Tomorrow evening is THE event to stop into in Croton, NY as far as Backstage Salon is concerned.

Kathy and I knew we wanted to have a Cast Party; new ownership is a BIG deal!

You all recall this is a dream come true for Kathy. I am so delighted to be along helping her with her dream while she in turn helps me with my own each and every day.

You would be hard pressed to find a better partnership. Seriously.

We knew when the time came for the party we wanted to work with local businesses. Each and every person we are working with is a client of the salon.

HOW cool is that?

Flowers will be in colorful abundance from Sunshine & Clover.

A wide assortment of beverages will be on tap.

A tremendous variety of hors d'oeuvres will be devoured courtesy of Cole's Market. We also have the pleasure of three members of their renowned wait staff to help keep food moving.

Baked by Susan is baking an obscene amount of mini cupcakes. 

Photographs will be taken by the immesenly gifted Rana Faure.

If you are around tomorrow night, I invite you to join us as we toast our new business, as we toast our supremely talented staff, as we honor our clients, and as we welcome new faces.

Yesterday, Jake went back to Riley for an MRI to check the spot they found on his scan 8 weeks ago. Results are in sometime today. Send all you got, OK? OK!

I haven't gotten any updates lately, but you know I always only want all good energy and thoughts out to Kim ~ Kelly ~ Nancy ~ Steve ~ Jullian ~ and of course, my Amy.

Feel free to add people to our powerful circle of love whenever you want to!

::: on the soapbox for a minute :::

Right now, in our small community, there is a proposed pipeline project, as well as a project involving the burial of high voltage cables. It will affect communities throughout Westchester.

It is beyond awful. Despite the discussions about this since last November many people remain unaware of this.

This WILL affect the quality of our lives.

I mean it.  

I implore you to educate yourself about this.

HERE is a quick article.

I couldn't attend the rally last night, but HERE is a snippet of the rally that I implore you to watch.

Then, I equally implore you to sign the PETITION. Go to Public Comments and add your voice. Literally, just write the words, "Enough is enough" and sign it. 

Back in my youth, when I had crazy amounts of cleaning or planning to do, Billy Idol was my go-to guy. I would crank up the stereo and get it done.

Planning the party has been like planning a wedding without a seating chart.

I am not about to take out my vacuum...here's a little Billy to kick start this day!

xo

It's a nice day to start again.
It's a nice day for a white wedding! 
It's a nice day to start again.

http://youtu.be/x9j6DE6RnSk

TODAY is a big day for my friend Margo Kelly.
BIG.
HUGE.
OH so EXCITING. 

Margo has been plugging away at the YA genre of writing for several years. She writes thrillers for teens. And guess what?! HER FIRST BOOK IS BEING PUBLISHED IN SEPTEMBER! YES, I'm yelling! For joy. For perseverance. For the hard work that goes into writing and the harder work that goes into editing.

I am unbelievably honored to have been asked to be part of her big COVER REVEAL!! 

I know.

I can hardly stand it.

And YOU can win a copy of it. Details below all the good stuff here...

Here's a bit about the book to wet your appetite...

Thea's overprotective parents are driving her insane. They invade her privacy, ask too many questions, and restrict her online time so severely that Thea feels she has no life at all. When she discovers a new role-playing game online, Thea breaks the rules by staying up late to play. She's living a double life: on one hand, the obedient daughter; on the other, a girl slipping deeper into darkness. In the world of the game, Thea falls under the spell of Kit, an older boy whose smarts and savvy can't defeat his loneliness and near-suicidal despair. As Kit draws soft-hearted Thea into his drama, she creates a full plate of cover stories for her parents and then even her friends.

Soon, Thea is all alone in the dark world with Kit, who worries her more and more, but also seems to be the only person who really "gets" her. Is he frightening, the way he seems sometimes, or only terribly sad? Should Thea fear Kit, or pity him? And now, Kit wants to come out of the screen and bring Thea into his real-life world. As much as she suspects that this is wrong, Thea is powerless to resist Kit's allure, and hurtles toward the same dark fate her parents feared most. Ripped from a real-life story of Internet stalking, Who R U Really? will excite you and scare you, as Thea's life spins out of control.

