Manic Monday

If I had the closet of my dreams, this is what I would be wearing today...

Thankful

I am thankful that we were able to hang out with Angela, Brian, Frankie, Jan and Doug yesterday. We had a very relaxing afternoon, a wonderful meal and just an all around good time. I got to play with Frankie, who now has a full vocabulary since I saw him in May when we went to Greece. He says the funniest things and is full of energy, I think he wore Tim out. Once we got home, we went straight to bed, full bellies and happy hearts.
Thanks Jan and Doug for having us over, you are great hosts. Ang, Brian and Frankie, thanks for coming all the way from Colorado for Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday!

To one of my favorite people on the planet. Happy BIG Birthday today! You bring so much laughter and love into my life. Can't wait to really celebrate this weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you are surrounded by friends and family today.

Advent Calendar

This year we are making a paper chain advent calendar like we had when I was growing up. Oh, as a kid I could not wait each morning to "pick the chain" and see which activity would reveal itself when the chain link was removed. I remember having to take turns and sometimes my Mom or Dad would let us kids pick in their place. So funny how just getting to "pick the chain" made me feel like I was taking care of a really super important task each day, you would have thought I was raising the flag at daybreak at the Lincoln Memorial or something.

This year we have decided to start some traditions of our own, instead of waiting until we have kids around. Really, we are our own little family so there is no time like the present to start things. I figure I would rather have these things in place so if for some reason we never have kids we can still say we have family traditions.

I saw this advent calendar in my Country Living Magazine last night, maybe next year we will make one like this. I have 9 matchboxes so far (I knew I was saving them for something, just didn't know what until I saw this), so I am on my way. I think I would put my numbers in order though with 25 at the top.

Check it out...

Weekend Recap

This past weekend was pretty mellow, we stayed home mostly and ate really well.

I went out Friday night to Frijtz on Valencia with a couple of girls that I used to work with. It was a fabulous time. I love hanging out with people that I have not seen in a while and I love mussels, frijtz and salad! We had wonderful conversation and great food. The Babe was very sweet to drop me off before his workout and pick me up when he was done, very nice. I would have taken the bus, but took him up on his offer.

Saturday we took some things to storage, cleaned up a little and went to Whole Foods Market for some dinner making supplies. I had decided to make a large Italian dinner on Saturday night and needed some spicy Italian chicken sausage to add to my sauce and some bread for garlic bread. After we shopped we ate lunch at the store and then headed back home.

When we got home I decided that I needed to tackle cleaning out the heat register and down into the duct as much as I could with the vacuum. Besides me being allergic to cats, I am even more allergic to dust and dust mites, they literally make me feel like I am going to die (sneezing so hard, itchy eyes). It has been getting cold in our place and we had yet to turn the heat on because of the dust in the duct that accumulates over the summer. So, this task was a little risky, but I had my mind made up and just wanted to get it done. I slowly unscrewed the cover to the duct and removed it and when I looked in there, holy cow...where does this stuff come from? I swept it all out with the vacuum and by the time I was done, I was too hot to turn the heat on. As of this posting, we still have yet to turn the heat on. I didn't have too bad of a reaction to cleaning it all out, thanks to all the new drugs and asthma meds I am on.

I started my kitchen duties by making chocolate pudding (vegan, Tim didn't know) for dessert, I wanted to get that done and in the fridge so it would be cool by the time dessert came around. For dinner I made fettuccine with spicy chicken sausage sauce and garlic bread - may not sounds like a large Italian dinner, but the Babe's portion was served on a mini platter (which he chose from the cupboard). We had a nice bottle of Merlot and hung out the rest of the evening at home. The pudding was wonderful, I had not made pudding in a long time, yummy!

Sunday afternoon while the Babe was playing tennis I decided I wanted to bake something. I had planned on making bread on Sunday, but nixed it for some reason or another. I remembered that Robin sent me home with some large fresh picked apples the weekend before and a pre-made pie crust disk so I made a little apple tart. I sliced the apples thinly by hand and placed them on the disk with a little crust popping out around the edge. I covered the sliced apples in a mix of sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and ginger, folded the little edges over and baked it. The entire house (all 750 sq ft of it) smelled fabulous! When the Babe came home from tennis his face lit right up because he knew something was baking (tis the season). When it came out the oven we both ewwed and ahhhed. For dinner, I thought I would bake the left over pasta so I pressed it all into a casserole dish, mixed some eggs and Parmesan cheese together, poured in on top and baked it for dinner. What a great left over dish and an even better dessert.

