Once you know what you want from your hair and makeup services, you can begin deciding where you should look. Start with what you know:

Glamour just released a list of the Ten Pants Every Woman Should Own. Now, as the elude to in the feature, I am not a pants girl and not in the ultra-cool Lady Gaga or RiRi kind of way. More in the “my body issues and I prefer to conceal our thighs under a cute skirt or dress kind of way.” I found this list particularly enticing, as I was hoping for some inspiration. Here are the “looks” that made the cut according to Glamour…and the ones I don’t necessarily agree with:

A Joe’s Jeans skinny fit dark wash option

Colored Legging-Jeans from Gap

Leave it to Kimmy K to make the wide-leg jean look chic

Leather, pleather, skinny, wide-leg, printed, colored -whatever it may be. Keep a secret weapon in your closet to punch up your wardrobe whenever you need a fashion boost. If you’re preppy, purchase some liquid leggings. If you’re a rocker chic, go for something unexpected in a color other than black.

Addition: The LBP
The Little Black Pant is just as essential to a woman’s wardrobe as the LBD. You can wear them to work, to play, to party, to church – wherever and whenever. Go for a flattering fit that is long enough to work with flats or heels so they are universally workable. 

Kyle, Amanda and I at Rockefeller Center

Walking through Bryant Park!

Watching the ice skaters at Central Park

Bryant Park from across the street.

With the end of 2011, as with the end of most years, comes the beginning of new resolutions. Everyone is promising to change something about their lives. I resolve to lose ten pounds (the same ten pounds I’ve resolved to lose for the last five years). I resolve to save more money…I resolve to travel more…I resolve to read more…more, more, more! I have to wonder, does the uncanny similarity between so many Americans’ resolutions say something greater about us as a society?

I’ll let that marinate while you take a gander at these very creative, quite poignant and pretty comical suggestions for twenty-somethings’ new year’s resolutions:

Borrow some New Year’s Resolutions from the Thought Catalog!

Have you always imagined a winter wedding wonderland for your I do’s? Well, then you are one smart lady and you didn’t even know it did ya?

Venues are typically discounted up to 50% during winter and late summer months. Not to mention, hotel rates can be cheaper (as long as you aren’t looking in late December) and you can save MAJOR bucks on decor! Churches, hotels, banquet halls and virtually any other type of wedding location will already be dressed to the nines in holiday decor, so why not use this to your advantage? Here are a few tips:

1. Before you book a winter wedding, make sure you visit your venue while it is decorated. Plastic Santas and reindeer not your style? Better to find out before you sign on the dotted line!
2. Once you have an idea of what decorations you are working with, find your inspiration. Choose your colors based off your surroundings; if your venue’s decorations are mostly gold and white, incorporate these colors into your wedding palette. If there is a lot of greenery, go with a complementary earth tones. 
3. Candles, candles and more candles. Winter nuptials mean you will likely be saying your vows inside and it will either be dark outside or you’ll have to have an early ceremony. Dim the lights and decorate your aisle and tables with candles of all sizes. You will set a romantic ambiance and save some cash on flowers!
4. Mother nature makes it look pretty, you can too! Look to nature for some inspiration: pine cones, branches and holly can look absolutely gorgeous with a little design work. 
5. Last but not least, if you are a January bride, get yourself to the craft stores after Christmas! Prices for all types of holiday decoration will be cut in half! Know what you want before you go and scope out the merchandise before Christmas to see what is left. You can even try to make friends with an employee so they can keep a lookout for you. Most importantly, be creative with these items. Packages of clear plastic ornaments are so cheap you can’t resist? Find a way to use them for seating cards or fill them with candy and use them for favors! 

Christmas dinner at the McFadden house is a feast of epic proportions. My brother fancies himself a food connoisseur and my dad watches the Top Chef food challenges to get “inspiration” for new recipes. My mom is more of a traditional cook, relying on family recipes passed down through the years and making some small tweaks. I usually stay out of the kitchen around holidays because my mom gets a bit sensitive about anyone messing with her ovens. However, this year I suggested making some appetizers so I could be WELL out of her way before dinnertime. I decided on a flatbread recipe I had made at our festivus party a week ago and my mom decided I should make spinach artichoke dip. The only problem was, I hadn’t made spinach artichoke dip in a few years and I didn’t fully remember the recipe! I had to do the best I could to make it up as I went! I didn’t get a chance to get any pictures, but both dishes turned out really well! Here is the recipe for the flatbread – I’ve got to try to make the spinach dip again to get the recipe straight!

Ingredients
1 Granny Smith Apple
10 slices of prosciutto
1 block (8 ounces) of a sharp white cheddar cheese – Vermont white cheddar if you can find it!
Olive oil

1 package of Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough

Prep Work
Preheat the oven to 400
Grate the cheese and put it aside
Cut the proscuitto into strips that are about an inch thick; proscuitto is hard to cut, so use a sharp knife and don’t worry about it being perfect
Slice the apple very thin, use a mandolin if possible. Do this last as apple browns quickly.

Get down to the cookin!
Unroll the pizza crust on a greased baking sheet (I used tin foil to line the pan)
Brush the crust with a light layer of olive oil
Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese on the crust
Line the apple slices in rows on the crust. It is ok to let the slices touch, but try not to overlap them.
Sprinkle another thin layer of cheese on top of the apple slices
Arrange the proscuitto on top of the layer of cheese. You don’t need to be exact with the placement, but make sure you’ll get a taste with each bite.
Sprinkle another layer of cheese; this can be thicker than the others, but shouldn’t be too thick.
Put the flatbread in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is a light golden brown.
Slice and serve!