The Cornerstone Clubs of Bucks County, PA are hosting a Grand Opening from September 18, 2010 through October 15, 2010 to celebrate the expansion of the Cornerstone family. A Grand Opening Party (the GO Party), open to members and the public, will be held at Cornerstone, Warrington in the Atrium of the Health and Wellness Center (Route 611) on October 15, 2010 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm.

Cornerstone first opened its doors as Cornerstone Health and Fitness in Doylestown in 1995. Committed to making it the finest club, owner Jim Bishop and his team ensured that they would offer everything in health and fitness – from exercise, to nutrition, to mind-body practices.

With the great success achieved in Doylestown, Cornerstone expanded to New Hope in the fall of 2006, to answer the fitness needs of the New Hope community. Soon after, in October of 2008, The TreeHouse, a Lifestyle center by Cornerstone, opened right behind it, creating a haven for those looking for a more holistic approach to wellness.

In March of 2010, Cornerstone had the great opportunity to bring Doylestown Hospital’s Lab Fitness + Spa into the Cornerstone Family. Having always supported Doylestown Hospital’s mission of a healthy community, Cornerstone proudly expanded its family and continues to help fulfill that mission. 

Not only does Cornerstone Warrington offer an amazing 2-floor space of cardio and weight rooms, it also has an exquisite Spa and 3 pools. The title of only ‘Health and Fitness’ seems to no longer apply, as Cornerstone has truly expanded into a full family of wellness-focused destinations. 

Now, The Cornerstone Clubs are even better equipped and enthused to support the Bucks County community by providing invaluable health and wellness resources that span the entire Central Bucks area.

To celebrate Cornerstone’s 15+ years and growing family, we invite our members and our community to join us during this month-long celebration and GO Party. Expect to see fun classes, demonstrations, games, prizes, and specials – after all, fitness is all about having fun. 

For more information, please visit our website: www.cornerstoneclubs.com. Or, call Doylestown: 215.794.3700; New Hope/The TreeHouse: 215.862.2200; Warrington: 215.918.5900.

(Bucks County, PA) Labor Day may be the official end to summer but definitely not the end to having fun. Grab your loved ones and participate in a variety of family friendly activities planned throughout Labor Day weekend. Dance among Polish folk dancers or enjoy a Luau and spectacular fireworks show with your favorite furry friends Elmo and Big Bird. From wine tastings to scarecrows, Bucks County is sure to make your holiday weekend a memorable one.

New Hope & Lambertville Fireworks

September 3, 2010

9:30pm

The season will end with a bang as this 10 minute firework show illuminates the summer night sky over the scenic Delaware River! This spectacular show can be seen from many of the al fresco dining establishments or along the walking bridge. Retail businesses on both sides of the river will remain open until 10:00 pm.

 www.newhopelambertvillefireworks.com

1^st Friday Doylestown

September 3, 2010

6pm-9:30pm

Fun, festive music and entertainment line the Main Street of Doylestown! Follow the flags outside stores, restaurants and businesses to see a new side of this charming town.

www.firstfridaydoylestown.com

Summer Wine Concert Series at Shady Brook Farm

September 3, 2010

Enjoy an entertaining night out on the grounds of Shady brook Farm to hear the melodic sounds of local band Idlewoodsman. Enjoy local wine tastings by Rose Bank Winery and indulge in their assortment of food from their deli and farmer’s market.

www.shadybrookfarm.com

Silver Lake Nature Center’s Volunteer Work Day

September 4, 2010

Use your time off to give back to the community that loves you! Silver Lake Nature Center is hosting a Volunteer Day to help them maintain their beautiful grounds. Give them four hours and they’ll give you breakfast and lunch! Held rain or shine.

www.silverlakenaturecenter.org

Evening Star Dinner Train aboard the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad

September 4, 2010

Travel back in time aboard an early 1900 antique coach riding the rails in first class comfort while dining on a scrumptious three course meal with the natural beauty of Bucks County’s countryside as your backdrop. This two hour ride will be sure to provide a truly moving experience.

www.newhoperailroad.com

45^th Annual Polish-American Family Festival & Country Fair

September 4-6, 2010

Celebrate the Polish culture all weekend long with traditional dances, food and festival fun at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Special appearances scheduled including WBC World Champion Tomasz (Góral) Adamek!

