LocalBetsy: Boston’s Perfect Brows, Flawless Makeup, Perfectly You

The confidence that comes when you know you look your best is pretty hard to beat.

So partly as a reward to myself for working so hard these past months, and partly because I really needed it, I scurried off to get new makeup and a cleaned up brow-line.

All this logic found me, per a friend’s recommendation, at Sarra and in the confident hands of owner Lauren Genatossio. Named after Lauren’s makeup- artist grandmother,  Sara (pronounced Sa-Ray) is an extension of her philosophy of beauty- an inviting environment where women have access to top products and advice. An experienced makeup artist, Lauren’s a  ”precision brow” guru, listed as Improper Bostonian’s Best of Boston 2009 “best eyebrow shaper.” Her credits include W, Glamour, Elle, Maroon Five, and Bruce Willis.

Needless to say, I felt more than pretty ok with letting her have a go at my eyebrows.

When I arrive, I see TheLiquidBetsy reader Sarah T., having her brows done- she told me she was hooked after her first experience and is now pretty much a regular.

2 1/2 hours later, I had perfect precision brows, gorgeous makeup (on my face and in my bag) and new-found knowledge on what works for me. What I liked about Lauren, was her focus on educating her clients and her practical approach. I learned where most make-up is made, how she selects her own skin care and make-up products and, best of all, how the hell to make it all look good on me. Not the “Joan Collins- Runway-OMG-I can’t do this by myself “way, but the “I’m busy- I need to look put together with the least amount of steps + the few nights I go out with the hubby” nice. I also left feeling I could replicate 9o% what she had done.

And for the ROI crowd, dollar for dollar, this was, without a doubt the best money I’ve spent for make-up. Ever.  The brow is included in the lesson, but also the promise that Lauren (and her team) would be happy to do refresher. At Sarra they don’t push what you don’t need- when making the appointment I was told to bring my old makeup and brushes. Lauren went through everything I owned and edited, throwing out what I didn’t need and telling me what to keep, often in lieu of her own product line. Not hard to see why she has such a devoted clientele.

But don’t take my word for it, see Lauren in action. On me.

An appointment with Lauren for a make-up lesson will cost you $180,  this includes the precision brow shaping  ($40 value,) with $100 going toward any makeup or product purchased during the visit. Not bad, considering any make-up worth a trip to Saks would cost you that within the first couple of items and/or parking, brow not included. My friend who originally suggested Sarra, loves the reasonable prices. After dropping her entire makeup bag- and breaking every single piece- in Las Vegas. She visted Sarra and for around $200 replaced everything she needed. But you should note things can be more, depending if you include skin care products, or need extras like special brushes.

And just for TheLiquidBetsy readers, Sarra is taking half-off your initial precision brow apt.- say “Betsy sent me” at the time you schedule your apt. and save $20.

Can you say “Book’em Dan-O?“

A precision brows last typically between 4-6 weeks. And men are also a part of Lauren’s clientele, so drag your boyfriends and husbands in, tell them they’ll get a more natural effect vs. waxing. (And you won’t be lying.)

Visit Lauren and her team at the Boston and Hingham locations.

Sarra- Boston
840 Summer Street
South Boston, MA 02127-1533
(617) 269-8999

Sarra- Hingham
104 North Street
Hingham, MA 02043-1842
(781) 749-5599

Or check out them out on Google Maps.

Why is “Post” [Anything] a Bitch?

“Post” anything, especially a major health accomplishment, is a bitch.

The thing about being “post”-anything, is that you tend to forget the “pre”-anything that made you do the damn thing in the first place. You get confident in the completion, but it’s a false confidence, because you’ve had blinders on to anything else.

Once those blinders are whipped off, that is when the real challenge begins.

I’ve just had a recent experience of this, and I’ve got an insight or two to share.

I spent 32 days of doing a very intense body cleanse- almost 32 days of no refined sugars, no wheat, no dairy, no strawberries, no tomatoes, no Ho-Ho’s or Twinkies or Girl Scout Cookies. I’ve meditated, drank smoothies, sweating like a Sweathog — all a part of the regimen.

After more than 1/12 of a year, I felt great. Funky rashes were gone, my Rosacea dramatically faded, vim & vigor up, fitness up, BMI down. It was completely worth the time and effort, I am glad I committed myself to do it. I even blogged about it daily, mostly to keep readers of my blog and on the Clean Detox support site , My.CleanProgram.com , up to date, and also for myself to document the process.

