By: Stephanie Benney
We’ve all had a broken heart. Some are more painful and memorable than others. Maybe it was your first love…maybe it was a love you that had been with you for many years of mountains and valleys.
By: Stephanie Benney
Last minute seems to be a running theme for every holiday, and Valentine’s Day is no different. It seems we are always on a quest to find the perfect present at the eleventh hour. While I personally feel that you should show your appreciation to loved ones every day of the year, Valentine’s Day is still a hallmark on the traditional calendar.
By: Stephanie Benney
I started piano lessons at a very tender age. Playing the piano was as much a part of me, as my stomach. I was classically trained by amazing teachers, who schooled me in interpreting the works of the “greats”, like Claud Debussy, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig von Beethoven and Amadeus Mozart. I lived, ate, breathed piano – the smell of the keys and the wood, the sounds of the strings and the emotions of the music I produced. My whole world was music and the best feeling in the world was being on stage performing it.
By: Stephanie Benney
“I didn’t do it! ” “He did it!” “It’s her fault!” “Don’t blame me!” “I don’t know what you are talking about!” Why do we always end up playing “The Blame Game”?
By: Stephanie Benney
Are you bored yet? Got cabin fever? Are you looking for something to do? A winter project perhaps? No need to spend the next three months thinking about what to do, I’ve got you covered!
By: Stephanie Benney
Even though the holidays are behind us, we are still making those plans to get together with those we couldn’t see over Christmas and New Year’s. Sometimes, getting a holiday present in February is one of the best surprises of the year!
By: Stephanie Benney
Every woman wants to feel beautiful; I don’t think I have ever heard of a woman deliberately trying to look ugly and feel terrible about herself and her appearance. Oh wait, there was that ridiculous story of Sinead O’Connor shaving her head, because she was tired of people only seeing her physical beauty. Ok, aside from that, I don’t know of a woman who wants to look ugly.
By: Stephanie Benney
Guess what time of the year it is again? It’s resolution making time! You know, the time when you start off the new year making promises and resolutions to eat healthier, exercise more, make more time for family, etc. Then, about late February, your usual habits sneak back into your daily routine and all of those resolutions go right out the window. So, what are you going to do this year?
By: Stephanie Benney
Ahhh…the memories of being a kid running off of the school bus to start a “never-ending” Christmas break…ahhh, the excitement! I would look forward to helping Mom wrap presents, bake endless supplies of Christmas cookies and staying up late to watch Christmas specials on television. We would see the Nutcracker, the lights at Hartwood Acres and the Santas display in the Wintergreen Room of the PPG building; the days and evening were filled with a magical spirit that could only be felt at this time of the year.
By: Stephanie Benney
What do you want for Christmas? A whirlwind weekend excursion? A spa package? A Burberry bag to go perfectly with a few designer duds? Perhaps a new Lexus ( due to the repetitive television commercials of a young spouse pulling one in the driveway, complete with a big, red bow)? As successful, powerful and hardworking women, why not right? It can’t hurt to ask Santa.
By: Stephanie Benney
There is something so magical about a Christmas tree. Maybe it is not the tree itself, but more the memories and traditions attached to it; then again, maybe it is. Ok, maybe it’s both.
By: Stephanie Benney
Now that the left-overs are neatly packed away in their storage containers and crazy Aunt Louise has been safely poured into a cab, it’s time to get serious about Christmas. For many who celebrate Christmas, it is the biggest holiday of the year, yielding the most preparation and financial involvement. However, there is relief; I found this article by our friends at Green Living to be quite helpful in ways to green your holiday season. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
By: Stephanie Benney
Tina Turkey was quite a looker and had her eye on Tom Turkey. They had engaged in some mild flirtation for some time now, but Tina was tired of these games. “Make your move, Big Tom!”, she would think. Just as if Tom could read Tina’s mind, he was beating himself up for being such a wuss and convinced himself to grow a bigger set and ask her out.
By: Stephanie Benney
Monday, as I was driving home from a wonderful birthday dinner friends of mine had made for me, I hit a deer. I watched the whole thing unravel in slow motion and Mr. Deer and I connected eye to eye as “Pickle” caused him to take flight above my car.
