​I sent the following email to our customers:
Nearly six years ago, Kathy and I bought Backstage Salon. We had stars in our eyes and plans for all things marvelous.

These past two years have seen Kathy's health really give her a hard time. Running a business takes a lot out of you and it became apparent it was too much for her health.

We made the truly difficult decision to sell the business.

The buyers are FANTASTIC.

You know them AND you already love them!

We are absolutely thrilled to share that Shelley, Leslie and Justine are taking over the ownership of the salon.

Kathy will continue working Wednesday through Saturday. Her current date to return to the salon is Wednesday, March 25.

Me? Well, you may see me now and again IF they need help.

I will be doing readings at The Magic Basement, AKA my house. I have an amazing space that has been itching to be used again. You will be able to find me at my NEW website!

My email is: [email protected]
My cell is: 914-261-4517 - which a lot of you have for a million reasons.

I hope to hear from SO MANY OF YOU!

It has been my great privilege to spend a small part of your time here getting to know you. I have been filled to the rim with joy and laughter and tons of love.

I will wait with giddy anticipation to see what these amazing women have planned for the next incarnation of the salon. I KNOW it will be awesome.

With love, gratitude, and awesome hair,
xo
Maggie

I can't even remember our last dance party here.

Well people, welcome to Friday.

Give yourselves five little minutes, turn up the sound, and dance!

https://youtu.be/6vG5WqYJViY

And every room in my house is filled with shit I couldn't live without
(Everything now!) I need it
(Everything now!) I can't live without
(Everything now!) I can't live
(Everything now!)
Every inch of space in my heart is filled with something I'll never start

xo

I have a a few great jobs I get paid to do.
I am the Hair Traffic Controller at the salon.
I am now a skincare consultant.
I am a wedding officiant. (I love love, you know!)
I teach Vision Board Workshops.
I facilitate Vision Boards in lieu of final papers with students of any age.
I facilitate retreats.
I co-facilitate retreats.
(There may be more stuff, I can't keep up with myself!)

And I am a card reader.

So what does that mean?

Well, first it means I straddle both the right and left sides of my brain each and every day. Salon checkbook versus "woo-woo" spiritual.

I am a means for your energy and your spirit guides, angel guides and Board of Directors to help you make sense of all the mishagosh you have running around in your head.

Find me a person who doesn't have a holy load of thoughts in their head and I'll hug them hard!

I can't predict the future. I am not clairvoyant. I don't speak to the goddesses and gods. I can't directly communicate with your people on the "other side," I am not a medium. Although they come through and will let themselves be known, I can tell you that!

I can help you get clarity.
I can help you look at your whole brain, which has just exploded onto the table, and help you make sense on where you are stuck or concerned or confused.

I use multiple decks of cards and a pendulum and my intuition.

We are ALL born with intuition and the ability to do whatever we put our minds to. I happen to be able to read the cards in a way that is comforting and fun and easy to look at.

I get excited when the cards are all EXACTLY right. I clap and giggle.
I have been known to "yell" at a client if I can see their potential and they are feeling "not worthy." THAT refrain is the "same bat channel, same bat station" to so many of us day after day!
I cry when the end card is so right it moves me.

It has been suggested I get an old microphone so I can do a mic drop when a reading is totally on point.

My room is beautiful and serene and I love being in there. It is filled with beautiful and meaningful objects. It is ever evolving.

People come in nervous. People who have only had Tarot readings may have a slightly different expectation of what their reading will be like. To my knowledge, no one has been disappointed.

​I am available nearly all the time for readings. I work out of the salon the majority of the time, but I can certainly do phone readings, FaceTime readings, and Skype or Zoom Readings.

To set up a reading during my hours at the salon, click HERE.

Otherwise, you can email me, text me, send a bat signal - whichever is easiest. (Please don't FB message me - those messages get lost!)

I am available to read at your event or retreat.

Readings are $40 for approximately 30 minutes and $80 for approximately 60 minutes.

REQUEST: If you have had a reading from me and feel called to do so, would you PLEASE write me a testimonial. You can email it to me and I will add to my pages. Big love and thanks! xo

You KNOW there is music in the Reading Room. Just imagine it.
​xo

​https://youtu.be/Rm-2gKAvnZY

TODAY is this woman's birthday. Many of you know and love her so feel free to add a birthday greeting to my mama, Peg.

