Bye For Now....

I am going away for awhile. Thank you for your support and for logging on everyday. I have had fun blogging and I hope you have had fun reading.

I am not sure when I will be back, but I will be back . And, when I do come back, I hope you will too.

Have a safe summer!

Keeping to your budget - shop online

Shopping online offers lots of benefits that you won't find shopping in a store. The Internet is always open — seven days a week, 24 hours a day — and bargains can be numerous online. With just a click of a mouse, you can buy an airline ticket, book a hotel, send flowers to a friend, or purchase a favorite item. But purchasing your finds on the internet is a little different than checking out items at the store.

Know who you're dealing with. Anyone can set up shop online under any name. Confirm the online seller's physical address and phone number in case you have questions or problems.

Know exactly what you're buying. Read the seller's description of the product closely, especially the fine print. Words like "refurbished," "vintage," or "close-out" may mean that the product is in not such great condition.

Pay by credit or charge card. If you pay by credit or charge card online, your transaction will be protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Under this law, you have the right to dispute charges under certain circumstances and temporarily withhold payment while the creditor is investigating them.

Check out the terms of the deal, like refund policies and delivery dates. Can you return the item for a full refund if you're not satisfied?

Keep a paper trail. Save records of your online transactions, including the product description and price and the online receipt.

Don't email financial information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting financial information like your credit card, checking account, or Social Security number. If you want to provide your financial information through a website, make sure the site is secure by looking for a lock icon on the browser's status bar or a URL for a website that begins "https:" (the "s" stands for "secure").

Check the privacy policy. It should let you know that all personal information being collected will only be used for their use. If you can't find a privacy policy — or if you can't understand it, consider taking your business to another site that's more consumer-friendly.

Know what it will cost. Check out websites that offer price comparisons and then, compare the items. Factor shipping and handling — along with your needs and budget — into the total cost of the order.

Almost anything you want to buy can be comparison-shopped at sites such as DealNews.com and Pricegrabber.com.

Shopping for electronics? Check out Gazaro.com and Pricespider.com.

Go to Shopittome.com for deals on clothing and bags, and shoes.

Check for manufacturer discounts at PromotionalCodes.come and hit Freeshipping.org for shipping offers and codes.

Patrick Swayze

Remember Patrick Swayze back in 1987 in 'Dirty Dancing'? "No one puts Baby in a corner." Nevermind, some of you might be too young to remember that line. Anyway, like most of us girls, I was in love with him. I think of him often as he fights his battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Dirty Dancing star, 56, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer early last year and in recent pics has appeared to have gained a little weight and grown some of his hair back. He had even added a goatee.

The latest picture is nice to see and is a huge contrast to photos taken in April, when he looked so bad. Early on, it was thought that he would not live long with the cancer spreading quickly, but with his advanced form of radiotherapy, there may be new hope for him.

He is undergoing The CyberKnife, a technique that shoots hundreds of beams of radiation at hard-to-reach tumours. It moves with the patient's breathing, meaning it can target tumours deemed inoperable due to their proximity to major blood vessels.

Cancer takes so many of those we love away from us, so it is nice to hear stories like Patrick's. I hope he continues to do well and can get back to work. I can't wait to see him on his first television series, “The Beast,” where he plays an F.B.I. agent with a checkered past.

Makeup tips that erase years

I was reading an article on the internet last night on different ways to make yourself look younger. After 40, skin loses elasticity and thins, which makes you look tired and allows blood vessels to show through, also showing more discoloration. Oh, so that is what is happening to me!

I am sure you all know a thing or two about applying lipstick, eyeliner and blush, but did you know that as you age and and your skin changes, that your makeup needs to change too? Fine lines, sagging, and increasing dryness mean your current makeup just isn't refreshing like it once did.

In the article, Bobbi Brown, a well-known makeup artist and author of three best sellers on beauty and the founder of her own multimillion-dollar cosmetics business shares her three favorite products to wake up tired skin, camouflage wrinkles, and make your whole face look more youthful.

Creamy Concealer:

Concealer lightens dark circles, gives lids the appearance of a lift, and provides an overall glow.

