Category: Finding Solutions
LISTEN TO YOUR WARDROBE
When opening your closet you see rows and rows of clothes patiently and seemingly silently waiting for attention. Yes, you show preference for some of these items by picking them again and again, but if you stopped for just a moment you would hear the cry for recognition, the plea to be chosen by the rest of your clothes, but your mind shuts down as quickly as you close the wardrobe doors. You don’t want to hear the green jacket asking you ‘why have you ignored me for the last 2 years?’ You don’t want to feel guilty for always choosing your favorites things, those which make you feel and look good. And even if you acknowledge that you have too many clothes you don’t want to admit that your bulging wardrobe is your doing. You make-believe you don’t know how this happened? Your closet just becomes fuller and fuller.
But if you took a moment to listen to what your wardrobe has to tell you, you would be happier with your clothes and your clothes would be happier with you. What is really happening is that when you open your wardrobe there is a voice in your mind that makes them speak – and here is what they say:
– why do you never wear me?
– why do you keep me if I don’t fit you anymore?
– why did you buy me? red is not your color?
– when will you ever go dancing again or need a cocktail dress?
– why do you keep me – I am 10 years old and look worn?
– why do you keep something that is out of fashion?
– why did I get into your closet – I am not your style?
– why did you buy me – because I was on sale – I was a good deal?
– why don’t you remove the tags from me – will you never wear me?
– why can’t you control your impulse buying?
If you answer these questions honestly – especially this one – was it on sale – and take action you will silence these voices and have a slimmer wardrobe you love and which loves you back.
And Never Forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Mirror Mirror On The Wall…………
I hope you enjoy this video and if you don’t have a full-length mirror this might give you a reason to buy one.
And Never Forget…. A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Old Friends Can Be New Friends Again
Articles in newspapers and magazine, including AARP, TV programs, many featuring health experts, and even doctors now all agree that loneliness can cut our live short. But advice how to overcome it varies. One idea, however, keeps popping up again and again:
“You must make new friends!” Not impossible but easier said than done. Yes, I am out there meeting new people but they don’t always turn into friends. And if they do we have little history together and making history takes time (and how much time do I have?)
So when the other day I was cleaning out a desk drawer I saw an old address book. I opened it slowly and started reading the names – oh, there was Janine’s name – I remember her as a fun person always ready for a joke. And there is Peter’s name – did he ever get married to the girl he was dating? After thinking and wondering for a while I told myself to stop wondering and to pick up the phone and dial the number I still had – surprise – it worked-and many other worked too. And if you wonder how to start a conversation after 5-10-15 years, my opening is, “This is a voice from the past, this is Brigitte.'” Silence – but not for long, “Oh, really what a surprise – how have you been? How nice to hear from you….” and so on and so on.
One of my here is a voice from the past calls was to a couple who had attended my son’s wedding 20 years ago . It took us close to an hour to catch up a little, a promise to meet soon and not to lose touch again was confirmed by exchanging emails.
I have other examples, but I don’t want to bore you with my friends. I am sure you have an old address book too! Reading through it is a nice way to walk down memory lane and to bring back the past – now being older the past is something we need more than ever.
And it might only be a phone call away – make that call and say ‘here is a voice from the past!’
And Never forget – A smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
WHAT CAN CLOTHES DO FOR US?
They can make us feel good; they can give us confidence; they can make us look younger; they can make us look slimmer; they can make us look and feel sexy. But to achieve all of this or even just some of it is getting harder and harder. No, not because we are getting older, but because the fashion industry is becoming less and less helpful.
Unless we spend more money or buy a designer label, the quality of clothes on the rack is dropping further and further – the fabric is cheap, the cut is bad, the construction shotty , seams are uneven and the fit – what is that? A little too big – a little too tight – not a problem. Unfortunately many younger customers have never known a well made garment, and therefore, don’t mind if the hem is longer on one side than the other, or very uneven. 
I went shopping today in Bloomingdale’s Outlet store here on the Westside. Yes I know it is an outlet, but a Bloomingdale one which have a certain reputation. Yet I could not stop thinking that all these clothes I saw looked like rags – already worn, second-hand. – Here are some images of the racks displaying their ‘latest arrivals.’ 
