Author Archives: adaymay

Movie Monday

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Hello and happy Monday to you! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful weekend. Today, I am returning to an oldie but goodie blog post – Movie Monday.

Spotlight, which tells the story of the Boston Globe investigative reporting team that broke the news of the Catholic Church abuse scandal is a must see. The cast {including Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Stanley Tucci, John Slattery and Liev Schreiber} is flawless. The story unfolds much like a newspaper article. Never too emotional. Just the facts.

And the fact that has stayed with me since seeing the film is when Sacha Pfeiffer, played by McAdams, speaks with one of the accused priests. Without even taking a moment, he admits, without question, to what he did but stresses that he didn’t receive any pleasure. Confused, Pfeiffer asks for clarification and he says that he too was touched by his priest. The cycle of abuse is heartbreaking. And the ending clip left me speechless. To see the pervasiveness of the cover-up by the Church around the globe. The work the Spotlight team did and continues to do is of utmost importance and it makes me proud to be a Bostonian.

Found

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Happy Friday, sweet readers! Today, I am excited to share this week’s found item: Todos Organics’ Heal Coconut Oil.

I have my dear friend Christina to thank for introducing me to this week’s found item as she attended high school with Angel, the founder of Todos. Over dinner a few weeks back, I was sharing with her my recent episode with eczema and without taking a breath, she encouraged me to order up a jar of Angel’s coconut oil. She promised it would change my life. And thank goodness, it has.

What makes this coconut oil unique is that it is created with a seven week “warm infusion” technique that allows the oil to remain raw while infusing it with healing botanicals. The heal oil is infused with arnica and calendula, ancient skin supporters that help aid in skin ailments. This oil has replaced all moisturizing products in my medicine cabinet and has completely changed my skin. I don’t think I will use another product again. With winter upon us, I encourage you to treat yourself to one of Todos’ oils. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Image Credit: Todos Organics 

My Wish List

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My Wish List

Truth be told, I’m difficult to shop for. When I need something, I buy it for myself and I tend to have an eye for {not sure how to write this without sounding bad} expensive things. As the Turkish man in the markets told me, while trying to select a suzani in my price range, “you have very expensive taste lady.” It’s true. And I feel gauche asking for expensive things. I think that’s why I much prefer gifting. But, to help a few who have asked, here are a few items I’ve had my eyes on.

We are down to 32 days till the big day! How is your holiday shopping coming along?

Holiday Gift Guide – For the Stocking

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And as promised, my final holiday gift guide for the week: items for the stockings hung by the fire with care.

Have a wonderful weekend, sweet readers!

Holiday Gift Guide – For the Little Ones

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Happy Friday, y’all! I ran into a bit of a technical difficulty yesterday so today you are getting two gift guides. The first includes gift ideas for the little ones. Enjoy!

  • The Cartographer. My nephew Tucker is all about U.S. history, presidents and state trivia. We have had many a conversation around which states I have traveled to. This map from Land of Nod will keep him entertained for hours and help him track my travels. My favorite part is all the removable landmarks and state capital names.
  •  The Conductor. My nephew Casey is still in-love with all things Thomas. Fortunately, PBS has a wonderful assortment of Thomas gifts. I’m leaning towards the personalized nightlight and backpack, as Casey starts Kindergarten next fall.
  • The Builder{s}. My nephews Oliver and Simon live in Maine so I don’t get to visit with them as much as I would like. But when I do, I think we will have hours of fun with this block set!
  • The Star.  Anyone who has seen me lately knows I’m a little obsessed with my little niece Emma. I can’t get enough of her. This year, I am giving her this star chair, which matches the shape of the chairs I gave her brother on their second Christmas’.
  • The Scholar{s}. My goddaughter Henrietta loves a good book. A few of my favorites this year that I’ll be gifting include: The Day the Crayons Came Home, Dragons Love Tacos, Rosie Revere, Engineer, and Babar and Father Christmas.
  • The Sweet One. Our next door neighbor’s daughter loves blowing bubbles. We may just leave this set on the back porch for her!

 

Holiday Gift Guide – For the Gents

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Holiday Gift Guide - Men

Happy Wednesday and welcome to Day 2 of my holiday gift guides. As promised, today’s list is focused on all things for the men we love.

