Thanks for stopping by. The Belles’ are currently taking a hiatus from the blog to reevaluate and strategize on plans to make this a bigger and better resource for the Seattle area! We really appreciate everyone’s support and patience during this time, and look forward to reengaging with you all later this year. In the meantime, please direct any questions to Jeanine.

Sincerely,

The Belles

Yep, this post is about the Mariners. However, after being in attendance at that abysmal game last night (lowest attendance in history mind you), the theme is going to take a different track than I had previously planned.

You see, I love the Mariners, and most sports for that matter. I wasn’t able to go to Opening Day on Monday, but I was stoked to go to Day Two last night. I anticipated gushing on here about how excited I am for the season and I’m a fan to the end… blah blah you get the picture. But I woke up this morning feeling very UGH about last night, and just can’t bring myself to exude the excitement I want to.

Don’t get me wrong, you should absolutely keep cheering for the Mariners. I know I will. One game doesn’t necessarily preview how the whole season is going to go. I just wish I hadn’t witnessed that one personally.

SO, in order to take our minds off of a 20 hit game… I would like to draw your attention to this blog post by Seattlepi.com blogger, David Nelson. Like him, I was pretty disappointed in the Mariners’ stance about the proposed new Sonics Arena. I don’t want to get into my reasons here, but David does a great job of pointing out why Mariners fans like me, who also want to see the Sonics return, can still in good conscience root for the Mariners. Worth a few minutes of your time if you’ve been torn on the issue! Thanks David.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day – just in case you’ve been living under a rock! While I’m not a huge proponent of sending flowers or chocolates, I do enjoy letting the people whom I care about know that I love them. Which is why I wanted to pass along this adorable idea from the Woodland Park Zoo.

Rather than purchasing a card, you can send an e-valentine to a loved one! For free! How cute is that? They have four options featuring either a peacock, a monkey (sorry I have no clue what kind this is!), lions or meerkats. The process is made so simple, too, so there are no excuses.

SO, I encourage you to get out, share the love, and have a splendid day!

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Belles!

As goes along with working in public relations, I read A TON. And, this reading isn’t limited to the Wall Street Journal and NY Times. I devour books (part of two book clubs) and typically at least peruse every article that appears in our local papers and news sites. Today, an article in the Seattle Times caught my eye (well to be fair it published yesterday), and I just wanted to share it with you.

Image courtesy of Fred Hutch website (fhcrc.org)

Those of you who read me with any regularity know I’m an avid sports fan. College basketball being my first drug of choice, but pro football and baseball fall in closely behind it. Seattle Times’ Larry Stone wrote a wonderful article about everyone’s favorite MLB manager to love/hate, Lou Piniella. Seriously, it’s a must read. Apparently Lou is in town speaking at the Hutch Award luncheon today at Safeco Field. Larry got to follow Lou to another speaking event at Seattle’s Hutch school, the only full-time school in the nation for children and siblings of cancer victims.

Taking a step back, most people know Lou as the manager of the Mariners during some of the greatest years the franchise has experience. Many more know Lou as a hot-headed manager who frequently argued his point to whatever umpire happened to be in his sights.

Now, back to the school. Larry notes that Lou was amazing with the kids. He was honest and engaging, and that just warms my heart. He also reportedly took a silly photo with the kids where he’s sticking his tongue out. How fun is that? You always assume people are different in “real life” but you never really hear about the normal aspects of a celebrity. I know that competition sometimes brings out the outrageous in all of us (exhibit A: My blood pressure goes through the roof during Gonzaga basketball games. I just can’t help it.), and it can also bring out the best.

So, I’ll end by saying, well done Lou! I wish I was in Seattle to enjoy your amazing tenure with the Mariners. Hopefully we’ll go win the pennant for you one of these years. Until then, enjoy those grandbabies and get plenty of golfing in.