Peg Buckley was born on Friday, September 13, 1935 in Brooklyn, NY. When her mother moved from Brooklyn to Vermont they found the hospital bill from when my mom was born. It was expensive for her to be born. $12. Yes, you read that right. Twelve dollars for someone so priceless.

This picture was taken on January 16, 2019 at the West Rim of the Grand Canyon. Mom had arranged for a private tour of the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam for us. She had done hours and hours of PT in order to handle this expedition. (She had two knee replacements the prior year.)

Things started a little iffy when it wasn't a totally private tour, BUT, we settled in quickly when we realized we had an awesome tour guide and lovely tour mates. Plus, mom ended up in the best seat of the van.

We got to the Grand Canyon and found out the elevator was broken. This was NOT good, people.

Putting one foot in front of the other while I "sang" (along with Annemarie & Jane) the theme song from Rocky, mom was able to climb the stairs to get to the area we needed to be in order to go out on the rim.

For ME, the most memorable moment of the ENTIRE trip were the tears in my mothers eyes and the look of wonder as she exclaimed, "I never thought I would get to see this," while seeing the canyon for the first time.

How fabulous that in her 80's she was able to experience this. With ALL of her favorite daughters.

What you need to know is I am terrified of heights. Ugly cry scared of heights.

As a little girl I climbed trees with wild abandon and had no fear. Until I fell out of the tree in our front yard. My father really thought I was dead. I had the wind knocked out of me and the fear into me.

When my kids were little and we took them to their first Yankee game we were HIGH UP in the seats. I had to turn with my back to the field and carry on as if I wasn't crying so as not to pass that on to them.

​So. For ME to do this was a huge deal.

I am AB-SO-LUTE-LY crying in this picture. Fear. Joy. Goddammit I will NOT let the fear win. I needed to triumph, and I did. For THAT day. At that time. And the women of my family cried with me and cheered me on.

I do not take for granted that my mom is alive and healthy and able to be reached by picking up the phone.

I do not take for granted the bonds our family have. Started by Peg, lovingly cultivated by all of us, although usually with Jane at the helm making family events happen.

We are 21 strong with a wedding planned for next May that will make us 22 strong. There are important significant others in the next generation. There will be babies. And puppies. And kittens.

And frankly, without Peg, there would be none of it.

Thanks for teaching us all to fly. Love you! xo

This year I turned 58.

Fortunately for me I was born into an excellent gene pool and my skin is really quite good. With that said, my skincare routine was lackadaisical at best in my early years.

Behold my product journey
Ivory Soap - pre-teen years
Dove Soap - teen years
Clinique - early twenties
Mary Kay - more than 20 years*
  *my sister Annemarie sells Mary Kay and I love the products, but they changed the formula and the scent and I don't enjoy it very much anymore
DermAware - when I bought the salon that's what we were selling
Hylunia - when we got a new esthetician this is what I used
Rodan & Fields - Carol at the salon sells this and I also love these products, but again, I didn't love the smell of some of the items. I do love, and fully suggest their lash booster.
Oil of Olay - it was eh for me.

On July 31, 2017 my friend Lisa messaged me about a company called EVER. At the time we were up to our eyeballs in other products at the salon and I wanted to do what was best for the salon. 

Fast forward to this year.

We have no esthetician and we are not planning on adding one to our staff.

On Facebook, I was seeing many, many women I knew from my Stampin' Up! days becoming a part of this EVER tribe. (That's how they refer to themselves. And don't we all want to be part of a tribe? That's why I created TGHR!) 

Finally, I texted Lisa and told her I should have joined the journey when she did. She immediately sent me samples of her facorite products. I LOVED THEM.

I swore I would never sell another Direct Sales product.

But then, I saw the change in two young women who had acne issues and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I had to be part of this.

Bella has tried prescription skin care and every other product I have bought to no avail. To see young women smiling from ear to ear because their skin issues are no more was the true motivator for me.

And so begins a journey into the skin for me.

No, I am not an esthetician. No, I am not a dermatologist. BUT, these products tick all the boxes that matter.

• Free of BHA and BHT chemical sunscreens, ethanolamines, hydroquinone, mineral oils/petralatum, microplastics, parabens, phthalates, resorcinol, propylene, glycol, sulfates, synthetic fragrance
• Dermatologist and Opthamologist Tested
• Hypoallergenic
• Clinical Grade
• Gluten-Free
• EVER products are never tested on animals

I am happy to share the ingredient list with anyone who is interested.

