Let’s Get Wiggy With Carrie From UniWigs LaVivid Collection

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Catherine

The FedEx man came to my door with a package today!  In the package was something I had been waiting for.  A wig!

Surprise!!!!  And was it ever!!!   Read on to see how my surprise ended!

This isn’t any wig.  The folks at UniWigs reached out to me to see if I would be interested in reviewing the Carrie wig from the LaVivid Collection.  The funny thing is, I was eyeing this wig for a while.  I’ve seen many reviews of Carrie and I’ve always thought that she was stunning and very natural looking.

Here’s Lace Front Carrie from the website.  This photo doesn’t even do her justice!

Now—for those of you familiar with my royal wigness, you are well-aware that I shy away from Euro-American wigs.  I’m a fan of African-American textured wigs because they best resemble my bio hair.  But the main issue I have with Euro-American wigs is that they lack density, look like doll hair and, for the most part, are very “wiggy” looking.  I’ve purchased these wigs from other companies and ended up throwing them in the trash because I looked ridiculous.

I was a bit skeptical.  On the other hand, before my hair loss became more intense, I did order toppers from UniWigs and was extremely happy with them.  In fact, I still wear them every now and then when I bring out my bio hair!

Yesterday I DID wear a UniWigs topper atop my bio hair!  It looked great and was nice to see me back in my naturalness!

Well, let’s look at the wig and my surprising results!

First, the wig was packaged very securely.  In the FedEx envelope was another envelope.  In that envelope was the LaVivid Box containing the wig. And more goodies!

The box was nice and compact. No wasted space here for the wig.  This is important to me because I store my wigs in their original boxes!

In the box, the wig came placed in a hairnet.  I love this.  I love this because I keep my wigs in hairnets while I’m not wearing them.  The head of the wig was also stuffed with tissue paper.  This is a good practice—to stuff the head part of the wig with tissue paper so that the wig will retain its shape.

This is the wig in the net after I took her off and before I restuffed with the tissue paper. I wanted to show you how I “shape” the bottom of the wig back into the net!

Also in the box was a wig brush, great for detangling at the end of a wear, a mesh wig cap, and another little package with two combs to be sewn into the wig and a sachet.

In that little package on the far left, where the combs are, is also a sachet.  This is a great idea to make sure your wig smells fresh!  The wig brush is essential.  I NEVER put a wig back into the box without brushing the tangles out.  Let’s face it–all wigs will tangle a bit after an all-day wear, if you want your wig to last then you need to brush it out after wearing.  The wig cap is also a great little addition, but most of the time, I don’t wear them. I find it more comfortable without it. That’s just me!

When I saw the wig, I was pleasantly surprised at the color.  UniWigs sent me “Brown Spice”, a gorgeous blend of brown ranging from dark to light with a hint of auburn blended in.  The depth of the color is spectacular.

This is how Carrie looks on me in natural (but rainy) daylight!  Bonaparte loves this color on me!!  The depth of color is absolutely gorgeous and I have a bit of my dark hair pulled out at the front!!

I figured that the parting space would need a good bit of tweezing, but upon inspecting, the parting space was perfect!  The other added benefit is that the wig has hard lace.  I’m a huge fan of the harder lace because the softer lace tends to roll back—and that can be annoying.

No tweezing needed on Carrie! Just a slight touch of face powder in the part and I’m good to go!

When I saw that Carrie had a left-side part, I knew we were going to be besties!

What I didn’t notice was that fake looking, Barbie doll shininess that so many wigs have.  The wig has a luster and a natural shine.  The kind that you have with your natural hair when you get a great wash, condition, and blow out at the salon.

The construction of the cap is stellar.  Trust me on this.  I have many inexpensive wigs that I love, and the wefts are not as well-constructed as on Carrie.  The wefting on the wig really impressed me.   A lot!

No skimping on the wefts.  Less expensive wigs tend to have less wefting, making the spaces wider in between the wefts. This is nice and compact!

The wig material is made in Japan and the wig itself is constructed in China.

It also has adjustable elastic bands with Velcro.  I’m digging this because I’m used to the bra-strap bands and they can sometimes be a challenge to adjust when you have long nails!

See the straps?  They can be adjusted with the Velcro tabs. I like that!!!!

Overall, this is a very well-constructed wig.

The lace front. From the inside!!!

Want to see how she looks on me?

Shades of Carrie.  See what I mean about the shine?  There is plenty of luster but not overly shiny.  I’m thrilled with her!

And the layers!  Oy vey!  They are so well thought out.  Longer layers are always more flattering and this is beyond my expectations!

At a price point of $188 USD, Carrie is not inexpensive, but she isn’t to the other extreme either.  She’s within the affordable price range.  I think Carrie is worth the money.

Do I have any cons? No.  But I have a couple of suggestions.

Well, it would be great if LaVivid had a wider range of available colors for this unit.  It would be wonderful if Carrie was offered in a natural black and in gray.  Many older women are going gray these days and many of these women have long hair.

My other suggestion.  LaVivid’s selections are shorter wigs.  And while I realize that not every mature woman wants a length as long as Carrie (I do!  I do!), a few shoulder-length or just below the shoulder length options, such as a long bob would be great sellers!

Albeir Awad, the wigs designer for this line is obviously a very talented man—please come up with longer selections!!!

Albeir Awad, wig designer at his craft!  

Below is the video from my YouTube channel.  It’s a fun one—because I was so excited that I couldn’t contain myself!!

I want to give a sincere thanks to the people at UniWigs for considering me for a review and I hope that I did good by you!!!

Here’s the links if you are interested in giving Carrie a more in-depth look!!!

Uniwigs

LaVivid Collection

Posted in LaVivid Wigs, Uniwigs | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

Deception—Package the Goods Honestly Please!

Posted on November 12, 2017 by Catherine

Deception: The act of deceiving someone.  A thing that deceives.

We’ve all experienced deception.

Perhaps it was that boyfriend who cheated on you.  To make matters worse, perhaps he did so with your best friend—or any friend.

It’s happened to most of us!  Deception!

Or maybe it was someone who took an idea of yours and made it their own.

No. Stealing ideas can’t be legally taken away–but people do it all the time. It’s deceptive and dishonest and vile. But it happens to the best of us!

Perhaps it was a coworker who stole a project from under you, took all the credit and you were left standing like an idiot.

The look you have when you realized a coworker screwed you over!

People deceive.  People steal, and they steal intangible from you to make themselves appear better, bigger and more creative.

It happens to us all and makes us trust less. It makes us jaded.  It makes us a bit harder.

Seriously?  Yeah.  I’m becoming jaded with all the deception that surrounds us!

And in my deeply shallow thinking, one of the worst deceptive crimes is packaging.  Yes.  deceptive packaging.

It happened to me the other day and I cannot shake it off.

Who would think that a $6.00 bottle of face primer would trigger me into a frenzied state about deception?  But–It did!

I was getting ready to prime my face with my e.l.f. Tone Adjusting Face Primer.  I happen to be a huge fan of this primer.  Anyway, I pumped and just a bit came out of the bottle.  I pumped again. Nothing.  It was odd because this was a relatively new bottle—I hadn’t gotten it that long ago.  Perhaps something happened to the pump.  And so, I opened the bottle.  And I found the most deceptive packaging of my life. Inside the bottle was a cylinder. The cylinder was a very light lavender. The bottle, frosted plastic, gave the illusion of the lavender cylinder being the actual product.  Inside that cylinder was another cylinder.  This small cylinder was where the product was held.

After turning the bottle upside down, things appeared suspicious.  Cylinder one was inserted to make fools like me believe there was more product than there actually was….

Cylinder two–see that small, slender little thing of a cylinder?  THAT’S where the product was. And it wasn’t much at all! .47 ounces?  That’s less than a half an ounce.  At six bucks it is no bargain!

Now—there was no mention of how much product was in the bottle.  It was on the box that the primer came in.  Add to that, I never bothered to inspect the bottle by turning it upside down when I purchased it and took it home to use.  I trusted e.l.f. as a brand.

And after researching, I did find out that only .47 oz. of product is in this bottle.  More bottle.  More packaging. Less product. At a cost of $6.00.  So basically, the e.l.f. primer isn’t as inexpensive or as great a value and bargain as I thought it was. Deceptive.

I have another bottle of this primer that I opened. I will use it because I purchased it.  However, I will be more educated next time around.  This e.l.f. primer will not be a part of my routine after the present bottle is used up.

This is what drives me up a wall.  I want to see how much product has been used and how much I have left before I rethink a repurchase.

I’m visual. If I can’t see how much is in the bottle or container, then please tell me how much product is inside!

The Ordinary has great packaging. It is honest packaging.  A great many products from the company are packaged pragmatically.  You can see how much product is left.  And for the squeeze tubes, the amount of product is in clear sight.

My The Ordinary bottle of Hyaluronic Acid.  Look!  I can see how much is in the bottle. Same with The Ordinary liquid primer.  The Ordinary places many items in bottles like this.  

And when the products are in squeeze tubes, at least the amount of product is clearly displayed on the packaging!

I’m a fan of my Skin Actives.  I like products in jars. When I open the jar, I can get a visual of how much product is in the jar.

My jar of Skin Actives Dream Cream is almost at the bottom–and that’s a nightmare!  I need to order!

My beloved Je Ne Sais Quoi Vitality Lip Flush (of which I have three) by iT cosmetics.  I can see how much product has been used, and by God, I’ll scrape every iota out of that tube!

Chippy also likes this.  He tried to eat the tube but I saved it!  See how much product is left?  I’m scrapping that barrel!  I LOVE this stuff! And–I know when to repurchase!

My point is simply this, don’t deceive me with your fancy packaging. I’m tired of it.  I don’t care about your frosted plastic or glass. I don’t care about the ridiculous amount of money that was spent on packaging your product to make it look nice and appealing.  I want product. How come a company like The Ordinary can be a success without the ribbons and bows?

