party in a box

Want to throw an awesome indie-decorated party that looks so dang crafty, but have none of the time to DIY create it all yourself?
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Then, my friends, I think I’ve found your solution with ACME Party Box Company.
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They have custom sets ready to go with centerpieces, individual settings, bunting, flags, and more all in little sets. Pretty nice for a party on the fly! And even if you’re not interested in buying… it’s a great place for inspiration for your next fete!

formspring answers #2

It’s been quite awhile since I posted some formspring answers on my blog (hello! it was before the baby!)… so I thought I’d bring a few more answers over here!
[p.s. you can ask  me a question by just clicking here… or entering it over on the sidebar to the right!)

Favorite restaurant in Sacramento?

Ella (elladiningroomandbar.com)

Adore the style, the menu and oh my goodness the drinks! Think they
allow strollers in the bar area?

What is your favorite TV character and why?

I can’t pick just one… I really really can’t!

1) Rick Castle (of CASTLE): smart, witty, charming, totally willing to
make a fool of himself, incredibly deductive and a great father.
Watching CASTLE brightens up any day!

2) Patty Hewes (DAMAGES): evil personified. You think you understand her
and then… BAM… you realize she just did something you can’t imagine
she would do (either good or bad).

3) Rachel Berry (GLEE): Completely unabashed about who she is and what
she loves. She reminds me a lot of myself in middle school before I
realized that it wasn’t cool to be that way I shut myself in. I honestly
catch myself saying aloud, “I LOVE HER!” during every episode at least
2-3 times!

How many blogs are you subscribed to?

My Google Reader currently has 326 subscriptions — not sure if
that’s good or bad?

How tall are you? Did you wish that you were shorter
when you were growing up?

I’m 6’1.

I’m not going to lie and say that being tall was any sort of fun as a
teenager. I hit 5’11 by age 12, and even at the end of middle school
there were very few guys in my class that were taller than me. Height is
a very defining feature and it took a long time to just be ok with it
– thank you again mom and dad for my all-girls high school education! (I
can guarantee you I would have crumbled in any other setting.)

I’m not sure I ever wanted to be shorter though — just more “normal” –
if that makes sense? I adore seeing over crowds and being tall, but I
hate limiting my shopping to online stores, getting strange looks if I
wear heels, and people STILL asking me if I played b-ball/volleyball
growing up.

If you were to write a book, what would it be about?

I’d write a biography, because I love getting enriched in a
subject! I’d pick either Captain Cook, Darwin or Martha Stewart. Cook
and Darwin — adventurers who visited amazing locales (which I could
also visit?) and Martha because I could shadow her and see how in the
heck she really does everything that she does.

If I had to write it on something I knew about… I’d choose to write on
my inner-city teaching experience and the contrasts between my
positions at a failing school and a successful charter school.

A totally self-serving question because I need advice
and you are both tall and stylish: Where do you shop for clothes that
fit?

Two years ago, I vowed that I’d buy the majority of my clothes in
tall sizes… which often means online shopping at certain stores:
Banana Republic, Gap and J Crew. And while it gets depressing some
times, I realize how much better my wardrobe is because of it! If you’ve
ever washed a shirt to have it shrink 3 inches and be unwearable, you
totally understand my plight!

It doesn’t mean I stay away from non-tall styles though, and often find
luck at Club Monaco and French Connection. I also buy lots of
independent brands through sample sales (online mainly now) that I know
are made for a taller fit model. Favorite dress maker: Catherine
Malandrino hand down!

I’m not going to lie though – shopping can be very depressing. But if
you know you can’t buy it unless it fits, you’ll save yourself some
money! Just ask Mr. M about the sad J Crew yellow peacoat episode…
silly arm length!!!

I’m desperate to live in Cali someday – what’s your
favorite thing about living there?

Oh goodness… California just has everything. We have the beach,
the best snow/mtns for skiing, the fruit and veggies are as fresh as you
can get, and just about everything else you can think of.

But I do have to say, from a totally practical point of view, that no
one should move here unless you have to…. I’m a die-hard California
girl but it costs a heck of lot to live here and our state govt is going
down the drain.

But if you hit a personal lottery of some sort, do it and you won’t be
sad. You can even not live on the coast and it’s awesome…

My husband is sad you didn’t consider “Billie Jean”
for your child’s name. Now that baby M is born, can you let us know what
other names you were seriously considering (both boy/girl)?

I’ll share the names because I’m sure it’ll be awhile before we get
to use them!

The other 3 names on the table:

Girl – Charlotte

Boy – Kieran James or Jonathan

Is there a food item that you’re ashamed or
embarrassed that you love? What is it and what makes it so
embarrassing/shameful?

KFC Famous Bowls.

I don’t know why it’s shameful… but there is something ghetto-fabulous
about chicken, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy with cheese on top.
Everytime I crave it or indulge in one, I feel so guilty… like I’ve
committed a food crime of some sort!

