what the heck?

it has been ages since i've managed to visit here. life has kept the finns very very busy. what have we been doing? who knows.
riley is a big boy now and can go out on the town. he loves road trips and the beach. he's a addicted to ice cubes and loves eating plants. what oh what did we ever do before riley?

little crazy riley

it's been a crazy couple of weeks with riley in the house. he's definitly taken over the household. we go to bed earlier, get up earlier, go out less and we don't leave anything within reach that we don't want chewed or eaten. ohh and we are constantly cleaning the floors. we've also had a constant source of amusement. he's turning into one fine dog. we hav a long way to go but he sure is worth it. i have had my moments where i wonder what the hell i was thinking getting a dog. we're all figuring our new life out together. baby riley would like to be in total control but we remind him we're the humans and he's the dog. somethime's i have to remind myself. the best part is when he falls asleep on your foot as you're typing on the computer or watching tv. so cute he is. riley finn is one special bow.

here's riley

bow

this weekend could quite possibly be the weekend where all my wishes come true. it's a maybe that we could be getting a dog!!!! oh my god i can't believe i just wrote that. it's like so exciting. we'll see. nothing is for sure yet. still trying to figure out the plan. my mom and dad might get one too. wouldn't that be so cool?

get it together

today is the day. i am finally going to organize, organize, organize. i will be a cleaning machine. i will get it all done. i will not get distracted. i will succeed.

target addict

today i went to three targets. yes, this is true. i have been loving the clothes they have going on right now. i bought this one particular pair of jeans and now i'm obsessed. i went to three targets today to try and get more. the thing is i'm not the only one clued in. i was able to find them online so i think that's what i'll have to do. it seems like all of a sudden there's tons of cute clothes though.ohh and their bedding is always super cute. i have had my eye on some green and white polka dot sheets for some time and today was the day. why? because they were half off!! yeah, i know super exciting stuff. especially cuz i have been wanting them for awhile now. anyways, that's my big news for the day. now if only i could get as excited about cleaning as i do about target. yeah right!

happy anniversay

today is peter and my second wedding anniversary. what a great day that was. we celebrated this weekend and boy oh boy did we indulge. saturday night we went to the restaraunt where we got engaged. we totally went to town in the food department. we even ordered two desserts and finished them. i never have room to eat dessert let alone a whole one. before we went to dinner we exchanged gifts and letters along with a little rose champagne. the second year gift traditionally is cotton and the contemporary gift is china (which i interpret as ceramics too). my gift to peter was a painted bowl that i did at one of those paint your own ceramics type of places. he prefers to eat out of large bowls than a plate. i know he's totally weird. so yeah i painted it and it's pretty funny cuz it's all lovey dovey on the inside. as peter will finish his pile of food in his bowl he will discover sappy messages from his wife. messages like "i love peter" and "pp + dd". i also got him a coton hoodie to cover my bases. peter got me this gigantic ceramic horse from jonathon adler. i had the baby version of it but i broke it. i know to many this may not seem like a gift one would be thrilled about recieving. however this is not the case with me. i am more than shocked that he actually got it for me. i have wanted this horse for a very very long time. we also exchanged letters which is always the best part. i of course always get all chocked up reading peters. i don't know if this is a good thing to admit. i sorta feel a little vain admitting how much i like reading about how great someone thinks i am. anyways, we went to dinner and as i mentioned earlier is was awesome. sunday we got all dressed up again and went to the top of the mark for brunch. they have this awesome view of the city. this was a lot of fun. a little more than i had expected it to be. afterwards we went to the legion of honor and got our culture on. afterwards we went on a little drive. we ended our day with a trip to the bmw dealership. i know this may seem a little odd and probably super random. well not when you're married to the finn. that's what he wanted to do and being that it's both our anniversary i obliged. i did put my foot down when he wanted to go to the audi dealership next. the reason being that we have a 2007 audi and if we're interested in loking at any of the other models all we have to do is walk around our parking garage. seriously every model of the audi 2007's are in there. he aggreed and so we made our way home. i made us some snacks we ended our day with a really good session of trashy television watching. today is our actual anniversary. we're going to have lunch together and i'll make peter something good for dinner. all in all what a wonderful anniversary celebration it has been.

