Merci Montecito

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Last weekend. Cruzzie and I spent the weekend in Montecito / Ojai / Los Angeles AKA HEAVEN. All three of those places are my favorite places in the world — they are beyond beautiful and I just love the area so much. So when coming home, I knew I needed to bring a piece of Montecito with me. This trip, it meant cookie dough from Merci — the best coffee, cafe, food (but let’s be honest, everything in Montecito is “the best,” because, truly, it is. But yes, back to cookie dough, yes, I traveled across the country with cookie dough, and lord, was it worth it.

 

Ah, California. I love you so much.

 

This cookie dough is the best thing I have ever tasted.

 

Perfect compact to bring on my carry on.

Peanut butter cookies, too, because I can’t ever turn away anything with peanut butter.

I only got six cookies — and I wish I had bought way more.

And six peanut butter ones? I need to call and see if they ship to the east coast! They are that delicious.

Look at the chunks of chocolate.

So good to eat as dough, too.

But warmed and baked — MY GOODNESS, heaven.

Perfect.

 

Happy weekend! Definitely check out Merci if you are in the area. And follow them on insta, too. So delicious.

Anika Yael Natori, aka, The Josie Girl

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Taylor Swift Pajamas

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Instagram ads finally got me! I bought my FIRST instagram targeted ad purchase — and I couldn’t be any happier. TAYLOR SWIFT PAJAMAS. Yep, Instagram is smart!!!!!! I know, I know, I know, not Natori Pajamas (Natori pajamas are the best — other than these), but somehow I have to convince my mother-in-law to make Taylor Swift pajamas. Until then, these are amazing, and I love everything about them: cute, great price, comfy, and current!

 

Taylor! And yes, I had to get them for my daughter, too! I couldn’t resist. She is an XS (too big but whatever!) and I got a S for myself. We are both huge fans of the pajamas (and TSwift, too!)

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Spring Break 2024 Highlights

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Sunday Scaries ending Spring Break is REAL. We are ALL feeling it……the two week break went by in a flash, or was so long, did it even really happen? Well, here we are! Monday, April 1st! Back to school (for the kids, and for me!) and so here are the highlights of the past two weeks where we traveled and explored. We were fortunate enough to have three legs — Skiing in Oregon with my parents, Mexico beach vacation the 4 of us, and then ending up in Palm Beach with just me and the kiddos. Here are the highlights:

 

OREGON

 

Cross Country skiing with my parents everyday, while Ken took the kids downhill. I no longer downhill but the kids love it (and Ken is a great dad to take them every day to ski together), but I much prefer the exercise, nature, silence, and togetherness of cross country. Especially with my parents!

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Currently Loving March 2024

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And here we are! March! This is what I am currently loving (of course also longer days, more sunlight, sparkling water, hot showers, etc)…

 

1.  Hot Cocoa from Glace

 

A TikTok trend of Smores hot cocoa at a cute (and small) boutique on Madison Avenue. Worth it! VERY VERY sweet but so fun and different (especially on a cold, snowy day, like we treated ourselves to these on).

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Brooklyn Museum

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I have been dying to go to the Brooklyn Museum’s newest exhibition (Alicia Keys and Swiss Beatz Private Art Collection) since it opened three weeks ago. So this past Saturday, in a crazy rainy downpour, I ventured to Park Slope to see it. It took one hour by the  subway, got absolutely sopping wet, had issues with my tickets, lost my umbrella, and STILL found it worth it.

 

OY was it rainy!!! You had to check in your umbrellas — meaning, you couldn’t bring them in to the museum. Unfortunately, the check in for the coat check was SO ABSURD that I left my umbrella in a corner (a risk) and lost it (dumb me). Which meant, that my trek home on the subway was even more wet, long, and smelly than it was coming to the museum. OY!

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FLOWERS!

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Flowers! I love every type of flower — real, in nature, picked, fake, photo, drawing — any and every type of flower. And in the past week, I have had three new flower encounters that I want to share!

