Music Therapy with Miss Moon

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Solange may be cuckoo for T.O.N.Y, but for me, it's all about tomorrow. Why? Because today sucks sometimes. Not always, but lately, it seems to have reached its peak in suckiness. And rather than get back in bed and pull the covers over my head, I can muddle through with the belief that tomorrow will be better. And this week's Music Therapy song choice shares that same sentiment. This is a song that I was obsessed with as a child.

I had children's books of classic Disney movies that came with cassette tapes to accompany them and I played "The Rescuers" over and over again, just because of this song. Even as a little bitty, it filled me with tremendous peace and optimism. Having recently rediscovered the song as an adult a few weeks ago, I am overjoyed to have discovered the magic of the tune remains. I hope that "Tomorrow Is Another Day" (vocals by Shelby Flint) will give you the same joy.

http://youtu.be/lvoDOHhgaGY

Come along..
Will there be sun shine shining?
Will we find a silver lining?
Come along..
Sing a song.

When today becomes tomorrow,
Will we find joy or sorrow?
Sing a song.

Is it wrong..
To put all our hopes together?
To wish for something better?
Is it wrong...
To belong?

To face the future with another,
Who means more than any other,
Is to belong.

We'll paint the grey clouds with pretty rainbow hues,
And we'll brush the gloom away,
And save it for a rainy day,
Rainy day..

Oh today...
When troubles cast a shadow,
And shadows make the sun afraid to stay,
It's ok,

'Cause there'll be sunshine shining
And we'll find a silver lining,
Another day.

Tomorrow is another day, how i hope you'll always stay.

A Little [BETTY DAVIS] for a Saturday Night

Happy Saturday, Everybody!!! I hope that this weekend has been off to a good start for you all. For me, it's been a blast so far!

For this Saturday Night, I decided to share another favorite song of mine by Betty Davis. I say this all the time, but if you have never heard of her before, seriously... get her music, it's dope as hell!! This song is also one of the most simple, romantic and soulful songs I've ever heard.

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: What Products are ALL HYPE?!?

The internet is a wonderful place for people with natural hair to discover and learn about new products and techniques that will give you all the results you want for your hair and more!!

I don't want to even THINK about the money I've shelled over for stuff that after repeated use did absolutely nothing for me... and ended up cluttering up my bathroom for months.

What products have you used in the past that just did not work for you, despite the hype! Dish, dish!

:::drools::: Rachel Roy-style for Plus Size Fashionistas

Designer Rachel Roy definitely has a signature style that people love to talk about. You either love the way she puts together her outfits or you hate them... but we're talking about it all the same.

I happen to love Rachel's style, and when looking for inspiration, I always find a style choice that I know that I could replicate and rock just as well as she does. Take my recent pick. Rachel is attending The Cinema Society and Nancy Gonzalez screening of "Meek's Cutoff" at Landmark Sunshine Cinema in NYC earlier last Spring.

Maybe you are like me... When I spot a celebrity at an event during the winter and they are dressed like they're in Hawaii or something... I always have to shake my head and say, "I KNOW they are cold!!" Rachel proves you can be stylish without the risk of pneumonia! Here's how I recreated her Winter Wonderful style for Plus Size Fashionistas:

Coat: Ulla Popken Fleece Shawl Collar Jacket ($39.00, One Stop Plus)
Top: Striped French-Terry Tops ($24.94, Old Navy)
Jeans: Red L-Pocket Jeans ($39.99, Jessica London)
Scarf: Soft Tencel Scarf ($55, US Trendy)
Shoes: Fergie 'Protest' Pump ($69.95, Nordstrom)
Bag: Johson Satchel ($24.49, Aldo Shoes)

Complete your look with a smoky eye and a matte red lipstick and you are ready to hit the town!

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.”
~ Robert Kiyosaki

I have to be real with you. I thought that I would have found a new job by now, and that my plans for this year would be off and running. Sadly, that is not the case. It's been almost a month and so far I've had only a single job interview, which went well, but it was determined I was way overqualified for the position and the company wasn't willing to accept my salary demands.

