Eastern End of Long Island

Sunday Mornings...

I think Sunday mornings in the summer are my favorites of the year. When the sun is shining, though not quite hot yet. The Cicadas are making their sounds that take me back to my childhood, waiting for them to shed their skin so we could claim their trophies left behind. The Doves are cooing on top of the house and all is right with the world for a few minutes.
I just watered my flowers and picked the ripe tomatoes, wishing my sister, Patti was here to help me make something edible with them. She is the BEST chef and would be a wonderful contestant in a cooking show, now if I can convince her of that!

Yesterday we went to the East end of Long Island. It is so beautiful out there with all the vineyards and sunflowers. We watched our son, Andrew, play Lacrosse for the first time in 4 years. I had forgotten how much I loved to watch him play. I miss those days of hurrying home from work to make it to a game. Their youth goes by so quickly.

I took pictures of a red Dragonfly, have you ever seen one? It stayed for pictures and landed on Art's hand. I researched it and it is called a Red-veined Darter. It was beautiful. I always wonder if it is someone I know in another form......

Well on to the rest of the day and chores.
Best to all,
Mimi

Did you know....

Did you know that it was Coco Chanel that started the "Tanning" trend? She returned from St. Tropez with a tanned face in 1923, that was probably when started to think of her skincare line too!! Nothing ages us faster than the sun. A suntan is the body's natural defense to the UV - Ultraviolet rays. An easy way to remember the difference in the UV rays: UVA - Aging and UVB is Burning. Your body's reaction to the sun is to produce more melanin to protect itself. Melanin is what gives our skin the darker color.
Now I am a natural redhead so I don't think I have a drop of Melanin in my body! I tried for years to get that beautiful tan that all my girlfriends had. I put on the baby oil mixed with iodine, which only made me burn faster! The only time I was somewhat tanned was when all of my freckles would run together...now I use a self-tanner. I have found the St. Tropez brand to work the best for me.
We know now how dangerous those sunburns and suntans can be to our health. Nearly 60,000 Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year.
Every day you should put sunscreen on your skin, especially your face. Now I like to do it one step, so my moisturizer has an SPF of 30. SPF means Sun Protection Factor and the formula is Minutes to burn without sunscreen x SPF number = maximum sun exposure time. An SPF of 30 will let me stay in the sun: 10 minutes x 30SPF = 300 minutes. Do I want to stay in the sun for 5 hours, probably not! You need a "Broad Spectrum" SPF to protect you from the different UV rays. At the dreaded sun tanning salons you still receive the UVA rays which age your skin by breaking down the connective tissue. Once these connective tissues are broken they form a WRINKLE.....eeeekkkk! Well it goes on and on till we look like Magda, from "There's Something About Mary". Google her image and you will see what I am talking about!
So right now, I am putting on my sunscreen and heading out to the eastern end of Long Island to watch my son, Andrew who is 24, play lacrosse. My husband, Art and my son both have olive skin, so you can recognize me as the one under the umbrella wearing a hat!
All my best,
Mimi

What I will be sharing....

I love skincare, so I will give you some of my best tips and gadgets that I LOVE. Here is one of my favorites, Clarisonic! Can't live without it! Exfoliates and cleanses at the same time. Now I keep mine in the shower and charge it once a week. Exfoliation is one of the best anti-aging treatments you can do for your skin. It removes the dead skin and lets your skin breathe. It is especially important if you are prone to breakouts. Your face will look and feel better!

Just starting out

Well I am finally giving in and starting a blog! Everyone has told me to do one so I guess I will give in to peer pressure.
Let me tell you a little about myself.
I was born and raised in Sapulpa, Oklahoma till the age of 13 when we moved to Arlington Heights, IL and then on to Schaumburg, IL where I graduated from high school in 1973. I had always wanted to be a Flight Attendant so in 1979 I began my career with Eastern Airlines. Still the BEST career I have ever had, and I have had many. In later posts I will discuss some of my Eastern adventures.
Eastern went under in 1991 and a new career was born. I always loved skincare and makeup so Bloomingdale's was the answer. I became the Counter Manager for Christian Dior Cosmetics until 1996. I left there to work for a Plastic Surgeon, great benefits ( wink wink). He had opened a MediSpa and I became an Esthetician. I went to work for Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas in 2004 and eventually worked my way up to the National Training Director for Esthetics. I LOVED training Estheticians and skincare, still one of my passions, but circumstances dictated that I needed to be close to home. My son's Fiancee, Gina, was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in November,2009. Rhabdo is a very rare Pediatric Cancer that is a BEAST. Gina moved in with us and became a beloved member of the Calvo family.
I left Red Door and went back to Bloomingdale's in December, 2010. Best thing I ever did! What a company to work for, very family oriented, and they appreciate their employees. I was closer to home and didn't have to travel all over the US. Turned out to be the right move as Gina became very ill in April and passed away in May, 2011. I was so lucky to have been able to be close to home those last 6 months of her life. She was an Angel on earth and now is lighting up the Heavens.
I am the Manager of Customer Loyalty at Bloomingdale's. Everyday brings a new adventure and I love working with the Associates and Customers.
I have decided to write about all of my careers so stay tuned.
Best to all!