NASCAR Race Weekend Charlotte, NC

Thank you for attending and your continued support of this great racing empire. Click here for upcoming schedules.

hummingbirds! cardinals!

we had our first hummingbirds yesterday 3! finally!
the cardinal is the north carolina state bird! as a child (and still for that matter) i was told when you saw a cardinal (i call them red birds) that it brings you good luck! and they do ~ the power of positive thinking is magical!

carolina panthers 2009

our carolina panthers 2009 schedule has been posted ~ click here and scroll to the bottom

it's a beautiful day today in charlotte, north carolina

today i had the honor of taking my 9 year old nephew to his soccer game and man is he ever good. he's so focused and gives it his all. he scored (hooray!), it ended in a tie, he really enjoyed the game and seeing his friends. parents were coming up to him congratulating him on a great game - it was awesome. when we got back to his house, his older sister was celebrating her 13th birthday, there were about 13 of her friends and a man that makes chocolate candy - would that be a chocolatier? willy wonka? maybe? there was so much more - food, cake, presents, those cool big decorated eggs filled with the freshly made chocolate and even another bag of goodies for her friends to take home with them. their mom is quite the event planner!

charlotte, nc

today it's 77, breezy, sunshining, almost perfect - only lacking the ocean. my little ones and i sure are enjoying it - everything seems to go best for us when the sun shines! this photo wasn't taken today, but it was in the last week or so

another sunless day in charlotte, north carolina

and "they" are predicting snow - eeeeeeeewwwwwwwww
we are in the south and south = no snow, if ya want snow - you know the deal - go back . . . . .
i'm a gotta have it, want it, need it sunshine girl, the lack of which is making me crazier
here's a craft i happened upon this morning that may help those with kids!
this project can be found on the site how stuff works

here's a quote from one of my all time favorite gentleman, superstar, basketball player, charlotte bobcats owner, inspirational north carolinian's ever!
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed." Michael Jordan

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR JAKE

g o p a n t h e r s g o p a n t h e r s g o p a n t h e r s

check this out ~ developer offers free car to entice home buyers

11:29 PM EST on Friday, December 19, 2008
By MARK BOONE / NewsChannel 36
E-mail Mark: MBoone@WCNC.COM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – With home sales falling nearly 40-percent in the Charlotte region last month, builders are turning to more lucrative incentives to lure in potential buyers.

One developer is offering a free Toyota Prius to the buyer of a new home in Plaza-Midwood.

Landon Massey says he did not like the idea at first, but he knows it is a buyers’ market. “We kicked around ideas to say how do we differentiate ourselves in the market right now,” Massey said.

His answer is the Prius. The vehicle’s sticker price is more than $22,000.

The house is priced at $724,900.

The car “connects exactly to what we're selling already,” said Massey.

The 3800 square-foot home on Attaberry Drive, near The Plaza, is certified by Atlanta-based Earth Craft as energy efficient. Crews used environmentally friendly construction.

Massey says a free hybrid car seems to make sense.

Home builders in other parts of the country have also offered free cars, but this appears to be the first such incentive in Charlotte, where companies are enticing buyers with help on closing costs, or deep discounts on their homes.

Discounts were considered, Massey said, in pricing his home. He said he decided against a price reduction to protect the buyers of other homes his company has built in the same neighborhood.

who is allowing this kind of spending in Charlotte, NC?

NC DSS spends $20,000 on holiday party, training
12:21 PM EST on Thursday, December 18, 2008
By STUART WATSON / NewsChannel 36
E-mail Stuart: SWatson@WCNC.com

December 18th, 2008 DSS spends $20,000 on holiday party.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Lots of workplaces are scaling back their holiday parties this year, cancelling caterers or off-site locations and replacing them with simpler bring-your-own covered dish luncheons at the office.

But not the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services.

DSS combined its holiday party with mandatory training and more than doubled the cost as well -- from $9,600 last year to $20,000 this year, according to Tabitha Carnes, a DSS spokeswoman.

About 1,200 DSS employees were told they were required to attend mandatory workshops along with the agency's holiday party held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.

The event was held off-site at the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church on Beattie's Ford Road in Charlotte.

Last year's holiday party for DSS was held at the Grady Cole Center, a county-owned venue, with voluntary attendance, according to Carnes.

Carnes says the $20,000 paid for heavy hors d'oeuvres, recognition items and training materials.

Friendship Baptist is coincidentally the home church of DSS Director Mary E. Wilson. But the department's spokeswoman says Wilson did not pick the site and an anonymous donor paid for the space.

Last month the NewsChannel 36 I-team reported how Wilson spent another $20,000 in public money decorating her office with all new furniture, drapes, crown molding and a flat screen TV.
When asked if reporters or photographers could attend the DSS holiday party or the workshops, Carnes said, "She (Wilson) does not want the media to be there."

County Commissioner Karen Bentley did attend the DSS function. Bentley said she observed "lots of training and very little socializing."

But when asked about the additional cost, Bentley responded, "Well I think that's a fair question. I think we absolutely need to ask those questions ... I think we need to see that breakout."

Carnes said invoices for party and training costs will be made public after the event.

beauty in my backyard!

~ visit this shop ~mspresto

aren't these fabulous! "blonde ears" and "blue feather ears"

support this charlotte, nc artist