What did you love?

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“We take what we love…and try to find a way to make money at it.  Twist it and turn it until we can’t find a trace of whatever we once loved.  What did you love?”    from the movie, “Hope Floats”

I’ve been thinking about this a lot since I saw the movie again last week.  One thing has been a constant love throughout my whole life has been my love of fashion magazines!  Of course I look through them, admiring the models that look completely unlike me, lusting over the clothes I know I won’t have, and the shoes I know would kill my feet, and the long, wonderful hair that could only happen in a wig, for me. But I realize that they aren’t about reality. They are dream sequences created by teams of artists, and meant to sell products, of course!  But, they are visually arresting, and also meant to inspire us!  To try something new. Express ourselves a little more. Have some fun!

Maybe you think it’s all vain, shallow, materialistic. Yes, maybe on some level it is – but humans are visual creatures. I think it’s vain and shallow when you focus on looks, and things, to the exclusion of everything else: character, values, intelligence, empathy, generousity or kindness.

Everyone, everywhere in the world, is affected by how things look.  I’m always inspired by the beauty in animals. In flowers. In nature. From our imagination. In art.  Aren’t you?  So why not be inspired by a beautiful fabric, or exquisite new shade of lipstick?  Or a perfect new detail in a shoe or purse that speaks to you?  Is this not art?butterfly

If  you feel uplifted, and more able to meet your daily challenges,  maybe (just maybe) because you feel like you can do anything today, you give a little bit more of yourself to the world. And that could be the flapping of the butterfly’s wings that will start the whole ocean-swell of kindness, or generousity, or an idea or charity that will change the world!

How we feel does color our reality. You can take that to the bank!  If a new lipstick, a beautiful pair of shoes, a new bra, or mastering the proportions of a Ramos Gin Fizz expands your horizons, increases your confidence, and improves your outlook on life, then critics be damned!

Do something wonderful for yourself. Sit down and read a fashion magazine for inspiration (buy a foreign Vogue, they have the most amazing photography and I’m never distracted by the words, since I can’t understand them!). Set a goal to tackle a new recipe this week. Find 6 reasons to feel great about yourself, and write them down. Think about what you once loved…and find a way to bring some of that back into your life.

Here’s a favorite recipe of mine to try:  The Ramos Gin Fizz  from ‘Garden and Gun Magazine’

  • 1 1/2 ounces gin
  • 1 ounce simple syrup (1:1 ratio)
  • 1/2 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • 1 egg white (pasteurized)
  • 1 ounce heavy cream
  • 3-4 drops orange flower water
  • 1 ounce chilled club soda

In a shaker, combine ingredients, except the club soda. Shake briskly to combine. Add ice cubes and shake again for at least 2 minutes. Really! This creates the drink’s silky texture. Pour into a tapered flute or a wine glass, top with the club soda, stir and serve.  This cocktail is the definition of sexy!      

XODonna

Tabula rasa

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While looking for something else, I found some photos I took almost three years ago that are a reminder of my journey to who I am today. That winter, I was having a hard time. Nothing – not my job, my relationship, or my health – was working, and I just couldn’t  “push the river”  any more. I was completely out of energy, and ideas…and the river was steadfast, unyeilding.  highway

I called a dear friend, crying, and told her what was going on…vaguely, loosely, not wanting to really say the words. I’m sure she read between the lines, she’s very wise that way. A few days later, I was at the airport nearest her home, where she hugged me, looked me in the eyes, and summing up the situation, took me to a cozy restaurant for lunch.

Afterwards, we drove out of the city and through the desert to her home in the hills. I remember now that another friend of hers joined us that night for dinner. We had wine and home-made pizzas as we watched “Precious.”  When I awoke the next morning, it had snowed, and the  leaden grey sky warned of more to come. Steeple in SnowThe whiteness everywhere seemed to clear my head by uncluttering my visual field. It made everything fresh. Tabula rasa.

One of the things I enjoy about being older, is that you learn how to be present for friends. You don’t just talk in order to fill the space and try to fix everything. You let their answers come. You hold the space for them. You don’t just tell them, “everything is going to be alright,” because you know by now that you don’t know that to be the case.  Instead, you tell your friend that they will be alright…because you do know that to be the case. No matter what happens, they will get through it. You’ve got their back.

