Dear Santa

 
We took Ava to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what a good girl she's been and she's too young to even have a clue what she wants for Christmas this year... so I've compiled a list for her:

1. Pajamas. Our little chubster is starting to outgrow even her size 12 months feet pajamas, and those really are the best thing for cold winter nights. 
2. Shoes (like these white boots (they're on sale now!) and leopard print shoes from Zara, my absolute favorite store since I first discovered it in Paris almost 10 years ago.
3. Slippers (like these tigerlily booties or dalmatian booties... um, yeah).
4. Rainboots/wellies, raincoat, umbrella.
5. Black faux-fur vest (they have one at Zara but they also have one at Target that would do the trick).
6. Jewelry (maybe a faux-pearl necklace?); apparently Ava's obsessed with bling right now. Thanks Aunties Chelsea and Lulu.

Black Friday, Black Friday

[...to the tune of the YouTube sensation, "It's Friday."]

I have never been to the Black Friday sales, but we're in desperate need want of a few key pieces for the house we had been eyeing at Restoration Hardware and they were available at the outlet store for an extra 30% off starting at midnight on Black Friday.

And so here is the story of how we lost our Black Friday virginity.

It was crazy, but RH was practically empty. I don't know if it was the time the sale started (midnight) or maybe there just aren't many people in the market for high-end furniture willing to brave the Black Friday madness. (My sister waited in line for over an hour just to enter the True Religion store next door!)

This is what we set out to find:

• Chairs for the new sitting room we're trying to create to one side of the long dining room (with this as the main piece sectioning off the two spaces).
• A stool or bench to put at the foot of the bed in our master.
• Any other amazing furniture that we could never afford at full price at a super deep discount.

This is what we ended up with by the time our zombied, red-eyed bodies rounded ourselves up and loaded up the car:

• This amazing chair in white linen.
  
  

  

  Ours is more of a gray wood, but otherwise the same.

  We were thinking of putting it in the bedroom, but we decided to loan it out to the sitting room since we didn't find the perfect pair of chairs for that space. We also just realized it matches a mirror we picked up at Home Goods that currently sits in the foyer perfectly.
  
• Duvet cover for the master in matching white linen.
  



Stonewashed Framed Belgian Linen Duvet Cover and Shams in White with Fog

• Open Weave Sheer Linen Drapery in Linen for the foyer, Sheer Belgian Linen Drapery in Optic White for the master, and a sheer white floral pattern for the guest bath.
• A couple Vintage French Grain-Sack Linen pillow covers (similar to these) for the sitting room and a couple brown knit ones for the family room and two more gray linen ones for the sitting room.
• Chenille throw blanket in Chocolate for the sitting room.

Stay tuned for pics of each item as I incorporate them into the decor of my humble home.

A Weekend in San Diego

We flew down to San Diego this past weekend to visit my baby sister for Ava's first family vacation. 

(We told you we would come see you soon, Chelsea!)

Here is a recap of the amazing long weekend in pictures:

Excited for take-off!

Celebrating Chelsea's birthday at Nick's. 

An absolutely perfect San Diego beach day.

Fighting Dad for the shades.

Walking in the sand.

Running from the waves and loving the sunset.

All the girls dressed up for a fancy dinner out.

Our Sweet Little Strawberry

We racked our brains trying to think of the perfect family Halloween costumes, but in the end we didn't end up dressing up together anyway, so it worked out that Ava was a strawberry (costume available here) and we wore random costumes from the Bag of Halloweens Past (not pictured).

And she was the sweetest little strawberry you'll ever meet...

Craigslist Find: Kitchen Table Makeover

When Alex insisted on buying this table and bench set on Craigslist to put in our kitchen, I was not enthused. It looked like something from Hansel and Gretel or a little girls' doll house, not the Provencial look I was trying to create in my ranch-style country kitchen. (I always love to hear the story behind a Craigslist find: This set came from a couple who received it as a wedding gift from the bride's grandmother ten years ago; they are finally switching it out as part of a kitchen renovation.)

While I was reluctant at first, today's project changed my mind about it.

Alex started out with a coat of primerless, high-gloss paint in Swiss Coffee.

Then I added the detail work.

***Update: It probably would have been helpful if we had read this first.***

Ava Walks!

I know, the title of this post is a little misleading. She's not really walking physically quite yet (although I have a feeling she's close). But Ava participated in her very first fundraiser Walk for the Cure today at the Oakland Zoo.

Here she is in her official t-shirt. (She spit up all over her track suit on the way there and I didn't have a spare outfit for her -- How many times does this have to happen before I learn that lesson? -- but luckily there were plenty of free t-shirts.)

I thought it was so awesome that the course took you on a tour right through the zoo. You wouldn't tell from her face in this picture, but she really was excited to see all the animals ("woo-woos" as she calls them, after Nonno's dog).

The Pumpkin Farm

We took Ava on a little excursion to a pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay on Saturday. She was a little too young to appreciate all the activities they have there for kids, like the petting zoo and the train ride, but at least we took some good pictures of our little farm girl.

Ava with her buddy, Baby James.

 The winery next door, La Neppia, also had a nice velvety cab (2004) that I wouldn't mind coming back for.