 

1. Fotografiska Exhibit “Human / Nature – Encountering Ourselves in the Natural World”

 

I loved all the different art work in this exhibit, but I especially loved the Lewis Miller Flash Flower Photos — as I have seen most of them in person and love everything about them.

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An Atlas of Es Delvin

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This past weekend, I finally had the chance to stop by the Cooper Hewitt Museum  to see the exhibition of “An Atlas of Es Delvin” and WOW it was incredible. So intrigued, I came home to spend the rest of the afternoon watching a documentary on Es Delvin and looking through all her art work. I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend going to the museum to see this exhibit, or if not in NYC, to look through Es Delvin’s work (and watch the video on her) to see what it is all about — absolutely inspiring. Es Delvin is a British stage designer that starts with all her projects first on pen and paper, then models, and then unimaginable set designs.

 

Cooper Hewitt is located on 90th street and 5th avenue in Manhattan. It costs 19 dollars for an adult and free for 18 and under. WORTH IT.

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Serpent Sea Customized Needlepoint Canvas

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My favorite new needlepoint to create (and gift) is a customized needlepoint zipper pouch that looks like an old school air envelope. There is something fun, retro, beautiful about it that instantly called my attention. So since I discovered Serpent Sea, I have made four of these pouches!

 

So many different options!

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From Lucie

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I love cakes — both eating them and admiring them. This past weekend, I needed some cakes, and instead of going with an old reliable basic one, I decided to find a new and different one. And I am SOOOO happy that I did! I found “From Lucie” located in the East Village — and they were exactly what I wanted — delicious and beautiful.

 

Fresh flowers.

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Victoria Beckham Beauty

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A dear friend gifted me the most incredible and luxurious set of Victoria Beckham Beauty — and now I am the biggest fan. As soon as I opened the gift, it was like Christmas Morning! I love it all — seriously, LOVE IT ALL (and love you, BK). I am now a huge Victoria Beckham Beauty fan and I want to spread the love to you all,  too. It is the best makeup and a serious competitor to my other favorite makeup Westman Atelier. (Right now, VB Beauty wins in my book).

 

The little pouch! Such a great way to give the makeup as a gift, and then to keep it in and travel with it, too.

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Currently Loving February 2024

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January was a long year….and now we are at the shortest month, but it’s still winter (which I don’t love) but this is what I AM loving!

 

1. H Mart Haul

 

H Mart is a Koren grocery store that has every kind of Asian food that you want. Last weekend, we went there as an activity, and there was so much to look at and buy, we could have all stayed there for HOURS! This was some of our goodies that we picked up. Chocopie — HUGE hit with Cruzzie. His favorite — and now I need to go back and get more for him.

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Dog Photos + Exhibit

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I love dog photos. I mean, I love my dog. So, I love taking photos of her.  These days, I take more photos of Stevie than I do of my kids!!! I can’t help myself, she is just my love bug.

 

Nothing feels better than cuddling with her.

 

So this past weekend, when Tusia and I passed Fotografiska which had “Best in Show: Contemporary Photos” exhibition, I couldn’t resist! It was a quick and easy visit, but we both LOVED it so much! I couldn’t stop taking photos!

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Deep Tissue Massage Roller

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As a runner, parts of my body are always sore. I have tried to foam roll but I have failed consistently at doing so. So when I read about a Deep Tissue Massage Roller that acts as a foam roller, but better, I knew I needed it. I first read about it in the NYTimes Running Section, and the author was just like me — always sore, not dedicated to a foam roller, and on the look out for the soreness to be reduced! And I am so happy that I read this article and bought the R8 Deep Tissue Massage Roller Recovery — I LOVE IT.

 

It is sold on Amazon, but at the time I bought it, it was sold out, so I went directly to their website. It arrived very quickly.

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House of Joy – Dim Sum

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After our excursion downtown to Mercer Labs, we went to Chinatown for dim sum lunch. Through a friend I met on vacation (an Australian Chinese woman), we went to House of Joy. This was truly a cultural experience — very authentic — and I loved every minute of it.

 

Girls outside the restaurant. I love Chinatown, it has such character, flair, and high energy.

