Quick recap of my birthday dinner! Holy mac, can’t believe I’m 27 already.

Heck yes, I wore a tiara.

Check out my shoes!!

Favors for the guests! Mason jars filled with gummy bears, Dutch caramel wafers, English toffee, and madeline cookies.  I decorated them with ribbon and mini-chalkboards (yes, I gave out chalk, too!)

My birthday dinner took place at the 1515 Restaurant & Lounge in Walnut Creek. Food was good, and the cocktails were excellent.

I told them to act natural. Good spies they’d make, eh?

Adrienne couldn’t make it this year, so Justin acted as a placeholder. Personally, I think he should’ve worn the heels.

Adan and Tim lookin’ fly in their new suits

I had a wonderful time!! The restaurant was very cool inside, and though the food wasn’t amazing, it was good and I really liked their house-made hummus. Ooh and their onion rings were delicious!

For dessert, I’d brought cupcakes from Sift; Stud Muffin (Lagunitas beer and brown sugar cake, caramel buttercream frosting topped with bacon and fleur de sel) and Pink Champagne (raspberry and champagne cake with buttercream frosting).

We didn’t end up getting home until almost 2 am, but I was happy tired.

I love birthdays.

 Last Saturday was my wonderful husband’s 29th birthday!  Adrienne and Justin came over to hang out with Timmy in the afternoon (aka eat Gott’s, play Wii, discuss books), and also to watch Marco so we could go on a date, ’cause they’re cool like that.

Tim picked Ubuntu for dinner, which is a vegetarian restaurant here in Napa.

Watermelon and cucumber foam amuse bouche

Canteloupe and sage gazpacho with pickled radish and spicy peanuts in an onion top oil

‘the garden snake’ : greens, leaves, flowers, roots and soil, dressed in olive oil and lemon

Toasted pearl pasta with fennel, chilis, corn, and a goat cheese called ‘Midnight Moon’ – DELICIOUS! I forgot to take a picture until we’d already started eating, lol

 We opted out of dessert, but the manager sent us out a small treat: it was some kind of blueberry pate di fruit, with a graham cracker crumble, fresh creme fraiche, and a lemon shortbread cookie. Quite tasty, mmmmmmmm.

The only downside to our meal was, unfortunately, our server; she was awful. We sat for 15 minutes before she asked us about wine, and repeatedly forgot to bring things we’d asked for. Hmmph!

After dinner, we walked to Fish Story and had a drink. The bartender noticed Tim’s birthday when he checked our IDs, and sent out a cornstarch pudding for dessert. OMG SO GOOD. I know cornstarch is bad…but what a way to go!

My cocktail was dangerous: blended lemon, peach bitters, green tea vodka, ginger liqueur, and mango. It tasted like a smoothie!

After our date, we headed back to the house, and finished the night eating cupcakes and chatting with the Gomers.

Nothing like an evening of food and friends to refresh you for the week ahead!

…cause that’s my name (in binary code). Don’t wear it out!

Remember all those funny sayings we used as children? Maybe we should bring them back.

Friend: “I love Captain Crunch cereal!”
You: “So why don’t you marry it?!” MY GOD. Comic genius!

Enemy: “You smell bad!”
You: “I’m rubber, you’re glue! Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks back to you!” Repeat as necessary.

Parent: “Go clean your room!”
You: “I’ll do it because I WANT to, NOT because you tell me to!” This one’s a kid classic. Immortalized forever in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty McDonald, which if you didn’t read, you have no soul.

Umm…so about this completely random post…whoops.

Meant to show you a few pics from Saturday:

Outfit from our anniversary dinner at Farmstead (yep, taken in the bathroom)
Dress: Mossimo for Target
Belt: Forever21 (purchased 2007)
Shoes: Steve Madden (purchased 2008 – also styled HERE)
Headband: Target
Bracelet: gift from Mom

The restaurant was housed in a converted barn, on a property that used to be a nursery. The gardens are still lovely, and the whole place looked awesome! The decorators really took its roots (pun intended!!) into account, and used everything available (farming tools turned into lighting fixtures, refinished original woods, etc).

The cuisine was great, utilizing the local flavors and modern menu items, while adding a sprinkling of home. The Executive Chef, Sheamus Feeley, did a great job keeping both a dyed-in-the-wool carnivore and his vegetarian wife satisfied and happy!