My friend held the space for me, she fed me well, and beautifully…her gift to meGrapefruit while I sorted through everything. We bundled up, and walked and talked in the arroyos as much as the weather allowed.  She listened, and kept listening, as I realized that it was easy for me to walk away, and call it change. The time had finally come for me to stay put…and change myself. The hardest thing of all to do. I needed to make a decision to go toward something, rather than away from everything.  And I had to stop saying, “that I had faith that the right thing would show up,”  in order to compensate for my lack of plan, lack of direction, lack of desire.

I came back from our visit in the desert, honored to have been received as a valued friend-in-need. I came back having made a decision, and had set a goal and a timeline for accomplishing it. The wide-open space of the desert imparted onto me it’s quite strength, and a resolve that I’d felt only infrequently. A strength that allowed me to face my fear. A strength that my friend modeled for me while I was with her.  Maybe that’s why she loves living out there…I can completely understand that!  The changes I wanted to create have happened, are happening even now. They have been harder than I imagined, but they’ve also been even more rewarding than I could have imagined!

Not everyone can have DDs…

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Only because they are not available yet. But, they are coming, right after the CCs get here! 

“Donna, what are you talking about?” you’re asking right about now. “Surely, not boobs…”

No, not boobs!  I’m talking about DD Creams – brand-new daily defense creams designed for the feet and body. They have a heavy-duty texture and reparative properties….perfect for our dry climate (except that today it’s finally raining in Texas again. Hallelujah!)  I’ve been reading about them, but can’t find any available online yet.chanel cc cream

I learned about them as I was researching CC Creams.  These are Color Control Creams: a skin-care/makeup hybrid that are even lighter in texture and feel than BB creams, and also offer more skin benefits such as;  improving discoloration, being more suitable for oilier skins (not that many of us have that problem as we get a bit older!) having brighteners, spot-diminishers, Asian healing botanicals (green tea, white tea, etc.) and ‘epidermal growth factor’ to stimulate collagen production. The Chanel Color Correction Complete is supposed to be “The Holy Grail of CC creams,” according to www.Totalbeauty.com.  But unless you have a friend who travels to Asia, it’s unavailable in the states for now.  The original CC cream is Rachel K Mineral Color Control, a best-seller in Asia, with an SPF 35, available in two shades, but only on her website. The cost: $39.00 USD.

The first-on-the-shelves here in the States is Olay Total Effects CC Tone Correcting UV Moisturizer available in drugstores for $21.00. It brightens the skin, while providing minimalcc%20cream%20for%20dark%20skin_265x265 coverage and comes in three  shades to work for everyone. It also provides all-day moisturizing, improves discolorations, has essential glucosamine complex and is anti-aging. For those of you who want to look polished and to protect your skin, yet don’t want to fuss, this could be a sexy solution!  And imagine the ease of this while you are on a trip.

And that brings me back to the beginning: BB Creams!  BB Creams were originally created in 1960 by a German dermatologist to protect her patient’s skin after surgery. They became very popular in Asia in the 1980’s and finally came to the Western markets the beginning of last year. BB stands for Beauty Balm; an all-in-one serum, moisturizer, primer, foundation. Some have sunblock, skin-brighteners and anti-wrinkle and anti-inflammatory properties. Some are soothing, some have hyalauronic acid and Vitamin C. And both Smashbox and The Body Shop are cruelty-free!

I never realized how many there were to choose from until I saw this wonderful chart! (and I wish I knew who to give credit to.)BB_Cream_Montage I think an ideal one for “women of a certain age” would have a slight pink tint to add a glow to our complexions!  Out of all of these,  I am sure you will find a wonderful new addition, or a new staple, to your beauty routine. I’m going to the drugstore and try the Olay CC cream today! They are perfect for everyday wear, offering less coverage than foundation and optical-brightening so that skin looks even-toned and fresh.  And, isn’t that exactly what sexy is all about?

XODonna

The “eyes” have it!

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“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others.”  Audrey Hepburn

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  Anonymous

“In your eyes…the light, the heat.”  Peter Gabriel

“The eyes are the window to the soul.”  Anonymous

What I actually want to talk about is your eyebrows. They can ‘make or break’ your whole look!  Foundation, check. Blush, check. Eyeshadow, check.  Mascara, check. And a swipe of lipgloss, or lipstick, to finish it all off.

