As we go further into this series, we start to learn more about the secretive vampire Mr. Crepsley. An old friend of Crepsley’s stops by the Cirque to deliver a message…there’s a bad vampire killing people in his hometown. He packs things up and brings Darren and Evra (the snake boy) with him. For Darren and Evra, this is a mini vacation away from the Cirque while Crepsley sneaks around town. He doesn’t tell the boys why they are there, while the bodies keep piling up. Darren assumes that the murderer is Crepsley and seeks to stop him by ending his life. Evra and Darren start following Crepsley, only to find that they’ve put their own lives in grave danger.
[This post contains affiliate links.]Author: Michelle
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (Book 2)
In Book 2 of the Cirque du Freak series, Darren Shan is trying to adjust to being a half-vampire (and hating every moment of it). The thought of drinking blood sickens him. The thought of drinking human blood repulses him. But if he is to survive, he must eventually drink human blood or he will die. Mr. Crepsley brings Darren to the Cirque so he can have friends, something he was missing from being alive. At the Cirque, Darren bunks with the snake boy and they become fast friends. They help out at the Cirque by doing chores and even feeding the Wolf Man.
One day, a young boy that lives near the camp shows up, wanting to run away with the circus. As much as they try to scare him off, nothing works. They also meet and befriend an activist, but things go awry when he sees the Wolf Man. Thinking that he was a caged animal, he attempts to set him free, not knowing just how deadly that can be.
[This post contains affiliate links.]Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare (Book 1)
It started off as a random, yet strange collection. I went from library book sales to second hand booksellers in search of a rather strange YA series called Cirque du Freak. The protagonist of the story purports to be the author, Darren Shan, a young boy turned vampire. But upon further discovery, Darren Shan is really Darren O’Shaughnessy, an Irishman living in Limerick. He created this 12 book series as his first children’s book series, following it up with the Demonata series. What I thought would be a series about a Circus turned into a tale not just about a circus, but about a boy who stole a spider and had to become a vampire to save his friend’s life. He became a half vampire, an assistant to a full-fledged vampire. They travel with the Cirque du Freak, where they are surrounded by a protective community of people that are not like anyone else. While the movie “The Vampire’s Assistant” was a good movie, the books, as always, are way better.
In this first book, we are introduced to Darren Shan. A normal teenage boy whose best friend is not such a good kid. They sneak out to the Cirque du Freak one night. Steve recognizes that one of the performers is a vampire. After the show, he approaches Mr. Crepsley and asks to become a vampire. Crepsley refuses because he sees the evil in Steve. Steve, feeling dejected, vows to become a vampire hunter.
Darren, meanwhile, is looking for his friend, but stumbles upon Mr. Crepsley’s magnificent spider and decides to steal her. This winds up being the biggest mistake he’s ever made, because it is this spider that changes his fate.
[This post includes affiliate links.]Long Way Down
One of my favorite books of 2017. Jason Reynolds is a master storyteller and a man of words. “Long Way Down” may be a quick read, but the message lasts forever inside your heart. Will’s brother was just shot and killed. The rules of the hood (no crying, no snitching, and revenge) dictate that he must kill the person that did this to his brother. He thinks he knows exactly who killed him, so he takes the gun his brother hid away and decides to go after the suspected killer. As he takes the elevator for the short ride down, the lift stops on every floor. Spirits of people he knew from the past get on. People that were shot and killed. Friends. Playmates. Family. Father. In a matter of sixty seconds, Will has to decide if he is going to have his revenge. The people getting on the elevator are the ones shaping his decision.
Jason Reynolds is one of the best writers I encountered in 2017. Everything I’ve read by Reynolds so far is inspiring and very well written. He blows my mind with his stories and the lessons he is trying to teach the younger generation. “Long Way Down” was one of the few books I read in 2017 that made it to my curated bookshelves. This is a story you will keep locked away in your mind thinking this man Reynolds is something else.
[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.]
Little Bigfoot, Big City
I am not going to lie, I really loved this story. Sure, the book is for kids, but for this blogger who is always using social media, I learned a few things from these kids. I did not read the first book, but I plan on picking it up (as soon as I get through the other 87 books I have to review). This story follows two young girls, Millie and Alice. These two girls are a little different than most kids. For one, Millie is a bigfoot. Alice, on the other hand, knows there’s something different about her, but she doesn’t know what that is. Millie dreams of becoming a famous singer, so she enters an online contest and uses one of the girls at school to lip sync while she sings. She learns the importance of being more internet savvy to get votes (a little lesson for myself). But while she’s pursuing her dream, her friendship with Alice starts to wane. While Millie is busy trying to become the next big star, Alice starts looking for some truths of her own. This sends her down a very dangerous hole filled with government conspiracies and cover-ups.
An excellent and fun read. For parents, this is a book to read to your children. They are going to love it. Or if you’re like me and just want a little escape from reality, pick this book up. You’ll fall in love with the littlest bigfoot.
