Wacky Cookies - A Creative Woman´s Solution to the Financial Bust!

Aymee Van Dyke

Have you ever been instantly drawn to a stranger in the midst of a crowd? That´s how I felt towards Aymee Van Dyke (neé Rodriguez) when I met her at a networking event three years ago when she was promoting her personal development biz. She has great energy and many virtues and talents – too many to fit into a blog post – but in this entry I´ll focus on her Wacky Cookies venture. Aymee makes beautiful and mouth-watering cookies that are more than that … they are a gourmet experience.

Aymee was – as  many of us – hit by the financial bust. That’s when she launched her cookie business. Read on if you want to be inspired!

LCL.-  When and how did you start Wacky Cookies?


AVD.- I started Wacky Cookies from my home  in 2008.  My Personal Development business was in a slump. The economy ripped and people were no longer investing in themselves... I had started baking when I was 3, flouring pans for my mom who was a cake designer and owned a restaurant and catering business, and saw that there was a renaissance of comfort food due to the situation with the economy. I started by making a batch of cookie pops… My mom used to make those and I loved them as a kid.


LCL.-  What sets you aside from other Cookie ventures?


My kids´ favorite Wacky Cookies!

AVD.- We bake everything fresh to order.. I mean we even hand mix the cookie dough.. And cut each cookie by hand.. Nothing is produced by a machine. Everything is 100% fresh. Our icings are mixed with nothing but the best and kosher ingredients. I don’t use vegetable shortenings or any of that artificial stuff that is normally in cookies, no artificial preservatives.  I figure if you are going to have something decadent, it might as well be the best...  
I customize cookies. You can call me and I can have a cookie cutter made for a special occasion and we can customize everything from the taste, to the color to your name.  

We are an Internet-based business (closed bakery/no storefront) which allows me more time to personalize our service, instead of having to constantly "drop" what we are doing to rush to the front of the shop and take care of people who come in.  We deliver cake and cookies to you! No hassles with picking stuff up. We bring it to your doorstep.

Organic Princess Cake

LCL.- What is your definition of Success?

AVD.- My definition of success is doing what you love to do all day, every day and being paid for it...That is the ultimate success! My greatest achievement was when I went out of my comfort zone to make a last minute princess castle for a 4-year-old little girl.  She loved it! The sugar work took me two days (which is actually not that long in the cake business) but it was just beautiful. When we delivered it to her hotel, everyone in the lobby gasped that was a great moment for me. Very humbling.
 


My biggest goals for the future: I have to say I would LOVE to become the Sylvia Weinstock of cookies.  She is considered the Da Vinci of cakes, and well, she is just a remarkable cake designer.  As a cookie designer I am always trying to learn new techniques and my biggest desire is to continue to grow and develop my skills as a sugar artist. There is so much room for innovation in this field. I want to take cookies to a whole new level.  A cookie, as an edible piece of art can make a happy occasion into an amazing one. It can also transform a person’s mood if they are having a particularly bad day.  
 


Website and email: www.WackyCookies.com

email: sales@wackycookies.com
 

tel no : 703-330-2264 
 

www.lorrainecladish.com

Cafe Barcelona in Naples, Florida, standing strong thanks to its Mediterranean cuisine

Cafe Barcelona in Naples, Florida

Having been born in Spain and living in Florida, I yearn for a place where I can meet with friends, eat paella, gazpacho, Serrano ham and drink a good Spanish wine indoors or out on the patio.

Montse Bonache at the Cafe

In Naples, Florida, there is such a place. Its name is Café Barcelona and the owners Pedro Casoliba and Montse Bonache, have withstood the recession thanks to their Mediterranean cuisine.

Over twenty restaurants have closed in the coastal town of Naples, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico in the last year. Café Barcelona, however, that opened its doors in 2005 is still standing, and always offering tasty and affordable menus.

It is where Spaniards and everyone else who enjoys tapas, comes to celebrate anything from New Year’s Eve to the simple fact of being able to chat with friends while drinking sangria and dancing Sevillanas.

Angela and I dancing Sevillanas

There is now a $29.00 meal for two that includes a free bottle of wine, that you can enjoy al fresco, while listening to the strumming of a Spanish guitar. 

