Date Night.

Last night, Boyfriend and I thought we'd take advantage of one of Sac Town's best happy hours and go to Lucca Restaurant on 16th and J Street (hey look, it's the name of the blog!). Happy hours are great because not only do they discount delicious adult beverages, they usually have tapa-sized plates of the food for a good price.

I love the ambiance of Lucca -- bottle-lined rustic brick walls, shiny wood and wrought iron accents, high top tables, and vivid, colorful art -- and their happy hour lasts till closing on Thursday nights! That's huge for me. Being a nanny means that I'm at work before my bosses leave for their jobs and don't leave until they are home, which is often too late for the typical happy hour. Finding a late, or an all-night happy hour is the only way I get to enjoy it.

The ride! Because of Boyfriend's job, we get to ride in fun cars. Last night's ride was a 2006 Maserati GranSport. Ciao Bella!

The outfit! I live two different lives. One of them revolves around kids, crafts, funny voices, story-times, silly songs, and diapers. The other one starts the moment I come home where I can pour myself a glass of wine, grab a book, and spend a quiet hour in the bath if I want to. One lovely thing about being a nanny is that I get my kid fix, but I get to give the kids back at the end of the day!

When I'm living my home life, I like to dress up and feel cute, mostly because it's hard to feel cute when everything under the sun is sticking to my arms, legs, clothing, and how-did-that-get-there places. Now that it's spring, I'm breaking out my tank tops, but because of the chill I layer them with my 3/4-length blazer from H&M (the stripe accent is my favorite). Heads up girls, my jewelry is from Forever 21. Between the necklace and the earrings, I spent less than $10. I love a good deal!

The location! Lucca has such a great feel about it, even when it is brimming with people and buzzing with conversation. The owners of Lucca also own Lucky Dog Ranch, which supplies all the grass fed, hormone-free meat used in the two five-dollar, half-pound burgers that Boyfriend and I ordered. Can we say deeeeeeelicious (and perfectly priced)?

The drink! I'm normally a wine-sipper. The Happy Hour menu, however, offers some lovely choices for $3.50, so I chose to branch off and order a Raspberry Lemon Drop while Boyfriend ordered a Mojito. I don't think I've ever ordered a pink cocktail in my life. It was so good that as soon as I finished, I promptly ordered another.

Something to keep in mind is that you may have to get there early or be prepared to elbow your way through people to belly up to the bar, but it's worth the wait! Even if you can't make it on a Thursday, definitely check it out; it's delightful!

The Poppins Perspective: Pop-up Art.

Do you ever feel like you're running out of ideas of how to keep the little ones occupied? My go-to answer is art! I love art and I love getting kids to fall in love with art. One of my favorite nanny moments was when one of my little girls told me she wanted to be an artist just like me when she grew up. I'm no da Vinci, but I was completely flattered!

The great thing about being artsy with kids is that it doesn't have to be perfect or complicated. That means that the pressure is off and the fun is on! Hopefully I can help you with some artistic ideas for those days when the kids are bored or so full of energy that they are bouncing off the walls in a blur of arms, legs, and pigtails. Today's idea? Pop-up Art! (After all, 3-D is so in right now.)

What I like about this particular craft is that it's easy to do and works with a tight budget. Who wouldn't love that combination? You can also make it age appropriate. I first tried this with a two-year-old which meant that I did almost all the work, but she got to stick the paper to the glue I applied and then scribble some crayon on the finished product. Though the bulk of the preparation was in my hands, she was still very involved -- while I was busy cutting paper, she was busy wrinkling the scraps. I still consider this a win! I did the craft again with a five- and eight-year-old who were able to be much more involved from creation to completion. They came up with what they wanted, helped cut and glue, and even added some creative details of their own.

Have I sold you yet? Let's get started!

What you will need:

* Construction Paper
* Scissors
* Glue (since we're only working with paper, a glue stick works quite well and is more kid-friendly. Unless, of course, you don't mind them trying to taste it if they are young or spreading it all over their hands and then peeling it off like a sunburn if they are older. If neither of those bother you, liquid glue is just dandy.)

Start by folding the construction paper into folds as if you were making a paper fan. I wanted to make a colorful balloon, so I folded two pieces of different colored paper together. You can do as many folds as you like -- it depends how 3-D you want it to be. I use three folds so that I get four of the same shape from each piece of paper.

Next, draw the shape you want. Again, you don't need to make it complicated! Easy shapes to start with are circles, balloons, hearts, etc. Even if you never draw, you can whip these out in no time. If you're still feeling insecure, find an object to trace.