Day 2 of my post- Clean Detox diet, I was like a kid in a candy store.

Note to self: this is not the right attitude to have.

Oh and I had a plan prior.

Post-Clean is called “Maintenance” and I planned to use the post- cleanse  to see how my body responds to sugar, wheat, dairy and the rest. One food ingredient at a time. I started small. Dark organic chocolate and red wine. Which worked out just fine. Trying one thing at a time, see how it goes, then go to the next one on my list after I gauge my body’s reaction. I was so great at this, totally in control.

Ahh the fickle friend false confidence is.

Then I had an itching for pizza. Which I really knew was probably a no-no, since it has dairy, wheat and tomatoes with each bite.That’s three ingredients, when gauging an allergy it would be tough to suss out the culprit if I had a bad reaction. But I still did it. Then dinner was some of my children’s Mac & Cheese. Oh, and throw in a couple of Girl Scout cookies for good measure.

What the HELL was I thinking?

And today I’m pay for it. I am itchy, feel bloated and ill. That’s just today, can’t wait to see the F.U. my skin will bless me with in a few days.

Post- [Insert Major Health Accomplishment] is a bitch. I’ve spent a better part of 1/12 of a year working on getting healthy, yet day two I’m eating dairy, wheat, tomatoes and toxic totally-not-of-nature peanut butter cookies. What was infuriating, it was just so easy to slip back into “pre-Cleanse” behavior. See yummy, eat yummy. I blame this in part on false confidence, I was feeling pretty damn invincible, and in part to not being “present” about the eating. The See-Eat combination doesn’t work for me. I have to slow things down, do I need the cookie or want? Wants are probably more about stress than nourishment. Again being  more present would do good for me both body and mind.

It also helps that I remember why I did this in the beginning. I was:
- Drinking 8 cups of coffee a day and dragging like a sloth.
- Eating whatever struck my fancy. Never a good thing.
- Sleeping fitfully
- Out of shape
- Too tired to get back into shape
- Depressed about all the above and below.
- Tired, did I say I was tired? I was friggin’ exhausted!
- Wearing F.A. jeans. And they were getting tight.

The good news is that it was one day. Really just two meals. And I’ve had a big wake up call. BIG WAKE UP.

So back on Clean Detox, hard-core for a few days, then I try again, working down my list wheat, dairy, tomatoes (just not all at the same time.) And a very sweet “Adios” to the Girl Scout Thin Mints & Peanut Butter cookies. Treats will have to be of the dark, organic chocolate kind for now.

But I can still have red wine!

(God giveth as he taketh away, thanks for leaving the wine G!)

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

Day 32: Finalities with Red Wine & Chocolate

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 32 or Day 19: BMI: 24.6. Activity Level: I totally hit Open Doors Studio this morning. For an hour and half I sweated like I never sweat before. It was amazing, I had to work through a brief bouts of vertigo, I still did it. Hip, hip horray for me! Brief Observations: I had my first glass of red wine and squares of dark chocolate in a long, long while as I’ve detailed earlier. It. Was. Glorious.

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God I love yoga, I’ve never sweat so much. Well I have, but not recently. The teacher today was more like a coach. Less flow more precision. Reminded me of days past working out with the some hard-ass volleyball coaches. You were pushed yourself to hold for minute longer, run a foot longer and lift 1 lb more than you think you can. Suck it up, work through the dizzyness and stay focused on the task at hand.

I work really, really well in that environment. I like discipline.

So as I talked about yesterday, I was ending my Clean Detox cleanse today.

Except it didn’t go as I thought it would. Around 2pm we got a call- our hosts informed us that they were all battling the  24-hour flu.

Ah, thank you, but no thank you.

With kids, I don’t need vomiting in stereo or, Gawd Help Me, in triplicate. Niceties aside, any parent knows after one bout of everyone being ill — and EVERYONE gets it in a family, it’s just a matter of time before you’re picked off one by one — you do anything not to get it. The good news is, every parent knows the score. There’s a “no harm, no foul” attitude to last minute cancelations and to declining an offer to still come.

But it left me in a little bit of a conundrum. Ready to come off my detox with this dinner, I was thrown a loop. Now what was TheBetsy to do?

