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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

IRON TOUGH SPIRIT ~SATIN SMOOTH SKIN

OUR SECOND "ACROSS THE BORDER GREATS" FEATURE

It’s not everyday, you enter an airplane full of military special forces, and in the midst is a retired Navy spitfire turned soap maker from Maryland making beaded bracelets. It is also not every day you enter your neighbor’s house and the smell of basil fills the entire place, but she’s not cooking. Enter the fabulous Lori Abercrombie, and her amazing company Lather and Lace. Her company motto, Mae West Meets Martha Stewart, implies a bit of saucy meets practicality. I found this little gem, where else, but Twitter, and she is NJGreats second Across The Border feature. She was too good NOT to write about.

Lather and Lace is not the “petal tossing” stuffy upscale spa kind of company. It is about real skin care & relaxation; inspired by the old west and how the natural seasons affect every day life. On top of using the finest ingredients Lori offers many scent choices from  highly aromatic fragrance oils to healing essential oils. One use of Whipped Into A Lather (whipped soap) and your shower, bathroom and surrounding areas smell wonderful for hours. 



These are not just “lookin pretty” products either. Shea’mon Me is hardworking moisture for working skin, delivering super moisture from natural shea butter and wildly scented with too many choices to mention including newly added I Found My Thrill - Blueberry. The list of scents is endless and some of the combinations are irresistible. While my daughters are currently in “Almond Joy” mode, my entire upper floor has boasted the scents of both Fresh & Spirit Horse. One time I left the house just after a shower, and the car smelled great too, not an easy task for a momma taxiing 3 teens, like me.

As if all this wasn’t enough to get you to Lori’s website, she has an amazing heart and loves to give back. She says she does what she loves, after a long military career and spending 16 years selling among the competitive skin care lines. The first time I shopped at her site I was drawn to “Jars for Joy”, a campaign to sell 1000 jars of her product donating proceeds to a wellness farm for horses. I bought a bunch and shared them with the horse lovers in my life.

Birthed in 2009 Lather and Lace is such a unique line, offering wonderful ingredients, amazing scents, and something a little special in Miss Lori. I recommend tweeting with her right away, just tell her I sent you. Stop by her website of the same name (www.latherandlace.com) for some handcrafted soaps, one of kind jewelry and gifts. Her newly launched skin care line is getting rave reviews. This line is years of experience and NO filler. I can't wait to try it, and will write about it all it's own, I have to, Lori double-dog dares anyone who tries and doesn't love!  Oh, the opening line is a true story, our Miss Lori is a Navy hero, serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan. One flight over, to lighten things up, she sat in the middle of an entire plane of Special Forces flying over Afghanistan and began making pearl bracelets. She had them all talking and leaning over asking questions about what kind of pearls they were and maybe enjoying just a moment of normal life. Now that’s my kind of girl. Please visit Lather and Lace  for a unique experience for the senses and some of the best skin care out there.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

GETTING INTO THE ZONE: MASTERING THE MENTAL GAME


What is it that gets your mind focused, that place, referred to as “the zone” where your focus is locked and your performance is optimal? For Elliot Hagburg, it was the lack of excellent mentoring, that led him to find his own way into the Zone. He not only “got it” but created a manual to train young athletes how to get there as well. I was so impressed with GettingIntoThe Zone, I could not wait to interview co-author Kathy Hagburg, and could not wait to share it at NJGreats.


I recently met with Kathy and she shared her and her son  Elliot’s journey to writing Getting Into The Zone. Kathy had a career in both sales and personal training; Elliot, a recruited, catcher and stand out athlete. As a four year starter, Division 1 catcher he, played for three different Head Coaches.  Despite a less than wonderful experience with college athletics, Elliot decided to help arm young athletes with a guide to strengthening the mind to prepare for any situation both on and off the field. Kathy brought both her sales and training expertise to the table to create the ultimate manual for success.

I read the book in less than an hour, it is not just pages of theory, but an interactive manual. After each principle is presented, the reader is then asked to respond, list or create a response that puts that principle to work. My favorite part of the book is a great example of this. The Hagburgs breakdown of the negative self talk that becomes lodged in the subconscious mind; things that have been spoken over us or about us that we now believe about ourselves. Put simply:

      “Our subconscious minds will act out the story/script we unknowingly provide with     
        our thoughts. A person can study 24/7 and not succeed until he extracts “I’m a
        lousy test taker and plants “I am a terrific test taker”.


Through various written exercises, Getting Into The Zone helps the young athlete succeed no matter what script has been written for them, no matter what circumstances exist in his or her life. I applaud Elliot for having the courage to not only over-come his negative experiences, but to see the need to put this book out there and help others as well. Not to mention Kathy’s support and terrific marketing skills. The real bonus of this book, is not  just the lesson learned. Elliot holds live seminars to deliver this message in a dynamic way. On top of that, he offers the seminar and the book as a fundraising opportunity to youth programs all over New Jersey.

Please take the time to read this book, recommend it to every coach and parent you know.
It was a pleasure meeting Kathy and learning about this tremendous resource. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful Dave Hagburg, Kathy’s husband. I have not had
the pleasure of meeting him yet, but he blogs at Man in an Apron and his love for food and local fare knocks me out. We must write about him in the future. The great state of New Jersey, my home, is a better place with the Hagburg family in it.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

#GOGIANTS SUPER TWEETS




We asked. You delivered. As the Boys in Blue hit the field this weekend, here’s what
you tweeted about all week. Had a blast chatting with you all and tomorrow night, we
all in for some great football.  Check out all the links and the cool pics! Thanks to all who participated #GOGIANTS




Love the pumps! Popular aviatar all over Facebook and Twitter
Thanks for sharing Gia!

How is everyone today? GO GIANTS!! @NJgreats @kathleenhagburg @dhagburg @Giaskincare

Michelle of Baskets and Beyond rocking the Big Blue Support!

dhagburg Dave Hagburg

@basketcase1993 @NJgreats @KathleenHagburg @Giaskincare Ready 4 the Big Blue Train to roll!

basketcase1993 Baskets-n-Beyond

Only 2 more day until Big Blue destroys NE @NJgreats @dhagburg @KathleenHagburg @Giaskincare

KathleenHagburg Kathleen Hagburg


The entire Hagburg family long time Jersey residents and authors of Getting IntoThe Zone
read all about them here this week! 

@jjauthor Janie Johnson

Thank you! You guys are the best! Go Giants! Make my husband a happy man! Janie @NJgreats @seanhannity

Yep, you read it here author Janie Johnson of  Please Dont take My Lemonade Stand & Obama 2012 Slogans Rewritten, avenger of all things captialism tweeting the awesome Sean Hannity.

ya mean this big hairhttp://yfrog.com/kgji1yj  @chickenfoup @lorisica say what u want about big hair IT made it to 86 GIANTS super celebration

 Gotta love this picture. All I need to say here.


EVERY HALF TIME SHOW EVER! @njdotcom Fans, fill in the blank: The Giants are better than ________________. #nyg #BetterThanPats
TY NJDOTCOM  we are fans!

ChadLombardi chad lombardi
Defense wins championships #GOGIANTS

We couldn't agree more Chad! Thanks 
Life time Giants fan right here.

 neen0512 Jeannine Cavalier

Neen0512 Jeannine Cavalier

Janeen YOU my friend are a super fan!