A visit to Vinalhaven, ME in 2011. 

Another busy week has begun!

Jimmy is actually gone all week for work, and although I miss him lots, it's kind of fun to have a whole week of me time in the evenings. Here are some things I do with my time when Jimbo isn't around:

• Stay up way too late
• Watch ridiculous things. Seriously....last night I watched part of Annie and the entirety of Wish Upon a Star (for a much welcomed 90s flashback)
• Face masks, mani pedis, self tanner, etc.
• Eat weird dinners (last night: raisins, turkey meatballs and an avocado)
• Random projects that I don't usually get around to (i.e. organizing my photos - I finally got around to that!)
• Have the girls over

One of other my favorite "me time" activities is browsing around my favorite blogs and storing things away for reading at a later date. Here are some great ones I've come across lately:

     Simple, practical steps towards sharing and embracing your goals.

     How would you describe yourself in five words?

     Here are some facts about bedding that you didn't know you wanted to know.

     Great collection of easy, fresh squash recipes.

     I don't need to read these books quite yet, but it seems like a great list for down the road.

     Interesting article about how Finland is marketing silence.

     Tips for merging mindfulness into the workplace (plus, check out my tips if you're interested!).


Do you do anything funny or unique with your me-time?

Happy Weekend :: 7 Weekend To-Dos

Ohh yes, TGIF.

This weekend I'm in the mood to...

1. Shop (which is rare for me!). I'm inspired by this lovely southwest style compilation.
2. Eat breakfast. Here are 5 egg sandwiches and some healthy smoothie recipes to try.
3. Do everything on this list to re-energize.
4. Not work. I love my job, but a girl still needs her weekends ;). Check out this article about the love/hate work relationship.
5. Primp, perhaps with some of these lovely products.
6. Have a cocktail or 2 with my sistah.
7. Relax by the pool. I haven't done nearly enough of that. These images really make me want to jump in.

Enjoy the weekend, amici! 

Currently

photo from our getaway weekend in the Sierra Nevadas

Listening to... Anders Osborne. I hadn't heard of him until a few weeks ago, but apparently he's been around for awhile. He uses a great variety of styles I love; Louisiana rock, soulful blues, reggae, etc. Check out Three Free Amigos, Marmalade, and Got Your Heart. I also am loving The Lone Bellow -- Jimmy and I are so excited to check them out on Dec 10th! They only have one album and I like every song...favorites are You Never Need Nobody, Teach Me to Know, You Don't Love Me Like You Used To, and Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold. Care to join us for the show??

Thinking about...all of the things I want to be learning all at once! I'm in the middle of a information overload. I want all of the articles and blog posts and lists out there to soak themselves perfectly into my brain. I want a bajillion hours a day so that I have time to learn and practice and apply everything that I have interest in. I've been a chronic link saver lately, my Pocket and my "favorites" folders and lists are filled to the brim with "things to read" or "courses to take".  Sometimes it's exciting; I've always loved to learn! But sometimes it's just overwhelming.  Does anyone have tips for how to deal with the constant overload of info we have at our fingertips nowadays?

Eating... delicious, massive salads. The school I work at provides an amazing lunch every day, and in an effort to get my veggie fill I've been skipping the "hot food line" (doesn't that phrase bring you straight back to high school?) and going straight for the salad bar. But the provided plates weren't quite doing the trick, so I brought in a large red bowl for my salads and now I'm layering and mixing to my heart's content.  Yum.

Reading...The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway).  I kind of can't believe I haven't read it before, it's been on my "to read" list for-ev-er! But I'm only on page 2, so I'll also share with you my most recently read book- Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. It was really, really good. In a stressful, page-turner, no-sleep-til-you've-read-it kind of way, but not necessarily in a life-changing way. I was just dying to get to the end to figure out the mystery! I love Flynn's writing style, she creates amazing descriptions and gets you to feel empathy for even her most hateful creatures. If you haven't read Gone Girl yet, read that first - it's what inspired me to give her other books a shot.

