Nice Soap

I love nice french milled soaps. I have been using the Pre de Provence brand for a while now on and off. Usually I use the lavender, lemon verbena or the sage. A couple weeks ago I was at the Church Street Apothecary with Emily and I bought a bar of the Brazil Nut blend and I used it in the shower this morning and it now rocks my world. The scent is to die for and it has a nice creamy lather, not too drying and my favorite thing about these soaps is that the bars are super hard and don't melt too quickly in your shower. If you see them while you are out and about, try one, I think you will like it.

Home Improvement Project #1

As mentioned yesterday I had a little project going last night and it was a success! I was so excited after work to go to The Container Store to check out their current sale that I forgot to take my fabric home that I was so stoked about. Ha ha! Anyway, mission accomplished. I took down my old coat rack in my entry way that was taking up an entire tiny wall and filled that wall with shelves. I got the elfa shelving which could not have been easier to install, I did it by myself! Wouldn't you know it, have way in to the project I realized, I forgot to take a before photo, but here is the after photo.

My teeny tiny creative space is literally our entry way into our apartment. Not enough space to have large table or anything but I do have a nice space friendly desk where the top flips down. Below is the photo from the catalog, mine is a wreck right now.

Tonight I am going to finish cleaning off the top of the desk which is currently the "leaning tower of craft supplies". I am going to sort through my scrapbook papers, yarn, fabric, notions and embroidery stuff and put it all in the green boxes (which are currently empty) and label them.

When I am done cleaning all of that out, I am going to rearrange my bulletin board. It is getting a little chaotic, which I like sometimes, but I think it could look better and actually be of use to me. I am thinking of pinning up some fabrics I am using for holiday gifts, etc. It needs help!

Anyway, phase one of the project is over, now I just have to clean stuff out and organize, which is fun. I am sure there are some items in my desk and in the boxes on top that I have not seen in a long time so it should be cool. I have a donation bag started as well and will drop it off at the preschool at the community center when I am done, I am sure there are things I have that they could use. Here is a little drawing (not to scale at all) I made of how small this space really is...it is small but sweet and my little teeny tiny room in the house to call my own. I think it would be nice to have an extra room just for a washer/dryer and my crafts. A gals gotta have a dream right

Fabric Frenzy!

I just got my most recent order from Repro Depot and can't stop thinking about it quietly nesting in a box beneath my desk. I did take a peak and pulled some of the fabric out but what I really wanted to do was whip it out of the box and run down the long hallway at the office holding the fabric above my head and letting it blow behind me like Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.

The best thing about getting an order from Repro Depot is the packaging. They take such care in putting everything in plastic zip lock bags (which I will reuse over and over again). The fabric was all packaged together, my notions were in a separate bag inside of the fabric bag and my ribbon was in it's own little bag as well. What a great job they do, you can tell they care about the product they are selling and about the customer that they are shipping to. Thanks Repro Depot! Now I am even more excited than I was before to jump on my Christmas gift making. The one thing missing from my flat is a washer dryer so I can get everything washed and ready to go - pooh. Oh well, just like new dishes, I don't mind washing new fabric and pressing it when I am done. My Mom and I have this in common. I actually had to call her in Michigan when I got my box and tell her how hard it is to sit here at my desk knowing it is under there calling me. I wonder how long I am going to wait to make the first cut into it? That is tough sometimes. There is something very satisfying to me about having a large piece of clean, pressed, uncut fabric. The options are endless and I just want to make sure I make the right decision before cutting it. You know? Anyway, back to my lunch break. I just ate the largest peach ever born. You can see it at Magpie and Mocking Bird.

I do have a project lined up for tonight. I am going to (God wiling) install some shelves in my entry way which doubles as my little teeny tiny craft space. I will try to post before and after photos when it is all done. I am going to need to go to Ikea tomorrow to get a couple more storage boxes I am sure of that! Wish me luck!

Magazine Maniac!

Most of you know that I love magazines.

