Trick or Treat!!!

 Happy Halloween from my Jedi Star Fighter, and his sidekick R2 D2! Hope you have a great one! We will be carefully avoiding the rain, and continuing our Beacon Hill tradition! Hope to see some of you there! 

De-cluttering the Kitchen.

 I've been meaning to put up pictures of the new (now sort of old) kitchen tile... you know, the tile that my Dad was able to get me for 1/2 price, amazing tile? But every time I went to take a picture I just kept thinking something was off. After a visit from my girlfriend, I realized that there was just too much "stuff" all around, and my tile, and gorgeous lights were just getting lost in the mix. As much as I loved the EAT letters, and whimsical chach, all of it together was just too much. After some serious cleansing, I cleaned off every counter, and the fridge, and what was under there was so beautiful, I kicked myself for covering it up in the first place. When it comes to our kitchen I have learned that less is most definitely more. 

The before and after... and a close up of THAT TILE!

The LOOK for Fall.

The other day I was looking for a recipe in my Pinterest boards, when I noticed that I had essentially pinned the same look over and over (and over and over) and it was then that I decided what my Fall uniform would be. Friends, this is the LOOK for fall. 

Oversized menswear inspired wool coat + anything on the bottom (including gym leggings, skinny jeans, ankle skimming wool pants) + anything on the top (t-shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, blouse) + your choice of footwear = outfit perfection. I feel like this isn't really anything groundbreaking, yet I don't own anything like it. Yet. I love the ease of the look, and the downtown cool factor, plus, did I mention, you can wear anything and everything under it? Sold!

Here is a round up of my current favorites, ranging from the insanely priced (#5) to the perfect coat for under 50$!!!! (#2). I'm not going to lie, I've got a hefty gift card for Emersonfry and that navy peacoat is destined to be mine!!!! 

clockwise from top left

1/2/3/4/5/6

What is your Fall uniform? I'd love to hear!

Weekend Links.

What are you guys up to this weekend? Other than a big skate date tomorrow we don't have a lot planned, which is very, very nice. I'm dying to start watching this with the LM, apparently it is all anyone is talking about at his school, and we just got Apple TV, so I'm pretty sure my hubby and I will spend our nights binge watching Orange is the New Black. I guess what I'm saying is that we are going to spend the weekend watching TV. Haha, I wish! I hope you all have something exciting planned, and that you will get a chance to crawl under the blanket and watch something fun! 

Here are a few fun links from around the web to get kick off the weekend! Have a great one!

I am absolutely making this for dinner tonight!

It has been a crazy month around here. Enter my new motto.

Cute DIY holiday decorations, that would be fun to do with the kiddos.  

A simple change, that makes a big impact. I did this in the boy's room, while waiting for the dresser that Gray is currently housing. 

I have a bizarre fascination with watching how super wealthy people decorate destroy beautiful properties. This one takes the cake. I didn't even know Mass had real estate this expensive!

I'm taking notes before my next trip! First up I MUST start learning French. 

This should make every woman, everywhere feel a lot better. It's also why I finally cancelled my US Weekly subscription. 

This makes me feel like a wimp for not putting the boys together yet. I am sometimes a little horrified by how much I value my sleep. I've got to pull that bandaid soon. 

My sister and I were swooning over this hair color last night! I think she is going for it!

I totally feel this way about Wakey!Wakey! Mark my words they are going to be HUGE! You heard it here!

Finally, what do you all do with the Halloween candy? The boys and I eat it as fast as humanly possible so it's out of the house (I'm partial to butterfingers.) I used to think I was the only one who thought like this. Halloween really is my christmas when it comes to packing on the lbs!

Wardrobe Essentials: Save, Crave, Investment #7

 Brrrrrrrrrr! Fall is officially here, and man, after the 70 degree days we have been having, I am so not ready! I always find that days like these are the hardest to dress for. You leave the house in sweater and a coat, and in the afternoon you are sweating to death, and leave your coat behind. Then at the end of the day you are freezing again! It's a vicious cycle.

 This is where the fisherman sweater comes in, it's warm enough to wear by itself, easy to layer over or under, and in the winter you can pile the down coat on top to survive those sub-zero days. Consider this the first tool in you New England survivor kit! My favorite thing about the fisherman sweater is that it looks stylish with just about anything. Skinny jeans? Check. A skirt and tights? Check. Wool pants... cords, leather pants... you get the idea.

