Hi All,

I’m working hard at revamping the site.  I’ll be back with many exciting things of interest.

Until then, stay healthy, beautiful and AUTHENTIC!

Xai

I wish you all the very best this holiday season.

Lots of love, happiness and prosperity.

My Christmas tree is not up yet and my six year old is pressing the issue.  I understand because it’s usually up by now.  I’ve been thinking about getting a new tree.  I’ve had my artificial tree now for about 6 years and it looks quite bad.  A fancy pre-lit 7 1/2 foot tree caught my eye the other day on QVC. I tell you it seduced me for a while.  I started to think of how easy it would be to put it up and use the remote control (yes.  it comes with a remote control). I thought all I have to do is set it and forget it.   But still I just could not bring myself to buy it.

I grew up in Brazil and in our house we always had a faux tree.  My mother really fancied the platinum and white trees because they reminded her of snow which we never saw.  December is summer in Brazil.  I’ve always had faux trees but this year it will be different.  Our family has decided to go Real! 

There are good reasons for going real with your Christmas tree.  85% of artificial trees are made overseas in factories that consume natural resources.  They contain lead which is used to make PVC plastic.  They are not biodegradable.  Real trees are recycled into mulch which is then reintroduced into the earth. 

My son is excited about our tree and can’t wait to go hunting for the perfect real Christmas tree this year.

For more information about eco-friendly Christmas trees go here.

Happy Friday All!

I couldn’t resist.  I love Angry Little Girls! by Lela Lee.  Her humor and intellectual wit have cracked me up many a times.  Visit her site and you’ll see. 

Enjoy your weekend!

I will never forget the day I went to visit my good friend at a New York City hospital.  I was told what room he was in but upon getting there I could not find him.  I called the nurse to ask where he had been moved.  There were 4 people in that particular room where he was supposed to be.  I insisted he must have been moved because he was not there. 

The nurse did not say a word and just took me by the hand and led me to the last bed near the window. Then she called out his name.  When he opened his eyes I was paralized with an overwhelming sadness.  I had passed him by several times and did not recognize him.  Ian died two days after I saw him.  He was one of the funniest and most positive people I knew. Ian died in 1990 of AIDS related Pneumonia. 

Today, more than two dozen anti-HIV drugs are on the market and if taken in proper combination can dramatically improve the lives of those suffering from HIV related disease.  Although significant progress has been made in research we must not get too comfortable.  Around the world 2.7 million people were infected with AIDS in 2007 and globally 33 million people are living with HIV infection, most in the developing world.

Remember there are many ways you can take action in response to HIV/AIDS:

• Get tested for HIV
• Practice safe methods to prevent HIV
• Decide not to engage in high risk behaviors
• Provide support to those living with HIV/AIDS
• Get involved with an AIDS organization in your community.

Additional Resources
AIDS.gov: the gateway to Federal domestic HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, treatment, research information.
PEPFAR.gov: the official website of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

worldaidscampaign.org: brochures and information about events worldwide.

To find an HIV Testing location near you, send a text message with your ZIP code to KNOWIT (566948) or visit www.hivtest.org.

Do you have a closet full of stuff and still can’t find something to wear?  That’s me.  I often find myself getting frustrated because of the sheer volume of items in my closet and nothing seems to work for me.  I started to organize my closet last year  and since have picked up some great tips, but nothing has excited me more than Closet Couture. 

Yesterday, I received an email invitation to join Closet Couture and I immediately registered.  Closet Couture in an online community and wardrobe management system for women just like me and I know many of you too.  It brings together stylists and retailers and a fashion friendly community.

Closet Couture allows every woman to create a virtual closet.  You can upload photos of items you currently own and pair them with items you would like to purchase from great retailers such as Kirna Zabete and Vivre to name a few.  If you need a little fashion advice, or styling assistance you can hire a stylist to help you comb through your closet.