http://www.czestochowa.us    

Labor Day Luau and Fireworks at Sesame Place

September 5, 2010

Come celebrate Labor Day with all your favorite Sesame Street friends at Big Bird’s Riverside Pavilion for a Luau BBQ! After a fun filled dinner, the night sky will be sparkling with a spectacular fireworks show at 8:30pm set to a Sesame Street sound track, making the festivities on Labor Day weekend truly memorable.

www.sesameplace.com

Peddlers Village Scarecrow Competition & Display Kicks Off September 6^th

September 6- October 24, 2010

Stroll the windy brick pathways of this 18^th century style shopping village and tour bigger than life scarecrow creations displayed throughout its 42 acres. September 6 marks the kick off to this cherished fall tradition.

www.peddlersvillage.com

For a complete list of things to do in Bucks County, check out www.visitbuckscounty.com

Doylestown, PA – October 3, 2010 – Women Who Rock and Puck have joined to support Doylestown Hospital’s efforts to educate women in our community about heart health.  Heart disease is the number one cause of death in American women, a fact which moved this group of committed artists to donate their time and talent to produce and host this outdoor concert to be held in the “heart” of Doylestown at Puck located at One Printer’s Alley, Doylestown, PA.

Join us for this family-friendly event from noon until 9:00 pm to hear an amazing lineup of women perform and to rock your way to better health. 

More than twelve Women Who Rock artists have also donated songs to the Hear Her Heat 2010 CD which will be launched at the concert.  Proceeds from the sale of the CD will be used to support Doylestown Hospital’s Hear Her Heart community educational campaign.

The event will take place rain or shine; tickets are $5 and will be available in advance at Puck and the day of the show at the Court and State Street entrances to Printer’s Alley.

Sponsors, local businesses and organizations are welcome to participate in the festival to support and promote women’s heart health.

The event is sponsored by Women Who Rock (www.womenwhorockmusic.com), Puck (www.pucklive.com), UniquelyBUCKS ( UniquelyBucks.com), Barefoot Wine & Bubbly (www.barefootwine.com) and Gretz Beer Company (www.gretzbeer.com ).

Women Who Rock is a monthly show featuring female-fronted rock bands and solo artists from around the country at Puck in Doylestown, Bucks County’s premiere live music venue. UniquelyBUCKS is an online emporium featuring hand-crafted gifts and unique items fashioned by talented Bucks County artisans.

For more information visit the Events section on www.womenwhorockmusic.com.

Contact: Courtney Fairchild – courtneyatpuck@gmail.com or    215.348.9000     

 

On September 25th, from 10 AM until 5 PM, fine artists and one-of-a-kind crafters will set up along West Afton Avenue, up Penn Valley Drive into Buttonwood Park.  While strolling along West Afton Avenue, visitors will be able to enjoy the scenic beauty of Lake Afton and historic Yardley Borough.

Harvest Day is an authentic Fine Arts and Crafts Festival with lots of family entertainment, music, delicious food vendors, and community-sponsored booths.  The festival is rain or shine and admission is free to the public.

So, start off the fall season by spending the day strolling down picturesque West Afton Avenue into charming Buttonwood Park, and enjoying all the beautiful artwork and handmade pieces offered by over 100 exhibitors.   

Harvest Day is a fundraiser sponsored by Makefield Women’s Association (MWA) and Yardley Business Association (YBA).  One hundred percent of YBA’s profit goes to funding Borough activities and one hundred percent of MWA’s profit goes to local charities.

For more information visit www.makefieldwomensassociation.org

Fall is a magnificent time to ride your bicycle—you can appreciate the cooler temperatures of September, changing scenery, and vibrant colors of the Bucks County autumn landscape.  You may have ridden your bicycle as a child and loved the sense of freedom and the adrenaline rush that it provided.  Would you like to rekindle some of the joy?  It is possible, and we can take some simple steps to quell the intimidation factor that you may face twenty or thirty years’ post-training wheels—not that there would be anything wrong with pulling out those training wheels again!

As a grown-up, where do you begin your journey back to the bicycle? A fabulous re-starting point is to sign up for a Spinning® class at your local Health Club.  Sue Datin of Solebury recently rediscovered her athlete within; she remembered, “Bicycle riding is something that I learned to do when I was six years old.  Last September, I went for a short bicycle ride in my neighborhood, and I felt like I had lost some of my athleticism.  To make it over the first hurdle, and to recapture some of the athleticism that I felt as a child, I signed up for my first Spinning (trademark) class.  Spinning allowed me to accomplish my goal of riding day three of the Tour de Pink, which was over 50 miles.  It helped me realized that I was capable of riding my bicycle and that I could be proficient again.”

