Author: Michelle

Artist Spotlight: Kyle Mosher

Kyle Mosher
Kyle Mosher with 2 of his paintings: Pharrell & Kanye.

As a first in the artist spotlight series, artist Kyle Mosher takes a moment to do an exclusive interview with Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Nothing like an ice breaker to get us going here! My name is Kyle Mosher and I am originally from Canada. I moved to the States when I was about 7. My entire family still resides in Canada and I go back and fourth quite frequently. I would spend part of my summer living with my grandparents going to hockey camp at Standstead College in Stanstead, Quebec until I was about 15.

I grew up in New England, but I’m currently residing in Charlotte, NC.

2. How did you get into art?

Being the only child of Canadian parents, art was never seriously encouraged. I always had a natural eye for being able to render though. I would draw a lot as a child, but stopped probably around high school when I made my varsity hockey team. The team was a very competitive Division 1 school. Our sophomore year we were the 7th rank public team in the US and were state champions. So I really had to focus on hockey. Don’t get my wrong, I loved hockey, but it got difficult the older I got and it really stopped being fun in University. I couldn’t stay healthy and my injuries started to take their toll on me, not just physically, but also mentally. I had to stop playing because of injuries. I had a lot of down time and started to read and reflect. I took a serious look at my life and made the decision I have too much of a wild spirit to make it behind a desk and I was too broken to do physical labor so I decided to leave the University I was at and enroll in an extremely traditional Fine Arts institute. My parents had no idea. I took a summer drawing class at a community college on my own dime and told the teacher, “I need you to condense 20 something years of everything I missed into this one class.” I then took my “portfolio” to the NH Institute of Art and somehow managed to get in!  As I look back at it now, it’s pretty crazy. I guess it was just one of those things that was meant to be.

3. Having interviewed hockey players for the last 7 years, I know how hard it is to move your life in a different direction. Was it difficult to focus on an art filled life instead of a hockey life?

I was very resentful of hockey for a long time. Walking away was easy. I was really trying to separate myself from that person and that life. I wanted to be my own person and carve out my own life. I spent a lot of years searching for who I was without hockey. It was very therapeutic and allowed me to exorcise a lot of demons. I really liked the person that I have become. I’m proud of what I was able to do and I did it 100% by myself with no support. No one really gave me a shot doing this art thing, but I used all the negative energy to push me. I am definitely very mediocre in terms of talent with art, but my passion and drive is what has allowed me to become a full-time artist. I would describe myself as a 3rd or 4th round draft pick that just worked my ass off, ha! It’s funny because I have so many great memories from hockey. I traveled all over, won championships, lost championships, and formed a brotherhood with some amazing friends. [They’re] memories I’ll cherish forever, so I really miss it now. Looking back there are a million things I would’ve done different, but I’m comfortable with my life. I’m just grateful and thankful I was able to play hockey for as long as I did. I wish I could’ve done it on my own terms though without the pressures from my family.

Kyle Mosher in his studio.
Kyle Mosher in his studio.

4. What was the first painting you ever sold? How did it feel to sell that first piece?

I think the first painting I ever sold my mom bought, haha! Typical mother! The first painting I ever sold to a client was….not until four of five years after I graduated college. I spent those first few years bouncing around from one shitty job to another (the typical artist story). I actually stopped making art for almost a year. I had another life changing moment and decided I didn’t want to be another statistic, so I kicked my ass into gear and really started focusing more on how to make it as an artist. Life was very humbling after college. I can really appreciate now all the hardships I was dealt. It made me a stronger person, a more humble person, and definitely made me a better artist.

5. Where can people see your work?

Google: Kyle Mosher. Ha! Or you can go to www.KyleMosher.com.

6. How can they buy your work?

People can view the art on my website. If they are interested in purchasing a piece they can shoot me an email: Me@KyleMosher.com, with the piece they are interested in or I can send them the list of available pieces with other details. I also have a “Rent-to-Own” program, which, is an honor based payment plan that allows people to make a down payment, have the painting hang in their home, and they make payments at an agreed upon amount and frequency. Alternatively, I am currently accepting commissions, but there is a 2 month wait list.

6. What are your favorite pieces you’ve created thus far?

Such a difficult question! I hate this question, because I really love them all. The Kanye and Pharrell pieces hold a special place in my heart because they really set it all off for me. They are definitely 2 of the crown jewels in my collection and the pieces most people associate me with. My most recent series, Heist and Showroom, are really rad. I love the direction I went with those and had some major breakthroughs. I really can’t pick a favorite though!

7. What work are you most excited about sharing right now?

I’m working on an epic painting for Andrew Ference (captain of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers). I’m not giving away any other details other than it’s going to be epic! It’ll be finished in a month or so. I also befriended a really well known gallerist and art-critic based in NYC. He’s taken me under his wing and we are working on some really exciting paintings. Probably the most difficult paintings I’ve ever worked on. I say paintings, but we aren’t even really in that phase yet. I’m still in the planning phase of sketching and conceptualizing. I usually have insane amounts of clarity when it comes to my work, but he’s really pushing me, which, I love, and putting me in this uncomfortable space I’m not used to. The idea is create more dialogue, rhythm, and intrigue, and also more sophistication to my work.

You can find Kyle Mosher's works at www.kylemosher.com
You can find Kyle Mosher’s works at www.kylemosher.com

8. Your work focuses on a lot of branding from hip hop artists to commercial items. Can you explain your appeal to these subjects?

I love pop-culture. I’ve always been really into music and I joke a lot about that being my real calling in life. Music really inspires almost more so then visual art does. I’m inspired by the stories I hear of musicians who “make it” so that’s why I like to portray them. I dig the “rags-to-riches” story as I can relate. More so the rags, not yet the riches, ha! Believing in yourself and putting your all into your dreams and overcoming adversity is a beautiful thing. In terms of the logo and branding, I started as a graphic design major when I was at the liberal arts university so graphic imagery also holds a special place in my heart. When I would work contract design jobs, companies always had these brand guidelines, which specifically stated, “DO NOT EDIT OR CHANGE THE LOGO IN ANYWAY.” There are 2 things about that which intrigue me: 1. I’m rebellious so immediately it’s like the forbidden fruit, and 2. I am very much drawn to the idea of taking well-known logos or branding and putting my signature look on them. I am my own biggest fan. 100% I love my work so to create a “mock” marketing campaign or a piece of fine art using my signature style is very much self-indulging, haha. Plus, I think these companies could leverage my signature style and learn a thing or two from this rebellious artist!

9. What do you do when you’re not creating masterpieces? What are some of your other passions in life?

I fumble around with music, but I am far from a musician. That would be an insult to musicians. I like staying active, go to the gym and such. I’m into fashion so I like staying up on that. I aggravated another major injury a couple summers ago playing pick up with my college buddies so I’m still saving to get my second shoulder surgery. I’d love to eventually start playing hockey again. I haven’t played in over a year, probably the longest I’ve ever gone without skating in my life.

10. Any exciting announcements or projects you want to share?

Lots of exciting things in the works! I signed a few NDA’s so I cannot go into anything specific, but I’m in talks with a few major brands to do some cool work with my signature style. The Ference painting is really rad and the new series I’m working on for the NYC gallerist is going to be really different from anything I’ve ever done, but still in line with my brand. I’m constantly working, always pushing myself, and always pushing my art. There is no Plan B so it’s just about finding ways to make it happen as an artist, but never compromising the morals I have as an artist or as a person.

******

You can find Kyle on Instagram and Twitter (@TheKyleMosher) and on his website.

For those who would like to purchase a Mosher painting or print, email him, follow him on Instagram and Twitter (sometimes he has flash sales), reach out to him and work a deal using his Rent to Own program, or you can commission a piece with him.  You’ll find that the majority of artists out there are looking for ways to get their artwork out there, and they realize that not everyone can afford art.  You never know what you can afford from the artist unless you ask.  You’ll find a lot of times they’ll work with you to make their work more affordable for you.

You can read more about Buying and Acquiring Art here.

A Day in Someone Else’s Shoes

How would you like to spend a few days in someone else’s shoes?

Over the weekend I received two challenges to live on $1.50/day.  At first, I thought that was ridiculous.  There’s no way that I could.  But it stuck in my mind.

This morning, The Today Show spoke of how Gwyneth Paltrow accepted Mario Batali’s challenge and how she did it.  Her challenge though was $29/week.  A family on food stamps generally lives on $4/day.

$1.50/day for 5 days is $7.50.  That was the challenge presented to me.  That was the challenge that One.org is putting out there to the world.  Nearly 1.2 billion people in the world live on $1.50/day for food.

I’ve read a few articles from people that accepted the challenge [like this one who lives on a vegan diet].  The comments I’ve read on these articles are really first world problems.  There was a constant: you can’t eat healthy on that diet.  That was the point of the experiment.  It’s not a matter of ‘You can live on $1.50/day’ challenge.  It’s a challenge for us to understand what it means for 1.2 billion people in the world that live on $1.50/day.

1.2 billion people in the world don’t care about GMOs, pesticides on their food or whether the food they purchase was organic or not.  All they care about is that it’s food on the table.  I’ve watched documentaries on children going through the dump (completely barefoot) looking for anything edible to eat…like a rotten banana peel.  Sometimes all people can afford is the rotten food that’s being thrown out.

I’ve been in markets where all they’re selling is rotten meat, vegetables and fruits.  The smell is so atrocious, but that’s how they live.  Even the indoor supermarkets have flies swarming all over the food.  This is normal to them.

The humbling part of my journey was realizing that even though I was witnessing poverty, I was seeing them through Burberry sunglasses.  I had security with me.  I had my own driver.  Yet, I was witnessing hardships and the life of people in a third world country.  Even though many are starving and are destitute, they look at you with a smile in their soul.  Their kindness is genuine.  They do unto others as they hope God will do unto them.  They live with the philosophy that if they work hard and do things pleasing in God’s eyes today, then tomorrow God will shower kindness upon them.  If the next day they find that God did not find their works good enough to reward them, they work harder the next day.  They give to the widows and the elderly, even when they have very little.  They are always performing acts of charity.

To me, that is a life principle.  It also makes me thankful for each and every day I wake up to the life that I live.  There are times when I feel like I’m not doing enough for my works to be pleasing in God’s eyes.  But then I’m reminded of the people I’ve met in third world countries that live by this principle of doing things to be worthy of God’s favor.  All they want is food, a roof over their head…the basic necessities.  That’s the only favor they are asking from God.  It makes what I ask for completely selfish and foolish.  Just take a look at my purse wardrobe.  One bag could feed someone for 1,000 days…and yet, I think I’m not doing enough to be rewarded properly… (first world problems).

From April 28-May 2, One.org is challenging the first worlders out there to see what it is like to live on $1.50/day.  PerfectionistWannabe.com is accepting that challenge.

Considering that this site leans more towards the good eats, this will be somewhat of a challenge.  Luckily, these past few weeks, I’ve already been putting the challenge to work.

