Welcome To Kendra Cooke's Monthly e-NEWS - February 2008

March is quickly approaching which means spring is just around the corner!  I must admit I am more than ready!  I am a SUN kind of girl!  I am anxious to get my pool back open and my plants back in bloom – how about you? 

As I told you all last month in my e-newsletter, I am training for the Country Music Half Marathon coming up on April 26, 2008.  I run with a group on Saturday mornings at 7am and we have had some REALLY cold mornings for our runs!  I am praying for some temperatures in the 40’s and up over the next two months as my training really steps up another level!  I had a small setback over the past month with an aching knee!  But I am happy to say after meeting with an orthopedic doctor I am going to be just fine!  I think the just of it is I am getting OLD – ha ha!  But in all seriousness I have some inflammation in my IT band which is causing me some pain in my knee!  My options were stop running (not going to happen), take a break for a little while and/or use ice and ibuprofen for the pain and keep on going!  So I did take a break (a short one), and I am doing more cross training with the bike and elliptical machine and only truly running a few days each week!  I do believe it is getting better and I look forward to a full recovery very soon! 

If you remember from my e-newsletter last month, I informed you I would be running this half marathon in honor of a young man named Jesse.  Jesse is an 11 year old that uses the services at Special Kids to address his therapy needs.  I knew that Jesse was non-verbal, so I was not expecting to see him singing the day I arrived to meet him – BUT HE WAS!  What a surprise to see him banging on a tom tom and signing This Old Man!  His speech is not perfect but he is working hard everyday to bring more words into his vocabulary.  He can spell his name and loves the TV!  This is a TRUE testimonial of what Special Kids is doing for our youth that needs therapy!  I want to also remind you that I am raising money and awareness for Special Kids and am happy to say I am half way to my $1,000 goal.  Please consider a contribution to Special Kids in honor of Jesse and myself.  The school and children will benefit greatly from your generosity!   

In wrapping this e-newsletter up, I want to thank those of you who have donated money thus far!  I also appreciate all your emails of encouragement and your prayers – keep them coming!

Kendra Cooke 

Kendra Fact

For the past 5 years Kendra has been a Diplomat for the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, and in 2007 is Chair of the Diplomat Committee

Organize Your Close Closet
From Home Made Easy

Before you do anything, take a look at a home store and through books or magazines to get an idea of what's out there to help you make better use of your closet. That way as you are doing the purge and you see what you're keeping you will have ideas about the changes you might want to make.

Take everything out of the closet and begin to sort. This is going to be a time commitment so expect to work on this for three to four hours to even a whole day. Clearing everything out reveals just how much space you have in your closet.

As you take out the clothes, you should separate them by type such as dresses, skirts, t-shirts, underwear (figure A), etc.

Go through each pile to see if you have double or even triple of the same items and determine what items to give away and what to keep.

Separate what you are keeping by season.

A general rule of thumb is that if you haven't worn it for a year or two, it might be time to get rid of it. Exceptions to the rule are items like formal wear or timeless items that you know you will be happy to wear when the opportunity arises. Keep the clothes that make you feel energized and motivated and give away the ones that make you feel guilty and miserable.

If you have any of the cleaner plastic bags over your clothes (figure B) , remove the bag. That bag is for protection in getting your clothes home, but you need to remove it when you put it in your closet because it is not for permanent protection when you bring it home.

Things that are out of fashion or are a bad color on you have to go. Try things on and let the mirror or a good, but honest friend be your guide.

If you are really conflicted, store the "not sure" clothes in the garage, basement or attic. Mark the calendar for three months from now and take the out again. If they have lost their appeal, out they go, but if you found you "missed" them, they can come back.

Another trick is to start every season by hanging all of your clothes on a hanger hooked backwards onto the rod. Once you have worn it, hang it up the regular way. At the end of the season, if you have certain items that are still hung backwards, it might be time to get rid of them.

No wire hangers. Wire hangers are bad for your clothes. Really improve the look and function with plastic hangers that are all the same color.. Quality wood hangers have really come down in price (figure C). They are worth the investment because they will keep your clothes hanging evenly and in good shape.