Children of Shelters - Santafest {San Francisco Events}

On Saturday, my family and I will be at Santafest at the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio.  It is the 12th year that this event has been put on by the Children of Shelters organization. They have two events this year, the Jingle & Mingle on Thursday, December 5th and Santafest on Saturday, December 7th.  

Last year both Children of Shelters raised enough funds from these two events to help provide park and rec classes for more than 50 children, summer camp for over 200 children, scholarships for eight students and over 150 birthday celebrations. 

At the Santafest, children will be able to decorate gingerbread houses, enjoy breakfast, holiday crafts and take pictures with Santa.  I hope to see you there!  Let me know if you will be there, would love to say hi! 

You can purchase tickets on the Children of Shelter's site here.

Happy Holidays!

Cheers,

Cheers to the Weekend

Moscow Mules at Cafe des Amis

Cheers to the weekend!  This has been a such a long week, jam packed with too many commitments. Let this be a lesson to me not to say yes to everything.  But it is really hard to turn down some really fun opportunities.  Unfortunately, they all collided on the same week and I couldn't say no!

The rain (which was a surprise) which I normally am not a fan of, came at a great time this morning.  It allowed us to stay put at home and take it easy (I potentially might still be in my pajamas as I type). 

This week, I had a very fun media garden lunch and hotel tour up at Bardessono in Yountville, hosted a lunch event at DSW in Union Square, attended a Music in Schools Today charity event and went to the Greek Theater to watch three emerging artists from the Restoration Hardware Music label.  I'm hoping to share more details about these events soon on the blog.

Next week is full of activities as well, but only three days of activities versus four - that shows I'm cutting back, right? 

What are you up to this weekend? 

*Photo taken with my iPhone (I'm kind of in shock with the clarity of the picture - makes me want to reach out and take a sip!)

Cheers,

Napa Valley Festival Del Sole - Meadowood Gala

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Festival Gala at Meadowood, one of the many events that occurred over 10 days for the Napa Valley Festival del Sole.  The Festival del Sole is a music and lifestyle festival set in the gorgeous Napa Valley.  They just celebrated their eighth year.  The events range from free family concerts, to brunches and dinners at Napa Valley wineries, Yoga in the Vineyard, musical performances and events that feature 50 of the top wineries and artisanal food purveyors from Napa Valley.

The Festival Gala at the prestigious Meadowood Resort was a Great Gatsby-esque gala (everyone was asked to wear white).  The gala started with sparkling wine while we watched a croquet game and glanced at the items that were auctioned off at the end of the evening.

We then moved down to the fairway to enjoy a deliciously prepared alfresco dinner by the award-winning culinary team at Meadowood.  The three course meal was paired perfectly with wines from Lokoya and Intrada wines.

During the meal we were entertained by the Concord Jazz All Stars and then after the meal we were able to watch the live auction that included some amazing packages.  My favorite package was a week long stay in NYC that included a breakfast at Tiffany & Co. experience!  The auction benefited the local arts education programs and other local charities.

It was a wonderful event and Carlos and I really enjoyed ourselves.  The Festival del Sole is a great opportunity to get a closer look at some of your favorite wineries and local Napa Valley favorites while enjoying the arts.  Next year I would love to attend one of the brunch events at a local winery, take the kids to the one of the family concerts and try out the Yoga in the Vineyard.

Cheers,

*I received complimentary tickets from Festival del Sole for the Meadowood Gala, but my thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. 

SF Food Bank - Bloggers Family Volunteer Event

One of my San Francisco blogger friends, Stacy, works for the San Francisco Food Bank (which serves San Francisco and Marin).  The San Francisco Food Bank is having a bloggers family volunteer event on Sunday, June 26th.  It is a great opportunity to volunteer as a family and teach your children about giving back to the community they live in.  Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to volunteer this weekend, since I will only be a couple of weeks out of the hospital recovering from my c-section.  I am hoping that they will do another event in the fall that I will be able to participate in. Below is the information for the event provided by Stacy:

Hunger is a serious problem in our community – with 1 in 5 children and 1 in 5 adults at risk of hunger in San Francisco and Marin. The San Francisco Food Bank and the Marin Food Bank combined serve over 200,000 people per year, and will distribute 43.5 million pounds of food to the community this year – enough for at least 93,000 meals every day.

We wouldn’t be able to do the work that we do without the support of our volunteers.  Each year, over 22,000 people contribute thousands of hours to fighting hunger in our community.

On Sunday, June 26^th we are holding a special volunteer shift for bloggers in San Francisco and Marin.  We would love for you and your family to come take part to help us sort and package nutritious foods for our community. Volunteering contributes not only to society and our local community but also to our own well-being.   Getting children involved in volunteering instills and teaches compassion, a desire to help others, and a strong sense of a self. Children as young as 4 years old are able to volunteer for the Sunday shifts.

BLOGGERS FAMILY VOLUNTEER EVENT:

Date: June 26^th

Time: 9:00 – 11:00 am

Location: San Francisco Food Bank – 900 Pennsylvania Ave. San Francisco, CA 94107

If you are interested in participating please register your attendance through our online calendar using this link: http://vol-sffb.org/node/add/group-confirmation/19733

This link will first require you to log-in or register an account in our system, then will bring you directly to the details for this specific group project.

Your project will be held at our warehouse at 900 Pennsylvania Ave. Below you will find important information about the project and directions to the facility.  Please note: Closed-toe shoes are required at all volunteer projects. 

Children as young as 4 years old are able to volunteer for the Sunday shifts.  Due to safety in our busy working warehouse, we cannot accommodate younger children, toddlers or babies at the project.

ATTIRE:

·         Closed-toe shoes are required at all volunteer projects.  Anyone wearing sandals, flip-flops, or any other shoe with an open toe will not be able to participate in the project.

·         Because you'll be helping to repack food, please wear casual and clean clothing, long pants, securely fastened jewelry, and comfortable (no open-toe) shoes. 

·         We suggest dressing in layers, as the temperature in the warehouse is often cool. 

PARKING INFORMATION:

·         You may pull into our south parking lot by the loading docks or utilize the abundant and free street parking on Pennsylvania Ave in front of our warehouse.

WHERE TO REPORT: We ask all volunteers to sign in upon arrival.

·         Please enter the building through our Receiving Entrance on the south side of the building near the loading dock

DIRECTIONS to the SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK

900 Pennsylvania Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94107

Visit http://www.sffoodbank.org/about_us/directions.html for a map, driving directions, and public transit information.

Bloggers Day of Silence

Just a reminder that tomorrow I will be participating in the Bloggers Day of Silence with For Japan With Love. If you would like to donate please go to www.forjapanwithlove.com.