How Do You Help?

On Friday my eleven year old son and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to assist volunteers from Edgewater Alliance Church in serving the Hot Community Meal, each day volunteers from local churches and the Halifax Urban Ministries serve a hot meal to anyone who needs it at 11:30 am in Hollister Hall, located at the First United Methodist Church, 310 Douglas Street. Tuesday & Thursday there is a volunteer who uses his catering truck to serve hamburgers and hot dogs to anyone who is hungry. I understand the numbers range from 70-100 people each day. This meal is put on 7 days a week.

I am not sure exactly how it works or who coordinates all this but it was an eye opening experience for my son to help someone else and see just how lucky he is. He chopped lettuce, cut up dessert, helped several of the diners get their food to the table. He did not want to leave, he was a question box when we left, he wanted to know where the people live, how do they get their clothes and purses. There was a woman there with a child who we saw in the parking lot earlier, I am pretty sure she was living in her van. My son asked me, "do they not have a Grandma?" I told him I was not sure what their situation was, and he said "it is good we have a Grandma and an Uncle Rick." Yes, it is good, and some people are not so lucky.... He was checking the calendar to see when we go back next month. yes he wants to go back. That says it all.

Here is some information on local resources and how you can help if you are in a position to do so.

Community Resource List

Frog Ministries

Free Lunch & Dinner Locations

Halifax Urban Ministries

New Smyrna Beach Church List

"There but for the grace of God go I...."

Around Town-Weekend Events

The New Smyrna Beach Lions Club is having a rummage sale today and tomorrow from 8am to 12noon. The entire proceeds are going to benefit the Lion’s. They are locatd at 2340 Sunset Dr.

The Big Red Bus will be at Morningstar Storage located at 1865 Renzulli Road, behind New Smyrna Beach Harley Davidson on Saturday May 30th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each blood donor will receive a free Daytona Lagoon Waterpark Admission and a “Hero” tee shirt!!! Call (386) 423-2545 to schedule an appointment or just show up.

The Little Theatre is presenting "And The Winner Is.." all this weekend.

This last week before Volusia County schools gets out is kind of quiet. Should be a nice weekend for the beach, the Farmer's Market is going on from 730am-1230pm on Canal Street as always...

Enjoy the Weekend!

I Love Baseball

What a great story tonight on the Evening News. We love baseball at our house, we even have a small Yankees/Red Sox in home rivalry going on. I wanted to share this story, some pretty great people made a worn out old ball field come alive in Harlem. Excellent!


Watch CBS Videos Online

This & That

Some interesting things coming up:

New Smyrna Beach Regional Library will hold a free computer class on Microsoft Excel at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 27. This class introduces basic concepts and terminology and explains elements of the Excel screen. Demonstrations will include entering data and working with cells, rows and columns. For more information or to register, please call (386) 424-2910, ext. 104, or stop by the library’s information desk.

The Ponce de Leon Inlet Sail and Power Squadron in cooperation with the Marine Discovery Center is proud to present Paddle Smart. This two hour seminar will be held May 30 at 9am at the New Smryna Boat and Ski Club and will be followed by an on water experience at the Marine Discovery Center. This seminar is intended for those about to join the sport and those considering purchasing paddling equipment. There is no charge for instruction, however, there is a $35 fee for the materials provided. Pre-registration is required for this seminar. Class will be limited to 20 students. To pre-register for Paddle Smart call the educational officer, Will Benny at (386) 426-8426. Check out the website for the Sail and Power Squadron, it has a ton of valuable information.

Mark your calendar for next Friday, June 5th. The Bloodmobile will be at Federal Trust Bank, 763 E. 3rd Avenue, NSB from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call, (386) 409-9300.

Took my daughter and her friend to see Night At the Museum 2 on Saturday, it was very entertaining and since we attended a matinee was very economical.

Please support your local business!

In Memory

Many thanks to all of the Veterans, members of the Military and their families who sacrifice so much for our country.

Thank you!

Thanks to the Orlando Sentinel, we are blog of the week! Scroll way down to the bottom and you will see us on the right. Thanks as well to whichever of my readers submitted the blog!

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Good News~All Aboard Storage

All Aboard Storage which has 12 locations in Volusia/Flagler Counties is offering free storage for those that may be displaced due to flooding. How great is that? Check out their website for locations, hours etc.

Let's Remember Why

Don't forget why we celebrate Memorial Day, it is not just a day off work, or a barbecue, or a day at the beach. Take a minute and remember those that fought so we can have all those things.

