DeDivahDeals

Fashion and Fun after Fifty

Posts Tagged ‘Delaware’

Small Business Saturday

Hello Friends and Happy Shop Small Saturday

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Black Friday has come and gone so today we celebrate and support small businesses and all that they do for their communities. Please join the SBA and organizations across the country in supporting them by shopping at a small business in your city or town.

On Main and Broad Streets in Middletown there are some great small businesses that feature unique and affordable gifts for everyone on your holiday list.

Decor by Moore’s located on 500 North Broad Street recently celebrated their First Year Anniversary, and if you mention DeDivahDeals you’ll receive an additional 10% off your entire purchase until December 31st.  “Stop in and Be Amazed” at their wonderful and unique gift items including “Diva” ornaments, personalized wine glasses, animal print boxes, lighted pictures and handcrafted cabinetry.

Decor by Moore’s is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9-6, Wednesday and Friday, 9-8, Saturday 9-7 and Sunday 11-3.

 

Purple Sage Herbs & Gifts located on 41 West Main Street has more than 100 apothecary style teas and you’re sure to find something to soothe your soul or remedy anything that ails you.  Now and until the end of the year they are featuring new holiday teas as well as the new Holiday Troll Beads.  

If during this busy holiday season you are seeking stress relief or a little relaxation, make sure to stop in for personalized service and a cup of hot tea.   Purple Sage Herbs & Teas is open Monday through Friday, 11-7, Saturday 10-4 or Sunday 11-4.

A high end fashion boutique with warm friendly customer service can be found at Femme Fatale Boutique on 25 West Main Street.  

Femme Fatale Boutique is currently featuring the “Black Friday Limited Edition Pandora Bead”, Alex & Ani and the Brighton collection.

Free gift wrapping and personal shopping assistance is available for the men who love the women in their lives but don’t know what to buy them!  

New in stock are the Brazilian Butt Lifting Jeans, guaranteed to fit sizes 2-20.  These jeans stretch but don’t sag and are available in assorted colors.  

Holiday hours are Monday through Friday, 10-7, Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 11-3.

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The Gibby or Gilbert W. Perry, Jr., Center for the Arts is a cultural staple in downtown Middletown featuring works by local artists.   Their Small Works Perfect Gift Shoppe is currently showcasing unique handmade jewelry, clothing, photography, ornaments and home decor.  

Free parking across the street at the Municipal lot makes it convenient to shop Thursday and Friday 12-7 and Saturday 10-5.

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 A unique gift boutique specializing in jewelry and craft design can be found at Jewelapalooza. A recent transplant from Galena, Maryland, Jewelapalooza is located on 104 West Main Street and is featuring a Santa’s Workshop where kids can create homemade gifts that will be cherished for years to come.

Jewelapolooza specializes in Jewelry Making Parties as well as after school camps and workshops for the little ones in town.

Melissa & Doug Toys and Chamilia & Kameleon jewelry is prominently displayed throughout the boutique.  Other unique boutique items include women’s shoes, dresses, sweaters, purses and totes.  

 

I don’t know about you, but shopping makes me hungry so take a break and stop in at the mother and daughter owned bakery, Half Baked Patisserie located at 13 W. Main Street.  

Make sure you get their signature Half Baked Cupcake which is made with chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookie dough center, topped with brown sugar frosting and sprinkled with chocolate chips….yes, it is AWESOME!!!

Vegan cakes, muffins, custom cakes and catering is also available during their daily Holidays hours of 10-4.

 

 

 

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As you head out of town after a long day of shopping make sure to drive down to 725 North Broad to the Middletown Square Shopping Center and check out the newly opened Middletown African Market.

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This Market features authentic African and Caribbean food items, Kente Cloth, clothing, videos, health and beauty products as well as kitchen items.    This long-needed ethnic market sells wholesale and retail fresh, canned, packaged and frozen foods.  African spices, sauces and seasonings that is guaranteed to jazz up your holiday meals.  The Middletown African Market is open Monday through Saturday 9-7.

Swinging after shopping was the best part of their day!

 Why not catch a show at The Everett Theatre?

Where ever you decide to shop today, I hope it will be an enjoyable Shop Small Saturday.  

Rest up tomorrow because next is Cyber Monday!

American Express Sponsor

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Casual Friday – Autumn Attire

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In Delaware it is officially Autumn, the temps have dropped considerably (in the 50’s) and hubby even turned on the heat which I am definitely not happy about!

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This sleeveless top was thrifted from GW Boutique (Goodwill) and the slacks were purchase a few seasons ago at Boscov’s.  Asymmetrical sweater was purchased either at TJMaxx or Marshall’s also a few seasons ago.

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Put on a sweater if you are cold – “don’t turn on the ding dang dong heat – man!”  Can you tell that I am a miser – heck you can even call me Scrooge!

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Pumps // Avon

I love the fact that Avon has really “stepped up” their shoe game because not only are they cute but they are also extremely comfortable!

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Have you started wearing your Autumn Attire?

It snowed in upstate New York and Ohio so soon I will be wearing sweaters, hats, scarves and gloves – I am so not ready but maybe this year, hubby will be able to use his snow blower!

Have a fantabulous afternoon/evening – Smooches!

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Thankful Thursday

Hello Friends…it’s

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This week I am thankful for the following:

hubby and son’s covered the pool before I got home and they did it correctly!

 had a lazy…do-nothing…no makeup…didn’t-even-leave-the-house weekend

ironed almost all of my clothes

finally defrosted the freezer in garage

watched season premier of  The Walking Dead

 #1 son is doing well and is actively seeking full time employment – say a little prayer for him

#2 son attended his final Homecoming Dance and was home before midnight

 discovered and watched the new show “Sleepy Hollow” and now I am hooked

but most importantly,  I am thankful for my health, family, friends , finances and of course my faith

oh and that tomorrow is Fri-Yay!

