Five Things

Posted on April 20, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hi everyone!

My Five Things for the week are truly indicative of my life lately. Meaning, that my life has consisted of cold brew coffee/cocktails/coffee cocktails, inspirational Pinterest quotes, snarky T-shirts, and chocolate. In case you haven’t already noticed, I’m a horrible stereotype of a 20-something woman and need to be stopped. But, at the end of the day, at least I’m not accosting you with my crazy outfits from Coachella. You’re welcome.

Prizefighter is quickly becoming one of my favorite East Bay bars. It has everything you might need: snacks, delicious cocktails, and puppies. I often come here over other spots just to play with stranger’s dogs. They do get bonus points for having a section of their menu dedicated to alcoholic iced coffees. Win!

There’s the most wonderful little wine shop that sells European cheeses and chocolates. I like to stop by occasionally and grab lunch there while ogling all their treats.

My friend Rachel recently introduced me to a marvelous new thing: Creme de Violette. It makes your cocktails this beautiful violet color, and tastes amazing! I like it best in my gin and tonics.

Photo c/o Pinterest

Sometimes I wish life could be this simple. Perhaps it’s just up to you! Go get yourself some ice cream and forget about those people, and, although violence is never the answer, I’m sure there are a few individuals out there who merit this quote. Thanks for the wisdom, Frank Ocean.

Photo c/o Thug Life Shirts

A friend recently showed me this t-shirt and pronounced that it was entirely me. I also like hiking, as long as I can wear my yoga pants and bring my traveling latte. I could spend a great deal of time perusing all of the tops at Thug Life Shirts– they’re all hilarious. I could never decide on just one.

Until next time!

EVA♥

Evil Cookies

Posted on April 19, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Photo courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Those of you who know me, know I enjoy my baking endeavors. However, unlike many savvy bakers I know, I’m the kind of baker that can’t be bothered with certain things. If a recipe involves rolling, cutting, or, heaven forbid yeast, you can count me out. I live in fear of messing those recipes up, even though my friends insist they’re like any other. So, when I came across simple, yummy-sounding cookie recipes mentally stash them away for a rainy day, or a relaxing afternoon.

These potato chip cookies from my favorite food blog Smitten Kitchen seemed like they could either be odd or totally amazing- I’m glad to say that they were, hands down, the latter. I would go out on a limb and say that they were slightly evil as well. After all, how could something that consists primarily of butter, sugar, and potato chips not be delicious?

…

1 cup (2 sticks or 225 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt (optional, see note above)
1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans
1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium size bowl, cream butter and a 1/2 cup sugar together. Mix in salt and vanilla. Add the chopped pecans and crushed potato chips. When fully combined, stir in flour until solid dough forms. Place remaining sugar in a small bowl, roll small balls of dough in sugar, and place 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly (I used my hands, because I’m totally uncool and don’t have fancy tools like this), and sprinkle with any leftover potato chip flakes. (The original calls for a “potato chip salt,” but I couldn’t help but cut corners.)

Bake cookies until edges brown lightly- about 15 minutes. The final result is not unlike a pecan sandie, except exceptionally light and pleasingly salty.

I ate about two of these and suddenly realized that I had a problem. Being left alone in the house with over a dozen of these cookies, I could have easily eaten every single one; they were so good. I started frantically giving them away in batches to friends and family in an attempt to stop myself from overindulging! While some people were skeptical at the thought of potato chip cookies, everyone did agree that they were amazing. I think I’ll have to make another batch very soon.

Happy baking!

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on April 14, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

Five Things! Five Things! It’s time for Five Things. Not four, not six, FIVE. Can you tell that I’ve had some strong coffee today!? Surely the cookies haven’t helped much either. (Fun fact: I once accidentally published a “Five Things” with only four images. I always count before I publish now.) Even though my collection of Five Things is something I regularly post about, I sometimes struggle with finding a solid variety in my images. I’m the kind of foodie who enjoys snapping photos before an amazing meal, just so I can look back at it and reminisce. I know I’m not the only one. This, of course, leaves me with copious amounts of food pictures on my phone, and not too many pictures of my actual life. So, please enjoy pictures of some things that I ate and enjoyed recently, interspersed with some other life “things.”