Today, I found myself thinking about all the enjoyment the combination of Seattle and snow has given me over the last seven years I’ve lived here. Yes, I know the city isn’t well prepared for snow removal, the streets are insanely steep in some areas, and cold liquid turns into ice almost the second it hits the street. I’m not here to criticize anyone, and that’s not the point of my pondering. I’m more interesting this morning in the planned snowball fight that is set to take over the Seattle Center this Saturday. Apparently it’s going to end up being the largest snowball fight in the world.

It’s sold out by the way.

As a born and raised girl from Montana, the idea of paying to play with snow and trucking in many many tons of the fluffy stuff makes me giggle. Most of my Halloween costumes and even Fourth of July outfits growing up were designed to fit over a snowsuit. There were even days when I’d have to start my car about 45 minutes before I wanted to drive it because it was so cold and snowy outside. I do love snow, and secretly wish Seattle got more (and that we were more prepared here), but I completely understand if you disagree.

For those of you who are going to brave the insanity that is likely to ensue at this snowball fight, I commend you. Snow is tons of fun, and I hope you have a blast! I’m looking forward to seeing the photos and videos that follow early next week. If you don’t know what to expect, check out the fun photos and video of the current world record fight on Seattlepi.com.

My advice? Team up with a friend who can watch your back, preferably one that is fast at packing snowballs. Also, don’t get hit in the face or hit someone in the face. That just doesn’t sound pleasant. And, above all, have fun!

[If you're just here for the contest and don't want to read my mushy post on being neighborly, feel free to skip to the bottom. You're welcome.]

I’ve been a bit more sentimental this year than in recent years. Maybe it’s the craziness that has been happening in our country over the past couple weeks, and maybe I’m just getting older and more emotionally extroverted. Maybe it’s both. Regardless, this story on Seattlepi.com warmed my heart.

Apparently there was a fire at a local animal hospital in Lake City (one that helped my cat when he was in need), and the neighboring Seattle Mini dealership took in the sick and displaced pets, so that the staff could focus on solving the immediate issues at hand. According to the article, the dealership is pet friendly and already had water and food dishes on the show floor. The four legged shoppers were welcomed in the building for about 2 hours while the hospital staff worked to find new facilities to house and take care of them. While this was a relatively small gesture (who doesn’t love being infiltrated by cute pets?!?), it was an extremely generous thing to do and is completely in the spirit of the season. Well done, Seattle Mini team! I applaud you. And, to the pet hospital staff, I hope everything resolves itself quickly.

Now, on to the second part of my musings… ’tis the season for last minute gifting! Are you a last minute shopper like me? Or, perhaps you are looking for a quick and easy quick that you can drop into a loved one’s stocking? Well, I have an idea for you. Consider giving a gift card for a local experience, like a massage.

Last weekend, I was invited to visit Massage Envy (I chose the Northgate location) as a “holiday ambassador” and to receive a free massage and experience the salon. While I was being treated to some peace and relaxation – Hi, Sarah! Fabulous job with the massage – I couldn’t help but think about how much I enjoy receiving “experiences” gifts rather than just “stuff” gifts. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy a nice sweater and a good bottle of wine, but there is just something about creating memories and getting out and enjoying an activity that is nothing short of heavenly.

The salon was very clean and surprisingly peaceful, despite being located in the mall. The staff was quite friendly. The rooms were cozy and the temperature was just right. They offer a range of massage options and provide facials as well. If you decide you want to be a regular, you can even join their “Wellness Plan.” For a monthly fee, you get one massage and “member pricing” on additional massages and services. Not a bad deal in my mind.

If you want more information about Massage Envy or are interested in picking up a gift card, they have quite a few locations around Seattle or you can order online.

OR, CONTEST!, you can comment below about your favorite last-minute gift suggestion. I’ll pick one commenter at random tomorrow morning, and Voila you win a Massage Envy gift card. Don’t forget to check back to see if you’ve won. One entry per person, thanks.

I’m a huge proponent of food trucks, and the latest one to hit the street got me all pumped up. Meet the Cheese Wizards, a new mobile grilled cheese and tomato truck patrolling around Ballard/Wallingford/Fremont (hat tip to myballard.com for the discovery). If you are wanting to find their specific schedule, check out the “Wizard Locator” for more info. They have regular stops at two of my favorite local microbreweries, Hilliards and Reuben’s.

