Friday, October 19, 2018

Fly On The Wall: The Endless Celebration

     Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall group blog postings, hosted by Karen of Baking in a Tornado. Today, four bloggers are welcoming you into their homes for a glimpse at what goes on behind closed doors.

     The past few weeks at the Doyle abode have been busy indeed. As promised in my last Fly post, I  have some photos from my daughter's baby shower, along with pics from my vacay in St. Augustine and a lovely birthday dinner celebration with my family.

     The games played at the baby shower were INSANE. One was a baby bottle beer drinking contest (the men really appreciated that one), another involved wrapping people in "diapers" made from rolls of toilet paper, and then there was my personal favorite---twerking with a tissue box filled with ping pong balls strapped to your butt. No, I did NOT participate, but I couldn't stop laughing.

     My daughter received so many lovely gifts, but before this baby comes next week, I need to load her up with some Carter's outfits and some other cool kids' gear. Her c-section date is Oct. 25th, and I'm ridiculously excited to welcome my new granddaughter into the world!

     Last week the Hubs and I went on our annual trip to St. Augustine, Florida, for an early birthday celebration (Yes, I am the type of person to extend my birthday celebration for an entire week). But it wasn't just about the birthday---this was truly a celebration of life after my recent health scare. The whole ordeal was an eye opener and made me appreciate my blessings even more than I already do. Cliche as it sounds, life really is short and we need to make every minute count.


     There's just something special about the historic town of St. Augustine, and how it always feels like home to us whenever we visit. We spent our time exploring museums, shopping in some cool hipster boutiques, and eating our way through the town's finest restaurants, but I have to say that my two favorite activities involved a horse-drawn carriage ride and what I jokingly refer to as our "clown car" rental. There's nothing like zipping around the backroads of a city in a tiny, yellow convertible with a loud horn.


When we returned home, we gathered the family and went to a dinner celebration at one of my favorite seafood restaurants. After all the eating and drinking I've been doing this past week, I think it's time to renew my diet vows....but not until I finish this last box of Godiva chocolates....


***WANT MORE MENO MAMA? Check out my latest on Weekly Humorist: "A Sampling of Brett Kavanaugh's Home Brewed Beers."




Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

Baking In A Tornado                  https://www.BakingInATornado.com
Menopausal Mother                     http://www.menopausalmom.com/
Never Ever Give Up Hope            https://batteredhope.blogspot.com
Spatulas on Parade                   https://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com
                       
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Thursday, October 18, 2018

Why Every Woman Needs A Signature Perfume

     I've been wearing perfume for as long as I can remember, and I never leave the house without wearing my favorite fragrance.

     Today on the blog, my guest writer is sharing the five reasons why women need their own signature perfume and what it says about their personalities. Please welcome Cynthia Jerry, founder and Chairman of Ocean (Caribbean) Distributors, Inc. and the creator of Tiv perfume, "The Designer Fragrance of the Caribbean," to Meno Mama's site!

Why Every Woman Needs a Signature Perfume

Perfume creates a vision or an illusion that lingers in the room even long after the wearer is gone. They have a powerful impact, not only to our sense of smell, but also to the other senses. A fragrance can trigger emotions and feelings, desire, and be tied to a particular person and specific memories--so, in essence, every time others smell a specific fragrance that you wear, they are reminded of you.

Every woman should have a signature perfume--and here are five reasons why. 

1. Scents can evoke emotions. 

The olfactory bulb, the neural structure of the brain that’s related to the sense of smell, is also known as the emotional brain, as it is responsible for processing feelings and memories. So whenever you smell a scent, it triggers emotional reactions or reminds you of a particular memory.

For example, here at Tiv Perfume, we use essences that evoke elements of the tropical Caribbean in a sophisticated and classic scent. We want our wearers to be reminded of luxury island getaways when they wear the fragrance.

2. Fragrance can reveal your personality.  

Whenever you wear a specific perfume, it reflects an aspect of your personality. This is because any scent of your choice is actually an extension of your personality and emotions. In fact, your perfume makes a more powerful impression on others than anything else you wear on your body.

Recent studies have shown that your favorite scent is indeed closely related to your personality type. For example, if you like citrus scents, you’re the boss. You like everything in order and you’re always ready to conquer the world. Floral scents, on the other hand, exude feminism and romance. Fruity scents are the epitome of fun and festive, while chocolate oriented or rich fragrances exude confidence and sex appeal. So your perfume truly offers a glimpse into who you are. 

3. Wearing the perfect perfume enhances your beauty. 

A recent study has shown that the same woman is considered more physically attractive when wearing a perfume. This means that the perception of beauty is closely related to the emotions aroused by the scent. A nice scent can make your face look younger and enhance your physical appearance. So if you want to attract attention, create desire, or feel more beautiful and confident, just add a spritz of your perfect fragrance. 

4. Your perfume creates lasting impressions and impact on others. 

Every time you wear a perfume and spend time with other people, the memories and emotions related to you becomes associated with the scent you’re wearing. So when you spend romantic moments with your love interest, happy times with your friends, etc, they’ll remember positive emotions from when you were with them whenever they smell that same scent. And they will begin to associate that scent with only you. Memories triggered by a scent are not often detailed, but usually a feeling of fondness, beauty, romance or desire.

