Memorial Day Fun!

Pin It Now!

I had an amazing Memorial Day yesterday! The "New Guy" (okay...I need to think of a better name for him....that sounds too much like the  flavor of the month and he's so not that!) and I  had an great day biking in San Francisco. It was like taking a mini vacation in our own backyard!  We packed our bikes up and drove 50 minutes north to the "City by the Bay"! 

I walked half-way across the Golden Gate years ago but I had never biked across it before. It really was an amazing experience!

 

 

We stopped here (above) for a Cappuccino break.  I've grown up here in the San Francisco Bay area and have lived here my whole life but I don't ever remember being in this spot before! It was an amazing view of the bridge. See those hills behind me? That's called the Marin Headlands and that's where we are headed now...

Let's get back on our bikes and head across the bridge...

The weather was nice but  not perfect, it was a little overcast but at least it wasn't foggy!  It was a little breezy and temps in the 60s. Great weather for bike riding though!

The photo below was taken on the bridge.  The wind was whipping around my hair, which may have been a benefit since I had "helmet hair" that was plastered down to my head!

After this pic above we got back on the bikes and headed toward the Marine Headlands.

We made it!!!  This pic below is up on those hills you saw in the first photos!  It was a steep climb on the bike and I was shocked that I was able to make it up there without getting off to walk my bike! All that hiking has paid off! Whew!  There is no way I would have been able to do all this 6 months ago!

After we admired the view of the city and the bridge we headed over to Sausalito.

Sausalito is gorgeous...

 We had a nice lunch in Sausalito...sitting out on a sidewalk cafe and then took the ferry back to San Francisco.  

Here is the view from the ferry as we were leaving Sausalito..

 What a great day! We biked 15.3 AMAZING miles!

Show and Tell Friday!

Pin It Now!

 

 Welcome once again to Show and Tell Friday!  It's always great to see so many of you joining in each week! 

This week I'm sharing my reorganized dining room.  I sold my white hutch that I had against this wall and I moved my blue china cabinet over to this space! (Sorry for the poor lighting...I took this photo in the early morning)

I love the way it looks here and it makes the room look so much bigger without so much furniture.  Lauren must have said "it looks so much bigger in here" 5 times since I sold the hutch!  

Moving the blue china cabinet also allows more natural light on my staircase. I didn't realize how much it blocked the light until I moved it!

The view from the staircase

What I won't share with you is the 8 boxes of china that I removed from the white hutch. I have the boxes stacked in my bedroom until I can figure out a better place to put them. I seriously need to do some Spring cleaning and get rid of some stuff!  I sure wish I had a garage...

So what do you think? Do you like the blue cabinet here?

If you are joining in on Show and Tell Friday, please remember that your Show and Tell needs to be something from your home or garden. Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate. If you would like to join in, please enter your name and leave your exact Show and Tell blog post link, not just your blog link and as a common courtesy link back to my blog. If your link has been removed, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting, or e-mail me with any questions.

Thank to all of you that join in every week!

More on Eden Roses

Pin It Now!

I've had a lot of people ask where they can buy a Climbing Eden Rose bush. 



This was my very first bloom, the blooms are much larger than this now.



I bought mine at Regan Nursery in Fremont, California. I highly recommend them!  They also sell them online, as do other nurseries.  It's pretty much too late in the season to buy bare-root roses now but I thought I would list some nurseries here for future use. Just click on the links below.  (I have no affiliation with any of these nurseries but hopefully they are happy they are getting free advertising on my blog!)

Where to buy Eden Roses

1. Regan Nursery
2. Heirloom Roses
3. eCrater
4. White Flower Farm
5. David Austin Roses

How I spent my weekend!

Pin It Now!

Life has changed a lot for me lately! Last year I used to spend so much of my weekends puttering around my apartment but not so much anymore!  Once I made the decision to lose weight, I also decided that I was going to get fit too!  So now, this is my life...hiking and biking. Next winter I hope to start skiing again. And then there's dancing too!  Years ago if someone would have told me I would be hiking and biking at 50 I would have told them they must have the wrong person! Never thought in a million years I would be doing this but I'm loving it!  Life does get better at 50!

These two photos were taken in the same spot just in different directions...it sort of gives you the panoramic view which is why I put both of them on here. See the beautiful homes in the photo below...

Sunday "The New Guy" and I went for a bike ride in Santa Cruz. Saturday the weather was much better, it was a little cool and windy on Sunday but we still had fun!  Ignore the wind-blown hair sticking out everywhere! haha!

Saturday I went hiking with my hiking group. (That's Lexington Reservoir in the photo above for those of you who used to live here...and I know there are many of you out there)  It was a beautiful day but this hike was not fun for me. I had fallen off my bike Thursday evening and my knee was still a little swollen.  Note to my dad who I know is probably worried as he's reading this.  I'm okay...I was on a private road and I was wearing a helmet. I just skinned my knee a little.  Isn't it amazing that you know that your parents worry about you even when you are 50 years old? I'll be the same way...I just know it!

 Anyway...this hike was grueling! It was over 12 miles and up and down and up and down....FOREVER!  Then it was down hill all the way for what seemed like a million miles. Hiking downhill is really hard on my knees. My knees have gotten better from hiking and it's usually not painful so I know it was the fall I took on Saturday. We hiked over 5 hours...all in the sun! Grueling!!

I was hiking with the men this week... the only other girl on the hike was one of the leaders and she was doing a shorter route with another hiker that wasn't able to do the full 12 miles.  I made it through the hike and rushed home to shower before I ran off to a facial appointment.  I was so exhausted I actually fell asleep while I was getting the facial!  Rushed home after the facial to get ready for a date with "The New Guy".  So that was some of my very busy and active (and really fun) weekend! I hope you had a great one too!

