Hey Pumps and Glossy Ones,

Mix Maven is feeling refreshed from the Thanksgiving break. Thankfully, the dinner went well and I was nice and full.

I enjoy Christmas. Even though, I do not always decorate my home for Christmas, the season is held very closely in my heart.

My favorite Christmas song ever is “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway. No one, and I mean NO ONE, sings this song as good he did. (Ok, honorable mention to Gloria Estefan, who comes the closest.)

Here is my Christmas Wish List:

MAC fans can never have enough MAC products, especially the brushes. This face brush set is a great for traveling. (Sidebar: Readers, please let me know if your thoughts on MAC loose beauty powders.)

Whoa lurdie, I love this Pink Satin Peep Toe Sandal by Christian Louboutin. These shoes are wonderful addition to any closet. I would pair them with an understated wrap dress, so the high-heeled marvel can be the focal point of the outfit.

Or maybe I will wear the peep toe sandal with a sassy apron while I bake some goodies for Mr. Maven. Before I bake, I need to get the KitchenAid 5-Quart stand mixer in a soft Pink. Now, if I could get one in fuschia, that would be super great!

I have always wanted another Louis Vuitton. When I was younger, my grandmother gave me one of her older Vuittons and I was so pleased to have it. I wore it out, until a strap fell off! LOL!! I am in love with the Trouville bag. Hmm maybe I need 2.

I love Neiman Marcus!! My aunt M likes to call “Neiman Marcus Last Call Sale”, “The First to Last Call Sale” because she does not think the prices are discounted enough. That being said, I want a Neiman Marcus gift card. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up Christmas morning and get a $1,000 NM gift card. Yes, adults can dream too!!

Since I enjoy reading, I want gift cards from Barnes and Noble and/or Borders. I love to collect home decor books and I also love a nice fiction read. I am backlogged…need to continue Zadie Smith’s On Beauty and Sophia Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic.

I wish you a safe and happy holidays. May all your dreams and wishes come true!!

Live Triumphantly,

Mix Maven

Since Halloween is approaching, I decided to choose some sexy costumes.  Halloween is a fun time for the kids and it can be fun for adults too.  These outfits can be social, but I would rather wear them for bedroom games. 

Check out the sexiness of costumes from Lovers Lane and Frederick’s of Hollywood.

 Short dress are back again.  Lets go OLD SCHOOL!!!

 Put on that R. Kelly and move your body like a SNAKE.

It’s football season and you can be on the receiving end.

The french maid costume is always a classic.

Ladies, you can always pretend to be a girl scout and let your lover sample your cookies. 

Referee a wrestling match or even some touch football.

Time for the nurse to take the patient’s temperature.

Learning can always be fun when you are with your teacher, but you’re in trouble and the principal wants you to stay after school in detention.  What’s a girl to do??????

Take time out to romp around in the boardroom…better yet in your office.

Let’s not forget playing cops and robbers!

You can also find deceptively sexy Halloween costumes at retail stores.

Enjoy Halloween - better yet, enjoy these costumes when it’s not Halloween.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Sensual Element 

This Sunday, May 13, is Mother’s Day. You are probably running around town looking for a more than suitable gift for your mother, grandmother, or that special lady in your life that has become a mother figure to you.

Here are some of my favorite gift ideas.

So your mother needs to take more time for herself. Well, you can help achieve this goal by getting her the Origins Totally Ginger Gift set. Also, throw in a gift certificate for the local day spa.

Ginger is said to soothe the stomach, treat inflammation and lowering cholesterol. Ginger is also super good in curry chicken!

My next pick is for the ballers among us i.e. Joyful Radiance and Sensual Element. If your mum likes the finer things in life, give her the Manolo Blahnik Pony Hair Campiby Open-Toe Mary Jane Pump.

This shoe is dyno-mite. This 4-inch pump will leave the men drooling, the ladies jealous, and your daddy happy.

