She opted to remove the forearm tattoo of her ex-boyfriend's name with an at-home kit she purchased online for about $23. But instead of removing the ink, the kit left her with horrible burns and, eventually, a hole in her arm.
"It felt like someone had poured something flammable on my arm, lit it, and then poured a kettle on it," Hardy says in the BBC One documentary Inside Out. The reason: Most tattoo removal kits simply burn off the tattoo with corrosive chemicals like trichloroacetic acid, a substance that's banned in cosmetics in many countries, and hexachloroethane, a chemical used to make grenades.
And burning off tattoos isn't going to work since the ink is set into the middle of the skin, clinical dermatologist Dr. Sean Lanigan told the BBC.
"People are not only wasting their money, they’re exposing themselves to a significant risk of damage," he said. "It’s highly likely to cause severe burns, quite possibly resulting in permanent scarring."
The only effective way to fade — and possibly remove — tattoos is through laser therapy done by a professional. It's also becoming more affordable, with treatments ranging from $75 to $300, depending on your location and the size and location of the ink-based art.
It's too late for Hardy's tattoo, but let her horrific experience serve as a warning that going the cheaper route can actually cost you way more in the long run. "I’m shocked someone has actually sold that," she said of the home kit. "I want my arm back, my normal arm."
The drama surrounding Ayers' cancer was somewhat interesting near the beginning of the season, but after over a dozen episodes, even the most intriguing The Real Housewives of Orange County story line can grow stale. At this point, it's basically a given that every episode is going to feature Meghan Edmonds sticking her nose where it doesn't belong and Ayers insisting that he really does have cancer, even though all signs indicate otherwise.
After putting up with repeated episodes featuring the same old plot, RHOC fans have made it clear that they are ready for something new. Gone is the fiery debate about whether or not Ayers has cancer (and whether Edmonds is being too nosy). This has since been replaced with the resignation of longtime Real Housewives fans, many of whom assume the cancer issue will still be front and center when the show's finale and reunion finally arrive.
Tonight, the new wrinkle in the story was supposed to be Ayers showing Tamra Judge his medical records. Vicki Gunvalson admitted that she wanted Judge to act as her advocate while meeting with the other Housewives. This plan did not come to fruition, but legions of annoyed Twitter users didn't really care. All they wanted was for everybody to stop talking about cancer.
The discussion about cancer also featured several mentions of Edmonds' allegedly extensive background in the field of medicine. Twitter users found it laughable that Edmonds would use her brief career in medical equipment sales to position herself as the ultimate authority on cancer.
Meghan and medical sales
Meghan and medical sales
Meghan not a cancer expert
Meghan not a cancer expert
In Edmonds' defense, she is correct that Judge knows the absolute least out of the entire group about cancer. That being said, there's no need for the reality star to try to make herself sound like some kind of medical expert. She knows enough about cancer to realize that something fishy is going on with Ayers, but that's where her investigation should have ended. Without Edmonds' prying and claims of medical expertise, there's no way the show would still be focused on whether or not Ayers has cancer.
Are you sick of hearing about Brooks Ayers' cancer? Comment and share your opinion below.
TV night on Dancing with the Stars was fun, but much of the talk on social media surrounded next week's Switch Up night, which fans seem to either love or hate. Among the most popular fantasy pairings were Derek Hough and Tamar Braxton, and Mark Ballas and Bindi Irwin. Many voters also seemed to want to see young Vine star Hayes Grier with a new blonde — either Witney Carson or Lindsay Arnold. One fan had an interesting twist on the traditional switches and suggested two males dance together.
Switch Up Tweet
Switch Up Tweet
Other DWTS fans were dreading seeing their favorites split up and losing their "partner" momentum.
Switch Up Tweet 2
Switch Up Tweet 2
Sad news
In heartbreaking Dancing with the Stars news this week, Kim Zolciak was informed via satellite that due to her health crisis related to the mini-stroke she had following last week's performance, she would be forced to withdraw from the competition, as per the rules.
Kim Zolciak Withdrawal
Kim Zolciak Withdrawal
Zolciak's partner, Tony Dovolani, was disappointed, but agreed that her family and health definitely come first.
Paula Deen found herself on a bit of sinking ship this week as her Gilligan's Island-themed samba with partner Louis Van Amstel saw her marooned at the bottom of the leaderboard. Deen also found herself in jeopardy when it came time for elimination, although she was saved from possibly going home by Kim Zolciak's exit.
Also up for elimination tonight were Andy Grammer and Allison Holker, who finished third-last on the leaderboard, just above Deen and Gary Busey, who once again entertained everyone, this time with a tango.
New leaders
Topping the Dancing with the Stars leaderboard were Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and his partner, Sharna Burgess, who did an elegant and powerful Viennese waltz for their Downton Abbey theme that judge Julianne Hough called the best dance of the night. It tied in scoring with the edgy jazz routine performed by Mark Ballas and Alexa PenaVega, who took their Breaking Bad theme all the way with hazmat suits and gas masks.
How do you feel about the Dancing with the Stars Switch Up night? Which pro and celebrity would be your fantasy pairing? Do you think it was fair that Kim Zolciak was forced to withdraw from the competition?
The blind auditions for The Voice are in full swing and already the coaches have scored several wonderful singers for their teams. The luckiest of all, however, might be Pharrell, who managed to snag a very talented duo known as Jubal and Amanda. The two have been singing together since the very beginning of their relationship and now they are ready to take their romance to the next level.
When Jubal and Amanda performed an amazing rendition of "Seven Bridges Road," it didn't take long for the coaches to figure out that they were an item. Blake Shelton (sadly still in his wedding ring) asked whether the two were married. Amanda, clearly accustomed to this question, simply replied, "Not yet." At that point, she did not realize that her main squeeze had planned a huge surprise. He pulled out an engagement ring, got down on one knee and asked Amanda to be his wife. Although it was impossible to hear her response in the ensuing commotion, it was pretty obvious that she said yes.
