Monika

I've been busy during the Holidays, but I found some time to draw a portrait of my childhood friend, Monika, who is, among other things,  a fashion blogger (check her out  here ). I used this luxurious Aqvarelle Arches paper and my new set of Dr. Ph. Martin's from Blick- I can't tell you how much I like these little guys.  Monika is going to use this image to decorate homemade wine bottles. I hope she saved me one!

Holiday baking

It's been a busy few weeks. We sold our condo in Hoboken  and found a temporary house in the burbs. Now that Christmas is fast approaching, I find myself scrambling for much needed time- unpacking after the move is not among my favorite things... But it's good to start fresh. I will miss Hoboken greatly, it has been a wonderful 6 years. I will certainly miss Manhattan skyline views! But hey, we are only 45 minutes away by car. Speaking of which, I need to start looking for one ASAP! It will be good to have my own after such a long time of not needing one.
My daughter had been sleeping so much better here. She now has her own room, than we are slowly furnishing- in Hoboken, we turned our open office into her little bedroom corner, but it was connected to our master bedroom- not a helpful layout when you try  sleep training. Plus, Hoboken rail station was so close and those 5 am trains would wake her up every time. Now, she sleeps from 7 pm to 7 am and is rested and happy trough the day.
Today we got busy creating our Christmas tree gingerbread cookies. I used this recipe  for old- school Polish gingerbread  cookies, but I subsidized real milk with almond milk, since I do not use cows milk and used Organic Earth's Best instead of lard. I adore recreating old recipes in a new, healthier way.  I made this ahead of time, and the dough was sitting on my Hoboken balcony for three weeks in winter temperatures, until all the flavors blended beautifully.
So today we cut them. So much fun. Lili was really helpful and had a great time helping me every step of the way. She ate few raw ones in the process, I remember doing the same as a child.

Trip to the mini zoo

My daughter loves animals, but that's probably true for most kids. We had a really great time in the mini zoo. Kids got to feed the animals and they had a blast. My friend joined me with her son, Peter, who was here before and knew everything about this place.

Trip to Poland

          With my neighbor's dog. I got this cute Old Navy coat (which they bring back every season) and H&M Hat for Lili right before we left. .

          Typical Polish Cemetery, beautifully decorated for All Saints Day.


Unexpected trip to Poland. I was planning to go in the spring, but unfortunately there was a death in a family. My Grandpa passed away, he was 95.
I certainly did not spend too much time with him in the last few years, I've been busy finishing grad school and staring a family. But I did have some good times with Grandpa growing up, especially during my high school years, when I spent my summers in the small town on the south of Poland where my Grandparents lived.

Times like that always make me wonder- what did I learn  from the person who just passed. With Grandpa Jan, it was simplicity. He lived his life in a very simple manner. He ate simple foods, mostly vegetables, lots of potatoes and fermented milk, home cooked soups and noodles. He rarely ate meet and totally lacked sweet tooth. Bust most importantly, he allowed very little stress in his reality, he simply went with the flow, trusting God and nature.

It was good to visit family and friends. Travelling overseas with a toddler has it's challenges, though. I was so grateful that United flight had interactive games on the little tv screens- a true life saver. Lili spend a lot of time sleeping on my lab on the way there, since the plane leaves Newark Airport at 5: PM , but not so much on the way back, when we left Berlin heading back to Jersey in the early morning.

Halloween

I know I am way late to the Instagram party, but better late than never!  Yay, it is actually a lot of fun. I am still learning. You can follow me here. These are some snaps I took of my baby girl on Halloween, we were walking along exquisitely decorated Bloomfield Avenue in Hoboken, on our way to Halloween Parade. She is currently really into spiders, so we had to stop and collect some.

Walk in Hoboken

Lovely day in Hoboken. We went to Pier C Park on the Hudson, amazing park with million dollar views of Manhattan skyline. It was a perfect spot to catch some autumn sun and just relax. I can't even begin to count how many times I was there last summer with my daughter, looking for a comfortable breeze and some shade. Definitely one of my favorite places in Hoboken. 

On the way back we stopped at Sobsey's Produce to pick up some more pumpkins for our balcony. Did I mention how much I love this store? It specializes in fresh, organic produce and imported goods. Mike Sobsey is really a talented shopkeeper with a rare ability to pick truly superb products for his store. I always stop by to get apples here. I grew up eating mouthwatering apples from my own backyard, so I consider myself  a little bit of an apple snob, and apples he sells taste just as amazing!

Besides, the store looks like it belongs to a small street in Providence rather than Hudson County and feels so nostalgic, European and neighborly. Lili had a blast picking pumpkins here, we will be back again soon. 