times flies

the last couple of weeks have really just been a whirlwind. lots of family in town, friends visiting, a wedding and more.

cheap and delish

went to a place down the street from my house today for the first time. i was pleasantly surprised how cheap and tasty it was. i got a carnitas taco and a fish taco for five bucks!! they give you chips and salsa too. i think i found one of my new spots.

japanese tea and burmese food

my cousin sam and i got to hang yesterday. he's been in town helping his dad with a tile job. yesterday we got to have a play day. we went to one of our favorite spots. it's a burmese restaurant called burma superstar and that it is. every time we go there i'm so excited about how good the food is that i totally make myself sick by eating too much. this totally defeats the purpose cuz i feel terrible after just leaving my treasured spot. peter was able to meet us for lunch and that was a lot of fun. it's crazy cuz sam started to visit us when we he was ten turning eleven and now he's eight-teen. time sure does fly.
after lunch we cruised around and checked out some shops. then we tried to go to the de young but we got there just in time for closing. the japanese tea garden is right there so we decided to check it out. it's pretty amazing how much you feel like you could be in japan. they also have this cute little outdoor tea cafe. they give you tea and some rice snacks, sesame cookies, almond cookies, and a fortune cookie for three dollars. it was so sweet and as we had tea i could feel the magic in this special place. afterwards we went to amoeba records and looked around. then we walked around the haight for a bit before we headed back to the house. it was such an awesome day and i feel so lucky to have such a wonderful little cousin/brother like sammy. he is one of my all time favorite people.

sea taffy

this weekend just flew by. saturday we decided or actually peter declared we were going to carmel for lunch. i reluctantly agreed. by the time we started driving i was actually happy to be on the road. we arrived in carmel at about eleven. after walking around for a bit we decided it was time for lunch. we stopped in for a nice bite at an italian restaurant. the meal was satisfying. not the best and by far not the worst. after lunch we decided we wanted a piece of chocolate from the candy store down the street. the candy store is the best part of this town. it is so cute and they have every kind of candy you could imagine. when we were walking back to the car peter turned to me and said "what's that stuff called, sea taffy"? i started laughing like a crazy person. i'm sure everyone around me thought i was a crazy drunk person. i let him know that it was called salt water taffy. although, i think sea taffy is a much better name.
after carmel we decided to stop in this little town called san juan bautista. i hadn't been there since i was a kid . it's super tiny and looks like it probably did a hundred years ago. there's a mission there and tons of people dressed like they are in the olden days. there's people dancing in a saloon and people hanging in the stable and men just hanging out cooking food on a fire. there's some shops and this fabulous old restaurant,la casa rosa, that makes chutney and preserves. we had a great time in this cute little town. on our way home we stopped at the palo alto mall. no treasure found.
sunday went to the alameda antique/ flea market. this is where i took the above doll picture. i finally found a night stand and it was only thirty-five bucks. the only thing is that now peter's nightstand looks too danty next to my new manly sized night table. ohh well life goes on. i'm just happy to have a place to put a glass of water. isn't it amazing the things that seem so luxurious?

tursday not thursday

took this picture when michael and i went on our adventure for barbecue. we were walking past this laundromat and it was empty. it was screaming music video but, since we didn't have a rock band and video cameras i took some pictures. i just love how old laundromats look. there's something about the colors and names that are just soo cool.this particular group of dryers is called originators. isn't that awesome. well, i think so. also there's this awesome website i am obsessed with. it's called goodreads.com. it's basically a community of book nerds sharing what books they are currently reading and have read. you create a profile and have friends and can send messages and much much more. so far i am really loving it. it's sorta like the perfect combo of nerdy and cool.

ice cream formula mix

this is one of my new pets. it is an ice cream formula mix. doesn't it just look delish? peter actually picked this guy out. he does have really good taste. after all he did pick me didn't he?

lucky cat

this is my friend i found for purchase at daiso. who says you can't buy friends. if you can buy happiness at a plant store than you can buy a friend at a $1.50 store. although he cost me six bucks. friendship is expensive man. speaking of buying happiness i have been transformed into a total plant junkie. so far i've been there twice this week. i'm already planning my next purchase. my dad said i should talk to them so they're happy. i've been talking and singing up a storm. it's sorta like my version of a pet. don't get me wrong. i know a pet is way more responsibility but, for now it's what i have to work with. just like a pet you can kill a plant. so there is a small but important similarity. okay i'll just stop for now. i'm sorta living up to that crazy comment that peter always makes about me.

