The Perfect Valentine’s Day Dessert

Valentine’s Day is coming up and I have come up with a healthier kind of dessert that is sure to impress!

White Chocolate Mousse with Strawberries

Ingredients:

1 bar of white chocolate, broken up into little pieces

2 egg yolks

Sugar, 3 tablespoons for the mousse, then to taste for the strawberries

2 ¼ c of whipping cream

2 tablespoons of confectioner's sugar

2 tsps of vanilla extract

Shaved white, milk, or dark chocolate for garnish

Directions: Start with the mousse. Place your mixing bowl in the fridge. Take ¼ cup of whipping cream and simmer it in a pan over low heat. In one bowl, place your white chocolate pieces, and in the other mix the eggs, sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla together. Once the cream simmers, start to pour it in the egg mixture slowly, to prevent scrambling, and whisk very well.  Then return back to the pot and cook for a few minutes, until, when dipping a spoon in the mixture, you can run your finger through it and the cream won’t come back and form over the spot you swiped.  You can strain this mix if you think you accidentally made a mistake with the eggs, but if not, just pour it over your chocolate and mix until it is melted, then set aside. 

Next, take your mixing bowl from the fridge, add 1 cup of heavy cream and whip it until stiff peaks form. Then fold half of it gently, so volume isn’t lost, into the chocolate mix. Once that is done, fold in the rest and refrigerate your mousse. 

After that, get started on your strawberries. Rinse them off and cut them in whatever fashion you like. (I think they look pretty diced.) Once you finish cutting them, add them to a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Mix and then chill for a few hours. You can always taste the strawberries as they are chilling to decide if they need more sugar or not. 

When you are ready to serve, place a mixing bowl in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to chill. Add the remaining cream, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla to that bowl and whip it until you get stiff peaks. Then get a glass, and starting with mousse, layer the mousse and strawberries in any fashion you like. Finally, top with whipped cream and the shaved chocolate and enjoy!

This recipe is pretty simple and you can impress your valentine with them. If you like, use raspberries instead of strawberries. 

~Katrina

Trashy Friday: Eye Candy and Hindsight

Welcome to another edition of Trashy Fridays. Today we will continue with MTV’s Eye Candy, and Vh1’s Hindsight.  Let’s get to the trashiness!

Eye Candy

This episode starts out with Lindy and Calligan going into Reese’s apartment to find two mannequins, one of a man and one of a women sitting next to each other (looking like a movie date kinda thing). A chandelier looking thing, with teeth (Reese’s?), hits Lindy in the face. Lindy freaks out, but still Victoria does not look too freaked out or terrified. (The acting on this show needs to get better.) As the cops investigate, they find that the teeth belong to a missing female, meaning that Reese could still be alive. 

Sofia’s friend, Connor, is shown to be doing some sketchy activity. The creepy stalker is still watching Lindy and is shown (I don’t know if it is real or not) in a window in the building across from her, just staring at her. Sofia is trying to get Lindy to forget about investigating with the police and go have some fun with her. (Of course Lindy, being Lindy, refuses...) 

Lindy gets an anonymous envelope with “Surprise” on it. When she opens it she finds an altered picture of her and her sister from the desktop computer in her room. The picture is made up of pieces of pictures from 3 separate crime scenes, and the bracelet her sister is wearing in the original photo is not in the altered one. The cyber crime unit investigates where the pictures came from. There is more back story of her sister (such as the fact that Lindy gave her sister the bracelet from the picture), which is important but there still isn’t much emotion. The head investigator tells her to not contact Jake anymore, because he is still a suspect (since Reese has been eliminated as one). Calligan finds that the crime scene photos are from very gruesome murders. 

We see that Sofia is interested in the security guy assigned to watch her and Lindy around the clock.  As Sofia and Connor are walking (with the security guy close behind), Sofia shares the (confidential) information about the teeth that were discovered with Connor. Connor writes an article for an online magazine about the murders, and Lindy’s coworker shows it to her. (Everyone is mad that he wrote the article since it's information that wasn't supposed to be made public yet.) Connor’s boss refuses to take the article down. 

Lindy’s coworker discovers that the background of the picture she received in the surprise envelope is static, like on all the TVs that are left on in the crime scenes. (It is like the one seen on Jake’s phone after he calls Lindy, which is weird.) As the coworker and Lindy investigate further, they go back to Reese’s apartment and she realizes that the killer wants her to watch something on the TV. Lindy looks at the first letter of each movie title (with the help of Calligan) and finds that he is searching for the perfect mate. (Thus giving the reason for killing and mutliating these people.) The killer pretty much removes the part of them that isn’t perfect, killing those who lied about their flaws. With the teeth he cleaned and straightened them, thus making them perfect. (Calligan finally congratulates her for a good job for the day with this discovery.) 

