love

And that, my friends, is a love story.
Do you believe enough? Do you believe in it?

I do...usually...

my favorite soundtrack

- skateboard wheels on pavement
- ocean waves
- Luca's laugh
- the crackle and pop of a fire
- a door opening when you know it's someone you love
- your own heartbeat under water
- my soles hitting the ground on a run
- glasses saying "cheers"
- my Tallulah's deep snore
- whispers 

Two more...

I have two more work days until I'm home with this man. I miss him. I miss his nakedness in the early mornings. I miss how he yells for me from his bed even though he can easily get out and just walk to me. I miss when he laughs at my jokes like I'm the funniest woman alive. I miss how he tells me I look better with my hair down. I miss him grabbing my elbow while drinking his morning cup of chocolate milk. I miss when he runs to the bathroom and talks to me while perfectly aiming yet not looking at where it's going. I miss that little face which jumps on me from every angle to give me kisses and hugs. I miss the nonstop "mama?!?" as he searches for something.

Just plain miss him.
Sorry to complain but it's painful.

need: to match my café au lait

coat  |  arrow ring |  heels |  Givenchy bag  |  pearlized necklace  |  beauty palette

This impossibly chic model walked into my life today. She spoke smooth, smelled of her boyfriend's cologne and wore head to toe camel as she sipped a steamy latte.

She has been forever imprinted within me and now I'm looking for tan everything to take over my closet. I want to be her.

manly...

Being away from NYC, even for a few days, makes me realize how much I appreciate and am inspired by the boys of my city. The ones who fly by me on four wheels, weaving in and out of traffic, on two wheels, their bikes as cool as any piece of their wardrobe. 

I've been known to pivot on a sidewalk, run back inside and change my outfit...all from the flash of a handsome man on wheels flying by me.

Heavenly creature

I'm really missing my Luca right now.

I like the stars. It’s the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they’re always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend… I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don’t last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend." - Neil Gaiman

"listen up..."

I love how this photo is so full of emotions. As Renee, mama to luella & sadie (the girls in the pic), put it: "they look like they just got some devastating news." when in fact this was one of my favorite playdates, endlessly fun.

Luca, with a clip in his hair, looks so riiiight in this girly environment.

Such angels. All of them.

22 things to live by...

A little note to my Luca bear (and human beings in general):

1. always say thank you, even if you felt entitled to it

2. look people in the eyes when you are speaking to one another

3. never judge someone, especially upon first encounter

4. hold the door for others

5. simply do not cry at work 

6. find love in everything, cause there truly is something to love about every one and every thing7. ladies, never be the last to leave
8. if it scares you, do it
9. be a good tipper
10. ask questions and when it's your turn to answer, be thorough.
11. have patience
12. know when to keep your mouth shut
13. know when to speak up
14. it's better to be dressed up than too casual
15. remember we are all in this together
16. if you get your heart broken, which you inevitably will, don't rush to get over the pain.
17. when all else fails, take a shower. you'll feel better
18. never trust a man with two first names
19. if you're deciding between a tie or a bow tie, go with the tie
20. have street walking and umbrella holding etiquette - you are not the only person on the planet
21. be honest
22. don't intentionally hurt anyone. we are all equal. it's true

beauty day

face creams, maybe it's time to indie label it....like Sepai, so incredibly smart, I need it now. 

"Barcelona-based cult favorite Sepai will be introducing Tune It, a facial treatment that you can customize by adding up to three out of eight special extracts to lift, firm, whiten, tan, or provide elasticity, flash, or botox effect. One of the bases is called Paparazzi, a facial moisturizer with antioxidant, protective, and regenerative properties that also hides blemishes and imperfections by creating a soft focus effect." —NY magazine

Sepai Tune It, from $202 at Sepai

i'm starving...

know what i realized while being away from my home these past few days? I realized how nice of a life I live and how comfortable it is.
And I realized how similar habits can be from person to person. Like Luca and I. we can go days just picking on a kale and yogurt dip with a whole grain pita. Add guacamole to the mix and we could be content for months.

I love how I just discovered something food related which makes me full yet hungry, content yet wistful - all at the same time. 

a note, to you...

Everyone who terrifies you is sixty-five percent water.
And everyone you love is made of stardust, and I know sometimes
you cannot even breathe deeply, and
the night sky is no home, and
you have cried yourself to sleep enough times
that you are down to your last two percent, but
nothing is infinite,
not even loss.
You are made of the sea and the stars, and one day
you are going to find yourself again.
from here.

a dose of sea

I'm on night two of being away from home, without my Luca Bear. My heart pains me.
I spoke to him on the phone tonight and he made me laugh, cry and burst with pride all at once. He's growing so quickly, our conversations so real, truly deep...makes me realize how precious each day is, how every moment we are getting older, growing wiser.

Which for whatever reason always makes me think of living by the sea. For me, life by the ocean seems to move slower. Perhaps it's because there's always something to see and do and you waste so little time traveling to get to where you are headed. Because there you are. Living it. Smelling the ocean, seeing the sky, feeling the sand, tasting the air, hearing the world swirl around you.

I miss you, ocean. I miss you, Luca. soon enough...

travel

My first trip to Cuba. Feels like a lifetime ago, it basically was...2006 to be exact. 

