January, February, March 2007

January, February, March 2007 - Volume 1, Issue 3
Publisher/Editor
Roger A. Frangieh
President
RAF Inter•Marketing, Inc.
RAFIMI Publishing
[email protected]
Managing Editor
Samia M. Frangieh
[email protected]
Art Director & Graphic Design
Roger A. Frangieh
Photography
RAFIMI Photography
Roger A. Frangieh, Photographer
Advertising
501.851.2100
Columnists
Michelle McCon
Shannon Odom
Shayla Copas
Roger A. Frangieh
Contributors
Sam Williams
Deborah Roush
Cover
Maumelle Police Chief Sam Wil-
liams with Iraqi Children. Photo taken
during his one-year tour of duty to train
the Iraqi Police force.
301 Millwood Circle, Suite 101 B
Maumelle, AR 72113-6920
501.851.9666
501.851.2100
[email protected]
www.MauMag.com
MauMag (Maumelle Magazine) is published by
RAFIMI Publishing, a division of RAF Inter-Marketing, Inc.
All contents are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced in
any manner - including by electronic means - for any purpose without written permission from the publisher.
in this issue
A Thank You Note
04
Update on the Partnership
between Maumelle Academics
Plus Charter School &
MauMag
05
To the Students of Academics
Plus Charter School
05
Cover Story
Maumelle Chief of Police
Sam Williams
My Year in Iraq
06
Profile
09
Deborah Roush
Academics
10
Essays
Photograohy
11
The Arts
12
International Piano Gallery
Interior Design
A Room Renovated for a
Princess
13
Lifestyle
Balancing Act
15
Community
16
Miss Maumelle Pageant
Technology
Windows Vista &
Microsoft Office 2007
17
Recipe
18
advertisers
index
MauMag · Jan. - Feb. - Mar. 2007
RAFIMI Photography
Inside
Front Cover
Austin Family Dentistry Inside
Back Cover
Exit Natural State Realty
Maumelle
Back Cover
Rejuvenation Clinic Day Spa
03
Maumelle Eye Care
03
Skinner Chiropratic Clinic
04
Curves
05
Gattinger, CPA, P.A
05
Gayle Odom - Realtor
09
Amazing Video & DVD Solutions 14
Maumelle Area Chamber
of Commerce
17
18
04 RAF Inter-Marketing, Inc.
A Thank You Note!
Y
our acceptance of MauMag Magazine, encouraging remarks and
positive comments are indeed very gratifying. Right from the very
beginning, I was hoping that MauMag will be accepted for its content and style! I promised to bring you a magazine that has more content and less
advertising. I always believed that this approach benefits both, you the Reader and
the Advertiser; in a manner that would provide you with more material to read, and
the advertisers’ messages would readily be noticed (better positioning and less ads to
compete with for space).
The ratio of a minimum of 60% actual content and not more than 40% of advertising
will be maintained in all future issues; regardless of the number of pages.
I am also proud to announce that our website www.MauMag.com has been visited
by thousands of web browsers. To see the statistical information, just log on to the
website and click on the button “MauMag Statistics;” you’ll see a chart and the figures
detailing the website statistics.
MauMag.com also provides you with information and articles that are not published
in the print version of the magazine, such as a Business Directory, information on the
City of Maumelle, Important Numbers, Previous Articles Archives, New Arrivals of Fiction
and Non-Fiction books at the Maumelle Library, New Building Permits, the Miss Maumelle Pageant, and much more! You can even download to your computer the current
and back issues of MauMag in a “PDF” format.
Thank you again for your continued interest in MauMag! I will keep publishing a
quality magazine for as long as your interest and encouragement continue to give me
the reason to publish MauMag! Your letters and feedback are always welcome!
Roger A. Frangieh
Publisher
Dear MauMag Readers,
The partnership between the journalism and creative writing students at Academics Plus
Charter School and MauMag is going strong! Our journalism students were inspired last Autumn
by a visit to our class by Roger A. Frangieh, this magazine’s publisher, a brilliant photographer
and encouraging instructor. His challenge to our students after his lesson: to use the tips he
taught them and portray fall in a photograph. The kids arrived the next day, cameras in hand, and
scoured our campus looking for the brilliance of the season. They took the mission home with
them and brought back photo after photo. And they expanded his suggestion, bringing me countless pictures where they captured an array of scenic beauty with their lenses.
As promised, Mr. Frangieh has published his favorite photographs on MauMag’s website,
www.MauMag.com and the top three winners in this issue of the magazine. I know his decision
was difficult because when he received our entries he called immediately to tell me how captivated he was by them. I could not have been more proud of our students who went beyond their
classroom assignments to participate in this effort.
