About Crow Wing County, MN

My Re$ale Design & Home Staging Partner - Allison Lordbock

The Children’s Miracle Network was selected as the official national platform for the Miss America Organization. This partnership represents the first time in the 87-year history of the Miss America Organization that they have adopted such a program.

The Children’s Miracle Network has had an 19-year history working with the Miss America
Organization, with this newest initiative signifying a permanent and on-going relationship between the two.
The new partnership will provide opportunities for the Miss America Organization to not only raise funds
and awareness for the 17 million children treated each year at the 170 Children’s Miracle Network hospitals,
but also for the Miss America Scholarship Program, the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for
young women, providing more than $45 million in cash and tuition scholarship assistance to them each year.

Each year the new Miss America, in addition to bringing awareness to her personal platform, will be an official goodwill ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network as she raises funds and awareness for both Children’s Miracle Network and the Miss America Organization. This partnership also extends to the woman competing at the local, state and national levels of the pageant, asking each contestant who participates to be responsible for raising funds on behalf of Children’s Miracle Network and the Miss America Organization.

Allison's personal platform is entitled - "Leaving A Legacy"

She travels as a singer and speaker throughout the United States and into foreign lands with Reggie Dabbs and Elevate Industries,

holding school assemblies encouraging students to make positive choices and to strive for excellence. These assemblies are cutting edge and intense. Reggie Dabbs uses his own personal story along with high energy dramas to leave a lasting impression on students. As Reggie says, "You can not change your past, but you can change your future." Our legacy can change others' futures.

Donate today and help change someone's future:

Allison's fundraiser page - please donate - every dollar counts

When the former President Boris Yeltsin of Russia was buried, he had a Russian Orthodox service. This is the first time in over a century that in Russia a deceased head of state was bid a religious farewell.

The memorial service was held in central Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral and was attended by our former U.S. Presidents George H.W.Bush and Clinton along with dignitaries from many countries.

Was the name of Christ spoken-was the plan of Salvation talked through- did those in charge of the religious parts of this service speak truth to the living?

Funerals are for the living. At a funeral there is a somewhat captive audience that normally ,at least a few of which , wouldn't set foot in church on a Sunday. Don't waste this opportunity. Speak life to the living!

Photo by lyng883

Many homes built in the past 20-30 years did not put central lighting fixtures in many rooms , such as the living-room, bedrooms, and dens or studios (now called "the home office). Unless homeowners are willing to have wires threaded through ceilings and new switches installed, home stagers are going to have to work with what you have. That means floor lamps, table lamps, buffet lamps, plug-in night lights with decorative shades, up-lights and the like. Most of these come with cords. Cords are ugly. Not only ugly, but potentially dangerous and you can not put them in a walk path over or under a rug. NO, NO!!!!

• So when strategically planning that perfect furniture arrangement - you need to consider where the wall outlets are. Better to scope them out before the furniture placements starts.

• While natural light is always a wonder to uncover - I will go against the flow and state "Maybe, don't turn on every light in the house."

photo: Flickr

• Lighting helps set the mood for a room's perceived use. Some overhead lighting such as the older style fluorescents can be quite harsh. It is hard to look good in that light, unless you are under the age of 2.

• I am not advocating that rooms be dimly lit either. People need to see what is for sale or they will wonder what is being hidden. Low light may work for a romantic candle light dinner, but not for a home showing.

• For rooms in which you may want to lower the lights down low - dimmers are a modern wonder. You will wonder what you did without them.

• You need a balance of light from whatever sources you can put in a room. A variety of light sources is the best and well thought out light placement will play up architectural details, angles, and put each room in a flattering glow. For example: rope lights along the top of a kitchen cupboard pulls the eye up and vaults the space. An up-light on a corner tall plant gives interest to that space. A small lamp on a kitchen counter or a plug -in decorative night light will do the trick there.

As with most things in life it comes down to a matter of balance.