We have a facebook winner of the Oh Lounge Giveaway.
The winner is (I'm beating drums right now...).........
Stephanie Clark. She is the author of an awesome blog called the Shindig Spot.
Take a look at her blog. It'll definitely inspire you to get the party started. I'm sure that her gift from Oh Lounge will lead to some inspiration as well.
Hope that you enjoy Stephanie.
Now why am I getting my passport ready for the UK you might ask? Just look below.
I came across a sexy piece of man candy that I thought i'd share with you ladies. His name is Ricky Whittle. He's an actor on the British soap opera Hollyoaks. He's 28 and when he's not acting, he spends his spare time as a running back on the Manchester Titans American Football team. I believe that they are looking for players. I wonder what my chances are of making it on.
Here's some pics of of Mr. Sexy. I thought about not putting up the second one. I thought that it might be a little too racy. But we're all grown right? And besides, I owe you all a Holiday gift anyway!
Let's face it, sexual adventure is necessary to keep from boring your partner and yourself to death and from hurting your relationship. Sometimes simply switching the stroke is not enough. Just because you shift focus from the right wall to the left does not mean that the sensation for you or your partner has improved. Enter full on fantasy exploration. At some point, every sexual being considers exploring a sexual fantasy. There are those, of course, who are in full fetish swing, those who dip and dabble in kinkiness and those who teeter on the edge. What causes the hesitation? Is it fear of abandon? Is it over confidence in your performance? Is it lack of imagination?
Part I - Change Your Identity.
I have a mission for you. For each week for the next four weeks assume a different identity. Perhaps you want to be the freaky secretary, the vixen villein, the delivery girl, the naughty chef, or someone your sexy mind conjures up. Be creative and explore a few fantasies.
I have found that stripper heels always help me get in character. Here are a few I found at my fave grown and sexy site, www.ohlounge.com
Guess what? It's Christmas Eve! Do you have all of your gifts. If not, here are some gift ideas that will get you out of the door and make you the hit of the party.
Gas Gift Cards
Everyone who drives would appreciate a gas gift card and you can run out and pick them up at your local gas station or drugstore/supermarket gift card kiosk
Magazine Subscriptions
You can buy most of these online and email it to the receiver. If you want to give them something to unwrap, buy this months issue and a note saying that they will enjoy this for the next year. It's the perfect gift for the fitness buff, socialite, and entrepreneur.
Memories
Take your favorite picture, new or old and put it in a beautiful frame. Include a note on why the picture is so important to you or what you enjoyed about the moment.
For the friend with the sweet tooth.
We've all heard of the brownie and cookie jar gifts. I never used them until I got snowed in. It was magnificent! You can find great tips and recipes here at one of my favorite recipe sites, All Recipes. Don't forget to include a tag with the instructions.
The Christmas Martini (courtesy of www.martinilovers.com)
Ingredients:
1 oz Dry Gin
1 1/2 oz Peppermint Schnapps
1/2 oz Water
1 Stick Peppermint Candy
Directions:
Strain gin and peppermint schnapps into martini glass. Add peppermint stick.
MexiCabo Hot Chocolate Drink (courtesy of www.whattodrink.com)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila
4 oz. Hot Cocoa Mix
1/2 oz. Coffee Liqueur
Whipped Cream
Directions:
Pour all ingredients into a coffee cup. Stir Well. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream.
The Midnight Kick
Ingredients:
2 oz. Cabo Anejo Tequlla
Orange Slice
Cinnamon
Directions:
Wet the rim of a chilled shot glass with the orange slice. Then rim the
shot glass with powdered cinnamon on a plate. Be careful not to turn
the glass right side up until it has been rimmed. The orange liquid
will drip otherwise. Shake the Cabo Tequila with ice in a shaker and
strain into the chilled shot glass. Slam the shot and then bite into
the orange slice to finish.
Today, in my parallel universe, I am a snow bunny who prefers hanging out at a swank and trendy ski lodge to actually skiing. I'd rather post up by the fireplace with a latte and a few good friends. When the night falls, it is back to the ski lodge for cocktails with the beautiful people. (Tip: Click on the images to find the deets on these hot items)
I am not even going to attempt to watch the calories this holiday season. And because of that, I have to exercise. As with many people I am extremely busy, especially during this part of the year. Mix that with a little laziness and tivo and you have the makings of a non-exercising woman. There was a time that i'd really gotten back into the gym, but I've slacked off recently.
I had a conversation about this with a friend of mine and she suggested Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred. She said that it was only 20 minutes. So i'm thinking, 20 minutes, I can do that. Don't sleep on it people, it was a serious 20 minutes.
One of the things that I really like about it is that she has 2 people doing the routine in the background. One does the moves for more experienced people and the other performs alternate moves for couch potatoes like me.
