Stockings Holders, Ornaments, and Trees

When I was younger, we often decorated our house for Christmas on the same day that we got our Christmas Tree. Getting our Christmas tree though, was always an adventure!

We would pile into our big, comfy, green Ford Explorer, and head into the mountains. After getting lost for a few minutes we would discount the first few tree farms, because predictably they would be picked over. We would settle on a farm, grab our jackets, put a leash on our pup, and head into the wet wintery forest. Finding the perfect tree has become somewhat of a routine. We can’t go with the first tree we find, because there might be a better one out there. We usually haggle over the final tree, because I want a Charlie Brown tree, while the family wants a wide, large tree with evenly spaced out boughs. I wanted the homeliest tree out there, to take home because no one else would. Often, I lose the vote and we get a tree that is tall, wide, and barely fits on our car, let alone in the family room.

When my brother and I went away to college, sometimes we got our tree closer to Christmas, sometimes we would even pick one Thanksgiving weekend. Last year, we joined with another family for the Christmas tree selection, and it was a blast. This year, we plan on going with the Issa Family again, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. When we picked a tree during Thanksgiving break, we also decorated the house.

Now that I have my own place, I have been itching to get cute Christmas decorations. I have been resisting these cute things for a few days now, but I might give in!

My mom and I were the two that usually were anxious to pull out the Christmas Boxes and decorate the whole house. I usually was in charge of the Christmas Tree decorations, while either my dad or my brother did the lights on the tree. To this day, decorating the tree is one my of favorite holiday rituals. I love that the holidays are finally here.

Happy Wednesday!

Love,

-S

Beach Weekend in Capitola

Earlier in the week my best friend Annie had made a Facebook event about a few of us going to Capitola and staying at a combination of two beach houses. Work was stressful and looking forward to spending the weekend at the beach helped me keep it together. For me, having things to look forward to can often make or break a crazy work-week.

Saturday dawned, and I had not yet packed, purchased a camera charger/cord, or filled my tank with gas. Rushing around happened but Annie, Sunny and I finally got on the road after a few setbacks.

There wasn’t much traffic and we arrived in Capitola where it was beautiful. We grabbed groceries and went to the beach. The plan for dinner was cook-out at Marcos’s. We took a hot mess of photos not only at the beach, but also back at Beach House #1 (BH1)

IMG_7402 IMG_7439

The crew was: Brady, Sunny, Claire, Dana, Natasha, Annie, Greg #1, Greg #2, Sunny Maxey, Darius, Huyson, Steven, Deawodi, Gloria, Marcos, Irina, Jason and myself. More people came later, but I think this is everyone that was a good sport about being documented in the lovely photos above.

It was the perfect weekend: food, friends, and lots of fun.The beautiful beach never hurts as well!

Hope you had a good weekend!More fun things are planned, but this was the best fun I’ve had this month!

Love,

-S

 

Instantly Awesome

Six months I had only a limited understanding of how awesome Instagram was. In July, one of my friends pushed me into getting an Instagram, and I have totally fallen in love with it.

I love photos, and Instagram fills the time waiting in line, for people to arrive, the few minutes before staff meetings, basically anytime. I love that people have their own unique style in how they style their photos, from the framing to the filter. Recently I’ve been pushing myself to take more photographs, and having a place to post them in addition to my blog has been a lot of fun. I also really enjoy looking at other peoples photos. Its kinda an addition

Here is how my last week end from my Instagram account, which you should totally follow: Foreverclassyandfabulous

You might notice a continuing theme of yummy treats, sweets, the pups, and shopping.

Creme Brulee- from dinner with Dad

Creme Brulee- from dinner with Dad

How I ended my Sunday evening-with macaroons

How I ended my Sunday evening-with macaroons

How I started my sunday-with a pumpkin latte, pumpkin muffins and a cinnamon roll

How I started my sunday-with a pumpkin latte, pumpkin muffins and a cinnamon roll

At the Los Altos Holiday stroll there were horse-drawn carriages

At the Los Altos Holiday stroll there were horse-drawn carriages

How I started my three day weekend-with Tory Birch and macaroons

How I started my three day weekend-with Tory Birch and macaroons

Nala begging me not to go to work on Friday

Nala begging me not to go to work on Friday

My extreme love of anything peppermint-including popcorn.

My extreme love of anything peppermint-including popcorn.

Anthro dress I'm drooling over. Want.

Anthro dress I’m drooling over. Want.

Sunday with the parents=hedgehogs and chocolate.

Sunday with the parents=hedgehogs and chocolate.

