Here We Are...with Luci

Chick Flick Chat: Twilight - The Movie

Listen for a chance to win a HOT copy of the paranormal anthology "Hot Blooded"

Please CLICK HERE to listen to the latest Chick Flick Chat.

Danger. Love. Attraction. We bit into the messages that are deeper, darker, and beyond the pale in this modern day Romeo and Juliet love story.

In Twilight, forbidden fruit has never been so tempting, or so well disguised. If you are a mother, an aunt, an older sister, or a grandmother of a young girl, this chat dished the less appetizing symbols in this popular film. Join us for this sweet to sticky tasty talk!

The Hot Blooded Giveaway Details:

1. Listen to the show

2. Hear the "secret" word - revealed during the show 

3. Subscribe by entering your email address in the "Free Updates" box in the upper right hand column; then check your inbox for an email from Feedburner, open it and click the link to activate. It is free and we never share your info {if you are already subscribed for updates by email - skip this step}.

4. Email the "secret" word in the subject line [the email link is in the upper left hand corner of every HWA page - see Luci's cartoon face]; you only need to email the secret word once to be entered

5. The contest for the 3 copies of the book will be open until Dec. 15, 2009. 

NOTE: Winners for this giveaway must be in the continental US and 18 years or older please. Read more about our how the HWA Gift Giveaways work.

Chick Flick Chat Reminder: Bite Into The "Twilight" Movie

Fangs Out, Fingers Ready...Dial Up A Tasty Talk & Maybe A Treat About "Twilight - The Movie"

It's almost time for Chick Flick Chat. Join us on Sunday, October 25, 6:30pm EST to dig in about the film, Twilight.

You can call 646-929-2473 to chat, go online to the radio show to listen -- it's free & fun {long distance charges may apply}.

Don't be scared if you didn't read the book, the focus of Chick Flick Chat is always on the featured movie.

Speaking of books, we are giving away new copies of the book, Hot Blooded. This steamy paranormal anthology of "sensual predators who come by night" is sure to wet your appetite. Check out the book link to read the first few pages of this walk on the wild side. Be warned, it is hot, hot, hot!

Is your blood pumping? Want to know how to win a copy? It's as easy as licking your lips:

1. Listen to the show, either live or recorded

2. Hear the "secret" word - revealed during the show 

3. Subscribe by entering your email address in the "Free Updates" box in the upper right hand column; then check your inbox for an email from Feedburner, open it and click the link to activate. It is free and we never share your info {if you are already subscribed for updates by email - skip this step}.

4. Email the "secret" word in the subject line [the email link is in the upper left hand corner of every HWA page - see Luci's cartoon face]; you only need to email the secret word once to be entered

5. The contest for the books will be open until Dec. 15, 2009. 

NOTE: Winners for this giveaway must be in the continental US and 18 years or older please. Read more about our how the HWA Gift Giveaways work.

Join us when the sun goes down this Sunday!

Alltop: Kickin' Ass & Takin' Names

Party! Alltop recently added Here We Are...with Luci to the Top Women's News page. We applied over six months ago and it was a wonderful 1st birthday present to join this group of well written and respected blogs. Thank you to the HWA readers for your loyalty, and to the staff at Alltop for adding our name alongside your other kick ass selections!

If you are unfamiliar with Alltop, it is an online magazine rack that makes it easy to find blogs by category or topic of interest. You can also create a free account called, MyAlltop, to collect the updates of the websites and blogs you like to read regularly. Think of your MyAlltop account like your snail-mail box, where new issues of magazines are sent right to your door, but only it's online and you don't have to recycle them. Check out this video for more details about how to "stay on top of all the topics" at Alltop:

On a personal note, thank you to Guy Kawasaki, one of Alltop's founders:

Guy, I focused my telescope and got going. Your book, The Art of The Start, has helped me time and time again -- from the preparation of HWA to the daily implementation this past year and my vision for its future. ~ Luci

To the HWA Readers: Guy's book is a must read for anyone who endeavors anything, personally or professionally. At first, some chapters jump out at you, others will seem unnecessary...until you need them, and you will! There is no reason to reinvent the wheel, follow the lead of others who have successfully gone before you and are willing to share their story.

Piano Music: Writing Your Own Concerto

Life is like a piano...what you get out of it depends on how you play it. ~ Unknown

What tune is written on the sheet music of your life? Is it happy? Could it be more dynamic? It may be time to rewrite the song and start tapping out the sounds you want to hear today. 

To continue our 1st year birthday celebration, five lucky Here We Are subscribers will be receiving the CD, "In a Sentimental Mood," by musician, Peter Daniel Russo. Take a long hot bath and relax while Peter tickles your toes -- ahem -- the ivories to help you drift away and visualize the new notes you will play in your life. Enjoy!

Bionic Beauty Goes Boom!

OUCH! We are sorry to report that this Sunday's Here We Are Radio Show, "Bionic Beauty: Blogging, Beauty, Business and More," is postponed.

