Beth Daigle

May 11, 2017

Do you Rosé? The Resurgence of Rosé Wine

I think it’s common knowledge that rosé wine has a bad rap. It has the reputation of being low-grade and overly sweet. Years ago, when the Real Housewives of Orange Country first introduced me to the idea of rosé, I was all into it. Pink, pretty, sweet – what could go wrong? Well, try suggesting a bottle of rosé to a room full of wine snobs and you’ll get laughed out of the room just like I did. Honestly, the feeling of judgement was worse than what I experienced with my Pinot Grigio habit. I made the move to Sancerre just to avoid ordering Pinot Grigio. I blogged about it here.

But back to rosé. While many naysayers hold their opinion, it’s hard to deny that this lovely blush vino has made a comeback. It’s pretty much all over the place. Namely Bravo’s newest reality show sensation “Summer House.” They had rosé wine in every episode (clearly a sponsor) and these successful Montauk millennials were drinking it by and from the gazillion ounce bottle. You just have to check out this pic – it’s insane. This actually didn’t make a great case for my appreciation for rosé, but at least it indicated it was on trend.

And look at the rosé display at my favorite North Andover gift store, Rose and Dove. How fun – I love it!

Whispering Angel seems to be the rosé of choice around my parts. However, if I’m being honest, I find myself preferring rosés with a bit more color and flavor. I’ve noticed that the pinkest of pink rosés tend to lean a bit sweet and floral for my taste. If you can find one that boasts a slightly more orangey hue, you may find the flavor to be more satisfying.

I recently cracked open the featured bottle of Le Crema Rosé – notice the deeper pink tone. La Crema has long been a favorite of my chardonnay loving friends, so I figured they might have a good handle on their rosé. Not bad!

Call me girly, but there’s something about sipping on a pretty pink libation that makes me feel good.

So, what do you think? Is rosé wine classé or passé?

#roseallday

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May 9, 2017

Television & Technology

What I Learned from My Fitbit

Let me begin by saying, this really isn’t my Fitbit. It’s my fourteen-year old daughter’s. She requested it for Christmas. Against my better judgement, I got it for her. I should’ve known it would sit in a pile on her bureau. My Ally likes to collect things more than put them to good use. Regardless, the investment has not been wasted and I am now the happy owner of my very own Fitbit.

My Fitbit

Ally was kind enough to set me up with my own account and connected my Fitbit to my phone. Right away I was impressed that my “watch” was magically communicating with my iPhone. Oh how technology baffles me!

Like most fitness crazes I go through, this latest obsession was driven by pure necessity. I had, yet again, slipped into a bad pattern of too much eating and too little exercise. With Fitbit came knowledge and what I learned is – I’m not nearly as active as I thought. While it feels like I’m never standing still, my Fitbit tells me I don’t go very far. Well, not far enough to burn the calories necessary to offset my happy eating and drinking lifestyle.

10,000 Steps

According to my Fitbit, I should be taking 10,000 steps a day – that’s easier said than done. However, with the motivating messages that pop up on my Fitbit screen every hour or so, I’m reminded to get up and get moving. My Fitbit asks me to take it for a walk, it reminds me that it’s “step o’clock” and just now it told me it’s time to get rolling. Cute, clever, annoying – whatever you want to call it, the Fitbit is getting me going.

The psychology behind the Fitbit and why so many people use them is certainly not lost on me. When I see these encouraging messages, I can’t help but experience a wave of guilt. Not only do the messages make me painfully aware that I haven’t gotten off my butt in far too long, but I weirdly don’t want to disappoint my Fitbit. If, by the end of the day, I’m way off my goal, I drag myself out the door and go for a walk. This is unprecedented – I’m really not a night person.

The ultimate motivator comes when I’ve reached my goal and my wrist starts buzzing like a beehive. I look down to flashes of little fireworks and a message announcing that I’ve “crushed it.” Ten thousand steps and a total sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Thank you very much Fitbit!

Honestly, I’m not much for gadgets or tracking things, but having a better sense of my activity level throughout the day has been valuable. I’ve grown to like my Fitbit so much I might upgrade to another version with more features and a fun color.

