New "Things to Treasure" Laduree comes to New York, Essence, Town and Country, Real Simple Family and Golf reading for children.

Laduree has arrived!  

Momofuku cookies are divine, Crumbs bakery has scrumptous cupcakes,  but we have to stop for a minute and consider what Laduree will unleash in New York City this fall.

If you have not eaten a macaron before, wait, have one from Laudree on August 22nd and let the obbession begin.

Laduree is a Parisian patisserie founded in 1862  and it is most famous for it's double decker macarons. The bakery is credited with inventing the double decker macarons. There are Laduree shops all over the world in addition to four in Paris, there are bakeries in  London, Milan, and Istanbul among other places but never one in New York City. They will open a store this month, on August 22nd  at 864 Madison Ave, NY ( between 70th and 71st). The location will have two areas one for enjoying macarons on site and the other for orders ( mine included) .

It is said that in the 16th century Catherine de" Medici brought the macaron from Italy to France. Louis Ernest Laduree was a miller, who opened a bakery on the Rue Royale in Paris. In the 1930's his second cousin Pierre Desfontaines, invented the double decker macaron, a flavored ganache between two macaron shells. If you have had a macaron, if not well made, the ganache can be too sweet, too crumbly or too pasty, it has to be just right, the shells and the ganache, Laduree always seems to get it right.

They come in fantastic variations by season Mint and Strawberry, Lily of The Valley, Almond Morello Cherry, Granny Smith Apple and other delicious flavors.

Find yourself at Laduree this month or get on the phone and place your order!

Town and Country and Essence have new editors and this is change I can definitely believe in.

Town and Country's editor is Jay Fielden of Men's Vogue fame, Pamela Fiori left months ago and the void was filled briefly by Stephen Drucker but this is my second Fielden Issue and it is excellent. The articles are insightful and colorful, I read the magazine from cover to cover.  There is some interesting insight from Ashraf Kahlil  about the changes in Cairo, from both a colonial and present day view. There is a profile of the three homes owned by the late reclusive heiress Hugette Clark, a wonderful story about the relationship between a woman and her favorite scents by Gully Wells then last but not least two stories about Ernest Hemingway and his family. The magazine has zoomed to the top of my to read list, the stories have great depth, grab a copy or download it now! The fashion is still there but the magazine now has so much more.

Constance White has had a significant career in fashion from her role as the NY Times Fashion contributor, to EBAY fashion director and now to editor in chief at Essence magazine. Her second issue is stunning, Essence has gone global, the stories, beauty and fashion reads have a global perspective and that is truly refreshing. There is a story about Women from the Diaspora which covers black Brits, another profiles women from countries all over the world and what they are wearing,  and under Work and Wealth excellent tips for Storage Ssolutions at home and do not miss the Reader's Choice awards!  Another one for you to read cover to cover.

Real Simple is one of my favorite magazines, I love the stories about family and cooking among other topics and  now we have the same fantastic formula with Real Simple Family, it is a single issue magazine and you need to grab it before it is gone. They cover great issues from how to tackle homework battles, to fixing boo boos to schedule streamlining. Fall 2011, is on newstands or downloads now.

I was at the PGA Championship today and met wonderful author Susan Greene who was promoting Count on Golf and my daughter loved it for her read before bed tonight and we loved it because it exposed her to something new and she was counting and spelling at the same time with Jimmy the bear, it was fun.

The books are

Count on Golf- counting from 1 to 10 using golf accessories and rhymes .

The ABC's of Golf - Learn the alphabet and the game from A to Z.

Consider it Golf- Rhymes and Etiquette and golf safety.

Opposites with Golf- learn the game using the concepts of opposites.

Junior golf Journal - Track progress and enjoy memories.

Worth every penny!

Enjoy your new treasures and please send us your feedback about those delicious macarons.

