Zest & Aplomb

I won’t be baking a ton this year but I have to do a little something so I’m looking for the best and easiest holiday cookie recipes. In addition I’ll be making these because they are so tasty and ridiculously simple!

And if you need to take a break from cooking, cleaning and wrapping here are a few popular posts from Zest & Aplomb during this past year.

Commentary Favs:

Do you have a pet peeve?

My husband tried to save a life.

I’m glad to be back in coffee shops.

Sleep – We All Want It. Some Get It. Many Don’t.

Are you keeping up with technology?

December 13, 2021 by Cheryl Ryan

Lifestyle

2021 Holiday Gift Ideas

By Cheryl Ryan

Now that Thanksgiving is well behind us, I’m sure many of you are already moving towards this holiday’s gift-giving season. This post is likely late for many of you organized types, especially given all the supply and delivery chain talk. But for those of you like myself that no matter the shopping urgency are always a little behind I’ve got a few ideas for you.

For my so cal girls, or anybody traveling to a sunny location, I’m getting this Lindsay Albanese hex hat clip. I tried it during my last San Diego trip and it worked like a charm.

For those of you with grandkids I’m loving these footie pajama basics and this grapefruit pajama from Milkbarn. I really want to get Gus a hopper ball but I think he needs a bit more time to master walking before he starts hopping around the house. But for older kids how fun would these be. And while searching for pajamas I stumbled upon Mabo and I’m really loving this bubble romper and these sailor pants.

December 5, 2021 by Cheryl Ryan

Wellness

Ergonomic Evangelist, Lori Romero-Ellingson, Advocates For Our Comfort and Posture

By Gwen Dawkins

Workspace ergonomics involves a lot more than sitting up straight and keeping your shoulders back. Passionate about the ‘human’ side of work efficiency, Ergonomist Lori Romero-Ellingson, analyzes, educates and advocates for ideal workspace setups to protect people’s posture, comfort and long-term health.

What’s the big deal with ergonomics?

It’s like anything that has to do with taking care of your body, just like eating right and exercising. Most of us are working eight or more hours a day. And, for many, that means hovering over a computer. If you move incorrectly, repetitively, or over a long period, you’re eventually going to get hurt.

If you have an ergonomic workstation at your job, is it still essential to have one at home?

Yes. Since Covid, we’re all working from home now anyway, so it’s vital to set up a proper workstation. But as people begin to go back into the office, it’s still a consideration. In an office, you’re supplied with a desk and chair –– and a whole lot of distractions. People tend to take more breaks at work than they do at home offices. For example, you get called into meetings, walk and talk with coworkers, and maybe work out in the corporate gym. However, at home, people tend to work for longer stretches with fewer breaks or opportunities to break up prolonged computer work.

December 2, 2021 by Gwen Dawkins

Create

Cheers To A Wonderful Thanksgiving!

By Cheryl Ryan

Some of my favorite holiday memories were gathering up the kids before guests arrived and heading out on a neighborhood treasure hunt for natural wonders to use for our table setting. Even simply nestling a sprig of rosemary into the folds of a napkin can bring such a sensory thrill of color, texture and smell. This year I’m planning to start this tradition with our grandson, Gus. He already loves to be outside, picks up everything he sees and puts it directly into his mouth which makes for a perfect time to show him how it’s done.

The Sides

Let’s face it the best thing about Thanksgiving dinner are the sides. So here are a few for you to check out. I’ve been making this salad for weeks and it’s so good and perfect for Thanksgiving because it’s actually better the next day if you need to do some pre-prep.

November 19, 2021 by Cheryl Ryan

Lifestyle

Are You A Milleboomer?

By Cheryl Ryan

You haven’t heard of it? That’s because I made it up. My definition is a boomer trying to, and occasionally succeeding, in keeping up with the tech skills of millennials. They were raised on tech. They learned computer skills at the same time they were learning to ride a bike. And if you’ve ever taken up a sport later in life next to someone that learned when they were younger you know the advantage they have. There really is something to be said about those neural pathways forming early rather than later.

I remember when my kids first used Myspace. They were using abbreviations for a parent present (I still don’t know what it is) or LMAO. With a push of a button they could bring up an entirely different screen so that we couldn’t see who they were talking to. Maybe this didn’t happen at your house but it sure did in mine.

November 11, 2021 by Cheryl Ryan

Relationships

Alzheimers – From Daughter To Caregiver

By Shana Moore

For all the times I didn’t cry.

Oof. This is hard enough to carry in my heart and in my bones without contemplating its specificities enough to define it with words. But I’m hoping that my expression of this particular heartache can help other daughters-turned-caregivers tap into their own unexpressed emotion and, eventually, their own healing, too.

My mom was sunshine. She was the bubbling, playful, cuddling, crafting, crouch-down-on-your-knees-so-you-can-greet-your-granddaughters-at-eye-level kind of human that always makes me think of the question posed by Toni Morrison: “Whose eyes light up when you walk into the room?”

Marcia’s, that’s whose.

November 4, 2021 by Contributing Authors

Lifestyle

In A Nod To Halloween – What Scares You?

By Cheryl Ryan

Where do you fall on the fraidy-cat meter? This Halloween has me wondering what frightens us. I can honestly say that I’ve never been fearless per se, but I haven’t considered myself a fraidy-cat. Things that used to scare me, like writing a blog, don’t anymore but I am increasingly frightened (or at least think twice) about doing physical activities that I wouldn’t have thought twice about when I was younger.

During a recent conversation with Gwen Dawkins, who was leaving for a road trip through the south during hurricane season, I learned that she is afraid of hurricanes but not earthquakes. It turns out that she wasn’t here during the1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake but has been through several hurricanes. I on the other hand am terrified of earthquakes but not hurricanes. So each of us is frightened by things that we’ve actually lived through and know that we should be frightened.

October 30, 2021 by zestandplomb

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