Eat

• Leopold’s: German food, great flatbread and chicken dumpling soup. Wait was 1.5 hours, so get there early to at least put your name in and then go to Tonic for a drink (see below). Ask to see the 5 liter stein!
• Nopa: Great brunch. Possibly the best I’ve ever had. We shared a bunch of things, including the french toast, farm baked egg and sugar spice donut. It’s best to make a reservation in advance. Also check out Nopalito, their sister restaurant. Be sure to try the Killer Bee cocktail.
• Dino’s: To be honest, we only went here because the line at Delfina was long and their food isn’t anything special. But you can sit down and get decent food in a matter of minutes. Oh, and it only costs about $10 for an entree or pizza.

Drink

Note: We didn’t drink at the museum, but they did have a cafe

• Tonic: Got there early while we waited for our reservation and were able to sit and chill. The fresh made greyhounds were awesome and may be my favorite new cocktail. It started to fill up when we were heading out at 9.
• Bourbon and Branch: This was the the coolest bar we went to by far. You may have seen it on this season of The Bachelor. Sure, you’ll wait outside for a little while before getting in, but they make sure that it doesn’t get too crowded in there. The bartenders are true mixologists. I ordered a French 75 … or two. May want to get reservations in the main part of the building to get the full experience.
• Solstice: Started the night with another French 75 here. Good scene, good DJ, good drinks — and I hear they make a killer mac ‘n cheese if you’re hungry.
• Lion Pub: While it may be a “marina overflow” bar, the vibe is pretty good and the greyhounds were almost as good as Tonic’s. Room to sit if you get there early.

Play

• Walt Disney Family Museum: One of the best museums I’ve been to. As you might imagine, the info about Walt Disney is presented in a fun and interesting way. It takes a couple hours to go through and is in the beautiful Presidio. There is a nice lawn in front that would be great for a picnic. Bring a valid AAA card for a $5 discount on adult tickets!
• Crissy Field: Walk to Crissy Field and the beach area from the museum. It’s a nice walk with great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz on a clear day.
• Palace of Fine Arts: Always good for a photo op, it’s walkable from Crissy Field and is interesting for a walk around the property. Seriously, there were engagement and wedding photos going on while we were there.
• Shops on Marina: Check out Chestnut St. in the Marina for some cute shops, bars and restaurants.

Have you had fun girl time lately?

I had planned to write a bunch of party tips, but realized that I already did that… Add the fact that I’ve worked late a bunch lately and haven’t had time for writing and pictures, I thought I’d just repost it in case you missed it the first time around.

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My favorite football team will likely not make it to the Super Bowl in my lifetime. Does that stop me from wanting a good party? No way, Jose Canseco. Whoops, wrong sport. Last year was my first time hosting such an event, and I thought I would pass along some tips.

Get in the spirit

Your team isn’t in the game? Who cares. Pick a favorite, dress in the team color and get ready to cheer, jeer, boo and hiss with your friends. Also, feel free to channel your favorite late female rapper like me.

Get your grub on

People don’t want to move away from the tube, so make sure the food is readily accessible. Set out chips, pretzels and candy on a coffee table or a side table. If it’s a big gathering, consider making mini food stations on TV tray stands so people don’t have to block the view to grab a bite.

Don’t feel pressured to buy all the food, either, many people will be glad to help out. To prepare, make sure you have extra bowls and trays on hand to add to the spread.

Go high tech

Set your DVR/TiVo to record the game and start watching a little after real time. This way, any late game-day goers won’t miss out on the fun. Best of all, when you’re wanting an instant replay of a sweet play (or want to laugh two, three, heck, even four times at a funny commercial), you can rewind to your heart’s content.

Care to make a friendly wager?

Not a football fan? Not a problem. You can make it a game that doesn’t have to do with knowing stats or rules. One classic is the score pool (http://www.ehow.com/how_13677_set-super-bowl.html), where you guess the score on a grid. You can select winners for each quarter, at particular times or just at the end of the game.

Another game can be catered to those in-the-know or who just came along to have fun. Come up with a list of things that will (or are likely to) happen during the game and have everyone give a guess for the answer. For example: who will catch the first touchdown, what company will be featured in the first commercial, etc. Whoever has the most correct guesses wins.

While I’m not a huge fan of gambling, I’ll gladly wager a Cold Stone ice cream. That way, at least the loser will still get a fun time with a friend. Another option is to have prizes like small gift cards, fun food, beer or wine.

Our biggest hit

Let’s face it, often times, the actual football game can be pretty boring. Putting the extra touch on some of the party details can make it feel like an event, rather than just any old Sunday football game. These team-logo cupcakes — made by my friend Christine (above) and her friend Maxine — were by far the biggest hit of the day.

What’s your favorite part of a Super Bowl party?

