Saturday

On Saturday, we cleaned and I took Evie to Buena Vista. It was about 55 out and sunny. We were NOT jealous of the blizzard on the east coast. I dont like being cold OR snow so it was fine by me to be in SF!



Eating dirt




We saw these doors walking home. Don't they look so cute.


Christmas dog! Later at night, we had a crab dinner and exchanged gifts. Evie likes opening presents. Her big gift was a vacation so she didn't get too much. We are bringing her to camp tomorrow to stay while we are in CT.

We leave on Tues AM. I hope there is no more snow!!

Christmas Card

Here is our Christmas Card this year! I love it! This is perfect for us since Erik is a surfer dude.



My friend Kira, who is the owner of Nuena Photography, took our photo. Evie looks so proud. haha. She is showing off her abs.

Party

Erik's party was held at a beautiful hotel, The Fairmont. Bingo had some great prizes & we came close to winning 4 times - we were one number away. Unfortunately, we didn't win anything this year. A trip to Maui or Paris would've been nice though!


Today we are cleaning heavy duty. I like to do the deep clean before we go away so when we come back, it's nice! We are having our little christmas tonight and a lovely crab dinner. Can't wait.

Last Day

Last day in the office for 2009. Woot! Tonight, we are going to Erik's holiday party. They have really good bingo i.e. spa gift certificates, trips to Paris. I hope we win something!!

Tomorrow, we are doing our own little Christmas exchange & Sunday going to see Nutcracker!!

Hope you have a good weekend!!

2 days to go

This is my 2nd to last day in the office FOR THE YEAR!! WOOHOO. Tomorrow, my boss & i are doing for sushi & pedicures as our 'holiday party'. Monday, we are 'working' but we are doing a client party at this pottery place in SF. So, really, I will be dropping the dog off at camp and playing with pottery on Monday. Then on Tuesday, we LEAVE FOR CT!!

We will be in CT Tues - Mon. I can't wait. Kimmy & I are having Super Sister Day in NYC on the 23rd which will include the Empire State Bldg and seeing HAIR and stuffing ourselves silly in Little Italy.

Tomorrow night is Erik's holiday party. Should be fun. Hope we win a prize like we did last year!

Groceries

I was reading Real Simple and learned about a site called RelishRelish.com which is a menu planning & and grocery list making site. It is $7/month for them to create a menu plan & shopping list for you each week. Sounds great. I have been looking into companies that can do this OR a meal prep company like Super Suppers or Delicious Dish.

A friend told me about e-mealz. It is cheaper than RelishRelish - $5/mo. This seems like a good solution for me for groceries. I end up eating the same things every week. I might give it a trial run.

Cupcakes

Today, the Sprinkles cupcake truck came to SF. I think Sprinkles was started in LA but they have about 10 locations thru the country.


My friend Kira and I went down to the truck to get a cupcake.

I got vanilla. They only had 4 flavors today and 3 were chocolate. The vanilla is SO good and so big, I cannot eat in one sitting. It is vanilla cake with about 1" of vanilla frosting and vanilla sprinkles. SO GOOD. For $3 and those $3 went to the Humane Society today. 100% of those $3!

PriceYeti.com

You know how when you find things online and hope they go on sale?? Check out PriceYeti.com - You put your link in here of what you want & it emails you when the price drops. You can do it for anything - a book on amazon, a sweater on macys.com, etc.

Sunday

This morning, I made two types of cookies. Well, sugar cookies - two ways. The dough was a pain. It would not stick together so I had to add more butter. I finally got it. I made cutout cookies and cinnamon pinwheel cookies. So good.

Christmas cookies. Some look burned but its really cinnamon & sugar on them!


Before they went into the oven. Cinnamon pinwheels.

I also taught Evie how to jump thru a hoop (an old bike tire). Here she is!

Holiday

Here are some holiday decorations from our apartment!
Our 9.5ft tree

Saturday

Yesterday, I went back to the gym after about hmmm 2 weeks. I ran that race after Thanksgiving and then got sick and didn't go back. I did my SET class and today I am hurting. I either have to go to the gym all of the time or not at all. Once in awhile does not work for me.

Anywayyyy...after the gym, Erik had made this great breakfast including homefries! It was great. We went to Sports Basement to look for some bike tires. I also made cookies - butterscotch oatmeal. After a lovely afternoon nap, Erik also made us tomato soup and home made bread. Delish.

It has been rainy here so yesterday was a perfect relaxing day.

Movies

The Blind Side was a terrific movie! I liked the book and the movie was pretty true to the book. It is such a good story so both were great. I definitely recommend.

On Sat night, we watched The Soloist. It is a true story based on a book. An LA Times reporter, Steve Lopez, discovers a talented musician who happens to be homeless and have some mental issues. The story reminded me a lot of Rainman and Pursuit of Happyness. Pretty good though.

