Jewels Of Style

I'm no different than any other girly girl. I'm not going to deny that I get all giddy at the site of some blingy bling bling. And by blingy bling bling, you know what I mean. That special sparkly arm candy, those 5 finger favorites and a neck dripping with a girl's best friend.  Yes, I am attracted to and distracted by sparkly beauty.

Since I opened the new Candy Bar, I have been selling my special kind of blingy favorites exactly like the ones pictured above and I find myself amazed at the response to these gorgeous beauties. Women LOVE them and these moderately priced bracelets are flying out the door. Now, the fact that women love them isn't what surprises me. Of course they love them. (sparkle) What surprises me is that many of my customers, who report to never wearing jewelry that "isn't real" are snapping them up and squealing with delight. These are women who have gorgeous, custom designed jewelry with precious gems who obviously have great taste.

They love them because not only are they "real", they are fun! Made from precious stone beads like moonstone, agate, lapis and polished coral, beaded alongside Swarovski crystals in white, black, rose and champagne gold these little gems make a nice statement stacked up on the arm of a lady. It has become a sport here, matching and pairing these babies together to create one's own personal style.

My clients tell me their new little jewels of style make them happy! Which makes me happy, and you all know that when mama is happy so is everyone else. And fellas? A little bling under the tree this year isn't a bad idea. Very Me bracelets can be found at The Candy Bar, and the smiles they produce can be found for years to come.

Useless Tidbits

• So there were two Powerball winners, one in Arizona and one in Missouri. Some people have all the luck. I'll just keep telling myself that 500 million dollars would have screwed my life up anyway. Right?

• I was watching the XFactor last night and I have decided that Britney Spears is either dumb as rocks or on some serious drugs. The chick is seriously off, like really off. Sad. 

• Seriously disgusted by this story. Quick recap: Young couple from New Hampshire allegedly beat and burned the young girl's 3 year old son so badly that the doctors feared he was blinded. About a week ago they dropped the child off at a local hospital and took off. The child is fighting between surgeries, and expected to make a long recovery. The authorities found them yesterday in, get this: Universal Studios in Orlando. 5 Words: (and they aren't nice words) HUNG. UP. BY. THE. BALLS.

• Frick told me something interesting when she was home this weekend. She, being a freshman in college, just got to see her old high school friends for the first time this school year over the weekend. She told me that quite a few of them started smoking. I found this interesting because my theory is this: these kids live a sheltered life. Even though they do a hell of a lot more than I think they do, they've probably never been exposed to many smokers. What do you think?

Getting Old's A Bi*ch

An old man walks into a bar, sits down, and starts crying.

The bartender asks, “What’s wrong?” The old man looks at the bartender through teary eyes and between sobs says, “I married a beautiful woman two days ago. She’s a natural blonde, twenty-five, intelligent, a marvelous cook, a meticulous housekeeper, extremely sensitive to my wants and needs, very giving, my best friend, and intensely passionate in bed.”

The bartender stares at the old man for a brief moment and says, “But that sounds great! You have what every man wants in a woman, so why are crying?”
The old man looks at the bartender and says, “I can’t remember where I live!”



http://www.ajokeaday.com/Clasificacion.asp?ID=25#ixzz2DQbHmem2

Black Friday Boob

Did you hear the story about this guy?

I thought I'd heard it all, but this one really hit home. Trouble here is, I can't quite figure out who is the bigger boob. Him, for leaving his girlfriend's two year old toddler in his car at 1:30 am while he went into KMart score a 51 inch TV on Black Friday, or us for buying into all of this Black Friday madness.

No doubt, Anthony Perry is a boob to the highest degree. He claims he will live with the guilt for the rest of his life which I find interesting considering he reportedly fled the scene after purchasing the TV and saw the police cruisers and ambulance outside his car. (authorities later found him at home with his TV) But aren't we, society and the consumer public boobs too?

We buy into all this Black Friday madness and create this climate by simply engaging in shopping at midnight on Thanksgiving. Hey, I'm not saying I'm any better. As a retailer myself, I knew I had to make some sort of Black Friday offering to my customers or "live with the guilt for the rest of my life". Business is business and retailers need to stay competitive. I get that. I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't want my own Black Friday offering to create a stampede in my store. But do we/I have to create a dangerous frenzy while engaging our customers in some rewarding retail therapy?

