Open House  By Jamila Watson, Parties on Purpose Turn your real estate open house into a fun gathering to remember! Most of us have been to an open house for a beautiful home only to see that the presentation could have been more sophisticated. You want your property to be memorable and your guests to feel comfortable and relaxed. Simple and thoughtful additions can be made to make your potential clients fe ...

Dream Dinners Not knowing what to expect, writer (and self-proclaimed bad cook) Anissa Stringer tries out a fresh spin on meal preparation. By Anissa Stringer I’m a bad cook. I really am. I tend to throw things together, often with very mixed results. I also work full time, do all the usual “mom” jobs, and write on the side. Cooking just isn’t a high priority for me. Plus, there’s the fact that I pretty muc ...

Fresh Reads By Julie Carlson Luckiest Girl Alive By Jessica Knoll Jessica Knoll’s debut novel, Luckiest Girl Alive, is making waves in Hollywood. Reese Witherspoon and the Lionsgate producers behind the Gone Girl movie have already optioned film rights to this best-selling novel. Novels like Luckiest Girl Alive are difficult to review because you don’t want to spoil things and give too much away. After a sh ...

Jim + Sam's Yoga Jam Who: North Scottsdale residents, Health Advocates of all ages/experience and anyone looking to enjoy some evening yoga set to live music. What: Grab your yoga mat and water bottle because on Sunday, September 6 anyone can join in on Jim + Sam's Yoga Jam. Samantha Lang will lead the event along with musician Jim Gregory. From 6 - 7:15 pm participants will enjoy a rockin' yoga flow set to ...

It’s in the Flex  Golf pro Scott Sackett on how shaft flex influences attack angle. When looking at how a player drives a golf ball, it’s important to consider all things to find the best driver-and-shaft combination possible. One thing that gets a lot of attention is the shaft. Regular, stiff, and X-stiff are all shaft flexes we are familiar with. Furthermore, swing speed is not the only factor to think ab ...

Onion Rings Mama G. (aka Leann Grunwald) offers up an indulgent onion ring recipe. With lazy summer days, Labor Day, and barbecue top of mind, it’s the perfect time to fry up some savory onion rings, or as I fondly refer to them, vegetable doughnuts. My thick-cut onion rings are made from beautiful whole white onions and battered with a subtle blend of spices that allow the onion’s natural sweetness to shin ...

Monica Aissa Martinez: Body Awareness in a New Light By Nicole Royse Photos courtesy of Monica Aissa Martinez A fascination with the human body, animals, and technology and its effects on us as a society are the inspiration for the intricate paintings and drawings by talented local artist Monica Aissa Martinez. Martinez received her Bachelor of Arts degree in metals and ceramics from the University of Texas ...

Get set for one of the most dramatic and beautiful of all astronomical events. By Steve Kates A scorching August leads us to September and hopefully cooler weather. As the heat slowly retreats, the night skies of August and September offer up some celestial gems. Get set for one of the best meteor showers of the entire year as the annual Perseid meteor shower peaks on the night of Aug. 12. With the special ...

THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL WARDROBE GETS REINTERPRETED WITH SOPHISTICATED NEUTRALS Photographer: Sylvia Hardt, sylviahardt.com Wardrobe Stylist: Shannon Campbell, shannoncampbellstylist.com Hair/Make-Up Lillian Fogel, lillianfogel.com Models: Laura & Lo, from Ford Robert Black, fordrba.com; Hannah, independent   Clothing: Studio Joy Li, (480) 970-1043, joyli.net BCBG Dillard's Fashion Square, (480) 949-586 ...

It’s time for bingo players and comic book fans to summon their superpowers and embark on a journey to Casino Arizona! Sept. 12 marks the casino’s inaugural Comic Bingo event, which will take place from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. This special night will be full of fun, games and prizes––including a free trip to New York City that includes two four-day passes to New York Comic Con. Casino guests can present their P ...

Meet and Mingle with Kareem Rosser, the Greatest African-American Polo Player of All Time He’s been featured on 60 Minutes and ESPN and is undoubtedly the best African-American to ever play the sport of polo. And on Thursday, September 10th Arizona polo fans will get a chance to meet and mingle with Kareem Rosser when the Fifth Annual Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships: Horses & Horsepower invites yo ...

Origins? Should accurate labeling be mandatory for the sale of all gems? Jewelry expert Scott Bohall weighs in—perhaps literally. By Scott Bohall The lobbyists in Washington, D.C., just won a decision saying that U.S. residents don’t need to know which country the meat we’re purchasing is coming from. Of course, the reason not to divulge its origins boils down to cost cutting and profits. No doubt there wil ...

North Valley Symphony Orchestra recently named Craig Triplett as the new concertmaster for the upcoming 2015-16 season. Triplett began playing the violin at the age of 9 in St. Louis, Missouri. At 17, he won the CASA Concerto Competition and performed the Bruch Violin Concerto with the CASA Symphonic Orchestra. Triplett studied violin and viola at Southern Illinois University for two years, during which he ...

Newfound Freedom M.D. Thalmann revels in all his free time after his kids head back to school.   It’s about that time, when the sun starts to become a little more forgiving and you don’t have to listen to a cacophony of “I’m bored” because the kids are back in school after a long summer. I have a few things to say about all the fun activities that parents can do with the “extra” free time they’ll gain ...

A guy’s perspective on matters of the heart and home Dear Dirk, My wife is dying to have another baby, and it’s not working out for us. We’ve been trying for about four months now, and no dice. This is concerning her because we’ve never had to try this hard in the past (we have three boys). The truth is that I only half want another kid and have second thoughts all the time. I am worried that my inability t ...