BUT you forgot your eyebrows! That’s like a fine painting without a frame on it. Yes, seriously! I guess I will have to scare you into seeing how important this is:

Eyebrowsmatter

The most common reason eyebrows are thin at our age is over-zealous “plucking” in our youth. Tweezing too much can result in damage to the follicle, and a lack of regrowth. (Teach your daughters, and grand-daughters, to have their brows done professionally, or have a pro teach them how, so they can do it well for the rest of their lives). As for us, now…since eyebrows do thin with age, we need solutions, and here are a few.

If your brows are thin you can buy a good brow-brush, and a brow powder in a shade very close to your hair color, and apply it in a flattering shape. (See illustration).Eyebrow Proportion If you have trouble, you can learn how online, or ask your hair-stylist, or the esthetician, at your salon to teach you. They should be glad to! 

For those of us with almost no brows at the outer corners, (see below, right) there is also the option of using a topically applied product in order to try to grow back some of our brows. I had a dermatologist tell me that “Latisse,” which is used for eyelashes, has had sucess at growing brows. It isThin brows available by prescription. You can order  “Brow Relonge” online for $80.00. It’s clinically tested, has a money-back guarantee, and a 96% customer satisfaction rating on the site I saw. “Revitabrow” is also available online, costs $110.00, but isn’t clinically-tested and had an 88% customer-satisfaction rating.  According to the Livestrong.org site, topical minoxidil (Rogaine) may improve thinning eyebrows. It effectively stimulates hair regrowth in about 84% of users (according to the ISHRS). Applying a 5% solution to the eyebrow area twice daily may promote eyebrow growth within 12 weeks.

For years now, I have been using brow powder and a brush to shape and fill in my brows…but in 4-5 months I hope to be seeing our esthetician, Jessica, for brow tinting and shaping, along with my lash tinting!  I love that she uses natural, vegetable tints that come in a variety of colors for lashes and brows. (Having the lower lashes tinted makes them stand out beautifully, without risk of smearing or smudging under your eyes…which just isn’t sexy at all!)

 “Here’s looking at you, kid!”

XO Donna

**Jessica Timko works at Bella Salon & Spa, (512) 474-5999

A blank slate…

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I hope this finds you well today.  Savoring the holidays, or recovering from them…if you savored them too well!                 (Drink lots of water, sparkling or otherwise. Add lemon or orange slices, mint leaves  or cucumber if you have any).

I waited all morning for inspiration to come. It hadn’t yet….but, rather than just sit and wait, I decided to do something useful. I ended up losing track of time as I gave myself a  pedicure, complete with a footbath with soothing epsom salts. Then a good pumicing, followed by a shaping, a primer and finally, Essie gold nail polish!

My muse hadn’t arrived yet, so I continued on with a manicure. Soaked my fingers in warm water, followed by massaging them with warm coconut oil. No polish, just follow that up with lots of sandalwood hand cream!

Back to the computer.  Ready and waiting, but I found myself alternately staring at the computer screen, and out the window at the sunshine. And at the garden.  And at a thermometer that reads only 39 degrees! How could it be so pretty AND so cold?  And how could I still NOT have anything to say?  Guest bath 9-15-08

So I pulled out all of the proverbial stops: I headed back to my bathroom where I  pulled my hair away from my face in a bandanna, washed my face with a Vitamin C cleanser, and get out one of my nutrient-infused face masques and carefully applied it. I headed to the sofa to settle down for a “long winter’s nap.” (I never manage to take a nap, no matter how tired I am!)

Much to my surprise, I did, indeed, doze off – and when I awoke 30 minutes later I felt refreshed, and my skin felt rehydrated!

Maybe I needn’t SAY anything at all today, but instead, “lead by example.”   I took care of myself… so that I could continue to take care of others.  And that’s a great way to stay sexy at any age!

XOXO Donna

Compare not…

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A few posts back, I spoke of the way many of us (at our age) compare ourselves to younger women…and make ourselves unhappy with the results.  Today, as I read the latest post by Danielle LaPorte, a woman who inspires me ( no wait…a woman who continually blows my mind!) her post was about comparing.  www.daniellelaporte.com    ROSEBUD_clipart_3

Here’s what she had to say, “Comparison is a slippery slope to envy and for the most part, envy wastes energy that could be put towards getting what you want or optimizing what you have.”  

