Feel like your pout could use a pick-me-up? Think color. Orange (it is the color of the year) and pink are some of the hottest shades for spring and summer. Other fun hues making lip news include red (it's not just for winter anymore), natural tones and even purple.
If you look up the word "energetic" in an online dictionary, you're likely to pull up a photo of Kathy Smith. This Utah Boomer is a fitness expert and single mother of two with an unlimited supply of drive and a spirited attitude that's taking her places. As you'll see, the outdoors are among her many loves so we felt lucky when we caught her just as she was heading out to hike her favorite mountain trail...
By Vicky Oliver
It's relatively easy for anyone under 20 to look like a million bucks. The skin is resilient and strong. The hair naturally complements the skin without resorting to highlights and lowlights. And even pounds don't conform to hips as readily. As George Bernard Shaw once observed, "Youth is wasted on the young."
The guy who wrote this sign has a 5-year plan...but I hear he's still working on the font.
I found myself with a dilemma the other day.
Charlotte's birthday was coming up and I was trying to think of somewhere to take her for a celebratory dinner.
You know the deal. Nice atmosphere. Some wine. Great entrées. Terrific desserts. Some place where you don't give your order to a clown's head.
I mean, c'mon. Any woman who can put up with me for three decades, raise a great son, run a business and survive breast cancer deserves a lot more than a large order of curly fries and a 25% discount coupon to Banana Republic.
That's when I saw the light email. The Capital Grille sent me a story on its Annual Artist Series Wine Event. It sounded like a pretty cool deal. For the past three years, the restaurant has been featuring an exclusive, limited allocation wine decorated with a unique piece of original artwork as its label. With each bottle sold, they donate $25 to Share Our Strength -- a charity dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America.
It didn't take long for the wine lover in me to figure out this was a great idea. The next thing I know, we're pulling up to the lovely Capital Grille, Dallas (located on the east side of the Crescent Hotel). Before I could say, "We have a 7:30 reservation," our server Minh Ho was uncorking a bottle of the Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon and pouring a glass.
The Capital Grille Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon is hand-crafted at Napa's Freemark Abbey Winery by Ted Edwards, in collaboration with Capital Grille's Master Sommelier, George Miliotes. The bottle's unique label was chosen from national submissions for a design contest and features the winning painting, Complexity, by artist Julie Agee.
The label was beautiful, but how would the wine taste?
It's a full-bodied cabernet and I found the inky-colored wine to be packed with ripe fruit, dark chocolate and cinnamon aromas. On the palate, the aromatics morphed into classic briar, black pepper and notes of vanilla and oak. Superb!
Since Minh was on a roll with the wine selection, I asked him for recommendations for the entire meal. He didn't disappoint:
Seeing swimsuits on the horizon, Bob and I have teamed up with reality tv star and author Bethenny Frankel to help Boomer Babes get in shape.
The star of Bravo's Bethenny Getting Married? and New York Times bestselling author of Naturally Thin, The Skinnygirl Dish and A Place of Yes began making exercise DVDs because she's always asked how she stays so slim. And she's joined us to give away a summer-rific prize package (an almost $60 value) designed to help you unleash your "skinnygirl."
Bethenny believes in simple, realistic exercises that fit your lifestyle. Her down-to-earth approach can work no matter your size, shape or fitness level. As she says, you're a true "skinnygirl" when you feel healthy so it's important to trust yourself, enjoy and make her workouts your own.
You could win a body-toning gift set from Bethenny Frankel, bestselling author of Naturally Thin, The Skinnygirl Dish and A Place of Yes. This almost $60-value includes:
· Body by Bethenny DVD
· Skinnygirl Workout DVD
· Skinnygirl Smoothing & Firming Body Lotion
· Skinnygirl Margarita Bath Collection
Click "Read More" for details on how to enter. Contest ends May 3!
