Brittany Murphy - R.I.P

November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009

As many of you most likely already know, Brittany Murphy passed away early Sunday morning. She was in many films, including "8 Mile", "Clueless", "Just Married", "Uptown Girls", "Girl Interrupted", and was even a voice talent on the popular cartoon "King of the Hill" amongst countless other roles.

It is being reported that Brittany Murphy died after going into cardiac arrest, and could not be revived. She was only 32 years old.

I'm sure we can all take a moment to remember this young Hollywood talent, I know I loved her quirky personality, and we all fell in love with her awkward teenage character in "Clueless", and laughed with the sweet & funny "Just Married". Both "Clueless" and "Uptown Girls" are both movies that I can never resist watching...

So truly tragic...

Femme Forum @ 10 PM

A quick reminder to join us for tonight's Femme Forum at 10 PM EST (that would be 7PM for you West Coast folks) ...Click here (or scroll down to the next post) for directions to get into the chat room.

We all hope to see you there!

Femme Forum Reminder!

Just a reminder! Join us at the Femme Forum tomorrow night at 10pm EST.

Grab a drink and settle down for a night with the girls. We always have tons of fun, so don't miss it!

To attend the chat, log-in to your AOL messenger or AIM. Find your Buddy Chat option, usually located under the "AIM" tab at the top of your buddy list. In the buddy chat box that pops up, type your screen name into the "screen names to invite" box, and the name "Simply Femme" in the box for the name of the chat. It should take you to the chat. If you have trouble or a question, please feel free to send one of us an instant message.

Stephanie: SimplyStephanie6
Bernadette: SimplyBernie6
Bridgett: SimplyBoo6
Kaileigh: SimplyKiki6
Cassie: SimplyCass6
Chantelle: SimplyChantelle6

We hope to see you there!

Simply Surviving Relationships During the Holidays

The holidays are supposed to be a magically, wonderful time of year.  The perfectly trimmed tree is supposed to sparkle magnificently in the Christmas photo of the perfectly coordinated family.  Presents should be overflowing from under the tree as we sip the perfect cup of egg nog while listening to holiday music.  Everyone will be full of holiday cheer and good will toward men...they will, or I will tie them up in Christmas lights and display them on my roof until they cry "uncle".

It should all be so picture perfect.  But then the reality of people pushing you out of the way to get the last doll, the dog knocking over the Christmas tree for the 8th time, and the maxxed out credit cards jump out and put a big old lump of coal into your happy little stocking.

It's no wonder this time of year can be so stressful.  With all the visions of sugarplums that we're raised seeing, we have certain expectations of holiday cheer as adults.  And this year, with a good part of the country feeling the backlash of the financial recession, the stress seems greater all across the board. 

There is a lot of research out there that shows that financial issues, unrealistic expectations, and unresolved issues from the past can help put relationships in jeopardy during the holidays.  I know that for me, this time of year always brings an extra load of stress to our relationship.  Hubby and I argue far more around the holidays than we do the rest of the year.  We argue about everything from how to divide visits with family to how much to spend on gifts for everyone.  I'm willing to bet that a lot of other couples share the same tensions...especially since there are a lot of articles out there about surviving the holidays.  I may be wrong, but that panel of experts must know what they're talking about.

So what's the miracle mistletoe that's going to kiss it all better?  What can we do to get through the holidays not coming out feeling like we just waged civil war on our significant other?

-Make a small holiday tradition with your partner to take time for yourselves.  Sip hot cocoa in front of a fire, go see a Christmas light display, hold hands and just stroll past the shops, dress in plaid flannel and go hunting for pre-lit lawn reindeer...whatever makes you two smile at the same time, do it.

-Thank your partner for the things they do.  It's easy to not notice the help that comes in running to the store for extra wrapping paper or holding the ladder while you fix the messed up blinking lights for the 20th time.  Just say, "Thanks." ...after all, Santa is watching.

-Accept that your in-laws will always be a bit weird and that you both will get to discuss it at lengths once they've gone home.  Knowing ahead of time that you'll get to have a few laughs when it's all said and done makes it a lot easier to get through the snarky comments and excessive drinking.

-Plan your gift budgets together, in advance.  Don't overspend on gifts thinking that the more people get, the happier they will be.  After all, you may need that money after the holidays for marriage counseling.

-Don't try to make everything perfect, you'll only wind up driving yourself crazy and passing out on piles of wrapping paper in sheer exhaustion.  Do try to make everything comfortable, none of your guests will be content if you're being obsessive.

-When all else fails, a Hot Toddy or two makes everything feel a little more warm and fuzzy...but keep in mind that three or four makes everyone a little more irritating and your lips a little more loose.  Save the shots for after the guests have made their way back over the river and through the woods.

Here's hoping that we all make it through the holidays with less blow-outs than the lights strung on the porch!

Question of the Week : Favorite Holiday Songs

The holidays are right around the corner, and it seems that everywhere you go Christmas Carols are playing on permanent rotation.  So, this week we're sharing our favorite selections with you.  Those songs we can't get enough of no matter how many times we listen to them and sing along to them, some of us slightly off key. 

My favorite classic is "Winter Wonderland", another favorite at the moment is "Baby, It's Cold Outside".

My favorite classic is "The Christmas Song", but my upbeat favorites are definitely "Santa Baby" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside".

My favorite is "O Holy Night".

"O Holy Night", it's always been my favorite.  For a more upbeat selection, I love "Sleigh Bells".

My favorite classic is "Little Drummer Boy", and my all-time favorite is "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer".

My favorite is "O Holy Night".

Which Christmas Carols are your favorites?  We'd love to know what songs you can't get enough of this time of year.

Christmas idea

There is a new toy in our home! We love it! The Keurig coffee maker. The number one reason is the convenience & fun. It takes literally 40 sec to brew a cup... OF YOUR CHOICE. Any where from strong coffee to frappy mochas to flavored tea. I love this so much. I want coffee at midnight just to use it. I went to town on the website ordering flavored tea, coffees & decaf as well as hot cocas. It is so much fun seeing all the different cups offered and the website even has sample packs that contain 5 cups to try for around $3 bucks!

I highly recommend this if you are a tea/coffee drinker. The price is reasonable for a Christmas present,(depending on who it is to and who is buying) $129 (special) and $169 (for the platinum I believe it brews ice tea), Happy shopping!!