[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.]A Moonless, Starless Sky
This book is one of the most important books you need to read. It is so well written and brings to light the stories of four people in Africa who are fighting extremism. These stories will enlighten you, rattle you, anger you, and make you very sad. In one story, a young girl wants to play basketball. That is all she wants to do. Yet, because she is a woman, she faces death threats. In another story, children are kidnapped and forced to kill their families and entire villages. They are victims forced to kill or be killed. What happens when they try to escape? What happens when they try to go home after what they’ve done? In another country, a man fights to end slavery and receives backlash from religion and the slave owners. And then there’s the story of the girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram.
This book was one of the best books I read in 2017. Alexis Okeowo did an incredible job telling these four stories. It was so well written that I added this book to my curated library. For writers and journalists, pick this book up and follow Alexis’s narrative on how to cover and write a story. For readers, pick this book up for the written word and to discover the stories of incredible people seeking to change the world for the better. It will inspire you.
[I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This post contains affiliate links.]Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want
If you are stuck in life and trying to figure out how to get out of that rut, this is the book for you. This book helps you create a plan in your life. Instead of dreaming about doing X, Y and Z, this book helps you create actionable items to help you create the life you want. It also helps you focus on all aspects of your life that you need to concentrate on. You may be successful in one or two categories, while completely negligent in other areas of your life (like health, family, relationships, etc.). This book will help you focus on the things that matter as you put the pieces together and create a life plan that will work for you.
I highly recommend picking up this book. It is one of the pillars that helped me design my resolutions for this year and stick to them.
Saturdays With Hitchcock
A coming of age book that will make you remember what it was like when you were a young teenager (if you’re an adult). Or if you are a teenager, you will relate to the growing pains of trying to figure life out. The reason why I decided to pick up this book was the whole part about movies and Hitchcock. Since I am trying to watch all of Alfred Hitchcock’s works, of course a book paying homage to the late director would catch my eye. The surprise is that even though Maisie and I share a love for movies, this story is not just about Saturdays with Hitchcock. Maisie is just like any average 12 year old trying to switch from being an innocent child to becoming a teenager. Hanging out with boys is no longer just hanging out. Now, there are crushes and love triangles. That boy you can’t stand is now hanging out with your best friend all of the time. Your best friend likes boys, and you don’t really care about that stuff…yet. You have a grandmother that is forgetting everything, and then there’s a grumpy old man that all of a sudden has a change of heart. Growing up is not easy, but the lesson in this story is that you will make it and grow into a better person. This is a very quick read. I read it in one sitting and highly recommend.
[Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. This post contains affiliate links.]
The Edge of Winter
The Edge of Winter is a beautifully written tale mixing the present day with a unique part of World War II history in Rhode Island. Neve and her daughter, Mickey, live in a small coastal town in South County. Mickey’s love of birds has her risking her life to save a rare Arctic Owl. With the help of a local surfer, they head to a bird sanctuary run by an old World War II veteran, and the father of the ranger that patrols the beaches. As the richest man in town seeks to pull up the old German sub from off the coast to make it into a tourist attraction, Mickey and her new friend seek to stop it. Neve, meanwhile, struggles to pay the bills as she tries to get an art show off the ground of a mysterious painter native to Rhode Island. Her interactions with the ranger opens up her heart a little more as she lets love back in. The history of this sunken German sub is so unique and worth the read (if you can get past the love story). A relative of Rice was on the American sub that shot the German sub down, so she has very rich details to share of this moment in US history that they don’t teach in the history books.
[Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.]
Everyday Choose To Do Better than Good
Everyday we should not just aim to do good. We must focus on doing better than good.
With each action you make, consider looking beyond the initial act. Think to yourself: how can the blessings I am putting forth go even further? How can I do this better?
In order to be better than good, your actions must come from a pure, loving place. When you give, you give of your heart and wish good blessings upon each person this effects. Don’t just give because it is the right thing to do. Give with love and good intentions that go beyond the initial act.
A Case Study in How to be Better than Good
In 1927, an American tourist named Amy Bend Bishop visited Morocco. While she was there, she was horrified by the suffering of the animals. After her trip, she returned to Boston, worked with animal rights activists and established a veterinary clinic in Fes.
What makes this clinic so unique is that working animals receive free medical care there. For many Moroccans, animals are a means of survival, whether it be for business, farming or transportation. They are a vital resource. The people live in extreme poverty and cannot afford veterinary bills if their donkey, horse or camel becomes sick or injured.
For those who can afford pets, they have to pay for the services at the clinic. Their reasoning is if you can afford to own a pet, buy it food, etc., then you can afford to pay for its care.
When Moroccans tell the story of what this woman did for them, they speak very highly of her. It is because they are so grateful for this clinic that they speak praises of her long after she died. This clinic has been around for almost 90 years. She did better than good for the people of Morocco. By helping the working animals, she helped everyone there.
The Lesson
This act of love and kindness towards animals went so much further than just helping the animals. She helped the entire city of Fes, Morocco and still to this day continues to help them long after her death. Animal rights groups in America keep this clinic running.
