Bruce Springsteen & Davy Jones

     Two musicians whose name you don’t often hear together in the same breath, Bruce Springsteen & Davy Jones. With the loss this year of music icons Clarence Clemmons, Etta James & today, sadly again, Davy Jones it got this blogger thinking. We need to carpe diem the opportunities we have to connect with our music roots when they present themselves.

     My love affair with Davy Jones began when I was a kid. He was my first rock & roll crush. He & Micky Dolenz were my first concert ever. They appeared at a strip mall parking lot a mile from my home. My Mom took me & let me up on her shoulders to see better that night. There were others performing, but I remember The Monkees best. (I mean a ‘fake’ group that sold over 65 million song copies worldwide!) I have seen them since & I am now so glad I had the opportunity! My other favorite Davy moment was when he appeared on The Brady Bunch. We all wanted to be Marcia, she got to kiss him twice! Check out the first link below for the singing portion of that episode & the second for the kissing portion (love the rotary desk phone!). It takes you back…RIP Davy Jones.

http://www.videosurf.com/video/davy-jones-on-the-brady-bunch-girl-120350979

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=the%20brady%20bunch%20davy%20jones%20episode&tnr=21&vid=1504149897898&l=143&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts3.mm.bing.net%2Fvideos%2Fthumbnail.aspx%3Fq%3D1504149897898%26id%3Dbb7d1e74f319b7f6c078963cb30fc95f%26bid%3DkNNsjNN3LokOSQ%26bn%3DThumb%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.youtube.com%252fwatch%253fv%253dHm39e0w8fzw&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DHm39e0w8fzw&sigr=11a323u6f&newfp=1&tit=BradyBunchClip+05+-+Marcia+meets+Davy+Jones

   My love affair with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band began the last years of high school & continues through today. The loss of Clarence Clemmons, the iconic sax player for the band, hit many of us hard last year. I mean the years are piling up on all our favorite rockers & the opportunities to see them one last time are getting fewer. The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia has an exhibit running now through Sept. 3, 2012, From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen. Freedom is Calling. Rock it Out. See the link below for ticket info. I will be reporting back on this exhibit in a few months. RIP Clarence, you will be missed.

     So seize those opportunities when you can to touch base, perhaps one last time, with your favorite musical performers. I know there was a time in our lives when we listened to music constantly. I know demand on our time prohibits that these days. It, however, has gotten easier & easier to cue up some tunes from tablets & phones & satellite radio, etc. Rock it out!

http://www.constitutioncenter.org

Leap Day

    Leap Day – that one day that comes only once every four years. As SBB reminds us, it is a gift, a day we must seize, carpe diem and all that. The old Irish tradition says a woman can propose to a man on that day & that he must accept. (The premise behind the very funny Leap Year  movie with Amy Adams) Great story you could tell your kids someday. But I say keep it simple. It may be a workday Wednesday, but we can still plan something special for that certain someone in our lives. Nothing as dramatic as a marriage proposal, but maybe something memorable just the same. Perhaps this leap day we propose something to ourselves. Will you (fill in the blank)? Will you... be happy... be joyful... be grateful for the rest of your life? Or maybe we just take some of this bonus time for ourselves. Read a great book, go for a mani/pedi, take a relaxing bath with a delish glass of wine. However you choose, enjoy your extra day!

Oscar Night Fashion Poll

    Tonight is Oscar night & there is always a buzz. Once more I haven’t seen many of the movies nominated but it never stops me from watching. (Good luck toThe Help – loved it, Moneyball – loved it & Melissa McCarthy – been a fan since Gilmore Girls)

