Cookie Quest (more like a day trip)

When I found out I was pregnant, 2 (apparently pregnancy made me very specific) concerns crossed my mind after the initial crying, hugging and excitement – I’m going to have to get this baby out and if I’m going to be a mom I have to have a recipe for super yummy chocolate chip cookies. I had 7ish months to worry about labor, so I pushed (ha!) that thought way down deep. That left the cookies. Cookies I could do. So I set out to find the perfect recipe.

Now, nothing against Nesley Tollouze (Phoebe anyone?!) but those cookies just don’t do it for me. I wanted something soft and chewy, with some height to it. I let Google be my guide, recipe comments and reviews narrowed down the field of contenders. The first one I decided to try was from a cookbook, Baking Illustrated, published by Cooks Illustrated. Side note, as a baker (I use this term loosely) I love this cookbook. It’s full of information (the difference between all the types of flour, why baking soda is important, what brown sugar does for a recipe vs. white sugar) and when you take the dust jacket off, the cover is smooth and soft, it makes me want to run my hands over it constantly, but then I’m just alone in my kitchen, caressing a book, so maybe that’s not the best thing.

Long story short (too late!) – this recipe was perfection. There were a few steps that seemed a little high maintenance but these steps proved to be vital to the outcome. I felt a little conflicted that my quest for the perfect cookie was over so quickly, but it was, and I had a tray full of warm cookies, so I got over it just as quickly. Gooey and chewy with mounds of chocolate chips, after starting a bite, it actually takes a few seconds for your teeth to meet again. They are the opposite of the flat, crisp cookies B.P.R. (Before Perfect Recipe). Milk is an absolute requirement – but dunking is a personal preference, these cookies need no softening agent. (for me, milk is such an important part of cookie-eating that at our wedding we had cookies served with milk in shot glasses). These cookies are requested anytime I offer to bring dessert, or for such important occasions as It’s a Wednesday Night. 

The recipe is below (do it) – if you decide to try them (do it), I hope that you eat them all right away and then make them again to share.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies - For Full Recipe, CLICK HERE

This post brought to you by the fabulous (parent)thetically speaking. 

Introducing...

Meet Ms. (parent)thetically speaking!!

Friends… today is a most exciting day! After nearly 17 months and somewhere around 365 posts from Ms. Merry Meri alone, I thought it was about time I brought in some fabulous friends to share in the fun. Now this idea is somewhat self-serving (5 posts a week is A LOT I tell ya!) but it’s mostly all for you – a chance to hear more voices and share this happy little space with a few ladies who can bring new and exciting things to Seek to be Merry. So, without further ado, I would like to introduce my dear friend E, also known as (parent)thetically speaking who will be stopping by once a month to share some merriment with all of you. Today we’ll have a little “meet n greet” and tomorrow you’ll get your first taste (literally) of guest blogger goodness! Enjoy!!

Hi! I’m E and I’m married to my high school sweetheart A and we have 2 really, quite adorable children, J and H (I am totally biased, but it’s still the truth). In the past 5 years, I’ve gotten engaged, married, moved 5 times, left my job, had a baby, bought a house, and had another baby (so take that, job interviewer circa 2006 – that’s where I see myself in 5 years!). I get stupidly happy when I make a yummy meal, or bake a treat, or decorate (some days I settle for straightening) a room, or manage to keep a plant alive, or re-read a Harry Potter book, or wear stripes, or dream about going to Paris or watch The West Wing. My true joy though lies with J and H, and it’s ridiculous how many clichés come to mind when I think about them (my greatest accomplishments, happiest moments of my life, heart walking around outside my body, blah blah blah, it’s gross). I’ll be sharing little snippets of the things that make me happy (merry, if you will) – hope you enjoy.

Hump Day Distractions

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

...what do we do? We swim, swim, swim! All the way to Friday right!? Another weekly grind, another hearty serving of Hump Day Distractions for your clicking pleasure. PLUS, there's something new and totally freaking awesome coming to the blog tomorrow, so get excited and until then, distract yourself here: 

* THIS Mom totally rocks my socks off.

* 12 hours in ______. (everything you need to know)

* As if being an astronaut wasn't awesome enough, THIS dude is taking space travel to the next level of cool.

* Game on breakfast.

* For your favorite "Face Farmer" and his offspring (bookmarked for an eventual lil merry kiddo of course).

* Don't let your desk job drag your fitness routine down!

* If I ever have to leave NYC, at least I will know where to go.

* I am a size 7.5 and my birthday is in July. Who's buying?

* Thanks to Sis for sending this dance-tastic routine my way.

