lifestyle | Crestview News Bulletin

'They had no idea'

Written by archive on November 29, 2016. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

Editor’s Note: November is National CRPS Awareness Month. Complex regional pain syndrome is a chronic, little-known condition. In this story, a Laurel Hill woman shares her experience.

CRESTVIEW — For Brandi Fickling, pain is a part of everyday life. The Laurel Hill resident said she’s had complex regional pain syndrome since 2013.

"I had basically overextended the nerves and tendons in my arms and my shoulder," she said.

Afterward, she developed symptoms including extreme pain, clawing in her right hand, redness and warmth and swelling in the injured area.

Fickling didn’t get a CRPS diagnosis until six months after the incident.

"They had no idea what was going on,” she said. “They bounced me from neurosurgeons to orthopedists to rheumatologists. I actually have a disorder called Ehlers-Danlos (syndrome). They thought it had something to do with that. Technically, it is related, so they figured it had something to do with my tendons," she said.

According to the American RSD Hope website at http://www.rsdhope.org/, CRPS is a progressive disease of the autonomic nervous system. The pain it causes "is characterized as a constant, extremely intense, and out of proportion to the original injury," the website states. Swelling, skin changes, excessive sweating in the limbs, and extreme pain are among the usual symptoms.

The results can affect someone’s lifestyle. Before CRPS, Fickling said, "I used to do a lot of activities with my kids and now I can't really do that much — a field trip here and there. So I'm pretty much at home all the time and going to a doctor's appointment.”

Treatment, in Fickling's case, is a combination of relaxation, physical therapy and pain medication. She also sees a pain management specialist and a neurologist.

For now, she wants to spread awareness.

"This can start just from getting a hang nail or getting a cut on your hand,” Fickling said. “It doesn't usually come from anything major. It really doesn't take much.

“So if you continue to have excessive pain from (an) injury, it's time to get it looked at by a doctor.”

Here are some links for more information on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, also referred to as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD).

•http://www.rsdhope.org/ – one of the first websites published by a person with CRPS

•http://rsds.org/telltale-signs-and-symptoms-of-crpsrsd/ – telltale signs and symptoms of CRPS/RSD

•https://www.facebook.com/pg/RSD.CRPS.Awareness/about/?ref=page_internal

•https://www.facebook.com/RSDCRPSFriendsinPain/

Some CRSP online resources

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'They had no idea'

Before you buy: 11 drone safety tips

Written by archive on November 28, 2016. Posted in lifestyle.

Every year there is a “must have” Christmas gift that children, and adults as well, hope to find under the tree. It seems there’s at least one item that has shoppers lining up in droves. Think Cabbage Patch kids, Tickle Me Elmo and the Nintendo Wii.

This year, as was last year, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or Drones, are the hot ticket item. During the 2015 holiday season, drone sales increased 445 percent from the 2014 holiday season, and are expected to increase even more this year.

With Christmas around the corner, these aircrafts are at the top of the wish list for many, but Gulf Power wants to warn customers before they invest in purchasing a drone, they are not toys. Practice is needed to fly them safely and users must adhere to Federal Aviation Administration rules and regulations and state restrictions.

"The lower price of unmanned aircraft along with the newer technology has made drones more affordable and attractive to more people," said Rick DelaHaya, Gulf Power spokesperson. "But, many are not familiar with the rules of flying and as more people enter the hobby drone scene, the potential for crashes and accidents multiply. We want consumers to have fun with unmanned aircraft but we want them to follow these best practices for safety, especially when around electricity."

Safe operation is a clear priority for flyers, new or experienced. One of the biggest safety concerns, said DelaHaya, is to not fly over critical infrastructure such as power lines, substations and other electrical equipment.

“Any activity that distracts people from the possible dangers around them, and could potentially put them near our electrical equipment and lines, is a major concern for us,” said DelaHaya. “Parents of children, and those adults flying drones need to remember safety around electricity.”

Other important safety tips to keep in mind when flying your drone according to the FAA include:

· You must be 13 years of age or older (if the owner is less than 13 years of age, a person 13 years of age or older must register the small unmanned aircraft).

· Don’t fly your drone above 400 feet.

· Always keep your drone in eyesight.

· Don’t fly in bad weather conditions like high winds or reduced visibility.

· Stay clear of and do not interfere with manned aircraft, especially low-flying airplanes and helicopters.

· Remain at least 25 feet away from other people and vulnerable property. Don’t fly over moving vehicles.