Before I give you Margo's official bio, let me share a little about the Margo I know.

I first met Margo at a Stampin' Up! event. She was presenting to a class and boy, she was a hoot and a half. 

I loved running into her over the years and we shared a love of not only crafting, but of reading as well. Distance totally didn't matter.

Several years ago, Margo was working on a novel. She was interested in mine and in Bella's thoughts of the book. 

We are useless critics. We tend to go with "I loved it," or "eh." That does NOT help the writer... For the record, we loved that book. It has not yet been published.

The Official Author Bio
Margo Kelly is a native of the Northwest and currently resides in Idaho. A veteran public speaker, Margo is now actively pursuing her love of writing. Who R U Really? is her debut novel and will be published by Merit Press in September 2014. Margo welcomes opportunities to speak to youth groups, library groups, and book clubs.

HOW TO WIN A FREE BOOK:
To celebrate the cover reveal for Who R U Really? Margo Kelly is giving away TWO Advance Reader Copies of the book! Visit www.margokelly.net and enter by Sunday, May 11, 2014!
(Note from Maggie - seriously, don't you think I should get at least one of those just for promoting this and everything?!)

Do you want to know even more? 
Check out Margo everywhere in social media land.
Website: www.margokelly.net
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21444891-who-r-u-really
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargoWKelly
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MargoKelly.author

Pre-Order the book HERE - do it right this second
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/who-r-u-really-margo-kelly/1118847853?ean=9781440572760
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Who-R-Really-Margo-Kelly/dp/1440572763/ref=la_B00JY4LYZS_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398971448&sr=1-1
(Note from Maggie - don't forget to name your favorite charity at Amazon to help them too - me, I use Suz Crew - you can too!

Paper back writer (paperback writer)
Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?

http://youtu.be/taADLPtyDb0

Today is my 53rd birthday. How the hell did that happen? I swear, somewhere on a cellular level, I am still in my twenties. Sometimes I think it's because of all the people I "see" on Facebook. The people who knew me when. That shared experience of days of yore coupled with the wisdom of NOW make going on Facebook, for me, a barometer of where I've been and where I'm going.

My tiara IS quite fabulous and although some days I feel like it needs a little polishing, all in all, I have taken my life into my own hands.

While all this was going through my head, last night, I read Glennon Doyle Melton's latest blog piece. You MUST read it. I'll wait. Click HERE.

::: OK, I'm done waiting :::

Sacred scared.

I. KNOW.

It's such an amazing way to describe who we are as humans. And despite loving and applauding the column, and despite agreeing one million percent with it, and despite "making" you read it, I am SO not ready to even go there. Yet.

Perhaps, just maybe, THAT will be my birthday gift, to myself, for this year. To use my tiara to help me articulate my sacred scared. THAT would most certainly be taking matters into my own hands now, wouldn't it?

To show up. To carry on with amazing ideas, thoughts and things despite it really never being the perfect time, or having the perfect body, or the right amount of money, or any of the other nonsense we tell ourselves.

I started TGHR with a boatload of obstacles in my head. Still, I knew I had to make this happen. I wanted to get my college degree and I did that. There are other things happening in my world that I have somehow managed to make happen and some of the obstacles involved are pretty significant.

But there is so much more I want to do. To try. To see. To be. I want to be able to belt out this song and really, REALLY mean it. I'm getting there. Day by beautiful day.

It's been a wild and crazy year from 2013 to 2014. I cannot even pretend to fathom what this next twelve months will bring.

Stay for the ride, will you. Please?

xo

Look at me, can't believe
I finally made it here
Feeling like I'm where I belong
Singing my hallelujah song

http://youtu.be/R2mu0g3ir_w

It has been a wildly interesting 48 hours; fabulous, energized, filled with interesting conversations, filled with great hope.

I like it.

Thank you, universe.

For the signs.
For the messages.
For listening to my silent pleas before I fall to sleep.

I wish YOU all the same.

xo

Life is beautiful, but it's complicated.
We barely make it.
We don't need to understand,
There are miracles, miracles.

http://youtu.be/KVrwcG3PV1w

HOLY HANNAH - THIS IS LONG!
But, I think it's good information, so, read it, share it, like it!

