Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 425
July 14, 2010
A Sweet Deal on Cupcakes
Even better, to celebrate the show's premiere...
Have You Ever Painted Your Home's Exterior?
I know what you're thinking--I'm an apartment dweller, what do I know about painting the outside of a house. But I will actually be traveling home next week, for a little working vacation to help my dad paint the house I grew up in, and where my parents still live. This will be the second time I've helped paint the house, but I'm guessing I'll be more useful this time since I'm an adult.
My dad is an amazingly handy guy, he knows how to make and fix all kinds of things (maybe that's where ...
July 13, 2010
So, Bookies, What's Your Favorite Cookbook?
Our friends down the hall on the print side want to know this from you:
When you are planning to make something special—or even just, say, Wednesday-night dinner—what is your go-to cookbook? Answer below, including the title, the author, your favorite recipe from the book, and when you tend to make it. As always, your answer may appear in an upcoming issue of Real Simple magazine. Thanks, everyone!
Are you reading this via an e-mail or RSS feed? If you wish to comment, please click here.
To Shoe or Not to Shoe, That is the Question
turned my head and saw about 5 people, men and women, jogging in either totally bare feet, or in feet shod in glove-like shoes called Vibram FiveFingers.
I wasn't entirely surprised to see them, to be honest; I've been reading a lot about the whol...
People create fun, stuff doesn't
My one-year-old son's favorite toys, in order of preference, are a plastic food storage container, a water pitcher, a colander, and a set of standard wooden blocks. He has toys that light up, toys that play music, and toys generous people spent hundreds of dollars buying -- and he wants nothing to do with any toy that prescribes how he should play with it. In fact, the toys my son doesn't play with take up a large amount of space in our home and he would rather have that room to run in...
July 12, 2010
Vote for August!
Hello, Bookies:
Yes, it's polling time. This month we have four very different novels—about romance and intrigue, magical realism and literary invention—though they may seem familiar: Members suggested a few of the books in previous postings. August's discussion will be led by Jennifer Mirsky, the former managing editor of this site and the soon-to-debut author of our pets blog. Our poll will be open through the end of Sunday, July 25, so be sure to vote for your favorite of these four books:
Do You Have a Summer Air Conditioning Strategy?
So far in the northeast it has been a hot summer--and we've still got a couple of months to go before cooler weather sets in and we can uninstall our window air conditioners. Having grown up with central air (and never being allowed to mess with the thermostat) I never gave much thought to how to most effectively use air conditioning--both to stay comfortable and not waste money or electricity.
The basic strategy my roommate and I have employed is to use the window units only when we are...
Summer Fashion Steals That Transition Into Fall: Today Show Segment
I had the pleasure of taping the Today Show this morning for Real Simple where I spoke with Hoda and Willie Geist-- from MSNBC (Kathie Lee was on vacation) about transitioning your favorite summer pieces into the Fall season. Here is the clip and a few links to the exact items (and a few inspirations) from the show!
So although we are almost half way through the summer, don't miss out on all the great summer sales at your favorite stores---you'll be able to incorporate most of it in your...
Does the Spanish National Anthem Have Any Words?
Yesterday we got Baby down for a nap at 2:15 EST, just in time for the start of the World Cup final, a.k.a. The Thing That Ruined July. I made popcorn, and Eldest, Hubby, and I all parked ourselves in front of the T.V. wearing our Dutch team jerseys. (Seriously. That's how ridiculous we are. I even wore mine to go grocery shopping in the morning.) I will not bore you with my thoughts on the game; suffice it to say I think the Spanish deserved the trophy and if the Netherlands had won with...
July 9, 2010
250 Miles of Giving
How many pairs of running shoes and sneakers have you thrown away? Too many to count would be my bet. Instead of pitching them, donate them. But to where you may ask? Read on.
A charity was recently brought to my attention through one of my favorite salons in the city, Cutler Salon, and it's called Shoe4Africa. This organization, among other philanthropic projects, donates used sneakers and running shoes to those in need in Kenya in an effort to help prevent hookworm. However, what I find...
