Is that Rudolph??

No... it is Andie (Luke's daughter) and Braydon (Nikki's son). They were reindeer in thier school program. They are so cute!

Good News for Christmas

The following is copied from Glenn Shepherd's blog for today. I thought it was very good; hope you enjoy. I'd like to give you a special Christmas present I haven't seen anyone giving - good news about the economy! Since you can't turn on the TV without being bombarded by nay-sayers trying to convince you the sky is falling, I'd like to tell the rest of the story, as Mr. Harvey would say. While everyone is freaking out over the dark economic cloud that rained on many parades, there are also many silver linings the mainstream media doesn't bother to mention. Here are ten good things about our economy. 1. Last week, home mortgage rates fell to a 50 year low. If you're in the market to buy a house or refinance, you can get a mortgage at rates not seen since the '57 Chevy was still new. 2. Home prices have also dropped, so today's home buyers are getting a steal of a deal. 3. Stocks are on sale right now, and some people will get rich because of it. For example, Ford sold at $66 per share in 1999, and is now selling at less than $3 per share. 4. Automakers are selling roughly 1/3 fewer new cars than usual. Economists are happy about this because they believe too many cars were being made. Environmentalists are happy because fewer cars on the road means lower emissions. This also means fewer accidents, shorter commutes, and less fuel consumption. 5. Because of the instability of many big national banks, small local banks and credit unions are seeing a HUGE influx of cash. For example, United Heritage Credit Union in Austin, Texas, saw a 35% increase in new checking accounts in July, a 43% increase in August, and a 52% increase in September. 6. While Starbucks' sales are down by 95%, Campbell's Soup's sales are up by 12%. In its 139 year existence, Campbell's has survived 28 recessions, two world wars and the Great Depression. They are the true "$1 Meal", and the sales increase means that people are being smarter with their money. 7. Major retailers in shopping malls report lower sales this Christmas. Why is this good news? Because as Dave Ramsey says, "The Mall" is French for "Paid too much". Meanwhile, discount stores like Goodwill are enjoying sales increases. As a proud customer of Goodwill, I can personally attest to the fact that it's an awesome place to get great stuff at incredible bargains. 8. Credit is now harder to get. People will now have to actually qualify for loans. (Imagine that!) 9. As the unemployment rate rises and the available supply of labor increases, businesses can be more selective about who they hire. As a result, they'll hire better people, which will make their companies stronger. 10. Illegal aliens are leaving the U.S. because jobs aren't as abundant. This will help the economy by reducing the burden placed on schools, hospitals, etc., by people who consume public services but don't pay income taxes. This also means one less excuse for politicians to raise your taxes. We've had it really good time for a long time, and there were too many out-of-control people who were in a drunken orgy of spending. Although no one likes it, some of these folks needed a slap in the face from the harsh hand of reality to sober them up. Generation after generation has faced adversity, and came out stronger for it. Contrary to what Katie Couric and company keep trying to convince you of, this is NOT EVEN CLOSE to the Great Depression. This too shall pass, and you're going to be just fine. Have a Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas, Santa Glenn with Tidings of Good Cheer

Letters to Santa

If you have any letters to Santa you'd like to share email them to me. Dear Santa, I want lip gloss and a fone. I luv u so much. I want to see yr elf. Anndrea (Tasha Dobbs 5 year old daughter) Dear Santa, I have a new little sister. My mom told me sints Lyla is here. You might not get me a hole lot. Ashlan (Bellena's 8 year old daughter) Dear Santa, I want a Ninetendo Wii for Christmas. I want snake boots too. I have been a good boy this year. I will leave you four cookies andsome milk. We don’t have a chimney so i left the key under the mat. Love Braydon Williams ( Nikki's son - she says thanks to Braydon all the neighbors know where to find her key!!) Dear santa, I want a train and a puter (computer). I will leave you some milk and cookies under the tree. Drew Moore (April and Andy's 5 year old son) Dear Santa, I would like a Play station and a train set for Christmas. My brother needs a little car. Tristan Dobbs (Laken Dobbs' son) - age 5 Kindergarten Dear Santa, How is the weather at the North Pole? I have been very good this year. I would like you to bring me biscuit the dog, baby doll, Nintendo DS game, and bring me surprises. Your Friend, Chloe House (Jana House's Daughter) age 7 2nd grade Dear Santa, For Christmas I want Batman stuff, a robot, an airplane, a jet, some animals, a box full of real snakes, horses, cooking stuff, a remote fire truck and batteries, and a truck with real cars. Hayden Robinson (Jana Houses' Son) age 4 Dear Santa, I hope this letter finds you doing well. I have been a good girl. For Christmas, I would like a cupcake maker, a baby doll, new boots, a Barbie, a cell phone, and a real puppy. Kyra King (Kristie King's Daughter) age 5 Kindergarten LOL - thought it would be fun to read some of these letters! Keep checking back. I will post all of them in this section! Bridget Adams

Small Story

I was trying to figure out what to post today and I ran across this and thought I would share with everyone. This is a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry with that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody have done. I hope everyone has a great day! Remember there are only 9 days left until Christmas!!! Area Managers

The Right Focus

Jennifer Lopez said "As human beings, we have a tendency to focus on the negative . . . You can have all this wonderful stuff and this one little thing is going wrong and we tend to focus on that. It's not about that. Its about being grateful." This week let me challenge you to choose to focus on the good things in your life and be grateful for what you have.

November Winners

AWO's 1st place - Amory CTE - (4) Prize: $300 Great job again ladies! 2nd place - We had three offices tie for 2nd place: Belmont, Aberdeen and Hamilton. We drew for the winner and Hamilton won. Prize: 8 hours of PTO Best Net 1st place - Fulton - ($2,571.00) Prize: $200 2nd place - Amory CTE -($2,296.32) Prize: 8 hours of PTO Look at those numbers, impressive job by both of these stores. We had eight offices in the negative this month. All of your hard work is appreciated. Most collected on returned checks Amory CTE - $4,236.33 Prize: $200 Olive Branch - $3,340.85 Prize: 8 hours of PTO We had two other offices that were also above $3,000 in returned checks. Thanks ladies for the effort you put forth.

WOW......

Jana House is going to have her hands full when Chloe is a teenager. She is beautiful! Chloe was in a pageant a couple of weeks ago.

I thought I would share this picture with everyone. I caught my child eating our gingerbread house...like a dog!

Congratulations!

to Aberdeen, Belmont, Hamilton and Vernon for receiving the $500 for negative on return checks for the year! Your hard work paid off! If you have any tips for others please post them. If any one has any comments or suggestions for 2009 Christmas party please let us know. Also, if you have any pictures from the Christmas party that you would like to share please send them to Kim!

Christmas Party

We just wanted to say thank you to everyone for attending the Christmas party. We had a great turn out and a wonderful time because of you. It was such a pleasure to see everyone in the company under one roof.

Area Managers

Welcome Annabelle Grace

Bethany Elrod had Annabelle Grace on Thanksgiving. She weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and was 19 inches long!