It is mighty cold out there. And San Francisco still has many rainy days ahead. But I am starting to feel ready for Spring now that Christmas is over. Maybe because I saw that the ferns had sprouted on my walk to work this morning. The city ferns magically appear on rocks and bricks all…

My aunt Sally gave me a copy of the Real Simple Celebrations book over the holidays. It is full of some really cute ideas for throwing all kinds of parties. And one of the features included is free invitation template downloads. You can browse all nine online at realsimple.com/celebrations. Most of the invites are pretty…

What a lovely Christmas! The last six days have been full of family, feasting, generosity and celebrations. This is a looong post: Rob and I drove down on Thursday night to San Luis Obispo and arrived to a huge bowl of spaghetti and hungry family. We had a delicious dinner with my parents, aunt Lucie,…

I’m going to be out of town and offline for the holidays Friday through Thursday. We’re going to my friend’s wedding tomorrow night. And will then be celebrating Christmas with my parents, sister, sister’s boyfriend, brother, nephew and aunt. It is a full house this year! Our family holiday traditions involve a lot of relaxing,…

Watch out world, I have an ice cream maker! I got to open my big Christmas present at home last night (because it wouldn’t fit in the giant waterproof duffel bag full of gifts that we strap, santa-style, to our Miata trunk rack each year). Rob bought me a stainless steel cuisinart ice cream maker.…

Mmm….We had the best dinner last night! Matt came over and I decided to finally complete that tomato soup I started with the tomatoes we picked in Fresno. I paired it with grilled cheddar, apple and bacon sandwiches and a salad. I’m not usually a fan of tomato soup but this batch made me a…

This is the last advent calendar post before I take off for the holidays! In honor of that, I’ve chosen Rob’s fantastic Christmas card photo as our final picture: It is a tradition each year for Rob to stage an over-the-top photo of me for our Christmas cards. Last year it was in Union Square…

Despite what you may hear, San Francisco does not really have good Mexican food. At least not compared with what you can get in Southern California. We have plenty of taquerias, but most are filled with not-warm-enough beans, not-spicy-enough salsa and inappropriate fillings like steamed eggplant and tofu. There is one saving grace: San Francisco…

Since your outfit will be recorded for posterity forever in family albums, it is worth taking a few minutes to plan what to wear on Christmas morning : Pajamas – I am a bit of a connoisseur of satin pajamas. The kind with the brushed back are best (more breathable and warm) and white always…

Christmas cookies, the kind that are decorated until unrecognizable with frosting and sprinkles, are a favorite tradition. Rob is a very creative and detailed decorator, the kind who will meticulously sort and line up sprinkles. I take a much more abstract approach. Today’s advent calendar photo is of our final creations. A mass of sprinkleage…