good times

last week flew by sooo fast. berenice was in town and we went everywhere, literally. here's a overview of the list:

-daiso (the japanese $1.50 store)
-union street jeweler
-kozo paper store
-4th street in berekely (lots of shops)
-castle in the air (awesome store)
-oakland diner with a train that circles above head
-flax
-arch
-le boulangerie (union street and filmore location)
-filmore street
-marc jacobs
-the de young museum
-bruno's
-cafe trieste
-walked over the golden gate bridge
-sausalito
-lucca's deli
- palace of fine arts
- fritz
-san francisco center
i'm sure i'm forgetting a bunch. we did this all in three days. isn't that crazy? one night we made or actually berenice made dinner and showed me how she makes her magic. we had so much fun and laughed a lot. the extra cool thing was that before her trip we really didn't know each other that well. after i dropped her off at the airport i felt like we had known each other forever.

summer love

yesterday the hubby and i went and had lunch on the water at one of our favorite places, the ramp. when we first started dating we would go to brunch here every saturday. we would hang-out for hours talking (there were a couple of bloody mary's involved too). our favorite thing was the eggs benedict. we thought it was the best in the world.when we moved to chicago we were always in search for the chicago version of the ramp. we never found anything that came close. we found other special places like hot doug's,the best hot dog's in the world. when we moved to new york we continued on our search. we found a place on the water called the barge that was pretty cool. they had awesome calamari and you could play ping-pong if you wanted. still something was missing. when we moved to portland we searched and searched for a special spot that reminded us of our beloved ramp but it was a no go. we did find an awesome mexican restaurant called authentica that was pretty sweet. it was landlocked and mostly only open for dinner so it didn't really come very close. now that we are back in san francisco we have our ramp back. the thing we realized yesterday is that the food isn't really as spectacular as we remembered. it's good but not the world's best. we both agreed that it was those conversations we had there .it was part of our really falling in love with this person sitting on the other side of the table. we'll always have a soft spot for the ramp.

adventure mode

today was an awesome day. my cousin michael and i decided we wanted to try and find a barbecue place a friend had mentioned. we were armed with a limited amount of information. all we knew was that it might be in south san francisco and it was some pretty good cue. we set out on our mission with an open mind and a taste for some authentic food. not too soon into our journey did we realize we were searching for a needle in a haystack. so we decided to embrace the day and go with the flow. we found some cool thrift stores and found some treasure within. you'll be happy to know that i am the proud new owner of a red velvet blazer that has a very unique cut. i know what i'm wearing this holiday season do you? so we drove and drove and kept discovering more and more. we stumbled upon a cemetery and decided to check it out. i had never been to one before. i know isn't that weird? i felt like i had been to one because they are always in movies and on television. isn't that weird that we can think we've experienced something from watching it on a box? the cemetery was actually really cool. it was such a peaceful place. when i told my mom about where we were she pointed out that my dads family is buried there. isn't that trippy that i felt so comfortable there? so after the cemetery we ended up at target. i know not really very adventurous. we went to target and i got a hose. this may not seem like a very big deal but, it was i assure you. it's actually pretty cute. it's a boat/trailer hose so it's white and blue. how that all works out i'm not sure. it's only twenty-five feet so maybe that's why it's so special. after target we drove home and decided to do a little research into our barbecue place. i emailed the friend and she emailed back and then we were on our way. the food was actually really good but i soon realized i had eaten their food before at a friends house but mikey liked it. ohh and the restaurant was in san bruno not south san francisco.

key limeade

just made some key limeade. it is sooo summer tasting. i added a splash of sparkling water for a little something special. so wild am i.

