July 2008 Featured Writers
"LOOK THE PART" — By Tonia Tagliaferro
"HERE COMES THE BRIDE, AGAIN" — By Judy Lewis
"KEEPING YOUR BEST EMPLOYEES" — By Laurie Cohn
"DON'T HOLD THE SALT" — By Andrea Ramirez
"ALL ABOUT RED WINE" — By Maryl E. Vogel

"If you can dream it, you can do it."
~Walt Disney (1901-1966)

 

Tonia Tagliaferro
Visit our website at www.artofdressing.net

AS SEEN ON THE FRONT COVER
Focus Newspaper, published by the Poughkeepsie Journal

"LOOK THE PART" by Kathryn Lukaske

It's the wail heard round the world: "I've nothing to wear!" If you've ever stood in front of a closet packed with clothes and felt on the verge of a fashion-meltdown, don't despair. Now slowly back away from the ledge — there's a place you can go to learn how to banish those wardrobe-blues for good. At The Elegant Allure Dress Shop, located at 796 Route 82 in Hopewell Junction, owner and operator Tonia Tagliaferro teaches "The Art of Dressing" workshops. "It's fun, it's easy and it works," says Tagliaferro.

After 30 years in fashion retail, with half of that spent specializing in plus-sized women, Tagliaferro knows a thing or two about personal style. In addition to her workshops, she holds private consultations; bravely tackling the emotional challenges of purging her client's closets of their outdated garments, while patiently and comically explaining why they probably never should have been there in the first place. This is a woman who's passionate about fit.

"If you're not wearing clothes that fit your body type…if you don't understand which styles work best and why, you can wind up accentuating the area that you want to minimize," she says. It's evidently a common mistake. According to Tagliaferro, "If you find yourself purchasing the same style and cut of clothing season after season… more out of habit than anything else, you may be choosing the wrong pieces. In my workshops, I teach the fundamental skills to dress your body to its most flattering. We need to realize that genetically, our bodies stay the same. A bigger bottom half will always prevail, whether you're a size 16 or a size 6. This does mean however, that you can't dress in a way that will make you look ten or twenty pounds lighter."

Tagliaferro's workshops, which one can attend for a fee of $95.00, (saving $20.00 with pre-registering) runs three hours and encompasses the entire package: from closet to accessories. From tips on how to banish counterproductive self-esteem to purging that unitard and crocheted number from 1983. On holding on to the outdated clothes of your past, Tagliaferro says "Keep the memory, lose the clothes. I teach people to understand what looks good on them not their neighbor, not the model on page 72 of that magazine on the coffee table. I teach how to recognize your own unique body style." And since she can't truly see that unique body if you're sitting down amidst a small crowd, you'll be asked to stand up and be seen. As daunting as this may sound, after a few people see how small changes in design and cut can make vast improvements in their overall look, the hands inevitably go up. Suddenly, the chance to decode the mystery of creating that hourglass shape is stronger than the desire to be inconspicuous.

"Small changes can mean big improvements." Tagliaferro adds. "It's important that you have an open mind about changing your look. Try things on before you dismiss them as being not suitable for you. You might be surprised at how different colors and styles can change your overall appearance."

Lee Perosky of Hopewell Junction describes Tagliaferro's workshops as "liberating". "It's three hours that feels like five minutes" Perosky says. "We learned how to mix and match clothing…that pieces are not only meant to go together into one outfit. Tonia's techniques showed us how to shop more effectively for our body type. We learned how to organize our closets and how to let go of the pieces that aren't working anymore. You can tell that she honestly cares about making you look good."

Ellen Chase of Poughkeepsie echoes these sentiments. She gave herself the gift of Tagliaferro's individual consultant services because she felt it was time for a different look. "Tonia was my catalyst for change" says Chase. "It's hard to break the habit of buying the same style of clothing and equally hard to change your body perception. The day of our consultation, I had to model everything in my closet for her. Tonia would help me understand what worked and more often, what didn't. More importantly, she explained why so I would learn what to look for in the future. I also discovered that I have a different body shape than I'd always thought." Not an uncommon conclusion, according to Tagliaferro. At the end of the day, Chase says she was both exhilarated and exhausted. She had eight bags of clothing ready for charity and a new understanding of what looks best on her body.

"My closet space is now more about quality than quantity, wearing fewer pieces more often. When I think about the amount of money I've spent over the years buying the wrong articles of clothing, I realize how valuable this consultation was," Chase adds. This personal growth means change on the inside as well as the outside for many of Tagliaferro's clients. "Looking good makes you feel good. When you feel good, it's reflected in everything you do. People can see it in your face and in the way you carry yourself. It's still you, only better." she says.

For your convenience you may
Download this article HERE

Courtesy of Judy Lewis at
HudsonValleyWeddings.com
• 845-336-4705 •
judy@hudsonvalleyweddings.com

Almost 50% of marriages today involve someone who has been married before, so it's no wonder that attitudes toward remarriages have changed greatly over time. What once was considered no cause for celebration, in the light of a past "failure," has become, appropriately so, cause for celebration of what everyone hopes will be the start of a long, happy and lasting relationship.