If they'd wanted, Jubal and Amanda could have tied the knot shortly after their engagement, for as Adam Levine pointed out, Shelton is an ordained minister. However, the two made it clear that they would much rather enjoy the moment.
The social media response to Jubal and Amanda's onstage engagement has been incredibly positive, with Twitter users enthusiastically congratulating the happy couple. A few envious fans claimed that they would love to have their future husbands pop the question while auditioning for The Voice.
The Voice proposal
The Voice proposal
Jubal proposed
Jubal proposed
The Voice engaged
The Voice engaged
One fan, however, was a bit disappointed by the identity of the guy getting down on one knee.
Blake and Adam
Blake and Adam
Although critics of The Voice sometimes complain that it feels a bit too staged, moments like this are as real as it gets. Thankfully, this is not the last fans will see of Jubal and Amanda. This adorable duo is bound to once again impress, especially after working with Pharrell. Fans are already excited to see their next big performance on The Voice.
What did you think of Jubal's proposal? Are you looking forward to seeing more of this talented couple on The Voice? Comment and share your opinion below.
In the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers analyzed data on 84,628 women collected between 1980 and 2010 and also found that those who opted for sugary drinks on a regular basis experienced a 16 percent increase in stroke risk and up to a 26 percent increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The reason? The added sugar in sodas, juices and energy drinks that piles on extra pounds, according to Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
"Part of the problem is how fructose behaves in the body," said Hu. Fructose is metabolized in the liver where it's turned into triglycerides that can cause insulin resistance, one of the biggest risk factors in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. "Since we rarely consume fructose in isolation, the major source of fructose in the diet comes from fructose-containing sugars, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, in sugar-sweetened beverages."
The idea that sweetened drinks can lead to weight gain and disease isn't exactly new, but this study put concrete numbers on how much risk is involved with taking in excess calories through sweetened drinks.
Switching to diet versions of these drinks can help in the short term, says Hu, but little is really understood about their long-term health effects. Ultimately, the researchers conclude that it's best to listen to your mom's advice and just drink water.
"Although reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages or added sugar alone is unlikely to solve the obesity epidemic entirely, limiting intake is one simple change that will have a measurable impact on weight control and prevention of cardio-metabolic diseases," he wrote.
SheKnows: How is school going? Have you gotten into a routine with your schoolwork and readings that allows you to be successful at both?
Monica Ten-Kate: I am still struggling. You will definitely see more of the struggle and what I am doing with all of that as the season progresses. I don't want to give anything away, but I am still struggling to find that balance. It is definitely one of those things where I want to be able to do both, not just for me, but so I can make my family proud. My mom, particularly, wants me to finish school, but it is definitely a struggle to find that motivation for school when you have already found what makes you passionate and gives you so much joy in life.
Image: ABC Family
SK: Has your mom come around yet to your gift of talking to spirits?
MT: That is another thing that progresses throughout the season — the way my family views me and what I do. My mom has come a long way from when I first told her that I was a medium. Every time I would tell her what I was doing, she would break down in tears. Now she is very nice about it and no longer cries.
SK: Where do you see yourself in the future?
MT: I don't know. I honestly have no idea. I don't know where or what I will be doing 5-10 years from now, but I do know I will still be sharing my gift until the day I die, whether I am doing it publicly or not. Maybe 10 years from now things will calm down a bit so I can have a family, but still be a medium on the side.
SK: Have you ever had a message for someone who was not open to hearing it? And, if so, what do you do in that situation?
MT: In the hundreds of times I have done this in my everyday routine, spirit has never brought me up to someone randomly who is not open to it. Spirit is the one leading me to people. Even though I am only led to people who are open to it, I always ask permission to make sure the person is willing to listen and be open to the process of hearing from their loved ones.
SK: Let's say you are doing a scheduled meeting and no spirit shows, what do you do?
MT: It is very rare for that to happen, but if it does happen, I have a policy for my scheduled readings that if in the first 15 minutes the client is not happy with what they are hearing or if the spirit is not coming through, that either of us can cancel the reading with a full refund. However, no one has ever asked for that. For me, I have only had to stop three times and I didn't need to refund it. We just rescheduled. When that does happen, I have been able to figure out why the spirit wasn't coming through. Usually what occurs is that the spirit didn't come through because I needed to reserve my energy for another very hard, emotional reading later in the day. When I would meet with the client whose meeting was rescheduled again, the reading would go great.
SK: Do spirits only come when you are face to face with people?
MT: Spirits will usually come only if I am turned "on". For instance, I am turned "off" right now. I am not wanting to connect to spirit. If I am not really thinking about it or if I am open to connecting, then that is when spirit will pop in. I have had customer service calls with my cable provider and ended up giving them a reading. However, I am always getting tweets from people asking me if I am hearing anything. That is where I draw the line. I don't do readings over social media.
Image: ABC Family
SK: On the show, we saw the difficulty you had when spirit came through while you were out with your sisters. If you can sort of turn it off, why can't you do that when you are out with your friends and family?
MT: Over the years, I have learned how to strengthen the ability to turn it off, but it is not a full-strength off button. There have been times when I need to be off and am supposed to turn it off and I tell spirit to go away, like a press day. I have done pretty good keeping it at bay even though I felt an urge to do a reading. However, I still end up doing a couple of readings sometimes. At a recent press event, I ended up doing a reading for a makeup artist who was touching my face and another one for somebody's manager where it was just meant to be and the timing was right. Even when I am off, sometimes spirit will ignore me, but only when it is so necessary and the person really, really needs it. When it is important for the person to get a message, like at a restaurant when I will never have the opportunity to cross someone's path again, I try to listen to spirit even if I am off. My sisters understand that this is part of my life.
SK: Have you figured out a way to get more quality time with your sisters?
