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Wedding season is in full swing and two of the three weddings I’m able to attend this year were meant for last summer. The first of the three was a few weeks back and what an exciting moment it was to join in the fun again of celebrating amongst other people! It was so exciting getting ready for an event after a year of lockdown and having a baby, something I will now never take for granted. After just starting to feel like myself, relieved from my postpartum discomfort, I w

Having a baby won’t stop me from getting back to my fun exploring this city and I am beyond excited Los Angeles has finally opened up! Since giving birth I’ve been doing my best to get back to all my old favorites, in addition to some newcomers I’m sharing today. It’s been absolutely amazing getting to dine in again, I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed bread baskets and a non-virgin cocktail that I didn’t make myself! The only difference now is everything takes a lot longer

It’s been quite a few summers since I was last on Capri island yet the charm of this coveted spot on the Mediterranean has not worn off one bit. Especially as the world reopens, the word “holiday” instantly brings me back to living in Verona, Italy where Italians and most other European countries take summer seriously. And if you’re not familiar with Capri, it’s a small island right off the Amalfi Coast, known for it’s proximity to the more well known Positano. With breathtak

If you’ve seen my recent TikTok post you’re likely less intimidated by the prospect of hosting this 4th of July after seeing me out together this super easy flag-like board, perfect to impress your guests or relieve your host of figuring out a nibble ready festive spread. And if you’re new here I cannot stress enough how easy cheese boards are make and get your guests together. People love to crowd around and chomp down and you won’t have a messy kitchen to show for it! All

They say the days are long but the years are short and I feel that! I have no idea how an entire month has passed {and then some it’s hard to keep up in real time}. It feels like forever ago heading into lunch with contractions that day and delivering a baby the next! My life before Parker also feels so distant, yet this one also feels so new if that makes any sense at all? All in all this has been a wonderful journey so far, despite the frequent anxiety of the unknown, the

At 9 months pregnant {and even 7 weeks postpartum} I have had only two style mantras: loungewear or the garden dress. There just isn’t anything in between. Of course I’ve bought a pair of maternity jeans and black coated pants which are great but just don’t cut it when it comes to comfort. And I have the same feeling now in my fourth trimester as I’d imagine many non-expecting ladies do too for the summer season. And of course if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s tha

Well, well, look where we are. It’s already been about a month with our sweet baby boy Parker and what an adventure it’s been so far. It’s hard to look much more forward or back beyond his three hour feeding increments I’ve been bound to, but what I can say upon shallow reflection is that everything just feels so immediate, so in the moment, which is nice I suppose given how present it’s forced me to be. Yet, as I sit here during my first real stretch of short solitude (my

As someone who really hates cooking but still loves to host all my entertaining accolades must derive from two skills; setting a lovely scene and delegating the menu to someone or someplace else. Obviously, I have gotten better with both, especially since meting my husband who by the grace of God loves the kitchen, making us a great team. So while Arthur cooks, I make things pretty. And this new centerpiece , is beyyyyond pretty! Flowers are always a non-negotiable staple any

Who thought getting myself to an actual stroller walk would be such an accomplishment, but I suppose doing anything outside of feeding a brand spanking newborn is! That’s why it was such a big moment for me to change out of sweats and walk about block with baby before needing to head back home and rest my recovering body. It’s going to take a while to get out for longer stretches but it felt so good getting into a comfortable summer dress and warm cardigan on an early summer

My goodness how life can pivot so swiftly. My first {human} child is here, arriving on Thursday, May 6th, one week before his due date and I couldn’t be more over the moon obsessed with him. Despite being absolutely exhausted by sleep deprivation and some of the early trials and tribulations of breastfeeding and pumping, I am beyond aware of how special this early time with him is, grateful he came into the world happy and healthy, my sweet Parker Irving Alexander Simanovsky!

Summer is here, and I’m so lucky I had the chance to enjoy a preview prior to baby this past April, thanks to the lovely Southern California weather. My best friend from high school, who is entirely responsible for my move to Los Angeles following college, decided on a very much welcomed whim to visit me from Chicago before I gave birth. I was so overwhelmed with the idea of a friend visiting, something that clearly hasn’t happened in quite some time. And since Emma lived her

Baby blues are in full swing over here, but in the very best of ways! My son Parker came into the world a week early, before I could share his world inspired nursery here. In fact, I was laboring at home trying to finish up this very blog post until I eventually realized it was time to head to the hospital and meet my little guy! Ever since I’ve been madly in love, as well as madly sleep deprived. But aside from the tired eyes and sore body, these first moments with baby have

A misty warm breeze, big brilliant colors, blended fruity cocktails, a collection of picture perfect seashell souvenirs … these are the things I imagine when I think of the Caribbean. Granted a place I’ve never truly been, unless Cancun is considered a member? Island life is what I’m picturing, and after 2020, it’s high up on my lustworthy list of adventures to embark on one day soon… Throughout this past year I have managed to remain incredibly grateful to be faced by challe

Friends, not friend, it’s plural which hasn’t been the norm for quite some time. Obviously I’m beyond grateful for these little moments on my patio at this point, it was the first time I got to show two good friends my home in it’s fully renovated state and spend some quality time catching up. Simple things we used to take for granted that are making all the difference now. Hence why I make such a fuss about hosting a coffee date, because it’s literally the best feeling to be

After a year of exclusively hosting at great distances with few family members and friends mostly outside my home, I am beyond excited about the possibility of party hopefully in our near future. Recently I attended a small get together with a few friends that I haven’t truly been able to socialize with since early 2020 and it was a strange experience getting ready to go to someone’s home for some distanced cocktails on their new rooftop. I was cinderella finally going to th

Lately it feels like time is slipping away. I imagine it’s because the world is opening up, the days are brighter for longer, oh and perhaps because I’m set to give brith to my first child in four weeks? That may have something to do with this. Whatever the reason, time will always be constant, we can’t request to slow it down or take it back. But I suppose we can try to use it better, more effectively to meet our needs, the needs tied to deadlines, money and bigger goals, as

Mother’s Day is around corner, as is my baby to be’s due date, and so perhaps this guide is here a tad earlier and the gifts are items I may have already ordered for myself! Becoming a human mama for the first time will be an adventure, but filling a role as narrowly defined as mom just makes me think of all the ways women nurture; from adopting babies, to birthing and nursing, to talking our teens through their first heartache or doing our very best to get pregnant, giving o

Spring is upon us and things are changing; the flowers are blooming, the world is opening back up and my pregnant belly is growing bigger and bigger. Times are a changing as they say, but one thing will forever be the same. Alas, my love for cheese plates will always hold tried and true! This post is coming a tad late, beyond the Passover and Easter holidays that inspired this particular selection of goodies, and in fact this was my contribution to my family’s Passover dinner

This time last year wasn’t great. Right before the reality of the pandemic fully set in we faced sheer and utter devastation losing our sweet Pierre . Life at that point seemed beyond uncertain and sad, quite literally forcing my husband and I to have no other choice but to begrudgingly move forward in with some semblance of hope. And fortunately that hope manifested in the most beautiful of ways, a young mamma and her pup, Muffy and Pearl . Adopting them was a huge undertak

This is an odd time for celebration, but that hasn’t stopped me from doing whatever I can to celebrate both the big and small moments life has managed to present us, regardless of the fact that we are still stuck in a worldwide pandemic. From socially distanced picnics at the beach or in the park , outdoor birthday parties or setting up a taste of the Italian Coast on my balcony , I will not give up the pursuit of party. Therefore embracing the excitement over our baby on