Say WHAT?? An award for me!!! YES

 If you haven't already realized, I love me an award!!

So, clearly, you know I was very excited when Cherry Chanel awarded me this INSPIRING blog award! I know why she received it.....because she has inspirational fashion style! She is new to the blogging world, but is already one of my must reads!!  Go check her out. 

The Rules:
1) Post this award on your blog.
2) List things/people that inspire you.
3) Award 5-10 other blogs that you believe are an inspiration for others.
4) Let these bloggers know they won this award.

Can I? Should I? Dare I mention him again?? OK, I have to say I have been inspired by.............none other than...........William Shatner.  Not because I have a crush on him and not because he was Captain Kirk. NO, I have been inspired by him because, although he totally lacks any singing talent, he will, without fear, sing on national TV and in front of anyone who will listen.  But not only that.....he has also had a recording contract and an album (which I own, of course). How can that not inspire you!!

My mother was and is a huge inspiration for me. She came from the poorest of backgrounds, born in a foreign country where girls were not appreciated, and her father was killed when she was just a little girl. Any one of these items could crush your spirit, but not my mother. She was strong and determined. She fought her way through the poverty and made her OWN way to America where she worked hard and long to build a life for herself and her family back home. She had no formal education, but was able to learn our language and work hard to give her daughters (yup, she had all girls) a rich life (both monetarily and through experiences). She was strict, but taught us to love each other, stick together, and be strong females. To her, women were definitely NOT the weaker sex and she instilled that in all of us. She died of cancer almost 3 years ago, but she continues to be a huge inspiration to me.

I would like to pass this awesome award to the following blogs. If you haven't been to them, click them and visit them now. Go on!! You will be very glad you did.

A Flourishing Perspective

Village

A girl needs 2 Talk

Wasted Seventeen

Allister Bee

C'est La Vie

Jammer at 10 A.M.

exPress-o

Bella Gets Real

Melanie's Randomness

The Secret to Hollywood's Sexiest Brunettes

Despite the blonding trend amongst some of Hollywood's most head-turning brunettes, you don't have to go blond to be a certified bombshell. Maybe that's because there's a new way to make brunette hair look extra gorgeous. Brad Johns, color director for the Red Door Spas at Elizabeth Arden NYC, calls it "invisible highlighting," a salon process in which three shades of complementary browns--coffee, chocolate, dark chocolate--are all woven through the hair to give the color life and dimension. (That's salon-speak for total awesomeness.) You don't necessarily notice the different shades immediately, but the way the scene-stealing hair catches the light can't be missed. The other bonus: On natural brunettes, these invisible highlights only need to be touched-up once or twice a year for maintenance, so it's pretty wallet-friendly. Steering clear of any dye or highlights this season? Whatever your color, Johns recommends silicone drops like Davines Defining Drops to make hair as smooth as glass after a good blow-dry. 

New hope for damaged skin Health

If, like a lot of people, you spent too much time in the sun as a child, you may want to try photodynamic therapy (PDT). The newly FDA-approved treatment is said to erase sun damage - and even prevent skin cancers from forming. First, your derm will apply a solution to your face that targets precancerous cells, then she'll use a light source to destroy them.  Bonus: Your insurance may cover it! Go to aad.org for more info.

I AM BACK!!!

We have returned from our mini vacation and I can't wait to get caught up on everyone's posts!!  I'll be by to visit soon.  We had a GREAT time and I'll be posting about it in the next few days. Thanks to everyone who visited me while I was gone!!!

Strawberry fields forever....

Another item checked off of our summer to do list. 

We went BERRY PICKING!!

 We are so excited to get started!!

 Wow, where do we start? How do we choose?

 Attempting to pick berries. This is way harder than we thought. It's hot! You have to bend for each one. Don't know which ones to pick.

 Finally, here's one we can keep.

This nice lady didn't even charge us for our pathetic bounty!! We stopped before we even came close to filling one side. She said our berries wouldn't register on the scale and gave them to us for free!!

It is a good thing we went for the experience and not for the berries. I don't think we will put this on our list next year.

The Rich and the Poor - Shrimp and Beans‏

A few days ago, I did the first recipe in a series: What can you do with a bag of frozen shrimp.  Here is recipe #2

1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth
1/4 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 pound frozen medium shrimp, thawed, peeled, and deveined
1 (15.5oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp white wine or dry vermouth
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Add 1/2 cup white wine or vermouth, water and bay leaf in a pan; cook over medium-high heat. When liquid starts to bubble, add shrimp; cook 3 minutes. Add beans and cook until hot. Drain shrimp and beans and transfer to a bowl; discard bay leaf. Add olive oil and toss. Add the 1 tsp white wine or vermouth, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Top with parsley.

Weekly Outfits 7/12/10 thru 7/18/10

Here are last week's outfits in review

I will not be able to read all of your lovely blogs for several days. I am already gone on a mini vacation with my daughter and will not return until late Wednesday.  My husband is being so kind as to post for me.

 7/12/10 Metallic-Panel Tank and Drapey Cargo Shorts by Haute Hippie

7/13/10 Degrade Asymmetric Shoulder Blouse and Multi-Seam Leggings by Narciso Rodriguez

7/14/10 Beaded-Pleat Dress by Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti

7/15/10 Violet-Print Back-Cutout Dress by Black Halo

7/16/10 Herringbone Blazer, Top and Girly-Fit Faded Jeans by D&G

7/17/10 Shadow Peony Dress by Marc by Marc Jacobs

7/18/10 Degrade Burnout Tee and Denim Zip Leggings by Vince