Be honest.  Be truthful.  Be real.  Be transparent.

The same goes for food items and recipes.

It’s that time of year when the comfort food gets placed on the table.  It’s also that time of year when I’m on the lookout for good, hearty dishes to make for our Saturday evening feasts.

Bonaparte has had a hankering for Escargot lately.  We used to buy frozen escargot in the shells from Wegmans.  However, and I think it may be due to some bizarre law that you can’t buy snails in the shell in the State of Pennsylvania anymore, the store no longer sells them in our area.

Bonaparte ordered these babies through the internet. And we got what we ordered!!!

Naturally, my Gallic hero did some online sleuthing and found them at Gourmet Food Store, an online entity.  This online store is amazing! He ordered two plates, spent a ton of money on shipping, and we received them within two days.  We had one plate last night and they were spectacular!  Earthy, buttery, garlicky little nuggets.  This is an online company to be trusted.  They were honest in their online description of the dish and what we received was better than expected.  No deception here!

Such goodness in a little shell!  Miam Miam!!

You can hear Bonaparte talking about these snails!

And then there was the Daniel Boulud’s Chicken in Cream recipe that I watched him make on Mind of a Chef.  It looked freaking awesome.

Chef Daniel Boulud  sure knows how to make a great chicken dish. And now it’ll be on my regular winter rotation!

With pen in hand, I perused the internet and found a YouTube video, but I needed more. I needed an actual recipe and found it on Elle Décor. 

The recipe looked inviting and Bonaparte, knowing who Boulud is, suggested I try it out.  His one concession was that I cook the mushrooms separately because Bonaparte cannot stand mushrooms. I had no issue with it.

I’m a self-proclaimed “Herb Whore”.  I can’t just use a little herbs. I need to use a ton. And this recipe called for a bouquet of herbs that was very petit by my standards. Still, I followed Chef Boulud’s instruction.

Bonaparte, who always must put his two-cent’s worth in, suggested adding Cognac.  I told him to go back to watching TV and that this recipe clearly didn’t need the Cognac.

Well, this recipe was fantastic.  Bonaparte agreed that it didn’t need Cognac.  I was floored at the flavors the small herbal bouquet added.  I was blown away.

I am sorry I didn’t take a photo of the mushrooms that I cooked to add to my serving but this chicken dish was incredible!  I ate one thigh.  Bonaparte ate one breast, two wings and a leg.  He couldn’t help it–it was just so good.  It doesn’t look like much cream but there was, I poured it into a sauce thingy.

Honesty in a recipe. And that’s why I love old-school French home cooking.  Simple.  Easy. Honest.

No deception there.

Tell me.  Have you been deceived?  Can you relate to what this post is about? Let me know.  And for your entertainment, here’s a very honest look at my home!  I have it on my YouTube channel and I know that I sound like a broken record but if you enjoy the video, please subscribe.

Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!XOXOXOXO

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My House Stinks–But It Looks Festive!!!!

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Catherine

Oh God.  I’m sitting here at my bespoke office—the dining room table and I have a headache from the stench.  It’s awful. And it’s a good thing that Bonaparte is at work because he would get all “French” on me with the complaining. I can hear it now:

“Merde!”  “Cassee–whut eez zhat smell?”  “Eeet smells est alle pipi pipi!!”  “Wut deed ou dooooooo?”

 Yeah. My resonse to Bonaparte will be “WTF?. I deed nuss-sing!”

As if the stink is my fault—even though it kind of is.

This morning while getting ready, I decided to use a sample foundation that I received at the bareMinerals store at the mall.  A tiny sample, it be, and when I was finished, I threw the empty little container in the trash.

Chippy happened to be with me while I threw this sample in the little trash bin.

And as I was getting my boots on, I saw my little devil scurry past me and run downstairs.  This is his “I’ve-got-something-in-my-mouth-to-eat” run. After my boots were on, I ran downstairs, practically bare-assed because I hadn’t put my skirt on yet!

And there it was, in the tiniest pieces.  The remnants of the tiny sample of foundation. And some of the remaining foundation on the carpeting (just another reason why carpeting is the bane of my existence).   I had to think fast—because if Bonaparte saw that little spot on the carpet, Chippy would never be blamed for it.  I would.

And to make matters worse, Chippy jumped upon the sofa, unfolded the throw blankets and had the nerve to make a bed. Look at the guilt on his face!!

I ran to the closet and grabbed the first thing I could find.  In this case, it happened to be Nature’s Miracle.  This is a cleaner for carpeting—OK?   Only I didn’t see the small writing.  It wasn’t the cleaner—it was the housebreaking product.  It has some sort of ingredient, Attractant Pheromone scent that is supposed to help dogs to become housebroken quicker. And I didn’t even know we had it until today—Chippy came to us completely housebroken.

And here I thought Nature’s Miracle made only cleaning products.  Read the label.  This stuff IS long lasting. I can still smell it and it is now 4:03 in the afternoon!

And so, thinking this was a carpet cleaning product, I sprayed, sprayed and sprayed some more.  But while I was spraying I thought that perhaps the product had gone bad because it reeked of…well, almost of dog piss!!  I ended up cleaning the carpet with something else and then spraying with my lavender chamomile spray that I use for laundry.

Let me tell you something. This stuff works great on making laundry smell nice.  Not so for carpeting!

 

Four hours later I have a headache and the stench is embedded in my brain.

Yup!!! That’s how I’m feeling at the moment! Let’s hope the smell disipates by tomorrow!

Anyway, now that things are getting a bit organized at the chateau, I spent yesterday getting an early start on the Christmas decorating.  It’s weird because I’ve never attempted to do this before Thanksgiving.  But given the events of the past year—with all the mass gun murders and a major wacko presidentay, the need to have a cozy and festive home was tugging at my heartstrings.

And so, I went downstairs, got most of the decorations out and went to town.

I dressed the banisters!  The theme this year is PLAID!!!

My Christmas/Holiday décor is always kept simple.  I love the shabby chic and casual elegance but never overdo it.  It’s the little touches that bring the look together.

This guy was a gift when I was pregnant with Jake–34 years ago!  I tied a festive ribbon around him and made a bow!  

It’s in the deets!  

This hanging Longaberger basket must be almost 20 years old. It was thrown into the garage. Until yesterday when Bonaparte hung it for me.  I literally threw garland that broke off of a larger piece and little faux berries in it.  Looks cute–right?

Same thing on top of the cupboard!  Old garland and fake berries!

I added a pillow to the loveseat in the sunroom.  The two pillows at the end were already there..

Same thing in the living room. I added a few pillows to the sofas.  The red pillows? They were already there but with different covers.  Red pillow covers were purchased last year at Ikea for less than five bucks apiece!  

And the other sofa with the revamped seat cushions.  Take a good look because normally the sofa is covered in a throw and Chippy thinks this sofa is his personal space and bed!

Pillows and a throw were also added to the downstairs family room sofa. (Ignore the pile of laundry in the lower, far right corner. I do my ironing here.  

The red throw was $4.99 at Ikea last year.  The green pillow, $4.00 at Primark!

One can never have too many Christmas pillows–or white sofas!

This is my favorite pillow. It’s so old-school Santa. And he sits upon a club chair!!

This platter is a festive reminder for when the kids are here to make sure any food in the family room is placed on it!!

The downstairs guest room gets a pillow and a burgundy throw.  Very basic!

And by the way, I did some holiday décor shopping on a very low budget.  Michaels craft store was having great sales and I was able to load up on ribbon.  I also got two baskets for a total of five bucks!

Two baskets totaling $5.00 from Michaels!  I filled the top one with odds and ends of garland and tied a bow around some fake stuff I found in the garage! It made a corner of the kitchen a bit cozy!

A couple of items were found at the local Goodwill store for $1.97 each (OMG, as I write this, that smell is making me ill—Bonaparte is going to have a major fit when he comes home tonight.  What story can I make up?)

This $1.97 little vase/catch all is perfect for holding holly berries!!

Not gonna lie to you.  I went to the Dollar Tree store today to see if I could find greens for the deck.  No such luck.  What I did find was a plastic deviled egg tray.  Honestly, I have a huge ceramic deviled egg tray, but we will be hosting 10 dinner guests for Christmas.  The kids always request my deviled eggs and they are the greatest appetizer because they are so easy to make. But man, if I can just get away with serving them on a plastic tray, it’ll be one less item to stuff into the dishwasher.

I know!  I know!  I feel like the devil for serving deviled eggs on this plastic $1.00 platter, but I can toss it in the trash instead of the dishwasher.  Makes my life a bit easier!

I also purchased four red ceramic bowls—they’ll be great to use as little nut bowls and candy bowls to be scattered around but out of Chippy’s reach!

On second thought, I’m going back to buy more of these. They’ll make great gumbo bowls!

Add to the purchase a leopard scarf for a buck.  The length is a joke, but I can wear it as a fun collar!

My elegant leopard print dolla collla!  It’s too short in length to wear as a proper scarf–but for a buck–it’ll hide my turkey neck!! 

A bag of bubble gum as a diet aid was purchased too.  I’m back on track with the weight.  I’m tracking everything I eat.  I’ll be returning to weekly weight loss posts after the Holidays though. My goal for the next month and a half is to maintain my present weight!

Bubble Gum. The perfect diet aid. Although I prefer Bazooka, Double Bubble will suffice!

Look what I found at Walmart!

I’ve amassed quite a number of ornaments over the years but these were so cute and red that I couldn’t help it.  Check out the rooster ornament. I’ve named him “Bernard Le Coq” after the French actor!

Battery powered lights!  WHO KNEW???  I certainly didn’t!  This makes life so much easier!   Bonaparte will have to return to Walmart to buy more of these great little nuggets of happiness!

