My Favorite Life Hacks

The expression “life hacks” is one I discovered while browsing the internet. For those unfamiliar with the term, a life hack is some kind of shortcut or technique that simplifies life. There are all kinds of lists all over the internet of good life hacks, but I thought I’d put together a compilation of a few that I find to be the most useful, the most interesting, or the most cool.

Proper use of a bobby pin

Most women who put bobby pins in their hair put them in at the orientation in the photo above: straight side down, wavy side up. WRONG!!! Putting a bobby pin in your hair with the flat side up will not only hold your hair more firmly, but it will be easier to slide into place, it will lie smoothly (and less noticeably) against your head, and that little sticky-uppy part at the end won’t poke out of your ‘do (and since your head is curved, it won't poke YOU either).

Banish static cling from clothes

Got a skirt, dress, or blouse made of a lightweight material that is always full of static cling? Don’t reach for that bottle of Static Guard, reach for a safety pin instead. Pin a small safety pin into the seam allowance and it will disperse that nasty static. You may need one on each side of the garment.

And from hair

Got static in your hair, not your clothes? Smooth it down with a used dryer sheet. Not only will it be less flyaway, it’ll smell fresh and clean!

Know which water glass and bread plate are yours

Don’t you just hate it when you’re at a wedding reception or a large business dinner and the place settings are all mashed together so it’s not clear which water glass and which bread plate are yours? Here’s all you have to do: put your hands in your lap and make the “OK” sign with each of them. Look at your left hand: It’s also in the shape of a lower-case letter “b,” right? That’s because your bread plate is on your left. Now look at your right hand: It’s a lower-case “d,” because your drink is the one on your right. Now you just have to be sure to claim them before the guests on either side of you who don’t know this trick do.

Iced coffee in the Keurig

I love iced coffee, but when you have a Keurig, it just doesn’t make sense to brew a single cup and wait for it to chill. But if you brew it over ice, it gets watered down. Here’s the simple solution: make a cup or two of your favorite blend, pour it into an ice cube tray, and freeze. The next time you want an iced coffee, brew it over the coffee cubes instead of plain ice. Don’t forget to put the sugar in first so it dissolves while the coffee is still hot!

Sugar in your iced coffee

Speaking of dissolving sugar in your coffee, don’t you hate it when you get takeout iced coffee and there’s all that sugary sludge at the bottom that just won’t dissolve no matter how hard you stir? Just ask them to pour a splash of hot coffee in your cup after adding the sugar but before adding the iced coffee. I learned this trick from the scariest-looking, most tattooed and pierced, and absolutely most wonderful Dunkin Donuts employee I ever met. Wherever you are today, my friend, THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU!

Sneeze manipulation

Got an annoyingly ticklish nose but that sneeze just won’t come? Look at a bright light. It’s called the photic reflex and it’s present in about one-third of us. So it might not work, but it couldn’t hurt.

On the flip side, feel a sneeze coming that you really need to stifle? Press hard on the bridge of your nose with your finger, or push your tongue up against the front part of your hard palate right behind your front teeth. Both techniques seem to calm an impending sneeze.

Clearing your throat without clearing your throat

What if that tickle isn’t in your nose, but in your throat? I had some vocal issues a number of years ago and learned that clearing your throat is TERRIBLE for your vocal cords. So how to get rid of that tickle without an annoying – and unhealthy – “hem hem”? Drop your chin down to your chest, turn your head slightly to the side, and swallow. The motion will soothe the irritated nerves and even help clear that annoying phlegm.

Dry mouth

About to make a speech and suddenly realize your mouth is full of sawdust? Vocal audition and you ran out of water five minutes ago? Ready to play your fancy brass fanfare and you haven’t got enough spit to drown a flea? Bite your tongue! No, really. Bite your tongue gently and it will stimulate the flow of saliva. And keep in mind that if you bite the sides instead of the tip you’re less likely to hurt yourself.

Elegant cocktail garnishes

To make an elegant cocktail garnish of lemon or lime, cut off both ends, slice across the peel from end to end, and carefully cut off the entire peel so you have a roughly rectangular shape. Scrape off as much of the white pith as you can, then re-roll the peel tightly and put a rubber band around it to keep it rolled. Put in a Ziploc baggie and freeze. When thoroughly frozen, remove the rubber band and slice into ¼-inch wide discs, then keep frozen until ready to use. Drop a frozen disc into a drink and it will add flavor, keep the drink cool, and slowly uncoil as it thaws. Plus you still have the rest of the lemon or lime for juice!

