Friday, July 30, 2010

Best Wedding Video

A Cup of Joe is a fabulous blog (that most of you are likely familiar with) that is written by Joanna Goddard. It is a perfect mixture of clothing, food, whimsy and trinkets. She posted this wedding video today and even for a wedding pessimist like me, it was completely touching.

Hair Extenstion...yes Hair Extensions

So....I am not one of those women blessed with fabulous hair...don't get me wrong, it has its moments...mostly when I am right next to water, with just the right level of humidity and a tropical environment where I can get away with a flower off a bush in my hair from the way to dinner.

When I moved to San Francisco I found a fabulous new guy to do my hair. I have a friend here who has extensions. I have never even considered them, but when I got here my friends kept trying to talk me into it. My hair simply does not grow much past my shoulders. Still, with my fine hair there was no way that it would survive the tough process of hair extensions.

Enter the new type of extensions ( I wish I could tell you the name, but I will have to get that at my next appointment). They are placed in your hair with a clear adhesive strip that binds and can be easily removed. THEY ARE FABULOUS. I will admit that it took a week or two to get used to them, but they are so great, and I have hair!

I am not a hair person, I only recently learned to blow dry my hair with a round-brush, and am still not fabulous at it, let alone mastered the use of a flat iron or curling iron. These extensions are not that high maintenance. If I let them air dry- they have a nice natural wave, and then if I sleep with my hair in a braid at night, it has a great wave.

Finally, they can be colored! My guy put them in Friday, and I went back Saturday and had them color matched to my hair....they are also SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive than traditional extensions....

They really are great and if you want more information, let me know! If this low maintenance girl can be a convert, you have to try it!

MIA

Yes yes yes, I know, it has been almost two month since I was posted...what can I say, I got dumped. I had been dating this guy for forever...it was complicated and there was distance involved...you don't need all the gory details, but I have been dealing with the slow disintegration of what turned out to be nothing. I am still working on getting this ball going...someone comment please! But I have been keeping up with all of the other blogs I read and will upload some of the wonderful things I have seen in a bit!
xoxo
M

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Delicious Roasted Beets

Image via Southern Living This image is slightly different from what I describe below, I used green onions instead of red onion!

I have always loved beets, but until recently I had never tried to make them myself. After a quick search at my "go to" foodnetwork, I realized that it was actually quite easy. While its not great for a weeknight dinner, because they need to cook for 45 min to an hour, then rest for 10-15 minutes before you peel them. I don't know about you, but I usually don't get home till almost 7, and eating dinner at 8:30 doesn't work for me, but if you make them ahead they are just as good cold.

The first time I made them, I had them simply with goat cheese, a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. It was quite tasty and very easy. Then, Thursday night I went to Bar Jules, a fabulous restaurant in Hayes Valley. It is a small restaurant and the menu changes daily according to fresh local foods. I have been there twice and each time it has been DELICIOUS! Thursday, I started with a butter lettuce salad with green onions, golden beets and avocado. It was so good, I decided I had to make it myself.

I bought golden and red beets. To roast them, pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly coat the beets in olive oil, and a little bit of salt and pepper. Wrap them in tinfoil and place them on a baking sheet. Roast them for 45-60 minutes. Pull them out and check if a knife goes easily through, they are done. Be sure to check smaller ones after 45 minutes. Once you remove them from the oven, let them rest for 10-15 minutes, as this makes them easier to handle and remove the skin. I use a spoon to peel the skin off and then slice then into wedges.

I bought a spring mix, and next time I would definitely stick with the butter lettuce. I made a quick sherry vinegar- olive oil, sherry vinegar, dijon, salt and pepper, and tossed it with the lettuce, avocado and green onions, then placed the beets around. It was delicious, I quickly grilled a center cut boneless pork chop and dinner was served!

Shopping

Hello! Yes, it has been forever, I am sorry, I have been traveling every weekend this month, I am finally home and am spending my weekend catching up on all the things I have missed. So there will likely be several posts this weekend! First though, I want to talk about all of the great websites I receive emails from that have the best shopping. While I can't indulge on a regular basis, I have found some great deals!
3. Swirl by Daily Candy

I have bought things from Gilt and Rue Lala, and they are great, the shipping time tends to be a little longer with Gilt Group, but all three have great sales.