We started off with wood-roasted asparagus (topped with ricotta, Meyer lemon and EVOO). All three of us (Marco was partaking in the adventure, too) looooved this dish!

I had an arugula, strawberry, feta and apple-cider vinaigrette salad, with a an order of the Cheddar biscuits. The biscuits came with a dollop of honey butter…and I pretty much died and went to cheese heaven. SO FLIPPING GOOD! I was excited that there were a few left over to snack on the next day.

Tim ordered the cheeseburger on a potato bun – and said that it was both interesting and delicious.

Marco enjoyed the grilled cheese sandwich, which I would have happily eaten myself – and, luckily for me, Marco loves to share food, so he handed me several bites. SCORE!

Aspara-good! *facepalm*

Schramsberg Blanc de Noir for me, and a cocktail for Tim

Marco was suspicious of the crayons

This picture makes me laugh, because it almost looks like I digitally added Tim into it!

The awesomely good Lemon Meringue pie – the graham cracker crust was dreamy.

Blissed out after delicious meal and a slow-dance to our wedding song

Might be a little sporadic with posting the next few days – trying to get things together for Marco’s 1st birthday (and his party!); will update when I can!

I finished my first round of antibiotics last week, and, unfortunately, the strep did not die off. I had to go back to my doctor today, and this time I got the business end of a sharp needle in my butt cheek (THEY called it my hip – riiiiiggghhht), and a new prescription. This had better work!

Luckily, even strep didn’t keep me from enjoying my weekend. The three of us had a fantastic brunch at Gillwood’s. Marco loved his scrambled eggs and avocado.  I managed to hit the gym for an hour, too (worked off the brunch, lol)! After running errands and playing outside (‘This little piggy’ about 100 times- it’s Marco’s favorite – and crawling around the lawn, eating bits of grass), I arranged my flowers from Whole Foods. I love spring! That night,  Tim and I fired up the grill and made a feast of fresh veggies and chicken for dinner.

Sunday, we had a birthday party (Isabella turned 1), and more errands to take care of (never ending). Marco enjoyed himself eating cake and visiting with friends at the party.  Tim and I closed the evening by loafing around the house, and eating snacks.

Alright, onto the pictures!!

Isn’t my boy getting more beautiful by the second!? Oh, and yes, those are my favorite jammies. The last picture is also something of a proud moment for other reasons: Marco has successfully transitioned off of the bottle, and it was far easier than we anticipated (suh-weet).

Last night, I sipped a delicious blended mojito and nommed chicken tacos at Compadre’s (happy hour!) with a few of my coworkers. I’d never been a huge fan of the food there, but they always have fantastic drinks – and the crispy tacos were actually very tasty this time! Maybe they changed recipes since I was there last (which, to be fair, was several years ago). Anyway, it was an enjoyable evening, and I’m hoping that I will feel a little less lonely at work.

Tomorrow night, Tim and I have our long-awaited date. We’ve been planning it for, oh, two months now… it was supposed to be two weeks ago, but I was so sick that we had to cancel.  Tim and I are thinking of seeing ‘Hanna’. Anyone see this? Should we see ‘Source Code’ instead?

The last time we saw the Campos family, both Kacey and I were pregnant with our boys. Marco was born on May 27th, and Jesse was born August 13th!

Kacey and Robert ended up coming up to Napa for a day trip, so we met up with them for pastries and coffee at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville.

Jesse preferred his shoes to the Passion Fruit-filled donut I was munching…

It was so beautiful outside (80 degrees, sunny, clear skies), and we so rarely get to see them, that we ended up spending the afternoon together. First up, a picnic (sandwiches from Yountville Deli) on the lawn at Peju Winery, and sipping wine in the tasting room.

Marco loves the ladies (and also plastic bottles – don’t worry, he recycled)

Jesse has fantastic hair!

After that, we headed to ZD Wines for a delicious Cabernet and chocolates (!) tasting. Marco slept through it, but Jesse was intrigued by the wine barrels.

We tried an ’09 right out of the barrel, a 2008, 2003, and a reserve of 2006. My favorite was the 2008, but the 09 was pretty awesome. I can’t wait for it to be bottled!

