Easy (and fun) Gardening Tips

Lately it's been raining a lot here, but we finally got some time outside to do some planting. Getting my hands in the dirt always takes me back to wonderful times with my mom and dad in our garden in Oil City. Now that I have my own kids, I love teaching them about plants and the way they grow, just like my parents taught me.
Besides our vegetable and flower gardens, I always like to plant a little patch just for the little ones. Take a look:

And here's another party-perfect quick gardening idea for you:

j.

Zumba in the Streets

You know you're pretty hard core when you take your passion out into the street, and that's exactly what more than 100 of us did for our love of aerobic fitness with a latin twist last week! We did Zumba in the Streets to benefit a local volunteer fire department. One of my favorite Zumba instructors, Connie Tinsley (that's her up on the stage) represented Keystone Health Club to organize this big sweaty dance party in the street! It gave people a chance to see what this crazy Zumba thing is all about. Take a look...even better, stand up and join in...It's fast fitness, and fast stress relief!

Zumba in the Streets was also a warm-up for a big Pittsburgh appearance by Beto Perez, the creator of Zumba. I'll have more on that for you in just a bit.
j.

Summer Beauty Tips

Got to go shopping with my friend Gina Pravlochak who also happens to be a professional make-up artist and does my make-up for our TV show. We went to Ulta right outside the Monroeville Mall (love that store! It can make even a mom of five feel girlie!)
I asked Gina about easy ways to boost your look for summer. She talked first about self-tanners...the safest, fastest, least expensive way to get a healthy glow.

Then we moved on to the nail polish area...oh my gosh, hundreds of colors to choose from. You need sunglasses for the hottest shades for summer this year!

It makes sense to go a little trendy especially with something like nail polish, because it's inexpensive, and easily changeable. Have fun being a little daring!
j.

Easy Ways to Wear White

It's been so hot and humid in our part of the world lately; it's a necessity to dress to be comfortable. You can do that and be stylish in crisp, cool, summer white. I know from emails we get at jenniferTVshow.com that a lot of women are a little afraid to wear white...but it can be very slimming if you know a few tricks! I got to go shopping with my good friend and professional stylist Suzanne Mauro recently. Here we are at White House Black Market at the Monroeville Mall:

So, to recap tips for easy ways to wear white:

• Keep it simple and dress in head to toe white: we show a long top with an attached belt, pants with a slightly wide leg, and white sandals
• Choose pants in a heavier weight fabric like denim to reduce "pocket lines", and to provide some slimming support
• Add white hot accessories in platinum and silver for a cool summer look

My tip for wearing white over the summer would be to fill your purse with Shout wipes or a Tide Stain Stick for fast fixes when peanut butter and jelly, ice cream, or chocolate flies your way!
j.

Need Help? Ask Your Angels!

Yesterday my father-in-law and I went to the mass celebrating the 140th anniversary of Most Holy Name of Jesus parish, and the 125th anniversary of St. Anthony's Chapel in Troy Hill. The old neighborhoods there are so rich with the ethnic diversity that is characteristic of Pittsburgh! The church itself is beautiful, St. Anthony's Chapel is breathtaking. If you've never been there, it's worth a trip. Tucked inside the little chapel are more than 5,000 religious relics that have come from all over the world...tiny pieces from Jesus' cross, bones and pieces of clothing from apostles and saints....the only place you'd find a larger collection of religious relics is at the Vatican in Rome! The chapel has a long history as a holy and healing place.

Bishop David Zubick was there with parish priests and deacons to celebrate the Mass, and to officially welcome the newest relic: a tiny piece of bone from St. Christina that was found in a family home in Paris.

The mass and ceremony were powerful and inspirational; and were strong reminders that when you're feeling like things are out of control, you can quickly bring balance by tapping into the power of prayer.

Two women known as the Angel Ladies, Eileen and Charlotte, have strong ties to St. Anthony's. We got to spend the morning with them. They are based in Pittsburgh but travel to people around the country helping people to connect with their spiritual side. The Angel Ladies believe that we all have angels around us to guide us and protect us. They believe that we all have the ability to communicate with our angels to tell them exactly what we need.
Here's how Charlotte says to get started:



The Angel Ladies say over the years, they have seen incredible blessings come to those who do communicate with their angels:


Recent studies show that people who pray and go to church regularly are healthier all the way around.
j.

Summer Learning

Last week we celebrated the last day of school by spraying the kids with Silly String as they got off of the bus, then moving inside for a beach party lunch.
Summer is a time for fun. I'm all for relaxing for a bit, and enjoying some extra time as a family. BUT....I've read a lot of reports about how much learning children lose over the summer. One study showed most teachers have to spend the first four to six weeks of the school year re-teaching many of the things their students learned before the summer break!
I want to make sure my kids go back to school next year feeling confident. I talked to pre-school director Tracy Belmonte about wanting to keep the learning going without sacrificing any
summer fun. I hope our conversation gives you some good ideas.
j.

Remembering Steelers Great Dwight White

I was at the pool with my kids this afternoon when I got the news that Dwight White passed away after a short time at a Pittsburgh hospital. The four-time Super Bowl Champion was gracious enough to be a guest on our show as we were just getting started. We talk here and on the TV show about making life easier, but as a player, Dwight's job was to make life very difficult for the other team's quarterback...and he did a nice job of that. Last September, Dwight joined us for the whole half hour and besides getting to hear his stories about his time playing with our Pittsburgh Steelers, he had us all laughing with his good natured coaching of some members of our audience.
Click here to watch the clip
Dwight White was funny and charming and kind to everyone on the staff and everyone in the audience that day. He even let me try on the huge Super Bowl ring he was wearing.
Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney said this afternoon "Dwight White was one of the greatest players to ever wear a Steelers uniform."
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wonderful family at this difficult time.
j.