Cut the shape out. Fold all four pieces of this shape in half while they are still in a stack so that when you take them apart, they have the same crease in the same spot.

Now, glue one half of one piece to one half of another.

Repeat until you've used four of the shapes. In my case, this left one half of a purple balloon and one half of a red ballon free. Glue these to your background piece of paper.

For shapes that aren't the same all the way around, like my clouds, there's an extra step you'll have to add. Once you've separated your folded shapes, take two of them, turn them over, and refold them the opposite way. This will make your shape match up to the correct half when you are ready to glue them.

Once you've glued all your shapes down, add flourishes and details with crayons, markers, or, if you're feeling brave, paints!

Five-year-old Gabbie wanted flowers and butterflies.

Eight-year-old Bella wanted to make a monkey tree. While I helped draw the monkey and cut it out, she colored everything and even came up with adding bananas!

The last and most important step is to display it! We all love to be told we've done a great job. Shoot, I still love hearing that my parents like my art! So use your fridge, find a wall in their room, or tape it to the mirror in the bathroom. Let your kids know that you love what they create!

Happy crafting!

Mom.

No, I'm not getting ahead of myself. I know that Mother's Day is in May. However, today is my Mother's day -- her birthday. My Mom is the most amazing woman I know -- and comes from a line of amazing women. She followed her grandmother and mother's leads and went to college where she received her Master's Degree. Then she spent almost 40 years diligently working for the same company while she sacrificed and provided for us. She hardly took a sick day, paid every bill on time, and never racked up debt, all while saving enough to send my sister and me to college, pay for our (someday) weddings, and retire early in comfort with my Dad. Mom took care of the house, the yard, the cleaning, the cooking, and still managed to find time to instill in my sister and me a great sense of humor. She is graceful, fun, hilarious, classy, smart, full of wisdom, generous, and beautiful. I have been blessed to have a Mother that I look up to and admire so much! In honor of her, I want to share some things that make me think of Mom.

(source: tartelette)

Mom used to wake me every morning to kiss me goodbye before going to work. Her hands would smell like fresh cut citrus. The smell of oranges will forever make me think of her.

This photo was taken the last time I was home and Mom and I went for a walk at Del Mar Beach. We always go down to the beach when I visit, get sand on our feet, and talk. The first thing she does when we arrive is take in deep breaths of the salty air and say with soul-filled delight, "Aaaah! I love the smell of the ocean!"

(source: things-we-heart)

Every morning when she wakes up, Mom puts on her make-up, and makes a cup of Nestle Hot Chocolate. She doesn't do coffee. Or Lattes. Or Orange Juice. Or fancy-shmancy hot chocolate. Nope, Nestle Hot Chocolate packets, every single time.

(source: design*sponge)

There are two reasons I think of Mom when I see this photo. The first is how fast that woman can type. She had to type a lot for her old job and I just remember the clackity-clack of her fingers whizzing over the keys with speed. I used to sit down at our old typewriter and pretend I could type as fast as she could. I'd type out something like: alkrjen-iaornvka*rela;biaq, row after row and then make her read it aloud. It kept me quite entertained.


The photo says, "What I love most about my house is the warm and welcoming atmosphere that makes people feel at ease." Our house WAS warm and welcoming. Anytime we wanted to have friends over, my parents opened up their doors, their fridge, and their arms. Our house was always (and still is!) a place where people feel comfortable.

My whole family is composed of readers. Mom doesn't just read biographies, but I think of my Mom every time I have a conversation about one, probably because of how she spoke of this book in particular. She was really taken with the faith, love, and lives of John and Abigail Adams. I have yet to read it myself, but I know Mom would highly recommend it.

Sigh. Movie nights with the family were the greatest. I think Pride & Prejudice was one of our best family movie moments of all time. How could it not be, with a man like Mr. Darcy?

And lastly, my mother has always claimed to be a black thumb, yet she has kept our yard green and blooming since day one. I have spent many hours sitting with Mom beside our pool, these daisies nodding at us nearby, soaking up the warm San Diego sun and loving life.


My Mother is a woman whose life is worth celebrating. So cheers, Mom, and a very Happy Birthday! I love you!

Boxes & Books.