I’ve become oddly fascinated with the Trouble Coffee Co. in West Oakland. It’s such a unique spot, and I’ve determined that their cinnamon toast must have some sort of crack in it. It’s that good. I recently took a friend of mine there and he was fascinated by the how pristine and white the whole cafe was. A little disarming, but lovely nonetheless.

*cue sassy, hand on hip dressing room pose*

The above outfit is brought to you by Athleta. Think you can only wear your yoga clothes to the gym? Think again! I popped this outfit on for work and fancy dinner, and was oh-so-comfortable. I’m loving their Destination Wide Leg Pants so much I might buy another pair.

The boss lady and I have the occasional ritual of visiting our favorite pizza joint, Hot Italian, in Emeryville after a long day of work. We always order their blood orange mimosas- they’re amazing!

As some of you might already know, I have a bit of a dry shampoo dependence. I’ve tried all kinds of brands, but my favorite has to be Batiste. They come in a great variety of fragrances (my favorite are the cherry and “wild” leopard print ones!), and really do give your second-day-hair that necessary boost.

My final food snap of the week is of this amazing spinach and shrimp risotto from one of my favorite local restaurants. I’m pretending that the puddle on the far left is broth, as opposed to a puddle of butter.

Yes, it was all delicious.

EVA♥

The Lady or the Tiger?

Posted on April 12, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hi everyone!

Today’s post is a little more substantial than my usual. Every once-in-a-while, I have some “deep thoughts” I like to share; I’m usually compelled to do so because I know at least one or two of you out there can relate. I’ve come to a bit of a crossroads in my life, and, it being a crossroads, you’re typically forced to make some decisions.

A little while back, my mother handed me a printout that she insisted I take home and read. She didn’t elaborate much after that, but was adamant that I look it over. It’s only three or so pages, so it doesn’t necessarily belong on a bookshelf, although I think the content is undeniably worth the binding, or a soft cover, at the very least. I expected it to be an article or a bit of self-help type advice, something to help me make sense of my life. It turned out to be a short story: “The Lady Or The Tiger?” by Frank Stockton. The story starts out like any other fairytale, depicting a kingdom in olden times, ruled over by a king. It’s certainly not a children’s story, as the king is “semi-barbaric” and his kingdom is unique in that, in lieu of a proper judicial system, there is an arena in which any person accused of a crime is given the choice between two doors. Behind one, a tiger and a horrific death, behind the other, a beautiful young woman and a wedding. (An awfully extreme kingdom, yes?) Chance dictates whether the accused receives one of the other. Things in the kingdom get a bit interesting when the king discovers his own daughter in love with one of his subjects, and immediately has him thrown into the arena to be “judged.” The princess, obviously invested in this particular case, makes it her business to know what lies behind each door on the day of the trial. Her love looks to her for guidance, and she secretly signals him to choose the door on the right.

“Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady?”

Apparently this tale is often used in academic settings as a teaching tool for comprehension and logic. The author leaves it entirely to the reader to decide. The princess has already lost her love, and it is up to her to then chose his fate. In the story, her mind is made, and she does not hesitate.

As the reader, you can’t but help imagine yourself in the princess’ shoes. This, of course, colors the outcome of the story. I shared and discussed the story with a friend of mine, and we both easily decided that the barbaric princess would have sent him to his immediate death. I think any woman who has ever been in love and had things not work out can relate. I oftentimes wish that the people I once cared about would simply disappear in a puff of smoke. Poof! Things would be so much easier. Admittedly, when asked about certain people in my life, I did once make big eyes and state the they had been “hit by a bus.” Funnily enough, the woman posing the question immediately understood my meaning. “Wow…that’s unfortunate.” I know, right…?