Autumn

Autumn is so beautiful this year, a dream. As the air gets cooler we take advantage of comfortable temperature by taking really long walks and playing in the park. Last week we took a trip to the Hamilton Square Park in Jersey City, right next door from Hoboken. I love Hamilton Park area, it feels so relaxed and welcoming. the trees are and majestic and the park  surrounded by beautiful historic brownstones. I was lucky to run into a farmers market there, it's there every Wednesday afternoon until late December. I got some delicious focaccia and stocked up on caramelized pecans. Lili really enjoyed chasing squirrels and picking acorns.

Apple Picking

The leaves haven't turned just yet, but the autumn is certainly in the air. Farewell to the humidity that had been lingering for months, I will certainly not miss you!  Hello to cooler weather,  the smell of pumpkin spice, fresh apple cider, butternut squash soup and warm tea!

I have a soft spot for Autumn. I love everything about this season, and I am so glad that Autumn is especially beautiful and lasts so long here  in the East Coast. I was raised in Poland, where it was also wonderfully colorful, but wetter and colder much sooner. My favorite thing to do in the fall over  there was wild mushroom picking, an activity almost unknown in the US. It really is so much fun! However, while In the US, I grew very found of apple and pumpkin picking. This year, we went to a lovely Riamede Farm  in Chester, New Jersey and had a blast. Lili ate apples she picked up herself from the tree, and  also loved fresh warm apple cider donuts that we bought in the farm store. Oh, what a day! 

 

Halloween is soon approaching and I am on a hunt  for fun and classic costume for my daughter.
I  found this fun Mushroom costume here, and it is so fresh and easy that  I had to post it. Red Mushrooms seem to be popping out all over the place and I have always adored this motive, so here is what I found:

1. Mushroom Pouf from  Anthropologie
2. Cute Mushroom Dolls, Magical Friends from Flying Star Toys
3. Red Mushroom Clock by Dekoylab
4. Print by Geninne
5. Aurora Baby Dress by Winter Water Factory
6. Hand Crochet Alpaca Mushrooms from Oeuf NYC
7. Hand Crochet toys by Anne-Claire Petit
8. Wooden Mushrooms Montessori Toy found on Etsy  

Aqua Blue Girls Room

I am spending a great deal of time trying to figure out how I should decorate my daughters room when gets her very own little space this fall. So exciting!  There is so many wonderful new brands for kids now that
I made browsing the Web and looking for fresh ideas my new guilty pleasure.
Blue is typically not considered to be a first choice when it comes to little girl's room decor, but turquoise, on the other hand, is so perfect.

1.   Lublini Toddler Bedding from Etsy here

2.   Thomas Paul Aqua Bunny Linen Pillow from 2Modern

3 .  3 Sprouds Storage Box available at Diapers.com

4.   Splash the Cat from BlaBlaKids

5 .  Custom Print from Minted

6.   Army/Turquoise Feather Rug from Serena and Lily

7.   Peacock Braid Leggings by Little Hip Squeaks

8.   Felix Chair in Azure from The Land of Nod

9.   Jenny Lind Bed in Azure from The Land of Nod 

10. Good Read Book Caddy from The Land of Nod

11. African Baskets from The Land of Nod

California

I just came back from a beautiful CA and have so many wonderful pictures and  memories! We flew to San Francisco, stayed there few days and then  drove the  twisting and cliff-hugging  route along the central California all the way to Los Angeles. This is my second time on California's Pacific Coast Highway,
but this time I made sure I really took my time and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. 

I simply can't get enough of the lovely emerald green, which happens to be the  Pantone Color of the Year 2013. Earlier, I posted wrote about great green sofas that are currently on the market, in many price ranges. There are are so many ways to  incorporate this jewel tone throughout your home, there is an abundance of great products to help you do that. 
Emerald green symbolically brings a sense of rejuvenation, and it certainly can breathe new life into any interior. 
In my opinion, this hue  pairs beautifully with rich natural brown wood,  metallic tones, leopard pattern and deep purple, navy and light gray palette. 

1. Belvedere Tray Table from Powell and Bonnell. West Elm makes a cheaper version here.
2. Green Couch by Sandback ( for the trade). Cheaper, similar ones are here and here.
3. Mingling Slats Mirror by Horchow 
4. Knoll Risom Chair in Nordic Green
5. Ventura Coffee Table from Room and Board in Walnut
6. Palazzo Kelly Pillow by Dwell Studio
7. Climbing Leopard by DVF for The Rug Company 
8. Green Warming Basket by Swahili African Modern at Fab
9. Parson's Desk with Drawers by West Elm
10. Leopard Chubby Bowl by Waylande Gregort 
11. Dipped tables by UM Project at Vertigo Home