Pizza cutters are for more than just pizza

Whenever I go out to breakfast with my kids, by the time I finish cutting up their pancakes or waffles for them, my own breakfast is cold. But that never happens at home, because at home I use a pizza cutter to zip through even a tall stack of pancakes in seconds. A pizza cutter is also handy for trimming crusts off bread or sandwiches, cutting toast into points or fingers, slicing up peppers or mushrooms, and even slicing brownies or bar cookies – just pop the whole thing out of the pan onto a cutting board and slice away!

I hope you find some of these hacks to be useful, interesting, or at least cool. And please share your own favorite life hacks in the comments!

Cheap Stuff Kids Love

About a year ago, I posted a blog entry called “Cheap Stuff I Love.” I listed a bunch of free or inexpensive things that I really enjoy, like Dunkin Donuts’ Butter Pecan iced coffee and non-stick foil. But after having spent this past weekend camping with two small children, I realized there is another list waiting to be written: Cheap Stuff Kids Love. And here is that list!

Dirt – free (optional accessories: bucket, $0.99 and shovel, $0.79)

You don’t even have to go to a store to get dirt. It’s everywhere, free for the taking! There’s some in the yard, there’s some at the beach, there’s lots at the playground. Kids can shovel it, roll around in it, scuff their feet in it, or add water and make it into pies. It comes in multiple colors, from black to brown to red to beige. And it’s completely washable! And non-toxic! (Well, mostly.)

Bubbles - $0.99

Hardly a day goes by that one or the other of my kids doesn’t beg me to let them blow bubbles – or to blow bubbles for them. My 3-year-old is fascinated by the fact that I can blow single, giant bubbles rather than the stream of tiny ones that she’s just beginning to master. So she’ll blow some for herself for a while, then she’ll hand me the wand and request, “Blow a giant bubble, Mama!!”

We blow bubbles outside and watch them drift through the yard; we blow them in the kitchen and get a clean kitchen floor in the process; we blow them while sitting on the potty to help, ahem, move the action along. We blow them with wands, with straws and string, and with bubble guns. We love bubbles.

Paper Towel Tubes – free with purchase

One of the most exciting moments of the week in my house is when I get to the end of a roll of paper towels. I can actually bribe my children by promising the most well-behaved one the next empty roll. In their hands, it becomes a musical instrument, a pirate’s telescope, a drumstick, a hat, a long claw, a sword, and anything else their imaginations can come up with. And around the same time that it starts to lose its appeal, it also starts to fall apart and can be tossed in the recycle bin with no hard feelings.

A Recorder - $5

Although considerably less of a delight to parents (and dogs within a 2-mile radius), a recorder is a joy to all children. Even a cheap recorder is capable of making lovely, tuneful sounds, but in the hands of a small child, it can also produce glass-shattering squeals and squeaks at impressive decibel levels. Whether marching in an imaginary parade, sitting on the sofa, or following Mom around the house, playing a recorder is one of the most satisfying (not to mention one of the loudest) experiences a child can have.

Scotch Tape - $1.50

I once read that when taking a long plane or car trip with small children, you could keep them entertained with small pieces of scotch tape. And I soon discovered that any time my kids were bored, I could simply give them a few strips of scotch tape and they would stay busy for hours at a time. My daughter prefers to stick small pieces across her nose and mouth; my son likes to wrap long lengths around his waist and ankles. Occasionally they’ll tag team me and cover my entire body in small bits of tape, giggling uproariously the whole time. At ten cents a yard, it’s worth every penny.

Packing Materials – free with purchase

As an introvert and an Amazon Prime member, I get a lot of packages shipped to my house. And the vast majority of them come with some kind of packing material. Amazon.com tends to pack with long strips of inflated plastic pillows that are just the right size for little feet to jump on. Other vendors prefer old-fashioned bubble wrap, which is just the right size for little fingers to pinch. Occasionally, a really old-school vendor will ship something surrounded by white or pink Styrofoam packing peanuts and their accompanying halo of static cling. Whatever the packing material, the physical challenge and the audio reward are just the right combination for hours of fun. And when you’re done, just stick them back in a box and send them off to someone else!