Watching... nothing lately, but all those shows are starting back up again.... I think I'll go back to New Girl, and Modern Family...and that's it. Let's keep it simple, in the interest of supporting my "learning overload" dilemma mentioned above!



I hope everyone's having a beautiful week. The sun has been shining and there has been a crispness to the air; I'm so thankful to be feeling some fall weather out here in Cali :). More pics up soon!

Love It List :: August

August is almost over! Does that mean I need to be done with my summer to-do list? Hmmm... I vote no. The weather is still warm and sunny and beautiful and I'd be willing to guess that "summer" lasts til November out here in the East Bay. Part of me thinks that's wonderful, as I have some more camping and summer adventuring in store. But part of me already misses the crackly, orange, fresh, cool, snuggly New England autumn that I'll miss out on this year. New England friends - please think of me when you put that first steaming hot cider doughnut or pumpkin latte to your lips!!

But before I move on...a recap of the things I enjoyed most this August.

Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee. What a delicious and convenient time-saver! I've been craving coffee that's iced and strong, and this stuff does the trick for those days that I forget to brew and chill a pot (aka every day). At first I shook my head disapprovingly when I saw the bottle on the shelf, because foodie trends get on my nerves sometimes. But I figured I'd give it a shot (these trends are usually there for a reason...case in point: my beloved coconut oil). And of course, I'm glad I did.

Cold brew coffee is generally smoother, milder, and less acidic than hot brewed. It's also stronger by volume, which means the bottle lasts longer than you'd think, because it's supposed to be mixed with water or milk (or whatever you prefer) to lighten it up. The suggested preparation is 1 part coffee concentrate with 2 parts water or milk...but I go more for a 50-50 mix. It pumps me up. And instead of water, lately I've been going for chocolate almond milk...because it's yummy!

OPI's new San Francisco line. I'm not really a nail fanatic - I tend to go au naturel when it comes to my nails, or I keep it simple with some nail colors I've had on repeat for years. But when I found out about this OPI "San Francisco" line with adorable names like Muir Muir on the Wall, Dining al Frisco, First Date at the Golden Gate, and Embarca-Dare ya! -- I knew I needed at least one of the colors in my stash! (I went for Lost on Lombard).

MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. Love this! My friend Rachel's lovely sister helped us do our makeup before our other friend's wedding a few weeks ago, and she introduced me to this gem. It's great to use as a base for eye shadow, or even as eye shadow itself for a casual day look. It goes on smooth and creamy and feels light, plus it lasts all day.

Talenti Caribbean Coconut Gelato. Oh my. Oh my. Have you tried this? It's one of the fancy (read: expensive) ice creams in the frozen aisle that I try to avoid for the sake of my health and wallet. But when your boyfriend runs out on the scooter for a midnight snack and comes back with coconut gelato...it's time to indulge. I love that it only has a handful of ingredients, and that there are little flakes of coconut sprinkled throughout. It's creamy, and decadent, and rich and smooth...the flavor melts on your tongue in the most perfect way and...............I'm drooling.

My new Sodastream! I never thought I'd get one of these. I like keeping it simple in the kitchen; the fewer appliances and doohickeys the better. This just seemed like one of those extra things people throw on their registries that ends up taking valuable space on the counter or storage. But suddenly one day, I realized Jim and I were fighting for the 78th time that month over who gets the last soda water in the fridge. We always want it! We buy a couple of bottles every time we go grocery shopping. And that's not very green. So we decided one of these would be worth the investment, and yes, it's been awesome. Take some cold filtered water, fizz it up, add some fruit or sprigs of mint and BOOM. Tasty treat.

Sound Opinions podcast. I love my podcasts lately! This one is awesome; a great way to learn about upcoming bands, and music in general actually. I've been loving Emilie Sande, and the other day she was on talking about how she got into the biz, and singing beautiful unplugged versions of her songs. I love her even more now! It was also cool to hear Lindsey Buckingham in one episode, chatting about the drama behind the Fleetwood Mac Rumours album, one of my favorite albums ever. Check it out!

