pattern and color around the house

some scenes around our house for this friday. it snowed for the first time this winter. the girls were thrilled until we went outside and nearly fell on our bums. it was a sheet of ice. the sunlight was killer today today so i got some shots of corners that i don't think you have seen before. 

what are your plans for the weekend? i love how our pace of activities slows down in the winter. hope you have a lovely weekend filled with your favorite things.

harvard museum of natural history

 

 i like science. there. i admitted it. i like bright orange lipstick, mascara, and design yet i like listening to science friday on npr with ira flatow. reading about a new tuberculosis strain that thwarts all antibiotics totally gets me going. i'm weird i know it. i thing it stems from the fact that my mother is really passionate about interior design and my dad started out as a high school biology teacher and then went into occupational health. i'm totally a product of my parent's genetic code. 

anyway, i could spend hours in any natural history museum (ross geller was by far my favorite character on friends). we have been to a lot of them depending on the city we are in. on january 2nd we were in the boston area so we decided to head to the harvard museum of natural history. when we lived in belmont, mass. and the girls were babes we would head there quite often to check out the animals. above are some of the pics from our trip. if you are ever in the harvard square area in cambridge, mass. you should definitely check it out.

oh, and it took a lot of restraint to walk by the cafe area with all the bertoia chairs and not pick one up and put it in our minivan. i don't think harvard would have missed one bertoia chair. do you??

what's your favorite museum to head to with kids?

all about the kids

hope you guys had a great weekend! we had a little get together at our house on friday with josh's coworkers and we made turkey chili with white beans and lots of fixings. on saturday i spent most of the day in my pajamas and finished reading the girl with the dragon tatoo. i can now officially see the movie. i can't wait. and on sunday we headed to ikea for meatballs and to find birthday presents for some friends. i guess it is the thing to do on a bitterly cold winter day seeing that the humongous parking lot was filled with cars at 10 am. 

today we headed to the providence children's museum with some friends. since i spent most of today building castles with blocks, playing with styrofoam noodles, pretending i was a mole living in a subterranean world, and wearing a cape and talking with an english accent while playing with my kiddos, i thought i would do today's post on some interiors for children. hope you get some ideas because i sure did from these vibrant spaces.

sources:

1. solebich.de

2. media.tumbler.com via deborah beau on pinterest

3. babble.com

4. mimi's blog via little elf

coconut cake

see. i told you i was on a cake kick. i know moderation is the key, but over the holidays excess is my motto. i made this coconut cake for a new years eve party at my bro's place. i made three layers instead of two because the more coconut the better. i sound like a glutton, but in actuality i really do eat fruits and vegetables and drink green tea. 

hope you find a special occasion to make this cake. it really does create a festive party mood among all those that eat it.

moma museum store

hand screen printed heart poster with a space to write your own message. $9.99

book titled, matisse: radical invention 1913-1917. $22.50

bisque drip tumblers by kimikazu ito. $16.95

ocean views box of 50 postcards. $2.99

come in a little closer. i have to let you in on a little secret. you have to promise not to tell anyone else because i don't want this secret to be spread like wildfire. let's just keep it between you and me. okay, here it is. you know the museum of modern art (moma)  in new york city? well, they have an online museum shop. and in that online museum shop there is a section that has all sale items. yes,  classic modern and cutting edge design products for adults and kids. on sale. i am a sucker for design and sales. so this little secret lights me up with excitement. i actually found many of the christmas gifts i gave to friends and family from the moma store.

above are some of my favorite items that are on sale from the moma museum store.

hope you find some fabulous finds and enjoy!

a winter walk

it was in the 50's on saturday. a rarity in rhode island in january. so we took full advantage of the sunlight and warmth and headed to sachuest point national wildlife refuge. we walked along the path that hugs the ocean. i couldn't get over how the grasses and vegetation looked like we were in the african savannah on a safari (i have never been but i'm only assuming that's what it looks like from looking at pictures in national geographic). i was almost ready for a giraffe to pop it's head out and stick his tongue out at us. the golden tone was so beautiful to me. it's amazing how refreshed and rejuvenated i feel after a walk in nature. it's free. it opens your heart and mind to the beauty around you. and i slept like an angel that night. okay, it's decided.  i need more walks like this in 2012.

triple-layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

i'm sort of on a cake kick. it could be that we are in the midst of a new england winter and my body is craving lots of sugar, carbs and calories.  and cutting a large piece of cake over a small cupcake fulfills my desire for large portions. oh, and the happiness i get from making the first cut into a cake and seeing the beauty of the layers with velvety frosting sandwiched in between is a thing of delight for me. like receiving a brand spanking new magazine in the mail and having a moment for myself to indulge and flip through the images. cakes are way up on the happiness scale for me, my friends.

we hosted christmas at our house this year. and i wanted to come up with a new recipe for dessert. my friend, emily, is a baker. not a professional baker, but she rocks it in that department and is also an eye doctor on the side. a girl with many talents. she has always been a big fan of bon appetit magazine so i decided to start my search for a dessert for christmas there. i ended up with a triple-layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting from epicuriou.com. 

i didn't cover the entire cake in frosting because for some reason i like to see the layers.

give it a try, and let me know what you think.

christmas 2011

we hosted christmas in newport this year and i sort of felt like i was playing dress-up. we got out our china, lit lots of candles, made a standing rib roast with yorkshire pudding and josh read 'twas the night before christmas before we tucked the girls in on christmas eve.

it was magical having my parents here. their presence makes things so much sweeter. and the girls talked more about baby jesus than santa and presents, so i was thrilled. 

despite karoline getting a stomach bug at 2 am on christmas morning and only getting 3 hours of sleep we lived in the moment and embraced the spirit of the season. barf bowl and all.

inspiration for january

some fresh and crisp images to get you inspired this new year!

photo credits:

1. le dans la

2. via  6irly6irl.

3. via habitually chic.

4. nooy 2011 via jane potrykus on pinterest

5. from best green home tips via karen beth martin on pinterest

6. pear, walnut, and ricotta crostini from martha stewart.

7. via photo problem tumblr.

happy new year

may this be the best one yet!!! cheers to 2012 and all the freshness and possibilities it may bring.

i made letter cookies with the muji cookie cutters i bought in new york city last february. they are my favorite cooking tool and make teaching three-year-old twins the letters a fun thing.