Then my friend Christine gave me one of the Sally Hansen colors for Christmas last year (Kook-A-Mango, which is the pinky orange above). I had previously bought OPI when I found it on sale. OPI’s formula was good, but the colors were mostly bland and it was more than I wanted to spend. The thing that most impressed me about the Sally Hansen polish was that it was less than $7, had great colors and its brush was slightly rounded. I’m surprised that it took so long for someone to figure out that a rounded brush meant salon-quality results at home.

I should note that I wasn’t comped or anything to be doing this review and giveaway. I just really love the product and wanted to share the love. So I’m giving away my favorite color: Commander in Chic, which is gray with the slightest touch of purple.

Here’s how to enter:

• Comment on this post and tell me about your favorite beauty product.
• Share a link to this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook for an extra entry. Then leave an additional comment on this post to have it count as a second entry.

Please only one entry per person/IP address. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m., Feb. 3. U.S. residents only, please. Good luck!

Of course your spouse should love you no matter your appearance, but I’m convinced that staying at the top of your game can help keep that spark alive. I’m also convinced that when you’re looking your best, you’re feeling pretty good too. Here I use myself as an example:

This look can only be described as: meh. (You know, the sound you make when you shrug in indifference.) At my former job, we were very casual. As in, we wore jeans most days. Heck, I could even get away with wearing my Uggs to work. Over the years, I would wake up, look at my clothes, shrug and throw something together. I wouldn’t put much effort into doing my hair and my makeup wasn’t very interesting. I didn’t look bad, but now that I look back on it, I realize that my appearance showed my apathetic attitude.

Fast forward to now. Sure, the photo above is at our Christmas party this year and is therefore not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, but it’s an outfit that I’ll often wear to work. (The “everyday me” would involve adding a black cardigan and having straight hair.) I’m happy at my new job, which is one of the reasons why I’m no longer apathetic about how I look. Not to mention, our dress code is business casual and we get to wear jeans maybe once a year. I’ve had to update my wardrobe with dresses, skirts, dress pants and heels. I now style my hair every day and put effort toward my makeup.

While I used to think it wasn’t worth the effort, I now realize that it is. I can’t tell you how much better I feel about myself. While my wardrobe change isn’t the entire reason for feeling so great, I think it’s a good outward sign of being happier inside.

If I can do it, you can too! Here are some simple tips to updating your wardrobe:

• Get inspired: When you notice a cute outfit on someone or while browsing through a catalog, make a mental note of what exactly made the outfit pop to you. Was it a pair of shoes, a piece of jewelry or a style of top? Keeping a list of these ideas will be a big help when it comes time to shop. I’ll be back later to share some of my favorite inspirations.
  
• Pare down your casual clothing items: We’re talking T-shirts and jeans, mostly. You probably don’t need as many of them as you have. Keep only your favorites and donate the rest. For some shirts that you can’t part with: keep some for working out and get rid of the grubby ones.
• Buy the basic staples and buy high quality items: For starters: get two pairs of work pants (one black and one gray, for example) and get two pencil skirts (these look good on most everyone and are now my favorite style of skirt). You’ll want these to last a while and get a lot of wear, so don’t go too cheap on these. Banana Republic has been having good sales lately, and I got a great pair of pants for $45 (originally $98). H&M also makes some good work pants and skirts.
• Buy versatile items: Now when I go shopping, I ask myself if the item I like could be dressed up and down. Your best bets? Cardigans and loose button down blouses.
• Don’t forget accessories: This is still a work in progress for me, but it can really make your outfit sing. While I’m willing to spend on my clothing staples, I find that I can save on my accessories by shopping at places like Forever 21 and Target.

One other tip I have is to pick out your clothes the night before so you’re not scrambling to come up with a good outfit. You could even plan your entire week’s outfit on a Sunday night if you’re an overachiever.

Also, don’t feel like you need to be shopping all the time. I go shopping for clothes far less than I used to. I also am smarter about what I spend on (the dress above, for example, was only $20 at Target!). Once you have your basic staples, you will see how far they can go in your wardrobe.

Now that I’ve put the challenge out to the interwebs to look your best, I guess I really need to stay on top of my game!

First, we did another CrossFit workout on Saturday morning followed by a long walk with a dear friend. These days, I realize, with warm weather and good friends, are the best of days. Our weekend ended with some leftover prime tri tip from Costco. Matt grilled it to perfection and we paired it with some salad, rosemary bread and a bottle of wine.

Sure, these weekends seem pretty ordinary. Really, though, they are filled with what life is all about: friends, family, sunshine, working hard and good food and drink. Can’t beat that. Here’s to many more extraordinary ordinary weekends in 2012!

What were you up to this weekend?

I actually spent this New Year’s Day reorganizing/cleaning my pantry. It took 2.5 hours, but it was well worth it.