By: Stephanie Benney
We all belong to a community…whether it be our neighborhood, city, state, church, charity group, school or sports team. It’s nice to be a part of the greater good of something, which is why many of us choose to get involved. It gives us a sense of accomplishment and pride to work with others towards a common goal.
By: Stephanie Benney
Do you realize how lucky you are? Chances are, if you are reading this, you are doing so by sitting at your desk in front of the computer provided by the company that employs you. Or perhaps, you are reading this via your home computer as you tuck into a comfortable, clean bed. Some things like a job or a clean bed are taken for granted, but often times when thought of, are done so with a sense of right and entitlement.
By: Stephanie Benney
So, you have implemented a recycling program in you home, take careful consideration in mapping out your weekly errands in order to conserve gasoline, grow your own vegetables and have even managed to save a few dilapidated pieces of furniture from the garbage graveyard by refinishing them. But somehow, it just doesn’t seem like enough; you are passionate about all things green and sustainable, and now have decided to make the jump towards landing a new job in the “Eco-Industry”.
By: Stephanie Benney
Candy corn, caramel apples, popcorn balls and fun-size chocolate bars bring to mind one of America’s favorite holidays – HALLOWEEN! Coming up with the ideal costume for trick-or-treating and Halloween parties is often times a process started in the summer months. Decorating or transforming our homes into the “Bates Motel” or the “House On Haunted Hill” is a spooktacular way to get the whole family or group of girlfriends involved.
By: Stephanie Benney
Leaves of amber, cinnamon and sunshine dance their last symphony to the soon-to- be dormant ground, where they will take their final bow in closing a season of stellar performances. The wind that was once soft and warm suddenly kisses us with a premonition of what is to come; and the sun sets earlier, signaling to us that it is time to prepare for our winter hibernation.
By: Stephanie Benney
We take it for granted. When we get ready to go to sleep we wind it down. When we wake up in the morning, we expect it to take off full force. The reality is, we don’t think twice about it until something goes wrong. Even then, we push it and don’t always listen to all of the signals it is sending us. If you haven’t caught on yet, I am talking about the human body.
By: Stephanie Benney
Can you remember way back when you were a little kid in grade school? Can you remember that feeling you would get the night before the first day of the new school year? What was your favorite class? Your favorite teacher? Your favorite grade? Some of us remember making lifelong friends or developing our first crush on the boy two desks up, while others remember agonizing over math homework and not enough recess after lunch.
By: Stephanie Benney
I really don’t think I have to repaint the picture for you of a beautiful blue, early autumn sky on that morning – the perfect backdrop and the antithesis of the most heinous crime my generation has thus far come to know or speak of.
By: Stephanie Benney
I am going to share something very personal. I am going to tell you a gut wrenching story that I promise will have a happy ending. When I was in my seventeenth year, I was raped. As if the experience wasn’t traumatic enough, the person who did this to me was very close to me. I trusted this person and considered him a true friend. This was obviously not an accurate analysis.
By: Stephanie Benney
Did you feel it? Did you think you were losing you mind? Suffering an episode of vertigo? Being visited by a poltergeist? Perhaps you didn’t feel anything and you were strangely disappointed(I don’t understand why anyone would be disappointed about missing a natural disaster). The earthquake felt here in Pittsburgh on Tuesday afternoon was a shock to many of us.
By: Stephanie Benney
Let me take you back to June for a minute. The article I wrote was titled, “Mirror, Mirror” and proposed that over the next several months, I would cover the stories of as many of the women nominated for the “Women Greening Pittsburgh 2011″ award. Today, I would venture to the North Side of Pittsburgh’s Crazy Mocha to meet with my first interviewee, Sue Kerr.
By: Stephanie Benney
We are all feeling it – the crunch. I am single and am not in the grocery stores as much as I would be if I had a husband and children eating me out of house and home. However, when I walk through the doors of the market, I can’t help but notice the increase in price for product and the decrease in my pocket book. Then there is that ongoing problem – fifty bucks blown and nothing in the pantry to show for it.
By: Stephanie Benney
It is sad to say that we are now in the second week of August 2011 and Summer is coming to a close. Another season will soon be just an entry on the pages in the diaries of our past and we must begin to prepare for a new season on all levels – mentally, physically and emotionally.
By: Stephanie Benney
Charity and acts of kindness come in all shapes and sizes. There are no limitations and no boundaries or parameters of what can be done for the general betterment of the world.