Chocolate and good red wine. That’s exactly what I did. Mindful to keep my first forays back into “real” food simple. I ate a very Clean dinner of sliced chicken on organic baby spinach with apples, cucumbers, toasted almonds and that delighful carrot miso ginger dressing I chatted about earlier . For those keeping score I had smoothies for breakfast and lunch.

Then on to the chocolate.

Couple of squares of organic dark chocolate.

A glass and a half of solid red Cabernet.

A slice of Heaven.

So TheBetsy makes do, and does it pretty damn well.

In the next few posts:

- Post-game wrap-up on Clean Detox. Lessons learned, etc.

- A TheBetsy Review of EA Sports Active and Wii Fit Plus. The good, the bad, and the plain sucky,

- LocalBetsy meets VideoBetsy, as Betsy gets the “perfect brow” from Boston Eyebrow Guru & Make-up artist Lauren Genatossio (plus goodie bags for my readers!)

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

Vertigo-Go and The Social Contraints of Detox.

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 31 or Day 18: BMI: Didn’t weigh myself, but I don’t think much movement. Which has lead to an interesting discussion with my hubby, a sage, who pointed out that maybe I was eating too much. As I said sage. Discuss more below. Activity Level: I wanted to get some SWEAT on, but the dizzy spells are still here. Yoga in vertigo is a short course to vomiting. Don’t want to be Vomit-girl at the local Open Doors Studio. Brief Observations: I’ve pretty much decided to go off Detox tomorrow. Will go into it more in the post.

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Dizzyness is still with me,  but I’m on Antivert and it’s lessened it a degree or two. Which is great, but I still haven’t worked out. I just don’t trying to manipulate myself into yoga poses whilst battling Vertigo (the medical term for what’s going on with me, not the Film, but feel free to call me Kim Novak.)

I also blew the resistance band out of my EA Sports Active. My Wonder Woman strength aside, the band that it comes with stinks. If you’re a moderately in-shape person you’ll be annoyed with the resistance.  Frankly I’m glad it’s gone and I just ordered a new one, with more oomph! on Amazon. I’m committed to doing yoga tomorrow and just work through the vertigo if it happens.

Another issue is my weight having plateaued—the BMI is not going up or down too much. I’ve lost quite a few lbs. while on  Clean Detox, which is great, but I’d like to lose more.

As I was lamenting about it, my husband piped in. Seems, volume-wise, my smoothies seem huge to him. Perhaps I should double check the quantity of ingredients? Seemed reasonable, so I did.  And found that I was using about 1/4 more than I should in my smoothies. Whoops. I guess I’ve been gradually increasing them, without much conscious thought.

So back I go. Measuring carefully. It’s good to do an audit at some point when you’re doing something like a diet or any huge project. I’m glad I did, now I’m more mindful. (Thanks honey!)

Now on the the sticky-wicket issue. Quitting Detox. Tomorrow my family and I are going to a dinner at a friend of my husbands. I don’t know them well (but what I do know, I really like) and I just don’t see Detox smoothies fitting into the evening. At all. They have young children and a newborn, and I don’t need to add any pressure on them with my special needs. Nor do I see myself NOT eating, or bringing a smoothie with me, as can be confusing to your host at best, rude at the very worst.

If it were one of my close friends, I might be able to get away with it. They’d understand but, then again, they’ve been around me during this odyssey so it’s not coming out of left field. Tomorrow will be Day 19 of my extended Detox (Day 31 of the total Detox) a substantial amount of time, so I’m pretty Ok with putting a halt to it.

Starting tomorrow, my plan is to do two smoothies (AM and lunch) and just try my best at dinner. Of course, dinners I prepare myself will be CLEAN approved. The goal is to be Clean 80% of the time post-cleanse.

Thanks again for all the support and encouragement my readers have given to me,  I am truly grateful.

In the next few posts:

- I plan on doing a post-game wrap=up for y’all and myself. Lessons learned, etc.

- Review of EA Sports Active and Wii Fit Plus.

- Local VideoBetsy! Betsy does Boston with a visit to an Eyebrow Guru & Make-up artist Lauren Genatossio (and I didn’t leave empty handed for my readers!)

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

My.CleanProgram.com

Detox Day 30: Can Pot Shops Be the Basis for a Business Plan?

