Look no further!  We have the fabulous new Crave Seattle Book (2008, 3rd edition), the Urban Girl's Manifesto, and it can be yours for free...

IF (of course there's an "if") you get 10 of your friends to sign up for our sassy Holiday Golightly newsletter, by December 8th.  

"How do you propose we go about the recruiting process, oh wise one?" (that is what you say).

"Like so, Grasshopper..." we say, and then offer a series of helpful steps for you to follow:

1.    Go all the way to the tippy-top of this page, to where it says "Tell Friends" on the top toolbar.  CLICK IT!

2.    Enter the email addresses of 10 girlfriends - They should be girlfriends with whom you want to travel or who you know would enjoy the Holiday Golightly vibe.

3.    Enter your own personal message or, if you're feeling lazy you can just cut and paste the message below.  Make sure to tell them they should register for the e-newsletter before December 8:

"(Your Name Here) is sharing!
Well, kind of.  She is sharing her valuable knowledge of a sassy Girlfriend Getaway website, but what she's really doing is trying to win a free book.  The Crave Seattle Urban Girl's Manifesto, to be exact.  But before you judge, think to yourself:  does she have me for Secret Santa?  What are the chances *I* could possibly score this free book?"  And then you should think to yourself "Man, I'm being selfish.  Where is my holiday spirit?" then take a sip of your Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. Then you'd feel refreshed and think  "I could help her out by merely signing up to receive a totally fun newsletter!" by December 8th;)  Come on over to www.HolidayGolightly.com and click on "Click Here To Receive Updates" to sign up."

 4.    And the last step (you've burned like 20 calories with those first 3 already - except for the hot chocolate thing), make sure your mailing address is up-to-date in your profile so we send your Crave book to the right place!  Sign In to your Profile ((http://www.holidaygolightly.com/login) and click on “Billing” to update your address.  (Don’t worry, we won't bill you for anything.)

About the CRAVE book:

It's new! (3^rd edition) October 2008.  The newest version includes online businesses and profiles of women you need to know.  272 pages with pictures!

Retail value: $19.95

It is PERFECT for a holiday gift for a Seattle girlfriend – or for yourself.

In CRAVE's own words:  “CRAVE Seattle: The Urban Girl’s Manifesto: The ultimate guide to the places women CRAVE in Seattle, including more than 100 women you need to know.

 CRAVE Seattle is a thoughtful, intelligent urban girl’s manifesto that will connect you with more than 100 extraordinary service professionals and boutique retailers in Seattle.

CRAVE Seattle is a celebration of women entrepreneurs that showcases some of the most creative, interesting, and gutsy proprietors throughout the greater Seattle area. Punctuated with descriptive text and photos, full of colorful energy and stylish spark, reading CRAVE is like opening a door to your very own party and fashion show.

Not only is CRAVE an intelligent guidebook for those wanting to know what’s happening throughout town, it’s also a primer for those who recognize and value the contributions that spirited business women make to our area, introducing you to 100+ insightful, dedicated women behind these exceptional enterprises.”

 
The fine print:
Limited supply – books to first 45 people to have 10 friends sign up.  Friends must register for at www.holidaygolightly.com before DEADLINE.  Can ship to US mailing addresses only.   Limit: 3 books per person.  Email addresses must appear to be valid and must respond to welcome message without bouncing or immediately unsubscribing to count.

In case you missed it, International Babywearing Week was November 12-18.  We're uncertain whether babywearing will be considered "out" during other weeks...

We're confident that our friends at Rockin' Baby Sling will ensure the wearin' continues - braving seasons, fads, and rapidly growing babies.  We just have one request:  no acid-washed slings, please.

In their words:

"Rockin’ Baby Sling and Pouch are made in the USA for the parent who wants to remain fashionable, functioning and true to their sense of self while nurturing their baby."

The slings and pouches come in a wide range of sassy prints and colors, and the pouches have two velcro-closure pockets, so it's a little like carrying a purse.  A purse with a baby in it.