I think not.

Look, there will always be a few bad apples that spoil it for the rest of us. This is a fact. But let's try to keep the sanctity of Thanksgiving by letting Black Friday be Black Friday. On Black Friday. Not Small business Saturday or Cyber Monday. Or whatever the emails I kept getting the week before announcing Black Friday deals the week before Black Friday. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

I guess we are all boobs and like I always say:
Boobs are just like drinks:
One is not enough and three is too many.

Gobble Gobble...

I can't believe it's here already.

How did that happen??  I'm glad, because I love the holidays. I guess I've been too busy to notice that they were creeping up on me. Despite it all I am cooking a turkey just for Frick, Frack and My Guy this year which should be a welcome change. My little nuclear unit.

This year I'm Thanking for all the Giving and I'm going give back and not ask for Thanks.

I wish many blessings to you and yours and I thank you for coming here and joining in the discussion.


Happy Thanksgiving Bloggers, and make sure your belt buckle has a few extra holes in it...

Did You Hear The One About The Blonde That...

Couldn't learn to water ski because she couldn't find a lake with a slope.

Got excited because she finished a jigsaw puzzle in 6 months and the box said "2 to 4 years"

Couldn't call 911 because there was no 11 on any phone button.

When asked what the capital of California was; answered "C".

Baked a turkey for 3 days because the instructions said 1 hour per pound and she weighed 125.

After losing in a breaststroke swimming competition, complained that the other swimmers were using their arms.

D'uh....

The Ten Dollar Difference

She walked away thinking, "Who am I to have been blessed with so much?" Then,"
Why me and not her?" Realistically there was a vast difference between them, but
what was it? Clearly it was more than just ten dollars.

If it is true that people come into your life for a reason, she wanted to know
what the reason was? The woman told her she was her angel. An angel disguised as
a person but she was beginning to think it was the woman who was the angel.

It was a quiet Sunday in November and she found herself with something she
hadn't had in weeks; time. But she wasn't complaining. She was on top of the
world, feeling a high she hadn't felt in years. She was living out her dreams
and watching them come true. And she had the love and support of her family.
She knew they believed in her. That morning was not unusual. She had stopped off
to get some cash at the ATM, then on to the nail salon to pamper herself. The
few extra minutes to the city were worth it because they do the best job. She
almost stopped to do ten other things that morning before the bank, but she
didn't.

She pulled up to the closed bank in her expensive car, a pricey , designer
handbag dangling from her arm. As she took out her ATM card to gain access to
the door a man and his young daughter were exiting. They hurriedly pushed past
her when she immediately heard the bellowing sobs from within.

The woman stood shaking, short of breath, almost hyperventilating, fumbling
with her cell phone, her greasy nails and hands visibly shaking uncontrollably.
"Are you alright?" she asked the woman.
"No," the woman said through heavy sobs. "That machine just ATE my ATM card!"
the woman screeched. "I came here to get ten dollars and that machine ate my
card."

Immediately, she felt a small sense of relief. She put her hand up to the
shaking woman and said,
"Relax honey. It's happened to me before. You can come back tomorrow and get
your card." she said. "Don't worry."
This only made the woman cry harder, as the tears streamed down her slightly
grey complected face and dropped onto her grease stained jacket.
"But that was my last ten dollars." the woman said. "I haven't eaten in three
days and I needed that money to get some food. I can't wait until tomorrow" she
cried.

She knew what was coming next, but she wasn't sure if the overwhelming feeling
of doom was because she knew that the woman was going to ask her for the money
or because she already knew that she was going to give it to her.
"Can you give me ten dollars? I haven't eaten in three days." the woman sobbed.
"I'm having a bad week."
"Why don't you call the bank and see what they can do for you?"she said.
"I already did," the woman replied. "I have to wait until tomorrow. Oh God, I'm
having a bad week. Can you give me ten dollars?"

She stood there, in all of her abundance. The blessings practically dripping
from her body and she quietly wondered why me and not her? She felt like a
little girl doing something she shouldn't. Like when you know your going to get
into trouble with your mother, but she didn't hesitate.
"I'll give you the ten dollars. OK? Now take a deep breath and calm down. It's
going to be alright," she said.
"Oh thank you. You're an angel,"the woman said as she paced back and forth
within the small ATM crucible. "I'm having a really bad week."