For those who have access to an Aldi, I highly recommend going in and buying your groceries from them.

Just recently, I picked up 4 chicken leg quarters (about 4 lbs worth of chicken) for $2.17.  Wow, right?  I just happened to walk in when they put the $2 off sticker on the packages.  Normally, they’re $4.19 for the 4+ lbs. of chicken.  It’s $0.95 per pound.

With that chicken, I can easily make chicken stock by boiling a couple of the chicken quarters.  I shred up the boiled chicken for other dishes.  That’s roughly $0.54 per chicken quarter.

For the chicken that has fallen off of the bone, I make chicken noodle soup with the leftover celery and carrots (celery and carrots vary in price, but are both under $1 per 1-2 lb. bags).

The chicken stock I reserve for other dishes (including soups).

I picked up a bag of dinner rolls that came out to $0.50.  There were 8 rolls in the bag.  You can generally get a loaf of bread for $0.85.

A can of tuna is $0.59.  A six pack of tomatoes is $1.29.

In other words, Aldi is a great place for the budget minded folks.  After discovering I could buy chicken for $0.95/lb. there, I have a difficult time wanting to spend 3-4 times that at the supermarket for the convenience just because I’m there buying other groceries.

There are a variety of dishes you can make with this sort of budget.  Believe it or not, there are also ways of getting free food on top of it all.  So during April 28-May 2, I’ll be sharing with you just how I was able to live for 5 days under this budget AND still be a foodie.  And yes, I will find ways to get free coffee and almond/soy milk.  There are ways.

Will you accept the $1.50 challenge?

 

 

Mastering Coq Au Vin

JCAs I’ve been spot checking the site to see what needs to be updated, I was going over my About page and remembered that I wanted to learn how to make coq au vin.  What better way to learn but to learn from the master herself, Julia Child.

Before we begin, I’m going to say this…this was the first time, as well as the last time I will ever make coq au vin.  While it was challenging and interesting, it was also very time consuming.

Since it was Easter Sunday when I made this, I also had to make up a few other things before the main course could be served.

Baked Camembert

Baked Camembert
Baked Camembert

I had never made Baked Camembert before.  I have to say that it was extremely simple to make and came out like a piece of artwork.

I used the Thyme and Garlic Baked Camembert recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking.  The only thing I did differently was use truffle oil instead of olive oil.

This easy starter recipe was so good and absolutely hassle free to make, I almost ate the whole thing on my own, forgetting that Easter Sunday was just beginning.

I highly recommend making this.

As an additional side dish, I also made Honey Hen wings.  I adapted it from Laura Calder’s recipe and used wings instead of chicken quarters.  It was so delicious the first time I made it (last week), it was well worth making it for the second time in a row.

Julia Child’s Coq Au Vin

JC3Since this recipe is rather lengthy, as well as the process, Life’s a Feast made this same recipe and posted up the original Julia Child recipe, including what she had for dessert: Charlotte au Chocolat.

The coq au vin recipe isn’t just for the chicken.  Her post also includes the additional two recipes: Champignons Sautés au Beurre (Sautéed Mushrooms) and Oignons Glacés à Brun (Brown-Braised Onions).  In order to make this dish, you have to make the mushrooms and the onions on the side.  Braising the onions alone takes around 45 minutes to do.

For the alcohol content, I used cognac (which was a really cool process…I’d never flambé before) and chianti as the wine.

It took about 3 hours to make this dish from start to finish. Was it worth the wait?  No.  It wasn’t.  The meal was delicious, but by the time everything was complete, I was so exhausted, I couldn’t enjoy the fruits of my labor.

For sides, I made a plate of simple peas and Fingerling Potatoes Braised with Smoked Paprika from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

Dessert: Clafouti aux Poires

Clafouti aux poires
Clafouti aux poires

While the chicken was simmering over the flames, I put together this rather simple pear flan recipe from Julia Child (as found on Bettunya’s blog).

I tried to use up as much cognac as I could on Sunday, so I decided to use cognac to soak the pears in.  You’re only supposed to soak the pears for an hour in the alcohol.  Because I was taking so long with the coq au vin, the pears ended up soaking for 2 hours.  Trust me, this ended up being a good thing.

By the time the main entree was on the plates, the clafouti was ready to come out of the oven to cool. The cognac made the dish smell so good!

After dinner, the clafouti was passed around, topped with some ice cream and when I say this was the treat of the day…oh believe me, it was a treat!  I felt so drunk after eating half a slice.  Like I said, the pears soaked in cognac for 2 hours was a good thing.

I usually do not make French desserts, so I was happy with how easy this was to put together.  Julia’s original recipe called for Bing Cherries, but it can be substituted with apples, pears, etc.

This is a dish you will definitely enjoy.  It is a must try!

 

How To Dress Like a French Woman

French women always appear so put together, classy and stylish.  From the front rows of fashion week to grandmothers smoking a cigarette with their coffee and pastry outside of a French cafe, these ladies have a sense of style.  While French women have that je ne sais quoi about them, there really isn’t any trick to looking classy and put together at all times.  It’s all about being a smart woman.  Here’s how they do it…

1. It’s All About the Base.

As in, it’s all about the basics, that part of your wardrobe that becomes the base.  Pamela Lutrell from Midlife Blvd. wrote about the 7 Things Every Parisian Woman Has in Her Closet (as seen in the book Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange).

The seven things are:

1. A Quality, Well Fit Blazer.
2. The Trench.
3. The Navy Sweater (in cashmere).
4. The Tank.
5. The LBD (little black dress).
6. The Perfect Jeans.
7. The Leather Jacket.

The thing about this list is that you’re not going to go out to just any retailer to purchase these items.  French women buy qualitative items, which means it may cost a little bit more.


Start off with a black blazer.  Over time, add a navy and white one.  Save for the splurge which is the timeless classic Chanel tweed blazer.  This blazer will last the rest of your lifetime.  It’s a piece you can even pass on to your children or your grandchildren.  That is what we mean by quality.  It’s built to last.


When you shop for a trench, you should always go to the best in the business. The best just happens to be Burberry.  Their coats are meant to last you an entire lifetime.


There are so many different grades of cashmere out there, it is hard to figure out which is the best quality.  Real Simple put together a checklist to consider when you shop for cashmere sweaters.  Simply put: look for the sweaters that say 100% cashmere.


I’m a lover of Gap tank tops.  For many years, Gap put out the most qualitative tank tops on the market.  These are tanks that 10 years later, I’m still wearing.  You can get them on sale for $2.99 at their end of summer sale.  I always stocked up on them (especially the white ones) because I layer my clothes, and I love sleeping in these tanks.  Gap did have a quality setback a few years ago (which is why I don’t shop with them anymore).  But after much complaint from their consumers, they brought the quality back.  Places like Gap and J. Crew are excellent places to stock up on basic tanks, tees and sweaters.


The little black dress is probably the most difficult dress to find.  It’s more than just owning a LBD.  It’s about the fit and how it makes you feel.  The perfect LBD makes you look incredible…and you know it.  It makes you feel confident and sexy, yet comfortable.  It can take years to find the perfect LBD.  Once you find it, you will cry the day you have to retire it.  This is your go to dress from the office to the Kentucky Derby to that client dinner.  It’s that date night dress that makes your guy think he’s the luckiest guy in the world the second he lays eyes on you.  It’s not the dress. It’s how the dress makes you feel when you wear it.  You’ll know the dress when you find it.


Every woman is in search for the perfect pair of jeans.  I know, I’ve bought 10 different pairs from a variety of vendors in the last couple of years.  There’s that sexy jean you need.  There’s that pair of boyfriend jeans you wear when you just want to chill out.  There’s the every day jeans.  There’s the trendy jeans.  There’s even the nicer pair of jeans you wear out for date night.  In all of these years of searching for that right pair of jeans, I’ve only found 2 or 3 that were the perfect fit and made me look great every single time I wore them.  Don’t ask how many pairs of jeans I went through just to find them.


The leather jacket is one of the most important pieces in your wardrobe.  It can go with anything, including that gown you wear to the opera.  What’s great about leather jackets is that if you’re not so keen on wearing real leather, the faux leather jackets are just as nice and come in a variety of colors.  Two colors you definitely need are black and white.




2. What Not to Wear

Who What Wear put out a post on the 7 Style Mistakes French Women Never Make.  It’s definitely worth the read because it’s not just the basics that matter.  There are do’s and don’ts to creating your own style.  Basically, the first rule is not to try so hard.

My favorite of the bunch is that French women do not wear sky high heels.  That’s funny because Christian Louboutin is French.

3. Create a Signature Style

This article from Stylecaster is my favorite of the bunch:12 Fashion Secrets to Steal from French Women.

No. 7 made me think of finding a signature shoe.  There are so many brands out there, so many different types of shoes.  Simply put, go with what you love and what you can live in.

4. What would Coco Chanel do?

All Womens Talk has a fantastic article on 13 French Fashion Habits You Should Incorporate In Your Wardrobe.  It is basically the bible on what to buy, how to buy, and how to wear it.

The most important point was Coco Chanel’s take on what to do before leaving the house.  Stop and look in the mirror.  Remove one piece before leaving the house.

If you want your wardrobe to be versatile: stick to neutral colors.

5. How Do They Afford It?

One of the great lessons in understanding the way French women dress is understanding the dynamic on how they can afford to wear Hermés scarves and carry around Hermés Birkin bags.

Simply put, they don’t have huge closets.  They don’t amass a lot of clothes (like Americans do).  They buy qualitative basics and add accessories that can be mixed in to create different looks.  They save for the one handbag that will last them an entire lifetime.  They buy qualitative scarves that are going to look chic with their wardrobe, and last forever.

They’re not going to buy a cheap scarf that will unravel in a year or two.  They’ll pay $300-$1000 for a cashmere or wool scarf that they know will last them their entire lifetime.  In other words, by the time the piece of clothing is ready to be retired, they would have gotten a penny out of each wear (cost/per wear).

The French woman’s way of fashion isn’t just classy, it’s smart and economical.  You may be shocked at the sticker price of what they decide to buy, but to them it is an investment piece that is meant to last the rest of their lifetime.  They choose a piece of clothing that they can wear today and still wear when they are 80 years old, and know that it’s not going to fall apart (and will still be in style).  They also know it won’t make them look like they are from a different age.

They’ll choose classic styles that have withstood and will continue to withstand the test of time like a DVF wrap dress, a Chanel tweed jacket, an Hermés Birkin bag, an Hermés scarf, or that little black dress.  They’ll buy the Louis Vuitton luggage because LV has been around for over a hundred years and still command a high price for luggage pieces that are over a century years old.

The Hermés Birkin bag goes up in value.  It’s the only handbag that goes up in value.

There’s a reason why these luxury stores are still going strong in places like Europe.  It’s not because the rich are buying it up.  Smart women that want a qualitative product are buying from them.  They saved up the money in order to purchase that one piece.  These are investment pieces that they plan on using for the rest of their lives.




Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Soul Searching: Our Life’s Work

We are our own greatest mystery, and our life’s work is to solve ourselves.

– Jan-Philipp Sendker

Today, I want to talk about this quote and how it pertains to this site.

Soul Searching

santorini14There are a lot of things in life that I aim to perfect: my mind, my body, my heart and my soul.  When I cook up recipes, I look for things that are challenging so that I can become a better cook.  When I try out new restaurants and new dishes, it is so I can learn to be more cultured.  When I read, I want to learn things I didn’t know before.  When I walk this path, I want it to be filled with all of the riches that life has to offer.  The only way to do that is by not only becoming a greater human being, but by also challenging myself to make myself better than I was before.

We never know what we are capable of.  There are times you can feel so defeated that you feel like the only best alternative in life is death.  I know.  I’ve been there many times at various junctures in this lifetime so far.  I was ready for whatever decision God had for me.  He could let this tumor kill me or he could change my life.

That latter part is why this site exists.  Back in August 2013, I was diagnosed with a tumor in my parathyroid gland.  Both the tumor and the gland had to come out.  The parathyroid is the gland in the neck that synthesizes calcium.  When I went in for my physical, the amount of calcium in my blood stream was over 120.  Normal is in the single or lower double digits.

What did that mean?  It meant that not only was the gland synthesizing the calcium I was putting into my body, it was working overtime and pulling calcium from my bones and putting that calcium into the blood stream.  Left untreated it could either give me a heart attack I could not come back from or a brain malfunction due to the amount of calcium circulating in the body.

Doctors still talk about my case.  It wasn’t because I had a tumor, it was how I knew something was wrong.

Only a Doctor Can Fix It

Right when I had given up on the only dream I had ever had in this lifetime (to have a family of my own), I was struggling with my relationship with God.  I was furious with him because for some reason he just didn’t seem to want to make my only dream in life come true.  He pointed out this one guy.  It was someone he had been talking to me about all of my life.  After 36 years of promises and nothing to show for, I doubted God would deliver up what he had promised to me.  He was failing to live up to our bargain.

Was what I have done for God my entire lifetime not good enough?  Or was it not enough?

I was mad.  I felt like I had paid my dues and God decided I was not worthy of this one dream…the only dream.  So I decided to break my own heart and let go of the dream.  Trust me, I was mad at God.  I would sit in the meditation room at the Meditation Center trying to center myself, feel peaceful, but all I could do was scream at God.

Why give me this dream if he never intended to make it come true?

At one point, I heard him yell back at me after having to listen to my laments for a few months.  He told me it was enough.  There was something more important that I needed to focus on.  He told me that there was something wrong.  I needed to see a doctor.  It was not something I could fix.  Only a doctor could fix it.

At first, I blew off the warning.  What makes me think this is really God talking to me after I thought he was talking to me all of these other times pointing some guy out to me saying, “That’s him.  That’s the one I’ve been telling you about ever since you were a child.”

I blew off making the doctor’s appointment.  Each time I went in and humbled myself before God, he kept repeating the same message: “You need to see a doctor.  There is something wrong.  It is something you can’t fix.  Only a doctor can.”

So after several warnings, I made the appointment to see the doctor.  I went through all of the motions.  I appeared healthy.  She just wanted me to go to the gym, maybe interact with other people a little more.  Be more social.  So I started looking at gyms and classes, trying to take my doctor’s advice.

I was prepping to go on a cruise with my friend when the doctor called and left a message saying she had received my blood tests.  She said, “Scrap everything I told you before.”  She needed me to come back in to do the tests again.  There was something wrong.  My calcium count was off the charts. She needed to double check to make sure it wasn’t an error.

I thought to myself, “What in the hell is high calcium?”  I quickly did a Google search and discovered that I had hyperparathyroidism.  In other words, I had a tumor in my parathyroid gland.  This is what we had been waiting five years for.  The tumor had finally shown up.

I had been showing signs for the last five years that something was wrong.  We knew it was cancer related we just didn’t have any idea where it was in the body.  Now we did.

When I returned from the cruise, I was retested and it came back positive that I had high calcium.  We started going through the next steps to having the surgery.  All the while, they were preparing me for the worst.

With each doctor I saw after the diagnosis, they asked me how I knew.  I said, “God told me in my meditation that something was wrong.  I couldn’t fix it, only a doctor could.”  I repeated this from one doctor to the next.

When I went in for my nuclear tests at Roosevelt Hospital, the doctors had been talking to each other about what I had said.  As I awaited the chief doctor’s decision on whether I needed more testing, one doctor sat looking at the screen, shaking his head.  He asked me, “How did you know?”

I repeated the same thing.

He was an Indian man.  He looked at the screen then looked back at me in disbelief.  I realized that God was working his reality on this man.

You see, there was absolutely no way I could have known about the tumor.  There are ZERO SIGNS.  There are symptoms that can easily be misdiagnosed as acid reflux or feet problems that can be corrected with shoe supports.  There are no signs that are definitive that there is a tumor in your parathyroid gland.  Only a blood test can reveal there is a tumor.

The doctor told me his faith (before he went into medicine) believed this way.  He said this was the actual first time that God and science agreed.  They had several doctors ask me the exact same question: How did you know?  The fact my response was the exact same every single time, so matter of fact, and I did not appear delusional, it made them question their own beliefs.  Maybe God really was talking to us.  They had put my responses in my medical report.  Each doctor confirmed I said the exact same thing.

Because the truth was, there was something wrong.  I couldn’t fix it.  Only a doctor could.

I was diagnosed mid-August.  I had the tumor removed on October 22, 2013.  Who I was prior to going under died that day.  Who I became after I woke up…that is the journey I’m currently on.

Who Are You?

I lost almost all of my memories within the weeks that followed.  I had to remind myself what my name was every single morning.  The woman looking back at me in the mirror…I did not recognize.  To this very day, I still don’t see that the person I am today is the same person I was before the surgery.  I can tell.  I can even see it in the pictures of me before and after.  They are two very different people.  At least to me, I see two very different people.  They do not look the same at all.  Actually, I don’t recognize the person looking back at me anymore.

I cut off my long locks.  I refuse to grow them out anymore.  That person with the long beautiful hair is not me anymore.

That person that loved hockey and writing about it and just loved that journey she was on…she does not exist anymore.

I had to reteach myself how to do so many things, like math, for example. I tested out of every math course in college except statistics (because it was required for my major).  To all of a sudden forget how to add simple numbers, do division or multiply…I was absolutely humiliated that I was reduced to being an idiot.

I had problems reading books.  I just didn’t want to read.  I had no interest in it whatsoever.  I knew I loved to read.  I just couldn’t pick up a book.

I had to reteach myself how to spell.  I’m a credentialed member of the media…I never had to check my work after so many years of writing.  Now, I have to read everything ten times before clicking SUBMIT. I leave out words all of the time.  ALL OF THE TIME.

I knew I loved to travel all over the world, but something inside of me refused to leave New York.  Now, I use my newly adopted cat as a reason I can’t leave.

It took almost a year for this foodie to eat anything beyond basic children’s food.  I ate grilled cheese sandwiches for months.  I knew I loved amazing food, but I tried to eat it post-op and I could not taste anything.  It took almost a year to be able to enjoy something that was absolutely amazing.

In other words, all of this time post-op, I struggled to find myself.  I was lost within the walls of this body feeling trapped.  I have said to myself every single day since I woke up, “I should have died that day.”  But for some reason, God decided I should live.  We are not necessarily on the same page.

One think I am thankful for, no matter how complicated this journey has been, was the loss of my memories.  He left me with only one memory.  He left me with the dream thus far.  That story about that guy he had pointed out to me…I remembered him and the story thus far.  I could not even remember my own name or the person looking back at me in the mirror, but I remembered that guy.

I couldn’t remember the people that hurt me in the past.  When they surfaced, my friends and my brother helped me.  If they were bad, they just told me to stay away from them.  If they were good, they let me know that person was okay.  When the memories came back, it came back without the emotions.  I recognize that an emotion existed connected to that person, but I no longer felt that emotion towards that person.  I no longer felt the pain and suffering.

While this is a good thing, I think it disconnected me from being human.

Second Chances

This site was a way of finding myself again.  It was a way to force myself to rediscover who I was prior to 10/22/13.  There are things I discovered in life that were tremendous and amazing.  There were experiences I had in life that created this incredible and amazing journey I was on.  I needed to find myself again in that confusing emptiness that now existed within me.

I was given a clean slate when I lost the memories.  Now, I’m refilling this mind, soul and body with things that will make me into a better human being.

This is also the life of learning how to live without the dream.  You just don’t realize how much you are part of something until it is gone.  This is what happens when you stop dreaming.  You are lost trying to figure out what in the world is going on.

Being Faithful

God gave me a second chance and left me with only one clue…the dream.  He didn’t even give me my name.  He told me about that dream I had let go.

Knowing God, he’ll make sure he puts this post before the eyes of the other person this dream is meant to be shared with.  For some reason that dream means something very important to God.  I wish it didn’t.  I also realize that this person must have prayed for me to live.  I’d like to slap him across the face for it, especially because when you look at our reality today, what has become of the dream?  Nothing.

This morning, during my meditation, I was talking to God about reality versus faith today.  How can he expect me to have faith in a dream that in reality has never come to fruition?

His answer came from Master Noel Bada just a few minutes later.

How about that for an answer?  God has called you to be faithful to your calling.

Don’t Forget

Before I awoke from the anesthesia, I felt like I was floating down the river of life, going past houses with families standing alongside the road.  They were all smiling and waving as I floated past.  I heard God say, “Don’t forget.”

I woke up to the sound of a loud beeping noise and a nurse telling me to breathe.  I felt like I had just taken a dip into God’s ocean of love.  I was reborn.

All of these things are connected: the dream, seeing families alongside the road, and remembering only one person in this entire universe (and it wasn’t me).

That is life’s mystery, trying to figure out what this life is meant for.  We are meant to solve that mystery.

It’s Not the Story, It’s Just the Setting

In a dream I had not so long ago, God explained this lifetime to me.  He explained why the story played out a certain way.  He explained the mystery within the story.  I am in a certain setting.  It’s just the setting.  We may think it’s really the journey in life, but it is only the setting.

The setting was created that way because it was designed for the two of us to meet.  The real story was the love story.

God appeared as the best friend I took with me wherever I go.  No matter what happens, what pain I endure, or the decisions I ultimately choose, I will always return to my best friend no matter what.  There is no being in the universe that can rip me away from him, because no matter what happens in the story…even if I lose my way and fall in love with the wrong person…I will always return to God.

