I may be a week or two late on this news, as I was busy preparing for my own Parisian fashion journey, but in case you haven't heard, Isabel Marant will be debuting a collection for H&M this November. To say I'm excited is an understatement, for two reasons...

I have always admired French style from afar, the closest I'd ever come was being in the company of two French friends, one a seriously talented shoe designer and the other a die-hard fashion lover like myself, with a French mother. (Both Rousseau's, no relation.) But nothing has influenced me more than actually being in Paris myself and seeing first-hand what all the (no-fuss) fuss is about. And now I get it. I get it, I get it. 

Oh, the other reason? Now that the Parisian Goddess of a fashion designer is gracing us mortals with an H&M collection, I can actually afford some of this goodness. Merci, Isabel. Merci!

Isabel Marant Fall/Winter 2013

Check out the video Ms. Marant did for H&M below... and mark your calendars for November 14th. Just don't get in my way. 

Stripes on the streets of Paris (+what I packed and what French women really wear)

When I was packing for this trip, I truly had no idea what to expect. In my mind, I envisioned flowing tops, long maxi skirts, sandals and other sweet, warm weather attire. At the (very) last minute suggestion of the hubs, I threw in my biker boots for the anticipated walking we'd be doing and I'm so glad I did. It was much cooler in Paris than expected and the spouts of rain showers throughout the day, while romantic to be huddled up next to my love underneath an umbrella, left little room for fancy footwear. 

The smartest thing I did was pack in all black and white. Everything could be tossed on effortlessly together and I avoided looking like a total tourist (except when I had my Nikon wrapped around my neck) by leaving the bright, LA trendy pieces at home. Parisian women are not big on color. Nor are they into trends or showing too much skin. In truth, I felt a little bit like I was wearing a bathing suit in this striped ensemble (I'm serious) because of all the leg I was showing. Simple, classic, understated style is the motto of the Parisian woman. By the end of the trip I could spot a local from a mile away and now know just what they mean by French style. 

White blazer - H&M via clothing exchange (similar)

Striped dress - From another clothing exchange (similar & last worn preggers here)

(Have you hosted your clothing exchange yet? Do it!)

Boots - Madden Girl

Sunglasses - Gap

Meanwhile, back at home...

Stella wore stripes. 

Navy and white striped jumper c/o Biscotti and Kate Mack

What I Wore to the Airport

It occurred to me that unless you know me personally, or have been following along via instagram, you'd have no idea what the previous post was about. Even some of my closest friends have sent me angry emoticons accompanied by "What the hell, you were in PARIS?!" texts and I have to admit, I kept it on the DL for many reasons, one of which included the near panic attack I had while thousands of feet above ground and distanced from my babies... I'll tell the world how far away I was from them, just as soon as I'm back. 

And now I can't wait to share one of the best moments in my life with you, friends! Beginning with the beginning. What I wore to the airport.

Cashmere Sweater - Calypso St. Barth

(Doubled as a blanket on flight)

Satiny top - Forever21

(As comfy as pajamas, but with an interesting print)

Black Skinnies - Joes Jeans

(Hands-down best item packed for the entire trip. Comfy & perfectly worn so many ways!)

Chain Flats & Sunglasses - Gap

*Footnote: Remember when my hair was super long and I did the popular post Hot Rollers = Hot Hair? Works with short hair too. 

What's better than Paris? Coming home.

Late start today, with a flight back home yesterday and jet-lag sneaking up upon me now. Children snuggled, spoiled and down for a nap... Clothes unpacked, but still so much more to do to settle back into reality... But first, a peek outside our hotel window and a breakfast tray I'm already missing.

Just wait until I share the decor with you. (And of course, what I wore!) Now if you'll excuse me, I have banana bread to bake and tiny, sleeping faces to stare at. xx

Styled by Stella - Stripes and denim

My little love is at it again. This time she was feeling denim on denim with a vintage striped shirt. She couldn't decide on shoes, so I threw on the boots. I loved rocking this outfit all day. Well done, little one! 

For more styled by stella, visit here.

Dinner idea - Easy Chicken Parmesan

As I've mentioned before, I'm not a serious cook. I enjoy baking so much more and often feel intimidated by the idea of making a complicated meal. Forget gourmet, I just wanted to be able to serve the hubs and the babies more than rice and beans! (This was formerly all I would could make.) So I've been learning. And slowly but surely have started to build a repertoire of pretty nice meals, if I do say so myself. This one is a family favorite!

Yummy, easy chicken parmesan!

All you need for this, you probably already have in your cupboard...