Storm Information

Unfortunately this is the scene around much of Volusia County, Daytona is flooded, Holly Hill is under water, even the Speedway was not spared. The shuttle can't land and one of our biggest tourist spending weekends of the year at the beach may be a washout. Beachside residents actually fared pretty well considering we live on a sand bar. A1A was flooded in some areas, a few houses had water in them that had to be pumped out, but overall we did better than most. If you were not so lucky here are some places you can check for more information and help.

New Smyrna Beach Emergency Services

Volusia/Flagler Public Information Information on Flooding

County by County Reports

In New Smyrna Beach Wastepro will be running on Monday (Memorial Day) and Southard's recycling will also pick up if you regular recycling day is Monday.

Memorial Day Weekend

Will it be a washout?

Happy Friday, let us all pray this rain stops not just for long weekend, but for all those that are flooded out of their homes around our county.

Fishstock 2009 is scheduled to start today, not sure how that will play out with the monsoon rains that continue in NSB.

Flagler Art Walk is tomorrow beginning at 10am. Weather should improve enough for that to be an enjoyable event.

The Farmers Market on Canal Street is Saturday from 7:30am-12:30pm. The Oak Hill Seafood Co-op is now one of the vendors, they have fresh, local seafood at reasonable prices.

The Power Squadron will be at the North Causeway Boat Ramp tomorrow handing out leaflets on boat safety and doing free boat inspections from 8am-12pm.

Every Tuesday night is Kids Night at Dairy Queen on US1. Sissy the clown is there, they have free face painting and free balloons for the kids.

Stavros Pizza still offers half price large pizza on Monday and Wednesday nights.

Heard on the news this morning that more people are staying home and not traveling not just this weekend but all summer. It is more important than ever to support your local business!

Have a great weekend!

Hellloooo...Is Anyone In There?

Anyone home at Volusia County Schools? Are they all on a cruise? If not they could take a cruise down A1A in New Smyrna, or paddle a canoe around the Middle School. Let's revisit TS Fay, they closed schools for 4 days. That was light showers compared to this mess. But let's not close the schools, lets drag these kids into schools with water lapping at the classroom doors at Coronado, power outages at Read-Patillo and little access to the Middle School due to high water. Roads in Daytona are flooded and impassable, but you better get your kid to school.

One must ask themselves....WHY?

What?

Living in New Smyrna Beach you can expect to lose power on a fairly regular basis. My kitchen clocks blink all the time since setting them is usually pointless as the power will flicker again as soon as you set them. So as a result the Utilities Commission is programmed in my cell phone. I have not called in a while as major outages have not been happening. So...I was jarred awake by thunder and lightning last night and realized we had no power.....found my cell and called, I was greeted by "Our menu options have changed." (GREAT). The old menu was wonderful, the power outage line would tell you what areas were reported and when they would be back on. If your area was not on the list you could report it with your phone number...super easy.

ENTER, the new and "improved" menu. Hit 3 to report power outages. Hit 3 and you hear, "Electrical Emergency Not Available" then click(that is the sound of your call being disconnected), yes the emergency line cuts you off. So I am thinking well the line is probably busy with many callers. I wait...I call back..."Electrical Emergency Not Available" CLICK......Now I say to my self, "SELF, ARE YOU KIDDING ME????"

Is it just me or should the words "ELECTRICAL EMERGENCY" and "NOT AVAILABLE" not be uttered in the same sentence...particularly not by the POWER COMPANY?

Hey Utilities Commission, can we have our old menu back?

Summer Golf Camp

Hidden Lakes Golf Course and the City of New Smyrna Beach Golf Course have joined forces to provide an opportunity for local kids from age 6-16 to learn the game of golf. This will cover all levels of golfers, great for beginners and advanced.

Robert Schwab from HLGC and Gary Wintz from NSBGC will be the PGA pros teaching your kids the fundamentals of golf as well as techniques for the more advanced players.

Mini Camp dates are June 11th & 12th and July 9th and 10th from 9am-12pm/Cost $50.00

Weekly Camps will be held June 16th-Jun 19th and July 14th-July17th from 9am-12pm/Cost $95.00

There will be golf instruction, drills, games and contests, a gift and equipment will be provided if your child needs it.

If you would like more information email me or contact Robert Schwab at 386-427-4138

Art Walk on Flagler

This month's Art Walk Theme is PAINT OUT - Flagler Ave this Saturday is the Gallery Groups monthly Art Walk. The event is free! Painting, jewelry, ceramics, glass blowing, decorative arts, sculpture and more. Plus children's activities, entertainment, prize drawings and afternoon gallery receptions. Over 120 resident artists and dozens of visiting artists!

