Final Push!

Busy week this week!  Our cookbook is wrapping up and just about ready to head off to the publisher.  Just a friendly reminder that recipes are due by end of day on Friday, February 6.  As of this post, we  have received and entered 192 recipes.  They have been so much fun to read and enter in to our cookbook.  And I have to tell you they are so good that they keep me in a constant state of hunger.  We just can’t wait to share them all with you.

We are also still accepting pre-orders for the cookbook.  They are going to be $10 each and then an additional $3 shipping and handling each if you need the book direct shipped to you.  Be sure to pre-order yours today to guarantee your copy.  They also make great gifts.  Mother’s Day will be coming up soon (hint, hint).  For the pre-orders we have already received, invoices will be going out next week via e-mail whenever possible and the rest via mail.  We will begin shipping out and delivering the cookbooks as soon as we receive them back from the publisher.

In other non-cookbook related “news”, we had a great Walk to Cure Arthritis meeting last week Thursday.  It is always great to get together with other families that struggle through fighting this disease either themselves personally or with their child.  They truly understand your ups and downs and have more then likely experienced them too.  And getting together gives us a chance to not only share some of that burden but also to relax and smile together while talking about and planning for one of our favorite events, the Walk to Cure Arthritis.

The Walk will once again be the first Saturday in May (May 2nd) and we are going to be back at John Ball Zoo.  If you have not had the chance to join us in the past, please consider joining us this year.  This is the signature fundraising event for the Arthritis Foundation and for the participants, a great day of fun, laughter, sharing, learning, walking, talking, and of course a visit to the zoo!  We have set a team goal of raising $5000 this year and having a team of 20 walkers, but we would love to just blow those numbers right out of the water.  Please consider joining us in the effort by signing up to Walk with us or if you aren’t able to walk with us on May 2nd then by joining our team and fundraising for a Cure or making a donation.  Just click on this link http://2015arthritiswalkgrandrapids.kintera.org/mackenziessidekicks to join our team or make a donation.  Every dollar and every walker helps.

Finally, be sure to visit our Events page regularly as we have several Fundraising events coming up, with the first being our Brann’s give back event on February 17.  Brann’s on Harvey St. in Muskegon is generously donating 15% of sales to Mackenzie’s Sidekicks in support of our team in the 2015 Walk to Cure Arthritis on February 17.  Just go to our Events page and click on the flyer, print it out and take it with you to Brann’s on February 17.  When you give the flyer to your server, 15% of your bill will go to Mackenzie’s Sidekicks.  This is good on both dine in and carry out orders!  Please enjoy a meal or snack out and help support Mackenzie’s Sidekicks in our effort to find a cure!

Upcoming events after Brann’s include the release of our Cooking for a Cure with Mackenzie’s Sidekicks cookbook, the 2nd Annual Springtime Women’s Expo in Spring Lake (we will have a booth there with information and the cookbook), the 2nd Annual Mom2Mom Sale to support Mackenzie’s Sidekicks (this year to be held at the Holiday Inn in Spring Lake), and our newest fundraiser…..raising “Bones” to help find a cure for arthritis.  And for those of you that know us well, I’m sure the list will grow.  Just be sure to keep an eye on the Events page for more information on each of these events and to learn about any new events that come up.