That’s where I am in this juncture.  I’m working on my relationship with God.  I’ve had to go back to the very beginning, reminding myself of the law of attraction.  I’ve had to remind myself that my soul is always recording what is happening.  That videotape is always seen by God.  I must always have pure thoughts, no matter how sad my soul is.  I must always do good for others first.  Bestow good thoughts and blessings upon people as they walk past.  I have to refill my karmic bank account for the next lifetime…the one where I ask God to make sure I don’t come back and I can just stay with him.  This child wants to go home, but I’m stuck here.  My mission is apparently incomplete.

So this is my new mission: I dream of owning a large home filled with children that do not have a family of their own.  Perhaps we can be a family together.  That is what I want.  This is not something I aim to do with anyone else.  I am exactly where I want to be right now.  I’ve changed my entire way of being and living because I understand my choice to do this on my own.  The dream isn’t about faith anymore…it’s either God delivers what he promised, or he doesn’t.  Either way, I’m moving forward without God’s dream.  If that dream is so important, he’ll figure out how to deliver it.  I’ll look at it with absolutely no expectations.  I find that when you expect something and it isn’t delivered, you become disappointed.  I kind of don’t want to be disappointed in God again.  He has failed me several times already in this lifetime.

But where there is failure and disappointment, sometimes you can look at it as a life lesson.  But what that lesson is…only time will tell.  You just have to hope and pray you figure it out before it’s time to start a new life all over again.

What Any of This Has To Do With This Site

I just want all of you to understand where I’m coming from by putting my energy into this site.  This is my way of challenging myself to be a better human being.  By pushing myself to understand things I never understood before, relearning how to do the basic stuff, and using what I’ve learned to create a better world…that is my aim for this site.

I don’t want a life that is just mediocre, because I’m not mediocre in any sense of the word.  I aim to have a better life.  Most people do.  But what is better?

We start with learning how to be a better soul.  So once a week I’m going to get spiritual on you.  Believe it or not, I find that bearing my soul has always had more interest.  Why?  Because we relate to each other in some way.  We just need each other in order to learn and be inspired to be greater than we were yesterday.  That is really our aim in life, to be a better human being than we were yesterday.

That, in itself, is the true journey I’m on.  That is this site’s mission: To Be A Better Human Being Than I Was Yesterday.

It’s about healing ourselves and the world.  I haven’t heard this song in years, but every time I get a moment of quiet, I hear this song playing in my mind.  This is my new life’s mission.

[youtube=https://youtu.be/BWf-eARnf6U]

Reading: How to be French

Children seeing large bubbles for the first time in Paris, France. (c) Michelle Kenneth
How to Be French: French children seeing large bubbles for the first time in Paris, France. (C) 2011 Michelle Kenneth.

Hello Lovelies.

In my research this month on “How To Be French,” I found some rather interesting articles worth sharing.

1. 10 Eating Rules French Children Know (But Americans Don’t), from Mind Body Green.  By Rebeca Plantier.

If there’s anything this author has discovered is that her children know how to be French better than she does.

This was one of the most interesting articles I read this past week.  It really makes you rethink how you eat, how much you eat and what you eat.  For instance, instead of grazing throughout the day (like most Americans do), it’s important to eat three meals a day.  You want to be hungry when you approach each meal so that each meal will be a complete pleasure.

After reading this article, I decided to make lunch the heaviest meal of the day and eat lighter in the evening (like a salad or a soup).

I will say that taking the advice from this article, I approach each meal differently, savoring each bite with pleasure.

2. 44 Classic French Meals You Need to Try Before You Die, from Buzzfeed. By Marie Telling.

Consider this your French food bucket list.

I’ve been sharing this list with my foodie friends.  We’ve been salivating over the pictures.

Don’t be dismayed if you love French food, go through the list and realize you’ve probably only had a handful of these dishes.  Imagine this list as showing you the possibilities of enjoyment you can add to enhance your life.  I’m making it my mission to either try these dishes at a restaurant or learn to make them this year.

3. 12 Fashion Secrets to Steal From French Women, from Stylecaster. By Leah Bourne.

For those who want to build a Fantasy Wardrobe, I highly recommend starting here (we’ll discuss this topic further this month on the blog).  While French women appear to have the best taste in fashion, it looks like the way they build their wardrobe is all about class and common sense.

They very rarely wear trendy clothes.  They never wear stilettos.  They invest in neutral colors.  They buy qualitative clothing, which means buying more expensive clothing (which also means owning less clothing).  This is not about having a lot of clothing (like us Americans who amass a rather large collection of clothing).

I’ve noticed there are a large number of French women carrying around an Hermès Birkin bag.  Believe it or not, this article explains how it is possible for them to own a bag that costs between 4-6 figures (i.e. the down payment on a house, or in some cases, the cost of an entire house).  [Forbes did an article on how you can buy your first Birkin.]

Simply put, they wait and save for that investment piece.

This article will make you rethink how you’ve crafted your own wardrobe.

4. 7 Secrets to Decorating Like the French, from Domaine.  By Julia Millay Walsh.

French homes always appear so posh, put together, and elegant.  This article explains how you can get the French decor at home.

5. French Women Don’t Get Fat, by Mireille Guiliano.

This is on my list of books to read.  The author of this bestseller is currently in the NYC area talking to a group of French loving New Yorkers about the French life.  Like the first article listed in this post, Guiliano goes into more detail on how French women eat and live.  They’re thin, eat these incredible meals, eat carbs (and chocolate), yet they stay incredibly slim.  How is it possible?

It’s not about depriving yourself, it’s about embracing the finer things in life and ENJOYING THEM.

On Sunday, I’ll dive more into living that positive mindset.

6. FAVORITE BLOGGER: French Country Cottage.

This is one of my favorite sites to be inspired on how to decorate the home.  The styling and pictures are just absolutely gorgeous!  I recommend following this site.  I’ve been following it for years.  Make sure to also follow her on social media.

A “How to” Buying Guide: Caviar and Pâté

Petrossian delicacies
Petrossian delicacies

Ever been mystified by the whole caviar and pâté experience?

I was.  So I decided to go out and educate myself on how to buy caviar and pâté, as well as how to eat the luxury items.  The best way to learn is to go to the professionals.

Petrossian is the answer in both Paris and the United States.  They are not only the experts, but they offer some of the finest goods on the market.

First off, caviar is expensive.  The reason lies in the process of cultivating fish eggs.  It is not as easy as one would think.

Caviar is not cheap, just less expensive — more affordable. The restrictions on wild caviar made the price very high. The actual progress in the production and the number of farms all over the world created more offerings. However, one should also remember that caviar is not raised, sturgeons are, and that this process takes over ten years. This is the reason why caviar will never be an inexpensive product. Plus, the fact that to create good caviar requires a lot of work and enormous specialized knowledge. Now, if the dream becomes affordable, then it will drive caviar lovers back to caviar — those who’ve stopped their consumption because of higher prices.

— Caviar Q&A with Armen Petrossian, The Daily Meal, by Yasmin Fahr

There are a variety of different types of ‘caviar’ out there.  Let’s start from the beginning.

What and Where to Buy

Caviar (black) and Salmon Roe (orange).
Caviar (black) and Salmon Roe (orange).

First, the term ‘Caviar’ is used only from the roe (fish eggs) that come from sturgeon fish.  It only comes from sturgeon fish.  You will find that other variations of roe (like salmon roe) are labeled as salmon roe, not caviar.  Caviar only comes from sturgeon fish.  All other fish eggs that do not come from sturgeon fish is called roe.

Caviar is black, while salmon roe is orange.  Depending on the fish, roe can come in a variety of colors.

If you are starting out and need a less expensive, but highly qualitative brand of caviar, start with the Classic Transmontanus Caviar.  In Petrossian stores, the smallest tin is $51.  Online, a small tin will cost $53.




You can also try the less expensive roe that comes from salmon, trout, or even flying fish.  The reason why the eggs from sturgeon are so expensive is because for many years, the fish were considered an endangered species.  In the quote above from Petrossian, it also takes many years to cultivate sturgeon.  The less expensive roe comes from fish that are more bountiful.

If you’re in a city where there’s a Petrossian store, you’ll find more variety and that the prices are considerably lower in their stores than online.  For instance, online, the Salmon Roe retails at $62, but that’s for a 250g tin.  You can pick up a 50g tin between $12-$14 at the store.

I prefer the salmon roe and caviar.  If the caviar wasn’t $50+ per tiny tin, this would be a staple in my home.

The are so many different grades and prices, with $50 being the cheapest and the price of caviar going upwards into the 4-to-5 digit numbers.  The more expensive numbers depend on the rarity of a special harvest which produces an incredible batch of eggs that are unlike any other.  For instance, one serving of Petrossian Special Reserve Ossetra Caviar costs $394.  For 16-32 servings, the price goes up to $12,500.  That’s one expensive dinner party right there.

Petrossian doesn’t just sell roe and caviar.  They also sell baked goods (in store), chocolates, smoked fish, and other fish delicacies.

One delicacy I highly recommend is the Tarama Au Crabe Royal.  It’s a mixture of créme fraiche, cod roe and crabmeat.

As for pâté, Petrossian offers some of the best pâté  I’ve ever had in my life.  Try the Pheasant, Pork & Duck with Figs, Pistachios and Port from Petrossian.  The nice vinegary taste in each bite creates a sharpness of flavors that awakens your tastebuds.  The Petrossian pâtés are far better than any other one I have ever tasted.  They make all the rest taste like cheap liverwurst.

How do you eat Caviar/Roe?

Deviled Eggs from The Glamorous Housewife
Deviled Eggs from The Glamorous Housewife

There are a variety of ways you can eat caviar/roe.  My favorite is definitely Deviled Eggs with caviar.  You can create little stacks on top of a blini.

The varieties of ways you can eat caviar/roe are endless.

If you ask Armen Petrossian how he likes his caviar…nude.  As in, by the teaspoon.  You can follow it up with a glass of champagne or vodka, or a slice of blini.

You can purchase blinis or you can make them.

It is important to serve up caviar with a Mother of Pearl Sea Shell Caviar Spoon and NEVER use sterling silver.  Using silver only degrades the quality of the caviar, and tarnishes the spoon.  Luckily the caviar spoons range from a couple of dollars and on up.

Just remember that caviar hates metal and will instantly spoil it.

If you’re serving up caviar at a party, here is a HOW TO with pictures.

april2.4
You can create stacks on top of blinis. Here: pate topped with tarama au crabe, with roe/caviar on top.

You’ll find that there are a variety of amazing ways to eat caviar.  Maybe you’ll even find a certain kind of roe that you’ll love.

If you’re looking for recipes, just type in ‘caviar’ in Pinterest and you’ll find everything from appetizers to soups to main courses.

How to Eat Pâté

As you can see, I like my pâté with caviar.  I’ve also eaten it alongside a baguette, some French jam, butter, fruit and cornichons on the side for an afternoon snack.

You can serve it up any which way you want.  Try it on a sandwich, alongside eggs at breakfast, or with cheese and fruit.  Some mousse varieties can be used to add on top of potatoes, as a dip, or even stuffed into vegetables.  There are just so many ways you can eat it.