Several galleries will host free wine and cheese receptions from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Take a ride on the Water Taxi, they stop at the west end of Flagler Avenue at the Grille at Riverview every two hours starting at 12:30 p.m. For more details, call 386-428-4828

The 7th Annual Fish Stock Tournament will be held this weekend at Riverside Park. The fun starts Friday, May 21st and runs through May 24th. It features several fishing tournaments, a boat show, fishing seminars, lots of kids activities, food and entertainment.

You can get more information on their website. I took my kids last year and it was a very nice event.

Sunday Stumble

Happy Sunday to all! What a beautiful weekend at the beach. Today we are visiting blogs that inspire us!

Bring The Rain - When you have time start at the beginning of this amazingly sad, amazingly wonderful story that continues on. Angie is remarkable.

Fit Business Woman - This one inspires better eating, exercise, healthy body and mind.

Pioneer Woman Cooks - This makes me want to cook. That does not happen often so this is good.

Thought From Along the Broken Road - Part of the Grace In Small Things network.

Grace in Small Things - This is the website see if you can find 5 positive things in each day...

Here are mine for today:

• spending the day at the beach with a good friend and a boatload of kids.
• my son and his wonderful attitude about life
• ribs on the grill
• a sparkling blue pool
• baseball

Have a great week!

Danny Wins!

Congratulations to local chef Danny of New Smyrna Beach's Flip Flops restaurant. They recently moved to their new location, the old Shell's restaurant in front of Publix Beachside. You can watch full episodes of Danny's successful run on Fox's website.

Flip Flops has always had great food, lets hope Danny's departure to bigger and better things does not change that!!

Way to go Danny and Congratulation as well to Flip Flops!!

Around Town~Weekend Events

Some interesting things to do this weekend....

The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 285 of Edgewater is hosting a Luau dinner on May 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 7p.m. at the American Legion Post 285 in Edgewater. The address is 2102 S. Ridgewood Ave. They are asking for a donation if $70.00. There will be entertainment from 7 p.m. to 11p.m.

Volusia Peace Center invites all individuals committed to peace throughout the world to walk in solidarity in the fourth “Walk for Peace” in New Smyrna Beach on Saturday, May 16. Starting at 8:30 a.m., this 3.2 mile walk will start and end at The United Church of Christ at 203 Washington St, walking across the North Causeway and turning around at Coronado Community Methodist Church. All proceeds will directly benefit Volusia PeaceCenter to further its mission and projects for peace. Go to VolusiaPeaceCenter for pre-registration/sponsor information and photos of past walks. You may register on the morning of the event as well. Call (386) 846-3932 for more information.

Head over to the Edgewater Public Library on Saturday for a Health Fair. In honor of Women’s Health Month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Certified diabetes educators will provide diabetes screening and counseling, and the Edgewater Fire Department will perform blood pressure measurements.Staff from the Volusia County Health Department will provide information about women’s health services, breast and cervical cancer, and current health issues. Wellness consultant Dr. Maryann Thorhallsson, will discuss yoga, nutrition and stress reduction. The Edgewater Public Library is located at 103 Indian River Blvd.

The Farmer's Market is held on Canal Street from 730am-1230pm. There are some great vendors there every week. Check it out.

Tonight we find out if Danny wins on Hell's Kitchen. Tonight on Fox!

Is It Over Yet?

School that is...anyone else totally overwhelmed by the end of the school year? Band and chorus concerts, baseball games, tennis tournaments and parties, field trips....blah, blah, blah...

STOP the madness, I want to get off

I took a look at our schedule for the next two weeks and I am not entirely sure how one person can be in as many places as I need to be in the amount of hours in a day. Oh and work too.....

It is a double edged sword, I know once school is out after about 3 days I will hear...."Mom, I am bored...."

Why I Love NSB - Reason # 1,989

I was the lucky recipient of a traffic ticket a few weeks ago, I went to pick up my daughter at the school without my purse and got a ticket for having no license, a $10.00 go to the courthouse and show your license type of infraction....we will not discuss what he could have written me. Kind soul that he is gave me a warning.

So as my 30 days is coming to an end I decided to go thru the torture of the Court Clerk's office and pay my fine etc. I used to live in a rather large city in North Carolina. Any visit to the court house or any public facility required leaving home at least 45 minutes prior, driving in circles for a parking place for at least 30 minutes, then paying for the parking and walking five miles. Standing in line for 20 minutes to go through security with some pretty scary folks....then just when you think the end is near, the line to the Clerk's office is at least a 45 minute wait. You must plan at least 4 hours for any such visit....