Sofia then gives Lindy a surprise party for her birthday. (Lindy honestly isn’t too thrilled about it.) Jake shows up and pretty much ruins the already crappy party for Lindy. Lindy starts to feel like passing out at the party (kinda like she's been drugged) and the people who are watching out for her get distracted. (Good job guys...) The creepy guy finds her as she passes out and takes her somewhere. She sees him slit Reese’s throat. Lindy watches him die and he drops a small (present) box.   

Jake is set free, after being arrested at the party. (Thus eliminating him as a suspect, because Reese's murder happened while he was in police custody.) Lindy is worried that she will be killed once the creepy stalker finds out that she isn’t perfect at all. 

In the end scene, Lindy opens the present and it is the bracelet that she gave her sister.  Happy birthday, Lindy.  ;-)

The acting in the show still hasn’t gotten better, but this show is so amazing. I love it!!! I wonder if Lindy and Caligan will date, but who knows. He seems to care about her a lot. I also wonder how the story of this show will progress and the other tests the stalker will give Lindy.

Hindsight

I loved this show the first time I watched it and I really wanted to see what happens next. 

Becca is going on interviews because she needs a job now, since she quit her other one. She practices interviewing with Lolly. Lolly is being a bad friend and is still sleeping with Becca’s brother. (It’s Halloween in this episode, which is cool.) Lolly sleeps with him with a clown mask on (like, how? That’s so creepy).  Becca finally catches them and it causes an awkward moment.  She goes for her interviews finally and does a very good job of impressing the bosses. 

So Andy’s girlfriend is a bitch to Becca. (Just get over the fact she kissed your boyfriend...) Becca gets several job offers and is trying to find someway to enjoy a Halloween party that will happen at the bar she usually goes to. (She is very excited, for the jobs at least.) Lolly decides to go the party with Jamie, instead of Becca. (Which makes her very upset.) Becca tries to decide what to do with her life and Jamie and Lolly go costume shopping. Becca and Melanie both are Alice, from Alice in Wonderland. She wants to use the outfit to win Andy over. (It works!)  

Jamie and Lolly have a mini fight because Jamie was late and forgot his costume. (They are Beavis and Butthead, which I personally didn’t like.) Shaun starts dating Paige, and this upsets Becca for some reason. Becca confronts Shaun and he tells her that he’s moved on. (She is surprised at this.) 

Lolly and Jamie win a costume contest, and Melanie sees Becca with Andy and accuses her of cheating. The party ends with Shaun punching Andy in the face (showing that he really isn't over Becca…) and he blames her for the break up again. (They think they cheated with each other.) Paige breaks up with Shaun after he was a jerk to Becca.  Lolly is mean to Jamie because of the party (and what Becca said about the future and that he seemed to have more fun with his friends. He gets so mad he breaks the costume contest trophy) and Becca decides to let Andy stay with Melanie. 

Lolly thinks that ever since she went back in the past, Becca is too worried to take risks.  Becca decides to turn down the job offers, and finally takes an internship with a computer company.

I love this show too!! I want to see how Becca gets to change her life. The fact that she gets to do this makes this show very interesting.

-Katrina

Valentine’s Day Accessories

Valentine’s Day is the best holiday to get fun, cheesy accessories, judgment-free.  Tiny hearts and lip prints are perfectly acceptable and festive, and they can easily be worn all throughout spring!  Plus, just about any pink and red accessories you would wear anytime of the year work great for this holiday.  Here are some of my favorite Valentine’s Day accessory picks!

-Kiss Me Headband (pictured): This hot pink headband from ban.dō is so cute and the perfect choice for a Valentine’s Day party!  Plus it’s great for New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, your birthday, etc.  ;-)

-Pink Statement Earrings (pictured): These adorable earrings from our collection with Cool Gal Blue are perfect for the holiday as well as spring and summer!  They look great with a messy low bun and a cozy sweater or a cute dress!

-Heart Link Bracelet (pictured): This is the perfect accessory for those who don’t like to be too flashy.  It’s just a simple silver link bracelet, but each link is a heart!  It keeps your look low-key but catches just enough attention from people close by.

-Shut Up and Kiss Me Clutch: This clutch from Express is a great statement piece!  The red and black make it the perfect accessory for those who like an edgier look and the flirty writing will catch some attention.

-Heart Crossbody Bag: This bag from Rebecca Minkoff is fun for Valentine’s Day and all of spring.  It comes in black, red, and pink so there’s an option for everyone!

