Bonny's Corner
Good ole Avon!
I recently received Avon Anew Reversalist Day Renewal Cream SPF 25 and the Illuminating Eye System. I've been wanting to try this particular line from Avon for a few reasons. I'm a total product junkie who loves anything that might possibly slow down the aging process on my face (the body is a whole different animal)! Plus the Avon name takes me back to my youth. Didn't we all see our Mom visiting with the neighborhood Avon lady? The Reversalist line uses something called Activinol technology. 
After some research, I found out that we have something called Activin (a protein) deep in layers of our skin. Activinol stimulates Activin, which is known to increase collagen. Since damage that is done below the skin when we are younger shows up on the surface as we age, getting to the deep layers of the skin helps to make the surface layer less wrinkled and appear more youthful. YAY! What I love most about the cream is the SPF ~ 25! Most creams I've found are SPF 15. It's also rich & velvety and it smells great, too.
The Illuminating Eye System immediately grabbed my attention due to the "sheer veil" that's included. Not only is the cream fluffy and hydrating, but the veil adds some shimmer (not too much) and illuminates the under eye area. 
The AVON ANEW Reversalist Day Cream SPF 25 is $32 and the ANEW Reversalist Illuminating Eye System is $30. I think the prices are very reasonable, as well.
Posted in: Blog, Bonny's Corner on 06/02/2010
M. Night Shyamalan's "The Last Airbender" Chance to Win an Embassy Suites Vacation
Embassy Suites is stepping up their game for the 2010 Summer travel season by partnering with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies in an exciting promotion that celebrates the July 2 release of M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender, an action adventure film based upon the Nickelodeon show.
Guests who book and complete a stay between May 3rd and August 31st at any participating Embassy Suites who enter a special promotional code (AIR) will be automatically entered to win one of four The Last Airbender-themed grand prizes. All four prizes include a six-day, five-night getaway to the Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk in Hawaii paired with an outdoor excursion based on the film. See www.embassysuitesthelastairbender.com for specific details. Fifty runners up will receive a Nintendo Game System and The Last Airbender game. All guests who book their stay through the sweepstakes will receive up to two complimentary The Last Airbender prize packs upon check in to the hotel, each containing five unique toys representing the movie. To book your stay, go to www.embassysuitesthelastairbender.com or call 1.800.EMBASSY and select The Last Airbender promotion rate during the booking process.
Catch a sneak peak from Role Mommy right here:
Posted in: Blog, Bonny's Corner on 05/20/2010
Limited Edition Marc Jacobs Daisy ~ Reinvented!
Marc Jacobs has vamped up his Daisy fragrance ~ and it smells soooo good! It's the perfect scent for the Spring/Summer seasons ~ fresh, feminine and floral. As you can see, the bottle is quite cute too. I find it so adorable it's hard to pass up. Don't you love those blue daisies on the cap?! It also comes with a delicate blue garland for you to spray and string across a doorway or drape around a mirror to act as a room freshener. The scents are a combination of fruit and flowers ~ strawberry and grapefruit mixed with violet and jasmine. Marc Jacobs Daisy is $57 and available at Fine Department Stores national. Make sure to visit www.daisymarcjacobs.com.
Posted in: Blog, Bonny's Corner on 05/19/2010
Bonny's Corner: Get that Summer Glow!
One of the things I love about summer is the 'glow' you get after spending a day in the sun. There is a product out there that delivers almost the same thing ... the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick. The compact comes in an array of colors (5 to be exact ... I personally have the Rose). This will give you that sun-kissed look without damaging your skin! The pigment is not overwhelming so it doesn't provide a full coverage of color, but if it's shimmer and/or glow you want then this is for you! It's great as a cheek highlighter over your foundation or bronzer. You can also combine it with your favorite eye palette to add some shimmer to the eye area or highlighter under the brow. There's also a Shimmer Brick for the body!
Posted in: Blog, Bonny's Corner on 04/27/2010
Twitter Tuesday with The Good Wife!
