HerKentucky Business: Rebirth Recycling
Tina Rodgers is a mom, a musician and a small business owner. We're pleased to feature her in today's HerKentucky Business feature. Tina's designs are funky, chic and ecologically responsible. Check out her online shop or make a trip to downtown Frankfort to see her designs in person!Location:
When did you start your small business?
What are your specialties?
Have you had formal training in your craft, are you self-taught?
I am self taught. "Necessity is the mother of invention."From where does your inspiration come?
What is your favorite part of owning a small craft business in Kentucky?
What makes your products unique?
You? A Sorority Girl? Well, Yes, You Could Be.
When most people think of a sorority girl, the image that comes to mind is that of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde - gorgeous, well-dressed, tiny purse-sized dog named Bruiser, bubbly socialite, and a little bit ditzy. I'm almost positive that none of those adjectives have ever been used to refer to me. Okay, maybe I'm a little bit ditzy. All of this is to say that I am not exactly your stereotypical sorority girl.
When I graduated from high school in 1998, I had absolutely no intention of going through Sorority Recruitment when I enrolled at Transylvania University. Over the summer, people around me suggested that it might be a good way to meet people. As they pointed out, Transy's student population was roughly 90% Greek. My cousin, Emma, happened to be a Transy Phi Mu alumna. She urged me to give it a shot and to go into it with an open mind - after all, I could drop out of recruitment or simply choose not to join a sorority. Emma's influence was probably the greatest because she wasn't exactly the typical sorority girl, either.
You know where this story is going.
I signed my bid card with a single preference. I wanted to be a Phi Mu or an independent. There was no second choice.
After a short orientation period, I became a full-fledged member. Not only did I gain my cousin as a sister, I instantly gained thousands of women as my sisters. I was part of an organization with a long history of commitment to service, academics and the development of young women.
I wish I could say that I was a model Phi Mu woman while in school. I was not as philanthropic as I should have been. While I managed to graduate with a respectable 3.475 GPA, I was not as studious as I should have been, either. Additionally, I wasn't always the biggest fan of Greek life. I wasn't socially active on campus - choosing to move off campus earlier than most and spending most of my social life with friends who attended the University of Kentucky. Oddly, I was an officer and member of the Executive Committee one year. Even more oddly, I signed on to be in charge of Recruitment. Sometimes, my impulse to volunteer for things is pretty crazy (although we met our pledge quota plus the allowable additions that year!).
It wasn't until after graduation that I truly began to appreciate the positive effects of being in a sorority. I met women like Heather and Sarah - who all seemed like the independent, stylish, savvy, career women that I aspired to be. In search of my first really-real career position, I dutifully listed all my extracurricular activities in order to beef up my resume. I had no luck finding a position - after all, the market was flooded with accountants after Arthur Anderson went under in the wake of the Enron scandal - and accepted a low-paying government job where I had previously interned. I was surprised to get a call for an interview at a CPA firm six months later. I learned, during the interview, that my resume happened across the desk of a fellow Phi Mu alumna. She filed it with the intention to pass it along whenever she heard about open positions. She was committed to helping a sister out!
Essentially, I got my first professional position because I joined a sorority on a whim.
Since then, I've also learned that the things I experienced as a member of Greek life served wonderfully as life lessons. I learned that you don't have to love (or even like) all your sorority sisters or co-workers, but they are all deserving of your respect. I learned skills during recruitment like the ability to make small talk, remember names and details about a person translate really well to networking at business luncheons and conferences. Heck, I even learned a healthy respect for the protocols of Robert's Rules of Order. It turns out that the basic premises are really effective for running a corporate meeting!
While I may never be the woman who cites Blush and Bashful as her signature colors, or buys a "Future Phi Mu" onesie with carnations on the bum, I am proud to say that I am a sorority girl and Phi Mu woman. I will always recommend that other young women assess the Greek life at their prospective university and consider going through the Recruitment process.
Being a sorority girl is so much more than perfect hair and sitting down to smoke a cigarette - it's good preparation for life as a well-rounded woman.