When we set out to help, we must first think wisely. Our heart strings are pulled to help, but we must decide how to best benefit each being we help.
Poverty in America
Poverty in America is very high with 40 million Americans living in poverty and nearly half in extreme poverty (Washington Post). Homelessness continues to rise, especially near urban centers as welfare programs and public housing funding decreases. Scurvy is well known to exist among the poor due to malnutrition and poor diets.
Instead of giving just money, a hot cup of coffee, toiletries or a meal, carry some oranges with you when you give to the homeless. It helps protect them from not only scurvy, but from getting sick.
For years, I used to give an orange to a homeless man I saw outside of Port Authority every day. The way his face would just light up to see this piece of fruit magically appear in his hand, it made me smile every single time. Now, he’s gone.
These days, when I give out apples or oranges, I have an opportunity to stop and talk to the homeless men on the street. I always tell them to make sure they eat it so they will not get sick. The way they look at me when they thank me, it is with a sparked look of hope that they are not invisible and that someone out there cares enough about them and their well being…that they are still human.
Volunteering my time at the NY Food Bank has taught me about food, hunger and poverty. At food pantries in the Bronx, I hand out food and see how little is available for the poor to survive upon each month. I see involuntary hunger everywhere I go. That is why I always pack a little something extra in case I see someone that is hungry.
Poverty and hunger are the two things that pull at my heart strings every single day. Perhaps it is because I understand what it feels like to be hungry and not be able to afford food. I was like that once when I worked for the government. You do your time with the government and live in poverty so you can get carte blanche in the private sector (and command a large salary) one day.
I walked to work at 6AM, just to get there by 8:30AM. I only had $70 to buy food for the month. And they expected me to pay for my insurance out of that measly pay.
The poor are not necessarily lazy. There are some homeless people working three jobs, and living in shelters with their families. There are legal immigrants living in the slums that work all day in a factory, go to school, deliver food all night, and then go home to sleep 3 hours in a room filled with 10 other families where the bathroom is across the street at 7-11.
We live in a country with great abundance, but instead of helping each other, people take advantage of others in order to profit. This is a selfish country where we put blinders on and refuse to see the truth. There are 40 million people in our country that are living in poverty. 20 million of them can’t afford to eat. That is one child, one parent, one human too many.
Give Because the Universe Gives to You
I learned a long time ago that in order to be wealthy in life, you must share your wealth with universe. The universe shares its wealth with you, so in turn, you must share your wealth with the universe and those in it.
Wealth comes in the form of money, but also knowledge, love, happiness, joy, luck, etc. These are all things we must share with each other in order to truly sparkle in God’s eyes. We need to focus on giving back what is given to us. Everything that is given to us is a tool. We are judged upon how we use these tools to better the world around us.
When you give, think beyond your initial act. How can your act of kindness stretch further? If you think in the karmic sense of what you put out comes right back to you, ask yourself if this act can go 3 to 8 times further. Or in the case of Fes, Morocco, can your act of kindness go on long after your death?
We should strive to commit to acts of kindness like the one Amy Bishop displayed all those years ago. Not only is she continuing to help animals and people long after her death, but she continues to receive blessings from many people every single day. She wasn’t rich or famous. She just felt the call to help and got the assistance she needed from like minded souls to create a blessing that would last for a very long time.
That is how you can be better than good and be the sparkle in God’s eyes. Choose to be better than good every single day. It benefits the world.
Dream Wardrobe: Which Handbag Do You Buy?
After spending over the last decade curating the perfect handbag collection, I learned a few things about collecting couture. If you want to buy couture, you need to buy the right bag from the get go.
What do I mean by this?
When I first started out collecting couture handbags, I bought what I could afford. In the end, I was not happy with my choices. So I ended up reselling those bags before I realized I needed to buy the right bag.
Each designer has their own popular classic handbag design that is sold in a variety of prints and colors. Influencers snatch up these beauties and fill up their social media feeds with these IT bags. They develop a culture where every girl dreams of being just like them, carrying a black Chanel quilted clutch, a Celine Luggage, a Fendi Peekaboo, Hermés Birkin, or the Louis Vuitton Neverfull.
If you are going to go designer, buy the classics that have withstood the test of time. Not only will you love your purchase, you’ll feel happier that you chose the right bag. A collection, after all, must begin with the basics.
You do not always have to buy brand new. Sites like Fashionphile offer discounts on pre-owned designer handbags. My favorite part of their site is their Last Call and Outlet (on Ebay). Purchasing through a reputable company that backs the authenticity of their product is very important. It guarantees you are buying the real thing.
After you add these basics, you can begin to curate your collection around your needs (i.e. evening bags, travel bags, crossbodies) and your wants (i.e. artistic bags, limited edition, that cute $5 bag you find at a flea market). As a rule of thumb, always remember that it is better to have fewer, but better things. The only way you can achieve that is if you buy the correct item the first time around.