MT: Oh, absolutely. I got a lot of hate in that episode. People were saying, "You are terrible. Your sisters are going to be dead before you appreciate them." I appreciate my sisters more than anyone knows and realizes. We love each other so much. Honestly, yes, it was rude of me to get up from the table. Watching it back is also a learning experience for me. I am growing and learning as a medium. I shouldn't have made my sisters get up and go to a different table. That is really rude. Watching it back makes me appreciate them more and spend more time in the moment with them.
People have to realize, too, that the TV show is only an hour and there are things that have to be taken out because there just isn't time to show it all. Yes, it was rude of me to kick out my sisters, but in my defense, I had been sitting with them for an hour. They made it look like we had been there for three minutes.
SK: Did you ever hear from your tutor again or did you scare him away?
MT: I don't know if I scared him away. He was actually a very nice guy, but I think he wanted to keep things professional. He didn't want to get fired from his job. He was a really smart, nice, kind kid who was working really hard at his job. He is not my tutor anymore because after I got the hang of things I didn't want to spend more time and money. Tutors are expensive!
SK: What is your favorite avocado, egg and cheese meal?
MT: If there is egg in it then it is going to be a scrambled egg with pepper jack cheese and cut-up avocado. Or toast with a sunny side-up egg, a slice of cheese and sliced avocado. I also like just eating an avocado with balls of mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes. I had avocado for dinner last night. It is a constant in my life. I sometimes eat avocado with just fresh ground pepper. Mmmm... I am getting hungry.
Image: ABC Family
SK: Previews show that you think one of your friends is having a baby. Did you find out if someone is pregnant?
MT: I can't tell you who, but yes.
SK: Is it you?
MT: It is definitely not me. I am not Monica the pregnant medium.
SK: Is seeing or feeling things about the future something you normally experience in addition to spirits talking to you?
MT: It is not really normal, but it does happen occasionally. I want to make this clear since people will probably ask me when they watch the episode: I am not a psychic or a fortune-teller. I can't predict the future. The only time that me as a medium will get information from spirit is when upcoming events are already in motion. That is why in my everyday readings spirit can tell me when my client is pregnant because they can tell me that they are already with the soul of that child in heaven. I can get the information because the life has already started. It was only because someone in my circle was already pregnant that I was having that feeling.
SK: Did the person already know they were pregnant?
MT: What is funny is that two things happened. I knew before that person knew, before they had taken the test. I also knew after the person knew, but before she had told anyone. That was crazy and that is a first. It doesn't normally happen that way.
SK: Has the show been picked up for Season 2 yet?
MT: We are hoping. Crossing my fingers.
Do you watch Monica the Medium on ABC Family? Do you believe in mediums? Let us know what you think by commenting below!
"If the clitoris goes unused, it will retreat into the body and the hood will fuse closed, known as clitoral atrophy. Just like every other tissue in the body, the clitoris requires blood flow to stay happy and healthy," writes Shelly Persad, founder of Orgasmical Medicine and an orgasmicologist (which is apparently a thing).
Your clitoris can literally dry up and wither away from lack of use? (Please tell me I'm not the only girl who's never heard of this phenomenon!) It all sounded so extreme and sensational. After all, haven't we all gone through a few dry spells and emerged with our lady bits still fully intact? So I called Sherry Ross, M.D., an OB-GYN and a specialist in women's sexual health, and begged her to tell me this isn't true.
"Well there is some truth to this," she starts our conversation.
Mind. Blown.
"Just like any other organ, if it's not stimulated the clitoris can lose function," she says.
Clitoral function is a product of two things: age and practice, Ross explains. Younger women are often fine with some extended periods of no sexual contact — in fact she says it's expected as we're still trying to find a good partner and figure our lives out. And when you're young, with plenty of hormones coursing through your body, your clit may not be at its fullest but it can wait it out.
But it's those hormones that are the key to a happy, vibrant, pink button, she adds. So when you hit peri-menopause (the stage just before menopause) and your estrogen levels start to drop, things down yonder can dry up quickly — literally and figuratively.
"Low estrogen can cause a vicious cycle of low libido which leads to less sex which then hurts the clitoris which makes sex less pleasurable and so on," she explains.
The antidote? You know the answer to this: Sex. And lots of it.
"Being sexually active trains your body so your clitoris responds in a healthy way, no matter what your age. Ninety-year-olds who are doing it twice a week are probably just fine down there," she says. But women who aren't getting pleasure on the regular can see their delicate vulva and clitoral tissues shrink, thin out and dry up. (And when it comes to good sex, we all know that dry is never a good thing.) In the worst case scenario, your clitoral hood can actually fuse shut.
She adds, however, that there are some medical conditions, like Lichen sclerosus, that can cause similar skin issues regardless of your sexual health so if you are having problems down there, it's always good to get it checked out by a doctor no matter what you think the cause might be.
But rare diseases aside, this issue is something you can, ahem, take into your own hands, she says. "Part of taking good care of your female parts is your sexuality. If women can understand the sexual process it can be very empowering for them," she adds.
So you heard it here first: When it comes to your pleasure center, use it or (maybe) lose it.
I wish I'd had a mother there, or a father. Or the baby's father. But none of that was to be.
I thought back to my own birth. My impulsive parents sold me to their landlady when I was six weeks old and took off with my sister in tow.
I wondered if leaving me tugged at my mother, whose body I grew in until I was born. I wondered if she locked herself in the bathroom, wherever they landed, and cried because her arms were empty without me.
This was not going to be my daughter's story on Thanksgiving Day of 1974. I didn't have much. I didn't know much. I didn't know the ways of the world. But as my daughter suckled at my breast, I knew I could never leave her for some fast cash and drive away to who knows where.