If you’re interested in revisiting your bicycle adventures, beginning with a Spinning® class provides many advantages.  First of all, you can forgo buying a new bicycle; you will not have to deal with the fear of falling; traffic and abiding by the rules-of-the-road is a non-issue; you will never get dropped from a ride; and—the clincher—you will never get lost.  If you feel uncomfortable about taking a group Spinning® class, then you can sign up for an individualized

pinning® class.  Your instructor will assist you with some of the basics, including bike set-up and appropriate shoes. Additionally, he or she will remind you to bring a towel and water bottle and will customize the training session and music for you.  A good instructor will also help to motivate you.

For example, as a Spinning Instructor I work to build confidence in the students in my class, teaching them that many of the skills that they have cultivated indoors will transfer to the outdoor riding environment. One member of my recent Spinning workshop, Lynn Collester, confirms that “The Spinning workshop provided great information regarding healthy habits for eating, practical guidance, and great coaching on the spin bikes.  Each class built upon the knowledge and experience gained in previous classes, and that was very empowering.  In addition, the class provided camaraderie and support, as well as helpful tips to make the transition from the spin studio to outdoor biking.”

New Hope resident, Renee Rodgers shared that “The workshop started as a good way for me to get ready for the summer and build endurance,” but after time, it became “a lifestyle-changing workshop that I will always use to maintain a healthy physical and mental fitness level."

Rebecca Malamis, Esq., added spinning to her regular exercise routine.  She was particularly enthusiastic. “The spinning classes…are really fun!  For the first time, I found myself looking forward to exercise.  It is great to be in a class with other women and feel the camaraderie and spirit of accomplishment.” She also believes that taking a spin class “teaches you how to challenge yourself based on your individual heart rate and level of exertion.”

Malamis’ friend, and Solebury resident, Beth Wolf added, “I love the idea of the all-women spin class, and that [along] with the weight loss program is a winning combination.  Class is fun, and I have learned so much indoors that I can take with me when I ride outdoors with Rebecca and some of my other friends on the tow-path.  I never knew Spinning could make me feel so good.”

There are many reasons for an adult to ride a bicycle: it is a non-weight-bearing aerobic activity, and there is, therefore, less pressure on the knees; it is relaxing and it provides a sense of camaraderie, if riding with a group. There are also outstanding cardiovascular benefits, and, quite simply, it is engaging.  Whether you ride indoors, outdoors, or even on a tandem, you can enjoy these many benefits.

Bucks County resident, and middle school teacher, Beverly Rickles reflects on the myriad of benefits from riding the tandem. “Going for a bicycle ride is a great emotional stress reliever.  I enjoy the tandem, because it allows me to combine relationship time, stress relief, and fitness.”  Rickles further describes the bicycle-built-for-two experience, “When my husband, and I ride the tandem, I feel the joint venture.  As we roll out the driveway, I really have to be very sensitive to his cadence and try to match it.   Halfway through the ride, I will begin to experience a feeling of connection, like we are an engine and our feet are pistons firing together—it is a beautiful thing.”

If you decide to “get back in the saddle,” be certain to have the best possible support team behind you. Try a Spinning class before venturing back outside. And, when you do return to outdoor cycling, make sure to enjoy some of our breathtaking climbs right here in Bucks County.  One day, perhaps I will wave to you as you venture along our longest climb in the area—one that brings you to one of Bucks County’s hidden “gems,” Tohickon Valley Park, Point Pleasant.  Whatever you do, keep the rubber side down!

Story by Kathryn C. Wilder, PhD

Two years ago, I finally convinced myself to take my indoor cycling outdoors.  I had been terrified of maintaining my balance on the skinny tires of the road bikes I saw people pedaling throughout Bucks County, but I was also excited to try something new.  Adding to my fear, my shoes were actually attached to the pedals.  When I voiced my concern about my fear of falling, my friends replied with confidence “you will”—and I did; falling is like a rite of passage into the cycling community. 

Soon, my one-hour Spinning® classes became an hour on the road, which later turned into more challenging distances and steeper climbs.  I am a slow rider, but I truly enjoy riding my bike, whether I am leisurely coasting with friends along the Delaware, climbing [slowly] up Bucks County’s steep hills, or flying down the fast, fun descents toward the river—it is all healthy and rewarding.