1 lb chicken breast 

Jar of marinara sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Corn Flakes (crushed)

1 egg

1/2 - 1 cup flour for dusting

Fresh or dried basil 

Cut all the fatty bits off of the chicken. Slice thin into cutlets. Beat an egg in a bowl and set aside. Get another bowl and fill with 1/2 cup to 1 cup flour, set aside. Crush about 1 cup or more of corn flakes into a bowl. Dip chicken first into egg, then flour, then egg again, then corn flakes seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. Boil a pot of water for pasta. Heat a pan with oil and place coated chicken inside, cooking only the outside, about 5 minutes, flipping once. Remove half cooked chicken and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the jar of marinara in a big pan (I like to use a wok) to a low boil. Place chicken inside and let it cook the rest of the way in the sauce. (This will make it very tender!) Cook pasta just past al dente. When chicken is cooked through, top with fresh basil and mozzarella cheese. Once cheese is melted, place over pasta. Yum!  

Stella wore black

First it was only princess dresses, then it was all stripes (it's still all stripes sometimes, let's be honest)...  then it was pajamas to school... Now she's very much into her "all black" phase and I'm loving it. My little, sweet, dark angel.

PS - the posing was her idea. And her leggings are shiny.

New favorite look

 Gap Tailored Shirt, Similar Trousers at Shopbop, Similar Hat at Piperlime, Zara Sandals

 

Clothing Exchange Party!

I've been doing these clothing exchanges for years. It's the best time you will ever have with your girlfriends, hands-down, and you walk away with free clothes! I highly recommend it. Just bag up your unwanted, gently used clothing and accessories and invite your friends to do the same. Then open up a couple of bottles of wine and swap!

You'd be surprised at the goodies you'll find. Most of the time, we're just tired of seeing a certain item in our closet that we never wear. That same item is going to be awesome to someone else, guaranteed!

And it's interesting to see another pals take on how she'd style something. This John Lennon skirt below was previously a shirt!

It's like shopping your friends closets and who hasn't wanted to do that at one time or another?

I had a blast trying on a bunch of things, but in the end selected only items I knew I'd wear again (Save the "iffy" stuff for the friend you know will wear it!) which included two new pencil skirts, a faux fur vest, a ridiculously gorgeous vintage top, a crisp white blazer and a sweet, summer dress. 

Let the good times roll...

This little guy...

 Old Navy Chambray - JewelMint Necklace - Ace Commune Bracelet

Waves and crawls like lightening

Almost walks - wants to walk

Says "da da" and "bre" for bread

(Loves to eat bread)

Thinks his sister is the bees knees

Gets so excited to take a bath

Has two bottom teeth and uses them!

Still wakes up every night wanting to be with mama

(I'll take it!)

Bo James

9 months

Peanut butter {energy} balls

I remember when I was a kid, my mom made a similar version of these no bake "cookies" and I loved them. We called them "chew-chews" and us kidlets didn't realize they were packed full of so many things that were good for us. They just tasted yummy. So we ate them up. My sis finally tracked down a similar recipe and passed it on.

These are easy to make and there is a lot of room for different variations. The honey is very dominant in this recipe, so next time I'll use a little less. You can add carob powder to make them more chocolate-y, use sunbutter instead of peanut butter for nut allergies, omit the chocolate chips and add nuts, replace honey with agave... so many options!

1 cup oats

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup flax seed

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup honey

1 tbs vanilla

With a large spoon, mix peanut butter, vanilla and honey until smooth. Stir in the flax seeds and coconut next. Mix in the oats last and slowly, you may want to use a little less than a cup depending on the consistency - you want them to be malleable. Add chocolate chips last. Shape into tablespoon size balls and let them sit on a baking sheet for a few minutes to set.

Stripes on stripes on stripes

I think my daughter's styling is actually rubbing off on me. She's OB-sessed with stripes. Well, to be clear, the idea of what looks cool to her changes almost daily, but one thing she never tires of is stripes. She wants to wear them constantly. And always all together. So I decided to pull a Stella and don all my stripes at once. I'm totally digging the effect. What do you think?

Blazer - H&M

(Still avail in some stores)

Striped dress, worn as a top

(From a clothing exchange. Doing another one soon!)

Skirt - Forever 21

Heels - Forever 21 (old)

Bag - Vintage

Side note confession: When my hair was super long, all I did was throw it up into a top knot bun. And that got real old, real fast. Now that it's growing out a bit, all I'm craving is the ease of the "toss up"... I guess we're never happy, are we ladies?