"Present" a gift to yourself - A Quickie Spa Pedicure at Home

We talk a lot about giving a "present" to someone we love. Today you need to show "I love ME"by "presenting" a gift to yourself. Try this easy Spa Pedicure at Home .

Here in Ohio, snow has been coming & coming & coming.... I can't wait until "sandal season".

1- The sun is actually out today-going up to 50 degrees :).

2-Valentine's Day is coming this week. TREAT YOURSELF....

Sandal season is coming in a little while, Are your feet ready? Everyone seems to be penny-pinching these days, so here are some tips for a spa pedicure at home.


READY, SET, BUFF (3-5minutes)
Remove what's left of your old polish. Use a multi-sided buffer to even out ridges on the top of your nails. Begin with the medium-grit side then switch to the smooth side. This will make your nails shine. If you have a third coarse side of the file, use it to carefully remove really rough skin on your toes and heels. Be careful not to over rub & make your skin raw.


MOISTURIZE (2 minutes)
Massage your feet. Use an ultra-rich foot cream that will replenish and soften the skin. Slather on & massage in. If you can get someone else to rub your feet, that would be even better!


POLISH (5-10 minutes)
Wipe down each nail with polish remover ensuring all previous polish & oil has been removed. This assures that your color will adhere properly to your nails. Shop the dollar store to see if you can find the "toe separators". They are inexpensive, & guarantee - no smears. Apply two coats of polish -- a color that contrasts with your skin tone looks best. Bright, springy colors work well on anyone. Color can make you smile & feel good. Go for it ! Finish with a top coat that has a speed dryer. This should protect the finish & get you moving quickly.


DRY AND RELAX
Put your newly polished tootsies on a pillow and relax while they dry...

It is important to experience the "present", but I think it is equally important to "remember the past"......

Remember when?

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes . Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no child-proof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets. When we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats , seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were OK. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 's, X-boxes, no video games at all,no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet nor chatrooms.......

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! No GPS was needed :)

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. We had All Star games & those who didn't make the team were "good sports" about it. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

Those generations produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this article (& blog) with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good . While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno: "With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another,and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks...are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Take that extra minute....

Experience the present........

Take that extra minute ........

Unexpected treasures, in unexpected places, in unexpected packages.
How many of us have missed precious moments, or magnificent opportunities because we did not recognize them?
Wishing you a splendid new year, filled with the most glorious opportunities and magical moments...

A Violinist in the Metro

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the child stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100 each.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the metro station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Please remember to experience the "present"..... it can be a famous violinist, or your grandchild singing "Twinkle, twinkle little star."....... Let's all "resolve" to "experience the present"................It's free & "freeing" :)

Tell me about your "presents". Sharing is free & refreshing !

Dancing with unpredictability

I was just reading Lorraine Cohen's blog . Her subject was "Dancing with unpredictability ".

My response to her article is today's thought for "Experience the Present":

How interesting that you mentioned this "so-called" dilemma of unpredictability today. Life is full of "bumps in the road". I often lose sight of that.... then a "bump".

I feel that life is a maze. We have a defined beginning & end, but lots of paths to get to the destination. Our choices & God's choices, create new path options every day. How we react & follow through is what determines- "our lifetime". When we welcome the "bumps", we have an easier time dealing with the interruptions. This is just my way of "visualizing" life :) -allowing me to "experience the present".
Sharon Blumenthal

"The Present Pro"

http://www.experiencethepresent.blogspot.com/

Owner of Initially You Too-personalized presents plus in Cleveland, Ohio.

Names2U.com-personalized gifts for all ages & occasions

Thank you Lorraine for creating my unpredicability today.

Experience true wealth daily

"Contentment Makes Poor Men Rich, Discontent Makes Rich Men Poor" - Benjamin Franklin

This is such a truism. I would bet that you have known many people who are very wealthy financially, but are not happy with their lives. With all of their money and material things. these "poor souls" are still not happy nor content with life.

Having lots of money is not the only thing that creates abundant wealth and success. A truly wealthy, full life is really about;

*who you are and how you live

*if you accept and love yourself and others in your life

* if you serve the world & people you care about

*if you have gratitude for what you have.

When you realize & internalize these items you possess REAL wealth and success in life. Love yourself first. Then love others. Don't be so judgmental of yourself nor your friends. This allows you to be in the highest place possible to be of service to others, whether you're being paid or not.

Feel free to comment & share your "real riches". Sharing helps spread the "real wealth" :)

4 Things you cannot change

Make sure you do what you want, when you want to...

Do it right , so you can experience the present the way YOU WANT !

A Smile from God

One in a million shot

A smile from God !


