruzielo, visits your class unexpectedly, it can cause some concern. When this visit is accompanied by the principal, several media representatives and a cookie bouquet, concern turns to pure confusion. This was the scene today at Etowah High School in John Murnan’s science class. John was about to find out he had been selected as the Cherokee County Teacher of the Year.

Each year, each Cherokee County school selects a Teacher of the Year to represent its school. Out of those 40 teachers, one is selected as the County winner. John will represent the County for the State competition and if he wins State, he will compete for the National Teacher of the Year. John previously taught in Florida at Atlantic and Glades County high schools. Seven years ago, he and his family decided to relocate to Georgia when he accepted a position at Etowah High School. Currently, John teaches AP Biology, Anatomy/Physiology and Biology. He also is the head girl’s soccer coach.

 John teaches mostly seniors, and he enjoys the challenges of that age group. “The kids change, but often times, I see the same behaviors. My students have one senior year. I get to have a senior year over and over again,” he joked. Student Becca Hannigan signed up for John’s class because she had heard great things about the class. “It’s great to see science through the eyes of someone who is passionate about it. He makes the lessons applicable to everyday life.”

Dr. Petruzielo commented that John is passionate about every student he teaches. “John has particularly embraced embedding technology into his teaching process, and he focuses on students learning to learn. He knows and practices the meaning of “active learning. He also embraces the concept of accountability.”

John’s wife Debra substitute teaches and his daughter, Jenna, is a student at E.T. Booth Middle School.

 Congratulations John on an honor well deserved!

Barely a week before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar, there are still many Jews who have no plans to attend synagogue services. Some are not affiliated with a synagogue; others will be traveling on business; and many simply don’t feel comfortable in a synagogue setting. Another alarming issue, particularly in light of today’s flailing economy, is that many cannot afford the cost of services, which can run a thousand dollars or more for a family of five. Whatever the case is, many of these would-be worshippers are feeling the pangs associated with being left out of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar. The Chabad Jewish Center, the local branch of the largest Jewish outreach organization in the world, has presented its own High Holiday services option, providing free Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in a warm and inclusive setting. Chabad’s services are “user-friendly,” making it enjoyable and meaningful for both the beginner and the advanced. Song, commentary and the use of English-Hebrew prayer books, enable those of all levels to become active participants in the services. “According to Jewish tradition, on the Jewish New Year, the doors of Heaven are open. G-d accepts prayers from everyone,” said Chabad Rabbi Zalman Charytan of the Chabad Jewish Center. “The least we can do is open our doors as well, to the entire community and make Judaism accessible. During the Jewish High Holidays, accessibility can translate into different factors for different people, such as a non-judgmental atmosphere, affordability of the services, or the ability for a beginner to follow along. Our goal is to lower the barriers of entry, and encourage each and every Jew to actively participate in these most holy and introspective days.” The Chabad Jewish Center invites you to join us for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services.

WHERE: Rosh Hashanah at Pinetree Country Club, 3400 McCollum Pkwy, Kennesaw GA & Yom Kippur at the Embassy Suites – Town Center, 620 Chastain Rd, Kennesaw, GA.

WHEN: Rosh Hashanah: September 27 (Eve), 28 & 29 Yom Kippur October 7 (eve) & 8. COST: Free. Donations welcomed and encouraged.

TO RESERVE A SPACE: Register online at www.JewishWestCobb.com/1594174 or contact 678-460-7702, info@JewishWestCobb.com to reserve your seat. FOR MORE INFO ON THE JEWISH HIGH HOLIDAYS: For more information about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, visit www.JewishWestCobb.com/NewYear.

David Youssi, an irrigation contractor who has been camping to raise money for irrigation in Haiti since March of this year, was surprised to see his tent shredded and thrown across acres of open field and his campsite destroyed when he arrived at camp Monday evening (Sept 5, 2011).  A tornado slammed through the Woodstock and Canton, GA area mere hours before he arrived, flattening everything at the camp. Although the destruction was severe, David will continue to be at the site where his tent once stood with plans to continue camping until Christmas in order to get the word out about Camp H.A.I.T.I.  Rebuilding the campsite has already begun. The goal of Camp H.A.I.T.I. (Haitian Agriculture Irrigation Technology Initiative) is to raise enough money to procure materials to install at least one of four Irrigation projects the non-profit is committed too.  A campfire known as the “Fire of Hope” burns every night and visiting hours are from 7pm to 11pm nightly. Stop by and show your support. To donate or for more information about Camp H.A.I.T.I. go to www.irrigationwithoutborders.org

This has to be some cruel “Mother Nature” joke, but am I really battling zits AND wrinkles? 

Yes, I am.

I thought my days of waking up with Mt. Vesuvius on my chin, nose or forehead were over.  I thought the days of the nasty sub-dermal pimple, never to actually surface but to move from one spot to another were left behind along with my leg warmers.

