Lea Michele Steps Out With Touching Reminder of Cory Monteith (VIDEO)

woensdag 31 juli 2013

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by Kiri Blakeley 2 hours ago

Since Cory Monteith died so suddenly and tragically, we've all been wondering how his girlfriend and Glee costar Lea Michele is doing. From the looks of it, she is holding up and was photographed yesterday for the first time since his death as she traveled in a car with a friend in Los Angeles. The most touching part? Lea was wearing a necklace that said "Cory."

Lea had her hair up and sunglasses on as she chatted with the driver, a female pal. Her silver "Cory" name plate chain was around her neck. Her only public statement about Cory was on Twitter, where she said:

Thank you all for helping me through this time with your enormous love & support. Cory will forever be in my heart.

The necklace, worn near her heart, is a tangible reminder of her love. She has been photographed wearing the necklace many times -- including in the photo above, taken before his death -- and it appears to be her favorite piece of jewelry. Still is. Now even more so, I imagine.

Having something to wear that reminds you of a lost loved one is a wonderful way to keep that person close to you. Considering that Cory and Lea were always together and were reportedly going to move in together after he got back from Vancouver, she must have a bunch of his things at her place.

One of the most difficult things anyone who loses a loved one has to do is decide what to keep and what to part with that belonged to the loved one. Depending on how you grieve, you may find his things comforting -- or depressing.

But it looks like Lea is finding comfort in this reminder of Cory.

She also looks strong and together -- though I'm sure it's a different story inside.

Have you ever kept a remembrance of a loved one?

Video via Splash/Daily Mail

Image via Getty

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Sinfully Sweet Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe With Pink Strawberry Frosting

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While not every flavor of the rainbow pairs well with chocolate, there are a bevy of fruits, spices, and herbs that do make for a fantastic taste combo when paired with perfect chocolate cake. I'm a major fan of mint with my chocolate. But my second choice would have to be a juicy, tart red berry -- like raspberry or strawberry. Hence why this awesome chocolate cupcakes with pretty pink, strawberry frosting recipe is calling my name. And probably yours, too!

Check it out ...

Chocolate Cupcakes With Strawberry Buttercream from BakingBites.com

Chocolate Cupcakes
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups water, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and sandy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract.
With the mixer on a low speed, blend in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the water. Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the water. Stir in remaining flour mixture just until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. The batter should be fairly liquidy.

Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed.
Turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting and filling.

Makes 18 cupcakes.

Strawberry Buttercream
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup strawberry puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar
A few drops red food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients except the sugar in a large bowl and beat until very smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar until the frosting is smooth, thick, and fluffy. Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired, to enhance color.

Put about 1/2 of the buttercream into a piping bag or a large zip-top bag with the corner snipped off for filling the cupcakes. Leave the rest in the bowl for frosting.

Assembly
Take a cooled cupcake and, using a small paring knife, cut a cone of cake (1-inch across by 1-inch deep) out of the top. Trim off the pointy end of the cone, leaving a flat circle of cake. Set aside and repeat this process for all the cupcakes.

Take the strawberry frosting set aside in a piping bag and squeeze a tablespoon or so into each cupcake cavity, filling the hole up to the top with filling. Top off with a flat circle of cake to plug the hole and keep the filling in place.

Dollop some more frosting on top of each cupcake and use a small knife or offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.

Image via sunshinecity/Flickr

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Gwyneth Paltrow Is Moving Her Kids Back to America -- For Now

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Incoooooooming! Gwyneth Paltrow está moviéndose hacia los Estados Unidos, y ella va a traer a los niños con ella! Nine-year-old Apple y Moses 7-year-old tendrán la oportunidad de aprender lo que es ir a la escuela con los niños que hablan más a mamá que papá.

Pero ellos no te acostumbres. Gwynnie al parecer no ser dejando sus hijos ir a la escuela secundaria aquí en América. Se dirigen a jolly vieja Inglaterra cuando llegue el momento para eso.

Sí, tienes razón. Paltrow está moviendo a dos niños en todo el mundo, haciéndolos dejar atrás amigos y empezar en una nueva escuela, sólo para recogerlos y hacerlos hacer todo de nuevo en unos pocos años.

