leahbrier.com

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This year my mom and I decided that we wanted to add a new tradition to the Passover holiday. I invited some of the women who are really important to me to the UES and we has a ladies only seder. We had an orange theme to celebrate the inclusion of women — it was even added to the seder plate! The night couldn’t have been any better, it was an absolute joy to watch as all these special ladies finally met one another, after hearing countless stories. And if there is lots of food, it’s always going to be a great time! Look at some great pictures courtesy of Anna Banana and read from our very own Haggadah made by moi!

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I have been fighting a plethora of different illnesses, aches, pains and life-woes since the beginning of October. Much to no ones’ surprise, I am pretty sick and tired of being sick and tired. And I know that I have started questioning myself, my choices and being hard on myself — thinking maybe some tough love will nip all this stuff in the bud and let me get on my merry way……. Does it work that way?!?! No. Obviously. Not at all.

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I have been trying to take the my mind off of me and turn it to the people I love and how I can show them how much they mean to me. But then just when I think I have found this new way to look at life, I wake up feeling so sick that I can barely get myself out of bed, let alone show anyone that I love them. In this mess of infections, viruses, pills and antibiotics I can’t love myself or anyone and I know that’s only making me sicker.

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Yesterday I stumbled upon Susanna’s blog, Ink on my fingers, and read her posts about falling in love with yourself. This is what I need to do, I know it is, but I just don’t have the energy to do it. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try as hard as I can!

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How to fall in love with you: step one:
They say we must eat sensibly, exercise regularly and take time out to de-stress – I’d like to add ‘fall in love with ourselves’ to that list. To be able to cultivate our self-esteem and sense of worth we need to get to know ourselves – the soft tender places and the bold and powerful places. The hurts and fears, the joys and successes. We are worth this nurturing time – we deserve it! It keeps our heads and our hearts healthy and makes us better daughters*, sisters, mothers, partners, friends, employees, entrepreneurs, dreamers.

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How to fall in love with you: step two:
1. Ask yourself: ‘how do I feel about this?’ and write an answer. Then ask yourself again: ‘but how do I feel about this?’ And write another answer. Then do it again: ‘but how do I feel about this?’ and continue on in this way until you have asked and answered as far as you feel you can go.

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2. Pull back from using your diary as a chronicle of the day’s events. Instead, chronicle your feelings from the day.

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3. Keep checking in with your needs. When premenstrosity strikes, I have a tendency to see everything through an overly-emotional veil, but underneath all that melodrama are very real, very tender emotions. By regularly checking in with how I’m feeling (see no.1) and what I need (more time alone, more fresh air, a call with a friend, an afternoon to play), I (usually) manage to write my way through the crazies and find some (self) support.

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4. For some of us it is hard to be doing something so seemingly ‘selfish’ as keeping a diary – do it anyway. Let it rip. Indulge yourself. Be honest. No one else is reading.

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How to fall in love with you: step three:
When the blues hit it’s even more imperative to be kind to myself, particularly when it’s so tempting to kick myself while i’m down. I mean, i’m already down there – why not heap some more doubt and insecurity and crap on my head? Some days i really do have to drag myself from breakfast to dinner to bed to just get through the day in one piece – who has the energy for that happy skippy claptrap i see on the internet? But when i can muster some kindness, i try to make an effort, however small, to do something nice for me… because it does help, even when i am at my most resistant.

Thank Krishna it’s Friday

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So I have made some major decisions about wedding outfits over the last week(s).

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1. I don’t like the printed dress from Anthropologie enough…I think it is a great summery dress, but it’s not special enough for a wedding, especially one in which my brother is getting married and I am going to be seen and speaking!

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2. The red Vera Wang dress is still magical, and looks like it was custom tailored, but unfortunately has been eliminated from the running — but I’m still keeping it! My mom is wearing a very similar dress; her dress has a similar neck line, is long and made of the same amazing jersey, and we just don’t want to look like a bridal party!

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So now I am back on the hunt. I found this amazing Indah dress at Shopbop.com a few months ago and for some reason I didn’t get it right away and when I checked back in it was sold out. Last night I checked again and they had one left in my size! It was meant to be. I hope it looks like I think it will.