FashionMom

"Things I Treasure "- Reeya Westrup

This is the fifth installment of our "Things I Treasure" series. We wanted to feature women who are inspirations to us, their families and friends. These are women who work hard every day to make a difference in the lives of people everywhere. They agreed to share with us the things they treasure in their everyday lives, including their favourite fashion pieces and their must-have beauty product.
Reeya has been one of my best friends since childhood, one of my friends who has been with me through good times and bad times and always told me the truth, the real truth.  As I post this story we both lost beloved pets within the space of two weeks, it was good to have her kindness and understanding at a very difficult time, I hope I did the same for her.


These women are our treasures.  It is a pleasure to share them and their experiences with you.
Thank you! Enjoy!

Tobago Cays

My childhood friend, Deb, asked me to contribute to her blog entitled, “Things I Treasure”. After much procrastination (mostly because life tends to get in the way sometimes), and the sudden loss of our beloved family dog, Kane, I figured it was due time to let out some of my feelings on paper.


As I get older, I see the world differently, and with more clarity. I appreciate people for who they are, and not for their material possessions. These are in no particular order and are few when compared to other contributors, but I as I get on in life, simplicity becomes more attractive, as I realize that I need very little to be truly happy.

• I treasure loyalty, longevity, unconditional love.

• I treasure my loving husband and our beautiful, wonderful son, and our lives together.

• I treasure the memory of a loving, beautiful soul, Kane and am thankful to have shared ten years of my life with him. I miss him every day.

• I treasure my family relationships.

• I treasure my childhood memories.

Courtesy- Istockphotos.com




• I treasure my true friends. I can count you all on one hand. You know who you are.

• I treasure all that I am capable of doing, all that I have already achieved, and the possibilities that lie ahead.

• I treasure sunshine and warmth.

• I treasure a good book and art that speaks to me.

• I treasure a good belly laugh.

• I treasure a cold glass of beer (with salt and lemon), and the way a cigarette can take away my stress.

• I treasure my ‘alone’ time just as much as I treasure time with others.


• I treasure each day of my life, and look forward to what each day that follows this one will bring.


So here you are, Deb. I hope I haven’t disappointed you, and that I am ‘blog-worthy’! Love you, and thank you for being my friend for all these years.

Reeya

Here are some of Reeya's other treasures.....


Most Treasured Beauty Item- My tweezers!


















Most Treasured Fashion Item- Jeans, they never go out of style.

Treasured destination- Anywhere with a beach!



I am also going to add something I think another treasure and that is her Amazon Kindle, she loves it!




















Reeya, thank you very much for this wonderful post.
Love you!
DGW

Things I Treasure- Betsy Helgager Hughes

This is the fourth of our "Things I Treasure"  series.  We wanted to feature women who are inspirations to us, their families and friends. These are women who work hard every day to make a difference in the lives of people everywhere. They agreed to share with us the things they treasure in their everyday lives,  including their favourite fashion pieces and their must-have beauty product.

These women are our treasures.

Thank you!  Enjoy!

At the end of this piece please find Betsy's famous Corn Dip, it is fantastic!  I had to include it, it the best corn dip in the world!

Betsy Helgager Hughes

Mom – Wife – Friend – Daughter – Entrepreneur

1. Life – Life is what you make it. The ups and the downs, the good and the bad and everything in-between make life interesting. Keeping life’s miracle and purpose in perspective helps me get through anything. As an entrepreneur, mother, wife, friend, and daughter, I keep this in mind as I encounter each day on Earth. I know I’m not in total control, but I can choose to have an interesting and fulfilling life if I want to…and that’s a powerful way to exist.

2. Family – Being adopted, family is everything as well as undefined for me. It’s far reaching to me, beyond the definition many use – blood. If it was all about blood, my entire family would exist of me and my daughter Sophia. I was adopted into a family, I married into a family, I created a family of friends, and in 2007 was fortunate enough to be a part of extending a family of two (me and my hubby George) to a family of three with the addition of our daughter. When all is said and done, family is who will be there for you, not who has your blood.

1. Friends – There’s nothing like extraordinary friends to share your life with - trials as well as celebrations. As I get older, I often wonder if I have room in my circle of friends to have any more join it, but then I meet someone who just fits right in as if they’ve known me my entire life, and then I open the door and let them in.  Inevitably, some friends have fallen out of season for one reason or another, but that’s okay. The ebb and flow of friendship is normal, but there are some tried and true who won’t go anywhere, ever, and that’s comforting to know.