It's the beginning of the school year. Ah, the bliss. Ah, the stress.

I know, many of you have already started, but this still matters to YOU.

• With that comes all the chaos of getting the school supplies. 
  
• With that comes the nonsensical bullshit of driving kids 1,000 miles a week in a circle to nowhere to get them where they need to go. 
  
• With that comes the realization that WE signed them up for all of this. 
  
• With that comes the cost of new fill in the blank.
  
• With that comes the guilt that we are working and can't be AT what we signed them up for and quite possibly, we may not even be around to drive them in the circles. 
  
• With that comes games in the rain, beating sun, snow...
  
• With that comes dance/karate/scouts/CCD/Hebrew School/whatever else is out there.
  
• With that comes car washes, a lot of them, for EACH sport.
  
• With that comes the PTA/PTSA/PTO volunteer opportunities.
  
• With that comes the thrill of class parent.
• With that comes the offer to sit on the school board.
  
• With that comes the homework hell.

I have and am doing all of the above. I am also here to remind you (and me) that "NO" is a complete sentence.

A friend asked me on Sunday HOW it is that I am so involved in my community. So, here's my story. Get comfortable.

• My kids were in a not-for-profit daycare and we needed money. So, I suggested a fundraiser - a silent auction. Our little day care, with 53 families and maybe 25 teachers managed to raise $5,000 in one evening. THAT was heady stuff and I was hooked.
  
• My neighbor asked me to join the Education Foundation - Bella was 2, Peter was 3. It was once a month. She was the retired superintendent. I couldn't say no.
  
• Peter went to kindergarten, I went to my first ever PTA meeting. My hand shot up on it's own to be the hospitality chair.
  
• OF COURSE I will be the class mom.
  
• OH...you need a PTA Co-President? "SURE, I will do that." Find unsuspecting person in the crowd to bring into the fracas with you. (Apologies to Helen & Janis...)  NOTE: If you need people on the executive board, ALWAYS ask them at the PTA Holiday Dinner AFTER they have had several glasses of wine. It is AMAZING how people will say, "Sure!" 
  
• In order to continue having people involved, go to the local bar AFTER the PTA meetings and gently coerce others to the dark side.
  
• Keep your meetings under an hour and don't let anyone start a filibuster. Look at a clock, say, "GO! You have five minutes," and then stop them when time is up. LISTEN to everyone and realize, some issues are school board issues and some people just need a forum to be heard - often, the PTA meeting may be THE only place they CAN be heard. Be firm, funny and most importantly, kind.
• I was the PTA Co-Prez for three years in elementary school. 
  
• As if that wasn't enough, I did it for another two years in middle school.
  
• I was involved in anything and everything else I could get involved in. Book Fair (all joking aside, my favorite of any event), Children's Fair, Career Day, etc.
  
• I went to the other schools events and PTA meetings.
  
• I always go to the spring high school musical.
  
• I go to sporting events my kids don't play. Field Hockey - not really sure about THAT.
• I attend whatever I can to see the kids in their best light.
  
• I sat on Strategic Planning Committees.
  
• I sat on internal school committees.
  
• I sat on hiring committees.
  
  

::: whew :::

THAT is entirely too much. WAY too freaking much. Because, EVERY single time I said yes to something "for the children" I said no to MY OWN KIDS.

So, to those of you who have lived this merriment with me, I say, "Bravo! We made it. We did it." 

For the rest of you, here is my advice. If truth be told, I don't know if I would have listened to myself 13 years ago. I would like to think I would have been wise enough to.

• Find ONE thing that you are passionate about and take that on first. DO NOT say yes to everything. You will burn out faster than a tea light candle.
  
• If you think something is a good idea, implement it. 
  
• If you think you can do something better, don't whisper about it to your friends - make a suggestion for improvement or STFU.
  
  

So, now what am I involved in?

I am the Co-Chair of a MAJOR all PTA annual event. 2014 makes it my 7th year doing so. ONE MORE YEAR. We have raised over $100,000 in the past six years with all of the proceeds going to areas of the schools that needed a boost - technology, sports, the arts, the sciences, THE KIDS.

