And the Actor goes to...

Mila Kunis for her stunning Alexander McQueen gown. Ms. Kunis looked beyond gorgeous and glamorous last night.  What a way to pay tribute to her work in Black Swan and to the late designer.

Hailee Steinfeld also looked amazing in a striped Prada gown. 

At only 15 years old, Ms. Steinfeld shined in a fun, age appropriate dress. 

I look forward to seeing more of her.

Jennifer Lawrence also stood out in a hot pink Oscar de la Renta gown. 

Her look was young, fresh, and hot. 

Congratulations to all SAG Award winners and nominees! 

I'll see you at the Oscars in 27 days. 

(photos courtesy of www.instyle.com)

Just order the pizza already!

We've all been on a date where we really wanted to order something other than a salad, right? Quite often, dates happen around meals, and we are usually quite hungry especially if we've been at work all day, just worked out, etc.

When it comes time to order, there's nothing worse than wanting to order a pizza or big sandwich but getting a salad instead. Ladies, no more. Get what you want! I've come to realize that guys won't like you any more or any less depending on what you order on a date. And if they do, then you don't want to be with them anyways.

Sure there is a time and a place for splurging and ordering an appetizer, salad, main course, entree, and dessert, but I encourage you to just get what you want. Guys know we eat real food, so be yourself and order what you want.

I went on a date recently and found myself quite hungry after a few glasses of wine. I wanted to order a slice of pizza and a salad but stupidly only ordered the salad instead. Not only did I pick at the salad because I really wanted some pizza to go with it, but I ended up with a headache the next day after drinking on an empty stomach. Lesson learned ladies.

As long as you maintain a healthy and active lifestyle and eat and drink in moderation, be a big girl and order whatever you truly desire. Bon appetit!

Old Man Winter

Since Old Man Winter refuses to go away, here are some go green tips to keep you warm this winter.  Instead of turning the heat up when you are cold, put on an extra layer of clothes and snuggle under a blanket instead.  Eat hearty, nourishing foods like soups and stews that will fill you up and keep you warm.  (Bonus points if you freeze your leftovers to eat another time). 

Make sure there aren't any drafty windows in your house.  If there are, you are basically paying to heat the outside of your home.  Epic fail...

Before you put in new caulking or stripping, take the time to remove what is already there.  This will ensure a better fit for the new materials.

Keep your blinds open during the day to let light in.  Doing so will help heat your home for free. 

What are your favorite ways to stay warm while going green?

The King's Speech

If you haven't seen The King's Speech, run, don't walk to the nearest theater. In my opinion, it is the best movie of 2010. Colin Firth plays King George VI, a man who suffers from a lifetime of stuttering and stammering. After countless visits to speech therapists, his wife, played by the delightful Helena Bonham Carter, takes him to see Lionel Logue (played by the talented Geoffrey Rush). Logue, known for his untraditional and quite unconventional ways, finally makes a break through with the King. Firth, Rush, and Carter deserve every award that comes their way.

What I enjoyed the most about this movie is watching a true friendship develop between the King and Logue. Having never had real friends, the King is very hesitant to open up and trust Logue. After years of hardships and frustrations, including his interesting path to become the king, he finally accepts Logue's friendship and makes his first ever wartime speech...a speech delivered to a frightened nation by an incredibly brave man.

The main takeaway from the movie is that we all have a voice; some of us just struggle more than others to find it. One of the best scenes in the movie (seen in the trailer) is when the King and Logue are rehearsing for the King's coronation in Westminster Abbey. Logue sits in one of the royal thrones much to the King's anger and dismay. The King, known for his bad temper, starts yelling at Logue to get out of the chair which leads to the King yelling "...because I have a voice." To which Logue proudly responds, "Yes, you do."

In life, sometimes all we need is a friend encouraging us and reminding us that we have a voice, and that our voice matters. If you struggle to find your voice, never forget that you have one, and that it absolutely matters. As long as your voice is one of love, hope, peace, change, and encouragement, then shout it from the rooftops. If no one hears you, speak louder. I promise that someone will hear you at some point. Don't ever, ever, ever give up. You have a voice, and you matter.

A greener kind of shopping

With last night's Golden Globes kicking off awards season, I found myself in a state of pure high fashion bliss.  Oh, wait.  I think I'm permanently in said state. 

Anyways, I was talking to a girl I work with about the Globes and how she has two formal events coming up.  I got to thinking and thought hey, why not go green and just borrow a dress from one of your friends?

Why pay for a brand new dress when you can go "shopping" in one of your friend's closets?  The dress will be new to you, and I'm sure your friend will get a kick out of you wearing it.  Let's face it, most of us don't wear our formal dresses more than once. 