Y no puedo ayudar pero siento un poco mal por sus hijos.

Soy bien consciente de que los niños mueven todo el tiempo. Mira a los niños en las fuerzas armadas. Tienen suerte si consiguen dos años en un solo lugar.

No estoy aquí para decirle a una mamá militar que es mala en lo que hace. Ella está haciendo lo que tiene que hacer, y es mi sombrero a ella (y a los papás militares también, por supuesto).

Pero Gwyneth Paltrow no es una mujer cuya vida depende de mover cada dos años. Ella es una mujer con un millón de dólares a su disposición que podría muy, muy fácilmente permitir que sus hijos se queda en un lugar por mucho tiempo.

Y todo lo que he leído sobre niños moverse con frecuencia indica que no debes hacerlo a menos que absolutamente debes.

Las frecuentes pueden afectar todo, desde la autoestima del niño a su capacidad de llevarse bien con otros niños, de su éxito académico a su capacidad de formar relaciones por el camino.

No digo esto para asustar a los padres, pero lo digo con cierta autoridad. Por lo menos un adulto que sé--podrá llamarlo M--fue movido mucho, incluyendo alrededor de los años de Apple y en el comienzo de la secundaria. Ya en el lado tímido, los movimientos fueron agonizantes, el efecto sobre sus relaciones un problema permanente. El problema con los movimientos en estas etapas en particular es que es bastante difícil ser una interpolación y entonces un adolescente, añadir en ser el chico nuevo, y en serio puede traumatizar a un niño.

¿Harías si no tuvieras que hacerlo? ¿Si usted no se mueve por algo absolutamente necesario?

Gwyneth se muda a Los Angeles con los niños a estar más cerca de sus padres de crianza, sus abuelos--una razón totalmente comprensible, pero su razonamiento para volver a Inglaterra en unos pocos años, según informes, es porque la educación es mucho mejor.

¿Como si ella no puede permitirse contratar a tutores para sus hijos aquí en los Estados? ¿Como si ella no puede encontrar alguna manera para no desestabilizarlos todo otra vez?

Confieso que no me muevo como un niño. Mis padres aún viven en la casa que compraron antes de que mi madre quedó embarazada de mí. Así que admito un poco de un sesgo contra móviles.

También admito que la historia de M y los de otros niños que se mudó con frecuencia, junto con los datos que he leído durante años acerca de cómo mover los niños, ha hecho me tomo muy en serio la idea de lo que la próxima década o así será como con mi hija. Si puedo evitarlo, no nos movemos.

No somos ricos... no Gwyneth Paltrow y Chris Martin ricos seguro... pero al menos por ahora las razones sólo mi marido y yo pudimos ver para moverse son acerca de nuestras propias comodidades personales y deseos. Para nosotros, eso no es suficiente.

Los adultos necesitan moverse a veces, pero necesitan pensar seriamente a través de sus razones para mover antes de caer algo tan enorme e inquietante en sus hijos.

Francamente, yo no ser fragmentación en Gwyneth aquí si ella decía que estaba mudando a los niños una vez. Es que ya tiene planes para moverlos atrás que realmente me puso en alerta.

Esencialmente está diciendo no echar raíces, no para hacer amigos o estrechas relaciones porque, lo siento chicos, tendrás que dejarlas en un par de años y pasar por el mismo trauma exacto de que has sido a través sus hijos.

Para los adultos, es bastante difícil. Para los niños, eso es cruel.

¿Te mueves con frecuencia con tus hijos? ¿Cuántas veces has transferido?

Imagen via noticias de la costa del Pacífico

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'Teen Mom' Star's New Baby Name Is Earning Him a Whole Lot of Hate

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by Sasha Brown-Worsham 2 hours ago

Chelsea Houska is a fan favorite on MTV's Teen Mom while her baby daddy Adam Lind is ... not. In fact, he is probably one of the more hated dads given how he treated Chelsea after their daughter Aubree was born. But now he is having a new baby with his girlfriend Taylor, and the two of them have revealed that they plan to name her Paislee. Cue the Internet crap storm.

It seems most of the judgment around the name comes from the use of the double E as it's similar to Aubree's name. But hey, maybe it's a compliment. Could be, right? They are sisters. Maybe Adam is trying to make sure the two names go together.