Board Game Pieces – $8-$12

The gingerbread men from Candyland. The Sesame Street characters from Chutes and Ladders. The dog, the iron, the racecar, and the top hat from Monopoly. The pink and blue pegs from Life. The penguins from Penguin Pile Up. At some point in time, my daughter has been completely enamored with each of these sets of game pieces. She sobbed inconsolably when we lost the blue Candyland gingerbread man for several hours (he was eventually found, safe and sound, at the bottom of my purse). She steals Cookie Monster from her brother every single time he and I sit down to play Chutes and Ladders. I once found two tiny contraband penguins in her pocket after we’d been playing games at a friend’s house. These games may go for $8-$12, but the lovable cast of characters inside the box are worth much, much more.

The outlay for all seven items on this list will probably run you less than 25 bucks, and that even includes a bonus roll of paper towels. And you get to keep the board game, although I’m not sure how much good it will do you when the iron, the dog, and the top hat are busy having a tea party with the gingerbread men. 

De-Vacationing

Going on vacation is always fun, but it’s also a lot of work – especially if you’re a bit neurotic, as I am. I have lists of what I’ve packed in the past, what I’m planning on packing now, and what I think I should pack in the future. I have lists of what I need to get, what I already have, and what I don’t need this time. I have lists that are alphabetized, categorized, and color-coded. I spend nearly as much time making lists as I do collecting the stuff that is on them. And I definitely spend more time planning and packing for vacation than I do actually being on vacation. But what really takes up my time when it comes to vacation is not the preparation, nor the vacation itself. It’s the “de-vacationing” that comes after we get home.

The first part of de-vacationing is laundry. Even if a trip was only a quick overnight, my family somehow manages to generate 27 loads of laundry. In fact, whether the trip was overnight or two weeks long, the amount of laundry is roughly the same. It’s like some weird magic vacation physics. And since my family often goes camping for vacation, a large part of that laundry is washing sleeping bags.

I live on the edge when it comes to washing sleeping bags. I used to carefully read the labels and have them dry cleaned, until I noticed that one of our sleeping bags carried a dire warning: “DO NOT DRY CLEAN!!!!” It was in such a threatening font that I decided to give in to that warning and instead ignore the warnings on the other bags that said, sweetly and non-threateningly, “Wash only in a large capacity front-loading commercial grade washer.” Pfft. Ain’t nobody got time for dat. If I can stuff that baby into my washer, then that’s where it’s going. So far, neither the washing machine nor the sleeping bags are any the worse for wear. I do draw the line as throwing them in the dryer, though. I have had the experience of sleeping in a sleeping bag whose stuffing had shifted in the dryer and I will never again subject myself to that. Instead, my back yard is covered with sleeping bags draped over every available surface. At this very moment, there’s one hanging over the fence, another draped over two carefully placed patio chairs, a third hanging over the railing of the pool steps, and a fourth looking like a heavily-padded tablecloth on the picnic table. I spend most of “drying day” praying for no rain.

Another large part of de-vacationing is re-stocking and de-stocking. Our camping supplies include a mix of perishable and non-perishable items, so things like Ziploc baggies, rolls of paper towels, and long matches are re-stocked prior to being packed back away in the attic, and things like pancake mix, Clorox wipes, and batteries are pulled out and added to our daily stores before their boxes are tucked away for another year. Of course, this leads to a complete reorganization and repacking of all the items in every box. There is a complicated system of nesting and tucking items together to maximize use of storage space. (This is where my years of playing Tetris come in handy.) The paper towel roll nests perfectly inside the Dutch chimney, and the space left by that cereal box I just took out can be filled with two boxes of ziplocs and a pack of firestarters. If I do my job correctly, next year these boxes will look like so many clown cars, with many more supplies spilling out than could possibly have been packed in there.

And of course, the final stage of de-vacationing is cleaning out the car. Once the bulk of the boxes and bags have been removed, the process of picking through the detritus begins. Like a gold miner panning in a river, sorting through mud and stones to find a glimpse of gold, I sort through petrified raisins, stale Froot Loops, and empty juice boxes to find miniscule Lego pieces, Matchbox racecars, stuffed animals wedged under seats, and other treasures hidden amidst the chaff. If I could invent a vacuum cleaner that would suck up Cocoa Pebbles while leaving Legos behind, I’d be a millionaire (and the hero of every mom who ever lived).

