My Latest Obsessions

GMC making his fave muffins = banana nutella muffins!

Happy Friday! I feel as though March is always the calm before the madness of all things spring related (school coming to end, first communions, graduations, Mother's Day, and spring sport schedules). We're staying here during spring break and the girls have asked me to write up our staycation schedule. I'm still adding things to our list! We're kicking off the break w/ a cousin sleepover Sunday pm and I'm taking the older kids to see the musical All Shook Up at PFC's old high school alma mater. And the weather here next week might just be in our favor.

I'm SUPER excited to see my youngest sister this weekend. She is in town this weekend as she is part of The Graham Foundation's exhibition and publication project entitled, Why Write Alone? PFC and I are heading out to dinner on Saturday to meet up w/ my middle sister and her husband and then we'll catch up w/ the youngest pup. Pumped to check out Fig & Olive. The dinner menu looks fab!

Have a wonderful weekend. And safe travels to those who are going away for the week.

XO - d2

Some of my latest faves...

• I finished the book, Still Alice = loved it! Tough topic but great book. I just started The Missing Place by Sophie Littlefield. 
• We've been making nutella banana muffins for years = a great way to use very ripe bananas. The kids LOVE these muffins. And GMC loves helping me make them. He is the first one to tell me when the bananas are brown! 
• Alpana Singh's new restaurant, Seven Lions, looks really awesome. Early impressions.  
• PFC and I saw the movie, American Sniper, last weekend. Excellent movie. Bradley Cooper was excellent. My boyfriend, Scott Eastwood, was in a preview for the new movie, The Longest Ride. What a cutie! 
• LOVE this relaxed triple braid. Next on my list to try. 
• Great Vanity Fair article on Chicago's own, Mellody Hobson. She's a rock star! 
• Baked chickpeas with pita chips and yogurt = looks yummy! 
• Think summer = Tori Praver swim suit collaboration for Target. Entire collection here. Love the triangle print. 
• Pretty Woman turns 25 = no way! 
• Get your writing on = sign up for the free writing kit from Egg Press and others. FUN = some great reasons to write a letter. 
• Who doesn't love grilled cheese? Especially a grown up version! Yummy. 
• Very excited for Lilly Pulitzer's collaboration w/ Target. Awesome stuff. Check it out! Too many favorite items to list. 
• 10 ways to add unexpected color.  
• Cute cropped embroidered laser cup top. Love this long laser cut skirt. Awesome jacket w/ large patch pockets. 
• A friend was wearing some simple and pretty gold bar earrings the other day. Here is a pretty pair. 
• Easter is coming up soon. Time to think about easter baskets for the kiddos. I picked up initial logo loops headbands for both girls from our local toy store, Geppetto's Toy Box. And I picked up a Bunny Popper for G. Maybe the Easter Bunny will bring me this adult coloring book. Fun! 
• This slow cooker ham looks like a great option for Easter Sunday. 
• Favorite Jackie O quotes of all time. 

My Latest Obsessions

St. Patrick's Day - me & G$

CMC enjoying her St. Patrick's Day iced cookie from Kay's Bakery = YUM!

MMC and her yummy St. P's Day Cookie

Happy Friday! Hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day. Spring is in the air and the snow has officially melted = wahoo! GMC keeps asking when the outdoor swimming pool will be open. Not for awhile buddy but soon! Last weekend's warm temps were quite a tease.

PFC and I are heading out for a date night tomorrow pm = dinner and a movie. Excited for some uninterrupted time w/ PFC. I think we're going to see American Sniper.

Cheers to a great weekend. XO - d2

Some of my latest faves:

