Modern Girl Style

The Hidden Media Shift in the Death of Michael Jackson

As the world is awash in all the memorial and tributes to Michael Jackson (tune into CNN if you have no idea what I'm talking about-it's like a constant MJ music video), I can't help but also be fascinated by the small shift in how I found out the news and I believe my experience reflects how much of the rest of the world is finding out news.

I found out via a text message. The days of walking past a newspaper stand or tuning into the 6:00 news may have also died with Michael Jackson. In fact the first reports that MJ was dead came from TMZ, followed by Perez Hilton, and that was followed by wild Twitter reports and Facebook profile updates. It took time for the news to actually hit CNN that he had passed away. So, the world of communication is shifting. I mean look at the Iranian elections. It is due to iReports, cell phones, SMS, digital cameras and camcoders that anything is being captured for posterity. Of course, who really takes the reports of TMZ seriously enough to believe it? I still waited for CNN to confirm the reports, but even that can still be questionable. I mean I had watched the Iranian news coverage on CNN and they were using information as posted on Twitter! Wow! That's a huge shift in the world of journalism. What would Thomas Jefferson have to say about this? Well, he's dead too. But, I had to just point out that the world is headed into a new direction. Media is being redirected by bloggers, pundits, interest groups, and any person with a cell phone. What's your thought on all of this? Of course, my many blessing and thoughts go to Michael Jackson, who's moon walk inspired many of my childhood afternoons.

How to Cool Down on a Hot Summer Day

Well...I started to download the 4G of new photos from my vacation to my laptop and I got a flashing box, about half way through the download, that stated I had used up all of my laptop memory. Yikes!! I canceled the down and spent half the day sending files to an external hard drive. Boring. So no new pictures of my trip to share. But, I did stumble into this wonderful little animation by Evan Patrick called Perry Parka Polar Pig, which is perfect for a too hot and humid summer day. 

The Creative Genius next to Elizabeth Gilbert

If you haven't already read Eat, Pray, Love, then give it time, because you will read it. Hollywood is making it into a movie, if that doesn't get you motivated, or you can watch this brilliant talk that Gilbert gave at the TED convention in Long Beach. Now, I have no idea what the Ted convention is, I just know something brilliant when I hear it, and Gilbert gets funny, wise, and brilliant in this short lecture.

Elizabeth Gilbert

Thanks to Karma Tube for opening my eyes up to this one! Everyone should sign up for Karma Tube because it's just inspired!

Art Books to Inspire & Love: Lulu

After a few drinks with my hubby at local Toronto pub, Brazen Head, we headed into the new West Elm Toronto. Where I discovered many things to love & covet, and things that just inspire.

There were beautiful eco-friendly products, which include linens, fabrics, soy wax candles & more. What really got under my skin, was an art book called Lulu. At the moment, I've been inspired by collage work and Lulu is an art book filled with it. Who is Lulu? What is Lulu? I had all of those questions & got informed.

Meet Lulu deKwiatkowski

Lulu is the sort of women that every Elle, Vogue, and Harper's Baazar magazine is modeled after. She comes from an uber-rich family, where her father would pick the kids up in a helicopter in th Hampton's and Mom wore Pucci. She studied at Parsons School of Design, lived in Paris for 5 years studying painting, and then traveled the world, to places like Morocco, India, Europe, and Peru. 

After all of that, it was a trip to is a visit to a small artisan fabric shop that changed the course of her life. She got hip to starting her own fabric & textile company, and well Lulu DK was launched.

The Art Book that Inspires: Lulu

Lulu is many things, it's art, design, inspiration, travel, and autobiography. It's something that just jumped off the shelf at me while I was standing in West Elm, and totally captured my spirit. Here are a few inspired images to get your own wheels of creativity turning.

Three Little Questions that Might Change your Life...

Question #1: The real question is do you know what inspires you?

Question #2: What motives you to want to do something?

Question #3: Are you following your dreams and taking action to make them real?

Those three little questions can seriously change  your life! When I read about a woman like Lulu, it seems like she really had to work to find her true passion. Maybe that can remind us all, no matter if our dad owns a helicopter or not, that passion demands work & faith!