      The red carpet is always this blogger’s favorite part. Face it, we love to see the perfect put-together fashions & hair, but maybe more we enjoy the train wrecks. Maybe we relate more to the train-wreck fashions because we have all been there at one time or another. Fewer times we have probably felt like a million bucks. I’m here to say that the million dollar feeling can be yours even when you are just rockin’ a pair of jeans. You just need to find clothes that fit, I mean really fit. Not ‘comfortable’ in the standard, baggy sense, (because well fitting clothes can be comfortable!) but hugging the curves no matter what the size. And these great fitting outfits need not cost a fortune. This spaver finds the ‘finds’ at Ross, Marshalls, Forever 21 & TJ Max. Watch a little What Not to Wear & channel your inner Stacy & Clinton. They speak the truth! Mommy jeans (MJs) – gone! Ugly sweatshirts/pants & baggy T’s – gone! Shlumpadinka shoes – gone! Find a fashionista friend whose look you admire & get shopping with her/(him). Make it fun! Start with one outfit at a time & enjoy yourself. Then bring on the attitude!

      So I am doing a poll of the best-dressed & worst-dressed women at tonight’s red carpet. (Not doing the men because, face it, they all look pretty much the same except for Johnny Depp every year!) Cast your vote. Below is a link to this year’s fashions reported by E!.

http://www.eonline.com/redcarpet/2012/oscars

PS. Thanks to my sista for the help with these nominees. A completely subjective process, I appreciate the help!

Frownies

     After the handful of beauty posts I shared with you all, I hope that I have gained some trust. This next tip will require your trust in me because I believe you will think I’m nuts!!

     It used to be bangs or botox to hide or eliminate frown lines on the forehead. I am here to tell you that there is something else. So simple in principle that you may find it unbelievable. I have been using a product called Frownies since 2001. Good Houskeeping magazine published an interview in September 2001 with the gorgeous Renee Russo. She talks about a product she slept with on her face every night to eliminate wrinkles. The interviewer wrote the name down as frown ease & the magazine was hounded with inquiries. Turns out the product, called Frownies, has been around since 1889, yes 1889. Simple premise: keep the facial muscles from plumping up from movement & the wrinkles will smooth. (Same premise as botox but without the pain, cost & ick factor.) Well, being a curious beauty product aficionado even back then, I found a local store & the love affair began. The Frownies consist of kraft paper pieces with an adhesive backing. Moisten the glue & press in place on the forehead. (they make cutouts for other areas of the face too.) Simple idea, really. And they really work!

     I was showing those wrinkles way back then & I have managed to improve the look of my wrinkles ever since. Yes, we still need the right moisturizers, but this is a small addition to the bedtime routine, with BIG results. It may take your family members a little getting used to. (really – seeing you with paper on your face could be a stretch for them) I have a feeling any daughters in your life will get it, though! They are inexpensive, I purchase mine at Whole Foods for $16.99. I also reuse them. Just peel off without moistening & reuse again. I can usually get three uses out of them.

    Below is the link to the products & website. There are testimonials, including Rachel Welch. I mean her skin is beautiful & she has never ‘looked’ like she had work done. There really is something to this, girls!

http://www.frownies.com/deep-wrinkles.php

P.S. Check out my Oscar blog Sunday evening & Monday! I’m trying a best-dressed & worst-dressed poll. Log on to vote after the red carpet!

Backyard Bird Count - Recap

The Great Backyard Bird Count ended on Monday & I was excited to enter my own results. I was able to watch two out of the four days & had great success. On Saturday, a few birds that I hadn’t seen recently (or didn’t take the time to notice) came out to join the fun. They were the mockingbird, mourning dove & robin, as if to say count me too! I had my share of Northern cardinals, blue jays, titmice, chickadees, crows, Carolina wrens, white-breasted nuthatches, sparrows & starlings during the short one hour stretch. It really was fun and so far over 12.6 million birds & 605 species have been reported. You can visit the website to see what was reported in your area. A total of 42 different species were reported in my town alone! See the link below for all the info.

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

P.S. The peanut butter & sunflower covered pinecone in my feeder has been “licked” clean. I didn’t see the diner but I’m ready to cover it again!