It is worth the time and effort. I know nearly all of my kids teachers through the years. I know nearly every administrator. I am able to flit in and out of the schools and say, "Hi" and "Bye" like I work there.

When I was involved at the elementary school level I had blinders on to the sheer importance of the middle school and high school years. THESE are so unbelievably important, but when your baby steps on the school bus on the first day of school, you can't fathom how quickly this will all happen. Try to remember that. We get tired, exhausted really, burnt out and done because we do SO much when they are little. They need us to be just as involved as they get older - not in their face involved, but involved. And let's face it, the middle school and high school PTAs have NO money compared to the elementary schools. JOIN the PTA even if you never go to a meeting. That $10 WILL make a difference. If the idea of another fundraiser makes you ill, write a check directly to your PTA and get the whole tax write-off. Be involved as best as YOU can be. You matter, your kids matter and frankly, your school district matters if you want your home values to remain stable and perhaps, even go up.

::: stepping off my soap box :::

A lovely guitar piece was absolutely needed after this! Enjoy it.

http://youtu.be/UCstWGjKkdE

I have a friend, Jennifer Louden. She asked for help in sharing the class she created with the hopes of having 10,000 people on board for this by September 23.

Jen is a multi-talented woman on a mission to share her vision of women becoming SHERO'S. Getting back your "inner self" - you know, that girl with fantastical hopes and dreams, who has taken a leave of absence while on the journey of life.

I "met" Jen via her books when I went back to school last year; she has written terrific books. Her Facebook and blog posts are always wonderful, her tweets fun (and if I was on Twitter more, I could probably add a hash-tag or two...). I had a personal training session with Jen and I am VERY excited to be going on a retreat with her next month.

THIS month, FREE OF CHARGE, Jen has put together a program I know will change lives: The Shero's School for Revolutionaries. This conference brings together more than twenty gifted people, sharing their wisdom, guidance, life lessons, and stories, from September 23-28.

My hope today is that you will click on the links, check out the "school," and join ME while I participate in these lessons. I want to continue my quest to get back to my true, authentic self. My second hope is that you will SHARE this information with everyone. We deserve this. We are worth it. And this is some mighty powerful guidance we are being given.

I'm off to design my cape...

xo

Music Today: As soon as I saw the name of Jen's school, THIS song came right to mind. 
P.S. I had no idea it was in the movie; I literally just read the book on Thursday.

And the shame
Was on the other side
Oh we can beat them
For ever and ever
Then we can be Heroes
Just for one day

http://youtu.be/UElV9m9Q5Vk

I love this sentiment and yet, believe it or not, I tend(ed) to be a NO girl. Let me explain...

If you ask me about teaching a class, my response is ALWAYS a yes. "Of course I can!" Because when it comes to classes and workshops and creative endeavors, I am perfectly capable of making it happen.

If you ask me at the salon if we can make something happen, trust me when I tell you, 99% of the time, collectively, we will do what we can to give you what you need, when you need it. We ARE that good.

However, I have been reminded of late, watching one of my own cherubs, that more often than not, in my younger life, I would say an emphatic no to something before thinking it through. Then, I would ponder the situation, and slowly, OH so slowly, I would come around to a yes.

Maybe that's why it took me 34 years to get my college degree?

I have been reminded when I managed a particular department at the phone company, if you called me to have something done, I would often be bitching and moaning about what a pain in the ass something was while at the same time getting it done. I said no but did it anyway... Reading this now, it seems like it must have been an odd power play.

Are there times in life when a loud no must happen? Absolutely. Obviously, if it is a life threatening situation, or a long term BAD consequence, or something altogether harmful to you, for the love of god, say no. Self preservation matters.

Are there times in life when you've said yes and then wished you said no? But of course.

Are there times in life when you say yes and despite your best efforts, things don't go the way you want them to? Well now, you know the answer to that already.

BUT - if you can say yes to the big and little things that will enrich your live, cause your spirits to soar, give you a little skip in your step and make you happy, GO FOR IT.

I wish you a day of excellent yeses.  xo

Just say yes
Just say there's nothing holding you back
It's not a test
Nor a trick of the mind, only love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW1hv37imjw