Look how nice–and they are timed!  They go off after 6 hours!!!!

Please note that the only other decorative items needed for Christmas are the tree, some poinsettias and more of those battery-operated lights.  I went through the table linens today and they are in the laundry to be washed and ironed.

With all the “house” stuff out of the way, it’ll be much easier to concentrate on the important things like the food and the baking!

Remember—you don’t need a ton of money to make the house festive for the holidays.  You can find inspiration anywhere!

From Jake’s MTV days!  This hat has become traditional attire for me during the Holiday season!

I’ve been dressing up a bit the past few days.  Thankfully, my clothes from last winter still fit so I’m ahead of the game at this point.

Yesterday’s look–Black J. Crew Pixie Pants,  Repettos, a red Schoolboy Blazer and the Brompton bag that Oona gave me a few Christmas’s back.  My “hair” is Shasha by Sensationnel Empress!

Today’s look. And one of my favorite looks ever.  Tan faux suede skirt from J. Crew, J. Crew tissue turtleneck and a scarf, also from J. Crew from years and years ago.  Black tights and black faux suede over-the-knee boots from Unisa complete the look.  My hair today is Kimmie from Freetress!

Here’s a very unique Holiday song.  It’s on one of the Christmas compilation CD’s that I have. I believe the CD is “A Jazzy Christmas”. I’m too lazy to go outside to the car. Anyway, the song is “Blue Xmas” by Miles Davis.  It’s so out there that it’s great. The video is a bit out there too!  Let me know your thoughts on this song—I would love to know what you think! Honestly.  This is such a beatnik song that I love it!

 

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It’s Election Day! Voting and Hanging With The Locals!

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Catherine

Today is November 7th!  Election Day!

If you are not a slithery, slimy, cowardly draft-dodging snake!

OK. So, it isn’t a major election. It isn’t the Mid-Term election nor is it a Presidential election (I can’t even with last year’s results…).  But, locally, it is an important election.  And I put my American Patriot on this morning, American—not Russian,  got dressed, and headed to my local polling place—our Fire Department to vote.

Now—I have a funny story to tell you before I go on.

Saturday afternoon, I was in the kitchen, wildly attending to the cooking for the little feast Bonaparte and I shared.  My orange sauce was simmering, I took the choux pastry for the Paris-Brest out of the oven, and was ready to move on to par-boiling the potatoes when the doorbell rang.

Believe me, if the sauce wasn’t simmering, I would never have answered the door!

In our home, I’m the designated door answerer.  My Frenchman refuses to answer the door if it is an unexpected ringer.  He treasures his privacy.

My hair (real and fake) was up in a huge topknot.  Because I had been peeling and cutting shallots, my eye makeup was all but teared off. I was wearing my cooking clothes—old denim cutoff shorts and a stained sweatshirt. My legs were in need of some serious fake tanning. Let’s just say I wasn’t looking my best.

Because Chippy go crazy when the doorbell rings, I scurried downstairs, opened the door and escaped to the steps outside our home.

The person ringing the doorbell was Lisa Mossie. She’s up for reelection of her position as Township Supervisor.  She is a Republican.  Guess where this animated conversation went?

I’m sure Lisa Mossie will be victorious this evening because I live in a red area–but she’s wearing blue–so maybe there is a chance she will come over to the other side!

Anyway, I have to say, Mossie was a pretty good egg in light of the rant that I displayed.  The good thing is that she’s not crazy about Trump—and she wanted a different Republican to become President. The bad thing is she’s a Republican and is in the same political group as those vile members of Congress who want to take medical care, social security benefits, women’s rights and whatever else they can take from people.

Just like I voted for Hillary because I wanted my Bernie to become President. we did share a bipartisanship on our Presidential choices–even though they weren’t the same.   And I did tell her that I had a tremendous amount of respect for her but that I would not vote for anyone who is in the same Party as those who collude with the Russians and who are too afraid to stand up to that one who is president.

Truth be told, I’m not crazy about the Democratic Party either. Both parties have lost their roots and have become too extreme. I remain a true Independent—but I just cannot, morally and ethically, bring myself to vote for any member of the Republican party at this time.

And when all was over with our conversation, I went back into my home with a sigh of relief that because I looked like a total slob with my messy bun, washed-off makeup, stained sweatshirt, cutoff shorts and pasty, fish belly white legs, she would never recognize the properly dressed and fully made up me!

Guess again!

How Lisa Mossie recognized dressed and made up me from messy slob me, I’ll never understand!

You will never believe who I ran into at the voting poll.  I was on the line to get my little voting number (165) and to sign in when she saw me.  And came over to me.  She asked me if I had a change of mind.  And, in front of all the people who were working the polls and those on the line I said …

“No” “I’m not voting for you!”  “But I like you as a person!”

After Lisa left the room, the man who was standing behind me thanked me for speaking my mind.

It’s true though. I did not vote for her, but I think she’s a good egg.  She needs to become an Independent.

Thus, is the story of my local voting experience.

And so, I decided to embark upon a local morning!

With Chippy along to keep me company, my next stop was the local dry cleaner.  I had two kilt skirts to be pressed.  Yeah. I could have ironed them myself but when it comes to pleats, I’ll let the pros handle it.

Next stop was a small challenge.

It’s a challenge.  Will I be able to find goods at the Goodwill?

One of the blogs and IG accounts I follow is Jodie’s Touch of Style.  Jodie is on a thrifting challenge and I decided to stop by our local Goodwill boutique (I don’t call it a store.  I’m too sophisticated a blogger!)

This is my local Goodwill “Boutique”. I’m pretty sure it is within the township boundaries of Phoenixville!

So, I go into the boutique, grab a cart and start wheeling around. It was a bit disappointing because this shop is nothing like my beloved Red, White, and Blue Salvation Army Thrift Store in Trenton/Mercerville, NJ. That store is the top of bar for all thrift stores.

All this China–I got from the Red White and Blue Store years ago.  I love that it all has a history.  I use the little holly and ivy cups with their matching saucers for Christmas eggnog.  I love these treasures so much!

Anyway, I’m heading over to the bags, when I passed by the shoes. Now—even when I visited the Red, White, and Blue store, I couldn’t bring myself to try others’ shoes. I have a thing about getting Athlete’s foot.  That was, until today when I spotted this pair of pointy-toed, suede flats.  In my size.  From J. Crew. J.-Freakin’-Crew!  $4.00.

I tried them on. I figured anyone who would spend their money on J. Crew, made-in-Italy, suede flats, is not the person with Athlete’s foot fungus.

I need to clean these babies with a suede brush. I don’t even care that the tips are worn. I would have done worse in wear–I can be pretty rough on shoes.  I love these.  I. Love. These!  

In the cart they went!

Satisfied with my shoes, I decided to not press my luck with anything else that could be a carrier of a potential fungal infection and went over to housewares. After all, someone else’s donations are another’s treasure!

I found a cute red ceramic catch-all that could be used as a vase and a wall hanging.  Both were $1.95 each.

I may vote blue, but red will always be my favorite color!!  Isn’t this little catch-all adorable?

More red!  This time in a wall hanging with a clown and pasta!

Since Chippy was waiting in the car it was a good idea to get back to him.  Again, off we went to discover local!

Our next and last stop was Produce Junction.  This store has always intrigued me because I’ve often heard that the pricing on all things produce and flowers and plants are the best.  They weren’t kidding.  I ended up purchasing flowers, fennel and arugula for next to nothing.

Produce Junction.  I’ll have to get up very early within the next few weeks due to the Holiday rush!  Lots of great veg and flowers!

Two fennel bulbs for a buck.  It’s funny–I don’t like licorice but I LOVE fennel!

$2.50 for these lovely flowers…

Oh. Wait!!

Here’s a better pic of the flowers. I moved them into the living room.

Speaking of living room, remember the cushions that we dropped off at the reupholstery place?  We got them back yesterday!

Top pic. Before.  Bottom pic. After. And let me tell you, it is now a pleasure and easier on the back to sit on this sofa again! Pays to go local!

A busy morning and Chippy was itching to get back home to do his business.

And he was also eager to get back to his comfortable places–the bed in the upstairs guest room and…

His other spot on the loveseat in the sunroom.  He is watching over the 2017 Annual Rosemary bush that I purchased yesterday–at our local Wegmans!  I have to tell you,  this bush will be used for a ton of holiday cooking and will last well through the winter. When it dries out, I’ll take the dried leaves and turn them into a powder.  If you spot one of these at your local store, do yourself a favor and get one!  The scent is lovely!!

IMG_7231

The little pasta clown is now hanging on the wall in the sunroom!

So yeah.  On this November 7th, it is still not too late to get out and vote.  Every single vote does count—and while we have our freedom, it is still important to make sure we keep having our freedom. It’s a privilege that others don’t have.  Please vote!

I wore my “I Voted” sticker proudly today!  It is my civic duty as well as my right to complain!

Oh…a few friends of the blog have requested that I demonstrate how to tie a scarf. And when I arrived home, I made a little video.  Here you go!

 

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Cooking for the Frenchman. Who Inspires Me?

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Catherine

Whew!  It’s early Sunday afternoon.  My morning started off very aggressively.  I cleaned the baseboards throughout our home.

This is not my idea of fun. I would rather be cooking!

Trust me. This wasn’t an easy job. I had to get down on my hands and knees with a toothbrush!  And three hours later, I feel as though the house is spanking clean and Holiday prep has officially begun!

The baseboards are now cleaned–as are all the vents in the house.  I want to paint now!

That expensive Ethan Allen sofa in the living room, the one that has been discontinued so I can’t purchase additional slipcovers anymore, had seat cushions that saw better days.  Considering the sofa is over ten years old it’s been holding up pretty well with the exception of the seat cushions.

Those cushions have seen better days for sure!

We did inquire at Ethan Allen if the cushions could be replaced.  And for the price of over $900, they could.  Someone would come to our home and fix the cushions right there.  We decided to shop around.