One of my biggest accomplishments was completing the Young Survival Coalition’s Tour de Pink last October.  I rode over 220 miles in three days to help raise money and awareness for young women affected by breast cancer.  It was the most difficult, as well as one of the most rewarding, experiences I have had to date; I challenged myself both physically and mentally.  Some of the women alongside of me had just finished their chemo treatments, and I thought, if they can do this, so can I.  It still brings me to tears when I think of the event and all of the people who made it possible, from the YSC, to my fellow riders, to the support team, to the volunteers, and most of all—the event organizers.

The Tour de Pink is run by g4 Productions, an event company based in Doylestown.  I had the pleasure of meeting the three amazing and dedicated women behind g4—Robin Morton, Alice Armstrong, and Kristen Reiss—during the tour.  They have very diverse backgrounds and produce some of the most well-organized cycling events I have had the privilege to participate in across the country.  Not only do they manage charity rides, but they also run professional races and have worked on some of the world’s most prestigious cycling events.  They are graceful under pressure and masters of multitasking.  In fact, they are so good at what they do, they were asked to help bring a stage of The Giro to Washington, D.C. in 2012.  Similar to the renowned Tour de France, The Giro is a three-week grand tour, which attracts the world’s best cyclists.

While the affectionately known, “g’s” are organizing their events, consider dusting off your bike, pumping up the tires, and going for a ride throughout bucolic Bucks County.  Don’t have a bike?  We have included a list of local shops, on page fifty-one, that will help you to find the perfect bike; whether you want to ride around the block with your kids, participate in a charity ride, or start racing, there is something for everyone.  Riding a bike will immediately transport you back to childhood—it’s fun, it’s healthy, and it’s green!

Health and Happiness,
Janine Carroll

Gail Morning is a competitive swimmer, powerlifter, tennis player, and bowler. She also has an intellectual disability. After participating in the Special Olympics for years, the young woman from Warrington discovered another group, called Athletes Without Limits, which offers sporting opportunities to individuals with intellectual disabilities. The organization provides serious and rigorous competition to the most talented athletes, allows individuals with intellectual disabilities to compete at the top of their sport, and invites them to travel around the world to meet and compete against similarly matched athletes. Yet perhaps the most complete way of describing what this organization does might be to state how it makes its athletes feel: “I feel happy,” said Morning, describing what it’s like to compete in the sports she loves. It’s that simple.

Athletes Without Limits was formed a little more than a year ago by a mom looking for competitive opportunities for her son. Tracy Lea had watched her son, Syd, win countless gold medals at the Special Olympics in cycling events. But because the Special Olympics is designed to reach the broadest spectrum of intellectually disabled athletes, some elite participants—like Syd—simply craved more competition. While searching for sporting challenges for her son, Lea discovered the International Federation for Sport for People with an Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID), an England-based organization established in 1986, which invites athletes to compete at a higher level. So Syd was off to Poland to compete, then Portugal, and then Hungary. Soon, however, the organization announced that unless the United States formed its own INAS-FID affiliate, Americans would not be permitted to participate in their events. After searching for help to form an affiliate, Lea realized there was only one solution: she had to form her own—and so, Athletes Without Limits was born.

The organization was initially formed with Syd as its only member. But when Lea, who lives in Maryland, was competing in a cycling event in Lancaster, Pa., last year, she heard about some other candidates. “I was chatting with another girl who was a swimmer, and I asked if she knew any special education kids who swim,” she explained. “And she said, ‘Yea, I know some fast ones.’” That’s how Gail Morning and Maria D’Andrea, from Bensalem, joined Athletes Without Limits. “Finding the young women in Bucks County was the cornerstone of putting a face on what we’re trying to do,” said Lea. “We are reaching into the population of Special athletes and giving them opportunities they didn’t have.”

For Maria D’Andrea, Athletes Without Limits was a great discovery. Soon after joining the organization, she was off to the Czech Republic to swim in the INAS-FID Global Games. “I like it because when I went to the Czech Republic, I saw kids that are just like me, and I could be myself,” said D’Andrea, nineteen. “I didn’t have to not be myself.” Her mother, Maryanne D’Andrea, recognizes that sports have helped her daughter enormously. “She was on the high school swim team, and that helped her confidence and self-esteem,” she said. “Swimming helps her. When she was swimming in high school, I saw a change in her. It was the one thing she was really good at.”

Gail Morning, twenty-six, has been competing in the Special Olympics since she was five years old, and she has the wall full of awards and medals to prove it; but Athletes Without Limits allows her to push herself to compete at a higher level. “She had gone as far as she could go with the Special Olympics,” explained Bill Donohoe, Morning’s stepfather. “She was winning gold every time she stepped out there. This offers a different kind of venue and more competition. She likes that.” Morning seems to love being involved. “It keeps me in shape and fit,” she said. “I love to compete.”

