Preparing for the big day!

 With the Arthritis Walk just days ahead of us, we were preparing and nailing down every last detail. About a week leading up to the event, we were contacted by Faith’s mother to see if we wanted to combine teams. I explained to her that we had failed miserably at getting a team together, but that we’d still be there cupcakes in hand. She asked if we had any extra t-shirts that we could give to her team (Faith signed up 30 people!!!). I told her we hadn’t ordered any, but that I would see if I could get some ordered in time. She didn’t want me to have to order any, she just thought if I had some extras lying around they could use them. So, I made the call to my t-shirt guy. I gave him the date, May 16, and explained I need them by that evening because the Walk was early Sunday morning. We talked business and came up with a fair price and I placed the order for 35 team t-shirts. I contacted Faith’s mom and let her know it was a done deal!

I followed up with our t-shirt guy throughout the week, updating sizes and confirming pick up location. Well, Saturday afternoon rolled around before I knew it ( I had worked on a wedding cake and Strawberry Shortcake cake and cupcakes all morning) it was about 4:30. I asked my husband if he had picked up the shirts for me yet. He said he hadn’t heard back from our t-shirt guy. So, he called him and asked when he could pick up the shirts. The t-shirt guy sounded confused and asked when we needed them…my husband told him tonight…t-shirt guy  thought they were for next weekend. This is where my heart sinks into my stomach and my jaw drops to the floor! And, go figure, t-shirt guy is on vacation and can’t get a hold of his partner to do them last minute for us!

Now, I am totally one of those people who, when experiencing poor customer service or receives a less than satisfactory product bypasses any employee at the store level and goes straight to the top with my complaints. So, I discussed things over with my husband and confirmed I had e-mailed our t-shirt guy the date (which I clearly had). I was so upset, no, SO DISAPPOINTED and I had no idea how I was going to tell Faith and her team of 30+ that I didn’t have the t-shirts they were all promised. I thought I am going to call this person, and send a letter to that person, and I’m going to post a blog about this company…I thought, what if someone ordered a wedding cake from me and I got the dates mixed up. What if one of my customers ended up having a wedding with no cake because I thought it was “next weekend”!

Then, I calmed down. I realized that one, people make mistakes. Although I was in contact with our t-shirt guy daily, maybe I should have set a specific time on Saturday and specifically clarified (twice, maybe 3 times even) the date. Two, I know he felt bad about the situation and I know he will make it up to us at a later date (wink, wink). Finally, it’s not about the t-shirts (but it would’ve been pretty cool). While yes, it would have been nice to have everyone coordinating and see the excitement on Faith’s face as she watched everyone change into HER teams shirts, we were there for something bigger. 

Check back with us soon to find out how the Arthritis Walk of 2009 went down!

Join our team!

I just recently learned a little bit about Juvenile arthritis. In learning about this disease, unfortunately there was a face to go along with it.  There is a little girl I met who was diagnosed at a very young age with Juvenile arthritis.  Her name is Faith, appropriately.

After contacting the Executive Director of the Orange County branch, we made the commitment to help.  In honor of Faith, Two Parts Sugar is on a quest to raise money for children just like her.  We have started a team and are trying to recruit members to walk with us on May 17, 2009. You can join our team and find out more here.  Everyone who joins our team can stop by our tent the day of the event and receive a free cupcake! We are tossing around some exciting ideas to help generate donations, so keep checking back to find out more.  Please help us on our quest by joining our team or  making a donation. Here’s a little more informatiton about the event and out little hero Faith…

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this disease, as I was, it is basically this:  Juvenile arthritis (JA) refers to any form of arthritis or an arthritis-related condition that develops in children or teenagers who are less than 18 years of age. Common Symptoms of Juvenile Arthritis include pain, swelling, tenderness and stiffness of joints, causing limited range of motion.  It can also cause joint contracture, which results from holding a painful joint in a flexed position for an extended period. More so,it can cause damage to joint cartilage and bone leading to joint deformity and impaired use of the joint. As well as altered growth of bone and joints leading to short stature.

So, Faith.  She just turned 9 and has been suffering from Juvenile arthritis for years now.  She can’t participate in many sports because her movements are limited due to severe pain caused by this disease.  She loves to swim and ride horses, which is easier on her joints.  Faith is currently undergoing a new treatment which is very expensive and includes an at home shot every weekend that is administered by her parents.  While this treatment does have some side affects, the good outweigh the not so good.  Her father told me that this shot now gives her the ability to crawl. Yes, crawl. She is perfectly able to walk and move about somewhat like you and I, but crawl, not recently.  She has a one year old little brother who she has not been able to crawl around with.  After getting the first dose of this treatment, she got down on her hands and knees and looked up at her father and said…

…Look daddy, now I can crawl with Aaron.

Ok, I have two children of my own, so I’m a bit emotional when it comes to this stuff.  Hearing his story brought me to tears.  I decided I had to help.

After discussing it with the Two Parts Sugar crew, we decided to take the first step.  We contacted our local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation to see what we could do to help.  We will be meeting with them later this week to see if we can arrange something for the upcoming walk in Irvine this May.  We are hoping to use our cupcakes to raise money for the foundation and for our dear little Faith.  Pictured above are some cupcakes with different logos representative of the Arthritis foundation. We also included our own addition, the butterfly, which represents our little Faith. Please wish us luck in our quest to do so.

I just recently learned a little bit about Juvenile arthritis. In learning about this disease, unfortunately there was a face to go along with it.  There is a little girl I met who was diagnosed at a very young age with Juvenile arthritis.  Her name is Faith, appropriately.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this disease, as I was, it is basically this:  Juvenile arthritis (JA) refers to any form of arthritis or an arthritis-related condition that develops in children or teenagers who are less than 18 years of age. Common Symptoms of Juvenile Arthritis include pain, swelling, tenderness and stiffness of joints, causing limited range of motion.  It can also cause joint contracture, which results from holding a painful joint in a flexed position for an extended period. More so,it can cause damage to joint cartilage and bone leading to joint deformity and impaired use of the joint. As well as altered growth of bone and joints leading to short stature.

So, Faith.  She just turned 9 and has been suffering from Juvenile arthritis for years now.  She can’t participate in many sports because her movements are limited due to severe pain caused by this disease.  She loves to swim and ride horses, which is easier on her joints.  Faith is currently undergoing a new treatment which is very expensive and includes an at home shot every weekend that is administered by her parents.  While this treatment does have some side affects, the good outweigh the not so good.  Her father told me that this shot now gives her the ability to crawl. Yes, crawl. She is perfectly able to walk and move about somewhat like you and I, but crawl, not recently.  She has a one year old little brother who she has not been able to crawl around with.  After getting the first dose of this treatment, she got down on her hands and knees and looked up at her father and said…

…Look daddy, now I can crawl with Aaron.

Ok, I have two children of my own, so I’m a bit emotional when it comes to this stuff.  Hearing his story brought me to tears.  I decided I had to help.

After discussing it with the Two Parts Sugar crew, we decided to take the first step.  We contacted our local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation to see what we could do to help.  We will be meeting with them later this week to see if we can arrange something for the upcoming walk in Irvine this May.  We are hoping to use our cupcakes to raise money for the foundation and for our dear little Faith.  Pictured above are some cupcakes with different logos representative of the Arthritis foundation. We also included our own addition, the butterfly, which represents our little Faith. Please wish us luck in our quest to do so.