~Alyssa

Valentine’s Day Outfit Ideas

Whether you have big plans for Valentine’s Day or you’re just hanging out at home with some friends, here are some outfit ideas for a little inspiration!

If you have a date (or you’re just treating yourself to a nice night out), dress up a little in something that’s still super comfortable!  I paired a white lace dress with a red moto jacket for the Valentine’s Day touch.  Add a cream clutch (this one has shimmery stitching on the bottom for an extra touch) and nude wedges so your feet aren’t killing you after a couple hours.  Some gold earrings and a statement ring would complete your look perfectly!

-Jacket from JC Penney

-Clutch from Express

-Wedges from Steve Madden

If you don’t really have any plans or you just want to keep it casual all day but still have a hint of V-day in your look, this outfit is perfect!  Dark wash jeans and a black top or sweater are really low-key, but a lip print scarf makes the outfit festive!  Red flats tie in the scarf and add an extra pop of color.  Pull your hair back in a slightly messy pony and add a red lip for a little more drama.

-Jeans from Express

-Scarf from Francesca's Closet

-Flats from Steve Madden

For girls’ night in, keep it comfy!  Leggings (or black fleece-lined tights, like I have here) are perfect for lounging around, watching sappy movies and eating way too much chocolate, and a red oversized sweater looks really pretty!  Wear one with a cute print or design like this (or maybe lots of hearts all over) because you’re with the girls and you can.  Add short black boots and keep it simple.

-Tights from Urban Outfitters

-Sweater Dress from Betsey Johnson at Macy's

~Alyssa

Trashy Friday: Eye Candy, Married at First Sight The First Year and American Horror Story Freak Show

Welcome back to another edition of Trashy Fridays! Today we will be covering MTV’s Eye Candy, FYI’s Married at First Sight: The First Year, and FX’s American Horror Story: Freak Show. Let’s get to the trashiness!

Eye Candy

We are continuing this series because I wanted to see if Victoria Justice can do better with her character over time.  

In this episode we start out with this girl who is getting a spa treatment to get her skin fixed. The psycho man sneaks in and pours paint thinner on her face, because she didn't admit to having poor skin online and he believes skin can’t be fixed with make-up. 

Mr. Creeper has been taking a ton of pictures of Lindy (it is also shown that he has been stalking her throughout the episode) and he still seems to want to date her or something. (Because she is the ideal girl?) 

Lindy goes to the club to let off steam and to find Ben’s killer. The police are trying to catch one of the guys she went on a date with from last week, but they feel like Lindy’s getting in the way of their investigation. Her best friend, Sofia, tells her that she is concerned with the way she is approaching her own investigation to find Ben’s killer. 

One of Lindy’s dates just stops by and asks to cook for her. (Everyone is worried that he is a killer, but after a while everyone just gets along.) 

Lindy finds the paint thinner guy’s car by looking at security footage from the time of the killing. With this info, Lindy goes to the police to help. She is going to help catch Reese, the suspect of the murder. (More montages of Ben memories, I get it, but please make them stop. I still don’t buy their romance.) 

So Lindy sets up a date with Reese and he picks her up to go to dinner. (The police friend of Ben follows.) Mr. A-hole decides to change his plans with Lindy because he knows he is being pursued.  So Reese takes her to a junk yard for the date. (Like what..?)  He tries to touch her and get her in the mood, but she isn’t feeling it. So he gives her his keys and tells her to drive them home. (He had a little too much to drink.)  

In the meantime, the cop is trying to get data from the suspect’s car, but he is knocked out as he breaks into it.  When Lindy gets to the car, a mannequin thing with pictures of her all over it is in the driver's seat and the car is controlled from outside to drive her recklessly, with Tommy (the cop) in the trunk.  

Lindy is able to hack the car and make it stop before Tommy is killed by being backed into a pole at a high speed. (The actor did a very bad job of looking shocked, like, you almost died dude, be a little emotional.) They determine that Reese is the killer and Lindy and her friends are in danger. (Because they can’t find Reese.)

Sofia’s gay friend takes pics on his phone of the crime scene photos. (In a really sketchy manner...) 

Lindy gets a video message and sees that Reese is the next victim. (So, clearly, Reese isn’t the killer.)

This show is still so good, but the acting could use a lot of work. The killer is playing with Lindy and it’s so creepy. I love the script and the concept of this show a lot.

