paced out.

It's the home stretch on this week and Ben's parents are coming to town tomorrow for a quick visit. We are taking them to Napa and Sonoma and I'm already looking forward to the warmer weather (90s!) and some good meals! And to help finish out the week, here are some links I thought might be of interest!

• The restaurateur behind Le Diplomate is opening a new restaurant by Union Market!

• This NPR piece from Radiotopia - The Procedure - about abortion is fascinating (hat-tip to Jordan!) - highly recommend the listen!

• Aren't these Barcelona vases from World Market great?

• Bread + Ice Cream - yes please!

• We got this bag for Ben's Mom for her birthday coming up as the perfect beach bag to carry towels, snacks, a book and more - we are going to fill it with beach essentials for her upcoming Maine trip! 

• Ben got us hooked to this show, This is Us, on NBC. Mandy Moore is back and it's like a big old romantic comedy wrapped into 18 episodes! You can get a month free of Hulu and plow through it like us. 

boden.

Have you ever bought anything from Boden? I get their catalogue every month, and every month I flip through and see one or two things that I like, but I have never followed through. This dress and silk shirt caught my eye last night going through the latest, aren't they great?!

blousey.

A colleague at work has this Everlane blouse and it is beautiful. In fact, she loves it so much she has it in white, black and rose! Isn't it simple and lovely? They are currently sold out in my size, but she told me that regularly happens, so I am just checking and waiting for it to come back in stock to buy my own in white...and just thought you might like it too!

windbreaking.

I know, I know. I have been terrible on posting the last couple of weeks. I'll make it up to all three of you at some point soon! In the meantime, happy Friday. I am on a plane coming back from Dublin and I just bought this windbreaker from Cotopaxi. Cute, right?!

showered.

Loving this Sun Showers Lululemon jacket...

the sandalia.

A friend was wearing these Beatrice Valenzuela Sandalia sandals this weekend and if not for the price, I would have bought them 15 minutes ago. Oh man, they look so comfortable and awesome....

black & white.

I guess I am feeling black and white stripes right now, because I'm loving both these Molly Sling-backs...

...and this Margot printed frame clutch from Sole Society.

magic making.

We spent a day in Siena with Ben's parents and while wandering around the town, we popped into a men's store. Ben and his Dad were taken with the suits and jackets, and Len ended up buying a sports jacket. Anyway, while we were in the store, this fantastic store clerk showed me and Barbara this great way to wear a scarf/wrap. I loved it and he enthusiastically agreed to let me make a video. And now here is my gift to you today - this personal instructional video special for you...

balancing act.

I am a big fan of these shoes...

the messenger.

I have been in serious need of a gym bag for months now. Every day I have been carrying around my gym clothes and packed lunch in a recyclable grocery bag, so it was time to upgrade. A couple weeks ago, I looked at Lululemon bags and Nike bags. But wow - they are overpriced. Anyway, on a whim, I spotted this random Forever 21 Messenger bag and bought it online. $20 people! I love it! Perfect size. Yes, it is faux leather and not going to be a life-long companion but gotta say, it is pretty good quality. I don't ever spend much money on bags because I beat them up and just don't treat them very well. Anyway, this one is a keeper - if you are looking for an easy bag - I endorse it!

stitched up.

Winter is killing me this year! I am blaming my lack of posting on that for now. But guys, I have been meaning to tell you about Stitch Fix. A colleague in my office plugged me on it a couple months ago and then this week she convinced me to finally sign up. I am very excited about it! So here is the deal...you fill out a style survey so they can get a sense of what you like and your personal style. Then, once a month (or whenever you schedule it) they send you a package of five items they have picked out for you. You try them on and decide what you like then you keep what you like and send back what you don't.  I have seen some of the pieces they have sent and they are great. Now you might have some of the same questions I did, so let me answer for you...

• How much is it? 
• You pay a $20 styling fee with every package (though the first one is free). If you keep any of the pieces, the styling fee is subtracted from the price of the item. Also, when you fill out the survey, you indicate your budget/price range for individual pieces. 

• How often does it come? 
• You can sign up for it to be a monthly package or you can just log-on and tell them when you want a new package. 

• Is shipping paid for? 
• free shipping and returns.

There you have it. I just signed up and my first package will come in a couple weeks. I'm excited about it. I want to be able to pull together cute outfits and pieces, but don't have the motivation right now so this is the perfect fix! It is also always nice to have things picked out for you that you might not otherwise consider...I'll let you know how it goes, but really since the first round is free - you should give it a try anyway. And obviously you should use my referral code to do that (https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/4675022). 

walk it off.

It's winter and it's cold. My mind started going to a warmer place this week - tapping into my raw survival skills born of my Colorado roots and true winters. (In truth, living on the east coast has made me weak-it scares me to think about anyone from DC north to New Hampshire driving in Denver because dear god they just don't know!). Anyway, the way I see it, I just have to get through the end of February. The warm place I have been going to happens to be Italy. We are going there at the end of May for a wedding and lucky for us we added on a week before with Ben's family. I've never been to Italy. I am very excited. And most importantly, when we leave the house in the morning for a run at 6:15 am when the temperature is in the 20s - Italy is now my end goal and distraction! We have started researching restaurants and food, thinking about activities and must-see places, and strategizing on different plans of attack for tackling Rome in the limited two days we are there. And all of this was to lead to these shoes. Don't you think these would be great to rock...or not so much? You can tell me...I can handle it (not you Ben...I already know you don't like these!). Also, if folks have Italy recommendations - send my way one and all!

nike heaven.

These Nike sneakers from JCrew are calling my name. Size 9 por favor!

serious sale.

FYI there is some serious sale action going on over at JCrew. Ben and I decided to head over to JCrew in Georgetown last night because he needed a couple ties. We thought it would be a good plan to go on a quiet Monday and avoid the hordes of Georgetown students and strollers on a weekend. Best plan ever. We had the sales section to ourselves. Ben did some serious damage and I picked up this amazing coat! You can't really see it in this picture - but it has big pockets in the front and a great hood - I can't wait to wear it. And it was an additional 50% off. See Mondays don't have to be so bad....

slipped on.

Don't these Stonewash Canvas Slip-ons from Portovelo look comfy? And cute with jeans or capris right?!

tripped up.

Loving these striped travel cases from Pottery Barn...especially the train case!

boden time.

Apparently I am now on the Boden catalogue mailing list. They are very focused on spring right now and while it feels a little early for that right now (it has been raining cold slush all day) - their polka dots and stripes can't be ignored!

Spring Parka

Wrap Dress

Pointed Slingbacks

Rainy Day Mac

vested interest.

Genius! Look what Lululemon has going on - a vest-pullover. I don't know why they named it the Fluff Off Pullover but nevertheless, this just made my morning!

colorblocked.

I wish I wish we had saved all of our color-blocking winter gear from the 80s/90s because this Colorblock Ski Jacket from JCrew is amazing and bringing the 70s back big time!

warmed up.

I have been meaning to write this post for a long while now. When we moved into the house in June, people were so generous and thoughtful with housewarming gifts. So, I thought I would pass on ideas for great gifts to warm a home. Here we go...(note: this is in no particular order).

• Planters with your favorite flowers: Molly and Rags brought over these two amazing planters! We needed some bloom and green so bad in the front and they didn't even know it. Molly personally picked and planted everything. 

• Personalized Stamp: Emmy gave us this stamp which I adore. It was actually our first gift upon moving in and couldn't have been more fitting (here is the original post from May!)

• Grill Tools: Ben's first and really only priority in the lead-up to moving was to order a grill. Alex and Brittany got us fantastic grill tools that were immediately put to good use. 

• Salt n' Pepper Shakers: if you are like me and can't get enough of mason and bell jars, it doesn't get much better than miniature jars in the form of salt and pepper shakers! Emily brought these over and we love them. 

• Turkish Towels: we have a feeling Emmy had some touch on this gift too - Ryan gave them to us and I love them. I love them so much they are in a place where they won't get too much use because I am not ready for that! 

• Heath anything: Hannah and Jordan gave us this bowl from Heath Ceramics and it is one of the most beautiful things we own. It is so simple and looks great as a center or side piece - just gorgeous. 

• Guest Book: we have a tried and true tradition to guest books. Grandpolly always had us sign her guest book on visits and my Mom has continued the tradition. It was only appropriate that she gifted us our first guest book on her visit last month. 

• Funny Gift: Mike brought us this Guest Book for the bathroom. It is to be kept in your bathroom and has funny sections inside for your guests to fill out.

• Tools: Ben's parents brought us down tools and not only do we love having a full tool wall but it has been the most useful gift to date. For a first time home-owner a tool wall is a must-have. 

• Vintage Book: Kate and Doug picked us up this vintage Do-it-yourself Manual. It is old school but an encyclopedia of ideas. I love it as a coffee book but also a reference guide. 

• Bowls, Bowls and more Bowls: I love bowls! They are communal. Not to mention, since the beginning I have been very focused on getting great bowls in our kitchen (see here for a post all about it). Alison got us these bowls that I am in love with and they go perfectly on our shelving!