by: Alyson Komyanek

Since I like fashion and looking trendy, people often assume that I visit stores like Roberto Cavalli and Versace. But anyone who really knows me knows that this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The only “designer store” I’ve ever been in was on a trip to LA one summer. I took a quick stroll through one of the shops on Rodeo Drive, checked out a string bikini for $423, put it right back where I got it from and never looked back. I certainly don’t have the finances to drop that kind of money on a bathing suit that would provide as much coverage as cotton balls on a string, but looking stylish is important to me.

Rule of 8

With every change of season, I allow myself to buy 8 new items. Don’t ask me why I picked 8, I just like the number. I like to get bottoms that look great with a variety of colors/styles, unique tops, basic accessories and shoes. Since I sit behind a desk all day I focus more on what I wear on top than the bottom. After all, most people only see me from the waist up.

I don’t subscribe to any fashion magazines like Harpers Bazaar or Vogue; their fashions are too outrageous and rich for my taste. Instead, I refer to the internet for trendy ideas. A Google search of “Spring 2013 Fashion Trends” tells me all I need to know about trends and show pictures of the latest craze. Stripes and bright colors seem to be “it” this season. Thankfully, bright colors were also “in” last summer, so I’ve already got some great colored shorts, skirts and jeans that will look fabulous with some new matching striped tops. Google also revealed that anything see-thru is in, but that’s one bandwagon I won’t be jumping on.

Digging In

Now that I know what’s in and what’s out, it’s time to start shopping. I of course have my list of 8 wish- list items in hand, because otherwise, I’ll over shop…and that’s not good for anyone on a budget. I’ll first check out the Goodwill for anything with stripes. Thrift Stores can be a bit of a strike out however, because there’s not much of a size selection. Once I found the perfect dress, but it was 2 sizes too small. I thought about buying it and waiting until after my next battle with the stomach flu to wear it, but it seemed a bit senseless, even though it was only a whopping $3.50.

If I strike out at second hand shops, I’ll take a look around department stores such as JC Penny and Target. Of course these stores can run a bit out of my price range, but they often have steals that no one can deny. Plus, as a Target Red Card shopper, I’ll receive an additional discount at the register, and you can’t beat that.

I always get at least one new accessory each season. Last Spring it was a fedora hat (the cheap kind), a GREAT purchase, but this year I’m in the market for a new bag or scarf. This season, Old Navy has some online (and guess what? They’re striped!) for under $12.

Now that I have a new scarf and a few outfits, item #8 is destined to be a new pair of wedges. Shoe shopping on a budget is the trickiest of all, because it’s hard to find ones that are both affordable and comfortable. My shoe store of choice is Famous Footwear….that BOGO sale is almost always ongoing.

Maybe I will have room for item #9 after all…

by Anonymous

Since my last entry I had stated that I joined eHarmony and invited you in following me on my “new adventures”. Well an adventure it has been for sure, and I’m excited to tell you that I feel like this is the 2^nd round of Match.com, just a bit more expensive. So I answered all the questionnaires, filled in all the fields and uploaded the pictures that showed my best side. I didn’t have to wait long until I got a bite. He was from NJ, handsome, outgoing and we shared the same profession. I was intrigued by his forwardness to want to “skip” the question part and go straight to email. For those who may not know eHarmony, there’s a certain system to follow before you get to the good stuff. We hit if off right from the start. He was funny and claimed he couldn’t stop looking at my photos. He was so forward he wanted to meet that night for dinner! Yikes! It’s only Monday, I had just joined, and I wasn’t expecting this so quick! So I settled for Thursday night for dinner in at a local pub.

While leading up to our date night we transferred from eHarmony to Google chat and texting. I told him my favorite movie was Dumb and Dumber, and he joked he would wear a blue suit and top hat just like in the movie. Things were looking up!