I thought the only thing I would need to try to conquer as I got older would be the signs of aging.

How can I be 40 something and suddenly have skin that is half teenager and half well… someone in my 40s? 

After I washed my face the other night, I didn’t know what the next step should be.  Should I apply the Clearasil before or after I apply the Pro-Retinol treatment? 

Zits and wrinkles make as much sense as high heels and a marathon or wine and Cheetos. 

I guess I need to search the drug store for a “Zinkle” product (zit and wrinkle elimination).  Wish me luck!

It was a ‘don’t get dressed, listen to sappy music, drink coffee with a good book’ kind of day in our house.  The dreary weather outside with the cold drizzle and grey skies did not inspire me to do anything but stay indoors.  My 3 year old and I were home alone, with Sesame Street running in the background, and I was working in the office with my cup o’ Joe.  I never listen to the weather reports unless its absolutely necessary,  but I just happen to have in-laws that are constantly on the ball with that kind of thing and received a phone call warning from them that afternoon,  ”Please keep an eye out, ” they said. “We’re in a Tornado Watch.”

I’ve lived in Georgia all of my life, and heard lots of sirens and seen lots of storms,  but the worst of it was always in someone else’s backyard,  someone else’s town.  When the sirens went off last night,  I did what Im sure a lot of people did… I turned on the TV to the weather station,  but I stayed upstairs working – rationalizing that ‘it’s not coming here”  ”It’s in another town”.   It wasn’t until the news broadcaster started rattling off some familiar road names that I actually started to pay attention to what was happening outside.  Bells Ferry Rd?  Hwy 92 in Woodstock?  That’s right here! Like…right here!  I looked out the window but all I could see was that dreary gray and that cold drizzle.  If a tornado was in that,  I wouldn’t be able to see it until it was right on top of me.  I finally heeded the warning of the sirens going off in the distance, and my daughter and I retreated to the basement – to the underground laundry room in the far back of the house.

We sat there on the cold floor, she and I,  with my cell phone on my lap watching the weather doppler move across the screen.  I called my husband, he was 10 minutes away from home, letting him know to drive carefully because the storms were bad.  ”Get a blanket and pillows to cover yourselves up,  in case there is flying debris from any windows or doors busting out,” he suggested.  I grabbed some pillows to sit on and a blanket for over our heads.  It was silent in that back room,  only the sound of the static from the phone could be heard.   I told him I would hang up so I could keep watching the doppler radar.  I hung up,  walked in the silence to the door,  across the room to the glass windows and lifted the blinds up to see if I could see anything in the distance.

In that silence,  a tornado went through our home.

Looking out on the deck,  our decor, furniture,  watering cans,  were flying around in the air,  hitting against walls and shooting up into the sky. The metal pergola was twisting, bending, breaking and the fabric was shredding into the air.  I ran back to the room in the back, throwing the blanket over our heads as an intense pressure caused our ears to pop,  like they do on a plane on takeoff.   The house creaked and moaned,  shivered from the wind that was whirling around us and up the street.  And all in that moment,  time stood still,  and we were in that basement under the blanket for minutes, hours even.. but only seconds later it stopped.  The cold rain kept drizzling, and the sky was still grey,  and the silence ended.

My phone was ringing.  My neighbor was yelling in panic on the other end, “Did you feel it!!  It was a tornado! A tornado! Are you Ok?  Come outside!”  We walked up the stairs and out the front door to see every neighbor out in their front yards and in the street.  Trees in almost every yard were ripped, torn, cracked, and uprooted.  The metal covers of the electric boxes in the yards were missing.  Pieces of shingles,  siding, insulation strewn across the ground like a town shaken up in a snow globe.  My neighbors siding was gone.  Across the street,  more siding, some shingles, a hole in the roof.  Someone’s garage door was wrapped around their car.  Another neighbor – the missing garage door pulled from it along with most of the garage ceiling, the back wall of the house splintered into a million pieces of glass and wood.  The electricity must be turned off as the water is pouring in from the roof above.  There’s a chimney in another neighbors backyard.  Half of his side wall is gone.  Another house.  Another entire wall gone, you can see inside his bathroom.  More roof damage. more siding.  more shingles.  We found some of the things from our porch up the street and around the corner.  We found our watering can.  We found our outdoor umbrella.  We are still looking for the rain barrel lid.

Everyone was asking “Are you okay?  Is everyone okay?  Can I help you?  Lets get some tarps on that.”  It’s amazing that in an event such as this, that everyone comes together in a way that makes you proud of the community you live in.   Police cars and firetrucks sirens are in the distance.  Neighbors I have never met are coming down the street to give a helping hand and offer a comforting word.  There are people crying,  my hands are shaking.  This was too close to home.

—

Today will most likely be known as “Tornado Clean-Up Day”.