The Basics
Prada Saffiano Cuir Large Double Bag, $2,980.
Louis Vuitton Neverfull, $2,500.
Céline Micro Luggage Tote, $2,100
Chanel Quilted Lambskin Classic, $1,800
Fendi Peekaboo, $6,250
Hermés Birkin, $17,563
Gucci Soho Small Leather Disco Bag, $1,190
Balenciaga Blackout City Shoulder Bag, $2,950
Chloe Marcie Satchel, $1,990
Anya Hindmarch, $697 (sale)
Henri Bendel Carlyle, $264 (sale), originally $528
Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC, $195
Tory Burch Robinson Tote, $519.99 (sale), originally $575
The One Thing You Need to Do Every Day
2018 Resolution: Love Yourself
As the new year begins, I reflect upon the person I am and the person I want to become. Am I living my best life? How can I do things better?
Before the ball dropped in Times Square, I set to finishing one last book for the year. I chose to read “You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life,” by Jen Sincero. I wanted to go into 2018 kicking and screaming: THIS IS MY YEAR!
[amazon_link asins=’0762447699,0735222975′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’us-1′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’95d43f71-f49c-11e7-a9e6-e171ce8513c4′]One common theme throughout the book, at the end of every chapter, Sincero tells us, “Love Yourself.” If you want to live the best life, you have to learn to love yourself enough to go out and make the things you dream of doing happen. You have to love yourself enough to get healthy, lose weight, earn more money, work hard for your dreams, and do the scary things that will help you accomplish your goals. There must be enough love in there for yourself to be the person you dream of being.
We can make the usual resolutions, but we will not accomplish those goals unless we love ourselves enough to see it through.
I Made a Bet to Lose 75 pounds by New Year’s Eve 2018
I made a bet with my brother that we could lose 75 pounds by the end of 2018. He was a little reluctant to make the bet (he still is), but I went ahead and made the bet legit through the Healthy Wage app.
If I lose the 75 pounds by the end of the year, I stand to win $2,500 through the app. That’s a nice little vacation or a new wardrobe (or both) after I reach my goal. In other words, I would be getting paid to lose weight. That is what that means.
[If you click through the link above and join the Healthy Wage challenge with me, they’ll add an extra $40 at the end if you meet your goal.]
Losing a lot of weight like that is not easy, especially when I know how difficult it has been for the last 20 years to drop the PTSD weight. Or rather, was that just an excuse?
I Lost 10 Pounds in One Month
Last year, for the first time, I learned that maybe there was a way to lose the weight. I attempted the Whole 30 diet two times.
[amazon_link asins=’0544609719,0544854411,1628600543,1328839230′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’us-1′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’6aba96b0-f49f-11e7-80c5-754e7e89867a’]After the first month, I dropped 10 pounds. I learned the science behind what food was doing to my body. All of those chemicals we put into our bodies are making us sick. Our bodies do not know how to process the ingredients, so it gets buried away in our fat cells.
Carbs + stress = cancer. Reading how carbs and stress cause tumors in our bodies was a huge wake up call for me. My last tumor was in a hormonal gland. To think it was carbs that caused it…wouldn’t you want to change your diet? I did.
It was a harsh realization that what I was putting into my body was making me sick and stagnating the weight loss. Hence, it was not how much I was eating.
A Little Change Can Do Some Good
I am not a big fan of sugar. When I have my sugar cravings, I eat a little sugar and that’s it. I prefer salty and sour. One thing that surprised me on the Whole 30 diet was just how much sugar is in everything we eat. It’s in everything!
Sugar loves fat cells. It sticks to those babies and doesn’t let go. Whole 30 takes sugar out of your diet (you can get your sugar from fruit), and forces your body to get the sugar from your fat stores. Instead of feeding your body sugar when it signals for it (through cravings), you are forcing your body to use what it has been socking away for a rainy day.
Yes, there is a process of detox through this month away from bad foods, but during that time you start to learn…OMG, I can lose weight if I change the way I eat. You are what you eat is a truer statement than you will ever realize. It is more about what you put into your body, not how much you workout, that will determine how healthy you are.
For the foods you love, you can find new ways to eat. I am a huge fan of vegetable noodles. Last year, I upgraded to a bigger spiralizer to crank out zucchini noodles faster.
[amazon_link asins=’B00GRIR87M,B075SLJ42S,B013KAW5IQ,B00L0R9R38,B074BC9FT9,B0007Y9WHQ’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’us-1′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ef1aeb17-f4a1-11e7-ad0b-b3d612b3a656′]I can’t tell you how much the spiralizer has helped me to see vegetables differently. As a result of this great invention, I changed the way I eat noodles. I mean…I LOVE NOODLES!!! To switch my beloved spaghetti or rice noodles with zucchini noodles was terrifying [aka what am I going to eat now?]…until I tried it and did an OMG! It was so much better than the regular noodles.
Switching from rice to cauliflower rice was also a positive switch. I could not tell the difference.