Athletes Without Limits currently has four member athletes, with six or seven more getting accreditation to compete, according to Lea. To qualify, athletes must have an IQ of 75 or below, significant limitations in Adaptive Behavior, and an intellectual disability that began before age eighteen. For now, the organization focuses on five sports: swimming, track and field, cycling, rowing, and table tennis. With increased funding (which Lea said comes from “angel friends”), the hope is to attract more athletes and expand to more sports.

Yet Lea’s core team of athletes has already proven the success of Athletes Without Limits. Morning and D’Andrea both had impressive debuts at the Global Games in the Czech Republic last year. Syd Lea is also a member of mainstream (non-disabled) U.S. Cycling, as well as being the second-ranked cyclist with an intellectual disability in the world. He recently rode 100 miles from Boston to Cape Cod in a mainstream cycling event and placed fortieth in a field of 500 men. “His brain doesn’t work so well, and he doesn’t talk as well as he should, but he’s really fast, and he beats people,” said his mother. “He was once riding with these athletes from West Point. They might be leaders of the free world someday, but they were like, ‘Hey, that Special Ed kid just dusted me.’ It’s an equalizer.”

Lea said she hopes that her accomplished athletes also encourage others to strive for excellence. “It’s nice to see other families who say, ‘Maybe my kid could do this,’” she said. Ideally, Lea wants to see athletes with intellectual disabilities competing in the Special Olympics, in INAS-FID events, and in mainstream competitions. “They may take longer to learn,” she said. “They may need additional support or modified instruction when learning the sport. But we want them to get on the high school swim team or on the soccer league. We want to break down the stereotypes. We want to expand the access…When athletes play together, walls come down and respect happens. It opens up people’s hearts and minds.”

Lea, who has an older son who competed in the Beijing Olympics wants her athletes to dream without limits. “We are here so that a parent of a child with an intellectual disability can get that call from inside [the] Olympic stadium one day,” she said. “When I got that call from my older son from Beijing during the Opening Ceremonies, I was hearing the roar of the stadium live. He said, ‘Mom, I’m here.’ Someday, Syd can call [me] or Maria can call her mom.”

For Maria D’Andrea, those dreams have, in many ways, already come true. “My dream was always to go to the Olympics,” she shared. “To me, Athletes Without Limits is like the Olympics, because in the Olympics, every country is there, and in the Global Games, every country is there. When I was there, it felt like I accomplished my dream of going to the Olympics.”

For more information about Athletes Without Limits, contact www.athleteswithoutlimits.org. To find out about athlete eligibility, call (202) 544-0510 or email info@athleteswithoutlimits.org.

Story by Lauren Eckstein

“You’ve got to make hay while the sun shines” is not just an expression.  What it really means is that when you are blessed with sunny, dry conditions in June, you cut hay like there is no tomorrow. Actually, you cut hay either way, because it’s grown, and your animals will need to eat come winter.

This is all kind of new to me, the city girl. But as I set out to interview farmers who are raising grass-finished beef and meat in Bucks County, I learned the hard way. Everyone was knee-deep in the stuff and almost too busy to talk. So when a farmer says his animals are grass-fed, I now know it’s the truth.

But what does “grass-fed” mean? There is a lot of interest these days in eating healthier meat, and “grass-fed,” “grass-finished,” “pastured,” “antibiotic-free” and “hormone-free” are terms being freely thrown around.

Let’s start at the beginning. Most cattle in this country are grass-fed for the first months of their lives. Then it’s off to huge feedlots, where the cattle are crammed in, creating unsanitary and stressful conditions for the animals. Antibiotics are used prophylactically to discourage disease and to promote faster growth. Hormones are used to fatten the cattle faster. The animals are fed a diet of mostly grain, soy and other supplements (even animal by-products), which is difficult for them to digest. Faster, fatter cattle means faster to market and more profit for everyone in that industrial food chain. But is it good for us, the consumers?

Most say no. There is increasing concern that this widespread use of drugs (which farmers can buy over-the-counter, not approved by a veterinarian) is creating resistance to antibiotics in the overall population. On June 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a draft proposal for a guidance on the use of antibiotics in the industry (a “guidance” is not binding but represents the FDA’s “current thinking” on the topic and may indicate stronger, more binding regulations in the future). In this proposal, the FDA calls the widespread use of antibiotics in healthy animals to boost growth and production “injudicious” (Nature.com). Further, The European Union banned the use of antibiotics for these purposes in 2006.