1. Choose the Right Hue ~ Pick a yellow-based formula that's at least two shades lighter than your skin tone.

2. Apply It ~ Using a small-headed concealer brush, apply a dab along the lower lashes to the innermost corner of eyes and the hollows of the nose. You can also use your ring finger, which has a naturally light touch and added warmth to tap and gently blend.

3. Set ~ A dusting of a sheer, loose yellow-toned powder locks the concealer in place.

Hydrating Foundation:

Foundation is key because it addresses three of the most common age-related issues--fine lines, sagging skin, and sun spots. Creamy formulas moisturize, plumping up droopy skin and evening out tone. Avoid anything powdery or matte, which makes wrinkles more pronounced.

1. Choose the Right Hue ~ Test several hues (a color that looks lighter than your skin tone, one just right, and a darker option) by making three stripes from your cheek to jawline. Check in natural light by a window or doorway; the base that disappears seamlessly into your skin is the correct one.

2. Apply It ~ Pat a small amount to areas that need evening out (red spots or blemishes) with a makeup wedge, foundation brush, or fingertip. Blend upward and diffuse out toward your hairline for the most natural effect. Don't go overboard--it will just cake.

3. Set ~ If your skin is on the oily side, finish with a light coat of loose, yellow-toned face powder on your forehead, nose, and chin (apply with a blush brush or velour puff) to lock foundation and smooth texture.

Rosy Lip Color :
Lips can lose color with age and become more prone to dryness. Ultrabright colors with heavy pigments are wrong at this stage; pick sheer lipsticks and glosses instead to hydrate and add sheen, which helps lips look fuller. Natural-but-better shades, like rose and pinky beige, also mitigate the appearance of fine lines by reflecting light.

1. Choose the Right Hue ~ The most flattering shade should be close to your natural lip color but complement your skin tone. Pinky brown, nude, beige pink, rosy brown, and blackberry are universally flattering.

2. Line ~ To prevent color from seeping into pesky vertical lines, use a lip pencil that matches your lipstick; line the natural border of your top lip (pay special attention to its V shape) and underneath your lower lip. For fullness, fill in the entire border of your lips.

3. Apply Color ~ Use a lip brush to apply; the synthetic fibers help lipstick or gloss adhere and fill in lines like putty. Blend from corner to corner, and press your lips together to seal in the shade.

4. Finish ~ For added sheen and fullness, dab your lipstick with clear gloss in the center of your mouth.

What's your Personality!?

Do you know your personality? No. Not your Myers-Briggs personality type, just your personality? I bet you do. You know how you like your things arranged, you know how you like to be treated, you know how you like to be communicated with. You know that you, for example, might prefer to look at the big picture before the details. Knowing your own personality style helps you understand why you react the way you do in certain situations, as well as helping to define what your needs are from others with whom you work or live.

There are many different free resources available on the internet that will help you identify your own personality type(s). While it’s good to remember that the online tests available are not run by a certified instructor; taking one or two of them can help you identify your own traits and the kinds of behaviors to which you are drawn.

Knowing your own likes and dislikes is helpful, but there is also a benefit from understanding personality types that are different from yours. When you participate in an assessment, whether its online or administered personally, you are given the opportunity to read about results that differ from your own - this is an opportunity for you to think about the people surrounding you, where their personality profile fits, and how you can adjust to meet their needs.

Taking advantage of resources available to learn about your personality style is a great way to ensure your needs are met, and to ensure that you are able to meet the needs of others. And, who knows, you may learn something about yourself that you never knew!

To learn more some free personality assessment tools, visit similarminds.com

Silent Sunday

Survived the Sweet Sixteen Party

A bitterSWEET SIXTEEN

It’s almost sudden the way our kids grow up. It’s similar to how the seasons change so quickly. How summer charges in with all its heat and force and you find yourself wishing for the crazy spring weather to return. The difference is, spring will be back while our kids just keep moving on.