Here is some inspiration, and the crave/ save/ investment options. I have the "investment" sweater, and it is perfection! 

source/ source

source

Previous wardrobe essentials can be viewed here. 

San Francisco Advice Needed!

 

In January, my husband and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary, which just so happens to correspond with a conference he has in San Francisco. Can you say romantic getaway? My in-laws have agreed to watch the kiddos for a week, and now we just need to plan our trip! I know I want to spend a few days in Big Sur, and I'm thinking we should stay here, but other than that we don't have any idea of where to go! I've visited once or twice in college, and my husband had traveled there for work, but we have never really gotten to know the city, and considering we both would like to live there one day, this will be a great chance to get to know the area better.

This is where I need your help! What neighborhood should we stay in? Do you have any chic hotel recommendations? We tend to like things on the smaller side, boutique if you will. What are your favorite restaurants? Places to shop, things to see. Also, any touristy places to avoid? I'd love to hear 

from both locals and visitors. Of course, after our trip I'll be happy to pass on everything we discovered. 

A Gallery Wall to Call My Very Own.

I have always dreamed of having a gallery wall. For me, it's one of those things that instantly makes a house feel like a home. I've considered doing one for years now, but a lack of wall space (we have quite a bit of windows) and my husband's dislike of "clutter" (he is definitely a large scale art guy) has held me back. While considering operation joint boy's room, I had been wondering what I was going to do with all the cute art that currently lives in Gray's room, as well as some of the pieces that I had to store to make room for the giant swiss flag. A few weeks ago it hit me; gallery wall... in the bathroom!

 I had recently painted our upstairs bathroom white, and put in a simple shower curtain, and the room was just screaming for something a little fun! It was an actual blank canvas. Also, what better place than a bathroom, which can be seen from our main room, for some cool childlike art? I was going to wait until Gray made the big move to steal his artwork, but over the weekend I realized I had enough to do at least one of the walls. Eventually, I am going to cover all the walls in the room, but for now I did the one that is the main focal point. 

With a can of gold spray paint in hand, I went to work. Here is a little of the process. 

... and the final result. 

You guys, I could not be more excited with the outcome! I am now dying to put the kids together, only so I can finish the abutting wall! It adds such a great personal touch to our home, and even my clutter-phobic husband approves. Last night, I found this great site, to fill in a few of the missing pieces, but other than one or two prints, the entire space will be filled with things that we already had.

Below are some of the images that inspired me to take the plunge!

What do you think? Is a gallery wall a do or a don't? I can now say they are absolutely worth the hassle! If you have been considering doing one, I say break out the hammer and nails!

Weekend Links.

... and it's Friday! Man, this was not an easy week around here. I'm not sure if it was the three day weekend, or the fact that Gray has suddenly come down with a cold, but my boys were"off" all week, and I felt like "mean mom," having to come down on them all day, every day. Sometimes it's really hard to be a grown up. Hopefully we fare better this weekend, and if tonight is any indication, I think we are in for a good one. In just a few hours, my bestie and her husband are coming over for Raclette AFTER the kids are in bed, which means we are destined to have a great time!!! This weekend is also the Head of the Charles, which is practically on our door step, and as a welcome change it's going to be warm versus the usual sub zero temps. I think this race/ event is pretty much the best part of living in Cambridge! 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, whatever your plans. Here are a few fun links from around the web! TGIF!

The instagram that made my day!

Beautiful wire wall hangers.

Today, my girlfriend and I snuck in a manicure and stumbled upon the most perfect gray polish on the planet. Funny enough, she had this with her, but we liked the other better!

My husband sent me to Rag and Bone in search for pants for him, and I happened upon this beauty. I can't even begin to explain how beautiful it is on. I kind of think I'd wear it every day for the rest of my life.

We had this kale salad twice this week and got 4 thumbs up. It's definitely in our weekly rotation from here on out.

The coolest celebrities on the planet are now married... to each other. In my next life I am going to come back as Kristen Bell.

I had to laugh out loud with this one!

I LOVE this simple outfit. So chic.

A fun and easy way to decorate pumpkins! I love it. Btw, am I the only one who can't find a large white pumpkin? Anyone local know where to find them?

I tried this out today, and my arms are on fire! I think I'll try this three times a week and see what happens! 10 minutes really is the perfect amount of time.