If you've never made the journey to Cuba, put it on your to do list. The land where time has stood still...you've heard it, you've read it, you've seen it, but it's fact. 

The cars, the fashion, the food, buildings, everything.

No where else in the world can you find a tiny island with so much culture and interest. To be honest, I'm emotional from looking through the photos, so I guess I'll just leave you with those, I think they do a perfect job explaining the beauty and the fascination of it all. 

Click below for more images.

The Peek

bag

Don't forget to check out my shopping sites - The Peek (and A Mini Peek), daily.
I've officially become addicted to finding the best stuff out there (like this bucket bag for under $60!).

And let me know if there's anything you desperately need but simply can not find.

sea me

home

images from here

I've been known to have commitment issues. In order to make a purchase bigger than a skim chai latte at Starbucks it takes about three weeks and loss of sleep to make a decision.

Lighting has created such anxiety since I moved into my apartment in 2009. I have bought exactly two lights, one for Luca's room (which I got for a photo shoot) and the other an Ikea desk lamp which Tallulah broke weeks after I purchased it. Otherwise, I live in the dark. Not kidding.

I think 2013 needs to be about getting over my fears and committing to things. So I'm on the hunt, a great light for every room in my home...suggestions welcome. 

L is for...

He's my everything. How did I get so lucky? Every day is a reminder of what true love is. Watching him play in the first snowfall, listening to him tell me about his girlfriends, being squeezed by him as he falls asleep.

Lucky in love.

babes

Please visit my new site A MINI PEEK for amazing pieces, like these suede booties, for your mini ones.
xx

A look back

 
Been going through old posts, in searching of something from YEARS AGO. Love what I've found:

- This photo, taken in Charleston. It was a few days after I found out I was pregnant. I remember it like it was yesterday. And more from that shoot, here.

- my birthday wishes when I was pregnant

- oh my god, my belly was so big!!!

- remember when I was 8 months pregnant and got stuck in an elevator for HOURS in 90 degree heat!?!

- Baby Luca and his handsome dad on their first photo shoot!

- It's a fact, wildly unattractive babies always turn beautiful.

- One of my all-time favorite pictures with Luca bear. 

singing...

Thanks to Melissa for this. It's been on repeat for 12 hours now.

a dose of sea

image from here

How incredibly lucky is this girl?
I'm trying to take myself right back to the beach, it's absolutely freezing in NYC today and I'm aching to be warm and peaceful as my thoughts have turned to a bit stressed out.
Last night as I watched Luca in the bathtub, floating on his back, singing "Jingle Bells" in French, I had this intense feeling of concern. I began to worry that our life in NYC may not be as magical as I always imagined it to be for him.
I began to worry that he was missing out on floating in the sea more often than just vacations and summers. I started to think about animals and grass and fresh air that comes with living outside of a city. Then I began to doubt I'd be able to give him a perfectly balanced life. What does that even mean? I compare it to my childhood, as I feel like I grew up with that balance, having it all. But as a parent, I'm no the same as my parents, the world is no longer as it was when I was three years old...

So now I'm left thinking about balance, considering how to find it and give it and cultivate it for my wonderful child. And of course, being by the sea would make decision making so much easier with a clear mind.

"if i’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. as far as you can, as much as you can. across the ocean, or simply across the river. the extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. open your mind, get up off the couch, move."
-Anthony Bourdain, Series Finale of No Reservations 

inspired by: colors of the sea

1. I love the shape of this blue coat, I have it in black and wear it nonstop.

2. Since my little back issue, I've been using a clutch in place of my oversized bag, so much easier to lug around.

3. How great would this zigzag skirt be with a deep white v neck and layers of gold necklaces?

4. Oscar de la Renta does no wrong, these earrings would be unreal with a slick pony and a white dress.

5. Few things as good as a blue dress to wear with a super deep tan.

6. It's kinda ideal to have a bag in a pop of color on those otherwise all-black days.

7. and for the mini ones in your life, a heart sweater

need: a mirror

Last night on the subway I watched this waaaaay over polished chick doing her entire face of makeup looking in her iPhone mirror. A case, a mirror. How smart is that?
Seriously genius for all you narcissists and us uber-rushed mommy's.

Get it here.

teeny heart

With Valentine's day coming up, I've decided I'm going to do 14 days of hearts leading up to the 14th. So starting on February 1st, it's a heart a day.

This teeny tiny little one was half the size of my pinky nail and looked like it was a remnant of gum smushed on a sign... I wish I had been able to capture it better, but it was simply so small. 

“ From the little spark may burst a mighty flame. ”

— Dante

manly

images from here

"Well, for me, I can never get enough. I mean, I do get satisfied. I do get my fill in a day, I get tired and want to go home and sleep or eat, but the next day if the waves are happening, I'm out there again. It's not something that necessarily gets old. You push yourself to a certain limit and once you've done something new you've want to keep going, you want to do something further. I surf, I walk, I sleep. It's that much a part of my life. In that way it's very addictive." - Kelly Slater

For my surfer son, who's every single day is an exhilarating mass of curiousness. May you grow up to be a man that finds satisfaction and love in something you get to do often.