See You in the Powder Room

Our faith is as bright as our Future

2012-03-06T23:37:00.001-07:00

In the predawn hours, our flight passed over cities and freeways connecting cities. Appearing as small as ants, cars were already making their morning commute. Even though we were thousands of feet in the air, I noticed the headlights shining brightly from each car, some expanding to the car ahead and some shining what seemed barely in front of these miniature looking automobiles.

I thought of faith and how although we can never see far into the future, we must keep moving forward. We must exude confidence and be certain of our course with faith in the future, in our hopes and our dreams. An inpsired man recently stated, “Our faith is as bright as our future.” What a comforting thought. Although the “headlights” in our lives only shine a short distance in front of us each day, they can shine. Fear negates the light, bringing with it doubt and worry. Faith and fear cannot co-exist. Our lights can shine as brightly as we set them to shine. We must operate with faith and confidence to squeeze the most joy out of each day. Shine forth, lights of our life. Shine forth brightly!

Happy Leap Day

2012-02-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

LEAP DAY only comes along once every four years. Wouldn’t this be a great day to assess the direction you are going and make some plans to direct your life the way you want it to go?

LEAP into success by making your life plan, reviewing your goals and determining that you will achieve your goals.

LEAP into action! Celebrate your successes!

God Bless the USA

2012-02-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

Our Soldier

I have become something I never once dreamed of or aspired to, but am honestly grateful to be~ and that is an “Army Mom”. I have discovered an entirely new dimension to life and have gained an intensely deep appreciation for our military and the sacrifices made by thousands that are unknown to most and probably unappreciated by many. And this comes just from our son’s experience with Basic Training. There is so much more to come.

Our family has felt connected to the military and World War II through my father in law, our children’s grandfather, who often shared his experiences as a solider serving in the Army during that war. Like you, we are appreciative of those great men and women who have served our country throughout the years. But I really never thought of my son as being a solider…not until last summer when he announced that he was going to enlist. His strong desire to serve and protect our country surfaced after he had graduated from college and worked full time for a few years in his new profession. Once he decided to enlist, nothing could change his mind. He was determined this was part of his life plan. And now I can see him thriving in his rigorous training and watch with awe as this new man emerges from the little boy that I used to rock in my arms.

My husband and I are on our way to his Basic Combat Training for the United States Army. By the end of this week he will be a full fledged soldier with 4 solid months of training behind him. And the training certainly won’t end there. Following graduation he is off to Airborne Training and then to his assigned post, wherever that may be.

Jacob as a baby

As I pack my bags, I shed tears of gratitude for Jacob’s example of strength and persistence. We have only heard a small portion of details of his intense training and are in awe that so many thousands of soldiers have survived it and land on their two feet. I cannot imagine the physical, mental and emotional strength that one has to muster to endure the almost round –the- clock training. It takes courage and guts. Many don’t make it. They have to restart training or are sent home. Sadly, one solider in training at the same base must have felt he couldn’t handle the training any more and took his own life on the shooting range a few weeks before Christmas. Many have tried to quit. And many don’t enjoy the experience. Thank goodness our son has been determined to accomplish what he went there to accomplish and is making the best of every situation. When he gives us an insight into an especially difficult facet of training, he ends with “I had fun” or “I liked it”. I cannot imagine being in the gas chamber for any length of time. I cannot imagine doing night training, crawling through barbed wire and trenches in the dark while trying to avoid being shot. But because they train and train hard, we have a strong military that protects our great country and our freedoms.

Jacob Jumping his bike

We will be joining in the celebration this week as the soldiers will march across soil from every war since the Civil War on their way to their graduation exercise. We will be rejoicing in the accomplishments of every graduating solider on that field along with our son as we participate in his “Turning Blue” ceremony. We will be celebrating America and our love for our country and our freedoms. Ft. Benning, here we come!

God bless the U.S.A.

Grandma’s House

2012-01-26T23:43:00.000-07:00

Where cousins meet to become friends.

As a family, we celebrate holidays, birthdays and other occasions together. We believe in strong family bonds and enjoy the blessing of having all of our eleven grandchildren live within ten minutes of us. We love each of them and their unique personalities and enjoy being with them collectively, alone and with their own family groups. But I recently had an idea that I acted upon recently.

I gathered my six granddaughters ranging from ages 15-7 to meet for a special meeting at my home. As we enjoyed pizza, I told them we were forming a club with just me, their grandmother, and them! This time, no moms were invited. This will be a time when only seven of us will meet and create some memories. We voted on what we wanted to do as a group and what our club’s name would be. I reminded them of the profound experience I had many years ago that inspired my Celebration of Life concept and the book I have written and told them how blessed I feel to be living a healthy life so that I can enjoy them and their activities. Thirteen years ago my world was shaken and I wasn’t certain of my future.

