Almost October — last licks of summer (even though it is September). Here is what I am loving at the end of this month!
1. Funny Meme
SO. TRUE.
Currently Loving September 2024 Part 2
Entertainment
Tatter Textile — Basket Weaving Class
You know how small the world is? Small — but here is an example of how small it actually is. When we were trying to figure out if Thacher was the right school for Cruz or not, we were put in touch with a NYC parent who has kids attend Thacher. This woman, happened to be the owner of Tatter Texile. I had no idea what Tatter was, but when I told my mom, she explained that Tatter is a textile store / workshop / library that she takes a million of zoom classes from. So when this summer I became interested in basket weaving, my mom signed me up for a basket class AT Tatter. I loved every minute of it — not just making the basket, but meeting the owner (Jordana — lovely human), being crafty, and getting a taste of Tatter and its beauty! Tatter offers a slew of different classes in all different art forms — highly recommend checking it out!
The beautiful library – I LOVE the sofa.
Sola Cube
One of my favorite go-to-presents is a Sola Cube — what is a sola cube? Designed by Koichi Yoshimura, it is a handmade piece of art by Japanese craftsmen that contains a real plant. They make a great touch to a nightstand, or somewhere where you can see the beauty of real nature and think of the plant inside. I especially like the dandelion, a symbol of hope and wishes, that is also a beautiful fluffy round ball.
A ton of different variations — but I still love the dandelion the most.
Missing My Boy
Over two weeks ago, we dropped Cruzzie, my 9th grader off at school. Yes, he is at boarding school. No, it is not punishment. Yes, it is exciting. Yes, I miss him like crazy. Yes, he is in California and it is far away from NYC. But Thacher, is absolutely the best place for him and we could not be more excited and thrilled for him and this new chapter in his life. I love Thacher SOOOOOOO much and have to share some of the photos of his school just so you have more of a perspective on his life right now (because, sadly, he will not be pictured in many posts since he will be gone most of the time!)
Thacher is in Ojai — which is in Southern California. It is super hip, gorgeous, and beyond beautiful. So jealous of the location of his school! And I know Cruzzie is thrilled to not take photos — look how thrilled he looks here.
Flower Book Marks
OK, continued from last week’s blog post of pressing flowers, we did it. We pressed them. We made them into bookmarks. (Almost ready — not quite — still need to figure out last minute touches!)
I took them out of the flower presser….
Pressing Flowers
In our final days in Oregon, we went to a U-Pick Flower Farm (believe it or not, our first time at this gorgeous farm!) and collected the most insanely beautiful flowers.
Hot day, so Stevie would try to hide below the flowers. Didn’t really work, but hey, like the effort!
We wandered the flower farm for about an hour and picked the most gorgeous flowers.
Look at this dahlia! Unbeliveably beautiful!
Our final collection.
We went to the farm, not just to see the pretty flowers, but to create art with dried pressed flowers! It takes time — but we first needed the flowers!
Getting to work.
Putting the flowers to be pressed and dried.
Smooching the flowers for a week — stay tuned!
We loved going to this flower farm, and if you have a chance to do something similarly, definitely go. In the meantime, we will be waiting patiently for our flowers to be pressed and dried to create something (bookmarks)!
Two Fun Games
It NEVER rains in Eugene during the summer. I mean, it ALWAYS rains in Eugene during the year — but NEVER in the summer. I can’t remember the last time it rained in June / July / August — except this past weekend, on Saturday, we had thunder and lightening and a downpour of rain. We could have easily just stayed inside and watched Emily in Paris, but instead, we ventured to a good childhood’s friend’s house to play games with the kids. What sounded like a boring day, ended up being SO fun. We played two new games — both huge hits and fun for the kids and adults, alike.
This is a Swedish game that is a lawn game (we played inside the barn). You have to aim to hit different sticks, but it also requires some strategy and thought. Fun game — Tusia ended up winning one round.
Not just about aim though — requires some thinking! Huge hit for the youngest to the oldest players. We are definitely going to purchase this game — so fun
Currently Loving August 2024 Part 2
Fall is around the corner, but still trying to soak up every inch of sunshine and moment of summer. Here is what I am currently loving Part DEUX of August 2024. And please share with me what you are loving too — I always love hearing what people are loving at the moment.