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I am still thinking about buying high heels for the ceremony and flats for the reception, but I think this might dress lend itself well to a pop of color. Thoughts?

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And because I love belts, and think it might be a good way to give the dress some added structure and some more interest, I might buy a belt that is either a color or embellished for some extra pizazz!

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I found everything above at ShopBop.com.

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My newest obsession? Braids! I am seriously willing to pay someone to teach me how to braid hair — I never learned to braid at all (on myself or on others) and they have been popping up all over.

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This crown braid is particularly amazing! Can someone do my hair like this adorable little girl? The tutorial came from a new favorite inspiration blog The Drifter and The Gypsy along with two photo shoots (Apples and Frolicking) showing off the crown braid on the cutest girls in the world!

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You don’t just have to celebrate love on Valentine’s day. One of my mid-March resolutions (Note: It is obvious that the practice of declaring mid-March resolution hasn’t caught on entirely, but I like being ahead of the curve and I will have proof that I brought it to your attention first!) is to give more love, hugs, kisses, bushels, pecks, etc. to the people I love and who love me! I am so grateful to have the amazing friends and family that I have and they deserve to know that all year long! Other resolutions include bi-monthly Ayurvedic cleanses, finding the perfect wedding gifts for my brother and future sister-in-law and to start my own Reiki healing practice.

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Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts?
Just a cage of rib bones and other various parts.
So it’s fairly simple to cut right through the mess,
And to stop the muscle that makes us confess.

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(Lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson)

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I found this image over at Design*Sponge and love it. I do however, have a few questions…:

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1. Does the lobster fork actually count as a fork? Looks more like a lobster pick.

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2. What if you have fruit for lunch? Which fork do you use? Same question goes for having fruit for desert…I am having a fork freak out!

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3. Why even create an ice cream fork? What is the point? Is it just to make sure ice cream doesn’t feel left out from this outrageously absurd list of forks? Who eats ice cream with anything but a spoon or directly from a cone?

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4. Don’t get me started on the fact that there is a pastry fork. Let’s say you have a fruit filled pastry. Do you use two forks? Let’s now say the pastry is filled with strawberries and bananas. Do you now use three forks? The strawberry fork (see question 5), the fruit fork and the pastry fork? Seems like overkill to me, but no one ever said I was the queen of sophistication or a fork aficionado.

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5. Strawberries get their own fork? Why? Strawberries are fruit, no? Why wouldn’t the fruit fork suffice? Why do they get special treatment? Or on the other hand, why are they being marginalized into their own category? Seems like the creator of this diagram might me a bit fruitist…

Thank Lao-Tzu it’s Friday

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I got this Vera Wang Lavender label dress from Gilt Groupe on a whim and when I tried it on last night I totally fell in love. The jersey fabric hugs and falls in all the right places and the low neckline is actually perfect for me — it reveals very little and is much more sophisticated than showy. The belt is beautifully beaded with gold and black beads in the front with a solid black back which makes me wonder if I go with gold or black accessories?

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The gold shoes (again, heels for the ceremony and flats for the reception) would play up on the gold beading and would actually show very little because of the length of the dress. I love the gold bow bracelet for a little bit of Leah flair!

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I think I need to see the dress with black shoes. Part of me thinks it could pull everything together and make the back of the belt less stark, but on the other hand looking at them side by side, the black look dark and not as summery as I would like. But I know regardless that I am going to wear a great cocktail ring and maybe some bangles — if I can find some that are small enough to stay on my wrist.

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Shoes and accessories are all at Bloomingdales.com.

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I just ordered this Particle Daisy dress from Anthropologie as a potential for my wedding outfit. Noah and Leila are getting married at the end of May and I have been dead set on wearing a long dress that has personality and isn’t too dressy. I think this could be a winner depending on fit and length.

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The next question then would be, heels or flats?…

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Well I have decided both are appropriate and I think I will end up buying both. I’m thinking of wearing heels during the ceremony (the families will be up with the bride and groom rather than traditional wedding parties) and flats for mingling and dancing! Brilliant, I know!

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Next comes jewelery…

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I think pulling out the coral in the dress will be really fun for the summer, and paring it with gold and diamond accents will give just the right amount of sparkle!

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Shoes and accessories are all on NET-A-PORTER.COM, my go-to shopping site for inspiration and salivation!