Nala's bored with my #ootd  photo shots.

Nala’s bored with my #ootd photo shots.

Artwork at Raft.

Artwork at Raft from two weeks ago.

How was your last few days? Do you like to view life in photos?

Love,

-S

Baking Adventures, Halloween, and New Shoes

It had just been one thing after another this week! Last Sunday, I picked Annie up and we made some tasty things with my new Kitchen Aid Stand mixer.

My new mixer.

My new mixer.

We munched on dim sum while we baked and I had a lot of fun. We made an orange bundt cake, cranberry orange bread, pumpkin bread,  spicy cinnamon pumpkin muffins and blueberry muffins,

Our baking results

Our baking results

Work was busy this week, with two rounds of testing for the teens. We often get home around 6 and often I just want to crawl straight into bed with the pups when I do finally get home.

On Thursday a few of us grabbed italian food for dinner. We got grand total of 3 trick-or-treaters. Quite frankly, I was disappointed we didn’t get more at our new place. But the three that did come, we loaded them up with candy!

My students were sleepy and off task Friday, which was a bummer for them since a lot of work was also due. I stayed later than planned at work getting ready for the next round of CAHSEE next week.

I met up with Annie at ValleyFaire and we shopped! With payday on Thursday I wanted to splurge a bit! I had picked up a treat for myself last weekend, but when I finally opened the little brown Kate Spade bag (most of you know exactly the bag I am talking about!) my new bow bracelet was twisted/bent! So our first stop was Nordstrom’s, where a nice young lady switched it out for a new sparkly one. This is my new bauble!

My new bracelet.

My new bracelet.

I tried on a pair of Uggs because my old pair is so old and well-loved and really not fit for anyone outside of the pups and my roomie’s eyes. Of course, they did not have the correct size for my giant feet, so I settled on ordering them. (Thank goodness Nordstrom’s doesn’t charge for shipping!) Can’t wait for them to arrive!

We wandered over to Sephora,where I picked up a Smashbox eyeliner cream I had been eyeing. I use their Photo Finish Light primer, and i love it!

My primer.

My primer.

It makes my make-up last, and it seems that it make my makeup stick better. I’m normally a warm person, and halfway through the day my make-up is gone. But a friend had recommended this brand, and they are my go-to primer now. I had also heard good things about the eyeliner cream, so we played around with it. I convinced Annie to try some of their products as well, since we have similar type of skin.

Next stop on our shopping spree: shoes, shoes, shoes. I always think of this Kirsty MacColl song that my dad and I listen to. It is called In These Shoes. It is really a fabulous song. You should listen to it.

While Annie got sucked into trying on lipstick at Chanel, I looked at shoes. With my giant feet (and toes) I often have to order shoes, and pray to the shoe gods that they fit. More often than not, I end up returning them because they gape, pinch, or otherwise look odd. I found a pair of Corso Como heels that I liked, and also ordered a pair of black boots by them in the hopes that they fit as well.

The new heels

The new heels

The new boots.

The new boots.

Currently some of my work shoes are not as comfortable as I would like. I am looking forward to having some happier feet.

Sorry for the lack of posts, I was having issues with my laptop suddenly shutting down randomly. I had my tech guy at work do his magic and it seems to be fine now.  I hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday!

Love,

-S

An evening with Friends, and Gallery Hopping in the City

On Wednesday, Annie had a few of us over for a casual get-together. We munched on a few things, and sipped margaritas. Our usual crowd was there, and it was just what I needed to finish out my week. Work has been running me pretty ragged, and it was exactly what I needed. My friends are always the cure for anything. We played Cards against Humanity, which is always a blast and very entertaining.

 

On Thursday, Roomie and I had professional development at our sister school in Hayward. I met the other two art teachers, and had a wonderful time talking shop. As I am the only art teacher at my school, and building my own curriculum, bouncing my ideas off these two guys really helped.

While the rest of the district had a second day of professional development in Hayward, the three of us met up at 111 Minna Gallery for a day of wandering around looking at art galleries.

The weather was warm and sunny, unusual for San Francisco in October. We drifted from 111 Minna to the Academy of Art, and stumbled into a ancient five story building with a multiple small galleries on each floor.

We grabbed a bite to eat at Le Boulanger on Market and walked over to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. They had a beautiful exhibit. I snapped these there

.

IMG_6698 IMG_6697 IMG_6696 IMG_6689 IMG_6688

My favorite piece at Yerba Buena was tucked into the room in the front called the Room of Big Ideas. I loved the wall that was there. I wanted to take it home with me.