These little changes in how I eat my favorite foods not only helped me to lose 10 pounds for the first time in 20 years, but it also made me feel better.
It was losing those 10 pounds that I realized that I could lose weight. I just had to change the way I did things.
I Love Myself Enough to Change
While there is a body positive movement going on, I applaud everyone that says they love every single thing about themselves. It takes a lot of strength to stand up and say you love yourself just the way you are.
Not all of us are that way though. We battle our own internal demons. Over a decade ago, I was used to being in front of the camera. Then one day, I got behind the camera and didn’t think twice about getting back in front of the camera again.
Like most people, there are parts of my body I never want anyone to see. I hate my mother’s legs, so guess what I got? Genetics.
As time goes on and our bodies age, we start to think back to when we actually loved our bodies. For me, like many others, it was in my teenage years.
I am at the weight I am now because of PTSD. I was sexually assaulted and harassed my freshman year in college. I thought, if I had been fat and ugly, this never would have happened to me. So my body responded with its self defense mechanism and the weight came on and refused to come off.
As I got older, I discovered that it did not matter what I looked like. Sexual assault does not discriminate. It can and does happen to people, no matter what they look like on the outside.
The Inner Demons that Keep Us Down
Sometimes the demons of our past can haunt us for the rest of our lives. We blame ourselves. We belittle ourselves. The horrible things the people we loved said to us echoes in the back of our mind. We perpetuate the hurtful truths onto ourselves and put it on repeat until we believe we are that horrible person.
The person we really need to stop from making us into a victim over and over again is ourselves. I am honestly tired of telling myself how unhappy I am with letting myself become this way. It’s not just weight. I am talking about the life I live, the decisions I make, the constant fear of success (so I sabotage myself).
The reason why I am this way is because of unhappiness, fear and not loving myself enough to know better. The feelings of not being good enough to succeed are angry words I tell myself all of the time. I am ready to turn off that sad song playing in my head. Rather than victimize ourselves over and over again, each and every single day, we need to change our tune.
This Year’s Resolution
I made several resolutions this year regarding reading, losing weight, going on vacation (with Matthew Lucifer), finances, and making my dreams come true. The success of those resolutions go back to one central theme. I have to love myself enough to go out there and make those changes so that I can be happy with my life and who I am.
I am done with being too afraid to take the next step to be the person I dream of being, because I hear in the back of my head, “You will never amount to much.” Instead, I choose to love myself enough to believe that I deserve the best life possible. I choose to make my dreams come true by loving myself enough to go after each and every single one of them.
All it takes is believing in myself enough to take that first step.
The Love Yourself Challenge
This year, I will be sharing my journey. On Instagram, you’ll find the daily meals, including the books I’m reading. On the blog, I’ll be sharing recipes, tips and the journey.
I encourage all of you to join me in this journey. Take some time and sit down to figure out what it is you want out of life. What will make you happy? Read “You Are a Badass” by Jen Sincero. It will help you really take a look at your life and help you develop a plan to live your best life.
After you come up with a plan, how are you going to accomplish it? Sometimes it takes a village. So let’s do this together. Let’s encourage each other, give helpful suggestions and do what it takes to make every single dream come true, because you love yourself enough to live the life you dream of.
[amazon_link asins=’0762447699,0735222975,1449486541′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’us-1′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ec09fb8a-f4be-11e7-9050-35207f233883′]
Fight the Winter Hair Blahs + Free Samples
Now that the temperatures have dropped, my hair and scalp are starting to take a beating. During the winter months, I need to change my hair care routine. So when Maple Holistics reached out to me, I decided to try their Tea Tree Special Formula shampoo during my spa day.
I noticed recently that I was starting to develop blemishes on my scalp, along with some flaking. I used this once and instantly saw results. The blemishes went away and the dandruff that was starting to appear disappeared.
I used my regular conditioner to soften my hair then added hair oil post-shower to keep my tresses from becoming dry and brittle from the elements. Using this shampoo once a week has healed my scalp. This is all thanks to the fact that this is a holistic, all natural product.
I’ve tried various drugstore versions of dandruff shampoos and had to stop using them, because it made the situation much worse. It was like I was adding dandruff to my head instead of removing it.
In one wash, the Tea Tree Oil Shampoo fixed everything! No harsh chemicals added to my head. Just pure natural ingredients…the way nature intended for us to heal and soothe our scalp from the elements.
While I am still new to this product, some of the other benefits of using the Tea Tree Oil Shampoo may take some time to kick in (like slowing the shedding and thinning of hair), but I am looking forward to seeing these results. This product also promotes:
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- Healthy Hair Growth
- Slows hair loss, shedding and thinning hair
- Prevents flaking and dandruff
- Soothes irritated scalps
- Eradicates lice
With all natural ingredients, this cure for dry scalp is a must have to add to your weekly routine. It soothes and heals your scalp during these harsh winter months.