And steroids. If it’s not good in our athletes, why are we feeding them to the animals we eat? “Cows are designed to eat grass,” says Nevada Mease, who raises grass-finished beef at his family’s Meadow Brook Farm in Springtown, Pa (Upper Bucks). “Growth promotents (steroids/added hormones) are designed to maximize weight gain and [to] put it on faster. Along with a grain-fed diet, this can create more marbling, or fat, but it’s not always the kind of fats we should be eating.”

According to a study earlier this year in the Nutrition Journal, grass-finished beef tends to be “lower in overall fat content” and has lower levels of dietary cholesterol. It’s also higher in Omega-3 fatty acids (which are better for cardiovascular health), and Vitamins A and E. The report also found that grass-fed beef had twice the levels of conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, isomers, which may have cancer-fighting properties.

Fortunately, there are a number of farms raising “grass-finished” meat in Bucks County—meaning the animals are fed mostly, if not all, grass/hay (see sidebar). Beef, bison, and pork are all available at local markets, farmers’ markets, and direct from the farm. Poultry and lambs are, too, but we’ll save that for another day.

What about “organic?” That’s a bit trickier. It’s hard to raise good “grass” that is completely pesticide-free. Sometimes, economics get in the way (like a local rancher who depends on selling good quality hay – without other species mixed in – to local horse farms as his main source of income). Or sometimes, it’s just a matter of not having organic certification, an expensive and complicated process that many small family farms forego. “We call it ‘organic on a handshake’” says Marc Michini, who, with his wife, Joanna, raises pigs, lamb, chickens, turkeys, and rabbits at Purely Farm in Pipersville. “We try to stay within the Pennsylvania Certified Organic guidelines,” adds Marc, “in fact, we often go beyond.”

The real key, say many local farmers, is getting to know the producer of your food. “We encourage customers to ask questions, to even come visit the farm, to get to know us,” says Joanna, “then make your own decisions on what is most important to you.”

Grass-finished beef tends to be leaner, and often requires a slower cooking time. But it’s nothing that a marinade, or a meat tenderizer, can’t handle, as my husband and I learned when we cooked a Meadow Brook Farm sirloin one summer evening after we thawed the steak late in the day. We used our favorite meat rub, then grilled it. It was wonderful. In fact, my husband—who is a big-thick-steak kind of guy—was duly impressed, and I think I can now bring him along on my mission for healthier – and local – meat in our house.

Story by Lynne Goldman

Unless you’ve been living in a cave on a remote island in the Pacific (one without wireless access), you have probably heard a lot of talk among various parties trying to agree on a sustainable spending plan—and I am not talking about your friends or neighbors next door, but the state of Pennsylvania as well as good ol’ Uncle Sam. Not to get too political, but both sides are arguing for their right to certain expenditures. One party makes the point of detailing the need for this or that program, and the other shoots it down in favor of their own agenda.  It sounds very much like a conversation that I have regularly with my husband.

It usually starts with the cable bill, which seems to increase exponentially with every statement. What we once budgeted for no more than $50.00 is now over $200.00 a month. Those HDTV signals, cable boxes, and on-demand movies add up. Tack onto that an essential that was not even on our list when we bought our home—the internet. This discussion usually leads to a rather animated debate about our overall monthly expenses and ways to “cut the pork.” And alas, much like Congress, we seem to disagree on what exactly fits into that category. Although this process can be nerve racking, the end result is a renewed sense of feeling more in control of how we are spending our money.

Creating a realistic spending plan (a.k.a. “a budget”) requires a little preparation. The first step is developing an accurate listing of your income and expenses. This is not the most exciting assignment, but it is vital to keeping your household finances in order; it is the foundation on which your larger plan is built. Ultimately, the end result will show you where your money is coming from, how much is there, and where it is all going. The best way to accomplish this is to list all your sources of income for the month as well as your monthly expenses. This information can be obtained through a review of your financial statements as well as a review of your monthly bills.

When you list your expenses, break them into two categories: fixed and variable. The fixed expenses are those such as a mortgage, car payments, or electric bill. These rarely change and are required living expenses. The variable category consists of those that can change from month to month, including gasoline, entertainment, eating out, and gifts. The variable expenses will be important to review when adjustments in your spending need to be made.

It is important to review your budget on a regular basis to make sure you are staying on track. After the first month, take a minute to sit down and compare the actual expenses versus what you had created in the budget. This will show you where you did well and where you may need to improve. (Here we might digress into a chat about needs vs. wants, but that is a topic for another article.) If you are experiencing a transition in your personal and/or financial life, it is more important than ever to complete this exercise; it will help you to stay in front of any financial snags.