• Flared jeans are back! I wonder if I still have any that I could pull out from the 90s!
• Here's a pretty and simple braid.  
• Awhile back Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo shared an article her brother-in-law wrote for the New York Times last winter entitled How Long Have I Got Left. I was so utterly moved by his eloquent words. I've referred back to it a few times over this past year. And more recently he wrote an article for Stanford Medicine, Before I Go. Sadly, Paul Kalanithi passed away last week. Totally heartbreaking. What an amazing father, husband, doctor and person. 
• I made this chicken pot pie earlier in the week. Kids and PFC liked it = score! 
• Here are some cute Easter bunny treats. 
• Everything you need to know to find quality sheets and a stylish bed. I had not heard of Parachute Home before. Seems like the Everlane of bedding. Speaking of Everlane, I just saw that they came out w/ a new anorak. Very cute. I might have jumped on that one if I hadn't bought the drippity jacket last fall. 
• Pretty white lace dress. 
• Here's some fun wallpaper. This fox wallpaper would be adorable in a nursery. 
• I still remember my first pair of Birkenstocks. They were blue suede and I lost one of them at a super rainy and muddy outdoor music concert. I never replaced them. Last summer I saw a lot of folks wearing the Gizeh style. However, I think I would go w/ the Almere sandal. 
• This dance mashup is awesome! You'll recognize a lot of these famous dance scenes. It includes one of my all time favorites = Hugh Grant's dance in Love Actually. And this treadmill dancer is amazing! 
• I started the book Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Great so far. And Julianne Moore just won best actress at the Oscar's for her performance in the movie (based on the book). Heard that Moore was fantastic. 
• This weather has me thinking about spring/summer. Love these d'orsay flats, scaled cut out flats, and basketweave fold up flats (great neutral). 
• Some spring inspiration = DIY flower arranging, recipes and table settings. This coconut bunny cake looks yummy and is super cute. It reminds me of the lamb cakes we used to make w/ my mom for Easter. Here are some cute copper cookie cutters. I want to try William Sonoma's cardamom cutout sugar cookie recipe soon. And what a cute cookie jar! 

My Latest Obsessions

CMC + MMC skiing at Crystal Mountain

GMC's 1st time skiing = success!

Pura Vida - chilling in Peninsula  Papagayo

Happy Friday! I cannot believe it is March. We are just a bit closer to spring (even if it doesn't feel like it yet)! Over President's Day weekend we went skiing with several local families. It was a blast but FREEZING. And just last Sunday PFC and I got back from Peninsula Papagayo w/ 2 other couples. We had the best time and were grateful for some vitamin D and warmer temps. It was a nice change of pace. Pura vida!

This weekend we'll be kicking off St. Patrick's Day w/ our local parade and some parties. I've gotta start thinking green. These St. Patrick's Day clover crowns are super cute. However, there was some talk during dinner last night of us heading out Saturday to ski as a family (warmer temps and sun!). We'll see what we decide to do!

Have a fabulous weekend! XO - D2

Some of my latest faves:

• I read 3 books while we were away. LOVED The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I also read Liane Moriarty's The Last Anniversary and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (great book!). Here is a list of 12 books you should read in 2015. Now I need a new one to read. Any suggestions? 
• White paint is so tough. There are so many different shades of white - some cool and some warm. 14 top designers share their go-to white paint colors. 
• PFC and I watched The Theory of Everything a few nights ago. Excellent movie. We both loved it. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones were both outstanding. Oh, and it looks like Gillian Flynn's book Dark Places is going to be made into a movie (starring Charlize Theron). 
• Interesting articles = the Dangers of Being Agreeable and The Scary Power of Negative Words. 
• Some dinners that are on my list to make = chicken pot pie, pesto vegetarian lasagna, one pot orecchiette pasta, braised short ribs (PFC's favorite thing ever). And here are some crock pot meals.  
• I love George Clooney. Always have. Loved his days on ER. The Clooney Effect. 
• Totally digging Tom Odell's song Another Love. Have you heard about the basement tapes? They are some of Bob Dylan's never-seen lyrics that have been brought to life by Burnett, Costello, Giddens, Goldsmith, James and Mumford. Faves = "When I Get My Hands on You" and "Kansas City" by Mumford. 
• Summer will be here at some point, right?! Some pretty dresses = Pina Lace Dress, Parted Emerald Dress (pricey but LOVE the color) and this Verda Maxi Dress. And for a limited time enjoy 20% off dresses at Anthro. Fun! And this necklace from J.Crew Factory has become a staple of mine. 
• I like to mix and match bikini tops w/ bottoms (fave bottom = flounce swim skirt). I picked up this top before our trip to Costa Rica. Can't beat the price!
• I ordered a thank you gift from Heath Ceramics. If I'm out in Sausalito or SF I would love to go on a factory tour. 
• I read this post on Food Fantasies and laughed (out loud!). My sisters and I play this game sometimes - where you don't take into account calories or overall health factors. My ideal would be reese's peanut butter cups (standard size) and homemade chocolate chip cookies. Yum! 
• My favorite perfume = Jo Malone's Blue Agava and Cacao (layered w/ a bit of Pomegranate Noir). However, recently I discovered Lifetherapy's Pulse Point Oil Perfumes. I love the Calm scent. This would make a great gift! 
• These hugging skeletons have been trending online. Powerful message. The video will make you smile (and want to hug someone!).