Five Things

Posted on October 31, 2013 by 4evamaria

Happy Halloween eve everyone! (If that’s even a thing) Seems like the holidays are in full swing, and the pumpkins have taken over. They’re everywhere. In your lotion, in your beer. I could do a whole post on it. Someday soon!

Here’s this week’s “Five Things”:

(Meet the latest edition to my Jewelry stash/hoard, courtesy of H&M)

If you’re wondering, I do have magpie-like tendencies.

(Tazo “Rest” Tea)

One of my before bedtime favorites. With lavender & rose. Yum!

And…a little ballerina cake-topper. Something tells me she will make other appearances here in future.

(My nailpolish color matches the walls in my bathroom!)

Just an amusing observation. Forgive my scary hand in this photo.

(Speaking of Pumpkins: Meet Pumpkin Mumkin)

My latest Lush acquisition. He has a little licorice stem, chocolate chip eyes, and makes loads of orange blossom-scented bubbles. Trouble is, he’s too cute for his own good and I can’t bring myself to use him!

(Audrey Hepburn. Dancing. Enough said.)

Weekend Recap

Posted on October 28, 2013 by 4evamaria

Oh, hello! It looks like someone finally decided it was fall. It was so windy outside this Sunday, I ran in to Target to buy myself a hat and gloves. And yes, that’s the official story and I’m sticking with it! Now, I have a lovely little white beanie complete with a marabou poof keeping my head warm. This is clearly an essential.

Though I had no crazy, Halloween-themed parties to go to this year, I did have quite a few memorable things planned for the weekend:

Friday night featured a concert I had been looking forward to for quite some time. The one and only: “The Naked and Famous.” I had never been to the Fox in downtown Oakland, and the venue was 10 times more beautiful than I expected.

Fabulous view. Nosebleed seats and all.

I’d like to think that my 12 year-old self would have thought I was such the “cool kid.” Also had a wonderful time at Make Westing, both before and after the show.

My Saturday involved very fabulous girl time, afternoon tea, and a screening of Downton Abbey, Season 4. (Oh my goodness, such drama! The most dignified soap opera around.)

The menu included:

Scones, Blueberry Financiers,

Apple spice cakes with whiskey glaze

Flour-less chocolate cakes

Egg salad

& a variety of tea sandwiches .

Curried chicken, cucumber mint mascarpone, and smoked salmon.

And there was of course, tea. And wine. Which rendered my mother completely incapable of taking pictures, so no group photos for this bit, I’m afraid.

To top it all off, I got my Halloween wish by carving pumpkins with the lovely Rachel and the kiddos she watches.

The lovely Ella.

Not afraid of getting dirty, a firecracker, and great company. Her pumpkin had three eye, just FYI.

Edward. My lame, sandwich-eating (?) vampire pumpkin.

It’s an Avocado pumpkin!

(Avocado =the Wonderful company that Miss Rachel works for. It’s a free couples app- go download!)

We ended the evening with homemade noodle soup and caramel apple cookies. Very fall-festive.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekends as much as I did mine!

Love,

EVA

Five Things

Posted on October 24, 2013 by 4evamaria

Oh, hello everybody! Five special things from my life for this week:

(Views like this make excercising a little more fun.)

Hey there, little San Francisco!

(Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen. )

Simple cake with stone fruit. So very European, reminds me of my grandmother. This is one of my favorite recipes!

(Ummm…best cake topper ever.)

Speaking of weddings, has anyone not yet been to #myfriendsaremarried ? Because it’s also the best thing ever.

(Mango Pinkberry + Strawberries + Mochi + Coconut+ Hawaii= Love)

I have a bit of a Pinkberry problem.

And lastly:

Word.

That is all.

And then….

Posted on October 20, 2013 by 4evamaria

I’ve been spending a bit of time in my own head lately.

(Pause for reaction.)

Having early morning work hours has encouraged me to observe people and to absorb as much information as I can without being an outward “participant. Yes, I am only an aspiring morning person, not quite there yet. This morning, while standing around in the requisite meeting-circle (it’s like being a kid again, everyone is forced to “hold hands,” but no one really wants to) I looked around and had an epiphany. I use this word lightly, because I’ve had these thoughts germinating in my brain for quite a while. So many people, with their full time jobs and their bills to pay, etc. live their lives entirely unexamined. Once you’ve buried yourself in a world of responsibilities typical of adulthood, it’s very difficult to take a step back and ask yourself if you’re truly happy.

This question is not an easy one, and I think it scares a lot of people.

Like so many people I know in their mid-twenties, I’ve been subject to other peoples’ scrutiny, specifically in regards to the direction my life is headed. “How old are you? And you do what now? How’s that working out for you? What do you finances look like? Anyone special in your life?” And the best: “Oh, so you’re career oriented?” I just about fell over at that one. You can’t take it personally, no matter how bad this might make you feel on the wrong day. To these people, here’s how life’s usually supposed to go:

You finish school. You get a job. And then you meet someone. And then you get married. And then you have children….and then….and then….

People want to categorize your life in the same way that they have categorized theirs. And, consequently, you’re somehow instantly less threatening to other people, easier to understand, if your life follow’s this model. Too many people get caught up in running the routine of life, the “I should…” and the “I’m supposed to…” instead of doing what they really, really want to do. Remember what you wanted to be when you “grew up?” What the hell happened to that? Was anyone’s answer: “I want to do data entry!” or ” I want to be financial analyst for a corporation that cares more about it’s numbers than people!” I don’t think so.