Married at First Sight: The First Year

Jamie and Doug: They get to celebrate Doug’s birthday together. Jamie said she didn’t want to have sex during the experiment, just because she had to. Now that they’ve waited, their sex life is amazing. Jamie mentions babies to Doug, and he isn’t comfortable with the idea yet. So for his present, Jamie got him lingerie and dinner. She said he could choose what she wears tonight. (He’s excited.) They discuss finances and she wants to budget. (Doug doesn’t seem to care about that or having kids.) Jamie says she doesn’t want to put pressure on it, but she is by continuing to discuss it. (Doug isn’t ready and he admits it.) She also surprises Doug the day after his birthday, and gives him a party with his friends. Jamie gets Doug’s parents to help. She says she wants to be as warm to them as they are to her. (Um no offense, they are so much better to you than you are to them.) Doug performs a baptism (apparently he got a preaching license), but Jamie stays home to set up the party. (He really wanted her there for support though.) The party is a success, as he was very surprised. (Doug also loves that Jamie cares so much about him.) Doug finally tells Jamie that he wants a baby, but not yet. (In fact he makes jokes because he doesn’t want to talk about it.) He insists that they aren’t ready for kids and he leaves the conversation. (Because she is putting a lot of pressure on him and he cares enough about her feelings to just stop the conversation.)

Jason and Cortney: Cortney tells Jason that she lost her job. (Finally.) Jason is very concerned about money.  He is willing to work with her and help them get through this rough patch. They go to dinner and they both won’t talk. Cortney finds it awkward and she isn’t happy.  She attacks Jason because she is stressed out. Cortney feels like she has no control in her life right now and she’s lost parts of herself after marriage. She also doesn’t agree that Jason should wrestle. (Really she is just being mean at this point, and you can’t tell him to not do something that he enjoys.)  I see that Jason and Cortney’s apartment is a mess and no one seems to clean.  Since tension is so high in their house, Jason decides to go out with his friends. (Good idea.) Cortney feels lonely that he went out and chose his friends over her. (Like of course, because you are unpleasant to be around at this point...) So she vents to her friend. Finally, Cortney tells Jason her concerns. She and Jason talk, and he wants to support her and tells her that he always thinks of her. (What’s sad is that Jason will encourage Cortney to do whatever, but she won’t do the same for him.) Jason and Cortney call Dr. Pepper (love the name) for help with their relationship. (More complaining from Cortney, ugh…) Dr. Pepper says they should talk and she advises Cortney to not make all of her happiness depend on Jason. (She needs to make her own happiness, Jason can be a part of it, but not all of it.) They decide to take her advice and spend time together blind finger-painting. (They have a paint fight and cover themselves with paint.) Lastly, after getting painted, Jason carries Cortney to the shower. Somehow every time he carries her, he hits her head.  XD

Monet: Monet comes on the show and goes on her first blind date since the divorce.  (Her gay friend is so adorable and helps her get ready for her date.) She seems very upset that she got the divorce and she’s afraid that she won’t find love. Her date was really nice and she seemed to enjoy herself. However, she keeps comparing him to Vaughn. This tells me that she isn’t quite over her marriage. But her date wants to see her again, so good for her!

Well this episode was boring and kinda annoying. I don’t like it… I am hoping this series will get better as more drama will happen, but I’m still quite skeptical.

American Horror Story: Freak Show

So this series hasn’t really been my favorite from American Horror Story. Mostly these episodes have been boring and trying to focus on soooo many ideas that it also loses the point that it was going for. First it tried doing the freaks, then the clown, then Dandy, and the “Hollywood talent scout”. It was just all over the place and it made it very difficult to watch. This series also seemed to try to connect the previous seasons, which they did do with Asylum. But trying it together didn’t really matter to me. (Hopefully if they really want to tie things together they'll make a better effort to connect other seasons in season 5.) 

Then for the past two episodes, they brought in Neil Patrick Harris to play this magician with some serious issues and an obsession with his puppet wife, Marjorie. I loved his story and acting! He had to be the best part of this series so far, too bad it had to all happen at the end.  

Elsa had to escape the show because all of the freaks wanted her dead, as they believed that she murdered Jimmy’s mother. She originally sold the show to Chester so she could go to Hollywood. But after discovering the scout was a liar, the freaks ganged up on him and made him a freak. After he went to jail and Elsa was forced to leave, she sold the show and everyone’s contract to Dandy. This is where we left off before the finale, which the trailer made me think it could be really really good. (Fingers crossed, I hope I’m right!) 

Dandy is ruling with an iron fist and is being an asshole to all of the freaks. After hearing him complain, some of the freaks gang up on him and tell him like it is. (You will never be a freak and they quit.) 

Elsa finally gets the attention she desires at a Hollywood studio. 

Dandy, while humming a nutcracker song, shoots all the freaks in the head… Murdering them without hesitation. It’s like killing them relieves tension. (Dandy is just killing everybody like he doesn’t care.) Dandy only leaves the twins to survive (so he thinks) and he basically keeps them prisoner. 