Years ago it was appropriate to celebrate a second wedding (or in better words, an encore wedding), in a quiet civil ceremony which might have been followed by a small luncheon. The keyword for second marriages was "quiet." Today, it is very much the norm for couples who have been married before to plan weddings just as elaborate as first wedding celebrations might be. The remarrying bride wants to have the same special experience as a first-time bride. This is not to say that there are not some rules of etiquette and, usually, several dilemmas specific to second weddings. This is where guidelines may be helpful.

Most second-time bridal couples take the position that it's not their second or third wedding, but rather, the first for them as a couple. For most, they will older, hopefully wiser and paying for the wedding themselves. Holding the purse strings means that the decisions will be theirs alone. They will, not doubt, consider the feelings and wishes of their respective parents, but, when all is said and done, they will be the ones who make the final decisions.

Second-timers are more mature than they were at their first weddings and they tend to be more comfortable knowing what they like. For that reason, most second weddings tend to be more sophisticated. That sophistication can manifest itself in the style of wedding that encore brides and grooms choose, and appear in everything from the type of foods they select for their menus to the kind of music they have play.

For most encores, the couples pay more attention to what the event means to them and their families and less attention to accouterments. Usually a smaller affair, most second-timers only invite close friends and family. The guest list and who is invited to a second wedding, also changes. Where with the first wedding, the list appropriately included many of their parents' friends and clients, the encore wedding list will include more of the couple's friends and clients. It's okay to invite ex-inlaws, if the bride and groom are comfortable with that decision. In keeping with sensitivity to the feelings of children and one's partner an ex-spouse is almost never invited. If the couple is amenable to inviting the ex, it's important to do so in a way that gives him/her "a way out" without feeling, or looking bad.

Announcing your engagement and impending marriage to the people who love and care about you will, hopefully, evoke the joyful response which is appropriate. There will, however, be some people for whom the announcement will be less than pleasant or even unpleasant, so sensitivity is the key. You will, of course, need to tell your ex-husband. Do this in as matter of fact away as possible, without sharing details. If you have children from your first marriage, be prepared for mixed reviews when you make your announcement. Leave time for questions. Leave time for them to be able to vent their concerns. Try to explain the logistics involved and how things will change for them. If you can put their mind at ease, the transition and the wedding itself will be more pleasant for all of you. ... To Continue Reading about 2nd Weddings: Download entire article HERE

By Laurie Cohn
ASPIRE CONSULTING, LTD.

 

KEEPING YOUR BEST EMPLOYEES

Providing a positive experience for your employees is the best way in which to increase retention within your team, your department, or your organization.

The employee experience is important for a few reasons. First and foremost, it's human nature to not pay enough attention to your best employees and top performers. Why? Because they're usually self-motivated go-getters who need no prompting or anyone looking over their shoulder. As a result, managers don't feel the need to interact with them as much, or to "check up on them," if you will. This gives the manager more flexibility and more freedom to tackle other issues. After all, there never seems to be enough time to get things done. If you have a select number of employees who are high achievers, people who need a minimum of supervision, it only makes sense to leave them be and let them do their jobs, right? To a certain degree, that's correct, but if that philosophy is taken too far, it can prove disastrous in terms of retention.

Second, keeping those star employees is much less expensive than recruiting new stars. Advertising, backfill, training and development cost the average business more than they realize. For star employees, a positive experience with the organization includes the opportunity for professional growth. If they don't believe that they're growing in their current position and that they're working toward something bigger and better, then they're going to think about leaving. Even if they like everything else about their job - including their boss - feeling as though there's nowhere to grow will prompt them to begin contemplating whether or not the grass is really greener on the other side. Ironically the best way you can keep your star performers is to support their development, readying them for their next job.

With that in mind, here's a practical strategy for solving two problems at once. Let's say that your team or department adheres to the standard 20-80-20 rule, meaning that 20% of your employees are superstars, 80% are competent but not spectacular, and another 20% are bringing up the rear. Instead of spending precious time and energy attempting to motivate the bottom 20%, cut them loose.

By doing that, you've increased the overall quality of your team. In addition, you've created extra time for yourself, since you don't have to devote it to your underachievers, and the additional problems and undermining they cause for others. We all have felt like we do not have enough time to do those “non-essentials” You can now take that time and put it to better use. For example, you can focus on your top 20% and discover what their professional needs and career goals are, or look at the remaining pool and see who is just waiting to be the next star, with a little extra support.

The best way in which to engage your employees is by asking them what is important, and understanding why. Not in casual conversation, of course, but behind closed doors during a formal meeting. It shouldn't be an intensive, pressure-packed meeting, though. It should be one that fully engages the employee and makes them feel comfortable enough to broach topics they might not bring up themselves. Below is a loose blueprint for how you should conduct this meeting. • Ask what their expectations are for their employment with the organization. This type of open-ended question may prompt a response you didn't expect, but that's information you need to know. • Ask what their career goals and objectives are. • Ask what the company can do in order to help them achieve their goals. • Begin to formulate a concrete plan with them and your boss based upon their responses to the above questions. • Plan to meet on a consistent basis in the future in order to gauge progress and set additional goals.