There is also some judgement just about the name itself. It makes perfect sense why so many new parents keep the names quiet. People are SO judgmental about names. It's kind of awful.

According to family legend, when I was born, my grandmother told my mother my name sounded like a "goddamn DP" ("displaced person" after World War II). My aunt also had some snarky things to say about my daughter's name soon after I had her (despite the fact that she named her kids the most bland, boring, trendy American names you can think of). So yeah. There is a lot of name judgment.

Hell, even the Duchess of Cambridge is not immune. I heard a lot of grumbling last week over Kate's name choice (George). "It's boring!"; "It sounds like an old man." Here's an idea: Shut up!

I mean, really. Choosing a name for your child is a big, big deal. It's a big responsibility and a lot of work. As an expectant mom myself, I feel that pressure and basically never want to reveal the name we are thinking even though it's TOTALLY AWESOME and I LOVE IT.

Most of the time, names end up suiting people. And while it's true that what we name our kids does reveal a lot about our past and our upbringing (for instance, Kate wasn't going to name her baby Jayden), it's still up to each parent to choose their own name. So judgy people, shut your traps.

Did people snark on your baby's name?

Image via Twitter

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sasha Brown-Worsham

can't decide whether she is a mother, writer, or runner, but is usually all three at some point each day. She has written for dozens of print magazines, newspapers, and websites. She rarely ever writes on bathroom walls.

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Stomach Bug Outbreak May Be Linked to Bagged Salad: All the Details

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by Maressa Brown 2 hours ago

Hundreds of people in Nebraska and Iowa are sick with a stomach bug, which health officials claim is probably linked to something we all assume is super-healthy: salad! Specifically, a "prewashed," prepackaged salad mix -- containing iceberg, romaine, red cabbage and carrot -- that was distributed nationally to groceries and restaurants. Health authorities think it tipped off this outbreak of Cypress 4, or cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness tied to a rare type of parasite called cyclospora, which was reportedly blamed for at least 250 people falling ill in 13 other states! Loooovely, eh?

About 80 percent of the at least 145 cases in Iowa could be traced back to the salad. Meanwhile, at least 78 people have come down with the bug in Nebraska -- and five have been hospitalized as a result. Health officials say new cases are being reported daily. And 122 cyclospora cases in Texas might be related, too, that state's department of health services said. Gross! And so scary!

The CDC says it's not clear if the salad is to blame for the cases previously reported in Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Ohio. But in the meantime, the FDA is reportedly investigating what people in states affected before Nebraska and Iowa ate, but they say it's "labor intensive and painstaking work, requiring the collection, review, and analysis of hundreds and at times thousands of invoices and shipping documents." Uh huh ...

State and federal authorities are also still trying to determine exactly where the product was sold or under what brand name, according to CNN. So, there's no recall in effect just yet. Fantastic. The Nebraska alert noted that it "came through national distribution channels" and that "locally grown produce is not part of this outbreak." Well, that's certainly a case for being a locavore, right? Then again, I guess contamination happens to all sorts of produce! So much for all greens bein' nothin' but good for ya!

Does this freak you out?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Maressa Brown

has enjoyed reporting and writing for a variety of entertainment and women's magazines and websites. More often than not, you'll find her blogging, hitting the gym, reading, researching something on her iPhone, laughing, chatting at an above-"normal" volume, or getting her caffeine fix.

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Weiner Aide Calls Ex-Intern ‘Slutbag’ and Worse in Rant Sure to Sink the Doomed Campaign

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by Adriana Velez 1 hour ago

Oh Lord, the burning ship formerly known as Anthony Weiner's mayoral campaign flames on -- but I had no idea it would go this way. Now it's the ladies who are misbehaving publicly. After intern Olivia Nuzzi went rogue, spilling campaign dirt to the New York Daily News, Weiner's communications director went Real Housewives on her ass. In what is being called an "epic rant" with Talking Points Memo, Weiner aide Barbara Morgan called Nuzzi a "slutbag" -- and worse.

Put on your mud suits, everyone. Helmets on. It's about to get ugly around here. Here's what else Morgan said about her former intern.

