Who knew there were so many choices when it came to refrigerators? I walked in simply knowing I wanted something to keep my food cold and walked out overwhelmed by such details as cubic feet, water dispensers, humidity-controlled crispers, and temperature controls. After weeks of deliberation and consulting hundreds of customer ratings, I’ve narrowed it down to three possibilities:
The Electrolux counter-depth side-by-side fridge
The GE french door fridge with bottom-mount freezer
With Christmas just around the corner, your planning days are numbered! I host an annual White Elephant party that seems to get bigger and bigger every year. I’ve already booked the SLC caterer, planned the menu and the guest list. Here are some of my favorite tips to ensure you throw the best holiday party on the block.
It’s easy to get stressed out during the holidays, especially when you are inviting guests into your home. So relax and take a deep breath - the little imperfections here and there will go completely unnoticed.
Don’t throw your party right around the holiday. Have it early in the season or right after Christmas.
Always serve at least one vegetarian dish.
Serve yummy, enticing non-alcoholic drinks as well to accommodate those who are not drinking.
Pay particular attention to your guest list. Make sure to balance couples and singles and to mix good old friends with new exciting ones.
Decorate and setup before you prep food and drinks. Try setting the table or putting up decorations the day before so you are not trying to do a million things at once on the day of the party.
To create a cozy and intimate setting (ideal for smaller parties), keep the lighting low and use lots of (unscented!) candles.
Work the room and make your way periodically to the door so you can greet and say goodbye to guests.
Fruit platters and crudites are great finger foods that guests can snack on throughout the night.
Whether you like to kick up your heels to classic ballroom or hardcore hip-hop, you’re doing your body good. In fact, the Mayo Clinic and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute both have reported that dancing can provide a myriad of health benefits. So even if you’re not pro, a little social dancing with your girlfriends will afford you all the gains.
When dancing, it’s important to stay hydrated, so drink plenty of water.If you’re feeling sluggish and tired out on the floor, try a supplement such as Akavar 2050 to increase your energy and give you the boost you need to keep moving.And most importantly, fondly think of all the calories you’re burning to get that svelte and sexy body.Just how many calories are you burning?Calorie totals are those burned within one hour.
Even though the holiday season is a time of joy and spending time with family, it can also be a time of wastefulness. Here area a few ways to stay green this holiday season.
Don’t buy new wrapping paper. Use the same paper from the year before. And if you haven’t saved anything from the previous year, start this year by saving every piece of wrapping paper, tissue paper, and so on for going green next year.
Save all boxes and box fillings (peanuts and such) to use for the next year.
Give “tree-free” cards. They don’t even have to make Christmas cards out of paper anymore. They use things like hemp.
If you need a “green” gift idea, consider making a donation to a great cause in someone’s name.
If you are going to be having a party, consider hiring a green catering company.
The rest of this year is going to be full of major PARTIES! We have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and let’s just add New Year’s. And on top of all of that, my sister is getting married and having a baby at the end of this year. So, let’s just say that I am going to be partied out by 2009. And there is going to be a party for every single one of these events. Pretty crazy. I am trying to prepare now for the crazy wrapping up of the year. Here are somethings that I am trying to keep in mind as the months progress:
Catering. Most of these parties, I will probably have catered. I am keeping my eyes open for some great Utah caterers. I want to make sure we have great food, but do not have to file for bankruptcy.
Decorations. I haven’t decided yet if I want to do it all myself, have some people help me, or just hire someone to do all that stuff for me. And I haven’t even decided on which themes I want. Ugh. So much work left to do.
I was thinking about a chocolate fountain for some of these events. That could be really fun. I’ve briefly browsed through some consumer reviews to make sure I get a great deal.
Clothes, of course! Heck, that should have been at the top of the list. I am always looking for excuses to buy more clothes–wholesale, of course. Plus, that gives me an excuse to buy even more!
