Getting in the Spirit

So unless you live under a rock (or not in the South) you would have heard that USC lost the ship. And by "lost" I actually mean we brutally got our asses kicked and rubbed into the dome turf by Auburn. I've been a little depressed by it which is why I haven't written all week. Hah you know I'm lying, I've just been lazy per usual. But don't think I haven't noticed I'm not the only one. Most of the blogs I read, which are usually updated once or twice a day, have been a little lax on the posts.  Anyway, don't you worry because I promise I will not slip into oblivion again. Since it's the holidays and I am of course terrible with money broke, I am putting my baking skills to use and creating all kinds of goodies as gifts.

Every year when I was growing up my madre and I would bake our little hearts out and then she would gift them to co-workers, friends, the mail lady, pretty much whoever, considering we ended up baking so many she was practically tossing them at people to get them out of the house. And these days knowing how my curvaceous figure works I would've done the same. Regardless I plan on baking about 6 different types of cookies which I will be posting the recipes, and my great granny Hisle's banana bread, but unfortunately for you guys that one's staying locked up since it's a family secret I enjoy keeping. And allll of that is happening this weekend. I plan on cranking up the Christmas tunes and baking my little heart out. Wish me luck, because I'm def going to need it!

SEC Championship 2010

(Via)

I am so excited. This weekend is the SEC Championship game, in which my Gamecocks will be playing! Not only are they playing, but the game is right here in Atlanta. All I can say is this is about to be a ridiculous weekend. And naturally I'm starting to feel sickly. Joy.

So when I say this will be a ridic weekend, I mean it for about a billion reasons. Well really only a couple, but still. Starting tonight I have friends coming into town to stay with me. Seven people to be exact. Now lets lay this out. I live in an apartment with approximately 750 square feet of space. Ahem. Thank God my lovely friend Meghan has offered to house some of my biffs while they are in town. On top of that we have toonnss of events planned in addition to watching the game. Overall I'm super excited to be reunited with all of my friends from everywhere, in my town for once! I'm not sure who's going to win the game, even though according to ESPN, every state except for SC and Utah (or something) believes that Auburn is going to win, but I will definitely keep you guys posted. Not that I really need to, I mean unless you don't read a newspaper, or watch the news, or live. GO COCKS!  

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

- Still I Rise by Maya Angelou 

(via) 

I read this today and felt quite inspired. Then I felt like sharing my inspiration. 

Turkey Time

Right now I'm in Charlotte celebrating the second best holiday ever with my surrogate fam, the Sharps. My parents are in Oak Island for Thanksgiving, and since I am broke, I kind of have to choose between flying up there for Christmas or Thanksgiving, so I choose Christmas! Anyway, I'm so excited for the simple fact that I get to eat a ridiculous amount of food tomorrow, and not care. It's the simple things in life you know. But before I can do that, I have to submit myself to the neighborhood Turkey Trot 5K. I semi-fear for my life. I don't think I've run anywhere in at least 3 months. Now granted I have been doing ridiculous cardio workouts, so it's not like I've been sitting on my bum the entire time, but still. I'm scared.

I've been going through the blogs I read on a regular basis, and a lot of people are saying what they're thankful for. I decided to join in, but I feel I'll probably be unoriginal. I'm thankful for so many things and people in my life. My families, friends, the fact that I have a job and can  live on my own, etc. My fams (including the Sharps clan) and friends have been there for me more times than I can count, and never ask for anything in return. I'm so lucky to have the people I do in my life, and I hope never to take them for granted, cause they're the bomb. End of story. I'll leave you guys with some pictures of the people I'm thankful for, and I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!

Me and my parents at my high school graduation

Madre and Steve 

Me and Sharpie at WVU

Some of my fave Atl ladies

  My Cola girls at Nicole's graduation

My presh second cousin baby Cole (and padre in the background)

The surrogate fam in Mexico

Presh little Holden

Happy Birthday Holden!

My precious baby Holden is one year old. I cannot believe it. It was a year ago that my tiny little shih tzu was born, and a week from then that I got to meet him. When I went to pick out my new puppy, I'm not exactly sure what drew me to him out of the other five or six litter mates. I mean it's really a toss-up when you think about it. When puppies are that small you really have no idea how they're going to turn out. They don't even have personalities until weeks later. But Iiiii dunno, I knew he would be mine from the start.

After I picked him out I was sure I was going to name him Beau. And that was his name until about a week after he came home with me. I was watching the Today Show (per my morning ritual) the day after JD Salinger passed away, and they were talking about his most popular novel Catcher in the Rye. (If you know nothing about me, you should know I am a big reader.) The main character in the novel's name is Holden, and pretty much as soon as I heard it I knew that's what his name was going to change to. Opposite to the protagonist in the novel, my Holden is a lazy bum. I don't think people understand when I say that, because when he sees people he goes nutso and wants to be right on top of them. But when he's with me...couch potato for sure. For example, right now he's spread eagle on the kitchen floor.

Regardless, he is, for all intents and purposes, my little child and I love him as such. I could get really cheesy right now, but I'll refrain. Anywho, happy birthday to him! Too bad he's neutered and can't have any bday fun he's at the beach right now with madre, Steve, and their brood of dogs, haha justtt kidding because I'm sure he's running allll over the place (thanks mom)!

Product Review: Larabar

I was reading one of the many blogs I follow a couple of weeks ago, when I came across a post Brittney made about Larabar. I've been doing really intense workouts lately with Insanity and group classes, so I've been hungry allll the tiimmee. When I started Insanity I didn't really change the amount of food I was eating, so come 4:00 I would be starving in the office. Not to mention extremely fatigued and lacking the energy I needed to survive Shaun T. So when I saw Brittney mention these, and how they were great for a pre-workout boost, I thought they'd be the perfect solution! And boy was she right.

These bars are all natural, gluten free, and low in sugars. They also come in a multitude of flavors. I'm not gonna lie, not all of them are good, Cashew Cookie being one of them in my opinion. I have yet to try them all but some of my favorites are Pecan Pie, Banana Bread, and Lemon Bar. The majority of them are delish, but don't take my word for it, go try one yourself!

Cookie Goodness

So do you remember when I said I was making some no bake and M&M cookies for the Alabama game? Yea, I'm not surprised since I wrote that about a billion years ago. But hey, looky here...I estimated I would put this up around Christmas, and what do ya know I beat my goal! Ok, that's sad. I'm trying to do better so cut me some slack okay?

Anyway, I made both of these delicious recipes and took them to Columbia for my biffs to enjoy. And boy did they. But since I am suuuuch a terrible blogger, of course I forgot to take pictures and then by the time I thought about it, the baked good has already been devoured. What can you do? So for these two I'm going to send you here annnd here.

I got the No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookie recipe from Brown Eyed Baker, and they were everything I expected them to be. They were super easy to make and seewwww goooood. I may or may not have eaten about four of them as soon as they were firm enough to pick up. But that's beside the point. They may not make your house smell like one big cookie, but they'll impress whomever you give them to just the same.

As for the M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies, I got them from Picky Palate. Hoooweee these were yummy. You know when you go to a cafe (in my case Corner Bakery, yum) and they have those big, soft, oh-so-bad-for-you-but-fantastic cookies? Well these are them. So trust me when I say you def want to try these. The only thing i could say about making these is I'm not sure I had chocolate chips, so even if you don't these are great with just the M&Ms. Mmmm, I kind of want to make some now. I will restrain myself, I will restrain myself.....phew ok I'm good.