Coral Bells - Heuchera

Last, but certainly not least, of my favorite spring perennials is Heuchera or Coral Bells. This may be tied for number one for me along with Baptisia (Blue False Indigo). I blogged about Heuchera in ‘Winter Landscape Perennials’ previously because of its wonderful, winter, evergreen foliage. The plant forms well-contained 12-18” mounds in the sun, part-sun areas of my garden. The coral spikes grow 18-24” & the hummingbirds love them. The ‘Palace Purple’ variety I have planted in shade and really for the deep purple foliage. The white flower spikes are just a bonus in the summer. There are so many varieties now, grown for fabulous foliage. I pair my Coral Bells Heuchera with Lamium, Liriope & Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ for year-round color. The picture to the left shows Spring/early Summer bloomtime. Soon after the Coreopsis takes its turn to bloom during June through October. The Liriope blooms in August through September. All are long-lived perennials & since three of the four remain well contained, I can allow the Lamium to meander a bit. The Coral Bells, even though the round mounds are so perfect, can be divided off in early Spring. Divide before the flower spikes begin to appear. I find the flowers never quite recover enough to stand upright if you wait too long. I do fishing line tie my flower spikes upright. There are so many I have to! My original plant came from a friend many years ago & I have divided off dozens of plants since. The spikes also make a colorful cut flower & with the Baptisia greens as a backdrop, a wonderful simple arrangement is born.

Lamium - Dead Nettle

This favorite spring perennial I mentioned in a previous blog ‘Winter Landscape Perennials’. I thought it was time to show off its blooms! It is a prolific evergreen groundcover, but its blooms are spectacular. Lamium or Dead Nettle is in the mint family. I know, say no more, but it is a very controllable ground cover. When I received my first plants, (the ‘Beacon Silver’ pictured at left) they were each the size of a quarter. There were six of them, so tiny & I nurtured them. I didn’t realize how much they would grow that winter while & was inside keeping warm & sipping hot chocolate! The following spring I was blessed with beautiful blooms & lovely foliage all year long. The second variety I planted, ‘Ghost’, has slightly larger leaves, purple flowers and grows a few inches taller, about 8-10”. ‘Beacon Silver’ with the pink blooms maxes out for me at 6-8”. They make a wonderful spiller for your planters because the blooms keep coming & the foliage is so delicate. The bloom is prolific in the late spring but they keep blooming until the freezing temps come to stay. My ‘Ghost’ variety had a few blooms that opened in December because of the mild stretch we were having in zone 6-7a! Once established, you will have plenty to share with friends. Seek this one out for sure & enjoy the versatility it brings!!

Blue False Indigo - Baptisia

    It’s a difficult question to ask an artist their favorite color or a gardener their favorite flower. But, here I am contemplating this as my possible favorite perennial. Spring perennial for sure. There is so much to love about this particular plant, Blue False Indigo (baptisia australis). My baptisia, pictured at left, is about 8 or 9 years old now. So, yes, it is long-lived. It enjoys full sun to part sun. The more sun, the less staking it may require. It is drought tolerant & my deer have never been interested! The size is about 40” with a similar spread. I have mine planted in the center of my largest perennial bed, a free-standing bed. It would make a wonderful backdrop for any border. Last Spring I saw baptisia as a stand-alone plant and it really had a shrub-like quality ; it was beautiful. There are a few varieties with yellow, cream and white flowers. This variety begins to emerge in spring & blooms late spring early summer. The blue-green foliage stays beautiful all summer, until frost. The flower spikes become dark gray & black pods throughout the summer. The greens from this plant I use in every cut flower arrangement throughout the spring & summer. As gorgeous as the flowers are, I appreciate the leaves even more. This one really is a must. I know it’s a larger perennial, but worth building a garden bed around!