I don’t know the exact moment when Victoria became a young woman, but it is certainly here. It may have been the first time she spent the day away from me and didn't call home to say hello or the time she went to camp for an entire week. I remember leaving her there and being so nervous for her and then not being able to get back fast enough at the end of the week, only to see that she was more interested in giving her friends a goodbye hug, than she was in giving her mother a hello hug. I remember the sadness of no longer feeling needed mixed with pride and a confirmation that as parents, we were doing something right.

I can remember standing outside her preschool trying to find an open window to peer into just to make sure she was okay. There is a fine line between allowing her to grow up and wanting her to. The only problem is that no matter how I feel – she will grow up. Not in spite of me; but despite me.

Today's teens have so many responsibilities - homework, expectations and peer pressure to burden their days and life is a series of events that make up a day. As I wake her up each morning I miss the little bouncy girl she once was. I miss our long walks, playdates with friends and just sitting on the couch reading her a book until she fell asleep. I miss the way she used to rush into my arms for a big hug and how she would carry that silly little blanket everywhere. Instead, I drop her off at school, parties, a friends and watch her her rush off barely looking back.

Her crazy schedule becomes my crazy schedule and when our times and dates conflict, for a few minutes I am irritated – distracted by the amount of things I now have on my plate and then I remember what little time I have left with her. Soon she will be driving, heading off to college and where ever else her path will take her and I wonder how it all happened so fast. I have no doubt I will miss this craziness. So, for now I will enjoy it, because the evolution of life is in constant motion and whether I like it or not, my baby is most definitely growing up.

Happy Birthday Victoria!

The "Skinny" on Diet Soda

I'm not a big soda fan, but I do drink diet soda. I spend so much time focusing on what I eat, that I often forget about what I am drinking.

A study done at the University of North Carolina claimed that if you watch what you're drinking, you could cut at least 450 calories a day from your diet. This same study found out that Americans drink 192 gallons of liquid a year - about two liters a day.

People who drink diet soda because it is less in calories (me), are missing the boat. According to studies, since diet soda still offers that sugary-taste (even if it is artificially sweetened), the more we drink of it, the more our bodies crave sweet food. Yikes, that doesn't seem like its been working.

By drinking one can of diet soda a day, I am also replacing a 100 percent nutrition-free drink with a needed healthy beverage. Perhaps one can of diet soda a day won't do too much damage, but most people have more than one and upwards of five or more glasses a day. This large amount of diet soda takes the place of healthy drinks like water or tea which we need.

Diet soda contains aspartame, a chemical used to give diet sodas flavor. Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar. Scientist have linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetening chemical to brain tumors and lymphoma in lab testing. Side effects among humans include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss and mood changes.

A can of soda can also interfere with your body's intake of calories and studies have shown that artificial sweeteners in soda confuse your body's ability to estimate how many calories you've ingested. So you end up drinking more than you need. The University of Texas Health Science Center has concluded that a person's risk of becoming overweight from drinking diet soda can rise 37 percent.

Next time you get the urge for a carbonated drink, try some club soda or water with a twist of lime. For a caffeine fix, you can also try green tea.

The Best Bathing Suit for Your Body

I am heading to the beach in two weeks and as much as I love the Jersey Shore and its beaches, I hate putting this body into a swimsuit.

Trying to find a suit that looks good on me is like trying to find the Holy Grail. It's not happening. I do however, have to find something. What would my kids think of me sitting fully dressed at the beach?

As you know, I love to search the internet and I did find several great slimming options for as little as $24, but at this point, I can't really buy online in case I have to return it. It seems I always find something wrong with swimsuits. They are too big, too small, too bright, too boring, too young or too old, but mostly, they just don't hide all of my "problem" areas and after three kids........

Check out the slide show I found on Health.com. Maybe you can find something you like. At the very least the show will help you determine what swimsuit style is best for your body. Me? I found mine! Now, where did she get this suit?

Cosmetic tattooing

As a blond, I constantly struggle with my makeup, especially my eyebrows. You can barely see them. One brow is so blond that it blends in with my face and the other just stops half way across the top of my eye. For years I have had to color them in with powder. I don't use a pencil because I don't know how and it looks ridiculous.