Now...as you might have noticed from my last post, I'm organizing my studio & I happen to have tons of books. I know I must have space for one more art book named Lulu!

The Lost Recipe for Happiness: A Novel by Barbara O'Neal

Last December, my wonderful friends at Fresh Fiction sent me an advance copy of The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal. If I didn't just fall in love with the cover of this book (love the Labrador & woman with whisk in hand), then I fell immediately in love with the writing. The first sentence of the novel reads:

"Along Elena's smooth white back is an ancient scar that cuts downward in grotesque beauty like a long, graceful snake."

Like a snake charmer, O'Neal conjures up a novel with beautifully crafted characters who are filled emotional depth and a plot that keeps the pages turning till the wee hours of the night.

Book Synopsis
In this sumptuous new novel, Barbara O’Neal offers readers a celebration of food, family, and love as a woman searches for the elusive ingredient we’re all hoping to find….

It’s the opportunity Elena Alvarez has been waiting for–the challenge of running her own kitchen in a world-class restaurant. Haunted by an accident of which she was the lone survivor, Elena knows better than anyone how to survive the odds. With her faithful dog, Alvin, and her grandmother’s recipes, Elena arrives in Colorado to find a restaurant in as desperate need of a fresh start as she is–and a man whose passionate approach to food and life rivals her own. Owner Julian Liswood is a name many people know but a man few do. He’s come to Aspen with a troubled teenage daughter and a dream of the kind of stability and love only a family can provide. But for Elena, old ghosts don’t die quietly, yet a chance to find happiness at last is worth the risk.

Author Biography

Barbara O’Neal fell in love with restaurants and the secret language of spoons when she was sixteen.She spent more than a decade in various restaurants, dives to cafes to high cuisine, before selling her first novel. O’Neal teaches workshops nationally and internationally, and lives with her partner, an English endurance athlete, in Colorado Springs.

Modern Girl Style asked Barbara O'Neal about her lectures and workshops. She replied with this:

"I give a lot of workshops and lectures.  I've been around the world teaching writing--voice and layering a deep book are two subjects that are popular, but I also lecture on creating an artful life--because it seems difficult for women to figure out how to take care of themselves and everybody else!"


The Interview

After I found myself making Mayan Hot Chocolate (The Lost Recipe for Happiness, pg. 70) and inspired to whip up Pomegranate Baklava, I knew I had to interview O'Neal. Lucky for us, she agreed! So, sink your teeth into this: Barbara O'Neal on The Lost Recipe for Happiness!

1. What motivated you to write The Lost Recipe for Happiness? Was there a specific event that made you realize you had a story to tell?
 
Three things came together for Lost Recipe.  I'm always fascinated by people who have survived terrible things, and interested in what qualities or pursuits make it possible for one person to get through it and another get stuck in that awful moment and never really live at all any more.
 
I'm also deeply intrigued by descansos, those crosses that are erected at the site of an accident on the road. 



Driving to Chimayo once, I saw a very elaborate descanso to a couple and it stuck with me.  Who were they? What happened? Who put those fresh flowers on that fence post?

 
And then, there was a terrible car accident in the neighborhood I lived.  Five young people in the car, only one survived.  It was on my walking route and my son knew some of the people involved, and a huge descanso bloomed at the foot of the tree, and I couldn't get it out of my head.  I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it, about the accident itself, the violence of which bothered me deeply, but even more I thought about the girl who walked away.  How do get through something like that?  How do you have a normal life afterwards?
 
So I started doing some research and became fascinated with the legacy people who survive such accidents carry with them. 

It also made me feel guilty to want to explore it, thus the thread with Julian arguing with himself about that very thing.  I worried that it was ghoulish of me to want to understand this--and yet, how lonely would it be to never be able to share your story, no matter what it is.  In the end Julian and I both decided that art and beauty can sometimes emerge from tragedy, even if it never entirely makes sense.
 
2. How long did it take you to write your novel and what was a typical writing day like? Since it is a fabulous foodie novel, did you have any addictions to certain foods or drinks while writing your book?
 
