Gift Guide: For the Kids

 


As the boys are getting older, it's getting harder and harder to shop for them. They are less and less into toys and tend to be more into experiences and bigger ticket items. Wyatt just wants to keep up with Ethan too--but you can see the gift guide I put together when Ethan was 7 and Wyatt was almost 5 here. Cue the tween years I guess!

Bath Robe: A holiday staple--but make it fun with tie-dye!

Baseball jersey: Our boys have become OBSESSED with baseball! They got to go to three MLB games over the summer (it started with a SF Giants game for Ethan's birthday). Anything baseball related is sure to be a big hit for these two this year.

Virtual Reality Headset: Definitely a bigger ticket item but it seems to be all the rage. Another great "gaming" gift is the Nintendo Switch!

Night Soccer Ball: Love this for playing outside with the neighborhood kids!

Writing Tablet: A good alternative to playing on our phones during travel or at a restaurant--my friend has these for her boys and they love them.

Gizmo Watch: I'm not wild about starting the boys super early on cell devices, but I do think this is a good compromise. It has GPS and allows you to pre-load specific numbers. 

Ugg Boots: We love these for the boys during the winter months--easy to pull on and off and warm too! If we had a girl, I would buy them in "shadow"--such a pretty color!

Catan Game: I've heard great things about this game and we love to lean into family game time around this season. 

Duffle Bag: Now that we're traveling more and the boys occasionally have sleep overs...it seems like a good time to invest in a good duffle bag.

Happy Shopping!

xo natasha

Gift Guide: For Him

 

The gift guide for the toughest ones to buy for--and I think this list is pretty tried and true. My husband can attest to loving all of these items--so if you're stumped, I hope this helps!


Vuori Joggers: Really, the best joggers on the market. My husband loves anything by this company...you cannot go wrong with a gift from Vuori.


Flannel Shirt: Another great company for men, and at a decent price point too!


Blundstrone Boots: I just bought these for myself and now my husband is eyeing them. They're great in cold climates and the shearling liner makes them extra comfy.


Vest: For those "in-between" days when it's not quite cold enough for a jacket but you need a little something extra to stay warm.


Coffee Tumbler: We have this and Ryan loves it for taking coffee to work. It's the perfect size for a second cup on your commute into work.


Socks: Stance makes great socks and I love these "no-show" for working out or for around town.


Apple Watch: Ryan got this for his birthday this past year and it's really one of his favorite gadgets!


Hot Sauce: When in doubt--a fun, new hot sauce is a fun thing to slip into his stocking. I've heard rave reviews about this brand.


Happy Shopping!


xo natasha

Gift Guide: For Her

 

It's that time of year again--gift guide season! I'll start with the easiest guide...hello ladies! Here are some things on my list--as well as tried and true gifts for moms, sisters, daughters and friends!

Dyson AirWrap: A splurge for sure, but I've heard amazing things. And for as often as we use a hair dryer, it seems like a worthy investment.

Champagne Glasses: An elevated glass for that festive holiday drink! I love anything by Riedel--these are the trusted brand in wine country too.

Cozy House Slippers: These Birks have been on my wishlist for a while (size 37 if you're asking!). I just love them for around the house or running errands. 

Press On Nails: Does this not remind you of the Lisa Frank press on nails from the 90s? I'm here for it!

Makeup Travel Case: Now that we're traveling again, I love this case for holding my skin care and cosmetic essentials. Their belt bag is also super cute!

Vuori Half Zip: Vuori can do NO wrong! I love their buttery soft joggers, their leggings and crop tanks. Great for working out and/or lounging.

Wool Socks: Warm socks are key during this time of year and I love the donegal material! Also love this knee high version!

Purifying Mask: A brand that is consistently good. I actually saw this mask on TikTok of all places and it gets rave reviews! Need a stocking stuffer idea? Stock up on their lip conditioner!

Happy Shopping!

xo natasha

Anniversary Weekend in Sonoma

 


This past weekend, we celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary in Sonoma. We hadn't visited since 2011...10 years ago and it was every bit as charming as we remembered. Here's a quick recap of what we did!

Stay:


We stayed at the El Dorado Hotel + Kitchen, which is right on the Sonoma Square and across the street from The Girl + The Fig. We loved the location and the vibe of the hotel. It was always buzzing with people coming in to dine and the rooms were well appointed. Our had vaulted ceilings, which made the modest-size rooms seem larger, and it overlooked the pool area. 

Dine



Our first stop was Folktable at Cornerstone Sonoma, which is about a 10 minute drive from downtown Sonoma. It's a casual eatery with counter service. The food and atmosphere was excellent! We also found out that they host live music on the weekends in their courtyard! Lots of cute shopping nearby too.


We made reservations at the Walt tasting room, which is a few steps from our hotel. Walt is a sister wine of Hall Wines...and if you're ever in Napa, their winery is definitely worth stopping by!


A couple doors down from our hotel is a hidden speakeasy called The Beacon above The Taub Family Outpost. The whole property is gorgeous and well-appointed. The cocktails use all fresh ingredients and it was a great spot to stop by before dinner!



Probably the most special meal of the weekend was at EDGE, which is part of Stone Edge Farm, and the location is just a block off of Sonoma Square, which is key since it's a 4-course wine pairing menu and they are very generous with their tastings! ;) The service was top-notch and so memorable! We tried food that we would normally never order, like duck pate, but it was all delicious!



We loved having the Sunflower Caffe next door to our hotel. We would stop in for a quick coffee between meals and also enjoyed brunch there Saturday morning. It's counter service and they have a large back patio for those that want to dine-in.

My Dress + Hat  + Stemless Champagne Glasses that I am now coveting...