Friday

Today, my boss had the day off so I stayed home too. I worked all day but didn't go into the office. I am glad I was home because around 4pm today, we had some drama on the street. Now, we all know I love it when stuff goes down so I can watch (except for that horrible accident with the girl). So, I hear this woman screaming outside 'Come back here. Get back here'. You hit my car!' I see her run up to this guy and open the door and try to take his keys so he cant get away. She is yelling at him and then she yells, 'Call the cops, he is drunk!'

Cops show up, pull the guy out of the car. He is clearly drunk. He falls down. They pick him up, his pants are falling down!! Evie and I were hanging out the window watching the entire thing. Apparently, he hit two cars driving down the street AND is drunk.

Erik asked what will I do when we don't live on such an active street anymore. I think I might have to get a police scanner and go driving around. hahaha.

Anyway, it is so rainy & cold here. GOod night for a movie - I'm going to see the BLind Side with Betsy!! Can't wait. The book was so good. I also want to see NINE when it comes out!.

Thursday

Last night, I went to the client holiday party. They always have it at this restaurant on the water. It's just drinks and appetizers. They had karaoke which people started doing as soon as they got there at like 6pm! haha. We didn't stay that long AND I drove down there which is good so I didnt have to take the bus home.

This morning on the bus, this guy was rambling on and on. He had a bag full of clothes and was very proudly telling everyone he was homeless and has never worked a day in his life plus, he never intends to work. He was asking everyone what they were reading. He asked this little girl and she didn't answer and he goes 'You don't want to tell me because I'm black'. Always something here!!

I can't believe it is already Dec 10th. I should get over my disbelief because each month, I am shocked how fast it goes.

Snowball Fight

I love these.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Biggest Loser Winner

Danny won Biggest loser!!! He lost over 200lbs!! He lost 1/2 of his body weight. He has two little kids at home so hopefully he can keep it off & have a new life for his family.

Smore Cookies

Today is Day 10 of 12 Days of Cookies on Food Network. Don't these look delish?

Sunny's Crunchy Peanut Butter S'more Bites

Ingredients

• 2 cups crunchy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 24 ounces (4 cups) milk chocolate chips, melted
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup marshmallow fluff
• 1 cup coconut flakes, optional
• 2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal, optional

Directions

In a large bowl, add the peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar and beat with a whisk or electric beater until smooth. Using a teaspoon measure, scoop the mixture and form into balls, then press into a coin shape the diameter of a quarter. Refrigerate to set up dough cookies, about 30 minutes.

To make bites, dip peanut butter coins in melted chocolate then toss in graham cracker crumbs until coated, double dip and double coat if you feel dangerous. Arrange the coated coins on a wire rack and refrigerate for about 30 more minutes to set. Add the marshmallow fluff to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Remove the coins from the refrigerator and squeeze about 1 teaspoon of marshmallow fluff into the center of half of the coins. If you don't have a pastry bag, use a plastic bag, fill it with fluff and cut 1 corner off and dollop that way. Then top each half with another coin to make a sandwich and place return to the refrigerator to set, about 1 hour.

Options: chop coconut flakes and add them to the graham cracker crumbs to use for coating.

Add puffed rice cereal into the peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar for a bit more texture and crunch.

Free Coffee

at 7-11. If you bring in this coupon, click HERE.

Christmas Cards

I ordered our Christmas cards today. They are SO cute and very fitting for us. Can't wait to show it to you!

I still recommend using that site Shop At Home. I used it for our cards and got 50% off the cards PLUS 5% back! Use the link on the right hand side to make an account!

Can you even believe Christmas is in about 2 weeks! I cannot. I'm almost done with my gifts so that is exciting!!

COLD and a Mouse

Well it is downright cold here. This is very unusual for us. It was 35 this AM. Hat, gloves, scarf to walk the dog. Frost on the grass & ice on the cars. It was a sight. Evie ran to the park to go the bathroom and we ran home. She is not into the cold, either. It is freeeezing at night. We need a space heater, big time!

So, last night around midnight, Erik woke me up to tell me he saw a mouse in our house. A MOUSE. Can you believe it? I don't know how it got in but it needs to go back out. Erik thinks he is going to catch it but I don't know. He is making some contraption with a hockey stick and t-shirt.

Tonight I have school. Only 3 classes to go! I cannot wait to be done. Lets hope I pass. At this point, I dont know if I am going to class in the spring. I am waitlisted. Part of me doesn't care. I could use the semester to volunteer at the hospital during the week once or twice.

Pet Insurance

Here are some articles on pet insurance.

Is it worth it?