A big concern for women taking control of their financial lives is getting on a regular schedule of bill paying and budget review. Although there are great tools on-line to automate your bill paying, it is a good idea to review the monthly statement in detail. [this is unclear—pay the bills in advance?]. This not only gets you into the habit of looking at your expenses but also creates a visual reminder of what those Jimmy Choos really mean in financial terms. It is okay to treat yourself on occasion, but you might have to give up that massage and manicure one month to stay on financial track.

A good idea to stay on track is to set one place, one day, and one time to pay your bills each week. As the statements and bills come in each day, put them into a folder. Then each week—perhaps on a Sunday night after dinner—sit down and review your statements. Any bills that are due that coming week should be paid. Remember to allow enough time for the check to reach its destination. File the statements and bills away in case you need to refer to them in the future.

To reduce your anxiety about your financial future, follow and regularly review your spending plan; it is vital to keeping your financial “house” in order. The same rules apply if you make $40,000 a year or $200,000. Spend less than you earn, and save the difference. By following your spending plan and using your creativity and self-control to make any needed changes, you will feel more in control of both your financial and personal life.

Story by Loretta Hutchinson MA

My phone and I are inseparable—except for bathing—but about ten miles away from the Lovin’ Oven, T-Mobile takes a recess. No one can reach me. This is a good thing; I can just enjoy quaint Frenchtown, Hunterdon County’s secret treasure, sans work calls. And there are several treasures to be found throughout the town.

The most golden part of this area is the Lovin’ Oven. The oven was first turned on five years ago in an old house on Bridge Street in Milford, NJ. Couple Mike Quinn and Julie Klein relocated their café and bakery to a larger building this past March. 

When I visited the restaurant, I pulled off of Trenton Ave, up to a large, tan warehouse-like building flanked by two parking lots. In addition to this love-laden eatery, the space holds the notable mega shop, Two Buttons, an independently owned Ten Thousand Villages of sorts. It was opened by Liz Gilbert, acclaimed author of Committed, and NY Times bestseller, soon-to-be-movie that every Bucks County woman will want to see, Eat Pray Love. Down the road from the eatery and little shop is a new vintage boutique called Modern Love. Yes, there’s a whole lotta love goin’ on in Frenchtown.

As you approach the front door of Lovin’ Oven, you’ll notice that the window displays pink-and-white paper hearts hanging amongst dangling cupcakes. It’s as though Cupid struck down on Frenchtown, and every day is Valentine’s Day here. All this spreadable love is contained within butter cream yellow and thistle walls decorated with knickknack art, varying from fabric art to charcoal sketches of soup bowls. A garage door opens up to a newly finished patio that seats thirty.  I can’t help but compare it to the Sabrina’s Café in the Italian Market. If you’ve been there, you know the comparison is a complement. But Sabrina’s lacks the bakery end of things, whereas Julie Klein truly shines in that arena.

Our greeting was as warm as the Frenchtown sun that Sunday afternoon. It was a nice change from the typical, perfunctory “Hello, how many?” that I too often get when dining out. Brunch was bustling, so the host handed us a buzzer and suggested we browse the aforementioned Two Buttons next door.

When we returned to the eatery, Julie was manning the oven while Mike took care of the guests. They do have hired help, but it’s likely that you’ll interface with Mike while you’re there. He will mention the special of the day, and he’ll make sure to include that the fruit is locally sourced. The couple works with farms such as Swallow Hill, Happy Farm, and Comeback Farm. Recently, they invited the farms in for a sold out “Farm to Table” dinner. Guests got to enjoy live music and meet the men and women behind the Lovin’ Oven’s procured ingredients.

The Happy Farm applauds their work, “Julie and Mike’s dedication and enthusiasm for serving good, local food to regular folks has helped us build our business—plus they are always so nice when we stop in to make a delivery or sit down for a meal. They’re the real deal.”

Brunch at the Lovin’ Oven is also the real deal. I am not known for my pancake-making proficiency, and I never order pancakes when I’m out because I believe them to be boring. It might be a good bite, but it’s that same bite over and over again. The “Angel Cake,” however (named for one of Julie’s friends), was like a colossal pancake—one generous, skillet-cooked cake with a caramelized crunch on the edges that formed like the crust on a baked mac-n-cheese. Julie first sautés the fruit in cinnamon and butter in the pan and then pours the batter over it. It is served with a delicious Canadian maple syrup. At one point, they had “86’d” it from the menu, but they recently reinstated it due to popular demand. 