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 30 or Day 17: BMI: Didn’t get a chance to weigh myself this morning, but my guess is that it’s holding.  Activity Level: Haven’t worked out, actually went to the doctor today. Meditation: If stewing for over an hour waiting to see the doctor, then, yes, I did meditate. Brief Observations: I am having a real debate as to when I should officially “quit” the hardcore detox and start incorporating other foods. I may quit this Sunday, as I’ve been invited to a dinner party. My stop day is Monday. There’s a real internal squabble raging.

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So I’ve been dizzy, nothing new if you’ve been reading the past few blogs. Real vertigo, roll over and see  everything in nauseous triplicate. After 5 days, and lots of ideas from  my friends on the  Clean Detox web site, My.CleanProgram.com, I decided to call in the Calvary in the form of my primary care doctor, Dr S.

Outside of the horrendous wait in his office (which I guess had to do to a patient emergency, so I won’t go into it great detail, though I did tweet about it.) Dr. S diagnosed a viral infection in my inner ear, wrote out a prescript for Antivert and TheBetsy was on her merry way.

Sometime during the day, perhaps while I was waiting, I found this great clip of Friday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel the Ellen DeGenereous:

I find him delighfully hysterical. I mean who can forget his former girlfriend Sarah Silverman’s special “present” or his thoughtful, articulate and beautifully choreographed  thank you note? Both hot, searing pieces of funny.

So back to Jimmy K on Ellen. At one point on the clip, Jimmy offers his theory on the present-day cupcake craze and the thousands of storefronts dedicated to those delicious delectables  that have popped up in the last few years.

The growing popularity of medical marijuana shops.

Brilliant.

(Plus I love cupcakes, my favorite new one is THIS.)

So, strapping on my marketing and entrepreneurial cap, I thought, “This could be some kind of GREAT business and marketing plan.”  Though I don’t know how one would pitch to the more uptight money men. It’s not like you can say you want to tie your business to existing medical marijuana shops. But crazier has happened.

Tying a new business to an existing, successful one isn’t new. Jamba Juice co-located it’s stores right next to Starbucks, with Starbuck’s blessing, as it being a somewhat complementary fit. Breakfast might be a coffee for one, while their boyfriend might want a Jamba Juice smoothie. Close by, both needs could be satisfied easily. Starbucks has even used co-locating strategies regionally, offering coffee to bank customers, etc.. The Canadian chain Tim Horton’s located many stores near Canadian military bases.

So it’s not so far off to think Cupcakes to munchie-inducing medical Marijuana shops. Or doughnuts for that matter. Hooter’s (their chicken wings are killer.) Pizza. Fried Chicken. Ice Cream.

Even a Jamba Juice.

It will only be a matter of time, if it hasn’t happened already, before a business is based (overtly or not,) to the proximity of these legalized smoke shacks.

What else can we think of…?

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

My.CleanProgram.com

Potlocator.com- they even have an iPhone App!

Day 29. Hello Spring? It’s Betsy…

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 29 or Day 16: BMI: 24.6 (+0.1) Back up. Activity Level: Due to the dizziness, still no working out. No sweat. Argh. Meditation: Tried to take the chair-mediation exercise and translate to the bed this morning. Brief Observations: Spring is coming and I can tell I am getting a little touch of the spring-fever. I do believe, I require a prescript for a good dose of sun.

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Spring.

Mark your calendar.

1st day of spring: March 2oth.

Daylight Savings Time: March 14th.

Groundhog Day: “Punxsutawney Phil” saw his shadow, so according to the lore, tack 6 more weeks onto your winter bill. You suck Phil.

Some weather gets people a little zany. In the west it’s the “Santa Ana Winds” that blow through the Hollywood Hills and Mullholland in the Fall. Dry, hot winds fuel fires. People go a little insane. It’s an excuse for everything, from lateness to random snogging, and over the top binges, “It’s the Santa Anas… I’m just not myself.”

For Alaska, it’s when when the ice melts. The Nenana Ice Classic attracts tens of thousands of Alaskans and visiting foreigners to bet how much has river Tanana’s ice cover has melted. It’s even become a sort of measure stick for Global Warning. Last year’s jackpot was $283,723. Hurry, bets close April 5th.

For the North East, it’s about the crocus and narcissus. You get why Easter is such a big deal. It truly is rebirth, from the dark gray cold sprouts the tiny electric purple heraldry of spring.