4. Entertaining/Decorating – If I didn’t have to get paid for a living, this is probably what I would do full time. I treasure creating an experience, whether it’s you walking into one of my parties or coming over for dinner in my home. I do it for me and my happiness, but it’s rewarding when others find joy in my creativity too. I call my Punch of Creativity business my Right Brain business because it allows me to do all things creative on my terms where I am also inspiring others to see their potential in their own creative genius, just with a little help from me. 

5. Traveling – Having lived overseas for three years (W. Germany), I gained a tremendous amount of respect for learning and respecting other cultures outside the United States. Although I appreciate and explore all that the U.S.also has to offer, I enjoy being pushed outside of my comfort zone to venture into unknown countries and cities and explore what  they have to offer.

Learning – If your mind is open, you will learn. I believe in being curious. I try to keep an open mind to not only what I watch, listen to and read, but who I talk to, what I ask and more importantly, I work hard at listening. That’s when I learn the most. My travels to 13 countries in Europe proved to me that learning happens everywhere, at any time, with anyone…even a random person on a train.

Building Businesses – After 9/11, I decided to live and happen to work, not the other way around which is what I had been doing for 10 years at a global PR firm. I believed in my ability at that point to start my own PR firm, BLH Consulting, Inc.  Although it was to be just a little freelance outlet, it became a full-blown PR firm serving major clients throughout the United States. It’s been amazing to be free. My emancipation day was December 17, 2001. It’s the moment I  took off my golden handcuffs to a 6-figure salary and decided I was going to accept my destiny, and not ask another grown person again if I could take a vacation. Since then, I’ve helped my husband build Simple Set Up, a home and commercial audio/video company that focuses on all the technical and equipment requirements for home theaters and conference rooms. It’s been rewarding to be able to work together - both of us working in our passions. Then, during the downturn of the economy, I created A Punch of Creativity so I could diversify my income flow. It’s been enjoyable to exercise my creative side more regularly. I’m working in the  self- designed world of my passions I want to work in, not in the world I have to work in, and that brings me JOY!

8. Health – There’s nothing like it. Although I treasure it, I know I need to focus on it more. I don’t take it for granted at all, that’s for sure, but I do need to lead a good example for my daughter who most closely watches her mother’s exercise and eating habits.

9. Treasured Beauty Product – I spent way too much time in the Florida sun as a child. I’ve been introduced to a new product by Clinique to lighten sun damage…we’ll see!

10. Treasured Destinations – I have two, and they both have to do with relaxing. One is a little closer to home than the other.  The first is Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville, GA, just 50 minutes from  downtown Atlanta. One of the most unreal, relaxing, peaceful, hospitable, beautiful places I’ve ever been. Whether it’s for a day or a weekend, when you’re at Barnsley, you forget about all that you left behind in the city.  The second is the Buccaneer Resort and Spa in St Croix, U.S.V.I. It was the place I went to reward myself after one year in business for myself. It will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the place I stood still and said to myself, you did it, you can do it, and there’s no looking back. You, Betsy, are living your life to your own beat, and you are finally at peace. Amen!

Barnsley Gardens Resort

St. Croix – The Buccaneer Resort

All Images Courtesy of Betsy Helgager Hughes. Thank you!

Our Family Businesses

Punch of Creativity

www.punchofcreativity.com

404.771.9793

BLH Consulting

http://www.blhconsulting.net/

404.688.0415

Simple Set Up

http://www.simplesu.com/

404.313.2099

Betsy Helgager Hughes

President/CEO

BLH Consulting, Inc.

404/688-0415, ext. 701

404/688-0410 (fax)

404/771-9793 (cell)

www.blhconsulting.net

"Where Our Insights Build Relationships Between People & Brands"

502 Pryor Street, Suite 301

Atlanta, GA  30312

Betsy's Corn Dip

4 cans of Shoe Peg corn(drained)
1-2 cans of chopped green chilies( drained)
3/4 stick of butter
1 package cream cheese.
Put all in a crock pot and let it cook for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally, Fix it and Forget it and or can be microwave, but I say Crock pot is the way to do. 
Serve with "scoopable" tortilla chips. 