  • The Mixologist. My brother Travis knows how to make a mean cocktail. To help with his efforts, I thought this 10-in-1 bar tool would come in mighty handy.
  • The Foodie. My brother Todd, on the other hand, knows how to make some killer BBQ. His pulled pork turned this vegetarian right around. This grilling bundle will be under the tree for him.
  • The Student. My brother Connor is completing his studies and so I thought the best gift for him would be a gift card to his favorite restaurant so he could have a date night with his lady. While I shy away from gift cards, sometimes they come in handy to those with limited funds. I did give him this set a few years back. I attribute it to helping him find his lady!
  • The Techie. While I don’t really have a brother who fits this category, I’m sure many of you do and I think this leather cord organizer might just be the perfect gift for the techie in your life. Come to think about it, this would be the perfect gift for my stepfather who is brilliant but sometimes a bit scattered.
  • The Minimalist. I have never known my father to carry a wallet. He typically has his card and money in a neat fold held together by an elastic. After all these years, I finally found the gift to help him upgrade.
  • The Metro. A piece of art and bottle opener? This gift might just make it onto my list.
  • The Workaholic. Working in the legal field for 10+ years, I’ve encountered many a workaholic. Should you have one of these in your life, I think this essential kit is a great gift to help them stay organized and perhaps be able to wrap up their day a bit sooner to get home to you.

I hope this list has provided some help for gift ideas for those crazy men in your life. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing gift ideas for the little people. What fun I’ve had pulling together ideas. Can’t wait to share!

Holiday Gift Guide – For the Ladies

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Happy Tuesday, sweet readers! I’m excited to share the first of my holiday gift guides. First up, gift ideas for the ladies in your life. I hope this list inspires you. And remember, only 38 days till Christmas Day!

  • The Creative. My little sister Michelle, who I introduced to you all here, is certainly the creative in our family. For Christmas, I was thinking of either doing this amazing Mindful Art subscription or this incredible weaving kit.
  • The Gardner. My older sister Megan has the most incredible green thumb. I think this beautiful hanging vase would be a welcome addition to her plant collection.
  • The Mom/Homebody. My sister Marie is a busy lady with 3 little ones and a high school senior and thus I typically find her something for the house. This year, we started an annual apple picking trip with her family so when I saw these picking baskets, I knew I had found her gift. I may just need to get one for me too! This mistletoe gift box would be a lovely gift for a homebody you know too.
  • The Wanderer. Technically that’s me in my family but I have several friends who fall into this category. I’m in-love with this beach blanket that I found this past weekend at the Remodelista market. Perfect to pack for a warm winter escape.
  • The Explorer. Several of my friends will be hitting the trails this winter and this turban headband is sure to keep them warm.
  • The Entertainer. I love sourcing gifts for the entertainer. These bright tea towels would be a welcome addition to any home and I’m obsessed with this cocktail gift box, curated by Simone LeBlanc, gift giver to the stars {she really is}.
 So there you have it. My gifts for the ladies in your life. Tomorrow, please visit again as I share gift ideas for the men in your life. Can’t wait!

 

Thoughts

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Friends, I had hoped to kick off the week with my holiday gift guides but in all honesty, it just didn’t seem right with the events of Friday night in my beloved city of Paris. In the past, I have turned to writing to work out emotions I have over events I can’t quite seem to comprehend. In this instance, though, the words are hard to find. I don’t understand why we continue to hurt each other and ourselves. I don’t understand the hatred we have for those who don’t think like us. I don’t understand how one who witnessed the horrific events of Friday night moves on. I guess, though, that is all we can do. Move on. Do better. Love harder and deeper and listen more. My religion teaches me to be compassionate to those who are different. To extend a hand of friendship. To open my heart and home to those in need. I will continue to do so and I hope you will to. Hatred and violence is not the answer.

Image Credit: Pinterest 

Join

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A few weeks back, I volunteered at the Kendall Square EatUp. In addition to my time, I purchased a raffle box to give to this worthy organization. To my surprise, I won a yearly membership to Dinner Lab. I like to pride myself on being in-the-know about the Boston food scene but somehow, this one escaped me. Dinner Lab is a fascinating concept, which started in New Orleans. The founding team wanted to introduce their hometown to diverse cuisine and bring people together around the dinner table. Membership entitles you to an invite-only dinner, in a unique space (not a restaurant) by chefs who come from some of the world’s best restaurants. Pretty cool, right?

I received my first invite this week for a dinner on December 4th, which sadly I can’t make as we will be en route to NYC for the weekend. Take a look at the chef details below. Looks like I will be missing quite a night.

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I am hopeful the next invite isn’t too far off. I should note that Dinner Lab is available in cities across the country. Traveling for work or planning a weekend getaway, sign up for your destination to find out if a Dinner Lab is available. A worthy culinary experience to join. Happy eating!

Habit

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Friends, I have yet another confession to make. I’m obsessed with Pinterest. I might go as far as to say that pinning is my cardio! Waiting in line for my latte, stuck in the car at a red light, and even before falling asleep {note: break this habit} I’m scrolling through pictures of places to go, things to bake, books to read. I’ve done quite of bit of work as of late organizing categories and getting my page in tip-top-shape. Take a look and let me know what you think. And if you have any suggestions for edits and/or people to follow, please share!