friday favorites.

here are my friday favorites for this week:

• making cookies. for the first time in my life, i made cookies to give at christmas. for some reason, i had it in my mind that it was my mom's duty. and no matter how many times i've asked her, she won't let me bake with her to learn our family recipes. she's persnickety like that. but thanks to my trusty friend at life begins at thirty, i gave these cookies a go. they were a hit! i made four batches (two of which made during a bout of insomnia at around 2:30 a.m. one morning) and gave them to co-workers, neighbors, family and friends. as one person said, "they're perfect for dunking!" i did modify the recipe and added more ginger. i'm a ginger kinda gal.

• macmall. remember good old fashioned service? macmall has it. we've never had any problem with them. their reps are knowledgeable and ready to help. despite their growth, they still feel like a small company to me. (and for all of you pc users, check out pc mall. but promise you'll think about coming to the light side, ok?)

• l.l.bean. i know, i'm not some old mountain man or volvo-driver that's into plaid, headbands and kitchen remodels, but i do like l.l.bean nonetheless. especially after my experience with them this past week. i ordered my dad some warm winter clothes (he's doing better, btw - more later) and when i received my order confirmation, one of the items, a crewneck thermal top, was listed as "out of stock." so i live-chatted with the customer service rep and first, he apologized profusely. he then proceeded to tell me that the color i probably wanted to match the bottoms was  not listed on the site. he apologized again. he suggested i call in and tell them what i wanted. so i did. not only did they correct my order, but gave me express shipping to boot. i had to sort of work for the express shipping part, but they did it! everything came in together yesterday. that's great service. for mountain men and not-so-mountain women alike.

• floradix. this stuff is great. i have been taking it (almost) everyday for a few months now (since my dad's accident) and it's really helped me manage my moods and feel stronger. the extra iron is important for a veggiesaurus like me, even though i eat a bunch of dark green leafy vegetables. highly recommended. about $22.

• martha stewart's catalog close-out. why, martha, why? why must you take away this great catalog (even though i never really bought much because it was too overpriced?)? anyway, with items up to 70% off, i'm craving the deluxe label-maker (is this the same thing as a p-touch?).

art credit: macmall; l.l.bean; flora; marthastewart.com.