The ABC's of 2013

Hi there! Happy almost Friday. For some reason, this week seemed to go on forever, and I've been exhausted every day. Thankfully, the weekend is just around the corner!

I got this idea over on Tina's blog and I thought it sounded like a fun way to list all the exciting things that are coming up in 2013. I have a feeling that this year is going to be the best one yet! There is so much excitement on the horizon, and so much to be thankful for.


I'm a little late, I can't believe tomorrow is the first day of March! But here goes my list...

A - Auntie! My sister is having a baby in the next couple weeks! I am so excited to be an Auntie for the first time!

B - Blogging. I am new to the blogging world and already love it. Although I've been reading blogs for years, it is fun to be on the other side of things now. It's nice to be a part of this community and I look forward to the relationships that I will build with this new adventure.

C - Camping. Andrew and I love to camp! We hope to go as often as possible, even if it's just a short weekend trip. Lucky for us, there are so many great places to camp in California.

D - Dog. I've never had a dog (I know, the horror!) But when Andrew moved, I got two new roommates! Louis is the perfect pup, very mellow and likes to snuggle!

E - Europe. I am in love with all things Europe. I'm lucky enough to have been to Italy twice, as well as France and Switzerland. But it's been 2 years since my last Italy trip, and I can't wait to get back there. Even if I don't make it across the pond this year, I'd like to start saving for my next trip.

F - Family. Now that I live a little bit farther away from my family, I appreciate the time I do have with them even more! Thankfully they are just a few hours' drive, because I am going to need a lot of baby snuggles once my little niece or nephew arrives!

G - Girls Trip! Every year for the past three years my best girlfriends and I plan a weekend getaway. We've gone to wine country the past three years, but are thinking about mixing it up this year with Vegas!

H - Hiking. I love hiking, it is one of my favorite outdoor activities. For Christmas Andrew and I got a couple Bay Area Hiking guide books, I'm looking forward to exploring some new trails.

I - Interior Decorating. Now that we're getting settled in our apartment, I can't wait to decorate!

J - Join a CSA. Andrew and I love to cook, and we want to join a CSA in the city. I love to cook and it will be a fun way to try new things and experiment in the kitchen. Plus, I like supporting local farmers and who doesn't love fresh produce?

K - Kindle. I go through phases with reading and I really would like to read at least one book a month. So far this year I've read the Hunger Games series.

L - Living with my boyfriend - After 2 years of long distance, my boyfriend moved from Southern California up to San Francisco a couple weeks ago. It's a big change from seeing him once a month, to spending almost all of my time with him, but I couldn't be more excited!  

Disclaimer: I had been moving all weekend and had a 9 hour drive ahead of me!

M - Make Time. One of my goals for 2013 is to make time for the people in my life that matter most. It is easy to get caught up in the everyday routine and not put effort into our most important relationships. I want to make time to show the people that I love how much they mean to me.

N - New. I want to try something new to mix up my workout routine. I typically just do spin class or run, and I've had the same weight routine for years. Maybe I'll try something like Crossfit, and really push myself.  

O -  Off The Grid. Starting next month Off the Grid is every Friday night at Fort Mason. 

P - Paddle boarding (stand up). I've never been and it looks like so much fun! I really hope to try it out this summer!  

Q - Quote. My favorite quote is by Carl Bard. "Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending.” I love the meaning behind this, it's never too late to follow your dreams.

R - Rock Climbing. My Dad is an avid rock climber and we spent a day climbing in Yosemite last summer.  I hadn't gone in a few years and it really sparked my interest again! I hope to go again this summer. And Andrew and I also want to check out Planet Granite in the Presidio.

S - San Francisco. I really want to take advantage of this amazing city. There are so many places I want to explore and I hope to make a dent in my San Francisco Bucket List this year!

T - Tuolumne Meadows. Every year since I can remember, my family goes to Tuolumne Meadows in the late summer. It is one of my favorite places in the world, and I look forward to it year-round.

U - Upstate New York. Andrew has family in Rochester and we may go visit them this Spring. I haven't been to New York since 2006, and never to upstate New York, so I really hope we make it out there!  

V - Vacation! Since Andrew and no longer have the added cost of flying back and forth between San Diego and San Francisco, we hope to go on a proper vacation this year! Any suggestions?

W - Wakeboarding. I can't wait for summer and days out on the boat wakeboarding. I'm hoping to get out of the fog and head back to the foothills a lot this summer to spend time with family and friends at the lake.

X - XXVIII. I turn 28 this year!  (Yikes! That can't be right, can it?)

Y - Yoga. I am late to the party on this one. I tried my first yoga class over the holidays and I loved it! I really want to incorporate it into my regular fitness routine.   

