Some authors are better than others at description.  Some bring in loads of tedious details just to take up space, and others leave almost everything up to your imagination.  Back when I read Great Expectations in high school, I learned that it’s packed with unnecessary descriptions because Dickens was paid by the word – so he made darn sure he got his money’s worth!

But the best authors can tell you only exactly as much as you want to know.  I know that some people tend to skip the descriptive parts of a book, but I’ve always lingered over them, forming precise pictures in my mind.  I like to know what everyone looks like!

Laura Ingalls Wilder, for example (the Little House books), does a great job of describing clothing.   (more…)

As I write this, my husband is off at a neighbor’s birthday party; I stayed home to babysit and do homework.  Sounds like a barrel of thrills, eh?  Just thinking about how I’m spending my weekend night is depressing.  My current plan is to waste a bunch of time surfing the net, and then make a huge cup of sweet, milky hot cocoa to drown my sorrows.

What’s your favorite pick-me-up for when you’re feeling blue and gray?  Whether you’re sad, bored, or a combination of the two, there are dozens of easy ways to lift your mood.  Bring some sparkle back into your life by trying one of these tips:

1. Exercise – when you’re down, you might want to just crawl into bed and stay there indefinitely.  But make the effort to get your blood moving; (more…)

When you travel to a foreign country, do you spend weeks ahead of time immersed in Rosetta Stone software, or do you figure that if you say it loud and slow enough, everyone will understand?

If you’ve ever had the experience of shopping across a language barrier, you know how awkward it can get.  That’s why I put together this handy-dandy guide to how you say “hat” in 30 different languages.  Save it for your next vacation!

Arabic: kobba’a (Well, that’s classical Arabic.  My friend Nour says that in Syria, they say ta’yeh, and other places have different dialects, but that everyone would understand if you said kobba’a.  They just might giggle a little.)

Chinese: màozi (I listened to the pronunciation on Google translate, and I would never have figured out how to say it otherwise!) (more…)

Under the shade of a leafy vine in the occupied West Bank village of Lobban al-Gharbia, three Palestinian women are sitting, knitting and nattering. From the minaret of the next-door mosque, the call to prayer rings out as their fast-moving fingers click the needles at a rapid rhythm.
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Slowly forming in their laps are three small, round, white pieces of crocheted cloth.

These three Palestinian Muslim women are making one of the most obvious symbols of Jewishness and Judaism – the kippa.

Kippot (as they are known in the plural) are the small domed skullcaps that many Jewish men wear on their heads. Kippa literally means “dome”. (more…)

Tichel-tying is an art as well as a fashion statement.  Do you go for a simple knot or bun every time, or do you go all out with layers and elaborate wrapping schemes?  Do you have one thin for every day and another for special occasions?  Or maybe you’ve been afraid to even try a tichel because you feel like you don’t know how to tie it right.

Fortunately, there are an infinite number of ways to tie a tichel, and it’s not hard to invent one yourself.  All it takes is a little experimentation.

First off, a base layer might help.  A tight-fitting snood or wig cap, a flat headband with some grip or texture, or a cotton bandana will keep a tichel (and the hair under it) in place.   (more…)

When you go outside and feel a nip in the air, you can’t help dreaming of warm sweaters and crackling fires and whatever else it is you do to keep warm.  One of the best parts about cold weather is coming home, taking off your wet socks, and wrapping your hands around a mug of something steamy.  You wouldn’t enjoy that half as much if you didn’t get chilly first!

I’m all about hot drinks.  Coffee, hot cocoa, herbal teas, you name it.  They make great treats, without being too caloriffic (well, unless you want them to be). (more…)

Teresa Giudice is the star of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New Jersey. This Sunday she came to the American Hotel in Freehold, NJ to benefit the Food bank. We were there as well!

So, I hit my favorite good-weather outdoors event (I’ve mentioned it before) this past weekend, and it was fabulous.  The awesome thing about Renaissance Faires is that you can wear the wildest, wackiest outfits – or at least ogle people in them – and it’s totally ok.  You don’t have to be authentic, although people are more impressed when you are.  It’s the one chance a lot of people get to indulge in their romantic, old-fashioned, Gothic, Celtic, or witchy sides.  You can be anyone you feel like dressing as!

Of course, I made sure to inspect every clothing, jewelry, and (duh) hat shop or vendor that I passed.  Here’s a rundown of the most popular headgear styles you can get and wear at a Renaissance Faire.  They make excellent costumes for the rest of the year, and if you’re feeling adventurous, totally put one on and hit the mall. (more…)

It suddenly got chilly where I live, so I’m getting serious about what to wear this winter.  In case you haven’t been paying attention to the fashion mags either, I am here to update you on what’s hot – and warm – this season.

Fur – real or faux – has made a comeback, in the form of purses, hats, and shoes.  Whether it’s the whole garment, or just trim, fur will be keeping a lot of people cozy this year.

The coolest new way to coordinate an outfit is for everything to be the same color, or color family.  A rose-colored shirt with a burgundy skirt, for example.  Now you have a great excuse to stock up on solid-colored tichels and hats for the winter!  If you’re looking for the single-hottest color, go for the gold – metallica has been all over the runways. (more…)