1. Tru Fru
HOLY CRAP THESE ARE ADDICTING. The best little bit of sweetness and dessert. We love them in both dark and milk chocolate — but especially the milk chocolate raspberries. You must get. To die for. Frozen raspberries coated in white chocolate and then milk.
2. Rafting
Lion’s Gate Portal
Last week, on August 8th 2024, we did a little ceremony to manifest the good! What is Lion’s Gate Portal? GOOD QUESTION! It is an astrological term describing the alignment of the sun in Leo, the star Sirius, which is the brightest star as seen from Earth, the constellation Orion’s Belt and the Earth. Basically, it is a day reserved for the practice of manifestation. August 8th 2024 — 8 – 8- 8 (get it the 2+0+2+4 = 8)
So, we charged the crystals during the day.
Blueberry Bake Off
Over the weekend, we went blueberry picking again, and decided to have a bake off that afternoon with the blueberries we picked!
The blueberry patch is located on the McKenzie River. It is a farther drive than the farm we usually go to, but they have 80 different types of blueberries and it is all organic and super beautiful, so it’s worth the extra drive.
Currently Loving August 2024
Sorry for going radio silent last week — it was just one of those weeks! But I am back, and have posts don’t cha worry! Here is what I am loving this month! (And can you believe it is August?!?! How in the world did that happen?)
1. Seattle
Drove up last week to Seattle to visit my brother and his family. Nothing like jumping in to Lake Washington as the sun set….And no, I am a wimp. Only the brave people jump in — it was too cold for me.
Pickled Green Beans
Typically in summer in Oregon, I do a lot of fruit harvesting and cooking / baking / figuring out what to do with all the fruit. But this year, there are less fruit options due to a big Ice Storm that hit Oregon earlier this year. So instead of the normal peach picking I do around this time, we went green bean picking — yep, green beans! Despite not being the best treat to eat when picking, it was fun to be on the farm and collecting the beans.
I didn’t know what to expect — I thought the green beans would be on a bush — but nope, it is a plant that you have to squat to pick.
Basket Weaving Class
My mom is an avid crafter — even more so than me — so last week, she told me that she had accidentally signed up for two different zoom workshops at the same time, and so could I take one of them. Since I love crafts and had nothing else to do, I jumped at the chance. Basket weaving. A 4 (yes 4!!!!) hour zoom class where they taught you how to weave a basket. They sent a box with all the supplies – the needle, scissors, everything. The box is from Flax and Twine and I cannot wait to purchase more of these kits.
The box came with all the material.
Sea Glass in France
As I have mentioned before, I love searching for sea glass. It is almost an obsession — once I start, I cannot stop. It is SO satisfying and so fun — I love everything about it. Right now, I am in the South of France, and NO ONE collects sea glass — in fact, when I do it, everyone comes up to me and asks what I am looking for and what I am going to do with it — and because of the fact that there is no one collecting it, there is SO much sea glass. It is awesome!!!! And I came up with an idea what to do with the sea glass and I am so excited!!!!
For the past 4 days, every morning after my run, I spend 10-30 minutes looking for some sea glass. Yes, very flattering photo. But I wanted proof of the fact that I was in my running gear, walking on a rocky beach, spending time looking for these little jewels.
Currently Loving – Menorca Edition
So much to love on the island of Menorca! Here is what I loved on Menorca during our two week stay. (And if you are thinking about visiting Menorca –DO IT!)
1. Beaches
So many different types of beaches! I loved them all. Rustic, small, popular, chaotic, lounge chairs — every style, I loved.
Satellite Repairs – Denim
Last month when I was packing for the summer, I found one of my beloved denim summer jumpsuits to pack. The problem was that it felt a little more risque and showed too much skin than I felt the need to at the ripe age of 45. So through the referral from a friend, I was introduced to Evie, who repairs denims.
Photo from 2020 — I love this R13 denim jumpsuit — one of the perfect summer outfits. But I never liked that it went up on the thighs. (and oh — my ankle injury — thank god I don’t have that now!)
Eternelle Notre-Dame
Another fun new activity to do in Paris, is to go to the virtual reality experience of Etenerlle Notre-Dame. Due to the fire of 2019, Notre-Dame is currently closed for renovations. Because of this, they created an experience in the plaza next door to the Notre-Dame that gives the history, details, and walk through of the historical church. 10/10 recommend — incredible experience.
