Natasha

Easter Bunny Fun

This year I couldn’t resist putting together a little Easter package for my two year old niece. Everything photographed, except the California bear sweater came from the dollar aisle in target! I hadn’t planned on getting any Easter gear but after strolling through the aisle I couldn’t help picking a few things up, Target’s Easter stuff was just too cute! The sweater dress pictured is from baby gap & I absolutely love how it’s the California bear. I love getting seasonal items and sending little packages to family and friends. Now that my niece is starting to get old enough to appreciate all the holidays I’m sure the Targetaisle will be getting frequented a lot more often. 🙂 I wanted to post this & show you can easily put together a seasonal basket for less than $20 & it’s sure to bring some happiness to who ever received it.

Valentine’s Getaway – Tahoe City

^^^This sunrise woke me up – talk about forgetting you went to bed at 3am!

^^This photo reminds me so much of a Bob Ross Landscape…

I swear this dog and look so majestic one minute ^ and then so goofy then next …

^^My two Valentine’s this year – I’m one lucky girl.

^^Juno actually does really well on car rides – she usually just snoozes the whole way, like below…

^^True Life: Being a Puppy Mom is Exhausting.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day low-key has always been Chris & my take on the holiday; especially since my birthday falls two weeks afterward! Usually a nice dinner out is the extent of our Valentine’s Day plans. This year however we had no plans up until the last minute when we decided to drive up to Tahoe once Chris got off work on Friday. We ended up leaving SF at 9pm which made for a lonnnng & sleepy car ride but thankfully we made it & woke up to the most beautiful sunrise over Lake Tahoe! I can’t remember the last impulsive decision we made that turned out this good, except maybe adopting Juno on Black Friday 😉 Tahoe was the perfect escape – we took Juno down to the lake for a few hours on Saturday & let her play in the snow & she even decided she wanted to go into the frigid lake – she would have kept fetching indefinitely – so we finally had to end the game. The rest of the weekend was spent with good food, great wine & bouncing between soaking in the hot tub & tiring the puppy out. All in all it was a Valentine’s to remember. Hope everyone had a great day celebrating love in all it’s forms, I was thankful to be with my little family in such a beautiful location.

Baker Beach Day

^^^ Happiness is a sandy snout – Juno spent a good portion of her time yesterday trying to dig gigantic holes in the sand! It feels like a lifetime but we’ve only had Juno, our black lab, for 2 months. It’s been so fun getting to explore San Francisco with our newest fur-baby. Yesterday we ventured out to Baker Beach. The weather was so strange but when we got to the beach the sun was actually out. The cloudcover made for some pretty amazing photos, especially with that little bridge in the back drop. Baker Beach is an awesome mile long beach tucked beneath the Presidio Cliffs with phenomenal views of the Golden Gate Bridge & Marin Headlands. It’s hard to believe that a beach this beautiful can be empty enough to let my puppy run around! Yesterdays beach trip was the perfect start to the weekend! We’re off to the foot hills this weekend to let Juno explore the 4 acres my parents live on. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Wintery Weekends

Chorizo & Potato Hash with sauteed mushrooms, topped with micro greens, cherry tomatoes & an over easy egg! So.Nomz.

Our Cheat Day Cheese Board

Slate Board & Cheese Knives : Williams Sonoma Here & Here

The first two weekends of 2016 have been pretty low key I’ve had to work all or part of the weekends so we’ve been just enjoying San Francisco Winter! Juno has been enjoying kissing / biting all the Christmas Trees good bye around our neighborhood, it’s kind of hilarious.

In terms of New Year resolutions? I’m sure ours are a lot like some of yours. I have a few for 2016 that I listed below. The last two years I’ve tried to step up my reading game. I fell short of my resolution last year to read 15 books, I managed to read 13 so I’m still counting that as a victory! My reading resolution makes the list again this year.

2016 Resolutions

Read – I dropped my goal back down to 10 books for the year. Stay tuned for some of my favorites & what books that will be making this years reading list! [pro tip: if you want to try this I highly recommend choosing lighter reads toward the end, I was trying to finish a pretty dense & lonnnng book & ended up struggling the last two months.]

Consciousness Eating – This year I’m going to try to stick to allowing myself one cheat day per week as well as minimizing my snacking at work. The nursing station is littered with temptations: chips, donuts, candy, you name it, it’s there.

10k Steps – I started the new year with a new Fitbit & I couldn’t be more excited for this resolution. When I graduated college I had one of the original Fitbits & I was really into all the tracking. Over time & two trips in the washer (oops!), it eventually died. I’ve been talking about replacing it for ages & courtesy of my husband I’m back tracking steps, flights, mileage & I love it.

52 Week Money Saving Challenge – this is part resolution part challenge. If I just resolved to “save money” I’ll fail. I need specific, goal directed, assessable, realistic goals / resolutions. So using a simple week by week saving chart keeps me on track & motivated; The same way my Fitbit keeps me motivated to get active. Here’s the challenge I’m doing, thanks to the Stingy Saver!

This past Sunday was my cheat day & earlier in the week I had decided I was going to try and make a Chorizo Hash for breakfast! Well it turned out even better than expected, it was so good I forgot to put cheese on it… that never happens! But don’t worry cheese came later in the day when Chris & I broke out our fancy Cheese / Charcuterie set & enjoyed pre – dinner appetizers & cocktails & started Making a Murderer (so good!).

Hope everyone is having an amazing start to the year! Do you have any awesomely attainable New Years Resolutions? If so I’d love to read about them in the comments section below!

What A Year.

When I scroll through 2015’s photos it’s hard to believe so much has happened in just one year! Here’s to all that 2016 will bring! Cheers!

I can’t believe 2015 has already come & gone. It was quite the year, when I think about everywhere we traveled & all the milestones that have blessed us this year it’s hard to believe it all happened in the same year! 2015 marked the year Chris and I got married; I celebrated 25 in Kauai with my bestfriend; we watched many other friends say “I do”; I opened, sold & profited on my etsy shop, tried out this bloggin thing, and we rounded out the year with the addition of our black lab puppy Juno. We spent Christmas in Texas, if you get the chance to spend Christmas with a puppy, do it! It’s bliss. We are beyond excited for the start of 2016 & can’t wait to keep blogging it all! Wishing everyone a happy, healthy & safe new year! I’ll be spending NYE working in the ER so I’ll be ringing in 2016 with my work family but please stay safe & stay out of ERs!

Welcome Juno

We welcomed the newest member of our family last week, Juno our 10 week Black Lab. She was the best Black Friday purchase EVER!

Sisters in the making.

Peggy’s last moments as an only child

We’re adjusting to puppy life, poor Juno is stuck inside until her second round of shots, but we can’t wait to take her out to explore our favorite city – San Francisco, stay tuned!

String art tutorial

Four years ago I made this Texas string art for Chris’ birthday; It was a surprisingly easy project that turned out great & now I’ve inally gotten around to make the California counterpart. Whether you’re gifting this for the holidays or hanging it in your own home it’s sure to get plenty of compliments.

Materials

Wood board – I used this one here from Michaels
1″ nails (2 packs recommended)
Paint
Foam brush
Hammer
String
Outline of map or design you plan to use

Directions

Paint wood board – allow to dry completely – I used two coats of paint. Once the paint has dried completely tape the outline of the state in the desired place.

2. Begin hammering nails following your outline – I found it easier to start with a nail at each corner and then adding nails spaced apart, rather than trying to hammer them all close together in the beginning. Also I recommend hammering the heart in first otherwise it’ll be much more difficult & awkward if the state is already outlined to try and squeeze the heart in. 3. Take the string and start at a corner, make a small knot to secure the string to an outer nail, and begin looping the string around the nails of the heart. I found out the Texas state outline was somewhat easier than california just based on the shape of the state. It may take a few tries to figure out the best number of times to wrap the string around the inner nails. *Note – not all the nails will have string wrapped around – in the picture below you can see how some of the nails on the curve inward on the southern end have been skipped.

4. Once you have completed the final loop make another small knot to secure the string, and you’re done & ready to display!

This project will run you about $20 -$25 and makes a perfect gift! Have you made your own string art? if so I’d love to hear about it!

Carmel-By-The-Sea – To Celebrate 30.

This past weekend we celebrated Chirs’ 30th birthday with a short trip a little ways south on the California coast, to Carmel By The Sea. We left Friday morning & took our town driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping along the way in Pescadero to check out Pigeon Point Lighthouse, which in case you can’t tell by the photos, was awesome! Next we stopped & had lunch at The Bench at Pebble Beach. This famous spot overlooks the 18th hole at Pebble & is open to the public! After refueling, we continued on & enjoyed the rest of the 17 mile drive & stopped to watch the sunset, it was so beautiful. I’ve lived in California all my life, but I’m constantly taken aback by just how breathtaking the coastline can be.

We stayed at the amazing Carmel Valley Ranch. The ranch is on 400 acres overlooking the Carmel Valley. Not only do they have phenomenal suites with their own privates baths on the balcony (swoooon) but the ranch offers activities for anyone and everyone (golf, archery, yoga, swimming, bee keeping, etc). With our limited time we took advantage of the complimentary smores & hiking trails. Saturday morning after a quick mimosa filled breakfast we hiked to the top of the ridge that overlooks the valley! It was gorgeous! Then we headed out to Carmel proper to spend a day wine tasting and get lost in the seaside town. The cobble stone streets are filled with galleries, boutiques & wine shops. We even found a store dedicated to everything Alice In Wonderland related! The downtown is also lined with Italian restaurants, we stopped in and had homemade pasta at Casanova, which is listed as the romantic restaurant in Carmel, verified by our friendly uber driver, haha.

Sunday morning we packed up early & headed back. I dropped Chris straight at the airport as he’s traveling for work this week, but Carmel felt like a world away & such a wonderful escape from our busy hectic lives!

Do you have a favorite California Seaside town? If so I’d love to hear all about it! 🙂

Tuesdays with Ocean Beach

My favorite time to visit Ocean Beach is mid week when you share the 3 miles of beach with just a handful of people. I swear there were more people in the water than on the actual beach itself on Tuesday. After living here for 7 years Ocean Beach just never loses it’s appeal, even when it’s foggy and cold I still think it’s one of the best / most beautiful places in the city. Tuesday was a perfect day to head to the beach in sweatshirt with a good book in tow. Above are some of the photos that were captured on this spur of moment beach trip. Hope you enjoy.

Last Minute Gift Guide!

Holiday gift giving can always be a little stressful especially as Christmas gets closer. Whether you’re searching for a gift for a friend, coworker, in-law or secret Santa, this guide is sure to have something for everyone on your list! This guide also contains DIY projects that make excellent low cost gifts, personal gifts.

DIY Terrarium – This is an easy inexpensive project that makes for an impressive gift. Also, it’s a great gift even for someone who is worried about killing plants, you can place air plants or succulents which are super low maintenance & nearly impossible to kill. Just remind them to mist once a week & keep in indirect sunlight! Find the tutorial here!

Kate Spade small square studs $48 here. These square studs come in a variety of colors, my personal favorite are these blush pink ones. These make for a great girly gift. Who doesn’t like receiving one of those precious Kate Spade boxes?

DIY Scented Candles – follow the tutorial here to make an easy handmade gift that’ll impress anyone on your list!

Set of 3 Painted Wooden Vases here $46 . These vases are neutral enough to add a cute accent to any home or apartment.

Patent Prints – This etsy shop has poster of patents for everything under the sun. I purchased a set of golf club patent prints for my brother. You’re sure to find something for everyone at this shop, whether it’s kitchen decor, or a Lego patent for the play room. This shop offers unique gifts for someone who has everything.

DIY String Art – This DIY tutorial is an easy gift that anyone will love. I first made the Texas state one for my husbands birthday when we first were dating & he LOVED it. I finally got around to making the California one, they hang side by side in our hallway & they’re constantly getting complimented! Here’s the tutorial for how to make this awesome decor piece for less than $25!

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On the go Gulpy – This ingenious product is the perfect gadget for any dog owner on your Christmas list! We used to have to carry around a water bottle for the dog plus a little bowl. inevitably the bowl would get knocked over or the puppy would chew through it when we weren’t watching. We use this anytime we’re taking the dog out for hikes or even just on a road trip. This was a game changer, I guarantee any dog owner will love this gift!

Spiralizer – – This was an item that was on our wedding registry that I ached for! I use the spiralizer about once a week to make my “faux carb” pastas. It’s an easy way to create healthy low carb meals. This is the perfect gift for someone who loves kitchen gadgets. William Sonoma also offers the spiralizer with a companion cookbook, however if you don’t want to spring for that, a quick search on pinterest can land you hundreds of recipes. Find it here!

Personalized cutting boards. Anything from family names, monograms to breaking bad boards! These make great gifts for the newlywed couple on your holiday list!

	February Round up… on Legos in the Laundry
	February Round up… on Tahoe 25′
	January Round up… on 25 in 2025 List
	25 in 2025 List… on 20 in 2020
	25 in 2025 List… on 21 in 2021