I logged onto my Gmail account using my clear high speed internet connection to send my brother a congratulatory e-mail. It is his one year sobriety date and we are all very proud of him. He was away at college and we just had no idea that he had a problem with drinking and how much he was drinking. When he started getting bad grades ( he had always been a great student) we started to worry. My parents went to the school to check on him. Turns out he wasn’t just socially drinking, he really had a problem. He left school that semester to get sober and work on himself. He has worked really hard and really embraced his sobriety. I wish that I could have gone to the open meeting with him to pick up his one year sobriety chip, but we weren’t able to make it because we live so far away. We are really proud of him and glad that he is doing well. He has really turned it around!

My little sister just moved into her first apartment. I am so happy for her, but at the same time it makes me feel so old. She has always been the baby of the family. She is so sweet and so kind and has always kept me young. When she was in college, I was able to live vicariously through her. There were nights when I actually felt like I was in college again. But now that she is growing up, I don’t know what I am going to do. She no longer seems like a little kid, but an adult. She was able to set up everything on her own and even found some information I didn’t know. My little sister even installed her own satellite. I now consider her to be an Expert Satellite installer. I know I will be coming to her with all of my questions now. It is strange how things change. I thought I would always be showing my little sister the ropes, but now she is helping me.

Now, don’t get this confused with being economical, or “cheap,” but rather simply using what is available or accessible to create the look you’re going for. How do you do that? Well, let’s see:

1. Always keep your look fresh with accessories; jewelry, shoes and handbags. These things complement an outfit quite well, especially if they’re color-coordinated and flattering.

2. Think differently, or out-of-the-box, as it is. If everybody’s doing something, do you really want to do it too?? So WHAT if you want to thigh boots with booty shorts? Is that going to be so bad? I say rock it if you can!

3. You can find the best glammed deals at the end of a season. That is the ONLY way I shop and can keep my look fresh. Sometimes I will buy things in season, but for the most part, I try to wait until those Gucci earrings go on clearance before I shell out the cash to get the look.

These are just a few things you can do to keep your glam quotient up, so give them a shot and see how you fare. What are some other things you do to glam out when you can and want to?

Here’s to you and your happiness for the next 365 days!!

The Steve Harvey site is holding a contest to select a winner to “Dress Like Steve Harvey.” This morning’s radio show had a winner who won 5 suits, 5 shirts, 5 ties and Steve threw in 5 pairs of underwear (ok?) and 5 pairs of socks to the lucky winner.

Steve definitely has a different style and flavor, but he’s definitely fresh looking, no doubt. I am for sure entering Kenneth’s name because I’d like to see him win some new threads. At 6″1, Kenneth certainly does look goooood in a nice, fitted suit. Whew!

Good luck on entering!

Last Thursday my wife came home with some news that’s both good and bad. The good news is that she got a well-deserved promotion at work! The bad news is the new position is in Phoenix. She has worked really hard to get to where she is in her company and she has moved up as far as she can here in Richmond. She really wants to take the new job. I work from home so that isn’t really keeping us here. Both of our families live in California so it would actually put us closer to them. However, I really like our life, house and friends in Virginia so I think it would be very hard to leave. I started some research on my own after she gave me the news to see what I might have to give up. The first thing I searched for was Arizona Direct TV. I can’t give up my NFL Sunday Ticket! It may seem like a silly thing to consider but I love football. Once I knew I wouldn’t miss a game if we moved, I felt much better!

There, I said it!

That statement alone should be one that’s appreciated by many parents of high school teens, both boys and girls. You see, when you are a teen in high school, the most important (or one of the most important) things that is important to that teen is their image. Their looks are at the VERY top of their priorities, more specifically their faces.

Now my daughter is your typical teenager, and although she’s somewhat shy, she is not shy at all about wanting to find things that will make her look better, especially in trying to get rid of her facial acne. The acne is a big deal to her. She spends a lot of time, LOT OF TIME, talking to me about it, looking in the mirror and whining about how awful it is.

I have found several products over the years to try and help her acne, only to find luck with a few products that claim success in its acne removal system program. What I have found that works best is when she does the system consistently and makes it a part of her daily routine. The skincare system that we’re using now is a method that uses both red and blue light therapy, so it’s effect on acne is immediate and thorough. This system uses the blue LED light to annihilate the acne bacteria, which is why results are so permanent. And, it keeps breakout from re-occuring. Yay!! So, she really likes using it and I like the way it makes her face look. Especially if that means her whining will s-t-o-p!!

It looks like Hylexin is a pretty popular product in the area of reducing and removing dark under eye circles.

Make sure you’ve got on matching stuff, you know the bra that matches the panties. They can be the lacey, frilly kind or the colors that match your outfit. Some folks like to do that too! I can guarantee you that when you start doing this, you’ll notice a little pep in your step and a little jump in your walk. Try it. Let me know what you think.