The details:
You can try EVER Risk-Free.
We have a 45-day money-back guarantee.

You can buy direct by clicking HERE.
If you subscribe you will save 10% each month.
If you sign on as a specialist you will save 25% while earning income.

It has been a LONG time since I was this excited about doing something good for ME. (Next up, eating right and exercising...)

I said no for a long time until I bit the bullet with this. I encourage you to nose around on my website and see everything we have to offer.

https://www.everskin.com/with/maggiepinque

Questions, comments, concerns, looking for samples? Contact me!

I've got you under my skin...
(Let's make it even more perfect!)

https://youtu.be/3TK5CSBLKVI

I had the unique and wonderful experience to spend four days in middle school last week. I was invited to facilitate a vision board exercise with six 7th grade classes as a response to books they read.

I love a snarky teen and I don't believe they make them any snarkier than middle schoolers. Not quite "big" kids, not quite "little" kids. I worked with them right, smack in the middle of hormone hysteria end of year crazies.

It was truly a privilege to share something I love with kids who took it to entirely new levels of creativity. Although it was an independent project, while working you can't help but help out your classmates. Who needed a specific letter, word, or picture? Someone always came to the rescue with it.

​I am looking forward to bringing this to anyone who wants the opportunity to do something a little out of the box with their students. This was paid for from a grant from the PTA, so it is something I can bring nearly anywhere! I'm so excited!

I am fingerprinted in NYS so I'm OK to go into the schools. (That is as a result of the hot second I substituted in a kindergarten classroom and remembered almost immediately why I KNEW teaching wasn't a full time dream of mine!)

I encourage you to look at some of my favorites HERE.
Note: They were all amazing.

Thanks to Maryann Zabbia who I met at Kacey's Shine On! Retreat in March for making this happen. She has two more planned for the summer - you can check them out by clicking on her name.

xo

Make, make, make your own art!

As you all know, FIVE YEARS ago, Kathy and I bought our salon. Five years. It blows my mind. We have been through some trying times and some seriously marvelous times.

For much of that time, THIS business (TGHR) has been on hiatus. I had to go all in on the job that pays many peoples salaries. It left me occasionally depleted to not be able to do this on a regular basis. But. Life.

Fortunately, I've always had cheerleaders telling me to keep going. First and foremost is Kathy. She has always wanted to see me somehow bring The Glass House TO the salon.

Kacey has been saying it for years. I'm not kidding, I could go through our text chains and it would be one gentle reminder after the other. Kacey keeps TGH in the loop by asking me to be a part of her retreats. She is a trusted confident and I deeply value our friendship.

Next up would have to be Jeannie. Subtle. Encouraging. Cheering for me to just do it already. Stop making excuses.

Janis. Who works with me at the salon and has been through SO MUCH with me for the past 15 or so years. She is a rock-star and a solid, solid friend.

There are SO MANY MORE amazing women. If I continue to name names I will forget someone and then hurt a feeling I don't intend to hurt. But know. I KNOW. And I appreciate the confidence.

SO...what's the news?

Do you see that room up there?
That's my Reading Room.
AT THE SALON!

We recently had the floors replaced. (Thanks Tom, EVERY SINGLE PERSON LOVES THEM.)

In order to replace the floors, we literally had to move. Each and every item in the salon had to leave. And in doing so, I realized we were able to create space FOR The Glass House Retreat.

Cue: angels singing and spirit guides and anything else that wants to sing.

​On Sunday, March 24, ON our five year anniversary, I held an Open House to introduce the Reading Room.

It was a glorious day! It was so exciting to share the space with beautiful women from near and far.

Janis came for support and she ended up playing Card Traffic Controller. I am filled with so much gratitude I don't even have the words to thank her for KNOWING I would need her help, encouragement and beautiful self.

In addition to ME doing readings, I am so pleased to share that Amy Luke will be doing astonishing readings combining cards, crystals and Reiki. It is a trifecta of phenomenal. Amy currently doesn't have set hours as it's baseball season and she's a dedicated fan.

​If you would like to book an appointment with me, you can do so by clicking on THIS link. Just click on appointments and chose if you want a 30 or 60 minute reading.

If you would like to make an appointment at a time that isn't listed, please send me an email and we will get something set up.

I am hoping to have guest readers come in on a Sunday. I have had some extraordinary readings and I would love for all of you to be able to experience them as well.

And that friends, is my very exciting update.

Thanks for staying along for the journey.