It may take some time, but at some point after arriving home, the car is clean; the boxes are once again stashed in the attic; the scents of campfire, bug spray, and sunscreen have faded away; the photos have been posted on Facebook; the updated packing lists have been filed; and all that’s left is a few tan lines and a lot of happy memories. We are officially de-vacationed! Hmm, I’d say it’s time to start planning the next vacation. Now, where’d I put that packing list?

The Best Things on a Hot Day

I was looking back over some old blog entries and stumbled across a list I'd written of the best things on a really cold day. Things like an oversized sweater that you can pull your hands and nose inside of, or a mug of hot cocoa with melty marshmallows. So I decided, on this very HOT day, to come up with a similar list of wonderful things about a really hot day.

Running through the sprinkler.

An ice cold glass of milk.

Opening the refrigerator door and just standing there for a minute.

Popsicles.

A long, cool shower.

Trying to stay ahead of the drips of your ice cream cone.

Humming into a fan.

Dunkin Donuts butter pecan iced coffee.

Jumping into the pool. Cannonbaaaaaallll!!!!

Going into an air-conditioned store (or restaurant, or mall, or house).

Splashing cold water on your face and wrists.

Squirting your friends (or even better, your siblings) with the hose.

Three words: Slip 'N Slide!!!!

There, the hot weather doesn't seem quite so bad any more, does it??

Just Say "Yes"

As the mother of two children under the age of five, there are a lot of times that I find myself saying, “No.” “No, you may not have ice cream for breakfast.” “No, you may not lick the dishwasher.” “No, you may not bring that earthworm/dead mouse/giant tree branch into the house.” “No, you may not run around the neighborhood naked.” “No, you may not have a third popsicle.” “No, you may not go to the grocery store wearing only Perry the Platypus underpants and a plastic crown.” And despite the fact that I know I am saying “no” for their own good, sometimes I feel like I’m always the bad guy, always putting the kibosh on my kids’ fun.

So I decided that every time I start to say “no,” I’m going to stop and think about whether I really, truly need to say it. When the question is, “Can I stick a fork into this electrical outlet?”, the answer obviously needs to be “no.” But when the question is, “Can I have a popsicle for supper?”, or “Can I wear my tutu to church?”, or “Can we go outside and stomp in the puddles while it’s raining?”, sometimes the answer can be “YES!” When the issue is not danger, but rather my own convenience or my own comfort, sometimes the answer needs to be “Yes.”

Last week, my daughter wanted to paint in the kitchen. Being 2-1/2, her painting tends to cover not only the paper, but also the easel, the floor, the sink, her clothes, herself, and me. I knew we needed to go pick up her brother from preschool in an hour, so I initially said, “No.” But then I thought about it, and realized that no-one would care if I brought her to school with paint streaks covering her arms and her face. No-one would care (or even know) if I left the kitchen floor covered in dried paint until I got a chance to scrub it off later in the day. So I took a deep breath and said, “Yes.” I stripped off all her clothes except her diaper, gave her a handful of paint brushes and an entire jar of purple paint, and let her loose. She started off with a few tentative brushstrokes on the paper, but was soon slathering her palms with globs of paint and announcing, “Pawprint!” while slapping her hand onto the paper, flinging bits of paint across the room and all over her face and mine. She dunked her hand into the cup of water, happily watching it slosh over. She noticed the drips of paint on the floor and touched them with her toes, at first tentatively, and then sliding them into long colored streaks with great glee.

It looked something like this:

Actually, this was only the midpoint. But the time she was done, her face was covered in purple war paint, there were purple streaks in her hair, her legs were coated from thighs to toes, the cup of water had been knocked to the floor, and we’d even added a bit of pink and yellow paint for contrast. The kitchen floor looked like a demented rainbow.

And we were both grinning and laughing.

She announced she was done 15 minutes before we had to leave, so I tossed her in the bathtub, sprayed her off with the showerhead (which made us both grin and giggle even more), and got rid of most of the paint. I put her in fresh clothes and we hopped in the car, happier and more relaxed than either of us had been in a long time.

It’s not always easy, you’re often tempted not to do it, but sometimes, the best thing to do is to just say, “YES!” Because although “yes” rhymes with “mess,” it also rhymes with “de-stress” and “success”!