My "personal smile" is the smile of my grandkids.... That warms my heart like God's smile warms the earth.

TELL US about your own smile from God..... or whoever...... Please share :)

Send this "present" (God's smile) to someone you want to bless today.

Fondly,
Sharon
The Present Pro

You can help to make me smile by visiting:
Names2U.com - personalized gifts for your lifetime celebrations
GiftedGreek.com - personalized gifts for sorority & fraternity members

6 Reasons We Love Kids

Here's a chuckle for your day....

6 REASONS WE LOVE KIDS

1) NUDITY
I was driving with my three young children one
warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up
and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard
my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, 'Mom, that lady isn't wearing a
seat belt!'

2) OPINIONS
On the first day of school, a first-grader handed
his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, 'The opinions
expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents.'

3) KETCHUP
A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of
the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her 4-year-old
daughter to answer the phone. 'Mommy can't come to the phone t o talk to
you right now. She's hitting the bottle.'

4) MORE NUDITY
A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found
himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst
into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The
little boy watched in amazement and then asked, 'What's the matter,
haven't you ever seen a little boy before?'

5) POLICE # 1
While taking a routine vandalism report at an
elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old.
Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, 'Are you a cop?' 'Yes,' I
answered and continued writing the report. My mother said if I ever
needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?' 'Yes, that's
right,' I told her. 'Well, then,' she said as she extended her foot
toward me, 'would you please tie my shoe?'

6) POLICE # 2
It was the end of the day when I parked my police
van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner,
Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a
dog you got back there?' he asked. 'It sure is,' I replied. Puzzled,
the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he
said, 'What'd he do?'


NOW IF THIS DIDN'T BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY, GO BACK TO BED AND
FORGET IT.

You can brighten your child's day with a gift from Initially You Too-personalized presents plus. Check us out at: Names2U.com http://www.Names2u.com

We've Moved !

We have MOVED our store to a NEW LOCATION.... Visit our new "mini boutique" at:3439 West Brainard Rd. #107
Woodmere, Ohio 44122

-Turn left at the 1st light (W.Brainard Rd.) past Village Square off Chagrin Blvd.( at the Chagrin exit of I-271)


We are in an actual storefront that faces Village Square's East side.
Nat'l. City bank & Stazzone's Flowers can be seen from our new front door.

LOOK for the WHITE PICKET FENCE !

Please note: OUR NEW HOURSWednesday through Saturday - 10-5 or by appointment...
Call our same phone: 216-831-0007
with any questions. Same website: www.Names2u.com
TELL YOUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS !!!!

Watch for our future newsletter announcements on NEW & EXCITING developments.

I just got back from the ATLANTA GIFT SHOW where I hunted for the NEWEST TRENDS & most unusual items for this coming season. I found fabulous things!!!!!! P.S. - Pardon our dust while we arrange & re-arrange ......(Fitting over 2000 sq ft into 500 sq ft is quite a challenge.)






Sincerely, Sharon Blumenthal
Initially You Too
Contact Us
3439 West Brainard #107
Beachwood, Ohio 44122
216-831-0007 www.Names2U.com www.GiftedGreek.com

The Perfect Graduation Gifts

Think GRADUATION GIFTS


Do you remember your graduation day? Elementary school, high school, college or graduate school, it was an important milestone in your life. I bet that day was filled with picture taking, smiles, tears and special presents.

Students of the Class of 2008 are looking forward to graduation just as much as you and I did. Since you are reading this article, you probably understand the importance of choosing a gift that really helps celebrate the occasion in an unusual and memorable way. Isn't that really what gift giving is all about?

Cash is so impersonal. Gift cards are too. Check out our future heirlooms at:Names2U.com.
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Each of our distinctive items is more than an ordinary gift. It is an everlasting treasure that allows your graduate to retain happy memories.

Keep the grade level of your graduate in mind when perusing our site.
Consider who your graduate is, and where the future might lead him or her.

Is this a high school or college graduation? The answer should affect your choice of presents. College graduates are off to a new career. They would appreciate a personalized desk clock, paperweight or an engraved business card case. A high school grad, who is heading off to college would enjoy useful items like our #1-Embroidered Laundry Bag or Travel Toiletry Kit. He or she would also want to keep their friends "close at hand" in a personalized photo album or on a photo mug or mousepad.

Younger grads leaving elementary school or junior high like to be remembered too. Check out our Personalized Frames, Backpacks & Duffle Bags.

Since grads come in all ages with different interests, our personalized presents enable you to accommodate them all!

Check out our store: Initially You Too in Cleveland, Ohio or visit: http://www.Names2U.com or http://www.GiftedGreek.com .