All Things Fashionating by tracy mausser

I am sorry, but I just don’t get all the hype about the  Royal Wedding.  I do remember watching Prince Charles and Princess Di’s wedding the summer I turned 12.  I watched it partly because it was a fairy tale come true but also because it was on all 5 TV channels we had back in 1981.  I found it interesting for about 5 minutes. I don’t have anything against Prince William and Kate Middleton ; it’s just that their wedding doesn’t really spark any true interest in me.  Try as I might, I just don’t really care. A friend of mine in the entertainment industry said she was going on vacation last week and everyone was freaking that she was taking time off with the “Royal Wedding” two weeks away.  Obviously, the media frenzy was in full effect and, by surfing the net, the articles out there are so outlandish: which wedding guest is the richest to whether or not the royal couple will serve expensive or cheap champagne to buying Royal Wedding tchotchkes (bobble h...

@DalaiLama Dalai Lama "Compassion and love are the source of all spiritual qualities: forgiveness, tolerance, all the virtues."

OMG, I loved Ricky’s NYC when I lived in the Big Apple!  It is the ultimate health and beauty wet dream and then some.  Since 1989, Ricky's NYC is THE one stop super-shop for everything beauty. Ricky's carries the latest in hair products, unique fashion items, make-up and beauty accessories.   Where else can you buy a White Castle scented ceramic candle and K-Pak Reconstruct Kit both for under $12. Recently, while reading a fashion rag, I noticed that I could purchase the products via Ricky’s online store. It is puberty all over again. http://www.rickysnyc.com/

For those of you who know me, I am a die-hard H&M fan.  I compare it to Ikea, but for clothing. I love the fact that it is a Swedish-based company.  OK, yes I am biased because my peeps hail from Sweden. However, you can't deny that they offer some absolutely great pieces at a fraction of the cost.  Not to mention, the guest designers who create collections for the mid- to low-priced fashion line give it an honorable mention in the high-end fashion world. Not that long ago, I had to travel to Europe or NYC to get my H&M fix.  Then they opened up in New Jersey which was fantastic because there is NO sales tax on clothing in Jersey.  I would bring an empty suitcase in order to bring back my spoils. But I wouldn't be content until I had my very own H&M at home. I was a serious stalker and kept emailing H&M --via their website --to open up some Los Angeles-based locations.  They finally did and I haven't been disappointed. Last season, I...

Think freely. Smile often. Tell those that you love that you do. Rediscover old friends. Make new ones. Hope. Grow. Reach out. Pick some flowers. Share them. Keep a promise. Laugh heartily. Let someone in. Hug a child. Slow down. See a sunrise. Listen to rain. Trust life. Have faith. Enjoy! Make mistakes. Learn from them. Explore the unknown. Celebrate life!             -           Anonymous

Well, first I want to thank all of my closest family and friends for being my guinea pigs and helping me test out my All Things Fashionating blog.  I am going to officially launch it one week from today on Sunday May 1, 2011 . I definitely had some rough patches that caused me not to be able to post every day;  But I understand now that is OK and, as long as I post when I can, then I am realizing my goal of having a creative outlet to express myself through my writing.  My dedication can’t be defined by how often I do it, but just that I am doing it.  I am already back on FB and Twitter ; I figure that I need to whore myself out in order to promote this blog. I’m not really sure what my goal is for this blog except to just get my voice out there and be heard.  I am going to try and focus on topics that are more main stream and try to highlight more current events and pop culture.  But ultimately, this blog is about me.  So I’m just going to continu...

OK, so I am crushing hard on Bethenny Frankel .  It is surprising because I really wasn’t a big fan of hers when she was on the Real Housewives of NYC. I didn’t even get why she was on the show because she wasn’t married or engaged or…?  I think I caught the last two episodes On Demand and it just really didn’t do it for me.  But, somehow I stumbled onto Bravo’s “Bethenny Getting Married” last season and I actually digged it. The show is about Bethenny – who gained fame from the RHW reality show and her SkinnyGirl franchise – who gets pregnant by her boyfriend of two years, Jason Hoppy .  Jason and Bethenny decide to get married and the show is about the trials and tribulations of their journey to matrimony and parenthood. It would be one of those shows that I would watch when “my” Jason wasn’t home or in the bedroom while he watched sports.  I really wasn’t committed, but I actually thought she was pretty funny.  One hysterical episode that pops into my...