​xo

This is a mesmerizing instrumental version of Coldplay's Clocks.
Take a listen. You'll be glad you did.

https://youtu.be/Am8ySL6xNB0

As you may recall, we had to put Tucker down in October.

Our house felt empty and each one of continued to look for him whenever we came home.

And then, frankly, it was kind of nice to be able to do whatever the heck we wanted for however long we wanted without the worry of having to be home in time to take care of a pet.

In some way, each of us kept tabs on the puppies going up for adoption in the general area. We were scheduled to go THE DAY AFTER we put Tuckie down. (I'm the one who instigated it. And stopped it the next morning.)

The messages of pictures of puppies went in and out of our phones on an hourly basis. For months.

Finally, Marco and I decided we were going to meet Titan. He was a rottie/lab mix. I wrote to the woman and asked to meet him that evening. EXCEPT, I was on my cell and actually replied to Marco. (insert eye roll) When I realized the error of my ways, four hours later, he had already been adopted that afternoon.

Enter A Good Dog Rescue of Canine Kindergarten. And their adoption day coming up on Sunday. And no children at the manor.

We welcomed Rockie and Burlie on Sunday, January 27. The kids were brought on board via FaceTime. The squeals from Bella's house were fantastic!

They were born August 18, 2018 - we got them at five months old and they slept through the night from the first night on.

Our days have been as endless as the love they have for us and us for them. They were named for Rochester and Burlington, the cities our children went to college. 

They have fabulous personalities. Rockie is a giant mush who wants everyone to pet her belly. She will flop down in a second and be your best friend. She has a distinctive "voice" and you know her growl-talk. Burlie looks all innocent but she is a sneak attacker who will tackle Rockie when all Rockie wants to do is relax. She has a high pitched whine and bark and we know when she has something to say as well. These ladies have a lot on their mind and they are willing to share.

(Click on the pictures to see them full size with captions.)

Here's what I've learned since the death of Tucker.

EVERYONE feels bad when a pet has to be put down. It doesn't matter what race you are. It doesn't matter what, and if, you practice a religion. It doesn't matter who you are sexually attracted to. And it seriously doesn't matter who you voted for.

Grief is an equal opportunity paralyzing force.

Pets offer comfort when nothing else will. They slobber their love on us when we leave from one room to go to the bathroom and come back again. Their tails are an indication of their joy and some of them can take you down with their strength. They are the constant picker upper of the crumbs of food left here and there. They can leap with excitement when they have to go out. They bare witness to our secret hopes and dreams. They don't judge. They love a good treat.

So.

The next time you feel yourself getting all wound up about some political injustice - and honestly, depending on the particular day, that could be more than a few times - go look at pictures of puppies. (Or kittens if they're your thing.)

You will say, "Awwwwwww" at least once.

I try to remember we all basically want the exact same thing: social kindness with fiscal responsibility. 

​xo

Yesterday, throughout the day, each member of this family cried. At times we even sobbed. Other times our eyes were just wet.

I edited the blog many times. I added more pictures. I added a video. I added a few more memories. I cleaned up the typos and the grammar. Finally by the end of the night I could read it through and not be weepy.

This morning I patted the bed beside me to see if Tucker had jumped up when Marco went downstairs as was often his routine. He wasn't in bed with me.

I came downstairs and saw Marco sitting on our stoop. The poor man is gutted. He woke up prepared to take his boy for a walk.

Bella started cleaning up and putting away remnants of Tucker's life as soon as we got home Saturday.

We threw away the a couple of the blankets that had Tucker embedded in them. We threw away the L.L. Bean Bed that was really so gross it should have been tossed years ago. We threw away the now squeaker-less toys he loved so.

It's not that we're "getting rid" of Tucker. It's impossible to get rid of a dog who is as much a part of your fiber as your DNA.

We are mourning for Tucker like we've never mourned anything else.

A friend sent me this excellent article about mourning the loss of a dog yesterday and it really resonated with us.

At one point yesterday Marco said, "Poor Tucker."

I quickly responded with, "It is not poor Tucker. He had a great life. His eyes were sparkly, his tail was wagging, he was smiling, he was eating treats and getting all of our attention. We gave him, a very sick dog, peace and SO. MUCH. LOVE. before his body fully broke down. Poor US is more like it."

