I love to bake. So much so that it has turned into my passion. It’s my creative outlet that takes me away from my regular day-to-day, where I zone out into my happy place (with the company of my vinyl collection and record player, of course!). I believe that baked goods make people happy. And I love being able to evoke that feeling upon someone, however little it may be – creating a baked memory to celebrate the occasion for that special someone and to remind them of the specific moment or time.

The constant love and support from family, friends and customers has filled my heart with such happiness and pride it created a whirlwind of motivation that has inspired me beyond belief.  All bringing me to where I am today – at the start of a new beautiful adventure called “Keepsakes”.

I bake with love and passion.

An experience with Keepsakes is an intimate one. The baked goods that are produced are conceptualized and executed specifically for the celebration and those being celebrated. Because no two desserts end up alike, the memories made while enjoying them become that much more special. The best part (and the most important) is that I get to meet the clients, feel out their personalities and fuse their vibes with my craft.

If you are interested in getting more information  feel free to contact me at maryjoy@bakedkeepsakes.com

Alexandra never thought about putting her business skills to fabulous use in the world of esthetics. That was until she met Karen and the two instantly bonded over their love for all things beautiful and their common goal to start a business. After recognizing a major gap in the beauty industry Alexandra and Karen took a leap of faith to combine their two passions of business and beauty to create Beautifully Bare Hi-Tech Spa – Toronto’s first mobile medical esthetics service – dedicated to partnering with existing beauty business owners to grow and expand their services.

The Bare Beauties ~ Karen and Alexandra ~ recognized that while there was this shift in the industry, business owners were troubled with the high barriers to entry when incorporating these medical esthetics services in to their businesses. From there, Beautifully Bare was born ~  with their primary business focused on partnering with salons & spas, fitness and wellness centres, Beautifully Bare has been successful in incorporating medical esthetics services to grow existing businesses.

With over 15 partners in the GTA and Northern and Southwestern Ontario, Beautifully Bare is an innovative business using top of the line technology and is a fresh brand that gives the beauty industry a much needed facelift.

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I needed to break up with X, and detach myself from the hold he had on my heart. Looking back on that relationship now, I realize that I was in love with the idea of being in love; I was not in love. I was just following the school of love with its notions that love is precious and that we must do everything in our power to save a relationship even if it sucks the life out of us.

you know you have to let go but it's so hard

When I finally called it quits with X, the breakup was long over-due. It took me two years to find evidence that the relationship wasn’t going to work. But the thing was – I didn’t need evidence. I had that gut feeling us women like to call intuition. If I had followed my intuition, it would have saved me a lot of heartache and time. I would have been on to the next so much sooner.

I wonder how many people are out there in numbing, boring or uninspiring relationships trying to make it work because that’s what they feel they should do? I totally believe in falling in love, but my story leads me to believe that there are times that you have to fall out of it. Here’s a list of 4 reasons why people should fall out of love:

1. Infidelity. Yes people make mistakes, and sometimes infidelity can be forgiven. However, there are some serious issues that need to be brought to the forefront when one partner makes the decision to cheat. When it comes to infidelity, I think a woman should trust her intuition to help her decide to stay or to go.

2. Trying to teach an old dog tricks. Don’t go into a relationship thinking that the man you are dating will be “the one” after a few tweaks. You can change a man’s hair color, his clothes, maybe even the car he drives, but you cannot change his personality and character. Going into a relationship accepting the man whom you are dating will be more successful than trying to change him. If you find yourself picking apart your man every chance that you get, he might not be the one for you.

3. Abuse -Verbal or Physical. If your partner is abusing you physically or verbally, it’s time for intervention. You may love your partner, but somewhere along the way your partner learned it was okay to take his aggression out on you. It’s not okay. It’s time to get some professional help or move on.

4. He’s just not that into you. I believe that persistence pays off, but don’t talk yourself into believing that someone is interested in you when he is just being friendly. If you have spent a considerable amount of time with X and still he hasn’t asked you out, he’s probably not interested. If you’re still not convinced-spend some time with the movie “He’s Just Not that Into You.”

time to let go...

On your journey to falling out of love, there may be complications. For instance, maybe your relationship doesn’t only involve you and your significant other. Perhaps you have children with the man you are trying to fall out of love with. This is tricky, but ask yourself if you would like your children to have the same type of relationship that you and your significant other are displaying. If it is one that’s filled with violence, abuse, or hatred it might be time to let it go. However, maybe what you need is some counseling to communicate better with your partner.

If you decide to re-kindle the flame on a stagnant relationship be patient and realize that it’s going to take some work. And if you find that your relationship is doing more harm then good, it may be time to fall out of love.

The booty call is all about the sex.  You don’t have to see the other person again if you choose not to. There’s no wining and dining, no cute dates or romance. In fact, the less time you spend with your booty call, the better.

The committed relationship is just as it sounds-two people in a monogamous union. Hopefully at this stage, both partners trust each other and the games have been put aside.

The open relationship is the most complicated and frustrating of the three, because it has all the benefits of a relationship, but without the commitment. It’s not as simple as the booty call, because people in an open relationship actually spend time together.

