Fashion Designs - find on Amazon!

Miami Swim Fashion week was a success. Well, it’s kind of hard not to enjoy a fashion week that was all hosted from The Raleigh Hotel. Gorgeous pool, gorgeous people and a lobby that made you feel as if you were hanging out in a safari! The best thing of all is that you can find all of their fashion wear online! If you really want to go nuts, get a bunch of Amazon e gift cards, browse through them on Amazon and spend some cash!

Let’s talk Swimwear…. When you slap a swimsuit on a 6’1 Brazilian, it’s sometimes hard to go wrong BUT I have to rant about the few collections that just made me feel like this week was worth it.
It’s all about Pistol Panties. This swimwear line based out of London, England, stole
Fashion week. Designer Deborah Fleming wanted to create a line that made women feel like a 1950’s fashion pin up and she succeeded. I fell in love with everything that came down that runway. From her two-piece high wasted glam suits to her multi-colored solid Swarovski crystal finale suite. Not to mention that Deborah may be one of the sweetest designers I met that week. With a celebrity following like Sarah J P and Victoria Beckham, this line is un-touchable in terms of originality and playful fun.  You MUST (I’m not asking, I’m telling you) to check out their site www.pistolpanties.com and fall into whatever character you want to play!

Amy Smilovic, designer for TiBi has been designing her contemporary line for years but her swimwear line had people talking this year.  Amy draws and creates every print and design for her TiBi line and her swimsuits were just beautiful. Modern, classy but no stale at all. This 2009 collection had bright flowered cover ups, multi-colored zag bikinis, sweet pink studded suites paired with tiny sport jackets and super sexy black one-pieces cut to perfection. TiBi always brings out the ultra sexy women in all of her designs including her swimwear.

Ed Hardy is always a party (I’m sorry that rhymed but try saying “I’m going to the Ed Hardy After Party all night.) Christian Audigier is a business man. He knows how to play the game. He doesn’t just have a fashion show; he throws a party in the tent. His 2009 Ed Hardy Swimwear show was by far the funniest to watch. Lil Jon with his shinned up grill DJ’ed the show playing beats that made people jump out of their chair and start crumping in the isles. Weird, I know. Ritchie Rich, ½ the designer of Heatherette, was in attendance and he was in a great mood seeing his original footwear line being walked in the show. And then there was D. R. Denis Rodman (large hoop earrings, covered head-to-toe in Ed Hardy, quite the loud outfit, with a light green pashmena swung around his neck. Oh man, he was a sight to see.) arrived with his entourage and had the media going crazy. He was super cool and Inside Fashion got to spend “some time” with him after the show.

Oh…how were the swimsuits from Ed Hardy? Well, they were…exactly what you would expect. Bedazzeled skulls, roses, cobras. Bright, loud, studded beyond belief. Its not my thing but the people in Miami go crazy for Ed Hardy. But I have to tell you the best part of the show. Christian Audigier not only rehearsed his final walk about but when it was time for him to come out and take a bow, “Simply The Best” by Tina Tuner blared in the tent….I know.. Honestly.

Miami Fashion Week was super laid back, warm and beautiful. I’m not as tanned as I would like to be but I guess I never am.

If you love adorable swimwear, check out a few more lines that I loved.

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Best Time to Buy a Home

 (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

The slow real estate sales season between the holidays of Thanksgiving and New Years Day just happen to be the best time of the year to be a home buyer.

Fall/Winter 2012 is an uncommonly good time to be a buyer because of the fact that there are more homes on the market than there are qualified buyers (Buyers Market). Many of these are the homes that did not sell during the Spring/Summer 2006 sales season and sellers may be willing to consider all offers.

Fall/Winter also happens to be the slow season for most Realtors and Mortgage Specialists. With this extra time on their hands they can offer you better service than during the hectic Summer months.

If you would like to take advantage of the great seasonal real estate deals for offer get on the web and start searching! With a little luck, you might be in your dream home before you know it.