“We must have the daring to be nothing but ourselves if we are to know what our true power is.”  ROSEBUD_clipart_3

Here’s another quote that I like: “Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you…than you.”   Unknown

It seems that our mind is wired to compare, and if the comparison can be neutral, and logical, that would be fine…but negative comparing starts early and hardly lets up as we get older. Unless we choose to break the cycle!   There is another site I read, that you may enjoy:  www.tinybuddha.com  which offers, “simple wisdom for comples lives.”   They offered a great solution to all of the comparing, competing and quantifying that our minds want to do…they advise us to ‘redirect the comparison to a past and present self.’  What a great thought!  Only compare yourself now, to yourself then…see how much you’ve learned?  How much experience you have?  The wisdom you can share based on your experiences?  The acceptance you can offer to others…and the knowledge of how valuable that can be.

The only good thing I can see about comparing ourselves to others is when the comparison inspires us to emulate someone else’s good traits, or follow their good example.  With our ability to see, search and sort through so much information, there are many, many things to choose to emulate! There are many, many good examples out there to follow. There are many, many wise women to learn from. It’s never too late to change and grow, to discover and enjoy ourselves!  ROSEBUD_clipart_3

“Every block of stone has a statue inside and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”  Michaelangelo

Start chipping away at old ideas, old habits, old ways of thinking about yourself.  Stop agreeing with your parent’s ideas, or society’s ideas, or even your kid’s ideas about what constitutes a woman, or what makes a woman a lady. Become the goddess you were meant to be!  And fall in love with your unfolding, evolving  self.  This year, give yourself and others the gift of a sexy, wonderful, confident YOU!ROSEBUD_clipart_3

I’ve saved my favorite quote for last: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”  Dr. Suess

Happy Holidays, and Blessings in the New Year!

                               XO Donna

Like a lead balloon…

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In my last post, Necessities vs. Luxuries, I pondered buying luxurious lipsticks for my sisters as a Christmas gift. I received lots of feedback regarding lead, which it turns out, is a contaminant in many red lipsticks!  Dior-Replenishing-Lpstck08-lg

I went to the government’s FDA site to read about this, and while they have set a limit on just how much lead they think is allowable in lipstick (and in candy!) some companies exceed their limits. According to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, “lead builds in the body over time, and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels.”  While nobody has reportedly died of lead contamination from their lipstick, I personally want my lipstick unleaded! 

In my meanderings, I found two sites in particular that I really enjoyed, and want to pass along to you. The first is:  www.Eco-Chick.com   and the second: www.thedailygreen.com  They have  lots of healthy information that is well presented and relevant!

I found many luscious red lipsticks, in all shades and price-points: Dior’s Replenishing Lip Color in Red Premiere  $26 (pictured, above right). Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze in Watermelon, $17 (online).  MAC’s Viva Glam 1, $14.  The Body Shop’s Lipcolour in Garnet, $12. Revlon’s Super Lustrous  in Love That Red and Bed of Roses, each $7.50. And available in most drug stores – Wet n’ Wild Mega Color’s Cherry Blossom for just $1.99!   Iredale lipstickJane Iredale’s lipsticks are available in a few places here in Austin, all are lead-free and wonderful. (photo left, by Starre Vartan).  Now you can buy a beautiful red lipstick for yourself, or as a gift, and know that you CAN be beautiful and healthy!  And speaking of  ‘sexy at our age’, another appealing site I ran across, and you must check out, is Penelope Whiteley’s page, “Aging Disgracefully.”   Or her website: www.penelopewhiteley.com  Today on FB she posted a great article on the shelf-life of our cosmetics. Yes, they can go bad in spite of the preservatives used in them.  This could be a great incentive to sort through our makeup bags, discard old products, and buy new ones with an eye toward updating, rather than replacing!  Products improve all the time, and many are multi-functional now. I am especially fond of BB Creams….beauty balms that are lightweight, like a tinted moisturizer, yet have line-diminishing capabilities (and who doesn’t want that???) along with sunscreen.  They are wonderful for those times when you just want to run a quick errand, but wouldn’t dare go out bare-faced!  (You wouldn’t go out bare-faced, would you?)  A little of your BB cream, some mascara, a swipe of lip gloss and you’re out the door looking pulled-together!