Perfection in the reveal. As soon as I see shoots of those buds emerge I get giddy. Thank god. What magically color will bloom. The spectacular colors against the cold, it is promise of more color to come.

But up until then it’s the wait. The wait. The wait.

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

Detox Day 28 Olympic Gold Baby!

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 28 or Day 15: BMI: 24.6 (+0.1) Back up. Activity Level: Still dizzy, first it was the back going out, and then now the dizziness. This stinks. Meditation: Did the sit in the chair exercise that Dr. Junger suggests. It works. Feel great. Brief Observations: Skin is great. Back to the way it was before the rashes came back. Hallelujah.

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Still dizzy. Somehow it’s worse in bed. Rolling over. It hasn’t been so bad during the day, occasionally. Just. Wish. It. Would. Go. Away. It’s crimpin’ my style. Not working out, and I was just getting back into working out. I will just have to wait this out. And that’s OK.

What I do want to talk about is the Winter Olympics. Most have watched the skating, skiing, but TheBetsy has been keeping her watchful eye on the commercials.

By far, the gold has to go to this gem by P&G:

It hits on all notes. It is poignant. It plays to our hearts, especially if we have kids. And, face it, if you’re buying P& G, and watching the Olympics, you’re at least an adult. And if it’s a weeknight viewer, you’re most likely a parent. They did a fantastic job fitting the ads to this particular market segment.

This commercial brings the human side of the equation. Not the athlete, not the brief 1:30 bio done by a CBS Sports commentators but the essence of the struggle, the dedication, the necessary sacrifice and support necessary to make it to the olympics, let alone medal in an event. Ever athlete is the kid that parent took to practice, watch during competition finger crossed, panic at every fall, pepped talked during every crises of confidence and rehabilitate after every injury. That mom’s look is truly worth a thousand words. Hopes, dreams, fears, stress. It’s a brilliantly crafted piece.

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

My.CleanProgram.com

Makes Me Dizzy (Day 27 Detoxing)

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 27 or Day 14: BMI: 24.5 (- 0.1) Positively negative. I can live with that. Activity Level: I took the day off, see below.  Meditation: 10 mins of quiet breathing. Brief Observations: Skin looks great again. I feel less itchy… definitely glad I stopped the coconut milk.

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I’ve spent the better part of today dizzy.

The kind that they call vertigo. You stand up and it’s like the world is spinning. You get instantly nauseous. Hold on to the table type dizzy. And it is totally crimping my style. I can’t work out. I’m reluctant to really do everyday tasks (my house is a wreck.) I just want to sit still.

I don’t know what is causing it. Is it diet related? After posting my question on  My.CleanProgram.com I got a quick response from the fabulous members, who are extremely helpful and willing to share their experiences.

So far the theories are:

1. Iron deficiency

2. Inner ear issues (a virus, which I’ve had and this sounds very plausible.)

3. Lack of sugar

4. Lack of carbs

5. Changes in air pressure (As in a storm is coming…)

6. Circulation issues

I’ve added suggested magnesium to my diet. I’ve check my iron intake. It’s baffling. Other than dizzyness, I feel great. But the next step is the doctor.

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

My.CleanProgram.com

Thoughts on Being Exposed. Day 26.

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 26 or Day 12: BMI: 24.6 (+/- 0.0) Meh. Activity Level: Workout baby. Work it on out.  Meditation: End of day, brief respite. Brief Observations: Improvements can be seen just 2 days since shuttlecocking the coconut.

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No, this is not about art.

(I’ve always liked this poster and it had “exposed” in the copy)

This is about allergies. Or, rather being exposed to them.

Allergic reactions are a funny thing, especially after being on the CLEAN detox for 26 days.

The coconut reaction was so definite there was little doubt that something was irritating my system.

But I’ve eaten coconut for years, decades even and had nary a reaction.

There is one possibility, additives. Perhaps there was an additive in the Whole Foods Organic Light coconut milk. Anyhow, I’ve had plenty of Thai food, take-out no less, so I’m sure I’ve been exposed to crappy, preservative-ladened food. But no tell-tale signs.