Similarly, our creative writing students set out to “wow” Mr. Frangieh with short essays that
captured in words themes that are important in their lives. From teamwork to heartbreak, they
used the beauty of writing to share their thoughts. Again, in my opinion they hit home runs. All
the submitted essays are published on MauMag’s website, and Mr. Frangieh’s top three favorite
essays are printed in the Academics section of this issue..
The Academics Plus Charter School is so thankful to have a partner in Mr. Frangieh and
MauMag. Our students are learning that school work translates to real life experiences and are
developing valuable skills they will use over a lifetime. We hope you enjoy the students’ work!
Regards,
Deb Roush
Journalism and Creative Writing Instructor
Academics Plus Charter School, Maumelle
To the students of
Academics Plus Charter School
I am very proud to be working with you
and Ms. Roush on projects such as creative
writing and photography. Our imagination has
no limits when it is directed to produce how
we truly feel. Expressing oneself honestly
is an attribute to be envied! The essays you
submitted are solid proof of that!
I congratulate you on the titles you selected for your essays. I could see that a lot
of thought went into each one. I appreciate
your candidness, honesty and creativity. I
was pleasantly surprised at the depth of each
subject matter.
Indeed, Ms. Roush was not trying to impress me when she told me how creative you
are. She believes in you and now I do too!
You are to be congratulated.
That is why I decided to publish three
(not one only as originally planned) of my
favorite essays and four photographs in this
issue of MauMag. However, ALL your essays
and photographs will be published on www.
MauMag.com. Just follow this link:
http://maumag.com/academics_plus.htm.
Thank you for your great work,
Roger A. Frangieh
Publisher
www.MauMag.com
Update on the Partnership between Maumelle Academics
Plus Charter School & MauMag
05
My year in Iraq
Photo taken while in Kuwait.
T
by Maumelle Chief of Police Sam Williams
we weren’t anywhere near the United States of America. After some additional training in Baghdad, (some was completed in Virginia prior to leaving the country) we received our assignments and final instructions as to
what, specifically, we would be doing. I was assigned to Basrah, which is
in the southern part of Iraq, and under the British component of the Multi
National Forces. My assignment, and one that I came to thoroughly enjoy,
was to work with the Police Chief in Basrah. Chief Hassan was a former
General in the Iraqi Army, and was in charge of 15,000 Police Officers. He was an extremely conscientious leader, and, from all appearances,
was not influenced by any of the local tribes, militias, or political parties. He sincerely hated corrupt cops and insurgents, and felt the governor of
Basrah could do much more in ridding the city of these undesirable elements. These traits made him very attractive to the Multi National Forces,
(MNF) but would cause him problems with the Governor, his own command staff, and some others. In fact, twice his own cops tried to kill him.
One of the other problems Chief Hassan had was that he was quite the
micro-manager, to the point that he tried to decide which Officers received
specialized training and who received pistols first. I have to admit here that my first project was a total failure. The Chief informed me that he
had submitted a requisition to the MNF for 5,000 winter coats for his Officers. Granted, trying
to get winter coats when it is 130 degrees outside seemed pretty silly, but the Chief knew what
he wanted, and this was my opportunity to show him how effective of a partner I could be. We
found the request and began backtracking, only to continue getting put off, and told that we would
need to check with someone else some other time. After nearly exhausting all my investigative
capability and patience, I was finally informed by a Military Supply Officer that there were a limited
supply of winter coats, and a huge number of requests for them. He then informed me that I was
in the southern region, (he really didn’t have to remind me of that, but I let him go on anyhow) I
was in the southernmost part of the southern region, and that we would get our winter coats after
every other Police Officer in the country got his, which would probably be sometime in 2009. After
informing the Chief that I was all over this assignment I then had the pleasure of going back telling
him that the whole winter coat project was on hold for a while, not telling him that a “while” was
approximately four years.
MauMag · Jan. - Feb. - Mar. 2007
he first thing that gets you is
the heat. I stepped off of a
civilian flight full of International Police Officers and Military personnel
around one o’clock in the morning in Kuwait
City, and wondered if this was some sort of
a joke. It can’t possibly be this hot at one in
the morning. Once I realized it was not some
sort of exercise, and there were no hidden
cameras to complete the joke, it hit me that
this is the real thing. The military precision of
unloading all the equipment from the plane,
(naturally I had to volunteer) and the security
surrounding us helped establish the fact that
Cover Story
06
“I wondered if this was some sort of a joke; it
can’t possibly be this hot at one in the morning!”
Fourth of July Celebration
ference by our work and our actions. Having
to trust others to cover your back while you do
the same is nothing new to a cop, but it takes
on a whole new meaning in this environment.