Montse and Pedro are veterans in the restaurant business. They started out in their native Barcelona and later on they had businesses in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, which catered to the palates of patrons who enjoy exquisite Spanish tapas.

Success is standing strong during and after a recession, adapting to change and always offering reasonable options for the most discerning diners.

Follow Café Barcelona on Facebook.

Address

336 13th Ave. S.

Naples, FL, 34102

Phone:

1-239-2617498

To know more about me and my books:

www.lorrainecladish.com

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What to do When You´re Feeling "Off"

Some days, you’re just “off”. It happens to me and in fact, it happened today. Despite being a fan of positivity and being proactive, some days I´m just not feelin´ it, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I’m so used to setting priorities, organizing my projects and taking the steps required to achieve a goal, that when I have a blah day I feel a little embarrassed to admit it, even to myself!

Jet-lagged and a tad overwhelmed by maternal, domestic and professional responsibilities, today I felt out of sorts.  

At a certain point I resolved to do what I recommend to others when they tell me they’re having an “off” day: accept it!

From that point on, I found it easier to cope with.  

I suggest that if you have a day or even a week when you are out of sorts, you be nice to yourself. If you are usually a doer, that is not going to change.

Don’t flagellate yourself. Be reminded of your virtues, the good things in life and accept that you cannot be 100% all of the time and that’s not a failure.  Just like the tide, our mood and our energy ebb and flow.

On the other hand, if we did not have moments of apathy, we wouldn’t recognize those in which we are focused, motivated and energetic.

www.lorrainecladish.com

Nike Was Right! Just Do It! It Works!

Most people decide to lose weight, exercise, write a book, or anything else, and then they spend many hours, sometimes days, weeks, months and even years getting ready to start!

The result is often a garage filled with unused equipment, unread books, money wasted on workshops and dreams gone down the drain, plus a huge feeling of failure.

I suggest doing just the opposite. It´s always worked for me.

I make a note of my goal, and then I start taking steps to accomplish it. Once I´ve hit the road running, I search the resources available out there to improve my style, my output or my technique or whatever I need to work on. That´s how I approach the arts, sports, writing, work and more.

I don´t need the perfect running shorts to start running. I don´t need to have the perfect office space to write. I don´t even need to have money! I don´t need to know the perfect sketching technique to enjoy doing it.

If you don´t exercise, there is no style to improve or no routine to add on to. You can spend a lifetime talking about the book you will write and take a gazillion workshops. But you will have no craft to hone if you don´t well … write!

In a nutshell, this is the Just Do It tagline that Nike made so popular, but heck, it works!

So … Just Do It!

Do it imperfectly, do it little by little, do it when and how you can, but Do It!

Do it, and in one month, please check back and let me know what happened!

www.lorrainecladish.com

How to Find Time to Pursue your Dreams!

“I don´t have the time” is the most frequent excuse for not pursuing a dream. You can turn a dream into a goal by putting it on paper and then give it a deadline.

But, how do you find the time to devote to your dream, whether it be writing a novel, learning how to crochet, beading, running a marathon, going back to school or taking tap-dance classes?

I´m going to be very simplistic about it, because it really is simple. I also won´t concentrate on the money part, which I promise to discuss in another entry.

1.- Make a list of all the things you do on any given day that you really DON´T NEED to do, but that you do anyway. Some have become habits and may be so ingrained that you hardly notice. Here go a few common ones:

            - Surfing the Internet

            - Playing video-games

            - Indulging in social sites

            - Chatting

            - Watching TV

            - Gossiping

2.- Now make a list of the things you WANT to do but don´t because you think you don´t have time for them. They could be anything, but here are some examples.

            - Write a book

            - Train for a 5k, a half marathon or a marathon

            - Take beading classes

            - Start a home-based business

            - Take belly-dancing lessons

            - Swim laps

 3.- Now vow to stop, COLD-TURKEY, doing the things in LIST 1 and presto, you have time to do the things in LIST 2.

It´s not rocket science, but it works. I pared down my already pared-down life and in the past three weeks managed to rack up 175 pages of my next book so far. And I thought I didn´t have the time! Well, I proved myself wrong, didn´t I?