Sorority Rush Outfits
Musings of a Retired Sorority Girl
Every year, around this time, the calls and emails start rolling in. It's one of those late summer Southern rituals, like obsessing over the upcoming college football season or finding new recipes for all of those vegetables from the garden. A former colleague's babysitter is going through rush. Or a girl from your aunt's Sunday School class. And she sure would like a letter of recommendation.
And so, you sit down with a good pen, your favorite monogrammed stationery, and the rec form from your organization's national website. You attempt to convey all the wonderful things you've been told about the young woman -- her involvement in her hometown church, her stellar (or otherwise) academic record, her potential for contribution to the chapter. If you're lucky, you've met the woman and can speak to her character and her demeanor. Other times, you're spinning a yarn that sounds something like "her grandmother is the most gracious lady I've ever met."
Whatever you do, you try not to look at the birth date the young woman has provided on her helpfully enclosed résumé. If you do, it's all over. You start to do the math and realize that she was born after you pledged your own chapter. Suddenly, you find yourself thinking in the clichéd quotations of Shirley MacLane's character from Steel Magnolias. If you're forward-thinking enough to ignore that little string of numbers, you can continue to channel the Julia Roberts character from that film. (Who, by the way, was a Phi Mu as well.)
As you seal up the letter, you think of all the ways that your sorority has impacted your life. The lifetime friendships as well as those fallen long to the wayside. The camaraderie that has arisen when you realize a co-worker or social acquaintance shares your Greek affiliation. The feeling of belonging that was so important to a painfully young first-year student. The lessons about working toward a common goal, even when you're on a team you don't like at the moment. The commitment to charitable causes.
As you address the envelope to the chapter lucky enough to make this young woman's acquaintance, you feel a pang of regret. You should be giving more back. Just after graduation, you served punch as an alumna hostess at those rush parties. You then moved up to advisory duties within the chapter. But then, life got in the way. You really should go back to the alumnae dinners, or see if the chapter needs your help in some way. You really did find it incredibly rewarding to help those young women meet their leadership potential.
And so, you reaffirm your own pledge that you made more years ago than you'd like to count. Maybe you'll help, and maybe you won't. But it sure would be nice to pick up some new sorority swag. They make Lilly Pulitzer scarves and Tervis Tumblers now. And who can say no to that?
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Maker's Mark and Sea Salt
I love the combination of chocolate and bourbon, and I adore the intense taste of salty-sweet desserts. So, this week, I had a lightbulb moment. Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Maker's Mark and Sea Salt. I just took a standard double chocolate chip cookie recipe and amped it up with some bourbon and a sprinkling of sea salt. These have a really intense flavor, with a crusty brownie-like exterior and a smooth, chocolate-y middle. They're fantastic for a true chocolate lover, and I've found that the guys in my family love them. My dad, brother, and brother-in-law have all asked that I make another batch soon!
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces milk chocolate, 4 ounces coarsely chopped, 4 ounces cut into 1/4-inch chunks (or chocolate chips)
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup Maker's Mark Bourbon Whisky (or your favorite)
- Coarse Sea Salt
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Melt coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
- Transfer chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar, eggs, and bourbon; mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks.
- Scoop batter using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop; place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with sea salt. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces begin to crack, about 15 minutes. Transfer on parchment to wire racks. Let cool 5 minutes. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
C-A-T-S, USA!!!
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| via AP |
It's an awesome feeling to cheer on your home country during the Olympic games. These amazing athletes instill an incomparable sense of patriotism and pride in their fans. Perhaps my connection to Ms. O'Connor is a little tenuous, as is my "his mom is a Phi Mu and so am I!" connection to Michael Phelps. But, I certainly feel a kinship every time Anthony Davis performs one of his famous madman blocks on the international stage. And I'll be cheering extra-loud for Lafayette alumnus Tyson Gay in the track and field events. I'm even putting rivalry aside to root for U of L basketball alumna Angel McCoughtry. Kentucky has a lot of great connections in London this summer. It's great to be part of such a winning team!
California Conveniences in Kentucky