As a quick side note, here are some links to some cool DIY tips I discovered this past week:

• http://concretefencepostshq.com/a-wooden-fence-a-necessity-an-art-form-and-a-diy-project/.html
• http://granitecountertops-toronto.com/log-cabin-bathroom-design 

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Bone Health For Your Kids

Physical Exercise aka P.E (Photo credit: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums)

Here’s some wise advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics: Make sure your kids get enough exercise, and make sure they get enough Calcium. Doing those two things NOW, as early as possible, can help to make sure that later on in their lives, they won’t have an extremely high risk of broken bones.

According to new national data, a huge majority of children over the age of 8 are not getting near enough calcium on a daily basis. This dangerous lack instantly puts them at a much higher risk of developing osteoporosis later in life. That bone-thinning disease is responsible for almost 2 million bone fractures every single year. These bone fractures lead to increase medical bills for Americans, and the only people it helps are medical manufacturer companies.

The lack of exercise is also a huge factor as kids that do not get enough exercise have much weaker bones than their more frequent exercising counterparts. Bottom line, and not just for their bone’s sake, kids Need to be exercising. Get them out, moving around, and staying moving. Turn off the TV, open up the door. Just get them moving! However, if a broken bone in your kid happens, it would be a good idea to know what to do if that happens.

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• Kids and Broken Bones

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Giant Orange Sea Serpents Providing Energy

English: A Pelamis wave energy converter during the final tests at the port of Peniche, Portugal Deutsch: Pelamis Wellenkraftwerk bei letzten Tests im Hafen von Peniche/Portugal Español: Conversor de energia undimotriz en el Puerto de Peniche, en Portugal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The northern coast of Portugal has been invaded by what look like giant orange sea serpents. The "serpents," which are steel tubes 122 meters (400 feet) long, are a supplier of alternative energy. Their writhing motions convert mechanical energy to electrical power.

The orange tubes are called the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter. They don't float away, because they are anchored to the seafloor. Because the tubes are segmented, they gently undulate up and down and sideways in the surf. Those undulations activate hydraulic motors inside the tubes. Hydraulics is the movement of a fluid under pressure, which turns the motors. In turn, the motors drive generators that produce electricity.

The waves that flex the tubes are a renewable source of energy — they are naturally and continuously replenished. By 2008, Pelamis is expected to supply enough electricity via an underwater cable for 1,500 coastal homes. The projected goal for Pelamis is 30 tubes that will generate electricity for 30,000 homes. Great news for alternative energy fans, maybe the United States can pick up on some of this great technology.

Hot Rolled Steel Keeps Cows Herded

One of the unsung inventions within the past 200 years has been something we don't think very highly of. Barbed wire fencing is an inexpensive fence made up of wire with many pointed edges to deter people or anything else from touching them. The invention led to a giant spark in the United States' manufacturing of hot rolled steel, and continues to be manufactured in huge quantities all over the world, such as this hot rolled steel from Capital Steel & Wire.

In 1867, Lucien B. Smith from Kent Ohio received a patent for inventing the product, after making several modifications to his original product. Soon afterwards, wire rod was in mass production and it was around prisons, farms and properties all over the world within a few years. So why was barbed wire such a groundbreaking invention for its time? Previously there was no effective way to keep cattle in one place at a time. Large steel gates were way too expensive and out of the question, and wooden gates typically rotted or could be broken by cattle wanting to escape.

This led to a major boom in cattle production and food being distributed at more affordable prices around the world. This supported larger families to exist and less people need on farms, and a move of human populations to urban areas.

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Construction on Country Roads

Now that the sun's out longer and the weather is awesome, everyone wants to be outside. The roads aren't icy and slick anymore, but that doesn't mean they will be any easier to travel around on. Summer is also construction season for the northern US, and millions of Americans will be stuck in long lines waiting for construction crews to clear way. They're just doing their job, and you should too by driving slowly and cautiously, and of course, not loosing your temper! Here's a few other tips:

Don't drive too close to the edge of the roads if you can. Quite often construction crews will be digging pipes underneath or around the roads, and they will be huddled out of view in their trench box, which are supposed to prevent their trenches from caving in. Driving close to their trenches is dangerous for you, but also it puts more stress on the trench boxes.

Drive in the early morning, or when traffic is at its lowest. That makes it easier for you and the construction crews. Also, construction activity is at its lowest during that period, and they won't be moving their dump trucks or swinging their cold finished bars around, making the environment a lot less chaotic.