When we were down at the ranch, Charlotte and I climbed to the top (thank you 4-wheel drive) of our "mountain". It's about 1,200 feet tall (you were expecting the Rockies?) and I have unoffically named it "Charlotte Mountain". You won't find this name on any USGS map, but my theory is that if you own a mountain you get to call it pretty much anything you want. So, that's what I did.
Charlotte likes Charlotte Mountain for two reasons.
There's a rite of spring Texans hold dear...taking the "official" bluebonnet picture. Every year about this time, the county roads (and even Interstates) are clogged with people taking photos of their kids, wives, husbands, grandkids and even pets surrounded by a sea of the beautiful blue flowers.
You MIGHT be a Redneck if...
With strawberries coming back in season, I'm looking for more and more uses for my favorite fruit. Sure, they're utterly delicious in everything from salsas to muffins and jams. But who knew they could also be fantastic for your feet?
By Janet Edmunson, M.Ed.
When our parents start to age, our time and effort can revolve around making sure their physical care needs are met. That can make it hard to look for and find meaning in the experience. But this is where the magic lies.
I hear this lane is very popular with toddlers...
A few days ago, the folks at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa asked if we'd like to come down to the Hill Country and check them out. It was an easy decision. We've had a love affair with the Texas Hill Country since the 70s when we were young and stupid newlyweds living in Aggieland (OK, Charlotte was young and I was...well, are you a frequent reader of The Brief, or just visiting?).
So, we hopped in the SUV, cranked up The Best of Robert Earl Keen and headed south on HWY 281 down past the ranch to the Marriott Resort. It's located about 20 minutes north of downtown San Antonio on 600 of the prettiest acres in the entire Hill Country.
We don't need much hand-holding. So, our hosts set us up with some dinner reservations, made Charlotte an appointment at their world-class Lantana Spa (she'll tell you about that later) and invited us to see what the resort has to offer. Sounds easy, right? Not so fast.
The San Antonio Hill Country Resort is the largest JW Marriott Resort in the world, with 1,002 guest rooms and 85 suites. This place is TEXAS BIG and has a LOT to offer...with two TPC golf courses, seven restaurant and lounge options, a six-acre water experience, nature preserve, hiking & biking trails...and more. It's been named one of Travel + Leisure's 500 Best Hotels in the World two years in a row and it's easy to see why.
Our Insider Tips are just after the jump. But, before we get to them I'm going to let the resort's Paige Singleton and Stefanie Falknor give you their recommendations.
Any Place with 85 Tequilas Gets My Vote Every Time
I'll admit that my eyes have seen better days.
It almost seems that when I hit 50 they started losing their grip on anything smaller than a circus elephant. These days, if I want to read something - a restaurant menu, clothing tag, ransom note - anything worth reading, I need my reading glasses.
Thanks to Cinzia Designs I now have some great-looking readers that give me a little style - instead of making me look like I'm auditioning for the remake of Mr. Magoo.
They've got hundreds of fashion forward reading glasses, sunglasses, cases and other lifestyle accessories for an updated look. In addition to looking great - they also work great because they have the right vision correction for just about anyone.
We're giving away 1 FREE pair of great-looking Cinzia Designs reading glasses (up to $100 retail value) to one lucky Boomer Brief reader.
Click "Read More" for details on how to enter. Contest ends April 19!
I found these water lillies floating in a pond at the lovely Belingrath Gardens. It's a 65-acre estate located just outside of Mobile, Alabama.
Want a dish sure to please even the pickiest eater this Easter? You've gotta try Cibolo Moon's fresh-baked Buttermilk Biscuits.
We planted some of these purple butterfly bushes down at the beach in Gulf Shores. The plants love the sand and sound of surf almost as much as we do.
Spring spells time to show off your feet. So I've been packing away the comfy Uggs and riding boots of winter while pining for fancy flip flops (make mine leopard gladiators from Tar-jay, Dahling), color-blocked sandals and sky-high, ankle-strap wedges that put the focus on my feet.