By: Stephanie Benney
Let me paint for you a couple of mental pictures. Scenario #1: You step into the lush, green quiet of a secret hiding place in the woods. The clutter of the city and symphony of the traffic are now just a sour memory. Each step you take seduces you into a cool, dense blanket of green. You stop, tilt your head back, taking it all in and breathe.
By: Stephanie Benney
Do you ever wander the streets of Pittsburgh, taking in all of the amazing architecture? Do you stop to think about the history behind each structure, or the construction process executed to erect these amazing buildings?
By: Stephanie Benney
It is around this time of the year every summer, that people gear up for a good old-fashioned American long weekend to celebrate the independence of our great country, the United States of America. The scent of many hotdogs and hamburgers will be perfuming the warm July air, tickling the sounds of children’s laughter and outbursts of excitement. Boaters and partygoers alike will be hitting the water to get in their jet-skiing and water antics before the sun begins to set and the radiant explosions of color commence.
By: Stephanie Benney
I would like to think that I have never been one to brag. I can also honestly say that I have never been able to take a compliment at face value and without feeling uncomfortable. It is difficult to simply say “thank you” and leave it at that. Many of us feel the need to downplay or discredit a person’s compliment to us. It makes it easier for us to deflect attention or expectation.
By: Stephanie Benney
There is a certain Sunday on the calendar of June every year where we honor our Father’s for the men they were, the men they are and the men they will be. We thank them for what they have taught us, how they have shaped us and protected us. Without these men, we would not have become the strong, fierce women we are today.
By: Stephanie Benney
Now that you have landed the most wonderful man you could have ever imagined, planned and executed an amazing green wedding, shared some of the most intimate and memorable experiences on your green honeymoon, what’s the next step in living a green lifestyle together? GREENING YOUR NEST!
By: Kirstin Kennedy
If you look to the wave of wedding reality television, it becomes very clear that the general conception of a bride is not always positive. In fact, the very title of a Bridzilla seems to make it clear that your wedding-planning women care about one thing only: getting what they want.
By: Stephanie Benney
With more and more terms of green and sustainability flying at our heads each day, it is difficult for even me to sometimes keep up with it all. As I was preparing and researching for an article that was a little more “green technical” and scientifically based, it suddenly struck me that many of you may need a crash course in the basics of sustainability.
By: Stephanie Benney
If you are reading my article at this point in time, then Harold Camping was wrong once again. The world did not end. He infamously incorrectly predicted the end of the world in 1994. Well, that was the year of my high school graduation and I am still here.
By: Stephanie Benney
When I was a little girl, I used to dream of being a famous celebrity, who sang in front of millions of adoring fans, won awards for my outstanding performances on the silver screen and flirted with the cameras of paparazzi as I glided down the red carpet in a one-of-a-kind, custom-made Hollywood designer gown. I remember the story my Godmother still tells of me as a toddler standing in my bedroom window, which overlooked the rest of the neighborhood, entertaining the entire block by singing at the top of my lungs into my Barbie microphone.
By: Stephanie Benney
What are you addicted to? I bet that got your attention. By definition, an addiction is the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming. Addictions come in all forms, shapes and sizes. Some of us are addicted to a person, buying Jimmy Choo shoes, gambling, tanning, or eating. Then there is the ever-present substance abuse addiction.
By: Stephanie Benney
We all have our own personal style in our career, communication and in fashion. Some of us “Chicks” prefer to exude our inner feminine goddess by wearing romantic, flowing fabrics in florals and gorgeous bouquets of color. Others feel nothing is better than advertising our confidence and power in a well structured suit and a sexy heel. There is a ton of us “Chicks” who still feel rockin’ in a pair of broken-in jeans, t-shirt and beat up, second skin pair of boots. Then there is me, who is a mix of everything. My style depends on my mood and duty for the day. But, at the end of the day, when I wash the makeup off of my face, take off my shoes and whatever ensemble I had chosen that day to represent myself, I am at my most natural state and how God had created me. So, if this is our most natural state, shouldn’t we be trying to wear clothing made from materials that maintain or enhance that natural state?
By: Stephanie Benney
Regardless of your personal feelings towards the Royal Family and their antics throughout the years, us “chicks” get excited when there is talk of a royal wedding event! I was too young to remember all of the chatter and buzz regarding the extravagant wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in July of 1981. This is my generation’s opportunity to fall victim to being a “Royal Wedding Junkie”. Aside from the era in time, wedding gown styles, people involved and other obvious changes, there is one major aspect that will be different – it’s a GREEN WEDDING!
By: Stephanie Benney
With Earth Day fast approaching this Friday, April 22, 2011, I wanted to dedicate my article this week to the history of Earth Day and of course, Mother Earth, who protects and loves us unconditionally. Many of us have no idea how Earth Day even came into existence. Not surprisingly, it began to evolve in the sixties. It was a time of rebellion, ingenuity, love, hate, freedom and imprisonment. People were starting to question everything and pondering topics that had never before been of interest or importance.
By: Stephanie Benney
Now that we have finally started to see warmer temperatures and signs of Spring the inevitable approaches…SPRING CLEANING! While you are weeding through all of your wardrobe, memorabilia, house goods and nik naks, take a second to look at the items and try to see the green potential in all of them. Green and recycled craft projects and jewelry are ultra trendy, not to mention the fact that they are one-of-a-kind and unique to your personal history.
By: Stephanie Benney
I have to admit that when I was younger, I never really thought about charity or philanthropy. Until around 5 years ago, I would have never thought that I would be so involved in the progressing the greater good for humankind. Last year I had the amazing experience of being one of the Pittsburgh’s 50 Finest. With the 2011 season just kicking off, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to reflect back on and share my experiences as a Pittsburgh’s 50 Finest.
By: Stephanie Benney
When I was a young girl in the eighties and a teenager in the nineties, my favorite pastime was spending quality time with my Dad at the Civic Arena, also known as “The Igloo”, cheering on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Back in those days, players such as the great Mario Lemieux, Paul Coffey, Phil Bourque, and Robbie Brown skated the ice and brought the first Stanley Cup home to the ‘Burgh.
By: Stephanie Benney
As many of us know, March is National Women’s History Month. This is a particularly important month to BizChicks, among countless other female entrepreneurs, visionaries, and movers and shakers; it is a month of celebration. It is a wonderful time to re-group, realign and restructure our personal and community goals for the future. It is also a time to remember the past and honor and appreciate the women in history who have so courageously acted as trailblazers. Without these fearless creatures, we would never be able to enjoy the privileges and rites we have as women to perform our life’s work.
By: Stephanie Benney
A green burial is a burial that does not use formaldehyde-based embalming, concrete burial vaults and metal or wooden caskets(caskets are full of chemically treated wood and steel). It can also focus on facilitating ecological restoration, cultivating a woodland setting for animals and landscape-level conservation.
By: Julie Howell
Acceptance can be a difficult concept to master. We all have things that we struggle to accept. For me, it’s the fact that I’m graduating college in less than 2 months and still have no idea what I’m going to do with my life. Unfortunately, I can’t be a college student forever, but my refusal to accept this doesn’t have the power to move my graduation date any further away.
By: Caroline Rose
Luminous skin , glossy lips, rich hair color…. Are you enticed by these desirable adjectives? All of us want to be beautiful, we want to glow and be desirable, but at what cost?
By: Katy Rank Lev
If you had suggested to me a few years ago that I would proselytize the gospel of reusable menstrual cups, I would have run from the room in disgust. But then, I sat down to read more about these resource- and money-savers and felt interested enough to take the plunge.
By: Bizchicks Staff
How many of the hard core “greenies” have tossed their beloved make-up products – their tried and true products that they’ve invested so much money in — and bought products from companies that are green and eco-friendly?
By: Katy Rank Lev
Your kitchen is most like your family’s largest contributor of solid waste in American landfills, since everything from food scraps to food packaging to paper towels seems to make its way into our trashcans.
By: Stephanie Benney
As I was meeting with a client to discuss rebranding strategies, I realized that they partner with Habitat For Humanity when they dispose of old product, but no one knew about it. Such a key selling point can be a major deciding factor in why a potential client chooses them over another kitchen design firm. Consumers can feel good knowing that when they choose to remodel their kitchen, their old cabinetry is going to be used by Habitat For Humanity.
By: Lexi Smith
Most people I know recycle. Some do it better than others; and there are some who – against the social acceptance (and expectation) of this practice – still do not recycle.