Wedding season seems to be driving guests across the country a little nuts. Why is shopping for dresses so hard? Here is Erica’s request: My friend is going to her brother’s wedding at the end of May. It might be in Sonoma County? At any rate, wine country. She’s been shopping for weeks with no…

I know, I always say it…but what a fantastic weekend this was! Rob and I left the city at 5:30 to drive up to Tahoe for a visit with our friends Bill and Leslie. For the first time, the traffic wasn’t terrible. We made it up to their house on the Truckee River exactly at…

This isn’t the best photo, but it has a great story. It’s from a family trip we took to Costa Rica to visit my studying-abroad sister. My mom went on a day hike with us in the rain forest when we were staying at a really nice lodge in Corcovado (aka: the Jungle of Malicious…

Rob and I are going to Tahoe this weekend to visit friends. They’re living in an adorable old cabin with a hot tub along the Truckee River for the next few months. Our plans for the weekend include rock climbing and helping to take water samples from the river for an environmental study. I get…

Here’s another idea to put in my “when I have a yard someday” binder! Sur la Table (pronounced “taub”, fyi) is carrying these affordable seagrass glasses as a part of their summer line. The baskets come off for easy washing and there’s also a wine carafe to match. They’d be equally adorable full of flowers,…

Many thanks to everyone who commented on the previous post about “dream crushers” in the wedding industry! I’m lucky to have such great (and resourceful) readers. I feel so much better already and have found some great alternatives. Let’s get back to it! Melissa from Montreal is about to set off on a Greek cruise…

I’m becoming convinced that the entire wedding industry is set-up to make you either a) lose your mind or b) lose your mind and go completely broke. The Knot should itemize psychiatry bills in their budgeting worksheet. After our nice meeting with the Ahwahnee wedding coordinator last weekend, Rob and I were pretty convinced that…

Remember Lucy? Our reader who asked for something to wear to Moulin Rouge and to the opera? She sent a postcard from Paris! I love getting mail and I can’t wait to hear more about her trip.

Anne wrote in recently with an outfit request for a musical reunion on a graduate student’s budget: I grew up in the bay area and spent my high school years playing in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. They are having their final concert of the season on May 20th but they are also having…

What a great idea! The wide “fruit” of a sunflower is the perfect spot to nestle a placecard. This would be adorable for a dinner party to celebrate summer solstice (June 21). I bet you could also serve an elegant artichoke standing up like this, with the stem cut off at the base.