Tucker would sleep on, under and next to that pillow. He would often kick it out his way. The red collar is one of his first. The black one is his last. The green thing is a squeaker. When he was a jerk in the backyard, all we had to do was blow it and he would come running to the back door, certain he was getting a new toy and a treat.

I went back to the salon Saturday afternoon a couple of hours after we bid our sweet boy farewell. When I got there they had gotten us a card along with the a rock for each of us that says, "pets leave paw prints on your heart forever." The back side of it is a paw.

As a family we would like to thank you all for your words of support. For your compassion. For sharing your own stories of loss.

Tucker was our first family dog. And were't we all so lucky.

​xo

https://youtu.be/LjoNUNXZTrU
Little Boys Grow Up and Dogs Get Old - Luke Bryan

Thursday, March 30, 2006.
The poster above was all this worn down mama needed to see late that night at DaRo's on a milk run.

Bella had been asking for a dog for at least four years. She's a persistent little angel and when I saw that poster (and apparently took it) I knew I was a goner.

Friday, March 31, 2006.
I had plans with my friend Claire in the morning. I asked her if she would mind making a pit stop to see something. Claire, always up for an adventure said, "Sure!" So, into Bark Avenue we walked and we met the puppies. Tucker peed on Claire. Puppy pee! Now I really knew I was a goner.

Later that night I shared my secret plan with Marco. When he picked his jaw up off the floor he said, "Let's go meet the puppies."

Sunday, April 2, 2006.
​The family piled into the van and unbeknownst to the children we started out on a drive perhaps a half mile from our house. When we got to Bark Avenue there was shock, surprise and sheer joy.

WE WERE GETTING A PUPPY!!
​(finally!)

There was a lot of back and forth. Peter and I were in love with a different dog. Marco and Bella were in love with "Chewdoga" as we were calling him. He went around the place chewing the plastic Easter eggs on display.

We debated taking both. However, Sandy, who had rescued their mama and who had raised them thus far, felt with our complete lack of experience with dogs perhaps we should stick to one.

Bella and Marco's choice became the family choice. The other puppy? He went on to live at my friend Leigh's house.

And so it was on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 we became a dog family.

In an email to friends and family we introduced Tucker, the Wonder Pup. Facebook didn't exist so we couldn't share his adorableness all over creation, but we could pelt you with an email.

​The single best reaction came from my friend Kathy. She wrote back something like, "If there were a million people adopting a puppy, I would have had you at one million and one - as in, never."

I wasn't your usual animal person. I love them from afar. I just didn't want one in the house. I had dogs and cats as a kid. Marco had two cats when I met him. A dog was work and I already had that with two kids.

But then there was that night I needed milk...

We adopted him the week of Spring Break so the kids were home to learn how to take care of him. Our friend Pat hooked us up with the book The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skeet. We signed up for puppy classes at Pet Smart because we were pet dumb.

A puppy is way more work than cuteness.

But my god, he was cute.

He grew rapidly and ended up never weighing more than 45 pounds, which was surprising based on his paw size as a puppy. His litter mate, Dojo, Leigh's dog, is easily 8 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier!

Making the bed was ALWAYS an adventure. He would inevitably jump up on it and refuse to leave. He was precious that way.

Tucker adored the snow. He would run around like a maniac in wild loops and circles. When you shoveled he really loved it when you threw it in his face. (He was a weird like that!)

He was equally enamored of the sun. Aren't all dogs? They do love their sun spots.

He was attached to us all differently. Peter and Marco could be rough and tumble with him. Bella and I were much more gentle. Unless a toy was involved. He could tear your rotator cuff with his pulling prowess.

He had MANY names.
Tucker ~ Fucker (come on, it was so easy) ~ Tucker the Wonder Pup ~ Tucker Boy ~ Tuckee ~ TwoGar ~ GarMan ~ My Sweet Little Boy ~ My Handsome Boy ~ My Favorite Furry Boy ~ TuckTuck ~
     Tucker, Tucker Bo Bucker
     My Sweet Mother Fucker

He could hear a ziplock bag open from any room even when fully conked out asleep. That's a special dog power.

When he joined me in the kitchen (I would walk in and he was right there with me) he would inevitably become a nudge. To the tune of "Go Away Little Girl" I would sing, "Go Away Little Dog," and he would leave! He really could be so smart!

In the past year we had seen a big weight loss in our boy. We brought him to the vet. He had blood work. We changed foods. We changed treats. He gained weight and then he would lose it.

