HI-Kicks

I've been trying to nail down our outfits for our upcoming family holiday photo session with the amazing Tiffany from Adeline & Grace and as we all know I'm a visual person, aka mood board guru, so I've been working on our virtual little family powerpoint slide for weeks now. I couldn't, however, find any shoes thus far for Elliot that matched his outfit that I was in love with.

Cue the hi-tops. They're everywhere people! Hi-tops are the new cool shoe for all boys big and small. I found these on Zara's website and they're absolutely adorable. They're not the cheapest shoes around, but seem to be made well to outlast my ruffians feet.

So Elliot now owns 2 pair.

 

 

Cute!, No? We think they're adorbs!

 

xoxo

Friday Finds

 

Happy Friday all! Here are my weekly favorites!

 

 

1 | Loving the white jeans paired with a chambray shirt, navy vest and leather boots.

 

2 | Scallop shirk? YES!

 

3 | Loving this Stitch Fix stripped dress for summer and fall.

 

4 | I'm loving this outfit Caitlin Moran is wearing from Style Within Reach.

 

5 | Hello weekend breakfast! These red pepper and baked egg galettes look amazing!

 

6 | Need a jeweled sweater for fall.

 

7 | Must host a party soon to make one of these amazing cheeseboards.

 

Any fun weekend plans? We're car shopping. Womp womp....

 

xoxo

Friday Finds

 

Happy Friday! The weekend is finally here....almost here. Our dear friends are coming stopping through SJ before they head back to Seattle so I'm just so excited to see them.

 

Here are some of my late summer/early fall outfits I've been eyeing on Pinterest.

 

 

1 | Love fall outfits and this one is no exception!

 

2 | Gotta remember to pair an adorable blazer with jean shorts.

 

3 | Note to self: I need this vest and striped dress.

 

4 |  Love this feminine lace skirt.

 

5 | These patters just work.

 

6 | Camo and leopard, who knew?

 

7 | Chambray shirt with everything.

 

What are some of your favorite fall outfits?

 

Have a great weekend!!

 

xoxo

Stitch Fix

Have you heard of Stitch Fix yet? I hadn't either until a blogger I follow (JenLovesKev) wrote about it recently.

 

 

Stitch Fix is the first fashion retailer to blend expert styling, proprietary technology and unique product to deliver a shopping experience that is truly personalized for you. Follow me?

 

You simply fill out the Stitch Fix Style Profile on their website and their personal stylists will handpick a selection of five clothing items and accessories unique to your taste, budget and lifestyle. You can buy what you like and return the rest! You can opt to have a delivery every 2-3 weeks, once a month, every other month.

 

There's a $20 stylist fee for each shipment, but it is applied to your purchase if you keep at least 1 item.

 

So, although I LOVE to shop, I decided to give Stitch Fix a try. They are an SF company and I love to support local businesses.

Here's one of my favorite Stitch Fix looks I've found online so far.

 

 

I receive my first shipment next week on October 8 and am so excited to see what they pick out for me so stay tuned!

 

xoxo

Homemade Tzatziki

One of my new favorite dips to make is tzatziki. I love it because you can put your own little spin on it and it's just so delicious by itself, with kabob or served as a dip.

 

 

For the tzatziki

1 English cucumber diced into tiny cubes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tub (17.6 oz.) of Fage Greek yogurt

1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 package/bundle of dill finely chopped or fresh mint

Directions

Cut up the cucumber into tiny cubes, the smaller the better. Add them to the bowl along with the Greek yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt and finely chopped dill or mint. Mix and put in the fridge until ready to use.

 

It's extremely easy to make, holds up well in the fridge for days and is a win-win in my book!

 

xoxo

Seattle (part VI) Snoqualamie Falls, a hike & other fun

 

Seattle has a ton of lakes, waterways and gorgeous greenery and we wanted to experience as much as we could in the short amount of time we were visiting.

 

So we decided to take a hike down to Lake Washington and then have a picnic at Saint Edwards State park.

 

Fun Fact | A ribbon lake, Lake Washington is long, narrow and finger-like. Ribbon lakes are excavated by glaciers.

 

Carter family photo op

While we were in Seattle, I planned a fun dinner to celebrate Katie's birthday. Here we are ready to hit the town. Little did I know that Katie's driving a bad latte would make me so sick later that evening. At least that's what I think it was.

Before our dinner reservations we hit up U-Village where I entered the mecca of all stores....LAND OF NOD! It was everything I thought it would be and more! I just wish we had one closer to us.

Noah loved the Carter's dog, Jack. He still talks about him weeks later and says he misses him all the time. Just look at this smile!

 

 

Snoqualmie Falls is a 268 ft waterfall on the Snoqualmie River. It is one of Washington's most popular scenic attractions, but is perhaps best knows for it's appearance in the the TV series Twin Peaks.