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May 4, 2017

Writing, The Blog, The Book

UPDATE: Shop Til You Drop 2017 on May 18th

I hope to see you there! Come check out my chocolate olives!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The North Andover Women’s Club is hosting their 2nd annual Shop Til You Drop Event on Thursday, May 18th 2017 at The Stevens Estate, 723 Osgood St., North Andover, MA from 5-9pm. Cost of admission is only $5 and the evening will feature over 50 artisans, craftspeople and local businesses. Join us for a fun night of shopping to benefit North Andover Veterans Services and the North Andover Women’s Club Scholarship Fund.

Please enjoy today’s repost of the good times and great wares from last year’s event.

Shop Til You Drop 2016

Beth Daigle for 3 Olives & a Twist at shop til you drop event — Representing!

Last night I took part in my first event showcasing 3 Olives & a Twist. The North Andover Women’s Club put on a spectacular Shop Til You Drop night at The Stevens Estate that buzzed with over 60 vendors and hundreds of eager shoppers.

It was so much fun! The energy in the historic mansion was electric. Conversation flowed while information was shared and wares sold.

Representing 3 Olives & a Twist at Shop Til You Drop

My goal was to spread the word about 3 Olives & a Twist and with my oversized poster, iPad, flyers, business cards, and yes; color-coordinated outfit, I did just that. Guests were intrigued with the blog, but my jumbo martini glass filled with olive candy also caught a lot of attention. I encouraged guests to try and while some wished they were real olives, most were pleased with the chocolate covered almonds disguised as my favorite martini garnish. I promised to share my olive candy source – drum roll please…Oh! Nuts, purveyor of quality nuts, dried fruit, candy and chocolate delivered on my surprise, sweet treat. Note: Shop local – Dottie’s Delights in North Andover would be happy to procure these for anyone interested.

Along with candy olives, I shared the point of my lifestyle blog which is to let readers in on some of the cool, fun and fabulous people, places and experiences I’ve had the good fortune to come across. I love nothing more than to talk up a good thing. With that in mind, I hope you’ll enjoy this photo essay of just a few of the fine businesses I encountered at last night’s Shop Til You Drop extravaganza…I wish I had room for them all.

A look at the evening…

Art by Chongson Scott (603) 912-5108, ScottsinNH@Comcast.net

Artist, Chongson Scott - Shop til You Drop vendor — Artist, Chongson Scott – Colors of Strength (603) 912-5108, ScottsinNH@Comcast.net

Dragonfly art by Beth Jensen - Fine Art Paintings & Prints — Dragonfly art by Beth Jensen – Fine Art Paintings & Prints. beth_e_jensen@yahoo.com (978) 604-7642

Artist Beth Jensen - Fine Art Paintings & Prints — Artist, Beth Jensen – Fine Art Paintings & Prints. Beth_e_jensen@yahoo.com (978) 604-7642

Handcrafted leather bracelets by Dan Jacavanco - Jacavanco Studios — Handcrafted leather bracelets by Dan Jacavanco -JacavancoStudios.com, Lawrence, MA. (978) 238-1555.

Handcrafted leather belts by Dan Jacavanco - Jacavanco Studios — Handcrafted leather belts with a pop of turquoise by Dan Jacavanco – JacavancoStudios.com, Lawrence, MA. (978) 238-1555.

Floral display by Piccirillo Design, Interior Design, Wilmington, MA gpiccirillo217@comcast.net, (978) 761-0823

The lovely Kim Mollica, Arbonne Consultant and NAWC member – Find her on Facebook.

Others who attended Shop Til You Drop: Rose & Dove Gifts, Gunther’s Goodies!, Vintage Vault and Peach.

Thank You!

To all who came out for Shop Til You Drop, thank you for your support and a wonderful night. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Congratulations North Andover Women’s Club – the night was a huge success!

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May 2, 2017

Life & Family

College in New York City? Not for My Kid, or So I thought.

Grand Central Station – New York, New York!!!

Never did I imagine my oldest daughter would want to tour colleges in New York City. She is only a sophomore in high school, but she is already dreaming about life in the big city. I can’t say that I blame her. I too am dreaming of moving to the city, but I’m talking Boston. Boston is exactly where I imagined Julia would end up for college. Just forty-five minutes from home and she’d get the benefit of a beautiful, busy city. But not so far that I couldn’t be there in the blink of an eye if she needed me. Perfect, right?

