Make your own magic!

I love me some Ingrid Michaelson and her new album is nailing it. The lyrics to "Do it Now" inspired me to start posting again:







you say that you've got nothing left
there's nothing left in you to find
you're gonna ride it out gonna wait it out
living to die, you're living to die

no one's gonna wait for you
no one's gonna wait for you

so do it now
do it right now
don't waste a minute on the darkness and the pity sitting in your mind and
do it right now
do it right now

I don't know why I allow the "wah wahs" to set in and let life take over me in such a way that I feel I have nothing to offer or nothing to say... especially when there are books like this out there :

So, clearly there is a place for EVERYONE'S voice if people are buying a book called : CRAFTING WITH CAT HAIR Wowowowowow (Yes, that's what that book is called!)

I decided to collage a few new pages and start finding the magic in my day to day life and leave the wah wah's behind :

Faith - in myself and in the universe. This collage allows me to visualize peace and trust in my path - a clear view in knowing I am right where I need to be.













Candles, wine, and fresh words on a page brings clarity in the chaos...

Then, I took myself a lovely sushi lunch with a buttery chard and I was back in action. A simple sashimi plate and a seaweed salad :) I never mind dining alone- especially in New York where, as Carrie Bradshaw so famously said, "the city is your date!" It's empowering really. I even love movies by myself! I went to see "Love" which was delightful. An indi film where I got to stare at trasians (my favorite: trendy asians) and watch philosophies concerning relationships.

I made it a GREAT day - all on my own - can I get a slow clap ? :)

"so do it now
do it right now ...
no one's gonna wait for you"

xoxo
Her LadyMess

Lady Mornings: Part 1

Did you wake up on this side of the bed this morning ? Don't give into those DORK-SIDED moods. Put on your dance in your panties mix and make it a good day! Do you know what I am talking about when I say a "dance in your panties" mix ??

Remember the movie "Adventures in Babysitting" when she wakes up and lip sings "and then he kissed me!" Waking up and making it a good day can be a challenge. Everyone needs a "dance in your panties" mix. A day starts best with songs that put you in a peppy good moon. Here's the start of mine :

1) Be OK, Ingrid Michaelson
2) Cooler than You, Ben Folds
3) Lolipop, Mika
4) Gonna Love Today, Mika
5) Folding Chair, Regina Spektor
5) Banana Pancakes, Jack Johnson
5) Movie Loves a Screen, April Smith

Any I should add?? I love recommendations! I am challenging myself as of late to search out new music. I have been in a habit where I only listen to music other people put in my ear! There is just so much out there. I know I sound like an idiot bait here, but so forgive me as I have only listened to musical theatre for years and years :) So, pass some good stuff along people and EDUCATE a lady :)

Just a few of my faves. Cheers to having a good day... nah, a GREAT day :) (With that being said, maybe we should add Rehab by Amy Winehouse to the mix... HA!)

xoxo
Her LadyMess

Lady Wines-days: Wah Wah!

I'm kicking myself for my most recent lesson: What did you expect when you bought it for that price?




I took myself to Trader Joes's with a gift certificate from Christmas and I thought I would go out of my comfort zone and try some new wines. Instead of delightful new favorites, I wound up with one note wonders with no finish. Here were the culprits :

Medoc, Calvet 2010 -
I'll make my distaste brief : It tasted flat like a soda that has been opened for too long. The nose had promise and then did not follow through with the full experience I had hoped for. Flat flat flat... like my bubbies in the 6th grade. Wait, what ? Who said that ?

Lagranja, Temprinillo 2010 -
They made these grapes out of one of those plastic fruit bowls you see in model homes. I couldn't even stomach two sips.
I also bought their blend of garnacha and tempranillo... wish I could return that after tasting how terrible this one was. I doubt I could even save it by turning it into a sangria with brandy and fruit. OOOOOOOOOOF. Steer clear, recession buyers. (That pun would have been brillz has that label been a cow instead of a pig...). Just add it to my list of "wah wah's" for this Wine-down Wednesday!



So, has my palate adjusted to know right from wrong? I remember my dear Grandma Mary, with her boxed wine in her kitchen, telling me wine was an acquired taste. Was it just because she was drinking the cheap nasty nonsense? God love her. There is GREAT juice out there! I just might not find any under $7.99.

Let's keep testing, shall we? What about my chardonnays ??? Let's see :

Blue Fin Chardonnay: This not taste like a chardonnay. It was crisp and light but did not show characteristics of a my buttery friend I like to wine-down with at the end of a long day. Attention Pinot Grigio lovers: You might find this appealing. It is an easy wine. Just not my cup o' tea.

Stonehedge 2009 Reserve Chardonnay - TJ's tasting notes told me buttery. Oh yea? WRONG. No butter, no nose, no finish. Sure it's "drinkable": no tinge at the end, but no character during, and it does make me nervous that you cannot find notes about this wine anywhere. They must have Judy Greer's press agent... Who is Judy Greer? Exactly!







Cue: my pout face. I want to find yummy wine for recession prices and this has been a pitiful round of choices. You pay for what you get, I suppose. Are some of these wines better than say, Yellowtail or Barefoot ? Perhaps. However, they are not good enough to be paired with food, and most I could never drink on their own... so, what is the point? I will continue to try as many of the Trader Joe's varietals as I can in hopes of proving myself wrong. However, my recession buzz is being killed by watching wine go down my drain - and I never believe in wasting the juice! However, the lesson we have learned this week : Life is too short to drink cheap wine!