Jimmy comes back to find a lot of freaks murdered and Elsa gone. He turns to find only Miss Three Boobs survived. Dandy marries Bette. (Dot is forced to go along with it. Dandy wants her to participate in sex though, even if she doesn’t want to. Otherwise he’ll have a temper tantrum.) 

Apparently the marriage was all an act. Jimmy, Dot, Bette, and Miss Three Boobs planned this so they could kill Dandy. To kill him, they put him in a Houdini water trap to make him a part of the show.  They all watch him drown to death and applaud. 

Elsa gets successful in Hollywood and marries her manager. (She is a bitch to him.) But Elsa’s life isn’t perfect, in fact she is not very happy. Elsa’s life eventually falls apart, everyone finds out her secrets, her love (the guy who gave her her legs) is going to die, and she loses her contract. Elsa decides to go out with a bang and, even though she refused at first, she will perform on Halloween.  

We see that eventually Miss Three Boobs marries the love of her life and the twins marry Jimmy. Jimmy and the twins are expecting and are having a little girl. (Unfortunately we'll never know what she looks like...) 

When Elsa performs, Edward Mordrake takes Elsa’s life because of his weird rule with taking the most deserving freak if one performs on Halloween. However, Mordrake will not let her join his group, she is forced to stay in the freak show forever, with all of the spirits of the dead freaks who were murdered. (Kind of a weird freak show heaven.) Elsa performed on purpose so she would die. Life is happy here as Elsa gets to perform and there is a full house to watch her sing every night. 

Well this was really really stupid, still so disappointing.

What did you think of the finale?  The whole season?

~Katrina

My Favorite Healthy Living Apps

For this Christmas I was finally given a tablet and it is amazing! I thought that I would share my favorite free fitness and diet apps that you can use to help keep your healthy living goals on track. 

-My Diet Coach: This app is definitely one of my favorites. It can help you make and reach goals, and take pictures to help you see your progress. It can even remind you to exercise and help you meet the challenges you make each week. These challenges can be custom made; like, for example, I have one that rewards me with points when I don’t eat chocolate for the day. This app will also help you with tips on avoiding cravings and sharing quotes to help you stay motivated. 

-myfitnesspal: This is my favorite diet diary system that I use daily to count calories and mark down the exercise I do every day. It is pretty easy to use and with smartphones/tablets you can scan barcodes to help you know exactly what you are eating. 

-Free exercise apps: I have found free exercises that will target your abs, thighs, glutes, and arms in a really quick workout!  (Try Daily Workouts FREE.) There are also free cardio and yoga apps (search "free [insert exercise] app" and The 7 Minute Workout). Most of these exercises can be completed in about 5 minutes and they really kick your butt. Also, after doing them a few times your device will remind you that it is exercise time.

Yes, technology can be your friend when you are trying to get fit!

~Katrina

Organize Your Life: Desk

Organizing your desk makes you so much more efficient and productive, which is perfect in January when you may want to improve your skills!  Here are some tips for organization and staying focused:

·      Clear off the clutter.  Of course this has to be your first step.  A clean, mess-free space makes a world of difference for getting work done, finding important papers and staying focused in general.  No more distractions!

·      Put items in designated spots, like pens, paper clips, post-its, whatever.  Pick a place for each (necessary) item and keep them all where they belong.  You can get cute little dishes and containers to hold the things you need.  (Monochromatic, like all shiny black holders may help keep you more focused, but bright, fun colors may give you more inspiration!)

·      If you set something that doesn’t belong on your desk on there temporarily, clear it off the moment you get a chance!  Don’t wait just because you don’t feel like putting things away.  The longer you leave it there, the more likely you’ll let things start piling up and get out of control.  And there goes your workspace and focus.

·      Finally, keep your desk the area where you work/study.  Avoid eating, watching videos, painting your nails, etc. there.  Your desk should be a place where you get work done and aren’t even tempted by distractions.

~Alyssa 

Bright Graphic Nails

This is a really simple nail look to add some color back into winter!  You can do any color combination (even darks, if you’re not feeling the bright look) but I liked this trio!

I used:

OPI Nail Lacquer in Strawberry Margarita

OPI Nail Lacquer in My Vampire is Buff

NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel in 112 Times Square Tangerine Cream

Start with a base coat.  Take your first color (bright pink for me) and apply it from the base of your nail about one-third of the way up, continuing all the way to the top of your nail in a slim portion on the outer edge of your nail.  You can use the nail brush itself and just carefully paint this shape; you can cut some tape to cover up the part of your nail you don’t want to paint this first color; or you can use a striper brush to outline and fill in this first section.  (I used the striper brush.)

