moments of zen

My favorite brands are Eddie Bauer and Land's End. Do yourself a favor and pick up a pair. Your warmed bum will thank you.

2- Bali's Barely There Breathable Boy Shorts: Pretty specific, I know but I like the details on great products. I am boycotting Target, so I had to do a little searching to find a replacement for my Gillian O' Malley underthings. These boy shorts by Bali are the winner. They are tagless, seamless, and made of breathable microfiber. And I can confirm that they are super comfy and produce no visible panty line, even in yoga pants! I pick mine up at the Bali outlet, but there are also plenty of places online you can find them if you are not blessed to live near an outlet mall.

3- My new iPhone4: Why oh why did I resist so long? I love my new iPhone and am already a heavy user of the shop shop app, Pandora, and the facebook app. I am in the process of mastering the on screen keyboard which honestly wasn't as tricky as I imagined. Now that Verizon is releasing it's version of the iPhone, you should be able to pick up one from AT&T on the cheap. Mine came via my company's discount and was too good of a deal to pass up. I also highly recommend the anti-glare screen protectors and this handy little cover that let's you keep your license and some cash on hand (this is my gym solution instead of carrying my wallet).

First, God bless you for reaching 41 before me even if it's only by 23 days, my Aquarius sister. I am counting on you to lead the way into this new year of our lives.

For those of you not in the know, Edie is one of the main reasons I started my personal blog. I had been blogging for work and exploring social media and was contemplating taking the plunge myself when I stumbled over lifeingrace. Not only was it a kickass blog in general, but it was written by sweet Edie who I first met in middle school way back before kids, or home schooling and even prior to blue eyeshadow. Yes, I have seen her do a hitchkick, don't be jealous.

I obsessively read over the archives while also making note of the design and structure. It was so fun to be able to peek into a friend's current life and catch up on what I had missed since high school. I could almost hear her sweet southern voice encouraging me, "Cmon now, you can do it!".

And so, I did. I kicked off my blog and love the outlet it provides as well as the ability to have an online journal of sorts since I was never very good at keeping the written version. I am also pretty lax on my blogging discipline but hope to improve this year.

So, back to Edie and her fabulous blog. I read it faithfully and find guilty pleasure in spying into a life so wonderful yet completely opposite of my own. It's like watching a movie of an alternate path I could have taken. A path filled with cheery home-schooled children, baking, faith and a down right admirable lust for books. If Edie has inspired you, made you laugh, brought a tear or made you rent Coal Miner's Daughter, take a moment and wish her a happy bday.

And my gift to you, dear Edie, is a rare and precious thing. It could just be considered your anthem, which is a pretty bold statement, but it meets the following qualifications:

1. It's sung by a kick ass southern chick, Ms Tanya Tucker, at the ripe age of 14. Yes, 14.

2. The video is from Hee Haw in 1973. Enough said.

3. The lyrics make me think of you (see below).

Warning: This song is infectious. You may be singing it all day. I have also included the lyrics since some of ya'll non Southerners may not be able to catch all the words with Ms Tucker's delicious twang.

PS..I am also giving you a rain check to be redeemed whenever I am in town for some Starbucks and good a good gossip session.

Delta Dawn: Tanya Tucker

Ok, so these are not my cookies in the photo there, but they are lovely aren't they? If I was more Martha Stewart I would have cookies like this at the ready in my exquisitely decorated home. Instead, I am still working on the decorations and any food left out, cookies included, run the risk of being eaten by our horde of kitties. So this plate of cookies will act as my inspiration until I do get to the cookie baking later in the month.

I will be baking cookies as I do every year the week before Christmas at my grandmother's (aka Nanna) house along with my mother, aunt and a cousin or two. It's a girls only event where there is lots of gossiping and baking and a general good time for all.

I do promise to snap some actual pics of the Christmas Chocolate Chips cookies and load them up here. They look like chocolate chip cookies, so you pretty much know what to envision.

I will warn you, this recipe involves Crisco and coconut. Do not wrinkle your nose or claim "but I don't like coconut"- you will still love these cookies. The coconut is very subtle and all my coconut hating friends rave about these cookies. And the Crisco? I can't recommend using it everyday but some recipes just should not be tampered with. Can I get an amen from my souther sisters out there?

Without further adieu...

Nanna's Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening (that's right, bring out the Crisco! and don't dare think of trying to substitute something healthier)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring/extract

2 cups self rising flour

2 cups quick cook oats

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup of chocolate chips (you can be crazy here and mix half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate or stick with all milk chocolate)

1 cup chopped pecans

1. Cream 1 cup of shortening with 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup granulated sugar.

2. Stir in 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring and beat well.

3. Stir in 2 cups of Gold Medal self rising flour (yes, my Nanna's recipe in my recipe book is just this specific), then add 2 cups quick cooking oats and 1 cup of flaked coconut.

4. Add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup of chopped pecans.

5. Take 1 teaspoon of dough, roll into a ball, and place on a cookie sheet. Take a fork and press down the ball of dough in both directions (making a cute basket weave pattern with the fork tines).

6. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Eat one or two that may break as you slide them off the cookie sheet. This is an important rule- the eating of the "test" cookies. Let the rest cool and enjoy!

Totally on a Lady Gaga kick these days.

Her music is perfection to run really hard to. And she round out the "yeah, I listen to Lady GaGa and Joan Jett and I might just get off this elliptical and kick your ass if you look at me wrong" collection.

And I just think she has a whole new take on the pop scene.

Plus I dig it that she says her name in every song she does. Gotta respect that level of cockiness.

This song is great and the video is performance art.

I didn't get it all at first, but the more interviews I read with her, I really admire her creativity.

She's not for the faint of heart.

And who can resist a bad romance where you love even the ugly and drama.

I defy you to listen and not find yourself humming "Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah! Roma-Roma-ma-ah!"
Get your freak bitch attitude going and open your mind.

Bad Romance- Lady Gaga

This is song has recently made it onto my workout playlist.

It's part of the "yeah, I listen to Lady GaGa and Joan Jett and I might just get off this elliptical and kick your ass if you look at me wrong" collection.

Sometime angry chick music is just the thing to kick up the heart rate.

So, put on some red lipstick or a leather jacket and climb higher baby!

Zero- Yeah Yeah Yeahs