A Foggy Day at Lake Willastein

January/February 2017
10
Misti and BFF Beth in front of their amazing mural in the Dreamy Spoon.
Continued from page 9>
collecting for a special treat like crab legs. The
food was always delicious and enjoyed by all
of the families. These sorts of neighborhoods
make Maumelle the city where folks can live,
work, and play together…and form lasting
friendships and memories.
Beth’s background included a stint managing
Mangos on the Island, owned by retired
Miami Dolphin defensive tackle, Bob
Baumhower, in Orange Beach, Alabama. She
and Misti would sit in the cul d sac, watching
the kids play, and dream…They talked about
opening a coffee shop, or a cake or pie store.
But in 2005, fate intervened. Academics Plus
Charter School, where the kids were attending,
discontinued their catering services forcing
parents to pack a cold lunch every day for
their students. The ladies hatched the idea of
providing a hot food option, approached the
school board, and were granted permission.
They started simply, corndogs-in-a-crockpot
sort of fare. Eventually they expanded their
menu. All earnings went back into the business
and into improving the Charter School’s
meager kitchen. In 2006, they competitively
bid for the option to continue, which they did
until 2008. At that point the school wanted
to have their own cafeteria and offered Misti
and Beth food manager positions, but they
were still dreaming a bigger dream, and the
business they had grown “from crock pot to
kitchen” was sold back to the school.
Emboldened by that “commercial” success
and experience, they continued the
hope of someday being real restauranteurs.
And all of this time, Misti continued
with her cakes.
The waters finally parted! The Dreamy
Spoon (yogurt emporium) became available.
When they went to take a closer look at the
property and assets, Beth was so taken with
the mural that she thought, “It’s a sign! This
speaks to me – it looks like us!” The mural,
by the way, was an original art work by Erik
Jones, a famous New York artist and cousin of
original owner Kandid Scott. Ms. Scott had
the art made into a wallpaper mural and it
adorns the Dreamy Spoon’s wall. Their business
includes more than yogurt. Misti’s cakes
are available through the store with a couple
of days’ notice; also cupcakes, cake pops, novelty
cones and cobblers. Each day a hot cobbler
is available, ala mode, naturally.
Misti Sweere is smart, talented, and a
bundle of energy. She has made her mark
here in Maumelle by being the voice of fitness
at the Community Center, a favorite at
the Senior Center, a restauranteur, a treasured
BFF, and a neighbor we all wish we had.
Does she have new dreams? “Just to see my
business thrive and for my kids to be happy
and successful!” MM
Misti, Beth, Chamber Director Alicia Gillam and a group of fans being congratulated
by Judy Keller at the Dreamy Spoon ribbon cutting.
M
arion Scott-Coney has lived in Maumelle
since 2006. She enjoys running, reading,
volunteering, and staying active in Maumelle’s political scene.
You may contact her at marionella01@hotmail.com .
New Year’s resolutions and I
are not a good mix. It’s not
that I’m inherently against
them; anything that encourages
mankind to make a
change for the better is all right by me. It’s
just that resolutions seem so, er, resolute,
and I’m all about treating myself to a little
grace and forgiveness these days – the me
of yesteryear did no such thing – as opposed
to setting myself up for complete
and utter failure and disappointment and
self-loathing and binge-watching of Gilmore
Girls while sobbing over a pint of Ben
& Jerry’s.
And so I create goals. New Year’s goals.
Sounds so much less ominous and more attainable,
yes? Semantics aside, goals make
me feel all kinds of inspired and tingly inside,
like I’ve got BIG things to work toward.
But if I don’t accomplish them? No worries.
It’s not like I was resolute about them or
anything.
This time around I’ve taken a good, invasive
look within and simplified the year
a bit. As in, I created goal. One (BIG) New
Year’s goal. Sure, there’s plenty I need to
work on. Loads. Tons times infinity and beyond.
But Self-Grace Me has declared that
it’s okay to focus a chunk of my attention
on only one area of improvement in 2017.
That area? Saying yes.
I’m not talking about saying yes to
more volunteering at my daughter’s school
or making more flyers for folks or editing
more resumes and whatnot. If anything,
my people-pleasing self and I need to work
on voicing H-E-double-hockey-sticks-NO
lots more in that respect, but that’s a goal
for another year. Perhaps 2018. But this
year, my friends . . . this is the year I say
2017: The Yes Year
By Michelle McCon
yes to Life. Please note the capital L. That
makes it somehow more important.
This is the year I say yes to being more
present. Yes to more dinners and phone
calls with friends instead of mere sporadic
texts. Yes to more time with my husband
engaged in actual conversation. Yes to
more undivided attention for my children
instead of an iGadget or a silly grownup
issue that can totally wait. Yes to listening
more and talking less.
This is the year I say yes to more adventures
and outings. Yes to new experiences.
Yes to more walks and hikes and bike rides
with my family. Yes to new foods and recipes
and restaurants, even though I’m picky
as all get-out and not the best cook. Yes
to more books and fewer games of Candy
Crush. Yes to ideas and undertakings that
push me and challenge me and take me
outside of my comfort zone. Except for
public speaking. I don’t do public speaking.
Ever. Not even in 2018.
And this is the year I say yes to all the
projects looming cruelly over my head.
All the unfinished business of years past.
Yes to the curtains for my daughter’s bunk
bed (complete with door and windows to
look like a little house!) Yes to all my halffinished
woodworking projects. Maybe
even yes to my book, the one that calls to
me mercilessly, but I’ve been too afraid to
I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT
SAYING YES TO MORE
VOLUNTEERING AT MY
DAUGHTER’S SCHOOL
OR MAKING MORE
FLYERS FOR FOLKS OR
EDITING MORE RESUMES
AND WHATNOT.
finish it because that would mean I could
face rejection and possibly FAIL, which is
the worst, most despicable f-word in the
history of ever.
F-word aside, I’m feeling pretty good
about my goal, if you must know. Still tingly
inside and inspired. Determined even. One
could almost, but not quite, say I’m resolute
about it. Twenty seventeen will be the year
of the Yes with a capital Y. I’m sure of it, just
as I am sure that I will never in my life ever,
ever engage in public speaking.
But if things don’t pan out quite the
way I’ve planned, rest assured that Self-
Grace Me will cut me some serious slack,
and the Gilmore Girls will undoubtedly
be on standby too. Along with my good
friends Ben & Jerry. MM
Michelle McCon is a stay-at-home mom, writer, and sometimes
graphic designer. She enjoys the great outdoors, a good
book, trashy television, word games, music and lots of it, sewing, biking,
woodworking, Hershey Bars, iGadgetry, finished business, and her BFFs Lorelei
and Rory and Ben & Jerry.
Have a question or comment? Please feel free to email her at msmccon@
gmail.com.
www.MauMag.com
11