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Thrifted Pumps from GW Boutique (Goodwill) – Do you remember this haul?

Speaking of which I am about due for another one – lol!

Thrifted from Goodwill

Thrifted from Goodwill

I wore this outfit on Wednesday and chose to add the red blazer because the weather was a bit cool early morning

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This was another beautifully blessed week despite the 3 hour commute into work yesterday due to a tractor trailer accident on route 896 – no one was seriously injured just cited for inattentive driving!

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Now it’s your turn, what are you thankful for this week?

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Middletown Ranked #2 in Delaware for Young Families

Hello Friends and Happy Monday

You may or may not have heard that Middletown was recently ranked #2 behind Millsboro as the best town for young families in Delaware. The ranking came from a study conducted by NerdWallet.com, and as a resident of Middletown for the past 21 years, I was curious as to how the determination was made.

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The criteria used for this ranking were: home values, medium household incomes and growth as well as the quality of the public schools. The quality of life was also taken into consideration with Middletown being named the healthiest community by Governor Markell’s Council on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.

The medium household income in Middletown is $70,942, with an average home value of $264,000, and with the current economic development completed or underway: Amazon’s Fulfillment Center, Johnson Controls‘ expansion, Christiana Care’s Emergency Center and Westown Movies it has provided many new jobs in the state of Delaware.

 

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NerdWallet.com only used data from GreatSchools.org which uses standardized test scores in ranking schools, Appoquinimink School District ranked 8th out of 10 with Millsboro at 9th. Other areas such as a town’s accessible walkways, parks and recreation and youth sports leagues were not taken into consideration.

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As a parent that raised two sons in Middletown, I would also like to add that Middletown is a safe and racially diverse town, one that it home to very friendly people.

welcome to middletown

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Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association Annual Parade

Hello Friends and Happy Monday, I hope you all had a nice weekend and that the weather was just as nice where you were as it was here in Delaware.  Saturday before leaving Dover my sons and I drove through downtown and noticed a large gathering on The Green.  Unfortunately, we had just missed the annual parade of The Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association but I stopped to take pictures of some of the trucks and engines which were prominently on display.

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Volunteer Fire Companies from around the state participated and vied for the coveted Governor’s Cup which was awarded to Smyrna’s Citizens Hose Company for the 34th year.

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Families and friends enjoyed themselves, eating, drinking, and playing while a DJ played a variety of music to keep everyone entertained before the awards ceremony.

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This traditional family friendly festival is just one of many events held annually in the Capital City of Dover.

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Gotta love the back of this truck!

Have fantabulous day – Smooches!

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Blogging 101 Class

Hello Friends and Happy Hump Day Wednesday.

Remember when I told you about the opportunity that was presented to me by The Money School of Delaware to teach a Blogging 101 class? Well, it happened…I did it, I taught a class last Wednesday at the Bear Public Library.

In 1983, I received my BS Degree in Elementary Education from Delaware State (College), but only taught 1 year of 3rd grade before leaving to work in Corporate America.  This was the first time since then of being back in a classroom…teaching…doing something that I’ve always loved to do.

I was on pins and needles for months in anticipation, reading everything I could online and from fellow bloggers as well as from the “Blogging for Dummies” book.  I was super excited to share what I had learned and prayed that all would go well.

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The class was full with 20 people registered, however, there were several no-shows but the walk-ins took their place making it a total of 18 participants.  “Not a bad turn out for a new class” stated the Library’s scheduler, which made me feel good.

I was a little nervous only because of the traffic delays that I had encountered trying to get there before the start time and upon arrival there were already 3 people seated.  After setting up the laptop with my PowerPoint presentation, I downloaded some Smooth Jazz from Pandora and waited until the start time of 6:30 pm. to begin.

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Do you know that saying, “I hit it out of the park”?  Well I did…it was an awesome evening, a lively and engaging group of woman ranging in ages from 15 to 60, mothers with daughters and small business owners all eager to learn the basics of blogging.  They asked great questions, participated by sharing stories and overall made this a memorable experience for which I’ll forever be grateful.

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It was my grandmother’s wish that I would someday return to teaching, so I know she was looking down on me with a smile.  Next month I’ll be presenting “Blogging for Small Businesses”, so it’s off to read and learn more, create a new presentation, download more Smooth Jazz and prepare to meet some new students.

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Have you ever had an opportunity to go back and do something that you truly loved to do?

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Learning at The Teaching Garden

Hello Friends and Happy Hump Day Wednesday!

Photography is an art that takes skill, patience and lots of practice.  I truly admire and am inspired by the awesome photos some of you have taken.  Being a novice and still learning the features of the Nikon P520 camera, I’ve been doing a lot of practicing.

My son and I had an appointment at the University of Delaware and while there we took these pictures at the Native Plant Teaching Garden.

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According to the University of Delaware’s Cooperative Extension Program’s website – “Native Plant Teaching Garden:  Designed to create an awareness of the cumulative environmental benefits that can be achieved through the use of native plants by providing an aesthetically pleasing demonstration garden easily adaptable to the home landscape.  The garden consists of different niches, each planted with material appropriate for the site:  a butterfly garden, bio-retention system (rain garden), meadow, foundation plantings, shrubs and paths, and perennial border.”

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It was a beautiful day to be in The Teaching Garden and a great opportunity to get in a lot of practice.

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With the change of seasons, I hope to get more outdoor shots including those dreaded snow days!

How do you think we did?

Linking up with WIWW – Transatlantic Blonde

Have a fantabulous day – Smooches!

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