Shimmer and Shine

Food: a Healthy Chocolate Banana Cupcake from Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

Fashion: Pink Sequin Bathing Suit from Victoria Secret

Furniture: Great room featured on La Dolce Vita

Fitness: 3 great exercises to get your summer six pack abs. Instead of sitting in front of the TV, get on the floor and do these simple exercises.

Philosophy: This quote is from the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (watch the clip).
So how do we live a life we are proud of? The Amazing Power of Intent  by Ester & Jerry Hicks has some tips Listen to Brian Johnson's cliff not version 

St Patrick's Day. Being Green

Food: Wheatgrass! Not your typical Irish brew, but the health benefits are enormous! 

Fashion: I love Kate Middleton's classic style. She looks great casual in her Barbour jacket and jeans or in her tweed skirt and boots! What do you think of these Kate Spade sandals? 

Furnishings: I am thinking of wallpapering a bathroom in a large scale trellis like Kelly Weastlers green trellis. 

Philosophy: Our Philosophy comes from Kermit the frog;s It Is Not Easy Being Green written by Jim Henson. It is filled with ageless wisdom! I like the way Jim Henson starts his day!

Chocoalte Molten, Chocolate dresses, Chocolate leather, Chocolate wisdom, Chocolate burning workouts

Food: The best Chocolate Molten Cake Kit can be found at William & Sonoma - It is great served with fresh raspberries, some extra hot fudge and fresh whipped cream! So Simple! So Delicious. This is a great dessert to make in advances.
Fashion: Love these little brown spring dresses from Ralph Lauren and Lacoste!
Furnishings: Great inexpensive 9 x 12 rug from West Elm. One of my favorite chairs is the tobias chair from Oly Studio
Fitness: A bit scary if you are not already in really good shape, but it is worth working up to some of trainer Zuzana's workouts from Bodyrocktv.com. They are intense, hard core full body workouts with little to no equipment. She posts a workout video everyday and breaks down each exercise. 20 minutes is all you need 5 days a week. here are two good workouts to try: 15 Minute Extreme Fitness Workout & The Floor ABs Workout
Philosophy: Get your wisdom on. Take the 100 Wisdom challenge! Sign up and let the wisdom come to you. Video chapters of the A Philosopher Notes will be delivered to your email daily!  Life is short, GET TO IT! You will love these little quick videos that Brian Johnson created.  He compiled the key biggest ideas from hundreds of the greatest philosophy, spiritual inspiration, self-motivation, health, and nutrition books ever written. What he found after reading all these great books... the same fundamental for living an authentic happy life are repeated over and over again.

Orange You Excited It Is Almost Spring?

Food: A simple, sweet, healthy Kumquat Marmalade recipe. Have you ever had Kumquat cake? This cake recipe could not be easier. You begin with a boxed yellowcake... 

Fashion: My first spring purchase was this bright orange Ralph Lauren jacket on sale at Bloomingdales. Orange Vena Cava dress

Furnishings: Orange Trina Turk pillow on sale at Amazon.com.

Fitness. I just read the Dara Torres book entitled, Gold Metal Fitness A Revolutionary Five Week Plan. I don't usually love fitness book, but this one has some great tips, exercises, a doable meal plan, and a new form of stretching that I am starting to incorporate into my day called Ki Hara stretching. 
Philosophy:  The Element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels. Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the element and those that stifle that possibility. He shows that age and occupation are no barrier, and that once we have found our path we can help others to do so as well. The Element shows the vital need to enhance creativity and innovation by thinking differently about human resources and imagination. It is also an essential strategy for transforming education, business, and communities to meet the challenges of living and succeeding in the twenty-first century.

Classic Khaki!

Eat: The most delicious and healthiest ice cream sandwiches ever! (gluten free, dairy free, sugar free..)
Fashion: I Love Tommy Hilfiger's little khaki halter dress!! Wearing my Micheal Kros Tortoise watch! and Ralph gold polo shirt!
Furnishings: Michael Kors home!
Fitness and Philosophy  I just read the Body Mind Mastery. A great read. Listen to the 10 Big ideas from the Philosopher Notes. 