Well those are my faves for now, what have you been loving lately??

A Whirlwind Month :: According to iPhone Pictures

Can I just photo-dump right now? Is that allowed? This collection of photos is as random as can be. Not to mention fuzzy and mediocre at best. This past month has been filled to the brim with amazing weekends and Cali adventures. Some Boston adventures snuck in there, too! I didn't blog a bit, and I took most photos on the good camera, so I can't wait to go into more detail on the various excursions. But for now my old trusty iPhone photos will have to do the trick.

1. stream hiking up in the Sierras

2. beautiful flight to Boston
3. relaxing at the pond in Boonville

4. enjoying our new backyard and a favorite red

5. hiking with friends at Lassen National park

6. celebrating the love of dear friends!

7. bridesmaid flowers

8. puppy napping after a day at the beach

9. enjoying a city garden

10. Lagunitas and bbq oysters at Hog Island Oysters

11. enjoying the dunes at Moss Beach

  

Ahh that feels better. Starting fresh now! On to new adventures.

Oh but before I sign off, here are some amazing links I've recently come across:

• I freaking love this video of a talented impressionist singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in the voice of 19 other well known divas.
• Chill inducing video of a  love poem written by a talented man with OCD.
• This site Shopikon helps us all discover the best independent local stores and products in some of the major cities around the world. I'll be tackling every store on the SF list pronto.
• Care to live on Mars? They are taking applications. Seriously. Jimbo thinks we should sign up, but I told him that I enjoy things like sushi, the ocean, and my family too much (so don't worry Patti!).
• I love goals and lists. I should probably get going on this.

Thanks for checking in, all!! Happy hump day!

Love It List :: July

Wha? How is it the end of the week already? Not that I'm complaining! But I am kind of sad that July is almost over. It truly disappeared in front of my eyes, but I suppose that happens every time doesn't it?  The good thing about summer out here in the East Bay is that it's not just a 3 month affair like it is back east. It lasts forever, really taking the pressure off of June, July and August.

My mind and body still haven't really grasped this fact yet, though. I still have a sense of guilt whenever I'm doing something inside and the sun is shining out there. Like, "get outside now, you awful, lazy person, the sun is shining, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!". But then I just tell my New England conscience to get out of my head! The sun actually shines 24/7, so I can choose which days to spend outside or inside according to my own free will. So there.

Okay yep, wow, soliloquy over! Here's my first in a hopefully ongoing series of monthly favorites. A collection of all the little things I'm loving right now.

Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer. Got this suggestion from one from one of my Boston besties, Linds. Thank you Linds! This cream is delightful. It's filled with antioxidants, and all sorts of magic ingredients that keep your skin feeling firm and glowy. It's pricier than I normally go for, but the little jar is lasting me forever. It makes my skin feel like a million bucks, and the feeling lasts all day. My face never feels even slightly oily or dry anymore as long as I've used this lotion! Cherry on top -  it smells like crisp, fresh, roses....ahhh heavenly.

Batiste Dry Shampoo, Light & Blonde. I've never been huge into dry shampoo, but I recently discovered this stuff and I'm obsessed. I have fine hair that gets greasy looking if I don't wash it, made even worse by dark roots which I normally have. This stuff is a miracle because not only does it make hair feel clean, fresh and dry, but it also covers up roots with it's "hint of color"! It makes my hair look awesome, even better than the days that I actually do wash my hair.

Jimbo's pancakes! He's been whipping up these amazing gems daily. He uses one part almond meal with one part whole wheat flour mixed with some combination of coconut milk, eggs, TJ's pure bourbon vanilla extract, and.... I think that's it. He eyeballs it. We add flax seeds and berries and butter and agave syrup and whatever else we have on hand, and we share a pancake the size of your kitchen sink. I hope this turns out to be an August "Love It" as well - I don't want this to stop.