But breaking away from this can be scary. Then again, if life isn’t giving you a good scare every once-in-a-while, what are you doing with it? I don’t want to wait until I’m older to see that there were opportunities I missed because I was too afraid, or because other people thought I should be doing something else. In short, take those chances, accept other people’s support, listen to that inner voice (however small) that’s telling you everything is going to be okay.

Five Things

Posted on October 17, 2013 by 4evamaria

Hello All! It’s time for Five Things…Wednesday? It doesn’t have as nice of a ring to it as Five Things Friday, but it’s a start.

And, because it’s been one of those weeks, we’re going to start with this:

(Prosecco & a Garden Gimlet. Because we’re classy broads.)

(One of my favorite quotes ever. I believe…)

(My new favorite hat. I will be a hat person this fall.)

And yes…I am aware the colors clash horribly, but sometimes you have to take a selfie when separated from your friends in what seems to be the world’s largest H&M. How else are you going to show them the cool things you find?!

(My favorite album of the moment. Blaring through my headphones on repeat.)

(And a puppy. My puppy. Someone just needs to go find him for me.)

Gotta love those brachycephalic dogs.

The Sunday Phenomenon

Posted on October 14, 2013 by 4evamaria

Everyone looks forward to the weekend. Friday night, then Saturday, then Sunday. They are, hands down, different from all the other days of the week. Now, being that I work six out of seven of them, I don’t really have the traditional weekend most 9-5ers experience. Despite that fact, I try to make my Friday and Saturday count. I’ll spend a reasonable amount of time out and about, go to bars and concerts, and out to dinner to reconnect with friends. Seeing as I live alone, there’s not that much excitement to be had at home. So out I go! I don’t let the long work hours get to me, and a small disco nap in the evening can cure almost anything. I say yes to all the invites, and put plans in motion when there are none. But as soon as Sunday rolls around, things get a little weird. There’s always brunch plans,farmers markets, and errands to run, but there’s also something I would describe as a general sense of restlessness. I have to admit, I was oblivious to this for a long time. I used to work short, sporadic hours, and often had Mondays off, so I was shielded from the impending threat of the work week for a while. Even so, you feel that last minute scramble to get everything done, to spend time with loved ones, and cram that last load of laundry in the dryer. Sundays sometimes involve good-byes, and most Sundays make me sad. It’s almost worse if you’ve had a good weekend, because, yes, it’s almost time to go back to work.

My immediate cure for the “Sunday blues” seems to have become ice cream. As I write, my fancy single scoop of Alameda Honey ice cream is melting next to me. A good shopping/cardio session also helps, but that’s only if running up your credit card doesn’t send you in to a panic later when the bill arrives, (hello adorable new dress from Madewell!). I like to keep things new and exciting, because then you don’t have to think about all the good things you would like to relive if you had a chance. I’ve always been a horribly nostalgic person, which can be problematic and very unproductive, especially when you have a big imagination. I’ll think about past events and the things that I might have done differently, worn different shoes or stayed out later. I’ve heard people talk about the practice of being grateful everyday, and it’s something I’d like to work on. I sometimes wish I could see wonderful times as they happen and appreciate them at that very moment. I wonder if this would make my Sundays feel less finite. I hope so.

Love,

EVA

Five Things

Posted on October 10, 2013 by 4evamaria

Hello All!

Today’s post is inspired by the lovely Cupcakes and Cashmere, a blog I avidly follow that’s the ideal combination of LA style and simplicity. Every week, I’ll feature five things that make me smile. Straightforward enough right? Let’s get to it!

(Jose Gonzales- Heartbeats)

I love love love this video. Something right out of child’s imagination, but even better because it features lovely San Francisco.

(Beautiful little IKEA candle holder, now doubling as a home for my favorite jewelry)

(Dahlias. Many many Dahlias from the local Farmer’s Market. )

(Vivienne Westwood shoes)

Yes, a beautiful impulse purchase. 100% recycled material & they smell like bubblegum. Seriously…..smell them. The adult equivalent of jellies.

(My most favorite, Buttercup)

I have recently dubbed her “Peanut Buttercup,” as this seems most appropriate for her size. Loving life, obviously.

Welcome to Watch Me Juggle!

Posted on October 7, 2013 by 4evamaria

Hello everybody! It’s been talked about for years, but I’ve finally sat down at my computer this evening and made it happen!

When I was younger I wanted to be a dancing forensic anthropologist-writer, like many people. I’ve got the dancing part down, and my fascination with forensic anthropology has been satisfied by the many Law and Order/CSI reruns I watch on a weekly basis. I believe it’s finally come time to tackle a little writing, or blogging, rather. Baby steps, people.

Question 1: Why “Watch Me Juggle?” Well, it all comes down to a little show (that many of you watch, but won’t admit it) called “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.” Specifically this clip, in which it’s main character, bless her, shows off her juggling skills. The result is something like this:

(Feel free to judge at any time, but I have a point, I promise.)

I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so hard. And, when I really started to think about it, it felt like the recurring theme of my life. Those of you that know me well, often know that I like to bite off a little more than is reasonable to chew. I like a challenge, and if I want to do five completely different things simultaneously, then I’ll do it. Currently, my life looks like something out of flash dance, but with less fun welding and more scanning official documents/pretending to be productive. Sometimes I have the time of my life, sometimes it backfires and rains down on my head. But I’ve never once regretted trying. If anything, we can all have a good laugh about it at the end of the day. After all, don’t most good stories start out with: “Hey, you guys! Remember that time when……?”

Love,

EVA