Lost Recipe took me about a year to write, but it was rolling around in my head for about a year before that.   And I've always cooked a lot when I'm writing--there is something so immediate about cooking, having a finished product at the end of a day, while writing a novel takes so long--but I cooked like a madwoman with Lost Recipe.  The best discovery was duck tamales.  My partner is English and he loves those game meats, but I'd never really worked with them before, and he became my slave for those tamales!  They take an entire day, so I save them for times when I'm very, very stuck. 
 



Oh, my writing day.  Because I am not by nature a very disciplined person, I find I have to make routines to get my work done or I can waste endless weeks doing nothing up uploading photos to Flickr and looking up new recipes in Saveur.  So I have a strict routine: after breakfast, I do 20 minutes of timed writing on essays or blogs or journals, then take my dogs for a walk (by the end of the 20 minutes, they are breathing heavily on my side, hhhhhhh hhhhhh  hhhhhh).  We walk for a half hour, and I come back, make a cup of tea and write my pages for the day BEFORE I am allowed to turn on the Internet computer.  Sometimes that happens by 11.  Sometimes, it's five pm.

3. I'll admit I was surprised and nervous when the main character,  Elena Alvarez, began to be visited by ghosts. However, I found that the presence of her past, as sometimes represented by memories, dreams, and ghosts, added just another amazing layer to the depth of the novel. So, at any point, where you nervous about introducing metaphysical elements into the story and, naturally, I have to ask, have you ever seen any ghosts or spirits? If not, do you believe in them?
 
When I began, I had no idea the ghosts were going to be so present.  At first, it was only Isabel, and I thought she was mainly a metaphor.  As the book progressed, I started to understand that they were both: metaphors for all the things we all carry around with us, the very real things in our pasts that shape us irrevocably, and actual ghosts. They stayed with her because she couldn't bear to be without them, and I don't think she would have survived without them. 
 
I was very nervous about it. There have often been touches of magic realism in my work, but the ghosts were way beyond that, and I had no idea how my agent would react.  In fact, I first left it up to the reader to decide if the ghosts were real or only her way of coping, but everyone loved them so much that I pulled out the stops--and I'm glad.   Isabel ended up being one of my favorite parts of the book. 



Have I ever seen a ghost? Not exactly.  Have I felt them? Yes.  I think we all have.
 
4. What are some of your favorite books and what writers have influenced you?
 
So many!  I'm a passionate and compulsive reader and I read just about everything. I have been heavily influenced by Ray Bradbury, who influenced me as a very young writer to think outside the box,  Alice Hoffman, who does such beautiful things with passion and yearning, Isabel Allende, who tackles the things that haunt us. Elizabeth Berg, Connie Willis, and Anya Seton, the historical novelist.   Some of my favorite novels are Doomsday Book, Willis (and her Lincoln's Dreams); Like Water For Chocolate, Esquivel;  Dandelion Wine, Bradbury; White Horses, Hoffman; Green Darkness, Seton, a thousand others.  I recently loved Geradine Brooks A Year of Sorrows.
 


Honestly, I read a lot about food, too.  Memoirs and stories of cooks earning their chops. All of Julia Child and the Julie/Julia book.



{MGS: Julie & Julia was recently turned into a movie with Amy Adams, as Julie Powell,and Meryl Streep, as Julia Child. Here are a few film stills to hold your appetite}





Anthony Bourdain




Saveur, Gourmet, and Food and Wine Magazines. Memoirs about the lives of chefs are absorbing.





5.  Can you drop readers any hint about what you're working on at the moment? We swear we won't tell!
 
It's another foodie book, tentatively titled 100 breakfasts.  Can't let too much out of the bag, but it is set in a town that has developed a reputation for food culture on many levels.  Really having a blast with it.  I hope you all will, too.



BONUS QUESTION:
I'm of the opinion that The Lost Recipe for Happiness is movie material! If you could cast Elena Alvarez, the main character of The Lost Recipe for Happiness, who would you cast and why?
 
Maria Bello.  She's unusual looking and both soft and tough.

 

{MGS: Maria Bello was in such movies as The Jane Austen Book Club & The Mummy}

One more thing...

As I researched a bit more about Barbara O'Neal, I found this wonderful Behind the Book article at Random House. It's too amazing to not share! I've included her first 5 favorite foods. Get the full list here.