· Contact the airport or control tower before flying within five miles of an airport.

· Don’t fly near or over power plants, power substations, water treatment facilities, correctional facilities, heavily traveled roadways, government facilities, etc.

· Make sure other nearby drone operators are competent and proficient in flying drones.

· Check and follow all local laws and ordinances before flying over private property.

· Don’t conduct surveillance or photograph people in areas where there is an expectation of privacy without the individual’s permission.

Also, be sure to read the Federal Aviation Administration’s new rules and regulations drone pilots are required to follow. For more information, read the FAA’s Fly for Fun, https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/fly_for_fun/.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Before you buy: 11 drone safety tips

Church presents 'Polar Express' screening

Written by archive on November 28, 2016. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Children can wear their pajamas to cozy up for a screening of “The Polar Express.”

The event, free to attend, is set 6-8:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at First United Methodist Church of Crestview’s Crossroads Center, 599 Eighth Ave.

Children may bring a sleeping bag, blanket and pillows for the screening. Stuffed animals are welcome, too.

Concession and activity booths will be set up before the movie.

Contact April Hight, fumc.aprilhight@gmail.com or 682-2018 ext. 102 for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Church presents 'Polar Express' screening

Christmas cookies wanted for Crestview prisoners

Written by archive on November 28, 2016. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — First Presbyterian Church of Crestview is accepting Christmas cookies for prisoners.

Here are the guidelines:

Cookies must be homemade (from scratch) or home baked (with premade dough).
Use snap-style sandwich bags only.
Include no letters, notes or cards. These items are considered contraband.
No soft icing or cream filling, which could result in smashed cookies.

Contact the church office, 682-2835, for more details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Christmas cookies wanted for Crestview prisoners

Time for a year-end investment review

Written by archive on November 28, 2016. Posted in columns, lifestyle.

With the holiday season upon us, you may well be busier than usual. However, by spending a few minutes reviewing your investment scenario of this past year, you can see where you’ve been, where you might be going, and what you need to do to keep moving toward your long-term financial goals. So, as you look back at 2016, pay close attention to these elements of your investment picture:

So, as you look back at 2016, pay close attention to these elements of your investment picture:

•Performance — Reviewing your investment performance over time is important in helping you determine if you’re on track to achieve your financial goals. So, in evaluating how your investments did in 2016, ask yourself some key questions: How did your investments do relative to their performance in past years? If there was a big difference, what might have accounted for it? Were your returns relevant to your long-term goals? In other words, if you have already established a return rate you’ll need to reach your goals — and you should indeed set such a rate — were your actual returns “on track” to help you make progress toward your objectives? And, just as important, were your return expectations realistic, based on your investment mix and the market environment?

•Investment mix — If you are a diligent investor following a well-designed strategy, you probably started out in 2016 with an investment mix that reflects your risk tolerance, time horizon, and short- and long-term goals. But over time, your investment mix can change, even without your having done so on purpose. If you owned a certain percentage of an asset, such as growth stocks, and those stocks appreciated in price substantially, they could take up a larger percentage of your portfolio than you had intended, thereby exposing you to a higher risk level than that with which you are comfortable. So now that the year is coming to a close, examine your investment mix to see if it needs “rebalancing.”

•Contribution levels — Are you taking full advantage of your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan? Specifically, if you got a raise this past year, did you boost your contributions to your plan? The more you invest now, and throughout your working life, the less likely it will be that you have to play “catch up” in the years immediately preceding your retirement.

•Mistakes — We all make mistakes in every walk of life — including the way we invest. In looking back over 2016, can you spot some investment mistakes you might have made? Did you temporarily “bail out” on investing immediately after the “Brexit” vote, only to find, a few weeks later, that the markets had soared to record highs? Did you act on impulse and buy a so-called “hot” stock that turned out to be inappropriate for your needs and risk level? While mistakes like these might be costly in the short term, they can ultimately prove invaluable — if you learn from them.

We’re just about ready to turn the page on the 2016 calendar. So, as you review your investment decisions for the past year, try to determine what worked, what didn’t — and what you can do to improve your results in 2017.

This article was written by Edward Jones on behalf of your Edward Jones financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Time for a year-end investment review

Helping children 365 days a year

Written by archive on November 25, 2016. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Many people either start their holiday shopping or catch last-minute bargains on Black Friday. This year, Lifepoint’s Kids Mart at 998 S. Ferdon Blvd. joined in the fun.