Everyday brings a different brow shape. Sometimes, I look happy...too happy, sometimes I look sad or even mad.

This frustration has me considering eyebrow tattooing. Cosmetic Eyebrow Tattooing is done the same way as regular tattooing. A tattoo gun, which automatically dispenses inks to the area to be tattooed, is used for the procedure. The inks, which are delivered below the skin, are made of iron oxide or titanium dioxide pigments.

I wonder however, about the long term affects. As I get older and my brow drops a little, won't the tattoo separate from my nature brow? How weird would that be? I suppose that is a question I would have to ask the doctors. And, since cosmetic tattooing is considered to be somewhat artistic, I would have to find a specialist who is certified by the American Academy of Micropigmentation and oh yeah, I would have to pay them $400 and $600 an hour. So, moving on.

Yesterday I found a website called eyebrowz that offers stencils. Check out how it works below......

......and at $14.95 plus $2.99 for shipping this seems to make much more sense for me.

Unplugging your refrigerator?

What a great weekend here on the east coast. I got so much accomplished. I relaxed by the pool, hung out with friends, cleaned the house and finally got to make that dent in the carbon footprint I have been talking about.

The New York Times reported awhile back that a small, but growing, segment of the US population is choosing to ditch the fridge permanently. The carbon savings, not to mention the savings on the electricity bill are not necessarily huge, but some feel this is just the next thing on the long list of climate-saving actions like buying a Prius or changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs.

How Does it Work?

They are using small coolers, filled with plastic water bottles and keep a tiny fridge around for freezing the water bottles and for a few odds and ends. As the anti-fridge movement is growing, websites are being created to share tips on food prep and storage, as well as, ways to still keep your food cold.

Those already using a bean and grain diet, are able to get away without a fridge at all and have an easier time making the jump while others are trying the seasonal foods and more fresh food route.

How Much Energy Does a Fridge Use?

A standard Energy Star fridge uses about "380-kilowatts a year - less than a standard clothes dryer - and costs a homeowner $40 a year, or about 11 cents a day." Downgrading to a smaller, mini-fridge only saves about $6 a year.

Something like this sure takes a lot of preparation and if you ask me, a bit of a sacrifice while not reaping that much of a savings. I understand the need to reduce our carbon foot print. Really, I do and I totally agree that if we all took small steps, but I for one, can't commit to losing the fridge.

So, for now unplugging the second fridge in the basement is going to have to be good enough.

Remember, the difference is all in the baby steps.

Beach Book Swap

I was reading my Better Homes and Gardens magazine yesterday and came across this really cool idea.

The article started off talking about a "beach book." You know the ones you blow through while on vacation when you haven't read any other books all year, but suddenly have the time during vacations and holidays. I have those books. They are not normally books I want to hang on to nor will ever read again, but they were good and I hate to get rid of them.

BHG's fun solution is a beach-book swap. They recommend inviting friends over for cocktails and appetizers and asking them to bring their easy-to-read paperbacks. You then arrange these books on the table, so that everyone has a chance to browse through them and stock up on some new material. Sounds fun!

If you'd rather not have people over or don't want to admit you read trashy paperbacks, you can join an online book club like paperbackswap.com, where you earn credits by sending your used books to people who request them. You then redeem the credits to order whatever books you want to spend quality "sand time" with next.

Change of plans

I know I said I was going to blog about cellulite all week, but it's depressing me and honestly it's boring! So, I am pulling rank and changing the subject. Can you pull rank on yourself?

Yesterday was Hannah's 9th birthday (my baby). It's a tradition in our family to take the kids to dinner on their actual birthday, so they feel like they did something on their actual birth date. This usual hold them over until we can find a day when all family members converge on our house for a big celebration.

Hannah chose Friendly's for her birthday dinner. While we were there we met Ms. CT. She was there helping the Vietnam veterans raise money. I am not sure of the connection between the two, other than she probably has to do good things and since 10% of everything spent went to the vets, I would say that was a good thing.