Fake Caviar?

april2.3There’s something about luxury that someone out there always tries to offer a cheap imitation.  Don’t bother with the cheap imitations.  You won’t enjoy it.  How will you know it’s fake?  Armen Petrossian elaborates in his interview with The Daily Meal.

How can you detect false wild caviar, or poor quality caviar?

 

Would you buy the wedding present of your daughter in the flea market, or on the net? Certainly not. You will go to a reliable source, a reputable company. It is the same with caviar. You go to a well-known specialist and let him or her guide you for your party. False balls called “caviar” are easy to spot. You put an egg on a sheet of paper and press. If there is no juice, only paste, then you know this is not caviar.

 

For expired roe, you can take some grains on your tongue and see if it creates an effect like small needles. If so, then your product is no good. Use your nose and smell the caviar. It should not have a strong smell like herring for example. A light, agreeable smell is what you should have. If you tilt the tin and the caviar is very oily, like a heavy soup, then this is a bad sign. Note that a little oil is normal. And if the grain is hard, with practically no juice, that’s also not good.

In other words, stick to the real stuff.  Only buy from the best in the business.  There is no such thing as shopping around for a better deal on luxury food.  You won’t enjoy the lesser quality.  In other words, it would be a waste of your money.  Buy only the best and don’t throw your money away on cheap imitations.

If you are ever in a city where Petrossian has a shop, I highly recommend stopping in and trying their foods.  They package everything up with ice and special containers so that you can get your purchases home without spoilage.They also ship out their merchandise the same way.

Petrossian also has cafes and restaurants where you can sample a little bit of luxury.  Just come prepared knowing the tab will be considerably high.

If you can’t make it to a shop, but want to try out some of their delicacies, order online.  You will not regret tasting the best of the best in the business.

Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe




French Food Made Easy: Laura Calder

French Food at Home by Laura Calder includes some of the most amazing French recipes you’ll ever taste. Laura simplifies it for you.

Before moving this site to a new platform, I experimented with a topic last year to see how it would be perceived.  Each month would get its own region and we would take a look at all things from that region.  We’re revisiting FRANCE and all things FRENCH to start off Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe’s relaunch since it was so popular last year.  We’ll take a look at French food, arts, culture, photography, books, etc. all throughout this month.

Each week we’ll be showcasing a cookbook and divvying up a few of the recipes from the book.  This week’s French recipes are from Laura Calder’s book French Food at Home.

For those just starting out learning how to cook French food, it can seem a little daunting.  As James Peterson writes, you could end up using every single pot and pan in your arsenal just to make one meal.

Calder makes the different processes of making French food a little easier.

For instance, this fabulous Honey Hen recipe with Lemon Pasta was so good, you’re not going to want to share it.

Honey Hen with Lemon Pasta
Honey Hen with Lemon Pasta

Honey Hen

Honey Hen
Honey Hen

Ingredients

1 chicken (3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard*
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence

[*You can use Whole Grain Mustard as a less spicier substitute for Dijon mustard.  It is equally as good.]

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Melt the honey in a saucepan and whisk in the mustard and herbs.  Pour over the chicken pieces in a baking dish, and roll them around to coat well.

Bake, turning occasionally, until the meat is cooked through, well browned, and veiled in its dripping hot sauce, 40 to 45 minutes.*

[*Cooking times may vary.]

Lemon Pasta

This is one of my favorite, easy and simple pasta recipes from Laura Calder.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Grated zest of 4 to 5 lemons*
1 cup heavy cream
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
Salt and Pepper
Lemon juice to taste
1/2 pound fresh egg pasta

[*For extra zing and/or color, use a mix of lemon/lime zests.]

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.  While you wait, melt the butter in a saucepan.  Stir in the lemon zest. Pour over the cream and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring to melt.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add lemon juice to taste.

Cook the pasta.  Drain, return to the pot, and toss with the sauce.  Divide among four serving plates, garnish as you like, and serve immediately.*

[Note: This dish must be eaten hot.  When it goes cold, it basically turns into cold butter and pasta noodles.]
Toast Soup
Toast Soup

Toast Soup

If you’re like me, it’s a little difficult to get through an entire loaf of French bread.  Instead of tossing the bread out when it starts to go stale, Toast Soup is the answer.

Ingredients

6 slices smoky bacon*
4 cups chicken stock
About 8 cups cubed French bread (roughly 1 loaf)
2 cups milk, more if needed
2 teaspoons sherry or balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard**
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

[*Note: When purchasing bacon make sure it says “Smokey” not “Smoke Flavored.”  There is a major difference.] [**Note: You can use Whole Grain Mustard as a substitute for Dijon mustard.]

Instructions: 

Fry the bacon until cooked but not necessarily crisp.  Pour over the stock, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover, and let infuse about an hour.

Meanwhile, toast the bread on a baking sheet in the oven until quite dark, but not burnt. Transfer to a large saucepan.

Strain the stock over the toast, reserving the bacon.  Add the milk, vinegar, and mustard and purée until very smooth with an immersion blender.*  Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper.

Cut the bacon into slivers and refry until crispish.  Reheat the soup, whisking in the cold butter at the last minute to give it gloss.  Serve piping hot with the bacon bits scattered over.

[*Note: For added texture, do not purée all of the bread in the soup.  Leave a few pieces as is, but purée the majority of the soup.]

* * * *

Laura Calder’s book is one of my favorites.  It’s a great beginner’s book into learning how to cook French food.  She makes things simple because creating an elaborate French dinner can seem absolutely terrifying.  The recipes are easy to intermediate and everything tastes absolutely wonderful.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Private Designer Sale: This is a Good One

For those who dream in fashion, I have a sale for you to make your Fantasy Wardrobe just a little bit happier.

I will admit that I never announce a major sale until AFTER I’ve shopped it. What can I say?  It’s the New Yorker in me that sees a sale, hopes no one else sees it, peruses the store and then makes a mad dash to the “Checkout” when I realize other people may have stumbled upon the sale.  It’s like that infamous “Will & Grace” episode where everyone is fighting over sale items at a Barney’s sale.

And yes, I am one of those people that protects my cart while shopping because people like to shop your cart in NYC.  [I am not joking when I say that.]

Just as YOOX and Net a Porter have announced their major designer tech merger, YOOX does something just as amazing…they send an email to their subscribers alerting them of a private sale.

A YOOX 90% off clearance sale is very similar to that Will & Grace episode, except if you don’t purchase it fast enough, someone else may buy it…thus meaning it’s SOLD OUT while it is still in your cart.  The Outnet (sister site to Net a Porter) clearance sales are very similar.

What things did I score at the YOOX clearance sale?  A Roberto Cavalli bag for $73, a John Galliano tote for $68, an Alberta Ferretti bag for $53, and a Missoni scarf for $37.

Yes.  All of those prices are real.  Including this Fendi bag for $362.

I’ve been wanting a Missoni scarf for a few years now but every time I went to purchase one at Rue La La or Gilt, I just didn’t feel like that was the price I wanted to spend on a Missoni scarf.  YOOX’s price of $37…no one is twisting my arm.  That was more than just the perfect price.

The Cavalli bag for $73?  I bought a similar bag a few years ago for $550.  I love that bag so much.  I take it with me whenever I travel because it’s light, it can take a punch, and it is like Mary Poppin’s magic carpet bag (you just can’t fill the thing up).  I bought this new one just in case the other one gives out on me one of these days.  At $73, that’s a major deal for me considering I know already what I’ll get out of the bag.

Before you go running off to the site to shop the sale, you need to know a few things first.  You need to know HOW to shop it.

First, it is essential that you REGISTER for the site.  You cannot access the sale unless you are a registered customer.

Second, after you register, a yellow tab called MYOOX will pop up at the top.  Click on that tab.  It will take you to the “Up to 90% off sale.”

Right now, the sale is for subscribers only.  The sale goes public on April 2.

The reason why you want to subscribe and register now for the site: if you wait until April 2, you are basically getting the scraps.

To get a little bit more cash back, make sure to use Ebates to get 2% cash back when you checkout.  Not a user of Ebates? Register HERE.  New subscribers get a $10 gift card to a retailer of their choice.

* * * *

This is a Fantasy Wardrobe post.  Fashionistas dream of having the most amazing wardrobe, but most oftentimes don’t have the bank account to fuel their shopping passions.  Fantasy Wardrobe posts at PerfectionistWannabe.com are designed to help you find ways to make your dream wardrobe come true.  These things don’t happen overnight.  It takes time to make the dream a reality.  This site will show you how.

The Perfect Spring Trench

It’s the first day of spring!  While some parts of the United States are watching the snow falling outside of their windows, thoughts of spring flowers, bright, sunnier days, and the return of spring colors (not to mention love being in the air) starts to fill our brains.  It makes us feel like it’s time to put away our winter clothes and pull out the lighter, spring wardrobe (or at least go shopping for a new one).

trina turkBut wait…it’s not warm enough yet!  You’re still going to need to bundle up, but at least now you don’t have to wear those dark oversized puffers.  It’s time for your perfect spring coat to see the sunshine.

While shopping for a spring trench, think of one that suits your current fashion personality the best.  Maybe you want something classic that you can wear every spring/fall.  Go with the classic Burberry trench.  Maybe your spring fashion personality this year is filled with lots of pastels.  Or maybe you plan on wearing more florals or patterns this spring.  Find a trench that will match well with the majority of your spring wardrobe you plan to wear this season.  That is the investment you are seeking.


You can go subtle or you can go dramatic.  Or if you’re like me, you buy a new coat each season to add to your coat wardrobe.  That way, you have a variety of choices no matter where your fashion mood strikes year to year.  When you build a coat wardrobe, you’ll always need to start with the classics and then later add a little fun into the mix.  From day coats to evening coats, you’ll eventually need one for every event that may come your way.  Take it one coat per season at a time.  A wardrobe doesn’t happen in one shopping trip, it takes years to build, so take it slow.

The perfect spring trench is one that makes you (and everyone else that sees you) happy, because it reminds them that it’s time for spring.  People think a lot of happy thoughts in the spring!

Think color.  Think florals.  Think patterns.  Let your coat make a statement.  Whether it’s a bold pattern or a light pastel, your perfect trench is the one that makes you feel happy.

Here are a few trenches that will get you thinking of what to add this spring.




Fendi For Less

No, this isn’t one of those posts on how to get a fake Fendi.  This is PW pointing you in a new direction…how to buy Fendi below the retail price.

Being a Fendi addict, I’ve found numerous ways to get the Fendi I want.  Whether it’s having patience and waiting for the season to end, or waiting a couple of years for the Fendi I want to come up on a resale site, an outlet site, or a wholesale site.

Take for instance this Fendi sold at Saks Fifth Avenue.


This backpack retails at $1500.  You can get the same bag at Overstock.com for $999.99.  Plus, if you’re a Club O member, you’ll earn $50 in Club O Rewards to go towards the purchase of some other fabulous item.

