Stroll through the many home interior shops in Europe and one thing will become readily apparent. Eclecticism is the design trend of the day. “There is really no ‘look\’ in Europe,” says Olivier Cardon, CEO, Roche-Bobois US. “Just the opposite.” Visit a European home and you may see a contemporary sofa, for example, paired with the bergere your friend inherited from her grandmother or a lamp picked up at a weekend flea market. “Reinventing the past” is how Belgian-headquartered Flamant Home Interiors describes their design concept. Minimalism... Read More

Self-love and weight loss go hand-in-hand, or thigh-to-thigh, if you will. I know how it feels not to like myself and to lead a life of compromise. It\’s a big, fat drag. And now I know how it feels to like – even love myself. I promise you, it\’s a whole lot better and there\’s no pastry, chocolate bar, or basket of bread that\’s worth it putting self-love on the back-burner. Love is an art that requires conviction, faith and daily practice. Self-love is within you, always available – ready to comfort and embrace. Fully accept yourself this St. Valentine\’s... Read More

I love networking with potential customers, organizations, and yes, even vendors. It is fun to share what you learn with others and you never know where your next customer is coming from. Here are some of my favorite business/publishing techniques I have learned so far… use them and you will “get ahead” too! Determine where your target market goes and then go sell your products at that location. I have found that businesswomen love our products and services more than writers! I would never have targeted businesswomen over women writers, but over and over again, businesswomen... Read More

What is Job Stress? Having a stressful job and experience job stress are two entirely separate things. A job which is stressful may mean that it is high intensity (such as an air traffic controller), that critical decisions have to be made (like a caseworker for social services), that long hours are involved (the 24-hour shifts of firefighters), or that quotas are set for output (a worker on a factory production line). But a well-trained worker, supported and praised by her superiors, and especially one who has a say in her own working conditions, may thoroughly enjoy her job and never feel that... Read More

Parents have been emailing and calling me about going to their children\’s first family weekend. Family weekend is when the parents visit their children and college campus to see what life is like now that they are settling into their new routine and life away from home. Truth is, some aren\’t settled yet and that is normal. Parents aren\’t settled either. Siblings and grandparents are getting new footing. Change brings surprises in these new roles. So I thought these stories would be fun. Good to remember: We, as parents, need to continually focus on our life and not theirs.... Read More

Daddy didn\’t care for TV. He used to call it the Boob Tube. Never did figure that one out. This week I found a little extra time to take in some BT and afterwards, I started thinking. I know, I know, you\’re saying to yourself, this is uncharted territory for da Queen, but I\’m here to tell you, I do give life a thought or two every now and then; seriously. Why I\’ve been known to contemplate the different meanings of life for five or ten minutes and I don\’t like to brag, but sometimes, this is all in one sitting! So given all of that, here are five questions that... Read More

…by Prill Boyle You wouldn\’t know it from reading People magazine, but the value of your life probably won\’t end up being measured by how much money you made or how well-known you were. A few generations down the road, it\’s likely no one will remember what you accomplished. (If you don\’t believe me, ask a group of junior high school students who Paul Newman is.) So whenever you\’re faced with a difficult choice, or simply wondering whether to head in a new direction, the best way I know to get your priorities straight is to ask yourself how you would feel... Read More

Imagine the richest relationship you could ever have. What would that be like? Envision a relationship in which conflicts, even fighting, don\’t drive you apart but deepen the connection between you. Picture the sheer joy of discovering a love that thrives on the ordinary experiences of everyday life and is more passionate and spiritually satisfying than your most lavish fantasy. Trust you can keep romance alive no matter how long you are together! Is that a relationship you want? Not only is a love like this possible, but it\’s available to you right now. All you have to do is be... Read More

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! – 2 Corinthians 5:17 niv People today are pre-occupied with their bodies. It seems every magazine for women I see has at least one article promising a total makeover. “If you\’ll follow these ten steps, you can change your body!” I don\’t know about you, but I\’m about due for an extreme makeover. The changes in my body both fascinate and horrify me. Not long ago, my friends and I stopped at a new restaurant for dinner. When I got up to go to the restroom, I saw a... Read More

Henry Ford is reported to have quipped, “Why is it that I always get the whole person when what I really want is a pair of hands?” The 21st century version doesn\’t sound quite like that, but its essence prevails in plenty of workplaces. The functional equivalent of Ford\’s thinking is housed in statements from supervisors, managers, and coworkers like: “What do you mean her kid is sick again, and I have to do her work?” “I know he\’s having a rough time at home, but he has to leave it at the door.” Or “I\’m sorry his father died... Read More