Life & Links / by Katie Brightbill

The holidays are gone and the new year is here and I'm so pleased with things right now. There's just something about fresh starts that gets me every time. It seems as though taking the tree to the sidewalk for pickup should have been done in a spirit of sadness, but instead- it excites me. Christmas has its magic and allure, but when it ends, there's a peacefulness that comes. Gone is the hustle & bustle of parties and movement, and here is a quiet calm of blank days on a calendar for the first time in a long time.

This week was full of family festivities, karaoke, a date (finally!!!), and some beautiful sunshine. Here are some highlights:

OUT & ABOUT:

We made a stop at our favorite taqueria (El Toro), where- more often than not- talented musicians walk through and serenade the patrons with beautiful songs sung in Spanish, perfect for little girls to dance their hearts out. Their agua fresca is the best, and every time I'm there, I sip it contentedly while watching my girls & and reflect on my childhood moments frequenting that same taqueria with my family. Quality moments, I tell you.

AROUND HOME:

 I finally got some little things projects done around here, which is my favorite thing to do... most notable is that our patio is blissfully cleared of oversized (free) patio furniture, and has been replaced with (free) perfect-sized furniture. It's the ideal spot for a coffee break, or a little dinner on nice evenings, and I'm beyond excited.

LIFE:

Spending the days with these two is always an adventure. They have an aversion to naps and they are always hungry. Today, Sophie got into her dad's hair products, and spilled smoothie all over the couch. Maggie unintentionally hit me in the lip with a book, and overturned the cereal box completely... and yet... they smile and laugh and have endless joy, and all is forgiven. Ahhh to have the mentality of a child. It's such a beautiful mess we have going here.

LINK LOVE:

I'm loving my giraffe necklace I was gifted for Christmas, and now I know what to do if I need to make myself a hippo version of the necklace (so, so cute)!

If you're the DIY type, you'll understand how amazing it is that someone can make all these things over the course of a year... this inspired me...

San Francisco decided that they will charge us for grocery bags, so I'm motivated to find cute reusable bags for myself and my little girls.

Ahh to have organization in my kitchen that looks like this... dreamy!

This home is already so beautiful... then you find out it has a secret passage to a speakeasy room. I mean, seriously. My favorite home tour in ages!

Finally: pistachio ice cream that looks divine! I don't use that word much, but it's all I could think would really describe how it looks in pictures. Makes me want to take a little field trip to get ice cream in 50 degree weather.

Happy Weekending!

Love,

Kate