Well, so can you!

www.lorrainecladish.com

BlackPata - Body Sculptures

When something inspires me, I like to share.

A few days ago, my eldest brought me a set of rings and bracelets made of aluminum and various stones and shells. They were original and surprising.

The designer is Enrique Recio and the brand of jewelry, which is in fact composed of sculptures that mold to the user’s body is BlackPata. 

For me, one of the descriptions of success is to make real something that started out as the seed of an idea or a moment of inspiration. If besides that it penetrates the market, then it is an even greater success. 

That other people read your books or wear your jewelry thus affecting their lives in one way or another, is success.

If you are daring, if you are different, if you like to admire art and especially wear it, I suggest you visit the website www.blackpata.com to see this particular jewelry collection, the design of which does not finish until you wear it and mold the pieces to you. Especially the bracelets and necklaces. 

The other day I was writing the novel I have underway now and admiring the BlackPata Collection inspired me to go forward and break through writer’s block.

Get inspired!

www.blackpata.com

www.lorrainecladish.com

Bootcamp - Training for Stamina on the Field and in LIfe

I started running with my dad for fun when I was 12. I got shin splints so painful that I could hardly walk, but that didn’t stop me. I also did yoga, biked and swam. I’m 47 and I still do all of those things (not all at once, mind you!). I like sports where I depend on myself only to move forward and I believe that mindset is what’s given me a life-long career as a free-lance translator, interpreter and writer. 

I learned early on to be my own cheerleader.

Recently one of my best friends suggested I try a new approach to exercise: Bootcamp! At first I balked at the notion of having to stick to a schedule or get up early to work out with other people! 

However, I like to say I’m open minded, so I gave it a try. 

The personal trainer and founder of West Coast Bootcamp, Stacey Sargood asked me if I was used to exercising.

“I’m a runner,” I said proudly. 

“Let’s go then!” she replied, and in five seconds she was a mile ahead of me. The other participants passed me as soon as they laced up their shoes and I came in last. That run (at a much faster pace than I’m used to), followed by running up and down stairs, sprinting, doing push-ups, curls, jumps, circuit-training and a lot of input from Stacey, was exactly what I needed to get out of my training rut. I admit I felt like throwing up after my first session - some people actually do - but the discomfort was worth the burst of energy that resulted after that day. I also enjoyed the camaraderie and the feeling of being surrounded by women and men who are also trying to go the distance. 

Stacey’s input, corrections, her cheerleading and even her concern when I tripped and fell during a run were the fuel I needed to push my limits and feel empowered, not only on the training field but in my field of work - writing - and in life.

A sports coach will help you do what you would not push yourself to do.  A good sports coach will not let you overdo it either and will help you pace your workout. You will see and feel results very fast. 

Bootcamp has a lot in common with pursuing your goals. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes you fall, sometimes you think you can’t keep on going, but then your coach tells you that you can. She pushes you to do five seconds more, to run a little faster, to stretch a little farther.

And when you do, it spills into the rest of your life. 


Since I enrolled in Bootcamp, the book I had started writing has taken off. I thrive on less hours of sleep and I feel renewed and more enthusiastic in many ways. Even my kids are doing Bootcamp for children!

Try it, you may like it!

www.westcoastbootcamp.net

In the picture, Stacey Sargood, personal trainer and founder of West Coast Bootcamp.  Read her story on her website. 

www.lorrainecladish.com

You are a Success When ...

When you are clear about your life-purpose, when you are on track and have fulfilling relationships, goals and you do what it takes to achieve them, you are a success.

When you stop blaming others, stop hanging on to the past and stop reveling in your misery, you are a success.

When you recognize that you need professional help in some area of your life and take full responsibility for it, you are a success.

When your life is so full that you have no time for pettiness, you are a success. 

We are not victims of our circumstances or even of other people. We are successful when we are able to rise from adversity, when we are able to stop pointing fingers and stop hoping that others will change.

Be the change you want to see. 

In the end, life is what you make of it.