The Care and Feeding of Picky Eaters

I was a picky eater myself as a child (and, to a lesser degree, still am as an adult), so it was no surprise that I gave birth to a couple of picky eaters. After much trial and error and putting on a few pounds (okay, more than a few) from eating my failures and tearing out my hair, I’ve discovered a few survival tips for moms trying to cook for picky eaters.

1.  Presentation is key

Food that is appealing to a kid’s eye will also be appealing to his or her taste buds. Instead of serving fruit on the side of the plate, use it to make a smiley face right on top of whatever you’re serving – scrambled eggs, pancakes, a sandwich, a slice of meatloaf, a scoop of pasta. Instead of (or as well as) fruit, pick whatever random treats your kids like: a couple of jellybeans, a handful of breakfast cereal, pickles and olives, goldfish crackers, chocolate jimmies. You can even add some "goop" for dipping, like ketchup, ranch dressing, hummus, or jam. Your kids will eat the fun stuff and then forget to stop when they reach the healthy stuff underneath. (Hopefully.) And don’t underestimate the value of cutting things into interesting shapes. Cookie cutters aren’t just for cookies; they work on sandwiches, toast, cheese, cold cuts, pancakes.

And on the flip side of this one, if you make it look – or sound – over-the-top disgusting, kids (especially boys) will eat it out of pure curiosity. Be sure to make lots of repulsed noises while the child is eating. Thanks to Calvin’s mom for this advice.

Admittedly, this approach has a few drawbacks.

2.  Creative use of leftovers

If your kids are anything like mine, there are always leftover bits on their plates. One of my kids eats the hotdog and ignores the bun; the other demolishes the bun but ignores the hotdog. So I offer each of them both bun and dog, then swap their plates. Or I’ll save the uneaten hotdog slices and throw them in with some leftover mac & cheese at the next meal. When I make soup and there’s lots of leftover broth, I throw in that half-serving of rice, handful of cooked carrots, and few bites of grilled chicken left over from last night’s dinner and make myself a bowl of soup. If sandwiches are on the menu, I use their uneaten sandwich crusts to fill out my meal of that same leftover rice, carrots, and chicken. 

But my favorite use for leftovers is to do a "smorgasbord" lunch. Fill a plate with tiny servings of a lot of different things: a few bites of pork, a tiny spoonful of peas, a plop of applesauce, six blueberries, half a graham cracker, two broccoli florets, a few cheese cubes - whatever's on hand. Mix a few treats in with the healthy stuff, like a small handful of sweet cereal or pieces of their favorite fruit, and get creative with dipping sauces - let them try some spicy mustard, salsa, or balsamic vinegar along with more familiar sauces. 

Sometimes I sneak in a few "exotics," like marinated artichokes.

3.  Let them help
My kids love to help in the kitchen, and they will eat (or at least try) almost anything that they helped make. Even the littlest kids can help tear up lettuce, beat an egg, stir together batter, and mix meatballs. Kids who can read can help you follow a recipe or directions. Older kids can break eggs, measure ingredients, chop vegetables, and use the stove. As well as keeping them where you can keep an eye on them while you make dinner, you get the added bonus of an opportunity to teach nutrition, hygiene, chemistry, math, and reading. Not to mention, it’s laying the foundation for having them prepare dinner on their own once in a while so you get a break from kitchen duty!

This approach may take a good bit of practice before it’s successful, however.

4.  Variety really is the spice of life

I’ve read all kind of statistics stating that children need to be offered a food X number of times before they’re willing to try it, or that they need to try a food Y number of times before they decide they like it. I’m not sure if I buy any of those statistics, but I do know that kids are moody and sometimes they’re not willing to try something but other times they are. So I keep offering them different foods, even if they have tried them before. I don’t force them to eat more than a taste, and sometimes not even that, but the foods are there if I happen to catch them in the right mood. Maybe it’s only a 1 in 100 chance that they’ll try it, but if it’s not on their plate, it’s a 0 in 100 chance.

Even when it doesn’t work, the results can be quite entertaining.

 5.  Reverse psychology really works

My husband often puts a forkful of food on the edge of my son’s plate and warns him sternly, “Do NOT eat this. This will make you grow tall and strong, and I want you to stay little. You had BETTER NOT eat this!!!” Naturally, my son immediately grabs it and sucks it down, giggling triumphantly as my husband moans in mock horror. Likewise, my daughter won’t eat a bite of the food that’s on her own plate, but if I leave a forkful of the exact same food on my own plate and tell her, “That’s mine, don’t eat it!”, it will be gone before I can blink.

