Holidays

On the final weekend before Christmas, I arranged to have two of my favorite girls come for a tea party before venturing out to The Fairmont Hotel and Mark Hopkins Hotel downtown to see the holiday decorations. Rowan (5) and her sister Tierney (3) arrived in their finest party dresses and fur coats at 1:00…

A cold Northern California morning. A warm house that smells like spiced ham. Friends with kids dressed up in red velvet dresses. A three hour brunch with our nearest and dearest.  Babies on fruitless but never-ending quests to chew on Christmas tree ornaments. Hostess gift of homemade fudge. I love so many things about our…

Didn’t this year’s holiday break feel tremendously long? Such a nice chance to relax and ring in the new year! After a week of fun with family and lots of mountain biking at the beach, Rob and I packed up for a week of cross-country skiing in Tahoe with friends. Sit tight as we get…

Christmas in California starts out with the basics, the things everyone expects from the holidays. There are stockings filled with goodies… ….festive pajamas and presents under the tree… …husbands and dogs being very patient… …puzzles and tea to enjoy in between cooking. But when it comes to the weather…the holidays here are anything but ordinary.…

Rob and I have been sticking close to home for our holiday shopping this year. As much as I love the bustle of Union Square and the kittens in Macy’s windows – these holiday crowds are a bit too much for even an urbanophile like me. Instead, we’re rediscovering the adorable boutiques in Hayes Valley,…

At this year’s brunch, I had a lot of extra flowers left over from making arrangements and set up a “Deck Your Hairdo” contest for our guests. A small table held all the flowers, scissors, bobby pins and a small mirror.  Everyone got into the spirit! Jordan’s son helped to get guests to participate: Jean…

What could be more festive than a 17-pound roast ham? For the last nine years, Rob and I have hosted a Christmas brunch for our friends featuring a locally-cured delicious ham. The menu is so simple and so fun. It’s one of my favorite parties of the year. Menu Roasted ham with spices, brown sugar…

A big holiday party draws helpers and overnight visitors for the weekend. The result is that you’ll need to throw a dinner party the night before the big party. So fun! The house is already decorated, you just need something festive…something delicious…something with only a few dishes…something everyone can chip in to prepare: We were…

What a lovely, festive weekend! From a crab and fondue feast on Saturday to a big brunch with the best ham yet and lots of cute kids with flowers in their hair, I’ve got some really fun photos to share with you later this week!

There are few Christmas traditions in San Francisco I like more than the process of picking out our tree. We’ve been lucky to have Jean, Trent and the baby with us for the last couple years. First step is to walk down to the nearest lot to our neighborhood – usually just a few blocks…