That’s not the case for Brian Alano who invested over three years and 30,000 pieces to build a replica of the home of the Indianapolis Colts.

Here’s a video of Leilan and Caleb shot as they were in their 46th hour of the competition.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can look back at their efforst, along with other participants by using the Twitter hashtag #RingItOn.

Way to go guys! You make me proud to be a Hoosier!

News Coverage on Fox59: Salvation Army bell ringers attempt to break world record

Recently Classic Cakes cakes were featured with 25 Amazing Custom Wedding Cakes, along side other national cake talents you may have heard of like Duff, from Charm City Cakes that you’ve seen on Ace of Cakes on The Food Network.

The two cakes from Classic Cakes in Carmel that are featured in this article on MSN’s Delish channel are #19 and #25. Great work!

I’ve been told the story that the owner of Classic Cakes used to enter a cake competition at the Indiana State Fair every year, after winning it a number of years in a row the judges came to her and asked her to stop entering because nobody was even coming close. I think they made her a judge instead.

Ryan doesn’t have the problem. In fact some of my favorite works of his have amazing contrast and clarity in the images. He has a very cubist style in my opinion, and puts that touch on a variety of familiar scenes around Indianapolis. The image included in this post is titled “120 E. Market”, and captures one of the city’s icons, Monument Circle.

Ryan’s work will be featured at the Johnson County Museum of History from September 2nd through January 6th, 2012. If you enjoy watercolor and great art, you’ll definitely want to make sure you take the time to go see his talents. The museum is located in the old Masonic Temple at 135 North Main Street, in Franklin, IN.

If you can’t make it to this show, be sure to visit his website at www.ryanpetrow.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

These guys have been around for awhile, but are currently going through a little bit of a phoenix-from-the-ashes activity and reactivating and rebranding their efforts.

If you haven’t already signed-up, go do it now. If you think you signed up a long time ago and have forgotten all about it, go read this post targeted to their existing members so you can find out what they’re wanting to do and accomplish with their recent changes.

There’s more to May than just the 500 and there’s more to Speedway, Indiana than just a race every may.

What many people may not realize outside of the city is that there’s more to Speedway than just a racetrack. Of course the town is tied to the race, but it’s a great little city inside The Circle City for the other 11 months of the year as well.

Here’s a very nicely done video about the city of Speedway, Indiana and the history behind it and it’s neighbors.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s the article. I’m already trying to work on integrating more of these patterns and strategies into my daily job of parenting my two great kids.

Children do not come with a parenting manual, but they often come with a healthy dose of guilt. Many parents struggle with feeling they don’t spend enough time with their kids or they can’t provide their kids with enough material items or experiences as they’d like. Often, the guilt is undeserved and self-inflicted. Even with the guilt, many parents realize there are some areas in which they need to brush up and do a little better. Here are eight areas to consider in 2011 that will help you understand what influences parenting and where you might want to spend a little time improving.

Your own history: Where you came from impacts who you are today. The way you were parented, the experiences you had growing up, how your parents showed love and provided discipline—these things set the tone for how you will parent. Take inventory about what you liked and didn’t like about your childhood and then decide what parenting path you want to take with your own kids.

Your own health: When we don’t feel good (mentally or physically), we are usually off our game in every area, including parenting. As parents, we have to be sure to take care of ourselves so that we have something to give our kids. Be sure to eat well and exercise in order to be physically in shape the handle the demands of parenting. If you struggle with depression or anxiety, talk to your doctor or therapist so that you have some mental reserves for your children.

Your job: Our jobs demand a lot from us and some are trying to work more than one job to make ends meet in our current economy. Be sure, to your best ability, to leave work at work. Take time on the drive home to debrief from the busyness of the work day and change hats. Think about what you want your kids to see in you when you walk in the door and try to put your best foot forward. We are all tired at the end of a workday, but our kids shouldn’t be given the leftovers. Try to save something good for them!

