spreading love

I am guessing it might have something to do with having children but I've really been getting into holiday decorating and baking lately. Valentine's Day has quickly become a favorite of mine (might have something to do with the years of living by Abby--- check out one of her Valentine's day posts here and a funny one here).

I started the holiday season by purchasing this precious heart garland at Target for $7 and hanging it on my mantel.

Abby is a favorite blogger of mine when it comes to life + faith +children. Another favorite is Tessa of Nine + Sixteen. She inspires me to get in the kitchen and not only bake but spice up our dinner rotation a bit. If you don't read her blog, you should. Here is the recipe I used for Valentine's cookies that we made to deliver to friends and family.

Freshly iced and starting to dry:

Packaged and ready to be delivered!

A friend sent me this yesterday of Collins passing out his valentines to his friends at school. Melts my heart.

We decided to go with glow sticks (from the Dollar Tree) instead of candy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

fun times in the city

I just returned from a few days in NYC with friends. One of my best friend's sister is the Producer of Project Runway and we were invited to the Project Runway Fashion Week Show for Season 11. It was so much fun and definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to see that first hand!

We started off our trip with drinks at Daddy O's in Greenwich and then dinner at Lupa (I highly recommend).

Friday morning started bright and early--- check-in at the PR event was 6:30 (hence the tired eyes in the photo below). We had front row seats that were amazing!

After the show we walked across the street for lunch at Rosa Mexicano. I've been here before and you can't beat the guacamole made tableside.

Another meal included lunch at Balthazar... another favorite of mine located in Soho. 

I have always wanted to see Wicked while in NYC and this trip I was able to fit it in!

We had some other great meals (La Mangeoire, drinks at The Campbell Apartment, plus a few more stops). Some of the girls ate dinner at Pranna one night while two of us went to Wicked and Pranna is definitely on my list for when I return. We finished up our trip yesterday with brunch at the Russian Tea Room!

And what's a designer to do while on vacation? Take photos of the hotel restroom, of course! I thought that this detail below the sinks to hide the plumbing so was clever and creative--- strands of matte silver beads. Such a fun detail.

*all photos taken with my iphone

Such a fun trip and great time away. Today is Monday and it's back to reality!