Amazing Animal Stories

This is Sonic. We adopted him from a rescue center almost three years ago. I like to describe him as a "grumpy old man in a puppy's body." He has lots of energy, but if he's taking a nap, don't mess with him. And don't even think about ignoring his requests for two walks a day (one at promptly 9 a.m., the other around 4:30 p.m.) If you don't comply with his orders, you will be stalked until you do.

All kidding aside, I love this little ball of fur. He helped me heal from the loss of my 16-year old dog, Odie, and he's definitely stolen my heart, even when he passive aggressively lets me know he's not happy with me. You decided to leave me at home alone while you ran errands? Oh, I think I'll just get sick on the rug!

Miraculously, for a small dog, he doesn't bark much. We actually thought something might be wrong with his vocal cords when we first brought him home. He waited several days before he finally barked, and then we were relieved! One day, about a year ago, I had returned from a morning run. I was stretching in our living room when Sonic started barking. The bark sounded urgent, which was very unusual. At first I ignored it, thinking Sonic was looking through a window at the front of the house and barking at someone outside. He persisted. Finally, I walked into the foyer only to spot Sonic standing in front of a black snake slithering across the floor!

To make a long story short, the snake was a harmless baby snake, but madness ensued. I panicked and called my husband at work. The snake spotted me and slithered into my office, of all places. It hid behind a basket of magazines (I vowed then and there I needed to get my magazine hoarding under control). We managed to get the snake out of the house and took it to some nearby woods, and I let Sonic know what a good job he had done.

Here at Little Ones, we're working on putting together our June/July issue, which features pet love. We'd love to include stories such as these from our readers. Has your family pet alerted you to an intruder? Found an unwanted critter on your property? Sensed a medical problem with a family member? Please leave your amazing animal story in the comments section of this post, and you might be featured in our next issue! We can't wait to hear from you.

--Renee

Blessed to Know Bright Blessings

We are so excited to announce that Amy and John Cervantes, along with their three sons, were recently honored as "Heroes Among Us" by People magazine for their work in founding Bright Blessings, a non-profit charity servings thousands of homeless children across the greater Charlotte region each year!

 Here is a little more about their story:

A full page in People's March 25 edition features a photo of the Cervantes family and information about how Bright Blessings first got started and the organization’s continuing impact.  

Bright Blessings began in 2005 as a family service project created by Mint Hill couple Amy and John Cervantes as way to help kids in need while fostering a love for volunteerism in their own young children. In 2008, they incorporated their service venture as a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit, quickly expanding the organization’s programs and services. Today, Bright Blessings reaches more than 3,000 local homeless children annually with its Bless-A-Birthday, Bless-A-Baby, and Gift of Literacy programs.  Bright Blessings began developing a National Affiliate Network in 2010 with several pilot affiliate chapters are already established in cities across the country.

"It is truly a family affair and we all pitch in to do whatever is needed, including the boys," says John, Sr. VP of Investments for Ballantyne's TCA Financial Group. "When Amy and I started this service project nearly eight years ago, our hope was bring some joy and support to needy kids while also giving our own boys an opportunity to learn the importance of serving others." 

To date, their family-service-project-turned-nonprofit has impacted more than 10,000 local homeless children through multiple programs and services.  "It is incredible to see how much Bright Blessings has grown over the years, thanks to the community's generosity and a group of amazing team members and volunteers who help make it all happen," says John. 

When asked about the People impact, Amy, a stay-at-home-mom and volunteer executive director for Bright Blessings, shares that the non-profit has been greatly affected: “This national media has helped elevate awareness for the important issue of family homelessness, not only in our local community but across the country as well. We continue to receive an outpouring of support from people all around the nation as a result, and it’s been a very humbling experience to hear from so many others who want to help make a difference for our local community’s homeless children.”

Congratulations Amy, John, Alex, Adam and Eli! Thank you so much for all the wonderful work you are doing. For more information, visit www.BrightBlessingsUSA.org.

Spring Consignment Sales in Bloom

I have a teeny little confession to make. I love a good deal. And I don't just mean I love one. I go crazy when I find a good deal. Take the cute little outfit in the picture below:

I picked up the entire outfit (and much much more, actually) at a great upscale consignment shop in Cornelius, N.C. called Fifi's. Would you say I spent $100, $85, or $75 for this ensemble? The bag is Kenneth Cole and the jeans are Citizens of Humanity. I actually picked this entire outfit up for $60, which was a steal in my book, especially when you can find deals just like this all over the store. I was able to pick up a few great pieces for an upcoming conference without breaking the bank, too, so I was thrilled.

All over Charlotte spring consignment sales are in bloom, such as the Back on the Rack Children, Teens and Women Consignment Sale this weekend at the Monroe Agricultural Center. And coming up later this month is the popular Green Jeans Eco Chic Consignment Sale in Lake Norman  April 17-20 (they held their SouthPark sale in March). Consigning clothes and buying gently-used items is just smart shopping, and it is good for the environment, too. I've been consigning my kids' clothes for years but only recently began discovering the joy of hitting up the consignment sales and stores for myself. My "new" items fit in nicely with my old wardrobe staples, and it is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

What are your favorite consignment sales/stores in Charlotte?