{weekend notes}

Cocoon Cardigan // Vintage Tee // Denim // Flats // Leather Tote // Sunnies

One week left till Christmas. Are you one of those freaks that’s all ready? Haha…I used to be one of those freaks, till this year. Or are you like me, and still searching for the perfect gift for the peeps on your list? I’m getting there….slowly. I’m hosting our girls Hand + Foot card night, which I came to realize was a blessing in disguise. It really lit the fire under my ass. I finally set our table. Finished decorating for Christmas. Hosting makes you do all the things you’ve been putting off. So, I really have my card girls to thank for getting me a little more into the Holiday spirit.

Intentions for the Week:

get all my wrapping done
host hand + foot cards night
make a shaved brussels sprouts cesar salad
take Bay to see Mary Poppins
ornament exchange with girlfriends
get blonde AF
share a simple everyday centerpiece
stocking stuffer gift guide
drive around town to look at Christmas lights
slow the fuck down!

Highlights from the weekend……

Friday evening Bay + I got fresh mani’s. Then got Bay ready for her first middle school formal.

And off she went. With a full face of makeup…..Looking like a 15-year-old.

While Bay was whoopin it up at the dance, I went home. Got in my Pj’s. Poured a big glass of wine. And made my {asian turkey + green beans}

I have been in a weird cooking frenzy.

Lori Carrion’s Spiced Nuts were made first thing Saturday morning. This a great recipe for gifting. Pour some in a cellophane bag and stick in an initial mug. Or gift them on their own…so good.

and breakfast sandwiches. I picked up hash brown patties, like McDonald’s. Yumm. I baked them and they turned out so good. Just a little carb loading before we headed to the city.

There’s a million other things we should have been doing Saturday, but instead we ditched ALLLL responsibility and went to the city. Best decision!

I gave Bay the option of going or staying home….and I was so happy she chose to come with us. I know one day we’re not going to be fun anymore, so I’m soaking up all these fun day trips.

It was a gorgeous day in the city too. We got to mark everything off our list to do + see.

lavender latte at Home Cafe reminded me when Sara first introduced me to them in Ojai ♥ {ojai // travelogue part #2 }

Bay had her first latte and went with the birthday cake!

Then to the beach, always the beach. The news called for huge storm waves, so naturally we wanted to check that shit out.

Palace of Fine Arts, just because we stumbled on it as we were heading into the marina.

Crazy beautiful architecture.

I got some questions about my cocoon cardigan…it’s back in stock so get your hands on one before they sell out again!!

Woven Patterned Cocoon Cardigan – Universal Thread

Cocoon Cardigan // Vintage Tee // Denim // Flats // Leather Tote // Sunnies

Here are all the outfit details….you can click on the images to be directed to the retailer…..

Woven Patterned Cocoon Cardigan – Universal Thread

The Tipsy Pig

Cory and I have been stopping here from the beginning. I can’t tell you how many strawberry fields we’ve consumed over the years…lol.

So we took Bay to our old stomping grounds. Back on our “kids free” weekends. The outdoor area is so prefect. If you’re planning on making a trip to SF, add this spot to your list.

The Fairmont is our favorite.

Last February we stayed at the Fairmont for the weekend. {weekend notes} It’s fucking magical. The best customer service. The hotel is gorgeous. And the flags, I just love all the flags at the entrance.

My dream……

Bubbles for days!

We make a Fairmont stop each Holiday season to take a peek at the giant life-size gingerbread house. It’s a tradition. And I was so happy that Bay was still totally down for it.

You can walk though it. And it legit smells like gingerbread.

Fairmont San Francisco’s talented culinary and engineering teams have joined forces to meticulously plan construction of this year’s enormous Gingerbread House, which will be even larger than last year’s stunning, two-story-high Victorian! Once complete, the impressive, edible abode will stand more than 25 feet high, 35 feet wide and 10.5 feet deep and will feature more than 6,000 house-made gingerbread bricks (largest bricks to date), 1,650 pounds of candy and 3,300 pounds of royal icing. The gingerbread house’s railroad track also delights guests of all ages, who happily gaze upon this favorite feature.

The Top of the Mark

What you didn’t see in my stories, was that we waited in line for 30 minutes at the Mark Hopkin to get up to the 19th floor, Top of the Mark.

Worth it! Bay and I have been, Cory had not. The penthouse lounge provides 360 degree panoramic views of the city. It’s hard to tell, but to the right of my wine glass is the Golden Gate Bridge. Right outside the window from our table. Perfect place for a happy hour drink + Shirley temple + snack. They open at 4:30pm, so you get to watch the sunset!

Bay taking in the view, while Cory + I #chardsohard

Union Square or bust….

Welcome to: Chinatown

Quick stroll though the main drag. Pit stop at MAC for a highlighter palette for this girl. And photo in Maiden Lane. The prettiest lane in SF, if you ask me.

Then pizza! Cory found this cool spot in “snob” hill that just opened.

Gusto Pinsa won my pizza loving heart. I’m not even completely sure what “pinsa” means, but it’s a light + airy pizza dough. Which they claim is way healthier than regular pizza. So, eating 3 slices is like zero calories, right?

Cory + Bay’s fave: Diavola – tomato sauce, mozzarella, bell pepper, spicy salami, black olive, red onion, fresh basil and black pepper.

My favorite: Montanara – mozzarella, pecorino, guanciale, mushroom, truffle oil, black pepper and parsley. One of the best pizzas I’ve ever had!

Annual Favorite Things gift exchange……

Not only the gift exchange, but these girls are my favorite too! We don’t see each other as much as I wish we did, but we sure do have a damn good time when we do. Especially when Nidia buys 3 bottles of champagne.

Every year, we each bring 4 of something we love. The same thing. Wrap it up. Exchange it with each other. We each leave with 1 of everyone’s favorite thing.

That sounds so confusing….lol. It’s a fun tradition and I look forward to it each year. I came up with Rachel’s favorite red wine + gloves. Toni’s favorite stainless steel wine tumbler. Sarah’s husband made us leather key chains with our initials. Nidia brought her fave wine + cute pearl earrings. I gifted all the girls a J.Crew Reusable everyday tote in camo. I’m still trying my very best to reduce waste anyway possible…so this truly is one of my favorite things! Get some and buy them for everyone you know too!

Quick stop to snap some photos at Serendipity Boutique + bella moda for this week’s social media posts. They’ve both got some really cute stuff right now…just saying. This vest is going to be coming home with me!

Did you see my butternut squash lasagna I made on Instagram Stories yesterday? I get lots of requests to post recipes, so I went for it Saturday + Sunday.

You can find this on in the archives here: {butternut squash + sausage lasagna}

*remember a while back when I accidentally deleted a shit-ton of photos on my blog? Yep, this recipe photos were some of them. The recipe is available, but the photos will be updated this week.