I just went to lunch and found these two beauties on the news stand. I mostly try to subscribe, it is a huge money saver, but one of these is a special issue (Real Simple Family) and the other is a brand new magazine (Organize) that I have been looking for and would like to check out before I subscribe ($20/ 6 issues is a lot to me).

Anyway, here they are and they are both fabulous!

Sunday in Berkeley

Tim and I spent Sunday in Berkeley with Robin, Kenny, Angela, Cheryl and Frankie. It was so much fun! We had lunch at Eccolo and got to sit and talk for a while. After lunch we walked around and shopped a bit and then went to the Pasta Shop for a tray of assorted desserts which we all shared outside. It was a lovely day, I can't imagine a better Sunday.
Thanks to all of you for being such great friends it was so nice that we could all meet and spend the day together. I love you all very much!
Here is the cutest photo ever of Kenny with Frankie.

Saturday Night with the Beastie Boys!

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SWAP!

I am so behind in posting this, but this is the gift I got from the Favorite Things Swap! Thanks so much Laura, I love everything!

This is what was inside the envelope:

• Nice earth friendly shopping bag with its own carrying case (so small it fits in my purse)
• Earth friendly cleaning solution concentrate so I can make my own
• Cool shirt pattern, motivates me to get more sewing in
• Letter-pressed coasters - LOVE THEM!
• Cute paper napkins

Cartoon Katie

This Is England

Saw this movie this past weekend and all I can say is...AMAZING.
You know I never like to give too much away, I prefer you check it out and come up with your own opinion.
Great soundtrack too!

What is Your Sleep Pose?

Find your own pose!

Big Boy Ha

I just got my annual photo of the child we support in Vietnam, his name is Ha. We have been supporting him since he was a baby and I exchange letters with his mother.

Here is his most recent photo.

Here is the photo from when we first started supporting him and writing to his mother.

Ancient Maltese Secret? HELP!

OK, I know there are a lot of jokes out there (at least in my family) about being Maltese. I am not sure if this is a joke or an ancient Maltese secret. OK, here goes...

As some of you know, I am a member of the Maltese American Social Club of San Francisco and am on the Women's Committee. Well, we haven't had a meeting in a couple months due to summer vacations, etc. so we reconvene on Tuesday, September 11th. I was just reading the newsletter and they mentioned that there will be a "Blue Elephant" gift exchange that night at the meeting. I have heard of a White Elephant gift exchange, but Blue? What is that? I looked on google, called my Mom and can't find an answer. Do you think it could mean a White Elephant gift? If anyone knows, please comment. I have a couple weeks to get something together but am stumped!

It's Here!

I try not to run my blogs together but for those of you who don't read my Operation Olive blog, I wanted to post that we got our I-171h today! That means we are one step closer to our baby! Next week I will send it to our adoption agency and it is off and totally out of our control at that point. Now, we wait...again. Right now, I am just waiting for Tim to come home so we can go out and celebrate (he goes to church on Friday evenings).
This waiting is nothing compared to what it is going to be like when we get the photo of our baby. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
I have been looking for a part time job and have an interview on Sunday. I don't want to curse it because it sounds like a really cool gig - I will update you all when the interview is over. Just wish me luck!

Martha's Dream Craft Room

Just got an email from Martha (click her name to check it out) - she was introducing her Dream Craft Room.

That would be a dream come true for me, for sure!

Today's Sighting

I saw this on my way to work today and literally almost got into an accident because I HAD to photograph it.

Silly!

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Mingle² - Dating Site

Baby Reese

I met the newest member of the family yesterday.

Welcome Reese Elizabeth...she is a beauty!

Thanks USPS

You all know how I feel about magazines...

This beauty arrived at my door step yesterday!

Vacation is Over

My little mini vacation is over and Emily has gone back to Michigan. We dropped her off at the airport last night.

Here is a recap of the weekend...

Friday - I worked and then picked up Emily on Haight Street and we meet Tim for drinks at Hukilau. After drinks we went over to Banana Island for dinner, which is always great!

Saturday - At about 11 AM we started getting moving and went to Breakfast and Target and then went home to shower and get ready to go to Berkeley for a concert (see Sunday's post).