And locally, right up the road, we found an upholstery place!  We took the cushions there yesterday, at Bonaparte’s suggestion.

If you live in the Philly area, might I suggest saving this information should you need upholstery or draperies?

We explained that we needed the seat cushions replaced.  The owner zipped open the cushions and told us that they were very well constructed and underneath the down part of the cushions, the foam was shot.

Mr. Basile, assessing the worn cushion!

He is replacing the foam in the cushions for the wonderfully affordable price of $200.  That’s $700 less than Ethan Allen.  We pick our cushions up next week.

Poor Chippy!  He’s dazed and confused that his comfort cushions are temporarily unavailable!

It pays to shop around and to shop local businesses!

And Friday had me doing some sleuthing.  One of Bonaparte’s friends told him about a new “French” restaurant that opened up in Wayne.  La Jolie.  He was also told that on one of the walls, is a poster-sized copy of a photograph that his grandfather, Jacques-Henri Lartigue was known for.

I’m pretty sure this is the poster of Renee Paris that JHL photographed is the one in La Jolie!

Naturally, this was intriguing to him and he asked me to call the restaurant to make dinner reservations for next weekend.  But before I called, my wonderful Frenchman asked me to find out if the restaurant had Steak-Frites on the menu.  Now—since this is a new restaurant, there is no website.  This bothered me. A lot. I like to see a restaurant’s website. I worry if there is none!

We’ll be having dinner here next weekend. I hope the food is good.

So, with Chippy in tow, we drove into Wayne to check this place.  I found the menu in the window, snapped a photo and called for reservations.

I think I’m becoming French by osmosis because I am not impressed with this menu.  In a true French Bistrot, items like sweetbreads, brains, and kidneys would be available.  And yes, I am the person who would order those items!

Yeah. That would be me taking photos of the menu. How else am I gonna find out what is served since La Jolie has NO website!

But, as a new restaurant and pretty-much local, I’m looking forward to dining there. I’ll probably order the rabbit!

I’m not kidding you when I tell you how serious Bonaparte was when he asked if I could find out if steak-frites was served.  He lives for this dish and that’s how he judges any French restaurant.

Being married to a Frenchman is a very unique experience when it comes to food.  There’s food and then there’s food.  The meals we eat during the week tend to be very simple.  He works all day and wants to relax in the evening.  Weeknight dinners are quick and easy.

But when the weekend comes, it’s a different story.

We dine.  And I recreate his favorite French meals. Thankfully, I love doing this. Sometimes, he’ll suggest a dish that he wants.  Even though pizza isn’t a French dish, the French do love them their pizza.  It has to be a super-thin crust and with traditional toppings. No Hawaiian pizza with the ham and pineapple.  Instead, a simple Margherita pizza is the favored choice.

Now—I’ve never made a home-made pizza before. I’m not a fan of pizza.  At all. And on the rare occasions when I do eat pizza, it has to be white.  As much as I love tomatoes, I cannot stand tomato sauce.

Anyway, Bonaparte asked me if I could try making pizza.  I took the challenge and was inspired by his suggestion.  I found a great pizza dough on the site Epicurious, made the dough a day ahead and on Friday night, we had a pizza dinner.  Anchovies were added to B’s pizza; mine had home-made pesto and cheese.

Bonaparte was thrilled with the pizza I made for him.  This is a keeper!

I, too, was happy. Happy with my pesto pizza.  

The verdict?  B loved the pizza so much that he requested it be placed on a regular Friday evening rotation.

Last night’s feast was Magret de Canard, duck breasts, with an orange sauce, as requested by Monsieur Lartigue.  Now—I love duck but I’m not crazy about oranges.  I love orange blossom perfume, but the round orb of citrus is not my fruit of choice. Then I thought about my dad’s favorite meal—Duck L’Orange, he ordered it whenever he and my mom went out for dinner.  And I thought—ok. I’ll look for a recipe for the sauce.

Ahhhh.  Duck breasts!  I call it the steak of game!  I wish it weren’t so pricey though!

Overwhelmed by the huge amount of orange sauce recipes, I figured screw it, I’ll create my own.  And because of B’s request and the fact that my dad loved duck in orange sauce, both men inspired me to create my own sauce.

B’s only suggestion for the sauce was that it contain Grand Marnier.  It gets good.

Off I went into the kitchen.  I had my herbs, thyme, and rosemary and tied them together so they could infuse the sauce. Fresh oranges for the juice and slices; marmalade; shallots; chicken stock; butter; and Cointreau rounded up the ingredients.  Bonaparte was running errands and I couldn’t find the Grand Marnier. No big deal because Cointreau is orange flavored.

I reduced the sauce until it was a good syrupy consistency.  I tasted it. This was some good stuff-why hadn’t I been a fan of orange sauce?  When B returned home, I asked him to try the sauce.  His eyes were focused on the Cointreau bottle on the counter.  He went into French mode and was almost crying because I hadn’t used the Grand Marnier.  I dunno—he was mumbling in French that Cointreau wasn’t the same as Grand Marnier.

My Orange Sauce.  I took the herbs out before serving.  I have to say, this tasted pretty darned good!!

My face said it all, and he tasted the sauce without the Grand Marnier.  He loved it!  I knew I had a winner!  And when he asked that I make more sauce, I added the Grand Marnier.

With this I served spinach and the Pommes de Terre that was inspired by the restaurant over on Place Dauphine that we regularly visit—Chez Paul.

Did I mention the potatoes are cooked in Duck fat?  Last night’s feast!  

But before the main plate, our entrée was the salmon rillettes that I make that are inspired by Chef Eric Ripert’s salmon rillettes.

I wonder if Chef Eric Ripert realizes how much of an inspiration his salmon rillettes are for me.  It is now a regular rotation on our chateau’s menu!!!

These are always served with the Pullman loaf bread that I make on a weekly basis.  The bread, toasted, serves as a strong base for this wonderful and easy starter!

Home-baked bread and Ripert-inspired Salmon Rillettes.  What could be better?

Dessert was very special and was inspired by French pastry chef, Jacques Genin.  Let me explain this one.  I’ve been bingeing on the new season of “Mind of a Chef”—I’ll get back to this.    Jacques Genin has a patisserie in Paris.  He creates chocolates, sweets, and fabulous desserts.

Oh, if only this guy knew that he inspired me to make a dessert.  I don’t know how he would feel!

One of the desserts he is known for is the Paris-Brest, a choux pastry shaped like a wheel and filled with Hazelnut and almond praline cream.

Jacques Genin’s Paris-Brest looks a lot better than mine!  This is his!

Always on the search for a great Christmas dessert, I thought I would challenge myself and if it worked out, it could be one of the desserts for Christmas dinner.

I carefully made the praline paste on Friday.

I made a brittle out of the hazelnuts and almonds. Then I processed until a buttery paste was formed…

Vanilla pastry cream was made next…

I whipped the pastry cream and added the praline paste. Then I whipped heavy cream and folded the two to get this luscious praline cream filling!

The choux pastry before the oven and after baking.  Then I split the “wheel” in half and filled with the cream!

Yesterday I made the choux pastry and after dinner filled it.  OK. So, it didn’t turn out looking as beautiful as Jacques Genin’s, but it tasted great and the praline cream was freaking amazeballs!  This dessert was a hit with my Frenchman and I will be making it for Christmas.  Now that I can say I’ve worked out any glitches, I know the next one will be more beautiful to the eyes!

The finished Paris-Brest.  It isn’t perfect, but the taste was incredible!  I’m proud of myself for this one…

The praline cream was so good that I’ll be making more to fill some cream puffs that I’ve got in the freezer!

 

 

Don’t ever be afraid to try this.  I got the recipe from Epicurious but I will be tweaking the next one. I want the cream to be a bit thicker! Epicurious Paris Brest recipe.

Genin’s inspiration came from Season Five of “Mind of a Chef”. This season’s focus is on Chef Ludo Lefebvre. However, when I saw that Paris-Brest dessert, I had to try making it.

It’s funny because Bonaparte reminded me that my first attempt at making his favorite dessert of all time, Crème Caramel, was a complete fail. So was the second and third and fourth.  For some reason, I just could not get the caramel right nor could I get the baking time correct.  The fifth attempt was a charm.  I took my time and realized not all ovens are alike. I adjusted the cooking time and the result was a perfect crème caramel—which I regularly make without thinking!

Creme Caramel.  I thought I would never get this right–and after a few attempts, I did! Don’t give up!

It takes time and practice, practice, practice until you get it right!  And when you are both determined and married to a Frenchman, you try until you do get it right!  I’m French-trained–by Bonaparte!

Chef Ludo Lefebvre and his cute-as-a-button wife, Kristine.  Hey. She knows what it’s like to be married to a Frenchman!  

Hmmmm….who will be my inspiration for tonight?

Tonight’s inspiration will be from Chef Ludo.

Besides his great cooking, I’ve never seen a Frenchman with teeth as perfect has Chef Ludo’s!!!

His omelette.  French style. There are no brown edges or an overdone middle in this recipe.  It is a barely cooked in the center and the outside of the omelette is shiny and yellow.  The middle filled with Boursin cheese.  Sounds easy but it isn’t.  It’s a feat to get that omelette to undercooked perfection. And that’s ok because I’ve got a dozen eggs that I can practice on!

I’m wondering if perfecting this omelette will take as many times as perfecting my creme caramel?  I hope not!

 Some food for thought–who inspires you to cook?  Are you inspired by others to cook?

Here’s a great video. It’s Chef Ludo with Jacques Genin and his Paris Brest.  From Season 5 of “Mind of a Chef”.  I highly suggest watching this season on Netflix. You’ll end up bingeing!