Kacey’s parents were also visiting the Napa valley, and were headed to dinner with Kacey, Robert, and Jesse; they invited Tim, Marco, and I to join them at Bottega (my favorite!). After grabbing some groceries, napping, and changing into a cute outfit (pajamas for Marco) we headed to dinner.

The food was just as amazing as I remembered, and luckily, everyone else agreed! I always get nervous recommending restaurants to people; what if they don’t like it!?

I ordered a pear and balsamic vinaigrette salad, and a side of truffle fries.

Tim ordered the ‘Angry Prawns’:

Yeah, those are eyeballs. Staring at me. Not so fun for me. Tim enjoyed them, though!

It was such a fantastic day. I really needed this jaunt; it was nice to do something with friends that wasn’t just a play date for the kids. It’s good to be reminded that we can still do our own thing, but keep Marco involved.

I went to bed sleepy and happy.

Adrienne posted a list yesterday of 20 things we didn’t know about her (though I think I actually did know all of them, go figure!)…so here’s mine! Adrienne probably knows all of these things about me, too.

20 Bits of (Possibly) New Information

1.I’ve never been to the snow. I’ve seen it by the side of the road on the drive into Tahoe,  but I’ve never touched it, made a snow-angel, etc.

2. I am very afraid of heights, but I don’t like to be on the 1st floor of hotels. If someone breaks into your room, it’s easier for them to escape from the 1st floor than, say, the 10th.

3. Hugh Laurie. ‘Nuff said.

4. I’ve seen Jimmy Eat World live 10 times.

5. Just seeing a jar of mayonnaise induces me to gag. IT IS DISGUSTING.

6. I own 70 pairs of shoes.

7. I believe in God, but not organized religion.

8. Sometimes I like to read whilst standing up.

9. I like watches, but I don’t wear them because I become too obsessed with finding out what time it is.

10. I had a crush on a woman in my theatre class in college.  She was so pretty and smart, and my hands got sweaty when she talked to me. No, I never said anything to her about it.

11. I don’t like pants that don’t have pockets on the butt; even if it’s just a pseudo-pocket (more like a seam, really) it makes me feel more comfortable. I feel like my butt is exposed otherwise.

12. I prefer to write ‘grey’ instead of ‘gray’ (same goes for ‘theatre’ and ‘theater’). I just think it looks more elegant.

13. I am looking forward to going back to work full-time; hopefully next year.

14. When I was a little kid, I wanted to be on ‘Reading Rainbow‘ more than anything! I’d even pretend with one of my favorite books in the mirror – I had my timing down to a science.

15. I’ve been told by several people that I make great chicken enchiladas, but I myself am not really a fan of Mexican food.

16. My top 5 restaurants: 1. The Library (Rome, Italy) 2. The French Laundry (Yountville, CA) 3. Auberge du Soleil (Rutherford, CA) 4. Ubuntu (Napa, CA) 5. Bottega (Yountville, CA – read about our dining experience here)

17. I’ve readContact by Carl Sagan so many times, I actually know most of the chapters by heart. I love it so much that I own two copies, and refuse to let go of either of them. One is hardback and one is paperback.

18. I can laugh at the Monty Python movies, but about 50% of the time I don’t really know why it is funny. British humour is quite ODD.

19. I think hunting is an abomination. There is no need for a person to go out with a gun and shoot something ‘for fun’. Sure, you CAN eat it, but we all know you aren’t doing it because you NEED to. This is the modern age! Go to Safeway!

20. I wish I could play the piano. I took lessons for a few months when I was 8, but my mom never made me practice – and eventually she didn’t want to drive me to lessons anymore. THANKS A LOT, MOM!

Okay phew! I finally have some time to post the 2nd part of my birthday post.

Wednesday evening, the Gomers came up to Napa to have a Gomer-Dickson birthday dinner, as Justin and Belle would not be able to make the dinner on Saturday. We went to Firewood Cafe and had a very delicious meal, which included a free pizza – I love coupons!!

Thursday was a relaxing day with my baby boy and hubby, and Friday night I covered a shift at work for my co-worker. It was kind of a crazy day, between taking care of Marco, working, grocery shopping, baking cupcakes for Saturday, and trying to eat somewhere in there. After all the chores were done, Tim and I relaxed with 2 episodes of ‘Dexter’ (almost done with Season 3!!) and books. I’m still working on The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

Saturday I slept in (thanks, Timmy!), went to La Vie Nail Spa and got a manicure, pedicure and my eyebrows done. My nails look awesome, I love the OPI color ‘My Private Jet’.

