Fun

Margaret Durante’s Nashville Diaries

February 8, 2012 at 4:33 pm, by Ron Kelly

This month’s installment of Margaret Durante’s Nashville Diaries finds the up-and-coming country star answering our reader submitted questions from one of her previous guest blog installments. Watch our fun video chat with Margaret (and get a quick tour of her recording studio in Nashville) to find out everything from her thoughts on those who shoot to instant stardom on American Idol to her varied musical influences, her love affair with the snooze button and her most recent healthy snack obsession, hummus, which she claims she would eat with a spoon if it were socially acceptable.*

Margaret is gearing up for her next single, “I Ain’t Your Mama,” to hit radio next month. The playful and sassy number is the first release off of her forthcoming full-length CD, tentatively titled Better Now, which is being produced by James Stroud (Tim McGraw, Chris Young, Toby Keith). So while we all wait for those musical goodies, go grab yourself an edible goodie (hummus, anyone?) and continue on after the jump to watch our video Q&A with Margaret.

Note: I checked with LHJ food and entertaining director Tara Bench, and we both say acceptable or not, we’d be right there with Durante eating the stuff by the spoonful. Bench’s creative but less fanatical serving suggestions include whisking a spoonful into a lemon vinaigrette to make a creamy dressing for salad or grilled chicken, or spicing it up with some hot sauce and spreading it on an egg sandwich for breakfast.

Read more

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How to Update Your Blah Winter Wardrobe

February 8, 2012 at 8:59 am, by Gabrielle Porcaro

Gab, I am so tired of my wardrobe. Any advice on pieces I can buy to brighten up by wardrobe—and that I can wear now and throughout the spring?  — Olivia

I am with you! I am sick of standing in front of my closet staring, hoping something marvelous will just appear. If you want to buy something new, here are my top 5 suggestions for things you can buy now.

1. Tops. Generally tops are always a good item to buy since you can wear them all year round, especially silk ones. This striped tank with a navy cardigan or blazer is perfect for now, and you can wear it with shorts (like the model) when the weather heats up.

2. Color-blocked anything. This is one of the biggest trends this spring. Whether it’s a dress, a top or a bag, you can’t go wrong!

3. Colored jeans. This is another trend that started last fall and will continue through to the summer. There are jeans literally in every hue and in all shapes and sizes. No matter what you are looking for — a skinny, a flare,  neon or something a bit safer — you will have no trouble finding it.

4. Loose-knit sweaters. Light, spring sweaters have already replaced heavy winter ones in stores. A loose knit one, like this striped sweater from Rachel Rachel Roy, has a perfect casual vibe for all seasons.

5. Accessories. A colored pump, a neon bracelet  or a light scarf might be just the trick to get you out of your winter wardrobe slump.

And don’t worry too much, only 42 days left until Spring…

 

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Ali Fedotowsky Blogs The Bacheor: Episode 6

February 7, 2012 at 4:01 pm, by Ladies' Lounge

Hi Bachelor friends! I don’t know why, but I actually found myself laughing a lot during this episode—there were so many random and awkward moments. Let’s talk about the good stuff first.

It speaks volumes that Kacie B. got a second one-on-one date. At this point in the episode, we can pretty much be certain that Ben isn’t into the girls who haven’t gotten a one-on-one date up until now. So Jamie, Casey S. and Blakely were all no longer options for me right from the start of this episode. I found it really funny that on Ben’s date with Kacie he said, “Relationships are all about overcoming fears,” while chopping a coconut. Is Ben afraid of coconuts? No wonder Blakely hasn’t gotten a one-on-one! Okay, okay…I couldn’t resist.

Ben and Kacie are so adorable together, right? I love that she was able to open up to him about such a difficult time in her life and I’m really glad that she got the help she needed. Eating disorders are no joke. The pressure women (and men) are under to look a certain way is huge and I hope all of the girls watching out there know that being skinny is not what makes you beautiful. Being healthy is what makes you beautiful, being kind is what makes you beautiful and being YOU is what makes you beautiful.

The kiss between Ben and Kacie at the end of their date was sweet. Her leg flip up (Sex in the City style) was so cute and tells us that she really enjoyed the kiss. Don’t worry Kacie, if Ben doesn’t pick you just call me because I adore you!

There was a lot of awkwardness on the group date as usual. I think it’s blatantly obvious that Courtney is using her sexuality to get what she wants; it’s a bit over the top at this point. I think it would have been fine for her not to wear a bathing suit when dancing with the tribe (do as the locals do) if she and Ben were in a committed, monogamous relationship, but they absolutely are not. There were a bunch of other girls on the date and she should’ve respected that. I’m having a hard time understanding her. She seems to think that the other girls aren’t making “moves” on the date, but the reason they aren’t making moves is because usually all of the girls become friends during the season. So on the group dates, they’re all trying to respect each other and each person’s relationship with Ben. That’s how I felt on my season anyway, and I’m glad I respected the other girls on group dates because some of them became my best friends. I feel bad for Courtney because she isn’t going to come out of this experience with any lifelong friends. Or maybe she will and there’s something we aren’t seeing. I hope she did make friends, for her sake. Read more

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Will You Be My Valentine? A Gift Guide for Your Guy

February 6, 2012 at 10:47 am, by Lauren Cardarelli

Guys have it easy. A pretty piece of jewelry, a bouquet of flowers or even just recognizing the holiday is enough to make us swoon on February 14th. Finding a Valentine’s Day gift for him is another story. Here are ten fun and affordable gift suggestions that will show your special someone just how much you love him (without all the mushy, gushy stuff).

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Is Happiness A Skill?

