Emery Law Office - February 2022

Emery Law Office - February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022

A WEEKEND OF LOVE IN THE BIG APPLE

FINDING GRATITUDE IN UNEXPECTED PLA

in their cars or hide their receipts to avoid an argument. I never have to worry about that with Dave. He wouldn’t bat an eyelash if five boxes arrived on our doorstep tomorrow. He’d probably just laugh at my online shopping addiction!

You know it’s true love when you never have to hide your new shoes.

Katie handed out cupcakes to all of the kids in the building, so during the party, they ran around nonstop playing and licking frosting off their fingers. Hannah was right there with them. Last time I visited, she wasn’t even crawling, but now she can walk all over the place! We gave Hannah a Paddington Bear book and stuffed Paddington to go with it, along with a book subscription. She was thrilled and so was Katie! (She has all of Hannah’s naptime reading material memorized.) Hannah also unwrapped a set of magnetic blocks from her other grandma and a xylophone from her Uncle Zach — much to the horror of her parents. David told her not to open the box, but Dave sneaked over and did it anyway. I was right there cheering him on. “Open up that bad boy,” I told him. “She needs to experience this!” The look on her face when she tapped out a little song was definitely worth it. My gosh, I thought, life is wonderful . After nine years with my husband and one with my granddaughter, my heart is full to the brim this Valentine’s Day. It’s amazing how quickly time goes by! We’ll just have to see what the next nine years bring.

That thought popped into my head a few months ago while on vacation in New York City with my husband, Dave, to celebrate our ninth anniversary and our granddaughter Hannah’s first birthday. Dave and I had a fabulous time exploring New York. We took a carriage ride through Central Park and saw “Hamilton” on Broadway. The sad, shuttered place I visited in December 2020 was gone — the New York I wrote about last month was back! Dave even consented to a trip to Katz’s Deli to make the day perfect. Despite the fact that he’s been vegan since Thanksgiving, he let me feed him the world’s best Reuben sandwich. I love that Dave is always up for an adventure, but more than that, I like that we each have financial independence. That’s where the shoes come in. A lot of women I know aren’t on the same page with their spouses about money, so when they go shopping, they stash bags of shoes and clothes

That’s another thing I love — Dave isn’t afraid to disagree with me. If we don’t share an opinion on something and can’t find a middle ground, it’s okay. We can walk away from the conversion with our own beliefs and respect for each other intact. That’s an important quality in a partner, and I’ve appreciated it since our very first date in February 2010. Love was definitely in the air in New York during our vacation, and not just for Dave and me. While we were in town, we also made time to spoil our granddaughter, Hannah, and celebrate her first birthday. We all got together at Katie and David’s apartment in New Jersey on Saturday, Dec. 11, for Hannah’s party. It was a madhouse in the best possible way!

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NATURAL INGREDIENTS FOR CLEANING

4 Ways to Use Baking Soda and Vinegar

• To remove hardwater stains fromyour sink , place a towel soaked in vinegar over the area. After a few hours, remove the towel and scrub the area with baking soda and water. • If your laundry has mildewon it , add half a cup of baking soda into the laundry detergent. Then, add one cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle to kill bacteria. This method won’t ruin the fabric of your clothes. • Instead of using chemicals that could damage your pipes, unclog and clean your drains by using half a cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar. This concoction will fizz up, but once it settles, flush the drain with hot water for five minutes. Afterward, run cold water down the drain. • Grout on bathroom tiles can be annoying to clean. To clean the grout , create a paste using baking soda and water, then spritz with vinegar. Immediately after doing this, scrub and rinse the area. Repeat these steps if needed.

Instead of using harsh chemicals to clean, you can use natural products you probably already have in your home! Vinegar and baking soda are great resources for cleaning your house. Both are effective cleaning agents because they are on opposite sides of the pH scale, which measures how acidic a substance is. The scale goes from 1–14, with 1 being very acidic, 7 being neutral, and 14 being very basic. Baking soda has a pH of 9, and vinegar has a pH of 2. When combined, the mixture releases carbon dioxide gas that can help lift dirt and germs from surfaces. Individually, these products are already cleaning powerhouses. Baking soda dissolves dirt, grease, and other sticky substances. It’s also gentle enough to clean without leaving scratches. Vinegar breaks down minerals that form from hard tap water, which can cause stains on sinks, bathtubs, and countertops.

Please note that while bleach is popular for disinfecting surfaces, it’s unsafe when mixed with vinegar. Baking soda and bleach, however, are fine to mix together.

Here are a fewways to use vinegar and baking soda in your cleaning routine.

Cleaning is all about trial and error. Try these tricks to find what works best for you!

WAYS TO ENJOY VALENTINE'S DAY IN LOUISVILLE SHOW YOUR LOCAL SPOTS SOME LOVE!

Wait, what was that — you still haven’t nailed down your Valentine’s Day plans? No worries! Our team is here to save your date. We’ve been living and working in Louisville for years, and in that time, we’ve discovered dozens of amazing local businesses, ranging from bakeries to party destinations, that can help you have an unforgettable Valentine’s Day. If you want to surprise your partner with breakfast in bed, Emery Operations Manager Libby Thorngate says you can’t go wrong with donuts and pastries from Nord’s Bakery (NordsBakery.biz). For a romantic dinner, she recommends Monnik (MonnikBeer. com) — the local brewery and restaurant where she and her husband, Phil, got married. To complete the romantic experience, Attorney Joe Franklin recommends stopping by Nanz & Kraft Florists for a beautiful bouquet. For a more adventurous date, Intake Coordinator Andrea Whittam recommends taking a glass blowing class at Flame Run (FlameRun.com) or learning how to prepare a gourmet meal at Cooking at the Cottage (CookingAtTheCottage.com).