It was tough. I'd had pre-eclampsia and was very sick. But by the time the new semester started at my high school, about five weeks later, I was there. I took classes during the day and again at night to bring myself up to speed so I could graduate with my class. Back then, you didn't flaunt your pregnancy and sit in class. You stayed home. I found a church daycare to care for my baby while I was in class.
And I did graduate with my class of 1975. My baby girl was by then six months old and in the audience. I had purchased an old trailer for $900, and that was our home. It had lots of holes in the bottom, so it was quite cold in the winter. But I put her in bed with me and covered us with clothing from the closet to keep warm.
Life was not easy, but we made it.
I went on to college, and there met my future husband, a psychology instructor. He was totally enamored of my 2-year-old girl, with her blond bouncing curls. I think he was more in love with the thought of being her father than with me. And I think I was more in love with the idea of giving my daughter the father I'd never had. We went on to give her a younger sister.
What's truly ironic (and scary) is that, though I was afraid when my baby was born, I wasn't old enough to realize the real gravity of my situation. That there was little between us and the street. That I was worn out from trying to do it all.
But one thing I do know, the moment I set eyes on her, she was my family. The one I'd never had. I suppose that's a lot to put on an infant. But I didn't know any better back then.
There is always a fork in the road where we pause and ask ourselves, Which way do I go? There are always going to be people who make promises to us and then let us down, like her father let me down. There are always going to be times when we look back and think: Should I have taken that other fork in the road? Would it have been better?
It would have been different. That's all. Because many choices are made in our hearts, and carried out with sheer tenacity. Like me walking out of that hospital that November day with a baby wrapped up in a pink blanket.
All I knew was that we had each other. And that was enough.
A research team in Norway recently broke the news that they are in the clinical trial phase of such a test — a blood test that can accurately diagnose celiac disease. They are currently testing people who have already been diagnosed with celiac disease, those who do not have it, and those who have symptoms but don't yet have a diagnosis. The Norwegian team hopes to have it on the market in a few years.
Why is this such a big deal? Well, diagnosing celiac disease is a lengthy and invasive multi-step process.
First, we must understand that celiac disease is an autoimmune disease where your body treats the gluten you consume as an invader, and in response, your immune system attacks, damages or destroys the villi in your intestines. This makes it difficult or impossible to absorb nutrients from the food you eat, which can make you very, very sick.
To diagnose celiac disease, your doctor will conduct a few blood tests. These don't diagnose you, however — they simply indicate whether or not you're more likely to have celiac disease. These tests, called antibody tests, can show if your immune system is having an abnormal response to gluten.
If one or more of these tests are positive, you will likely be scheduled for an intestinal biopsy, which is an invasive test requiring anesthesia. Biopsies, or tissue samples, will be removed and later examined under a microscope to see if there is evidence of villi damage. If there is, you will be granted a celiac disease diagnosis and be instructed to go gluten free for the rest of your life.
The real kicker? You have to be eating gluten while you are being tested using these methods, so if gluten is in fact making you sick, you have to keep doing it until you know for sure (and if you've stopped for any reason, you have to start back up again). In essence, you are hoping to damage yourself enough for a diagnosis through intestinal biopsy. Why? Because most doctors will not diagnose celiac disease without evidence of villi damage. According to the American College of Gastroenterology, "Upper endoscopy with small-bowel biopsy is a critical component of the diagnostic evaluation for persons with suspected CD and is recommended to confirm the diagnosis."
There are doctors who will diagnose a patient using different criteria, but the intestinal biopsy is still considered the gold standard, and will remain so unless another equally accurate test comes along.
This is why a simple, single blood test would be huge news. Not for people who have already gone down the diagnosis road, like my older daughter whose biopsy was positive nearly six years ago. But for all those children and adults well into the future who won't have to worry about going under anesthesia and having a biopsy performed.
Right now, we're patiently waiting through celiac testing for my younger daughter. She's showing similar symptoms as her sister did years ago, and when I took her to get screened, she was positive for one antibody. However, her biopsy was negative, so we're spending time feeding her gluten before her repeat blood tests later this year — essentially hoping that they either go down, or they go up enough that another biopsy would show the damage.
I've always thought celiac testing was pretty intense, but it is even more so now — now that I wonder if she even has it, and if so, I keep feeding her things that might possibly be making her sicker, which makes me feel badly.
She likely won't benefit from this new blood test but it makes my heart happy that someday, a kid won't have to go through what she's going through just to get a diagnosis.
Jester King won as our favorite brewery, with a unanimous vote. It's so far from downtown Austin, we almost didn’t go. Thankfully, we did because Jester King has an amazing atmosphere, delicious pizza from the on-site Stanley’sFarmhouse Pizza, a huge variety of beer and just lots of fun — period. The owner's passion for beer is so strong he left his law practice in Boston to come start this brewery.
If you have been to any breweries, you know they are mostly industrial, warehouse or retail spaces. Many of them boast modern decor, but they rarely have outdoor space like this.
Our top five food trucks in Austin
La BBQ brisket here is cooked for 12 to 15 hours at about 275 degrees, and has a smoke ring of perfection. Like most BBQ trucks in Texas, they are open until they sell out. Get there at 11 a.m. when they open to guarantee yourself lunch. Come on the weekend, and there is free beer Friday through Sunday! The BBQ is amazing just the way it is, but try a little of their vinegar based sauce as well — icing on the cake!
Gordough’sspecializes in made-to-order, decadent donuts with wild toppings. They have three locations now, but the trailer is our favorite. The line gets long after 10 a.m., so get there early. If you perfer a sit-down, indoor location, their other two nearby spots have full bars and bigger menus. Head to the location on South Lamar and have a Country Clucker. You can thank us later.
Torchy’s Tacos food was designed by the customers. Whenever Mike heard his customers holler, “Damn, these tacos are good!” they were added to the menu. Today, Torchy’s Tacos operates over 30 stores and a trailer park.