 

For the Snoqualmie people, who have lived for centuries in the Snoqualmie Valley, Snoqualmie Falls is central to their culture, beliefs and spirituality.  A traditional burial site, to the Snoqualmie, the falls are "the place where First Woman and First Man were created by Moon the Transformer" and "where prayers were carried up to the Creator by great mists that rise from the powerful flow." The mists rising from the base of the waterfall are said to serve to connect Heaven and Earth.

 

Noah & Mommy Selfie #3 or #4. I can't keep track...

 

 

Thank you Seattle, The Carters and The Martin's for an amazing trip!

 

xoxo

Cousins & a lake

 

We had a whirlwind of a weekend! We drove up to Tahoe for a night to hang out with my side of the family. There were a little over 30 of us and it was so fun to watch all our kids play together and create memories. Unfortunately I didn't carry my phone with me so I don't have more than the one photo below to document this happy occasion, but boy did we have fun!

 

The boys played on the beach, swam in the pool, ran around with all their cousins and we all ate like kings.

 

 

This photo is from the prior weekend in Sacramento while visiting my Dad, sister and brother. Just look at that smile. Hilarious!

 

 

xoxo

Seattle (part V) Whidbey Island

 

Whidbey Island is approximately 55 miles long and home to a little over 58,000 people. It was once inhabited by members of the Lower Skagit, Swinomish, Suquamish, Snohomish and other Native American tribes.

 

We decided to check it out while we were in Seattle! And we're so glad we did because it was amazing!

 

Waiting to drive onto the ferry

 

Ferry photo op

 

The Carter's, Martin's and our little fam all drove separately and we were able to have just enough time to unload out of our cars and take a quick family pic before getting back on the ferry. Those Puget Sound view were amazing!

 

We then loaded back into our cars to drive about 40 more minutes to Fort Casey where we set up an yummy picnic and filled our belly's. After that we explored the awesome Fort and the beach below.

 

 

Elliot not having it

 

Elliot sitting on an old disappearing gun

 

 

 

 

Kandah Family Photo Op



Peek-a-Boo Noah!

Eloise looking into an old church



 

Until next time Whidbey Island! Thanks for the great adventure!

 

xoxo

Seattle (part III) Woodland Zoo

The Woodland Zoo is an amazing and beautiful place. I mean come on, this zoo has their own coffee cart with a barista on hand to prepare your favorite espresso drink for you. Only in Seattle right?

 

Side note: Did you know that 77% of all Americans drink coffee every day?

 

Back to the zoo....



Cara & Derek watching the elephants

Noah & Mommy selfie #3

Noah on cotton candy distribution

Ahoy there matey!

Some crazy kids hopped up on sugar

 



I have no clue what's going on here.

Come and get me Derek!

If you're ever in the Seattle area, I highly recommend the Woodland Zoo. It's rather large, very clean, woodsy, and has different animals than I've seen at other zoos such as black bears and coyotes.

 

I'll leave you with the many faces of Noah while riding the carousel at the zoo. Silly boy.

 

Who is this kid!

 

xoxo

Seattle (part IIII) Frozen

Our dear friend Katie has just about the nicest family ever and we were invited not once but twice to their house for dinner and even a Frozen birthday party. We just love her parents and her sister Mary is a riot! She had me cracking up on our dreadful car ride to Katie's birthday dinner (pre-vomit) and on the way home (post-vomit).

 

A niece of Katie's brother in law owns her own character business and let me tell you people, SHE'S AMAZING!! She's local to us Bay Area folks, so if you're ever in need of Princess Ana, let me know and I'll send you her info. She sings beautifully too! I can't say enough good things about her. She's just adorable. Her grandmother even sews all her costumes for her. Crazy!!



Princess Ana telling her story to the kids

Elliot just wasn't having it. "I don't like Frozen! I like Toy Story lady!"

Where'd my cupcake go?

 

Thank you so much MacFarlane family for opening your home to us, for being amazing hosts and for raising such a beautiful children that we now call our friends.

 

Now I'm craving some MacFarlane garlic bread!

 

xoxo

Seattle (part II) Downtown

Downtown Seattle is awesome! I don't think there's any other word to describe it other than just that. It's full of some amazing restaurants, Pike Place Market, the Seattle Great Wheel, the Seattle Aquarium, a Red Robin (had to throw that one in there), great shopping, the original Starbucks, the original Nordstrom and a ton more fun and cool stuff.

 

We decided to hit up a few of these places during our trip.

Noah & Eloise enjoying freshly made Pike Market donuts

Noah & Mommy selfie #1 (Pike Place Market)

Pike Market family photo op

BFF photo op (Seattle Aquarium)

I can't remember where this was taken, but it's our second Noah & mommy selfie.

Well downtown Seattle, you didn't disappoint! Until next time!

 

xoxo