Thank You Carl Mindling

I was supposed to participate in a bridal showcase yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Palo Alto, CA. Because I'm still sick I was unable to attend :(

That's Professional MC (and Wedding DJ) Carl Mindling of iMCevents.com posing at me at the show yesterday. I want to give him a shout out to say thanks for manning my booth. Carl is a good friend and a great wedding professional who cares about his colleagues, friends and clients equally. He is incredibly detail focused and didn't disappoint yesterday when he sent me back these photos from the showcase. The first thing I noticed was that he wore a "flirty" colored shirt and tie to complement the colors of my booth display items.

He set up the display perfectly!

I shouldn't have been surprised that Carl color matched his outfit for me. Recently I helped him to rebrand his company shifting the focus from him being a wedding DJ to a professional MC because the services he offers can be used to make many events, not just weddings, more successful.

Carl will wear anything from a turtleneck to a tuxedo, whatever his clients prefer. This is the flirty "Cartoon You" version I created of him that he's using on his new business cards and website.

Recently Carl participated in a different showcase at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame, CA. To make sure his display was color coordinated he went to the trouble of purchasing several bags of pink, blue, green and lavender Easter chocolates just so that he could fill his candy dish that night with only the green wrapped Hershey's kisses. I thought it looked great! He even wrote about it in his blog.

So thanks again to Carl, it was wonderful not to have to work sick all day or cancel having The Flirty Guide be a part of yesterday's bridal showcase.

It also allowed me to watch the men's hockey game at the Olympics. WOW. I'm no hockey fan but that was a fantastic game.

Hubby is from Canada so it was USA vs. Canada at our house. After Canada won he stood in our living room waving a Canadian flag at me. Then, even though I tried to discourage him, because I didn't want him to get beat up, he walked to the mall to get some coffee and took his flag with him. LOL

He said one person driving by honked their horn and flipped him off. Another guy was on the sidewalk at the mall and said "Put that thing away." But most people were very nice and cheered and congratulated him and asked what the score was.

Never one to take offense, he took the guy flipping him off as giving him the "You're #1" sign. LOL

Helping Matt and Chloe Win a Dream Wedding!

Some of you may remember my friend Matthew Nguyen whose Leukemia relapsed last year at around the same time Tami was diagnosed with her Myelodysplasia. Matthew had to wait until last fall to receive a transplant but is now, like Tami, on the mend and wanting to move forward with his life.

VOTE for MATTHEW and CHLOE in Crate and Barrle's Ultimate Wedding Contest by CLICKING HERE

Their love story:

After 3 engagement years, 2 attempts at wedding planning, and 1 cancer-free groom, they are ready to tie the knot!! They're fellow Bruins who fell in love and are elated to start their lives together. Wedding plans started in March 2007 but abruptly halted when Matt was diagnosed with leukemia. A year of chemo and Matt in remission, try #2 at plans for a May 2009 wedding. 3 months before the wedding, with all plans set, Matt relapsed and again, their wedding came second to leukemia. With a successful transplant last September, they are now ready to finally say our I-do!

Please vote for them to win the Crate and Barrel $100,000 Ultimate Wedding Contest at the link below. Finalists are chosen by those with the highest vote counts:

VOTE for MATTHEW and CHLOE by CLICKING HERE

Brown Rice Okayu and Chicken Soup

I finally had to admit defeat a few days ago. I have joined the ranks of the sick and diseased with a pretty nasty cold. I have spent the last week taking it easy, coughing like crazy, napping and hiding away from the world.

Being sick is easier when you're married. Being single you learn to either suck it up and go get the things you need like food and medicine, or make do with what you've got by eating the probably too old stuff in the back of your pantry and freezer. With a great hubby on hand I'm very well taken care of. He'll pick up anything I ask him to at the store and offers to bring dinner home for me if he goes out.

Being Japanese American comfort food has two meanings. The American side of me wants orange juice and chicken soup. That's what everyone has right? I asked hubby to get me some chicken soup, my favorite is the dry packages that you add water to. When I walked into the kitchen this is what I saw:

OK, he didn't really put them into a pyramid but he did line them up along the counter. Made me LOL. I hope I'm not sick for as long as it would take me to eat all of that soup!

The Japanese side of me craves Okayu. It's a rice porridge, I call it Japanese oatmeal, because it's very similar to oatmeal but is made of rice. I make mine in two steps using pressure cooked brown rice. I add in twice as much water as needed so it comes out sticky and mushy. You can create the porridge by adding even more water, like a four to one ration to make a big pot all at once but I like cooking up each serving individually so I do it this way:

When I want some okayu I add water to a small saucepan and add the rice to it. I put it on the stovetop and bring it to a boil. I let it simmer for awhile, 15 minutes or so, then pour into a bowl. I add a minced umeobshi plum and some toasted nori seaweed. Nori is the paper thin sheets of seaweed used to wrap sushi in. The Okayu is warm and comforting and easy to digest. Yummmmm the picture is the bowl I had for breakfast this morning. Not pictured is that I do eat it with a spoon, the chopsticks are handy for breaking up the minced umeboshi.

