Pretty Paper

I am loving everything by Rifle Paper Co.!  I recently received these Botanical Notebooks as a gift and I adore the pop of color and gorgeous design.

Botanticals Notebook Collection by Chronicle Books 

Now, I've got my eye on this elegant and sophisticated wrapping paper for my gifts this holiday season. So pretty!

Midnight Floral Wrapping Sheets by Rifle Paper Co. 

And how insanely cute is this family portrait of my friend Joy's family?!  Adorable.  Maybe next year??

Oh Joy!'s Family Portrait

There is something so lovely about beautifully printed paper products.  I think an order should be in the works!

Mmmmm.... Pie

I had an impromptu lunch date with my hubby yesterday at Green Chile Kitchen which was magnificent.  I recommend the Carne Adovada Burrito, which was deliciously slow cooked and had the slightest hint of cinnamon.  Yum.  But a visit to GCK wouldn't have been complete without a trip to it's pie shop around the corner.  It's the perfect place for a date and is divinely decadent!

Carne Adovada Burrito

Glorious Pie!

Insta-Stickers!

I just came across the most awesome thing via Oh Joy, Stickygrams!  You connect your Instagram profile with the page, select nine of your favorite images and hit order.  The whole thing literally took two minutes to do (and buy!) and now I have a perfect personalized present for my hubby for his Christmas stocking.  Brilliant!

Last weekend in Lake Tahoe

Photo Happy

A few weeks ago, we had a family photo shoot in preparation for this year's holiday cards with the fabulous Liz Lovi.  I am so pleased with how the session turned out and Liz couldn't be more talented.  Highly recommend!

My little family

Getting Crafty

I've recently started getting together with two of my most creative and amazing friends, Coquette and Belle Epoque, for regular craft days.  These two ladies are insanely crafty and if there is anything I'd like to learn, they can (and are!) my personal tutors.  

With Halloween right around the corner I decided that it was time to get started on making costumes for the littles.  My mom was always good at making me costumes so I thought that I would give it a go as well.  For some unknown reason, I decided the theme this year would be popcorn.  With encouragement from my crafty friends, I set out to make my very first costume(s).

I didn't have a pattern but had a clear visual in my head on how I wanted them to turn out.  With a quick trip to Jo Anne's, I had all the supplies including wooden letters for me to trace, felt and foam.  I unearthed my sewing machine which has been waiting patiently in my storage and got to work.  

Getting started with the sewing machine!

Not only did I manage to make two (!) homemade costumes, I had the them finished in time for our annual twin club Spooktacular event this past weekend!  I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with the results!

Ta-da!  My little bag of buttered popcorn!

Proud mama

Our Poor Sweetie

A couple of years ago my hubby and I wrote a book for Chronicle Books.  It's not quite as impressive as it sounds as (a) I was working there at the time, (b) I happened to be in the meeting where we conceived of the idea, and (c) it's a little gift item, not really a book book.  But still, we were authors, complete with a listing on Amazon, placement in fabulous stores like Paper Source and we had our very own ISBN.  But last week I got the sad email from my editor, our book was going to be remaindered and sent to the big pile of paper in the sky.  I just placed a big order to have on hand but if you have ever wondered, "what is my husband's neck size?", "what was his first pet named?" or "what anniversary gift is for 10 years?", you should buy one too.

Sweetie Stats by Ryan and Nancy Deane

Little Pumpkins

This past weekend we were b-u-s-y!  The hubby and I were lucky enough to see Argo at the Mill Valley Film Festival which was amazing.  Sadly, Mr. Affleck called in "sick" (strep throat, really? he seemed fine the night before at the LA premiere) but he sent Brian Cranston in his place which made my man extremely excited as he's an avid Breaking Bad fan.

  Argo

Saturday we took the littles to the Nicasio Valley Farms Pumpkin Patch.  Only a short drive from downtown San Anselmo, this little farm had everything that we were looking for including ponies for our very first pony ride!

This is fun, right?