Top Ten Favorite Foods
by Barbara O'Neal

1. Root beer floats with my grandmother at the A&W Root Beer. The long spoons, the milky suds, the sugary brown crystals on top of the ice cream, and my grandmother across the table, telling a story.

2. Roast rabbit, in a very small southern Italian village. I was not about to eat something so cute and fluffy, something you could cuddle, but the woman serving us insisted that I would mourn forever if I didn’t try it. It arrived with chicory and mashed fava beans and red wine. The chicory was too bitter for my tastes, but the rabbit tasted like summer, like a sunny grassy field. Rich and deep, broad and salty, a flavor that fills your whole mouth.

3. Goat cheese, fresh tomatoes, and cucumbers stuffed into a baguette; lunch on a hiking tour in the French alps. The air smelled of the wild thyme we had crushed beneath our boots.

4. Pork and avocado burritos at Los Tres, a family business tucked into a corner of the food court of the Pueblo, Colorado mall, everything served on paper plates with plastic spoons by the wife and the cousins and the sisters and brothers while a television plays talk shows in the corner. Local green chiles and slippery, mushy chunks of avocado mixed with slow roasted pork, and long-simmered, very spicy chile. It also smells heavenly.

5. Homemade sausage gravy served over his secret recipe buttermilk biscuits, as made by my children’s father every Sunday through their young years.

Thanks, Barbara! Modern Girl Style recommends that you add this book to your collection of foodie-inspired books to read!

A Few of My Favorite Things

5th Avenue Window Displays

Bill Cunningham of the New York Times knows a good thing when he sees it.

Fortunately for us, he also photographs and narrates all good things into virtual tours. His most recent adventure has been the 5th Avenue Window Displays, which despite our lack luster economy, is bursting with life, creativity, and hope. You must click this link and watch the entire tour! It is truly fantastic!

I Love Good Books!!

The Shack by William P. Young


Nothing beats a good book during the winter season. I nabbed a copy of The Shack from my mother because I had heard that The Shack had been written as a x-mas present. Wow! How many people do that for their loved ones? As it turns out, this book is a gift to everyone. What I was surprised was that the story is about a family who has a young daughter kidnapped by a serial killer. Not what I was expecting at all! It was a fantastic read. Not that I'm embarassed to admit, but this book has a huge impact on me. I really felt changed after reading it!

The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal

I review books at Fresh Fiction-a must visit website for fantastic reviews and up-to-date info on all books publishing. I got a set of books this week, which included this title that publishes January 6, 2008. Okay, I'm only about 100 pages, but I'm totally LOVING this book! The character, Elena Alvarez, a chef who finally lands her first kitchen in Aspen, is completely intriguing, as well as the other players in the story. The writing is awesome! It really comes down to that. The writing about food is so wonderful that I found myself making Mayan Hot Chocolate and taking long hot baths so I could completely lost in the story.  For any woman that likes chick-lit or foodie novels like Under the Tuscan Sun, The Lost Recipe for Happiness is fantastic! Get it!

Nothing is Better Than A Good Movie!

If you're going to see one movie, make it The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I wept my eyes out, which is good for the soul every now and again. The critics gave this movie a B+ at Yahoo! Movies and I do agree only because it was a bit tedious and long. Overall, I thought this was an awesome holiday movie!

What are some of your favorite things? Post links in the comment section to share!

A Year in High Heels: The Girl's Guide to Everything from Jane Austen to the A-List

If you're anything like me, I've already started holiday shopping (on a crash budget) & I'm thinking hard about New's Year resolutions! Yikes, right? Nope! Those worries have melted away with the ultra-chic and inspiring book, A Year in High Heels by Camilla Morton. It serves not only as the perfect gift, but as totally fantastic tool to help revitalize your spirit month by month. Who would deny wanting the sexy appeal of Gisele with the brains of Audrey Hepburn? This book is the guide to the best of all worlds. 

Morton's book gives every woman the "music and rhythm" to "find their way into the secret places of the soul." And just like that quote I just ripped from Morton's sizzling hot book, she's isn't a girl that glosses over the surface of things. She gets deep into the soul and substance of living an inspired life. What she does in her book is provide wisdom, wit, historical info, and includes contributors like Giorgio Armani, Gisele, Bella Freud, Diane Von Furstenberg, Heidi Klum, & more! 

Some girls just all the luck, like Camilla Morton posing with Manolo Blahnik! 

With the state of America economics, nothing beats the gift of a book! For under twenty bucks, you are giving the rosetta stone of style! Okay, I'm in love with this book, I must stop ranting, but I can't! I'm inspired by this book and I think I'll go ahead and start my New Year's resolutions in November. Why put off being fabulous?

Leisureville

I have to point this out first: Leisureville is one of the best non-fiction books of 2008! I suppose it's because I love the sort of book that investigates history, culture, urban planning, sociology, political and philosophical concepts, and travel writing from Florida. Okay, I know.  What the heck is this book about?

LEISUREVILLE
Adventures in America’s Retirement Utopias

From the author of Pigeons comes a first-hand look at America’s senior utopias, gated retirement communities were no kids are allowed.

(Who wants to live the postcard dream & at what price? Image: AOL Stock Photo)

Blechman delves into life in the senior utopia, offering a hilarious first-hand report on all its peculiarities, from ersatz nostalgia and golf-cart mania to manufactured history and the residents’ surprisingly active sex life. He introduces us to dozens of outrageous characters including the Villages press-wary developer who wields remarkable control over the community, and an aging ladies man named Mr. Midnight, with whom Blechman repeatedly samples the nightlife.

(Photo: The Villages, Florida. Notice active seniors, golf carts & sales sign.)

But Leisureville is more than just a romp through retirement paradise: Blechman traces the history of the trend, and travels to Arizona to show what has happened to the pioneering utopias after decades of segregation. He investigates the government of these “instant” cities, attends a builder’s conference, speaks with housing experts, and examines the implications of millions of Americans dropping out of society to live under legal segregation. This is an important book on an underreported phenomenon that is only going to get bigger, as baby boomers reach retirement age. A fascinating blend of serious history, social criticism, and hilarious, engaging reportage.

THE BOOK REVIEW

From the first page, Blechman pulls readers into the story via his hilarious investigative reporting style. Not only can he pen his adventure into The Villages retirement community with extreme wit, but he knows that the hard facts of history that might leave you apprehensive about the future of our society. Some of the more seriously somber information that he researched include some of the crazy statistics about current life expectancy, social security, and the reality of America's aging elders. The information is sobering. Really this is a story that isn't required reading for the 55 and over. This should be required reading for any family member that has decisions to make about the welfare of their eldest and their communities.

(Oh the joys of green living in private communities! Photo: The Villages)

Blechman slips under the glossy seductive appeal of retirement utopias and investigates the real impact of age-discriminating communities. He hits on several questions like: What might the future look like without the wisdom of elders in age-mixed communities? What are the financial implications of age-discriminating communities? Who regulates the committee boards of these gigantic communities? What is the spiritual price that has to be met in order to live in utopia?                  

(The strange emptiness of utopia. Photo: The Villages)

Perhaps this is the next big trend of the Baby Boomers? They want utopia, resort amenities, golf, and a place where they can be certain that their kids can never move back into. If you think Blechman hasn't got the pulse on a major trend, then let Hollywood convince you. There is the new NBC show, Kath & Kim, about a thirty-something daughter moving back home.

Don't forget Will Ferrel in his upcoming movie, Step-Brothers. That's about two-step brothers, middle aged, living at home & fighting over their parents home.

And who could ever forget Cameron Diaz crashing her grandmother's retirement community and stirring up the crowd!

Okay, did I mention Leisureville is one awesome read? Want more check out Blechman's blog that at last post was all about sizzling elderly sex! I knew that would get you!

Jack With A Twist rocks like a wild wedding reception!