Cushion Spurge

    My newest favorite spring bloomer is Euphorbia epithymoides or Cushion Spurge. My plant was generously given at my garden club’s plant exchange in June 2010. I took the tiny, sweet, baseball-sized plant home that day with no knowledge of the plant, but with great expectations. I did some research & learned it would enjoy a dry, sunny spot. This was perfect because I was putting that type of garden together that year! Was I ever rewarded! The photo left was taken the following spring. The mound, pictured at left, was basketball sized by springtime! Turns out it loves the all-day sunny spot. Spurges are succulents that can take the dry conditions. The beautiful bright, yellow flowers are really bracts (think poinsettia – the red bracts). The foliage changed to light orange in the fall. A wonderful companion plant is the Forget-Me-Knot. I pair it with annual portulaca & blue fescue grass (another garden club donation plant that day). Find this plant this year & enjoy your first Euphorbia!

PS. Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is on all weekend. See link to participate. For my day one fifteen minutes I counted 3 chickadees, 2 blue jays, 2 Carolina wrens, 1 female cardinal & a cooper’s hawk!

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

Bleeding Heart - Dicentra

   Another favorite spring perennial for me is Dicentra or Bleeding Heart. I have 2 varieties in my garden at the moment. The first is the common bleeding heart pictured at left (dicentra spectabilis). It seems that the leaves miraculously appear every year! I suppose with some of the colder spring days, you are not always out & about looking! And as quickly as the leaves appear, the flower stems with the incredible heart-shaped flowers appear. It grows up to 2 feet tall & reaches out, almost literally, about 2 feet. The lovely foliage lasts throughout most of the summer. My plant is at least 15 years old. How’s that for a long-lived perennial! For most of its years, it enjoyed mostly shade. Recently, without benefit of a shady evergreen, it is in full sun & is still very happy!

   The second variety I grow is the fern-leaf bleeding heart (dicentra ‘luxuriant’). This is a wonderful addition to a shade garden. The pink blooms emerge in late spring, early summer & keep blooming throughout the summer until frost. It grows only a foot tall with similar spread. The fern-like leaves are very delicate & look beautiful throughout the seasons. This seeds like crazy giving you plenty of opportunity to share with friends! The deer also stay away from both varieties in my garden, which is a big bonus. Great companions for both varieties are hellebores & lungwort!

PS. Friday begins the GBBC – Great Backyard Bird Count! See link below.

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

Lungwort - Pulmonaria

    My favorite shade-loving spring perennial is Lungwort, (Bethlehem Sage, Pulmonaria). Like Forget-Me-Knots & Hellebores, they are one of the earliest blooming spring perennials. Most grow 6-12 inches tall depending on variety, with an 18-24 inch spread. The blooms are small, white, blue or pink (sometimes all three!) & often change color throughout the spring, from pink to blue.  My variety ‘Roy Davidson’ grows 8-10 inches high. It does not like the hot summers of my Zone 6-7a so I plant in the shade. It will tolerate part-shade if there is no hot, afternoon sun. The new, beautiful, spotted leaves will emerge after the blooms begin to fade. These pretty leaves will grace the garden all summer if there is enough rain & remain on the plant through winter until the new leaves emerge. It is deer resistant & makes a lovely ground cover. This plant makes a wonderful addition to the shade garden. It stays nice & compact & you can’t beat the beautiful spring flowers!

PS. 1 day until the GBBC – Great Backyard Bird Count!

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

Forget-Me-Nots

      The remainder of this week I will be posting my top 7 favorite spring perennials. (Hellebore was covered in an earlier blog)  These will not include the spring flowering bulb types. (We will discuss these during planting time in the fall!) So, it sounds like I am trying rush this winter (yes, I am!). I just want you to be prepared when you visit a garden center or a friend’s yard. All 7 are easy to share among friends!

       The first is the Forget-Me-Knot, myosotis. They are low growing ‘perennials’ that seed so easily they also act like annuals. The healthy greens you may have been spotting all winter. The true blue, pink or white tiny flowers begin to unfurl from the leaves in April, May & June depending upon the variety. My Forget-Me-Knots, pictured at left, are a true blue color, such a difficult color to get in your garden. Because they seed so readily, I have them pop up in new areas every spring. They grow about 6 x 6 inches. They love sun, part sun & part shade. Just dig up late winter, early spring if you want to share with a friend. The symbolism of love & hope can be seen in every tiny bloom! (Very appropriate to mention on Valentine’s Day!) Just find some seeds & plant. What you sow this year will bloom next spring. Enjoy!