While I was in Dallas a couple of weeks ago, with my friend Ron Maddox –  he took me up to his studio and did a “mini-makeover” for me using BeautiControl makeup. First, it was a treat to have someone work on me, and second, I was surprised at how well the foundation rested on my skin; lightweight, yet covering and very natural!  As Ron applied it, he encouraged me to wear much more eye-makeup than I normally do. I loved his results, so I ordered everything we used and my products should arrive any day.  My Christmas gift to myself!   As soon as I am able to get a touch-up and trim at the salon. I think a new head shot is in order.  I can hardly wait!

Gina Lollobrigida

Gina Lollobrigida

P.S. – If any of you are now inspired to rush out and buy a new red lipstick, please send me photos of you wearing your lipstick, or just fun photos of your lips, and I will post them here! (Please include the brand and color.)

Enjoy the snow ~

XO Donna

Necessities vs. Luxuries

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Nineteen days till Christmas Eve, but who’s counting?  I used to have a client who always, always, always had all of her shopping finished and wrapped by the first of December each year!  Her holiday cards were finished, too!

I’m not like that…not even close.  I assume that not many people are. ( I hope to hell I’m not missing something here, and I’m really just a slacker?)  I’m still thinking about small luxury gifts for my sisters. They take care of kids, jobs, husbands and homes all year long.  I want to take care of them. They put everyone else before themselves. My Mom was that way. Her mother was probably that way, too. 

I’m not like that, either. Not even close!  A while ago I realized that the things some women consider a luxury,  a good deep-tissue massage for example, are my necessity. It’s part of the “take care of yourself first, in order to take care of others”  school of thought that I bring up all of the time. I’m talking about a skillful massage (not a rub-a-dub mall massage) that increases flexibility, eases knotted muscles, stimulates lymphatic drainage, improvesmassage circulation and diminishes pain associated with arthritis and fibromyalgia. Of course, my line of work demands this kind of body-work. I stand all day, bend over a shampoo bowl many times, I have my arms raised while I’m cutting, and then when I’m wielding a blow-dryer. All in my mission to bring out everyone’s beauty!  

And none of that is a complaint. Seriously, I’d rather stand all day, than sit all day. Sitting for any length of time makes my mid-back hurt, my shoulders and neck get tense, and my butt go numb!  Oh, yours feels that way too????  See, you NEED that massage…and here you thought it was a luxury!   

For some women, a manicure isn’t a luxury…it’s a necessity. They work with clients, using their hands to point out information and selling points. Or they are in a position where having one’s appearance polished from head-to-toe includes finger-tips, too!   My father was the first man I knew that  “‘put the ‘man’ into manicure!”  He wore suits and ties to work every day (he was an Interior Designer) and had a manicure, with his nails buffed, every other week! I loved that he was stylish enough to do that!  Are you in a sales career? Are you a professional business-woman? You NEED a manicure too!   man icureWe can do lots of things to our face to diminish what time has done, but there is very little we can do for our hands. They say, “The hands always give a woman’s age away.”  To offset this, I use my facial cleansers and moisturizing creams on them in the evening. Keeping them neatly shaped, well-moisturized and professionally manicured can help them lie about your age just a little bit!

Pedicures should also go from our ‘luxury list’ onto our ‘necessity list’ because  a good nail technician can inform you about any problems she sees with your feet (how many of you can easily look at the bottoms and sides of your feet?). They can help prevent ingrown toenails, diminish callouses before they become a problem, and stimulate all of the reflexology points on your feet. A good warm soak and massage can ease pain and increase circulation.  Plus, you leave with sexy feet and toenails! OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA I always feel like I’m floating on Cloud 9 after a therapeutic pedicure! But wait, there’s more!  There is still one luxury left out there…a ‘fish pedicure’ where little fish nibble all of the dead skin off of your feet and toes! Seriously!

So, that simplifies my gift-giving for all of my sisters…now that massages, manicures and pedicures are off of the “luxury list” and on the “necessity list.”  Instead, I will go look at delicious, chanellaquermoisturizing lipsticks (I love both Nars & Laura Mercier) or beautiful nail laquer by Chanel (so fashionable)and Zoya (because it’s formaldehyde-free)  which are my current faves!  I’ll find them each a new color to ring in the holiday season.  Talk about luxury!