(If you have not yet taken advantage of our free downloads of tools to help you celebrate life, visit www.CelebrateWithJoy.com. There is even a music download!)

Prior to our first official club meeting I had some of them help me with a service project for my mother, their great grandmother. In the future, we will create opportunities to serve others as a club. We drew names and I asked them to look out for that cousin (I included my name in the drawing) and to find ways to support and get to know that person better. What better way to keep connected to each other? We will draw new names next time we meet and repeat the process. If they lived out of town or out of state, I would have introduced the old fashioned concept of “pen pals” and encouraged them to write to the cousin whose name they have.

Although they see each other often, I envision that this club will create even stronger bonds and insure they will always know they have cousin-friends that are ‘true blue’ to them no matter what. When other friends ebb in and out of their lives they will know they always have friends in our club. In the tumultuous adolescent and teen years, we all need the reassurance that we belong and are valued. If, on those days when their hormones are raging and they may feel like they do not matter to anyone else, they will always be assured that they matter and are important to our exclusive club. I also am confidnet this will create a new dimension of a friendship bond within our family. I know that the younger ones already look up to the older cousins, but imagine how fun it will be when they teach each other life skills. In addition, the younger girls can use their older cousins as role models. Older girls can teach the younger ones. One of my first plans is to have a manners lesson, taught by the older granddaughters. My mind is reeling with the possibilities for future activities.

I am confident I will learn a great deal about what is going on in the lives and minds of my granddaughters. I will glean ideas about how to better live my life from them. This new connection will enhance and bless my life in multiple ways.

Just now, one of my ten year old granddaughters texted me to see if we, as a club, were going to meet today to celebrate two of her female cousin’s birthdays. Two of these grand-darlings were born on the same day! Never mind that we celebrated as a family last night. She wanted to know if our club was going to get together and celebrate with them today. That’s the spirit, Samantha!

I cannot leave my precious grandsons out of the fun. So my grandsons and I had a little meeting the following day to plan what we are going to do as our own unique grandmother/grandsons club…My 14 year old grandson was not in attendance when we formed this little group. I informed him that he is part of this group and asked if he was excited. His reply: “Oh yeah”. Being older and involved in more teenage activities, he will still be a good sport and, as in the past, a great example to his younger brothers and cousins in “the club”. Stay tuned for details about my newest club!

Oh, and if you are wondering what the names of our clubs are, I will let you in on our insider information.

My club with my granddaughters is: “Babe-alicious Grand Chikas”! Don’t you love it? That describes us well I think. Thanks for the suggestion, Victoria!

The club with my grandsons is “Gaylen’s (my husband’s name) Grand-Guys”. Who knows, we might allow Grandpa Gaylen to join since it carries his name!

I had better close this blog post and rest up for the upcoming activities with these new clubs! Besides that, I am going to go do something special for the name I drew!

IT TAKES GUTS TO LEAVE THE RUTS!

2012-01-19T20:23:00.001-07:00

Feeling stuck with old problems?
Feeling like a “wandering generality” rather than a “meaningful specific”?

Would you like to describe yourself as a “wife with a life” rather than a “drudge with a grudge”?

No one can make changes in your life but you. No matter how we long for things to improve, for relationships to change, for prosperity to arrive, for happiness to embrace us, unless we make some changes, nothing will happen. We will remain stuck.

If you always do the things you have always done, you will always get the things you have always had. If where you are in your life now is where you want to continue to be, don’t change anything. But if you are ready to enjoy a more full life, make a change today. What things would you like to change this year, this month, this week? Begin with one small step in changing the way you have done things in the past to get the results you desire in the future. It does take guts to leave the ruts.

Our New Year Winners!

2012-01-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Carol and Nichole

Carol has won an autographed copy of Design Your Life With Color Book

Nichole has won the Essential Skin Care Collection

Please contact me atSusan@ImageDesignbyColorConnection.com with your information so I can send you your prize.

Thank you to everyone who has entered and we hope to see you in future drawings!

It's a New Year!

2012-01-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

A new year is always a great time to reflect on what has served us in the past and fashion plans and goals for the upcoming year. I am a planner and goal setter but I really like the system a friend of mine has used for the past several years. Rather than create goals that easily are forgotten soon after January 1st, she chooses a word for the year. One year she chose the word “reach” as her theme for the year. She determined to “reach” out to better serve her family, her friends and as a nurse, her patients. She resolved to “reach” out to increase her knowledge and become more educated. Her word encompassed all facets of her life. She made a necklace with that word engraved as a constant reminder of her “word”.