Star employees think about their career ambitions all the time. It's in their nature. That is why they are the stars. So if that's the case, then it makes sense to be part of their thought process and to be involved in their plans for the future. Align their goals with yours and that of the company. If you don't make sure that your company is involved now, you increase the chances that it won't be involved down the road

To learn more about the assessments we offer, D.I.A.L.O.G organizational
assessment or Attribute Index individual assessment, please visit our website at
www.AspireAdvantage.com

Contact Information: Laurie Cohn
845-803-0438 • lcohn@aspireadvantage.com

For your convenience you may download Laurie's article:
Keeping Your Best Employees

Andrea Ramirez of Soulterra Holistic

DON'T HOLD THE SALT!

One of my most respected teachers, Sally Fallon, said that God didn’t give us salt-tasting buds to torture us, but because we are supposed to use and enjoy it. Salt is essential to bare survival, let alone good health. No study about the long-term consequences of salt deprivation has ever come to conclusion, because the subjects involved have every time become so weak after only a few weeks that, invariably, the studies have been suspended.

Every traditional culture has always used salt in some fashion. Some that didn’t have easy access to it would go long distances, even undergo great dangers, to get the precious salt. Others used the — very salty — blood from game in food preparation. In Africa, ashes of sodium-rich marsh grasses were added to food. Seacoast peoples have always prized dried seafood — with its high content of salt. The fact that salt was used as currency in many parts of the world well into the 19th century speaks of its importance.

Why is salt so important?
For starters, salt is the most important source of chloride, which the stomach needs to produce hydrochloric acid. This acid is crucial to protein digestion — is this why any meat tastes terrible without salt? Chloride also activates the production of amylase enzymes needed for carbohydrate digestion and it’s essential to proper growth and functioning of the brain. Salt is also the primary source of sodium. Since all body fluids — blood, plasma, urine, sweat — contain sodium, we could say that sodium is essential to life. Amongst others biochemical processes, salt is needed for water balance regulation, muscle contraction and expansion, nerve stimulation, acid-alkaline balance, and adrenal glands function.

Though not all salt is the same...
Salt is not meant to be only chloride and sodium, sometimes enriched with inorganic iodine — as the food industry wants us to believe. Unrefined sea salt is an important source of good iodine, which we only need in trace amounts, but it is also essential to a number of processes including fat metabolism, thyroid function and the production of sex hormones.

Common white salt — like most of our convenience foods — lacks nutritional value. It is processed at high temperatures that change its molecular structure and removes minerals — which are then packaged to be sold as supplements. It contains additives — including aluminum which is one mineral we definitely don’t need — and anti-caking agents (when it rains, it pours, remember?). The looks might be attractive, but when it comes to good salt, you want it to be pink, gray, or beige, indicating the presence of minerals. (To me, this is more attractive.)

White salt is guilty of salt’s bad rep. Do you experience fluid retention, or iodine toxicity? Do you suffer from high blood pressure, or kidney disease? Then try this: throw out the salt shaker, stop eating all processed foods loaded with sodium, and drastically reduce your eating out. Use only mineral-rich, unrefined salt in your cooking and — I guarantee it — you’ll see a difference.

I know this is easier said than done, and I don’t expect you to make changes like this at the snap of my fingers. But you should know that you can dramatically improve your health by tweaking your diet a little.

And if you are you ready to give yourself the gift of wellbeing, I’d love to hear about your health concerns and struggles. I’ll help you figure out how to start and I’ll give you all the shortcuts to make the changes, once and for all. Call or email me today!

Some salts I like: Real Salt ... Celtic Sea Salt ... Himalayan Crystal Salt ... Atlantic Sea Salt

andrea ramirez, hhc, aadp
healthy eating, balanced living expert
healthier and happier than ever, for the rest of your life!

845.231.2470, 347.432.5856
Andrea@soulterraholistic.com
www.soulterraholistic.com

For your convenience you can download article HERE.

Maryl E. Vogel President/Owner
El Paso Winery

ALL ABOUT RED WINE

DID YOU KNOW ... Red wine may help regulate blood sugar levels in diabetics, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Food Biochemistry. The study showed that red wine might inhibit, by nearly 100%, the activity to an enzyme responsible for triggering the absorption of glucose by the small intestine. White wine was far less effective (20% decrease), showing that the concentration of polyphenolics is the major factor, with red wine containing about 10 times as much. This research is very significant because more than 20 million Americans (7% of the population) have diabetes, with $92 billion of the $132 billion total costs directly related to medication. The authors suggest that using specific beverage combinations could generate a whole food profile with the potential to manage type 2 diabetes and its complications, especially in the early stages.

Contact Information:
Maryl E. Vogel, President/Owner
El Paso Winery 742 Broadway • Ulster Park, NY 12487
Business Phone: 845-331-8642 • 914-466-0888 Fax: 845-331-8642
Email: Marylvogel@aol.com • Website: www.elpasowinery.com

Click Box Below for: