favorite moment | playing hooky

Sometimes you just need to play hooky from work and take your boys to the beach. On the spur of the moment, Matt and I took the day off and the boys out of school and drove to my favorite place on earth--Pt. Reyes National Seashore. This is Limantour Beach, the perfect beach for long, long walks or just sitting in the sand and soaking up the sun.

There's something about chubby ankles peeking out from underneath rolled up jeans that warms my heart. And the way number one son looks like he is on a mission to do some diggin', with the little one trailing behind trying not to miss out on any important discoveries.

It was the perfect day.

savona bri...too much for me

I love this bag. And even though it is on sale for $224 (marked down from $375) it's still too rich for this girl's blood. Oh well.

fabu blogs

Photo from Pure Blog

I admit it. I'm a blogaholic. And I am convinced that I am going to get fired from my job for over-blogging despite the fact that any url with the word 'blogger' or 'blogspot' (not 'blog' interestingly) is blocked. This has caused me to venture into new territory and find new blogs...ones with the words 'typepad' and 'wordpress' in them. I've added some of these gems to the "blogs i love" section and I thought it would be fun to highlight a few from time to time. "New" only indicates that they are new to me and/or new to the blogroll. Most of these beauties have been around for a good while and have a very faithful following.

First up: Pure Blog

This wonderful online notebook penned by noted British designer and author Jane Cumberhatch is exquisite in its simplicity. The images are so calming. I'm addicted.

un-mom no. 6 | singing in the rain

Okay, I will be the first to admit that not every woman can pull-off this ensemble. I also admit that I have been slightly obsessed with color lately and that the last two un-mom posts have been, shall we say, especially vibrant. But any of these items on their own would add a fun boost to your winter outerwear wardrobe and might even put a little pep in your step.

1. Fab Printed Coat in bright green :: bodenusa.com :: $198.00
Why it works: I loathe the tan trench rain coat. Nothing says blah quite like that. And when it is rainy and gloomy who needs more blah. This is instant cheer.

2. Rain boots in orange/lemon :: target.com :: $17.49
Why they work: Keep those pigs dry in style. Plus, come summer they make great gardening boots.

3. Eco-friendly Fabric Umbrella in green :: target.com :: $42.49
Why it works: Nice and big to keep you and the kiddos dry at once. Again, the green makes me smile.

4. Kashmere cashmere fingerless gloves in orange :: bluefly.com :: $30.99
Why they work: The luxury and warmth of cashmere while maintaining your surgical dexterity for last minute shoe-tying, lunch-making or necessary digital gestures during rush hour (just kidding...don't do that)

5. Patent-trimmed Canvas Tote in electricity :: oldnavy.com :: $16.50
Why it works: Waterproof but cute. Come summer it goes to the beach and the farmer's market.

6. Coach Tara rain hat in white/green :: as seen on InStyle.com :: $128.00
Definitely pricey for "un-mom" but timeless and cute as a button. Even though it's for the rain, I could see this coming in handy year-round.

love, love, love this house

From here.

Photos from Sunset

rhine river cruise | the avalon tapestry

When I was at the gym on Saturday, I watched Burt Wolf while I was on the treadmill. He took a group on a tour from Amsterdam to Basel, Switerland on this magnificent floating hotel. I can't stop thinking about it and how much I want to go on it!

stuff i love | beauty buys

I've been using MAC's powder blush in Tenderling for a couple of years now and recently ran out. Because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to go to the mall for blush and because I really didn't want to go to the mall to pay $18 for blush, I decided I'd try something cheap while I was doing my weekly shopping at Target. I look at this blush every morning and I figured I could probably find something similar. I wandered over to the CoverGirl section and spotted that little beauty above, Classic Color blush in Soft Mink. Brought it home and held it next to what I had left of my MAC and you know what? Exact match! The CoverGirl has a tad more sparkle to it, but I like it. And I really like the $4.99 price tag.

In other beauty-related finds, I found the perfect natural shade of lip gloss. See, I am not a strong lip girl. I have relatively thin lips and whenever I wear dark or bright lipstick I look like an old lady. I prefer to have a natural lip. My girlfriends gave me a kooky little kit from TINte Cosmetics for my birthday and it included that fun Vintage Lip Color tin. The perfect shade! How lucky is that? Peaches and Cream ($14--a little pricey, but can you put a price on perfection?) and it pairs perfectly with Ulta's Contour Lip Pencil in Spice ($7).

Just thought I'd share.