It was the Blueberry-dyed goat cheese omelet that intrigued my dining guest. Julie prepares a fruit and cheese switch up and offers a brie and pear variation as well. I savored the tang of the egg-encased goat cheese and the tartness of the blueberries. I would have thought the duet would sing better for a crepe, but it worked—so nicely, in fact, that combination actually served as inspiration for one of my own home-churned ice creams.

The couple also has a Breakfast Burrito that deserves mention. It reminded me of a date once, when a gent and I went for burritos. Instead of that awkward getting-to-know-you process, he started sketching out a burrito on a napkin. Next, I was looking at a diagram of an “ideal” burrito. The ingredients were organized in the tortilla in a way that one could savor the beans, salsa, cheese, and meat in each bite as opposed to all beans in one bite and all beef in the next. I keep this I mind when I go for Mexican, and I think the Lovin’ Oven’s Breakfast Burrito with scrambled eggs, black bean chili, avocado, and cheese would have met his approval.

The food, however, is not the only draw for brunch at the Lovin’ Oven. Each day, Julie and Mike make their own juices. During one of my visits, I enjoyed one with cucumber, melon, and mint. The seasonal concoction made me feel good—really good—as though I were consuming a life-enhancing magical elixir.
In fact, much of the food is feel-good food and not comfort food in a “Cracker-Barrel-Chicken-Pot-Pie-Hip-Sticking” kind of way, but in a healthier, soul-fueled kind of way. As another example, in a rice bowl, brown rice is sautéed with tofu, avocado, zucchini, and pineapples. The fresh flavors are bound by a house-made ginger teriyaki sauce in one intermingled mouthful. It was a standout.

Julie and Mike also offer a few melts. The open-faced melt on Brioche featured the nutrient-rich Kale sautéed in garlic and topped with two poached eggs. The Brie melt was served with a house-made pesto, tomato, and red onion on pumpernickel. The “queen of cheeses” shared the plate with “Dilled pickles,” not dill pickles, but cucumber slices that were tossed in one of my favorite herbs— I love dill. It’s delicate yet has this aromatic personality that has me hooked all summer long. There’s nothing like this season, when gardens are full of such goodness.

After nibbling on five different vegetarian dishes, I did want a little meat. Michael—who is, interestingly, also a musician—bangs the local drum. They take pride in showcasing produce and meat from local farms. Once I learned of the Oven’s sustainable efforts and work with local farms, I could only hope that their sausage and bacon would be of superb quality. They were. Chef Klein brought me bacon, avocado, and tomato, sandwiched between two thick slices of Pumpernickel with a side of free-range sausage. My dining guest commented, “I’m really not a sausage person, but this is good.”

Showing Mike’s roots at South Hampton’s Blue Sage, dishes such as the Triple Radish Sushi with crème fraise and soy dipping sauce, Fried Green Tomatoes, Local Strawberry Goat Cheese, and Preserved Lemon Ravioli with a Lemon Butters Sauce intrigued me, though I wasn’t able to make it in for a primetime meal.

Also of note: they avoided offering a burger on the menu for a few years but now serve a popular Lancaster County Beef Burger du Jour with seasonal toppings.

As for the atmosphere, Ska and Calypso provided the soundtrack for our visit; the tables were topped with tropical plants. And, when the meal ends, check presenters are traded in for vintage Victorian trays.

The Lovin’ Oven connects to the community, and the couple has many friends in the area, one of whom took on the “menu project.” Mike considers the Bukram-bound menus a work of art. “It’s one of the only things that we didn’t create in-house,” he shares, the other being the chairs made from fishing boats in Bali, which are available for purchase at Two Buttons.

This perfect brunch spot sits about eighty feet from a towpath lining the Delaware River; you could have the ultimate afternoon delectation: a nice, healthy meal followed by a bike ride, perhaps all the way to Lambertville or New Hope. Make sure you grab one of the heavenly Lemon Coconut Squares or brownies for a post-activity snack. 

The ingredients are as fresh as it gets, and the food is simple yet delicious in a time when too much is over thought. The service is dressed with non-stop smiles, and the oven is run on homespun love. When Julie and Mike wrote the menu to say “We’re so glad you’re here,” they meant it.  

The Lovin’ Oven is a cash-only BYOB that enjoys hosting community events. The couple also offers wholesale baking. For more information, visit their website at www.lovinovenfrenchtown.com