What’s the most surprising thing about being a mom so
far?

How quickly the days fly by! My little girl is 2 weeks old
tomorrow… and the days just keep flying into one another! I completely
understand now why people go crazy taking photos everyday and tell you
to savor every moment!

(Most of this has to do with days running into nights and then running
into days again)

What’s a bad habit of yours that you’re looking to
kick?

sending thank you notes too late… I need to send them more
immediately than I do! I’m trying to change that right now with the baby
– but then I had to make them (of course) and the envelopes won’t
arrive until today… so I’m already breaking this new resolution.

If you could have the ability to know what everyone
thought about you, the good and the bad, would you want to know or would
you choose ignorance?

Complete and total ignorance! Maybe knowing would alleviate some of
my neurotic tendencies, but I’m not sure it would not help me overall
in life.

summer yummies: bruschetta, chocolate and brie

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When Mr. M is out of town, I throw back to my single days and often make silly things for dinner. Last Tuesday was no exception, as I stopped off at the store to buy some fresh bread but felt a bit uninspired to cook much since it was so darn hot out. I figured I’d stay simple, so I turned on my Giada Italian switch and made both bruschetta and a brie & chocolate panini for dinner.
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Bruschetta is incredibly easy to make and so delicious to devour. Once you have the basics of the bread prep down, you can top the toast with just about anything you like! Just cut the ciabatta into small pieces, brush with olive oil, and set on a grill/grill pan to toast. After about 2 minutes per side, sprinkle lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper over top.
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For Tuesday, I decided on a simple ricotta cheese topping with ricotta, tomatoes, and mint. Simply mix up the ingredients, add a dash of salt/pepper, and nosh away!
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Now, as for that Brie and Chocolate panini? Can I say that one you have one you’ll crave one every day of the week! Seriously… it’s like the best grilled cheese sandwich ever! And again, the ingredients and prep are so darn simple… remember, I’m home alone with the baby! Just set-up your panini press (or grill pan and press plate), line your bread with slices of brie, sprinkle chocolate chips on top, and then top with a layer of chopped up fresh basil and press! It’s the basil that makes the whole thing insanely delicious, so don’t forget your greens.
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So there you have it… simple meal for a hot day and a tired woman. I can’t wait to make Baby M some chocolate and brie sandwiches when she gets older… I think she might end up as the coolest kid on the block for that meal!

my whole life may soon be played out on a series of iMovie snippets…

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With my new iphone, I found myself testing out its videotaping capacity quite a bit over the past few weeks. It’s a new toy… and having a video camera at your beck and call 24/7 is a pretty sweet option to have! Then, I decided to buy into Steve Job’s hype and download the new iMovie app for OS4.0. Many of the reviews were quite poor on the original release, but the update they provided on July 6th allegedly fixed most of the problems that people were encountering.
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Now can you guess what happened? Yes… I made a movie on my iphone. It’s definitely not the best movie ever made, it has definitely has a lead actress (not me), and might just eat up 2.5 minutes of your life that you’ll never get back. But it’s Friday… and you probably want to be home as much as I do right now… so procrastinate and watch it if you like!
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p.s. it features my 2010 summer anthem  as well!

fourth of july in Tahoe

This past holiday weekend, we escaped the Valley heat and headed up to Lake Tahoe for a bit of rest and relaxation. My parents had rented a house to celebrate their anniversary (Tahoe is one of their fav spots to do so), so we packed up Memphis and the baby and headed on up the mountain.
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The weather over the weekend was spectacular – 80′s all weekend long with no mountain thunderstorms in sight.
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My parents celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary on July 4th! Across the country, Mr. M’s parents celebrated their 40th!
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My mom bought Baby M an assortment of red/white/blue outfits for the weekend. This one said “Baby’s first fourth” on the front.
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The (private) beach was quite packed for the 4th…
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… which might explain Mr. M’s expression here?
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We got a rare family photo in near the marina… since one of us is always behind the camera.
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And, as usual, plenty of baby pictures as well! Did I tell you that Baby M has a HUGE head that isn’t well suited for small headbands? But when you get them on her, they do look ridiculously cute!
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See… I told you!
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How do you capture baby smiles? Well, in this moment, Mr. M is trying to elicit giggles from Baby M by blowing on the back of her head… and Grandma L is trying to tickle her. Looks like it worked!
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We grilled a classic 4th of July feast outside on the patio before we headed to the beach for the fireworks…
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[from the_tahoe_guy]
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… which we watched from the shoreline with Baby M all cuddled in her bassinet stroller. She didn’t even stir for a second! Guess all of those naps in a noisy daycare environment are good for all of us!
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We headed back home on Monday morning rested and relaxed from a nice escape. Sometimes you forget how peaceful it is to drive 90-minutes and end up in a different world!

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