Journey around the world with Monica and Epicure at her brand new cooking classes this February.

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This body spray is amazing…it’s ‘the bomb’! (get it, hehehe…love grenade) You will love it, your man will love it, his co-workers will love it, careful….the ladies will love it! It has a sweet, spicy, sexy smell all rolled into one. You can’t resist. It’s reasonably priced and well worth the search to find it in your local salon. (not sold in drug stores I don’t think)

So cheers to the Woody’s team! Well done, I am loving this new product!

Till next time…

Kimberley xx

P.S. if you have a teenager who uses ‘that other stuff‘ get him to try Woody’s and he will switch in a heartbeat! You’ll be a much happier Mom, guarenteed.

My first thoughts are usually surrounded by a feeling of shock and disbelief. Then as reality sinks in I sometimes feel a sense of panic and confusion, what do I do now? Then as I sit down and start to sort it out, and I talk to trusted friends or mentors I usually start to see things in a different view. I begin to find the positive side of this sudden occurrence. I look for how I can find ways to see the changes become a plus in my life and my family’s life. Perhaps I was happily trudging down a lane that was leading to nowhere and I couldn’t see far enough in the future to know I needed to turn around. Or perhaps I wasn’t really happy at all with the path that I was on and I needed a nudge to change direction. Can you relate?

Most often, when life has thrown me a curve ball, it worked out for the best in the end. My life changed course, sometimes drastically, sometimes subtly, and now when I reflect I can see how my life has improved because of that change. Some might call this karma or fate, others God’s plan, others the leading of a Higher Power. No matter what you believe, know that you too can survive life’s curve balls and change. There is a plan for your life and I believe that it is a good one. Trust that truth. Stand tall, lift up your chin and hold your head high and start again. Listen to your instincts and be mindful of change being a sense of renewal in your life, an opportunity to shake off what might have weighed you down and start fresh.

Yesterday was ‘blue Monday’ and stories about depression and downcast moods were all over the media. Today, let’s change our direction of thought and think about ‘positive Tuesday’.  Ask yourself, how can we be happy and productive? Yes it’s true, the bills are still arriving, and it’s grey and cold outside. But that doesn’t mean that we cannot find the cheerful side of life. The bills will always be there, and we cannot change the weather. What we do have control over is our selves, our outlook, our attitudes. That is where we can make change in our lives happen. It doesn’t happen over night, but rather little by little. Dedicate yourself to discovering one positive thing a day, then two, then three and so on. Before you know it you will have begun a new habit, one that is positive and brings you happiness. An ingrained habit is hard to break.

So here is to healthy and happy habits in your life. Here is to surviving life’s curve balls and looking for the positive spin on those unexpected changes that come our way. Here is to new beginning’s and new adventures.

Till next time….

Kimberley xx

We had a lively discussion in class last week about what we thought marketing was all about. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the thoughts we will have in our last class. Will we all be marketing genius’ by then? Probably not. I am looking forward to learning enough to grasp a brief analysis when I see marketing in the world around me and how I respond to it, or how I see others respond. I also hope to gain enough practical understanding to apply the basics…surely I can find a test market to practice with.

The most important first concept that I am learning, is that to succeed, being customer focused is the key to successful marketing. It is imperative to discover the needs, wants and demands of the customer and then offer them value, irresistible value, in your product or service. These are the big blocks at the bottom of the plan….or is it reverse, does it start with a single block being the customer and then build upwards and outwards like a pyramid or like Maslow’s Hierarchy? Either view leads to, or should lead to, the same desired outcome. That is to build profitable relationships which lead to profitable returns for the company and equally content and satisfied customers.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this course will be lots of fun (and a lot of work). I hope you will stick around to hear how the journey progresses. If you are a marketing professional or guru and you have words of wisdom to share or even just a tidbit of insight, I welcome your comments and feedback. Even if you aren’t in the marketing profession, I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time…

Kimberley xx

I learned about Epicure Selections from my dear friend Kelly who invited me to a tasting party at her home about a month ago. I figured I’d go along to ‘be nice’ and support my friend, and hey, there would be good food and some fun friends too. Can’t be all bad, right?! By the end of the party I was so excited to host a party in my home. This stuff was good! I wanted to know more.