Are you a success?

www.lorrainecladish.com

Belacrema OneCreme, for simple and effective skincare

If you take care of your body and the skin you´re in, you will most likely feel better about yourself and therefore have more energy for taking care of those you love and for doing what it takes to achieve your goals. Sounds good, right?

I´m a busy mom and I don´t have time or the money to be spending lavishly on skin-care products that promise to make me look like I´m 20 when I´m in in fact, well past 40. They also require, by the way, that I use 5 or 6 different products both in the morning and at night. No can do!

A couple of years ago, I found the solution to my needs. It´s called Belacrema, OneCreme, and it´s the answer to any woman who thrives on lavish simplicity and glowing skin at any age. 

Belacrema OneCreme is a synergistic blend of natural ingredients that targets mature skin, but that can be used as an eye cream on younger skin too. 

While I´m a regular user of Retin-A, which requires me to slather on sunscreen daily (I live in Florida), I found that Belacrema OneCreme enhanced the results I obtained with the prescription cream. I didn´t have to give it up and I also didn´t have to subscribe to complicated or expensive beauty routines to look and feel good. 

Helen Noble, the creator of Belacrema and author of the book Being Simply Beautiful, believes that skin care need not be complicated and that´s why she formulated her product, based on her European family recipe. 

Noble is the perfect example of the inner and outer radiance you can achieve through a proper diet and moderate exercise and simple but age-appropriate skin-care. 

A 1.7 oz jar of Belacrema OneCreme is $100, but each jar has lasted me two or three months, since I use it sparingly and where I most need it: the eye area, around my lips and in the frown-line. I also use just that. No more buying two or three products, sometimes more, that eventually add up to more than the cost of Belacrema OneCreme.

Compared to La Mer moisturizing cream which is $230 for 2 oz. or La Prairie Anti Aging Complex Cellular Intervention Cream that is $220 for 1.7 oz, Belacrema is a steal. Especially since La Mer and La Prairie, as so many other brands do, advocate for the use of eye-creams and serums, day and night lotions and more, that add up to a small fortune and many hours spent applying all those products.

When I have the $100 to spend, I still buy Belacrema OneCreme and I get more compliments from women than when I sleep 10 hours straight! 

To read more about Helen Noble, her book Being Simply Beautiful or to buy OneCreme, click here. 

www.lorrainecladish.com

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Tips to weave exercise into your life and be fit no matter what!

If you are a woman, I’m sure that you find countless roadblocks every day that prevent you from keeping in shape and eating healthy. If you are a mom, even more so!

It is important, however, to weave exercise into your lifestyle because, besides making you look grand, it also improves your mood and increases your self-esteem.

Consider that every time you set impossible goals regarding exercise and you fail to accomplish them, you feel worse than before you even started. That’s why I believe in setting reasonable goals and making exercise organic, adaptable but ever-present in your life, instead of something you do frantically after Christmas and before the summer.

In order to be successful in this area, you must think less and act more and make it a habit, just like brushing your teeth.

When I was very young, I had an eating disorder that turned eating, not eating and exercising into an obsession. Fortunately with the passage of time I was able to make it a pleasure and also be creative when it comes to keeping in shape during the demands of life, work, pregnancies, post-partum, motherhood and a lot more.

What helps me:

- I set reasonable goals. I practice some form of exercise three times a week, whenever possible. The key is to make it a lifestyle. Three times a week for my whole life is not bad. It’s a lot better than hitting the gym daily for two months and then not moving a muscle for two years.

- I adapt to my circumstances. I’ve always been a runner at the core, but when I became pregnant with my firstborn, I took up swimming. When she was born, I pushed her stroller all around the city during her naps. And when I had my second, I rode my bike, pulling them both on a trailer, while they slept!

- I know that the main piece of equipment to keep in shape is the commitment to do it. Walking, swimming, running, Pilates, yoga and a lot of other sports require no equipment. The only requirement is to do it.

- When I lived in a city, I walked everywhere, either alone or pushing my kids’ stroller. Now that I live close to the ocean, I drive there and then I walk on the Beach. It’s free!

- Now that my kids are 9 and 6, I play racquetball with them or swim or even play on the Wii-Fit, which is a lot of fun when the weather is not so good.

If you have any other tips, please share!

www.lorrainecladish.com