Shimmering Silver!

Food:Recommended by my foodie sister in-law, we dined last night at Deuxave. This small contemporary french restaurant in Boston is delicious, small, low key with an eclectic crowd.

Fashion love: Gweneth Paltrow looked smashing in Calvin Klein's shimmering silver gown! Flawless, classic, elegant, beautiful! A perfect 2011 Oscars runway dress! Love Chan Luu leather wrap bracelet!

Furnishing loves: Window shopping at Dovecote in Westport, CT. I love the combination of silver and coral! 

Fitness love: Trainer Tracy Anderson.  Gweneth gives the credit for her lean, flexible, youthful body to the celebrity trainer.  Tracy Anderson's best moves.  

Philosophy love: Just read the Buddha's Brain! Transformative science and wisdom. Listen

Happy Yellow - Happy Juice - Happy Bell and Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar

Food: I am focused on eating raw high vibrational food for vibrant health  Drank it for breakfast: (Blend: 1 c frozen pineapple, 1 banana, 1 mango, 1 c orange juice)

Fashion: Happiness is wearing an easy, comfortable yellow t-shirt dress on Monday and on Tuesday wearing a short, classic yellow A-line dress. Michaela Kors Spring 2011 collection (watch full show) 

Furnishings: A large colorful paining, in an unexpected place, like a large wall in your kitchen, can change the whole vibe. This colorful painting is from A Pilgrim's Breakfast.

Fitness: Working out at 5:00 am is part of my new morning (Optimum living) ritual! These are words I never thought I would utter, especially in the dead of winter when just getting out of bed would elicit my moans and groans. But Marvin, the trainer who trains, is a miracle worker. One arm kettle-bell swings were part of todays routine. Tone your arms - Grab a kettle-bell (here is a how-to) and start swinging while you watch TV or ruminate with roommates. No excuses!

Philosophy:  Is there a science to Happiness? Tal Ben-Shahar, teaches Harvard's most popular class called, Positive Psychology. He wrote the book, Happier. There are very specific things people can do each day that are proven to increase happiness: Tal Ben Shahar has spent his career studying them. He gave Big Think several practical happiness tips, including changing your calendar, buying a notebook, simplifying, and changing your approach to car parking. Some Happier tips. Watch this!!!   The Top 10 Big Ideas from Happier given by Brian Johnson.

*** Take the Harvard Positive Psychology Course Online!

I am watching the entire course:

Lecture 1: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjIwMDYwOTky.html

Lecture 2: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjIxNDg3OTI4.html

Food: White Asparagus Soup with Lemongrass and Almond

Fashion: My birthday wishes - From the Michael Kors Spring 2011 Collection - White Gauze T-shirt with sarong and from the Lisa Blue's Summer 2011 collection - one shoulder blue and white bathing suit.

Furnishings: I love white lacquered parson style coffee table. 

Fitness: If you need a little reminder or motivation to pump some iron. These alarm clock dumbbells will do the trick. They require 30 curls to turn off! So get up and pump. No Snooze button!

Philosophy: The most powerful vehicle for transformation is Meditation. Meditation, joined with intention and attention is an amazingly powerful tool for creating a life lived in awareness.  Every time you quiet the mind through meditation, you gain greater powers to observe the events of your life without being controlled by them.  You become responsible or "response-able" for your life. Regular meditation, cultivating the qualities of peace and joy, keeps us centered and able to live our lives in healthy way. Listen to Michael Beckwith on meditation: he says, "in the beginning you will try to fit meditation into your life, but as you evolve and grow, your life will evolve around your meditation." Meditation connects us to our higher self and the infinite source of all. Brain Johnson with his wife created Billitation, a place to get your daily meditation "MOJO."