One of my first favorites was the Epicure’s Extraordinary Cheese Dip (a  hot dip).  Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm….doesn’t that just look scrumptious!?! It’s warm and cheesey and ooey, gooey, good!  The best part, it is so easy to make. If  you serve this at your parties, you better have a second one ready to warm up because your guests will certainly be looking for more! It is low in sodium and there is a “light” version of the dip as well so it is great tasting and good for you too!

This is the first delectable temptation that I am going to share with you. Visit again soon for more tips and treats! If you want to know more, you can visit the Epicure Selections web site or give me a shout and I am happy to hook you up with my very own personal consultant Monica who is able to answer all your questions.

How to fold a fitted sheet

Thanks Style at Home for sharing this video and thanks Peggy Byron of Au Lit Fine Linens in Toronto for teaching us how to fold the dreaded fitted sheet!!

Only a few years ago, we lived in such ignorance of what hundreds of our ‘friends’ did just last night. Now we are sorely disappointed if we don’t catch a glimpse of photo updates via their iPhone or Blackberry. We must have been miserable not having a way to tell the world that we had too much to drink, or our noses are runny and we are coughing up something green…or is it yellow, or we have the latest case of some disgusting G.I. upset requiring a bottle of Pepto Bismol. How did we ever survive? Surely we have made a valuable contribution to today’s society by sharing these personal little tidbits. Really?

I often wonder what might happen, if we would all spontaneously combust, if someone waved their magic wand and poof, social media just up and disappeared. Well, it’s not going to happen, we all love social media and telling the world our stories way too much. We are a social group of people. Thank goodness!

Even though we often seem to forget our “online filters” (me too) and share things we probably shouldn’t, social media is just another medium to bring us all a little closer together. It helps us learn about each other and our neighbours, close and far away. It brings us to another level of awakening and understanding. Social media connects us as fellow citizens living in and looking after our communities be they intimate or global.  We can respond to a need or fight an injustice, in our own town, or halfway across the world, in minutes and hours, and not days and weeks or even months.

That brings me to my last thoughts, and then I am going to need a refill on my cuppa tea. I am glad that we are able to connect like this, that we can share between us. I hope you will continue to drop in with your cuppa tea, or coffee, and see what is new at Kimberley’s Place. You can share your thoughts in the comments space, I’d love to hear from you…sniffles, coughs, and all.  Learning about each other brings us together to care for the world, directly around us and further. I look forward to learning about you.

January 2011 is full to the brim with lots of new adventures for me and my family, some just around the corner and others that have just begun.  I am sure they will make for some interesting stories to share.  Stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

Kim

via Seven Things I Learned from Tony Hsieh | Spin Sucks.

Great read all about Community building from the ground up! Thanks Gini Dietrich

#1, Brilliant marketing – 10, 000 free roses is a lot of word of mouth about a flower shop in one day! #2, this encourages people to share with each other, making your co-workers, friends, family, neighbours, or even a stranger you might give a rose to feel good and smile (hey, who wouldn’t smile when handed a beautiful rose just out of the blue).   #3, it’s a wonderful way to give back to their community as a local business. The event is one that has become anticipated by the local neighbourhood. Around Mid August as you drive by you start looking for the sign announcement and planning your time to work to include a quick stop in at Jean’s along the way.  They have also begun a food drive to give to Neighbour to Neighbour, the local community food bank.  So many people benefit from this wonderful event. 

You might be wondering why I am sharing this with you when I am ‘supposed’ to be talking about social media on this site.  It’s because I believe that this is a wonderful example of community building and year after year it develops and blossoms and affects more and more people in the community.  This is exactly what you can do with Social Media.  Use it to build and develop and blossom your local community.  Share, educate, support, build together and watch your business or organization grow, blossom and develop over time. 

I want to keep this post short and sweet, so I will just share one more comment and then close.  Remember this, as Ralph Waldo Emerson says “Earth laughs in flowers”