Show and Tell Friday!

Pin It Now!

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  I finally have photos of my climbing Eden rose to share today!  Eden is also known as "Pierre de Ronsard".  I know I've said this a million times...I LOVE LOVE LOVE this rose! It's my all-time, hands-down, favorite rose!!!  It takes my breath away every time I see it!  I planted this about 3 years ago and it just gets better and better each year!

My neighbors get the best view.... I had to go walk up their driveway to take this photo.  I only have about half the blooms on my side because it doesn't face the sun.  

 

 

I made this mosaic a couple years ago but had to share it again....

If you are joining in on Show and Tell Friday, please remember that your Show and Tell needs to be something from your home or garden. Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate. If you would like to join in, please enter your name and leave your exact Show and Tell blog post link, not just your blog link and as a common courtesy link back to my blog. If your link has been removed, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting, or e-mail me with any questions.

Thank to all of you that join in every week!

I'm riding the Tour de Cure!

Pin It Now!

I have some exciting news!   I'm riding in the Tour de Cure this year!  

It's a bike ride to raise money for the American Diabetes Association.  I bet each and every one of you know someone with diabetes! 

I've never mentioned on my blog where I work before but I figure now is a good time to do that. I work for LifeScan which is a Johnson and Johnson Company.  We manufacture the OneTouch blood glucose monitors.  I've been here over 9 years and in that time I have learned so much about diabetes!  It's a little scary how many people are getting this horrible disease! 

The American Diabetes Association is raising money to find a cure!  I want to help which is why I've decided to ride this year but I need your help too...if you can donate I would love it! I need to raise at least $200!   $5 is the minimum that you can donate and that's all I'm asking...if you can do more that's great but I'm happy with $5!!!  I have my own page set up where you can donate...just click here! 

I'll keep you updated on my status. The ride is on June 12th but the donations need to be in by May 31st!

Thank you so much!

White Eden Roses

Pin It Now!

I just had to share this....  This is my friend's beautiful garden.  A few years ago we went together to buy roses together on our lunch hour. We had so much fun walking around a huge rose nursery called Regan's Nursery in Fremont, California.  I bought my favorite rose...Pink Eden and Claudia bought a White Eden. It's not totally white though, it has a very soft blush pink center! Gorgeous!!!   You can see it here climbing up her beautiful arbor!  If I had room for one more rose bush in my tiny garden I would be buying this!!!  Roses are like shoes in my book...you can never have enough!!!

Bloggers making a difference!

Pin It Now!

 I have a guest blogger today. I hope you enjoy reading about this beautiful blogger that wants to make a difference... ************************
Just so we're a little more aquainted, my name is Ashley,
and I want to inspire the WORLD.

Raise your hand if you've ever had a dream,
and you didn't reach it.
Don't be shy, no one can actually see you raising your hand at your computer,
unless your in your work cubicle or something.
Then this might be awkward.
Why do all of us have a goal that has been left unfulfilled?
Why do we sell ourselves short of our potential?
This is why I created The Shine Project.
To give daily motivation,
and weekly challenges,
that push us out of our comfort zone to stop making excuses
to do HARD THINGS!

Now, think about the last time you went out of your way,
to help someone.
The Shine Project is also a source of motivation to push us
to give light to those around us who are in need.
Think of what the world would be like,
if everyone did one thoughtful thing for someone else every day.
I want The Shine Project to change the world.

Come join The Shine Project team.
Motivate yourself, feel good about what you can accomplish,
and lift the burdens of those around you.
I have created SHINE necklaces so we all can have a daily reminder of our purpose.
$1 for each necklace sold goes into The Shine Project Scholarship Fund,
which will be rewarded to an inner city highschool student to help them pay for college.

This week's Shine Challenge is to start working on a group service project.
Are you up for it?
I just revealed the new direction of The Shine Project, which will allow YOU to
be a SHINE group service leader in your community. To unite us, I
created SHINE tshirts that are also up on my blog!
Come join me at http://www.ashlemieux.blogspot.com/
And go ahead,
let the world see you SHINE.

Show and Tell Friday!

Pin It Now!

I'm so sorry for the delay in getting Show and Tell Friday up this week!  Blogger has been having issues since yesterday and I wasn't able to get on at all! 

Now that's it's up I didn't have the photos that I had planned on sharing so I'm resharing cupcakes that I made a long time ago!  I guess that's the good thing about blogging so long (since 2005)...I have so many old photos that I can repost in emergencies like this!

Seeing these cupcakes makes me want to make some more...I love making them but it's so hard to resist eating them and since I'm finally getting down to my last 20 lbs to lose I should not even tempt myself with them!  I LOVE cupcakes with REAL homemade buttercream frosting!  Really...forget the cupcakes...I could just eat the frosting off the top! haha!

If you are joining in on Show and Tell Friday, please remember that your Show and Tell needs to be something from your home or garden. Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate. If you would like to join in, please enter your name and leave your exact Show and Tell blog post link, not just your blog link and as a common courtesy link back to my blog. If your link has been removed, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting, or e-mail me with any questions.

Thank to all of you that join in every week!

 

White Picket Fence Love!

Pin It Now!

I have a thing for white picket fences with roses growing on them and I especially love the white on white look!  You may remember the beach house post I did awhile back. 

Last night after work I was going to a friend's home (he's actually more than just a friend but I'll leave it at that for now; wink-wink) and I parked my car on his street in front of this home...I didn't have my camera so I just snapped these with my iPhone to share with you!

I know there are lots of you out there that love a white picket fence as much as I do!! Right? 

The home of my dreams would have a white picket fence!