 

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Time To Do (Home) Work

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Catherine

Let it be known that I am not the most organized person on earth.  It’s weird because when I lived in New Jersey, I was very obsessive about the appearance and cleanliness of my home.  I’m pretty sure that it’s been mentioned in past blog posts that I vacuumed the house twice a day because of the dogs.

Twice a day baby. That was me. Vacuuming was even more important than getting my lip waxed!

 I also got down on my hands and knees three times a day to scrub the kitchen floor.

Just call me “momderella”!!

Those days are gone. I love a clean home—don’t get me wrong. In fact, next week I’ll be scrubbing all the baseboards in the house to prepare for Holiday cleaning.  But the fact is, I’m terribly disorganized.

This would be me. Too impatient to do things the correct way and my shortcuts never work out!

You can be clean and still be disorganized.  I’m a closet slob. No matter how much I try, the disorganization gene just overpowers any attempt to be perfectly organized.

But my disorganization came to a climax yesterday and I couldn’t take it anymore.  My closet hadn’t been seasonally purged in over a year.  Yes. It’s true.  And even though I’m not a capsule wardrobe woman, a good amount of my wardrobe needed to be encapsulated.  In bins.

It is true. I’m disgraceful.  I couldn’t even FIND clothes in this closet. Something had to be done!

Think about it.  Why would I get rid of future “vintage” clothing?

And now that I’m “Bullet Journaling”, I jotted down things that I had to do.

Like, get plastic bins to store the clothing away.  And go to David’s Tea to refill my Lapsang Souchong Black Tea.

Hands down, THE best tea on earth. It is so smoky and strong and delicious. I love this stuff!

With Chippy in the car, off we went to begin my transformation of disorganization.

I don’t think Chippy wanted to go to the mall–he’d rather be playing ball!

First stop was King of Prussia Mall—that’s where David’s Tea is located.  I parked the car in my usual spot in the covered parking lot by Nordstrom.  I rolled the windows down to a safety measure so that Chippy would have plenty of air. God forbid a do-gooder; dog police extremist should hear his bark.

And as I stepped out of the car, Chippy started to cry.  Trust me, I’ve been around dogs long enough to know the difference between a bark and a dog cry.  Obviously, my baby didn’t like the covered parking lot.

I needed my tea.  The only solution was to bring Chippy with me.  I could always use the explanation that he’s a service dog but ate his little “Service Dog” cover.

Luckily, dogs are quite welcomed at the KOP mall!  And I was thrilled that my little man was behaving.  David’s Tea is on the upper level.  Chippy refused to go on the escalator so we were elevated instead—which he loved.

My little flirt had the best time at David’s where he made a couple of friends.

Look how happy Chippy is.  Trust me,  the thought crossed my mind to have this nice woman from David’s dog sit while I went shopping with money I don’t have!

Tea in hand, I decided to see if he would be welcomed at J. Crew!  Oh. Happy. Day!  He was the center of attention at my favorite store.  Now I know that Chippy can be my new shopping partner!

Back in the car, Chippy satisfied because he was able to wrap the entire world around his paw and we were off to get my bins.

Ahhhh Walmart!  Black bins, which I’m assuming are to be used to store Halloween decorations and costumes, were in the Halloween clearance section for $5 each. I bought two.

These five buck bins held more than you would think.  I was so happy to place my future “vintage” clothing in these things!

Back home and ready to purge.

And what did I notice?  Jesus fell off the cross.

My buddy Jesus fell off the cross!  Look at the hole in his hand. NO WAY was I putting nails through his hands to attach him back on that cross.  Jesus–you’s a free man now!

Let me explain.  I have a very old crucifix.  It belonged to my parents.  When you slide the top of the crucifix down there is a hole on each side to place candles and there is a small bottle of Holy Water.  I never got around to hanging it because it is old and I’m afraid that I’ll bump into it, it’ll fall and get ruined.

The poor thing was no better left in the bowels of my closet.  I guess the nails were so brittle that they gave way and Jesus fell off the cross.  I’m afraid to nail him back onto it.  It’s that Catholic Guilt and fear.

We’ll get back to Jesus in a bit.

Anyway, I took all the summer clothes out and rolled some of them and folded others into the bins.  I also went into a chest of drawers and continued my purge.

Two bins–filled to the brim.  And they are now in the garage that I need to clean!

There is such a feeling of accomplishment when organization takes place—even when you are of the organizational-challenged group of people in this world, you can still get that special feeling!

Look how nice my closet is now!  Dresses, pants, and skirts on one side and shirts on the other.  Can you see how much I love plaid?

It hasn’t stopped there either.   I decided that we need to purge our garage.  We moved into our home three years ago.  And to date, we have not tackled the garage.

I’m seriously tempted to call the Junk Man and have him take everything away!  Ugh.  The thought of tackling this makes me want a few shots of Bourbon!

Today I went out and purchased a heavy-duty work light because the lighting in the garage sucks.  It’s going to be an all-day chore to purge this non-room but the good thing is that’ll be great exercise!

The nice man from Walmart was so kind to me. He told me to MAKE SURE I keep the receipt and RETURN the light after I use it and say that it didn’t work right!  I love the kindness of strangers!  This is true. Gotta love Walmart!

It’s now late Friday afternoon.  Bonaparte just arrived home and tonight after aperitifs, I will attempt to make home-made pizza.   Tomorrow’s feast will be Magret de Canard with an Orange sauce and for dessert, I’m giving the French dessert, Paris-Brest a go.  (Click the name–its the Epicurious recipe and I’m using it!)

My Paris-Brest won’t look as good as this!!! But–I’ll try until I get it right!

Stay tuned…….

In the meantime, I made a video yesterday about styling skinny jeans. And if I keep cooking like this, I won’t be wearing skinny jeans for long!

OH!!! Back to Jesus.  He’s lying on his cross—not nailed!  And he’s resting atop one of my J. Crew shoeboxes!

He is now at rest watching over my shoes! 

Tell me.  Are you a closet slob?  Are you as disorganized as I am?  Please let us know!!!!

Enjoy the weekend!! XOXOXOXO  And enjoy my ill-fitting wig as I style skinny jeans!!!

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When the Deeply Shallow is Stressed, She Watches TV

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Catherine

My apologies for being lost in action the past few days.  Truth be told, I’ve been stressed.

How stressed was I?  I ate five Kit Kat bars and four Heath Bars from the stash of Halloween candy.  I gained 5 pounds, which I thought was going to be more.  So now I’m back to counting points and being choosy about carbs and dairy.

Those Heath Bars–I ate more than I stated.  Kit Kats too.  I’m now back to counting points and calories.  I need to cut on the carbs too! But, I’ll admit. Halloween candy is the best for stress-eating!

Being out of work basically, sucks.  It sucks not because I don’t have a current job, but it sucks because I have no steady income.

Buh bye money honey.  I miss you–but that’s about all I miss!

And the worst part is that I told the boys and Oona that it would be a good idea if we didn’t exchange Christmas gifts this year because I just can’t afford to do so.  With no disposable income, everything is going toward the mortgage, car payments, my affordable health care, utility bills, insurance for the automobiles, and food.

Actually, the worst part of that was the fact that all three kids were fine with it.  All three said there wasn’t anything they wanted except to be together during the Holidays.  I’m blessed.

Add to that, I’m not networking very well.  I haven’t as much as wrote a sentence for my book, my YouTube channel is absolutely horrific because I lack the skills to edit and script, and my lack of subscribers makes marketing the blog very difficult.

What’s a deeply shallow individual supposed to do when the unsuccessful life she leads makes her stressed?

Yeah, well, besides a nap I need a good weekend of binge-watching TV!!!  Get the tee shirt and jeans off and get the PJ’s on!

Why—she watches TV!!! That’s what she does I did I’ve been doing!!!

And my new favorite TV show is “At Home With Amy Sedaris”.  It’s only three episodes in and already it’s a bag of chips and more!

Amy is the perfect next door neighbor. She can do EVERYTHING!!!!!

I love Amy Sedaris.  (Did I mention that her brother, David is my favorite author?)

Amy, a cute elfin sprite of a woman, had a show some years back.  The show was “Strangers With Candy”. In a nutshell, the show was about a woman, Jerri Blank. Jerri was a runaway.  An ex-con and drug addict, if you will.  She returns home to Flatpoint at the age of 47 and returns to high school—as a Freshman.  The show was hysterically funny—or at least it hit my humor button. And I was hooked and watched every episode.  I also love the fact that Sedaris isn’t afraid to make herself look less than beautiful.

Sedaris as Jerri Blank in the show “Strangers With Candy”.  I need to binge watch this again!

Anyway, her new show is Pee-Wee’s Playhouse for grown women! She lives in a cute almost animated looking house.  It’s colorful and fun.  She does crafts—just like Katie Brown and Martha Stewart.

I can’t WAIT for Amy’s Christmas Crafting!  Look!  Jane Krakowski is helping her.  Amy has such cool friends!

She cooks—just like The Barefoot Contessa and Martha Stewart.

27056_003 At Home with Amy Sedaris 102 – Alison Rosa

Dare I attempt to make this Shrimp and Olive tree the next times we have guests?   Amy has the happiest kitchen!

  She has “friends” who stop by—like Stephen Colbert and Paul Giamatti.  (My favorite one, though is Nick Kroll—playing the creepiest but funniest guy trying to get into Amy’s pants).

That Amy, she gifted Stephen Colbert with a raisin necklace and an ice cream she made–all because he sat her turtle!!

Nick Kroll is so hip.  Does this scene look familiar?  Amy is teaching Nick how to make an ice cream cake. Things are getting awfully hot–hope that ice cream doesn’t melt!!

Paul Giamatti was a very naughty businessman who stayed beyond dinner time at Amy’s house!  Ohlala!!!

She is bubbly and effervescent and always positive. And that is why I love this show so much.  It makes me laugh at my own lack of perfection and my attempts to be the perfect hostess/crafter/cook.