After finishing the story, I did have to ask myself that, were I to choose, would the outcome be indicative of my feelings for the person at stake, or of my general character? One would think the natural choice would be the lady- to be the bigger person and to wish them the ever clichéd “best.” And yet, strong feelings for someone can, somehow, easily bring out the worst in us. The boss lady once told me that she could recognize how passionately she felt about someone based on how angry they occasionally made her. You might argue that if your feelings are fundamentally platonic or indifferent, a disagreement or canceled plans would leave you unruffled. In this case, the princess knowingly sending the man to the lady would be somewhat palatable. On the contrary, it’s often easier to grasp at anger when you feel a profound sense of loss, especially when it’s over something entirely out of your control and when your decisions are made for you. When discussing the story, I once joked that there should be tigers for all of them.

I recently came across a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald that somehow manages to sum up those difficult feelings: “suddenly she realized that what she was regretting was not the lost past but the lost future, not what had been but what would never be.” At the end of the day, what touched me the most in the story was the awareness on the part of the princess that she had already lost. I’ve always been a big softie, and often to my detriment. Sometimes I find myself sad or fundamentally angry about things that never had a chance to materialize. I wonder if the princess in the story felt the same way. If she did, she might have perhaps chosen differently? Who knows…

EVA♥

Kids Continue to be Hilarious: Part 4

Posted on April 5, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

It’s finally time for Part IV of My “Kids Are Hilarious” saga (here’s Part I, Part II, and Part III)!

At this point, I’ve most likely forgotten the vast majority of ridiculous kid stories. It’s safe to say that they’re pretty much a constant in my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I often keep these little anecdotes in my back pocket to bust out in most social situations. Lull in the conversation? Share a kid story. Awkward silence in a meeting? How about a kid story? Need some good brunch conversation? BAM! Kid story! And, without further introduction, I give you a few of the most recent gems, straight out of my students’ mouths.

….

One of my students ran up to me one morning and excitedly pointed out that she was wearing “lipstick” that day. It was marshmallow lipstick. She then demanded “Do you want to smell my lips? Smell my lips!”

Twice a year, we open our studio space to visitors who would like to observe class. I’ve noticed that the littlest ones often bring the biggest entourages, which can be quite distracting at times. This last Visit Day, I had one of my students run up to her grandmother in the middle of class, lift up her tutu, turn around, and demand “Pinch my booty!! PINCH MY BOOTY.” She refused to dance until they had all done so.

Some of the best moments seem to happen when there is an audience present. On another Visit Day, while I was coaching the kids on how to properly stand at the ballet barre, one of my students decided to loudly elaborate on why we don’t hang on the barres: “Because, if you hang on the barres, they could fall on you and crack your head open and then there will be blood. Blood everywhere, and your brains could come out. And then you’ll cry and cry and then the ambulance has to come.” After this, I had to turn to our audience and reassure them that we had not had any major accidents involving the barres.

Although most of these quotes come straight from their little brains totally unbidden, I can usually count on our “talk time” during class (aka: the “Question of the Day”) to provide me with some interesting insight into their worlds.

In response to “What is your favorite flower?” We got: A Hi-biscuit.

“What’s your favorite kind of candy?“ A muffin…but with frosting.”That’s a cupcake, right?

A few weeks ago, I asked them what their favorite thing about springtime was. The answers were typical things like butterflies, rainbows, and sunshine. What I wasn’t expecting was for one of my students to yell “JESUS!! JESUS. He is the king!”

When I asked one of my students what her favorite sandwich was, I got something that sounded like “Iliiiithekiindwiththemannoooandapeaandda…. an’ wainnnbow sprinkles.” Needless to say, I sometimes have a hard time understanding her. However, I feel a little less bad when other students have an equally hard time. “At home, I have a Frozenyuckis!” While I asked her to repeat herself, one of the neighboring five-year-olds looked up at me, bewildered, and asked “What’s a yuckis?” I don’t know, kid. I really don’t know.