As sad as it is to see summer leaving us yet again, we definitely have something to look forward to…fall fashion! Cute jackets and adorable scarves are in our near future. Because fashion changes every season, it is important to stay on top of it all—preferably before you go shopping for new clothes once the leaves change colors and the breezes begin to give you that slight chill. So, here are the hottest fall fashions for 2008:
· Belle Curves
· Country and Plaids
· Long skirts and jackets
· Simple colors and shapes
Because these are this season’s hottest trends, you will begin to see them everywhere. To get the most for your money, but still look stylish, consider shopping wholesale. You can get great names for cheaper prices. And what does that mean? You can buy even more clothes!
It cannot be denied that Audrey Hepburn was a huge fashion icon. Everything she wore became an instant classic and set her apart from the other actresses of her day. And no modern actress has even come close to surpassing Hepburn’s elegance and grace. Many have tried to emulate her look and style, but have not able to do it perfectly. Here are a few tips to achieving that classic Audrey look:
Eyeliner: Her eye makeup was astounding. Just this weekend, my sister and I were looking up pictures of Audrey Hepburn when we noticed her amazing eyeliner. She used liquid eyeliner to get the fantastic 60s look. She keeps it thin on the bottom of the eye and even has her eyeliner in the corner of her eye and then all the way around. As she extends on her eyelid (furthest from her nose), she thickens the eyeliner and extends past the edge of her eye to give it an exotic look.
Clothes: Audrey pretty much rocked anything she wore, but she was most famous for her black outfits. This classic beauty did not need extravagant clothes to make a statement. Her iconic beauty did that for her. She liked to wear black turtlenecks with black pants and shoes. Very clean and classic lines.
Accessories: Audrey’s accessories were either extravagant (in some movies) or simple. Whichever look you are trying to emulate, you can find great jewelry for a lot less at little boutiques or looking up wholesale jewelry.
So, lately I’ve been thinking about celebrities and what their life must be like. You know…all that money. Here a few of my questions for celebrities:
Do they health insurance? This may seem like a silly question, but think about it. Why would they need health insurance when they have no trouble paying for visits. Why pay monthly payments when money isn’t a problem? Right?
What about house payments? Do they make monthly payments on a loan or use something like money merge account to get it paid off quicker?
Does the current economic hardship even bother them? I can’t imagine that they would be getting upset filling up their gas tank. Come on, what’s 60 bucks to someone who makes millions per movie?
And the most important question: Has anyone informed Donald Trump that he has the most hideous hair EVER!? Apparently when you are rich, you can look however you want–disgusting and all. And we all know that the only reason he has been married to beautiful women is because he is filthy rich. Without all that money…he’d just be filthy.
If you have curly hair like I do, you probably have the same issues. First of all, have you ever tried to look up celebrities with curly hair so that you could steal their haircut? They pretty much don’t exist. It will say that these celebs have curly hair, but in reality, they have straight hair and just curled the ends with a curling iron. That is NOT curly hair. I want to see how celebs deal with naturally curly hair. I had to go through this ordeal recently when I was trying to find a great, new hairstyle. I knew I wanted something different than my usual “trim it and re-do the layers”. But it was near impossible to find something that fit what I wanted–something hot and new! But here are a few celebs that actually have naturally curly hair. God bless them!
When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, most people have the larger basics down. For most people, it is the smaller things that they struggle with. But by straightening out the little things of our healthy lifestyle, you will be able to see lots of improvement and you will get closer to your goals. Here are just a few:
Take Vitamins: Making sure your body has all the nutrients you need is essential to having the strongest body possible. And sometimes it is hard to figure out which vitamins your body needs. Code Nutrition offers customized vitamins–all based on your DNA. All you have to do is send in an at-home cheek swab and they will get to work finding the best supplements for you. This is the best way to ensure you are getting the nutrition that your body needs.
Stretch: By just taking a few minutes everyday to stretch out your muscles, you will increase your circulation, flexibility, and your sense of well-being.
Spend a Little Time Outside: Get out there, breathe the fresh air, and feel better–especially if you are stuck in an office all day. A change of environment is a great way to keep up your motivation so that you can reach your fitness goals.