She even covers skin care–just like you-know-who!!!

And sometimes things go wrong–but look at that chair.  I want it!

Overall, she’s a cross between Donna Reed and June Cleaver!  Sort of….

I wish Amy Sedaris was my friend! And thanks to Amy, I channeled her and made a five-minute Christmas wreath that is now ready to be hung in the house!  I hope Bonaparte likes it!

Before…a twig wreath, cranberry embellishments and plaid ribbon. All less than $12!

After.  My five-minute wreath.  No hot glue needed either!  Easy Peasy.  I can’t wait to hang this up!

And I’ve binged on Fuller House.  YES!!! I did!  I spent last Sunday in bed.  All day. Watching Seasons Two and the first half of Season Three.

There is a special place in my heart for “Fuller House”.  This is a continuation of the wonderful “Full House”.  It takes place where Full House left off—only years later.

Just when you think TV can’t get any cornier–it does!  But in the best way!

And Fuller House is even more corny than the original.  There are “ohhhhhs” and “awwwws” and enough canned laughter to last through a nuclear holocaust.  It is rife with dopey innuendo and the most cloyingly precocious children.  Danny Tanner, Uncle Joey, Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky make appearances.  And Aunt Becky looks fabulous. It’s not fair.

Oh yes.  The New Kids On The Block choreography as well as NKOTB are back this season!

The same ridiculous catchphrases are back.  “Oh Mylanta!”  “How Rude!”  “You Got It Dude!”  Thirty years later, it warms my innards when I hear those words.

Kimmy Gibbler is back and she should be a guest on Amy Sedaris’ show. They would make a great pair.   This time around she is engaged to her Latino ex-husband (don’t even). Stephanie Tanner is coupled with Kimmy’s brother Jimmy.

My favorite subplot is the romance between Stephanie Tanner and Jimmy Gibbler!!

The story lines are just as convoluted as the old ones. With one twist that is really starting to get on my nerves.  DJ Tanner, now a widowed DJ Fuller, is in the middle of a love triangle.  Her old high school boyfriend Steve or the handsome vet she works with, Matt.  Just for the record, I’m team Matt.

And my least favorite subplot is DJ’s indecisiveness with Matt…or Steve?   TEAM MATT!!!

But silly storylines aside.  The reason that this show calms down my stress level is because the show is about family.  Extended family.  And no matter how crazy things get, you always have your loved ones to make you whole.

In the end, it’s about family; no matter how corny!

DJ Tanner-Fuller has always been that organized, well-grounded big sister.  She plans.  She has it under control.  And I’m now channeling my inner DJ by making another attempt at Bullet Journaling.

My third attempt this year. Let’s hope third time’s a charm thanks to DJ!!

I need to get organized—about my blog, my book and my channel. With the holidays coming I need to get prepared and seeing visual lists and making entries of what needs to be done and what I have done will only help that.  Thank you, DJ!!

My last binge is a series on Netflix.  It is a remake of a movie from 1986.  The movie was a TV one. The Worst Witch.  I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve watched this with my kids when they were younger.  We had the VHS tape and DVD!  The movie was based on the series of books by Jill Murphy.

My favorite version of The Worst Witch!  Charlotte Rae, Diana Rigg, Tim Curry  and Fairuza Balk.  This movie was epic!

The original cast stars Charlotte Rae is Miss Cackle, Diana Rigg as Miss Hardbroom, Fairuza Balk as Mildred Hubble and the amazing Tim Curry as The Grand Wizard!

It was everything I needed to help me forget about my worries, anxieties, and stress. And instead, I remembered watching the adventures of Mildred Hubble with Jake when he was three years old—and then Roman and then Oona.  And for two Halloweens in a row, Oona was Mildred Hubble for Halloween.

I wish I could find the photos of Oona dressed like Mildred Hubble!!

Naturally, I was very intrigued when surfing the Netflix choices and came upon the new Worst Witch series.  And since I had no plans to get out of bed on Saturday, except to cook dinner, I decided to have a go at binge-watching.

I felt extra-special about binge-watching this series because my son Jake now works for Netflix!

And I’ve always loved the idea of having magic powers and being able to cast spells. And the great thing is that the witches of Miss Cackle’s Academy ultimately learn that it is better to follow the Witches Code and to use your powers for good over evil.

Perhaps I’m drawn to this show because of the uniforms!  I can’t help it!

And the newest Miss Cackle is so sweet and nice!!

There’s a little of Mildred Hubble in us all.  We are Mildred when we make mistakes. We are Mildred when others make fun and even despise us.  But in the end, we Mildred’s are the winners when we are able to bypass how others see us and we remain strong and positive.

Mildred screws up flying the way I screw up driving.  But it’s cool!

Today is Wednesday. I’ve had my few days of rest and I’ve de-stressed a bit.  I’m ready to move onward and upward.  The weather is where it should be on this November first.  There is a crisp chill in the air.  It is time to get the scarfs and boots out of hibernation.

It was so exciting to get dressed in jeans and boots, a blazer and a SCARF today!!!!!  

It is time to start the big clean for Christmas.  It is also time to plan the desserts that I will be bringing over to my sister’s in-law’s after Thanksgiving Dinner.

Every now and then we need to take a step back.  We need to stay in bed for a day. We need to relax either by reading or watching silly tv shows.  It’s time to rewind.

So, tell me, how do you rewind when you are stressed?  Do you give yourself a pajama weekend?  Stay in bed? Sit on the sofa all day with a big comfy blanket around your body?  It’s a good time to talk about this because many of us will be a bit stressed or depressed around the Holidays and we need to have support so let’s support each other!!!

And sticking to the Fuller House theme,  Jodie Sweetin, who plays Stephanie Tanner is a very gifted singer. I can’t get this song out of my head!

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Don’t Let The Dior Hit You On The Way Out!

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Catherine

Today I am seething.  This time it is over the ever-ageist ways of cosmetics companies.

Yes, my friends. MORE real tawk from me!!!  

And what I find so discouraging is that in September, Allure magazine had one of its best cover photos ever. Helen Mirren—and the magazine made a promise to stop using the term “anti-aging”.

Thank you Allure, not only for the beautiful Helen Mirren gracing your September cover, but for your promise to stop using the phrase “anti-aging”. Unfortunately, it has fallen upon deaf ears!

All well and good.

But even though Allure promises us to end that offensive term, cosmetics companies still use the phrase and even worse, cosmetics companies seemingly lower their target buyers to the younger demographic.

The new demographic of beauty and cosmetics companies!

Dior cosmetics has just announced that 25-year old model Cara Delevigne is the new spokesmodel for their “Capture Youth” campaign

Cara Delevigne–Dior’s Capture Youth new spokesperson. Read about her in W’s article

Now—Ms. Delevigne is a beautiful woman. She of the naturally oversized eyebrows and pouty mouth.  She has balls, she does, because in a world that is so focused on perfection, she shaved her head, dyed her hair some interesting colors and marches to the beat of her own drum. And for that, she has my respect.

She’s actually quite feisty–which is great, but at 25 years old to be an “anti-aging” spokesperson?  Don’t get me started…

But—she is only 25 years old!  Come on Dior!!!  You know very well that the target demographic of your company has always been an older group. Your target group has been the 30-to 55-year old group. And, like Estee Lauder and other cosmetics companies, you’ve jumped ship on a group of women that has money to spend, all because you want to grab the youth market.

This photo from Paris Perfect showcases outfits from the Dior exhibit in Paris.  Now, do you seriously think that Monsieur Dior was designing for the under 25 femme?  I wonder how he would feel about his cosmetics company’s recent decision? 

I swear I have so many thoughts going on in my head right now that I can’t even…

And randomly, I am going to just write those thoughts down.

Dior is a French company.  Older women are revered in France.  Older women are considered beautiful, chic, and wise in France. And so, I find it ironic that Dior, a French company, would ditch the older woman and gear all cosmetics and skincare needs toward the young demographic.

Carine Roitfeld, former editor of French Vogue is, IMHO, the embodiment of the refined older French woman.  She doesn’t even wear foundation! No fillers. No nuthin’!

Hmmm. I wonder how Carine feels about the “anti-aging” phrase. For some reason, I’ll bet she can’t stand it!

Although I haven’t yet seen any “Capture Youth” products, here is a sampling of a couple of the “Capture Totale” items by Dior.

 

This moisturizer will cost you $165 for two ounces worth of product and packaging that looks like a million bucks!

This Dior serum is $225. for 1.7 ounces.   Let’s see now.  You can get fabulous serums from The Ordinary on the average of around $8.00.  My favorite serum of all time, Skin Actives Collagen serum is $16.00 for one ounce.  Hmmmmm. Hummmm! I guess that under-25 demographic is loaded with Benjamins to spend!

This stuff is expensive.  Now—most of the “25-year old” group and younger—and even a bit older, have had a hard time finding jobs after graduating college.  Many are still living with mommy and daddy. And those who are out of the house—well, a great deal of their take-home pay is spent on their apartment rentals, utilities, food and social lives.

As I said, many young adults are forced to move back home–is that how these young women can afford a serum for $225????

Younger girls will either go into debt to purchase very expensive cosmetics, won’t eat anything except tuna fish or ramen noodles (back in my day it was Tab soda and Marlboro Lights) so they can afford cute clothes and pricey makeup, or they will hit up mommy and daddy for “help”.

Most of the mommies and daddies I know just tell the adults to deal with adulting.

So you can’t afford $165 for a moisturizer?  Deal with it!  You are an adult now. Buy the store brand! Mommy does and it works!

That leaves me with this.  Who is going to buy this stuff anyway?? The privileged one-percent?  Those who work in the beauty industry and get a steep discount?  Those who are only obsessed with brand names?

Let me tell you something.   My daughter, Oona, went to the dermatologist two days ago.  We had a conversation before she went and she happened to use the offensive phrase “anti-aging” to me. OK?