A simple, beautiful hairdo.

This kitchen SLAYS me.

This left me speechless... something that's very hard to do.

Our 10 year anniversary is coming up, and I kind of want to give this to my husband. Is it too cheesy?

Yes!!!

Finally, I feel like most of us know this, but it's nice to see it data supported. I hope more communities can invest in head start programs, it seems like such a no- brainer. I could not be more grateful for the pre-k education my boys have received.

(Photo via here)

On Running.

 I have a love/ hate relationship with running. I want to love it, but in reality I hate it. With a capital H. I am so incredibly intrigued with people who are "runners" and I'm  pretty sure my fascination is largely based in the simple fact that I just can't do it. Well, this was the way I used to think. 

On Monday, after two weeks of preparation, I ran my first 10k with some other "skate moms" and you know what? It wasn't all that bad. My training consisted of one 3 mile run two weeks prior, and one 6 mile run the week before the race, largely due to the fact that I just couldn't bring myself run any more than that. I didn't break any records with my run, but I did finish under my goal, which was an hour. AND I didn't die. The latter clearly being more of my concern. I'm not going to lie, I didn't exactly enjoy the running part, but I did really like the community aspect, and certainly I felt accomplished at the end.

 In my euphoric state, I somehow agreed to run a half marathon in February (yes, February in New England) and now I'm sitting here thinking about the training piece and wondering what the hell I was thinking. The idea of running 13 miles is so daunting to me, and that isn't even that far. People do marathons, and ultra marathons every day. Then there is me, at the end of 6 miles wondering if I am gong to be able to walk for the rest of the week. Now that it's Thursday, and I'm still on my feet, even having hit the gym since, so I guess like most strenuous workouts, the pain really does fade. Sort of. 

My question for all you runners out there is how do you do it? Really. The physical part I think I can work up to, but it's the mental strength that is lost on me. I just can't help myself from being bored, and counting the minutes or miles until it's over. The race was the first time I actually enjoyed running, but that was totally due to the fact that we were able to pass the LM and his friends on our trek three different times. Talk about motivation! Obviously, while training I won't have his big smile to run to, so other than a killer playlist, I'm wondering how all you runners out there make it fun? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

So far, the best I've seen is this.

I guess the part of me that wants to stop is a little stronger than the part that wants to keep going. I really would love to change that!

Point of View.

 The other day, thanks to a friend the LM skates with, I was able to get a glimpse of what it's like to be a six year old skater. Seeing things from his point of view was a wow moment for me. 

It's almost like he is an artist, and the park is his canvas. What a cool feeling that must be. Even though he sometimes drives me insane, I sure do love being this kid's mom. 

Current Lust Item: Carter Kustera Portraits.

 The plan for our soon to be guest room is almost done, and at this point I'm just waiting on Gray to make the move to his big boy bed (more on this later.) The one thing that is undecided is the age old, "to wallpaper or not to wallpaper?" I come from the school of, anything is better with wallpaper, whereas my husband just hears the words wall+paper together and cringes. 

When it comes to our guest room, I go back and forth. Yes, it would be amazing in this print and it would add so much character to the room. On the other hand, this isn't our forever home, and given how high the ceilings are, this would not be a cheap addition. Plus, it's a guest room, and we really don't have that many visitors, so why break the bank there? You see what I'm doing here, don't you? Yes, I think I might be trying to talk myself out of it all together.

 Either way, the room will most definitely need a new coat of paint, I'm thinking this, and there is quite a bit of wall space that needs to be filled. I'd love to do a gallery wall, similar to this one, but I feel like a guest room should probably err on the cleaner side, kind of like a hotel. Which brings me to my current lust item for the room, Carter Kustera custom portraits of the boys. Ever since I first saw them in the showroom of Jonathan Adler, I have been obsessed, and after they popped up again up in the dining room below (still my favorite home tour ever) I knew I wanted to find a way to incorporate them in to my home. We are pretty low on wall space at this point, so the guest room would definitely be the perfect spot for these guys. The more I think about, the more confident I am that this is the way to go. 

I really love how people use this prints pretty much everywhere, from the kitchen to the nursery, and of course, the dining room. I also think it would be fun for the boys to have these in their own homes down the road.

I know they aren't cheap, but I really think they would make a big impact in the room, and definitely have more value than a few rolls of wallpaper. 

 ... and I think I might have just made up my mind.