Merry Christmas!

Happy holidays, everyone! Mr. V and I are in the Virginia countryside with my parents, all curled up beside a roaring wood stove fire after a delicious home-cooked meal. It snowed a few inches on Christmas Eve, and we were lucky enough to enjoy to wake up to a powdery white Christmas today, which was beautiful. 

Santa was quite good to Mr. V and me this year, and we received some great goodies, including a down duvet to keep us nice and toasty this winter. I'm so grateful for all the events of 2012...We got engaged, we adopted the best kitten in the world, and we're always surrounding by our supportive, loving, and generous family and friends. This was the best year of my life, and there is so much to look forward to in 2013. I've spent this holiday remembering how lucky I am and enjoying this special time with family, and I hope you all are equally surrounded by loved ones and holiday cheer this season. 

Image via WeHeartIt.

Late Summer Musings

As August winds down and Labor Day weekend begins, I've found myself clinging to the last bits of summer. Thinking back to May 12, when Mr. V and I got engaged, it feels like minutes have gone by, much less three and a half months. This has been the best summer I can remember, but it was also a whirlwind...

Since the end of May, I've been to Berlin, Martha's Vineyard, Milan, Torino, Vermont, Virginia, and Florida. We've celebrated several friends' weddings (Mr. V has been to ten ceremonies since January; I made it to eight of those). Mr. V and I have also been working hard to plan our own wedding, which is seven and a half months away and feels like it's just around the corner. Additionally, we recently adopted a sweet kitten that we just adore. With all of these wonderful summer memories and experiences tumbling around in my mind, it feels hard to let go of the season. However, today's weather finally ignited a small yearning in me for fall. The air felt warm, yet crisp, and the light streamed through the trees, illuminating a few yellowing leaves, just as in this beautiful image of a farm's garden. It has left me exited for a new season and a fresh start, and I'm going into the long weekend feeling ready for the change. Have a happy final few days of summer!

Image via Modern Hepburn. 

Happy Weekend!

Mr. V and I are heading to brunch in TriBeCa to toast our friends who got engaged this week (yay!). Yesterday, we attended our other friends' wedding in the city, which was a fantastic lunch-time bash. They already had a stunning week-long wedding in Udiapur (that we got to attend!), and yesterday's nuptials allowed them to celebrate again with more friends and family stateside. I had never been to a daytime wedding, and it was a lot of fun!

This weekend I'm lucky enough to have a rare two days off with Mr. V, so I can't wait to get outside and soak up the warm, sunny weather in NYC and get some extra time with him. Happy weekend to you all!

Image from Lonny via The Glitter Guide. 

Backyard Envy | Mallorca Vacation Home

Heavy summer rain has hit New York today, and coupled with the heat of the past weekend, I'm dreaming of escaping to an exotic beachside locale with sunny weather and a refreshing pool. Lounging at this vacation house in Mallorca is precisely how I'd love to spend a week or two (or three!) this summer...

And, (lucky me) it's available for rent here. Maybe if I wish hard enough, Mr. V and I will be lounging in those two poolside chairs by the end of the season! If nothing else, I'm enamored with the row of topiaries in square terracotta pots. Isn't that wonderfully chic? It would look great on any patio, from this Mediterranean backyard to a city terrace. It's something I would love to try one day...

Also, happy one month engaged to the amazing Mr. V! What happy times there have been around here lately.

Images found via desire to inspire; Original images via Nuevo Estilo. 

Summer Garden Party

Fresh off the happy news of our engagement, a few lovely lessons at Haven's Kitchen, and a class with the Little Flower School, I left last Wednesday for Berlin, where I spent a quick, great three days for a work trip. The weather there was magical - sunny and cloudless with temperatures in the mid-seventies each day. On Saturday, I flew to Florida for a party hosted by Mr. V's family in Palm Beach, where it was so nice to celebrate his brother's graduation, his parents' anniversary, and our engagement all in one weekend. I'm finally back in New York, but only for a short spell, as Mr. V and I leave Friday for a friend's wedding on Martha's Vineyard...

Neither Mr. V nor I have ever been to the island, and thinking about this weekend has me dreaming about an outdoor party under the sun...A rustic and casual affair filled with salty air and bountiful flower arrangements, a bit like these fantastic blooms that completely transform the landscape. How gorgeous! I can't wait to spend the weekend exploring the Vineyard and toasting to our friends' wedding.

Image one via Heartbeatoz; Image two via The Sweet Occasion; Image three via My Favorite and My Best. 

The Perfect Course | Lessons at Haven's Kitchen

Last week was pretty busy to say the least, especially given that it began with the surprise of our engagement and our families being in town to celebrate with us! Despite the fact that my head was a bit in the clouds, I had long-planned to take two classes last week at Haven's Kitchen, which is a combination cooking school, event space, coffee shop, and specialty foods store. It's a space I always walk past on my way home from work, and I jumped at the chance to sign up for courses in their beautiful space, a renovated carriage house near Union Square.

Last Monday morning, I took Preparing a Week's Worth of Vegetarian Meals with chef Ella Nemcova. We made nine dishes during the three hour course, including mini tofu quiches, spring green curry, veggie calzones, black rice pudding, and raw beets with garlic scape pesto. The best take-away from this class is the idea that you can really be flexible with recipes and ingredients - the chef added in unexpected elements to the dishes, like red beets in the green curry, to show that you can just use what you have available in the fridge. 

A Surprise Engagement

This past Saturday, in this little walled garden oasis in the West Village, the most wonderful man proposed to me.

Needless to say, it was the most special and perfect day of my life. I sure do love you, Mr. V.

The Church of St. Luke's in the Field, consecrated 1822. A history of the church and its beautiful garden can be found here. Image via Newsday, Photographer: Nancy Cardozo. 

Starry-Eyed Celebrations

In honor of a lovely, dear friend of mine who shared some very joyful engagement news tonight (!), I believe that this beautiful celebration under the stars is perfectly appropriate. With the blooming white blossoms, French bistro chairs, and glowing candlelit orbs, this would be a worthy setting for the champagne popping and merry revelry that is soon to come. Félicitations pour tes fiançailles!!!

Image Source: Unknown