Maintaining a poker face can be difficult at times; especially when they volunteer things like “Oh! Cindy can’t come to class today, because she’s in New Hamster.” This place must also be somewhere near Pepsicola, Florida, a magical place we’ve also heard of.

I do appreciate these insightful outbursts. Sometimes, they’re really profound things like: “Look! I have two arms! I’m so cool!”

I have one little one that likes to dismiss her father in a not so subtle way each time he drops her off at class by loudly shouting “Bye! Bye Dad. BYE!!!!! BYE!!!!” until he leaves the room. We guess that he can’t quite take the hint.

And, on that note, BYE!!

EVA ♥

“Yes, Mom, I’m Still Single…and Fabulous!”

Posted on April 2, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hi all!

I have some very exciting news today- I have a guest blogger on Watch Me Juggle! A while back, my friend Kelsey asked if she could share some thoughts on my blog, making her my first official guest blogger. I met Kelsey my freshman year in college, when her across-the-hall-mate wandered into my dorm room one evening. The rest is history, as they say. Even though she lives quite a ways away from me now, we still regularly share thoughts on the typical subjects that preoccupy young, single women our age. You know: work, our hopes and dreams, Instagram, and how everyone seems to be meeting strangers on the internet and getting married. Nothing too scandalous, really. But, it’s on this last note that Kelsey wanted to elaborate. I’m really glad she did.

Without further ado, I give you: “Yes, Mom, I’m Still Single.”

…..

“So are you seeing anyone right now?” All single men and women approaching thirty have heard this line from parents and relatives. My mom asks me this almost every time I see her these days. I can tell she is getting concerned. She never used to ask me this, but the question has been popping up repeatedly over the past year or so. One time she really let her desperation show. “I don’t understand. You always had boyfriends in high school and college,” she said to me, as if my relationship status during my adolescence should have been a clear indicator of how successful I would be at landing a suitable husband at an appropriate age.

Maybe I am to blame. I haven’t introduced them to a guy since 2010. I have a policy of not telling them anything unless things are serious, and, frankly, I haven’t been at that point in a long time. Also, they might faint if they knew I dated a Republican that rode a motorcycle. Sometimes I will allude to past flings in my stories (“I toured and ate at a Google campus when I was seeing a guy that works there”), but that’s all they get. That’s because I know that my stepdad is the master of research and stalking. Any little sliver of information I accidentally let slip, he has already found the guy on Facebook. So, mum’s the word when it comes to sharing my dating life with my parents. Sorry, not sorry.

Recently, my mom asked again about my dating life. I said I was picky and not in a hurry, and she said I should give guys more of a chance. I interpreted that as her telling me to lower my standards. My parents would love to see me in a committed relationship because they worry about me and think a guy would take care of me. My stepdad used to text one ex-boyfriend to ask him to check the oil in my car. It makes me wonder if they have noticed that I have been a responsible, independent woman since I graduated college, even if I do fail at car maintenance. I even moved to Mexico City on my own without knowing a soul there! But no, a boyfriend would mean I was safe.

I have given them my spiel about enjoying being single and not wanting to give up my independence for someone not worth my time. I have complained about the dating scene and shown them a clip of Aziz Ansari describing the misery to Conan O’Brien. I’ve even explained that my generation is commitment-phobic because their generation has such a high rate of divorce. Most of the time, I just avoid the conversation by giving them a simple “no.” I know my friends also feel this pain. I recently shared a listicle titled “29 Brilliant Responses For When Someone Asks You Why You’re Still Single” with my friends in preparation of the Easter holiday weekend. My favorite line is, “I haven’t met anyone equally as fabulous!” Honestly, the worst part about being single is having to explain to others why you are single.

