Is it a memory of shared good times somewhere warmer? Could it be the lime? Or is it the tequila?

Well, just make sure you have a plan for happy hour tonight, because it's National Margarita Day, folks! Yep, today we have cause for celebration - or  great excuse - to enjoy this Mexican cocktail on a chilly day in the middle of February. Sounds good to me... 

There is no solid proof who actually mixed the first Margarita. The most accepted story is about Mexican bartender, Don Carlos Orozco, experimenting with mixes one slow afternoon in 1941 when Margarita Henkel arrived. She was the daughter of the German ambassador at the time. Don Carlos offered her the drink and since she was the first to taste it, he simply named it after her. A classic Margarita consists of just four (or five with the salt) ingredients:

Literally hundreds of recipes and versions have emerged taking the idea out of the bar and into the kitchen as well. So if you aren't into the bar scene, you can still celebrate with some other Margarita-inspired tastes from dinner to dessert. Have fun and try some of the recipes I found online...

Grilled Margarita Chicken (from All Recipes)

Margarita Ice Cream (from La Bella Cook)

Margarita Cupcakes with Tequila Lime Butter-cream Frosting (from Sweet Pea's Kitchen)

Isn't it 5 o'clock somewhere already? xoxo-Sonya

Fifteen inches of snow blanket us. It took about two and a half hours of shoveling with Robert, but we managed to clear the driveway, walkway, cars and even a path out back to accommodate our cat, Kit... 

Yes, for the six years he is with us, Kit loves to travel outdoors, so he is in and out every single day. Beginning his life as a feral kitty sighted in our backyard, free travel is in his blood, and though he loves the comforts of his warm home inside here, this white stuff is cramping his routine! I understand, Kit. I would love to venture out too, far, far away...

Oh wait! I can... It's just a click away... No crowds, no admission fee, no snow...

Anyone with a love of travel can visit right from the cozy confines of their own home thanks to modern technology. So many places grant access via a 360 degree camera and allow virtual visitors a glimpse into an array of museums and natural landmarks. I have found just a few, but there are many, many others. Let's take a trip around the world!

First stop, a visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History...

Next, let's go to Paris, France and walk through the Louvre...

Want to see the breathtaking  Sistine Chapel? I do...

Let's explore the far reaches of Turkey, underwater, at Bodrum Castle...

I would love to see India's Taj Mahal... 

Travel with me to Machu Picchu...

And there are so many more to see... Here is a list of other main sites I discovered to access further virtual expeditions:

AirPano

Florida Keys 

Global Panorama

The journey doesn't end here. Get curious and become a virtual travel agent yourself! There's a whole lot to enjoy out there as you tour around the world in 80 seconds... xoxo-Sonya

Ascending on tiptoes the wide stairs to the top floor, it was a far climb to the children's section for a six year old. I can still remember the warmth from the large windows... It was the only floor in the Hoboken Public Library with such wide open space, easily accommodating many of us for story-time. We sat on the floor bathed in the sunlight from those windows, listening as the librarian transported us to another place through the animated words rising from the pages in her hands. 

I fell in love...

The library has always been one of my first loves... A sanctuary where I could accompany Nancy Drew on her latest case, drink in the English countryside with Jane Austen, and parlay with Ann Rice's Mayfair witches. It is the only place that never ages, becoming new as the shelves restock with current stories of fascinating people, a myriad of places to go, and things to learn.
 

Love is definitely in the air... February is Library Lovers' Month! We are so fortunate to have The Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS), a consortium of seventy-four public libraries in northern New Jersey where it's easy and free to join and borrow material.  Most BCCLS libraries offer online registration.  With proper identification, your home library will provide you with a free library card. If your town is not a BCCLS member or does not have a library, check with any BCCLS library for local pay card policies. Robert, Brenna and myself are easily recognized at the Rive Vale Public Library since we visit so often, sometimes several times in one week. Books, audio CDs, magazines, movie and television show DVDs are readily available to peruse. The best part about BCCLS is if your hometown library doesn't have a particular item you are looking for, you can request it from any library in the organization and it will be delivered to your local library at no cost to you! Once you obtain a library card, you can create an online account to manage all the books, record albums and movies you want to request, borrow and renew from your computer or mobile device. It is so simple! Just make sure you heed the renewal time-frame and overdue fees for the libraries you are borrowing from. As with anything worth having, respect and care are required for every one's benefit.