People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will descend like fine weather if you’re fortunate. BUT HAPPINESS IS THE RESULT OF PERSONAL EFFORT. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel the world looking for it.   You have to participate relentlessly.             -           From Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (PENGUIN BOOKS; published by Penguin Group)

My friend Rachel and I share a brain most of the time. One of the things that we completely agree upon is sunless tanning.  She and I will go to great lengths to look like sun kissed Goddesses without worrying about damaging and cancer causing UV Rays.  However, I think that Rachel has been much braver than me on the experimenting side.  She has given everything a try from airbrush tanning – both organic and non-organic – to spray tans – both at the salon and in the bottle.  So when she said she was ah-dicted to a somewhat new sunless tanning lotion – new to me – Jergens® Natural Glow Express, I had to give it a try.  In anticipation of possibly laying by the pool in Vegas – which sadly did not happen – I went to the tanning salon and did a spray tan.  I picked up the Natural Glow Express – which should not be confused with Jergens® Natural Glow, which is da bomb too, but doesn’t work as fast— to maintain my spray tan.  When I realized there would...

 Cool Dude Shane, Kitty and Sid  So, this past weekend, I took one for Team Mausser.   Jason and I asked Shane if he wanted to participate in the camp out portion of Night at the Ball Park in support of his Little League.   And, of course, being 6-years-old, he said yes. I have to be honest, I wasn’t very excited about the prospect and it seemed to be a big, dark cloud hanging over my weekend.   However, I haven’t camped with Shane and Jason for many years, so I felt that I should just suck it up and what can be easier then camping less than a half-mile from your house in the middle of the suburbs. We loaded up the car about 4pm and it was so packed that we couldn’t see out the back windows and Shane had the sleeping bags, foam and air mattress falling on top of him.   Then, once we got there, we realized we forgot pillows and only had two sleeping bags for the three of us.   I had to go back home and make another trip back with pillows, blankets and she...

This past weekend, my hubby Jason and I were invited to join another couple for a quick jaunt in Las Vegas .  We had been planning to drive but, after a 6 hour ride back from Mammoth in March; Jason thought flying sounded like the better way to go. He was very excited when he phoned me at work to say that he found us flights on Allegiant Air out of Long Beach Airport .   The flight was $37 each way, for each of us plus, an additional $9 per person – per leg – for priority seating.  The whole shebang – for both of us -- cost less than $200. So, when the weekend of our trip was upon us, we were super excited.  Our flight on Friday night was scheduled to depart at 7:55pm , so we headed to the airport a bit early to get some dinner first. Now, we have flown out of this airport a few times before, but always on Jet Blue.  So when we went down to security and realized we were in the north terminal…I mean…north wing…I mean…north hallway.  This airport is s...

One of my favorite artists is India.Arie.  She is one of the most spiritual, political and heart-felt R&B singers of my time.  I thought the lyrics to her song "Better People" was poingnant and related to my last blog about keeping stories alive through the generations.  Better People Lyrics by India Arie I wish there was a video game To teach you your ancestors name I wish there was a phone number Like 1 800 Save Your Brother I’m thankful for the radio station Not afraid to put truth in rotation There are skirts of information That you can only get in conversation with Young people who talk to Old People, it would make us all Better people all around, yes, it would And if old people would talk to Young people, it would us all Better people all around, yes, it would We went from radio to TV Now we’re going from LP to CD Don’t be afraid to try something new I can help you with the brand new technology You can help me with the age old philosophy Together there’s ...

This is a reprint of a commentary that I wrote on Jan. 29, 1998 and was originally published in the Palos Verdes Peninsula News.  It is one of my favorites and I wanted to share... Passing Stories Through the Generations Keeps Nostalgia Alive This past weekend, recovering from strep throat and suffering from cabin fever, I bundled up and ventured out into the real world to see the movie “Titanic.”  It was an exceptional film that left me feeling a bit sad – for all those poor souls who perished in 1912 – but it also caused me to miss my grandmother. The movie’s plot line has the main character, Rose, revisit the site of the wreck of the Titanic with her granddaughter.  As the only living survivor, she weaves a tale of love and tragedy to researchers, who are searching for the wreckage for a priceless diamond necklace.  Her story brings the memory of the Titanic to life. Her telling of this story reminded me of the rich tales that our older genera...

Well, as most of you already know, I lost my beloved Nana – Marjorie Ruth Murch Hansen – on March 22.  She had turned 87-years-old on Tuesday March 1 and three weeks later, she succumbed to her Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ( COPD ). On Monday March 14, she went into the hospital because she wasn’t feeling well.  After getting some medication, my Aunt Trish reported that she was doing much better but on Tuesday when she got out of her hospital bed to use the restroom, she had a heart attack and coded.  The doctor on call neglected to look at her chart – which would have revealed that she had a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Order – and revived her.  Let me tell you, Nana was PISSED! But I can honestly say that, even though Nana was upset by being revived, it was truly a blessing.  My Mother, Cousin Jimmy and I were able to fly in and actually say good-bye to her.  She was on morphine, medication and oxygen when I arrived on Wednesday but, on Thursda...