A fine weekend at home for sure.

PS-Robin, not sure what kind of apples those were, they are GREAT for baking, hold up nice and are the perfect blend of sweet and tart.

Manic Monday

If I had the closet of my dreams, this is what I would be wearing today...

I Heart Classic Party Rentals

I have to plug Classic Party Rentals. I had one of the most fun meetings I have ever had on Friday, and yes, it was for work. I have never been to a party rental place before so if you have, you may want to stop reading now since you already know how insanely fun it is. Due to the fact that this was my first time I was super excited to see all of the choices of china, glasses, tableclothes, chairs, etc. I love to entertain and super love decor and design, so this place was right up my alley. I met my sales contact who I have been working with (over the phone) for a while now, but we had never met so that was cool too, I love putting a face and voice together. I told her my theme, showed her my inspiration board I made and away she went pulling table clothes, napkins, glasses and silverware. Below is what we came up with for an Indian themed awards ceremony and dinner I am planning for work. I have planned this event for 9 years now and this is the first time I am giving more input regarding color, floral and food and it has been pretty fun so far (I am not holding my breath though; things are bound to get crazy as we get closer). I loved getting to "play" with everything, put together a mock table setting. I would like to include napkin rings, but my fear is that at an event for over 100 people, they will get lost, but I had to photograph them, because they match the look so well - I like the gold with the fuchsia a lot!

We also picked out setting for our office holiday party (not as exciting as the Indian themed party), but still just as fun to view everything and mix and match until I had settled on a combination I liked.

After meeting for over and hour and chatting it up, I am packing my bag and as she handed me her card, I ask her about her last name and guess what? She is Maltese! I love it! B, if you are reading, welcome to my blog, hope you don't mind me gushing over Classic - thanks for all of your help.

PS - still getting used to the new editor in blogger - I love that I can move my photos anywhere I want them, but most of you know, I am the WORST speller ever and there is no spell check! I may go back to the old version by the end of the week.

*{Fabulous Find}*

What a great stocking stuffer for Katie and Emily (HINT Mom). I can do math, but this thing is incredible and only $10 PLUS it is magnetic.

You can find one here at Macy's.

Floating....

Just got some Malta photos from my Mom today - thanks Mom!
I love the feeling of just floating and looking up at the sky day dreaming. This photo reminds me of hot weather, warm water and salty air. Oh, how I love the sea. I have got to figure a way back there sooner than later.

*{Fabulous Find}*

Light my fire!
Saw all these matches on C.S. Post and think they are brilliant!

Weekend Recap

Didn't have time to post yesterday, Monday's are generally filled with meetings and organizing my to do lists at work and yesterday was no exception.
What a great weekend it was! Saturday night we (me, the Babe and our friend Jadin) went to a cool Italian restaurant in Hayes Valley called Il Borgo - pretty old school, not too fancy of a menu and yummy food. We started with an antipasto platter and a bottle of wine, a great start to any meal if you ask me. I had the artichoke ravioli with a fresh tomato sauce and it was incredible. The Babe ordered linguine bolognese and the sauce tasted like it had been cooked by some one's Italian Grandmother all day. Jadin had spaghetti carbonara, which I had never had before and it was delicious, very rich and creamy! The service was great and the place filled right up during our meal - there were people waiting at the door. We decided we had to taste the chocolate gelato and the tiramisu, which were both a wonderful sweet ending to our dinner. We each had a couple bites of both and were absolutely stuffed. We took a walk around Hayes Valley afterwards and looked in all the shop windows, which is always fun!
Sunday we woke up, took the Jeep to get her oil changed and headed south to San Jose to hang out with Robin and Kenny. Robin made an incredibly wonderful breakfast - cornmeal biscuits, eggs and bacon and hot coffee. The rest of the day we just hung out, did our laundry and Robin and I watched "Twilight" while Kenny and the Babe did manly things like drain the pool, talk to the neighbor while washing his car, etc. It was such a nice and mellow day, so nice to get out of the city and hang out in a nice homey, comfortable house with great friends. We drove home in the evening and had a nice night at home before starting our work week yesterday.
Hope you all had great weekends as were surrounded by wonderful friends, we are truly blessed.

So Excited!