I mean, YOU GUYS! Come on? This sounds amazing. Why hasn’t anyone in Seattle figured this combo out yet. Especially since it’s starting to get a little chilly outside. I’m all about comfort foods right now, and a grilled cheese sounds pretty dang good right now… I digress.

The Cheese Wizard menu includes cleverly named cheesy creationg such as the “Voldemortadella,” “The Greenseer” and “Holy Hand Grenade.” They also serve tomato basil soup and a variety of delicious dipping sauces. Check out their website for more funny wizard-themed references, including the “Wizards Creed,” a explanation of the grilled cheese magics involved in their recipes.

Well, I know what I’ll be doing this weekend. Hunting down the cheese wizards!

Last week, fellow Belle Kara and I took a terrarium class at The Palm Room in Ballard, and it was really fun. I’ve seen tons of terrariums around my office and people’s homes, but I never knew how much really went into it. I especially have an appreciation for terrariums that are housed in bottles with really skinny necks.

The Palm Room offers terrarium classes on the third Wednesday and Saturday of each month. It costs $50, which includes a short talk on the history of terrariums, the bottle, instructor assistance and all the plants, rocks, soils, etc. that you need to make yourself a little mini-jungle. Reservations are recommended.

Our instructor, Lisa, was absolutely awesome. She was a great teacher, and very patiently helped us with our creations. She was also great about not impeding the creative process. If you wanted to do something that may not work out the best, she would explain that but let you make the final decision. I loved that – even though I’m a good little rule follower, and wanted to make sure my terrarium was perfect! Check out the photos below to see Kara and I hard at work.

I’d highly recommend the Palm Room’s classes. They were worth the money to try something new!

The Palm Room also offers a Kokedama class, which I’m dying to try, as well as occasional workshops on various plantings. Have you been? We’d love to see your creations, so please do share!

Yes, I live in Ballard (well, Fre-lard anyway) and yes, I talk about it a lot. I can’t help it – it’s just a nice place to live right now.

MyBallard.com (hat tip!) posted about a fun new event in Ballard designed to help all of the new neighbors mingle and meet, called Ballard Social! The inaugural event was held last month at Portalis, and this month it’s being held at Bastille’s Back Bar.

According to the website, “Ballard Social is a monthly event created to bring those who live and work in Ballard together. In the last few years, so many new apartments, condos, townhouses and homes have gone up bringing an influx of new residents to Ballard. Ballard Social is a cocktail party where these residents can meet and get to know each other as neighbors.”

I love this idea. Being from Montana originally, I grew up knowing all of my neighbors. It’s one of the main things I miss about Seattle. To combat this, I’ve organized my block’s Night Out Seattle as well as progressive dinners for my closest neighbors. I feel its super important to know and be able to rely on the people who live near you.

That said, if you’re in Ballard tonight, come check out the event at Bastille’s Back Bar at 7pm. Who knows, you may just run into two of your favorite Belles – myself and Kara. See you there!

From the files of extreme nerdism, I found a little gem on Seattlepi.com yesterday. Apparently there is a Star Wars-themed yoga in Portland. Started as a joke, Bryan Miller teaches a mens-only yoga class featuring posed playfully named after the popular movie franchise. “Upward Facing Wookie” or “Down Speeder Bike” anyone? Apparently it has become quite popular.

Personally, I think this is a great idea. I know that men take yoga classes, but my experience has been that the classes are predominantly female. By providing a connection that many men enjoy and can relate to, they’ve successfully created an environment that is more welcoming for men.

Star Wars yoga is available at Manifest, a non-profit men’s wellness community, in Portland. The classes are offered every Wednesday from 7:30-9pm.

If any of you have done the class, let us know! I’d love to hear what you thought. Also, someone needs to start this up in Seattle. We love Star Wars too!

For more insight, or to see the awesome poses in action, check out this video from Portland’s KVUE: