Happy Holidays!

Some photos to get my blog into the "holiday spirit" - enjoy!

Count Your Blessings

I try to practice an "attitude of gratitude" every day by reflecting on things that I am thankful for. I find that I have a more positive outlook on life when I take time to think about things for which I am grateful. Being that it's November and we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving in a couple weeks, I decided that I would include a list of the many things that I am thankful for, in no particular order.

• I am thankful for my continued good health (both physically and emotionally) and the fact that I am able to maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, eating healthy foods and spending quality time with family and friends.
• I am thankful that I have successfully transitioned into my new position as a Communications Manager and I'm looking forward to the many challenges that the position has to offer.
• I am thankful that my parents have finally sold their house on the Central Coast of California. It's been a challenging year with my dad working in Oregon and my mom staying behind in California to take care of things with the house. I am hopeful that they will both feel more settled as 2011 begins.
• I am thankful that my brother, Andy, has moved back to the Bay Area and that we are able to see each other on a regular basis.
• I am thankful that I was able to travel to San Diego in October with my brother to see the New England Patriots play the Chargers. It was a great weekend get-away.
• I am thankful that I have expanded my circle of friends, both at work and socially.
• I am thankful that I was able to go to several of San Jose Sharks playoff games earlier this year, and I am thankful that I have already gone to several games this season. Go Sharks!
• I am thankful that my parents will be able to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with me in the Bay Area this year.
• I am thankful that I live in a nice apartment - my "home sweet home."
• I am thankful that I have a reliable vehicle which provides me with safe transportation.
• I am thankful for being financially savvy and living a comfortable life without being in debt.
• I am thankful for the opportunities that I have to volunteer and help those that are less fortunate.
• I am thankful that despite suffering tremendous heartbreak earlier this year, that I am healing and looking forward to finding the "love of my life" in the very near future.
• I am thankful that I am able to live in Northern California and take advantage of all the wonderful things that the Bay Area has to offer.

What are you thankful for? Take some time today to think about the many blessings in your life.

If you look to others for fulfillment,

you will never truly be fulfilled.

If your happiness depends on money,

you will never be happy with yourself.

Be content with what you have;

rejoice in the way things are.

When you realize there is nothing lacking,

the whole world belongs to you.

-Lao Tzu

Wishing you a wonderful week.

An October to Remember

October has been a very fun month! I was fortunate to be able to get tickets to see the Sharks play twice - in mid October I watched the game from a luxury suite and on October 30 I saw a great game where the Sharks beat the Anaheim Ducks. In other local sports news, the San Francisco Giants made it to the World Series! I was not expecting that to happen this season, but after all, "It's Magic Inside," so perhaps that had something to do with it. While baseball isn't my most favorite sport, I have to admit that I've jumped on the bandwagon to cheer for the Giants now that they are in the World Series.

Another highlight this month was my much-anticipated trip to San Diego with my brother, Andy, to see the New England Patriots play the San Diego Chargers. It was a great weekend. We stayed in downtown San Diego at the Omni Hotel which is right next to Petco Park and had an amazing views of the ballpark and surrounding areas. We arrived on Saturday just in time to head to the sports bar and watch the Giants beat Philly and earn a spot in the World Series. Sweet! We were up bright and early on Sunday morning and had breakfast at Maryjane's Coffee Shop located in the Hard Rock Hotel before we headed off to Qualcomm Stadium on the trolley. I was quite surprised how many Patriots fans were there - seemed like half the crowd was cheering for them. We even ended up sitting next to some fellow Pats fans! The game was indeed close, but the Pats managed to hang on at the end and win. We had plenty of time before we needed to get to the airport so we decided to have dinner at Nobu (also located in the Hard Rock Hotel). Hands down, it was the best sushi that I have ever eaten. If you have an opportunity to try it, I highly recommend it.

And what better way to end October than by celebrating my favorite holiday - Halloween. Although I didn't dress up this year, I did wear my adorable Halloween-themed Mickey Mouse ears.

It's hard to believe that it's almost November 1. As always, time is flying by. I'm looking forward to the start of the holiday season and all of the wonderful things that go along with it. I'm already gearing up to start on my holiday crafting projects and you can be sure that I'll be posting some photos on the blog-o, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I'll be cheering for the Giants as they play in the World Series! Wishing you a wonderful week full of smiles. And speaking of smiles, I'll wrap up with this quote:

Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you.

-Peace Pilgrim

The "Suite" Life at the Shark Tank!

Not only did I get to see the San Jose Sharks play at their home opener on Saturday, October 16, but I watched the game from the Penthouse Suite! How totally cool is that?!! My friend Joyce has a friend who works for the Sharks who was able to get us regular tickets for the game, and then she upgraded us to the suite. I have to send a big shout-out "thank you" to Joyce and her friend for making this happen. It truly was a memorable event (despite the Sharks losing to the Atlanta Thrashers).

The Sharks host a "street rally" in front of the Shark Tank before the first home game of each season so Joyce and I spent some time checking it out before heading to our suite. I was lucky enough to get my picture taken with SJ Sharkie. Other goodies at the rally included temporary Sharks tattoos; face painting in a variety of styles - with teal paint of course; photo opportunities on the Sharks Ice Zamboni; and the chance to win Sharks logo items such as t-shirts and hats.

We enjoyed a variety of food and drinks (water, beer, wine, juice, soda) in the suite including hamburger sliders, fajitas, assorted cheese, crackers and fresh fruit as well as some tasty sweets for dessert. We were even able to catch the end of the Giants game on one of the two televisions in our suite (the Giants won game one against Philly). Other goodies in the suite included free Sharks t-shirts for everyone, complimentary copies of the Sharks program and individual boxes of chocolates! What an absolute treat!

I am so happy that I had the opportunity to watch the game from the suite and that my friend Joyce invited me to be her guest. What an honor.

Perhaps some day I will watch another Sharks game from the Penthouse Suite (another option for celebrating my 40th birthday next year), however in the meantime, I'm looking forward to seeing another game from the regular seats in the not too distant future.

Hoping that you are enjoying the weekend. It's cloudy and drizzly here in the Bay Area - it definitely feels like an autumn day. I'm off to take care of some things so that I can get ready to watch the Giants play tonight against Philadelphia. The Giants are getting closer to being in the World Series!

Leaving you with a fun hockey saying:

-My other car is a Zamboni.

World Card Making Day

October 2 was World Card Making Day, so in honor of this I decided to spend some time making cards this weekend. It's the perfect opportunity to share one of the cards that I made because I originally created this blog to showcase cards and other paper crafting items that I create. I happen to know several friends and relatives celebrating birthdays this month, and while the card shown in the photo here has a general "autumn" theme to it, I was able to modify this design slightly and turn it into a birthday card. So as not to spoil the surprise, in case you are someone with a birthday this month reading my blog, I decided to post a photo of the seasonal card.

I hope that you have had a nice, relaxing weekend. I have enjoyed my weekend thus far. The weather was perfect for taking a couple long walks, which included an eight miler with my friend Zeva at Sawyer Camp Trail in San Mateo (photo below). I've also gotten my "sports fix" this weekend, between watching the Giants take on the San Diego Padres, the 49ers vs. the Atlanta Falcons and the Oregon Ducks over the Stanford Cardinal. The fun continues on Monday night when the New England Patriots take on the Miami Dolphins - can't wait! I've also been busy in the kitchen whipping up the following dishes: Tortilla Soup with Black Beans and Pumpkin Blondies. I love cooking and baking, especially during this time of year. I'll be sharing the Pumpkin Blondies with my co-workers on Monday.

Wishing you a wonderful week.

The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

-Joseph Addison

Autumn - My Favorite Time of the Year

It's officially fall, although earlier this week it felt like summer was in full swing with very high temperatures throughout the Bay Area. While a heat wave means that the fog disappears for awhile (a nice treat), I'm always happy when it returns along with the cooler temperatures. It was nice to experience some warmer than usual temperatures over the past week, especially because it was a rather cool summer here in the Bay Area, but now I am ready for the cool, crisp days to return.

As some of you already know, Disneyland is one of my favorite places to visit. I have always wanted to go to Disneyland when it is decked out for Halloween and last year my wish came true. I thought it would be fun to include some of the photos from my trip in this posting. After all, I love Disneyland and I love Halloween, so what better way is there to kick off the "spooktacular" celebration? A trip to Disneyland isn't in the works for this year, but I have a feeling that I'll be visiting sometime next year...perhaps in honor of my 40th birthday. And yes, I'll be wearing my Mouse ears when I go!

What are some of your favorite things about fall? As I mentioned in a previous post, I like this time of year because my favorite sports swing into high gear - football and hockey! I went to my first hockey game of the season last night - I saw a pre-season match-up between the San Jose Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks, and the Sharks won! In three weeks my brother and I will be traveling to San Diego to see the New England Patriots take on the San Diego Chargers. It will definitely be a fun weekend! And although I am not a big fan of baseball, it always gets more interesting as the World Series approaches, no matter which teams are playing. This year will no doubt be more exciting because it looks like the San Francisco Giants are going to take first place in the NL Western Division.

Other things that I enjoy about this time of year include sipping a warm Chai tea latte on a cold, crisp morning, seeing the leaves begin to change colors on the trees, bundling up in cozy sweaters and toasty boots, making handmade Halloween cards and treats, and baking homemade pumpkin bread.

Hoping that all is well with you and sending out a "thank you" for taking time to visit my blog.

Our work-a-day lives are filled with opportunities to bless others. The power of a single glance or an encouraging smile must never be underestimated.

-G. Richard Rieger

Time to Get Crafty!

Hope that you are enjoying the long weekend. The weather is wonderful here in the Bay Area and I am finding plenty of time to relax and have fun.

I took some time to create a cute gift with an autumn theme. Wouldn't it be fun to have these clothes pin clips on your desk at work? Nothing like a little "crafting goodness" to brighten your work day. These were super easy to make and I can imagine creating more sets with different themes - winter, Christmas, Valentine's day...the possibilities are endless. It's also a great way to use your scraps of paper because you only need a very small piece of paper for each clothes pin.

Just a short and simple blog post today - it's time to get back to relaxing and having fun. Wishing you a wonderful rest of the weekend and hoping that you are able to get out and enjoy the last days of summer.

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.

-Albert Camus

A Little Bit of This and That

September 1 already?! How the heck did that happen? With the wonderful weather that we're having, it hardly feels like autumn is just around the corner. Of course Northern California usually sees its best weather during September and October when the fog disappears and temperatures really warm up.

You might have noticed some slight changes on the blog-o. Did you happen to see the Twitter feed that I added in the right column? Not only have I established a Twitter account, but I've also re-joined Facebook! Earlier this year, for a variety of reasons, I decided to leave Facebook, and quite honestly I didn't think that I would reactivate my account. Whoever said "Never say never," got it right because I recently decided to join the world of Facebook again, and I am having a much better experience than I did when I originally joined. So, if you are a Facebook member, feel free to drop me a line so that I can add you as a friend.

Do you enjoy reading? If so, I have a book recommendation for you. Check out Perfect on Paper - The (Mis)adventures of Waverly Bryson by Maria Murnane, available for purchase on Amazon. One thing that I love about the book is the fact that it is set in San Francisco. I love reading books that take place in the city that is literally in my backyard. How neat is that? Also, I consider this "chick lit," which is one of my favorite type of books to read. Here is a synopsis of the book (taken from the back cover):

"Waverly Bryson is a successful business-woman in her late 20s who almost has it all: a dream job in sports PR, two best friends, and a bar where everybody knows her name. What she doesn't have is a ring on her finger. And after being ditched at the altar, she's in no hurry to get one. Besides, plenty of other issues keep her busy, including her wayward father, a new rival at work, and an ever-nagging fear that her life is not turning out as she thought it would...or should. To stay sane, Waverly makes a habit of jotting down "Honey Notes," self-deprecating bits of single-girl humor that she hopes one day to develop into a line of greeting cards. As Waverly stumbles back into the dating scene (no stalkers or jeans shorts, please), her personal and professional lives threaten to collide. Perfect on Paper reminds readers that everyone has had a bad date (or twelve), and that everyone needs a best friend to tell them, "Honey, you are not alone.""

One final note about this book - I met the author, Maria Murnane, this past weekend during a book signing event. Maria told an amazing story about the journey she experienced while writing this book and attempting to get it published. To learn more about Maria Murnane, visit her website at www.mariamurnane.com.

Despite experiencing a lot of disappointments this year, I can honestly that "life is good" at the moment. I'm looking forward to the change of seasons, and my favorite holiday, Halloween, is just around the corner. I'm settling into my new job and finding many things that I really enjoy about it. I'm also excited to begin taking some graphic design courses which will start later this month. Without a doubt the next several months will be busy, but I'll still be taking time to post on my blog.

I recently enjoyed having brunch in Burlingame with some wonderful people, and we all shared one of our favorite quotes. I'll wrap up this post with a quote that I found quite inspiring:

What you think, you create. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you become.

-Adele Basheer

I'm Ready for Some Football!

It's August, and while some people associate that with "back to school" being just around the corner, I tend to think in terms of the start of football season, with hockey not too far behind. I love football and hockey. I root for the New England Patriots (aka "The Pats") in football and I cheer for the San Jose Sharks in hockey.

You might wonder why I don't note the San Francisco 49ers as my favorite football team. I do like the Niners, but I'm a bigger fan of the Pats for a few reasons. I was born on the East coast, and I lived in Massachusetts for several years so I have a connection to New England. I've also lived in San Mateo for many years, and as you might know, the Pats quarterback, Tom Brady, is from San Mateo. How can I not root for the hometown boy? And while you might think I like the Pats mainly because Tom Brady is on the team, that is not the case. I'd still be a Patriots fan if he played for another team.

I've been wanting to go to a New England Patriots game for quite some time. Unfortunately I missed seeing them a couple years ago when they played the Niners and the Oakland Raiders. It's also somewhat challenging to fly back to Boston to catch a game, although it's something that I definitely plan to do in the near future. Fortunately, the Patriots are playing the Chargers in San Diego on October 24...and I am going to the game! My brother, Andy, and I will be flying down to San Diego for the weekend and we're both very excited about watching the game and checking out the sights around the city. It's going to be a great trip!

As for the San Jose Sharks, the start of their season is still a ways off, but you can bet that I will be going to quite a few games at the Shark Tank once they get under way. I went to several playoff games earlier this year, and watching the San Jose Sharks play live is definitely something to experience!

Here's a fun quote for all of you who enjoy watching more than one sport:

October is not only a beautiful month but marks the precious yet fleeting overlap of hockey, baseball, basketball, and football.

-Jason Love

The Lazy Days of Summer

Summer is in full swing now, and it's hard to believe that it's already the middle of July. Perhaps you are still anticipating your summer vacation, or maybe you have just returned from a week or two of "fun in the sun." Either way, I hope that your summer is going well!

I was able to spend some time working with a new stamp that I purchased earlier this month. I've been baking quite a bit and I always enjoy sharing my creations with friends and family, and I find it quite exciting to wrap my homemade treats in unique ways. When I saw this apron stamp, I knew that I had to add it to my collection. It's perfect to use as a tag, or as shown in this photo, as an embellishment on a gift bag. The thing that is neat about this apron stamp is that the cherries aren't included on the stamp - they are on a separate stamp. It's great being able to customize the apron depending on what recipe I might be trying. I'm already thinking about other tiny stamps that could be used on the apron...pumpkins (Halloween), snowflakes (Christmas), leaves (autumn/Thanksgiving) - the possibilities are endless. And it's so relaxing to use my colored pencils to color in the the stamped image. I always enjoyed coloring as a child so it brings back happy memories.

Speaking of memories, do you have a favorite pastime or memory from summer? I can think of quite a few, but one that stands out in my mind involves the last day of school before summer vacation - usually a half-day with dismissal at lunch time. My dad, younger brother and I would ride our bicycles to McDonald's to get Happy Meals and enjoy an outdoor lunch while talking about all of the fun things that we planned to do during the summer.

Wishing you a wonderful day and hoping that you are able to find some time to enjoy the "lazy days of summer."

Weekend Fun

Another wonderful summer weekend is quickly coming to an end. The Bay Area was was treated to a good dose of sunshine and warm temperatures, at least along the Peninsula and further inland. Although I didn't go to the beach, I could see the fog lingering over the hills, so it was probably quite cool on the coast. That's the beauty of the Bay Area - a variety of micro-climates exist, so depending on the temperatures that you prefer it only takes a short drive to experience different weather.

I enjoyed my weekend. As you can see from the photo, I spent time creating some cards. I haven't been "paper crafting" as often as I used to, however it did feel good to spend part of the weekend doing something creative using rubber stamps, punches and other crafting essentials. The card featured in the photo is the perfect way to celebrate summer because it includes bright flowers, as well as some bling! I'm also working on some other cards, too, however I won't be posting photos of those cards just yet. I'll give you a hint though - I'm coming up with some card designs in honor of my favorite holiday. And what is my favorite holiday you might ask? Well, the answer to that question is here on my blog - you'll just have to explore a bit.

Beyond that, it was a quiet weekend, which suited me just fine. I met up with a friend on Friday evening, went for a jog at Sawyer Camp Trail on Saturday morning and took a yoga class on Sunday morning. I wrapped up my weekend with a healthy, home-cooked meal of salad, sauteed mushrooms and fresh red snapper. Yummo, as Rachael Ray says.

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend and found plenty of time to relax and also do something fun.

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.

-Rumi

Happy 4th of July!

I can hardly believe that July has already rolled around and that we are celebrating Independence Day this weekend. It's summer time!





I am fortunate to live in a neighborhood that is home to a fantastic farmer's market on Saturday mornings, held year-round. Visiting the market is part of my Saturday morning routine, especially during the summer when my favorite fruits and veggies are at their peak. This weekend I purchased some delicious strawberries and cherries, as well as some red lettuce. I enjoy having the strawberries on my cereal at breakfast and the cherries are a tasty snack during the work day. And I love salads, so the farm-fresh lettuce was a perfect choice. Additionally, my friend Kathy has a garden in her back yard and it was very nice of her to give me some beets and zucchini. I've already cooked up the beets and will be using them on my salads this week. As for the zucchini, I'm planning on chopping it up and freezing it until I can make a loaf or two of zucchini bread.





In addition to making French macarons earlier this week, I also spent some time making a batch of plum jam. This was my first attempt at making jam so I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out, but all went well and it tastes amazing. I've been enjoying it on my toast at breakfast. Without a doubt, homemade jam is the best. I ended up with quite a few jars of jam so I will be able to share it with my family and friends. Can you just imagine having some of the plum jam on a homemade scone fresh from the oven? Bliss!





In honor of the 4th of July and summer, I decided that it would be nice to have a hot dog, chips and potato salad for dinner tonight. I think my mom makes the best potato salad, however since she and my dad are celebrating the holiday in Oregon this year, I decided to make my own version. Although I didn't follow a recipe, it turned out very tasty. I couldn't resist snapping a photo of it, along with my entire meal. Happy Birthday, America!





I'll be wrapping up my vacation, and the 4th of July weekend with a concert tomorrow. I have been looking forward to this event for quite some time, especially because Colbie Caillat will be one of the many performers making an appearance. I've been wanting to see her perform live, ever since her first hit "Bubbly" was released a few years ago. Other artists include Sarah McLachlan, Heart, and Miranda Lambert.


Here's a summer quote for you to ponder:


A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.
-James Dent

On Vacation

I'm on vacation this week,taking some time to relax before I start my new job on July 6. I usually refer to time off from work as a "vacation," however it seems that some people refer to it as a "stay-cation," especially if they aren't traveling anywhere in particular. I think that this term really became popular when the economy took a turn for the worse awhile back and people began spending less money on travel and vacations. While I would certainly have enjoyed going out of town this week, after much thought, I decided that staying close to home and planning some day trips around the Bay Area would be perfect.

So far, my "stay-cation" has been wonderful. On Sunday, I spent the afternoon at Santana Row in San Jose. It was the perfect afternoon to stroll the "Row" - the weather was sunny and warm...actually it was quite hot. The best remedy for the heat was enjoying a frozen yogurt at Pinkberry. Hands down, I think Pinkberry has the best frozen yogurt - and I've tried a lot of frozen yogurt over the years. I discovered Pinkberry in Southern California a couple years ago, and now stores are finally opening in the Bay Area. Not only does their frozen yogurt taste great, the prices are reasonable, too. If you enjoy frozen yogurt and have an opportunity to try Pinkberry, I guarantee that you will like it!

As you might have noticed in the "My Favorite Things" list (on the sidebar of my blog), I enjoy baking. Earlier this month I took a class at Sur La Table in Palo Alto to learn how to make French macarons - a cookie that is quickly becoming quite the rage, much like cupcakes have become popular over the past few years. I enjoyed the class and during the past couple weeks I have been gathering the necessary supplies and ingredients to make my own batch of these cute cookies. Today was baking day, and I am thrilled to say that the macarons turned out spectacular, and quite honestly, they really are not too complicated to make. I am glad that I did take the class because the instructor provided some great tips, which certainly made a difference as I was making the macarons. Some of you won't be surprised to know that I chose to make raspberry macarons. Why raspberry you might ask? Well, my favorite color is pink - enough said!

Unfortunately, as you can see in the photo above, my raspberry macarons have a slightly peachy color to them. While they were a wonderful shade of pink prior to baking, I believe the heat had an effect on the food coloring. Next time I will modify the amount of coloring to achieve a deeper pink. Regardless of the color, these little cuties still taste delicious!

And what better way to display the macarons in a photo, than on the beautiful glass serving stand that I recently purchased at Marshall's...for $4.99! I could not pass up this stand. While it might not be apparent in the photo, it's actually a small serving stand, which is perfect for cookies and other petite sweets. This has become one my favorite "kitchen" items and I am so happy that I came across it at the store - it was the only one left on the shelf.

So, although I am staying close to home during this particular vacation, I was able to experience the excitement of baking something that I would certainly have come across if I were visiting a French patisserie. Speaking of which, I'm hoping to travel to Paris early next year so I can visit some French patisseries and also see the Eiffel Tower in person while experiencing all of the exciting things that Paris has to offer.

Without a doubt, most of us treasure our vacation time, whether we travel to a far-off destination or stay close to home. For me, having one "travel" vacation and one "stay-cation" each year is the best of both worlds. Speaking of vacations, here's a quote to think about:

A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.

-Robert Orben

A New Journey

Some people believe that when one door closes, another door opens, and I also happen to believe that this is true. Without going into too much detail, I'll just say that the first half of 2010 did not go as I had anticipated, however I am hopeful that the second half of this year will bring many good things to me, as well as to my family and friends.

As some of you know, I started a blog with the same title, "Sweet Paper Dreams," in February 2009. While I originally created my blog to showcase photos of cards and other paper crafting projects that I created, the blog ended up including entries that captured things from my entire life. For a variety of reasons, I decided to delete my original blog, however as you can see, I am returning to "blog land" with a fresh start. The title to my blog is the same, but the web address is slightly different. I am excited to get back to posting entries and including photos, too. Like before, I'll include entries related to my paper crafting projects, however I think it's quite likely that you'll come across a lot more entries about the other bits and pieces of my life.

On that note, you might have noticed that the title for this entry is "A New Journey." That title is appropriate in so many ways. This is the first post to my blog and I'm excited about the posts yet to come. And going back to the reference about one door closing and another door opening - as I mentioned, the first half of 2010 has been difficult because it resulted in the loss of a significant relationship in my life (one door closing). This made me feel very sad and disappointed. However, another door has opened in my life - I've been offered a job in the field of public relations and marketing, which I am very excited about. This has been an area that I've always wanted to work in, ever since graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in journalism. I am very thankful for this opportunity and I know that I will gain a lot of experience in my new position. I also believe that it will lead to some other wonderful things in my life.

As some of you know, from my previous blog posts, I enrolled in a digital photo class earlier this year. Due to things going on in my life, the class was challenging, however I am proud to say that I completed the class and learned a lot more about photography than I expected. I think it's appropriate to include one of the many photos (a Sprinkles cupcake) that I took during class with this first blog post. I am looking forward to taking more photos and posting them for you to enjoy.

I'll wrap up this post with a quote that I came across recently:

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.

-Johny Barrymore