I've tried a few of the other Biggest Loser DVD's and I've loved all of them. They offer progressive exercises so that you're not doing the same routine forever and you don't have to buy a new DVD to move up to the next level.
One thing that I don't like is the music. So I listened to the DVD the first few times, then I just started playing my own workout list. One of my most recent list are below. I usually put it on shuffle so that I don't get used to the sequence.
Playlist
Boom Boom Pow--Black Eyed Peas I gotta feeling--Black Eyed Peas I know you want me (Calle Ocho)-Pitbull She wants to move-N.E.R.D Candy-Cameo Wanna be startin somethin-Michael Jackson One thing-Amerie The one--Mary J Blige Get me bodied-Beyonce Crazy in love- Beyonce Caught up-Usher Rising Up- The Roots Toxic -Britney Spears Womanizer-Britney Spears If you seek amy-Britney Spears The Anthem-Pitbull Poison-BBD Pocketbook-Jennifer Hudson Get right--Jennifer Lopez 99 problems-Jay z Touch It Remix-Busta Rhymes, Mary J Blige, Rah Digga, Missy Elliot Just Fine-Mary J Blige I thought it was me-BBD
Blushing ladies, what's on your exercise playlist? I like to change mine up and would love suggestions.
Also, It's still Holiday Time. I had a friend send this to me the other day. I always felt that Alexander O'Neal took a few too many sips throughout the day, but man did he make great music. Here's a holiday classic from him. If you're reading this on email, you'll have to go to the site to check it out.
I'm not a club person. I haven't been in a while. Now that i'm 33, my crowd patience has severely decreased and my crazy guy tolerance is ultra low. But there are some wonderful sights that bring me great joy. I can sit back and laugh at the sites for hours.
Here were some of my club observations. Some good, some bad
Guys can be so rude. A guy wouldn't even let me take my coat off before grabbing my hand and wrapping me up. My coat was down to my elbow, so he's grabbing my hand and the other half of my coat is touching the floor. Back it up man. It's not like he even attempted to help me take it off. He says like 10 words and then asks for my phone number. It seemed like the high school move where you went in just to see how many numbers you could get.
There was a girl there in this exact outfit with fishnets and thigh high boots. I wouldn't have worn it to a club, but she was having a good time, so more power to her.
I had a guy walk up on me out of the blue and hand me his cell phone. When I shrugged my shoulders like "what am I suppose to do with this," he said, "Put your number in it." I handed his phone back to him. I should've put it in my purse or threw it across the dance floor. Arrogant ass. No hello, how ya doin, what's your name. Nothin.
Another guy was doing what my friend and I called the "pelvic dance." He danced with me by trying to push his pelvis against my pelvis. The top half of him was literally leaning back. I kept moving backwards and he kept coming at me with his pelvis. I had to cut that dance short. Hell, I might be pregnant right now.
I had another guy try to gyrate on me. Much like the pelvic dancer. As I did my two step backwards away from him, he said "you don't like me do you." I said "why do you say that." He says "because you keep runnin' from me." I said "I don't know you." He said "But if you liked me, you'd be up on me." Would I now?
Another guy who'd asked me to dance all night and I'd politely turned him down finally came over at the end of the night and said "I don't even want a dance no more. I want a date." Ok, I'm not gonna lie, that line got a chuckle out of me, but I still had no intention of going out with him.
If I'd turned down a guy to dance and he was in my vicinity, I had to sit perfectly still. Even if a song that I liked came on, because the guy who just asked me to dance, would be on it. He'd be in front of me saying "come onnnn let's dance. Come on. Come on." I just wanted to scream NO!!!! Let me just sit and bob my head.
So the question becomes, how can you turn a guy down for a date or a dance without seeming like a stuck-up diva? I mean, let's be real, you don't want to dance with everyone. And you certainly don't want to give everyone your number. Some guys assume that you think that you're "all that" because you said no. But damn. You'd have to say yes to everyone. And i'm sorry, that aint' gonna happen.
On the flip, you could tell the real O.G's because they'd walk up, extend their hand and if you said no, they'd keep it moving and ask the next girl. I have respect for them. They aren't spending the next 15 minutes standing in front of you, wiping their sweaty face and head with their shirts, wondering why you don't want to straddle them on the dance floor. I respect the attempt, but if a girl says no, shake it off. Keep it moving.
The Twitter and Facebook winners of the Oh Lounge Giveaway will be notified today. If you aren't a winner, don't fret, they're having a 20% off sale right now. Use promo code bemerry
OK, you all know that I love finding good hair care products. I can't help myself. To me, there is nothing like a good product that makes your hair feel good and you feel good about your hair. Over the course of my adult life, I have tried numerous product lines, includes Pantene, Optimum, Motions, At One, and the list goes on.