Learning who you can trust, and earning the
trust of those around you is the most important part of your job in Iraq, otherwise, you
are headed straight for disaster. Of the four
Iraqi guys working in my camp, one lost an
arm in a roadside explosion while riding with
“Of the four Iraqi
guys working in my
camp, one lost an
arm in a roadside explosion while riding
with our unit, and
two were killed leaving our base at the
end of a workday.”
our unit, and two were killed leaving our base
at the end of a workday. The mortars and
rockets that were routinely fired at our base,
along with the deaths of Iraqi Police Officers,
friends, Soldiers, and co-workers, served as a
constant reminder of what a dangerous place
we worked in, and how tough it was for the
people of this country. Surviving, and even
Continued on page 8
www.MauMag.com
The other projects were seemingly more
important and met with varying degrees of
success. Probably the most pressing concern during my time in Iraq was identifying
and removing members of the militias and insurgency from the Police Department. While
I was there, we disbanded one entire corrupt
unit, consisting of 450 men, of the Iraqi Police
Service, and were working to disband a second, with 500 Officers assigned to it. There
is no way that operations such as these can
take place without the help of the Iraqi Police
Command staff, and believe me, we had the
cooperation of the Police Chief, if not his two
Chief Deputies. We also had the incredibly
difficult task of trying to find several hundred
Police vehicles that had gone missing since
the liberation of Iraq. We knew that some
were in the hands of militias, and that influential government officials had acquired others,
but by and large, we had no idea where most
had ended up. In conjunction with the Iraqi
Police, we initiated a vehicle numbering project and began seizing all the Police vehicles
that did not display proper identification. I left
before the success of this operation could be
evaluated, but I can say that some criminal
elements no longer had an Iraqi Police car
to drive around in, and that has to be a good
thing.
While my unit was not directly involved
in classroom training, (we were more involved
in mentoring station commanders) we were
involved in facilitating getting these Officers
to their basic training sites. One big problem
confronting those training Iraqi Police recruits
is the large number of illiterate candidates. Recruits will
often times get someone
else to complete their application and take their entrance exam for them. They
will work at an assigned station for up to one year, and
then be assigned to a recruit
class. Naturally they resist
reporting to this training,
since doing so would expose
the fact that they didn’t meet
minimum standards for employment.
Compounding
this problem was the fact
that there was no system
designed to remove those
Officers from the force once
it was discovered that they
couldn’t read or write. As
a solution, we began a program where representatives
from the schools and colleges would go the Police Stations and conduct
literacy classes for the Officers, knowing that
Officers would attend classes at their respective stations long before they would report to
training at another location.
It is impossible to talk about my experience in Iraq without talking about the people.
I met some of the most incredible folks while
I was over there, and they were from all over
the world. I befriended Iraqis, Brits, Kuwaitis
a gentleman from Beirut, Lebanon, and so
many more. I formed a bond with so many
people who had the same goal; to make a dif-
07
My Year in Iraq... Continued from page 7
MauMag · Jan. - Feb. - Mar. 2007
making progress in this environment is a testament to the dedication of the people who
are in Iraq with one purpose, to make a difference. I sincerely hope that their sacrifice
will be long remembered, and appreciated. A
big part of the reason that I want us to be successful in this region is because I have seen
how much peace, prosperity, and democracy
mean to the huge majority of the Iraqi people.
I often tell people that my experience in
Iraq was one of the most frustrating and rewarding things I have ever done. Sometimes
I felt these emotional extremes in the same
day. It really wasn’t uncommon to feel very
proud of your accomplishments, only to have
something happen that would leave you questioning our very involvement in this chaotic
mess.
At the end of the day; however, I left
Iraq feeling that we had done our part to help
the Iraqi Police Force and the people they
serve have a chance to keep their dream of
a peaceful and free Iraq alive. I will readily
admit that, while I went over there with the
intention of teaching Iraqi cops some different approaches to Police work, I learned and
received much more than I taught and gave.
The friendships and relationships that were
formed, even with those who are now dead,
victims of the incredible violence in this part of
the world are things that I will treasure for the
rest of my life.
My prayer is that the people of Iraq will
soon see the future they are desperate for.
They have worked so hard for it, and sacrificed so much, plus, just like everyone else in
the world, they deserve it.
Our ads get noticed...
Yours could be here!
501.851.2100
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08
Profile
A Passion for Creativity
Press Association for her freelance feature
contributions to the paper, including second
place last year.
Roush also teaches creative writing and
journalism to high school students at Academics Plus Charter School in Maumelle, where
she has utilized her professional affiliations to
establish partnerships with MauMag, a quarterly publication dedicated to the arts and the
weekly Monitor, helping her students become
published under their own bylines.
Roush is equally passionate about
service to the community. A member of
Maumelle’s First United Methodist Church,
Roush is a small group youth leader, mentoring seventh grade girls. In 2004 she helped
lead the yearlong, citywide effort—Arkansas
Care Packages—sending two tons of needed
items to local soldiers in Iraq. She helped
organize Maumelle’s hurricane Katrina relief
effort, bringing together community leaders
from the churches and community and spending countless hours
providing necessities
to victims relocated
to Maumelle through
the disaster. In December, 2006, she
was awarded the Pillar of the Community
Award from the Miss
Maumelle/Arkansas
International Pageant
for her efforts.
