peace, joy, love

warm wishes for a happy 2010!! hope you all had a lovely christmas too!!

we traveled to rockport, massachusetts and stayed at a cozy rental house with my family. the girls got into the spirit this year. children's christmas eve service. nativity scene. ham. waldorf salad. mom's spicy mustard. pumpkin roll. visiting santa at dock square on christmas. brisk walk on bearskin neck. cuddling by the fire. homemade cookies. moscow mules (my new favorite drink!!). letting sky lanterns off on christmas eve. prime rib. norwegian coffee bread. godiva white chocolate liquer. woodmans. the smell of fresh greens. 70% off gap sales. trader joe's coffee. jack, the jack russell terrior. sing along to sound of music. the christmas story. 5 minutes of spirits outside in the freezing cold. white caps. sound of rocks moving at high tide. whipped cream on everything. lots of kisses.

cheers to you this new years eve and may all your wishes come true this year!! we just got an inch of snow so we are staying in and enjoying a toasty night with a movie and fleece socks. sushi and cheese fondu is on the menu. blessings to all!

photo via melanie molesworth blog.
photographer is emma lee.

canoe building

hope everyone had a fun thanksgiving filled with lots of hugs and kisses from the ones you love! josh and his dad cooked up a plan to head to maine to build a canoe. my father-in-law's minister had just been here and loved it, so they decided to pack their bags and gear up for a rugged week. you can check their progress on their boat building on this webcam. so happy they have this opportunity to go on this once in a lifetime trip. the girls and i have been enjoying an extended thanksgiving vacation in ohio with my parents.

l.l. bean signature line

have any of you visited the l.l. bean store in freeport, maine? it's open 24 hours a day and you can find classic duck boots, backpacks, canvas boat bags, and flannel shirts that haven't changed much since the company started. some of my all time favorite things come from l.l. bean. they know classics. well, alex carleton the founder of rogues gallery in portland, maine has been assigned the task of designing a more fashion forward line. the goal is to attract a younger demographic. he and his designers have created about 200 pieces for both men and women. and everything is under $150. i can't wait to check this line out in march of 2010.

via boston.com article by christopher muller.
photo from here.

little brown pen

via black eiffel. how nifty is this perpetual paris photo collage + perennial calendar created by little brown pen. you can purchase it at her etsy shop and at the little brown pen website.

industrial shelving

via country living. these organized industrial shelving units rock my world. love the shelves painted blue with the vintage galvinized storage bins. perfect for kitchen storage if you don't have a pantry.

pumpkin chic

a different take on the traditional fall centerpiece. i likey!
via happy mundane.

lonny

a new online magazine has hit the internet. lonny is it's name. design is it's game. was so happy to find this wonderfully inspiring magazine. it has filled the void that domino magazine had left. my husband and i had a lonny date on saturday night. we put the twins down to bed @ 7pm, grabbed a glass of wine, cooked a frozen pizza, made a quick salad with greek dressing and cozied up to the computer for a night of lonny. lots to talk about, dream about, inspire about.

image taken from lonny magazine.

adirondack antiques show

it wouldn't be fall without a trip to the adirondacks. i look forward to this fall trip like a kid looks forward to christmas morning. we stay at the hedges on blue mountain lake. it's a family gathering with both josh's parents and my parents meeting us there. my bro came too. the antique show held at the adirondack museum is a dream for those that love the outdoors. rustic camp furniture, hunting and fishing antiques, boats, taxidermy, antlers, and native american materials are found there. it's like camp for adults. we went hiking and kayaking and listened to loons making their calls on the lake.

we survived

the first year with twins!! even though there have been a lot of ups and downs, i would have to say it has been the most fullfilling year of my life.

got me in stitches

via nesting. love these graphic baby quilts. designed by adam young and michael alvarado of got me in stitches. they are sold at fawn and forest. great gift because babes can't grow out of them and they would make a perfect piece of art for a modern nursery.

margaritas, fish tacos, and homemade ice cream

it wouldn't be summer without freshly squeezed lime juice for margaritas, fish tacos and homemade ice cream. my brother and his girlfriend came over for dinner last week and that's what we had. wish i would have taken pictures, but sometimes it's more fun to live in the moment instead of worrying about getting just the right shot. here are the recipes we used.

1. jamie oliver's margaritas
2. bobby flay's fish tacos. the salsa smelled so good with the fresh cilantro.
3. homemade ice cream in a bag. we made vanilla ice cream and served it with coconut flakes and coconut milk on top.
picture from marthastewart.

hambone designs

read this article in the new york times titled, on to plan b:starting a business. lisa marie grillos and her brother, hernan barangan were victims of the recession and have used their creative juices to start a company that produces bags for bikes. hambone is the name of the company. their etsy shop is here. their website is here. love the buffalo plaid pattern shown above to keep keys, wallet and essentials handy when biking.

go to's for a mom of twins

could not have survived this first year of mommahood without these aesthetically pleasing to the eye baby things. if you look hard enough you can find baby gear with a design edge. large retail stores tend to carry the plastic, pink, bells and whistles gear, but i'm drawn to wooden modern gear that blends in seamlessly to the things we already have. i have spent many hours on the internet when the girls were catching some zzzzz's searching for the following things. thought i would try to save you some time by posting them here.

1. baby bjorn babysitter balance in white air
2. sophie the giraffe natural teether
3. stokke tripp trapp chair in natural
4. ikea leka baby gym
5. larry the lobster pull toy
6. charley harper's wooden peg puzzle
7. flensted swallow mobile
8. jack johnson sing-a-longs and lullabies for the film curious george cd

pack your bags

jet blue is offering an all-you-can-jet pass for just $599. the offer is good from september 8-october 8. see details here. there are 50 cities to choose from. i would love to hear where you would you travel if you could use this deal...

photo from here.

sick swedish styling

via emmas designblogg. LOVE the white painted floors and neutral color palette. everything stands out more on white painted floors. and if i'm not mistaken, those black kiddie chairs are from IKEA too.

emersonmade

cuteness! how adorable is this line of fabric flowers by emersonmade. she does all her own styling and i would love to step into her farmhouse world with ducks, large garden, front porch and have a glass of wine. fun, fun fun! find the emersonmade shop here and blog here.

via simplesong.

i.klee design

just ordered these lovely postcards for summer notes at i.klee designs on etsy. it makes me want to gather up tiny things and line them up based on color and take pictures.

back next week

we're packing our bags today and traveling to see family for the rest of the week. be back next week. hope you all are having a lovely summer filled with lots of lemonade, skinny dips, sand in your toes, late night talks on porches, exploring places you have never been, strawberry shortcake, dancing, reading a good book and spending time with the ones you love.

love this photo above. feels like summer to me!
via oh joy. photo by sara morishige williams of an exhibit at the asian art museum of sf.

tea to go

via katy elliot. mallard tearooms in the UK have these adorable to go tea cups. designed by designer sarah walsh. this logo is such a breath of fresh air! so sweet! the English have such a great design sense.