Maple Holistics
What I like about Maple Holistics is that they are a New Jersey based company (i.e. made in the USA). My friends are huge fans of the holistic, all-natural, essential oil treatment approach. Every time I have an ailment, a friend is always contacting me to let me know which essential oil to use to feel better. After using a few essential oils over this past year, I see why they are such huge followers.
My home right now smells like candy canes, because of the peppermint essential oil I am currently using. Peppermint helps with allergies and breathing. Back in August, we had a black mold situation and I discovered I was allergic. Three bronchial infections followed back to back over the next three months. Then a couple of weeks ago, someone coughed in my face and I wound up with a cold that knocked me out for three days.
That cold could have been much worse if I had not used peppermint oil in my humidifier (and on my pillowcases) and taken ibuprofen (news alert: I learned that ibuprofen is the best medicine to use for the common cold). It helped me to breathe and lasted all night, unlike NyQuil.
Finding the right company that sells qualitative essential oil products is difficult. You can’t just buy an essential oil and assume it will work if it is not from a reputable company. It could be a fake. You have to rely on testimonials from people that use the product to know if it works or not…and I’m telling you…THIS PRODUCT WORKED FOR ME!
The tea tree oil shampoo was a pleasant surprise and it worked on the first try. It worked the second and third time too with instant results. It is that type of quality that I am looking for in a product to win me over as a customer.
No more reaching for chemicals to fix the winter blahs. I am going the all natural route. Maple Holistics has won me over.
FREE SAMPLES
Now, to the part you want to know…how you can get free samples of their product. It’s simple. Go to their site HERE, fill out the form, and choose which product you would like to try. Men, women, children or pets can try their all natural products for free.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised how wonderful these products are for you.
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All content and opinions are my own.
Norse Mythology
Marvel gets it wrong. Perhaps they should have picked up the old Norse Mythology stories before developing the movies. It was because of the Thor comic books that this book exists. Neil Gaiman loved Thor. He loved the comic books and the Norse stories. The books that told the old stories started to disappear, so Gaiman decided to preserve the tales as best as he could and release “Norse Mythology.” In these stories, you’ll find similarities to the Rick Riordan “Magnus Chase” demi-god books. You will even find how wrong Marvel’s Thor Ragnarok was. [Spoiler: In the movie, Hela is Thor and Loki’s older sister. In the mythology, she is Hel, daughter of Loki.] If you want to expand your knowledge of human history, you must read this book. These stories are the old stories of the Northern gods.
[Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.]
As You Wish
Due to be released on January 2, 2018. Imagine on your 18th birthday you can make one wish and it will come true. What would you wish for? That is the question Eldon is faced with as he approaches his wish day. He has no idea what he wants to wish for. His mother wants him to wish for money, so they are not stuck struggling anymore. His sister’s medical bills are breaking them. Maybe he should wish for his sister to be ok, and not comatose. But then again, if he were to do that, the medical community would ask questions. Then the town of Madison’s little secret would be revealed. As Eldon questions what to wish for, he notices something…everyone who made a wish already are unhappy. Their wish did not bring them happiness. He wants everyone to be happy, but what could he possibly wish for that will bring everyone in Madison happiness? You’ll never guess what his wish will be…
[Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. This post contains affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.]
American Gods
As America became the new land people throughout the world immigrated to over the last few centuries, they brought their gods with them. Now, the gods of yesterday (Norse, Egyptian, etc.) battle against the gods of today (the internet, television, etc.) for survival. Shadow is thrown in the middle of this war and he has no idea why the gods have taken an interest in him. Wednesday (Odin) hires him as his driver as they seek out the gods of old to join in the war against the new gods or risk becoming extinct. What no one knows is that there’s a two person con going on. Who are the con men in this story? That is the question. For those who’ve seen the Starz series, this book will give you a sneak peek into next season and what you can look forward to. Excellent story and a great way to learn about the gods of old from all around the world. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. Also, watch the Starz series if you haven’t yet. Great show!
[Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on any of the links, I may receive a commission from the sale. That commission goes to help fund this site.]My Best Kept Secret on Where to Buy Designer Handbags
For those who know me, they know I have a rather large collection of designer handbags. From Céline to Fendi to Valentino and Prada, I have them all. To be honest, I’ve been collecting these designer handbags for over a decade now.
What people do not know is that I rarely pay full price for my bags. I purchase them in some of the most unlikeliest of places. Today, I am going to share with you how I curated my collection.
Fashionphile
I do not remember how I came across Fashionphile, but they are responsible for my Hermes, Celine, Valentino, Prada and Balenciaga purchases. In just a few pictures, I’m going to explain how it was possible. As of this writing, this is their current inventory.
For Gucci, here are a few of their bags and pricing.
Not bad, right?
How about Céline?
One of the reasons why I like to use Fashionphile is not only because of these incredible prices for pre-owned merchandise, but also their guarantee that these designer handbags are authentic. You take a gamble with places like Ebay, Tradesy, etc. when it comes to authenticity. Because, you need to know how to spot the real from the fake. You almost need to be an expert these days. With Fashionphile, they take the guesswork out of it and guarantee the authenticity.