I loved that last line, so I took a picture of just that. Sometimes it is very hard to live in the moment, to feel everything around me. But this wall, this wall reminded me of why.

From there we sat in the garden, and took in the glorious weather.

 

 

 

We walked back to Minna and parted ways. I walked over to Nordstrom’s, where a girl from my small group at church works in the Fine Jewelry floor. We chatted for a while, and then I realised what time it was. I dashed over to the Kate Spade section, and treated myself to a little something!

I ran errands today, and tidied up around the house. Last weekend my family and I celebrated my birthday. My parents gave me a stand mixer!!! So, tomorrow I plan on baking up a storm! Annie is coming over and we are tackling a long list of yummy treats! Tomorrow I’ll show you what I picked up from Nordstrom’s and whatever tasty things we bake!

I hope you have some exciting plans for tonight!  Saturdays are always the best night to have a little fun.

Love,

-S

 

Backyard Photos, Reflections and Forgotten Memories

I swear, as I am getting older, my memory is getting worse! Remember when I talked about making lemon bars for my friend’s wedding? Well, Robert came over and took some photos of me both in the backyard and getting the lemon bars prepped.

I completely forgot that he had sent me the final set a few days before my New York trip. Silly me. Here is another example of how ridiculously talented my best friend is. #bestfriendsforlife

In case you missed his other shoots, they are here and here.

This one is my favorite:

Watch: Miami Beach

Dress: Anthropologie (similar here and here)

Earrings: Kate Spade

Necklace: Kate Spade

Shoes: Steve Madden Flats 

The mornings are crisp and cool here in California, and mellow into a beautiful sunny 70 degrees by early afternoon. I love being able to pull on my boots and a cardigan in the morning, but still enjoy the sun on my face as I leave work.

What do you love about where you live?

Love,

-S

Emma Ward, Hidden Waterfalls and Apple Picking

On Saturday Uncle Chip, Dad, Mum, Richard and I explored downtown troy. We started off with some hot coffee from Spill In The Beans, a local joint. We walked through a lovely farmers market and picked up a tasty goat chevre. From there we checked out a local all-girls high school called Emma Willard. The campus was unbelievable!

IMG_1362 IMG_1360 IMG_1359 IMG_1358 IMG_1356 IMG_1354

 

Next we took a short walk down to the local stream, which used to be used to gather energy for the town. We enjoyed hopping from one rock to the next as I tried to not fall into any of the puddles.

IMG_1373

The streambed

The stream bed

 

The trees around this town looked like they were on fire. The spectacular colors that make the East Coast look dazzling were on full display for our visit.

 

We hugged my uncle goodbye and sent him on his long drive back to NC. Richard and I dropped my parents off at their hotel and set off to go apple-picking, one of my favorite childhood activities. We munched on fresh apple cider and apple donuts as we picked 9 varieties of apples. The sweet smell of ripe apples and the lazy sunshine on my sweater made the day feel perfect.

IMG_1389

On Sunday I waved goodbye to Richard, and to my parents, who were flying to Pittsburgh. They will enjoy a few days with my Grandfather before coming home later this week.

Today I jumped headfirst into work, coming home around 6. A long day, but it’s good to be home!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Happy Monday! (The Bones episode tonight was really good!!)

Love,

-S

Sharon Springs, Niagara Falls and Statue Climbers

Before the wedding my father, Uncle Chip, Richard and I decided to go explore a local town called Sharon Springs, in search of coffee and breakfast snacks. The cafe wasn’t open when we arrived, so we wandered down the street to peek at the little downtown section.

The town used to be a big vacation spot for a famous bath house.

The town used to be a big vacation spot for a famous bath house.

This old funky hotel was beautiful, but showing its age.

This old funky hotel was beautiful, but showing its age.

 

It was also for sale, at a great price! (if you need 10acres)

It was also for sale, at a great price! (if you need 10acres)

We grabbed donuts and cappuccinos at the Black Cat Coffee shop.

Yum.

Yum.

 

On Friday, Richard and I picked up my cousin Andrew and his wife Katie from Jeannette’s house. We drove  4.5 hours from Troy to Niagara Falls. I was the only one that brought my passport, so we stayed on the American side. We stopped for pizza and wings for lunch, and munched on Dunkin’ Donuts as well.

Our lunch on Friday

Our lunch on Friday

We walked around the Falls for a bit, snapped tons of photos, and  got tickets for the Maid in the Mist tour boat.

 

 

It was amazing! I loved how the water was rushing so loud, and disappeared off the edge. I know sometimes doing the touristy-thing can be lame, but this time it was fantastic!