On the way to dinner he texted me, “I’m biting my nails; I am nervous to meet you. Just look for the guy in the orange shirt at the bar.” Darn, no blue suit! Upon entering the restaurant I saw him sitting there, and I quickly hid myself behind a wall and chatted with the hostess girls about this being my first eHarmony date. I asked them if they could tell if he’s cute or not. My goodness, I felt like a little girl in junior high giggling with my friends at the lockers about the hot guy in class. I gathered the courage to stop being a coward and turned the corner to greet him.

Maybe something in me switched, but I didn’t feel a connection within the first half hour of meeting him. Could it be that it’s easier to be charming through technology instead of in person? I liked who he was in Google chat, but I wasn’t sure I could have fallen for who he was in person. He seemed … different.

During the dinner he talked, and talked and oh yes HE talked. He talked about himself so much at one point he said, “I feel like I’ve been talking the entire time, maybe I should ask you a question?” Looking at my watch we had been there for 45 minutes and not one topic we had discussed was about me, or what I do or how I spend my days. It was all about his trip to New Zealand, his family business and his thought on the latest political debate. I was bored. I gave the hostess a glance and I saw her motion to our waitress to leave the check. I suppose a simple glance can say a lot, even to a total stranger. I became so bored that all I noticed was a woman sitting clear across the restaurant stirring her tea. Continuously, loudly stirring her iced tea in the glass. So loud to the point it was all I could hear. My date’s voice seemed to fade, and I only heard the metal spoon hitting the side of the glass. That’s how bored I was.

We ended the date with a peck and he promised to call me as he felt an “instant connection”.

“Don’t bother,” I wanted to say. I was so jaded and disappointed at the point of the night, but I won’t let this date discourage me from trying again. He later texted me asking, “Do you want to see me again?” Gosh, I guess he had figured out the texting pretty much had ended, and I was no longer signed into Google chat.

I ended it all by lying, “I actually met someone.”

Let’s hope that becomes true!

It got cold about 8 months ago, everybody went inside…some people got bored and some people got busy. For those who created life, it’s now time for you to get them a gift. Yep- we are heading into baby shower season!

Every time I am invited to a shower, I rack my brain. I want to be the creative gift maven- that clever guest who supplies gifts beyond the not-so-well-thought-out registry. To help all of those facing a similar shower situation, check out four things I asked for that I barely touched, and what I would ask for if I could do it all over again today (AFTER the baby):

1. The bunny of death mobile and accessories – When my husband and I went to the baby store we picked out this adorable and expensive bunny baby bedding set. I pictured my baby girl rolling around in her field of bunnies blissfully cooing at me and loving the decor. The reality is the crib bumper is considered a suffocation hazards and there are warnings all over it not to use it for babies, same for the fancy bunny comforter. The worst part was the matching bunny mobile. We did not realize until we opened it at home that the bunnies were supported by a string on the back of their necks. It looked like four bunnies being hung at the gallows. We used it once, got scared, threw it under the crib and let it collect dust.

New wish list idea: Sheets and receiving blankets get a ton of use. In the winter months we used warmer fleece blankets and sleep sacks.

2. The ear thermometer – To use this instrument of doom you actually have to hold a sick baby down and jam a beeping piece of plastic in their ear. I could never get a good reading off of mine, not even in my own ear (unless I really am 92 degrees). I quickly switched to a digital thermometer under the arm pit. A veteran mom shared with me that I could use my lips to tell temperature best of all. She said to place them against the babies for head and if it felt warm the baby was getting a fever.

New wish list idea: Baby medicine cabinet. A friend bought me baby gas drops, infant pain reliever and a bulb syringe. All were used up.

3. Dress-up clothing – It was nice to open cute flowery dresses and shiny Mary Janes at my shower, but the reality was they never got any use. It’s a lot of work to put a baby in a dress or a suit and tie and forget about shoes, they kick them right off. I never felt like I had anywhere to go fancy enough to wear them and by the time I decided to use them they were too tight or my kids had an “poop up the back” blowout within minutes of putting it on.

Instead: Cute onesies or footied rompers for the winter months. Not a single romper or onesie stayed packaged in my house.