psychic moment

so my mom being the sweetheart she is ordered me a pair of fabulously cute shoes. she reminded me this morning that they should be arriving today. i then remembered that our buzzer doesn't work. "why" she asked? well we have internet phone and the buzzer goes through the phone line. "well that's a bummer" she said. "yeah i know" i said. after i get off the phone with her i tried to think what i should do. maybe i should go and put a note on the front door with my cell number to call me. i decide maybe this isn't this best idea to give my number to the world. i'll just go out and look outside and see if i come up with a better plan. so i put on my shoes and make sure i don't look too scary. ohh i haven't taken a shower yet and sometimes that can be pretty scary to an innocent bystander. i walk outside and start looking down the street for a fedex truck because i've for some reason made up my mind it's coming fedex. as i'm looking for the fedex guy. by the way i'm looking with my eyes not my person, so i'm standing directly infront of the door. so as i'm looking far off into the distance of my street the ups guy walks up. i hear someone and look over and realize "ohh maybe it came ups". i say"hey do you have something for devon finn"? well what do you know? yes he did. can you believe my timing. i told him my story and he was all excited. so excited he tried to hatch out a plan with me on how to make sure i don't ever miss my packages. well, that's my psychic moment. now if i could just figure out the winning lottery numbers.

where you can buy happiness

today i went and made my first ever plant purchase! pretty nerdy that i'm so excited but, knowing how i felt about something so domestic like plants just a year ago i've come a long way. there's this nursery called flowercraft and their motto is "we sell happiness". isn't that just the greatest? heck maybe i don't even like plants i just was sold on the motto. it wouldn't be the first time. in the late 90's when soda bottle's were changing from glass to plastic i decided i wanted to try sprite because of the new commercials with the sprite looking all hip and cool in groovy plastic. i then decided that i actually liked sprite. i question if i truly liked the way that it tasted or the way that it made me feel. walking up to the counter buying a bottle of coolness. then being seen around drinking my hip looking beverage. what i do know is now that everything comes in plastic and a good amount of time has passed. i mostly enjoy diet coke. on a rare occasion i will drink a clear drink. i'm already planning my next trip to the place that sells happiness.

did somebody say sale?

saturday my friend jackie and i went to this crazy warehouse sale in benecia. it was pretty intense and literally in the middle of nowhere. the historic downtown is pretty cute though. i got this huge rusty green star that i am sooo in love with. i also got a huge fancy smelly candle for a dollar. i know pretty crazy. especially when i have been obsessing over needing a fancy candle for about a month now. i haven't liked any that i've smelled so far and then here this awesome smelling candle finds me and it's a dollar!!! i got some super fancy french salt too. i've decided that my new collection obsession is going to be fancy salt and fancy yummy olive oil. aren't we relieved that i now have something else to collect? well at least it's edible.

coffee coffee coffee

i've decided i am going to try and avoid the coffee shop that is closest to my house. every time i leave that place i'm super irritated. well, not every time. only when a certain pink haired glitter eyed jaded hates her life and has no business working with the public person is working. i have tried many times to sway her to the human side but i have failed. actually that's not true. there was this one time she was nice. i had told my friend steven, who was in town visiting, about my situation with the bitter barista. the thing is she'll be talking to her co-workers laughing and smiling about whatever and then she'll turn to you and with a straight face in an irritated tone will ask you what you want. then as she's getting your ice coffee continue to talk to her co-worker the same free easy going way she was just before she encountered you, the totally annoying customer. then as she hands you your beverage she is miss meany again. so i tell steven how this has happened more times than i can count. well, he decides that we should do this back to her. we'll walk up to the counter laughing and smiling and when she asks us what we want order our coffee with a straight face and a monotone slightly irritated voice. did i mention my cousin michael and aunt sandy are with us too. so we walk into the coffee shop and michael orders first and we're behind him laughing and carrying on. then my aunt orders and more of the same from us. steven and i are having the time of our life. well, here's where it all goes wrong. the usually mean pink haired girl offers us a huge smile as we get to the counter and says "is that your mom"? what! are you kidding me? we were trying to laugh and be mean to you when we ordered our coffee. you totally ruined our timing. i think it all went wrong because for once i was with two hot hipster guys. michael and steven are both cool guys that are easy on the hipster ladies eyes. i also think she thought we were making fun of my aunt. being the mean spirited person she is she felt a bond with us. so i i decide i can now go into this coffee shop and not hate on her so much because maybe i've finally crossed over to the okay to be nice to side in her book. a couple of times i went in and she wasn't there. maybe she finally moved on to another coffee shop to torture a different part of town or better yet a whole new state, i think to myself. yesterday i go in and what do you know she's there. great! my approach kill it with kindness and remember she was nice the last time. when i arrive at the counter i was greeted with her usual bitterness. however she took it to a whole new level. when she gave me my coffee she gave me a stare down. you know when you look up and then down on a person with a look of disgust. so i leave with my feelings hurt and even more confused but with a vow to try and avoid that place at all costs especially if i see pink hair.

slurpee face

i just love this picture of my cousin michael. this makes me smile.

baker beach

been going to baker beach as much as possible. it's not the warmest beach so you have to come prepared for multiple types of weather. it can be sunny and warm one minute and then before you know it you're trying to find your socks and scarf and knit face mask. well the socks and scarf part are true at least. the idea of wearing a knit face mask at the beach makes me laugh. that would be a fun photo shoot. get decked out in total snow/ robber gear and have a lavish picnic at the beach. well maybe it's only funny to me. as is the case with most things in my life. hey what can you expect from an only child? i had to be my own best friend. if you can't make yourself laugh than you're screwed. peter always points out that he's never met someone who laughs hardest at their own jokes. what he doesn't understand that the joke was intended for me he just happened to be standing within earshot. back to baker beach. it's quite a lovely peaceful place. i like bringing blankets and pillows (yes pillows, throw pillows not my bed pillows in case you're wondering) and lots of snacks and some mellow tunes and mayonnaise. oops did i say mayonnaise i meant sunscreen. it's nice to try and be able to be there for at least an hour or two. i believe it takes this long to start to relax and really get the benefit of the ocean. i would love to spend more time at or by the ocean. it's so magical how intoxicating it can be. usually after i've been to baker beach i have to be really careful what kind of heavy machinery i operate. what i guess i'm trying to say is baker beach makes you feel like you're stoned. not that i would know what that's like but, i have read a lot of books and i do sometimes listen to rap music. it's pretty trippy. hey maybe that's why people always pack food to go to the beach. in case they get the munchies. huh... i'll have to do some investigating. for now all i do know is that i love baker beach.

tourista

my good old pal steven was in town this week. so were our friends alice and jesse. ohh and my aunt was here too. it's been a very busy week. lots and lots of fun. the other day we walked on the golden gate bridge. it was actually super disappointing. why you ask? well it was really loud, really smelly from car exhaust and super crowded. not that i thought we would be the only people on the bridge. i guess i always thought it would be a more peaceful experience. when you drive over the bridge you are in your car and it's quiet. maybe that's why i was so surprised at how loud it was from the cars.

glitter-o-holic

chain link love

i'm so in love with my new plastic chain from the japanese dollar fifty store. you put it together yourself. i'm not sure what i will do with it but, i'm still in love. went and saw the movie waitress tonight. i actually really enjoyed it. peter did too. it's not too often we agree to see the same movie so easily and both enjoy. went to the alameda flea market on sunday and managed to blank out on putting sunscreen. the end result was a nice sunburn. it's been quite sometime since i've had to deal with a hot uncomfortable burn. i should know better being 30 and really pron to burning. it really didn't even occur to me until the damage was already done. i did get a really cool red rolling cart and cool knick knack shelf made of a wicker like material. what i mean to say is it was worth the pain.

rosie's coming

yesterday my cousin (who is also one of my most favorite people of all time) and i were talking and in the conversation decided she should drive up from l.a. for a quick visit. she's on her way now and i am so excited. we are totally going to use every minute of time we have together. starting with a trip to the japanese dollar fifty store. i wonder if i can talk her into starting a puzzle with me. i'm really excited.

home

things are slowly coming together. i really want to set up a puzzle table so i can satisfy my craving. i honestly believe that's the only thing keeping me going at this point. it's so hard to not just want to go and play. i must finish unpacking. i must find a place for all of my toys. puzzles can wait, my hot sauce collection can wait, my need to find the perfect taco can wait. sometimes it's just so hard to stay focused. like right now, i choose to write to no one instead of sort through old clothes. god i'm sick. actually i'm really hungry. maybe i'll just make a quick trip to the taco truck down the street and then i'll get some work done. how about i promise to move really really fast. okay go....

been busy

it's been way too long since i was on here. moving has been crazy and unpacking is never ending. i'm ready to get into the swing of things. actually i'm really obsessed with starting a puzzle. all of a sudden i have a total puzzle craving. is that weird?
well, gotta get back to work. more later.