The store sells new and gently used items for babies, kids and teens. Items include clothes, shoes, toys, nursery items, car seats and blankets at bargain prices. Proceeds help hundreds of local children in foster care.

“Kids Mart was started in the Shriners Building about eight years ago by a local woman,” Crestview resident Lisa Brennan, the store’s director, said. “I purchased Kids Mart about four years ago. We held pop-up sales about five times a year in the area. I kept all donations stored at my house.”

A year ago, the store merged with Lifepoint Church, where Brennan and her husband, Tim, are members. In July and September, the store held sales in the church gym. They raised over $10,000 in four days; all proceeds went to local foster children.

Lifepoint Church and the Rev. Mark English leased a building on South Ferdon with the Brennans for Kids Mart. The lease was finalized Nov. 3 and the Brennans and volunteers spent the past few weeks fixing up the building.

“Pastor English has already said that if things go well, we will move on to a bigger building,” Brennan said.

Kids Mart became a charitable organization for local foster children two years ago, according to Brennan, who said her best friend, Shirley Hayes, always helped with Kids Mart before she died from cancer.

“I thought that the best way to honor her and the children was to have all the proceeds go to local foster children. All of the angel wings you see in our building are in honor of her. We take foster children under our wings,” Brennan said.

Lifepoint’s Kids Mart accepts donations, consignments and volunteers year-round.

The Brennans’ daughter, Lauren Simmons, helps, along with her 5-year-old son, Xavier, who passes out candy canes. Brennan’s close friend, Christina Stjean, and Bobbie Barlow and her daughter, Charlotte, also volunteer.

Hours are Mondays and Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Helping children 365 days a year

Helping foster families — one sale at a time

Written by archive on November 25, 2016. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — A new store will provide more than deals on children’s items; it will benefit North Okaloosa County foster families.

Lifepoint Kids Mart’s grand opening, which began Nov. 25, continues 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 26 at 998 S. Ferdon Blvd., Crestview, next to the Tactical Gear camouflage building. The event includes photos with Santa Claus, a clearance tent, and low prices on new and gently used items for kids and teenagers.

The photo fundraiser includes a 4-by-6-inch photo with Santa, for a donation; various packages are available after that. Proceeds and all sales will benefit children and families in the foster care system, Lisa Brennan, the store’s director, said.

The store, familiar to many Crestview residents, will be open year-round. Hours are Mondays and Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

So, how did it all begin?

Brennan purchased Kids Mart from its previous owner, who twice a year had so-called pop-up sales of gently used baby and kid items. From those sales, the company gradually expanded and became a charity to honor Brennan's best friend, Shirley Hayles, who died of throat cancer in 2014.

"She lived in Pensacola, but she was a true volunteer,” Brennan said. “She showed up to everything, no matter what it was I was trying to do. She showed up even when she had a voice box (due to the cancer).

"At that point we saw a lot of people coming in who needed help … so we turned it into a charity and called it Shirley's Little Angels," Brennan said of the moment she and her husband Timothy, made that decision.

Now, as a volunteer director, Brennan and 10 to 15 Lifepoint Church volunteers prepare inventory, sell merchandise and take care of other LKM tasks.

How are sales?

“We used to average $2,000 to $3,000 gross sales in two days,” she said. “Since we merged with Lifepoint, we have almost tripled that number, which is why we rented a building and will be open five days a week.”

Brennan said the organization has made enough money over the past couple of years that they donate items to foster families who can't afford them. They still have enough inventory to sell and provide money for other levels of support.

"Any foster care kids in this end of the county, we take care of. If they say, ‘I need clothes,’ we get clothes. Most of the time, we have what they need or I go find what they need," she said, mentioning one instance where a foster family took in one infant in an afternoon and had to source a bed for the child.

Though sales growth is expected, the goal for those proceeds will remain the same, Brennan said.

“We will be able to help so many more families in this area,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Helping foster families — one sale at a time

Prepare your heart, soul for Christmas

Written by archive on November 23, 2016. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

Before you go on a trip, what do you do? You prepare.

First, you select your destination and how you will get there. Then you determine what you would like to do once you arrive. Then the cost for the excursion is ascertained and taken into account. You check the climate of your destination and pack accordingly. Will you take your own food or eat out every meal?

