Sex and the …. Slope?!
April 30th, 2008 by Aly Walansky
My world may get just a little more Sex and the City!
Check out today’s Gothamist headline:
Posted in News | 1 Comment »
Movin on up!
April 30th, 2008 by Aly Walansky
I just received a note from Ellen Whitehurst, a monthly columnist for Redbook magazine (Shuistrology…Feng Shui+astrology=), as well as a daily contributor on iVillage.com (fengshui.astrology.com) and author of MAKE THIS YOUR LUCKY DAY (Random House). She’s been helping me get my Feng Shui in order these past few weeks, and her words offered such awesome advice, I wanted to pass it on to all of you who may be in similar situations.
Aly honey,
Some ways to make the move the best thing you’ll ever do (until next time of course!)
Enjoy!
…From the moment you move into your new space, you need to remember, ALWAYS, to call it HOME! Not the new apartment (condo, dorm room, townhouse or pad, but “my new HOME.”) Try never to refer to this space any other way, and, truly, this will be harder than you think. But, I mean this, this effort is so well worth it one you see how easily your energies acclimate and you feel, well, at home!
…Create one pleasant, comfortable and “safe” space as soon as you move in. This will be the place you retreat to after you think you simply cannot unpack one more box or can’t find the french press or the iPod charger. One favorite chair with an inviting throw or even a favored painting immediately hung on the wall that will grant you solace whenever you take a break and take a breath and stare at it for a couple of minutes to bring your energies and your (possibly waning) enthusiasm back to these efforts. Even a simple vase of fresh cut flowers will help to negate any stale energies. To create and celebrate a beautiful space or image in your new HOME amid the temporary chaos of boxes and bedlam will empower and draw to you health, happiness and prosperity, I promise!
…Put a set of brand new sheet on your bed to signify and soften your brand new start in this brand new HOME.
And, lastly…LUCKY MOVING YOU!
…To bring BIG luck into any new living space walk into every room, starting at the front door and moving in a clockwise direction, carrying a loaf of fresh bread and a small plate of kosher salt. As you move around the house, bless each space with your love and your intentions to live a perfectly peaceful and prosperous life inside this new HOME. Then, once you have made a full turn and are back where you began take the bread and the salt to the kitchen. Open a nice bottle of wine (or juice if you prefer) and rip off a piece of the bread. Dip it in the salt first and then a bit of the wine and eat. This is an old as the hills housewarming ceremony that will bring you new, wonderful and productive blessings and energies into this space. After you eat the little salty piece of bread you can go ahead, find that special chair, take a seat and raise a nice glass of wine to you, your new home and all the great and FORTUNATE times that you will now have inside it!
Hope this helps honey, very much looking forward to Shui’ing the rest of the space so that job prospects and opportunities come pouring in (using water in the ‘Career’ area) while also making ALL your dreams come true (assessing and adjusting the bedroom area!)
Can’t wait to hear how it’s all going…..
Sending luck and light and easy move energies, Ellen
Posted in Apartment/Living | 3 Comments »
I need water just reading this.
April 30th, 2008 by Aly Walansky
Thought you all might be as horrified by this as I am (especially the kids’ meal)…check out this article about the saltiest foods in America.
Posted in Food | 1 Comment »
New toy!
April 29th, 2008 by Aly Walansky
I have discovered lately that while I’m ridiculously exhausted and behind schedule on a lot of important stuff (like, um, packing)…I am so incredibly happy I may burst.
And this happiness just explodes when you, minding your own business, return home at the end of a long day…and discover…a Wii!!!…on your door step!
Wii Fit, here I come!
Posted in Cool Toys | 3 Comments »
Madly in love with my magic bullet
April 29th, 2008 by Aly Walansky
A few days ago, I received an email mentioning a “magic bullet” in the subject line.
For a brief moment my cheeks flushed and I wondered why someone was sending me dirty emails.
As soon as I took a sec to read though, I realized this was a whole other sort of (PG-13!) magic. And I just apparently have an overheated imagination.
This is a whole set of new-kitchen gadgets in one box!
The Magic Bullet Platinum Pro is a 20-piece set that is sort of like a tabletop magician for the cooking-impaired. And while I’m not cooking-deficient, exactly, there’s a whole lot of areas I need a great deal of assistance in.
This set they sent me (just awaiting actual food to exist in my fridge for a true dinner-party try out) is super sexy, and is the ultimate kitchen gadget for those on the go, the health conscious crowd, the entertainer, or the (wannabe) home chef, it can help me to whip up anything from homemade guacamole to pesto sauce AND blend margaritas!
The set includes: 1 high torque power base. 2 stainless steel blades: cross & flat. 1 blender attachment, 1 tall & 1 short cup, stay fresh resealable lids, 2 shaker/steamer tops, 4 party mugs with 4 colored lip rings and 101 Fabulous 10 Second Recipe Book.
I am so excited that I confess…I’m more turned on by this bullet than the one I thought it was in the first place.
And I have more to share! Two readers will get the Plantium Pro deluxe set for themselves too! To win, share the craziest concoction you ever put in your blender - and what the results were! Deadline May 10.