And here are my good friends, Kleenex and cough drops. I actually prefer Ricola cough drops but the store was out so I had some Halls blue cough drops instead. Last night I was watching tv and bored so I made a tiny origami crane out of a cough drop wrapper. Made me laugh. And I could use some laughs these days.

The cold is running its course and I am basically hiding away from the world until I'm over the worst of it because I don't want to spread it to anyone I know and I don't want to catch what you might have if you're sick and I see you.

Germ Girl out.

Bid on a Custom Cartoon Illustration of You

This Auction is now Closed

Congratulations Michelle who won with a $175.00 bid

Bidding Began at $50.00

All proceeds will be donated in their entirety to help my friend and recovering Marrow Transplant Patient Roger Contreras.

If you've been wanting to commission a custom, flirty, "Cartoon You" illustration, here is a great opportunity to order one and help someone in need at the same time. Pricing for a custom illustration normally begins at $250. This week I will be offering a single illustration* in an auction to help my friend Roger. Bidding will begin at $50 and last until noon (PST) Friday, Feb. 26th, 2010.

I will update the most current bid as quickly as possible here in this blog post.

Current Bid is:

$175.00 by Michelle

CLICK HERE to PLACE YOUR BID and to view the Terms and Conditions

*The llustration includes a $250, head to toe, empty handed version (like the first one in the image above) of a custom cartoon similar to those seen on the GIRLgoesGEEK.com website that can be used for many purposes including on invitations, a business card/letterhead design or as an online web/blog/social media site avatar of yourself.

If you would like the cartoon to be holding any item(s) additional fees will apply. Those fees will also be donated to Roger Contreras.

Even after receiving chemo and losing his hair Roger was always smiling. With his sister/marrow donor after his transplant Roger was still smiling. As the year progressed and the complications set in and his recovery was set back further and further the pictures he posted contained fewer and fewer smiles. I'm just hoping this fundraising effort will help to put a little smile back on his face.

Roger, a plumber by trade, has been unable to work ever since receiving his marrow transplant in March of 2009. This means he has been unable to earn any income for over a year as his illness (Myelodysplasia, the same blood cancer my cousin Tami also suffered from) had incapacitated him for much of 2008. Most patients who receive transplants cannot work for at least one year. Roger has had numerous post transplant complications that look as if they will keep him out of the work force even longer. You can just imagine how difficult it must be to be stressed over finances while trying to recover from a major medical procedure. This auction was the only idea I could come up with to help Roger. Please know your bid will be going to help a very deserving individual.

---

A BBQ Benefit is being held in Houston, TX to help pay for Roger's final round of cancer treatment

Date & Time: Saturday, March 6th at 1:00pm - 6:00pm

Where: Vara's Sport's Bar
2727 North Freeway
Houston, TX 77009-3808
(North between Calvalcade & Patton)

To see more details and RSVP on Facebook just click on the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=321461981031&mid=1eccd70G2ca7cf47G9dbb3efG7

The Downtown Campbell Wine Walk

Last week I was asked to come photograph the Inaugural Downtown Campbell Wine Walk. So the funny thing about this post is that I don't drink wine. Everywhere I went everyone was asking how the wines tasted. I could only defer that until there is an "Orange Juice" or "Club Soda" walk I wouldn't be sampling the libations :) But it was very fun watching hundreds of other people enjoying the wines and their local community at the same time.

The starting point to register and pick up your wine glass was at Import Connections on Central Ave.

Twenty four local merchants participated hosting 22 different local wineries who offered samplings of both red and white wines.

Each winery sent one or two representatives to serve the hundreds of guests who participated!

And of course there can't be wine without some cheese.

The Courtyard was packed as were the participating shops.

There were over 20 wineries participating.

Pictured here: Soyna Paz and Stone Griffin Art Galleries

There were lots of musicians interspersed on each block...

Barefoot Wine and Bubbly and Stroth Hall Cellars

Solis was served at 23 Skidoo.

KwikCart pedicabs offered rides to wine goers all evening.

There were crowds in every shop!

This event was such a huge success that another is already being planned for later this summer on September 22nd. If you would like to be kept up to date about when tickets for the next Wine Walk go on sale please subscribe to the Downtown Campbell Newsletter by CLICKING HERE. You will see a text field to subscribe in the lefthand side bar.