So many pumpkins to choose from!

We topped the weekend off with an amazing ride on the San Francisco Bay on our friends' boat.  Not only were we right below all the planes during their Fleet Week stunts, we were also front row for the America's Cup races.  Not a bad way to spend a Sunday in my opinion!

Relaxing on the deck watching the races

And how was your weekend?

Thursday Traditions

The Thursday San Rafael Farmer's Market has quickly become a weekly tradition in our house.  I love the early morning sun, grabbing my coffee and indulging in a waffle.  I seemed to have passed along my pastry love to Lady Baby and Mr. Baby as well!
 

Waffles make Lady Baby very happy

Morning croissants

Fresh flowers for the weekend

Musical interlude

Hello Photograph

Do you ever have those moments when you see a perfect photograph standing before you?  If it's a person, I think, "Should I ask them if I can take their picture?", "Is that weird?", "What if they think I'm a crazy person?" and so on until usually the moment has passed.  A few months ago I was walking across the street in downtown Toronto and Alice Cooper was standing on the street corner talking to several people in his entourage wearing a golf shirt and white fedora, it was sort of unnerving.  I'm not a fan (at all. sorry.) but to see him just hanging out in very non-Alice Cooper attire was exciting, and I wanted to take his picture.  But I didn't.  And the moment was gone.  I encountered another moment today when I was running errands in Union Square in San Francisco (well, really I was at the dentist but "running errands" sounds more glamorous, right?) and I hesitated.  But I turned back just as these three sailors were turning to catch a better look at a giant poodle sauntering down the street and I got this.  Perfect.

Photo by me via Instagram

Lemon-Basil Linguine

We're in the middle of a heat wave and I wanted something light and refreshing for dinner, so I whipped up this recipe that I found on Pinterest.  For someone who is a self-proclaimed non-cook, it was surprisingly easy and tasted delicious.  You have to remember to save some of the pasta water to mix with the pesto you prepare, but other than that, it's fool proof.  When I make it again, I'll probably double the amount of lemon-basil pesto sauce as I definitely wanted seconds!

Photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

Birthday Bagels

Clearly, I love toast. And candy. But toast is hands-down my favorite food. When I was in college in Montreal, I basically survived on bagels and thankfully, Montreal is home to the best bagels in the world. There are many a debate on whether New York or Montreal bagels are best but to me, there is no comparison. Soaked in sweet water and then baked in a wood-burning oven? There is simply nothing better. Earlier this week you can imagine my delight when a CASE of Montreal bagels arrived on my doorstep for my birthday. How do you say... best. husband. ever!

You can order yours here from St. Viateur

My Love

It's been 14 years since our mutual innocent crushes blossomed into a whirlwind romance on a fateful trip to NYC. Long-distance love, a move to California and two beautiful babies later, I still feel like it was yesterday that we frolicked through the city nipping in and out of museums and theaters and falling more head over heels for one another. Thank you for making my life so magical, I'm so glad you're mine.

Sweet Scents

I nipped out to run some errands and passed a display with L'Occitane Mom & Baby Body Lotion. With all the bottle washing I do, my hands are an absolute mess, so I slathered it on and went on my way. Well, that was over 2 hours ago and I'm still sniffing my hands every few minutes. The scent is intoxicating (in a good way). It's a must for my next trip to the mall.

Winter Getaway

We've had an amazing winter here in Northern California filled with sunshine, flowers and chirping birds. It's a far cry from where I grew up in Eastern Canada where my mother assures me they are having a mild winter but are still covered in snow and ice. (No thank you!) So, I don't really need to "get away" from anything per se but a change of scenery is in order. We're packing up the family and heading to Palm Springs for a long weekend to celebrate my hubby's birthday on Friday and I couldn't be more excited. We travel regularly to Palm Springs where we always stayed in one of our favorite hotels but unfortunately they don't allow little guests. We're bummed but excited to try something new. Hello Parker Meridian!

Parker Palm Springs