If you have pets, you need to arrange for their care in your absence. If you will be gone for a length of time, you may want to put a hold on your mail and newspaper delivery. And once all is ready, you head out the door — ensuring several times that the door is locked securely. There are many details that need to be tended to before you can leave.

Often, it is a good practice to prepare a bit each day well ahead of your departure. Otherwise, there will most likely be a last-minute rush to get everything done; some things will be forgotten; tempers might tend to flare; and anguish expressed for not having prepared.

The First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Christian New Year, is Nov. 27. It begins the annual journey to Bethlehem and the beginning of new life for God’s children. The journey culminates at the manger in a stable when we celebrate God’s incarnation in the baby Jesus.

What kind of a trip will you make during the next four weeks? Will your Christmas celebration be a journey for which you prepare a bit each day? Or will it be a mad rush at the end?

Yes, there is much to do between now and Dec. 25. Yes, enjoy the shopping and decorating. Yes, enjoy the parties and camaraderie. At the same time, remember that the most important preparation needs to be your heart and soul.

Remember to prepare your heart and soul amid all other preparations. Remain focused on why there is all this preparation for Christmas: It is the celebration of God coming into this world to free humanity from the burdens of its sinful ways and win us back to him.

So, as the prophet declares: Prepare a way for the Lord! Clear a straight path for him, straight to your heart.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Prepare your heart, soul for Christmas

RECALLED: Avoid these ready-to-eat chicken products

Written by archive on November 23, 2016. Posted in food, lifestyle.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2016 – National Steak and Poultry, an Owasso, Okla., establishment, is recalling approximately 17,439 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products due to adulteration because of possible undercooking, resulting in the potential survival of bacterial pathogens in the products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service(FSIS) announced today.

The ready-to-eat chicken products were produced Oct. 4, 2016. The products were packaged on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5, 2016. The following products are subject to recall:

5 lb. bags packed 2 bags per case; product labeled “Distributed by National Steak and Poultry, Owasso, OK Fully Cooked, Diced, Grilled Boneless Chicken Breast Meat with Rib Meat” with Lot code 100416, and Case Code: 70020.

5 lb. bags packed 2 bags per case; product labeled “Hormel Natural Choice 100% Natural No Preservatives Fully Cooked Roasted Chicken Breast Strips with Rib Meat Natural Smoke Flavor Added” with Lot code 100416, and Case code 702113.

The cases containing the products subject to recall bear establishment number “P-6010T” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to food service locations nationwide and should not be in consumers’ possession. No other Hormel product is impacted.

The problem was discovered on Nov. 14, 2016, when a food service customer complained to the establishment that product appeared to be undercooked.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse health effects or illnesses due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a health effect should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: RECALLED: Avoid these ready-to-eat chicken products

RECALLED: Avoid this incorrectly labeled pork gravy

Written by archive on November 22, 2016. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22, 2016 – H.J. Heinz Co., a Muscatine, Iowa, establishment, initiated a recall on Nov. 19, 2016, of approximately 5,022 pounds of bistro au jus gravy product that is incorrectly labeled as pork gravy due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The au jus gravy product contains milk and soy, known allergens, which are not declared on the incorrect labeling for pork gravy.

The au jus gravy labeled incorrectly as pork gravy was produced on June 4, 2016. The following products are subject to recall:

558 cases containing 12 – 12-oz. jars (per case) of “HEINZ HOMESTYLE BISTRO AU JUS GRAVY” that is mislabeled with Homestyle Pork Gravy labels with “Best By 12/28/2017 MU6F04” on the jar cap and “Case Best By 12/28/17 MU6F04” on the cases.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “M2041” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to a distributor and to retail locations nationwide.

The problem was discovered by the company on Nov. 17, 2016, after they were notified by a customer that a jar labeled as “Heinz Homestyle Pork Gravy” looked darker than expected. The company determined the mislabeling incident occurred on June 4, 2016, when a box of labels for the company’s “Heinz Homestyle Pork Gravy” product was brought to the processing line and used during the production and packaging of the au jus gravy. When the company initiated the recall, they contacted all of their customers that may have received the mislabeled gravy product (including more than 1,000 retail stores) informing them to remove the products from their store shelves. The company also provided a press release about the incident and initiation of a voluntary recall of incorrectly labeled products to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FSIS was notified of the issue by a FDA representative on Nov. 21, 2016 and, out an abundance of caution, FSIS is issuing its own press release.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: RECALLED: Avoid this incorrectly labeled pork gravy

Some CRSP online resources

850.682.6524