About Me

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Lehi, Utah, United States
I have worked in the field of children's product development, safety, testing and quality assurance for the past 26 years. My blog is here to help me share my knowledge and thoughts about child safety, parenting, regulatory issues, recalls, and similar topics. I look forward to reading your posts, thoughts and opinions as we go along. let me know what you're interested in hearing about, and I'll see what I can do you get some info posted for you. In my freelance writing assignment, as with everything else, I have a passion for customer satisfaction. I can deliver a professional product that meets your quality expectations and keeps your project on schedule. I work well as part of a team or independently, with as little or as much interaction as you desire. I maintain an attitude of flexibility throughout my writing assignments, and am not afraid of constructive critiques that can more closely align my work with the client’s expectations.

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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

An Unbreakable Chain

In Isaiah 41:10, God is telling His believers “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you.  I will help you.  I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” 

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When everything here on earth is going haywire, these words bring a great deal of comfort and hope. To know that God is indeed “with me” every day, and that He’ll never abandon me when the road gets rocky.  That inspires real confidence in my steps.

But what is the significance of God’s “victorious right hand?”  Why his right hand?

In Hebrews 8:1 and Mark 16:19, these words once again reverberated the importance of this right-hand position.  It’s a position of honor and power.

HERE IS THE MAIN POINT: Our High Priest sat down in the
place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand.” 
Hebrews 8:1

WHEN THE LORD JESUS has finished talking to them, he was
taken up into heaven and sat down in his place of honor
at God’s right hand.” 
Mark 16:19

Have you ever thought about the reason Jesus sat on God’s right side; the side next to the righteous and victorious right hand of God?  Someone once told me that the right hand is the hand of power, so this was not a surprise to me.  But I was so excited to read in Isaiah that we are also so honored when God uses this powerful and honored right hand to "hold us up."

Just imagine that for a minute. God used this hand to create the earth and the mountains, the animals and the seas. He uses this same hand of omnipotent power to get us through life. No one can beat that!  It is humbling to think that He cares about you and I so much that He uses only the best, most honored hand to guide us through life. 

I always have this mental image of Christ and me walking side by side through life.  But after re-reading this passage in Isaiah, I will always envision Christ on my left side, with His strong and comforting right arm firmly grasping my shoulders.  From God to Christ to me - locking arms and taking on life on earth like an unbreakable wall. 

I was lost in this image, when I suddenly thought, “To whom will I offer my right hand?”  Now I recognize that when God tells me to love my neighbor as myself, He is challenging me to give others the best of me, not the second best. Offer those I meet MY right hand and honor them as God does for me.  What a privilege that God uses us to keep adding to that unbreakable chain. 

Who will you honor with your right hand today?  

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Find a New BFF: Colby’s Kettle Corn


I have always been a popcorn fan. I have trouble sitting in a movie without my medium-size tub of buttered bliss. I discovered the yumminess of kettle corn several years ago while I was waiting for the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, British Columbia. Where had this yummy treat been all my life? I couldn’t get enough of it after that. I like it salty, sweet, cheesy and buttery. Light and tasty and,....wait a minute... maybe I’d better check the ingredient label.  I read with increasing disappointment as one ingredient after the other added pounds to my hips almost instantly.

I had to give up the toppings in an effort to pretend like I was sticking to some kind of a diet. Plain popcorn is naturally low in fat and the fiber content gets healthy points, too. The flavor however, leaves a lot to be desired. I thought I would be destined to chew on this bland popped snack forever, saying good-bye to my new friend kettle corn. That was until I discovered Colby’s Kettle Corn.

I jumped for joy when I read their ingredient label at my local market. Low in calories and 100% natural ingredients; none of which have more than seven letters in their name, so you don’t need a dictionary to understand what you’re eating.  I took a bite and felt like I had just found my new best friend forever (BFF).
  • Peanut free
  • Gluten free
  • No cholesterol
  • Low sodium
  • Vegetarian friendly
  • No preservatives
  • No trans fat
  • No MSG
  • Low calorie
  • Good source of fiber


Colby’s Kettle corn comes in four terrific flavors and each one is healthy and satisfying.  I still like the Sweet and Salty the best, but the Cinnamon and Sugar is running a very close second.  For those of you who like cheesy and spicy – you won’t be disappointed; there is something there for you, too.
Why not check out their website and see where you can pick some up near you.  Shipping is also available, but I prefer more instant gratification. First-time buyers and Facebook friends get great deals; and they have a purchase points bonus plan that is a real sweet deal too.
 Try it this week and let me know what you think!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Bird Deterrents that Reduce Window Strikes

One of the joys of creating a lovely garden is the time spent sitting on the nearby porch watching the many songbirds it attracts.  If a water fountain or birdbath is nearby, bird watchers will have the additional thrill of seeing the birds’ antics in the water. This water scene can easily be a double-edged sword.  Large windows looking out over the garden can reflect the images outside; fooling birds into thinking there is fun ahead.  Bird lovers are often saddened to find an injured or dead bird laying on the ground just beneath their window; the victim of an exuberant flier smashing directly and at full speed, into the immovable window.  Not every incident can be avoided, but there are some simple bird deterrents that can be put in place to reduce the number of events.
Simple First Steps

It is good to think about placement of the water feature in your garden or lawn. Locating a fountain or birdbath out of the line of reflection in the window, or very close to the window is a simple and cost effective bird deterrent for this situation.  Removing the image from the window view will send the birds flying instead to the real water source and not it’s reflection.  Water sources placed close to windows tend to decrease the window strike incidents since birds will more likely fly directly to the water source and not past it to the reflection.  If they do overshoot their target, their speed is normally slower as they approach the water. Birds hitting windows at a slower speed may be dazed and temporarily confused, but not seriously injured.