If you're a fan of The Good Wife, then we hope you'll join us this Tuesday, April 27 for our second installment of Twitter Tuesday, where we chat about the show and introduce special surprise guests. We'll be joined by our co-hosts for the night, Amy at www.selfishmom.com and Melissa Chapman who writes the WCBS-TV parenting blog. Plus, Jennifer at Connect With Your Teens will also share insights from the show and our special evening at the Paley Center which featured a screening of Tuesday's episode and an in person interview session with the cast, hosted by veteran TV Guide critic Matt Roush.
Since we got the chance to catch a sneak peak of the episode, you'll be happy to know it'll have you on the edge of your seat. The episode is filled with intense courtroom scenes, plus, the firm is under siege by nemesis Sam Stern who attempts to poach their top attorneys and Alicia finally makes a major decision about her marriage. You'll have to tune in to CBS at 10 PM, ET/PT to find out what happens!
In the meantime, the Paley Center event was amazing, with each actor sharing the motivation behind their characters while revealing juicy details about what's going to unfold at the end of the season. What was so refreshing about the evening was how funny the actors were as they came up with punchlines and comebacks that had the entire audience rolling in the aisles. My personal favorite was when Julianna Margulies recalled that recently in a NYC park, a couple came up to her and confided they were on "Team Frollick" while another coupe threw their two cents into the conversation and said they were opting for "Team Gardner." Actor Matt Czhuchry, who plays Cary Agos in the series then added that he was on "Team Gardner" as well (since he was siding with his employer) and then, feeding into the "Twilight" craze quipped that he had created "Team Gardner" and "Team Frollick" t-shirts and would be selling them on his blog.
At another point in the evening, when Christine Baranski arrived late (she had been shooting an episode and had just been released from production), she inadvertently let the cat out of the bag regarding a major plot line (sorry won't be giving any spoilers away here) and Josh Charles followed up by adding he was going to be spilling the beans on "Lost" and "Mad Men" that night too.
Julianna Marguiles seemed incredibly open and honest about what it's been like portraying a character loosely based on disgraced politician's wives like Silda Spitzer and Elizabeth Edwards. In fact, she said that when the show first started, she had heard that Elizabeth Edwards had been in touch with CBS and gave her approval about how the character of Alicia Florrick was being portrayed.
Margulies added that while researching the role, she remembers seeing photographs of Silda Spitzer prior to her finding out about her husband's infidelities and she looked incredibly young and vivacious. Fast forward to the day she had to stand by her man while he announced to the world that he had cheated on her many times over with prostitutes, and Margulies remarked that Silda appeared as if she had "aged 10 years." She then noticed a photograph of her six months after her husband had resigned and Margulies said she looked fabulous. And that's what she wanted to capture in her portrayal of Alicia Florrik - wearing little make-up with visible lines in her face on the day her husband is disgraced, until today, where she's truly gaining ground in the courtroom as an associate lawyer and in her social life, as she contemplates whether or not to leave her husband for another man.
There's lots more from the session and the moment the Paley Center posts the footage, we'll share it with our readers. In the meantime, check out the most talked about scene of the season so far and then we hope you'll join us for Twitter Tuesday on April 27 with #TheGoodWife at 10 pm ET. We'll be featuring a surprise guest plus, if you have any special questions for actor Chris Noth, please tweet them during the session - the top tweet-able questions will be included in his video interview for "The Good Wife" DVD!
Please follow the following Twitter handles @rolemommy @selfishmom @madijack @jenwag57 @TheGoodWife_CBS @GoodWifeGuest @CBSTweet. Next, you can join the action by either logging onto www.tweetchat.com or tweet grid and enter the hashtag #TheGoodWife. And feel free to comment on this post to let us know you'll be there! In the meantime, here's a sneak preview of Tuesday's episode:
Get ready for five brand new episodes of "The Good Wife" and hope to be tweeting with you this Tuesday!
Posted in: Bonny's Corner, Twitter Tuesday, thegoodwife on 04/22/2010
Bonny's Fab Find: Age Spot Eliminator!
About 8 months ago I started to notice those sun-kissed freckles that normally only appear on my face during the lazy days of summer weren't completely disappearing come Fall. Apparently I was in great denial of my age - as well as my upcoming birthday - the big 4-0! {GASP!} It soon set in that these sizable dark, freckle type stains were AGE SPOTS! {ANOTHER GASP!} Ever since my discovery, I have been on a mission to lighten them, if not make them disappear altogether. That's when I came across Trish McEvoy's Beauty Booster Serum. Now I must admit, it pained me to break out the wallet and pay the $125.00, but I was desperate. I also know it would have cost triple (or more) for treatment at my dermatologist. It was not an option to ignore these spots.