We spent Saturday wine tasting at Gloria Ferrer. It was a last minute change as we felt a light sparkling was more palatable in the heat than day drinking red wines. I was really blown away by the property! It sits high on a hill and overlooks the valley (see first photo!). I'd highly suggest the cheese pairing too!


For a sweet treat, post-wine tasting, we stopped by Sweet Scoops, which is also conveniently located right on Sonoma Square.


Dressed for dinner outside our hotel!


There were too many amazing dinner options to choose from, so we decided to get drinks and appetizers at The Girl + The Fig, since it's right across from our hotel and we love their food from our trip before. We get the charcuterie and the peach + burrata salad. Both were hits!






For dinner, we almost skipped Layla at Macarthur Place since it's a little bit off the square but I am SO glad we didn't! It's in the gorgeous MacArthur Place hotel and had an amazing ambiance...probably our favorite of the weekend. They greeted us with sparkling rose wine and we enjoyed a ton of small plates, cocktails and dessert. Would highly recommend!


As I said above, we loved the buzz of our hotel and stopped by the bar for a nightcap before calling it a night!




On Sunday, before we headed out, we sat out on the patio at Taub Family Outpost and had this amazing acai bowl! Which was just what I needed after an indulgent weekend! Like I said above, the whole property is super charming and they even have a little wine shop you can peruse for gifts!

Shop + Experience



If you have time to shop between wine tasting and meals, I enjoyed checking out the following:

Sonoma Loop for High-end Women's Clothing
Sign of the Bear Kitchenware for an amazing collection of kitchen items
G's General Store for a curated selection of clothing and household items
Fairmont Spa for an indulgent massage experience!

We hope it's not another 10 years before we go back! We had an amazing time!

xo natasha

PS...for additional wine country posts:


Recent Amazon Buys: For the Home

 


This past Sunday pushed us to check off some of our house items and that also prompted me to finally put a blog post for my recent purchases off Amazon. Without further adieu...



Wall Hooks: I purchased these for my hat wall {see above photo}. I wanted something aesthetically pleasing for when I wore one of the hats. I really love how these look in our bedroom!



Bamboo Shades: One of my most asked questions on Instagram is where we got our shades for our front room and here's your answer! You just can't beat the quality for the price...and my husband was able to cut one of them to size to fit our large front window!



Outdoor Tablecloth: For outdoor entertaining, this looks way more expensive and adds a sophisticated touch!




Bathroom Hand Towel Holder: Kind of random, but we finally ordered and installed these hand towel holders in our boys bathroom. I don't know what took us so long--having a towel easily accessible for teeth brushing is an absolute must! Plus, these are pretty too!



King-Size Duvet Insert: Another thing that I don't know what took so long, but we finally ordered a proper duvet for our King bed. We like to sleep with two duvets (his and hers) but we had a smaller Full/Queen size for each of us, which didn't look great when the bed was made. This is a great comforter and a good price too! We ordered this cover to go with it.




Pantry Organizers: Yet another thing that I don't know why I waited to long to purchase...but these bins--and these shelves-- have made a huge difference in keeping our pantry organized.



Air Fryer: We finally bit the bullet and got an air fryer. We initially thought we would never use it but it has been AMAZING! We throw in the kids chicken nuggets, cauliflower gnocchi, sweet potatoes, veggies...it's so quick and makes everything nice and crispy!




Citrus Squeezer: Last but not least, if you love making fresh-squeezed margaritas in the summer, then you need this tool! It really gets ALL of the juice out and will take your craft cocktail to the next level.


Happy Shopping!


xo natasha

Recent Amazon Buys: For the Kids!

 


Hi Friends!


It's been a minute since I've last posted and I missed a couple big milestones! First, it's been TEN years since I started this space and I just can't tell you how much joy this community has given me over the years. Even if the blogging world has taken a backseat to Instagram, TikTok, etc...I still love this space and want to keep posting. I've been able to document so much over the years, from welcoming our first baby, to vacations, gift guides and our new home! It may be more sporadic, but I'm not letting go yet! You can see my first post here!


Second, I missed all my usual favorite gift guides, like Wyatt's 6 year gift guide, Valentine's Day, Easter...eek! So I thought I'd start compiling some recent favorites here...first up, is for the kids!




Scooters! Now that the weather is warming up (hello spring!) we got the boys two of these scooters for Easter to help encourage them to get outside. Our friends have them and love them!



Masks! Never did I think we'd be talking about face coverings in this space, but here we are. The boys have to wear masks during school and these are honestly the best! Super comfortable and breathable! They make adult sizes too!



Fun Game! This game looks so random, but it's actually really fun for the whole family! You're given a pattern that you have to put together in order to "snatch" the cow from the farm. It takes some brain power and our boys love trying to figure out the different patterns.




Hoverboard! This is definitely a big boy item, but we ended up getting it for Wyatt's 6th birthday since he couldn't have his usual birthday party. Admittedly, our older son (who is 8 and a half) usually uses it more but it's been a fun gift for both boys!





Walkie Talkies! The boys have been requesting some walkie talkies for a while and are SUPER excited to get these (currently en route). I foresee a lot of forts, hideouts and top secret operations in my future...!




Flashcards! A package deal that works out well for both boys--one who is learning his addition and subtraction and the other is learning multiplication and division. We will sometimes review right before bed--a kind of quick fire round!




Excavator Truck! Another fun buy for Wyatt's birthday--he loves that it's remote control!


And for those looking for more Easter Basket ideas: Easter Ad Libs, Spring Book, Easter Hot Chocolate on a Stick, Swim Trunks and Pajamas!


Happy Shopping!


xo natasha