We really love that 31% of the profits from Rockin' Baby Sling go to Heifer International, which assists economically disadvantaged people in developing countries by donating livestock and offering a sustainable source of food and income.  They're not only helping you care for (and carry) your baby, they're helping care for those in need.  Buy one!!!

File under: "Reasons to stay home on Friday nights".  Taylor Kitsch stars in that Texas football show "Friday Night Lights", and we've already called in sick for our Friday night plans.

Sure, his character is in high school, but don't worry - he's actually 27, so there's no need to nurse the shame.

 Photo:  filmonic.com

He would be the only reason to rent the movie "Snakes On A Plane".  We're considering it. 

There were myriad shirtless photos of Mr. Kitsch, but we borrowed this page from Men's Health magazine.  Let us know if you even realize there are words on the page.

 Photo:  Men's Health

HAPPY FRIDAY & HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, FROM THE GOLIGHTLY GIRLS!

Sure, it's been a while since "Titanic", but our hearts will go on.  Ugh - we cannot be serious!  That was horrible!  But you know what's not horrible?  Miss Kate Winslet's travel ensemble.

Fashion commentary on Kate Winslet has run the gamut from "frumpy" to "fabulous".  We're going with the latter here.  She looks utterly fab.  Fit and sassy and showing off her trim figure with skinny jeans and a fitted ivory jacket.

And did you see the SHOES?  Purple!  And probably suede!  Loves them!  The one thing we are not crazy about is that the purse appears to be a sickly shade of Easter pastel pink (insert shudder here).  We are hoping that is just the flash of the camera.  Bad possibly-pastel pink aside, this is what travel should look like.  Chic-yet-casual, poised-yet-comfortable, famous-yet-approachable.  We usually don't need to worry about that last one.

Grade:  A.  A- if the bag is Easter pastel pink.

Our favorite heroine and inspiration, Holiday (Holly) Golightly, is officially 50!  Happy birthday to you...happy birthday TO you...

While we do not condone the smoking, we understand that it was a different time, and we DO fully support Holly's little black dress, tiara, gloves, and did someone say statement necklace?  Girlfriend was ahead of her time!

Truman Capote wrote "Breakfast at Tiffany's" in 1958 and, in a near-miss of epic proportions, originally named his protagonist Connie Gustafson.  What???  He thankfully re-christened her "Holiday Golightly", a move for which we are eternally grateful.

While we all loved the film version, Capote did not.  As is de rigeur for Hollywood, they changed the ending (spoiler alert) and had Holly stay in New York City and fall in love with the wholesome-yet-sexy George Peppard instead of "traveling" as she was always doing in the book.  We must side with the novella on this one, particularly because "Traveling" was on the corner of Holly Golightly's calling card.

Holly Golightly was the consummate free-spirited extrovert, and we can think of no one we'd rather go "traveling" with, so please raise your champagne glass and toast our girl's 50th!

We drooled over David Boreanaz as Angel in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and yes also watched his spinoff "Angel".  He is currently starring in "Bones", which actually looks like a really good show, although we haven't seen it yet.

It is totally one of those shows that we know people are watching (as it's in it's second or third season - maybe fourth?), but it must conflict with something else we're watching...We know, we know, "Get TiVo!"

Seriously, get TiVo.

We have been saying this for YEARS: if you have the chance to go somewhere cool on a business trip, extend it! In these budget-conscious times, we all need any shortcuts we can get!

How many times have we been chatting with a friend, who travels for business, and when we ask "How was St. Petersburg?", we are met with the constant refrain "Oh, it was for business. I really just saw the airport and the hotel."  That is a tragedy, and our friends at CNN agree:

"If you've got to be there for work, why not live it up? That seems to be the sentiment of a growing number of workers who are extending business trips to squeeze in some vacation time, surveys from Orbitz and PhoCusWright suggest.

The trend could be blamed on the soft economy, rising travel costs and busy schedules affording less time to fit in traditional getaways, said Dean Sivley, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Orbitz for Business and Alliance.

"If my plane ticket is already paid for and if it's not costing my client any additional money for me to stay a few days ... it makes sense to me that I might as well use that," Christina Whitehead, a meeting and event planner based in Atlanta, Georgia, said of the strategy..."  Click HERE for the full story.

Love the Olsen twins.  LOVE them.  Although hated "Full House", and couldn't understand how it stayed on the air so long.  I have since followed the twins' rise to unbelievable pop-omnipotence, and fashion superstardom. Ashley, Mary-Kate, love them both.

You have to appreciate a girl who is unafraid to wear an entire dress of feathers, which is precisely what Mary-Kate wore to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala.  LOVE her.

It's best to keep the attire a little less outrageous when traveling, and Miss Mary-Kate manages to keep things interesting, while looking perfectly comfortable at the same time.  Annoyed, but comfortable.  Who can blame her.

Photo: Luca/SGRO/Bauer-Griffin

Here, I think MK is carrying my old bookbag from college, just a shinier, far more expensive version of it.  I dig the stacked epaulets on the coat, and it looks like she is sporting those crazy leggings Lindsay Lohan has been trying so hard to resurrect (somewhat successfully, to our dismay).  Meh, they're probably really comfortable for traveling.  Classic aviator shades, to shield her from the paparazzi and their camera flashes, and casual, flat boots, in case she needs to outrun them as well.

Grade:  A

Hey, remember when the weather forecasts said stuff like "Sunny and 85 today"?  Yeahhhh, it's colder now.  Rather than complaining about the dropping temperatures outside, think of a way to enjoy them.  Ski trip!

Holiday Golightly's Top 10 Best Things About A Ski Weekend

1)  Schussss! - We love that awesome sound that comes from carving your way down the slopes.  Schusss, schussss, sch -OUCH, clank, bonk, thud.  Heavy sigh.  I'm okay!

2)  Fluffy snow - this is particularly exciting if you live somewhere that rarely sees snow.  You know, somewhere where everyone freaks out if there are 2 inches of snow on the ground, and everyone forgets how to drive, and they don't have the proper equipment to clear the roads, so there are a lot of resulting traffic accidents.  It's tougher to really enjoy the snow in those places.

3)  Taking in the quiet scenery from the chair lift - shhhhh.  Not schussssss. 

4)  Midday lunch break - Cheeseburger & fries.  WHAT?!  We're skiing?!  When else can you feel absolutely no guilt about cheeseburger and fries for lunch?

5) All-day exercise, disguised as fun - see #1 and #4.

6)  Hot chocolate

7)  Hot chocolate with Kaluha

8)  Dressing in layers - you don't even need to bother trying to look thin.

9)  Hot tub - you will need to bother trying to look thin.  Unless you've had several #7s.  And then, who cares! 

10)  Ski instructors -um, Travis?  I didn't really get that last move.  Could you show me again, and this time hold me while you're doing it?

Don't go outside without your muffler! So said my dad all throughout my childhood. Muffler? Like the thing in your car? Apparently "muffler" is a geriatric word for "scarf".  You'll need this, and a few other accessories, to survive the winter in style.

These are a few of our favorite things - winter-style.

Scarves -listen to my dad.  Don't go outside without your muffler.  Your neck will get cold!  Indulge in something fluffy with pompoms:

Juicy Couture Pop Crochet Scarf at Shopbop

 Or go cashmere for a little more softness and warmth

TDM Design Grande Cashmere Scarf at Shopbop

Gloves -You are never more chilled than when your extremities are uncovered.  Be nice to your hands and bundle them up!

Women's Shearling Gloves at Vivre

Mittens are also an option, although they seem to be a little more difficult to find.  It may or may not be because we actually like to be able to pick items up.  Mittens turn us into bears with swatty paws.

Woolen hats-keep your noggin warm.  You've heard that 70% of your body heat escapes through the top of your head.  Or is it 80%?  Or 90%? What is your body doing to make the heat want to escape so badly?

Miu Miu Knitted beanie at Net-a-Porter

 You will now be properly attired to run outside and make snow angels.  Get to it.