Each morning, I wake up and I start job searching knowing that someone somewhere in this city will read my words and want to meet me in order to see if I would be a match for their position. And each day I stare at my empty inbox wondering where are the responses to my resume.

It's enough to almost make me want to retreat and give up. But I remember that I do have plans I have promised myself to bring to fruition for my life, and giving up now would prove to be a bigger setback than applying with no favorable responses. So each day I will search and apply for jobs, and hope that very soon the day will change for me. Here's a song that best summarizes my feelings from the very awesome Alana Davis. I hope you all will enjoy "Weight of the World", with the request that you send some good luck, good mojo, and receptive energy my way!



Each day I say, "Today won't be like yesterday"
But it stays this way, today and every day
I pray that today will feel a different way
But it stays this way

The weight of the world has fallen
And the rubble is at my feet
The voice of a girl is callin'
I can hear but she's buried so deep

All my truths are broken
Their fragments of love and hate
The words that remain are a token
Of honesty that came too late

Here in the midst of madness
Washed up by the tides of war
Tried to resist this sadness
But the pressure is hard to endure

Yet we begin again to play our games
And everyone's innocent, just victims of change

Wearing a mask of freedom
And hiding behind a smile
Playing the role of a leader
You're pretending for just a while

Everything seems an illusion
Echoing around my brain
Trapped in a vast seclusion
Where the images fall like rain

And we begin again to play our games
And everyone's innocent, just victims of change
Living in sin again with no one to blame
And everyone's innocent, just victims of change

Each day I say that, "Today won't be like yesterday"
But it stays this way today and every day
I pray that today will feel a different way
But it stays this way

Oh yeah oh yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah

A Little [PRINCE] for a Saturday Night

It's another Saturday Night in cold NYC, and I thought that warrants a song selection guaranteed to raise the temperature. Who else could fulfill that demand like Prince?

My pick is his amazing rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Case of You". This song makes me daydream like mad, and I hope you all will listen and daydream with me. Enjoy!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: Is Steam Part of Your #NaturalHair Routine?!?

As I have mentioned earlier, I recently invested in a Hair Steamer. I've used it twice since receiving it, and...to quote Peter Gabriel, "Give me steam...". LOL

Ohmigod, why has it taken me so long to get one and discover first hand how WONDERFUL steaming is for my hair?!?! Since using the steamer to deep condition, my hair has been thriving incredibly in these cold months in NYC when my hair is sometimes prone to be super dry and brittle! I'm hooked!

Do you use a steamer in your hair regimen? How do you use your steamer? Leave a comment with your tips and experiences!!!

Cinema Couture: Music and Lyrics (2007)

I love Drew Barrymore's style and have featured her fashion in the past. When wanting to do an outfit recreation post for this week, I got the much needed inspiration in "Music and Lyrics" playing on cable.

The movie is funny as hell and how much do I love Drew's wardrobe in the film!!! It's very New York and it suited her perfectly in her role as Sophie Fisher!!

Drew, when are you going to come out with your own scarf collection and hook us all up?!?!

My favorite outfit from the entire movie is from the film's climax, is unfortunately I could not locate a decent photo anywhere. I decided to choose my second runner up for favorite outfit of the film, which is a pretty fly look!

So cute!!! Here's how I recreated the look:

Jacket: Women's Plus Canvas Military Jackets ($29.97, Old Navy)
Dress: Printed Midi Dress ($45.00, Simply Be)
Boots: Lulu Cognac Knee-High Boot ($48.50, Torrid)
Scarf: Ecote Abstract Open Weave Eternity Scarf ($29.00, Urban Outfitters)
Earrings: Made Brass Hoop Earrings ($17.91, Asos)

Now the earrings I selected from Asos are CRAZY on sale right now, and I can confirm that they are gorgeous in person!! I knew immediately when recreating the look I would select them.

I didn't include the sunnies or the handbag to my outfit, but if you really want to complete Drew's look, these shades from Forever 21, along with this bag from Lulu's would be the perfect place to start!