Refreshing Orange and Coral

Eat: An easy to make treat by David Lebovitz's Blood Orange Sorbet 

Wear: Getting ready for the spring showers with a cheery orange trench on sale at Karen Millen, a pair of jeans by Rich & Skinny and great orange watch by Michael Kors.

Home: I love splashes of orange and coral in pillows or throws to change a room! Orange Cashmere blanket is available at Tonic Home. One of my favorite home decor stores is Dovecote in Westport, CT. The store has a great eclectic mixture of contemporary and classic! I love the orange throw, garden table and lamp! Coral pillow at On The Sea Decor.

Wisdom: The quote is from Michael Beckwith, author of Spiritual Liberation and the founder of The Agape International Spiritual in LA. View his CBS interview on affirmative thinking and shaping your destiny with the "observer effect." 

Do: Get out and play more squash! It is an amazing aerobic exercise with lots of strategy!

Great new racket.  We joined The Maugus Racket Club in Wellesley, Ma. Nothing fancy, very, very low key with a great squash trainer named, Cliff Wenn. He is also a squash equipment dealer and is having a huge 2010 sale! Start with some elessons!

Purple Pieces

Eat more purple: Read about the benefits.

Eating it for lunch: Purple Cabbage Salad with Currant, Carrots, and Almonds form Vegan Yum Yum! 

Happy Birthday to all Pieces girls. Bring out the amethyst jewels!

Current purple fashion and home cravings: Ports 1961 purple one shoulder dress, Ikat clench pocketbook and Ikat pillow both by Madeline Weinrib - Dress is currently at Bloomingdales (I saw in store, not online)

My current scent: Creed's Love in White. It is a perfect subtle perfume!

Fitness for today: Snowshoeing. It was mighty cold! Best snow shoes MSR Lightning Ascent snowshoes - Amusing demonstration video. 

Take Off From Within describes the undisciplined and untrained mind as a drunk monkey who has been stung by a scorpion and then set on fire! Is your mind like a crazy monkey jumping from thought to thought. Well tame the monkey - listen to the 10 Big Ideas from the book by Philosopher Brian Johnson!

Happy Blues

Eat: I love guilt free, no cook desserts. Try Loving Raw and let me know what you think.

Wear: One of my favorite finds last summer was great with jeans and as a beach cover up! Check out  Glamourpuss beach ponchos.

Create: A Hollywood Regency style sitting room

Read: Complain Free World! Over 8,000,000 Complaint Free World purple braclets have been sold.  Can you leave all toxic complaining behind and make an interior shift in consciousness to be more hopeful, positive, and optimistic? No complaints, no self criticisms, no critical judgments, do gripes, no ruminating! Will go perfect with your new beach poncho!

Complain Free World Facebook Page

Do: Yoga with Kulae's  eco-friendly yoga mats that was just rated "best fitness gear."   It is 4 extra inches, 100% biodegradable with a germ and bacterial resistant surface. Namaste!

Being Green

Drank it for Breakfast: Pineapple Mango Kale Smoothie (yummy enough for kids!)

 Added it to my birthday wish list: Virgins Saints and Angels Temptation Cuff

 Hope to have: Emerald gown worn in Atonement designed by Jacqueline Durran 

 Pondering painting a piece kelly green?

 Panted like crazy at Grace's spin class and burned 450! Get to a class or get a bike

 Repeating  today's mantra: "I deliberately intend to commit fully to living moment to moment with awareness, love, joy, consistence, strength, wisdom, courage, playfulness and bliss. "

(Be inspired and listen to Abraham Maslow on growth and safety!!)

Good Melon Morning!

Drank it for breakfast: Watermelon Pineapple Smoothie

Wishing I was wearing: Diane von Furstenberg resort wear from 2009

Hoping to hang: Still Life painting from a Pilgrim's Breakfast
Working at living: The Eight Fold Path (Have a listen!!)
Fitness guru Marvin Lowell made me do medicine ball crunches this morning. Your turn!

Should I paint my front door mellon?