February 3, 2012 at 2:40 pm, by Louise Sloan

I was originally hired to be LHJ’s “psychology editor,” and over my four years here, much of my work has been about improving happiness and coping with stress. In fact, the first article I worked on was called “5 Habits of Truly Happy People.”  I joked at the time that after a few months on the job I’d end up being oh so enlightened. But you know what? Lately I’ve realized that I have picked up a few ideas that  help me through the hard times. Here are a few LHJ-article  tricks I’ve been using—all of which have a lot of university research proving that they’re effective. Plus two thumbs up from this test driver!

Do fun stuff. Sure, you need to take your problems seriously, eat your vegetables and keep up with the news. But not every minute of the day! Take time to click on that cute or funny Facebook link. Watch or read something that makes you laugh (here’s our article on how laughter releases stress), or indulge in some escapism. I’ve most recently been transported to the English countryside, watching Downton Abbey on my iPhone on my subway commute, and reading Plan C, an e-book that came out last week (see photo) that Vanity Fair‘s James Wolcott accurately called a “breathless romp.” The heroine, dressed in expensive stilettos, teeters back and forth between fabulous Manhattan apartments and celeb-filled cocktail parties, exchanging gossip and witty banter with her equally fabulous BFFs—about as far from my NYC life as you can get. Though my reality—being the single working mom of a five-year-old—does help increase the fun factor, I gotta say (check out our article on the psychological importance of play)—there’s usually a game of chase or something silly I can engage in the minute I come home at night.

Think happy thoughts. Even small ones, like, “The Chrysler Building really is beautiful.” Or, “my bum hip isn’t bothering me too much today.” Look for something to enjoy in the moment (for tips, read our mindfulness article), or something to look forward to, something that you’re grateful for, or find a happy memory and dwell on that. These small thoughts add up, boosting your mood and at least temporarily interrupting that endless loop of negativity.

Hug somebody. Thank goodness for my snuggly schoolboy! But if you don’t have a five-year-old or a husband or a friend handy, a pet will work just fine. The benefits of touch are well-documented, and can sometimes really work wonders, as “The Cuddle Cure,” a pet story I edited, demonstrates.

Get some exercise. I know, sounds like broccoli. But wow, does it work. It’s as close to a psychological cure-all as you can get. After 20 minutes of lifting heavy weights, whatever my heavy load is always seems a lot lighter. Hmmm. I think it’s time for a gym break.

What’s your favorite “happiness skill”?

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Cheat Sheet: Four Things You Maybe Missed This Week

February 3, 2012 at 9:38 am, by Catherine LeFebvre

1. Baby Elephant Sneezes, Scares Himself

2. Kristen Bell Loves Sloths

3. Polar Bear Ice Skating

4. “People” Flying in New York City

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Ali Fedotowsky Blogs The Bachelor: Episode 5

January 31, 2012 at 4:18 pm, by Ladies' Lounge

Hi friends! Welcome back In last night’s episode, all of the girls got to go on a date with Ben, so I was happy for them—it would really stink to be in Puerto Rico and not be able to go out and explore. Speaking of tropical places, I just got back from the beautiful Casa Dorada resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and I’m exhausted after an incredible trip with my girlfriends. So I apologize if my blog isn’t on point this time around, but I promise to make up for it next week!

I was really glad that Nikki got a date this week. I liked her the first night but we haven’t really gotten to know her since. Nikki seems really genuine and I loved seeing how relaxed she was with Ben. And even though I think it’s good that Nikki opened up about her marriage, I don’t think it’s a good thing to tell a guy that you had trust issues in your past relationship without going into more detail and explaining why you felt that way. I feel like that puts a warning sign in his head that says, “I’m going to lose my freedom if I get into a relationship with this girl!” I could be totally wrong, but that’s my observation based on my experience with guys. However, I will say that I thought their kiss was super passionate—heck, even I started blushing a little. I think Ben really likes Nikki, or at least really likes kissing her.

The group date this week seemed like a lot of fun. Baseball is such a great idea for a date and I’m all for a little healthy sports competition! I found it very interesting that Ben got to choose a woman to take on the night portion of the date, and it means a lot that he picked Lindzi. It’s not a rose, but in my opinion it’s much better. Usually roses are given to some people because you don’t want to be harsh and send someone home on a one-on-one date. And sometimes you give a rose on a group date to someone who you haven’t spent that much time with, so you want them to feel better by getting the rose. Believe me, there are hundreds of reasons why roses are given out. If who the roses were given to didn’t get switched up every once in a while, I would have given my group date roses to one of three or four guys every single time. However, giving Lindzi more “time” is much more special, and it shows that he wants to be around her and get to know her better. I’m not sure if this makes sense to you guys, but it makes perfect sense in my head, maybe because I lived through it.

On the group date Kacie B. got the rose. I loved when Ben gave her the rose and stated a bunch of reasons why he wanted to give it to her, because I think when he isn’t all that into a girl he’ll usually just say something like “I want to get to know you more.” Yay, Kacie B! I love her to pieces.

I think Elyse is a sweetheart, but I feel bad because I didn’t even know her name until this episode. That fact alone was enough for me to know that she wasn’t going to make it very far in this because the viewers didn’t even know her yet! It was very obvious to me throughout the date that Ben wasn’t feeling it. He wasn’t really talking to her and he was just repeating things she said. I also don’t think Elyse really liked Ben that much; I don’t think she was crying for him per se, I think it was more because she wanted to stay on the show and was maybe hoping for that fairy tale ending. In the end, Ben did the right thing. If you don’t feel it, you can’t force it. Read more

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