blah blah

took this picture when we were in new york. i love stuff like this. i like to think that there is an actual creature that uses that door.maybe when all the barbie's come alive at night this is a place they visit.well, i really should get back to packing, yuck.

hot sauce

finally started packing.we are moving in 11 days and i have 2 boxes packed. i guess you could say it's officially crunch time. i was going through some cupboards and found these hot sauce bottles. i was planning on thinking of a project to do with them but, now looking at them i realize i have a much bigger problem on my hands than possible bad art. i have a full blown addiction. for years i have joked about it but now i'm saving the empty bottles! come on this is out of control. it's like i've gotten to the stage where i can't bear to part with the container that once held my beloved sauce. i'm not sure what i plan to do with this information.if you have any ideas please let me know.

happy valentine's

happy day of hearts. we've been so busy haven't had time to notice. peter and i are going on a date to see eleni mandell play. she's got a beautiful voice. i had planned on making a fancy dinner ar home but, it's been so busy there's no time or energy left. my aunt sent us a sweet valentine's package. well, we're off to the post office. i know you're so jealous!! lots of love. xoxoxox

valentine's eve

dear diary,
what a day it has been. how do you say "roller coaster of emotions"? ohh wait i just said it. long story short the people who made and host our site are totall immoral unethical penny pinchers. we've known this for a while now but, not until today did it really hurt. we were fortunate enough to be on dailycandy deals today and when we started getting more orders than we have in awhile we were stoked. then a few minutes later our site wouldn't load. what? we called the company who built our site and hosts it as well. they basically told us that we hadn't signed a yearly maintenance contract (never heard of it until today) with them so their hands were tied. uh, what no they're not?! we asked what the maintenance contract was and apparently it's super reasonable at a minimum cost of $15,000. per year. what is wrong with these people. then the owner of the company preceeded to tell us he hadn't spoke to us in 4-5 years as if that has anything to do with anything. long story short after having a very stressed 5 hours they called us and decided they would this one time only charge us hourly to look at it. then we could decide what to do in the future. the problem was fixed within seconds, but not until we agreed to pay them a minimum of $555.00. we're thankful that the site is up and running but sad tht there are people like that out there in the world. even more sad that we are in business with them. you would think that the problem was so minimal they wouldn't charge us right? doesn't look to be the case. i guess this is to be continued,,,,

kitty

got these cute envelopes in chinatown when we were in new york last week. they're for chinese new year. rediscovered an old favorite website and haven't been able to get away from it. it's called homestar runner and it's awesome.
there's tons of animation that is hilarious. i highly suggest checking it out but beware it is totally addicting.

sugar sugar

i'm really excited about all the baking we've been doing. we have decided to try out some new color combos and i think they look pretty awesome. the donuts are looking pretty tastey too. it's a lot of work and i'm super thankful we have such a great team.

hopefully we get everything up on the site in the next day cuz we really need to start packing. i guess i should be more stressed but being a professional procrastinator i use pressure to my advantage. it's weird to think that in a couple of weeks we'll be back in san francisco. i haven't been able to get too excited yet because there has been so much to do. (note to self:make peter's valentine)

cactus love

when we were in tucson we went and visited the saguaro cactus's. this is one of my most favorite places in the world. it is truly a magical place. they have such personality. i kept thinking the cactus's come alive at night when all the humans are gone.(you know like in the movie manequin) they probably talk about how weird the humans were that day. then before the humans return they decide what pose they are going to do for that day.

new stuffs

we've been working really hard to get some new stuff on the site. i think i'm going to put some cards up that i made a while ago. i'm so obsessed with skulls right now. they are so cool. my family has been making some cool skull/day of the dead art too. we're going to be putting some of their stuff as well. it's all really cool and exciting stuff. if you put all of our work together we could be a traveling craft fair. seriously that's an awesome business idea. we could go from city to city selling our wares.

yum

birthday cake

it's my first time....

well, here i am blogger world. i'm so nervous yet so excited at the same time. my mom has been telling me that i should have a blog for quite sometime and being the good daughter i am i obeyed. come to think of it i'm not really sure why she's been so persistent. maybe she's hinting that i need another outlet. her not so subtle way of saying i talk too much. why i outta!!