Oona thinks she has lines on her face.  She doesn’t. But I’m thrilled that she is owning skin care!  And I’m glad that her dermatologist agrees with me on “Pro-aging!”

I went off on a tangent about how bad that phrase is and that it is offensive to all women because the second you leave the uterus and hit the air, you are starting to age!  After I told her that the correct term should be “PRO-aging”, I also told her to relay what I said to her dermatologist.

Basically, at 28 years old, Oona wants to get into some serious skin care and that makes me happy.  And might I add that my daughter can afford to spend serious buckaroos on this.  A few hours after her appointment, she called me, told me her skin check was fine, she has a prescription to help in her “pro-aging” and that her dermatologist agreed with me on the “pro-aging” term.

Mommy is always right!

But back to this “Capture Youth” campaign.  Do you really want to capture your youth again?  I don’t.   My youth was fun but it was also a very awkward time.  It was a time of my being unsure of myself.  I made so many mistakes.

I like being older.  I don’t necessarily like the loss of gravity on my face—that bothers me more than lines and wrinkles.

This is me. 62 years worth of pro-aging. The only thing I want to capture at this point is good health and a winning lottery ticket.  That’s it!

And even when we do have wrinkles and lines on our faces—it isn’t the end of the world!  We use products to hydrate and soften our skin. It’s called pro-aging!!

Yeah, Dior.  I have a couple of your lip products. And I like them.  I won’t throw them in the trash—not after the amount of money I spent but I will use them until there is no more. And every time I use them, I will be reminded of what an ageist company you are.  And when there is no more product, I won’t replenish.  Not now. Not ever. Never! Only when you return to your target audience will I return to you.

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss. It’s nice but I’m not repurchasing. At $30, I would have been better off purchasing drugstore lip gloss! My Fenty Lip Bomb was only $18.00

Another $30 Dior lip product. Creme de Rose Lip Balm.  It’s nice but I won’t be repurchasing this either.

Before I end this little rant, I do want to thank three companies that are mature woman-friendly.  One is the Deciem Company, creators of The Ordinary foundation.  This company does Collab’s with older, mature women and isn’t into marketing or the kind of campaign that leaves certain demographic groups out.   I support this company.

The other two are skin care companies. Vivant Skin Care and Skin Actives.  Both carry on their business similar to Deciem—word of mouth.  Companies that are mature woman-friendly will always have my support.

It’s also upsetting to me that we are living in a society that places too much on perfection. What is the message that the beauty industry is giving to these young women?  That you need Botox and fillers in your twenties?  That you aren’t pretty or attractive if you have any lines or wrinkles? That it’s wrong to age?

Do we strive to be like this???

Get with it Dior and all those other cosmetics and beauty companies.  It isn’t anti-aging. It is pro-aging. And take note of who your real customers are.

Oy Vey!  I gotta go find my sense of humor. It got lost and I need it back!!!

That’s right–mommy has to find her sense of humor. I may have found it!!!

Let me end this with a video I made this morning.  Have a look at a real woman (me) with no work done.  I did a neutral face because I went to have my Passport photo taken.  Just my luck, the photo was taken but couldn’t be printed because the printer broke. I have to go back tomorrow.

Enjoy the video—and please subscribe to my channel because I am trying to give a voice to our demographic-it’s very important to me-! Thank you!! Tell your friends and frenemies! XOXOXOXO

 

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REAL Men Don’t Get Mad At God For Chrissakes!

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Catherine

I saw it.  I read about. And I’m still in shock over the subhuman known as Bill O’Reilly.  And no. I shan’t refer to him as a man because he is not a man. He is a filthy pig.

Yeah. He’s angry at God now. Wait till he’s ready to meet his maker.  Karma is a bitch O’Reilly and you’re gonna get it!

This transcends politics—what I’m going to write about.  It transcends politics because it seems that the  a number of the species not of the female persuasion, have lost their manhood.  Oh, hell yes.  They have.

Let’s hope!  O’Reilly, along with OTHER public male figures have made life Hell for women–we know where THEY can go!

We have a president of these United States who has debased women on too many occasions to count.  A pussy isn’t a cat to him.  OK?   A coward who dodged the draft—the draft for the Vietnam war. And then he gets all drama queen about sports figures kneeling during the National Anthem when he cowardly refused to defend our beautiful country, this is NOT a man! He is a cowardly bully.  And that unmanly behavior is supported by millions. And this is about his character–not his politics!

But back to O’Reilly.

Yeah, Bill!  You can go to F.U.!

This is a person with no respect, no regard and no love for any female, whether young girl, woman or transgendered woman.  This is a person who has continuously degraded women, treated them like dirt, threatened them and sexually harassed women.

And he is actually angry at God, our Almighty Father because God didn’t stop him.  What a f&))*ing tool.

Now, I’m Catholic.  And as a Catholic, I have certain beliefs.  These beliefs are mine—and I respect all forms of religious ideologies and non-religious ideologies.  But I don’t respect the “faux-Christian”, phonies who use God as their excuse to hate. Let me make that clear.

The last time I got this upset about this sort of vile and criminal behavior was over Josh Duggar, the fake Christian Fundamentalist and his sexual harassment of women. Remember that?

Remember when I interviewed Jesus over that one?  Let me refresh your memory on that post (click the link)—Me, Jesus, and Josh 

Well, it happened again.  I summoned up my buddy, Hipster Jesus, because I needed to find out how he felt about Bill O’Reilly blaming, God, the Father of Jesus for this bad behavior.

I’m lucky that my buddy, Hipster Jesus, was able to “break” dance away from his friends to see me!

And as soon as I got into my car earlier today to run errands, who do you think miraculously appeared in the passenger seat next to me.  I’ll tell you, after the initial scare, I felt very safe.

That’s right!  I was in the car and you-know-who showed up to talk with me about the scum known as Bill O’Reilly!

Here’s how the convo rolled:

ME:       “Jesus!!!!” “What  are you doin’ dude?”  “You scared the living hell outta me!”

JESUS: “I didn’t have time to send you a sign” “I was dancing with my street friends” “Besides, everyone’s going crazy up there trying to calm my dad down” “He’s the one who’s really angry after what O’Reilly said”

ME: “Yeah—can you believe that?” “Who fu……”

JESUS: (interrupting me) “Yo. Watch your mouth Cathe—my dad is NOT in a good mood because of O’Reilly and it could be a strike against you” 

ME:       “Sorry.”  “But seriously, who says that?????”

JESUS: “A weak person says that” “O’Reilly—he’s weak” “He isn’t a man”

ME:       “OMG!”  “Jesus!” “That’s what I’ve been saying” “He is soooo not a man!”

JESUS:  “A real man and a strong man of character doesn’t blame others for their actions” “A real man takes responsibility and owns up to what he’s done—especially when those actions are wrong and criminal” “He has no remorse.”

ME:       “You know, Jesus, I get really upset because it seems that the real man is a thing of the past”

JESUS: “Hey, look at your sons.” “I watch them all the time and they know how to treat women—and they know how to treat all people—you’ve done a great job” “And what about your husband?” “He treats you like a gem—and he doesn’t get very angry with you when those credit card bills come in—that’s a real man” “Cathe, there are still a few real men out there”

ME: “OK, ok”   “It’s true, I’m very lucky with the three men in my life” “But it just drives me crazy because we have a president who has debased and has carried on abusive behavior toward women” “We have a Republican Congress that wants to control a woman’s body” “And they get all “Christian” in placing religion upon their decisions—like birth control and abortion”

JESUS:  “I hear you on that” “And they do use me and my dad—and sometimes The Holy Spirit, as sorry excuses because they are afraid to come out and say that they want to stop funding because of their hatred for many of the women who need help”

ME: “Look, I know that abortion is a sin for Catholics—but not everyone in our beautiful America is a Catholic or Christian for that matter” “What about Muslims and Jews and Hindus and Atheists and Agnostics” “Don’t they matter?”  “What about America’s founding fathers coming here because they wanted freedom from religion?” 

JESUS:  “Hey” “I wish I could give you a good answer on that—and you’re right” “Their decision is really a crime against religious and non-religious freedom” “I hate to tell you this, but not one of those guys is a real man”

ME: “So what happens?” “We sit complacently while these weak links get away with putting the blame on you, use you as an excuse, and end up walking away without any remorse for their actions?”

JESUS:  “I can’t tell you what’s in store—I can only tell you that right now, hate and the weak have taken over” “There are real men out there—and if you look for the good right now, you will find it” “You’re getting yourself very worked up over a lesser person and it isn’t worth it” “Bill O’Reilly isn’t worth dog piss on a tree on right now—and yes, I said that”

ME:       “Thanks, Jesus” “Say hi to my parents from me wouldja?”

JESUS:  “I sure will” “And I want you and your blog friends to know something—my dad has plans for O’Reilly’s future” “Let’s just say Bill won’t be able to confront God or anyone else because St. Peter has strict instructions to kick O’Reilly’s ass down to Satan’s living room”

Homer Simpson may be happy to see St. Peter, but Bill O’Reilly sure won’t!

ME:       “Thank you, Jesus!!!!!”

JESUS:  “Take care” “I gotta go now—we’re having fish for dinner, and you know what that means!”

Jesus is right.  I need to stop festering on those humans who are not real men.  They are weak.  They are vile and they offer no good to society.  Instead, we need to honor the real men that we know.

You know, a real man treasures woman.  He adores and loves women and respects women.  A real man treats a woman as an equal and a real man is aware that we women are the stronger sex.

And so, today, I am honoring the real men in my life. I’m honoring Bonaparte for his constant support of me.  He came into my life when I was at my lowest point and had a ton of heavy baggage, yet he stuck with me and treats me wonderfully.

My husband!  The best real man I know!  Only a real man would pose for my instagram account to show off his J. Crew jeans!

