Fun

Win Kelly Clarkson’s New Album, Stronger!

April 26, 2012 at 8:00 am , by Sonia Harmon

Ever since Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol in 2002, she’s been America’s singing sweetheart. And 10 years later she’s still crankin’ out hit after hit, from power anthem “Since U Been Gone” to the more recent jam, “Stronger,” which is also the title of her new album. Still haven’t had a chance to take a listen? Well you’re in luck, because we’re giving away twenty-five copies of the deluxe version of Stronger, which also includes her hit single “Mr. Know It All.” Do your iPod a favor and enter to win by leaving a comment on this blog post. Good luck!

Official Rules

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Our Favorite Spring-Inspired Sweets on Pinterest

April 25, 2012 at 5:08 pm , by Rachel Shippy

Maybe it’s because there are baby showers, spring birthdays, and wedding parties coming up (or maybe it’s because I just miss the carbs and sugar I banned from my diet recently), but the desserts on Pinterest are more enticing than ever, and would be perfect to make for any spring occasion. Many of them were even created in the Journal‘s test kitchen by our talented food editors!  So grab a glass of milk and enjoy a sweet sampling of my favorite pins this week…

For more ways to satisfy your sweet tooth, check out our Delightful Desserts board on Pinterest.

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Guest Blog: The Author of The First Husband On The Search for a Place Called Home (Plus: Win a Copy of Her Book!)

April 23, 2012 at 2:19 pm , by Ladies' Lounge

Laura Dave, whose wonderful piece about her chronic sleeplessness appears in the current issue of LHJ, is a California-based writer whose third novel, the critically and popularly acclaimed The First Husband, arrives in bookstores in paperback tomorrow (April 24). Here, Dave tells us how she came to write what USA Today called a “playful, unpredictable and emotionally resonant” story about Annie Adams, a conflicted young career woman who finds herself torn between two wildly different men and two equally different lifestyles.

Bonus: Be one of 20 lucky readers who will win a hot-off-the-presses copy of The First Husband! Leave a comment on this post to enter.

 

I began writing The First Husband almost by accident. I was knee-deep in a different novel that took place in Big Sur, California. That novel was about fathers and daughters. Or, I should say, it started out as a novel about fathers and daughters. But the book had turned out to be about many disparate things including the American west, identity theft, and broken hearts. All of which is to say that the deeper I got into the writing of that book, the further away I seemed to be moving from why I’d wanted to write it.

So, almost surreptitiously, I opened a new document. I didn’t tell myself I was starting a new book—how could I? I told myself I was just writing one scene, which kept coming to me: a woman sitting on her couch in her house, right before her longtime boyfriend walks in and changes everything in her life.

Read more

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Our Favorite Gadget Cases Spotted on Pinterest

April 20, 2012 at 2:42 pm , by Rachel Shippy

With the growing popularity of so many mobile devices, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of black, gray, and white gadgets. But there are just as many cute cases to set you apart from the pack and many of them are popping up on Pinterest. Check out my favorite pins this week and turn your geeky gadget into palm candy…

For more ideas, check out our Case Closed board on Pinterest.

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Book Club Guest Blog: The Language of Flowers and Nature vs. Nuture

April 17, 2012 at 3:14 pm , by Ladies' Lounge

Todays’s post is by Neely Kennedy of Reading Group Choices, a leading online resource for book club tips and discussible selections.

In The Language of Flowers, the LHJ Book Club pick for May, author Vanessa Diffenbaugh tells the moving story of Victoria Jones, a young woman whose journey through the foster-care system has taught her to be untrusting of herself, the world, and the people in it.  Isolated and alone, only her treasured Victorian language of flowers allows her to communicate her true emotions. But until she meets a young man in a flower market, only she understands the message.

Desperate to survive following emancipation from foster care at age eighteen, Victoria is forced to answer the question … “Can we grow past our limitations?”  Below are examples from the book that show, for Victoria, flowers are not only a way to communicate, but a symbol of her ability to transcend her personal history.

Message of Hope
Excited to finally have the tools to communicate, Victoria gives her foster mother thistle, a symbol of her hatred for mankind, and  ironically it bonds them to each other.

“Thistle!” I said, handing her the jar. “For you,” I added. I reached out awkwardly and patted her once on the shoulder. It was perhaps the first time in my entire life I had initiated contact with another human being-at least the first time in my memory.

New Beginnings
Just before her eighteenth birthday, Victoria is warned she must find a job in order to remain in the group home, or else be homeless, but instead she spends her days nurturing her first garden.

“Back in my room, I spread out the shocked roots gently, covered them with the nutrient-rich soil, and watered deeply. The milk jugs drained right onto the carpet, and as the days passed, weeds began to sprout from the worn fiber.” 

Read more below for more discussion points — but they contain some spoilers!

 

Read more

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Our Favorite Flower Trends Spotted on Pinterest

April 13, 2012 at 10:28 am , by Rachel Shippy

While Spring tends to be a mixed bag of sun, rain and allergies, it’s the beautiful flowers at this time of year that really kiss the dark days of winter good-bye. Here are some cheery ideas we found blooming on Pinterest this week…

For more pretty arrangements, petal over to our In Bloom pin board.

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Cheat Sheet: Four Things You Maybe Missed This Week

April 13, 2012 at 9:10 am , by Catherine LeFebvre

1. Caine’s Arcade

This will help convince you that humanity isn’t so bad.

2. Titanic is Real?!

This won’t. (Image via Reddit.)

3. Duck, Duck, Fetch!

4. 8-Year-Old Kills Adele Song

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