Sacramento Manic Monday: Downtown Plaza Hyundai Dealership

Have you seen it yet?? Sacramento's Downtown Plaza is the new host of the "first store of it's kind" in the U.S. - a car dealership in a general shopping mall. Yay to Sacramento and Hyundai for being so innovative! What do you think?

Black Friday: Just Say NO!!

I know to some of you this may sound absurd, but I braved my first Black Friday holiday shopping trip this Thanksgiving weekend. It was nuts! It was COLD...no - FREEZING!! There were LINES! There were deals and there were some sales. Was it worth it? NO WAY! I seriously don't know how people do this! Any deals there were, were NOT worth me having to stand in the freezing cold to wait to get in the stores. I was annoyed that standing in line for so long to get in to a single store prevented me from being able to go to several other ones I would have liked to go to as well. I was also annoyed that the lines to get to the cash registers to pay for the things I wanted to buy started at the back of the stores and wrapped all around the racks and shelves of items where mobs of people were trying to shop. And, I was annoyed that not only was I a walking zombie while shopping, but that a single essentially worthless shopping trip has completely thrown my whole sleeping pattern off track...and if you happen to know me, you know that's no bueno for someone who already has issues falling asleep at night. Bottom line: I will NEVER do Black Friday shopping again. I think there's something to be said for:
a) doing a little shopping a few days a week in the weeks leading up to Christmas about an hour or two before the stores close when there's a lot less people out and about
b) ONLINE SHOPPING...with a cup of hot chocolate, sitting in your pajamas, while parking it in front of your laptop on the couch with your favorite Christmas music or movie playing in the calm background
Now that, people, is my idea of shopping!!

Holiday Inspiration: Kelly Osbourne

Worried about putting on pounds during the holidays? Well, maybe Kelly Osbourne can be inspiration/motivation for you this holiday season. She's looking fabulous lately and has even graced the cover of Shape Magazine. So, before you reach for that extra slice of pie or decide to brush off your daily exercise routine, think about Kelly and how discipline and hard work can pay off...even through the holidays!

Kelly And Ava Hangin' Out With A Closet Confession

How cute is this? She's so sweet with her daughter, who, by the way, is adorable!

Kelly Cutrone Cute Closet Confession

Kudos To Kelly!

I LOVE her! She inspires me and is one of those women who makes me proud to be a female. I think she has some really great things to say. She puts so many things into perfect perspective for the group of women in the "age gap" which I, myself, happen to be part of. Before her, there was really no one to speak to the group of young women aged 18-35. There was no one who could give us great advice for how to live our lives to our fullest potential and how to find what makes us happy. Kelly understands that you can be a strong, independent, business savvy woman and still be nice to other women, while at the same time showing them how to grow stronger and become independent themselves, even if that means having to be brutally honest. I absolutely agree with her that we've been programmed to believe a lot of what we think is ideal for a woman to be today. I think it's time that we start questioning that and asking ourselves if we're really happy with our lives or are we really just living a life that has been defined by someone else's standards. I also think it's time that we embrace the fact that we're female. Instead of knocking each other down, we need to learn to be kind to one another and confident in our interactions and relationships with other women. But, at the same time, we need to hold each other accountable for our actions. It's not ok to be a ditsy girl, to get away with the dumb blonde act, or to just try to find a rich man to take care of you. It's time women started educating themselves and figuring out that hard work, diligence, and a brain are attractive. It's time that we stopped letting ourselves pretend that it's ok to brush our femininity and our strength under the rug. It's in there. It's a part of us. We need to bring it forth, and we need to be proud of it! Kudos to Kelly Cutrone for speaking her mind! And, thank you, Kelly, for helping women out there to start thinking about who they are and also for sharing with us the things that some of our mothers never would have talked to us about.

Sacramento Manic Monday: Run To Feed The Hungry 2010

This is a really great benefit that Sacramento hosts in order to help those in need. 100% of all proceeds go to the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. Will you be running this Thanksgiving?

Jaime Pressly Interview: Teaching Boys To Respect Women

* This takes just a minute to load, but it will! :)

I LOVE what Sharon Osbourne and Jaime Pressly have to say about raising boys who will eventually grow up to be men. I absolutely agree with Sharon Osbourne's idea that it's fine to love your sons and be close with them like a mama bear, but at the same time...ladies out there who have boys....you've GOT to teach them that it's ok to be a mama's boy, BUT that they must also have respect for other women and treat them with the utmost respect that they'd give their own mothers. I also like how Jaime Pressly describes the way that she's teaching her son to have manners and respect for girls. What I don't agree with, however, is Jaime saying that she believes part of the reason grown men who are close with their mothers don't treat their girlfriend's or wives with respect is because they have seen a strong woman and just automatically think that all women are like that. I think that's a little bit of b.s. What I do believe, however, is that certain mothers out there relish the idea that they're the most important woman in their sons' lives and that they don't mind at all how poorly their sons treat other women....even if they don't want to admit that or if they're not really aware of it. So, the moral of the story is that it's fine to be close with your sons and have a special bond with them, but for the sake of all the women out there and in order to stop men from abusing women (because abuse comes in many forms), mom's, PLEASE teach your sons to not only have respect for you, but to respect ALL women and to treat us all like ladies!

A Royal Engagement

I love these two together! They seem like they're truly in love and very happy. And won't they make cute babies?!?

Royal Beauty: Kate Middleton

How stinkin' cute is she?!? The girl has great style...much like that of her future hubby's dear mum, Princess Diana. I was such a fan of Lady Di and her style and I am quickly becoming a fan of Miss Middleton and her impeccable taste in fashion as well. I'm so excited about her engagement and can't wait to watch her hopefully televised wedding ceremony to Prince William. Congratulations, Kate!

Betsey Johnson LOVE

I just love Betsey Johnson merchandise! I found this cute display in Macy's at the Downtown Plaza (Sacramento) last week. I thought it was just too cute...as are most Betsey Johnson items and displays. Of all the things in her line, I LOVE her accessories. They're so fun and so girlie. They make me feel young, and in my opinion, that's a great marketing strategy and way to get me to buy things! What do you think?

Sacramento Manic Monday: Orphan Breakfast House

So I've decided to do something new on my blog. Every Monday I'll be featuring something special from the city that I love....Sacramento! Last Monday I posted pictures of street fashions worn by local Sacramento ladies. I'm going to be calling this my Sacramento Manic Monday post. It's going to feature anything from fashion to food to events, etc. The point is that I will be highlighting people, places, and things in the Sacramento area to inform people of what great things my city has to offer. I hope you will enjoy reading!

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So, for today's Sacramento Manic Monday post, I'm bring to you Orphan Breakfast House. This place is the bomb! My husband and I went there yesterday morning thanks to a recommendation from Ms. Paetz, and we loved it! The food was great and very filling. Super yummy, yet you leave not feeling like you want to pop! I'm definitely looking forward to going back again. Check this out to read more about Orphan Breakfast House located at 3440 C Street, Sacramento, CA.

Mop On Top

As someone who IS NOT a morning person and therefore someone who hates having to take a lot of time to do my hair during the week for work, I'm LOVING these hairstyles right now. These are all pretty effortless. Also, even if some of your hair is messy or falls out of your bun or mop on top, it will still look cute. I love it! I'm always looking for things that will save me time in the morning yet still look fashionable. I think I'm going to be sportin' some of these hairstyles this week!