10 Helpful Holiday Links

Here some helpful holiday links I saved to Instapaper and thought I would pass along!

 17 Reasons to Stick to Your Workout Prevention Magazine)

31 days of Happy, Healthy Holidays  (Prevention Magazine)

What To Wear on Black Friday (Coco+Kelly)

30% Off Everything at Land’s End (now through Monday)

20% off your Entire Purchase at Cole Haan (now through Sunday)

The Perfect Thanksgiving Outfit (Made by Girl)

The Secret To being a Successful Host (Apartment Therapy)

Post Thanksgiving Detox Plan (Eating Well Magazine)

7 Must Have Black Friday Apps (CNN Money)

12 Festive Holiday Flats that Look Chic – and Won’t Kill Your Feet (Refinery 29)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy,

Natasha

Photo credits: gold shoes, B&W Outfit mood board, Holiday party scene, Black Friday Apps

Head Over Curved Heels

I  noticed a new trend in heels, inward curve.  I especially love this look on booties.

I would love to celebrate the holidays in the Man Repeller booties.  They are business in the front and a party in the back!  Which pair would you wear to a holiday party?

Links to Buy

Natasha

Crazy Cold

When I catch a cold, it really only affects me at night.  During the daytime, I’m fine! I can go for a run, workout, etc…. I’m good. No coughing, sneezing, nothing, maybe a little congestion.   At night it’s a completely different story.  Hacking cough, sneezing, watery eyes – the whole. 9. yards.  The worse part is poor Dr. B.  My coughing keeps him up all night.  So, he has to start his week off sleepy and tired at work 😦

Before I went to bed last night, I drank the bottle of Nyquil.  Then three hours later I was back up hacking.  So, I drank more Nyquil, took some Delsym, Alka-Seltzer cold, and sucked on a cough drop.  That combo of drugs allowed me a few more hours of sleep.  Needless to say I’m very, very drowsy right now. Last year, the doctor gave me steroids to stop the coughing.  I thought that was a little extreme.  I’m out of ideas…Anybody have any suggestions?

Natasha

Don’t You Hate it When…

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Someone calls you defensive, and they don’t know you?  I got into a discussion someone called me defensive.  I took offense 🙂 My first thought was, “there is a lot of things I could to call you, but I won’t.” Fortunately I didn’t say it out loud.  Over the years, I have gotten better at keeping my thoughts to myself.  But, I recognize I’m a very opinionated person and some people take that part of my personality the wrong way.  One thing I don’t do is psychoanalyze people.  I didn’t go to school for that, nor did I stay at the Holiday Inn.  🙂  Me, being the introspective person I am, when I got home I Googled defensive personality.   I came across a comment on a forum that helped me to understand what was possibly going through that person’s mind when they called me defensive:

What has helped me in the past is to remind myself that most of what people do or say to me in a day has little to do with my words or actions, and a lot to do with their own internal struggles and dialogue. How does that quote go, “Every person you meet is fighting a great battle?” Give someone the benefit of a doubt in their intent, and realize that in most situations it’s not you that’s under the microscope, it’s the situation and how THEY will fit into it. Someone asks about a project that you both are working on? They’re probably wanting to know how things will affect THEM down the line, not analyze your past or current performance.

When their intent isn’t clear and you think your words or actions are under scrutiny, ask questions until you know which words or actions they are specifically concerned about. By breaking it down to specifics you can eliminate most of the general worry that causes defensiveness and see that whatever problem there is just one small thing. Easier to manage that way.

I realize that to an extent we all can be defensive at times.  That’s how humans survived on Earth all these years.  But, to think you know someone well enough to analyze their personality on the spot… in my book that’s not acceptable.  Have you ever been in a discussion and someone tried to dissect your personality?  How did you handle it?

Natasha

I Will Be Channeling

Diana Ross!!!!!

After winning this on Ebay  yesterday!

Yes, yes, yes.  I know I live in Florida. But I’ve been lusting for a mink coat ever since when we went skiing in salt Lake City in February.

Dr. B just looked at me and said, “I hope you like it.” LOL!

Natasha

Eye Contact is the Morse Code of Love

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I’m a people watcher.  I love going into restaurants and watching couples interact. It’s often a telltale sign of the type of relationship they have.  For instance couples that hardly speak a word to each other during the entire time that they are eating, I often wonder how long they’ve been married.  Or when I see a couple that when seated at a booth, choose to sit next to each other rather than across from each other, I wonder if they just started dating.  One of Dr. B’s favorite sayings is, “that’s an outward sign of an inward condition.”  Which I truly believe holds true for married couples.  Have you ever been at a party or social gathering and know that a couple came together, but they limited interaction doing the entire event?  Do you pick up on those types of signs?  I often wonder if as time goes by, do most couples lose the fire, or do the sparks begin to fade?  Maybe they just aren’t in love with each other anymore…

A study that was published in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 1970 titled: Measurement of Romantic Love determined that the way to tell if a couple is in love is to watch their eye contact.  It was stated that:

Normally two people in conversation give each other eye contact anywhere from 30-60% of the time, but couples who are in love look at each other 75% of the time during conversation and are slower to break their look away from each other when interrupted.

Speaking from past experience, it makes perfect sense. If you don’t like someone, much less love them, you surely don’t want to be around that person and you’re not going to staring into their eyes.  Things like eye contact, holding hands, packs on the cheek, pats on the butt… those little things hold a lot of meaning in a relationship.  Each couple has their own little’ intimates’, which is what I call those physical interactions that keep you feeling connected to your loved one.  Your own Morse code of sorts.

What signs or ‘intimates’ have you witnessed in a short-lived or lasting relationship?  Do you and your loved one have a Morse code?

Natasha