Come to New Smyrna Beach, park in free parking directly in front of the courthouse on Riverside Drive. Enter the front door, walk thru security, I was the only one there, the officer directed me to the Court's Clerks office, (he saw the ticket in my hand). I was the only one in there, paid my fine and was back in my driveway. Entire trip 20 minutes, only took that long because I caught a light.

I love it here.....

Protect Our Sea Turtles~Lights Out!

May 1st began the start of the six month sea turtle nesting season along our beaches. According to the Volusia Sea Turtle Society, 2008 was a record season for sea turtles in our area and they are optimistic about 2009.

Last August the volunteers captured a Green Turtle laying its eggs on our beach. The pictures are wonderful.

Please remember to black out all lights on the beach between now and October 31st. Here are some more tips for helping the turtles.

Enjoy the beach, save the turtles!

Wonderland Theatre Summer Camp

The Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach is holding their Wonderland Summer Theatre Camp once again this summer. The Beginning Acting Camp for ages 7-13 is being held June 15th thru the 26th from 9am-3pm. The Primary Camp for 4-6 year olds is June 29th thru July 3rd and is held from 9am-1230pm. You can get information on their website or right at the box office.

Daytona Cubs~Local & Fun

My son's baseball team went to a Daytona Cubs game on Friday night, one of our players threw out the first pitch and the entire team got to go on the field with the players, run the bases and generally run around like kids. It was a fun, pretty inexpensive way to spend the evening. General Admission Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $6.00 for children 13 and under. You can get a VIP seat with in seat waiter/waitress service for $12.00. Information on tickets is available on their website, which is excellent, well organized and has answers to any question you may have.

The Cubs play in Jackie Robinson Stadium. It was at Daytona Beach's own Jackie Robinson Ballpark that Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, In March of 1946 he played in the first ever, racially integrated spring-training game. He was a member of the Montreal Royales, in the International League. The following year, Robinson was promoted to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

So get yourself and your family out to the ballpark in Daytona and enjoy a game!

Happy Mother's Day

It is a gorgeous day at the beach! Enjoy Mother's Day!

Atlantic Center for The Arts Summer Camps

Atlantic Center for the Arts Children’s Summer Art Camp theme will be Time Travelers. It is a multidisciplinary art camps for ages 6 – 12. It will be Tuesday - Friday from 9 AM - 2 PM $90 for ACA members; $100 for nonmembers

Scholarships are available for each session. Pre-registration is required

Registration and information here.

Weekend Events

There so much to do at the beach this weekend, it is Mother's Day weekend and the beach is gorgeous, not too many people so it is really nice right now!.

Saturday Night is Mom's Night Out at the New Smyrna Speedway. Kids 11 and under get in free.

The Farmers Market is on Canal Street every weekend from 7:00am-12:30pm.

It is Thirsty Thursday at the Daytona Cubs game tonight in Daytona.

The Southeast Historical Society is holding Pancakes in the park, the event is Saturday at Riverside Park from 7:00a - 11:00 am. $6.00 for a great breakfast!

Teddy's Restaurant in Edgewater asked that we let you know they are open 7 days a week from 7:00am - 2:30pm. Georgia would love to see you for breakfast or lunch!

The annual orchid show and sale is at the fairgrounds in Deland this weekend from 9:00am-4:00pm.

Alpha Delta Eta, a chapter of Beta Signma Phi, cordially invites all women to attend a Mother’s Day Fashion Show Luncheon. Saturday, May 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sugar Mill Country Club, 100 Clubhouse Circle, NSB. Cost is $20 and is non-refundable. There will be door prizes, 50/50 drawing, silent auction and a chance to win the money tree. Proceeds will be donated to local charities including the Food Pantry in Edgewater. For more information, please call Deemi at (386) 689-5045 or Terri at (386)795-0893.

East Coast Cruiser Night - Every 2nd Saturday of the month Historic Downtown Canal Street becomes home to street rods and antique cars. Food, Fun and entertainment. FREE.

Spanish River Grill & SoNapa Wine Co. is holding a Wine Tasting on Saturday "Wines from Napa Valley to Spain.” Taste over 100 wines from Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Napa Valley, and Sonoma Country. Cava tasting in the dining room of Spanish River Grill. Sample unique cuisine from the culinary staffs at Spanish River & SoNapa. There will be live music and a blind wine tasting to rate the most popular. A portion of the proceeds to benefit the United Way and PACE Center for Women. Saturday May 9th from 12-4pm. Cost is $30 per ticket. Tickets now available at Spanish River Grill & SoNapa Wine Co. For more information call Michelle 386-424-6991 or Adam 386-314-6008.