I really like her plan. I am contemplating the word I will adopt as my mantra in 2012. Once I choose the perfect word, I will create wall décor with that word and find ways to post it in front of me.

What word will you choose?

New Year Giveaway Extension!

2011-12-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

In light of the time of year, we decided to extend our giveaway to Thursday, January 5th at midnight. Don't miss the opportunity to win some free products.

HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Winner of the Perfection Creme Giveaway.....

2011-12-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Gloria! You are the winner of our Perfection Creme giveaway. Please contact me with your information susan@imagedesignbycolorconnection.com so I can get you your prize!

And thank you everyone who entered. We welcome you to enter our final drawing for this year and a chance to win the grand prize!

See details in previous post.

Last Giveaway and the Grand Prize Giveaway

2011-12-23T00:14:00.002-07:00

It is now the last Week of our Count Down to New Year giveaways! Thank you to all those who entered this far and welcome all of you who are entering for the first time!

We have had a giveaway each week adding up to this year end giveaway!

Week 1:
Autographed Celebrate Life Book

Week 2:
Perfection Crème

Last Week:

Autographed Design Your Life with Color Book.

Grand Prize: Essential Skin Care Collection

An entry from each giveaway will be carried over towards entries for the grand prize!

This Week we are giving away:

Autographed Design Your Life with Color Book

(Value $19.99)
Discover your most harmonious wardrobe and cosmetic colors that will resonate with your personal coloring. Unlock the power of color in your diet and tap into the energies of color to empower you. Audit your wardrobe and design your image with color, the most vital component of your image.

We will also be drawing for the grand prize at the end of this giveaway

For the grand prize we will be giving away:

The Essential Skin Care Collection (Value $54.00)
The Essential Collection is ideal for the first time user. It allows your skin to receive a daily nutrient rich drink of essential vitamins and minerals while hydrating and providing a protective mantel. Enjoy the squeaky clean action of the Rosemary Mint Cleanser, the calming, soothing relief of the Lavender Toner and the moisture replenishing drink from the Citrus Moisturizer as you begin to rebuild and restore healthy skin.

To Enter this week's giveaway
Become a follower of my blog via blogger or network blogs (see right side bar) and leave a comment on this post saying “I am a follower”

To Enter the grand prize giveaway
Mention this giveaway on your blog or facebook page with a link to our blog. Then leave a comment telling us where you left it.

Any additional entries will be carried over from all the giveaways to be entered for the grand prize as well.

These giveaways will end on the 29th of December at midnight. The winner will be announced the next day (Friday).

Good Luck Everyone and have a Merry Christmas!

This is a Joyous Time of Year!

2011-12-21T22:11:00.001-07:00

We congratulate the winner of the Celebrate Life autographed book in our recent giveaway and invite you to participate in the upcoming contests. We love to give and we love to share. Claudia will be receiving her book this week. Please invite your family and friends to become followers at See You in the Powder Room, a network of women celebrating life and all the facets of being a woman.

Christmas is especially exciting at our home this year. Our one and only son returned home on Friday evening for a 2 week exodus from his Basic Training in the Army. After two and a half months of intense and rigorous training, it was so exciting to meet him at the airport along with 30 other excited family members and friends. Feeling his strength, hearing of his deep love for our country, listening about his experiences and sharing in his contagious laughter have enhanced the joy of this season for me and all of our family.

What experience has enhanced your celebration of this joyous time of year?

Winner of Our GIveaway Week # 1......

2011-12-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Mimi (Claudia). You have won our giveaway this week!

Please send me your information Susan@ImageDesignbyColorConnection.com
so I can send you your prize!

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway, look for a new giveaway each week this month for a chance to win!

Week # 2 Giveaway- Perfection Creme

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

It is now the Second Week of our Count Down to New Year giveaways! Thank you to all those who entered this far.

Here is a run down of the weekly giveaways:

Week 1: Autographed Celebrate Life Book: The Ultimate step by step guide to create your authentic life and live your dreams.

Week 2: Perfection Crème: This advanced anti aging crème that will lighten dark circles, plump wrinkles and prevent signs of aging for every age.

Week 3: Autographed Design Your Life with Color Book. Discover how to harness the power of color in your life and create your authentic image using your most harmonious colors.

Grand Prize: Essential Collection: This skin care collection will take care of your most essential skin needs, cleansing, toning and moisturizing with chemical free products.