All you have to do is find a friend who wears the same size as you, and you have basically just doubled the size of your closet.  I can't think of anything more chic than that.

And the Golden Globe goes to...

 Lea Michele for her stunning, honeysuckle pink Oscar de la Renta gown! 

She gets it right every single time.  We saw several gowns in this color which did not surprise me since Panatone named it the color for 2011.

 Other favorites include the beautiful black swan Mila Kunis who graced the red carpet in an emerald colored Vera Wang gown.

Another lady who never disappoints is the lovely Kyra Sedgwick in a mango colored chiffon gown by Emilio Pucci. 

She always knows how to close the deal.

 Honorable mentions goes to Julie Bowen in Tadashi Shoji 

and Anne Hathaway in Giorgio Armani Prive.

If anyone can make very large shoulder pads look glamorous,

it's Ms. Hathaway.
(photos courtesy of http://www.instyle.com/)

Just say NO!

I had a great conversation on Sunday with a dear friend (thanks Katy!), and she said something so profound that I had to share it with you.

We were talking about how irritating and frustrating it can be when people don't just say what's on their mind and/or be honest with you at all times. Instead, a lot of people sugar coat the truth or twist the "truth" to avoid looking like a jerk. Enough I say!

Katy's brilliant statement was something along the lines of this:

"People say yes because they don't know how to say no."

Such a simple concept, but it rings so true and hits quite deeply.

While lately I've experienced this the most with guys with whom I go on dates, it certainly applies to any sort of relationship-with friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, you name it. My dad always taught me to say what I mean and mean what I say.

Why is this such a hard concept for people to grasp and practice? I'm an adult-just tell me straight up how you feel, what you think, etc. I would rather you be completely honest with me upfront than stretch the truth to save face at the time. Trust me, the truth always comes out, and it also always sets you free.

I challenge you to join with me and say no instead of saying yes just to appease other people. I think we will all benefit from doing so. Make your yes's mean yes and your no's mean no.

Use what you have

In light of the crazy weather we've been experiencing in Georgia this week, I know it's important to always keep staple items in your pantry (milk, bread, and eggs).

But, I think it's also cool to go green and just use what you have when you can't get to the store to buy groceries. Stretch your creative limits to see what you can come up with. Have canned soup, bread, and cheese? Grilled cheese and soup would be perfect on a cold winter's day.

I also always try to keep my freezer stocked with vegetables, soups, and other items that I can easily heat to whip up a meal when I'm either out of time or can't get to the store.

Stay warm and happy cooking!

30, Flirty, & Thriving!

After giggling over the phrase "30, flirty, and thriving" for years, I can finally apply it to myself. Many of you know that I turned 30 on New Year's Eve. I had an absolutely fabulous birthday spent in the NC mountains with a great group of friends from college. (pictures to follow at a later date)

Now that life has calmed down after the holidays (okay not really-I've been super busy so far this year-par for the course with me I suppose), I've had some time to reflect on my life. Personally, I think that one of the most important things to remember is this: even if you aren't where you thought you would be in life, you are exactly where you should be. If I had to paint a picture of my life up to this point, this is not how it would look. However, my picture pales in comparison to the one God continues to paint for me every day. His plans for me really are better than anything I could imagine or conceive, so I take comfort in that. When I get frustrated with certain aspects of my life, I try to surrender my plans to God's and take comfort in His grace and love.

As I look back on the past 30 years of my life, I have mixed emotions. I see pain, joy, sadness, love, confusion, fear, frustration, and hope. More importantly, I see determination, growth and progress. Someone once said that we meet different versions of ourselves throughout life, and this is absolutely true. I would love to sit down with myself at various stages of my life and reassure myself that everything really is going to be okay.

I'd like to tell my awkward 12 year old self that I won't look awkward forever. I'd like to hug my 18 year old self and tell her that she is beautiful, smart, and capable of doing great things. I'd like to sit down with my 26, 28, and 29 year old selves and tell them that when God closes a door, He really does open a window.

I've decided that this is going to be my year to THRIVE. I want to try new things, live life to the fullest, and really think outside the box. I want to embrace life-the good, the bad, and the ugly-for all it's worth. Already this year I've cooked raw meat (BIG step for this vegetarian) and bought a lottery ticket (1st one ever). Watch out world-I'm 30, flirty, and thriving!

Real Simple

Happy New Year friends! For my first post of 2011, I want to encourage you to go green by committing to live a more simple life this year. Instead of living in excess, aim to do more with less. Give back to your community, and I know we will all benefit. Let's make 2011 the greatest year of our lives!