Located right next door to the Notre-Dame, few people actually know of this experience. We purchased tickets online beforehand, but you can just walk up right now because of its newness.
Space Invaders
Last week, I went to Paris with my two kids, and last minute, added two of Cruzzie’s friends. Initially, I had no plans, so it was a mad dash trying to figure out what to do with four kids solo and how to make it fun for everyone. Normally, I just like to walk around all day with no real plans, but I knew that that would be harder with four kids. Thankfully, I had a dear friend who told me about an app “Flash Invaders” which helps you track the space invaders — tile mosaics all over Paris buildings made by a certain French artist, an Unidentified Free Artist that goes by Invader.
First go to the App Store and download this app, Promise you, it is so fun! Addicting, actually.
Photo Albums
I posted about Poppie Press two and a half years ago in 2022, but I love the albums so much, I have to post about them again! They are so amazing and just make me so happy (and if you are anything like me, they will make you happy, too!). Family photo albums of that year put together in one beautiful album. There is nothing I love more than family, photos, and being organized!
My collection so far! And I have made made them since 2014 but they are in the works!
Paris Biggest Croissants
The morning of Tusia’s birthday, we went on a hunt for the biggest Pain Au Chocolate / Croissant in the city. I had done some research and found that it was 1.5 miles from the apartment. So, that is what we did. We walked, we looked, and we HUNTED for the croissant. Thankfully, our scavenger hunt worked out, and we got it. It surpassed our expectations and highly recommend everyone do this on their next Parisian Adventure. The croissant is from Philippe Continci and it was not just beautiful to look at it, but incredibly delicious. We kept asking how something THIS big, could be so flaky, light and tasty. 10/10 recommend.
Croissants.
Paris Dogs
The first day we arrived in Paris, Tusia and I noticed that there were so many dogs walking around. The dogs and their owners looked SO more chic than the dogs of NYC (or the States in general), so we decided to document them and it was so fun! Take a look at these photos — not only are the dogs so cute (and the owners and their style, too) but the background and scenes of Paris, OH MY, I love.
Heels to walk the dog, love it.
Currently Loving Paris Edition
Went on a quick 3 day trip to Paris last week to celebrate Tusia’s 12th birthday and there are so many highlights from the trip! Here is what I loved from Paris last week (and will always love)
1. The Random Street Art
is there anything more beautiful than art all over the streets of Paris? I could spend days just looking at the walls along the streets!
Big Sur / Carmel Weekend
A week ago, I traveled to Northern California to complete my 22nd marathon. There were a lot of changes going in to the weekend, as the landslide on Highway 1 had affected the route of The Big Sur Marathon, and also impacted our hotel stay. After many bumps and turns, the marathon ended up happening and it was truly a great weekend — the run, the company, and the nature.
I landed on Friday at SFO and was picked up by my bestie, sister from another mister, who is truly the best caretaker and friend in the world. She took care of me by rubbing my feet, making me electrolyte water, and cooking up these delicious pancakes for breakfast. She is truly Martha Stewart 2.0.
Enamor-Art Hat
When we were in Mexico over Spring Break, I saw a straw hat that I couldn’t stop thinking about. I knew the minute I saw it, that I wanted to get it, but I always like to make sure I REALLY want something before I actually buy it. But sure enough, I could NOT stop thinking about it, so now I have a hat from Enamor-Art Hat and I love it!
I loved everything about it — but especially the neon pink and the metallic silver.
Currently Loving #2 April 2024
The days are long, the weeks are short, but here we are to almost May! So much has happened this month — mainly, going back to school (and teaching) after Spring Break, a cross country tip to visit schools, a family medical situation, more work, more rain, more running, more forgetfulness. Not sure what happened, but the month went WOOSH by. Now, I am getting ready to plan for summer, go BACK to the west coast for a marathon, finish up the school year, and all the other normal busy end of the year obligations. So apologies for the sporadic posts, I am committed to being more consistent going forward. And here is what I am currently loving:
1. Flowers in NYC
Nothing beats the flowers in the city in Springtime. My favorite thing is to look at the difference stages of all the tulips along Park Avenue, the various magnolia, cherry trees, the violets, the pansies, all the bright colors and smells. LOVE.