She kept repeating, "Take a deep breath." to the woman as she effortlessly took
out ten times the ten dollars so desperately needed . The two then walked across
the street to change the $20.00 bill that the ATM dispensed. "It's going to be
OK," she kept telling the woman, to which the woman kept replying, "I'm just
having a really bad week."

She knew she had to ask, but she felt a bit guilty after she did, "You are going
to buy food with this money, right?" she said. "Not something you shouldn't be
buying."
"Yes. I'm going to Hannaford Farms right now. You are an angel dressed as a
person. Thank you," the woman sobbed.

They then parted ways. She was left to feel the mixed emotions of that exchange.
Why her? Why that morning? And what makes them so different? Aren't we all just
ten dollars away from having a bad week? What was ten dollars to her on that
day? How could she say no, with everything she has been blessed with? It made
her feel sad because she knew that it was a lot more than ten dollars that
separated the two women.

She remained quiet for the next hour or so. Even her regular nail girl
commented, " You're so quiet today. Not your usual self." She had lots to share
about her own life, all the good news that was happening to her right now, but
it wasn't important any more. She just wanted to be quiet.

She didn't tell anyone about it either, because that's not why she did it. She
did it because that woman needed it and she knew she had to help her. She knew
there would be those who would tell her she got fleeced by a con artist, and
taken for a ride. Maybe she did but maybe she didn't. Maybe it was a cautionary
tale for her, but she decided to keep it to herself.

Until right now.

Like Taking Candy...

So you might have noticed lately that I've kinda been a sucky blogger.

I'm sorry. Please accept my sincere apologies.

You see, I've been busy with a project, and today I get to reveal why all those days were spent working and not blogging.

I've been working on my new store.

The Candy Bar located at 20 Church Street, Wellesley, MA is finally finished and today I open the doors for business.  I couldn't be prouder.

















I spent the summer searching for my favorite things.

Things I think you'll like and things I know you'll love, and I brought them all together under one roof.

Of course, my old friend Kevyn will be there.

And I've got a few new friends too.

And don't forget about the BLING...girls love BLING!

And when you need to get styled for that special occasion, The Candy Bar will take care of that too.
Welcome to beauty paradise...

Oh yes, and there's one more thing.

We sell candy too, because there's nothing better than that kid in a candy store feeling!


Today I feel like the luckiest person alive. That little girl who loved to play "pretend store" is all growed up.

The love, confidence and support of my family has brought me through to today, and I thank God and them for all the blessings.


I'm living a dream and yes, they really do come true.

I'm Surprised I Missed It

I like to pride myself on the fact that I am somewhat of a Fashion Diva/Expert/ Guru of sorts.





Safe to say that I live for fashion. It pumps through my veins and I'm always reading the fashion magazines, trolling the internet on the latest trends and staying informed on all things fashion and beauty.





So it was a shock to me when I missed it. I'm ashamed of myself.






I know I have been busy, but am I really that crazy that I missed the latest?





I'm horrified.






How did I not see it?




Now I need to rethink my entire fall wardrobe, which is some serious sh*t, and it's not going to be cheap, I tell ya. Shame on me for being a fashion junkie.





Ladies, why didn't you tell me?

Destination Wedding Day

Hey Bloggers!

I'm off to somewhere I've never been before to witness a family wedding. I'm off to Key West Florida today to enjoy the wedding of My Guy's niece to a wonderful man we have come to call family.

Even though I've been to Florida about 6947 times, I've never traveled to "the southern most part of the US", the Florida Keys. We are looking forward to enjoying a wonderful weekend relaxing and celebrating with close friends and family.

For me it couldn't have come at a worse or better time. Better, because I need a break and an opportunity to unplug. Worse because, well....I'll tell you next week. Exciting things coming my way and I can't wait to share them with you when I get back.

But today is about them. The happy couple and their happy guests in a gorgeous destination, toasting their gorgeous life together. I wish them love, joy and peace as they come together.

Raise a glass this weekend and toast your loved ones, bloggers! And count your blessings.

Baby, It's Cold Outside.