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

 

 

Despite the blue ponchos they gave us, I was totally drenched.

Katie and I.

Katie and I.

 

We walked back to the car and saw some cool statues.My cousin and I had matching converse shoes! Can you tell which are his and which are mine?

Matching outfits, totally unplanned.

Matching outfits, totally unplanned.

Naturally, my cousin crawled onto a public monument while I took his photo.  #ilovemyfamily

My cousin Andrew is awesome.

My cousin Andrew is awesome.

 

We drove back and crashed. It was one very long, but still lovely day! Did you do anything fun on Friday? Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? Have you been to any touristy places that you really enjoyed? (Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, White House, etc)?

Love,

-S

Family Dinners, Table Toppers and a Fall Wedding

I brought my work laptop on this trip, thinking it would be light and easier to carry. Which it was, but it also has some settings on it that blocked the hotel’s internet the whole time. So, I will play catch up for the last few days.

Dad and I flew out to New York very early (6.30am flight out of San Francisco!!) and got in around early evening. We met up with my friend Richard and drove from Albany to our hotel in Carlisle. We met the rest of the family and bridal party for Italian food.

Dinner the night before the wedding

Dinner the night before the wedding

Everything about their wedding was very cute. She had gotten a lot of ideas from Pinterest. The ceremony was outside at this beautiful venue, and we munched on apple donuts and hot cider before. This was the reception venue a few feet away.

The fireplace decorations

The fireplace decorations

The bridesmaids and family had made the table toppers.

The bridesmaids and family had made the table toppers.

Our party favors were maple syrup that Michael and Jeannette had tapped from the trees on their farm.

The wedding cake

The wedding cake

The wedding booklet.

The wedding booklet.

Michael is a big fan of candy, and so they had a “grooms cake” for him which was this candy take-out bar with to go cartons. It was pretty cute and tasty! They had a good variety of candy.

The "grooms cake"!

The “grooms cake”!

I thought her dress was absolutely perfect for her. Simple and elegant and totally beautiful!

IMG_1295

We have one more day here in Troy and then I have a 6.30 flight out tomorrow. If I have time later today I will do a post on our trip to Niagara Falls yesterday!

Hope you had a lovely week! Happy Saturday!

Love,

-S

Shopping, My 25th Birthday, Dinosaur Muffins and Cooking on Sundays

This week was insanely busy, which is why I have not had a spare minute to post about everything.  I hope that with time I will get better at balancing work and blogging. If you have any tips, let me know!

The Roomie and I had a five day weekend from school, which was perfect timing as my birthday was smack dab in the middle of it!  On Thursday we slept in, to the gloriously late hour of 9am. We did a few things around the house and then went off to the mall. The Roomie and I found many cute things. We scored at pretty much every store.

Our shopping haul.

Our shopping haul.

On Friday I hit the gym, and it provided a much needed round of happy endorphins. Since I started working full time, getting to the gym every day has fallen to the way side. Starting in a week I hope to build it back into my routine. From the gym I went to my parents house to get Lightroom 5 set up on my mom’s and my laptop. For dinner we grabbed tasty greek food at Opa’s in downtown Los Altos. We had tickets to see Les Mis at the Saratoga Theatre, where two friends of mine were in lead role. I look forward the most to shows with actors I know personally.

After another glorious sleep-in, I set off for the grocery store. I picked up some snack but most everything was for my birthday party later that day. Around 4, people started trickling in, and we munched on tasty Mexican tacos and guacamole. We drank margaritas and horchata and enjoyed the warm evening air. We took a group photo, and I had everyone sign the frame that I would eventually put it in. People drifted in and out, and it was a glorious melding of friends, food and fun.

I made pumpkin spiced dinosaur muffins!

I made pumpkin spiced dinosaur muffins!

Our group photo.

Our group photo.

This morning after the Roomie and I tied up the house I wrote my thank you notes for my birthday gifts. We went over to the Castle and I tucked into cooking with my dad. We made ham and shrimp croquetten, mac’n’cheese and quiche lorraine. After a long round of dishes ( i swear we used every cooking utensil possible!) we tasted the mac’n’cheese. It was delicious and I look forward to munching on it after a long day at work next week.

Tomorrow I will be babysitting the whole day and Tuesday we start back  at work. I have one day of teaching, and then I fly out at the crack of dawn (have I mentioned I hate mornings?!) for my cousins wedding in upstate New York. More details on that later.

How was your weekend? What did you do? How do you balance getting you time and getting your errands done?

I hope you had a lovely weekend.

Love,

-S