Roush has been
married for almost
15 years to her best
friend, Terry, and has
two children—Kyle,
a seventh-grade student at Immaculate
Heart of Mary School,
and Rene, a fourthgrade student at Pine
Forest Elementary
School in Maumelle.
She enjoys boating
on Lake Ouachita in
the summer months
and is an avid reader
and runner.
Deborah Roush was awarded the “Pillar of the
Community Award” by Shayla Copas, Director of
the Miss Maumelle/Arkansas International Pageant.
www.MauMag.com
Photo by Picture This Photography
D
eborah Roush, 39, is a professional writer and journalism instructor teacher
living and working in Maumelle, Arkansas.
A native of California, Roush graduated
with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Bowling Green State University in
Ohio where she was the managing editor of
the daily newspaper, the BG News, named
the best college newspaper in the nation by
the Society of Professional Journalists during
her tenure.
An accomplished reporter and copy editor, Roush transitioned to a career in public
relations, working as the director of marketing and public relations for several large nonprofit agencies, including Project Future, an
economic development agency in Northern
Indiana, where she received multiple trade
awards for the quarterly newsletter she wrote
about economic progress in the region. For
the past 15 years Roush has owned and managed her own firm—Deborah Roush Communications—working as a successful freelance
writer primarily covering the booming real
estate market in Las Vegas, and is a regular
contributor to publications including the Las
Vegas Review Journal and In Business Las
Vegas. She is a longtime writer for her hometown newspaper, the Maumelle Monitor, and
has won multiple awards from The Arkansas
Rafimi Photography
Deborah Roush
09
Academics
T
he 9th to 12th graders of the Maumelle Academics Plus Charter School are well poised to embark on a bright academic future. Their
Creative Writing teacher Deborah Roush and I asked them to write 250 words on individually selected titles of their choice. Well! We
asked for it, and they delivered with flying colors! Their vivid imagination and personal feelings about situations and experiences are
well focused and completely within their capability of expression. Their hearts were in the assignment! Here are three essays that I have chosen to
publish in this issue of MauMag. I encourage you to read ALL the other essays by visiting http://maumag.com/academics_plus.htm.
Roger A. Frangieh, Publisher
Our World
The Hole in the Wall
Words are not enough
“What’s now? What’s cool? What’s in?
These are some of the topics you’ll find running through the minds of youth today.
While our peers in other countries are
responsible of making sure their families survive, we’re taking responsibility for deciding
which clothes to wear. The Western World
was once renowned for brilliance and creativity. Producing some of the most famous
minds and making modern lives immensely
luxurious. Our ancestors invented lights, cars,
movies and so much more.
But, where is that brilliance today? From
pre-teens to adults, most lack the drive and
potential that once made us great. Young girls
model themselves after celebrities instead of
women scientists or authors. It’s cool to act
like “gangsters” and “thugs,” or to develop
eating disorders to obtain a model-thin look.
Meanwhile, half-way around the world there
are wars waging. Children take care of their
families to ensure they don’t fall ill or die.
They are in a world completely different from
our own, where something as common as
malaria, tuberculosis or diarrhea can kill entire villages.
If we are going to stay the rich, all powerful nations that we are, time needs to be invested into making education a priority. People need to be educated so they can make
their own decisions.
I was stepping through a hole in the wall
escaping a dark room I had been in all my life.
I was going into a world filled with vibrant color
that I knew was there but never had the desire
to step beyond. Now there was that urge, that
burning to escape into this other world. I was
missing something I needed. If I went into this
land, I would find it.
Slowly. Cautiously. Not knowing what
to expect, I creep forward. I stand in this enchanting world filled with life. I feel free! Ready
to soar!
A huge burden suddenly comes crashing
down upon me. I struggle to stay standing.
What just happened? However, my curiosity
pushes me forward when I see a beautiful
flower bursting with colorful light. I reach out
and touch it. My burden slightly lifts. I go toward a stream sparkling like diamonds in the
sun. I reach out and take a drink. More lifts.
Suddenly a revelation flows into my
mind. This land is wisdom and knowledge in
the form of a world. The weight I am carrying
is the yearning to understand this land. Every
time I come in contact with something from
this world, I lose a bit of my burden for I have
gained part of this knowledge and wisdom. I
wonder, what is the meaning of it all, to have a
burning desire to gain knowledge and wisdom,
and then gain it, just to die in the end?
The shot I never heard ended all I knew
in the world. One year has passed since that
shot rang out; one year and for me Jack is still
not buried. He put himself in harm’s way to
save another but lost his life in the fight. He
died that day, my friend Jack Stratton.