Nothing says lovin like a heapin, hot bowl of chili. I love all kinds of chili, as long as it's got a kick to it, and when the weather gets cold and icy, there's no better time for some hot lovin.

I'm always trying new kinds of chili, too. I just got a new recipe for chili that looks easy, but the recipe makes 16 gallons of chili, and I'm not sure I could feed that many people in my house. I'll keep you posted on how that one turns out.

While I love a good beef chili, the past few years have seen me coming back to my new favorite recipe, and it's not the chili of my dreams. Nope, its a vegetarian chili that is every bit as rib stickin', tummy satisfying as it's older brother, and it comes from Emeril Lagasse.

I stumbled upon the recipe a couple of years ago when I had been served a delightful bowl of veggie chili that had me yearning for more. I think I googled vegetarian chili recipe and his was the first to come up. A Food Network 5 out of 5 stars recipe, it's tattered and stained print out has been my go to chili for the past few years because it never disappoints.

Do your tummy a favor and give it some warm lovin. Cuz Baby it's cold outside...

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced, depending upon taste
• 1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
• 1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespooon ground cumin
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup vegetable stock, or water
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Cooked brown rice, accompaniment
• Sour cream or strained plain yogurt, garnish
• Diced avocado, garnish
• Essence, recipe follows, garnish
• Chopped green onions, garnish

Directions

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

To serve, place 1/4 cup of brown rice in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the chili into the bowls over the rice. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and spoonful of avocado. Sprinkle with Essence and green onions and serve.

Stick The POTUS Fork In it

I am so done with this election.

I am so glad that after today it will be over. If I see one more Elizabeth Warren or Scott Brown political ad on TV I'm going to sucker punch someone.

At this point there's nothing more to say and nothing more to do except to exercise your right as a registered, over the age of 18 American and go and vote. That's it. We will let Democracy do the rest of the talking.

May the best man win.

Candy Coated Dreams

Like a kid in a candy store.......

Does the sight of this make you go all giddy and weak in the knees?

I took this picture in Paris, France in 2009 just outside a movie theatre and I remember the excitement of the prospect of being able to put together a whole bag of wonderful. I still feel the same way about candy and right now I'm putting together all my favorites so that I can bring that kind of joy and excitement to my clients.

For me, it goes back to my childhood and a place called, The Dover Country Store, in Dover Ma. The Dover Country Store was a musty antique shop located on a railroad track that my mom used to take us to. Now, one would think that the store, loaded with old antique furniture and goods that were musty and piled atop one another in an old barn would not be a place that a carload of kids would stampede into with joy. But the Dover Country Store also had one of the greatest penny candy shops for miles around and back then the candy really was a penny.

Nothing was greater than hitting up the gorgeous, colorful display with a pocket full of change needing nothing but my imagination and my taste buds. The small brown bag of candy that was mine was then lovingly carried off to some secluded area of the shop, usually where all the rugs were piled atop each other, for further inventory and careful inspection. It was truly the start of "retail therapy" for me. That little brown bag was torn and tattered by the weeks end, from moving it to different hiding locations and from it's rationed and dwindling contents.

Like a kid in a candy store.....

I know that's how my grown up clients feel when they enter The Candy Bar, and now they will be able to re-live some of those precious candy memories from childhood. Maybe their kids will make their own Candy Bar memories, or they will bring someone a Candy Bar gift of candy to make them smile. The option will be theirs and it will be my joy to offer them a little slice of wonderful.

Help me out bloggers! Share your candy favorites and memories.

You Can Insert "X-Husband" Too, Ya Know.

My ex-wife started taking flying lessons about the time our divorce started and she got her license shortly before our divorce was final, later that same year. Yesterday afternoon, she narrowly escaped injury in the aircraft she was piloting when she was forced to make an emergency landing in Southern Tennessee because of bad weather. Thank God our kids were with me this weekend. The NTSB issued a preliminary report, citing pilot error: Judy was flying a single engine aircraft in IFR (instrument flight rating) conditions while only having obtained a VFR (visual flight rating) rating.  The absence of a post-crash fire was likely due to insufficient fuel on board. No one on the ground was injured. The photograph below was taken at the scene and shows the extent of damage to her aircraft. She was very lucky.

 Happy Belated Halloween!!!