DO SOMETHING: Stop Internet Censorship!

In support of the countless websites and blogs protesting SOPA, tomorrow (Jan. 18th) Miss Moon's Musings will be silent.

For more info on SOPA and the fight against internet censorship, please feel free to visit Stop American Censorship and http://sopastrike.com/.

If you have a blog or a website, please consider putting this on your blog/site and joining the protest tomorrow from 8:00 a.m. EST to 8:00 p.m. EST.

I Wanna Go Shopping With...Julia Sarr-Jamois

I've been a fan of Julia Sarr-Jamois' style before I even learned her name. The fashion editor for Wonderland magazine is always making a stylish statement even when dressed casually, and can we please talk about her too dayum perfect afro?!?!

Why isn't this dress in my closet? I really really needs to be there!

Those shoes + those sunnies = fabulousness!!!

I swear if anyone else was wearing this, I would say "Who skinned the muppet?", but it looks AMAZING on her! I wish I could peep the rest of this outfit!

I love this skirt with a passion!!!

Y'all know I'm all about the cute and comfy!! This look embodies that!

Oh my stars! I love this outfit to pieces... I need a red moto jacket and a blue blouse to wear under it, stat!!

Then again, maybe I really need to get a BLACK moto! LOL

This is hands down my favorite look of the bunch... it's so something I would rock!!!!

Julia needs to stop borrowing my shades and bring them back to me!! LOL

Pretty in pink!!!

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

"Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness to others."
~ Harriet Goldhor Lerner

In a world where people are so vastly different from each other, it can be difficult to acknowledge what connects us sometimes... our lives. We all strive to grow and prosper, and we all make up the world we live in.

I think about myself and.... one of the Basketball Wives, for instance. I cannot fathom having ANYTHING in common with those chicks, aside from our genders and races. And I shake my head constantly when I happen to catch commercials for the show on television.

I'm sure there are countless other people in the celebrity world, or even in our everyday lives that you feel the same way about. They seem so far removed from who you are and what you're all about... but I bet if you looked beyond the surface, there would be a common ground revealed.

Ultimately its in finding that common ground that results in empathy and compassion for one another. Imagine how beautiful this world would be with those characteristics being the predominant one in all of us? It's a world I definitely want to live in.

This week's Music Therapy with Miss Moon is a song about our connections. I hope you all will let it inspire you to join me in envisioning a life without apathy. Here's 1 Giant Leap with Speech (of Arrested Development), Neneh Cherry and Ulali in "Braided Hair".



Yo we was talking earlier and I was telling you talking bout life
I feel like life is like braided hair
Its sorta like twist you know
Bout braided hair like twist
You know three strands twist together
Ultimately you get to where you wanna get to

From the same dirt from the heels of my ancestors
The naked roads and the fields where the pain festered
And I wonder where the hold came from
In the deeps of my heart make me yearn for the drum
It's the same place where the cross is burned
The same place where the loss was earned
It's the place where the floss was yearned
Gold teeth and bling ice on the ring baby sure

Chorus: We've all got things that are hanging about
Things that make us cool,
Things that make us whack,
Things that make us mad
Things we wish we never had done
But they're just the things that make us real
Not the maps to guide where we go from here
The road twists and braids our hair
Until we all get there

I like that I don't know some mysteries
Ancient things and beginnings
Excited about the day when I don't have to hear all the theories
My scalp needs some grease
It's the same place where the crosses burned
The same place where the loss was earned
The only way we all can learn
Is if we have these braids with the twist and turns so

Walking in the race of life
Looking for my own pace
Not always wanting to but I have to
Sometimes feeling like I've bitten off much more than I could chew
But the wind goes though my hair
Lifts me up with ease not a crease
Hair full of grease no weave embracing me
It's you I see
I am you and you are me I see yeah
I am you and you are me I see

We might survive as brothers yeah or perish here as fools
Go place your bets
Don't bet too soon
You might find me in another
Feels like someone you once knew
You know that face yeah we all do
Braided hair (what's it all for?)