Bananarchy reminds us of hot days at the fair, waiting for a hand-dipped, chocolate-covered frozen banana. The only choices then were nuts or no nuts — we always got nuts. At Bananarchy, there are endless topping choices available, or you can create your own disaster concoction.
Cow Tipping Creamery has a huge menu filled with endless possibilities. Soft serve goes to another level with the ice cream trailer’s stackers, which layer everything that makes sundaes delicious, including house-made ingredients and including fresh fruit purees.
So, next time you are in Austin, enjoy these food trucks and sip on that amazing brew.
Pizza is my magic-food. When inspiration is nowhere to be found, I make pizza.
I'm always experimenting with pizza recipes. I've added peaches to some, pork, pineapples, even eggs. Results? I've never been more satisfied. I don't care what I top that dough with, it always comes out delicious.
Image: Katerina Petrovska/SheKnows
Per my pizza-can-never-be-bad theory, while in search of recipes that will get my kids to eat kale, the idea of adding it to pizza was my last try. To make it more pleasant, I 1) lied that it was spinach and 2) added a whole lotta garlic to the mix and made it even more delicious than it really is. Let's not kid ourselves, kale is not delicious. Adding garlic, salt and pepper makes it so. Just a dose of honesty.
Image: Katerina Petrovska/SheKnows
When I tell you this pizza was delicious… you really need to take my word for it. The dough is my go-to recipe for when I don't have time to wait for a rise. There's no yeast in it, but it's perfectly tender and chewy, and has a smoother texture.
The garlicky sautéed kale complemented the chicken, and the gooey melted mozzarella was the delicious glue that held it all together. All in all, it was perfect.
3 teaspoons olive oil + more for brushing the dough
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups kale, chopped
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
2-1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded
Directions:
For the pizza dough
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk until thoroughly combined and set aside.
Combine water and oil in a separate bowl or cup; stir to combine.
Slowly add the water mixture to the flour mixture.
Using a wooden spoon, or your hands, gently stir and mix until dough forms a ball; dough should be soft, but not sticky. Add more water if it's too dry, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it's too sticky, add more flour.
Lightly flour your work area and knead dough for 5 minutes. Do not knead it for longer than that.
Line a baking sheet or a pizza pan with foil and spray it with cooking spray.
Spread pizza dough on the prepared pan, using the palm of your hands and fingers to stretch it out to about a 1-inch thickness.
Bake in a 400 F oven for 8 minutes; remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
For the toppings
In the meantime, prepare the kale.
Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add torn kale leaves to the skillet and season with salt and pepper; continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until wilted. Set aside.
Brush pizza dough with olive oil.
Add 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese over dough.
Add prepared kale leaves and cubed chicken over cheese.
Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and dough is thoroughly baked and serve.
Why? Because, aesthetics aside, you should always arrange furniture according to how you live. Yes, you want it to look beautiful, too — don't worry, form and function are not mutually exclusive. We turned to industry experts to zero in on tips for making your making your house a home with a living room that's the perfect party venue.
Tip No. 1: Skip sofas and go for settees instead
Sure, you could opt for the classic furniture configuration of a sofa paired with two club chairs or a large L-shaped sofa with one or two club chairs. But if you really want to encourage conversation, buck tradition. "Love seats and settees are great paired with chairs and poufs or ottomans," says Kathryn McKay, founder of the event style brand Ruffled Feathers. She added that the two-person seating is a great way to avoid the awkwardness of a third wheel in conversations.
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ID 3
Alternatively, you could also use a daybed to connect two smaller seating areas. These options not only allow for easy dialogue, but they help the living space maintain an open, airy feel.
Tip No. 2: Nesting furniture is your friend
Charleston-based interior designer and hostess extraordinaire Melissa Hunter of MW Hunter Custom Interiors swears by nesting tables as the ultimate in multi-functional furniture. "Nesting tables are great. You can shift them around, leaving the big one beside a stationary armchair. Then you can function around the two smaller ones — like bringing in more chairs from the dining room and situating one of the nesting tables between those."
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ID 1
This is ideal, since your guests will need ample opportunity to sit their drinks down. Plus, they can be collapsed when not in use, so they're great space-savers. Also falling under that umbrella are nesting ottomans, which can is the perfect piece to stash beneath a console table when not in use and pulled out for big social functions.
Tip No. 3: Think vignettes
Floating furniture in the middle of the room as opposed to pushing it to the walls will make it easier to delineate distinctive areas in your living room conducive to mingling, even if it does seem counterintuitive. Explains McKay, "It's good to think of it in terms of areas for people to congregate, and vignettes are the best. If you've got a lot of people, you don't want a big, gaping room where the conversation is lost. Incorporate places to stand and talk so that mingling is encouraged. To that end, cocktail tables and high boys are fab."
ID 5
ID 5
Perhaps one of the most overlooked furniture "vignettes" out there also happens to quite possibly be one of the best when it comes to fostering a sense of intimacy — arranging four armchairs around a coffee table. Not only is it amazingly functional (there are clear sight lines and walkways to pretty much any point in the room), but it is also ideal for people who have a tricky shaped or sized living room. Or, as Hunter suggests, create several smaller seating areas of only two chairs and a nesting table. "I try to group in twos. That way, if you came in and sat down, you and I could start a conversation and hold it while the party continued around us."
Tip No. 4: Stagger table space
Here's a scenario everyone is familiar with — you're hosting a party and you place all of your food in a central location... say, the island top or the dining room table. Only what inevitably happens is you create a huge bottleneck of people milling about in the same space.
ID 4
ID 4
"When I do the food for a party, I start by putting some on the cocktail or coffee table," explains Hunter. "Using nesting tables and other small surfaces, I disperse the food throughout the entertaining area, which makes it easier for people to serve themselves. By breaking up the menu throughout — finger foods on the cocktail table, sweets on a nesting table, etc. — everyone can move freely and I can circle around and play hostess."