After that, I put together some goody bags for my birthday dinner guests. I didn’t really know what to put in them, so it ended up being some silly, random items. I put bags of one of my favorite Tazo teas, EO Sweet Orange shampoo, Fun size Snickers, Skittles, mini notepad, temporary tattoos, and Hershey’s kisses.

My birthday dinner was at Il Fornaio in Walnut Creek. I’ve been to this location several times, and to the one in downtown San Jose. Good Italian food and a fun atmosphere. Marco was an angel the entire time! He was wide awake, but had hardly any fussiness and was generally happy just hanging out with everyone!

All my friends just looked so lovely, and I was so excited with my outfit. I ended up picking the pink and grey strapless peplum dress from ModCloth. I love that my birthday has become a dress-up event.

My mom and Marco

Marco gets lots of smooches

We actually got everyone in the photo!!

Saving these for my 62nd birthday LOL

Feelin’ cute hee hee

Okay, I love presents. My mom and sister TOTALLY spoiled me! They gave me a Nordstrom gift card, a purse, a Betsey Johnson necklace and earrings!!

Isn’t this purse adorable? My sister knows me too well

All the girls: Adrian, Micaela, me, Adrienne , and Robyn
 

Love this outfit!

thinking, that’s all

Sunday I met up after work with my friends Erin and Jacqi for drinks at Barolo in Calistoga. We had some delicious cupcakes from Sift and good conversation.

It’s been an amazing birthday week! I love my friends and family, and thank you so much for making this week so perfect. XOXOXOXO

I looove birthdays!! I always choose to make my birthday celebrations last a whole week (I’m special like that, MMKAY!?), and this year has been no different. On Monday, Marco and I cuddled, played and planned the week ahead. At work, I received a generous gift of $$$ and a sweet card! Luckily, it wasn’t too crazy at the Inn and I was able to leave a little bit early. I like making sure I am home in time to read Marco a story before he goes to bed.

Tuesday was my OFFICIAL birthday (dude, I’m 26!), and it was a fantastic day. Marco and I slept in a little, and then got ready and packed for our stay at Solage Calistoga that night. It is the one Auberge property here that I had not yet stayed at, and I was so excited to finally get the opportunity! I’d taken full advantage of the beautiful Spa facilities, and dined several times at SolBar, but I’d never seen the rooms.

After packing, I headed to Sift to pick up a couple of birthday cupcakes. I picked out a Pink Champagne (my favorite!), Limonata, and a new espresso flavor for Tim. Marco and I decided to relax with some coffee (a soy bottle for him) at Starbucks, and I read while he took a catnap in his stroller. Tim was able to come home a little early, so we checked into Solage and relaxed in the room before our dinner reservation.  When we got to our room, there was a birthday card and a mini cake waiting for me (chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting)!!

The amazing shower and bathtub!

View from the patio (Hi, Marco!)

Marco was a little cranky, so Tim put on his favorite movie (‘Up’), and he calmed down immediately. I don’t know if the colors in the movie are fascinating or what, but Marco stops squealing as soon as he sees that movie on the screen!

Our wonderful friends, the Dempseys, had offered to watch Marco while Tim and I FINALLY had a date-night. After dropping Marco off at their home, we grabbed the Solage bikes and hit the streets of Calistoga. I’d decided to have a casual dinner at Calistoga Inn (1000 pts for the reservation – thank you, OpenTable!), so we parked the bikes and relaxed outside. I ordered a Mojito (mm!) and the Summer Risotto (my favorite), while Tim had a red ale and the avocado-pasta (the inspiration for our Guaca-Pasta!)

After dinner, we biked to Scoops & Swirls, a Frozen Yogurt shop in town. I LOVE FRO-YO!! It was a perfect dessert!

We picked up Marco (he was an angel, phew!!) and went back to Solage for the night. Marco was a little too excited and refused to go to sleep at first, wanting to talk to himself, coo and smile at me the whole time. It was difficult not having a separate room for him, but we made do by placing his Pack N Play in the shower. He fell asleep around 10, and we were finally able to enjoy a movie and cupcakes.