Each giveaway entered will be an additional entry towards the grand prize!

Week 2- Perfection Crème

(Value $25.00)

For this week's giveaway, I would like to give one of our new HCG approved Color Connection Moisturizers. Perfection Crème provides a toxic free solution to aging skin.

Provides plumping action to eliminate wrinkles and sagging skin.

Lighten dark circles and bags around eyes.

Rejuvenate aging skin.

Maintains optimal moisture throughout the day and night for firmer, younger looking skin.

Reduces appearance of spider veins and rosecea.

Prevents skin aging by stimulating the skin's defense mechanism against oxidative stress.

How to enter this giveaway

Become a Follower-

Become a follower of my blog via blogger or network blogs (see right side bar) and leave a comment on this post saying “I am a follower” That’s it!

For additional entries:

Answer this question in a separate comment-

What is the name of one of Color Connection’s anti aging products?. (Hint www.ImageDesignbyColorConnection.com)

2- Put my blog button on your blog then leave another comment and say “I have your button!”

Now remember, each giveaway entered will be an additional entry towards the grand prize!

This week’s giveaway will end on the 22^nd of December at midnight. The winner will be announced the next day (Friday) of each week.

Good Luck Everyone!

First Giveaway- An Autographed Copy of Celebrate Life Book

2011-12-08T00:29:00.003-07:00

Welcome to "See You in the Powder Room" Blog! My name is Susan and I am the author of this blog. I am a seasoned image consultant, specializing in personalized wardrobe color advice, makeup artistry and toxic free skin care. With decades of experience in color analysis, I determined and succeeded in creating a patented color analysis system along with additional image systems and products that are individualized for each client.

These high tech image systems have taken the guess work out of dressing and eliminate "image mediocrity". Personalized wardrobe advice, harmonious cosmetics and toxic free skin care provide the tools a woman needs to look her absolute best every time she dresses. These unique tools eliminate the "daily dressing dilemma" that women face day after day. The color tools insure that male clients also dress for success.

To celebrate the development of this blog, I will be hosting giveaways with many of my products each week to make way for the New Year!

Week 1: Autographed Celebrate Life Book: The Ultimate step by step guide to create your authentic life and live your dreams.

Week 2: Perfection Crème: This advanced anti aging crème that will lighten dark circles, plump wrinkles and prevent signs of aging for every age.

Week 3: Autographed Design Your Life with Color Book. Discover how to harness the power of color in your life and create your authentic image using your most harmonious colors.

Grand Prize: Essential Collection: This skin care collection will take care of your most essential skin needs, cleansing, toning and moisturizing with chemical free products.

Each giveaway entered will be an additional entry towards the grand prize!

Week 1- Autographed Celebrate Life Book

(Value $14.99)
For this week's giveaway, I would like to give an autographed copy of my book called Celebrate Life: The Ultimate step by step guide to create your authentic life and live your dreams. The topics of this book include: Determine your destiny, Overcome life's obstacles with optimism, Embrace 21 empowering life lessons, Tap into how to live a life of celebration, Harness the power of manifestation and visualization, Celebrate the gift of life, Create your mission statement and design your life, and Fashion a life that is joyful and joy filled.

How to enter this giveaway
Become a Follower-

Become a follower of my blog via blogger or network blogs (see right side bar) and leave a comment on this post saying “I am a follower” That’s it!

For additional entries:1- Answer this question in a separate comment-

Name two of Color Connection’s moisturizers. (Hint www.ImageDesignbyColorConnection.com)

2- Put my blog button on your blog then leave another comment and say “I have your button!”

Now remember, each giveaway entered will be an additional entry towards the grand prize!

This week’s giveaway will end on the 15th of December at midnight. The winner will be announced the next day (Friday) of each week.

Good Luck Everyone!

New Blog Giveaways

2011-12-07T08:23:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I would like to announce my new blog "See You in the Powder Room". This blog celebrates life, beauty, and the joys of being a woman. It also shares insights into my Color Connection product line that includes customized Image Designs with our revolutionary Signature ColorPrint™, harmonious makeup designed to enhance your natural beauty, chemical free skin care that is also HCG diet approved. I am so excited about the development of this blog and our products that I will be hosting some giveaways that everyone can enter!

In light of the New Year, I will be giving away products each week until New Year's Eve. Watch for the Blog updates that will post the details each week. The first one starts tomorrow, Thursday December 8! Hope to “See You in the Powder Room!"

How Do You "Pay it Forward"?