This post was brought to you by Value City Furniture. For more inspiration, visit their blog at blog.vcf.com.
And while explaining why a team of minority directors might be better prepared to handle it, Damon spoke over her to say that diversity behind the camera didn't matter- it was diversity in front of the camera they should be concerned with. (For those curious, here's a relevant link about the lack of diversity behind the camera in Hollywood.)
Long story short, the Internet wasn't pleased.
And now?
In an interview with the Guardian, Matt Damon was asked if he thought that coming out hurts actors' careers. The question was posed after talking about his role as Liberace's lover in Behind the Candalabra. And it wasn't a difficult question to answer: All Damon needed to say was that he wasn't really in the position to talk about it, since he isn't gay. Or simply that actors' private lives shouldn't determine the roles they play. Instead, Damon mentioned Rupert Everett's career, then said that everyone should keep their private lives private. That everyone should keep quiet about their sexuality.
So what's the problem? We currently live in a world where people are assumed to be straight. Straight until proven otherwise. And if there aren't successful LGBT actors who are out and visible, it means that kids grow up without seeing LGBT people as being successful. It's not just a role model-type thing for LGBT kids, but it helps everyone see that the world is filled with more than simply straight people. And that non-hetero people are just like everyone else.
Instead, the only lesson they get is that being gay, bi or trans is that it's something you should hide in order to succeed. (I know he didn't mention transgender people, but Hollywood loves finding reasons to cast cisgender actors in transgender roles — and the argument is typically the same as his argument against picking diversity behind the camera: that it isn't important who plays the role, it's that the story is told, period.)
Is it true that Rupert Everett's career suffered? Sure. But was back in the early '90s. There weren't a lot of gay actors out at the time, and it's always hardest for those who are at the front of any social movement. Look at Ellen DeGeneres. Her career came to a screeching halt after she came out (also at a similar point in time), but she's helped build something better. The more actors who can be out and honest, the easier it can be.
Look at actors who've come out, more recently. It's hard to argue that Neil Patrick Harris' career suffered, being out. Matt Bomer. Ellen Page. All are working steadily. I've seen people suggest Ellen Page could have been bigger, but I don't think she aspired to do big blockbusters —- I think she's happy doing smaller, meaningful work. She certainly seems happy.
And again, Matt Damon is not in the position speak with authority about what life should be the default life for an actor. He can escort his wife down a red carpet, and talk about his children without it hurting his career. In fact, I doubt either of his statements (this and the conversation from Project: Greenlight) will cause any lasting damage to his career.
But they will have an impact on others. Careless statements like his send messages to gay, bi, trans and non-white actors/filmmakers that Hollywood is not for them.
There are a million problems with privacy and Hollywood, but that isn't a discussion that should be linked to diversity. I wish that actors could keep their private lives private, and have complete control over what they do divulge to the public. I do.
Sadly, the paparazzi have become more invasive, but they've been around since the beginning. Studios marketed movies based around the stars, so the more filmgoers knew about their leading men and women (at least what the publicity department thought they should know), the more interested they'd be in a movie. We should let actors have their own private lives, but not by suggesting that anyone hide who they are.
So, does this change your perception of Matt Damon? I'm certainly less interested in his projects. It's hard to want him to succeed in Hollywood, if he's this oblivious and careless when speaking on topics that actually do affect so many actors. And people outside of Hollywood, too.
It demonstrates why I founded TIA Girl Club, and why I launched it on Kickstarter today. Tweens hide themselves to fit in — it's called "camouflaging" —and in due course, they start to lose touch with who they really are. Visit our Kickstarter to see our launch product, a box subscription that delivers a powerful female role model each month to help inspire and empower our girls to preserve their authentic voices.
Diary entry of a tween girl
Samantha had done hers; same with Kristen. They made diaries. I read them (they let me). They were really, really, good. They flowed really well, and they were just expressions of who they were, what they were. So I decided I had to make one, too.
I guess that says something about me right away. I’m a conformer. I try to conform to people’s standards and ideas about me, what I’m supposed to do and not do. I flip-flop between the popular friend and the ostracized Game of Thrones weirdo. For a long time when I was near the popular girls, I felt the need to suddenly act a certain way. I wanted to conform, I wanted to become like them — no, scratch that: I wanted to become how they see me.
Let's talk right now, not before. Maybe I want to become how I think they see me… or, in that case, how I feel I need to be seen.
Or want to be seen.
Even before writing this, I looked at Kristen and Samantha's diaries to plan out my own. What the heck?!?! This is a diary, not poetry! Ugh. Conforming. Even now, I feel like I’m conforming as I’m writing this, like some internal filter is bleeping out all the things I want to say, what I really need to say.
It’s damn annoying.
My mind is really, really full right now. It would take me pages and pages to write out everything going through my brain. Which is what I’m going to do.
Have you seen Mean Girls? Of course you have. If not, it’s hilariously funny and you have to see it. IT IS HIGHLY QUOTABLE!!!!!!! Anyway, sometimes I feel I’m caught up in Mean Girls drama. Like this year, I got “admitted” into a popular group of friends. They would always talk and talk about gossip and stuff, and in all honesty, I’m into it. I like gossip like some typical girl.
But anyway, nearly all the time, they talked about this one girl at my school. She was popular too, and pretty nice, but the gossipy group would always be talking about her and how mean she was. In truth, it was obvious that they were just really jealous of her and were just exaggerating how much of a “bully” she was.
But I had to go along with it all. “Oh, yeah, she’s like the worst. She was sooo mean to me yesterday... ” Because I conform. Way too much.
Anyway, I played along with this for a long time, talking trash about a girl I was friends with for three years, until crack, I broke on the second-to-last day of school. I told her everything they had been saying.
It was intense.
But why hadn’t I told her before? Why didn’t I stop them and tell them I didn’t want to say those things?
Because I conform.