P.S. – I see Traci Collins, our massage therapist extraordinaire.  And Mie (Me-yay) our nail professional, is as delightful as she is talented!     Check with our front desk at Bella Salon for holiday specials: 512.474.5999

Ah, Paris…

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I subscribe to a site called “My Little Paris,”  in English.  Every week they focus on where to go for lunch, or the best place for a mani/pedi in Paris.  The best patisserie. Cocktails after work. Today, I was excited because they have published a guide-book, in English, of things to do in Paris with illustrations by their delightful artist, Kanako!  Of course, as I read, I daydreamed of returning!

www.mylittleparis.com

Why is Paris sexy? It’s a city….one of many in the world. What makes IT sexy, and all of the others ‘not sexy?’ 

Maybe it’s simply the fact that when we hear something enough, we come to believe it. Now, it is so.  Then we say it and perpetuate it.  “Paris is the most romantic city in the world!”  “Paris is so sexy!”  “Oh, don’t you just love Paris!”  “The women are gorgeous!” 

We can do this same thing for ourselves! There is a saying, “You’ll see it when you believe it!”  Yes, you read that correctly. The saying is about manifesting. In this case, it’s also about watching our language, speaking lovingly to, and about, ourselves.

I spent the weekend before Thanksgiving in Dallas with a dear friend, salon owner Ron Maddox.  www.ronmaddox.com  We shopped till we dropped, then we sat and talked over tea at Teavana – a shop as serious about their tea as Starbucks is about their coffee! We spoke about the words that are used in our everyday conversations. Languaging. Most of that conversation I will save for another blog, but I will mention this part:  Loving kindness in our dialogue toward ourselves…

Ron pointed out that as I was trying on clothes and shoes, that I wasn’t being very kind to a few body parts that I thought weren’t perfect. You know the drill, “these pants are too ___because my ass is too ___.”   Or my shoulders are too…my boobs are too…I’m too… I guess we all do this.  And I realized that we are, in fact, sending negative messages to ourselves which we internalize, come to believe, and then perpetuate.

What to do about this?  Catch yourself, and stop.  1) be grateful you have that body part at all!   2) take the charge out of it.  Think,  “These pants are too tight across the derrierre.”  No judgement! It’s about the pants, not about you. They just don’t fit.  And you deserve clothes that fit beautifully. (I’m sure you all know the value of a great tailor by now – all of your clothes CAN fit beautifully!)

When we went to Paris in 2005, I read many guidebooks before we went, and a few addressed how to dress in Paris. I left the blue jeans and sneakers behind, and packed my most sophisticated, yet comfortable clothes. I bought a sexy red raincoat.  I learned enough French to ask directions, and order food politely.  As I strolled the streets, or sat in cafes with a glass of red wine, I felt romantic, beautiful and sophisticated!  I chose to believe the good PR for Paris. Like putting on rose-colored glasses, everything was run through that filter, including myself!

 I love this image because it seems the tables are waiting. All we need do is climb up there!  We can also climb up into a place of  acceptance and love of ourselves.  Let’s be more conscientious about the things we say to ourselves  (being harsh with ourselves is NOT the way toward change, loving kindness is).  Let’s take the words I HATE out of our vocabularly. Rather than focusing on what we dislike, decide what we’d prefer, then focus on that as our goal.  If we want to change something on our body, do it out of preference, rather than disdain. We have the power to create a new reality – sometimes with the help of a skilled dermatologist, surgeon, hair stylist, personal trainer, or tailor – it’s all good!

Paris is the place that touches and inspires me most, and until today I didn’t realize why.

Come join me on that rooftop!

XO Donna

Happy Thanksgiving!

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I have had fabulous Thanksgiving dinners…and I have had awful ones that I couldn’t wait to end.  Usually the latter were big, drama-laden, extended-family affairs.  Think, “Home For The Holidays,” with Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr.  My all-time fave holiday movie, do rent it sometime!

So here are a few delightful thoughts to help you enjoy your day:

1)  Take care of yourself FIRST. Then you will be able to take care of everyone/everything else later!

2)  ASK for help. With the food, with the table, with the dishes. Allow people to contribute, and acknowledge them. Allow yourself to receive. The ONLY martyr today should be that gorgeous turkey!

3)  No matter what else is going on, there is always something to be GRATEFUL for!  It is only one day…so stay present, have fun, enjoy the company and/or the food and/or the wine!  Be loving, and be your beautiful, sexy self!

XO Donna