Enjoy the weekend! I will post some more later!

12 For 12K May Challenge

The 12for12k charity project has one goal, that is to help as many charities as possible across the whole non-profit spectrum. In order to do this they continuously ask for charity suggestions from supporters.

The charity they are supporting in May is The Hospice of Peel and was suggested by 12for12k supporter Daniel Patricio and is incredibly inspiring in their dedication to helping individuals living with a terminal illness.

Located in Mississauga, Ontario, the Hospice of Peel aims to be recognized as the foremost provider of, and resource for, hospice care. When illnesses can no longer be treated medically, the volunteers and trained professionals of the Hospice of Peel are the emotional response for those affected.

The philosophy of the hospice is clear - to offer the compassionate care to those living with a terminal illness, to live as full, active and most importantly independent a life for as long as possible.

To be able to offer this kind of caring and support for the patient and the family, the Hospice of Peel relies on both its volunteers and donations from the community, locally and nationally. This is where 12for12k and our supporters can step forward. The philosophy behind the 12for12k campaign is to make a difference in the lives of millions through social media - imagine the difference we can make to those whose lives are often forgotten.

These are the types of services and help that donations to the hospice help to provide:

$20 provides care to a family for a week
$50 can help with special interactive “kits for kids” for children with terminal illness (Hospice of Peel helps all ages)
$100 can sponsor home visits by volunteers to offer support for Hospice of Peel patients
$130 provides transportation for day hospice patients for a whole month
$200 can provide bereavement care for one year
$520 provides professional 10-week training for volunteers
$1,000 provides much-needed craft supplies for the Day Hospice for six months

We hope you’ll join us in helping those whose lives need our support as much as anyone we have supported so far. Let’s make a difference.

Some local resources here in Volusia County:

Halifax Health Hospice

Find a Florida Hospice

Cinco De Mayo Celebration on Flagler

The Merchants of Flagler will hold their 2nd annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration on Flagler tonight at 4PM with 10 venues featuring live Latin entertainment, dancing, iced cold cervezas and tasty Mexican food. Strolling Mariachi's will serenade the avenue from 5PM to 9PM covering a 3 block stretch from Pine Street to the ocean along.

The event is free to the public. Ten of the Flagler Ave Restaurants will feature a variety of traditional Mexican food, cold cervezas, colorful Margaritas and Sangrias, fantastic music and entertainment from Mariachi, Latin jazz/rock and Salsa bands and Latin Dancing exhibitions.

Participating merchants include: Flagler Tavern, OM Bar & Chill Lounge, Peanut's Restaurant & Sports Bar, Trader's Sports Pub, The Breakers, Flagler Avenue Coffee Shop, Flip Flops Grill & Chill, The Seahorse Inn, Shoppes of Seaside Station and Toni & Joe's.

History of Cinco De Mayo

All things Jalapeno

Enjoy!

Merritt Island National Seashore

The Merritt Island National Seashore is right in our back yard. Here is some of the wildlife you can see. All of these pictures were taken by my father on a recent visit.

I do not think he was cavorting with these alligators but perhaps has a really good lens!!

Sunday Stumble

I totally missed the boat on weekend events this week....sorry about that. The week got away from me in a big way! Thanks to those of you that emailed me to see if I was alive....I am just totally wrapped up in baseball, baseball and more baseball.

A couple of community things coming up.

Edgewater Alliance Church is holding a clothing swap on May 16th from 8am-12 noon. Drop off your gently used clothing and small household items at the church office between 10am and 3pm between now and May 13th. If you need more information contact Katie Henry at 386-428-3274.

Senior Self Defense course will be held on May 11, 13, 18 and 20, at the Brannon Center. It will be held weekly for two hours per week, our instructor will be Mr. Richard Schraeder. Bring a friend with you and learn how to protect yourself. For more information, please call Nicole Charbonneau at (386) 424-2280.

Mothers Day is next week so we dedicate our Sunday Stumble to all things Mom:

Day for Mothers - this site has all kinds of ideas for Mothers Day from crafts to gift ideas.

Mothers Day Crafts - this is good if you have little kids and they want to make something for Mom, even a Dad can figure these easy things out.

Mothers Day Central - another one for great ideas and things for the kids to do for Mom.

Finally the best Mom Blog's around are listed here. I read several of them.

Enjoy Monday and I will try and post something usefull this week!