2011-12-01T17:02:00.018-07:00

In photo from left to right: Liz, Susan, and Rhonda

The concept of paying it forward basically means that when you are the recipient of a kind act, instead of paying back the person who helped you, (by helping them in their time of need) you extend an act of kindness to someone else in their time of need, thus paying it forward. So it's like you become indebted and you have to find someone else to help in order to be whole again. This concept came from a book that was published in 2000, followed by a movie that dealt with this topic in detail and made the saying famous.

I am a believer in “paying it forward”. I have been very blessed so after some serious contemplation a couple of years ago I created a way to “pay it forward” by creating a local Extreme Image Design Makeover sponsored by myself and Color Connection. We recently culminated our second annual event with the two winners of our makeovers. The two women, Liz and Rhonda, began their year long experience here at Color Connection with their personalized image designs complete with color analysis, makeup artistry with their harmonious cosmetics and facials with our toxic free skin care. But the adventure didn’t stop there.

Confident with their new images, we linked with area businesses who offered these two lucky women body massage, scalp massage, hydro massage, 90 days of a fitness program, hair care, extensive dental work, spray tans, poise consulting, emotional release therapy, and a self improvement program, among other services. Local clothing stores donated undergarments and discounts on other clothing. Armed with their Signature ColorPrints™, Liz and Rhonda were able to find several pieces of clothing from which their stunning outfits were created.

Although arranging these services took a big chunk of time, the end result was well worth the efforts. It was a tearful experience as they were presented on stage at the recent What Today’s Women Want Expo.

We at Color Connection will continue to offer this gift to area women and will share tidbits with you throughout the year. We would like for you to feel part of this heartwarming experience.

Please share your “pay it forward” experiences.

Extreme Image Design Makeover

2011-10-28T00:22:00.001-06:00

July Celebrations!

2011-07-19T16:03:00.003-06:00

BEST THEME AWARD GOES TO........

Last month’s project…I was in charge of our Stake float for the 4^th of July. We actually won The Best Theme Award.

Stop lying about your age and let your skin do it for you!

2011-01-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

Stop lying about your age and let your skin do it for you! And you can with Color Connection's toxic free skin care.

Did you know that before you leave your bathroom in the morning, the average person has been exposed to over 200 chemicals in their bathroom alone? Most skin care contains chemicals, many of them proven harmful to your health. Shocking, isn't it? But with Color Connection's pure, certified toxic free skin care, you can be assured of great results without disrupting your health.

What does toxic free mean? In a nutshell, Color Connection's skin care is certified by a third party foundation to be completely free of chemicals. Discover these remarkable products at www.ImageDesignbyColorConnection.com.

We believe that every woman deserves to be healthy and every woman deserves to be beautiful. Creating beauty should not interupt your health.

It has been my experience that some of the best image tips for women are shared in the powder room. This may be one of the most important tips you will ever hear~

2010-09-27T09:33:00.001-06:00

Get rid of everything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. Live a life of joy. Share that joy with everyone you meet~

2010-09-23T23:58:00.000-06:00

1 woman = 1 woman
4 women= the energy of 4 to the power of 4 women

Why "The Powder Room"?

2010-09-21T08:34:00.000-06:00

I love the energy of women. I love the synergy of women. Synergy is a collective energy of a group that is far stronger when lumped together than each woman's energy alone. Or, in other words, if the energy of one woman = 1 and you were to add ten women's energy together, it would equal far more than 10. That, in my book, is synergy. When women are united in purpose their collective energy or synergy is unmatched!

As I travel or even meet new women on a local level, I am always uplifted when we share anything from a simple greeting and a smile to our life's dreams. Often I have had interesting conversations in the lounge of the ladies restrooms on breaks during seminars and meetings where enthused female partcipants visit as we reapply our lipstick or touch up our hair. The Powder Room can be a powerful place when women with vision introduce themselves and discover interesting things about other women.

Frequently I end my talks, podcasts and videos with the tag line..."See you in the powder room." That, to me, symbolizes women who have common goals and interests connecting in whatever way they can to inspire and encourage others along their life's path....That is my "powder room".

One of the things that has blessed my life is learning from other like minded women. I am willing to share my successes as a wife, mother and woman and learn from others as they share their life experiences. When I meet with some close friends to celebrate birthdays and Christmas I often ask what has helped them the most since we last met. Sometimes I am met with one of them rolling their eyes or another sighing, which, interpreted, means to me "oh, no, not again..." but we always come away with words of encouragement or a tip that will help us survive life's storms until we meet again.

So I ask you to share...What has helped you the most this past week or past month? You never know who you might inspire by even the simplest ideas that you share. Can't wait to hear your responses.

And welcome to the powder room!