* Townhouse perfection.

* The world is such an incredibly beautiful place.

* This one has made the rounds, but just in case you missed it, these parents are my heroes.

* I'd like to think that Dr. H and I would handle THIS the exact same way (but we'd be singing Journey of course!)

Book Club for Cool Kids

Reading is cool!

When I tell people I’m in a book club, I’m almost always met with skeptical faces. It’s like I’m being challenged to prove that book clubs aren’t just for dorks. I assure you, they aren’t, and while I’ve always thought that reading is cool, here are 5 ways to ensure your book club is a most awesome good time: 

(1) Rotate who hosts and who picks the books. One of my favorite things about my book club is that each month someone different hosts and the host gets to select the book we read. This ensures that no one has to travel to an inconvenient location all the time and that different tastes determine our monthly read.

(2) Bring thematic food (and drink!). Any time you add snacks and a glass of wine, conversation is sure to pick up a notch, but a thematic meal takes the fun even further. Try selecting a theme which matches the book somehow, whether it be culturally, seasonally or related to a character, and fill your plates potluck style - with each member committing in advance to bring something different. Doing this, I’ve enjoyed everything from Middle Eastern cuisine to “circus treats”.

(3) Try to mix genres. Maybe your book club wants to read exclusively science fiction. If so, awesome, but for many clubs, variety is going to be key.  Not only does my club rotate “book-selector”, but we’ve read everything from the classics to diatribes by comedians. We intentionally mix it up to suit moods, workloads and the time of year (a 500-page historical novel might not be the best pick for July!)

(4) Talk about the book, but not too much. Most people don’t want to feel like they’re doing homework when preparing for book club. Though you want to discuss the book you’ve read (thanks to Google, finding book club discussion questions has never been easier) make sure you aren’t so fixated on the book that people don’t have a chance to catch up and enjoy one another’s company.

(5) Pick the right people. Putting together a cool book club requires cool people, whatever your definition of “cool” may be. Throwing together people with nothing in common may make it tough to enjoy your monthly meetings or it may make discussion vibrant and interesting. Whoever you choose, make sure they fit the vibe of the book club you’re trying to create and can be counted on to attend with some regularity. Just like most other things in life, reading is always better if you can do it with friends.

There's an App for that.

Apps for evvvvverything

I got my first iPhone about 6 months ago and I'm still amazed by the seeming limitlessness of the tiny computer I'm carrying around in my purse. With one swipe of my finger I can feed my social media addiction, while consulting a map and checking the weather, asking google a question and buying movie tickets. My phone is like a portal to the entire freaking universe (literally, that time I had it showing me star maps by holding it up to the sky blew.my.mind.) so I thought I'd share with you some of my most favorite free Apps.

* Yahoo! Weather

Yahoo! Weather

Everyone's iPhone comes with the little Apple weather icon pre-loaded, but the Yahoo! Weather App blows Apple's out of the water. With more detailed forecasts, a small blurb, radar, wind and sun rise/set times all embedded into the app, this is the next best thing to having Al Roker in your pocket.

*Google Search

Google Search

This app is what I imagined using Siri would be like (Siri ends up just searching Google for 90% of what I ask anyway). Simply click open the app and type or speak ANYTHING for an instant google search. This app also direct links to Google Maps (way better than Apple Maps) for easy navigation anywhere with cell service.

* Pic Stitch

Pic Stitch

Want to make a bunch of your iPhone photos into a nifty little collage!? Pic Stitch has a ton of basic layouts to choose from and plenty of filters, effects and editing tools ideal for perfecting your images. Collages can be emailed or uploaded to any type of social media so get sharing!

* RunKeeper

RunKeeper

I freaking LOVE this app. The basic function of RunKeeper is a gps tracker and stopwatch for your workouts. After logging a workout, the app provides a comprehensive summary of your route and pace for each mile traveled (total and splits). Perfect for training for a race, mapping out new runs or simply monitoring your speed, RunKeeper is an app all fitness fanatics should have on their phone.

* Flashlight

Flashlight

It's a flashlight, in  your pocket, ALL the time. Why not?

* Bloglovin

Bloglovin

If you're a multiple-blogs-a-day reader like myself, then you need to be using Bloglovin. This app (affiliated with www.bloglovin.com) is an aggregator of all the blogs you tell it to follow.  New posts show up in your personalized feed and mobile-friendly formatting makes reading a pleasure. 

* Netflix/HBOGo 

Both of these apps can be a real data-suck, so be sure you're connected to wifi when using, but other than that, holy crap are these guys GREAT. After logging into your personal accounts, stream ANY tv show or movie available on Netflix or HBO OnDemand and never worry about being bored again.

