Search Results for: best of the best

Odds and Ends No. 9

by whoorl

1. BOOT SHAPERS. You guys, why did it take me 37 years to buy boot shapers? I formally bid adieu to the days of stuffing random cardboard or rolled-up socks or umbrellas in my boots in hopes that they stand up.

2. Spring has sprung, and it’s time to clean out my closet again. Just like Jessica, I am all about the closet clean up right now. Luckily, Christine at Boston Mamas has the best article on effectively cleaning out your closet.

3. MOUSSE. I’m telling you right now, if you have issues with your hair holding curl or falling flat mid-day, don’t be afraid of mousse! Forget the 80s stigma and bring mousse back into your regimen. Reagan from Hairdresser on Fire has a great post on her favorite mousses at Divine Caroline.

4. The winner from my Gilt giveaway is Laura.

Congratulations, Laura! I’ll be in touch shortly.

5. Wito hates green food, and I’m hoping for some commiseration at What in the Whoorld. (He keeps telling me that he will like vegetables when he is eight years old, so I just need to lay off.)

6. I love this post by Sarah Brown on home decor. Hilarious, so true, and made my husband fist-pump. Danielle Henderson’s quote could have come straight out of D’s mouth. Collect things that are meaningful to YOU. (For instance, a Hungarian spatula or a 20th century wash basin….)

7. Drumroll, please. For those of you who have Kindles and an Amazon Prime account, have you heard of the Kindle Lending Library? Greatest program EVER. (First things first, if you buy tons of stuff at Amazon, you simply must pay the $79 annual fee and become an Amazon Prime member. You get free 2-day shipping on almost everything, access to a bazillion movies and television shows streamed to your computer for free, and now, instant (FREE) access to Kindle books. It’s the best 79 bucks I’ve spent.) Anyway, instead of buying Kindle books, you can borrow one a month, with no due date. Amazon, I love you. (So does my lonely, dusty Kindle.)

So You Think You Can Dance – Wito Style

by whoorl

We know that I love American Idol. (What did you all think of Erika’s departure this week? Man, that’s rough- chop all your hair off, dye it black and what do you get in return? VOTED OFF. Thanks A LOT, Tommy Hilfiger.)

However, one of things I love most about American Idol is the knowledge that the next season of So You Think You Can Dance must be right around corner. Oh, I love SYTCD. I’ve written about it several times so I’m not going to bore you, but  I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Tears on a weekly basis, people. The love. Of the dance. (Also, do you know who the spokesperson for Pantene Aqua Light in the UK is? Cat Deeley. We’re like besties if, you know, “besties” means we’ve never met and I just watch her on television like the rest of the world.)

Okay. So, guess who else loves SYTCD? Mr. Wito Man. He will watch an entire episode with me without squirming, and I’ve noticed him trying to reenact some moves now and again. His favorite style (judging by his attentiveness) is contemporary (atta boy), and he’s all about the leaping. Especially flying leaps that land in some sort of full-body rolling release on the floor.

I had the pleasure of witnessing some of Wito’s choreographed stylings at a recent wedding. You guys, this is what I would call a…well, let’s just call it a beat boy/contemporary mashup. Please enjoy.

My Pantene Commercial: Behind the Scenes (Part One)

by whoorl

I thought I would give you a little behind the scenes look at my shoot for this Pantene commercial. (Except by no means is it going to be a “little” look, as I’ve been waiting 5 months to tell this story! Not going to spare a detail.)

The shoot consisted of two days. The first day was the fitting/styling day, followed by the actual shoot on the next day. I thought we’d ease into this series with a post about the first day. I managed to grab a few shots with my iPhone, so here we go!

The shoot was located at Sony Studios in Los Angeles. (Right across from the Jeopardy sound stage – yoohooo, Alex Trebek! Over heeeere!)

The driver dropped me off in front of Stage 9, and first things first, if you haven’t seen a studio lot, it’s pretty intimidating. Huge warehouse-sized buildings, lots of alleys, people with headsets and clipboards whizzing around on carts…the best way to explain it would be that quintessential scene when the naive girl steps off a bus in a totally new city. There I stood, in the middle of the lot, overnight bag at my feet, wondering where I was supposed to go. I decided to peek behind the Stage 9 doors, and saw this.

Tons of people working like mad scientists in a 12,000 sq. ft. sound stage. Gulp.

(more…)

Will you like me?

by whoorl

Here’s the deal. I started a Facebook page and I want you to like it. Here’s why:

1. It would be very sweet of you.

2. I need a place where we can discuss random things. Let me explain. One of the reasons I love Twitter is when I’m looking for information, I can tweet a question and get tons of awesome responses. For instance, just yesterday I was lamenting on how horrible most sippy cups are. (Why do they all suck? Or, actually, NOT suck when they are supposed to suck? Why can’t I find a good straw-valve sippy cup? WHY, PRAY TELL???) Anyway, I got tons of responses, followed with people requesting that I share the information that I received. That’s when things start to get a little crazy, and I thought, wouldn’t it be good to have a place where people can comment and/or access comment threads on random stuff? Also, a place where info would be a lot easier to access down the road? Yep, methinks it’s a good idea.