PS. 3 days until the GBBC – Great Backyard Bird Count! Check out the site below!

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)

   You are invited to participate in the 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count! (GBBC) Coordinated every year by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology & The Audubon Society, the help of all us dedicated backyard birders is needed. The dates this year are Friday, February 17^th thru Monday, February 20^th. The link is listed below for all the info you will need. It is as simple as observing your backyard aviary activity for just fifteen minutes. You can do this one day or all 4 days. The site allows you to enter your zip code & it will connect you to a list of birds you may see in your area during February. You print out the list & start counting. The site provides advice & a page to enter your results. This is a wonderful activity to enjoy with your kids. The site provides all types of helpful info to get you started. Last year over 11 million birds were counted! Please join in & get to know your backyard friends.

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

Hellebore - The Lenten Rose

    One of the earliest blooming perennials is also one of my favorites. It is the Lenten Rose, or Hellebore. The one species I have, pictured at left, has been in my ‘front door garden’ for five years now. It is Helleborus hyb. ‘Pine Knot Strain.’ This photo is not from my garden. My Lenten Rose is about 3 inches in emergence right now. But in just a few weeks, it will be in full bloom. It so wonderful to have these beautiful outdoor blooms at this time of year. The foliage stays beautiful all summer & the blooms remain on the plant & turn a lovely light green color throughout the summer. These are long-lived, easy-care perennials. They required light to partial shade in a well-drained rich soil. They are a wonderful addition to your garden. The foliage on the usual spring bloomers (hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, crocus) will die back. With the Lenten Rose, you can enjoy the plant all summer long! You will find them in your garden stores soon. Here is a link below to one on-line garden store showing a few different varieties.

http://www.soonerplantfarm.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.kwsearchpost/variety/Helleborus/index.htm

Hair Care Product Wonders

    Flyaways. Static. Hat hair. All things we associate with hair & winter. All of which can drive you crazy. Who among us have completely stopped wearing hats because of the flyaways?! Well, there are three products that have come to the rescue for this tester. The first I mentioned in a previous blog, L’Huilles de Beaute. That is the Moroccan Argan Oil by Organix. The moisture from a few drops can calm the hair from the worst dry air this winter can dish out. I can’t say enough good things about this inexpensive product! A+++

    Here are two more products to try. The first is also from Organix. It is called Rejuvenating Cherry Blossom Ginseng Shine Finish Spray. Yes, it smells delicious! (Price point $5.97 - Walmart) You can spray on damp hair & style or use as a final shine spray after styling or both. It does smell wonderful & not only adds shine but really helps control the static that builds throughout the day. I use it on dry hair & use the argan oil on damp hair.

    The second product is from John Frieda. It is called Full Repair Flyaway Tamer. (Price point $8.97 – Walmart) It is a ‘mascara wand’ applicator that you brush on those annoying tiny flyaways. Small enough to carry in your purse for on-the-go touchups. (Actually, there isn’t a John Frieda product that I’ve tried that I haven’t liked – a lot).

   I hope these products control the frustration of the cold, dry winter & control that static! Again, there are coupons & sales on these products frequently & you can use that Ulta coupon too.