Two Steps Beyond
Covering your windows with opaque coatings will defeat the purpose of your lovely window/garden view.  Let’s face it, windows bring in light and allow us to view nature. There is no reason to live in the dark and miss out on the beauty outside.  One useful bird deterrent that can work to reduce bird strikes is to apply static cling decals to the windows. Window Alert decals applied every two to three square feet of exterior glass surface work to reflect ultraviolet light; warning the bird that this is not a pass through. What’s even better, the decals are virtually invisible when looking from the inside out. This solution is great because it protects the birds while allowing viewers to enjoy the indoor benefits of light-enhancing windows.
Lightweight bird netting may also be stretched tightly across a window.  The netting is invisible at a distance, and can serve to interfere with the reflective nature of the window. Also, if the bird still flies toward the window, the netting held taught a few inches from the solid glass panel, can help reduce the impact and potential serious injury.
A professional bird control retailer, or ornithologist can be contacted to help determine which window alert or bird netting is best for your situation.  One or more of these solutions put into practice will dramatically improve the safety of your homemade songbird sanctuary.


Thursday, December 8, 2011

THE WILD, WILD WEST OF MANAGEMENT

Sometimes it is tough to define success in an organization.  Some may define it as exceptional profits and financial growth.  Some may feel that public perception or reputation for quality products is the key to success.  Still others, those who are in business for profit as well as for contributing to the greater good of our nation, may have a different definition.

So often the personal achievement of individuals, the everyday employee, is overlooked as a factor of company success. That hard-working, dedicated worker who clocks into an organization day after day, often forgoing school events with his/her children or personal activities with friends and family to assure the company vision is fulfilled. This is the employee who is constantly learning and trying to improve their performance on a regular basis.  This is also typically the employee who is secretly longing for recognition of their commitment and achievements.  The sad truth is that in far too many cases this is simply overlooked.

If only the major accomplishments of management and executives are celebrated, the excellent people who worked hard to create that great result can feel ignored, unappreciated and irrelevant.  The fact is that it is often the efforts of those employees that make the success possible.  It could be suggested that the most successful organizations all have one common trait – they inspire and recognize employees’ efforts and achievement.

Sound simple?  Au contraire!  Managers are far too often left in a quandary as to how to inspire, motivate and recognize employees.  The day-to-day hands-on work of the department can get in the way of collecting gems of information about an employee’s work.  Come performance review time, managers find themselves staring into a dark abyss trying to retrieve specific accomplishments, moments of excellent attitude, or those above and beyond incidents.

It takes intentionality to track employee achievements, and more effort yet to enact a system of regular recognition.  While a monetary bonus is always appreciated, a shining moment of sincere recognition by the team, the manager, or even the executives in an organization goes a long way toward motivating continued dedication.
Photo: goldelicious
PANNING FOR GOLD
At Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California there is a Pan For Gold attraction located in the Ghost Town.  Visitors dig into the water, scoop up a mixture of sand, pebbles and dirt searching for that one nugget of gold.  Managers have a very similar job.  It’s impossible to know what each employee is doing every day, so a good manager uses many of these mining techniques on a regular basis:
  • Speak with fellow employees with whom the employee has interacted
  • Speak to any outside vendors, suppliers, or clients with whom the employee has interfaced
  • Discuss the employee’s contribution to a specific project with the project lead
  • Seek out opinions as to the employee’s reputation among other department personnel
  • Check the employee’s attendance habits, or their safety record
  • Analyze personal conversations that took place with the employee
  • Check employee’s annual goals and the progress he/she is making toward them

These efforts are just like panning for gold.  One small nugget may be revealed that deserves to be shined up, developed, or recognized.  If a manager sees a nugget that isn’t shining yet, but would be brilliant given the right feedback and guidance – take the opportunity to recognize the effort and mentor the employee to develop his/her skills for even better results. This kind of recognition can be very motivating to the right employee.


TALES OF THE WILD WEST
Performance reviews can be a great place to recognize an employee’s achievements. Managers who have not been actively panning for gold during the year can often find this annual responsibility pure drudgery.  They find themselves writing superficial reviews that tend to either overlook the positive, or over-emphasize the negative.  Managers who have been collecting little gems of performance highlights throughout the year are more likely to prepare and deliver a more balanced & useful performance review.

Offering quick and timely kudos to an employee does a lot to build up confidence and motivate continued quality performance. Managers who conduct quarterly performance checks find themselves much better prepared for those annual reviews.  This can be an effective way to see if goals need to be adjusted, training needs to be done, or acknowledgement of effort is appropriate.

But recognizing achievement behind closed doors is not the only way to build up a good employee's confidence.  Managers who have panned for gold and found a valuable nugget want to do what every old west gold miner wanted to do – shout it out to others!

Find simple, creative and fun ways to tell others about an employee’s achievement.

  • Write a short blurb in the company newsletter recognizing the individual
  • Plan a surprise lunch for the department and announce the employee’s great effort
  • Create a public board to post daily or weekly recognition (AND USE IT!).
  • Write a commendation to the company CEO or President describing the efforts of the employee (copy to employee & HR file.)
  • Take time in normal conversation with the employee and other managers to commend the employee’s work.
  • Send out an email to the employee congratulating them for their work (copy your boss and the department members.)
  • Challenge the employee with the leadership role on a new project (if appropriate), letting the team know it is because of their great work on the previous project.

Companies who invest in their people are much more likely to be defined as “successful” by employees.  Panning for gold can be a very uplifting and satisfying adventure for any manager.  It can find wonderful nuggets of achievement to crow about, and uncover areas where development and training are still needed.  So hitch up you thigh high boots and get digging!