Watch your family go crazy!  Thank you Betsy for sharing this great recipe with us!

Things I Treasure too - AW

This is the second of our "Things I Treasure"  series.  We wanted to feature women who are inspirations to us, their families and friends. These are women who work hard every day to make a difference in the lives of people everywhere. They agreed to share with us the things they treasure in their everyday lives,  including their favourite fashion pieces and their must-have beauty product.

These women are our treasures.

Thank you!  Enjoy!





AW
Legal Professional in the North East.
She loves Pandas

My Treasures

My core family.  By that I mean my mom, two brothers, nephew, nieces and my sister-in-law.

The family felines.  My own beautiful feline daughter, Angel, and my feline nephew, Shadow.  They are both integral parts of our core family.

The lovely Angie, photo courtesy AW

My Blackberry!!!  How in the world did I ever exist without it?


Blackberry Tour

Blackberry



Facebook.  Yes.  Facebook!  A great tool for keeping in touch with my globally dispersed friends and family.  Just a couple of weeks ago I got a friend request from a high-school classmate whom I hadn't seen since we were around 13 because she and her family migrated to The Netherlands.  Facebook rocks!

Netherlands

Treasured Fashion Item

My front laced, super comfortable black suede knee high boots (by Aerosoles), always makes me feel tres sexy. http://www.aerosoles.com/

The good old U.S.A.  My adopted country.  It's given me the world of opportunity.  For that, I am forever grateful.  Yes, even in a crappy economy.  :)

Golf.  The Game.  The metaphor.  It's soothing.

For the people in my life - whether near or far - that I know are true blue friends.  They are priceless!

Treasured Beauty Product
all Oil of Olay products - especially the active hydrating beauty fluid. moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
Olay



Active Fluid, OFO



Treasured Destination

Anywhere in the Caribbean http://www.kayak.com/ where there is beautiful beach and stunning ocean. top of the list, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Cancun is right behind - stunning ocean. Jamaica for the awesome cuisine. A close second behind the Caribbean is London. It's full of people with sexy British accents! :)

Punta Cana, DR

http://www.golflink.com/golf-vacations/dominican-republic/

Jerk Fish with Rice and Peas, Jamaica

We recommend
http://www.jamaicans.com/cooking/
for recipes just in case you cannot get there tomorrow!









All Images except Angie and Oil of Olay courtesy of istockphotos

FashionMom Feature - "Things I Treasure" - Shelley Seabra McCray

This is the first of our "Things I Treasure"  series.  We wanted to feature women who are inspirations to us, their families and friends. These are women who work hard every day to make a difference in the lives of people everywhere. They agreed to share with us the things they treasure in their everyday lives,  including their favourite fashion pieces and their must-have beauty product.

These women are our treasures.

Thank you!  Enjoy!





Shelley Seabra McCray
Marketing Consultant
Seattle,WA



1. My Schatz - it's my favourite word in German which means my treasure or the love of my life - my husband Brian who is my everything

2. My Family - especially my nieces and nephews who I love and miss dearly and who give me the best hugs ever.

3. My Friends - who are essentially like family and offer me support, love, honesty and integrity.


4. My Memories - of the finer things in life like travel to Europe, the USA and the Caribbean. Top 3: Spain, Italy, France. Top 3 American cities: NYC, Chicago, San Fran
Top 3 Caribbean: Grenada, Barbados, St. Kitts
Honourable Mentions: London, Miami, Antigua, Munich

5. My Creativity - I feel blessed that I have an appreciation of reading and writing which has essentially led me to a career and passion for Marketing. This is a gift that I do not treat lightly and was instilled in me by my teachers. My top 3 influencers: teacher Noreen of Stella Maris; Ms Edwards from Bishops High School and Mrs. Skinner of George S. Henry.

Favourite beauty product: Cargo bronzer for that sun-kissed look year round






Favourite fashion piece: Halston Heritage dress





All Images(except Cargo and Halston) Courtesy of istockphotos.com