18 Irresistible Dresses for Valentine's Day

I’m not much of a Valentine’s Day celebrator. I’m not in the “it’s just a Hallmark-contrived holiday” camp or anything, but I  do think that surprise or spontaneous romance/dates/celebrating love is more meaningful. The one time Aaron planned a big Valentine’s Day for us (dinner at Chez Panisse and a moonlight kayaking trip), I got stuck in Atlanta on the way home from a business trip and didn’t make it home until days later. See? It's just not meant to be. And I'm ok with that. I'd rather skip all the Valentine's Day kerfuffle and stay in with a good glass of red wine.

All of this aside, I'll find any excuse to dress up or to window shop! Nahal and I decided to link to our favorite girly girl dresses, just in case you're in the market.

How do you celebrate Valentine's/Galentine's Day? Leave a comment and let us know!

Shaken, Not Stirred

Happy January! I hope you are all surving this gloomy weather and the obnoxious colds that come along with it. We have been passing the cold around (sniff, sniff, give...sniff, sniff, give), but I think we're finally coming through on the other side. Here's to hoping we (and you!) are all healthy for the upcoming 3-day weekend.

I titled this post as such not because I'm busy drinking martinis, but because I feel like this vest shakes things up a bit in regards to workwear. When I ordered it online, I wasn't sure how I would style it. If I had gone out on New Year's Eve, I would have actually worn it as a dress with some tights and heels. However, given that I was sporting jammies and a robe on NYE, I had to Plan B. I wasn't sure if this vest was in fact work-appropriate, but no one batted an eye when I wore it, so I guess that's a good sign! I'm sad to say it's now sold out online; it went quickly!

Normally I don't spend my whole posts talking about my outfit, but I do want to point out my two favorite accessories of late: this Winky Designs bag and this Jackie Jones necklace. I've told you guys about Winky before, but I'm telling you again because I love their goods, and they're all so reasonably priced! Jackie Jones is a friend of my mother-in-law's, and she designs these super cool necklaces (which unfortunately aren't sold online). This one is a hit-you-over-the-head statement piece, but we all know that's my favorite kind of jewelry.

I hope you're all doing well, and I'd love to hear your plans for the upcoming holiday weekend!

Holiday Blues

WARNING: Wallowing ahead!!

It's possibly the worst time of year: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas are behind us, and we're too worn out to even stay up till midnight on New Year's Eve (I know I may be alone in this...but it's the honest truth!). We can't zip our jeans and our heads ache from too much spiked eggnog. We got Pampered Chef when we wanted Prada. How will we survive the holiday-wasteland that is January to April? 

I'm exaggerating a bit here in the interest of trying to sound compelling, but it's true that I can't help but feel a bit weepy and self-pitying. I am a junkie for the buildup of the holiday season, the way it starts out slow, with a scattering of Christmas songs and pumpkin pie and buying presents. But then every year, right around the 2nd week of December, it's like someone hits the fast-forward button and the holidays have zoomed right past us. And we're left with bleak weather and returning to work and another 10-month lapse before we gear up again. 

So I've decided I'm going to try to keep the momentum going, some how, some way. I mean, the absolute best part of the holidays is spending time with family and focusing on others instead of ourselves, right? So why not carry that throughout the year? Why not get all kinds of crazy and invite family over for latkes and matzoh ball soup in February? Or donate new toys and/or meals to those in need throughout the year? I know I'm getting all sappy but I just cannot help myself. It's Christmas after all. And if any of you have ever seen Love Actually, you know that at Christmas we are given carte blanche to be excessively cheesey and to act in any manner we feel. Bless you Hugh Grant and Colin Firth and Keira Knightly, and your ridiculously absurd/wonderful movie that removes all shame from our holiday-season behavior. 

So now that I'm done with my boohooing, please enjoy these quite cheery photos of one of my favorite outfits of late. 

Best of luck in your post-holiday recovery, dearies. 

xoxo, Lisa

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you're enjoying some quality family time, stuffing your faces, imbibing too many cocktails, or doing whatever it is that floats your boat during the season! I'm still continuing my Christmas music marathon and am looking forward to a weekend with friends and family, although I'll be greatly missing my kinfolk in Colorado.

Hanukkah is already behind us, and I'm happy to report that I consumed far too many latkes, bought and got far too many presents, and that my dreidel Gingerbread cookies were once again a success. What more could I ask for?

It's been a particularly busy and wonderful holiday season for us, given that we've got double the number of kids we had last year. It's been great to watch Sylvie soak in all the cheer with a much better grasp than in previous years, and it was precious watching Parker tear open his first wrapping paper and then immediately shove it into his mouth. When I'm in the throes of parenting and feel like I don't have a spare minute, ever, I just think of these beautiful moments and of snuggles with the littles, and all is right in the world. 

I'm terribly backlogged on blog posts, but I thought I'd use a few free moments to put this post together. These photos were actually taken the day before Thanksgiving, when Aaron and I booked a sitter and spent the day together. We missed the kids, but it was nice to have uninterrupted conversations and to focus on each other for a while. We trekked around the Mission and Hayes Valley, and as usual, I felt completely overdressed. But I had recently bought this faux fur gem of a vest and couldn't resist taking it out for a spin. 

I'm pretty into burgundy and blush right now; I think it's such a stunning combo. And if I could wear these shoes 24-7 I probably would. They're sexy and comfortable and just overall awesome. AND they are $50 right now. 

I hope that Santa spoils you rotten and that you have a wonderful rest of the year. 

Lisa