Yes
From a Vet: http://www.drlarrypetvet.com/health_petinsurance.htm


No
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/accent/content/accent/epaper/2008/07/28/072808_pet_insure_web.html

Consumer REports: http://www.consumerreports.org/pets/0307vet2.html

From a Vet: http://www.countryliving.com/ask-the-expert/pet-insurance-0509

Pet Insurance Debate

I have been thinking of cancelling our pet insurance. What should I do?

Pros -
-Pays 90% of claims so you get your $ back
-Evie is young & doesnt have any diseases so she is covered if she gets any

Cons
-You have to pay the claim up front & then get reimbursed
-Office visit fees are not covered

So, here is a scenario. Evie has giardia
Costs $114
$90 office visit
$20 pills

Insurance will not pay me for the visit and will pay 90% of the pills. I will get a check for like $18.

So I pay $45/mo to get paid $18 back!

If she ever had to have surgery that cost like $3,000 - what would I do? I would have to come up with $3,000 to pay for her surgery up front and then get reimbursed.

I could just put that $45 into her account each month and have that money just sit there earning interest. If she gets hurt, it is paid for.

I dont know what to do....Either way, I have to have any $$ to cover her bill up front. Its a matter of wanting to get my $ back once we get reimbursed.

Monday

Can you believe I come to work today & my boss is spending the ENTIRE day at the client!? Ugh I think I will take a long lunch.

I realized today that there are THREE holiday parties this week. Wed, Thurs, Fri. I am definitely not going to the Thurs one b/c I have school. I am going to the Wed one and trying to get out of the Fri one. I have other things I'd like to do with my time besides spend time with work people!

It is COLD here. Like 40 last night and this AM. We are in dire need of a space heater & will be getting one this weekend, I think!

Weekend

Well, yesterday was very productive and lots of stuff on the to do list was done. We went downtown to only 3 stores, braved the crowds, and got a few gifts. We got the car washed, dropped stuff at Goodwill...Last night, we went to a party up at Betsy & Gregs. It was really a fun & relaxing way to kick off the holidays!

Today, I worked at the gymnastics gym from 2-7. It was a pretty easy day. No one was really bad. I like kids aged 5-7. They are funny & sassy. Sometim
es the things that come out of their mouths is hysterical. I did have a 4 year old today that couldn't do a forward roll and didn't want to try but after teaching him, he was running back to the mat to do more. So that was pretty cute.

Anyway, tomorrow is my first day back to the office in like 2 weeks. I was last there on Tues before Thanksgiving. Then, I wasn't there at all last week. To get up to an alarm and get on the bus tomorrow MIGHT kill me. They changed a lot of the bus routes, eliminated bus stops, routes, etc. I have a feeling my route is going to be packed tomorrow.

Watched this movie tonight '12 Men of Christmas' on Lifetime tonight. Cute movie.

Have a good week!

Two Items

There are two items that we keep saying we need for the kitchen:


Glass bowls. I seem to make things that require melting something in a glass bowl over a pot of water yet, do not have one & have to borrow.

A new black toaster. All of our other appliances are black. Our white one is from when I first moved out of my parents house. It is so messy looking. It doesnt match. It has stains on it. Ick. Maybe we can hit up some after holiday sales or something!

Saturday so far

Remember last week when I thought Evie had giardia? Well it was because she had pooped in the kitchen. She ONLY does it when she has it. But, then Erik said she ate tofu so I thought it was an isolated incident. I always talk about listening to your intuition so I should've listened to mine. She has not had the greatest poops all week and wasn't getting better.


This is her this AM passed out on the couch with her nose jammed into my leg.

This AM, I woke up to the smell of poop. I knew she had pooped in the kitchen. Yep, I was right. Of course today, the vet did not have any appts so we had to do walk-in which is $$$. Of course, they gave us flagyll for her giardia. :-( Thank goodness we have the pet insurance!

Here she is at the vet. You cant see it but she was shaking like a leaf. She also barked at the vet. Now I will have to get her a muzzle to go to the vet. She used to be SO good. The turning point was when she had that surgery back in the spring. Now, she starts shaking in the car and is going to be selective on which vet she gets.

I was studying the dog anatomy on a poster in the room today while we waited. I learned that dogs do have 'knees' but they are right above where their foot starts. You know how their foot bends backwards, its b/c their knee joint allows it. strange.

Anyway, we are home. Cleaning & laundry. I think I gave Erik my sickness because he is alseep on the couch & doesnt feel well. Evie is passed out with him.

20% off at Old Navy

Click HERE for the coupons!

Weekend

It's Friday! I have been home all week so this has been a strange week. Tonight, Evie and I are going to do some errands. We have to get our monthly household item trip done (read: cleaning items) at Target. I am going to stop by some other shops while I am down there to get a few small gifts. This way, we do not have to battle the crowds tomorrow.

