Festival de Cannes Pool Party Style

I had a little fun with Beso putting together this wardrobe for the party this weekend... What do you think? Would you wear any of these looks to a yacht party in the French Riviera?

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Birthday Beach Day

My 30th birthday is only a few days away, and since Alex is throwing a small fête with friends on Saturday and Father's Day is Sunday, we decided to celebrate with my family today.

One of my favorite things to do with my family is go to the beach. We have a great little spot in Half Moon Bay that provided the most scenic backdrop for a perfect, laid-back gateway to my thirties.

I take after my dad in a lot of ways, but it was pretty apparent I inherited his fashion sense when we both pulled out the same outfit (see my sweatshirt here) to wear when it started getting chilly. Father-daughter twinsies!

This one of my sis and I with my dad will make a lovely Father's Day gift.

Home Makeover Update: The Back Deck

Since we're hosting our own home makeover project, we're not going to limit ourselves to the view from the curb. We'll be taking care of a few other projects we've had on our to-do list since we moved in three and a half years ago.

Such as the back deck... The beautiful redwood hadn't been treated in years and was already completely sun warped by the time we inherited it. Our super trusty contractor just happened to have some free time on his hands so we enlisted his expertise to give the old gal a face lift.

(Of course, this does nothing for the green swampy swimming pool so we'll tackle that project next.)

Here's a tip for you... Rather than replace the warped and rotting boards with new redwood, which is twice the price of douglas fir, we're using the lesser-priced alternative since we decided to paint the deck anyway. A special deck paint can last up to eight years while you'd have to re-stain the deck annually to protect the natural redwood from the direct sun. We're all about low maintenance around here.

Happy Birthday Troy Boy

Today is my baby brother Troy's birthday.

Love for this little cherub fills the most enormous space in my heart.

Our Own Curb Appeal Makeover

HGTV must not have read our entry for the Curb Appeal makeover. 

(If they did, they would have picked us for sure.)

So guess what? HGTV, we don't need you. We'll host our own makeover project. 

For the past week or so, we've been hard at work trying to improve the exterior of our house. (And by "we" I really mean a team of contractors and professional painters. We're leaving this job to the professionals.)

Here's an update on our progress so far:

Step 1: We're painting the house! The color we chose looks unfortunately similar to the previous color, minus the blue tint. But this is just the first coat, so we're hoping it looks more like the earth tone we selected in the end.

Step 2: Add planter boxes to conceal the gaps in the window trim and give the facade a little more dimension.

Step 3: Add trims to the planter boxes. (And a little potted hydrangea to demonstrate its potential.)

The foreman on the job. She's very pleased with the progress so far.

Baby Boot Camp Loot

I may or may not have mentioned how much I love the Baby Boot Camp class I've been going to since Ava was about 10 months old. (The fact that I hadn't heard about it and didn't go every single day while I was on maternity leave is a travesty.) The instructor/franchise owner is amazing and tailors the workouts so you're always at the fitness level you feel most comfortable to push yourself.

What makes it even more fun is the fact that I won the fitness challenge run a few weeks ago and I was awarded my prize at class this morning...

Here's what I scored: Water bottle filled with some fun samples including Aveeno shampoo, conditioner, baby shampoo, Aquaphor healing ointment, Philosophy lip gloss (I can always use this stuff; my lips soak it up like a sponge), Sports Basement sticker, and $10 gift card. Not bad.

And I think it's only fair to share my winnings with my biggest contender since we really were neck-and-neck the whole time.

Dress to Impress

In case you've been wondering what's been consuming the majority of my focus for the last few weeks, it looks like this...



Since you never get a second chance to make a first impression, one of the tasks on my interview prep to-do list was to shop for a new suit. I hadn't had the need to wear a formal suit over the past four and a half years (since I interviewed for my current job).

I was a little surprised at the lack of options out there for something formal. Several sales clerks suggested I wear a white summer pantsuit or a bright colored dress because "that's what they're wearing to job interviews these days." Maybe I'm just ultra-traditional or conservative, but is the formal interview suit becoming passé?

Despite the well-intended suggestions, I finally found this Calvin Klein number at Macy's. I love the A-line skirt option, which really is much more flattering to a pear shape like my own than a pencil skirt.

I paired the ensemble with some fun Calvin Klein patent-leather pumps in light gray stripes. (I couldn't find them online but the color is the White option here.)

Of course, also high on the to-do list was lots of cuddles with my good luck charm.