Shocked?  Well…we’re not done.

This Fendi Roma tote bag comes from Neiman Marcus.


The interesting part about this bag is that it’s currently on pre-order for $1,800. It’s expected to ship no later than April 1, 2015.  But Overstock has it already in stock for $1,299.99.  [O Club Rewards of $65.]

How about my favorite Fendi ombre zucca bag from Neiman Marcus?


Neiman Marcus is selling it for $1,100.  While Overstock is selling theirs for ($799.99). [O Club rewards of $40].

What if you want the Fendi 2Jours?

This one will cost you $2,350 at Nordstrom.  Overstock has it for $1,499.99. [O Club reward is $75.]  That’s almost 1/2 off the regular price.

So just why are you buying these items at the MSRP price when you can get the Overstock price, plus receive O Club rewards to use towards purchasing some other designer item (like a matching pair of Fendi sunglasses)?

Shop smarter, ladies.

Money Matters

Over these past few months I’ve been shifting my financial house in a new direction.  I’ve paid off 60% of my debt, maximized savings, maximized my 401k and started budgeting (living by the envelope method).  But even though I’m doing what’s best to push my financial dream in a new direction, I’m constantly revising what I’m doing to see if there are better ways of doing things.

So why talk about this on “Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe?”  Well, it has more to do with becoming a little bit better at making financial dreams come true.  Here are a few things I’ve come across recently that has saved me time, money, and hassles.  It’s made my life more convenient and helped me to reach my goals.  It’s also helped me to find new places to get a better deal for the things I love most.

BUDGETING

After all the bills are paid, I set aside a certain amount to spend on food, laundry, dry cleaning, eating out and other miscellaneous expenses.  It’s from this budget, I have to figure out the best way to get more bang for my buck.

I joined Amazon Prime this year.  I am actually grateful that I did because I’m seeing that there are a lot of benefits to this membership.  First, I don’t shop in stores often.  I shop online.  What’s great about Amazon Prime is that I can order the monthly items (like cat food, treats and litter) for a much lower price than I would find at Target.  I don’t even have to pay for shipping, because technically, I already did.  It cost me $105.93 for a year long membership, but if you divide it up by 12, that’s $8.83/month.  If you think about how much it would cost to ship a 20 pound bag of litter plus 2-3 cases of of cat food every month…you’re actually getting a severe bout of savings.

Normally, I’d have to take a cab or an Uber car to/from Target.  That’s $30-$40 round trip.  If I have it delivered by a grocery delivery service, that’s a $20 delivery fee, plus another $4.95 service charge.  If I pick it up at KMart by Madison Square Garden, I’d have to do all the schlepping plus the cost of using public transit to go from Point A to Point B and go up and down a lot of stairs.  Amazon has saved me a lot of money, time and hassle just to get these items to my home.

For those who drive, factor in your car payment, insurance and cost for gas for the entire month.  Divide the total to how many times you use your car during that month to get a better idea of how much each trip costs you (not to mention the amount of time you spend in the store and traveling to these places).

Prime customers also get access to Prime Pantry where you can fill up a box of groceries for a flat rate of $5.99.  I’ve used Prime Pantry for the 20 lb bags of litter and then added in some additional items on the side (they separate the stuff up into 2 internal boxes inside of 1 big box).  I also plan on using this to order and ship boxes out to my brother’s platoon.  It saves so much time at all of the stores, going to the post office, etc. and it saves me $10 in shipping costs to ship to an APO.  Once again, another cost savings.

Another amazing benefit to Prime is that members get access to Prime Instant Video, Prime Music, Prime Photos and 1 Kindle Book a month.

For those who like streaming movies and TV shows at home or on your devices, you’ll have access to hundreds of thousands of movies and programs.  It’s unlimited.  Netflix and Hulu Plus both start at $7.99/month…and you don’t get access to free shipping on stuff you’re probably ordering from Amazon already.

I also added Kindle Unlimited and Audible memberships to my entertainment budget.  I am addicted to the Books with Narration from Kindle Unlimited.  You can read the book, but when you have to stop and bookmark it because you have to walk from one place to the next, just switch it to the narration and you can listen to the book while you’re moving.  For those who commute, this is an incredible feature.  I was able to get through a 246 page book in 2 days.  I usually do 1/2 of that just sitting down to read because I have to keep putting the book down.  Being able to switch to narration while I’m walking around keeps the book going.

My goal of getting through 52 books this year is more feasible now.

I added Audible as well because it gives me access to more audio books that Kindle Unlimited doesn’t offer.  For me, this is mainly for those Book Club books that haven’t become available on Kindle Unlimited yet (or when I want a book that just came out).

I took the suggestion from a fireman friend who suggested I start listening to audio books, especially since I’m having problems getting back into reading.  Audio books have been a godsend because I can actually listen to “War and Peace” instead of forcing myself to sit down to read a chapter.  Now, I can just listen to it while I’m walking around.

Another great feature from Kindle Unlimited are the reference and self-help books available to customers.  While I’m at the office and have some down time, I’ll read books that help with my job.  Like this week, I read “Math Made Easy” (which is basically a cheat sheet on how to do math in your head very quickly), and I read a book on Passive Income.  Today, I plan on reading a book on organization.   Truthfully, these aren’t books I’d spend money on or take time to take out of the library, but make them available to read online and I’m more apt to read them to better myself.

All in all, by using these new services from Amazon, I’m saving a lot of money and time by simplifying my life in many aspects.  Sure, I can get library books and DVDs from the library for free, but the convenience of downloading the book I need where I can both read and listen to it?  I’ll stick to these two services.  [Note: Audible is only for Audio Books.  Kindle Unlimited offers the book/narration option, but not all books offer narration.]

For Movie Going Lovers

Another part of my entertainment budget I keep in is Going to the Movies.  These days, it’s about $15 a pop.  Even more if you want to go to IMAX.  There is a solution to this.  MoviePass offers a membership for movie going lovers.  It’s $34.99/month.  You can see 1 movie per day.

Before signing up, I strongly urge you to see if the movie theater you go to takes this membership.  For me, I can use it at every movie theater I go to, including the artsy community one across the street from me.  These days, it pays for itself in 2 movies a month.  I recommend waiting until the summer months to really take advantage (technically May starts the hot Hollywood films of the summer).

In order to get more bang for your buck, sign up for the movie theater’s membership club as well.  Those tickets you’re purchasing through Movie Pass can be turned into points which can be turned into money you can use at the movie theater for concessions and even movie tickets (like if you want to see an IMAX film or use the extra ticket for a friend who isn’t a Movie Pass member).

The downside?  You can see 1 movie every 24 hours.  They are strict on the 24 hours.  It used to be that it just reset itself every night (which was perfect)…and then it went strictly 24 hours down to the very last second.  Another downside for some is that you can only watch the movie once.  You can’t go see the same movie more than once while it is still in the movie theater and use the Movie Pass card.

How does it work?  First, you need a smartphone in order to download the app.  They’ll send you a Movie Pass credit card that is activated only after you check in to the movie through the app.  You can only use it to purchase that 1 movie ticket.

If you go to movies frequently, I highly recommend this.   It seriously cuts down the cost for movie lovers who love to go to the movies but don’t go because it’s just ridiculously too expensive these days.  If you go to just three movies a month…the membership is more than paid for.  If you went to one movie every day, each movie would cost a little over $1 each.  It’s $34.99 for me because I’m in NYC.  It will be less for people not living in major metropolitan areas.

FOR THE DESIGNER ADDICTS

I have a confession.  I’m a bit of an addict when it comes to buying designer accessories.  I have a rather large designer handbag collection.  A couple of years ago, I decluttered the handbags down to only major designers, getting rid of all of the lesser names.  Now, I just buy what I like to add to the handbag collection.

Currently on my radar is the Fendi fur bag bugs (aka Monster) collection.  In my search, I came across a site called Tradesy.  I took a look around and let’s just say I went on a bit of a spending spree.

I netted a Chanel, Hermes and Dior bag and purchased a pair of Louboutin and Fendi shoes.  My friend did a delayed double take when I said, “So I bought an Hermes bag.”  She couldn’t believe it, so I showed her my cart and lo and behold, my closet said I purchased an Hermes bag.  No, I didn’t spend $20,000 on a birkin.  I found a Herbag for $500.  That’s half off what you’ll find at other consignment places.

Luckily, they were having a friends and family event, so I was able to take additional money off.  You can get $25 off your purchase of $100 or more by using my special link: TRADESY.

outnetP.S. As of right now, The Outnet is having their semi-annual clearance sale.  This is a great time for fashionistas to stock up on all their favorite designers for up to 80% off the retail price.  [My major score were a pair of Adidas by Stella McCartney ballet flats for $18.  After all was said and done, I’d saved $2,286.75 on my entire order.  That’s some serious savings.]

Also, for designer addicts that frequent Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom…trust me when I say you can get your coveted designer accessory for less.  For instance, the Fendi monster tote bag is $1500 at Saks.  That same bag is $999 at Overstock.com.  The exact same bag.  {Also, if you’re a Club O member, you can earn rewards from your purchases.  I’ve been able to score free Fendi sunglasses thanks to all of the reward dollars I earned from shopping at Overstock.com.}

Other places you should look: Century 21 shops (they have an online store), TJMaxx (yes, they are finally online), Loehmann’s (they may have closed all of their stores, but that’s because they went e-commerce) and Modnique.  I’ve found that a lot of these shops have the same merchandise, but you never know if they’ll have a special sale on top of their already discounted prices.

THE FIVE ACCOUNTS

I was reading in “The Little Secrets of Passive Income: How You Can Create Passive Income With Little Or No Money At All” by Raiden Steven that everyone should have five accounts. 1. Financial Dream; 2. Basic Savings; 3. Education; 4. Basic Necessities; and 5. Other.

The book is a quick read, so I highly recommend taking a look at it just to get your brain moving in a direction of earning passive income (I don’t recommend doing what he suggests, but it’s worth a read to understand what you can do to grow passive income) [it’s a free read with Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited].

I want to touch on the Education part.  This is why I recommend Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited…he suggests putting away 10% of your income to the education fund.  I never put 10% away to an education fund mainly because I already had my schooling and frankly don’t have time to do continuing education courses.  I also don’t have kids, so really, this was an account I could do without.

I started to think about it and then realized just how much money I’m saving by using the Kindle Unlimited membership, especially if I take the membership fee from the Education account.  During the day, I’m pulling up books that will better myself.  I even have books written by scientists discussing their various theories.  There are even books on Photoshop, photography, etc. that I can read during the day.  In other words, Kindle Unlimited has opened the door to a world filled with resources where I can better educate myself.

I spent a lot of time on Wednesday doing math problems just to jog my memory of how to do math in my head.  I’m glad I did, because it forced me to re-memorize addition and multiplication tables (something that I had forgotten post-op).  By really diving into complex math equations I started looking at the equations and answering them in my head in half the ‘short steps’ the author was suggesting.  To me, this meant that math was back in my head again.