Manic Monday

If I had the closet of my dreams, this is what I would be wearing today...

Guess Who I Saw at Target?

Sarah Jessica Parker!!!

Well of course I went right up to her with the zeal of a child running to an empty swing on the playground. We ended up becoming quite close right off the bat. She came home with me and hung out for a while and then it was time for Tim and I to go out. Geeze, I didn't want to stop spending time with her, but I did have plans with another friend. Ugh, I hate decisions like this. So, I took a risk, invited her to dinner, she ever-so-sweetly declined, but did agree to wait at my apartment until we got back. When we returned she was on the couch with BayLee and we spend the remainder of the evening together. She opened up about Sex and the City part 2, her new twins and fashion! It was a good night for sure.

Happy Friday!

Hope you all have a nice weekend!
Mine has kicked off with me still here at work at almost 7 PM. Better now, than over the weekend though.
Headed to ballet Saturday, dinner on Saturday night and down to San Jose Sunday to hang with Robin and Kenny!
Have a good one!

Veteran's Day

I had a work event today up in San Rafael, it was nice, but my mind was on it being Veteran's Day. I started my day by calling my own personal hero, my Dad and wishing him a good day. I was thinking about the war we are in, the men and women that we have lost overseas and as of late, in this county on their own base. The fact that the entire day went on without anyone acknowledging the holiday really made me upset and mad, I didn't know how to channel that energy. I was on my way home and as I drove into San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge, I saw that the Veteran's Cemetery in the Presidio was all lined in flags and I was drawn in. I didn't know how to exactly get to there, but found my way 20 minutes before the gates closed. I parked my car, got out, had a good cry and a rigorous walk, said a prayer and felt better but still have things to get off my chest.

It bothers me that as a nation this day is not looked at like other holiday's when it is a holiday itself. It bothers me that we are a country at war and people are too busy to get fired up about it. It bothers me that the media shields us from what is really going on in the world and at the same time sensationalizes the little things that don't have any impact on our lives. It bothers me that I feel helpless most of the time as to what action to take, what will make a difference, what will work, I am only one person. I do my best to thank every Veteran I know on Veteran's Day - I just feel like a bigger statement needs to be made and maybe that needs to come from me, I don't know. I don't support the war, but support those who are over there fighting in it - it is a mess.

Dad, Jess, and the entire TOP crew, thank you for your service and welcome home. For those of you who spent Veteran's Day 2004 in Vietnam with TOP 202, I will never forget that special evening in Ha Long Bay. I love you all.

*{Fabulous Find}*

Love, Love, Love this Raj Teapot. Sturdy, timeless and an all-in-one service with the creamer and sugar that sits right on top - see info and website by clicking here.
I can feel it warm in my hands as I type this, oh, how I crave this!

Greek Style Couscous

Dinner Challenge - no groceries until pay day, Sunday night 6:30 PM and super hungry. Not much left in the food department in the cupboards besides some random stuff.

I found the following:

• One box of Israeli Couscous (the big pearls)
• One box of chopped Pomi tomatoes
• 1/4 red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Feta (hiding in the drawer of the fridge)

Here is what I did....

Toast and cook couscous as directed on package.
In a small nonstick pan, add 2 Tbls olive oil and when HOT, add thinly sliced garlic until golden and crispy, remove garlic. Pour left over oil into a container, it will be used at the end (it has been infused with garlic, yum). In the same pan used for garlic, saute chopped onion and add Pomi tomatoes, salt, pepper and dried oregano (about 1 1/2 Tbls) and let simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened and flavors have developed.
When couscous is done and all moisture has been absorbed, add tomato sauce to couscous and mix until well incorporated.

Spoon mixture into pasta bowls with crumbled feta on top, fresh black pepper, crispy garlic and drizzle with olive oil reserved from frying the garlic.

I wasn't too sure folks, but it was yummy! We are having it again tonight (it made a LOT). I do have the ability to make something from almost nothing, I love a good dinner challenge. All we need for tonight is some crusty bread to have along side.

Manic Monday

If I had the closet of my dreams, this is what I would be wearing today...