Next, do the same shape (a little smaller) in your second color above the section you just painted.  When you’re done with the second section there should be just a small square-ish unpainted area at the top, inner corner of your nail.

Now just fill in the unpainted section of your nail with the third color!  Finish with a top coat and you’re done!

With such a simple look there are tons of possibilities.  I like having two bright (or dark) colors with a neutral in the middle for some balance, but anything goes!  Add a thin stripe of white (or any color you like) in between each section for more detail, or add a little glitter to just the middle section.  Rhinestones or studs add a cool texture to this nail look!

~Alyssa

Trashy Friday: Eye Candy, Married at First Sight The First Year and Hindsight

Welcome to the return of Trashy Fridays!  After the New Year we have finally found some worthy shows to bring this series back. Today's edition features MTV’s Eye Candy, FYI’s Married at First Sight: The First Year, and VH1’s Hindsight. Let’s get to the trashiness!

Eye Candy

Lindy (Victoria Justice), is looking out for her sister who is 16. Her sister hangs out with douchebag guys and her father is on drugs. While they get food, her sister is kidnapped by a mysterious stranger.  

Three years later, Lindy is now a counselor to people who have had loved ones go missing and she tries to help find them with her skills as a hacker. Lindy (who was arrested for hacking by an undercover cop at a club) is on parole. She is still using her hacking skills and gets into the NYPD files to help find other missing people.  Lindy is trying to find a missing girl named Julia Becker, who was murdered by a mysterious man that she invited in. This psychopath seems to punish girls for not being as perfect as their pictures show on the internet. So Julia was killed with a bottle opener for not having perfectly straight teeth. (We never see who this mysterious stranger is but he is definitely messed up.) 

Lindy and her friend talk about using online dating to find men. (Her friend makes her a profile and calls her “Eye Candy”.) The girls go to a really awesome club through the vines in the cooler of a flower shop. (Really, I love the club!)  Lindy uses the online dating website, that is similar to Tinder, in that specific club.  A creepy dude (again we don’t know which one) messages her after she leaves the club and it is evident that someone is watching her. Lindy decides she must accept date offers from the three guys who asked her out on the app, Flirtual. This way, she can catch the creepy guy. (Omg her friend has the best gay friend ever, I approve.)  

Her friend calls in the cop who arrested Lindy (Lindy's ex, Ben, who she's not quite over...) to help catch the creepy guy and keep an eye on Lindy as she meets with potential stalkers.  Lindy tricks all three of the guys and is able to hack their phones.  (She is really smart!)  Guy #3 takes Lindy's phone by accident and when Lindy goes to get it back she finds him dead, with his throat slit and her phone sticking out of his mouth. (Victoria did a poor job of looking very shocked or traumatized by the sight of the dead guy.  It was kind of like "Oh.  He's dead.  But hey, there's my phone!") 

Lindy gets a text from the creepy guy and it shows that it’s not one of the guys she just had dates with.  Now the cops are willing to work with Lindy and let her show her hacking skills. (The girl that went missing before was on Flirtual as well, and I guess she is connected to this along with a couple other female victims.)  So Ben and Lindy still have a thing for each other, but I don’t see how she likes him at all. (Not buying this relationship, honestly... They kiss and have sex within minutes of being alone together, like why..?) 

The mysterious stalker tricks Lindy into thinking he's in her apartment and her friend, Sofia, is stuck in there with him.  Ben rushes over to save Sofia (as Lindy realizes it's a trap) and he and the stranger get into a fight in the apartment.  When Lindy gets home she finds a computer with a video of Ben on it and the creepy guy has her tell him he loves her.  Ben is killed by the mysterious stranger in the same fashion as date #3. It seems as if the creepy guy is trying to find the ideal girl and he seems to be playing with Lindy.

This show is soooo good. But Victoria Justice isn’t the best choice for the leading lady. I feel like we need a more badass and stronger woman for this role. But this is definitely something I would recommend seeing! The preview for upcoming episodes look so amazing and I’m hooked now! J

Married at First Sight: The First Year

After seeing this on the Today show, it was revealed that the married couples, Doug and Jamie and Jason and Cortney, from the first season of Married at First Sight, would do a spinoff show about what is happening during their first year of marriage.  So the couples have now been married for 6 months. 

Jamie and Doug are moving to New Jersey near Doug's family. She wants a baby. Doug announces that their sex life, which was non-existent before, is starting to get a lot better. He got a new job so he doesn’t want kids yet because he is starting to get stability in his life.  Jamie discusses kids with Doug’s parents. They think she should wait til they get to know each other better. Doug’s parents are so amazing and really nice to Jamie! (They offer her their car and always seem willing to help her out at anytime.) 