In other words, sometimes you just have to challenge yourself, especially when it comes to forgetting how to do things that are as important as math.

There are so many things out there to learn.  That was the point of the Education account.  You have to constantly challenge and better yourself.  If you don’t, you won’t be able to command good salaries or keep working.  After all, I’ve seen what happens to people that didn’t learn how to use a computer.  They’re barely making it.  You never want to be left behind, so continuously better yourself through education.  It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune.

Who knows?  By all the money I save in the Education account, maybe I can just use it towards an educational trip or an archaeological dig somewhere.

Just something to think about…but I highly recommend reading the Passive Income book.  It will give you a new idea on how to budget yourself in order to earn income, and take a hard look at how you’re living.  Re-doing the way you do your budget is interesting.  It’s the 50-30-20 lifestyle, but that 30-20 is changed to 30% savings and 20% doing whatever you want with the money.  Previously, it was vice versa.  You’d save 20% and use 30% to do whatever.  Personally, I like this new take on budgeting.  What he shows you is how to use 10% of that 30% towards increasing your passive income…that’s what makes it worth the read.

PopSugar Must Have February Box

popsugarFebruary’s PopSugar Must Have box arrived last week filled with some very awesome goodies.

Here’s what was in the box:

1. Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush.

2. U.S. Apothecary Rose Water Bubble Bath.

3. ACME Party Box Company Bamboo Heart Cutting Board and Cheese Knife.

4. BaubleBar Mini Arrow Pendant Necklace [SIMILAR HERE].

5. Lemon Berry Tinted Balm 17 ml by Figs & Rouge.

6. Chuao Chocolatier Ravishing Rocky Road Bar.

7. Sally Beauty FingerPaints Nail color.

I didn’t keep the Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay or the nail polish.  I gave those two items away [due to skin sensitivities].

I loved the cutting board.  I haven’t used it yet because it’s just so cute and looks stylishly good with the other cutting boards in the kitchen.

What I loved most about the box was the BaubleBar necklace.  The necklace I linked to above is similar, but not quite what I received.  The one I received has pavé detailing and retailed at $32.  You can get the similar one for $12.  I’m a huge fan of BaubleBar (almost all of my jewelry is from them), so it’s nice when I receive any jewelry from them.  Always qualitative and beautiful pieces from the company.

I also loved the Figs & Rouge lip balm.  I’m not a big fan of tinted lip balms, so even though this appears tinted, it’s not.  It goes on clear.  Also a good sign that this is truly 100% all natural, Matthew (my new cat) hates anything with a chemical smell.  He always has this look on his face like, “How could you let me smell that?” when he smells any of my beauty products.  With this lip balm, he actually liked it and tries to go in for a lot of kisses when I put it on.  That means…this product is truly chemical free!

As for the Chuao Chocolatier bar…OMG, it was so good.  The surprise is in all of the extras in the bar…the marshmallows and the salt on the caramelized almonds.  I’m also a big fan of their Spicy Maya bars that have a hint of cayenne in the chocolate.  I imagine that this is the way chocolate would have tasted if we were truly able to taste the chocolate delicacies from the movie Chocolat.

I haven’t tried the rose bubble bath yet, but I’m looking forward to it.

All in all, I liked the February box.  The products may not be up to everyone’s cup of tea, but it had a lot of pluses in my book.  The box is $42.75/month.  Total cost of the items in this box retailed at $149.50.  PopSugar is continuously proving that they are the best subscription box on the market.

Try The World: Paris Box

(c) 2011 Michelle Kenneth

My latest Try the World box is the Paris Box.  Who doesn’t love French food?

This box included La Mère Poulard sablés (cookies), Maison D’Armorine salted butter caramels, Domaine Des Vignes whole grain mustard, Charles Antona Corsican cherries and thyme jam, Clément Faugier chestnut spread, Flagrants Désirs dark chocolate bar with raspberry and two fruit jellies.

The whole grain mustard uses vinegar produced from grapes (similar to dijon) from the Vineyard at Domaine des Vignes.  The difference between whole grain and dijon depends on the vinegar (or wine) used and the fact that the whole grain mustard is not completely grounded down like dijon.

Whole grain mustard is a bit of a staple in any foodie kitchen, especially if you’re cooking up a lot of French food.  When recipes call for dijon, I prefer to use the whole grain mustard in its stead.

The sablés (cookies) are made with only 5 ingredients.  The salted butter comes from Brittany.  La Mère Poulard is a famous restaurant and bakery located in Mont-Saint Michel.  Notables such as Ernest Hemingway and Yves Saint Laurent have visited this restaurant.

All in all, I really liked this box and the Venice Box.  Both curated boxes are spot on for the essentials one needs in their kitchen from these two regions.  They also pick the best sweets to add to the box.

My little guy, Matthew, can attest to that.  He was a little spoiled with his first subscription box from Kitnip.  He assumed this new subscription box belonged to him as well.  He started sorting through it before I could finish taking everything out of the box.  He was pretty determined there was something in this box for him [no, he wasn’t playing in the red filler, he was pulling the food out of the box].

He even tried to open up the mustard thinking that must be where his treats are [he has thumbs, so he knows how to open up jars…at least ones that were previously opened].  We didn’t discover what he could have until I opened up the caramels this morning and took a bite out of one.  It was so buttery and good, I thought he’d like to try it, so I gave him a little piece.  The way his eyes lit up with pleasure…I think his determination was correct…there was indeed something in this box for him, too.

Here’s a look at all of the goodies in the Paris Box:

If you’d like to order your own Try the World box, you can get $15 off your first box by subscribing HERE.

Reading Material: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Over the last ten years, I have come to fall in love with the writings of Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  His claim to fame is the amazing novel, “The Shadow of the Wind.”

A friend had suggested I read this book, because she heard someone else suggest it.  I read the book, absorbed it, and fell madly in love with the story.  Zafon went on to write two books connected to this bestseller: “The Angel’s Game” and “The Prisoner of Heaven.”  Each book lived up to the extraordinary storytelling of “The Shadow of the Wind.”

For those who love books, the adventure into a Zafon book creates a new-found love of books all over again.

Like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, many of Zafon’s books that pre-date “The Shadow of the Wind” were originally written in Spanish.  Now, for the English speaking bibliophiles who love Zafon’s works, we have to wait for the translations into English.  They have been slowly, but steadily coming out one by one.

Within those translations, we discover Zafon’s first love…young adult fiction.  That’s how he started out, writing young adult fiction.  Each story he’s written is so miraculous that it stays with you for life.  You never forget a Zafon tale.  He is a master storyteller.

I am currently reading his final young adult fiction book, “Marina.”  Over the past year, I’ve struggled with getting back into reading and traveling the world.  A lot changed in me after the tumor was removed.  Many things that I loved, I didn’t care for anymore, even though I knew it was important to fall back in love with those things again.

“Marina” has finally made me fall back in love with books and travel again.  Zafon is such a masterful storyteller that you can’t help but get caught up in the story.  You hate putting the book down because you feel like the story is going to continue on without you and you may miss something.  You not only connect with the characters, but you truly feel like you, yourself, are part of the story…that this is now a part of your own story.

I have never encountered a writer that can continually, work after work, do what Zafon has done.  He captivates the reader from page one, drawing them into this tale of wonder and intrigue, making us see the streets of Calcutta and Barcelona as if we are standing there with the character, looking over our shoulders as we, too, can hear the snapping of a twig behind us.  We can feel the heat of summer, or the crisp breeze of autumn, hear the rustling of the leaves, and feel the adrenaline rush through us.  It’s what makes us quickly turn the page as we become sucked into the world Zafon has created.

I have had many favorite authors in the past, but Zafon is clearly in a league of his own.

When discussing his hopes for his young adult fiction, Zafon wrote on his website, “They remind me of what the discovery of reading meant to me.”  That is exactly what “Marina” has done for me post-op.  I’ve read many books since my surgery.  From Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” to Alexandre Dumas’s “The Count of Monte Cristo,” to the “Divergent” series and Joseph Delaney’s “Spook’s Apprentice,” none of them have instilled in me the love of reading, adventure and travel like Zafon has done.  He raises this sense of excitement and intrigue in his work that makes you want to be a better human being, because you understand how important knowledge is through books.

If you are new to Zafon, I recommend starting with “The Shadow of the Wind” and then moving through the subsequent novels that followed.  Then after you’ve read the adult fiction, go back and read the young adult fiction.  You will begin to see his mastery in storytelling.  It is as if he has perfected the craft like no other before him could.

After I read “The Shadow of the Wind,” I only wanted to read more and more stories about the love of books, but nothing compared to that masterpiece.  He made me fall in love with books all over again.

Picking up “Marina” all these years later, he’s done it to me all over again.  I have fallen back in love with reading and wanting to travel the world.  He’s helped me rediscover the two things in life I love most.

Here are Zafon’s works (in English) [click on picture to purchase at Amazon.com]:

On My Radar: Sequins & Sparkle

Nothing makes me happier than to be able to go into the office on a dull, dreary winter day and wear something sparkly.  My latest additions to the closet contain a lot of sparkle.  Here are a few of my favorite recent purchases.

From LOFT:


Jeweled Sequin Tee, $44.99 (currently 50% off) = $22.50.  Also comes in black (I have the black one, too).  Only sizing currently available: XS, S and M.


Sequin Stripe Sweater, NOW $15.88 (marked down from $69.50). [I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on this sweater.  I purchased it in Whisper White.]

From TORRID:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the size 12+, these leggings from Torrid ($44.50) and sequin skirt ($83.48) are divine.  The skirt has been my favorite of the two.  You can do so many things with it from going to a party, the opera, to going a little business casual with it.  There are so many different options you can play with.

For the Home:

I absolutely love these mugs.  I keep one at home and one at the office.  You can pick up these Prima Donna mugs (comes as a set of two) from SaksOff5th.com.  They’re $18.74 right now.

I’m currently redecorating my office (for the umpteenth time, hoping that this is finally it), so I added some gold elements by adding some pillows from West Elm.
Of course, I had to add some gold elements in the stationary department as well.  Sugar Paper, (From $10-$18).

One of the places I love to peruse is The Land of Nod. It may be a decor site for children, but they have such cute, girly items there that I’ve found can even go into an adult home.  To finish off adding the gold elements to my office, I found these Gold Confetti Curtains ($19-$39).


So those are some of my latest purchases in the ‘sparkle and sequins’ department.  I was never going to add gold elements into my office until my friend suggested that instead of going gray and adding another color to the room, I should just work off that one gold element in my office to tie the room together.  I can’t wait for all of the items to come in so I can finally finish the office.  The room has become my catch-all these past few years.

With all of the decluttering and ridding myself of just about everything I don’t use, I’m hoping to see everything finally come together one weekend at a time.

Dori Hartley Portraits

I’m always on the lookout for great work by artists. I’ve found that the Hannibal collective has some of the best artists around. Their work is so amazing, I’ve purchased a few items already for my home.