Z- Zephyr Cove. I cheated a little, but "Z" was a hard one! Mostly I just want to go to Lake Tahoe. I think a camping trip to DL Bliss, or spending some time at my cousins cabin on the north shore sounds like a must!

This post was fun to put together, but some letters were surprisingly tricky! It's nice to look ahead and see all that there is to look forward to, especially on a foggy day like today! Thanks for the great idea Tina!  

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

xoxo,

Theresa

Winter Pinterest Challenge: Fabric Banner

It's time for the Pinterest Challenge: Winter Edition! I'm a bit obsessed with Pinterest, so you can imagine my delight when Katie and Sherry created the Pinterest Challenge. I've always loved clicking through to see what projects people link up. And now that I've started my blog, I can finally be a part of all the fun!

 Photo From Bower Power Blog

My sister is due to have her first baby in a couple weeks and I am so excited to be an Auntie. My mom and I couldn't wait to throw her a baby shower in honor of the little peanut. As soon as we set the date, I started searching through Pinterest for a theme and decorating ideas. My sister and brother-in-law are waiting to be surprised about the sex of the baby, so I knew the shower needed to have a neutral color scheme. I decided to go for a vintage look based on my Pinterest finds and what my sister wanted.


I knew right away I wanted to incorporate a torn fabric banner like I'd seen on Pinterest into the decor. I had pinned this great tutorial by Heather at The Lovely Cupboard, as well as the banner on this dessert table by Suzanne at She Paperie Blog, which was featured on Sweet Designs, by Amy Atlas and Kara's Party Ideas.

The Lovely Cupboard

She Paperie Blog

My sister had planned to do the nursery in grey and white with hints of yellow, so I knew I wanted to incorporate those colors into the banner and I wanted it to have an overall vintage feel and look to it. We went shopping at Ben Franklin Crafts and I searched the bin of scrap fabric squares that were on sale. I was able to find about ten different fabrics that my sister and I thought would complement the rest of the shower decor. We kept a neutral palette, but included hints of both blue and pink as well.


I also dug through my Mom's fabric and found a few other patterns, and one very special fabric to include. My Gram gave my Mom the white fabric with small pink flowers and blue leaves so that she could make a dress for my sister when she was a baby. It was a fun thing to find and gave the banner a personal touch that meant a lot to my sister.


Since most of the fabric was already cut to the same size, I just trimmed the fabric I used of my Mom's so that the strips would be about the same length. It didn't need to be exact because I wanted it to have a whimsical look.


My brilliant Mom, the expert seamstress, gave me a tip to save time. Instead of cutting each piece of fabric and then washing it to give the vinatge look, I tore it. I measured approximately 1 1/2" sections and did a small cut along the edge of the fabric. Then I simply tore it into strips. It was very fast and effective, I was so thankful she thought of it!

Once I had all of my fabric strips torn, it was simple to assemble to banner. I didn't want it to be too uniform, and tried to keep a random order to the various patterns I used. I used a piece of jute string to hang my banner because it is sturdy and had the vintage feel I was going for. I attached the fabric to the jute by simply tying a knot.  

Although it was a bit time consuming, the end result was just too cute. I couldn't stop looking at it.

At the shower I had a popcorn bar with various flavors of popcorn as a favor for my sister's guests. I draped the banner along the front of the table and it turned out exactly as I had hoped. Thank goodness for Pinterest and all these great ideas!



"Ready to Pop" - Popcorn Bar

I used some of the banner fabric to make a matching cake topper!

Baby Shower fun with Family

Now my sister has the banner hanging in the nursery above the closet where there was an open storage space. It fits so perfectly, you would have thought I measured the space to make it!

This project was so much fun! I think it really added a lot of character to the shower, and best of all it's something my sister will continue to use and remind her of the baby shower.



I can't wait to see what everyone else created! Thanks to the girls for this fun link up! I think The Pinterest Challenge: Winter Edition was a success!




Picture from Bower Power Blog

Don't forget to visit our lovely hosts:

 Megan from The Remodeled Life

Katie from Bower Power

Sherry from Young House Love

Michelle from Decor & The Dog

What have you found on Pinterest to inspire you?


xoxo,
Theresa

San Francisco Bucket List

Long before I moved to San Francisco, I was in love with this city. I remember driving down to spend weekends in the Bay Area with my parents and sister. We would go to Berkeley and watch the Cal Bears, play tourist at Pier 39, drive down the crookedest street in the world, play at the Exploratorium, eat bowls of fresh clams at Scoma's, and explore the beautiful neighborhoods.

My Dad was raised in the North Bay, in Fairfax. He would drive us around and point out the hills he used to climb, and tell us stories of hitch hiking to San Francisco for baseball games and concerts. San Francisco has always had an appeal to me. I think in a large part because of the history my Dad has shared from growing up in the Bay Area.