Your marriage: Someone once said the best gift you can give your children is to love your spouse. Your marriage and the way you communicate and share the household responsibilities have an impact on the way you parent. If there is conflict in your marriage, problems will arise in your parenting. Make time to work on your marriage and work out any issues that may get in the way of raising your kids in a healthy atmosphere. This may mean therapy, or it may mean something as simple as a weekly date night.

Your kids: Do you have a child that knows exactly how and what buttons to push at the wrong times? Our kids and their personalities often pull certain behaviors from us. Know how you and your children are both similar and different and manage those differences. If you have a quick temper and one of your children is really sensitive to anger, take a deep breath or walk away for an “adult time-out” before talking with them about something that is upsetting.

We can all find something in our parenting that needs a little fine tuning. Find out what it is and commit to doing something daily that will make it better for you and your kids. It will  pay off in huge dividends in the end!

Used with permission from Parenting Better in 2011 on Lotus Group website

Photo Credit: Colts.com Fan Cam

As you can kind of see from all the little smiley faces on the photo, you can zoom in and find yourself in the stands and then tag the photo that you were there.

I think this is a very cool idea. I’ve seen similar events, like BlogIndiana, where a large group photo is taken and then shared on Facebook, then attendees are encouraged to tag themselves in the photos. With the functions of Facebook, this allows the photo, and ultimately the event, to be widely promoted on the network. The same can be true of the Colts organization sharing this photo. Hopefully they’ll be doing this for all future games.

Colts owner Jim Irsay has been getting some media attention lately with his activity on Twitter. Also at the Titans game, they gave away a Toyota Prius and $4000 cash to one of his Twitter followers after they correctly guessed the number of footballs that were stuffed into the Prius, a promotion that some may consider genius. Others may think the sometimes incoherent ramblings by Irsay on Twitter are reminiscent of those of Paula Abdul on American Idol’s judging panel. I on the other hand think both individuals are just unique human beings and I enjoy hearing what they have to say most of the time.

Today we have a guest post by another long-time Indianapolis resident, Paula Henry. Paula is a local realtor who has great memories of Indianapolis.

I remember the first time I saw Soldiers and Sailors Monument lighted at Christmas in downtown Indianapolis. The ten year old child never forgot the beauty of seeing so many lights on what is dubbed by some, as the worlds tallest Christmas tree. For that little girl, it was a mesmerizing sight to see so many twinkling lights.

It’s still amazing to visit Monument Circle during the holidays, partly to enjoy the beauty and partly to relive the past. Walking around the Circle, people stop every few minutes to admire the monument all dressed up for the holidays. It’s magical!

While the memories of yesteryear are firmly planted in my mind, it’s more exciting for me as an adult. When I was a child, the only time we went downtown was to see the Monument at Christmas or to buy shoes at Stouts when school started.

Today, downtown Indianapolis is a vibrant, active city!

I find myself drawn to downtown this time of year. It’s an atmosphere that requires more than a quick trip around the circle. The lampposts are decorated, the mall is buzzing, the Indianapolis Zoo at White River State Park is embellished with hundreds of thousands lights. It’s worth putting on my winter gear to brave the cold and enjoy the wonder of it all.

Another favorite activity of mine is to drive or walk through the Historic Homes neighborhoods during the Holidays. When my family would make the trip downtown, we headed south on Meridian from 56th St. I would be the one seated by the window, so I could see all the big beautiful homes, so elegantly decorated.

I didn’t know then, it was the architecture of these homes that captivated me and still does today! A leisurely drive down the cobblestone streets of Lockerbie Square or a tour of Benjamin Harrison’s home in the Old Northside still brings a sense of wonder and excitement.

Today, I enjoy these activities with my children and grandchildren. They, in turn, will have their own memories and favorites to celebrate during the holidays and carry it forward to the next generation. Maybe, they’ll develop a love of the historical beauty of our city their Mimi so enjoys.

Mimi (Paula Henry) is an Indianapolis Realtor who lives, works and plays in Metro Indianapolis. Visit her website at www.hometoindy.com to see homes for sale in Indianapolis and surrounding communities.