Erik and I did the cleaning today while I was home including a re-org of his closet. What a mess. He says he cant ever find anything/has nothing to wear but I found a lot of stuff today! Tomorrow, we are just going to do the laundry & relax. At night, we have a Christmas party to go to!

Hope you have a great weekend. Can you believe it will be Christmas in 3 weeks! Only 2 more weeks of work - then adios 2009!

Shopping Deals

Here are some shopping codes courtesy of the Chloe Conspiracy!

ANN TAYLOR
Take 25% off your entire order with code "PRESENTS" plus receive free shipping on all orders $150.

BENEFIT COSMETICS
Buy more, save more! Save $10 on any purchase $50+ with codes "BBUCKS10", and $25 on any purchase $100+ with code "BBUCKS25" now through 12/9.

BLOOMINGDALES
Save up to 30% with "Buy More, Save More" now throgh 12/6 on specially marked items.

DANCING DEER
Save 25% on all holiday treats with code "SAVE25".

FOLICA
Shop the Folica.com 10-hour private sale starting at 12pm ET for incredible deals and up to 70% off products by Sedu, Chi, Solia, and Babyliss. INCREDIBLE! DEALS! EXCLAMATION POINT! Plus receive free shipping and a free gift bag with any purchase from the private sale.

J CREW
Take 25% off your entire order of $150+ with code "GIFTS" now through 12/6.

NINE WEST
Take 30% off your entire purchase online plus receive free shipping through 12/7, no code necessary.


URBAN DECAY
This is a nice little goodie- use code "NLDK" to get the Skull Eyeshadow Box for only $19- it's originally $36. For 9 awesome eyeshadows, that price is kind of sort of insane. Whoa.

Bocelli & Blige

Andrea Bocelli & Mary J recently sang together on Oprah. This duet is awesome. I mean, any duet with Mary J is awesome (Elton John, U2...)

Anyway, the video starts out with Bocelli with Natalie Cole singing a few yrs ago so just fast forward a little bit.

Thursday

Well I am feeling a little better. I slept a lot yesterday & last night. Today, I did some work and watched movies. So far this holiday season, I have watched White Christmas 2x, Little Women, Christmas with the Kranks, Santa Clause, and Santa Clause 3. There are a lot of good movies on ABC Family and Lifetime this week. Be on the lookout!

We picked Evie up from camp today rather than tomorrow to save $50! It was nice and quiet not having her here but of course, I missed her.

I am so tired still. I could sleep for another few hours this afternoon.

SICK

So I stayed home yesterday because I was sick. This AM, I still feel bad but I have to go to Dallas. We drop Evie at camp. In the car, I am getting hot flashes but sweating. Get to the airport. See my boss & 2 clients - they are like, oh you look sick. My boss was like - youre not going, go home. I got home and got right into bed and slept for 5 hours. Seriously at the airport, I was sweating and shaking. I dont have a temperature though. When I am sick, I just need to sleeeeeeeep so that is what I am going to do. :-(

Cute

New Lauren Graham

I heart Lauren Graham! She is going to be in the show Parenthood starting in March!!

Sunday

On Sunday, we ran the Run Wild 5K. It was a fun race & we got lots of goodies afterwards.

Erik finished #54 out of the 423 males that ran today.
7:13 mile pace
Came in 15th out of 70 runners in his age group
Came in 64th out of 1016 runners


I finished #261 out of 593 females
11:31 mile pace
I came in 536 out of 1016 runners
48th out of 90 runners in my age group

Then, we went to the 49ers/Jacksonville game. 49ers won!

Saturday

On Saturday, we were going to hike Lands End and go to the Disney Museum. We only made it on the hike!










I love this hike & love taking people on it. Beautiful views!! It was so windy - like 40mph!

After the hike, we decorated for Christmas. We put up the tree and made dinner. I think we were all asleep by 1030pm. haha. Good thing b/c on Sunday, we ran the Run Wild 5K at 830am!!

Friday

Last Friday, we did some fun stuff. First, we went to a Car Show. It was fun for about 30 mins and then I was ready to leave. haha. It was cool to see the new cars coming out.




AN Electric car! Will cost about $40K



Now, Erik wants a truck.



After the show, we went to see a Christmas Carol in 3D. It was cute & cool to watch in 3D.


Then, we went over to Union Square. The tree & ice skating rink were up. The lighting was later that day.




Me & Erik


Me & Dad



Macy's decorated for the holiday



We also stopped into the Westin St. Francis to see this castle made of sugar!

Thanksgiving

Last Wednesday, my Dad arrived around 7pm. We picked him up and went to Harry's for dinner.

On Thanksgiving, we watched the Macy's parade, had appetizers at home, and went out for dinner. We went to the Waterfront. Erik was the only one who had turkey! I had fish & Dad had steak. Afterwards, we played Trivial Pursuit and of course, watched Home Alone!!