The past two weeks we saw a rapid weight loss and his behavior was really odd. Never a fan of thunder, lightening, fireworks, or the vacuum, the weather these past few weeks made him truly antsy.

He was jumping onto the bed directly onto my head in the middle of the night. What?! He would refuse to get off the bed.

Friday he was absolutely not his normal self. He wouldn't eat at all. He was smacking his lips and jaw together. He was drinking water. He wouldn't even eat a treat.

Bella came home for the weekend and he was happy to see her, but he wasn't excited. He was always excited to see his girl.

At about 8:45 on Friday night Tucker started to hyperventilate. Then he went very still. I laid my hands on him and knew in my gut and my heart something was very wrong.

I broke my own rule and texted a friend who is a vet. Naturally this was after looking up his symptoms. She suggested we get him to an emergency vet to be checked out.

We all piled into Marco's truck and did just that.

We went to a place with a marvelous office staff. The vet and the vet tech didn't have the personalities and empathy we have come to expect after using North Westchester Veterinary Office for 12+ years. After a cursory exam and the suggestion of x-rays and a full blood work up, we brought our boy home.

​I had asked if they thought he would die in the next 12 hours or so and they thought not.

Yesterday morning Marco and I got up. I headed to the salon. Marco and his boy headed to see Dr. Maus.

Here's what you need to know about Dr. Maus. Those puppies way up at the begging of this post? Well, he took care of them for their first six weeks of life free of charge. How could I not stay with him?

He understood Tucker. Like when he had to be put on Prozac after getting neutered and have an overnight stay in the hospital, because as he put it, "Tucker man, you are insane!"

Or the time I threw the Frisbee with my classic bad aim and the poor dog hit the wheel barrow and got a giant gash. He was bleeding. I was crying and he was crying and they saw him even before opening hours.

They knew he hated other dogs so I would call from the car to see if the cost was clear.

And so, when he examined our favorite fur ball yesterday morning and found a large mass that went from side to side of his now tiny self, he knew. And poor Marco, who had to hear this news alone, called me. And I cried. But I knew. And then Marco woke up the kids. And he had to tell them. And they all cried.

Even though the vets office was absolutely fully booked yesterday, they made the time to help us say good bye to our Tucker Boy.

I left the salon and met the family at home. We went back to the vet. And we loved on our boy as much as we could. Peter wanted to give him the full jar of peanut butter. I said perhaps not.

Tucker had a finger full of peanut butter, three treats, and all the love a dog could ever have as he crossed over the rainbow bridge. At 12:48pm his heart beat it's last beat and frankly, ours shattered into a million little pieces in the process. 

It was beautiful and sad and peaceful. I would wish for every death to be so serene.

We promised ourselves we would give him a good life and never let him suffer.

And that, my dear friends, we succeeded at doing.

Tucker Marco Pinque
(Bella gave him a middle name, LOL)
February 14, 2006 - October 6, 2018

We will miss him like crazy.

​xo

We're all just walking each other home.
                                       ~ Ram Das

On Wednesday, July 18 at about 7:30am at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, NY my business partner and darling friend Kathy Scheer is undergoing a grueling surgery.

She will be having a double mastectomy immediately followed by reconstruction. The breast surgery will be nearly two hours and the reconstruction surgery will be close to eight hours.

Kathy has had many biopsies in the past six weeks and each once has come back negative for cancer. With that said, they will obviously be testing everything they remove as nearly every single cell and tissue in her breasts are precancerous.

This surgery provides Kathy with a less than 1% chance of cancer ever making its way into her breasts in the future.

Kathy is a very private person. She doesn't take many days off and she doesn't cancel appointments. As a result we decided to 
"go public" with her health situation.

The beauty of this is that it allowed open and honest discussions in the salon. It opened clients hearts in the forms of a GoFundMe campaign and a Take Them a Meal. Kathy received many beautiful emails, cards, notesand flowers.

And so, people of the world - if you can take a moment to send love, light, prayers, positivity, strength, optimism and/or anything else you've got to Kathy, her family, her surgeons, and the entire medical staff today and for the next several weeks of recovery, I for one would be truly grateful.

xo

From one Long Island girl to another: this seems like a fabulous healing song!

On the weekend of March 2-4, 2018, my friend Kacey hosted a Shine On retreat at The Mariandale Center in Ossining, NY. Despite fierce winds and snow, every. single. woman. got to the retreat on Friday. That's a true commitment to caring for oneself, don't you think?