If your mother is very spiritual, she will enjoy the Bouquets of Hope. This book is a collection of stories written by women for women. One story is about a woman who was healed of an illness before her surgery was to take place. This book will give her hope. I would also suggest that you sneak a gift card to the spa or to her favorite store along with this book.

If your mother is a music lover, she will enjoy the music of Rhema Worship and Praise , The Experience. I am stumbled on this album from a MySpace page. I was searching for Londa Larmond - she sings and writes on this album. This gospel choir is based out of Toronto, Canada. Heard the music on Londa’s page and I bought it that day from Apple’s iTunes. This album has been a blessing to me. I love the majority of the songs and I know she will enjoy the songs too.

I am not feeling the “Pop Lockin’” for Jesus stuff, but you know I am old school, even though I am 23. (Why is Joyful Radiance rolling on the floor laughing?)

Sidebar: Tom Brady, my ex, decided to restructure his deal i.e. gave up some scrilla, so that the New England Patriots could acquire Randy Moss from the Oakland Raiders. Now that is taking one for the team. I know that in a few years he will renegotiate with the Pats, and they better pay him what he is worth because he is going to have a child and baby mama, and that is not going to be a cheap endeavor. He has many a mother’s day presents to purchase in the near future. (Only Mama Maven will understand this!!)

I know you all love your mothers, so continue to treat her with love and the utmost respect. Always keep the stories alive, your children’s children’s children must know of the strengths, joys, and sacrifices of your female ancestors.

Shout Outs:

I want to send a Happy Mother’s Day to Soul Star, all mothers and grandmothers of the Pumps and Gloss contributors, Yummy411 (I know you want a MAC gift card), and a honorable mention to Joyful Radiance. She has got the sweetest dog, of course, I am the godmotha.

Remain Blessed,

~Mix Maven~

The ladies of Pumps & Gloss have been pondering the question, “What if we won the Powerball lottery for $365 Million?” We know we have to pay off student loans, mortgages and other loans, and give money to the church (cause you have to do that, even if your church preaches against gambling, because churches always need money….And the pastor is thinking “the church needs a new furnace, I hope they will contribute more to the building fund.”) After doing all of the above, we all came up with a wish list of items that we all would like to have.

Mix Maven

Mix Maven loves to decorate, so the first item on the list is the Henredon sectional for the basement renovation.

Mix Maven says, “this sectional has a casual elegance fit for family and guests.”

The other selection on Mix Maven’s wish list is a sexy Christian Louboutin brown snakeskin pump. The pumps really speak for themselves. She exclaims, “Love them!!”

Joyful Radiance

Joyful Radiance selected BMW X5 SUV for her wishlist. Ms. Radiance says, “there is something sexy about a silver ride.”

Joyful Radiance also selected the Gucci Britt High-Heel Sandal for her wish list.

Joyful quips that this sexy sandal is “haute and hot.” Joyful Radiance maybe the Encouragement Guru, but in the Gucci Britt sandal, she will give Sensual Element a run for her money.

Soul Star

Since Soul Star is the Entertainment Guru, her first wishlist item is a 52-inch flat-panel TV for her new home theater.

Soul Star’s next wish is a trip to a luxury resort in Jamaica for Reggae SunSplash.

Soul Soul implores all “get away for some fun!”

Sensual Element

Sensual Element just loves this car. She reminds us, “this would be my summer car.”

She also wants the Manolo Blahnik snakeskin sandal.

Ms. Sensual Element suggests, “when you want fun on the town, [wear these shoes.]” With this wish list selection, Sensual Element will retain her title as Enticement Guru.

While we may never win the lottery, especially since most of the ladies do not play; we, the ladies of Pumps and Gloss, believe in the possibility of the dream. We implore you to dream big dreams or better yet, allow God to dream a bigger dream for you. As Gloria Steinem once said, “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” So go forth and turn your dreams into reality!