* Fandango

Fandango.

I use this app way more than I'd ever have expected. Locate the theater closest to your current location or a selected zip code, see what's playing, buy tickets (skip printing at the theater, the barcode loads right to your phone!) read reviews... this app does everything but pop your popcorn.

Honorable Mentions: Goodreads (see what friends are reading (and what their review) by browsing this awesome book sharing app); FlyDelta (Not too shabby for an airline, this app is perfect for tracking your flight, loading a mobile boarding pass and receiving personalized travel updates); OneKingsLane, Etsy, Urban Outfitters (shopping so easy it's dangerous); Soundhound/Shazam (all you have to do is open the app and let it listen, then you'll never have to ask "what song is this?" again); Sporkle (trivia games in your pocket); Bump (transfer photos from your phone to computer or to another phone simply by tapping your phone against the space bar/other phone); Also, obviously Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for all your social media distracting pleasure.

Hey Mama!

Grace.

Audrey.

Jackie.

To the glamorous, devoted, loving and kind; to my Mom, my Nanny, my Mom-in-Laws and our Nana; to young Mamas just getting the hang of things and seasoned pros whose babies now have babies of their own... Thank you. 

A most Happy Mother's Day to you all.

Hair, there and everywhere

Rain rain go away.

Today is (another) one of those days when having hair, like, at all, is a pain in the patooty. I have literally gone through 3 different styles (bun was too flat, pony was too poufy, messy and down is just right?!) desperate to make something presentable out of the pouring rain, humid, misty mess on my head. Though I generally love my hair (It never puts on weight! It can always be changed!) my naturally curly(ish) coif ends up frizzy and lifeless when the weather does not cooperate. Since I know I'm not alone in my quest to keep my mane looking good, I thought I would share some favorite products and styles with my merry friends.

Beach in a bottle

This product is the best addition to my hair regime that I've had in a long time. Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray is applied to your hair right out of the shower (you don't even need to brush it, just towel dry) and the instructions are literally like "apply, crunch around, stand in wind". I'm amazed at the genuinely beachy look this product gives my hair and it is perfect to use when you're in a rush, or on a day like today when wet weather renders styling useless. 

Pros: Gives hair great body, creates a convincingly post-day-at-the-beach style perfect for summer (also rainy days) and requires less than 5 minutes styling time

Cons: The spray is salt-water based, so your hair does feel a bit dry after use. I wouldn't recommend daily application

Tons of products to choose from

Growing up, I used Biosilk to tame fly-aways and give my hair extra shine, but I've recently become a Moroccan Oil convert. Moroccan Oil smells amazing, and the tiniest amount (literally, less than dime sized for my mid-back length hair) reduces frizz and creates gorgeous shine. I apply the basic oil treatment after straightening for a glossy finish or after making barrel or kinky-curls to reduced the fuzz/flyaway halo that humidity or wind can create.

Pros: Gives hair gorgeous shine, an amazing smell (that lasts ALL day) and reduces frizz without creating oily hair (also, lasts FOREVER because you need so little per use)

Cons: VERY easy to overdo it. The little glass bottles don't have a dispenser meaning the oil sometimes flows out in amounts far larger than what's needed. DO NOT use too much or you'll look greasy

Style-a-knot

Having a few go-to updo's for your hair is an awesome way to avoid ponytail fatigue. I've found that the key to these "everyday" styles is that they must be genuinely easy to execute otherwise you'll get frustrated/run late for work/never even attempt them. I LOVE the "knots" style featured above as well as the messy buns looks pictured below (just divide your hair into 2-3 sections and secure 2-3 messy buns with bobby pins in the back). Tricks to remember - when styling your hair, brushes are the enemy. If your hair is too smooth or clean, it won't hold a style as well (making easy updos a great option for non-wash days). I also sometimes cheat and use damp hair because it's so NOT smooth that it's easier to secure. Check out a few other fun/easy styles HERE, HERE and HERE

Pros: Unique (compliments abound on updo days), easy and fast

Cons: Practice makes perfect. Definitely take a new updo for a test drive BEFORE the morning you want to pull it off.

You accessorize your neck, ears, fingers and wrists, why not your hair!? I'm amazed at how a boring high bun or ponytail takes on new life by simply applying a colorful flower, hairband, scarf or pretty clip. Small accessories can add so much to your outfit and low-price point options abound at places like H&M and Forever 21. Next time you're desperate to get your hair from blah to beautiful, clip in a little something fun!