If you attended the wine walk and want to purchase more of the wine's you tasted that night here's a list of participating wineries and the shops that hosted them:

Barefoot Wine & Bubbly - The Olive Bar
Burrell School Vineyards & Winery - Stone Griffin Gallery
Clos LaChance Winery - Gelato Classico and Audible Arts
Coastal Vines - Primrose Spa
Cooper Garrod Estate Vineyards - Celtic Shoppe
Coterie Cellars - Bella James
Domenico Winery - Bombshell Boutique
el Sol Wines - Sonya Paz Gallery
Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery - Palazzi
Hacienda Cellars - Campbell Museum
Heart O' The Mountain - Ayla
JFJ Winery - Dutchess Intimates
Kirigin Cellars - Embellishes / Gridley Company
Mont Pellier - Debbie Marie Gallery
Poetic Cellars - Campbell Showroom
Rabbit Ridge Winery - Vintage & Vogue
Roudon Smith Winery - Quizno's and Faux Salon
Sarah's Vineyard - Lavish Wellness Spa
Savannah Chanelle Vineyards - Simply Smashing
Silver Mountain Vineyards - House of Brass
Solis Winery - 23 Skidoo
Stroth-Hall Cellars - Trailsloggers

Santa Cruz Fundraiser for Rose Sniatowski Feb. 27, 2010

On October 26, 2009, Rose Sniatowski was an innocent victim in a tragic car accident that has changed her life forever. Rose suffered a broken right arm/wrist/hand, a fractured L3 vertebrae that miraculously has not paralyzed her, a broken clavicle, ruptured bowel and crushed feet. She spent almost a month in Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital's Trauma Center.

Click Image to enlarge and print as a color flyer.

Several of my wedding industry friends (Craig W. Smith, Orbie Pullen and Rebecca Merideth Pullen along with 4 other local photographers) are participating in a fundraiser to assist Rose who has not been able to work since the accident and won't be able to work for quite some time.

They are offering $60 family portraits:
February 27th, 2010
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm at the Mount Hermon Rec Field

It's a great cause. I'm hoping, if you're local, you'll consider attending. If you don't live in the area but would like to help Rose there are donation options on the right sidebar of her BLOG. Just CLICK HERE to donate.

From the Help Rose Blog:

"With the help of friends and family, Rose was able to return to her small apartment in Santa Cruz to continue her recovery process. Someone has been with her at all times since the day of the accident. Each day she gets stronger and able to do more for herself.

Rose has always had exemplary credit, and for the first time in her life, she finds herself in serious debt. The woman who caused the accident may be uninsured. Since Rose's graduation from college, her jobs have not offered medical insurance and she has not been able to afford private medical insurance. So far, no public assistance has come through, either. Many of Rose's friends want to help her. So we are planning a fund raiser to help her out and a way to make direct donations, for those who prefer. We hope you will be able to help, too."

This is the car that Rose was a passenger in.

When a driver coming from the other direction drifted over the center divide she caused a head on collision clipping the car Rose was riding in causing the damage you see here. Rose's friend, the driver of the car she was a passenger in, was also seriously injured as was the young woman who caused the accident.

Showing my Olympic spirit... Clank, clank, clank!

Hubby and I have been watching the Olympics. Right away I wanted a cowbell so that I could ring it during the competitions like everyone in the crowd. LOL I posted this thought on FB and a friend pointed out there's an app for that. Yup, you can download a Cowbell app on your iPhone. This is the one I chose:

Cowbell! by CTS MobileSoft is free and works great! The faster you shake it the more it clangs. It's loud and fun and I love it!

Two nights ago hubby would only let me ring it during the commercials because he was trying to listen to the competition commentary. Last night he downloaded the same app and we were clanging our cowbells together. LOL Now we officially have the Olympic spirit!

Introducing Izzy and Nesting Newbies Ezines

I know some of you are wondering "What is an Ezine?"

In simplest terms an Ezine is an online magazine. Some are simply periodic blog posts or newsletters while others are full fledged online magazines. Though I'm fairly new to them what I love about the magazine style Ezines are that they're eco-friendly because they aren't printed on paper and they are convenient. An online Ezine is easy to view and read without having to carry an actual magazine around with you when you're on the go. For a more thorough explanation you can read up about them on Wikipedia by CLICKING HERE

Ezine Tips:

1. To view an online magazine just look for the arrows and click to visit the next page or to go back to the last one. There is also a thumbnail image gallery on Izzy that allows you to choose the next page you want to see by clicking on the smaller images.

2. To view close ups or to enlarge the print you might have to poke around a bit. On Izzy you can double click on the page to enlarge it. On Nesting Newbies you can use the magnifying glass icons to enlarge or reduce the page view. Other sites may have a "zoom" option where you can increase or decrease a percentage to select your viewing size.

3. Look for a subscription link or RSS link so that you can receive updates when the next issue has published.

At the moment there are only two Ezines I read: Izzy and Nesting Newbies. Izzy just launched their premier issue this morning and I'm proud to say The Flirty Guide is an advertiser.

When I found out Melissa Bagley was creating Izzy I was immediately excited because I know Melissa and her reputation well enough to know that the magazine would be impeccably designed and would feature top notch companies. And I wasn't mistaken. Izzy has everything a bride could want to see in a magazine...

Brides...

Grooms

Venues...

Wedding Gowns...

Gorgeous Wedding Cakes...

Bridal Bouquets...

Wedding details and feature articles.

Nesting Newbies combines decorating and interior design ideas with cooking and food.

View the latest issue by CLICKING HERE

It includes many recipes with gorgeous photography...

Decor ideas...

Details...

Ads and features about people, products and services.

So if you love to read magazines and haven't looked to see what's available online, go take a peek. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you've been missing out on.