Posted in Apartment/Living, Cocktails, Food | 9 Comments »
Midweek freebies!
April 29th, 2008 by Aly Walansky
Free sample Emergen-C Pink:
(Walmart)
Free sample Aquafresh Advanced Toothpaste: (New Walmart link)
Free sample Sensodyne Toothpaste: (Walmart)
Free sample Disinfecting Wipes: (Company name req)
Free Go Red For Women red dress pin and subscription to Heart Insight Magazine: (US only)
Free Purex Sample and Coupon: (US only; 18+) (This is also a sweeps: Rules)
-Click “Create a Green-T”
-Click “Enter Here”
-Click “Save and Submit”
-Fill out your info and submit it
Free sample package of Nads 24 large hair removal strips: (US & Canada) (security code must be typed all in caps)
Posted in Cool Sites | No Comments »
Beauty must-haves
April 28th, 2008 by Aly Walansky
A part of my beauty editrix duties is a regular must-have products column. Check out the latest installment!
http://www.sheknows.com/articles/beauty-and-style/makeup/803643-Sexy-shadows-glowing-skin.htm
Posted in Beauty | No Comments »
The art of the stir-fry
April 27th, 2008 by Aly Walansky
My very first housewarming gift was an awesome wok set. It included a wok (of course), 4 sets of chop sticks, and 4 miso-style soup bowls and spoons.
It set me off on a desire to master the art of stir-fry, specifically of the healthy variety. As I try to live more budget-friendly AND healthily, I realize that a great way to accomplish this is to purge meat from my life - and usher in as many veggies as possible. Check out this recipe I just found!
Shiitake Mushroom & Veggie Stir-Fry
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
This nutrient-packed dish supplies all the vitamin C you need in a day!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil
1 1/2 cups (1/2 pound) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 carrots, grated
1 ½ cups (½ pound) sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 cup bean sprouts
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup brown or wild rice, prepared according to package directions
Directions:
* In a large skillet or wok, heat sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add shiitake mushrooms, bell pepper slices, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes, stirring constantly so the ingredients don’t burn. (If they start to brown, pour a little vegetable broth into the skillet.) Continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
* Add the carrots, snap peas, bean sprouts, and scallions to the skillet. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into soy sauce, then add the mixture to the pan.
* Pour in the vegetable broth; cook for about 2 minutes, until the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken. Serve over brown or wild rice.
Nutrition Score per serving: (¾ cup vegetables and ¾ cup rice): 338 calories, 10 g fat (15% of calories), 1 g saturated fat, 54 g carbs, 11 g protein, 6 g fi ber, 97 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 201 mg sodium
*Shape magazine, September 2007
Posted in Food | 4 Comments »
Pretty pink pepper!
April 26th, 2008 by Aly Walansky
How incredibly cute are these???
Posted in Apartment/Living, Style and fashion | 9 Comments »
I’m on tilt!
April 26th, 2008 by Aly Walansky
One of my buds often has a facebook status message that says “I’m on tilt!” - which for the longest time I credited to him as originating, until I saw it on a random east village bumper sticker.
The illusion gone, today while cleaning my new abode, I discovered I am *literally* on tilt!
My apartment is garden-level on the first floor of a brownstone, facing front - and I guess the design created a little bit of a forward angle! You don’t notice in most parts…but if you make the decision to perch upon the window seat and gaze out for a visitor you are awaiting - you realize you are on an angle - even when sober! It’s pretty trippy, but oddly cool.
Cleaning is going fabulously - and I definitely did enough to work up a sweat…except no sweating occurred! A day of carrying, and lifting, and scrubbing, and spraying - and I still smelled shower-fresh from top to pink-rimmed toe.
Did I mention I was wearing my Certain Dri?
Certain Dri has been a leading antiperspirant since before I was even born and is recommended by thousands of dermatologists. Their roll-on is formulated with 12 percent aluminum chloride - that’s the same active ingredient in prescription-strength antiperspirants, but in a gentler, non-alcohol formula, which is now available in a new solid application as well. Both Certain Dri Antiperspirant products are clinically tested and dermatologist-recommended as the most effective solution for occasional, excessive perspiration due to stress, heat, sports - or moving into your very first apartment!
For those concerned about the toes inside their strappy pink sandals, there’s also a new product out there that I’m thinking is a great idea - Certain Dri Feet Moisture Control Pads, which you can put on before bed, and will help control foot moisture. These are designed to be used with Certain Dri Feet Microsponge Powder as a daily supplemental product for added protection against moisture and odor.
Whether it’s exercise or a big move, we all want to avoid sweating (and smelling), and I want to pass on my good fortune. So, ten winners will win a set of Certain Dri Feet Microsponge Powder and Certain Dri Feet Moisture Control Pads for their feet, and 10 readers will also win a set of the underarm antiperspirant products (Certain Dri Anti-Perspirant Roll-On and Certain Dri AM Underarm Refresher).
To win, tell me some of the stuff that makes you work up a sweat…and some of the stickiest situations it’s put you in! Deadline June 15.
Posted in Apartment/Living, Health/Diet | 12 Comments »
