The GypsyNester | magic elixir

Tag Archives: magic elixir

So I Broke Down and Tried Botox (please don’t judge me!)

I’m a squinter. Always have been. My Grandma used to caution me, “Quit doing that – your face will freeze that way!” In my twenties, David would affectionately tease me about my “worry line.” He would always know when something was amiss, all he had to do was look between my eyes.

Fast forward thirty (or so) years and, still, I squint on. The squinting’s worst when I’m writing – I don’t even realized I’m doing it.

And Grandma was right, my face… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged baby boomers, big ideas, change, Decibel, dirty secrets, gauntlet dropping, gypsy nester, holy crap, magic elixir, messed-up fads, old stuff, panic, The Boy, The Piglet

Exclusive GypsyNester Merchandise for Celebrating Life After Kids and Breaking the Empty Nest Rules!

If It Can Kill Me, It MUST Be Good

I like to flip through the channels when watching the evening news. The other night while practicing my thumb aerobics, I noticed that the exact same commercial was on two of the networks at the exact same time. That surprised me a bit.

What didn’t shock me was that it was an ad for a prescription drug.

So I decided to start paying attention. It seemed that at least half of the advertisements were for pharmaceuticals.

I also noticed that I must have at least half a dozen things seriously wrong with me and should be… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged Americana, assisted living, baby boomers, dirty secrets, gypsy nester, holy crap, magic elixir, messed-up fads, pitfalls, syndrome

War & Peace, Volume II

A reader wrote:

“The best part is when they finally get it, and tell you sorry for being such pain in the ass during those (teenage) years. My son told me he now understands everything I was trying to convey to his logic blocked brain back then…”

Oh man, I can relate.

I was pretty certain that at least one of my envelope-pushing teens would flee the nest — i-Pod at full… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged baby boomers, change, empty nest, flying spew, gypsy nester, holy crap, magic elixir, memory lane, panic, pitfalls, thanksgiving, The Great Puberty War, The Piglet, things going terribly awry

How to (and how NOT to) Deal with the Altitude in Peru

I’m a sea-level gal. I don’t do well with high altitude.

At about 5,000 feet above sea level I get sleepy, at 6,000 loopy and at 7,000 I’m out cold – like I’m in a coma.

So when I found out that our trip to Peru would mean being above 11,000 feet, I panicked. We were going to some real bucket list-worthy places and I didn’t want to miss a… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged GN Guides, Machu Picchu, magic elixir, Peru, South America, things going terribly awry, travel

Our First TV Interview!

Our first TV interview with the gang at RightThisMinute!

I (Veronica) am STILL shaking from nerves!
Leave us a comment if you think we did a good job (we need encouragement – hopefully this will be the first of many)!… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged baby boomers, comedy, effed up food, empty nest, food, gypsy nester, holy crap, magic elixir, Media, Mexico, milestones, rushes, travel, video, We are so thankful

Our Quaint Bohemian Village

Klatovy, Czech Republic, a quaint Bohemian village, was just what we were looking for after the hustle and bustle of Prague. We found a rare Baroque Pharmacy (with leeches!), ate fried pork neck, saw a weirdly adult looking “baby Jesus” and were introduced to Sgraffiti, an amazing way of decorating buildings… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged being a carnivore, churches, clocks, covert actions, Czech Republic, effed up food, Europe, food, hotel alternatives, magic elixir, messed-up fads, museum, old stuff, street food, travel, walking, weird shop owners

Do You Believe in Magic?

As usual, we never know what we will find or how we might stumble upon it. Overhearing her hair stylist planning her weekend, Veronica learned about the big Magic Week Festival in Colon, Michigan.

Seemed strange to us that this little burg of 1,200 people would host a world renowned magic festival, but as we pulled into town a welcoming sign informed us that Colon is “The Magic Capitol of The World.” Oh. Still we couldn’t help but wonder why.

Well, there are reasons.

Back in 1926, the famous magician… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged Americana, bang-up people watching, beer, covert actions, festivals, ground level travel, magic elixir, michigan, signs, street performers, travel

Magic Fest, Colon Michigan

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I spotted Beuscherl and without the slightest idea what it might be, I ordered it. Our waitress asked, “You do understand that this is heart and lungs of baby… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged Americana, bang-up people watching, covert actions, festivals, ground level travel, magic elixir, michigan, street performers, travel, video

Honey, Who Are We Again?

I’ve read that one of biggest pitfalls to having kids is that couples tend to forget who they were prior to breeding (though I personally think the the loss of perky breasts is high on the list). As a Gypsy Nester, one who is looking forward to life after kids, I thought I’d share a secret.

David and I offset this pitfall with “date nights”. Admittedly, most of our date nights were spent talking about the kids, ordering soda water to get the baby puke off my little black dress and worrying that the nanny cam may have malfunctioned. Difficult as it was to apply lipstick while avoiding chocolate covered toddlers… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged baby boomers, date night, empty nest, flying spew, gypsy nester, magic elixir, out-of-the-box memories, pitfalls

Probing Hot Springs

We rounded the corner and stood face-to-face with a large box containing several firehose-like nozzles protruding from one side, and a bevy of levers, knobs, pedals, valves, gauges and dials on the other. The whole room was tiled and waterproofed, so obviously the idea was to soak down the patient until whatever afflicted them drowned — or begged for mercy. Hey, we’d be begging as soon as Igor… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged Americana, Arkansas, cheesy tourist diversions, cool bathrooms, Dixie, holy crap, magic elixir, museum, semifictitious characters, things going terribly awry, travel, volcano

Video – Spa Torture Devices in Hot Springs

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At some point along the way, someone decided that the water alone wasn’t good enough. Nope, tools — really scary tools — were… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged Americana, Arkansas, cool bathrooms, Dixie, holy crap, magic elixir, museum, things going terribly awry, travel, video

The Healing Waters of Eureka Springs

If you’re driving along route 62 through Northwest Arkansas and don’t venture off the main highway, you will only catch half of Eureka Springs. Depending on one’s bent, it’s the best half or the worst half.

Along the highway, the businesses seem to cater mostly to Christians and bikers, but they share the space in peace and harmony. Many establishments sport slogans like “Family Owned” or “Bikers Welcome” to entice their chosen… CONTINUE READING >>

Tagged Americana, Arkansas, cheesy tourist diversions, cool bathrooms, crooked and steep, Dixie, ginormous stuff, haunted, magic elixir, old hippies, signs you're going to hell, travel, volcano