11 Spring Styles  Update your family's wardrobe with these stylish looks.   By Nadine Bubeck Spring: a favorite season for clothing. It’s time to bid farewell to winter blacks and invite color back into your wardrobe. Here are 11 trending brands and items for the whole family.   Isabelle Grace Sugar Pearls This jewelry line has an all-new, spring-infused necklace for those who love elegant pastels ...

P.E.T. Pantry Local organizations rally together to feed dogs and cats in need. By Julie Carlson If you’re a pet lover, you know a pet becomes part of the family. They’re usually our best buds. They provide laughter, joy, tears, and comfort to soothe our pain. They love us unconditionally. But what happens to a pet when someone falls on hard times? It’s difficult enough to put food on the table for an indiv ...

Workout Wear Writer M.D. Thalmann debates the trend of wearing yoga clothes outside the gym. It has been brought to my attention (not that I hadn't noticed anyway) that there are certain little niches of our Valley that have thrown fashion norms to the wind and have adopted an athletic wear (all the time) aesthetic. From restaurants to grocery stores, from malls to concerts, and every place in between, gals ...

A Day in the Life… Mom Kristin Caliendo finds out firsthand what makes up a teacher’s day. With an eye towards Teacher Appreciation Day, Tues., May 3, I recently spent the day with Mrs. Sipp, a fifth-grade teacher at Christ Lutheran School in Phoenix to learn more about what typically occurs. She was kind enough to share with me what her life is like in and out of the classroom. Turns out, there’s more to b ...

OTC vs. Pharmaceutical Grade The lowdown on what to look for when shopping for skincare products. By Jacqueline Starr-Hubert No matter where you are in the aging process, skincare is very important. Having youth on your side can make any product seem effective. After the age of 40, one’s needs change considerably. We stop producing collagen, thus experiencing a loss in volume, and gravity starts its ugly da ...

Marilyn Szabo Photographic artist explores diverse subjects with a trained eye. By Nicole Royse Marilyn Szabo is a talented and seasoned photographer who’s spent 25 years fueled by her love of history and photography traveling the world to capture striking imagery. Her exquisite photography is approachable, yet intimate, and explores a variety of diverse subjects including architecture, landscapes, and peop ...

Bad Lies Golf pro Scott Sackett with suggestions on how to play out of an imperfect lie. When playing golf there are a lot of times when you won’t have a perfect lie. You might be in thick rough, mulch, pine straw, wet dirt, firm bare, or one of 100 different types of lies. This tip will focus on what adjustments to make in your golf swing to ensure solid contact from one of the most unfortunate lies there ...

Off Road Amp up your overall fitness with trail running. By Kim Miller and Shannon Dougherty Photos by Stephanie Heymann Photography Trail running is an excellent way to nurture one’s physical and mental fitness abilities. Getting off the roads and venturing through nature can transform both the body and the mind. For those new to trail running, start with shorter runs and don’t be afraid to combine running ...

Ask Dirk A guy’s perspective on matters of the heart and home.     Dirk, I have been having trouble with a guy I work with. He is always harassing me with terrible puns and repeating the same jokes over and over again, week after week. It’s incessant. It's driving me nuts. He thinks it’s funny but it really just gets on my nerves and disrupts the office. This particular gent walks into the office ...

Tutti Santi  Authentic Italian food and service await at iconic Scottsdale restaurant. By Nadine Bubeck Photos by Stellar Photography When I first heard Leonardo Zacchino voice, it brought me back to my babymoon in Florence. I visited Italy nearly 20 weeks pregnant, and upon touching ground in the breathtaking country, I felt a sense far-far away, taken aback by the rich culture and magnificent history. Whe ...

Un Jour En France Antique store represents an American dream come true. By Sondra Barr Cave Creek is about as Western a town as you’ll find anywhere in this day and age, which is exactly what appealed to Richard and Isabelle Martin when they were looking for a spot to open Un Jour En France. The French natives grew up enamored with John Ford Western movies and everything Americana. And, it was during their ...

Bands to Brides From the music industry to the wedding scene, photographer Chadwick Fowler makes art for a lifetime of enjoyment and beyond. By Sondra Barr   In early 2000, photographer Chadwick Fowler never envisioned he’d be creating wedding art. He was too busy taking tour photos and shooting record covers for some of the biggest rock bands of the era including Limp Bizkit, Puddle of Mudd, and Korn. ...

  APRIL   2 & 3 Head to the Repticon Phoenix Reptile & Exotic Animal Show featuring vendors offering reptile pets, supplies, feeders, cages, and merchandise, in addition to live animal seminars. This is an educational, family-oriented event for everyone. Doors open at 10 a.m. $10. Arizona State Fairground Wesley Bolin Building, 1826 W. McDowell Rd. repticon.com/phoenix.html   3 Ladies don your ...

Water Works Bartlett Lake Marina offers boating fun close to home. By Michelle Talsma Everson Located less than 50 miles from downtown Phoenix and 17 miles northeast of Carefree, Bartlett Lake offers a boating surface area of 2,815 acres—more than Canyon Lake and Saguaro Lake combined, according to the staff at Bartlett Lake Marina. The popular marina is home to the only boat club in the Southwest and sever ...

#LoveUp Radio star Johnjay Van Es puts his fame towards good. By Nadine Bubeck Every morning Johnjay Van Es gets in his car at 4:03 a.m. The A-list Valley radio personality looks forward to his peaceful drive to work before the sun comes up; it gives him time to pray to whoever’s listening, thanking his lucky stars for his wife, children, job, and many blessings. Van Es has made quite a name for himself as ...