It must be a generation gap on my part which makes me more aware of what I have to look out for and what it takes not too to look like I slept in my dress, or that I am wearing a hand-me-down. Here are a few things to watch out for if you still remember how clothes were made way-back-when:
- The fit
- The Quality
- The coordination of colors
- The condition
With a little extra time, and a little extra money remembering these points will help you avoid the already worn look!
And Never Forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Having A Roommate in Your Golden Years
Listen carefully – this might be a way to change your life! Please leave a comment telling us how YOU feel about this – thank you
And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
A New Purpose – Writing A Book?
We have all heard someone say, “Oh, you should write a book!” And maybe you have thought about writing your memoirs – but doubting if anybody would be interested holds you back. Your family would certainly be curious, because they don’t know ALL ABOUT you.
How to start is always the hardest part, but help is in sight.
If you are receiving the AARPBulletin (and who doesn’t?) there is an article Tell The STORY of your life (September 2017 issue)giving step by step instructions and information how to go about it.
If you decide to leave this legacy for your kids and grandchildren it won’t only benefit them, but it will give you a purpose for getting up every morning, for being counted, for not feeling isolated or left behind – and at the end of that road you will leave part of you for posterity in the heart of those who loved you.
So the first step is reading the article in AARPBulletin – starting on page 34 – I hope it will inspire you
And Never forget — A Smile Changes Everything
Brigitte
Getting the most for your buck!
The other day when I was putting on my favorite black pants, and one of the four sweaters I wear all the time, finishing it with a duffel coat I have worn all winter, it occurred to me that I wear these items all the time. Then I asked myself why? The answer was easy – because I feel very comfortable in them – because I look good in them – because they stand up to wear and tear. They are like old faithful friends, and I can always rely on them to make my day. The reason? I bought the best quality I could afford.
No, it doesn’t mean we have to buy designer clothes, those are for the rich and famous. But it means choosing between a discount store – yes, I know they carry brands too, but often they are the items they could not sell elsewhere, the rejects – and a higher priced department store, like a Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, or a boutique in your neighborhood.
If you have a budget, and who doesn’t, you will buy less by buying better, One advantage here is your wardrobe will be less crowded- and the other advantage is that you won’t have to think so long what to wear, because when you buy better, everything looks good on you.
It is an adjustment to pay $89 for a top instead of $29 but the extra $60 will earn their keep so to speak, over and over by making you feel and look good.
We are still in the beginning of the New Year – could that be one of your New Year’s resolutions? Please let me know, or if you have a question – leave a comment here and I will be in touch with you.
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And always remember – A Smile Changed Everything!
Brigitte
Lipsticks – Our Best Friends!
“I just want to put on some lipstick.” is something every woman says a thousand times during her life. And while freeing the creamy stick from its tube, looking in the mirror, and opening her lips slightly she carefully applies the magic that makes her look better and above all makes her feel whole again, because without it she feels incomplete.
I remember my mother-in-law, even at 91 years old, always had a lipstick close by. When she had diner at home or in restaurant a lipstick was right beside her plate. And no sooner had she finished her meal she picked it up and gently applied it to her lips. No, she needed no mirror, and no, she never missed, all was perfectly in place.
From all the items in our make-up kid the lipstick is the most effective:
- it makes the face look alive
- it makes the face look pretty
- it adds sex appeal to the face
- it protects the lips against dryness
- it brightens up your smile
- and most of all it makes us feel whole
Today’s women are not the first to enhance their appeal with lipstick. In 1923 the first lipstick in a tube was sold. But as far back as in Ancient Mesopotamia (5000 BC) women decorated their lips with crushed gem stones, and in Egypt Queen Nefertiti (1370 BC) was always depicted with red lips.
And ever since women have enhanced their beauty by coloring their lips. And our choices have grown ever since. It is an overwhelming task to find the perfect shade – (the reason we end up with dozens of lipsticks in our drawer). My personal chagrin is that every time I find the perfect color it is soon discontinued. I was told by a cosmetic company executive that women get very excited by new shades and it guarantees a sale.
But with all the options we have, beware of the following missteps when getting a little older:
- too bright colors – can easily look garish
- too dark colors – don’t give any life to the face
- lip-gloss – tends to run into the little lines around the mouth
A statistic showing that when times are bad sales of lipstick go up certainly confirms that a lipstick is the most important item in our paint box.
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And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Shoes- Shoes and more Shoes
Hello Everyone – today I am talking to you about Shoes – when to buy them, what kind to buy, and how shoes can improve your look.
And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Ready to Live Longer 