Love and ho-hum juice,
Her LadyMess

State of Grace

grace noun \ˈgrās\
a : unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification
b : a virtue coming from God

Webster Dictionary

"...the strength that lifts us when our tiny walls merge with that stream of being is the sacred luminosity we experience as GRACE." --- Mark Nepo

This is a page from my journal that I created for YOU to print and add your own "State of Grace" statement in the lower right hand corner. Write your own or use a lyric from your favorite song. In my current situation, I am trying to come in to my own as an independent, adult woman and I felt drawn to this song:


"I am unfinished,
I am diminished,
With or without you."
~Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

What lyrics speak of GRACE to you ?

xoxo
Her LadyMess

Wine-Down Wednesday: Fusion Red

Happy Wines-day, Winos!
I have to give props to a St. Louis wine boutique Garland Wines for introducing me to this little beauty!

The Trinity Ridge 2009 Fusion Red
It is smooth, JAMMY, berry-licious, with a hint of smoke! It smells divine on the nose and finishes richly on the palate.I can't find a grape breakdown but I certainly pick up a Syrah/Merlot/Zinfandel friendship in there. I would buy a case of this wine if I were you! The last time I felt this strongly about a California red was the Fess Parker Syrah I bought a case of in back 2009. I love a red that punches me in the face and lets me know it's there. The Fusion Red does this, and yet goes down so smoothly. I was UBER impressed.

To order a case, contact Garland Wines at http://www.garlandwines.com/eMerchantPro/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=199&idproduct=698

To Joy and Jesus Juice!
xoxo
Her LadyMess

Holiday Greetings from Her LadyMess!

What is it about the holidays? I play Christmas music 24 hours a day, baking is suddenly a must-do, and the dark nights are lit up with little lights that glow with warmth and magic. My inner child comes out to play during this time and I am constantly tickled at seeing what she has to have to make her holiday season BRIGHT!

1) Everyone needs a tree! I don't care if it is a baby tree for your coffee table... it doesn't even have to be real! I also have a cool wrought iron one with antique decorations of the twelve days of Christmas (Okay, it's my mama's. She let me borrow some classy decorations for the apartment I am currently residing in because it looked like Beetlejuice's apartment when I moved in - everything was black and white and I mean EVERYTHING. So, if you can change it, DECORATE it!)





2) Baking! Now, I am not much of a cook, but I do love to BAKE! During the holidays, everyone seems to say "I care" through yummy treats! Let's do a combination of naughty and nice, shall we ?

NAUGHTY: My Mama's Chocolate Sheet Cake
It's great frozen too! My personal favorite way to eat it! Make it the day before so that the icing soaks into the cake and then freeze it. It's ridiculous! Oh, and you have to lick the spoon! I used to love cleaning that bowl when my mama was done. Ah, memories :)

Joan’s Chocolate Sheet Cake

1 cookie pan with sides – spray with Pam and set aside

Sift 1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Bring just to a boil:
1 stick margarine
1 cup cold water
6 tablespoons of Hershey cocoa
Remove from heat
Add to dry mixture blend well and add
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add ½ cup sour milk (*Add 1 teaspoon vinegar to ½ cup milk (use 2 % or whole milk)
Mix well

Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and tap cookie sheet a few times on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes. Check cake after 25 minutes. Middle should spring back when touched.

Prepare icing 5 minutes before cake is done. Pour over cake when cake comes out of oven. (Icing will set up fast)

Icing:
Begin making the icing 5 minutes before the cake is ready to come out of the oven.
Melt 1 stick margarine
6 tablespoons cocoa
1 box (1 lb) of C&H powdered sugar
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix well with portable mixer
Should be smooth, not gritty J and be ready to pour over your cake.

NICE: My love affair with Trader Joe's continues! This gingerbread cake is DIVINE! It's rich in ginger and a hint of molasses. All it calls for in addition to the mix is water, eggs, and oil. So, to cut the calories, I exchanged the 1/2 cup of oil (BLECH!) to a 1/2 cup of applesauce. It also added to the moisture of the cake. Yum Yum Yum.







3) Lights ! Lights! Lights! I love coming home from rehearsal and plugging in my Christmas light! I enjoy keeping little white lights up throughout the year. It's ambiance, people! A lot of places sell CHEAP white lights or colored strands - and the ones that are attached to garland are even better! I have them draped over my giant mirror and one framing my free standing kitchen cabinet. You can also put them around window, doors, etc. Just PUT THEM UP! (Sorry...I'm yelling. I just get excited!)

4) Christmas Jammies!
Remember footy pajamas as a kid ? Or, if you are my sister, you will remember them as an adult. (I bought her some a couple of years ago for Christmas. Yes, Virgina, they DO make adult footie pajamas! If you are looking for some check out : www.jumpinjammerz.com)
I myself have been slipping into a bright cherry red Victoria's Secret flannel baby doll nightie. I got it last year and it's cozy! I just can't give over to a t shirt and boxer shorts. EW. I like feeling like a lady at all hours of the day. (Shocking, I know!) :P

5) Sounds of the season! My two favorite Christmas songs :

"I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" It might sound like a midget or creepy child is singing it... but it makes my heart happy! Never heard it? Take a listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5vQgKRmnuU&feature=related

And the other would be Karen Carpenter's "Merry Christmas Darling". Too sentimental for you ? Will you enjoy it as a hilarious music video? You're welcome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR1ujXx2p-I

Let out your sillies and bring some holiday joy to your life and to those around you. It's NEVER too late to decorate. I tend to leave decorations up until my birthday... in February... I will not apologize for trying to prolong the holiday magic well after the new year!


xoxo
Her LadyMess

What's that I see?

Where?

Why! It's Her LadyMess on Twitter!

Debauchery to follow :)