What I love about what I’ve been doing is that it gives me a clean slate. Prior to that, my system was like a bucket filled to the brim with toxins (showering in chlorinated water, eating whatever crossed my plate.) Often stress or a cold or a pint of Hagen Daz or the extra three cups of Turkish coffee and ttha bucket overflows. You get sick and stay sick. Mornings are dreaded. Energy sapped. Rashes appear. Acne. You feel bloated and tired. All the time.  At times like this things can get masked. Allergies masked. Even when tested by an allergist, you will find it’s only it’s a temporary snapshot of that day. Shows up one day, and not the next, and it is only an estimation at best.

So having done the Clean Detox for almost a month,  I have created the best possible environment to suss out what food negatively affects my system. I now know Coconut Milk (at least that specific kind) doesn’t work for me. As I end this Detox I will be easing back into “real food” world. I plan to handle it like a multi-variable equation (I was a math geek) playing with one variable at a time, whilst holding the rest stagnant. Try only dairy for few days, then try wheat.

I hope to slowly work through the list: dairy, wheat, eggs, and certain fruits to find out what exactly I’m allergic to.

My guess is that I will retain a lot from the Detox: the smoothies, the organic as much as I can, brown-rice pasta, sea salt. I really like the way I feel right now. Alert. Even. Calm.

Doing Clean has provided an invaluable opportunity and I am grateful.

Thanks Flames for introducing me to it.

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

Lewd Chocolate Dreams & Sparkly Pinky Neon Days

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 25 or Day 11: BMI: 24.6 (-0.2) Halle-freakin’-lujah Go me! Activity Level: Planned to both strength train and yoga, but managed to just do the strength training. For a very good reason. (see below) Meditation: I spent 10 mins, lying in bed focusing on each body part. It works. Brief Observations: After chucking the coconut milk, I have yet to see any improvement. I’ll give more than one day. Then I’ll freak.

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First off, I totally skipped Friday’s post.

Geez.

Oh well.

It just came to me as I was typing this one. I spent most of the day in the car, driving. I was picking up my daughter, The Toaster, from the grandparents house in RI. It still blows my mind that one, in an hour, can traverse a state or two here in the East Coast. Having grown up on the Southern California coast, it was like 6 hours before you it the closest border.  First time it happened, I fell asleep in the back of the team bus in MA and woke up 3 states over from MA. Totally freaked me out.

Let’s move on…

I am  also starting to have illicit dreams of chocolate and red wine.

Food dreams have been plaguing me. Some time it’s crusty french bread. All in all, tis is not good. I thought if blogged about it I’d get it out of my system. Sort of a riff  on “just wait 15 mins,” but mine is more “just blog for 15 mins and ,” except there is no “and.” So here we go…

Day 11. 10 days more to go.

My fantasies are very specific. It would seem, the longer I am on detox, the more specific the cravings. I can now watch a cupcake go by without a thought, but when it comes to pieces of good, dark chocolate… I may have put a restraining order on myself.

Specifically this kinds of dark chocolate:

Lake Champlain Organic Dark Spicy Aztec chocolate.

Spicy. Organic. Dark. Fabulous. Pair it with a strong, deep Cabernet Sauvignon and you understand why the Conquistadors raped and pillaged the New World, if the end result was this. Almost.

They sell these at Whole Foods. If you like heat, I highly recommend this little number. Red pepper, when paired with dark chocolate really melds well.

Now, I was definitely not having lewd foodie dreams of chocolate, when I was treated to an afternoon with The Toaster.

Six, going on 14, she’s my old soul. Wise and preternaturally gifted in all things social. Quietly observing all though lately she’s been sticking up for herself with her twin brother as he encroaches on her Wii time.

It’s rare that just she and I spend time together. So off we went on a planned afternoon…

We got our nails done. It’s always a fun adventure because I let her pick the color, the style, the whatever. Just no acrylics. And she doesn’t disappoint. Neon pink for her, which I have an inkling glows in the dark, though I have yet to test. The finished products were show stoppers: festooned with white, glittery hand-painted stars. Boy George, Bananarama and Duran Duran come to mind as the retro 80’s have come back to haunt me in the form of my beautiful 6 year old daughter.

We also got ice cream, or rather her. Again, surprising I didn’t even want ice cream. Really. It was like “Meh,” as it’s no Organic Dark Spicy Aztec Chocolate. Not even close.

We chatted. We laughed. A little bittersweet, as I fear the “Mom-is-awesome” days waning as she gets older. So I made note to tuck this day away for later.

For me, it’s mentally filed under “white sparkly-starred pinky neon kind of great day.”

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy: