Going to my favorite playground for a week to kick off the 4th of July celebration and of course play tourist and a celebrity all wrapped up in one. I do this once or twice or even three times a year, it’s a fun and quick escape from it all, especially if you are on a budget. So, happy 4th Americans and for all the tourists visiting the U.S. this week, enjoy our version of Patriotism with bbq’s, fireworks and the old red, white and blue cupcakes and popsicles.
Another one of my favorite reads last year, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, is being made into a movie with Julia Roberts playing the lead role. Although the true story is about a woman in her 30’s, Julia is portraying the role while in her 40’s, which in my opinion require much alteration and revision to the film to fit the make up of a 40 year old woman’s lifestyle. I am not really sure how good the film will be but the book is a recommended read for any woman who hasn’t read it yet. The book can be considered a motivational book and although geared towards the woman in her 30’s, some of us beyond that decade can learn a few things from it here and there. The only downside for the woman over 40 is that, if she were to consider using the methods in the book to self discovery, she must be childless to accomplish the challenge. But either way, it is a solid book and since it is based on a …
Walking through a Dean and Deluca Store is like being in Disneyland for me. I have dreams about it the night before my trip to Napa, then when I am there, I make time to visit the store no matter what, walking through every aisle as if I had never been there before, annoying my other half each time. Finally after having either a pastry or a gelato, I leave the place feeling sad just like any kid would do. On Saturday I made a stop at Dean and Deluca as usual and experimented with my camera in oder to show you what I am talking about. Enjoy the photos and remember while you are in Napa be sure to stop by the store. View all
I have always been a fan of Apple. It mostly started with the design of their products (I am a sucker for quality design), then their advertising and marketing strategies swept me off my feet and of course I appreciated the streamlined retail outlets. So slowly but surely I just couldn’t resist anymore and I gave into the Macbook pro. It was a struggle convincing my family and friends about my choice of a new laptop, but I knew what I wanted and for my new career endeavor, it had to be the mac. My wonderful family chipped in and bought it for me as a birthday present and I almost fell off my chair when I opened the box and took out the MacBook. There was that sexy designed laptop in my hands and I just couldn’t believe it was all mine. The only decision I need to make is whether to purchase Apple’s version of word or Microsoft word for Apple? Since it hasn’t been installed, I have a few days to decide …
I love going to Napa and will find any reason to take a trip up North for the day. When asked what my plans were for my birthday this year since I wasn’t able to go to Paris, I immediately knew it had to be a day in Napa. Anyway, I spend the entire day Saturday visiting my usual wineries and having a picnic at V.Satui, followed by gelato at Dean and DeLuca marketplace, then a stroll through the quant town of Yountville. But then although my heart was set on having dinner at Napa Styles Bottega restaurant in Yountville, we ended up at Il Fernaio in Burlingame instead. The evening was most enjoyable for me thanks to my family and lots of amazing champagne. My special birthday was celebrated in the most memorable way with the most important people in my life. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
I vowed at the beginning of this year that I was going to buy a new camera for myself no matter what. But since January, what has been the most frustrating for me is the fact, I went store to store and website to website searching for the perfect camera and then found excuses to talk myself out of doing so. Just so you understand, for a while now my 6-year-old camera was beginning to show its age with the poor quality photos and deteriorating battery life and today just when I was taking my very last photo of the house I sold, the screen image turned orange and I heard several clicks and then there it was. May the Cannon I had for 6 years rest in peace. After I turned over the keys to the real estate agent, I walked into Best Buys and purchased a camera my friend had suggested a while back, the Cannon Powershot and came home with the peach colored box and set it on my desk to tend to my usual day-to-day life. I do this when I am nervous …
I frequent malls and quant neighborhood streets with small shops and restaurants and I must say I can’t help myself get annoyed with women in their 40s wearing outdated or their daughters sweatsuits in public. I don’t think women in their 40s should wear sweat suits in public but if they really really have to, then it’s best to consider the following: 1. Black pants, no purple, brite green or yellow please. 2. Full lenght preferred over capri style, unless of course you are having brunch with a friend immeidately after a brisk walk or run or a walk with your dog, otherwise avoid wearing any part of a sweat suit for any outings. 3. A zip up jacket rather than a fruit of the loom pullover with your college name or a midwestern town name printed across the front. 4. And finally a pair of tennis shoes, rather than a 3 inch pair of open toe shoes is much appreciated. Below are photos of what not to do and what to consider
I know I said I wasn’t going to write down my own recipes in this blog, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to write recipes which I have used from various magazines throughout my life. Here is one of my favorites since I am a huge fan of eggplants, cheese of course and parsley. I can’t remember which recipe magazine I got it from but when I remember I will reference it accordingly. In the meantime you need the following items/ingredients: 1. One whole eggplant (medium size). I use a large size because I love eggplants 2. Sausage: I use Jimmy Dean Spicy but you can use any sausage you want. If you go with Jimmy Dean, you should only use half the packet unless you love a meaty pasta. **Note: sausage has to be ground, remove skin before cooking 3. One bunch parsley, again you can use whichever type parsley you like but I prefer the one in the photo. 4. One can stewed tomatoes, any brand, even homemade if you are into that sort of thing. I …
Now here is a book I read about 5 years ago and loved every bit of it and for a while applied some of the recipes in the book in hopes of losing the weight I needed to. It started to work, but then as any lazy woman would say, life got the best of me and I didn’t follow through. Well, recently as a result of my packing and moving, I began to separate all the books I wanted to give away and those I wanted to keep and of course this one is a keeper. I smiled as I flipped through the pages, because I had put a sticky note on almost every page that contained a recipe with my notes and plan of attack written in pencil. Now that I dusted off the book and have it on my work desk, I plan to follow the recipes in hopes of maybe losing a few pounds and inches a la francais. After all the American diet plans didn’t work and besides what do …
Here is the thing, we all know we need some form of exercise in our life to stay healthy, especially when we are on the wrong side of 40. But since the “gym thing” or running a daily marathon is not my choice of exercise, I walk. I have always been a firm believer of walking and feel it is the best way of getting enough exercise without really hurting myself in the process. However, I also know that in order to get the most out of my walk, I must follow a few simple rules I created for myself. Walking everyday is ideal for me. I prefer a path with challenges along the way. Such as 50 or so steps to climb up, 500 yards total of some uphill and then downhill, a dirt road or sand paths to minimize unwarranted stress to my problematic knees and heels and finally a winding road or coarse to make the exercise more fun. The other thing I find helpful while walking, is changing the neighborhood everyday. I find that if I walk the neighborhood I …
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