Today was tax day. I don't mind as my taxes are done, Uncle Sam has been paid, and so have I, in a pleasant, unforeseen turn of events. However, it was also moving day. Again. This was my fifth move since living in Sacramento. Let me put it out there that it's not because I'm a particularly difficult person to live with that I find myself constantly in stock of U-Haul boxes and packing tape; rather, my roommates have a lovely little tendency to get engaged, married, or make other life-altering decisions. So, after the latest roomie's big decision, I found myself heading back into Sacramento from one of its many suburbs.


I don't really like moving -- putting my life into boxes, making sure all my things (and when did I acquire so many things?) are packed Tetris-like in the best, tightest, and least-likely-to-break way, and carrying heavy furniture down steep, narrow flights of stairs and through impossibly small doorways.


But I guess, as with anything you don't like doing, you have to find the good in it or be one of those gloomy people who walk around with a rain cloud perpetually hovering over his bowed head. Among the more pleasant things about moving, I think one of my favorite is unpacking my books. There's something I love about organizing my bookcase and putting my books in just the right order, not only by topic, but aesthetically as well. Maybe that's crazy talk for some of you. But for those of you who, like me, color code your closet and sort your movies alphabetically, I think you will understand the joy I get from such a simple task.


I could ramble on about the joys of reading, the books in my collection, or why people who read are simply more interesting creatures, but I think perhaps I'll save that for another day. Today, since I've just sorted through all my books, I figured I could make a couple reading suggestions for all four of you who are reading this.


I'm a nanny and I love, love, love a good children's book. As Meg Ryan says in one of my all time favorite movies, You've Got Mail, "When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does." My first suggestion is for all you moms (and dads...and kids...and moms and dads who have an inner kid). It is one of my newest favorites: Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz. This book is super fun to read with its nonsense words, silly rhymes, and vibrant illustrations. The last page may be my favorite because it lists the "cast bios" for the animals that appear in the story. Brilliant. It'll get you to giggle almost as much as the little ones. If it doesn't, we have deeper issues to work on and we might have to find a sense-of-humor wholesaler immediately.

You can visit the author's site or find the book on Amazon. I recommend the hard cover as the color seems to be better than in the soft cover edition.


My second suggestion is perfect for someone like me: an English Literature-loving nanny. The book is Y is for Yorick: A Slightly Irreverent Shakespearean ABC Book for Grown-Ups. Author Jennifer Adams is a word wizard whose sleight of hand writing style will leave you chuckling quietly to yourself over her seemingly effortless way of summing up entire characters or plays in a single sentence. Warning: you might want to try to read this to your kids because of the whole ABC thing but you may find them staring off blankly into space as they wonder why Ariel is a boy fairy and not a red-headed mermaid. Unless, of course, you had the good sense to read your children Shakespeare while they were still in the womb as you faithfully blasted baby Mozart at the same time, making them instant witty infant geniuses as soon as they entered the world. If so, Bravo and well done! May you all laugh it up together like the big genius family that you are.

You can find the book on Amazon or the artist's website: (where you get a better sneak peek inside than you do on Amazon).


I think that is enough for now. There is much left to unpack and a glorious glass of wine awaiting me. Perhaps that is my favorite part of unpacking, now that I think about it. Cheers and happy reading!

Delighted.

I haven’t always lived in Sacramento. I grew up in San Diego and moved here after I spent my college years under the (often gray) skies of Pennsylvania. I thought I would move back to Southern California years ago like any person would do who loves the sun, the beach, and the perfect weather (and has family there, to boot). But life has this quirky habit of not turning out the way that we expect it to half of the time. Or 94.6% of the time. For me at least.

When I first moved to Sac Town, I was far from dazzled. What did this small city with its unimpressive skyline and myriad of trees (that do a number on my allergies) really hold for me? It took me several months to discover, but I can now say with sincerity (and plenty of Benadryl on hand) that even Sacramento has its charms.

Through the middle of Sacramento runs J Street. Along this street you will find one-of-a-kind restaurants, tasty bistros, quaint stores, booming businesses, the State University, art exhibits, city theaters, farmers markets, and delicious coffee shops. J Street is a snapshot of Sacramento.

This blog is the story of my J Street -- a snapshot of me, the English major turned Mary Poppins by day, the wine sipping foodie and wanna-be author and artist by night. I cannot promise to give you fabulous stories of wealth, power, and fame. But I can invite you to follow me down my J street and share in my musings on the adventures of daily life: what brings me joy, the art I create, the people I adore, my thoughts and imagination, and the things I find lovely.

I hope you enjoy the read, smile a bit, learn a little, and become inspired to go capture the beauty on your own J Street.