Currently on my radar is Dori Hartley. I follow a lot of Hannibal fans on Twitter, so when I saw this tweet, I knew I had to take a look at what this starving artist has given to our fandom.

She has been currently using her Twitter to sell her work.  I have to say, I love this platform she has offered to people to purchase her work.  From canvas to prints to pillows to note cards, she offers a variety of ways for an art admirer to purchase her work.  Here are just a few pieces she has to offer:

Sell Art Online

Art Prints

Art Prints

Sell Art Online

Photography Prints

There are various characters she’s painted and posted up at Fine Art America for sale.  If anything, read her biography.  This is someone that has done many, many things in life already…and they were massively awesome things.

I plan on purchasing the purple Mads Mikkelsen to add to my wall next to the Borbay painting.

If anything, please take a look at her work and consider purchasing a piece to help her out.

Marshmallows and Little Friends

marshmallowOh, the weather outside is frightful.  But the fire is so delightful.  So why don’t you pop a marshmallow on a stick, toast them over the fire, stick them in between two fudge graham crackers and have yourself a nice little treat during the winter months?

But let’s kick that marshmallow up a notch. Butter Baked Goods, a shop based in Vancouver, B.C., sells flavored marshmallows like strawberry, vanilla, toasted coconut, mint, coffee, raspberry, passion fruit, rose, violet, pumpkin spice, maple, pistachio, chocolate, lemon, matcha tea, peppermint, eggnog and gingerbread.  It gives your s’mores or hot cocoa a little bit of an unexpected, but tasty surprise.

Butter Baked Goods marshmallows are sold in the US at places like Crate & Barrel and Dean & Deluca.  Each bag comes with 10 marshmallows.

I ordered the peppermint flavored marshmallows as part of my Advent gifts.  They tasted so good with a cup of hot cocoa.  It even made the s’mores more delectable.  While you can go old school and add the regular milk chocolate and graham crackers, I like to take that step out and just stick the toasted marshmallow in between two fudge graham crackers.  Believe it or not, it actually makes for a better s’more.

Subscription Boxes for Our Little Friends

If you’re like me and have a little critter (or two or several) running around your home, you may want to consider ordering them their very own subscription box.  For Matthew and Surita, they loved everything about this box curated for cats from Kitnip Box.

The toys I didn’t think Matthew would be interested in like that big pink worm looking toy with a tail, it ended up being his favorite.  [Called the Caterpillar Kicker.]

I gave Surita the Play-N-Squeak Mouse and the Refillable Catnip Heart Toy (because Matthew doesn’t like catnip).  She had such a great time with both…that is, until Matthew stole them both from her.  He actually broke the mouse, setting off the chirping.  I thought the battery would die out sooner or later, but after 3 hours, I got out of bed, cut the thing open and took out the sound box.

Matthew couldn’t sleep with all the chirping, so he hid in my office to try to sleep.  When I came out to silence the toy, he came running out, thankful the noise was being brought to an end.

Twinkle Tweet toy. Available at Amazon.com.

Another favorite he was still playing with the next morning was the Twinkle Tweet.  It’s a plastic toy with a few feathers in it that lights up and chirps.  He is a big fan of chirping toys and things that light up.  He likes to stalk the toy and then pounce on it from out of nowhere.

As for the treats, this box included Zuke’s G-Zees Tender Grain-Free Treats.  It’s different than what my two little ones are used to, but they loved it and gobbled it all up.

So as much as my two little ones loved their first Kitnip Box, there was also a special theme.  It makes this first box for Matthew a little extra special.  Since Matthew is a recent adoption, it makes sense to help out other little ones that still haven’t found a forever home yet.
 A portion of the February box proceeds goes to help Philadoptables in Philadelphia, to help out other furry pals while they are still in a shelter.  You can order a Kitnip Box for your feline pals HERE.  See below for more information and a special discount code [from the Kitnip mailer].

Subscription Box: Try The World

There are a lot of subscription box services out there lately, but nothing that is as close to representing the foodie side of “Perfectionist Wannabe” as the Try The World box service.

I got my first box a couple of weeks ago and I have to say…I am beyond impressed with what you get for $39.

My first curated box had a “Venice” theme.  Included in it were a lot of food items representing the region…and food items that any Italian foodie should already have stocked in their pantry.  But then again, some of this stuff is hard to find unless you get it directly from an Italian food market.

I loved everything about this box, especially the Dark Chocolate Limoncello.  I try to eat dark chocolate for health reasons, but it’s always too bitter and not a pleasant experience.  This Perugina chocolate bar was just right and delightful.

The black truffles and mushrooms were a surprise.  I had ordered the Oeuf Mimosa (truffle and caviar deviled eggs) at Todd English’s Ca Va Brasserie in NYC a couple of weeks ago.  It had a very distinguished taste to it.  Opening up this can of truffles and I found the main ingredient to the Oeuf Mimosa.

I tried this in some couscous to add a little flavor.  Just a little bit can go a very long way.

The Spaghettata mixture of herbs was a delight.  I warmed it up in some oil, added some bell peppers, sweet bell peppers and sun-dried tomatoes (that I picked up in Venice) then tossed in some spaghetti and parmesan cheese for a satisfying meal during the Super Bowl.

The sweet onion pesto included in the box, I put on top of tilapia.  It was so simple and, oh so delicious.

What I like about this box is that it allows you to try out new ingredients from different areas of the world.  It’s also not too expensive and you get qualitative ingredients to experiment with.  Each box comes with a few recipes to try and an informational background on the region.

The box is delivered every two months for $39.  If you’re interested in joining, you can get $15 off of your first box by clicking HERE.  {If you pre-pay, it’s cheaper.}

I’m looking forward to seeing what my next box has in store.

Have you tried “Try the World?”  If so, what did you think?

It’s All About the Climb

Diary Entry (11/13/2014)

I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to go back and look at the puzzle pieces in my life.  I’m thankful I’ve kept this blog over the years so that I can see the life I lived.  There are things I don’t understand like why I’m in this present moment, but going back and reading the entries over again, I start to remember the steps along this path.

Over this past year, I’ve been struggling with memories.  I lost the majority of them after my surgery last year.  I had cognitive issues prior to going into the surgery (a side effect of too much calcium in the blood).  But this could also just be a side effect from the anesthesia.  Who knows. All I know is my present struggle I have with both short and long term memories.It's All About the Climb

Because I know I have cognitive issues now, I’ve been taking steps to re-learn a lot of things like math.  It’s hard knowing that I used to be really good at math, and now all of a sudden I don’t know how to add 2+2.  I give up the second I have to multiply anything.  I count using my fingers and then get so flustered when I don’t understand what comes after 11.

There are days math is simple and I feel like I’m remembering the simple math.  Then there are days when it just doesn’t come to me.

The doctor says I’m too young to have Alzheimer’s.  But the fact remains, something happened (or is happening).

Writing used to be extremely difficult.  To combat that, I’ve been writing more and reading more.  I edit more, too.  I go back and read things a good 10 times before I publish.  Then after I publish, I end up editing it another 3 more times.  But the important thing is, practice makes perfect.

I didn’t start this post to talk about my cognitive issues.  I wanted to talk about those puzzle pieces.


A few years ago, my Moroccan friend Driss told me to take a look at my life.  This life is leading somewhere.  I just have to figure out where it’s going.  It’s apparent that all of the pieces are in place.  I just have to figure out what it all means.

Going back and reading the posts over this last year when the signs kept saying “Go back to the beginning” and “Start all over again,” who knew that starting all over again would mean wiping out so many memories from before.

I even wrote about ‘Re-Branding Yourself.’  Ends up that’s what I’ve been spending a lot of time focusing on.  I didn’t realize how re-branding myself would take me into a whole new territory.  The direction I decided to take myself and my career ended up being a lot harder.  It meant more research.  It meant going out and meeting the people I need to know and learn from in order to make this next step in life.  They say that when you are on your path in life, you attract the people to you that will help you along the way.  The universe will drop into your lap the tools you need in order to grow.

Who knew that going to meet Anne Rice and see her speak about her own career would put me in a unique spot where I realized I’m learning about the changes in going from a hockey writer to a novelist.  Hearing her editor speak alongside her helped me realize this unique opportunity to learn what it was I was writing.  What set Anne aside from the rest, she was innovative.  Interview With the Vampire had never been done before when it was released back in 1976.  That was what made it so important.

I thought back to what I was writing and realized…this has also never been done before.  As much as I complain (mainly to myself) that there is nothing out there for people like me, I realize that’s because I need to create something for people like me.  If that means diving into insanity and hoping I come out alive, then so be it.  That may be what it takes to write what needs to be written.

And that has turned into its own theme in the re-branding: to write what needs to be written.  What I mean by that is the reason why this blog exists…to help others in the grander scheme of things.  If telling a story of someone’s struggle in life in order to get to where they are today helps someone else out there, then that’s the story that needs to be told.  You never know who is reading.  Just being honest and truthful will help not only yourself, but others.

In the re-branding I noticed the theme in my work that was being repeated over and over again…telling the stories that will help others.  Those stories are going to be my main focus.




I also wanted to make sure I had more fan engagement when it comes to hockey, so I changed the way I covered and wrote about hockey.  In other words, I’m investing in the fans just as much as they invest in me and my work.  I’m giving them different content, but content they will enjoy.

I’m also spending a lot more time researching different subjects pertaining to the content I’m developing.  Sometimes this research is hard and difficult to absorb because of the shock that goes along with it, but it needs to be done in order to understand the bigger picture as a whole.

What this all means in the end is that for what I want in this re-brand, it takes a lot of work…much more work than I’ve ever had to do before.  Things in life have always come very easily for me.  This time around, I want things to be better than they ever were before.  I’m branching out of my own comfort zone because I want something bigger out of life…something I’ve never had before.

As I move into the re-brand phase, I am constantly reviewing who to affiliate myself with.  I’m looking for the things that are missing in this world, and I’m trying to fill it with an answer.  The key to being innovative is to deliver something new to the people.  Along the way, you have to pay it forward.  Helping others that will help you, those are the people you work with.  Most importantly, you promote people that deserve it.  Just like if you deserve to be promoted, someone out there will notice your work and promote it.  They’ll tell others about you and what you’ve done.  Some times, word of mouth is a much louder advertising device than just an ad you pay for.  Those are the people you aim to be your audience.

It’s just funny how everything changed last year and I’m now looking back and understanding that certain things had to happen the way they happened in order to push me in a new direction.  Starting over again meant starting over bigger than before.  That only means that it takes a lot of hard work to do what I’m trying to do.  Hopefully, what I’m creating is the right thing in the long run for everyone.  It’s amazing to see just what I gave up in order to push myself forward.

The road ahead requires a lot of hard work, but I’m up for the challenge.  After all, if the journey isn’t difficult, when you reach the top, did it truly mean anything in the end?  What every person has ever told me…it’s all about the climb.