Artist in the Garden

    This is the time of year when gardeners begin to page through the gardening catalogs, books, magazine & websites, with the hope of the new garden to come. Hope springs eternal for the fervent gardeners in all of us. I would, however, like you to take a step back & consider the empty canvases before you. In today’s Simple Abundance passage, SBB wants us to consider ourselves all as artists. I want to expand on this & want you to consider yourself to be the artistic director of your garden this year. We may have many foundation plants & perennials just waiting to burst forth when that warmer weather comes consistently to us. The blank canvases for me & could be for you are the container gardens we can create as the accents to our lives. The small little spaces where we tuck an annual or two. The larger, potential fresco areas we see. For those who are just dabbling into the gardening/birding/butterfly scene (I feel these to be all intertwined), containers are a wonderful way to begin this artistic director journey. Tiny little vignettes here & there are also a wonderful way to channel this artistic vision. The tips & tricks & many details I will discuss in upcoming blogs. For now, I just want you to close your eyes and imagine what your garden could be this year. What colors, textures, smells do you imagine. The satisfying part in all this imagining is that there are no right & wrong visions. It is yours to dream & create. When the time comes to plant, we can talk technique, but for now, know that the canvas is yours to paint anyway you choose. No right, no wrong, just beautiful – because it is your lovely vision.

    So, as you page through the garden mags & begin wandering through the garden stores, just squint like an artist. Just imagine like an artist and be fearless like an artist! It will be a wonderfully directed debut!!!!

Pine Cone Bird Feeder

   The holidays are over & my Christmas tree came down (last as usual). I took my own suggestion & placed my tree outside for some extra winter cover for the birds. I also made a few pinecones covered in peanut butter & birdseed for my feathered friends to enjoy. Well, two of the three I hung on my Christmas tree. (Pictured at left) Really, what a sweet thing to do, right? Looked pretty, yes. Smelt delicious, yes. Thwarted my yard full of super squirrels, NOT. They loved every second of the challenge (lasted 2 seconds) & found them to be a delicious mid-winter treat. The tree is now laying on its side as a result of all the activity & the cones are nowhere in sight right now. (My only hope now is that some of the twine makes it to a nest or two!) Luckily, I saved one for my very baffled ‘food court’ feeder where it would be safe from bionic squirrels. So far I’m still waiting for some action.  But isn’t that what us bird watchers do best? So, if you have squirrels en masse, I suggest to save a few for a protected feeding station so you would have time to enjoy watching the feast! If you want some quick entertainment from the squirrels, then by all means hang them in a tree!

Note: I have heard concerns about birds at feeders suddenly disappearing for days at a time or longer. Not to worry; you are probably not the only food source for them in the area. (even if you think your setup is the best!) They will be back & frenzy eating once more. The most common birds this time of year, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, juncos like to travel in numbers together. Use the opportunity to do a mid-winter cleaning of your feeders if you like.

Les Chaussures - Shoes!

    Seeing is that today is Super Bowl Sunday, I thought I would write about something on the complete other end of the testosterone spectrum – shoes!

      No woman’s blog would be complete without a nod to that part of the wardrobe that makes us feel complete. Well really, they complete an outfit, but have the ability to make us feel any given way at any given time. I started my love affair with the shoe at a very early age. (Fortunately or unfortunately my teenage daughter inherited the ‘shoe’ gene – actually that’s fortunate since we are the same size!) My Aunt always told the story of a very little me, with a brand new pair a magenta patent leather shoes. (I remember them!) She said I stood on the front steps of my house & would point my leg & display their gorgeousness to any passerby. Wow, now that’s a shoe gene! So what makes shoes & now fantastic boots, a completer piece for our outfits & lives? I have to believe it’s as simple as the shoe always fits. So our weight goes up or down 10 pounds, or more, the shoe remains the same. Once we are past childbearing years, our shoe size tends to remain constant. Constants in our lives are a great stress reliever. Having this love in our lives can makes us look 3-4 inches taller on any given day, Make us feel warm & cozy (Slipper Day!) on any given day. They can transform the mind, body (posture) & soul on any given day. Wow! Love that.