I’m dealing with like stupid fucking interns who make it on to the cover of the Daily News even though they signed NDAs [non-disclosure agreements] and/or they proceeded to trash me.

Fucking slutbag. Nice fucking glamour shot on the cover of the Daily News. Man, see if you ever get a job in this town again.

It’s all bullshit. I mean, it’s such bullshit. She could fucking — fucking twat.

You know what? Fuck you, you little cunt. I’m not joking, I am going to sue her.

Okay, the worst is over. You may now wash off. Phew, that was rough. Kind of reminds me of this guy. (NSFW -- put on your headphones!)

Only not quite as witty. Work on your filthy metaphors, Babs. Work on those metaphors.

Morgan claims she said all of this off the record, but come on. She was talking to A REPORTER. Morgan also said of Nuzzi, "She sucked. She like wasn’t good at setting up events. She was clearly there because she wanted to be seen. Like it was, like, terrible and I had to like -- she would like, she would just not show up for work." All of which is much more relevant to Nuzzi's work history, though she could have left out all the "likes."

Now. I can understand Morgan's frustration. Not only is she playing for the losing team (did I mention Weiner's campaign manager just quit and he's in fourth place for a primary?), but her former intern openly mocked her in a big city paper. I would be furious, too.

But I'm just so very uncomfortable with this infelicitous name-calling, especially how misogynist she got about it. It makes Morgan look bad ... worse. I mean, if you've already got someone calling your credentials AS A COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR into question, maybe you should work extra hard at communicating effectively and not pull out a revolver and shoot your own foot about 50 times as if to prove her right.

Morgan issued an apology, but the damage was already done, alas. Nuzzi accepted it. But she also changed her Twitter bio to "Slutbag, twat and cunt."

You know, I just hate it when women attack each other in public like this. Yeah, Nuzzi attacked first. But Morgan missed an opportunity to come out as more mature, thoughtful, and professional. Man, I guess we'll see if she ever works in this town again, either.

Do you think we're ever justified in calling each other names like this in public?

Image via New York Daily News

Click "Like" for more on issues that are important to moms. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

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Pregnant Mom Answers Ad for House Cleaning Job and Ends Up Dead

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by Jeanne Sager 4 hours ago

If you think it's hard finding a job in a rough economy, try being pregnant and looking for work. It's a scary world out there. And the murder of pregnant mom Deanna Ballman, who answered a Craigslist ad to clean a doctor's house last year, doesn't make it any easier.

Ballman was working odd jobs until she gave birth, when she hoped to find something steady. But that never happened. Deanna Ballman was raped and murdered with an injection of a lethal dose of heroin. Her unborn baby, Mabel, also died that day.

Ballman left behind two older children.

Her sister, as executor of her estate, is now suing the doctor who allegedly killed her, along with Craigslist and the hospital where the doctor worked before his medical license was suspended, for $40 million. The money could take care of her kids, kids whose mom was killed in part because of the work that she was doing to care for them.

Not that any of this is Deanna Ballman's fault. Not by a long-shot.

Cops say that is on Dr. Ali Salim who is charged with two counts of murder as well as rape, felonious assault, corrupting another with drugs, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse.

But the choices she was stuck with, that she was so desperate for work, certainly hurt her in the end.

Whether her alleged killer -- Dr. Salim's case is still working its way through the criminal courts -- was able to overpower her because of her pregnant state or not, we don't know. But there's no doubt here that her pregnancy played a role in her death. It made her desperate, desperate enough to take a job in a private house, a job that wasn't tied to an agency or service.

There is ALWAYS a risk when you work in someone else's home. You're on their territory, for one, and you're in a private place, where things can go on sight unseen. Going in on your own, without the backup of some agency, makes it riskier. There's less of a paper trail making the client feel like they could get caught.

Not to mention the client could be anyone -- there's no one taking a credit history back at the office.

Not every Craigslist ad is suspect. There are hundreds (thousands?) of people making transactions every day on there that are perfectly safe and good for the economy.

But the more desperate you are for work, the more willing, it seems, you are to take risks ... risks that could put you in a Deanna Ballman-like situation.

Have you ever taken a job in someone's home without being sent there by an agency? Would you do it again?

Image via police

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

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