Jennifer is now a fulltime nanny and she has graciously offered to babysit the kids once a month so Andrew and I can go out and have a date night. So as soon as I was off work at 2pm. we drove to NYC for a small shopping spree. We walked around SoHo, visiting my old neighborhood and my favorite shops like Fragments, Big drop, Intermix, Olive & Bett’s, Apc, Dolce & Gabanna, Barbara Bui, Catherin Malandrino, Flying A, etc. 

Then we had a late lunch at Balthazar bakery and walked over to NoLita, where I used to go every Saturday from 2004-2005 to a place called ‘the Market NYC’. I sold my jewelry here along with other 100s of independant designers. 

I loved and enjoyed the interaction with customers. fun times… 

Then we headed over to East village to eat japanese food at sobaya. Afterwards, we ended up in West village, walking around and chatting. It was a really fun night, getting alot of excersice. I didn’t really purchase anything it was more of eye shopping and research for my next collection. Andrew was never a fan of shopping but he was really a good sport and followed me around everywhere. (Well, he did have his blackberry in his face the whole time while I was in shops but still…) 

Can’t wait til our next date night at the u2 Concert!  

It’s just the girls tonight! I took Chloe to go see her first movie, Up! First we grabbed dinner at California Pizza then we headed to AMC Movie theatre. This is the part I love about living in burb. Everything is inside a mall. Chloe was so excited about going to see a movie (without fully understanding what kind of experience she’ll have) she’s in a cheerful mood just because she’s out with me. But then, we actually went inside the movie theatre and she became scared. To make the matters worse, the movie was 3-D. I guess it was too much of a sensory overload for her. In the middle of the movie, I took her out because I could tell that she wasn’t comfortable. She kept making, "ehh, ehh, ehh" sound and wasn’t sure how to express herself. I was so disappointed not being able to finish the movie. I felt like the girl in the beginning of the movie was like me….lots of freckles, messed up teeth, silly and adventurous. And the guy’s kind of shy, kind of awkward but really sweet and loving, like Andrew! 😉 Anyway, I’m dying to finish the movie when it comes out on Netflix. After we walked out of the movie, what else can we do but to shop! I had a great date with you, Chloe! 🙂 

We moved into this home while I was pregnant with Chloe. After two babies and two nursery rooms later, I’m finally getting around to decorating the living room. It’s still a toy land for kids, everything being pushed aside to to the corners, but I figure I can start from top to down slowly. I cannot wait to buy real furniture some day… Next up is our kitchen! 

I bought some sweet basil, tomatoes, cucumber, sweet peppers, and mint plants and also some flowers so Chloe and I can plant them together. I’m not a gardening type of person but I have to say I actually enjoyed spending time planting. Chloe, wanting to help so eagerly, was taking roots off the plants and stepping on few of them so I had to finish the rest while the kids were napping. The result? Chloe was so happy!!

my Seana earrings and a matching necklace made with rough cut diamonds and green amethyst for a special dinner party tonight.

"Jennifer is So beautiful!" Chloe acclaimed.

After church, we decided to spend the afternoon in Sugar Loaf in upstate NY.

We had lunch at Barn Cider,

smelled flowers,

(I love the face Chloe makes when she’s smelling)

we then bought Chloe wings and she became a fairy,

and we found two rings that actually fit her fingers. 

Shane’s room is finally done! Every element in this room was designed and made by yours truly. My inspiration came from this amazing lamp shade by Tord Boontje. I LOVE and admire his brilliant installation art works. I have a couple more of his lamps and wall decor around the house which I purchased here. The decals are inspired by Olli & Lime. I drew my versions of them for the room but you can purchase the originals here. This room used to be our guest room with a queen size bed which I kept minus the box spring and the frame so kids and I can snug up in this area to read and play together. The theme of this room is Whimsical Fantasy Land. I wanted to create a fun, dreamy, amusing, flamboyant and virbrant room with a modern twist. I hope to build many more fun and precious memories with my kids here. This is for you Shane… 

and the drama starts here in the night time…

I rarely buy jewelries because, well, I can make them myself. On top of that, I’m a very picky shopper so Andrew gets really stressed out during the holidays and anniversaries. I always have told him I didn’t want anything (big mistake! ;)) so I never really gotten a real official gift from him. When we walked around west village on Sunday, I saw these two beautiful rings at Lori Mclean store and I really loved them. But I didn’t want to spend money…as always, so we just walked out of the store and went to dinner.
Then last night, Andrew surprised me with those rings. I love them!:) I especially love the fact that they are unique and handmade by a local designer.
The right picture is a gift I got for Andrew. It’s a compass cufflinks so he can always find his way home. 🙂 Made by RISD alumi.

My first purchase since Shane. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on these. They are from my favorite store Anthropologie.