I honor my sons.  They have always shown respect for women and have never mistreated any female throughout their lives—from childhood to adulthood.  I am truly blessed.

My boys!!   I honor them and I honor the way they treat their sister, Oona, like the princess she is!

And for all of my friends who read this blog—let’s honor the real men in your lives!!!  Give them a shout-out in the comments.

When a tool like O’Reilly opens his big mouth, we need to open our mouths bigger and recognize true men!

Yeah O’Reilly. Deal With It!  Deal With the sexual harassment you handed out and own it you pig!

A great song about Real Men and Joe Jackson’s best! Bill O’Reilly is NOT a real man!

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Hey! I KNOW People. OK?

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Catherine

I don’t quite recall how the conversation transpired, but it happened while Bonaparte and I were enjoying our aperitifs last night.

Oddly enough, we had our aperitifs outside on the deck last night. I’m calling Mother Nature and I’m asking her to give me some Fall weather!

Perhaps my Frenchman was trying to distract me from the events of the weekend—the events where my foray into video making almost gave me a complete emotional breakdown.  Actually, it did give me a complete emotional breakdown.

Regardless, we got into this weird conversation about celebrities we’ve met. Naturally, I couldn’t hold a candle to ol’ Bonaparte’s meetings with various celebrities throughout his life in Paris and St. Tropez, but my competitive nature started to kick in.

Bonaparte fondly recalled days at Le Moulin and the movie stars and various French celebrities that would come and join the family for weekend fun.  And when I realized that I could never top his privileged and celebrity-filled younger days in France, I had to think quickly.

This is Le Moulin, the estate of Bonaparte’s aunt, Daniele Delorme and her husband, Yves Robert.  Bonaparte spent almost all of his weekends here when they owned the home.

I have to explain something.  We took these photos when Daniele was still alive. We drove to B’s mother’s grave which is close by.  This wall–it’s high–about 6 feet tall. I almost broke my neck climbing this fence and almost got arrested because the guard dog wouldn’t stop barking!

Where would I be without Gettyimages?  Here’s Yves and Daniele back in the day..

When Bonaparte told me that Brigitte Bardot was often a guest, I cursed the fact I did not know my husband back then.  Oops!  If I did, he would have been in deep trouble because he’s 11 years older than I am.  But BARDOT!!! BARDOT!!!!!

Well, even though Daniel Gelin was Bonaparte’s uncle and Daniele’s first husband, he was a popular French actor–and he was a frequent guest of Yve’s and Daniele’s.  Very friendly extended family!

The beautiful Nathalie Baye was also a guest that Bonaparte met..

Miou-Miou, the talented actress pictured here with the incredibly talented and tragic Patrick Dewaere was also a guest. Man–Bonaparte got to meet some pretty cool people!

Charles freaking Aznavour was not only a frequent guest, but he entertained everyone with his piano playing and songs!!!!

And this guy–Roger Vadim. He was Bonaparte’s mother’s boyfriend after she and Dany split up.  He even wrote about her in one his books!

The fabulous Jean Rochefort was a regular guest and a great friend of Bonaparte’s family.  He was very, very nice and sweet when I got to meet him.  R.I.P.  This great actor left us recently.

I started thinking of all the celebrities that my son Roman gets to meet on Fallon and SNL.

Roman, hard at work holding a welcoming cue card for Fallon!

And the personalities that my son Jake gets to meet with his career out in L.A.

Jake–at the Grammy awards a few years ago!

Even Oona, who lives in Cincinnati gets to see the city’s own pride and joy—the Lachey Brothers at their establishment.

Cincy’s own–The Lachey Brothers–Drew and Nick!! And they are very nice guys!!!!

I have had a few encounters in my time. And my big come back remark was “Hey. I know people too!” (When in reality, I know nobody!)

But I’ll pretend that I do and I’ll brag, boast, humbly tell you about very real and very true celebrity encounters now!

Al Franken both with Tom Davis and Al Franken by himself.  This makes me very happy because I plan on writing to Al (wink) and asking him if he will run for President of these United States.  It would be so important to me if I could join in a conversation and say “Oh, I knew (hardly) Al Franken back in the day.” “He came to a party that I had and I performed with him and Tom Davis at Town Hall in New York”.

Franken & Davis, in my opinion, the greatest comedy duo since Martin & Lewis.  It was a pleasure performing with these guys!

It’s true though.  My ex-husband and I attended “An Evening With Franken and Davis” at Town Hall. The comedy team, funny as ever, needed a volunteer from the audience to perform in a skit.  I had a front-row seat. And nobody else had the chance because I practically jumped up on the stage.

The skit went well, and I was rewarded with an invite to join the after-party.  It was there that I met Gilda Radnor who was a very warm and genuine person.  She was shocked that I wasn’t a “ringer”.  We had an animated conversation and she commended me on a job well-done!

Yes!  I met THE Gilda Radnor–and she spoke to me and told me I was great!!!!

Pete Townshend was also at the party.  I had the pleasure of meeting him and he was cordial but aloof.

Meeting Pete Townshend of the Who was pretty cool.  He was very quiet and reserved.

The funny thing about this whole thing is that this happened at a time when we had no cellphones.  Had the iPhone been around back then, I would have the skit recorded.  Selfies with Franken, Davis and Radnor would have been snapped and passed to my friends.  Um…I don’t think Pete Townshend would have been up for a selfie though!

I’m also thinking that a good deal of the public personas could only wish that cell phones had never been created due to the camera aspect.  Privacy seemed more precious back then.

Shortly after that skit, I had a little get together with some of my friends who attended Katharine Gibbs with me.  I invited Al Franken.  He showed up and Al and me and the girls all had a great time!  Proving that he is a man of the people!  He would make a great President!

Al Franken’s move to politics has made me very happy. He’s a stand up man and cares about people. I want him to run for President!

During my years of living in Manhattan, I did have a few encounters with celebrities.  Among them—

I met Andy Kaufman at a party that my friend Rondi had back when we were all single and living in NYC.  It was during his wrestling phase and he picked me out to wrestle with him.  YES. I WRESTLED ANDY KAUFMAN and I was laughing so hard he pinned me in two seconds.  But look!  A photo of him as my favorite artist–Gustave Courbet! I knew I liked this guy! R.I.P.

I had a great encounter with Carly Simon back when Tower Records had a location on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.   Jake was in school and Roman was still in a stroller.  Carly Simon came over to me and told me that my son was very cute.  Little did she know that a few months prior, I was up late at night nursing Roman–he was sick and Simon was a guest on a late night TV show.  Her dress was low cut and Roman crawled up to the TV and tried to breastfeed from her TV image. This is a totally true story!!!

Another encounter was Robin Williams. I was standing alone, waiting for someone, I can’t remember who–but it was a side street in NYC.  It was during the afternoon when all was quiet and he passed by with a little “hello”.  It’s a nice memory.

But the one encounter that will stand out as the most spectacular was when John Kennedy Jr. stopped to help me one day.  I was on the way to pick up the boys at school. They were attending St. Ignatius Loyola on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  Oona was two years old.

Still young enough for the stroller. My Oona had no idea that the handsomest man in the world would pat her cheek!

As was my routine to drive to the school some time before school ended for the day, I would park the car (because I knew the alternate side parking schedule for every street in the area), and run errands.

This one particular day, I was bogged down with packages hanging from the stroller and it started to tip back.  The package I had in my hand dropped to the ground. John Kennedy Jr. was passing by and saw me.  And didn’t he stop to assist this damsel in distress.

I am telling you, photos did not do this man justice.  It’s a shame he is no longer with us. But let me tell you that his mother raised one helpful and charming son!

I almost had a heart attack.  Let me tell you something.  I had seen him back when I was working on Wall Street before my stay-at-home mom days.  The Wall Street area was a very small community back then and it seemed as though during lunch time, every building emptied out.  John Kennedy was so good looking that when he was out on the street, women would just stop in their tracks to admire him.  He was a modern-day Adonis.

The fact I finally saw him up close and personal just about took my breath away.  He bent down, picked up my package then stopped when he saw Oona in the stroller.  Then he touched her cheek and said, “Your daughter is beautiful”.   How do you answer that???????

What I wanted to say was “You are the most beautiful specimen of humanity that I’ve ever laid eyes upon.”  “You are even more handsome than your photographs!!”

Instead, I just thanked him and didn’t wash Oona’s face for a week!

Oh—if cell phones had been created back then, I would have taken Oona out of her stroller, placed her in young Mr. Kennedy’s arms and would have had a field day taking photos!!!

And as time marches on, I find myself less enthralled with spotting the famous and infamous these days.

  Daniele,  the actor Antoine Bourseiller and me hanging out on Pont Neuf. This photo has to be about ten or eleven years old. I know people.

It seemed back then—a good 25 to 30 years ago, it was the stories we told of our interaction with those of the celebrity nature.–we didn’t whip our phones out to display the photos!  Stories are a thing of the past because now those spotting’s or engaging moments are told not with words, but with our iPhone cameras.

I’ll be honest. I use my phone more to take photos than to call people!  

I think I like the stories better. Wait!  I DO like the stories better!!!!

What about you?  Do you have any chance encounters with the famous that you would like to tell us about?  It’ll be fun to read your words and come up with a visual in our minds rather than a selfie.

Do tell!

Today’s video is my introduction to my YouTube channel.  It only took me three hours to figure out how to add this “trailer” to my YouTube channel.  I have to admit to you.  I want my channel to be a success because it so out of the norm.  No fillers. No Botox.  Wrinkles galore—but it’s natural.  And I want it to be that way.  But this blog is still my baby and I’m most at ease writing words!!!

  1. Oh. The story I could tell you about how long it took me to add this as a “trailer” would take forever!  Remember to “like” if you like the video and hit “subscribe”.  I can’t even any more today!!!
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