One person can change your life. One
person can cause you to perceive things in a
way you never thought possible. One person
can affect you so you’re never the same if you
lose them. For me this person is someone
who helped me find myself. He helped others through hard times and asked nothing in
return. He was all that was good in humanity. He showed the best features I have ever
seen. He showed compassion toward the
weak, honesty and trust toward his friends
and bravery when things got tough. He was
my confidant when my parents divorced; he
was my counselor when my grandfather died.
He was the guiding light when I lost my way. I
can’t express all that he was to me.
Jack may be gone now and his coffin
may be shut, but for me he will never be truly
buried. Not until I have touched someone in
the same way he touched me. I will leave you
with the last words I heard from him: “Fortune
favors the bold, victory favors the brave, luck
favors the foolish but happiness favors no
one.”
MauMag · Jan. - Feb. - Mar. 2007
By Megan Acord, 10th grade
10
By Nicole Cogan, 10th grade
By Sean Tyer, 11th Grade
Maumelle Academics Plus Charter School...
Autumn Photo Assignment
A
ll the submitted photographs were well thought out. They related feelings that defined the composition of each photograph! It was a
hard decision for me to select the four photographs published here! However, these four “talked” to me! The four photographs and
their very approriate titles directly connected with my imagination and photographic purpose.
Roger A. Frangieh, Publisher
“Naked” - by Hannah Tipton - 10th grade.
“Be Seen” - by Monique Wells - 11th grade.
“I Forgot to Breathe” - by Kaitlin Huie - 11th grade.
www.MauMag.com
“Metamorphosis” - by Rumer Owens - 10th grade.
Rumer Owens
Hannah Tipton
Monique Wells
Kaitlin Huie
11
International Piano Gallery
and the Windsong Center
N
12
By Shannon Odom for MauMag
things that the duo attributes their success to
is the love of music, which knows no physical, social or financial boundaries. “Music is
great,” Steve says. “It gives to society; people
remember us. We aren’t selling necessities,
we are selling heirlooms.” The couple also
believes that the discovery of early-age music study improving learning attributes to their
booming business. “It contributes to more
than a profit margin,” they agree. “We have
lots of repeat business. Many of our friends
today are customers from the past.”
Another aspect of the piano business
is that everyone,
young and old alike,
wishes they had
taken piano lessons. They find today that many baby
says. “But retail
music is much
more than sellShannon Odom is a freelance
ing!” Steve mar- writer and REALTOR® who works as
vels at those who Administrator for EXIT Natural State
can play by ear, Realty Maumelle. She is married to
a natural talent Doug Odom, who is Principal Broker
with which many of EXIT and Maumelle founder Jess
are blessed. And Odom’s only grandson, They have
the new Wind- one daughter, Allie, who attends
song Center is a Academics Plus Charter School.
gift to them as well as our entire community.
The Witkowskis have been planning this
endeavor for twenty-five years. The project was certainly a labor
of love. The Center is extensive,
and though it is not yet completed,
it is being built to encompass all
aspects of the arts - not just pianos
and not just music. There will be
retail space for other businesses,
a concert hall and a theatre that
seats over three hundred with a
sixty by twenty-five foot stage,
which they say has “great acoustics.” “The concert hall is not quite
finished, but it is the heart of the
Center,” Steve says. “We’ll have
space for teaching any art form, beginners to
intermediate and advanced. The piano lab
alone is set up to teach up to twelve students
at a time.”
Continued on page 15
Photography by Doug Odom
MauMag · Jan. - Feb. - Mar. 2007
Photography by Doug Odom
estled in the Crystal
Hills just behind Maumelle sits a jewel, a
place of culture and class unlike anything
else in our community – International Piano
Gallery. Having recently moved from Crystal
Hill Road to their new location on Windsong
Drive, owners Steve and Becky Witkowski
told me the story of where they’ve been and
what the future holds. After twenty-six years
in business, this couple has made a place for
themselves in the community and has taken
that role one step farther with the opening of
the Windsong Center.
The International Piano Gallery was formerly the Witkowskis antique company. “We
were an import business, bringing in antiques
from Europe in the late 1970’s, early 1980’s,”
Steve shared. “Pianos were often included.”
When buying groups of antiques, they would
restore the pianos to like-new condition. That
side of their business began to boom and they
Rafimi Photography
The Arts
essentially ran two businesses – pianos and
antiques – until 1998. “From then on, it was
only pianos,” they said. “It is wonderful to enjoy your business.”
It took the company three and a half
weeks to move from their old location to the
new Windsong Center. Pianos are large yet
delicate, fragile and precious. One of the
boomers are fulfilling that
dream by buying pianos
and taking lessons. Although Steve doesn’t
play much more than
“Chopsticks”, Becky has
played since childhood.
“I’m the numbers guy,” he
I
Rafimi Photography
Interior Design
A Room Renovated for a Princess!
By Shayla Copas
So with a few months of planning we decided to place the bed on
one of the narrow walls. Making a cozy area for resting or watching
television.
