Valentine's Day

Valentine Pillows, Jennifer Aniston’s Salad, and Winter-Spring Outfit Ideas

February 3, 2023 By kimwheeler 27 Comments

On this weekend’s post a little Valentine decor, inspiration from Princess Diana for transitional dressing, Jennifer Aniston’s favorite salad, books, a show and more..

Can you believe we are in February already? Wow and February usually flies by. This week was busy!

Thanks for everyone who sent good thoughts to my dad he is mostly all healed from his surgery and looking great. His vision is much better he says already! So worth doing and minimal pain and just a little bruising. Thanks everyone for the kind notes. I am so relieved this is over and it went well!

This week I also collaborated with some talented bloggers and we shared Valentine ideas on Thursday. You can read that post here if you missed it with links to all the others great ideas!

I did a tiny zhush up of the entry for February and moved my wool garland I used for the Valentine dinner here from the chandelier. I also added this little heart pillow… Rug from World Market. Similar pillows here and here. Sort of minimal, but still fun.

Spare

I said I would report back after finishing Harry’s memoir on our Live and this is my book report on Spare. I finished the full 15+ hours of listening. I really just wanted him to reunite with his family and be happy and I was concerned this book would make that impossible.

After hearing from others about how good the audio book was I dove in. I know he had help with it and it was beautifully written. I think the tabloids shared only the sensational bits.

I have been a royal fan all my life, but now I find myself hugely conflicted. I encourage everyone to read this and decide for themselves. I especially liked hearing it read by Harry. Some parts literally broke my heart and others are so happy and beautiful.

Harry comes off as a typical youngest boy and as mom of sons, my heart really went out to him. My feeling is he’s been alone in this world since going to Eton at 12 and his father may love him, but is very self absorbed and unable to show it. His loss of his mother left him without anyone ever filling that loving role.

My take away, is we don’t really know the truth about the royals except what we are told in the news. Like many things in this world, the monarchy needs change.. Their collaboration with the tabloids is something they must stop. People need to stop their dedication to these toxic papers as well. It also makes me reexamine my own part in consuming those kinds of articles and websites like The Daily Mail and others.

I found myself sitting listening to the last paragraphs in my car and crying. It shouldn’t be this way. I hope this book helps Harry and William create a better way to live and to someday and be close. I know their mother would want that.

Elizabeth Holmes, who I follow on her So Many Thoughts Instagram and writer of HRH, a former WSJ journalist has a Substack all about the royals and I found it to be an excellent companion to listening and navigating Harry’s book. She’s brilliant and fair and I appreciate her forum.

Harry’s Mama- Princess Diana Style

I shared this photo this week of Diana. I love finding inspiration and often something will cross my radar a bit before I see it’s a thing, a look, a possibility. This rare photo of Diana, before she was Princess- in her Laura Ashley skirt, pie crust ruffle blouse and puffer vest is my latest obsession and I think the perfect transitional outfit.

This time of year when we are still cold, but tired of sweaters and layers, this look is fresh. We can mix winter and spring together. What makes this cool is that they are opposite types of garments- sporty puffers with feminine pieces. Look in the closet and pull out those feminine blouses, anything with flowers or ruffles and pair them with a puffer jacket- or vest. Experiment with the proportions and see what works..Sneakers would be perfect with this look too.

If you need a few pieces, here’s a few I found to consider. Click in photos for links…

A Northern Cal Style Spotify Playlist

I am almost hesitant to share this, but I finally made a Spotify play list with the songs I have used on Reels and on Stories on Instagram. I have had requests for a list of songs-so I finally took some time and did it.

I made this list the more upbeat songs and will later make another with the more moody tunes I have used. If you are on Spotify you can find it here! Let me know what you think..I know everyone’s musical tastes are different. I follow so many playlists. That is what I love about Spotify.

Jennifer Aniston’s Lunch Salad

Since I made the pasta salad for my Valentine’s post earlier in the week, I’ve been loving having a salad in the fridge to for a fast lunch and to add to dinners. Another salad came to my attention yesterday, this dish Jennifer Aniston made for her co-workers most lunches during the Friend’s era.

She recreated it a while back and there is a version of it on the cute site, Food by Maria, which changes it slightly with orzo. Love all the healthy ingredients. Easy to see why they had it for lunch for ten years! I also like the idea of making this on a Sunday and having it on hand to enjoy all week! Would also be a great ladies lunch idea, or a side dish for a dinner.

Codebreaker

This fantastic story first aired two years ago, but I missed it, and you may have also. . Elizabeth Smith Friedman is the American hero you likely never heard of. She was a codebreaker and broke the German Enigma machine on her own and developed methods that we still use today.

Sadly credit for her work was taken by J Edgar Hoover and she kept silent as she vowed to and only recently, when top secret files were unclassified, was her work and all she did revealed. Watch the whole complete show here and more of her truly fascinating life.

There is also a book that the show is based on…’The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and The Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies’. I read the free sample and I was hooked. Just added it to my bedside pile.

Houses of the week

Finally a few more homes are coming on the market and I kind of fell in love with this charming Carmel cottage with pretty gardens and just a walk to the beach. It would be the perfect weekend getaway if I only had 4 million..

If you want to see a truly ‘California redwood’ house check out this place also in Carmel. It takes living among the giants to a new level. I do like the attached guesthouse. It very much reminds me of Humboldt County where Max grew up. They’ve made some pretty design decisions on the kitchen and master bath that work with this woodsy house.. not my style, but I still appreciate it and it’s setting among the Redwoods.

