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challenges of purging her client's closets of their outdated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
HERE
COMES THE BRIDE, AGAIN
Second Weddings:
Etiquette, Tradition and Planning
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 didnt 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 didnt 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 its 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 dont 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 salts 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 youll see a difference.
I
know this is easier said than done, and I dont 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,
Id love to hear about your health concerns and struggles.
Ill help you figure out how to start and Ill
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

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