Next we took the area which held entertainment cabinet and
brought the wall out on an angle building a “built in” entertainment
center which would now hold a much larger television as well as “built
in shelving” to hold her videos.
Wow! We were utilizing the area and because it was “built in” we
could get a much better angle.
We then took a narrow sidewall close to the window and again
placed “built in” shelving. The shelving made a huge difference because that particular area had no use as the ceiling sloped and made
it impossible to put a piece of furniture with height
Now that all of the construction issues were behind us, it was
time to have fun choosing her wall color and fabrics.
Continued on page 14
www.MauMag.com
always love to decorate a
little girl’s room. I renovated my daughter Chelsey’s
room last year and decided that it was probably one of my favorite projects of all time.
She likes bold and fun colors so I was in Shayla Copas, of Copas Interiors
in Maumelle with her husluck, over the last year an array of fun colors resides
band Scott and daughter Chelsey.
have surfaced in the home décor arena.
Her jobs span both commercial
Before we get too far into the color and residential. Shayla’s work intraditional, contemporary
scheme. Let’s talk about the room before cludes
and transitional designs. She can
renovation and our obstacles.
be reached at 501-258-7396.
Chelsey’s bedroom is a narrow and long
space without much room for function. Her bed was originally placed
in front of the Window. Her TV entertainment cabinet barely fit at the
end of the room and could not be angled due to the slope of the ceiling.
Because of the impracticality of the room we were almost at the point of
placing Chelsey in another bedroom and turning this space into a media
room. However, with her bedroom, powder room, walk in closet and
bathroom – she has roughly 900 square feet that we thought would be a
waste to give up. When in reality with some creative thinking the room
could be quite functional.
13
A Room Renovated for a Princess... Continued from page 13
1. Wall Color: We chose Sherwin Williams – Gleeful
A vibrant green with energy. Bright fun colors are being
used to create a punch in children’s rooms. Tip: When choosing a wall color, always buy a sample and paint on your wall to
get an idea of how it will look under your lighting.
2. Fabrics: We chose a sheer white fabric with embroidered flowers for her queen pillows, a fun stripe for a lumbar
pillow and a large bold silk check on her Euro Shams. Money
Saving Tip: Buy a store bought bedspread (we purchased
ours at Target) and dress it up with custom pillows and trims
(fabrics purchased from Cynthia East and Fabrics Etc.). Don’t
be afraid to mix textures, patterns and bold color!
3. Furnishings: We placed the bed on one of the sidewalls. Purchased two side chairs with a few round tables.
Bought a hot pink couch, which we placed in front of the window. We also bought a round ottoman to put in a cozy reading
nook. Tip: To save on side tables in a children’s room, buy
unpainted pieces and stain or paint them yourself!
Suddenly, we had two separate spaces, which blended
together for a final look.
The first grouping contained the bed, built in television,
ottoman and the side chairs. The second space contained the
sofa, new built-in shelving and a writing desk.
A room, which we once considered to lack function, is
now a favorite retreat for our little princess!
All photographs of “A Room Renovated for a
Princess” were provided by Shayla Copas.
Amazing Video & DVD Solutions specializes in
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MauMag · Jan. - Feb. - Mar. 2007
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14
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Lifestyle
Transforming the Act Into Reality
I
By Michelle McCon
’m a perfectionist. And part of being one of these overzealous task-masters is the inability to achieve
balance: balance in the office, in the home, and even in my personal life. See, I want (no, I need) to
give one hundred percent perfection to every single person and every itty bitty undertaking, with the
exception, of course, of car washings, yard work, and general sweat-inducing, laborious chores. My unbalanced “give
everything you’ve got at all times” approach to life has often led me down a stressful road (in a dirty car, no less) of
people-pleasing and long hours glued to my PC.
Lucky for me, I also experience occasional bursts of reality. During these brief moments of sanity, I remind myself
that balance is essential for maintaining quality of life. See, if one area of life does not receive its fair share of attenMichelle McCon is a writer
tion—whether that area be social, recreational, professional, spiritual, intellectual, financial, physical, etcetera and so
and graphic designer. As a part
forth, in nature—everything will begin to feel a bit shaky, unstable, or just plain exhausting.
So how do I overcome my shaky, unstable, or just plain exhausting tendencies? Well, “overcome” is an awfully of her quest for balance, she enpowerful word, mind you. I simply deal with them. I do my best to fight perfectionism and find balance, to satisfy that joys scuba diving, bowling, and
watching silly movies.
obnoxious “must write the best story ever” or “must design the greatest Web site of all Internet-dom” or (and this is truly
pathetic) “must make Kitty like me more than she likes my husband” part of me. (I give her treats galore. I pet her upon
demand, mostly mine. I actually contort my body to accommodate her chosen bedtime spot. Still, she chooses him!) At the same time (back on
topic now), I try not to allow my “do all, be all” needs to interfere with real life (“real life” being the actual important things: time with loved ones, time
spent on hobbies and relaxation, time devoted to the Gilmore Girls and any number of Steve Martin movies). In essence, living a balanced existence
means integrating all the components of your life that are truly important to you and accepting that you must…gasp!...prioritize.
Yes, the most significant step to achieving balance, I’ve concluded, is to set priorities. You must concentrate on making choices based on what
you value most. When work conflicts with family life, for instance, you must make a decision based on what’s truly important to you. By prioritizing
your values and balancing your decisions, things won’t seem so shaky anymore.
Other balancing acts include:
• Getting organized. Create a plan for the day rather than simply reacting to what life throws your way. Do your best (and this is a hard one) not to
allow poor planning on someone else’s part become an emergency for you. Most importantly, schedule time for work-free activities so that you not
only achieve a life of balance, but one that includes some actual fun pastimes too!
• Recognizing time traps. Identify those pesky tasks that absorb all your time: unnecessary meetings, a spotless home (a few spots won’t hurt!), or
far too many commitments. Avoid robbing yourself of precious time and taking away from the things that really matter.
• Creating healthy routines. Find ways to relax on a daily basis. Prolonged stress is bad for you! Yoga or meditation isn’t for everyone, but you can
certainly take a few moments for a brief walk or at least a little alone time. Drink plenty of water, and try to feed your body more than foods with brand
names of Hershey, Nestle, or Frito-Lay.
• Finding flexibility. Accept that you can’t plan for everything, no matter how hard you try. Needs arise that require immediate, drop-everything attention. Forgive yourself when you can’t accomplish all tasks. And most important of all, stop seeking perfection. Stop it! You (okay, we) must learn
to adopt more reasonable, more forgiving standards.
As sci-fi author Frank Herbert once said, “There’s no secret to balance. You just have to feel the waves.” I couldn’t agree more. But I still can’t
help believing that there must be a secret to making Kitty like me best.
Rafimi Photography
Balancing Act:
Currently, the Windsong Center sits on twelve acres, but the Witkowskis own a total
of thirty-two acres, so there is plenty of room for future expansion. The one thing that
has been set about the project is that it is “totally dedicated to the arts.” One exciting
event the future holds is a planned concert series, expected to start in 2007, for all types
of music- jazz, blues, pop, classical - as well as special programs designed to appeal to
the community.
The Center has a full kitchen and the Witkowskis picture guests coming to enjoy a
nice dinner before an event, and having coffee and dessert after. “There hasn’t been a
venue for this in central Arkansas,” Steve states. “It works hand in hand with other art
programs. It is not a competition.” They have specifically set the Center up to be a forprofit venture, but plan to keep costs reasonable, and not to compete with Maumelle’s
local non-profit art groups. “We want to cater to the community,” they state.
One thing is certain; the Witkowskis are providing a much-needed service for the
Maumelle community as well as central Arkansas. The Windsong Center, as well as the
International Piano Gallery, has a home right here among us.
www.MauMag.com
International Piano Gallery... Continued from page 12
Photography by Doug Odom
15
Community
Miss Maumelle &
Miss Teen Maumelle Pageants
Affiliated with Miss Arkansas International
A
Rafimi Photography
lexis Raley is the Miss Maumellle Winner. She
is the 22 year old daughter of Jeff and Connie
Raley. Her platform was “Miracle League.” She
attended Lyon College on a Soccer Scholarship. Last year she helped coach the Immaculate
Heart of Mary 6th grade basketball team, and was the Maumelle Youth Council Mayor in 2003.
Alexis owns a private swim lesson business and had 112 students in 2006! In 2005 she
was president of Zeta Lota chapter of Alpha Xi Delta. She enjoys softball, hiking and watching
Grey’s Anatomy with her mom. She would like to be a Public Relations Director for a major/minor
league athletic team.
Rafimi Photography
Rafimi Photography
Shayla Copas, Pageant Director
with Alexis & Manda
M
MauMag · Jan. - Feb. - Mar. 2007
anda Falk is the Miss
Teen Maumelle Winner. She is the 17
year old daughter of Ray and Janice Falk.
Her platform was on the Effects of Smoking
on the body, mind and the environment.
She attends school at Little Rock Central
High School and is in the 12th grade. She has
helped with senior services, was a Methodist
Youth Representative (FUMC Maumelle) and
been part of the Girl Scouts.
Manda loves to knit, sing, help people,
watch the razorbacks and spend time with
family and friends. Manda is involved with
Junior Civitan, French Club and Fellowship of
Christian Students.
16
For more photographs of the 2007 Maumelle Pageant, please visit our website
www.MauMag.com and follow this link:
Alexis Raley
Miss Maumellle 2007
Manda Falk
Miss Teen Maumellle 2007
http://maumag.com/miss_maumelle.htm.
Technology
Windows Vista Editions Overview
®
N
o matter how you use your PC—Microsoft® has introduced to the market four editions of
Windows Vista®. The following comparison table will help you choose your edition.
Windows Vista® Ultimate is the choice for those who want to have it all. Easily shift between the worlds
of productivity and play with the most complete edition of Windows Vista. Ultimate provides the power, security,
and mobility features needed for work, and all the entertainment features that you want for fun.
Windows Vista® Home Premium is the preferred edition for home desktop and mobile PCs. It provides a
breakthrough design that brings your world into sharper focus while delivering the productivity, entertainment,
and security you need from your PC at home or on the go.
Windows Vista® Home Basic is ideal for homes with basic computing needs like e-mail, browsing the
Internet, and viewing photos. Easy to set up and maintain, it enables you to quickly find what you’re looking for
on your PC and the Internet, while providing a more secure environment to help protect you from an unpredict-
able world.
Windows Vista® Business is the first edition of Windows designed specifically to meet the needs of small businesses. You’ll spend less time
on technology support-related issues—so you can spend more time making your business successful. Windows Vista® Business is the definitive
choice for your business today and tomorrow.
Source: Microsoft® Informtion Release
Microsoft Office Editions Overview
®
®
T
Office Standard 2007 provides software essentials to home consumers and small businesses so that
users can get tasks done more quickly and easily. With Office Standard 2007 you can create great-looking
documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and easily manage your
e-mail messages, calendar, and
contacts. Office Standard 2007 has
a new streamlined user interface,
enhanced graphics and formatting
capabilities, new time and communication management tools, and more reliability and security. These tools
and capabilities make it easier and more enjoyable for you to get things
done at home or at work.
Office Professional Plus 2007 will help you and your organization
work more efficiently and effectively with a new set of powerful tools for
creating, managing, analyzing, and sharing information. The newly redesigned user interface makes Office Professional Plus 2007 easier to
use. And the new graphics capabilities make creating great-looking, highimpact documents a snap. With Office Professional Plus 2007, you can
deliver better results faster.
Office Enterprise 2007 is the most complete Microsoft solution for
people who must collaborate with others and work with information efficiently, regardless of location or network status. Office Enterprise 2007
builds on the strengths of Office Professional Plus 2007 and provides
two additional tools: Microsoft® Office Groove 2007 and Microsoft Office
OneNote® 2007. With these tools, users can collaborate and efficiently
gather, store, organize, find, and share any type of information. Office
Groove 2007 provides a rich and more secure collaboration environment
for teams to work together, regardless of location, with minimal IT support. Office OneNote® 2007 provides complete information management
capabilities for virtually any type of content, so teams can deliver better
Source: Microsoft® Informtion Release
results faster.
www.MauMag.com
he 2007 Microsoft® Office System includes new and improved suites, applications, servers and
services. Below, you’ll find information about how you can get ready for this new technology.
17
Recipe
A Recipe from La Cuisine Honnête*
Prepared using “The Honest Kitchen” method.
Rafimi Photography
RAF
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Inc.
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&
Strategic
Marketing
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Shrimp Avocado Salad*
Ingredients
• 16 Large Shrimp (21-25 count)
• 2 Ripe but firm Avocados - Diced small or Coarsely mashed with fork
• The juice of 1 Freshly-squeezed Lemon
• 2 Medium Fresh un-peeled Tomatoes(diced small)
• 3 Fresh Green Onions (diced small)
• 1 Large Clove of Garlic - Crushed
• 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Lemon Pepper
• 4 to 6 Sprigs of Fresh Italian Parsley
• Salt & Black Pepper to taste.
Method
• Marinate ALL Shrimp in 1 TBS Olive Oil and 1 tsp Lemon Pepper for one hour
• Sauté ALL the Shrimp in shallow pan (Use Olive Oil from Marinade)
•In a large bowl, mix diced or (coarsely mashed) Avocados with Lemon Juice
•Mix in the Diced Tomatoes, Crushed Garlic and Green Onions
• Dice the 10 Shrimp and add to mixture (Keep the other 6 Shrimp on the side)
• Add 1/3 cup Olive Oil and mix again
•Season with Salt and freshly-ground Black Pepper (adjust to taste).
•Serve in small plates
• Top each serving with a sprig of Parsley and one whole Shrimp.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Bon Appétit
* Recipe can be served in four variations: as a Salad, as a Cold Appetizer, as a Snack with
Melba Toast and can also be spooned in Puff Pastry (Vol-au-Vent).
* Visit www.MauMag.com for more information on “La Cuisine Honnête,” the Honest Kitchen method of cooking.
You may also email us at [email protected].
Experience
the
difference!
Bryan A. Austin, D.D.S.
Clint A. Fulks, D.D.S.