Brooke Miller, the overly imaginative and hilarious character from SCOT ON THE ROCKS, is back and things have gotten a little hectic for her.  She's dealing with the stress of planning the wedding of a lifetime with her close-to-perfect fiancé, Jack.  That includes dealing with family and future in-laws (more wine, please!), finding the perfect wedding dress (oh boy!), and maintaining all the duties required of life (laundry, dishes, and grocery shopping, yuk!). But her work life, as a new attorney at Smith, Goldberg, and Reede, presents her with an amazing opportunity to take on the biggest case of her life. The only trouble occurs when Brooke realizes that the opposing attorney is none other than Jack, her own fiancé! Things get out of control until Brooke has to start to question what's more important, her career or her personal life.

Who didn't love Brenda Janowitz's brilliant debut novel, SCOT ON THE ROCKS? Of course, the tricky question that every author has to face is: What next? Her second novel, JACK WITH A TWIST, is nothing less than stellar. It's a great read straight from the start and you don't need to read the first book to get into it. The dilemmas and situations that these characters get into are laugh-out-loud funny. I also love the classic Hollywood style that appears in certain situations (think like Katherine and Audrey Hepburn-hip).

As I was a recent bride, the humor in JACK WITH A TWIST helped me to find the humor in my nightmare in-laws and my less than perfect wedding. In fact, I just gave this book as a gift to a good friend of mine that just got married last week. Every bride needs to be reminded that weddings are crazy! I gave this book four stars because I reserve five stars for books like Sense & Sensibility, Room with a View, etc...You get the point! What else can I say? Get this book, read it, and love it!

Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano

What Modern Girl can refuse a book written on being Gorgeous & Green? Zilch! Julia Roberts wrote the forward for this simply amazing book and she put it point blank:

"I love to shop, I love to cook, I love to feel that I have done one thing a day to educate myself and my child in making the world a better, stronger place to live in." -Julia Roberts

Going Green is that simple; Daily actions that individuals take in order to help our environment. Gorgeously  Green, written by eco-guru Sophie Uliano, approaches the Green lifestyle with style & sex appeal.  Going Green, doesn't mean that you have to compromise your life! Sophie packs 300 pages of the finest, sexiest, and most beneficial eco-information into her book. She's gone beyond the typical sort of Green information to also include a guide to keeping the body fit without having to go to the gym! She also has loads of tips on how to buy organic, non-sweat shop, clothes to Green beauty products.

This is not only a perfect book for women starting out, but it's loaded with tons of fresh information for women that have been Green since the very first Earth Day!

THE INTERVIEW

Sophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don't want to compromise their glamour or style. She lives in Hollywood, California, with her husband and daughter. Modern Girl Style managed to chit-chat with the eco-guru herself!

 1.    As a wife, mother, and author, what got you inspired to go Green? Was it an easy transition for you?

When I had a baby, it occurred to me that it’s our birthright to have clean air, food and water and yet we don’t! It’s insane that we have messed things up to the extent that we need water filters, air filters or we may get sick; and magnifying glasses to check the ingredients in our foods aren’t too toxic! I felt compelled to try to do something about it. Being a mom is a great catalyst for change: we all want there to be a habitable planet for our children’s children. I started with small steps: buying organic milk and air-drying my laundry. These simple changes empowered me and made me realize that I had a choice. The transition to green living was easy because I only did what worked for my budget, my family and my lifestyle. I took it one day at a time.

 2.    Your book covers everything to make women Gorgeously Green. What are your three favorite tips for someone just starting out?

For someone starting out, I would encourage baby steps. Don’t get put off by thinking that you’re going to have to give up all your creature comforts.

Tip One: Buy some reusable totes.

Watch Sophie Work it!

I like the ones that fold into a tiny pouch and live in my purse – that way I never forget them (You get a fabulous free one with every purchase of my book!).

Tip Two: Buy a reusable water bottle.

Sophie Uliano video on making the Green switch to metal water bottles:

Aluminum is the best choice and use filtered water – if you don’t have a water filter system, you can buy an inexpensive Brita Water filter jug from Target.

Tip Three: Buy non-toxic nail polish

Buy from www.nomiss.com and take with you when you next go to the nail salon. Sophie is awesome at finding eco-makeup:

 3.    How can we develop eco-friendly core values & still look sexy, beautiful, and hot?

Easy – that’s what I’m all about! Luckily green is hot and I think it’s here to stay. There are hundreds of awesome eco-friendly fashion designers coming onto the scene – even shoes, and purses (check out www.greenloop.com or www.gorgeouslygreen.com. Know that by switching to non-toxic skincare products, you are going to maintain a more youthful and glowing skin and just think how hot your body is going to look when you replace at least one of your short car trips a day with a bicycle ride!