Tips before you buy: 1. Check the “Condition” tab. It will give you a clear understanding of the bag’s real condition. The better the condition of the bag, the higher the price. If you can live with the condition stated, go ahead and buy it. 2. If you find something you love, but can’t buy it now, consider the Layaway option.
My best kept secret: They have a LAST CALL! Some of my amazing finds come from their LAST CALL section. Also hit up their outlet, which is hosted on Ebay. I snagged a Fendi pochette on there for $235.
The Others…
Other places to peruse…if you want to buy a newer bag, but don’t want the price, try Overstock.com. I picked up my favorite Fendi tote bag for $1000. $600 off of the original price. [Warning: They have been known to get a crop of counterfeit bags every now and again. When they discover this, they will reach out to the customer and give them the option of returning it for a full refund…even if you used it.]
The Outnet and Net-a-Porter are excellent places to pick up a discounted couture handbag when they have their semi-annual sales. These sales usually occur in June and December.
Yoox is another go-to spot for all things designer. Check out their sale section.
For those who love vintage (like I do), I tend to get my vintage at places like Housing Works or Goodwill. The best way to shop Goodwill is to put the designer’s name in the search box.
How about you? What are some of your designer handbag collecting secrets?
[Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through that link, this site may receive a commission from the sale. That commission helps to maintain this site and to buy treats for Matthew Lucifer. Thanks for reading and helping this site to grow. We love having you here.]
Sing, Unburied, Sing
From the author of Salvage the Bones comes another great American novel set in the rural south of the Gulf Coast of Mississippi where young Jojo lives with his grandparents and baby sister. His white father (Michael) is locked up in the state penitentiary. His mother (Leonie), a drug addict and sometimes mother, is absent from their lives most of the time. This leaves Pop with the duty of teaching Jojo how to become a man, while they take care of Mam, who is dying from cancer. When news comes that it is time for Michael to be released from prison, Leonie decides to take the kids with her, along with a friend, to pick him up. This proves to be a thoughtless decision, because she does not have a mothering bone in her body. This road proves to be a horrible mistake for both Leonie and the children. In the spirit of those deep seeded southern stories of the supernatural and spirits of the dead walking the earth, we find that this family has a special gift. This gift will bond mother and daughter, brother and sister during some of the most challenging times in their lives.
We live in a time where there are very few well written novels entering the market. Jesmyn Ward is one of the most exceptional writers of our modern time. For book collectors, her works should be added to your library. She was added to mine. This book is one of the most important books to read in 2017.
The Scariest Movies to Binge On this Halloween Season
October is a change of seasons for me. It symbolizes summer is indeed over and autumn is finally here. The warmer clothes replace the summer ones. Pumpkins are everywhere and the leaves are changing colors and falling to the ground.
October is a bit of fresh air, a time that marks the beginning of the feast before the famine. We reach for everything sweet before we fill our bellies with turkey. Holiday parties grace our December calendars before the New Year begins and we start our latest diet.
October is the sign of witches, werewolves and goblins coming out to trick or treat. This is the time when the supernatural comes out to scare us and Hollywood takes the front stage.
Each year, I try to come up with a list of the scariest movies we should watch as we count down the days to Halloween. This year, I decided to approach this list a little differently. My task is to teach you a little bit about the classics of horror films by giving you a few suggestions on how you can expand your film education.
Alfred Hitchcock
Let us begin this journey with Alfred Hitchcock. I began this year’s scary movie binge by focusing on Alfred Hitchcock’s work. He has directed over 70 films. Known as the “Master of Suspense,” he did not always direct scary films.
Back in 1928, he released a silent comedic romance called “The Farmer’s Wife.” It is a story about a farmer that decides to remarry after his daughter marries and leaves the farm. This tale is a complete comedy of errors as he goes from one woman to the next, before realizing the perfect wife was right under his nose the entire time.
Nothing suspenseful or scary about it.
Mr. Hitchcock did not begin his career with suspenseful classics until later. Suspense back then did not mean scary movies. They were usually mystery films. It wasn’t until later when Psycho came into being that suspense turned into terror.
Psycho changed cinema forever. It “opened the floodgates” for screen violence. [How Psycho Changed Cinema] It is the first horror film, as well as the first slasher film in cinema history.
Many horror films that follow pay tribute to Psycho. From the cinematography aspect of shooting in a “first person” perspective, rather than as a detached neutral observer, John Carpenter shot Halloween in that first person format where you can only see what the director wants you to see. He also chose Janet Leigh’s daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, to star in the leading role.
From the musical aspect, the shrieking violins during the shower scene made the crowd jump out of their seats. Stephen Spielberg used music as a way to scare his audience in Jaws like Hitchcock did in Psycho.
As a result of Psycho, Hitchcock changed cinema forever. He followed Psycho with The Birds, another film that still scares people each time they look to the skies and see a swarm of birds.
