3 fun quizzes

Cher

I love online quizzes.  Here are three I enjoyed.

How well do you know regional dishes from all over the globe?

Can you name these cities by their Starbucks locations?

Are you a Seinfeld superfan?

Good luck smartypants.  Share your score in the comments below.

 

 

 

Style sale!

You guys!  Nordstrom is having a spectacular anniversary sale.  Beginning July 18, you can save big on some really great designer duds.  Mark your calendar immediately!  I hand-picked just a few of my favorite finds, check ’em out!

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Halogen // Rosette Detail Sweatshirt // SALE $44.90  Reg $68

Smashbox // Studio Pro Brush Set // SALE $89  Reg $225 value

Rebecca Minkoff // Avery Convertible Bag // SALE $116.90  Reg $175

Kendra Scott // Drop Earrings (select colors) // SALE $33.90  Reg $52

Moon and Lola // Personalized Pendant Bar Necklace // SALE $44.90  Reg $68

Bobbi Brown // Nude on Nude Color Set // SALE $68  Reg $90.50 value

Nike // Internationalist Sneaker (select colors) // SALE $56.90  Reg $85

Happy shopping!

 

Ice cream personality decoded

BaskinRobbins

Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs personality test? I’ve had to do it for work before.  It’s fun and usually so accurate it’s frightening.  Here’s an abridged version of the test, if you’d like to give it a shot.   Myers-Briggs aside, I have to share a much more important personality analysis…ice cream.  After a heated debate the other night with my better half over best-ever ice cream flavors, I figured somewhere out there someone surely must have decoded what your favorite flavor says about you.  Turns out, Baskin Robbins has the inside scoop!

Baskin-Robbins  teamed up with Dr. Alan Hirsh, founder of Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, to understand what the most popular ice cream flavors say about someone’s personality.

Here are the results:

Vanilla // You’re more likely to be impulsive, easily suggestible and an idealist.

Chocolate // You’re more likely to be dramatic, lively, charming, flirtatious, seductive and gullible.

Very Berry Strawberry // You’re more likely to be a tolerant, devoted and an introvert.

Mint Chocolate Chip // You’re more likely to be argumentative, frugal and cautious.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough // You’re more likely to be ambitious, competitive and a visionary.

Pralines ‘n Cream // You’re more likely to be loving, supportive and prefer to avoid the spotlight.

Jamoca // You’re more likely to be scrupulous, conscientious and a moral perfectionist.

Chocolate Chip // You’re more likely to be generous, competent and a go getter.

Rainbow Sherbet // You’re more likely to be analytic, decisive and pessimistic.

Rocky Road // You’re more likely to be aggressive, engaging and a good listener.

Personally, I’m a Pralines ‘n Cream kind of gal, but I’m much more of an extrovert than described above.  What’s your favorite flavor?  Does the description of your personality ring true?

Friday five

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1.  The results are in, the best way to reheat leftover pizza // Huffington Post

2.  Ina always advises adding espresso to chocolate when baking to enrich the flavor.  With this neat-o product, now its’ super easy // King Arthur Flour

3.  The Citra Sipper, launched at the 1933 Worlds Fair by the current owner’s grandfather.  Love this.  // KIOSK

4.  Where was this ultra-genius, super helpful service when I got married?  Dubbed, “snail mail made easy”, they help you gather mailing addresses with a free and private URL, allowing friends and family to fill out/update their address  – and will even help you address and send out your invitations, cards, etc.  Awesome. // Postable

5.  Make better homemade lemonade with this simple trick // The Kitchn

Have a great weekend!

 

Friday five

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1.  Two awesome new Ben & Jerry’s flavors inspired by SNL skits // Delish

2.  Repel unwanted dinner guests with these non-toxic, delightfully citrus sticks // Terrain

3.  Major travel envy: Machu Picchu named “world’s top landmark” // CNN Travel

4.  Super cute, majorly affordable jewels // SoCal Gems

5.  Alton’s scientific mango-peeling technique unveiled // Eater
Have a great weekend!

Lessons learned

I just watched Charlie Day (of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame) deliver the 2014 commencement address at his alma mater, Merrimack College.  Now we all know stars are nothing like the rest of us (thanks Us Weekly for helping me realize this), but I was inspired by some of his closing remarks.  He spoke about taking risks.  “You cannot let a fear of failure or a fear of comparison or a fear of judgment stop you from doing what’s going to make you great,” he said. “You cannot succeed without this risk of failure. You cannot have a voice without the risk of criticism and you cannot love without the risk of loss.”  So true.

Being that it’s been 10 years since I graduated from college, I find myself doing quite a bit of reflecting lately.  Reflecting on things I’ve achieved, lessons I’ve learned, and wondering what the future holds.  So in conclusion; I don’t know where I’m going, but I sure know where I’ve been…gee, that’s sounds awfully familiar.  🙂  Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way that I would tell my younger self.

People will try to discourage you. Don’t let them.

Worrying about what other people think of you is a waste of time and energy.

Don’t worry about feeling uncomfortable, it means you’re learning and growing.

The struggle is part of the story.

Shots are never a good idea.

Have more than you show and speak less than you know.

Invest in yourself.

Don’t look for roommates on Craigslist.

Save some of your money.

Don’t quit your dream.

Wear more sunscreen and more importantly, avoid the tanning bed.

Ask for more money, get paid what you’re worth.

Stay weird.
What did I miss?  What would you tell your younger self?

 

Fast eating

RossEatingFast

My name is Emily and I’m a fast eater.  Phew!  It feels good to come to terms with this.  My husband often jokes that I could give Kobayashi a run for his money some days.  Ugh.  It’s a problem I’ve been trying to overcome for years.  I just read an article in which a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating slower leads to lesser calorie consumption.  It went on to say that, “if you rush through each meal, you could end up eating more calories than you need to sustain energy, and over time, these larger portions could lead to weight gain.”  Turns out, in the movie Clueless, Cher was actually onto something when she told Dionne “you lose weight by doing it like this, cutting it really small.”

Here are 4 things I learned on how to slow down while eating:

1.  Stop multitasking while eating.  By focusing on your food and observing your portion size, you’ll force yourself to be more present while eating.

2.  Drink more.  By sipping your beverage in-between bites, you slow down your pace of eating.

3.  Savor the flavor.  Taking the time to experience your food makes it an experience you’ll want to savor and make last longer.

4.  Put down the fork.  The physical act of putting down and picking up your fork will slow your pace, according to a study published in Appetite. In fact, those who put their fork down in between each mouthful consumed 10 percent fewer calories than faster eaters.

Bon appétit!