I also love Daily Candy- each day they send a great snippet about a new boutique, restaurant or store opening. They also have a weekly travel edition and "what to do this weekend." They have different editions for different cities, when I found it when I was living in Boston and switched my edition to San Francisco when I moved here.

I am sure these sites are familiar to most of you, but just in case someone missed one, I had to share!

I have several more post ideas so I will be returning soon....happy weekend!
xoxo

Friday, May 7, 2010

Mother's Day

Hello! I have been MIA, I have been fighting the same flu for almost two weeks, ugh. I am also still working on figuring out the photo thing. There have been several things I wanted to post on, my fabulous new white VINCE jeans (couldn't find a photo), the sequin tunic I bought to go over the top and the newest thing I am looking for- the perfect pair of nude pumps. Alas, I haven't yet mastered finding photos on the web and transferring them here. I likely could read directions somewhere, but that would be too easy. I also am in dire need of new camera ( I could at least then take some of my own photos) and the iphone camera just doesn't quite cut it.

I digress....the original point of this post was Mother's Day! I am thrilled to be able to fly home to see my Mom, my grandma and my step-mom ( you have no idea how many cards I need to get). Being a mother is a challenging, amazing and sometimes thankless job. I am so lucky to have all of the wonderful women in my life who have supported, prodded, laughed, cried and grown with me. To all the Mom's and Grandma's- you are amazing and loved!
Happy Mother's Day
xoxo

Wednesday, April 28, 2010


Image via Today










I LOVE The Today Show. The little chime at 7 am tells me my day has started, I make sure my TV is on the right channel before I hop in the shower so I can rewind the DVR and catch the beginning. I watch it every morning and it prepares me for my day. I must admit, when Katie left, I was apprehensive about Meredith, but she won me over quickly. She has a great rapport with Matt and is a big dog lover- girl after my own heart!

What I wanted to talk about today is Ann Curry. Sometimes I love her, sometimes she drives me nuts. Can she say "Good Morning" enough when they hand it over to her for the day's top stories? "Good Morning Matt, Good Morning Everyone, and in the news this Morning." Its a bit much at 7:04 am.

However, the girl can dress! Some days I think she is completely off, she is prone to wearing items with bizarre collars, but whens he gets it right!!! I am sure she has stylists at the Today Show, but really....that is a closet I could do some damage in.

The most recent item I am coveting is her hot pink coat, it is fabulous! I tried to find a picture of it, or at least who makes it, but to no avail. It has an amazing collar and great cut, with a perfect cinch at the waist. I would love to get my hands on that coat!


Saturday, April 24, 2010

A Few of My Favorite Things

These are just some things that always make me smile.....

Beautiful flowers
A happy Christmas dog
My 87 year old grandparents who have been married almost 67 years holding hands
Cuddling cats and dogs (can you tell I'm a dog person?)

Perfectly painted short red nails...


A happily sprawled cat, waiting for a belly rub
These are just some of the things that always bring a smile to my face....what are the everyday things that make you smile?



Friday, April 23, 2010

Sunday Fun Day

I love Sunday! This past weekend in San Francisco was amazing! It was beautiful outside an I spent most of the day Sunday outside with a cocktail in hand. It was a great way to recover from the Bachelorette weekend. I am always game for brunch, a mimosa makes everything better. So this weekend is supposed to be beautiful again, who knows what kind of trouble I will get into this Sunday.
What do you all like to do on Sunday?

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Bachelorette Parties




The bachelorette party. I have to admit, I dread them. Now, don't get me wrong, if your idea of a bachelorette party is a fabulous dinner with a ton of wine and some good story telling, then I'm all in. Its the large group with those horrible veil hats, shirts that say "bride to be" and the penis straws....nope can't stand that. I have a bachelorette party this weekend, yes weekend. When did these parties move from a fun night out to an entire weekend, at a getaway destination? I mean, weddings are expensive enough when you are a bridesmaid, let alone these weekend extravaganza's!

The "weekend" begins Thursday and starts with the hope of a nice dinner and one drink out....I'm not so sure that will happen, but fingers crossed. The rest of the weekend is TBD, but 15 women, San Francisco and the dreaded penis straws. Wish me luck....

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

To Call or Not to Call?













The age old question....to call or not to call? I have been dating G-man since the end of January. We both have crazy schedules but we have had 6 or 7 dates and right now we are in that weird limbo. We met online, so we haven't really made the move to talking on the phone. We exchanged emails for almost three months (the schedule thing) before we actually met in person, but we haven't made the move to calling just to say hi etc...or even texting for that matter. We exchange the cute Thank you texts, or looking forward to seeing you, but it doesn't go much beyond the day before/after.