For some time now, I have heard of the greatness of Phyto but I never took the time to seek it out. I mean, its not at Target or my local Sally's Beauty Supply. Once I heard that Oprah and Michelle Obama use it, I figured that if it is good enough for the Queen of Media and my First Lady then certainly I can give it a whirl. After reading about the levels of Phyto treatment on the Phyto website, I decided that the Phytospecific Level Two Intense Nutrition was the best match for me. I bought the Intense Nutrition Shampoo and the Intense Nutrition Mask. I love and love these products. My hair was soft and clean and tangle free. Most importantly, it did not strip my hair. My hair behaved very very well after blow drying and styling. I only added Moroccan Argan Oil and my hair was perfect.
I also washed my daughter's hair with the shampoo and conditioner and adored the way it made her hair feel. Her hair is sandy brown and dries out very easily. Phytospecific did not dry out her hair like pretty much every other product I have tried. I have to say this is by far the best and most successful shampoo and conditioner products I have used on her hair. Trust me, I have all kinds and sorts of unfinished products under our bathroom sink.
Phytospecific offers several styling products that I am looking forward to trying, including the Moisturizing Styling Balm, Beauty Styling Creme, Integral Hair Care, and Extreme Shine Spray. Stay tuned for those reviews. Phytospecific hair products can be purchased at salons and online at www.sephora.com and other sites. Visit www.phyto.com for a list of salons carrying Phytospecific products in your area.
Another tip = Moroccan Argan Oil is the truth. It is a dry oil (meaning that it is not oily) derived from the argan tree. It is full of Vitamin E and fatty acids. Great for your hair and skin. Add a cap full to your conditioner or apply it to dry hair. I am now a Argan Oil groupie.
MAKE CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY COOKIES WITH THE KIDS
Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crushed peppermint hard candies
1/2 cup white sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine butter, confectioners' sugar, egg, almond
extract and vanilla extract. beat until smooth. Mix in flour and salt.
Roll into 4 inch strips, place on baking sheet. Curve top down to form handle of cane.
Bake in preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes. While still warm, remove
from pan and sprinkle with candy and sugar mixture.
Sugar Cookie Cutouts
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup colored sugar for decoration
Directions
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the eggs
and vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder, stir into the
creamed mixture alternately with the heavy cream. Cover dough, and
chill for 2 to 3 hours, until firm.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart
on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottoms and
edges of cookies are light brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on
wire racks. Store in an airtight container.
This past weekend was pretty eventful. One night, I attended a birthday party and participated in some karaoke. The next night I had a first.
I attended a Christmas party with a friend. We went to an after-party with her co-workers, and guess what? I'm pretty sure that I was being lured into a three-some for the first time. WITH A MARRIED COUPLE! WOW. I said no by the way. But hey, to each it's own. Tis' the season.
Some other people are not feeling so festive. How can people be so snippy during such a wonderful season. Here are a couple of people with a little scrooge under their belt. Tell Em Why You Mad Son.
Star vs. Barbara -When discussing who should conduct the first Tiger Woods interview, Star Jones stated the following: "My former boss might be a good choice. She wrote an entire book where she detailed her own affair and got paid a lot of money. She would be a very good choice. That would be like the pot calling the kettle black. I'm not sure she would be sympathetic, but she can't be as judgmental."Star is of course referring to Barbara Walters affair with married Senator Edward Brooke.
Martha vs. Rachel Ray-Ok, we all know that they are on two totally different levels. And if you didn't know, our girl Martha is going to inform you. Although Martha called her out on her lack of baking and the fact that Rachel doesn't have a garden like she does. The thing that really showed that Martha was doggin' out good ol' Rach was that she said "She just did a new cookbook which is just a re-edit of a lot of her old recipes. And that's not good enough for me. I mean, I really want to write a book that is a unique and lasting thing. Something that will really fulfill a need in someone's library." Nothing says pick up your toys and go home like saying, what you do, isn't good enough for me. Go home and play little girl. The video can be found here
Rachel obviously knew her place. She said, "I really just think she's being honest. She does have a better skill set than I do when it comes to producing a beautiful, perfect, high-quality meal . . . I'd rather eat Martha's than mine, too."
I love Martha. I think that she should wear a "I know that I'm the schiznit" t-shirt. And on some levels, really, she is.
But I can't think of her without thinking of how she drilled into Lindsay Lohan before. She invited her as a guest on her show and then basically told her what she thought of her. She basically called her out and didn't listen to anything she said. Way to big girl her Martha. Actually, it was jacked up.
And now A little something to put you into the holiday spirit
Women are as complex as men proclaim but from that complexity come the most beautiful things. From the technique of the smoky eye, to the perfect lip, to having nothing to wear, to a never ending range of emotions, women are bold, sensitive, sweet and sour.
The spirit and intent of this blog is to offer and share with women around the world insight into our vast complexities – whether beautiful or scarred.