Roof inspections are taking place,  tarps are covering holes and roofs.  Men with chain saws are chopping up big trees across yards and in homes.  I saw my neighbor cross the street and start raking things off my front yard.  A team of guys from a local church ministry lend a helping hand cleaning up and moving debris.  Those with homes too far gone have found temporary places to stay. Over the next few days,  most of our street will begin to look like it was before,  perhaps with a few less trees.  My hands are still shaking.  I will never take a siren for granted.   At the top of our hill,  the street sign lays on its side in the neighbors yard.  ”Whirlaway Place” it says.  And that’s exactly what it is.

 This is a guest post by Emily P.  Emily is a wife, mother, blogger, and owner of Doodlebug Boutique : “Hand-crafted hair bows, tutus, & Accessories for your little Doodlebug!”.  Find more of her creations on facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/DoodlebugBoutique

When my oldest daughter decided that the Pottery Barn Owl room was the one for her  - I admit I had a little bit of sticker shock.  Out of anything she could have dreamed up – a shopping spree at Pottery Barn, however much I LOVE it,  was just not in the budget.

We had been talking about updating her room for months.  Originally,  her pale pink walls were only painted that color because it was something we had on-hand at the time and we needed some kind of color other than “Pulte Puke” (the builder’s color of choice) on the walls.  So we desperately slapped it up before moving in, with every intention that once we were settled,  we would delicately pick out just the right color and do it up right.  …..  About 2 years later,  we’ve finally come to the conclusion that we are, in fact, settled, and even though I still have that 1 unpacked box in the back of my closet that I’ll get around to eventually,  its about time to get the baby pink off the walls and give our girl something that’s a bit more HER.

When we started planning the room,  we quickly decided,  with her approval,  that the pale colors of the actual Owl theme inspiration just weren’t the right thing for a Girl -to- Tween room.  Bright! Bold! That was the look we were going for.  We drew out a floor plan of how the new furniture would be – working with what we had and trying to figure out the best way to maximize her floor space.  Then the first thing to find was the bedding!

Bedding
The bed is most often the focal point of a bedroom and so of course, we started there.  Shopping sales for weeks, we looked and looked for something that suited her style, but was a good deal and would last.  I am in love with quilts, so when this one went on sale at Target,  the colors were perfect, she loved it, and so did I.  This quilt set became the driving force for the entire room’s color scheme.

Paint
Our next step was paint.  I don’t know about you, but I am not one to love painting – I want to get it up on the walls fast, done right, and I don’t want to have to paint the same wall twice.  From painting the kids rooms in the past,  we learned quickly that the “cheap” paint is not always the “cheapest” in price by the time you finish the whole project.  Multiple coats could mean more than 1 gallon, which could  end up costing you more than a One Coat, higher quality brand costs.  Trial and Error have led me to Sherwin Williams and their Superpaint - best name ever – it truly is Super.  One coat. Done.  And since they tend to have fabulous coupons online,  as well as 30-40% off sales,  its an amazing deal.  We brought in the bedding with us to pick out the color.  Looking for something bright, not too dark, and would be a good background for any art, or decor we were to put up on the walls, we decided on the bright teal blue that was in the bedding.

Acccents

Since we were going with the owl theme,  we thought – how better to make this an “owl room” than to paint a giant tree on the wall with owls sitting on it.  Vinyl can cost a few hundred dollars to put up on the wall,  and we looked into our options, but ultimately,  a gallon of Trim Paint in the basement, and a few color-matched paint samples from Lowe’s made the main feature on the wall feel like it was almost free.  Plus,  if I do say so myself ,  it looks pretty awesome.

Finishing Touches
Since everything color-wise leaned toward the side of the blue spectrum,  we wanted to add one bold accent color that stood out against the blueness of it all.  The packaging that the bedding came in was Hot Pink, and it looked so fabulous, we could not help but pick that color.  Walmart has some decently priced, energy saving curtains for under $15 in super-bright kids room colors, and it just turned out that they were exactly the shade of pink I needed.  Perfect! Save in up-front costs and they’ll save me over time in energy savings-  a win-win!   We also grabbed a super cute bulletin board from Kirklands which we painted pink using some leftover sample paint,  a super cute chair from Target, and of course,  owls all over the place (We found our owls at the Woodstock Market & Show, Pottery Barn Outlet,  Pier 1 Imports and TJMaxx).

My favorite places to look for things when re-decorating a room on a budget are the Woodstock Market & Show,  the Pottery Barn Outlet,  Hobby Lobby, Pier 1 Imports, TJ Maxx & HomeGoods,  and GardenRidge.  Where do you shop around town for home decor?

Final Look:  The Owl Room

 This is a guest post by Emily Parman.  Emily is a wife, mother, blogger, and owner of Doodlebug Boutique : “Hand-crafted hair bows, tutus, & Accessories for your little Doodlebug!”.  Find more of her creations on facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/DoodlebugBoutique