Colleges in New York City

Apparently, not so perfect for her. Over April break, we agreed to take Julia to her dream place, Manhattan, to tour a few of the colleges in New York City. I’m not going to lie, I had a devious plan all worked out in my mind. The end result of which would be her hating New York City. I imagined subtly pointing out the heaps of garbage on the streets, the stinky smell that hung in the air from said garbage and that strange stench wafting up from the subway. I assumed the horribly congested sidewalks would frustrate her and the outrageously overpriced everything would make her think twice about the fantasy of NYC she’d concocted in her mind. The real NYC isn’t like what you see on television, I told her.

I was sure that once there, she’d be turned off from college life in Manhattan. But she wasn’t – not even a little.

NYC in full bloom – I saw more tulips than trash on our visit. Truthfully, the city looked beautiful.

We spent just a few days in NYC, one of which was completely rainy, and had a wonderful time. The city was indeed electric and energizing.

Columbia and New York University (NYU)

We made it to two of our intended college destinations. We shot high and started with Columbia and NYU.

Julia fell in love with NYU. It happened to be accepted student day on the day we made our way through Washington Square Park and into the heart of the NYU campus. The area was abuzz with lively college students.

I can only say that the experience was lovely and not nearly as overwhelming as I imagined it to be. While NYU did not have a traditional campus feel like Columbia, it was very contained and felt connected.

looking up at the NYU library — The spectacular NYU Library

Bleecker Street

We spoke to several NYU students who were friendly and the entire area had a great college vibe. The scene was youthful, exciting and a pleasure to partake. Our stroll down Bleecker St. sealed the deal for Julia. The eclectic and collegey mix of restaurants, coffee shops, bars and boutiques were cool even by my seemingly uncool standards, accordingly to my girls.

I couldn’t deny that I could see Julia living in Greenwich Village and fitting perfectly into the NYU scene.

Yes to New York City

Our quick trip to NYC was eye-opening and made me realize that colleges in New York City aren’t quite as scary and intimidating as I imagined they’d be. For Julia’s sake, I’m glad we took this trip and we both came away with a good feeling about the possibilities of NYC. I don’t want to hold her back, but if she chooses to make her NYC dream a reality, letting her go will be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

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April 27, 2017

Life & Family

WOW Conference – Winning Opportunities for Women

I’m not much of a conference person. I used to attend loads of them when I worked in the financial services industry. I always found them epically long. The last conference I attended, before WOW, was a three-day writer’s conference in Boston. At that time, I was in the trenches of writing Musing Mediterranean. That conference offered so much value in its workshops and sessions, yet I walked away from it thinking never again! Like I said, I’m not a conference person.

Until a couple of weeks ago when I attended the 21^st Annual WOW Conference put on by the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce. I didn’t know what to expect, but my friend and fashion stylist Lysa Pelletier-Gibbs was presenting. She asked me if I wanted to go. I love supporting my friends whenever possible, so I went. Lysa is also one of the funniest people I know, so I knew it would be entertaining.

The 8am-3pm agenda was full of valuable information ideal for women in business, aspiring entrepreneurs or attendees simply interested in hearing the WOW Conference Featured Speakers.

WOW Conference Speakers

Gina Barreca – author, humorist and Professor of Feminist Theory. Gina was funny and thought-provoking.
Susan Leger Ferraro – Founder/CEO of Imajine That and G3. Susan’s honesty and ability to overcome difficult challenges was compelling.
Becca Pizzi – 2016 Winner of the World Marathon Challenge. She completed 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days…incredible!!!
Cheryl Fiandaca – WBZ-TV Chief Investigative Reporter. I was so inspired by Cheryl that I approached her to thank her for her encouraging words. She was lovely and her message reminded me to never give up.

Each speaker who took the stage was impressive and held my interest with every word. Honestly, that’s not easy to do. In between speakers, Lysa had the floor and offered fantastic style tips. Her signature red lips and hilarious brand of humor were the perfect way to add a bit of flavor to the day’s events.

I walked away from the WOW Conference with a renewed sense of purpose. I expressed to Lysa how glad I was that I’d attended and would most certainly go again. Kudos to the organizers for putting together a unique line-up of women who undoubtedly made a lasting impression on every person in the room.