Jami, the Bionic Beauty, took an unexpected tumble and landed in the hospital for a temporary stay. While she is home and recovering -- even Bionic Beauties need extra rest to completely heal. We wish her the best and look forward to the show on it's re-scheduled date. In the meantime, you can send her your well wishes and we will let you know the new date when it is confirmed.

Feel better Jami, we are looking forward to recording the show and learning from you! 

REMINDER: We are still on schedule for the Oct. 25, 6:30pm EST, "Twilight" Chick Flick Chat. Tune in for a spooktacular talk about this movie. Don't be scared -- call in at (646)-929-2473 and tell us what you think!

Blog Action Day: Easy Ways To Help The Environment Today

October 15 is Blog Action Day. The blogging community is coming together to spread the word about the environment and climate change. While no one at Here We Are is suggesting you put on a solar panel roof this weekend, or ride a moped to work, there are easy ways to make your world a little greener starting today.

Like all great social movement, small collective efforts start spinning the wheels of change. We all know the immediate importance of "Reuse, Recycle, Reduce" -- this really does help the earth and your wallet.

Here are a few new ideas, and some you might have missed, that we compiled at HWA for you to implement today:

1. It is fun and helpful to turn off the lights with the whole world during Earth Hour; but reminding the family to unplug cellphone chargers, turn off unnecessary lights, and use dimmer switches help save energy throughout the year. Don't forget the coffee maker and toaster after breakfast, no reason to keep them plugged in for the next 23 hours until tomorrow morning.

2. Walk instead of drive to the mailbox. This is a good way to start reducing your carbon footprint with the bonus of being a calorie burner, errand completer, and gas saver!

3. Plant a tree, a shrub, a vegetable garden, and/or flowers. Each can help the environment in its own way, and gardening is truly a gift to oneself. Plus, the honey bees and butterflies that visit will make you smile.

4. Re-purpose Holiday Cards for a good cause. It's getting to be that time again...collect them, save trees, and help less fortunate kids after the festivities are over.

5. Check out the Here We Are Five Easy Ways to Green Your Bathroom. Pick one tip and start today...then add the next one, and so on. Before you know it, you will be saving water, breathing fresher air, and thinking green with every purchase.

6. Stop accepting unsolicited phone books, opt out now. They waste trees, pile up, and offer nothing new that you can't find on the Internet. 

7. A pair of Blue Balls have never been so helpful as when you throw them in your dryer. They save on drying time, thus saving energy, and you can eliminate chemical laden dryer sheets. Good for you, your clothes, the earth. They really do work...start today to Dry Green With Blue Balls.

Take action with these seven easy ways to help the environment today. We all have to start somewhere today so there is a place for us tomorrow. 

Do you have any tips to add? List them in the comments section, every little bit counts!

Bulb Planting Tips and Tulips For Two

To celebrate the 1st birthday of Here We Are, we are surprising randomly selected email subscribers with gifts each week this October!

This week, as the leaves change color, we honor our gardening entries by saying goodbye to Smith & Hawken, but hello to expanding your world by Planting The Seeds of Friendship. Two lucky HWA readers will each receive a bag of tulip bulbs to brighten their gardens. Congrats and check out the following tips for easy bulb planting.

Quick Bulb Tips for Tip Top Flowers:

1. October is the month to plant the following bulbs: Alliums, Chionodoxa, Crocus, Dutch Iris, Eranthis, Fritillaria, Muscari, Snowdrops, and Tulips. 

2. Look for the pointed end; then plant that end facing up toward the sky.

3. Pick a sunny spot for best results with most bulbs.

4. Dig a hole 2 1/2 times deeper than the size of the bulb.

5. It's best to fertilize in spring and fall over the area where the bulbs are planted. Be careful if you add the fertilizer when planting because you risk burning the bulbs if they come into contact with the fertilizer.

6. Water the area, making sure there is proper drainage.

7. Cover the area with mothballs to keep the squirrels away, then mulch for the winter. You can also use cayenne pepper to repel critters, but to work it has to be continually applied after each rainfall.

8. Mark the area or sketch out a quick drawing to remember where they are planted. This is handy so you don't uproot the bulbs when adding new plants to your garden in the spring.

Does anyone else have a quick and easy tip to maximize bulb growth? Share it in our comments section. We love to hear from you -- tell us about your garden.

 

Chandelier Lighting: Bright Light, Right Light

How To Measure For A Chandelier

With the holiday closing in once again, perhaps you are thinking about your dining room decor. Does that old chandelier look wrong? Is it too small? Too large? Does Uncle Pete hit his head every time he stands up? It might be time to replace it with one that is the proper size. BONUS: When a chandelier is properly sized, it usually results in providing the right amount of light for the space.

Here are the quick and easy ways to pre-measure before you buy a new chandelier for your dining room. TIP: Always use the maximum wattage recommended by the manufacturer, then use a dimmer switch to simply adjust the brightness according to the occasion.