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Mercer Labs

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It was arctic temperatures in NYC this past weekend (and week!), which meant, finding fun indoor activities to get us out of the house. So with a little research, I found Mercer Labs, a new light and technology museum in TriBeCa. I had high hopes of this museum as the reviews were great — and it was even better than I expected. Mercer Labs is a 15 room immersive and interactive experience. Each room was SO cool and we absolutely loved every part of it. We stayed for a full hour, but could have easily been there a lot longer.

 

Everything about the museum was terrific — not just the exhibits, but the staff, the cleanliness, all of it.

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Currently Loving January 2024

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ANOTHER YEAR, another Currently Loving post! And so here we are! Here is what I am loving:

 

1. No.6 Store Socks

 

My forever style muse sent me an email to get these socks — and whatever she tells me to get, I do! (She used to have her own style newsletter and I wish she still had it!!!). These socks are fun (not necessarily warm for NYC winters, but cute and stylish) and I can’t wait to wear them!

 

2. Cityscape Needlepoint Project

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Montana Winter Break

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FIRST OF ALL -Happy New Year! 2024 — here we are, (and let’s make it a great year)! Secondly, I am so sorry for disappearing. Yes, I disappeared. In December, I taught, got sick, went on trips to Florida and Montana, and then came back to NYC to just jump right back into teaching…..it’s been a blur. Oh and yeah, the first week back teaching, I got sick again — damn kids and their germs!!! But I am back. It will be my first time ever trying to teach full time and write this blog, so it might take a while to get in to the rhythm, but I love this blog, so not giving it up! So thank you for being patient with me as I figure out how to do everything in one day! In the meantime, I want to share pictures with you from Montana because this vacation was spectacular. One of a kind, and I feel so lucky to have gone.

 

The colors — all the colors — night and day are one of a kind. Spectacular. Here we are with the six kids taking sleds up a teeny tiny hill to sled down.

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Lunar Phase Calendar

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Every year, for the holidays, my mom gives me a lunar phase calendar. It is one of my favorite traditions (receiving this gift) and one of my favorite gifts ever. I always post it up on the back of my office closet door, so that I can look at the moon phases during the year. I know it sounds random, but I look more often than you think one would. I love knowing about the cycles of the moon, and knowing exactly when the moon is full.

 

Comes in a tube — easy to send! This year, since we will not be with my parents for the holidays, my mom shipped (thank you, Mama!) a care package with presents for all of us in the family. This one — aside from all her handmade knitting and embroidery work — is always my favorite gift.

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April Vase

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Over Thanksgiving when we were at our brother/sister from another mister (friends that are truly family), they had set the most beautiful table for dinner. And as always, everything they do, is perfection and makes me want to copy every last detail (imitation is the best form of flattery?). My main take away was the flower vase — yes, a vase — but so so beautiful, unique, and oh so perfect.

 

Look at the perfect Thanksgiving table!

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Craftsman and Wolves Granola

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I AM A GRANOLA SNOB. I say that all the time, because it is true — I love love love granola. And I eat it everyday, but it has to be good granola. My all time favorite still is the Eugene Aunt Maple’s Crunchy Granola, but when in San Francisco, I was (thankfully!) introduced to a new one — Craftsman and Wolves  — and it was so good that I had to bring three packages home. Even more perfect, we walked by the bakery on our food tour, so I was able to quickly run in and buy the granola (as well as some other treats to eat on the spot).

 

Yes, in my tiny carry on, I brought these three packages home. I would have brought more if I had more space….

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Avital Food Tours

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We just returned from our 4 day Thanksgiving Break to our besties in the bay area. We had the BEST time — came back with a very full stomach and extremely full heart. I laughed the entire 4 days (and ate the rest of the time) — all in all, the best time ever. One of my favorite parts was the Avital Food Tour — just the 8 of us on a guided food tour of the Mission District in San Francisco. We had a tour guide take us, by foot, to four different restaurants as a progressive meal. Each one was delicious and something I would have NEVER tried before.

 

California – I love you. West Coast – I love you.

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