Paris Going Away Party

We feel really lucky to have met the people we did in Paris. For the short amount of time we were there we met some good friends that we’ll have our whole life. A few days before we left Rubi put together a going away party for us. It was a picnic at the tip of Ile de la Cité, one of my favorite picnic spots in Paris. We stayed until it got dark then took a long walk home next to the Seine. It was the perfect Paris going away party. We are going to miss these people.

Happy Weekend

Happy weekend everyone. We’ve been busy this week tying up loose ends and fitting in last visits to our favorite cafes and bakeries. I know I am going to miss Paris like crazy when we get back but I am actually looking forward to getting through all of the stress of closing our accounts here and finding an apartment in San Francisco. Everything feels so unsettled right now. We are still trying to appreciate the little moments. It rained today but the skies cleared this afternoon for a little bit and we were sitting on our sofa with the kids talking. The sun was out and the window was open and a crisp spring breeze was coming in the room. We just sat there for a few minutes watching all the busy people on the street below meeting their kids after school or picking up a baguette from the boulanger for dinner. I tried to make a mental note of everything because I don’t want to forget . These are the kinds of things I will miss the most. Next week I’m going to be sharing some pictures of our apartment and some very special Paris content I’ve been working on! I hope you have a happy happy weekend wherever you are.

I also write for Babble.com. Here are my posts from this week.

This new Ikea line is awesome. It looks like Liberty of London!
These tall cake plates with cake domes from Martha Stewart are awesome!
Todd Oldham for Target, totally genius.
New favorites at American Apparel for kids.
Sweet polka dot pillows.

Styled Eats: DIY Picnic Baskets and Free Printable

This is the next post in my new series Styled Eats that focuses on how to package and make food pretty. This brilliant DIY picnic basket is the work of Alexis Birkmeyer. The materials to make this are really simple. Here we used an extra heavy butcher paper but you could even use poster board or a flexible cardstock. You just trace the template, cut it out and fold. So easy! If you wanted to use these for a bigger party I would call together some friends to help make them. These are a special detail that you can add when you are entertaining but they don’t feel fussy or too precious. Find the full instructions and more photos below.

See full instructions and free printable after the jump.

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Happy Weekend

Happy Weekend! All the trees in front of the Eiffel tower are pink in blossoms and we came upon this field of daffodils this week at Parc Floral. Spring is here! I especially love this time of year because everyone is outside.  We’re no exception, we had four picnics this week! The parks and the banks of the river seem more crowded now than midsummer. I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

I also write for Babble.com. Here are my posts from this week.

15 Stylish Maternity Dresses
10 Ways to Master Crown Braids
Linen sheets are the best! Here is a US Source.
I like toys that are pretty and come with a storage system. These fit the bill!
Finally! It’s back!

Spain, Portugal, Morocco Part 1

Last month we went on a two week trip to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. It was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. We were even able to do it on a pretty respectable budget. We rented out our flat while we were gone to offset the hotel costs and we were able to get cheap plane tickets from EasyJet. The last part of our trip we rented a car and we got a really cheap rate from Europcar since we are members. We only took a little work off and spent evenings working on the computer. The cost of food was much cheaper than in Paris so after all was said and done our main expenses were museums and transportation costs.  Traveling with kids was fun but of course was slower and a different kind of trip than if we went by ourselves. Even though it is harder I’m a big believer in not waiting until your kids are grown to travel. There will always be excuses so it’s one of those things you just have to do or you’ll never go.

I split the photos up into three posts since there were so many, the first one below is of Barcelona and Madrid. We flew from Paris to Barcelona and then took a train from Barcelona to Madrid. A map of our itinerary and my recommendations are at the bottom.

Click through for more pictures and recommendations.

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