A Little [QUADRON] for a Saturday Night

Happy Saturday,everybody!! I hope that your weekend has been a great one so far. Here is NYC it is COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD. Tonight is not a night that I want to go outside and hang, so I am curled up under the covers listening to some good music.

I discovered this unplugged but awesome remake of Lauryn Hill's classic from Quadron several weeks ago, but in listening to it again I was inspired to share it. I hope that its a welcomed enjoyment for your Saturday night.

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: Fess Up... What Hair Myths Do YOU Believe?!?

Today's Friday the Thirteenth, so I figured it would be the best day to talk about Hair Myths and Superstitions...

Frequent trims make hair grow faster.... "Lather, rinse, and repeat" is the only way to get your hair clean... Cutting your hair during a full moon makes it grow back faster... You can mend split ends with the right products...

There are dozens or so such myths out there regarding our hair that many people (myself included) still belief, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

I myself superstitiously cuts my hair according to the farmer's almanac... it may not work a lick, but it certainly hasn't harmed my hair in any way! LOL

What hair myths or superstitions to you believe!?!? Let Talk Tresses, Ladies!

Cinema, Cuisine and Cocktail : "Down With Love"

It happens sometimes: you and your sister circle are all experiencing men troubles. Instead of wallowing, why not get together for a girls night in? And do I have the PERFECT movie and meal for you!!

An homage to the zany romantic comedies of the early 1960s starring Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall, Down with Love is hilarious!!

From Wikipedia:

New in New York City, Barbara Novak arrives at Banner House to present her new work Down with Love, a book the intent of which is to free women from love, teach them to enjoy sex without commitment, and to replace the need for a man with things such as chocolate. Following her rules would, she believes, help to give women a boost in the workplace and in the world in general.

A night with the girls for a little sisterhood, laughs (not to mention oogling the very dreamy Ewan McGregor!!) only needs a perfect menu. In honor of the rules of the novel, I've come up with a chocolate-filled menu that is sure to make you forget about your men troubles!

The Menu:
Assorted Sliced Fruit
Chocolate-Hazelnut Panini
Chocolate Bread Pudding
Chocolate Peeptini

Chocolate-Hazelnut Panini

Recipe Courtesy of Country Living

Ingredients

1 loaf(s) Ciabatta 1/2 cup(s) Hazelnut Or Almond Butter
2 tablespoon(s) Honey
1/4 teaspoon(s) Salt
teaspoon(s) Ground Cloves
1 bar(s) (4-ounce) Bittersweet Chocolate
2 tablespoon(s) Butter, melted

Directions

Cut the ciabatta into 5- by 3-inch rectangles and split horizontally.
Stir the hazelnut butter, honey, salt, and cloves together and spread about 1 tablespoon onto each of 4 of the bread rectangles.
Layer with the chocolate and top with remaining bread. Brush with butter and grill in a press until the chocolate melts.
Cut into small triangles and sprinkle each with sea salt to serve.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter, plus more for baking dish
8 slices (8 ounces) cinnamon-raisin bread
2 cups milk
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 11-by-7-inch (or 9-inch square) baking dish; set aside. Toast bread (in the oven or toaster) until lightly crisped.
In a medium saucepan, combine milk, chocolate, and butter; place over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes.
Tear bread into large pieces (about 4 or 5 per slice); scatter evenly in prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in warm milk mixture until combined. Pour over bread.
Bake until pudding has puffed and is firm, about 25 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes, and dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Chocolate Peeptini

Recipe Courtesy of Peep Drinks

Ingredients

2 oz vodka
1/2 oz creme de cacao
1 marshmallow peep
2 tbsp chocolate syrup

Directions

Dunk peep in Fox’s U-Bet brand chocolate syrup. Add ingredients to shaker filled with ice, then pour into martini glass. Add remaining chocolate syrup.

Optional: Before pouring drink into martini glass, wet the rim and invert the glass into a saucer dusted with hot chocolate mix or finely grated dark chocolate.