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SNAPSHOTS

Signs Point To Go

March 18, 2015

Yesterday Morgan and I took our kids down to the beach next to the Golden Gate bridge, and laid back on blankets and watched them running around discovering crabs and making sandcastles and high-fiving - god, they are cute together - and I told her how strange it was to be leaving a place that I know so well for a place I don't know at all, not even a little bit. Sure, we live in the suburbs now, but we're still right there next to a city that feels like my city. Every corner I turn is filled with memories that I don't only "remember," but feel. And we're moving to another suburb next to another city, but when we drive through the streets of San Francisco I don't see a single signpost I recognize. I don't know where to go to get a cup of coffee. I don't know which direction to drive in if I want to see the water.

I'm nervous to be leaving a city that feels like a part of my bones for a city that doesn't even contain a whisper of a memory for me. I know I'll get to know whatever small town we end up in well, but I wonder if I'll ever really know San Francisco the way I know New York, or ever really feel like it's "home."

So we were laying there in the sand, talking about these things and watching our kids splashing down by the edge of the water, and all of a sudden I saw it:

Style

Best Spring Denim Under $100

March 18, 2015

I don't think it's any secret that I have a bit of a thing for really good jeans. But they have to be really good. Like…perfect. Otherwise I won't wear them; I'll wear that other pair that is perfect instead, and I'll wear them all the time, and I'll only (reluctantly) remove them from my person in order to wash them. And because I really won't want to take them off, ever, they won't get washed nearly frequently enough, and that's not a good situation for anybody involved.

Anyway, spring is a good time to reinvest. But you know how denim used to fall into two categories: really cheap but not especially cute, and really cute but also unconscionably (like, $200+) expensive? Now there's this whole middle ground populated by up and coming brands that you may have heard of or not, but either way: you should get yourself in some.

Right now, what I'm into are slightly cropped, distressed boyfriend jeans, white skinnies, and black skinnies. Let's take a look at some really good options in each category (all under $100).

Cropped + Distressed (that first pair is my favorite; ooh)

My Looks

Well Suited

March 17, 2015

Something about tailored clothing (and especially suits) always makes me feel like an alien, or maybe like a five-year-old with messy hair who's been hanging out in Mommy's closet; it just never has quite the effect I hoped it would, and so I've more or less given up on the look and defaulted to Bohemian (a.k.a. "messy") over the years.

And then I cut my hair. And I'm sure we're all sick of The Haircut Heard 'Round The World (or at least 'Round The RG) by now, but for real: overnight, it made me feel like I wanted to - and maybe even could - wear anything. I loved my long hair, but it always made me feel a little…blowsy. Like if I wore anything even the least bit fancy, it was all a bit too much. And now everything from the neck up feels simple and sporty and not fussy at all, and so it feels a lot easier to play around with what's going on down below.

I have never worn anything even remotely like this before in my life.

Eat

Red Wine Deviled Eggs

March 17, 2015

We have a bit of a thing for deviled eggs in this family. And by "we" I mean "Kendrick," who apparently desires them with the fire of a thousand suns, because when they are made they are gone. Like, instantly.

And so, along with Rice Krispies treats (the man has simple tastes, what can I say?) deviled eggs are what I make him when I want to give him the edible equivalent of a hug.

And these? These are like the edible equivalent of…well, something that we don't need to lay out explicitly, because come on, it's not that kind of a site. They are SO rich, and SO good, and SO the kind of thing people are talking about when they say an hors d'oeuvre is a "conversation piece" (go on, serve these at a party; virtually everyone is going to give you a "oh my god what are you asking me to eat?!" look, and then they will eat them, and then they will be all eye rolls and "more please").

Lifestyle

So I Guess We’ll See How This Goes

March 16, 2015

Off to California today! Indy's coming with me, because I thought it would be fun for him (airplanes, warm-weather playgrounds, beaucoup sushi, etc) and much less fun for Goldie, who is generally the easiest baby ever but who is possibly slightly less easy when jet-lagged; I don't know, but I decided that a heavily-itineraried trip would not be the best time to experiment. (She's staying home with an on-spring-break Kendrick, who will be the recipient of ten thousand photos of kitchens and living rooms from all across the South Bay area over the next five days.)

First up: a couple of days in San Francisco with Morgan, and then it's off to San Jose (which is sort of the nexus of all the areas we're looking at) to spend a few days looking at houses. I think. The "I think" is because every house that I have found over the past week on various home-search engines that I don't hate turns out to be sold already. Oh my god, there was this one house I came across - it was SUCH A DREAM (we're talking soaring windows, unbelievable kitchen, amazing school system, skylit family room, views views views and a CHICKEN COOP, which is obviously the best thing I can possibly imagine) that I called my broker in a panic and said "put an offer on it! Sight unseen! I don't care!" Her reply? "…It sold for tens of thousands of dollars over the asking price. In about 24 hours."

Greeeat.

The "hot market" that we're experiencing at present, it appears, is quite wonderful when you are the one selling your house and perhaps slightly less wonderful when you are the one looking for somewhere to live.

Lifestyle

The Food & Wine Lover’s Giveaway (You’ve GOT To See This One)

March 16, 2015

For the next few months I’m going to be working closely with Ecco Domani, and to kick off the collaboration I put together a (pretty phenomenal, I think) giveaway consisting of a few of my very favorite things in the whole wide world.

If you’re the (very) lucky winner, you’ll be going home with a special curated package consisting of everything you need for a perfect evening of wine, cheese and music at home. The prize includes:

A SONOS Wireless Streaming Speaker that lets you stream your entire music library (as well as Pandora, Internet radio stations, etc) from an app on your phone (I have this and could not possibly love it more);
A Williams-Sonoma Slate Cheese Board;
A gold West Elm cheese knives set;
A gold Jayson Home Key Bottle Opener;
A set of gold-tinged Anthropologie Trellis glasses (perfect for use as wine glasses; they look almost exactly like the vintage set I found at a flea market and use every day);
An Uncommon Goods Succulent Wall Planter, which makes such a fun date night activity, and looks gorgeous hanging on the wall;
And more!

(Total retail value $500.)

Style

The Urban Uniform

March 15, 2015

Oh my god, this outfit is perfection.

Here is the problem with hosting fashion events: doing so involves hanging out in stores that you really, really like for a protracted period of time, during which you are doing a lot of looking at various pieces and discussing their wonderfulness.

Makeup & Beauty

The Thirty-Minute Mini Spa

March 13, 2015

Have thirty minutes to spare? Here's how to make the most of every second.

(Click here to check out more of my Allure Insiders segments.)

Lifestyle

It’s Springtime, Baby

March 12, 2015

This photo has nothing to do with anything other than that it's baby-related, and the easiest DIY in the world (just a dreamcatcher, basically, except turned on its side), and I totally wish I had made one for our daughter's crib (not making one at this particular point in time; I have the feeling that delicate webs dripping with feathers might not travel especially well, and we have some serious traveling happening this summer).

Anyway, babies.

Spring!