Even though I have spent quite a bit of time in San Francisco growing up, and over the past few years visiting friends before I moved here, there are still SO many things I want to do! So, I thought I should make a San Francisco Bucket List as a fun way to keep track of all my adventures!

 I am sure this list will be ever-changing, but it's a start!

Cement Slides

Walk Across the Golden Gate Bridge

Bike Across the Golden Gate Bridge

Baker Beach

Irish Coffee from the Buena Vista

Alcatraz

Corona Heights Park Hike

Academy of Sciences Night Life

SF MOMA

de Young Museum Observation Deck

Japanese Tea Gardens

Fly a kite at Crissy Field

49er Game at Candelstick Park

Off The Grid at Fort Mason

Ferry Building Farmers Market

Sailing in the Bay

Beach Blanket Babylon

Ferry to Sausalito and spend the day

See the Buffalo in Golden Gate Park

Hike Twin Peaks

See Lands End

Biergarten in Hayes Valley

Outside Lands Concert

Walk down Lombard Street

Run Bay to Breakers

Run the Nike Half Marathon

Bonfire at Ocean Beach

Giants Game

** Italics - I've done this before, but would like to again as an SF resident!

** Crossed out - I'll keep track of things as I do them, and link back if I've done a post about it!

And Because every post needs pictures, here are some fun things I've crossed off my bucket list in the past year....

Fun at AT&T Park! Go Giants!

49er Game - Fan Appreciation Day!

Did I miss anything? What fun things have you done in San Francisco?

xoxo,

Theresa

Sunny Sunday

Happy Monday! I am reminiscing about our beautiful day yesterday, wishing I was back outside instead of stuck in the office.

Yesterday was one of those beautiful San Francisco days that makes you fall in love with this city all over again. We had planned to spend our day unpacking boxes and getting the apartment organized, but with such amazing weather, we knew we had to get outside for a break. I didn't bring my camera with me (rookie blogger mistake), but I got a few good pictures with my iphone.

I can't help but smile when I look at the Golden Gate Bridge, I just love it!

Fun Fact: My Gram walked across the Golden Gate Bridge on Opening Day in 1937.

It was a warm day for February, in the mid 60's, and we decided to take advantage of it by heading down to Crissy Field to walk around and let our dog, Louis, get some energy out. It was his first weekend living in San Francisco, so we wanted to give him a proper introduction.

Looking Handsome for his first picture with the Golden Gate Bridge

  

We walked along the path for a while then headed down to the beach to run on the sand. Louis was in doggy heaven. After the confusion of moving into a new home, I think he needed some special attention and play time!

 After a nice, long walk in the Marina, we headed home to continue unpacking and do some Sunday chores. We quickly wrote up a meal plan for the week and walked over to Trader Joes. I love our neighborhood, it is relatively quiet but everything we need is within walking distance. It has been the perfect balance for me, moving from a small town to the city.

Dinners this Week:

- Turkey Burgers and Salad
- Dinner at a friends

- Chicken with Veggies
- Veggie Stir Fry with Turkey
- Out

After our quick shopping trip, we continued unpacking. We got a lot of the boxes emptied, and things put away. Little by little it is starting to feel more like home.

For dinner we made this great recipe I found on Pinterest. It was delish! We used Lagunitas for the beer, and served it with roasted fingerling potatoes and sautéed broccolini. It turned out great, we decided it will definitely be in our regular dinner rotation. Next time we may add some sriracha into the sauce, but this time we followed the recipe exactly. We roasted the potatoes with olive oil, rosemary, and salt. The broccolini was my friends recipe, just sautéed with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and finished with lemon juice. Easy peasy.

Overall, it was a nice weekend. We got a lot accomplished and still managed to enjoy the weather and get outside!

How was your weekend? What did you do? Any fun plans this week?

xoxo

Theresa

Welcome!



Hello! I am so glad you stopped by my little space in the blog world! I've been reading and following blogs for many years. It's become a huge part of my life, and one of the things I enjoy most. I love the blogging community, I think it's filled with some of the most interesting, smart, and fun people out there. I've been wanting to start a blog for a few years now, but honestly, I think I was scared. Scared of the commitment. Scared of rejection. But I decided it is time to take action towards making my dreams reality.

From Foothills to Fog will be a lifestyle blog where I can document my experiences living in San Francisco and traveling as much as possible. This space will have a variety of posts, including DIY and craft projects, interior decorating, experiments in the kitchen, weekend getaways, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and exploring all that San Francisco has to offer.

Thank you SO much for stopping by. I'm excited for where this journey will take me. Stay tuned...

xoxo

Theresa

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."
- Carl Bard