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I’m not a morning person. I prefer breakfast recipes that can be prepared ahead and just grabbed with a cup of tea to take back to bed.  I adapted this recipe from Giada’s Apricot Oat Bars. I used both dried apricots and cherries for the jam filling and cut out 1/2 a stick of butter (it…

Whether you love Valentine’s Day or hate it, you can still dress up on February 14th in something fun. I’ve put together two outfits: one for the classic romantic and the other for someone with a rebellious edge. Which outfit is more your style? Outfit No. 1: The Romantic Dress – A pretty dress in…

Do you share my inability to throw away the remains of a roast chicken? My sister and I have a near compulsion to turn leftover chicken and turkey bones into soup, a handy trait inherited from our Mom. Having chicken soup stockpiles in the freezer was so helpful when I’ve been terribly sick with this…

To wrap up our week of Holman Ranch daydreaming, here’s what I would wear as a guest to that Spanish-themed wedding in Carmel Valley: Dress – A bohemian dress in a navy print for $138 from Anthropologie is floaty for dancing and eating paella under the oak trees. Belt – A basic leather belt from…

Inspired by Holman Ranch, I put together an idea board for a Spanish-themed wedding in Carmel Valley. This is the kind of event that I love to attend: unfussy with a focus on excellent food, a beautiful setting and a few memorable details.  This wedding makes the most of the Spanish-colonial style of Holman Ranch,…

You’ve seen how pretty Holman Ranch looks by day – now let’s take a tour of the historic ranch in Carmel Valley at night. When Rob and I first arrived, it seemed like we had the whole place to ourselves. The barn was set up for dinner, but there was no one around. We explored…

Earlier this month, Rob and I were invited down to Carmel Valley to spend the night at Holman Ranch. To start, let’s talk about the setting: Carmel Valley is tucked up in the hills 20 minutes from Carmel-by-the-Sea, full of vineyards, oak trees and ranches. Holman Ranch started out as cattle land in the 1880’s.…

So…it turns out that I didn’t exactly survive the 2014 monster flu, as reported last week. Shortly after writing those tips, my health took a downturn. It wasn’t until after we packed up the car for a ski trip in Utah and spent the night in Reno, that I went back to urgent care and…

There is a massive flu outbreak in California right now and it is a really nasty strain of the virus. I’m just now emerging from a four-day misery tour of high fevers, rattling congestion and despair. I’ve never been this sick, for this long, before in my life. I have a sinking feeling that I…

Ugh, I just got hit HARD with the flu. 24-hours of a 104+ temperature…how could I have forgotten to get my flu shot this year? Anyway, stay tuned shortly for a report from a trip earlier this week to Holman Ranch in Carmel!