Hannah had her picture taken with Ms. CT. That was pretty cool. The crown on Hannah's head is Ms. CT's Suffield crown (that is a town in CT where she lives) and the crown on her (Ms. CT's) head is her Connecticut crown.

She was really sweet, very pretty and older than we would have expected. While talking to her, I learned that she is 41-years old and has 3 teenagers! That is really cool! It seems that she beat out a whole bunch of girls in their 20's. I bet that didn't go over very well.

It just goes to show that even us old chicks, still got it! You go girl!

How to minimize cellulite's wrath

Diet and exercise can minimize the look of cellulite from the inside out. Exercise aids circulation and can minimally break up fat while certain foods improve circulation and strengthen skin.

Eat foods that help build collagen and elastin, like lean meats, eggs and whole grains. Raw fruits and veggies help with hydration and anti-oxidants, while good oils in black cod, almonds, flax seeds and walnuts help build skin cell walls. No time to cook? You can also take supplements to reap similar benefits.

Tomorrow I will tell you about a cream that actually works to help reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Cellulite 101

This week I plan to focus on cellulite and stretch marks. Two fun topics, right? I have both and have been researching various ways to get rid of both. Really diminish the look,not get rid of it because we know that is not possible, but researching a product that actually works to diminish it.

Cellulite, for the most part is genetically inherited. But cellulite starts with poor circulation. Circulation usually feeds the dermis (middle layer) of your skin to keep it strong -- but when circulation is poor (as in sedentary lifestyle, smoking, poor nutrition), the dermis becomes weak and it can't hold down the layer of fat below it. The fat layer then migrates into that middle layer of skin, creating that lumpy, cottage cheese look.


My research has shown that there is no cure for cellulite, but you can minimize the appearance of it. Stay tuned this week for more....

Fairy tale wedding...

I could start this post out by telling you a story about a bride, a groom and their fairy tale wedding, but I’d be lying.

Let me rewind. My family and I arrived at my nieces wedding on Saturday a little before the noon start. While waiting and mingling with the others, we heard that many of Lindsay and George’s guests were stranded by hurricane warnings on the East Coast and would be unable to make the wedding. My own brother and his family finally got a flight out of New York at 2am. Arriving to Florida somewhere around 5am and then after getting their luggage and car began their 1 ½ hour drive. They were exhausted, but they made it. How horrible for Lindsay and George to have so many people not with them on their special day. As it turns out, that would have been the good news. Keep reading...

The day was beautiful! Guests lined the two docks that lead to the gazebo where Lindsay and George would be married. The music began and in came the wedding party. First the parents of the groom, then the mother and brother of the bride followed by the beautiful bridesmaids and handsome groomsmen. Oh, to be young again. It was so romantic.

My eyes filled with tears as Dan (my brother-in-law) walked Lindsay down the isle. I couldn't help but think of my own children and how bittersweet this must be for parents. But, you couldn't have ask for a nicer day. The sun was shining, the sky was a perfect shade of blue with white puffy clouds and everyone looked so nice.

The ceremony moved quickly with Lindsay and George preparing to say their vows (my fave part). My throat began to choke up with excitement. This was it, the moment when our “little” Lindsay would become a wife and then….plunk. Yup. I said it, plunk. The wedding ring went right into the lake. I joined the other guests in a collective gasp. We all watched in disbelief as George hit the ground in a last ditch effort to grab the diamond wedding band. No one moved. As George slowly stood up with his head in his hands, I cried. We all just watched and waited. Without hesitating, Lindsay took George’s arm in her hands as if to say, it's okay, let’s just keep going. Just then her dad stepped forward and handed George his ring and the ceremony continued.

I was so proud of Lindsay and George. So many things could have happened at that point, but they went on, both with a smile on their face. Whether they were fake smiles or not, none of us will ever know, but if their strength together that day is a glimpse into their future, they are going to be just fine.

As my sister-in-law said afterwards, it was as if her dad had come to her rescue one last time. Not necessarily true however, her dad came to her rescue one more time when he had divers search the murky lake to find the ring and, that is just what they did.

Did I say this was NOT a fairy tale wedding? That is exactly what it was.

More pics of "our" fairly tale wedding.