Honestly, I’m probably one of the best conformers out there. I can switch my personality to fit whoever I’m catering to like that. I’ve been doing it so much that along the way, I’ve lost the real me.
Wow.
I kind of just realized that, and it’s shocked me.
Who is the real me?
Well, there are some things I do know.
I like Buzzfeed, celebrities with the first name Chris, movies, and Game of Thrones.
While some families end up bringing drama to their children's special days, others find a way to put aside any hard feelings to make good memories.
Brittany Peck's family luckily falls into the latter, as demonstrated on her recent wedding day. Her photographer, Delia D. Blackburn, posted a series of tearjerker photos on Facebook that show Peck's father, Todd Bachman, leading another man down the aisle. According to Blackburn, Bachman brought his daughter to the aisle and then stopped everyone as he walked over to her stepdad.
"Todd reached out his hand and grabbed Brittany's stepfather and pulled him down the aisle to walk their daughter down the aisle together," she wrote, adding that there wasn't "a dry eye" at the ceremony.
Blackburn also told Buzzfeed News that there had been "tension" between the men so no one was really sure what was going to happen. Bachman told the stepfather that he needed to participate in giving her away because "you helped raise her."
The bride was clearly happy, too, as shown in the photos.
The now-viral photos are making the newlyweds happy because "[t]hey are happy that their message is getting out for parents and stepparents [to get] along for the sake of their kids,” Bachman added to Buzzfeed.
Most importantly, Bachman wrote on Facebook that families "are what we make them" and that families should "make it about your kids" and not your ego."Congratulations Todd Bachman on showing your kids what true love really is... love for your children."
BB creams are a great place to start. These beauty balms act as a moisturizer and contain SPF, which is just as important if you’re outside in fall, winter and spring. MAC’s Prep + Prime BB Cream is available in a number of shades to provide an even tone for all skin types. It’s also a great substitute for foundation, since it’s lightweight, easy to apply and can be used in any weather.
Keep the chlorine out
When the weather changes, swimmers hit the indoor pool at the gym. SwimSpray is an indoor swimmer’s necessity. Apply this 100 percent natural, Vitamin C-based product to your hair and skin to eliminate chlorine odor and irritation. Bonus: You won’t have to worry about the damage chlorine can do to your swimwear, because it actually neutralizes the chemical from your suit. We all win when we can extend the use of our swimsuits!
Remember, confidence is an accessory that goes with everyone’s unique style. Share your favorite beauty and fashion must-haves for fall by using the hashtag #SKFallFavorites.
"People always say to me, ‘Anyone who runs as much as you do deserves to be skinny’," she told Runner's World in a recent profile. "Of course, what they're really saying: ‘If you do all this running, why are you still so fat?’" The reason: As a 250-lb. runner, Valerio doesn't meet what many consider to be the standards for being an athlete.
"But you know what bothers me the most?" she continued, "People look at me and think, 'Big as this girl is, how can she possibly enjoy her sport? She says she loves to run, but she's really just punishing herself'."
The truth is that she doesn't just love her sport, she excels in it. Valerio is an ultramarathon trail runner, meaning she regularly competes in events that require her to run more than 26.2 miles at a time, often on unpredictable terrain.
The teacher and cross-country coach started a blog, Fat Girl Running, to both spread the message of body acceptance and share the highs and lows of living the runner's life.
Mirna Valerio 2
Mirna Valerio 2
Most of all, she's inspiring people. "A lot of people have said to me 'you being out there gives me permission to get out there myself'," she told Buzzfeed. "That’s been astounding to me — that people have such a high level of discomfort with their own bodies, that they won’t show them in public... I am really happy to be a role model for people who normally would be ashamed."
Valerio most recent event was the Georgia Jewel 35 Mile Run which, as you might suspect by the name, involved her running 35 miles through gorgeous scenery. Like any runner, she had her challenges throughout the race, but summed it all up on her blog in a way that we're confident all runners would agree with.
"I am living the dream. I AM LIVING THE DREAM!" she wrote.
Is Ziggler a homewrecker? He's one of the most likable WWE guys in the ring, but on Total Divas, he's a bit of a jerk. When Cena's away, Ziggler comes out to play. But when Ziggler plays, he means business. The wrestler wasted no time when he ran into his ex-girlfriend in Phoenix, and even the evil eye from Bella's brother-in-law, Daniel Bryan, was not enough to convince him to back down. The flirting continued during a pool date and then again backstage during filming for Monday Night Raw. It was all rather awkward, in part because Bella was too nice to shut Ziggler down.
During a brief chat with Ziggler about his intentions, Brie Bella accused the WWE star of manipulating her sister. She made a good point, because Ziggler took every opportunity to highlight Cena's reluctance to get married or have kids. Ziggler claimed that, unlike Cena, he was more than ready to take the next step and, therefore, was the better choice for Bella. In a petty move very reminiscent of The Bachelor's Shawn Booth, Ziggler even referred to Cena as "the other guy." In doing so, he came across as bitter and disrespectful — qualities Bella probably isn't looking for in a guy.
It can't be easy for Ziggler to see Bella with Cena, especially when he still has feelings for her. But does he really have her best interests at heart? Bella insists that she's happy with Cena and has no interest in returning to Ziggler, so the responsible thing to do would be to let the Diva make her own decisions about her love life. If he's really meant to be with Bella, they will eventually end up together. Breaking up a happy relationship, however, is not the right approach.
Although some Twitter users would love nothing more than for Bella to ditch Cena and resume her romance with Ziggler, many others were disappointed by the underhanded tactics the wrestler used to get back in his ex's good graces.
Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler
Dolph over the line
Dolph over the line
Dolph homewrecker
Dolph homewrecker
Ultimately, Bella's relationship with Cena is none of Ziggler's business. By sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, he may have jeopardized all chances of a future relationship with his ex. Fans will have to wait to find out how the Diva reponded to Ziggler's pleas, as the episode ended with a huge cliffhanger.