Doug and Jamie spend the whole day with Jamie’s side of the family. Jamie is still dealing with the fact that she hates her mother for all the stuff she put her through. It causes her to still be emotional. I think she will have to learn to forgive her mother, and then she can finally learn to stop resenting her. The past can’t be changed and she needs to do this in order to move on. 

Jason and Cortney are having a lot of stress with their marriage due to Jason’s busy schedule. His mom, who was a big part of his life, passed away from lung cancer 5 months ago. (He knows he has to go through her stuff, but he really doesn’t want to.) Cortney got her wish and met his mother just before she passed. 

Jason thinks that his busy schedule with the fire academy could do damage to his relationship with Cortney. Then, Jason and Cortney finally go through his mom’s stuff. She says he still struggles to fully let her in.  

Cortney finds out that she is being fired from her job. (She hasn’t told Jason yet because she doesn’t want to stress him out.) The show ends with Jason taking Cortney out on a date. 

All the girls from the show (including Monet!) meet up for lunch. (They are like a support group for each other and it is really nice that they can be friends.) Jamie is so happy and the others seem like they aren’t as much. She is unintentionally rubbing her happiness in, and it doesn’t look good. (She’s kinda being a bitch... But I feel like she is so happy and surprised that she can’t help herself.)  

This season seems really crazy and it’s a pretty interesting show. It seems like there will be a lot of drama (including a little of Monet's dating life and a reconnection with Vaughn), which may be worth watching. I’m not exactly hooked, because the original show was quite boring a lot of the time. So only time will tell.

Hindsight

This is a new VH1 show, and I hope it’s good. Usually shows on this network are disappointing but I am willing to give this one a chance! 

So the main character (Becca) is getting married for the second time but is not thrilled with her fiancé because he's not as exciting as her hot ex-husband. She starts to reflect on all the mistakes she has made in the last 15-20 years or so and feels bad about how her life has turned out. While walking around outside she runs into a familiar looking man who claims never to have met he before but recites a strange little poem about living in the present. Becca gets into an elevator, and while she watches the floor number buttons light up she thinks back to an important (but unrevealed) conversation she had with her BFF from her youth during the countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve. She passes out in the elevator and when she wakes up she finds that she has gone back in time to 1995 when she was in her early twenties and is preparing for her wedding with her first husband, Sean.  That day.

Basically, Becca believes her first major mistake was marrying Sean so she decides to run out on her wedding (demanding a promotion from her boss on the way out!) and hang out with her BFF, Lolly, discussing what to do with her life and explaining what happens to everyone in the future.  In the meantime, she tries to stop Lolly from hooking up with her brother (knowing that Lolly will just break his heart in time) and attempts to avoid whatever it is that caused the two girls to stop speaking to each other for 10 years.  (We don't know what happened, sounds like a reveal for the season finale.)  At the end of the first episode, Sean shows up at the bar where Becca and Lolly are hanging out and Becca begins to wonder if maybe marrying Sean wasn't the problem that sparked her sucky life, but if maybe she just had a string of bad decisions that could have been made better.

In the second episode we see that Becca realizes she couldn’t marry Sean because the events in their future make her very unhappy and she gets consumed with her job. Well, back in her early twenties, her boss treats her like crap and makes her do little intern tasks. (Which doesn’t make her very happy. Her boss is a jerk and I would’ve felt like screaming at him.) Her parents are mad at her for canceling the wedding (though her mom is jealous of her freedom now that she's single and can do anything with her life) and her best friend is still sleeping with her brother. Becca decides to kiss (future fiancé) Andy, even though he is involved with one of her coworkers. (Apparently in the future it is revealed that Andy really liked her all this time.) 

Sean is devastated by their breakup and invites Becca to go on their honeymoon with him and start all over. Becca meets up with an author (who will be famous in the future) and she hopes he will give her an amazing job. Nope, he wants her to come to his room for some "fun". (She refuses. Good for you girl! She even charges a bottle of wine on him. I like that she stuck it to him!) So after her boss, Simon, asks her to help him with a ridiculous task, she quits her job.  Lolly won’t stop sleeping with Becca’s brother. Becca skips out on going on the honeymoon with Sean. Andy shows up at her apartment, and kisses her again.  

Phew.  A lot happens in an hour. This show is really good and has to be the best ones on VH1 in a while. I love it and would recommend it!