Our breakfast was delivered to us at 7:45am the next morning, and luckily, Marco hadn’t made a peep all night, and didn’t wake up until 7am. I’d ordered an egg-white omelet (I just can’t get into eggs anymore, but this was ok) with spinach, goat cheese and peppers, a side of fresh fruit (figs, plums and blackberries), while Tim opted for the french toast with walnuts and peach compote, and a side of hashbrowns. Marco played with his newly-discovered feet while we enjoyed breakfast in bed.

After breakfast, packing up, and getting ready, Marco and I finally headed home, while Tim started his work day.

Whew! I know this was a wordy post, but there is still so much to share! My birthday dinner is tomorrow night, so Part 2 coming soon.

Thanks to Lauren at The Little Things We Do for this post…

1.  If I could choose my last meal it would be  Mixed greens with strawberries, feta and a light vinaigrette, then a wood-fired pizza with caramelized onions, arugula, gorgonzola, and figs. A glass of Schramsberg Blanc de Noir (maybe two glasses, ha ha). Banana gratin with vanilla ice cream.

2.  My favorite person to share a meal with is Timothy Dickson

3.  The best meal I’ve ever had was the 15-course Vegetable Tasting menu from The French Laundry. It was meant to be 9 courses, but they sent out extra because it was our wedding anniversary (and I worked for the company).

4.  The one food that makes me feel instantly better when I’m having a bad day is desserts in general will always help! Fruit flavor cupcakes!

5.  My absolute specialty in the kitchen is chicken enchiladas and desserts. I make wicked lemon dark-chocolate truffles.

6.  The city that has the best food is a toss-up between the Napa Valley and Rome. I loved everything we ate in Rome.       

7.  My favorite healthy snack is fruit! I loooove fruit.

8.  In my opinion the nationality which has the best food is ITALIAN! I love French food, but I could eat Italian food every day.

9.  If I could learn to cook anything in the world (and be really good at it!) I’d choose bread. It’s a very difficult skill to learn; even professionals can screw it up.

10.  The most outrageous dessert I’ve ever had was  I don’t think I’ve had anything too crazy; the best dessert was definitely from The French Laundry – drageed macadamia nuts, donuts and a coffee mousse.

So, recently, I was selected as a caretaker for the Flat Joe Project. You’ve probably heard of Flat Stanley? It’s a similar premise.  A jewelry designer, Joseph Allen, decided to make a necklace character by the name of Joe. He travels around, meeting new people, and seeing new places.

About the designer: Joseph Allen makes hand stamped jewelry.  The items are made with high quality Argentium Sterling Silver; they come in satin and hammered finishes and you can personalize them however you’d like (birthstones, pearls and crystals can be added as well)!  View his shop here: Joseph Allen Designs

I was so excited to host Flat Joe! He came to us all the way from Georgia, and seemed a little jet-lagged from the long trip! After a nice nap to acclimate him to our timezone, we started our adventures. 

First, he met the family. Me (Michelle), Chloe (the black lab), Tim (my husband) and Stabler (the feisty cat):

Tim, always glad for an extra pair of hands, wasted no time in putting him to work. They added some neat details to the fireplace in our living room:

Afterwards, we relaxed in our backyard, and Joe decided to hang out with the bougainvillea:

Joe joined us for our anniversary dinner at Bottega. It was a lovely meal (read about it here). Joe helped us select a dessert:

He even helped Tim polish off a delicious Zinfandel!

The next day, I thought Joe should see the beautiful Napa views:

There was a beautiful fountain in Yountville, and at first, Joe wanted to test the water…

But he (quickly) thought better of it.
On his last evening, Tim opened up a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio, and Joe seemed very interested:

The Dickson family thoroughly enjoyed meeting Flat Joe, and we hope he had fun experiencing the Napa Valley. Where will he go next….???

If you’re interested in hosting Flat Joe, please go here and leave a comment with your contact information!

My blog readers get a 10% discount on any purchase from Joseph Allen Designs!! To take advantage, make sure to mention my blog and ’flat joe’ in the comments section of the Checkout process, and you will be refunded the 10%.  

FYI: I was given the opportunity to host Flat Joe on the incentive that I would receive a significant discount on a future purchase. I was not compensated in any other form.