3. Obviously, a blog would be a great place, but frankly, I don’t have the time to construct extra posts asking information on sippy cups or workout pants or contact solution or the best new pink lipstick or math iPhone apps for kids or the best books you’ve read this year. I need something quick and easy.

4. Enter my Facebook page. Let’s talk about random stuff over there.

5. Currently, I really need help finding a good contact solution for sensitive eyes. Got any recs?

6. The page will also be a place where I can house all of my internet goings-on, as I can barely keep up with myself.

7. Like I said, it would be very sweet of you. Give me your recommendations or forever hold your peace!

(Also, I am planning on making my personal Facebook profile family and close friends only, so if we’re internet acquaintances, please don’t be offended if my friend list gets whittled down dramatically. Thanks, I knew you would understand!)

Banana Crunch Muffins

by whoorl

psst – Guess what? I started a Facebook page. Would you care to join me over there?

I’m kind of a banana muffin fanatic. Always on the search for the best recipe, I can’t believe I didn’t notice this one in my beloved Barefoot Contessa cookbook until this past weekend. Given I’m a fan of texture, these muffins are incredibly delicious. (The coconut MAKES these muffins, fo sho.) I was a little nervous that walnuts, coconut AND granola in a muffin might produce the consistency of a trail mix bar, but I was so pleasantly surprised. Hot damn, muffin, I think I love you.

BANANA CRUNCH MUFFINS
makes 18 large muffins (I usually halve the recipe)

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don’t overmix.
3. Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Friends Lift You Higher

by whoorl

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I hope you will allow me to wax poetic on relationships for a bit.

I mentioned that one of my 2012 resolutions was to rid myself of toxic relationships. I wrote about disingenuous and pot-stirring ones, but what about the relationships that always seem to bring you down? The friendships in which you don’t feel comfortable sharing happy news for fear of the negative reaction coming your way? Whether it be blatant negativity or passive aggressive jabs, it seems that we all have people like this in our life. My question to you is, WHY are these people in our life?

My wise parents taught me at a very young age that these kind of interactions are rarely about the recipient. When I would come home from school, upset about a mean-spirited statement, they would always say, “It’s not about you, it’s about them.” There could be a myriad of reasons why a person would want to rain on your parade, but it’s very, very rarely about you. My parents have branded that into my psyche. Hurtful jabs really don’t have that much to do with you.

As I’ve grown up, I’ve always kept that in the back of my mind, but in a way, it has allowed me to make apologies for this behavior. “Oh, he/she didn’t mean it, they are just having a rough time, ” or  “They are dealing with some deeply-rooted insecurities regarding the issue” are some things I tell myself when I’m the recipient of such jabs. But you know what? I shouldn’t be making excuses for it. Hurtful, mean-spirited comments from a “friend” are hurtful and mean-spirited. Period, end of story.

One of the most important gifts you could ever give is to “lift your friends higher.” When something wonderful is happening to a friend, I want to be their #1 supporter, and on the flip side, nothing makes me happier than to share good news with a friend who celebrates with me. I can’t get over how many smart, talented and beautiful women (and men!) I have the pleasure to call friends. It’s insane, really. So many people doing such amazing things with their lives, and I feel so grateful when I can be a personal witness.

So! I have a couple of things to ask of you. If you are dealing with this kind of negativity from a friend, ask yourself, “is it worth it?” If you are constantly pumping positivity into a relationship, but only receiving negativity in return, maybe it’s time to reevaluate. You guys, if I’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that today could be your last. We’re only here once. This is it. Make every day your best. Lift people higher.

(I truly don’t know where all this motivational speaker biznass is coming from, but let’s roll with it, peeps!)

Here’s the most important part. I think, due to the above-mentioned negative behavior, that many of us tend to keep quiet about our achievements. I can’t even tell you how many times, when asked about a recent accomplishment, I look down at my feet and kick imaginary dirt, muttering something about being lucky or “I don’t know how it happened.” Well, on this lovely Valentine’s day, let’s change that. I want to hear about an accomplishment that YOU are proud of achieving – no self-deprecation, no kicking the dirt, just straight up pride, folks. It could be anything from emptying the dishwasher three nights in a row to winning a Pulitzer. Professional or personal, whatever.

Here, I’ll start. Deep breath.

Hi, I’m Sarah and I am PROUD of the hard work and consistent focus that I have put into writing my blogs for the past seven years. I know that the amazing opportunities coming my way are not luck, but a direct reflection of that commitment and focus.

Damn, that felt good! Now, it’s your turn. Don’t be shy, you guys. Reading these comments will make my week!