Enjoying Each Other's Company: Annoy them with Kindness!

The Holidays can be a difficult time for year for many people. Whether it's due to a loss of a loved one, being alone and not having people to share it with, or the stress inflicted by relatives around you, it is also the time of year we step back and learn to appreciate the simple pleasures in life, such as family, friends, our daily blessings and to become more grateful while giving back to others.

Photo Credit: Zara

Sometimes we forget how to handle the stress of Christmas and New Years that we get caught up in ourselves and our own desires, while forgetting the needs of others. Instead of focusing on the gifts, the food, or the parties, maybe we need to focus on spending time together or going out of our way for someone we have a hard time dealing with. We need to learn to enjoy the company of every person, whether we get along with them or not. We need to annoy them with kindness! You know the saying, "kill them with kindness".

This isn't easy advice for anyone to follow. It might be easier to give our time and money to those we love and show respect in return, but sometimes it means more when we go out of our way to enjoy the company of those who we cannot handle! Enjoy your Christmas Season and take time to think and care for not only those you love but those who might annoy you, but also are deserving of love too.


Sauce of Life Tips:

1.   Pick one person in your life who needs to feel loved and do something extra special for them. Send them flowers, make them cookies or even a funny card in the mail will brighten their day.

2.   Go out of your way to invite someone out for coffee who might annoy you, but needs a shoulder to lean on.

3.   Make extra time for those you love. You might make a small effort here, but don't they deserve your time and attention. Even setting up a date night for you and your significant other or even more fun, schedule a date night for a couple who hasn't had a night out without the kids in awhile.

4.   Truly take the time to listen to someone. Instead of zoning out when someone is seeking advice or even just to be listened to, maybe try to absorb what they are saying and be interested in them.

5.   Learn to love others more than yourself. This might seem obvious, or you are rolling your eyes at this point, but life has enough tragedies, woes and selfish people who want the attention all the time. Take a moment to accept your sufferings, appreciate your blessings and stop dwelling on your own problems, oftentimes you will realize that others have it much worse and are in dire need of a friend.

Elegantly Provocative Gift Ideas for the Last Minute Shopper

It's time for the last minute shoppers to venture out of the house to complete their gift list. These are a few of our favorite small gifts perfect for those people who are difficult to shop for and have everything. Take a fun item and personalize it with either a home-made card, home-made cookies or a special framed picture.

An assortment box of goodies

Harry and David: $49.95

Citrus Diffuser

Target: $19.99

Home Brewing Kit

Northern Brewer: $49.99

Tory Burch Wallet

Tory Burch at Shopbop: $265.00

Breville ikon Juicer

Florence Adams: On sale for $199.99

Shave Kit

Napa Soap Cool Mint: $36.95

Sparkling Wine Trio

Harry and David: $49.95

Merry Christmas!

Perfect Party Planning for the Holidays: Oh What a Night!

The Holidays are here with lots of planning, decorating, baking and of course, it's time to PARTY! Here are a few of our favorite ideas for Holiday parties, everything from the traditional Christmas colors, to a Christmas movie themed party, a winter wonderland, work parties and simple wine tastings. This time of year is all about spending quality time with family and friends, so spice up your party with a fun theme, unique food and fun drinks to make it a night to remember!

Bring Christmas Cheer with this fresh Strawberry tree!

Credit: Very Berry Holiday

Healthy Appetizers in Christmas colors!

Credit: Very Berry Holiday

A winter wonderland theme in whites and silver!

Credit: Celebrations at the Home Blog

Cheers! It's Girls' Night!

Silver and Gold.

Credit: Celebrations at the Home Blog

An Italian Christmas with bread, wine and cheese.

Credit: RestyleSource

A gingerbread fest.

Credit: Liebesbotschaft (Message of Love)

Every party needs a fabulous playlist!

Credit: A first blush

A snowman bash!

Credit: A to Zebra celebrations

 Traditional Red and Green Cheer!

Credit: A to Zebra celebrations

A Christmas Costume Party!

A Christmas Carol - "Scrooge"

A Christmas Story - "The Lamp"

Santa Lucia Cookies: Yum Yum!

These cookies are perfect when paired with a cup of milk or hot cocoa!

This is one of my favorite yearly traditions to do with my daughter. Every December 12th we make Santa Lucia cookies for the next day. This year she brought some to school to share with her class. We found the recipe here, but added more cinnamon and vanilla and instead of nuts on top we melted dark chocolate as a finishing touch.

Enchanting Stocking Stuffers for the Kiddos

Our ten favorite stocking stuffers for kids!

A soft plush toy favorite for any sweet baby!

Peter Rabbit

Find this on Zulily.com today!

The perfect bath toy that combines shapes, colors and a squirting whale.

B kids

Find this on Zulily.com today!

Building blocks for the inquisitive mind!

brinca dada

Every little girl's dream: a bag of jelly beans and a colorful beaded necklace!

Necklace: Screaming Owl

An artist's dream!

Melissa & Doug

A great gift for many children to enjoy!

Kid's Play Company

Toy cars will provide hours of entertainment!

Pull Back Cars

For the mathematical wizard!

Sudoku

An unforgettable classic for the puzzle-minded!

Rubik's

A gift the whole family can enjoy!

Blink

Happy Shopping!

The Stress of the Holidays: I Want to be a Kid Again!

The stress of the Holidays can be overwhelming!  All I seem to be reminded of is all the gifts, food and events I have to go to during the month of December! I just was be a kid again. Seeing the innocence of a child during Christmas is so precious. My daughter, Ava, is still squealing with delight over the Christmas decorations we put up two weeks ago! And my son, Cliff, keeps wishing every stranger he encounters, "Merry Christmas" at the top of his lungs! AS for my social butterfly, Rosie, she is beaming and telling me that we need a really big birthday cake for Baby Jesus. Needless to say, I think we all need to step back and remember meaning the of Christmas. We should be more childlike and like adults, we stress out!!! So Merry Christmas peeps. Time to get your real Christmas on!

Fabulous Fashion, Italian Style

The Ladies of Provocative Manners have a love for fashion. There are so many different styles, textures, combinations, accessories and of course, thousands of talented designers. Today, we wanted to delve into Fashion, Italian Style. A beautiful design of clothing that emphasizes a woman's gracefulness, elegance, yet, personal power. The Italian Style empowers women to embrace her womanly curves and to accentuate her assets, while men are dressed to impress with sophistication and class. Even the everyday look for a man or woman is designed to show their love for life, fashion, color and an overall edgy feel!

Here are a few of our favorite larger than life Italian designers:

Laura Biagiotti

 Marzia Donzelli

Giorgio Armani

Fendi

Emilio Pucci

The world of Italian style has reached farther than the limits of Europe. Not only are these designers everywhere in the world, but a number of world-wide designers take these fashion concepts and apply them to Main Street or High Street fashion. How amazing that such beautiful designs can be styled to fit the average American while also fitting into their budgets! We can have a bit of the couture labels and a bit of the knock-off brands to keep us stylish all year long!

Missoni

This designer brought an inexpensive clothing line to Target stores.

H and M

Italian style clothing similar in look to couture designs but not similar in price.

Roberto Cavalli

Available at Neiman Marcus

Need Inspiration? Watch for looks at Italian Fashion Week!

To read more about Italian Couture and Signature Fashion, 

check out Destiny USA in Syracuse, New York.

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