    On my recent GWA, my friends & I hit the outlet stores for a day (& most of the night). Between five of us, we can away with 11 pairs of shoes & boots. Mind you, this clearance time of year & some extra outlet coupons really helped with the prices. (Also, this did not break our record from a previous year of 17 pairs! – those did, however, include a few pairs of kid’s sneakers!) Of all our purchases that day, we loved our shoe choices the best. My Mom’s last words before heading off on our weekends is always two things: be careful & don’t buy any shoes! This is our running joke now. She was delighted to hear I was only responsible for one pair – but they are fabulous, matched a sweater dress/coat I purchased perfectly. Hey, we are good for the economy & have loads of laughs in the process! (hey, not every shoe fits)

    This spavers favorite shoe stores non-outlet are Ross & Marshall’s. The secret is out for Ross; they have obscenely low prices. You need to check in often & see what they have. I mean sandals won’t be far behind….

EASY Fresh Homemade Pasta Sauce

    I’d like to share the easiest, most delicious pasta sauce ever! Really, this is so easy, you will be converted. (from the jar!)

1 – 28-oz, can peeled, whole plum tomatoes (In the summertime, it is a wonderful recipe for your own Romas! 7-10) Reserve the sauce.

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. sugar (to taste)

¾ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried

½ tsp. tomato paste (squeeze tube works well for this) I often skip this ingredient if I don’t have at the time & just add the reserved sauce.

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Heat evoo in a medium-sized saucepan, add garlic & cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes that have been roughly chopped (removing seeds prior to cooking). Add Balsamic, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, sugar & tomato paste. Cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Add Parmesan, basil & any reserved sauce from canned tomatoes if you like. Add a little more evoo, sugar or salt to taste & cook 5 more minutes. Serve over 8-oz. of your favorite pasta shape. Ones with nooks & crannies work well to capture the sauce. Top with more grated Parmesan Serves 3-4. Easy & delish! Mangia!!

Concealers - Review

      I, personally, have been plagued with dark circles under my eyes for my entire life. I know heredity can play big part in this. I choose to break the chain with product! The three products that I have tested over the past year have a few things in common. First, the price point is wonderful on all. (no department store brands for this spaver). Second, the coverage is great on all with no creasing by the end of the day. All three are easy to apply with the in-design applicator, but all need a little help with a gentle finger in the end. All three will go on sale at some point & will have a coupon, so check your ads.

Here they are:

Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Roller – reg. price $11.99

Great, quick coverage on this, but a little drying by days end. The humid, summer months have compensated for this, however. Really need to use your blending finger (ring) on this one. Overall rating winter C+, summer B.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser – Dark Circles – reg. price $7.99

This is a fairly new kid on the block. Comfortable applicator. Again, this one to looks dry, not reflecting the light enough under the eye. Makes a great lid primer, though. I think will work well during the hot summer. Overall rating: B-, A as a lid primer.

L’Oreal Visible Lift Serum Absolute Concealer – reg. price $11.99

This is the newest of the three & I feel the best. It boasts a SPF20, and has a very good applicator that gets right under the lower lash line. You still use the finger to blend but it does so easily. (I use the foundation too & love that as well) The overall look is moist, but doesn’t crease. It also claims to reduce eye puffiness & minimize lines. It reflects light & brightens. Overall rating A-. (the minus because I wish they had a few more shades & it always seems to be sold out (a very good sign).

Slipper Day

    Well we have heard of pajama day for the kids at school. What a great time honored tradition this has become for that generation. I, however, do not feel that this tradition would float in the workplace. When that generation reaches the workplace enforce, maybe it will be what’s worn on casual Friday! But for now, we ‘adults’ need to find a different avenue. A look that makes you feel comfortable at work, yet not inappropriate or offensive in any way. This is why I am proposing Slipper Day for this Friday! Face it, with today’s styles, it really is not a stretch to find slippers that really look like Uggs or moccasins or shoes for that matter. We probably already have a pair. Every work place I’m sure would have its level of tolerance. (so if you think those Elmo slippers would float, go for it – but don’t tell HR you heard it here!!) Think how comfortable your feet will feel that day, especially on these cold, cold EC mornings! Wear a pair & have a blast. How could you not have a happier work day!! TGIF may soon be replaced by TGISD. (Thanks God it’s Slipper Day!) Enjoy!