What did you think of Dolph Ziggler's flirtatious behavior on Total Divas? Comment and share your opinion below!
The concept this week was to take a sideshow act and create a fantastical character that would have wowed audiences in true freak show style. Awesome! I was really excited about this Face Off challenge right off the bat. I've been fascinated by the concept of the freak show, especially since I first laid eyes on Tod Browning's 1932 horror hit Freaks. If you've never seen that movie, it's definitely worth checking out to see why it's still ranked among the scariest movies ever made. I wasn't alone in my excitement for this week's battle, with many dishing love for it on Twitter.
It actually didn't matter much what Scott produced since he was safe from elimination after winning immunity in an earlier Foundation challenge.
Jordan: Elephant Lady
Image: Syfy
This was, to me, the best example of a freak show character out of the entire bunch. I'm bummed the judges didn't include it among the top looks.
Elephant Lady Face Off tweet
Elephant Lady Face Off tweet
Elephant Lady praise
Elephant Lady praise
Stevie: Icicle Irma
Image: Syfy
Image: Syfy
Nora Hewitt: Lobster Larry
Image: Syfy
Best of the best
The judges picked just one makeup as the "top look" from the challenge.
Ben: The Human Peacock
Image: Syfy
Yeah, I think this makeup is cool, but the best overall? Nah. I think the judges got this one wrong. Something about this makeup reminds me too much of a deformed version of Bela Lugosi's Dracula. Right? I would have preferred to see Jordan's Elephant Lady in the top spot.
Vampire peacock
Vampire peacock
Fan praises Ben on Face Off
Fan praises Ben on Face Off
The judges gushed praise at Ben for this work before naming him the winner of the freak show battle. "The form [is the] best thing you've done on the show, hands down," judge Glenn Hetrick said. "The fact that you took this into the fantasy realm, but kept it human enough that it almost looks like a deformity, that, to me, is the heart of this challenge."
These are the makeups ranked as the "bottom looks" of the challenge.
Evan: Moon Girl
Image: Syfy
This was, by far, my least favorite freak show makeup out of the entire batch. I mean, just, wow. The judges and Evan all discussed their disappointment with the creation.
Image: Syfy
"I don't feel like I did the best job in the world, but I like her as a character," Evan told the judges before Hetrick called it "somewhat of a failure."
Judge Ve Neill summed up her thoughts in just a few, sharp words. "She's a freaking mess, dude."
Really, if the judges were basing their elimination solely on this challenge, then Evan should have been booted. This was just plain bad.
Moon Girl is just bad
Moon Girl is just bad
Meg: Inside-Out Oscar
Image: Syfy
"I think he looks really creepy and weird," Meg said before presenting this makeup to the judges. "But in comparison to work I've done, this is not a good representation of what I can do with my skill set."
After being ranked in the "bottom looks" more than any other contestant this season, Meg wasn't able to dodge elimination this time as the judges sent her packing.
"This is some straight-up Party City shit going on right here," Hetrick said when the panel took a closer look.
Meg eliminated from Face Off
Meg eliminated from Face Off
Meg Wilbur eliminated from Face Off
Meg Wilbur eliminated from Face Off
Image: Syfy
Although tearful, Meg kept her head held high as she packed her makeup kit. "I didn't believe in myself when I came here," she said. "Face Off has given me the opportunity to do more artistically than anything that I've ever done. It's been the coolest ride of my life, and I will never forget a minute of it. I'm proud of myself, and that's not something that I say lightly."
Do you think the judges made the right decision in eliminating Meg? Which makeup in this challenge was your favorite? Who do you think deserves to win the entire competition? Dish your thoughts by leaving us a comment!
It all began when Jamie McGloin, posted an image of himself opening a packet of spaghetti to to Woolworths' Facebook page alongside a rap he'd crafted to the tune of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself'. He wrote:
"Dear Woolworths,
Yesterday I was searching for food to make mums spaghetti. I was nervous, my knees were weak, my palms were sweaty and to top it off, I had a vomit on my sweater already.
To be honest, I was ready to drop bombs, but I kept on spaghetti what I wrote down. I feel I had one shot, one opportunity and I let it slip. I could have seized everything and I left with nothing but a brown onion and tomato paste. I lost myself in the spaghetti because I had spaghetti on my spaghetti already. Snap back to spaghetti. Oh there's goes more spaghetti!!
So today I went back to purchase some spaghetti, instead of finding spaghetti in the packet, I found this.
It was spaghetti!!!! What should I do with it? Should I return the spaghetti?
Love Jamie xox"
The post quickly went viral – within less than 48 hours, it had over 120,000 likes – but it was Woolworths' responses that proved even more popular.
Their social media genius left a reply for Jamie that has since garnered more than 150,000 likes:
"Dear Jamie, you can do anything you set your mind to man. The answer to your burning question is pretty clear... All you need to do is Lose Yourself in the spaghetti, the sauce, you own it. You better never let it go! You've only got one pan, don't miss your chance to cook, cuz dinner only comes once in a day. Yo."
From there, other customers began joining in on the action, and the responses from Woolworths have been pure gold – as hey have responded in a series of comments made almost exclusively in song lyrics.
To a customer who commented, "Round of applause Woolworths, round of applause", they replied as Jay-Z: "Thank you thank you, you're far too kind."
To another who posted, "I think Woolworths' just won over the world!", they responded as J's wife, Beyonce: "Who run the world?"
And to an enterprising young chap who decided to muscle in on the comments with his own rap, this time set to Eminen's 'Stan', Woolworths responded in verse: "Dear Kyle, we meant to write to you sooner but we've just been busy. You asked about our produce? It's as fresh as it could be :)"
Very well played, Woolies. Very well played.
Any brand that is happy to pop the comment "We literally can't even" on their official Facebook page is a winner in our books.