Sunday - Tim woke up early and played tennis, Emily and I slept in. When Tim came home and showered we all got ready and jumped into the car to go down to Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. for lunch. We always have to wait for time there to get a table so we finished there at about 2:40 and headed to the beach near Mavericks, the parking lot was packed and we couldn't get in so we drove back up the coast to Montera and settled at Montera State Beach near the old Chart House restaurant. The beach was beautiful, sunny and HOT. The only bummer was the giant stinky dead seal on the beach that you literally could not get within 50 feet of because of the smell. We relaxed on the beach for a couple hours. There was a woman racing her horse along the shore, it was incredible. Emily and I went walking down near some rocks and found a rock cave that had star fish in it. This was the one time I wanted my camera and didn't have it - pooh! After spending time on the beach we decided we needed to get some water so we got back in the car and went to Pacifica and got some water and sat at Linda Mar and watched some surfing until about 6:10 PM. We had dinner at Moki's and then went to Maggie Mudd's for coconut ice cream (non-dairy) and then took Emily to the airport.

It was a nice weekend! I had a lot of fun, but have to admit, was ready to clean my house and get back into my normal routine. I have a busy week ahead of me. I am looking for a part time job and am not having very much luck at all, which is bumming me out. Anyway, when the right thing is open, it will come to me I guess. I just have been scouring craigslist every day and am getting a little discouraged. I think maybe I will have my garage sale soon and see how much money I can make with that!

Stay tuned...

G Love and OZO

Last night we went to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley to see G Love, Ozomatli and Slightly Stoopid were there as well.
Good Times.

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Emmy's Spaghetti Shack

Emily, Tim and I went to Emmy's Spaghetti Shack last night. Tim and I have been walking over there whenever we have a craving for a steaming hot, delicious plate of spaghetti. We started with the assorted marinated olives appetizer (my favorite) followed by the Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad) and then each of us had a plate of spaghetti (Tim's with meat balls of course). The food at Emmy's is so delicious and comforting. The place plays great music and gets crowded fast so you have to get there early. We got there at about 6:40 PM and got into a booth which is pretty rare, but it was Wednesday night after all. Afterwards we went to Safeway because Emily was jonesing for some Soy Delicious ice cream, however, they don't carry it there so we just went home. I fell asleep on the couch at about 9:45 PM watching "Girl Interrupted" with Em. It was a nice night, just wish I had the energy of my youth and could stay up longer and savor all of the time I have with my sister while she is here. The weekend is almost here though, so that will be good.

Mavericks

Emily and I went to the big wave surf spot today (Mavericks). My landlord told us how to get there yesterday and it was awesome.

New Favorite Music...

The King Sisters

Henna

Back to the City

Beach House is over and we are back in San Francisco.

Just drove back yesterday after lunch at Dee's on the coast with the ladies. We got home in the afternoon and laid low until Tim came home then we went out, ran some errands and had dinner.

Live From the Beach House

We made it in one piece.
We are here at the Beach House in Carmet, CA - north of Bodega Bay, CA.
Just had a wonderful dinner of fish tacos, rice, beans and all the fixins.
Anyway, time to go and have some more fun!
More tomorrow, maybe...
I don't want to give away too much.

Sistertime!

My sister arrives today! I am so excited. For those of you who have read my blog for a while (I have some new readers) you know how much fun I have when she is here and how much I miss her when she leaves. Anyway, she arrives tonight and tomorrow we are off to the Beach House on the Sonoma coast for the weekend (actually a long weekend F-M).
I tried out something new yesterday, I shopped Safeway online and if you are first time shopper, you don't have to pay the delivery charge so I did it. I am being careful with my back, so I figured I mind as well have someone bring my groceries to me this time since it was free and that gives me more time with my sister tonight! I will let you all know how it works out. I used to do webvan.com when they were around and it was great especially around holiday baking time.
Wendy and I are going to get pedicures on our lunch hour, so I have to fly.
Stay tuned...