Two films you should put on your Halloween binge list this October: Psycho and The Birds
The Fuck With Your Head Thriller
While Hitchcock changed the course of cinema, one film gave way to putting fear into our minds: the psychological thriller.
The Silence of the Lambs was the first of its kind in that it gave birth to a new way to scare people…by getting into your head and letting the fear take hold of you. There were no jumping out of your seat moments. They planted a seed of terror in your mind and let it grow.
Unlike most horror films, this film contained a few elements that made this movie unique.
When Jodie Foster read “The Silence of the Lambs” by Thomas Harris, she knew instantly this movie had to be brought to the screen. She made a few calls and her project was underway. Because, you see, when Jodie Foster calls about making a film, you not only take the call, you make the movie. That Oscar gives her a lot of clout in Hollywood.
The reason why Foster wanted to bring this film to the screen was because there has never been a female heroine that saves the day. In thrillers and suspense movies, men are always the heroes going in to save the damsel in distress. What if, for once, it was a woman that came in to save the damsel in distress?
That is why she wanted to make this movie.
Jonathan Demme directed the film (he died of cancer this past April). His vision created a brilliant masterpiece that will forever be heralded as one of the best movies of our time. Because of his genius, The Silence of the Lambs went down in history as becoming the first thriller to ever win an Academy Award. And yes, as they were filming this movie, they had that feeling all along the way that this film was going to win.
To add to the level of scary and creepy, a little bizarre and unknown fact is that Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster were never in the same room together. Foster said she was petrified and scared of Hopkins. He kind of creeped her out, so she never allowed herself to be in the same room with him.
What a surprise it was to find out that Hopkins said the exact same thing about her (as to why he never wanted to be in the same room as her).
Of course, you are thinking, “But when she interviews him…they are in the same room.” Technically, no. There was always a wall separating the two of them.
The Silence of the Lambs won for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards. It is the first and only scary movie to win an Oscar.
A most noteworthy characteristic between Psycho and the character Hannibal Lecter is how the audience becomes sympathetic with the devil. Understanding the character creates a unique love and fandom, similar to what you see with Dexter. You are not sure why you like this evil person, you just do. There is a conflict that goes on inside of you. You know you are supposed to hate the bad guy, but you are strangely drawn to him and love him.
Binge on Hannibal Lecter: The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, Hannibal, Hannibal Rising, Manhunter, Hannibal (Seasons 1-3)
The Innovator
Ghosts are a scary subject matter. Movies like The Uninvited (1944) gave way to the concept of the haunted house. Back then, ghosts, monsters, and the supernatural scared people, unlike today where it takes a lot of blood and gore (and lots of violence) to scare people.
In 1999, a 29 year old Indian immigrant created a film that would turn the cinematic world upside down. M. Night Shyamalan released The Sixth Sense. What made this movie so unique was not just the plot twist, but the fact that there was a story within a story that you don’t realize is there until the last few minutes of the film.
Shyamalan changed the way we saw supernatural films. His script for The Sixth Sense is #50 in The Writers Guild’s 101 Greatest Screenplays ever written.
While Shyamalan has gone on to create other incredible stories, none quite compare to his breakout movie.
The Best of M. Night Shyamalan: The Sixth Sense, Devil, Split, The Visit, Signs, The Village, The Happening
Classic Scarefest
Over the last hundred years, there are many stories that were created that truly scared people. What scared people in the 1920s is very different from what scares people today. From Mary Shelley penning “Frankenstein” to Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” Hollywood has taken these stories of classic monsters and put them up on the silver screen.
Before Tom Cruise and Brendan Fraser starred in The Mummy, Boris Karloff was the original Mummy. Filmed in 1932, Universal Studios released its third installment of Universal Monsters with one of its scariest monsters to date. Karloff’s role in monster films made him one of the scariest actors in Hollywood.
Prior to The Mummy, Universal released Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931). Karloff also played Frankenstein, the film that propelled him to stardom. With 205 movies to his credit, this man spent almost 40 years scaring the pants off theatergoers.
Like Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, Jr (The Wolf Man) were typecast because of their breakout roles in the monsters universe. They spent the rest of their careers making horror films.
This year’s version of The Mummy is the start of The Dark Universe movies…a resurgence of the famous Universal Monsters. All of these films are remakes of the originals, films that everyone should see before watching the new ones.
Watch the original Universal Monsters films before they are released as The Dark Universe: The Mummy, Bride of Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein, Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
The Films that Scared Them
Finally, I want to end with a couple of filmmakers that listed the films that scared them. You will be surprised at their list. Some of the movies, you just might be shaking your head in agreement.
Here are the movies Martin Scorsese said scared him: The Haunting, The Isle of the Dead, The Uninvited, The Entity, Dead of Night, The Changeling, The Shining, The Exorcist, Night of the Demon, The Innocents, and Psycho.
Guillermo Del Toro: The Haunting, The Innocents, Alien, Jaws, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Exorcist.
[Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase a product through any of the links above, I may receive a commission as a result. Those commissions go to help fund this site and buy treats for Matthew Lucifer.]