4. Water temperature gadgets – I used one of these the first time I gave my kids a bath and learned that the ideal temp is a little colder than your bath. That’s it, once I felt it I got the gist. I never referred to it again. My mom shared with me that in her day they just dipped their elbows in the water, if it felt hot, it would feel hot to a baby and to add some cold water.

New wish list: Baby bath set with baby wash, baby shampoo, towels, bubbles and squeaky toys. Hooded bath towels with animals or characters are both cute and practical. Babies need towels anyway and by the time my kids were past one cutsie towels helped coax them out of the bath. It tricked them into thinking we were playing “dress up” with their towel.

Despite these nice practical gift ideas, you may have a case of a mom in the idyllic fog of pregnancy. If she asked for the suffocating baby bumper, the hang man’s bunnies or a sequin studded baby suit, you may just have to get it. But, you can try to slip in a practical item here or there, which she will thank you for later.

Joe Kienstra and Sarah Derleth in “Vaudeville Comedy, Then and Now”

Friday, May 17, 2013: The festival will open with a FREE screening of a locally made movie, “Vaudeville Comedy, Then and Now”. The low-budget feature was shot entirely in Palm Bay by local filmmakers Ray and Migdalia Etheridge, and features 17 actors from Brevard. The film’s producer, Migdalia Etheridge, says that the film will be shown to the community free of charge as a THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the movie, as well as to those who have attended our film festivals since we began in 2009.

The film is a tribute to the men and women of the Vaudeville stage, and includes vintage film clips of performers who began in Vaudeville, such as Bob Hope, W.C.Fields, Buster Keaton, Burns & Allen, Abbott & Costello, and several others. The film also includes newly filmed segments with modern-day actors, who perform comedy material which was written nearly a century ago. The movie will be shown Friday, May 17th, at 4:30pm, at The Knowledge Exchange, 5151 Babcock Street, in Palm Bay.

Admission is free.

Saturday, May 18, 2013: The film festival will be held at Palm Bay Dollar Movies, located at 160 Malabar Road. Over 40 films, from 2 to 15 minutes long, will be shown at the event. There will be 5 shows: 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm & 9pm. Every show will contain completely different movies. Admission is $2.00 per show, paid at the door.

Festival sponsors Ray and Migdalia Etheridge report that they have selected films “for every taste”, including comedy, drama, documentaries, and music videos.

8385 S. Highway A1A, Melbourne Beach, FL 32951

What? The keynote topic for this month’s meeting is “LinkedIn-Now.” Presented by Roy Garton,Business Development and Marketing Manager with TotalCareIT, this session will focus on LinkedIn, from the basics to more advanced strategies and best practices on how to best utilize this dynamic social media tool.

When? April 11th from 6-8pm

Where? The Knowledge, Exchange, 5151 Babcock St NE, Palm Bay.

Cost? Tickets for the event are $10 and will include food, one drink ticket and one raffle ticket. Additional raffle tickets will be available for $2 each or 3 for $5.

How? Registration for the event is online at http://aprilgsb.eventbrite.com/?ref=ecal Tickets will also be available at the door for $15.

80 million Americans suffer from stomach issues like nausea and diarrhea and an astonishing 3,000 die from these conditions annually.

The bacteria and viruses are not only dangerous to people but also to the environment. Besides attracting flies, maggots and rodents, pollutants are flowing into our waterways.

Until now, the only solutions were to clean your trash can yourself or dispose of it and buy a new one. Cleaning your trash can yourself is not only a disgusting job; it is also bad for the environment.

People who clean their own trash cans use an average of 30 gallons of water and cleaning chemicals. This water is emptied onto the driveway or roadway and ultimately ends up in storm drains. Storm drain water is NOT treated; it runs directly into the Indian River. If just 10% of Brevard households clean their trash cans monthly, nearly twelve million gallons of untreated waste water will enter our waterways annually.