Let me state for the record that the single life is fun. I do not have anyone to answer to and I can be completely selfish. I can have dinner with this guy one night and that guy another. Or I can choose to stay in to wash my hair instead (which I have actually done). I can be friends with whomever I want and not have to worry about a boyfriend getting jealous when I spend time with a guy friend. I know that relationships have their own perks (travel partner comes to my mind first) and that falling in love can be an exciting adventure, but until I find someone who is worth my time, I am living my life the way I want. As Eva, the friend whose blog I hijacked for this post, stated, “Anyone can find some guy to hang around, but it is quality that is important.”

It seems like my arguments have not fallen on deaf ears. This week, my mom sent me two articles about the single women epoch and being single at 30. Also, she was told by a fellow juror that she shouldn’t pressure me and provided his own anecdote of his daughter marrying a loser. Thanks, stranger (although I am not exactly stoked to know that my mom was complaining about my singlehood at jury duty). My advice to my fellow single ladies (and gents) is to not let the pressure from society and family get to you. Move at your own pace, and don’t settle! You do you, boo boo!

Kelsey is an independent woman living a happy, sunny life in Santa Barbara. She loves her parents, despite their concerns about her lack of a boyfriend.

Five Things

Posted on March 31, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

The last two weeks have been interesting, to say the least. I feel like I’ve finally adjusted to whole “spring-forward” time debacle (who would have thought one hour would make that big of a difference?!), but I have no idea where the entire month of March went. Anyone? Has anyone seen my March lying around? If so, please return it to its rightful owner.

I’ve had a terribly hard time balancing my busy schedule. I’m very comfortable with busy, but when I suddenly have a day all to myself, I find myself going into total retreat mode, talking to no one and having no idea what to do with myself. I cured this this past weekend by visiting the local farmer’s market, baking some brownies, and being generally lazy. Laziness can be wonderful, in moderation, of course. This week’s Five Things are snaps from the nice, somewhat-lazy moments in my week:

I absolutely love lilacs, but rarely allow myself to buy them during the few times I find them in season. This weekend was different, and I’m so glad I did!

I’ve been on a horrible avocado toast kick as of late. I had the very same meal pictured several days in a row, something I almost never do. To keep things interesting, I like making toast with fresh mozzarella, sea salt, garlic olive oil, and tomatoes to accompany the avocado toast.

One of my favorite spots in downtown Oakland has to be Make Westing. I love their garden gimlet cocktails with fresh mint, basil, and cucumbers. It’s like salad in a glass!

I recently had the pleasure of attending the wedding of a former coworker of mine. The invite itself was intended for my mother, but due to a series of unfortunate events, I ended up going instead! I loved the little Tiffany and Co. themed favors at each table, each filled with customized M & M’S. Very cute.

I absolutely love my Nespresso machine (read all about it here!). I got to take advantage of the “self-selection” vault the other day at the flagship location in San Francisco. All I needed was my credit card and my Nespresso key-fob and I went wild! Helping yourself to all the different coffee selections can be quite fun. Let’s face it, it’s probably the only “exclusive club” I’ll belong to for a long while.

Until next time!

EVA♥

Cookie…Beer?

Posted on March 24, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hey all!

On a dark and stormy night not too long ago, I made my way to Woods Beer Co. in downtown Oakland to partake in some cookie beer. You heard me right…Cookie. Beer. It’s as fun as it sounds.

This year marked the second annual release of Woods’ limited edition Girl-Scout-cookie-inspired line of beers. There was a little something for everyone: two ales, a dubbel, a stout, and a porter. As usual, I couldn’t decide and immediately settled on trying all of them in one fell swoop. In the spirit of Girl Scout themed things, along with my beer flight, I was surprised with my very own Bay Area merit badge for hill parking. As I was never part of a troupe when I was younger, this made me inordinately happy. There were also badges for water conservation, bearing the words “Let it Mellow,” and something that had to do with excellence in saving seats at the bar. Driving around San Francisco as much as I do, my prowess definitely lies in hill parking.