I love the wonderful things I can do to organize my wardrobe.  I can put together a Fashion Calendar and save the looks I’ve already worn througout the week.  I won’t be caught wearing the same outfit again! Since I travel often, the Packing List feature acts like a check list for me because I always forget to pack something.  Then there is my favorite, the Wish List.  Here I can collect all the juicy little items I covet.  I may even print it out when I’m done and leave it for my husband to see.  The holidays are just around the corner.

I invite you to visit Closet Couture.  You’ll have lots of fun but you’ll also be using a great tool to help you develop your personal brand.  So I want to say “thank you” to Christine Elia, the founder of Closet Couture for such a brilliant and helpful tool.

When I say I like all types of music I really mean it.  You can find me listening to Miles Davis and catch me singing along to ABBA all in the same day.  Yep.  That’s me. I’m always on the hunt for new music so when I stumbled upon Rupa & The April Fishes, I was delighted beyond words.  The name of the group was the first to hit me.  I was like…what in the world… does that mean and what are they all about? 

This group is led by a young woman of Indian heritage.  Her name is Rupa.  By the way, she is also a doctor. You go girl! She grew up in the Bay Area and her nomadic upbringing led her to explore issues of identity, life and love.  She is for lack of another word, other worldly.  Talk about someone who is authentic to all that she is.  She sings in French and Spanish among other languages and her music has elements of French chanson, Argentinean tango, Gypsy swing, American folk, Latin cumbias, and even Indian ragas. Her debut album, eXtraOrdinary rendition is one to explore.

Check out more about Rupa and The April Fishes

It’s Friday and my son has completed his first full week of school.  This week it’s been all about getting back into our family schedule.  Every night we read before bed.  My son is stuck on Yertle the Turtle and we’ve read it several times this week. 

The story revolves around Yertle the Turtle, the king of the pond. Unsatisfied with the stone that serves as his throne, he commands the other turtles to stack themselves beneath him so that he can see further and expand his kingdom. However, the turtle at the bottom of the pile, named Mack, asks Yertle for a respite. Ignoring his request, Yertle commands more and more turtles to add to his throne, until he notices the moon rising above him as the night approaches. Furious that something “dares to be higher than Yertle the King”, he decides to call for even more turtles in an attempt rise above it. However, before he can give the command, Mack burps, shaking the stack of turtles and tossing Yertle off into the mud, leaving him “King of the Mud” and freeing the others. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

I have enjoyed revisiting this classic Dr. Seuss story and paying close attention to the deeper meaning behind his words.  I don’t focus on politics here but feel compelled to say that the US is in crisis and we are facing many challenges.  We are about to choose a new leader and must make sure that whomever we choose to lead us is not a Yertle. Because you all know what happened to his majesty.

“And today the great Yertle, the marvelous he,
is the King of the Mud.  That is all he can see.
And the turtles, of course…all the turtles are free
As turtles, and maybe, all creatures should be.”

How cute is this!  I love cloth dolls.  There is something so magical about a cloth doll.  Perhaps it’s because they are made by hand.  It’s as if they carry with them the person who created them.  Rosa Pomar is a Portuguese artist who started creating these little critters in 2004 while expecting her first child.  She has certainly placed inside each handmade creation a lot of her spirit. 

Pomar’s dolls are full of vivid colors and unique patterns.  Holding one of these little bunnies can’t help but put a smile on your face.  The granddaughter of famed Portuguese painter Julio Pomar,credits her mother for inspiring her. She has fond memories of the cloth dolls her mother made for her as a child and she wanted her child to have the same experience.  She was encouraged to start selling her creations by the many people who gave her feedback on her blog.  Oh the power of blogging!  A great thing about Pomar’s creations is that she uses only high-quality durable and washable fabrics made from natural fibers.  

If you speak Portuguese (thanks mom and dad) you’re in luck and can get lots of info on her blog. 

Check out more photos on Rosa Pomar’s Flickr Photostream.

A collection of Rosa Pomar bunnies are available at NurseryWorks  $68 + $7 Shipping