So my question....we had an amazing date last Friday, we ordered take-out and curled up on the couch and talked for hours....then the crazy schedules hit again. Likely we won't be in the same place again for at least two weeks....do I call? Is it it too soon for the "just wanted to say hi" call? I will admit that I am terrible at talking on the phone, but as a dear friend said, momentum is very important early in a relationship. So I ask you, do I call?

Monday, April 12, 2010

Sunday Dinner

It has been windy, rainy, and cold here in San Francisco making Sunday a perfect night for a cozy warm meal. I am a firm believer in "date night." I started it many years ago when I was new to a big city and didn't know anyone, so I started making "date night" meals for myself. Its how I became interested in cooking and has evolved over the years.

I am always looking for new recipes and food blogs and I just found a new website cookstr and on it I found a great recipe for a Greek Chicken Casserole by Chef Terry Golson. It was easy to make and delicious! I served it with a fresh chopped salad of cucumber, cherry tomato, red onion, red pepper and feta. I am still trying to figure out the picture piece of this whole blog thing, so next time, definitely pictures!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Jeggings

So what do you all think of jeggings? I have resisted the skinny jean craze up till now, I'm no size 2 and the idea of skinny jeans simply seemed like a bad idea. I happily embraced the legging trend, mostly because they are ridiculously comfortable...but then I heard about the jean leggings, aka jeggings. At first, I didn't even consider it, but then a friend who is a personal shopper said I simply had to try the True Religion jeggings. She is no size 2 either, so I figured I had to try them. Let me tell you, they are AMAZING!!! My mom and sister came to visit, and we are all different body types and sizes, and we each bought a pair! I highly highly recommend them!

Marina Living

So I have a question....what is it about living in the Marina District??? When I moved here, I didn't know the neighborhoods at all, nor did I have a great city tour guide to show me the city. My very cute baby brother drove me around some of the neighborhoods, meaning he drove through North Beach, Pac Heights, and the Marina.

I decided to live in the Marina, its close to the water and I can see the Golden Gate Bridge every day as I drive home. I walk to Crissy Field and watch all the dogs running around, which is joy in its pure form (more on my obsession with dogs later). I found a great apartment, not huge, but just right for me. It had the hardwoods and closet space I wanted, a roof deck and parking, perfect!

However, I did not know the stigma that would be attached to living in the Marina. So many people I meet, co-workers, new friends, even cab drivers, respond with "Oh, you're a Marina girl." What does that mean? The aforementioned cab driver seemed truly surprised that I was able to comment appropriately on the story on NPR as he drove me to my destination. I find it not only bizarre, but simply annoying. Did it ever occur to anyone that I simply liked the neighborhood and didn't know the demographic before moving here. Even with that, I love where I live! I can walk to dinner and meet a friend at a wine bar. My street is quiet and I can hear the fog horns at night. I walk to the beach where I can watch dogs run and play to my hearts content. I think everyone here needs to get over themselves and the stigma they attach to a particular neighborhood!

Hello!!


Hello!

I am new to San Francisco and for several months have been thinking of trying this blog thing. Well, here I am! I am single in the city and wanted somewhere to express my adventures, frustrations and general musings about being a single 30 something in San Francisco.

Let me start with how difficult it can be to make girlfriends! I have been a nomad these past ten years, bouncing from one side of the country to another in search of "what I wanted to be when I grow up." I have lived in some amazing cities, and made wonderful friends, but with each move, it gets harder and harder to find a group of friends! Also, sometimes I feel like I have enough friends, not that I don't need them, but I have so many wonderful people in my life, all over the country, it can be hard to keep up with everything, and the idea of adding in more, can be slightly overwhelming, does anyone agree?

Girlfriends are tough, but so is dating. There seem to be a lot of men in this city, but I'm not going to place myself on the corner bar stool in hopes of meeting them.....also, what is the new rule that everyone has to go out as couples? I have met some great women, but if they are in a relationship, and I obviously am not, it is difficult to take the friendship to the next level because you can't do the token double date.

These are some of the dilemma's I am facing in this city. Today I have a "girl date." Ladies, you know what I mean, you meet a new woman, and you have to schedule "dates" as you start to become friends. Fingers crossed that this "date" goes well, I am in need of a girlfriend!