the great affair is to move

happy march! this is a big month of travel for our family. i swear i would be a nomad if my husband weren't such a cancer. we are heading to bali and also to marfa, texas. people keep asking why marfa? besides it's place in the world of contemporary art, seeing pictures from my friends' trip there made me say an emphatic yes when asked if i wanted to go. we will be joining three of my favorite families for a bit of wandering, mexican food, art, and mystery lights. see you on the other side...


"wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe”
- anatole france

and who can resist re-reading walt whitman's epic poem? 

images by our labor of love

raising girls

last night i went with a friend to a lecture given by ruth beaglehole on raising girls. i feel like the last twelve hours i have been soaking up the information and want to write it down while it is still fresh. there was an article last summer that touched on some of the topics of last night but my biggest takeaway was to define the attributes i want her to have when she is my age; confident, playful, kind, creative, adventurous, unafraid, healthy, compassionate, intelligent, nonjudgmental. these are the first words that come to mind. in order for this to be a reality i need to make a conscious commitment to be my daughter's ally on this journey of growing up. the words i choose, the behavior i model, the example i set are all a part of who my daughter will become. i left feeling a little overwhelmed by this huge responsibility of people making but that also this responsibility is a precious gift. our society is so geared to make our young women competitive, insecure, and self-critical. the most important thing we can do is advocate for them and help them realize what is alive in them. the labels we give our children (cute, spirited, defiant, rowdy) scratch the surface of their beautiful and complex spirits. sugar and spice is fine sprinkled in but it's time to develop a more robust vocabulary to describe elodie. i look forward to doing the work and am so grateful for the resource of echo parenting.

opa!

when i first moved to los angeles, i remember listening to an episode of this american life where a famous food critic, jonathan gold, spent time trying to eat his way across pico blvd. this street is known for it's food diversity and has literally hundreds of ethnic restaurants ranging from guatamalan, oaxacan, korean, salvadoran, persian, japanese, and thai all the way to brazilian. while i am admittedly not as adventurous of an eater as jonathan gold, i do like to go down to pico to see another side of la's restaurant culture.

this weekend we found ourselves at papa cristo's. it's a greek marketplace/taverna where you can get greek provisions and also some seriously tasty food. it's always a treat when papa cristo himself is around as he likes to spoil the children with little cookies. you are likely to see a handful of ancient women wearing their all black garb standing in line for fresh bread and olives or families joining together after a service at the greek orthodox church down the street. eating here reminds me how vast the city is and how much there is left to see!

sakura bloom + the littlest sling collab

excuse the radio silence. there are so many big projects happening right now for me. one i'm really excited about is a sling collaboration that i'm doing with sakura bloom. i've created a little inspiration board with some possible ideas/fabrics and can't wait to see what we come up with! if you missed my entries in the sakura bloom styleathon, check them out here.

photos of elodie and i by sarah yates

image 1, 2, 3, 4

twenty four hours in vegas

my husband and friends throw a huge party in las vegas for wppi every year and it's right around the corner. it's a chance to dance, wear a pretty dress and catch up with really inspiring friends and photographers from all over the world. what's not to love?

if you happen to be going, there is a great giveaway for two tickets over at 100 layer cake! see you on the dance floor.

i look into your eyes and see the universe not yet born

this past weekend i was listening to john lennon's "look at me" and it reminded me that even though i walk through life with the we that is my family, sometimes i don't really see them.

we is a gift that needs to be nurtured daily. it's easy to take for granted that we are separate people who choose to be together every day.

look at your beloved today. really try to see him or her and think "what can i do for you?" rather than dwell on things they should do for you. there is a saying by rumi that i find so beautiful, "i look into your eyes and see the whole universe -- born and not yet born." there is so much to come especially if we can open our eyes and hearts to each other...

ok, that's my sappy bit for the day. without further ado, here is a valentine's playlist* filled with a few love songs that have been important to me. michael always holds my hand when "love story" by harry nillson comes on and our wedding recessional was "as" by stevie wonder - it's such a wonderful song. happy valentine's day!

here comes the sun - nina simone

look at me - john lennon

each coming night - iron & wine

cherry - jj cale

deep blue sea - daniel rossen home recording

simply beautiful - al green

don't watch me dancing - little joy

say yes - elliott smith

forever - billy walker

love story (you & me) - harry nillson

as - stevie wonder (the best lyrics)

i found this painting last weekend at the rose bowl flea market. isn't it lovely?

*right click to download

weekends are for...

exploring your city! the weather was gorgeous and we spent a lot of time outdoors. elodie had a blast at her new dance class and it was so fun watching her and her little friends making cute moves. i always thought that we'd wait until she turned four to start ballet/tap but she loves it! on sunday, we made a quick stop by the rose bowl flea market. i've been a little turned off lately by it's high prices and vendors unwilling to haggle but it's still a great place to find little curios and beautiful vintage. everyone haggles - even on portobello road - get with it rose bowl. we ended the weekend with a pot of turkey bolognese, some extra stinky cheeses, fresh bread, cerignola olives and a big arugula salad from the farmer's market. a beautiful weekend in LA!