The grass broccoli is always greener on someone else’s plate.

The bottom line is, you just never know what might make a child try or like something, so just keep experimenting and offering. With apologies to Thomas Edison, you haven’t failed. You’ve just found 1,000 things your kids won’t eat.

Remembering Dad(s)

My dad passed away when I was in my 30s, years before I met and married my husband. I often wish they had been able to meet. I have no doubt they would have been fast friends, bonded not only through their mutual love of me, but because they were cut from the same cloth.

My favorite memories of my dad are from my early childhood. I remember him as a dad who involved us in what he did, whether it was fixing the car or noodling on the piano or the guitar or setting up the camper. When I was little, my "help" was along the lines of holding the flashlight or passing him a screwdriver or reading the next step in the instruction manual. When I was older, I got to actually use the wrench or the soldering iron or the hand saw. I never truly appreciated what he did for me until I saw my husband doing the same thing with my own children. That was when I realized that a child holding the light does not really help Dad see anything, that the screwdriver passed to him was often the wrong screwdriver (or, frequently, not a screwdriver at all but a wrench or a drill or pliers or whatever else was handy that seemed to fall in the "tool" category), that a 6-year-old attempting to read directions including words like "torque" and "receptacle" and "ventilation" is not particularly conducive to understanding what you should do next. And seeing my husband's endless patience with our children as they "help" him makes me appreciative of my dad's endless patience with me.

I also see my dad in my husband in their remarkable shared ability to be both stern and silly. Sometimes, when my husband barks at the kids, my heart jumps in a visceral, deeply-ingrained (and probably Pavlovian) response as in my mind I hear my father's voice barking at me. I often have to stifle a sense of unfairness as I realize my husband is right in chastising them, since they are generally doing something dangerous, foolish, or clearly forbidden. And I realize again that my dad's barking, like my husband's, comes from a place of deep love and a need to protect his family. That deep love also sparks a delicious - and often unexpected - silliness and playfulness. I also see my dad when I see my husband carelessly shed his dignity to roll on the floor and wrestle, to start a tickle fight, to make silly faces, to allow a small child to wrap him in a blanket like a mummy or put a sparkly tiara on his head or whack him with a pillow.

Even though my dad has been gone for 10 years, there are many moments when I miss him so much my heart hurts. There are so many parts of my life I wish I could share with him. I wish he could have been there to walk me down the aisle at my wedding, to see that his quiet and wise advice and example had led me to choose such a good man to be my partner throughout life. I wish he could have been there to see my beautiful children, his grandchildren, take their place in the world. I wish I could watch him be stern and silly with his grandchildren. I wish he could be here so I could tell him how much I learned from him, how he made me a better person, a better wife, a better mother. But since he isn't here, I can tell my husband the same thing: Thank you, sweetheart, for being the kind of dad I had, for being loving, and kind, and tough, and silly, and all the wonderful things you are.

I look forward to seeing my son carry on his grandfather's and his father's legacy as a dad. I know he'll be fantastic.

Red Carpet Review: The 2014 Tony Awards

The Tony Awards aren't usually the same sartorial explosion as, say, the Oscars, but there are generally a few noteworthy or at least interesting gowns. I'm going to jump right in with a critique of the gowns that stood out to me, for good or for ill. In no particular order:

Fran Drescher has always had a striking sense of not only what is fashionable, but what is flattering on her. This multi-shaded orange gown hugged her amazing figure and made just the right amount of splash. I loved that some of the fabric had a sparkly finish and some was matte. This girl knows how to walk the fine line between tacky and elegant, and she fell nicely on the side of elegant here. 

Vera Famiga was a fashion flop in this dull black column. The geometric details at the shoulders and hips were flattering, but they weren't enough to relieve the unrelenting boredom of the dull black. Boring neckline, zero sleeve details, somehow managing to be shapeless even while snugly fitting her curves, even the train somehow seemed lifeless. Perhaps it could have been saved with a better hairstyle or some flashier accessories.

Sutton Foster's gown was an example of how simplicity CAN work. Every detail, including the bold color, full skirt, slim belt, criss-crossed bodice, matching gold cuff and clutch, and smooth updo, set off her feminine but muscular figure. Very eye-catching!