Food

• Tame your tupperware
• Organize snacks for portion control
• A well stocked and organized pantry
• Cheap and easy grocery coupon holder

Storage

• Cleaning out the closet
• Bins for a better garage
• Kicking shoe mess to the curb
• Revamp a memo board for mail, key and note storage
• Cleaned up laundry nook

Favorite Organizing Resources

• I Heart Organizing
• I’m an Organizing Junkie
• Declutter Calendars from My Simpler Life
• Pinterest (Follow Emily and Megan)

I hope some of these links might be helpful. Happy organizing!

Happy New Year!

Last year, I debated whether I should even bother with resolutions. The year before, I tried to inspire change by five words and inspirational art. I’ve already talked about my varied success in reaching last year’s goals, so here’s what I’ve come up with for 2012:

• Stay active. Specifically, I’d like to do two CrossFit workouts a week, plus a hike once a week.
• Drink more water. I’m weird because I could go most of the day without drinking it or anything else and not notice. This is bad. I’ve even downloaded an app on my iPhone to help me get into the habit!
• Have fun. This sounds silly, but hear me out. I want to say “yes” to more things in life. Sometimes, my initial reaction to fun things is “no” and is quickly followed up by some lame excuse. Also, with the idea of possibly starting a family in the next couple years, I want to live out my last “kid free” years to the max!
• Build something with my dad. This was actually a quiet goal for last year that didn’t happen. My dad is really good at woodworking and welding, and I want to learn and bond with him. After all, I used to love watching This Old House with him when I was a kid. First up is planters and hopefully a side table.

Of course I want to keep an uncluttered house, floss daily, eat better and all that jazz, but for now I like my little list. If we go too crazy, we may throw in the towel on all of them. I liked what Jess at Makeunder My Life had to say on the subject: “Recognize that the optimal ideal you are seeking is within yourself right this very moment. It simply needs to be nourished and uncovered.”

Here’s to a year of honing in on my strengths and building up new ones!

Emily and Megan on Christmas Eve with the traditional glass of sparkling wine.

Merry Christmas from your favorite (devil eyed possessed) bloggers.

My first Ramos Gin Fizz. Very tasty.

We can’t break tradition! Every year I leave out cookies for Santa and ever year they’re eaten.

We managed to squeeze in a picture with Santa and some more cousins.

Megan and Matt with the Christmas tree in Union Square.

Christmas morning with the holiday log on TV since our fireplace stopped working.

I made my own orange rolls, which are another family tradition.

Matt and I about to open our presents. My MC Hammer bobblehead photobombed in the background.

There were a few rounds of Wits and Wagers, the game of choice this year.

And I got a chance to see my little nephew, too!

It was a very merry Christmas — one of the best yet! We hope yours was great as well!

This is Ashley and me at Foodbuzz enjoying some gin. We’re both gin fans, by the way, she more than I though.

It all started out with a BART ride into the city. While not the most glamorous mode of transportation — very much the opposite, in fact — it is more fun when you try to get artsy, err, BARTSY photos with Instagram. I’m a little bummed that we forgot to take pictures of us fist pumping. Next time, for sure.

I’m not a huge coffee fan, but after all the raving over Blue Bottle I decided to have some. The verdict? My cappuccino was great,  I’m not sure that I am enough of an expert to say if it was better than something else. Maybe I should have ordered my usual mocha to pass judgement. Again, next time.

You can’t go wrong with a breakfast sando, which was fried egg, bacon and cheese on an awesome roll. The view wasn’t shabby, either.

As we meandered through the farmers market, we found these flavored sugars. I remembered these from the last time I went. So interesting! I liked the lemon verbana flavor the best.

We were glad to stumble upon the Frog Hollow Farm stand to find their amazing pears. Sure, they’re stinkin’ expensive, but when in Rome…

Have you heard of a meat cone? You know, different meats in a snack-sized cone? Well, now you do. Didn’t eat these myself and don’t think I really want to.

This contraption stopped us — and a few other gals — dead in our tracks. This guy had a half of a huge wheel of cheese and held it under a heater, where it would get nice and bubbly. He then scraped it off with a knife onto some toast. A-maz-ing. I need one of these at home.

I was excited to stop by Miette for some macarons, since they’re famous now and Ashley and I didn’t get any macarons at Foodbuzz (not that I’m bitter … OK I totally am). The hazelnut flavor was just OK, the chocolate lavendar was far superior. Yet, these were really chewy. Aren’t macarons supposed to be light and airy, and a bit more crunchy? Jillian definitely wins this battle of adorable French confections, in both the flavor fun and overall quality categories.

And, just for fun, I found what a I want for Christmas:

Ignore my apparent buckteeth…

I had so much fun and can’t wait to go back! What did you all do this weekend?

Bailey as a puppy.

Kody on the way to the dog park.

And who can forget Megan’s kitties? Now bigger, I still love this picture of them.

Sometimes when Matt isn’t around I would especially love to cuddle with a furry friend. One day! Do you have any pets?