Enter Brevard County’s Green Can Cleaners. This innovative company has developed a self-contained system that uses high pressure steam to sanitize garbage cans curb-side. There are no chemicals and no runoff into storm drains. At 225º F all germs are destroyed, not just rinsed out, and the water is recycled. “In a place like Florida, where our waterways are such an important part of our ecosystem, it is vital that we do not use chemicals that contaminate them,” says owner, Peter Allen, a mechanical engineer, who designed the process. “Steam cleaning is the preferred method of sanitizing with consumers, healthcare advisors and environmentalists. This is important to us because we care about the health of our environment as well as that of our family.”

Green Can Cleaners uses the same process to sanitize playground equipment and shopping carts, which rank second and third in America for the most unsanitary places we come in contact with regularly.

Stay green & clean Brevard!

The event is named Art at Pineda – hopefully the first of many. Through the generosity of local business woman Linda Workman, the show will be held on the grounds of Workman Mortgage Company on US1 at Anderson Way. In addition to the usual potters, artists working in basketry, wood, painting, photography, jewelry, stained glass, quilting, exotic plants and other media will be represented.

The goal is to offer an all-inclusive art fair in the Pineda-Suntree area. Organizer Kris Darby hopes for an opportunity for members of the public to meet the artists working locally in their midst and to support the arts of Florida and the local economy – a chance for shopping for spring holiday, birthday and Mother’s day.

Prizes for Best in Show and Awards of Excellence will be presented to exhibitors. In addition, members of the public who attend the show will have an opportunity to enter a raffle to win a piece of art each day.

The Art at Pineda event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7, 2013 , 9am till 5pm , at 6450 Anderson Way at US 1, one mile north of the Pineda Causeway. Just look for the colorful flags and signs on the north side of the road.

Admission is free. Parking is free. Food and food & snacks will be available for purchase.

Cape Winds Resort of Cape Canaveral Florida provides a luxurious and comfortable atmosphere with suites ranging from one bedroom/two bathroom to two bedroom/two bathroom all just footsteps away from the beach. Whether you’re an individual visiting the Space Coast on business or a family looking for a fun place to stay on the beach that’s centrally located, Cape Winds Resort provides comfort, friendly service and style to suit anyone’s needs.

Cape Winds condos are all fully furnished and just moments away from a variety of great restaurants and specialty shops. Interested in seeing the theme parks and attractions of Central Florida? Don’t worry, Cape Winds is just one hour east of Orlando!

Also close by is exciting Kennedy Space Center and world renowned Port Canaveral, the home port of many of the Caribbean’s most popular cruises. In fact, plan your cruise around a visit to Cape Winds Resort, and you can park your car there for FREE while you’re on the cruise.

You can see detailed pictures of each specific room. Don’t forget to take a tour of their model rooms!
Cape Winds Resort is a direct ocean complex complete with a large heated pool, Jacuzzi hot tub, sauna, 2 lighted tennis courts, basketball court, covered parking area and private beach gate. They are a 5 story complex with 2 elevators for your convenience.

Each room comes equipped with a king size bed in the master bedroom, fully functional kitchen with fridge, stove, microwave and dishwasher. Every condo has a sleeper sofa in the living room and its own private balcony as well.

Complimentary wi-fi internet service is also conveniently provided to all their guests.

So, the next time you’re looking for a staycation on the east coast of Florida, why not give Cape Winds Resort a try? Especially if you’ve never experienced all that northern Brevard has to offer! You’ll like what you see!

For more details on Cape Winds Resort please visit their website or call 1-321-613-3958

GIVEAWAY
How would you like to WIN a 3-night stay at Cape Winds Resort? Cape Winds Resort has teamed up with The Eco Chic and Brevard Happening, and we’re giving you all a chance to win!

Enter to win via the Rafflecopter form. Open to participants world-wide, must be 18 yrs or older to enter.

*Winner receives a 3-night stay at Cape Winds Resort. Offer valid May 1st through December 15th , 2013. Dates subject to availability at time of booking. Cape Winds Resort reserves the right to choose room.