Last but not least, if you’ve really left Valentine’s Day until the last minute and don’t have time to make a reservation or snag a gift card, Stephanie has a tip for you: Make personalized coupons for your sweetie that they can redeem throughout the year. A cute book of coupons for a night of watching their favorite movies or a free massage can be a thoughtful gift, too. Of course, Valentine’s Day isn’t just for cute couples. If the holiday isn’t your thing, there’s a local option for you too. Our paralegals Travis Dalhoff and Lorie Fullerton recommend a trip to O’Shea’s (OSheasLouisville.net) for an anti- Valentine’s Day party. Here at Emery Law Office, we love supporting other local businesses in Louisville. Hopefully this list inspired you to join us in doing that this month! If nothing we mentioned hit home for you, find another way to shop or dine locally on Valentine’s Day. Showing small businesses a little bit of love is the best way to keep our city thriving.

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HAVE A LAUGH!

DON’T BE AFRAID TO SHARE YOUR FINDS! 3 PERKS OF MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS Imagine you had the best steak dinner of your life last night. Now, you’re riding an elevator with two women and you hear one of them say to the other, “Gosh, I wish I could find a great steakhouse around here. I’d love to take my husband out for dinner.” What do you do? Do you pipe up and share your experience or keep quiet? It can be a little nerve-wracking to share your recommendations with strangers or even friends. (What if they go to the spot you suggest and don’t like it? Is it really your place to give advice?) But there are a lot of benefits to pointing someone in the right direction, especially when you guide them to a local business.

NO-BAKE VALENTINE’S YOGURT DOG TREATS Valentine’s Day has gone to the dogs — literally! Whip up these easy treats in 10 minutes to showyour pup some love! INGREDIENTS Inspired by Rover.com

If you’re on the fence about making a referral or leaving an online review, consider these three reasons to share the love:

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour (or pulverize rolled oats in the food processor) • 1 cup coconut flour • 1 cup plain, nonfat yogurt • 1/3 cup strawberries • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, shredded • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 2 tbsp dried pomegranate seeds • 1 tbsp coconut oil

1. You’ll save another person time and effort and increase their likelihood of having a good experience. A personal recommendation can save someone a half-hour of combing through Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Online reviews are helpful too! A detailed account will assist the people who read so they can make a decision — and if you had a good time, they probably will too. 2. You’ll show a business owner their hardwork is worth it. Referrals and positive reviews don’t just benefit the people who read them. They also mean a lot to business owners. If you recommend a local business to someone, you’ll make an entrepreneur’s day when they hear howmuch they helped you. 3. An employee could earn a raise. When you write, “Alex was a great server!” or tell your friend, “Try to get Sandra at the checkout; she was so funny,” you'll make that employee feel great and score them major brownie points with their boss. They might even have a better performance review because of you. Here at Emery Law Office, every referral and positive review we get makes our day, so we can vouch for those benefits. Next time you’re eavesdropping in an elevator or hovering over the “Write a Review” button on Google, think of these perks first and speak up.

DIRECTIONS

WE WANT YOU TO THINK OF US AS YOUR LAW FIRM. If you have a legal matter that needs attention, let us know. If we can’t handle the matter, we will refer you to a firm that can. Please feel free to refer us to your friends and family for their legal needs. We welcome the opportunity to help. 1. In a food processor, combine all the ingredients. 2. Pulse until they have reached a desired consistency. 3. Roll the mixture into balls, squeezing tightly as you go. The size will depend on what you think your dog would prefer. 4. Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

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INSIDE

MELISSA’S BIG APPLE ADVENTURES: PART 2 1

4 WAYS TO USE BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR

VALENTINE'S DAY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE EMERY TEAM 2

YES, YOU SHOULD RECOMMEND YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESSES

NO-BAKE VALENTINE’S YOGURT DOG TREATS 3

REDUCE YOUR SODIUM INTAKE WITH THESE 3 TIPS 4

MORE THAN A PINCH OF SALT 3 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR SODIUM INTAKE

The average American adult eats 1,000 milligrams (mg) more than the recommended amount of sodium each day. Salt enhances flavor, is easy to add to food, and tastes pretty delicious. Unfortunately, too much of it is unhealthy and can cause high blood pressure or kidney damage. Here are some steps you can take to reduce your sodium intake without sacrificing flavor. Read food labels. Processed foods tend to contain a lot of sodium, so it's best to shop for fresh meat, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. In particular, avoid premade sauces whenever possible. If you need to buy prepared meals, always read the label and look for items with less than 6,000 mg of sodium — the highest amount a meal can contain and still be labeled “healthy” by the FDA. Check serving sizes as well; 400 mg of sodium in one meal sounds good until you realize there are 2–3 servings in the package. Try other flavors. We have easy access to more types of salt than ever, but unfortunately, sea salt, Himalayan salt, and kosher salt don’t contain any less sodium than the table variety. Luckily, there are plenty of other seasonings available to liven up your food. Experiment with new spices; the bolder the

flavor, the less you'll notice the reduced salt. Garlic is a popular choice, but check the nutrition information — salt is included in many spice blends.

Keep the shaker out of sight. If you want to reduce the amount of salt you use, try putting it away. Keeping salt on the table increases the temptation to sprinkle a little bit more on your meal. You can still get up and get the salt out of the cupboard if it’s really needed, but you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on your actions and make a more conscious decision. It will also help kids, who may instinctively reach for the salt or copy their parents. Cutting salt takes time, but the preference for salt is an acquired taste, and it can be unlearned. It may take several weeks or even a couple months to get used to the flavor of reduced salt, but those who successfully do often find salty foods they used to eat unpalatable. Once the extra sodium is gone from your diet, you probably won’t miss it — and your body will be a lot healthier for it.

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