LET'S SWAP!

Okay, I have to tell you about 

~ Style Swapping ~

I have a friend who hosts Style Swaps 

that has been telling me about the concept for quite some time now.

She is hosting one that is literally tomorrow...

Here are the details:

STYLE SWAP & BUSINESS NETWORKING

June 10, 2012 

Baldwin Park, Orlando, FL 

1-4pm

Space is limited, you must buy your tickets in advance!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE STYLE SWAP

Here's how it works:

Do you have a closet full of clothes but "nothing to wear?" Before you spend your hard earned cash, come to our Style Swap!

How does it work? Go through your own closet, pull out the clothes you no longer wear and bring them over so you can exchange them for other amazing finds!

The following are guidelines for those of you who have never attended a Style Swap:

1. Please arrive on time. Drop-off and networking is between 1:00-2:00pm. The Swap will start promptly at 2:00pm and will stay open until 3:30pm.
2. Bring up to 10 items to trade. You don't have to limit your swaps to clothing; bring accesories, shoes and even unopened cosmetics and perfumes.3. Only clothes that are washed, pressed and hung will be accepted. There is no need for them to be dry-cleaned.
4. Items will be inspected. Don't bring anything stained, ripped or outdated. In other words, don’t bring anything you wouldn't lend to your best friend. 5. Please don’t bring items that should not be swapped for hygienic reasons. Items like underwear or swimwear should not be brought, unless they still have the tags on. 6. Every item will have the same value, this is why it is so important that you are detached from all your fashion items and happy to see them go to a new home. 7. There will always be a chance that you might not find anything that you like, want or maybe fit in. If that is the case, you can always choose items for someone else or donate your items to the Harbor House Shelter. 8. We will supply full-length mirrors and shopping bags for your convenience.9. Bring your business cards, this is a great opportunity to network with other great women in the area! 10. Bring any old cell phones and accesories you may have. We will be collecting them to help Harbor House's 911 Cell Phone Drive for Domestic Violence Survivors. An old cell phone can save a life. http://www.harborhousefl.com/

Imagine that! You can leave with new outfits, help a women's shelter and meet lots of other fun, savvy shoppers in the process!

          

Space is limited, you must buy your tickets in advance!

This event is for adults only.

Don't panic...You can still come.

Just click the link to register & we will see you there!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE STYLE SWAP

Swap is at:

 ENDERS PARK GATHERING HALL 

947 Fern Ave

Orlando, FL 32814

TELL ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!!

In Memory of...

R.I.P. my friend.  

I will miss you greatly!

"GUS"

Such a great companion.  Always wanting to be close to his mommy.

I went home with a friend one day in college and her kitchen was filled with kittens.

They were climbing all over me and he caught my eye.

He was sitting next to the leg of a wood stove just watching me.

I had to take him home!!!

He stayed with me in my college dorm room for the rest of the year 

and he has been with me every step of the way 

until yesterday... He was almost 18 years old.

He was always a part of the group.  

This is shortly after we moved from D.C. to FL.

As usual, Gus loved to get into boxes or even my luggage.  

Whenever I would travel, he would get in thinking 

he could come too!  

Just a few weeks ago when I was getting packed for Dallas... 

there he was all curled up in my luggage.

He LOVED to cuddle.  He used to sleep with his head on 

one pillow and with the blankets up to his neck.  

Just like his mommy.

 What a great friend.  I will miss you bubba!

Here he is with his pal Chloe.

She already misses him too!

He is now in kitty heaven.... 

forever to be missed.

What is Etiquette?

Today, I thought it would be great to give a little brush up on 

ETIQUETTE.

Have you ever sat and watched people as they were eating?

I have, 

and it is not only comical, 

& disgusting at points 

but, in some cases it is thrilling to see someone 

who is actually using proper etiquette.

It may seem a little "old school" but I love the formality of it all!

I looked up the meaning of Etiquette and this is what it said:

It's a system of rules and conventions that regulate social 

and professional behavior.

Why do most people only bring out their manners 

when they know people are watching???

Why not use them all the time?

******

A formal dinner consists of 7 courses - in this order: 

soup, salad, fish, sorbet or pallet cleanser, meat or fowl dish, 

dessert and coffee.

Here is a great picture that I found of a proper place setting. 

Explanation of above: 

starting clockwise

1. Stemware - limited to 4 (as shown).  

Wine is poured from right to left.  

Do not overfill glasses. 

positioning - top left - water glass, top right - red wine glass, 

bottom left - white wine glass, bottom right - champagne flute.

2. Cutlery - 3 knives & 1 spoon.

positioning - left - Meat knife, Fish knife, salad knife, soup spoon.

3. Napkin - once everyone is seated the host takes his/her napkin, 

then guests follow and place their napkin on their laps.

4. Plates - 2  

top is for salad, bottom is for main course.

5. Cutlery - 3 forks.

positioning - left - Salad fork, Fish fork, Meat fork.

Rule of thumb with Cutlery - Use from the inside out, 

once a utensel has been used it should not touch the table again.

Rule of thumb with flatware - The number of silverware pieces 

indicates how many courses are to be served.  

6. Bread dish & butter knife - tear bread into bite sized pieces on the 

bread dish and butter each piece just before you are to eat it.

7. Salt & Pepper shakers - they should be passed together 

even if asked for separately.

Taste food before salt & peppering.

8. Place card - Never switch or change seating arrangements already planned by host.

9. Dessert spook & fork - when dessert is served with a fork & spoon, the fork is the pusher and the spoon is used for eating.

******

Now on to a few more essential need to knows:

 1. When eating soup - tilt the spoon away from you.

When getting to bottom of the soup - tilt the bowl away from you to spoon up the last bits.

2. When holding utensils - knives & forks are held in a relaxed manner.

When holding the meat knife, place your index finger about an inch down from the handle to help press down firmly.  Hold the fork in your let hand, prongs down.  Cut only enough food for each mouthful.

3. Foods that you can and should eat with your fingers - 

asparagus, corn on the cob, artichoke, bread, hors d'oeuvres, 

chips, cookies, fruit, sandwiches with fries.

4. Resting positions - (image of knife and fork on plate)

When stepping away from the table your knife and fork 

should be crossed in one of the positions shown.

When stepping away from the table, leave your napkin loosely on the chair.

5. Finishing positions - (image shown with plate cup and napkin)

The dessert spoon should be resting on the saucer not the cup.

At the end of the meal, the knife and fork should eb at 11 o'clock position.

Rule of thumb with finishing - Wait for the host to loosely place 

his/her napkin to the left of his/her place 

setting when the meal is finished.

******

Proposing a Toast!

The custom of clinking glasses originally was used to drive away evil spirits.

If you clink, do so with care, especially with fine crystal.

For the most part, simply raise your glass in the direction 

of the person being toasted.  

Toasts should be long enough to cover the subject but short 

enough to be amusing *about a minute.

Toast people in their native tongue:

Spanish - Salud (SA Lud)

Irish - Slainte (SLAWNT tche)

Yiddish - L'chaim (leh KHY yim)

German - Prosit (PRO sit)

Japanese - Kanpai (KAHN pi)

French - Sante (SAN tay)

******

Well, I hope that helped... or even made you feel like going out 

and trying out your skills. 

I love fine dining and I love food.  

I will be sure to sharpen my skills at my next outing.

Cheers!