The silhouette and fabric of Anna Gunn's dress really worked for me. The shiny-backed brocade and princess seams had a nice vintage look, and the long hem trailed into a graceful puddle. But the overblown, oversized crystals at the neck seemed to match neither the scale nor the style of the rest of the look, and her limp updo seemed like an afterthought.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is a beautiful woman, but she (or her stylist) has no idea how to dress herself in a flattering way. She consistently attempts to wear unusual styles but just can't pull them off. This feathered monstrosity might possibly have worked on a more petite, more curvy figure, but on her tall slender body, it looks like she got herself tarred and feathered. And then stapled on some extra feathers at the hem for good measure. And I won't even talk about her hairstyle, other than to wonder if it was done with an egg beater. Her light, natural makeup is lovely, at least. 

Adriane Lenox started off with a pretty terrific but unusual look. The structured, vivid orange coatdress with matching belt over what seemed to be either a romper or a pair of white shorts was striking and intriguing. The clunky shoes were a bit of a misstep, but it was the hat that threw the whole shebang completely off the rails. Was it a gourd wearing a crocheted tea cozy? Was it a 1970s fringed lampshade? It was a hot mess, whatever it was. More emphasis on "mess" than "hot."

Lucy Liu's black and white gown with plunging decolletage and asymmetrical bubble skirt had a beautiful line that managed to not overwhelm her tiny size. Her tall, bouffant-style hair balanced the width of the dress with a bit of added height. And the simple black sandals and diamond choker were lovely, proportional accents. 

Kate Mara seemed to be channeling the worst of the 1980s in this dress. The mix of black and silver was striking and interesting, but the giant squared-off shoulders and puffy texture of the fabric made her look like she was wearing a formal parka. The slicked-back hairstyle did nothing to improve her her look, nor did the severe eye makeup and the vaguely pained grimace (although that may have at least been evidence that she knew this was not a good look for her). 

Audra McDonald's huge poppy print dress was surprisingly successful. Her long, wavy 'do and chunky bracelet and ring balanced the large lines of the gown beautifully, and the coral lips perfectly matched to the gown were a nice touch. Oh, and that SIXTH Tony statuette she toted home was a pretty sweet accessory, too. 

Presenter Leighton Meester fell victim to the overly simple gown trap, as well. If her simple white column had been made of a more flowing fabric, or had an contrasting detail at the hip, or had a more interesting neckline, it could have worked. But as it was, it looked a bit too much like she grabbed a bedsheet on the way out the door.

The gorgeous iridescent color of the fabric in Idina Menzel's gown would have had me in love with anything made out of it, but the style of this gown would also have been fabulous in almost any different color and fabric. The angled, flared shoulder straps; the soft ruching along the diamond-shaped center panel; the soft, not-quite bow draped across the bodice; the swirling mermaid flare at the hem - I loved it all. The soft, shiny hair, nude lips, and barely-blingy earrings and clutch were the icing on the cake.

Kelli O'Hara did slightly better than many in the category of simple gowns. The champagne color worked well with her complexion and golden blond hair, the softly draped lines flattered her figure without being too va-va-voom, and the halter provided cleavage but support. Not one of the more memorable looks of the night, but certainly elegant, lovely, and flattering.

Anika Noni Rose did well with a less traditional style. Her one-shouldered, belted, chiffon animal print had a slit up to there showing off nicely toned gams. Her choice of minimal accessories and simple hair and makeup was a wise one. 

Emmy Rossum's sleek silver gown was one of my favorites of the night. The woven detailing of the bodice created the flattering silhouette of a corset without looking as restrictive, and the center front braid leading down into a soft, ruffly slit that moved beautifully softened the entire look, blending sleekness and movement flawlessly. Her dark hair and barely-there lip color were lovely contrasts to the sleek silver, particularly against her gorgeous alabaster skin.

And because it just seems right, I'd like to end with one of the technical awards that was presented earlier and not included as part of the Tony broadcast: Linda Cho, who won Best Costume Design of a Musical, for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.

I'm not sure if she designed her own gown or not, but it was so terrific that she deserves credit for it (as well as for the beautiful costumes for which she won the award). The soft curve of the top of the bodice echoed in the gently curved side panels, the flowered hem details echoing the bodice flower, the bright purple shoes, and the sheen of the apple green fabric all worked together to make this gown as much of a winner as its wearer.