The beer itself was delicious, of course. I was surprised that I enjoyed the golden shortbread ale and the peanut butter cream ale the most. I usually tend to gravitate towards darker beers (namely porters and stouts). I was also very intrigued by the beer version of a thin mint: the chocolate peppermint porter. The first few sips reminded me quite a bit of peppermint tea. Woods also gets major points in my book for pairing each beer alongside each cookie that inspired it. I enjoyed taking sips of my beer interspersed with bites of cookie. It was the perfect activity for a rainy Saturday night in, although I would highly recommend it any day of the week. I’m hoping to visit the brewery again soon to grab a big glass of shortbread-flavored ale and collect another merit badge or two. Apparently, you can have your cake (cookie?) and drink it too!

EVA♥

Girls’ Weekend

Posted on March 18, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hi all!

My friend Emily made a quick jaunt from her home in AZ to the Bay Area for work a while back, and I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with her. I wish I could say that the weather here behaved for my desert-dwelling friend but alas, that is not at all the case. However, I can’t remember the last weekend I did so many fun things! We certainly made the most of it.

I tried…okay. My giant hand is in the shot, and such is life. What matters is that we’re ecstatic about our coffee. Also, can we also take a minute and gawk at Emily’s vintage earrings. So sparkly!

Meanwhile, outside….it consistently looked like this:

Windy, dreary, cold buckets o’rain. But, that didn’t stop us from having a good time!

Friday’s itinerary involved delicious sushi and drinks at Prizefighter in Emeryville, where the rain let up enough for us to enjoy the patio and meet countless dogs. Saturday involved a pit stop at Trouble Coffee before popping on the freeway and heading to my favorite places in wine country. I finally got to sink my teeth into the ahi burger at Gott’s, albeit hiding from the rain with dozens of other people outside. We followed lunch up with some wine tasting at one of my new favorites in Yountville: Jessup cellars. We almost walked away with a totally indulgent bottle of port- amazing when paired with disks of dark chocolate. I highly recommend checking them out, if you’re ever in the area!

We ended the evening with drinks and dancing at Blondie’s in San Francisco’s Mission district, followed up by late-night tacos at Pancho Villa. Emily was a good sport when I dragged her out of bed early the next morning to grab dim sum at a local spot. I would like to think that her first dim sum experience was worth the early morning. Look at that expression! That’s how I feel when I get up and get to eat egg custard buns too. After eating, we zipped across town and got our nails done to start the next week off right.

EVA ♥

Five Things

Posted on March 17, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Five Things is back! I’ve missed sharing my day-to-day snaps of random things that pique my interest. Photography is not at all my strong suit, but I’m aiming to get better at it. Thank goodness for the nice cameras on the iPhone 6! Without further ado, here are the latest “things”:

I couldn’t help but take a photo of this beautiful display of flowers in a home decor store in downtown St. Helena. Real or fake? I leave it up to you.

I recently got a chance to catch up with some old co-workers of mine on the back patio of one of my favorite spots in Hayes Valley. We each ended up ordering a different color of wine. If you guessed that the Sauvignon blanc belonged to me, you are correct!

My world-traveling friend Rachel brought this little treat for me back from her recent jaunt to Argentina and Antarctica. While we knew it was a cookie, we had no idea what flavor. Apparently Tita is an Argentinian chocolate-covered, lemon cookie sandwich. You learn something new everyday.

My friend Emily was in town recently, and I dragged her all over the entire Bay Area in search of impressive food and drinks. We actually ended up making two stops at Trouble Coffee in West Oakland, if for the toast alone. Pictured above is their peanut butter and honey variety, but my favorite is easily the cinnamon toast. Nom.

Image c/o Pinterest

The boss lady and I have been pinning our hearts out on Pinterest lately, and enjoy sending each other things. The above image ended up in my messages one morning with the caption “For my traveler.”

Until next time!

EVA♥