5. Wearing a perfume makes you feel good. 

Nothing makes you feel more confident than knowing that you smell good and look beautiful. It can enhance your mood and change your behavior. According to a recent study, 90% of women feel more confident when wearing a perfume compared to when they aren't. Wearing the right perfume can make you instantly feel confident or in a great mood!

Finding and wearing a signature fragrance enhances your beauty and self-confidence, evokes positive emotions and feelings in others, creates lasting impressions and attraction, can change your mood with just a spritz, compliment your personality, and remind you of beautiful memories or places.


And that’s why every woman should look for her perfect signature perfume! 

 BIO:

 Cynthia Jerry is the founder and Chairman of Ocean (Caribbean) Distributors, Inc. and the creator of Tiv Perfume, “The Designer Fragrance of the Caribbean.”

Cynthia began her career in the fashion and beauty industry as the Fashion Director for the May Company Department Stores, the Director of Fashion and Beauty Marketing at Essence Magazine, and the Marketing Director at the Estee Lauder Company’s prestigious fragrance division. Upon leaving Estee Lauder, Cynthia launched her own fragrance, Tiv Perfume, a sophisticated and classic perfume formulated in the Caribbean. Tiv made history as an ultra-successful boutique fragrance at the former Hecht’s Department Store in Washington D.C. (now Macy’s) as the first small-business vendor for the $12 billion retailing giant and is now sold online at TivPerfume.com.

Cynthia was honored as the Small Business Advocate of the Year in 2003 by the U.S. Small Business Administration, and has always played a significant role in giving back to the community as the founder of the New Image Foundation Corporation, a not-for-profit corporation in the Virgin Islands on a mission to enable low-income youth and adults to become self-sufficient in life, and raising over $135,000 as the franchise holder for the Miss Virgin Islands Scholarship Organization.

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Friday, October 5, 2018

Book Review: The Size Of Everything

     Every now and then, a book comes along that I became so completely engrossed in that I cannot put it down. Such is the case with The Size of Everything, a memoir written by Erin Cole and co-author Jenna McCarthy.

     The book captures the heart-wrenching story of parental neglect of a young girl who is bounced from one unstable home to the next. Despite the abuse suffered at the hands of adults who controlled every aspect of the author's life---down to the way she dressed to the amount of food she was allowed to eat---the memoir is sprinkled with bits of humor to avoid being a dark read.

     What impressed me most about Erin Cole's story was her ability to overcome a cringe-worthy, troubled past. Her story is one of endurance and hope, her resilience an inspiration to anyone who reads this amazing book.    

     Don't just take my word for it; check out some of these reviews:

“A beautifully written story of triumph, 
wit, and sheer determination to survive."-W. Bruce Cameron, bestselling author

“I’ve been raving like a maniac about this book ever since I read it. 
I haven’t seen a memoir this compelling and inspirational since 
The Glass Castle.”–Carla Levy, books editor at Good Housekeeping Magazine

"Remarkable and inspiring."-Jane Heller, bestselling author
"A searing account of a broken, devastating childhood 
and the triumph that emerged in spite of—and because of—the wreckage. 
What a book!"
-Allison Winn Scotch, bestselling author


     I'm super excited to share an excerpt from The Size of Everything. The opening words roped me in the minute I started reading Erin's story.


                       Prologue: Reach for the Stars


When Mom was drinking, I’d wish with all my might that she would stop. But sometimes when she did, it was even worse.

It was only afternoon but of course she was in bed, the curtains pulled as tight as they would go. Our new house on Ramona wasn’t like the one on Stardust—it didn’t face the sun the same way or the curtains were made of a different fabric or maybe it was both—so making it feel like midnight in there wasn’t an option. The best she could hope to recreate was dusk.

I was playing some quiet eight-year-old game in my room when I heard her talking. She didn’t have a phone in her bedroom, not that she had any friends she might be chatting with anyway, so I went in to see who she was talking to.

The door was cracked. Mom was lying in her bed, on top of the covers. Her eyes were open and she had both arms outstretched toward the ceiling.

“Grab my hand,” she was saying to the air, her tone desperate. “Come on, I have you. Just grab my hand!”

“Mom, who are you talking to?” I asked, trying to make my voice light.

She turned to me sharply. Her eyes were glazed and almost unrecognizable.

“You can’t see him?” she shouted, as if I were blind or crazy or some combination of the
two.

“Who?” I asked. My old friend panic slipped his fingers around my neck and began to
softly squeeze.

“ERIN, HE’S RIGHT THERE! GRAB HIM!” She was frantic; adamant.

“There’s no one there, Mom,” I told her.

“YES, THERE IS,” she insisted. “It’s Kelly, he’s here. He’s really here. Grab his hand,
Erin. Grab him! Get on the bed. Stand up on it and reach. You can get him, honey, I know you can!”

She was gone and I knew it. I didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was so I did what she asked. I climbed onto her bed and I stretched out my arms as far as I could and I tried to grab Kelly.

“Reach straight up. Yes, right there! You’ve got him now, grab him. Come on, Erin, you can do this!”

Over the next few years, my sister and I would be subjected to this torture over and over. Mom would try to quit drinking dozens of times, each attempt marked by periods of intense hallucinations. And every time, we’d stand on her bed and reach and grasp just like she asked us to, but we could never get our dead brother back for her. 


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