There is so much more your neighborhood library offers too. Many host displays and events to promote local artists and residents. River Vale has a program for young children called First Friends, a read-aloud story-time scheduled in the children's section encouraging little ones to mingle and meet, not to mention new parents as well! Free Internet is also available, which I must say, has been a real life saver for me when having connection problems at home and I need to get work done. Loaning  available space to local organizations for meetings, arts & crafts programs, and business workshops, there is always something special going on at the library. It is worth the time to check out everything they have to offer each month. Expand your horizons too... Explore other libraries in your area to find a favorite and stimulate your personal circle of knowledge.

Recognizing the value of libraries and finding out what you can do to keep your local library safe is definitely worthwhile. With all the free services it provides the community, supporting the hard work of this organization is a way to show your love of community and the arts.

A first love always occupies a special place. - Lee Konitz

Pretty hand-turned roses on a bed of light whipped ballerina tulle... Folds upon folds of sugar-coated crisp fans skirted to envelope a pop star... Licorice ears atop an iconic hero... These are just bits of the costume magic Vinilla Vin Burnham has been creating for years on the big screen and stage. It is her wizardry of theatrical charm which makes her one of the most influential costume designers of our time. 

Born in Chelwood Gate as Vivian, later renamed Vinilla by her friend Justin de Villeneuve, her taste for the stage was compelling. Her grandfather, an opera singer, appeared in silent movies of the 1920s, and both parents, Edward and Lucille Burnham, were theatre actors on the West End stage. At the age of six, Vinilla was taken to see Swan Lake at Covent Garden. “The curtain went up on a whole other world and it was one I wanted to inhabit,” she says. “I was given these ballet books for Christmas with images of ballet dancers that had such atmosphere, mystery and glamor. I wanted to be one of them.” Such essence of youthful desire mixed with resourcefulness warmed up a remarkable career.

It isn't any wonder why Lady Gaga asked Vinilla to fashion and engineer the “living dress” for her 2010 Monster Ball World Tour. The unforgettable creation boasted wings, giant headdress and a 15 foot train abounding with layered fans to embody Gaga's drama and girly glam. 

Vinilla has spent the last few decades keeping very, very busy, putting her costuming genius to work with many other greats in the industry - outfitting the big screen with Tim Burton on Batman and Batman Returns, working with Jim Henson on the fantasy films Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and The Neverending Story III,  and with Jean Paul Gaultier on the 1997 Luc Besson film, The Fifth Element. With even more devoted followers from the ballet and opera stages, it is her memorable creation of Aslan, the lion from The Chronicles of Narnia for BBC, that won yet a younger audience.

“As a little girl, I believed in fairies... My sister and I would leave sixpences under the pear tree at the bottom of the garden for them and we made frocks and tiny fairy furniture out of cardboard.” With this charming and imaginary vision, Vinilla has created The Little Costume Shop, an exclusive collection of exquisite quarter-scale opera and ballet costumes. Like cupcake icing, every sequin, bead, ribbon and fold of fabric is perfect on her miniatures which can be admired in exhibition cases at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden or purchased to keep as a memento of a special performance. 

As a natural progression, she is delicately nibbling the wedding dress market by offering unique keepsakes. Vinilla and her business partner, Debbie Phipps, are waving their magic wand to create replica wedding dress miniatures as the ultimate memento of a bride's big day. Big things really do come in small packages!

The recipe for Vinilla's Icing? "Always strive to create depth, atmosphere and magic."

xoxo-Sonya