 4.    In your book, you’ve written an awesome chapter dedicated to the “Greening” of the body in terms of exercise.  You’ve even provided a brilliant detailed workout guide to get women to stop driving to gyms. As a recent convert to working out at home, I totally loved this chapter! What are some additional ways that women can build an eco-friendly home gym and what are some of your favorite work-out songs

I suggest getting the simple yoga poses that I’ve listed in my book down.

I promise that you will feel so great if you learn the routine, you will be able to easily fit it in before breakfast. Make sure you have a set of small free-weights, as it’s really easy to work out your arms- even while watching TV!

In my experience, the best ever buttock toning exercises are lunges (as shown in book). If you do 3 sets of 10, 3 times a week – your bottom will change shape – I promise!

I know you’ve heard it before, but walk, walk, walk. It’s the best exercise as it doesn’t hurt your joints and if you walk briskly for a good half-hour you will improve your overall health hugely. I listen to such a variety of music when I hike – everything from REM to Rickie Lee Jones. I love to listen to Mozart when I’m practicing my yoga poses.

5.    What do you hope the future will look like in ten years?

I hope that in ten years time we will think it was insane that we actually purchased water out of plastic bottles – it’ll be one of those “can you believe that we actually paid upwards of two dollars for a bottle of water in plastic!!”  Also “paper or plastic” will no longer be an option at the market – almost everyone will carry their own reusable tote, much like when I was a kid we never wore seat belts and now you never get in the car without using one.

I hope women will have become much more demanding about what they expect from industry and our representatives. It’s our birthright to have clean air, food and water and right now we don’t have it. As women, we have a powerful voice: we vote with our dollars.

• Eating organically grown food will be commonplace.
• Most big cosmetic companies will have phased out all toxic chemicals.
• My then-sixteen year old daughter will be happily munching away on an organic apple and enjoying the beauty of this gorgeous planet.

BONUS QUESTION!!!
 What women have Gorgeously Green style and why?

Oprah Winfrey, as she is always supporting anything and everything green.

Simran Sethi – She is a green journalist and host of The Green on Sundance Channel.

Sandra Bullock!

{Modern Girl Style has to add that Sandra & her husband, Jesse James, started an eco-friendly restaurant way back in 2006. It's called The Cisco Burger. Autoblog Green gives  you a reason to want to rev up your Prius to have a burger!}

Gorgeously Green Book Synopsis

Are you confused by all the advice you hear and see daily on how to "go green"? Do you want to incorporate earth-friendly practices into your life, but you don't know where to start? Don't stress! Green guru Sophie Uliano has sorted through all the eco-info out there and put everything you need to know about living a green lifestyle right at your fingertips.

In Gorgeously Green, Sophie offers a simple eight-step program that is an easy and fun way to begin living an earth-friendly life. Each chapter covers topics from beauty to fitness, shopping to your kitchen—even your transportation. Whether it's finding the right lipstick, making dinner, buying gifts, or picking out a hot new outfit, finally, there is a book that tackles your daily eco-challenges with a take-charge plan. Just consider Sophie your go-to girl with all the eco-solutions. Find out how to:

• Green your entire beauty regime
• Detoxify your home
• Indulge in guilt-free shopping
• Adopt a home fitness routine
• Prepare eco-licious treats
• Give your kitchen a green makeover
• Become more aware of your impact on the earth

The book's dozens and dozens of eco-friendly tips, products, and practices combine to form a treasure trove of practical advice for every possible way to become stylishly green. Your questions about dressing, makeup, eating, shopping, cleaning, travel, and more are all answered right here.

Adopting a green lifestyle is among the most positive, forward-thinking, and personally fulfilling choices that anyone can make—and Gorgeously Green shows that it doesn't have to be tedious,time-consuming, or glamourless!

Download Gorgeously-Green-Amazon-excerpt.pdf!