Jason Healthy Mouth Tartar Control Toothpaste. This might be a boring thing to review. Well sorry about that. We have found our forever toothpaste, and it sure feels good. And yes it's all natural. Call us hippies, call us crunchy, call us whatever you want, but you haven't tried toothpaste until you've tried this delicious tea tree and cinnamon oil rendition. It does all the nice things "regular" toothpaste does but without the harsh chemicals and whatnot.

This book. I've loved every one of Khaled Hosseini's books, and even though I'm only a few chapters in, this one's no different. So far my favorite has been A Thousand Splendid Suns, the verdict is out on whether this one will come ahead. I'll let you know!

Bushnell Legend Ultra HD Roof Prism Binoculars. Umm yes, as you may have guessed, Jimbo gets all the credit for this one. "10x magnification, 42-millimeter binoculars in camo with premium carry case, neck-strap, microfiber lens cloth, and binocular harness." Blah blah blah, the point is, it's really fun to look at things that are really far away. Especially when you're in the middle of a bird obsession like J and I are right now. These binocs are legit, and (obviously) fun 'cause they're camo.

E.l.f. Eye shadow. from Target. I've never really been one to splurge on beauty products, especially makeup. I keep it simple. This is why the discovery of E.l.f. makeup is groundbreaking for me. This eye shadow was $3! And it's totally legit! I'm using it every day. It's pretty, the packaging works, and it stays on and everything....what is their secret?




Oooh this was fun! Hopefully it's as fun to read as it is to write.

In other news, my sister Stephanie is going to be writing some guest posts 'round here, which is super awesome. Welcome, my dear!


Have a beautiful weekend, all.

Summer To-Do List

Happy (belated) Summer Solstice! What did you do to celebrate? We showed our visitors a good time, checking out a wine growers' party at Dutcher Crossing, watching the sun set and the supermoon rise off Mt. Diablo, and checking out the fine arts festival in our little town.

It's actually funny calling it "summer" out here since to us it has felt like summer since ohhh about February. But now that it's official, I decided to put together a to-do list of things I'd like to get done this season.

1. Do yoga once a week
It just makes me feel so good. I know that if I can stick to this I'll have a more calm, enjoyable, centered, and flexible summer all together. No excuses.

2. Redecorate my office
Since starting my job in January, I haven't done much to make my office "mine" except add a desk. Pinterest has been inspiring me; it's time for an overhaul.

3. Go to a Giants game
Though I WILL be cheering on my dear Red Sox this season, I think it's required that I go to a Giants game while I'm out here. I just want a hot dog.

4. Camp somewhere just to camp
Jimmy and I love to travel and we love to save money. Camping kills two birds with one stone because we get somewhere new and sleep for cheap, but we realized recently that we never get enough time to just BE at the campsite, making s'mores and lounging in the hammock.

5. Make an ongoing summer playlist
I've been craving new music like woah, and I've also been hearing a lot of good stuff but then forgetting to get it all together in a playlist for future listening. I'm excited to get a good one going on my Spotify. Suggestions?

6. Ride a scooter
This one's a cheat. We just bought a scooter, and I'm so excited, and I know I'm going to be riding it all summer!! But I haven't driven it yet (safety first, I'm without a helmet), so it still makes the list. Don't you ever put something on a list just to cross it off?? Pics to come. What should we name it?

7. Golf
I can't really believe I've never tried golfing. I was a beer cart girl for a few summers back in the day, and always thought I'd love to try golfing....and I'm pretty good at mini-golf...time to give the real thing a try.

8. Complete an online course
On Coursera and/or Lynda.com, or probably both. I just signed up for a nutrition class on Coursera, and I plan to get some videography and Photoshop training on Lynda. #learning!

9. Master myself a signature cocktail
I've been craving something new, light and different for summer. I'm thinking...grapefruit....and bubbles....

10. Camp next to a lake
Specifically, I'd like to hike-in to a deserted and gorgeous lake side haven with views of a crystalline lake and purple mountains majesty. Let me know where I can find this.

Wish me luck!