Morocco in Malta

I had to do a follow up to my last post. My Mom and I went to this Moroccan interior store while in Malta. Ilene told us about it and I was super excited to check it out. The prices were incredible (due to Malta's proximity to Morocco, a lot closer to it then California); it's a good thing I had to fly back or I would have literally bought the entire store and redecorated my place from my suitcases. If you are ever in Valletta and want to check out a super cool store than spans over 4 floors in an old limestone building, go to: Maroque 95/96 Old Bakery Street.
http://www.maroqueimports.com/

J'dore Moroccan Interiors

I am obsessed with Moroccan decor at the moment, to be honest, I have been for a while, but it keeps getting more intense. The tile floors, warm colors a multitude of mixed patterns and lanterns make my heart beat a little faster. I did a google search for some inspiration and came up with these fabulous photos below. I like the mix of Modern and Moroccan in the second photo, pretty cool and just look at those windows! I would kill for that kind of light in my living room. Anyway, just thought I would share my recent love.

New Developments

I just realized I have not posted since Monday and the week is already over (well, the work week that is).

I have to be honest and say that I have not been feeling that well. I was excited at the start of the week because after many, many years of suffering, I decided I would go to an allergist to see what the deal is. I was excited to find out what I am allergic to and what I can do about it to give me some relief. I was finding out more times than not, I was miserable the weekends I spent inside my own house, which is never good. No one should feel like they are allergic to their home.

I must have the best allergist on the planet because he met me in his office (not an exam room) for about 40 minutes before even checking me out. No one does that any more. After talking with me he told me he noticed my breathing didn't look right and wanted to take a listen. Well, after many checks with his stethoscope he told me he thinks I may have asthma and my breathing seems labored and he can hear a wheeze. So, we move on to some breathing tests, one where you breathe into what looks like a toilet paper holder and one you breathe into a machine where you breathe out and then in and it measures your force or something like that. Turns out I have "severe asthma" apparently I have had it for so long and never knew because I never got the tightness in my chest, never wheezed too much unless it was a rare occasion where all of my allergies took over at once, so I thought that was part of it. Not the case.

Dr. gives me a nebulizer treatment and then runs all the other tests again and my breathing gets somewhat better. So he leaves me with a hard core asthma regimen for the next three weeks and then moves on to the allergy test portion of the appointment.

The nurse scratches my back with all kinds of things to see what sets me off, she leaves me there for 15 minutes to see what has an effect and what does not. The nurse comes back in to take notes and the Dr. is reading the results, a combo of numbers that is a secret code to them as to what the allergies are. By the way, this is NOT FUN, it is like having mosquito bites on your back because whatever you are allergic to starts to get red and itch and you can't scratch - think chicken pox. I cannot believe what they test for, the one that blew my mind was cockroaches, I guess some people are allergic to them, not me though.

I am allergic to....guess what?

It is very sad because it is one of my favorite things....are you ready?

Are you sure?

OK - I am allergic to......

Yes, that is right, I have an "acute cat allergy" and was told "immediate removal of cat from the living facility" is in order to restore my breathing and quell some of my other allergies.

NOT GOING TO HAPPEN FOLKS.

We talked about some other options because BayLee is my baby. Seriously, if I didn't have him, I would probably have lost my mind a long time ago.

There are a million of other things I need to do around the house because I am allergic to other things as well but the cat is the major one and probably exacerbates the other allergies. We are making some changes in our bedroom (wish I could remove that old carpet in there that has been there since we moved in and God only knows how long before we moved in). Removing it would make it a cleaner breathing room for me but honestly there is only so much we can do as renters. I have more tests they need to do and am getting some lab work done this weekend to see what else may be present, but we have to get the asthma under control first before any other "scratch tests" that may send me into an asthma attack. I am on medication that so far has helped, I guess, I mean, I didn't know I had asthma in the first place. Funny thing too, I have had cats my entire life and no doctor ever noticed. My allergist told me that I had what he is calling an "in-audible wheeze" - you would have to be looking for it to detect it so he was not surprised no one else caught it.

Crazy - with all of that said, the medication has put me in a bit of a mood, headache, stomach issues, and no appetite, but they said it could take a week to get used to. We will see.

All of this happened on Tuesday and I have been a little down (not emotionally) ever since, just super tired, worn out and trying to get used to my new lung capacity - ha ha!

PS - thought this photo was funny, BayLee is like "who? me?" so cute!

Manic Monday

If I had the closet of my dreams, this is what I would be wearing today...

Pumpkin Day in Malta

Just read this in the Times of Malta - I love that they had a pumpkin festival!
Click the link before to see the video and read the story from the times.

Pumpkin's own day in Manikata