Thanksgiving time is once again upon us! Who can pick just one thing to write about for Thanksgiving? We decided to do a blog with some variety for you.  Scroll down to see the different sections, separated by the brown ribbons.
First, an important note: We’re thankful for each and every one of our well-loved guests at Belladerm and thank you for continuing to trust us with all your aesthetic needs! We love serving you! We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones!
With the biggest shopping of the year on the heels of Thanksgiving, it seems much of the focus is on where to shop and what deals will be out there! It seems to be a big controversy this year with stores opening at earlier than ever times–even on Thanksgiving.  There are complaints and petitions and people are saying that it isn’t fair to ask employees to come in on a holiday for retail store shopping.  Where do you land on this issue? We’d love to hear your opinions and thoughts.  Are you someone who will be working at a retail location on Thanksgiving night? How do you feel about it all? We welcome your comments!

For those of you hosting a big Thanksgiving meal, this section is for you.  Here is a highly-rated stuffing recipe:
Minnesota Wild Rice Dressing
If you’re looking for an alternative to bread stuffing, this recipe from the National Turkey Federation is a great option.
Ingredients

• 4 Slices TURKEY BACON cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 Cup onion chopped
• 1 Cup celery chopped
• 1/2 Pound mushrooms sliced
• 1 Package (4 ounces) wild rice, cooked according to package directions
• 2 Cups bread crumbs
• 1/2 Pound TURKEY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE cooked
• 1 Teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 Teaspoon dried sage
• Salt
• Pepper
• Directions
• Preheat oven to 325

Directions

• In medium-size skillet, over medium heat, saute bacon until almost crisp.
• Add onion, celery and mushrooms; continue cooking until vegetables are tender.
• In large bowl combine bacon mixture, wild rice, bread crumbs, sausage, oregano and sage.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired.
• Spoon dressing into lightly greased 2-quart casserole dish.
• Bake, covered, at 325 degrees F. 35 to 40 minutes.

And, we’ll wrap up with a few fun trivia facts to get you thinking! 
Did you know that the most popular Thanksgiving dinner includes a menu of turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie? Then it’s only fitting that Americans raise over 256 million turkeys. The biggest producer of turkeys is Minnesota, followed by North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and California.
Did you know that there are at least three American towns named after Thanksgiving dinner’s main course? There’s Turkey, Texas, with 496 residents; Turkey Creek, Louisiana, with 357 residents, and Turkey, North Carolina, with 267 residents. There are also eight places and townships named Cranberry, and 20 places named Plymouth, after the location of the first Thanksgiving. Like our very own PLYMOUTH, MN!

While you are packing away your flip flops and strappy sandals into the abyss of your storage closet for yet another cold winter in MN…you are undoubtedly thinking about the shoes that will take their place in the closet.  That is, unless you have one of those impressive shoe closets where they can all happily coexist year-round! Good for you, if you do! What woman doesn’t want that?
If you’re like many of us, you are pulling open the containers of winter boots and shoes and you’re maybe less than excited to wear those same boots from 2 years ago, for another winter. You sure would have a spring in your step if you could cover your toes with some new shoes! But shoes can be expensive, you tell yourself.  Especially the stylish ones.  Plus, you have no time for shopping and you’ve promised yourself never to take your kids along on your personal shoe shopping adventures ever again.  EVER!  But wait–how about a website that learns your style preferences and hand-picks shoes you’d like AND every pair is under $40 and shipping is FREE!?? This is not too good to be true–it is JUSTFABULOUS.  You receive 20% off your first order, too.  Sound like something you should try? Probably! And your toes will thank you! Here are a couple of shots from their site so you can whet your appetite for shoe fun!

We’re willing to bet you’d like to be seen as being confident and sure of yourself when you are meeting new people.  You may look polished (especially after you’ve been pampered by our staff!!) and have the latest fashion but you can’t forget to factor in what your body language is communicating about you! This can even tie into how much sleep you are getting because if you are feeling tired and sluggish, you are less likely to walk with a stride and are more likely to slump those shoulders. 🙂

First, let’s look at how you stand and walk.  An upright stance conveys confidence, strength, power and motivation.  Conversely, slumped shoulders with head looking towards the floor as you walk conveys a sense of uncertainty, uneasiness, weakness and a lack of self esteem. Try to keep your head raised squarely, as though it were being held upwards with a fine thread. We found an excellent article detailing importance of posture and the potential impact it could have on whether or not you get the job, too! You can find it here. Did you know this topic has been studied and it is very interesting! The January issue of Psychological Science tells all about studies that have been done.  Professor Galinsky and his colleagues conducted three experiments to see how power and posture work with each other. What they found surprised them: proper posture increases the levels of the feel-good hormone testosterone and lowers the levels of the hormone cortisol, which is linked to stress.
“I was surprised by the findings that posture was more important than position,” Galinsky said in an interview with the Star. “Posture doesn’t just affect how others view you but how you regard yourself.” Not only does standing tall affect how people perceive someone else, but a person with correct posture, in turn, gains more self-confidence and self-assurance, they found. In simple terms, posture breeds empowerment. “Posture does make a difference. How you sit and how you stand will have an effect on how you are perceived.” Galinsky also reported. Now isn’t that good to know!?
Next, consider how you use body language when you are in conversations. Eye contact is huge. Leaning in or moving closer to a person when they are speaking to you communicates that you are comfortable with them and are truly interested in hearing what they are saying. Do you do this?
Nervous habits can sure send negative messages, too. Watch for these nervous body language bahaviors and see if you can make some changes that will help if you catch yourself doing any of them:

• Constant throat clearing
• Nervous laughter
• Tapping fingers on the table
• Pacing
• Fidgeting in chair
• Crossing arms and legs
• Hands covering mouth when speaking
• Poor eye contact
• Sighing
• Weak, clammy handshake
• Fiddling with objects or clothing

Hopefully you’ve gained some new insight to help you be your very best and to ensure that others are seeing you as they should be!