I've said it once, but it's important. Don't lose your temper. No honking or impolite gestures. Construction workers have to deal with jerks every day, and they don't need any more abuse. And you never know, they might let you buy faster if you're nice.

2005: The Year in Remoo

It's 5:00 a.m. and I'm on the laptop in a Hampton Inn in SmallTown, North Carolina. The MooChef family is on the road visiting Chef's mom. PQ and I have been up since 2:30 a.m., Chef is snoring peacefully in one bed, and KQ is sleepgrinding her teeth in the other (and now you know why PQ and I have been up for a while).

Anyway, on to the subject at hand...

As usual, I'm stealing borrowing a blog post idea from the incomparable Ms. Qand doing one of those end-of-the-year reviews. (And thanks, Q, for the sweet shout-out in one of your posts this week... I'm feeling the love! You know I think you're great!)

It's been an eventful year for me (as were the previous two), but this one has had more ups than downs, and you can't ask for more than that. As 2006 approaches, life is good, and I'm thankful.

And now for the Year in ReMoo...

January:

KQ hits the double digits and turns 10.

LJ and Chef get engaged (I think it was Jan. 5, but I'm not sure... I'm terrible for not remembering!)

Chef turns 34.

February:

LJ gives birth to a new bouncing baby blog, MooAlex, on February 8!

LJ and Chef celebrate their first Valentine's Day.

First anniversary of LJ and Chef's first date is Feb. 28.

Number of Moos in February: 14

Favorite Moo of February: I pithy the fool!

March:

After much lawyer wrangling to get Chef's divorce finally finalized, LJ and Chef get married on March 13 in the Outer Banks of NC.

Number of Moos in March: 11

Favorite Moo of March: Wedding photos...finally!

April:

Not a very eventful (is that a word?) month.

Mom's birthday... no comment on her age!

Number of Moos in April: 18

Favorite Moo of April: The question game: Round 1 (aka, LJ's Eulogy)

May:

The final Star Wars movie debuts on May 19. Apparently, I wasn't too happy with it.

MooAlex comes down with mad troll disease.

The Wedding Singer becomes my most traffic-inducing post.

Number of Moos in May: 38

Favorite Moo of May: Kiss and make up

June:

My Aunt Margaret passed away.

MooAlex gets a redesign.

The Moo was #20 in the Blogette Awards.

Number of Moos in June: 28

Favorite Moo of June: French Kissin' in the USA

July:

First official MooChef family vacation in Nags Head, NC.

Guest-bloggers take over the Moo July 3-8.

Dickhead problems start.

Number of Moos in July: 21

Favorite Moo of July: Shuck U and the seahorse you rode in on

August:

My first root canal.

Dickhead problems continue.

Hurricane Katrina eclipses my tiny personal problems.

MooAlex's first spinoff, The Summer of Blog 2005, debuts.

Number of Moos in August: 21

Favorite Moo of August: Fun with hats

September:

PQ turns 15 and discovers that he knows everything.

I am blog-interviewed for the first time.

Second MooAlex spinoff, Dogs inTubs, debuts.

More Dickhead problems.

Number of Moos in September: 28

Favorite Moo of September: Fond memories and Memories, Part 2

October:

Business trips to Boston and Denver.

Dickhead problems peak.

Number of Moos in October: 18

Favorite Moo of October: The one about penises

November:

"You be the Moo" debuts and various GuestMoos take over for much of November.

I turn 41 (but I'll only admit to 38 if you ask).

I decide to give peace a chance.

My friend has a cancer scare that turns out okay.

Number of Moos in November: 37

Favorite Moo of November: The mouth of babes

December:

Business trip to Roanoke (last one for a while, I hope).

Dickhead problems settle down, and a ceasefire is in effect.

KQ hurts her arm, and the kids lose their paternal grandfather.

First official MooChef family Christmas (all parties sufficiently spoiled by too many gifts).

Number of Moos in December: 13

Favorite Moo of December: Naughty fonts

That's 2005 in a nutshell! Looking forward to more blogging in 2006...

This article was published originally here