Option A:

Sparkle 1: Measure the Width + Length of the room in feet (for example, 11 ft. wide plus 14 ft long = 25 ft)

Sparkle 2: Take this measurement and change it into inches (there is no math to do, i.e., 25 ft becomes 25 inches) Voila! This is the correct width of the chandelier for the space. 

Tip for Option A: You can also use this method when not hanging a light over a table, but you must consider the ceiling height for head clearance. It would be embarrassing if cousin Patty's ponytail got caught on the hanging crystals and worse if a guest gets knocked out! If you are tight on height and want to use a chandelier, consider a semi-flush mounting instead of hanging from a chain -- this can save inches.

Option B:

Sparkle 1: Measure the width of the table

Sparkle 2: Subtract 6 inches from each side or a total of 12 inches (for example, a 48 inch table minus 12 inches = 36 inches) Voila! The perfect size for your dining room table.

Sparkle 3: Measure UP from the table to hang the 36 inch wide chandelier so that the arms of the bottom level of lights hang 30 inches above the table; do not use the center bottom drop/crystal or it will be hung too high. Note: The picture above depicts a typical chandelier shape with the candlestick arms as the bottom level, and the obvious lowest hanging center crystal.

Good luck and happy chandelier hunting. Hope these tips help your holiday table sparkle bright light with the right light!

Happy Birthday To We!

Happy 1st Birthday!!

Today, October 6, is our birthday. I say, "our" because without you -- the subscribers, returning readers, and listeners -- there would be no "we" in Here We Are.

Happy Birthday to each and every one of you that have been on this journey from day 1 through day 365! After posting the opening Hello and Welcome entry, the year has flown by with over ninety more entries, including a Radio Show, a dozen Gift Giveaways, readers from around the globe, and hundreds of comments.

Here's to naming our second year the "terrific two's." There are lots of new things in the works. As we continue on with the familiar faces and voices, you'll also be hearing from more experts, meeting new contributors, seeing video, sharing community news, and voting in monthly interactive polls.

As a part of the "we" -- you are always welcome to participate if you'd like. The more the merrier, so keep those comments coming, email your ideas, click on a poll, send us a movie suggestion for Chick Flick Chat, or share a helpful hint or two. We love to hear from you.

Again, Thank You and Happy Birthday. We sincerely hope that being a part of Here We Are has made your life better, brighter, and easier this past year!

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip. ~ Author Unknown

October: Plentiful Pumpkins & Squash For Fall

Announcements, Updates & Reminders

It's Fall! Remember to carve a pumpkin and get your breasts squashed!

Announcements

Gifts, Gifts, Gifts: Congratulations to the August gift winner, Here We Are subscriber, Kelly of Canada. She won a new copy of the Williams-Sonoma book, "Desserts." It is filled with tasty treats that look easy to make. Kelly, please send us your favorite recipe to share with the other HWA readers.

The September gift winner will be announced in the HWA November Announcements Entry. The winner will be chosen from one of our September commenters. The gift is an organic wax Blue Moon Candle in the fabulously fragrant Mint & Thyme essential oil blend...MMMMM! If you missed the HWA collaboration with Blue Moon Candles earlier this year, you can read why everyone is over the moon about these aromatic candles. Thanks to all the September commenters, keep them coming and continue the conversations.

This month we are ramping up our monthly Great Gift Giveaway to thank more of you who subscribed, commented, emailed, networked, and supported HWA for our first year. Throughout October, we will be giving away weekly gifts to readers randomly selected from our email subscriber list. Stay tuned for the upcoming announcements and good luck!

Updates

The Here We Are Radio Show continues to grow. Thank you to all of our listeners. We are happy you are enjoying the content and encourage you to join us live and chime in. NOTE: We have added a Radio Show Page on HWA that will collectively list the links for all of the previously recorded shows so they are easier for you to find and share. Also, it's now easier to find the call-in #646-929-2473 to call in during a live taping!

Sunday, October 25 at 6:30pm EST: CHICK Flick Chat is back and we are discussing the film, Twilight. My co-host, Susan, and I are very excited to sink our teeth into this one!

We invite all the Twilight movie fangs...oops, I mean fans to call in to share your deepest, darkest feelings about the female roles in the first movie of this popular series. GIFT ALERT: We are sticking our necks out on this show and trying something fun -- a secret word will be shared with the listeners during the show. This secret word is needed to win a new copy of another vampire anthology. Listen live or afterward, but be quick to bite before the sun goes down on this contest. {Rules TBA during the show -- FYI, it's easy to participate.}

Notice: We apologize that our Trademark topic, "Starting A Company? Choosing A Name That You Can Call Your Own," had to be postponed at the last minute -- our guest was stuck at an airport. These things happen...We will update you when a new date is confirmed.

Reminders

Polls: Try out the new Poll Widget, currently featuring our Twilight Poll. It's fun and easy, plus you can see the results instantly. We will be continuously updating the poll widget with other topics and questions. Something on your mind? Let us know if you have an idea or suggestion and we can ask the HWA readers. 

Check-Ups: Last but not least...We all know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, think about yourself and your loved ones -- schedule an exam today.