“No Strings Attached,” and “Friends with Benefits,” two 2011 Hollywood flicks, have blazed the trail on the topic of open relationships. In my opinion, and with two fictional tales backing as evidence, when you combine two people, intimacy, and a relationship void of rules, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Before I explain why open relationships do not work, I’d like to explore what kind of person would want an open relationship. The simplest explanation would be that person is not ready.  The more detailed explanation involves a major case of “Peter Pan Syndrome”. This person wants the benefits of a relationship, but is too immature to deal with “adult” responsibilities like commitment. For whatever reason he does not want to be tied down. He likes you, but still wants to keep his options open. Be aware that “not a relationship type of guy,” “just got out of a relationship and not ready for anything serious,” “I’m focusing on my career,” may be segues into “I don’t want a commitment, I want to sleep around.”

It’s your business if you want to agree to an open relationship, but I’m warning you-it’s not going to work in the long run. An open relationship upsets the delicate balance of a relationship, and one person is always going to have the upper hand. Sure it might be fun and exciting at first, but give it a little while and the fact that he still wants to keep his options open is going to start eating away at you.

Does it make you comfortable to know that at anytime your partner can sleep with whomever he wants? We’re talking about possible diseases here people. Also, you’re opening yourself up to heartbreak and emotional turmoil. It’s simple-the disadvantages of an open relationship outweigh its advantages.

Men: If you want to sleep around, just stick with the booty call. It’s not fair to a woman to keep her around until the next best thing comes along. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.  Women: Respect yourself and do not agree to an open relationship.

Some of these decisions are made without thinking, while others require some thought and will power. But when faced with so many decisions, there comes a point when you naturally become fatigued and irrationality overpowers your judgment. You settle for whatever, agree to anything, go against your core or pick the wrong battles to fight (do you know what I’m talking about?)

This is called Decision Fatigue. I was reading about this today after a long conversation with a girlfriend who was hysterically fighting with her boyfriend. When she explained the story, I was in shock that she had put herself through such grief over what seemed – to me – to be petty.  I now realize she was fatigued by all the other stuff in our day-to-day that consumes our brain power.

Since no one is exempt from this and there’s no cure for decision fatigue, I thought I’d share 8 ways on how to avoid unneccessary drama caused by a tired brain. *Please feel free to add to the list.

1. Make sure to sleep

2. Never make decisions on an empty stomach

3. Never make a decision during happy hour

4. Schedule one hour of your day without your Black Berry, iPhone, iPad, etc. and simply be with yourself and recap your day.

5. When you feel tired, avoid any confrontation or debate; it’s better to hold off than to apologize.

6. Don’t beat yourself up over a mistake. We are all suceptible to stupidity, so be more conscious of what you spend your energy on.

7. Take time for yourself and relax: a glass of wine, a walk, a dance class, yoga, painting or meditation can help regain mental strength and ensure better decision making skills.

8. Have a safe and peaceful long weekend.

I only get to see my friend Mischa every three or four months because we live in different cities. When we do get to see each other, our conversations are usually charged with gossip-worthy stories, dripping with juicy details, vivid enough to make any man blush. During one such visit, Mischa and I were playing catch-up over brunch. Mere bites into our greek salads and sweet dessert crepes, our conversation steered onto the topic of Mischa’s new man.

Mischa had just become “official” with (let’s call him) Chad. Chad was over the top awesome. We’re talking picnic in the park, surprise flowers at the door, holding hands kind of awesome.  The only problem was their sex life. It was kind of a big problem. Mischa admitted that she had “faked it a couple of times.”

I began to ponder why Mischa, or any woman would fake an orgasm. Maybe she’s tired and she just wants to get it over with. Perhaps she’s okay with not climaxing that night, but still wants to have sex. Maybe she’s self-conscious or not in the right frame of mind; she’s thinking about car payments and phone bills. Or perhaps her partner is just not that good in bed.

The latter was Mischa’s reason for not climaxing with Chad. Although the above reasons may be good excuses to fake an orgasm, it is not in any woman’s best interest to do so.

Here are reasons why a woman should never fake an orgasm:

1. You’re putting pressure on yourself to carry out a star-worthy performance. Unless you’re practicing for an upcoming audition, why put yourself through the torture? You don’t have to climax every time you have sex, but you shouldn’t have to fake it.
2. Good relationships are built on trust. Faking an orgasm equals not telling the truth. As much as it might hurt your partner’s ego to tell him that it’s not going to happen “tonight,” it’ll hurt his ego even more if he finds out you faked it. Suddenly, he’s not the sex god in bed that he thought he was. When your partner realizes he’s not “getting you off” in the bedroom, he’ll make improvements. After all, doesn’t every man want to be great in bed?
3. When you fake an orgasm, both parties lose. Your partner will be lead to believe that what he does (or doesn’t do) in bed makes you feel good. Don’t expect to be hitting any climaxes soon without some major intervention.
4. You’re denying yourself of pleasure. Why should he be the only one climaxing? Figure out the reasons that are preventing you from having an orgasm. Your sex life may need some work and it might be time to have a chat with your partner.

Communicate!

So, how do you tell a man that he’s in desperate need of tips in the bed? The key in never having to fake an orgasm is to communicate openly with your partner.

Start a conversation and broach the topic lightly and playfully. A perfect opportunity might be when you are snuggling in bed, reading books on the sofa, or having dinner. You might start with a question about him: “What turns you on?” “What are your fantasies?” Assuming that communication with your partner is circular, he will return the question. When he does, be honest and precise, “I like it when you…” or “I get really turned on when…”

Topics like these are not always easy to bring up, especially when you’re in a new relationship. However, being honest about what makes you and your partner feel good is necessary. Don’t be accusatory, but be suggestive. Open communication will make for an improved, friskier sex life where both you and your partner are satisfied. You don’t have to have an orgasm every time you have sex, but remember that you should never have to fake one.