~Alyssa and Katrina

Healthy Recipe and Exercise of the Week

Amazing Chicken Noodle Soup

Soup, like chicken noodle, is low calorie, delicious, and especially good when fighting sickness. It is so easy to make and so much healthier than canned soup. Also, those who are sick will appreciate that you took the time to make a homemade soup. Soup is wonderful especially during this time of the year, when it is really cold.

Ingredients:

2 bone in chicken breasts

3 stalks of celery, with leaves, chopped

½ large white onion, chopped

2 handfuls of baby carrots, sliced in half

1 handful of sliced mushrooms

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 gallon of water

1 tsp of salt 

½ tsp of pepper

10 tsps of chicken soup base with fat

Noodles of any kind

Directions: Boil the water in a huge pot. Then add your chicken and boil for 10 minutes. While this happens, there will be white bubbly stuff that is known as scum; you must take this out.  Then add your vegetables, soup base, and salt and pepper. Turn it to simmer and cook for 3 hours. 

After the three hours, take out the chicken breasts and allow them to cool enough til you can touch them without burning yourself. (This will take about 30 minutes.) Then take the meat off of the bone and cut up the chicken into cubes. Next, put the chicken back in the pot. 

When you are finally ready to serve, cook the noodles in a separate pot and add it to the bowl/cup that you will be serving the soup in. Finally pour the soup over and it’s a perfect meal!

You can add any type of vegetables that you want to this soup.  This can be reheated and used for a healthy lunch for quite a few days.

Squats

This exercise will help your abs, glutes, and arms. Do three normal squats with your legs hip width distance apart. Then bring your arms and left leg toward your abdomen three times. Repeat with the normal squats and the other side.  Do this exercise for a total of five minutes, three times a day for an easy work out!

~Katrina

Organize Your Life: Phone

Life is just easier when your phone is in order.  It’s less cluttered, easier to find things and you have more room to take new pictures and add new apps.  Your phone is probably one of your most used possessions (and maybe you never actually put it down), so follow these tips to make the most out of it:

·      First, back up your phone and save all your favorite pictures to your computer.  Then delete any pictures you don’t need on your phone.  Save the funny ones you took on nights out with your friends, but get rid of the puppy pictures you saw on Twitter and sent to your best friend.  You probably don’t need a million selfies taking up space on your phone, either.  (Especially if a lot of them are very similar.  Duck lips in a mirror selfie that was clearly taken in a bathroom with the flash on is never cute…) 

·      Delete videos you don’t need as well.  You can save them to your computer first so they’re not gone forever, but how often do you really watch back those short clips you took at a concert?

·      You might also want to delete old contacts.  You’ve probably gone through your contacts list more than once and realized you hadn’t spoken to many of the people on there in years.  (Or you don’t even remember who some of those people are…)  Get rid of anyone you don’t talk to and aren’t likely to in the future.  (You probably don’t need the number for “Green Shirt Guy” you met at a bar you went to freshman year.)

·      Now delete all the apps you don’t use/need.  (Six photo editors?  Really??)

·      Once you’ve cleared your phone of all the things that were just cluttering it up, reorganize your apps.  Put everything in an order that makes sense for you.  For example, if you have an iPhone, put your four most-used apps on the bottom bar (for me that’s messages, Safari, phone, then camera) for quick access.  Then figure which of the rest of your apps should be left standing alone and which should go into folders.  (I put all the things I rarely use in folders so they take up less space on the screen, such as the calculator, compass and voice memos.  I also put the contacts app in a folder since that can also be accessed from the phone button.)

·      Organize the apps you left out of folders by type and amount of use.  I kept all the standard iPhone apps (like photos, the app store and music) on the first homepage, social media/lifestyle apps on a second homepage, and photo editing/miscellaneous apps on a third.  On each page I put the apps in order based on how often I open them.  For example, on my first homepage I have the calendar, photos, reminders and notes in the first row since I use them all the time, and by the bottom of the page I have weather, music and FaceTime since it’s extremely rare that I use those at all.  (Furthermore, for social media I have Twitter right at the top of the page since I’m on there 24/7 {@pink_fridays, btw} and some fashion apps at the bottom since I love them but I don’t necessarily use them daily.)

·      Finally, turn off push notifications for unnecessary apps!  Anything that alerts you regularly but doesn’t really need much attention (I’m looking at you, Trivia Crack) does not need notifications turned on.  Part of organizing your life is controlling chaos, and it’s truly much more peaceful when your phone isn’t going off all day to let you know you have new texts, missed calls, Twitter mentions, Facebook notifications, dozens of Snaps from that girl that takes too many selfies, etc… 

If you read this on your phone, let us know in a comment!  ;-)

~Alyssa