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…

After a long stretch of travel, an early Thanksgiving, entertaining an eight-year old for a week, more travel, a second Thanksgiving, more houseguests and decorating  for Christmas…Rob and I collapsed on the couch on Sunday night with apparently not a scrap to eat in the house for dinner. I read somewhere that lentils are the…

We had an early Thanksgiving with Rob’s parents last weekend, so I’m feeling ahead of schedule for the holidays so far this year. Forget “Spring Cleaning” – I want to use our free weekend after Thanksgiving to launch into a full room-by-room cleaning spree before Christmas entertaining season begins. It’s usually just about this time…

I’m obsessed with the show Peaky Blinders about a crime family in 1919 Birmingham, England (two seasons currently streaming on Netflix for your binge-watching enjoyment). The women’s fashion on the show is okay but the menswear is awesome. So let’s make a modern women’s outfit inspired by Tommy and the other members of the Peaky…

While it is impossible to believe that December is just around the corner, the time has come for holiday preparations! This is the week to take your Christmas card photo and to send holiday party invites. Here’s a checklist to help: Step 1. Pick your parties  Casual or fancy. Cozy or crowded. It doesn’t matter…