I'm so happy to say after 1-1/2 months of use, 3-4 drops each day in the morning and evening, I can totally see a difference. My husband AND my sister can see the difference also - we all know how they can be :o). The price is a little tough to swallow, I get that, but it will last for about 3 months. The spots are still there, but are much lighter. This soon-to-be 40 year old is jumping for joy. Throw a little cover up or concealer on and I'm good to go. The serum is also a line minimizer and a complexion enhancer - who couldn't use alittle bit of that, right? Unless you're in your 20s of course. A few people have even commented to me within the last month about how great my skin looks and that I look, yep, you guessed it - YOUNGER! Yay! Bring it on, 40. And thank you Trish McEvoy!
Posted in: Blog, Bonny's Corner on 03/14/2010
Bonny's Corner: Molly Ringwald's Recipe for a Good Start
Ragu recently announced they are teaming up with Molly Ringwald for the Ragu Recipe for a Good Start program and contest where one lucky entrant could win a $5000 scholarship for their child! Beth and I were invited to an event to learn more about this campaign and while we were there, we learned how to make lasagnas which were being donated to a local food bank, and we met film and television actress Molly Ringwald who shared how she gets her family off to a "good start" at mealtime.
Plus, we got to sit down with Food Network chef, Marcela Valladolid to sample some of Ragu's recipes. I have to admit, I was skeptical of the jarred sauce as I make my own, but to my surprise, the food, which were all made with Ragu, was delicious. We left with quick and easy recipes to make on our own. Here's Ragu's No Boiling Lasagna:
RAGU NO BOILING LASAGNA
Ingredients
2 containers (15 oz. ea.) ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 oz.)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 jars (1 lb. 10 oz. ea.) Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°. Combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and eggs in bowl; set aside.
Spread 1 cup Pasta Sauce in 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Layer 4 uncooked noodles, then 1 cup Sauce and 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture; repeat. Top with remaining 4 uncooked noodles and 2 cups Sauce. Reserve remaining sauce.
Bake 1 hour covered tightly with aluminum foil. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining Sauce, heated.
Coincidentally, lasagna is a staple in my house ~ I like to make two pans at a time and freeze one before baking it for those weeks and weekends when there's no time to cook. I basically follow the same recipe listed above, but for a jazzed up version, add ¼ cup of pesto to the ricotta mixture ~ it is yummy! If you enjoy meat in your lasagna, you can also brown 1 lb. of ground turkey or beef to layer in there as well. The Ragu sauce really is a delicious alternative to homemade sauce ... and it even has more than a serving of vegetables in every half cup! Go to Recipe for a Good Start for more easy recipes and contest details. Who knows, maybe your recipe for a good start could win a $5000 scholarship for your child!
Posted in: Bonny's Corner, Events on 03/12/2010
Sesame Street Live: Elmo Grows Up
Last Thursday, my youngest son Carson, and I went into Manhattan to see "Elmo Grows Up" at Madison Square Garden. After what turned out to be quite possibly my longest drive ever into the Big Apple (3 hours, the traffic was dreadful) we got to see all the adorable Sesame Street Monsters sing and dance their way into adulthood.
As they prepare for a pageant on Sesame Street, the furry, feathered friends are asking, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Now I don't know about you, but I'm a wee bit envious of the Sesame Street characters and their timeless appearances. No one ever ages on that show! Something tells me Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and the gang will always be ageless, but it's nice to think of them getting older (yet wiser) along with the rest of us. I'm not at all bitter, really I'm not :o)
The show includes a valuable lesson that if children believe in themselves and are willing to try, the possibilities are endless. My husband and I do our hardest to instill this in our boys each and every day. Carson and I thoroughly enjoyed the show ~ Carson especially loved seeing "Melmo" in person. If you have a little one who loves spending their mornings with the Sesame Street gang, I definitely recommend this show. Visit the Sesame Street Live site to see when these furry monsters are coming to your area.
Posted in: Blog, Bonny's Corner on 02/11/2010