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the entire weekend. I was thrilled to be asked to participate on Sunday morning. This is a recap of what I was able to experience.

Upon entering the space I could absolutely see the smiling, beautiful faces of every woman who was fortunate enough to be part of the weekend. They were, in fact, shining. I introduced myself to everyone, did my best to remember everyone's name and sat down to breakfast.

The hubbub was so very positive. Beautiful women, a little tired and a lot energized at the same time.

Kacey had brought in a host of people to add their magic touch to the weekend. She, along with her sister, Maria, created a marvelous Circle of Women and love. Lots of love!

​Click to join the Facebook page, A Circle of Women

After breakfast there was a morning circle. Kacey read a magnificent poem. I believe it was written by one of our circle women who was unable to join us. Kacey ended her portion of the retreat with the song, "Longtime Sun."

I was next up. I began by reading a poem I felt tied into the theme of the weekend: planting the seeds of your dreams and growing your own garden.

From the circle we moved to THE biggest space I have ever used to create Vision Boards where we were making THE smallest ones I had ever designed.

​I had asked Kacey to have the women think about their inner mantras throughout the weekend so when I arrived it wouldn't be a big surprise.

As always, Kacey and I were aligned with each other and after a small explanation we were off and running for about an hour.

​These were my samples:

It never ceases to astound and delight me at what happens when women create as a group while doing an individual exercise. There is cheerful banter. There are serious moments. There  may be tears. However, because of the circle, there is safety and comfort. It becomes sacred.

When we were all finished we went around our circle and shared (only if you wanted to) what we created and why.

It was magical and beautiful and solidified my desire to always do this in some way.

My deepest thanks to Kacey and each woman who allowed me to share their morning with them. If you are so inclined and would like to post YOUR baby vision card in the comments I would be honored.

As promised, here is the link to get the trading card holders. They come in different quantities, can be shipped to your home or you can pick them up at Walmart.

Hello!
I have an entire post ready to publish for the new year, but this must supersede it.

​If you've been here awhile you know all about my friend Amy and her son Jake.
(Use the search feature to find ALL the posts of which there are many.)
​
It pains me to share that times are extraordinarily hard for the family.

Jake's cancer is back. And it's a vengeful son of a bitch.

As of exactly this minute we are seeking the following:

• prayers
• a miracle
• a benevolent insurance company
• prayers
• a miracle
• CINCINNATI (that's THE biggest request of all)
• prayers
• a miracle
• financial help
• prayers
• a miracle

The treatment this go round is called proton therapy. Cincinnati Children's Hospital HAS this and, more importantly, offered the greatest hope for Jake.

The insurance company is being bureaucratic versus humane. This is no surprise. However, it WILL impede Jake's ability to both thrive and to get better.

Right now, insurance is sending them to Cleveland. What?! Why?! Seriously?!

AND, somehow this family has to come up with, are you ready for this, $180,000.

I. Can't.

Amy's friend Marcy set up a go fund me and I am sharing it HERE. Every single penny WILL make a difference. If you are able to contribute some financial help that would be amazing. If you are not in the position to do so, no worries. Send healing thoughts. LOTS and lots of them.

My hope is that we can raise spirits and cash.
​
​xo

It's yet another day of fog and wet weather in the northeast.

The upside to this is a million shades of green all over the place, daffodils, tulips, lilacs (!), johnny jump ups, grape hyacinths, and of course, dandelions.

I would like to shout out to my sister Jane for her brave, beautiful, amazing post yesterday on FB about her journey in the past year. The details are not nearly as important as the woman who wrote it. Encouraging. Strong. Resilient. Introspective. Funny. Inspirational.

Oh, and she IS a girl on fire.

​Happy Friday people! Let's dance!

​You can try but you'll never forget her name
She's on top of the world

https://youtu.be/DGVNuSYDbvo

It's a little hard to let the rest of the world disappear these days. With that said, dancing does help to beat the blues away.

It's Friday.
I'm in Vermont visiting Bella.
I'm headed to the mat in Burlington.
AND, I really like Lorde's new song.

So, let's dance.
​xo

For many years I taught stamping and scrap booking classes in the Magic Basement. When I started TGHR I hosted events. I had never really done a full day event where we were going to get down and get dirty, knowing it was more than likely going to be emotional.

I had a lot of the "I'm not worthy" thoughts so many of us have before embarking on anything of a decent sized magnitude. As a matter of full disclosure, I ate down my feelings about it - something I haven't done in nearly a year. Gah! Old habits suck, don't they?

And the day was, in my opinion, extraordinary.

We had some breakfast. We set some intentions. We got comfy with each other. We did some gentle moving.

I gave everyone a goodie bag which may have contained a journal that we referred to as a note pad, because journaling is work you know. There were lemon and lavender essential oil sample packets to help create an atmosphere of creativity and calm. There was a page to color - apparently I can't completely get away from my Stampin' Up! days.

We had a marvelous writing exercise. (I must credit the Creative Joy retreat I went on in 2012 to introducing me to the poem that was our starting off point.)

We started our vision boards.

(HINT: click on the pictures to see them bigger.)

After lunch we finished up our vision boards and really, they are gorgeous. They are a reflection of who we are and where we're hoping to be this season.

We ended the day with a guided meditation that had a little laughing going on (thanks Mama for that!) and wonder woman making an appearance.

Oh (!) and cookies and chocolate covered pretzels.

All in all, I am over the moon delighted and look forward to hosting more events here sooner rather than later.

Join us next time, won't you?

​xo

I have been remarkably silent these last few months. I have SO much I could write about, and yet I find myself retreating into myself and doing a whole lot of inner work so I don't explode in public.

I own a salon. A place of respite for many. This means I have to keep my emotions on the state of this country in check because I have been surprised by people I truly like day in and day out. I want to keep enjoying our clients whatever their political beliefs.

With that said, I know the clients who stand on the same side I do. We find each other, you know.

The same holds true for my friends and family members. I will not cut people I adore out of my life because of their vote. I WILL cut people out of my life for spewing bullshit, for hurting those I love, for hijacking my FB page, or for suddenly becoming a person I no longer recognize. But one vote cannot undo years and years of love. It's not the way I am wired.

It probably helps that I listened to millions of minutes of podcasts to stay sane during these times. Oh, and I remembered to keep breathing.

Last Saturday I watched (on FB at the salon) in true awe as women and men I know from ALL OVER THE GLOBE marched. I wept with each post. When CNN showed the crowds from city to city I couldn't keep my shit together. It was magnificent. My sister Jane went to NYC along with so many women I admire, and they all were MY voice. (Especially Jane flash mobbing "This Little Light of Mine" on the train!)

Bless them. ALL of them. And the ACLU. And every. single. person. doing something, anything to make people pay attention.

This morning I watched an episode of black-ish that impacted me deeply. In 22 minutes they conveyed every emotion I felt about this election powerfully and beautifully. Even if you have never watched this show I implore you to watch this. Click HERE to be inspired.

In order to make a small contribution to the betterment of the world, I quietly go about my life doing little acts to make my heart and head clear.

Creating the retreat for next week, a day of true inner vision, is one of those acts and it is dear to my heart. If this interests you, you can check out the details HERE. Feel free to pay at the door.

If next week is not good for you, I encourage you to join Kacey and Elizabeth at their event on Sunday, February 12 in Peekskill. Details for their event, Love - A Woman's Empowerment Workshop can be found HERE. 

My therapist and friend Cathy is hosting a weekend retreat, Your True Hearts Desires, March 10-12. Her retreats are life affirming and most excellent for the soul. Details for her retreat are HERE.

On Thursday, Carole King re-released her song, "One Small Voice" and made it free for a downloading. Read her letter to the world HERE.

Love has to win. Seriously.

​xo

​One small voice can change the world
But you’d better be strong

https://youtu.be/zaPYz-6Bji4

 If at first you don't succeed, you try again.

I was a little sad when I realized the weekend retreat wasn't going to happen.

And then while showering (where we ALL do our best thinking) I thought to myself, "I'll do an event at my house on the same weekend!"

It's a great space to host a day long retreat and I believe everyone who comes will feel the positive energy and vibes. (If you were ever here for stamping or other events, imagine that on steroids!)

So, without further ado I am inviting YOU to join me at TGHR, such as it is!

Date: Sunday, February 5
Time: 9:00 - 4:30
(breakfast will be served from 8:00 - 9:00, lunch is included)
Place: The Glass House Retreat
          Buchanan, NY 10511
(address will be provided upon payment)
Price: $60

Well, oh, it seems you're a lot like me
You dug yourself into places
You never thought you would be
But don't you fret, and don't you mind
The only constant is change
And you never know what you'll find

https://youtu.be/l0sQVIDOQRk