If you missed last week’s post I shared spring colors that are trending in home and fashion, white jeans to add a lift to your winter staples, skin cleansers you might need and more.

I’ll be back on Tuesday with Cindy for our monthly Signature Style.. Can you guess what we are chatting about? I am working on it now..Make sure to subscribe below if you don’t want to miss those posts.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Kim

Please visit my pals Elizabeth and Juliet’s lovely blogs..

MAKE MINE A SPRITZER

PINECONES AND ACORNS

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An Easy Valentine’s or Galentine’s Dinner Party

February 1, 2023 By kimwheeler 16 Comments

Today, join some talented friends and I as we share fun inspiration for your Valentine’s Day. My idea is a simple dinner party you can recreate for your sweetheart, family, or even a Galentine’s get-together with pals.

I did a little dry run of a get-together I am having next Thursday to celebrate two dear friend’s birthdays. It’s just a gathering of four, so I made this super simple and the Galentine’s theme works perfectly for this time of year.

I was excited to use my Liberty of London tablecloth I’ve been saving since I bought it last year. I wish they still had it, but I shared a few other fun ones below…Shopping this week I found these organic cotton napkins at Pottery Barn that coordinate and are thick and lovely and only $5 each.( They also come in many other pretty colors.) I used my scalloped placemats (similar here) with this mix to keep it feminine and then a small pink vase of tulips. I found a cute wool heart garland and wrapped it on my chandelier.

My pink coupe glasses that I love worked so well with this and so did my white Glenna plates.

Liberty pink floral tablecloth and setting

On the Galentine’s menu is pasta salad done the night before, a green salad and a charcuterie board. Recipe for the pasta salad here on Half Baked Harvest. I did not add feta to this photo as this practice dinner was for Max and he isn’t a fan. Next week I will add crumbled feta, and this recipe is an easy one to adapt to whatever you like..

Since it’s Valentine’s I plan to have a Rosé on hand. I think this light dinner for the girls is about right. My experience is women tend to love appetizers and salads..and small bites. For just Max and I, I served the pasta, green salad and salmon instead of the charcuterie board. You could also do a chicken scallopini and a green salad and bread for a family.

For dessert, I made box Ghiaradelli brownies and cut them into squares and added pink and red M&Ms. You can make any cookie recipe Valentine themed with a heart cookie cutter, or just a sprinkling of pink and red M&Ms added at the last minutes in the oven. I have a tiny heart cookie cutter and did a few like that. Just this small addition of the candies makes it festive!

I later added to the table these little primroses in glass pots found for $7 at my local Ace hardware. They make the table springlike and are a favor for each guest to take home where they can replant them in the ground for spring or enjoy the in their kitchen. It was easy to repot them in the vases with a bit of moss in the bottom and on the edges and they look cute on the table..

I hope you find inspiration from this easy Valentine’s Dinner. It could also be a lunch! The important thing is to gather with your people.

Nothing need be perfect. You can be experimental and use a pretty sheet for a tablecloth or a fabric remnant. Mix your plates and napkins, and even find flowers outside and forage. The best part is having fun and creative and make the food easy so you can enjoy yourself too. That’s what I tried to do here!

A few things used here..and others that are similar..

I think you will love what my friends have for you..

Please pop over to their beautiful blogs…

MOST LOVELY THINGS

CLASSIC CASUAL HOME

CINDY HATTERSLEY DESIGN

SHERI SILVER

MAKE MINE A SPRITZER

Thanks for being here..See you Saturday for the weekend post!

Kim

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Some links will generate a small commission here, which helps make this blog possible. Thanks so much for your support.

Like this post? Save the graphic below to Pinterest…

Valentine’s Ideas & Weekend Meanderings

February 4, 2022 By kimwheeler 16 Comments

I’m very excited as today is the first of a new weekend series called Saturday Meanderings I’ll be doing with talented bloggers, Elizabeth of Pine Cones and Acorns and Juliet of Make Mine a Spritzer. Elizabeth has a wonderful way of sharing her favorite finds every weekend. Juliet and I also make many good discoveries we want to share, but don’t always have time for a full blog about them, so this will be a great way to share what we find regularly!

Valentine’s Day is just a week away and to have a little fun while we are up at our tiny cabin, I thought I’d surprise the family with a little Valentine afternoon tea when they got in from a day in the snow.

I knew they would be hungry and cold after sledding and some warm tea and treats would be nice. I made cucumber sandwiches cut in heart shapes, ( Boursin in place of cream cheese for more flavor), and almond butter and fig jam finger sandwiches. I added in some bought macaroons, and shortbread heart cookies, some strawberries and sprinkled in conversation hearts. It was the perfect little snack after an afternoon of sledding or skiing.

You could try something similar for your girlfriends, or family or sweetheart. Add in any little treats you like, but having it on a pedestal plate and a few cute heart shapes in pink or red make it fun. I was lucky to have some red plates and mugs that came with my cabin. I found these cute heart paper napkins which were perfect for the occasion. If you don’t have a pedestal plate, stack two plates with a short glass for the pedestal and use a smaller top plate for the same look.

Last year we decorated Valentine cookies here. I love making Valentines more fun.

Speaking of cookies, how pretty are these Lemon Rose Shortbread Cookies from Half Baked Harvest? I think I may try these beautiful cookies this week. They sound delicious too.

Are you watching The Gilded Age? With only two episodes in, I’m not a huge fan yet. I’m finding the characters just not that likable! Maybe that’ll change as the series progresses. I love everything about that era and the history and if you do too I think you’ll enjoy Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper. I read this book in a few days. It’s engrossing and fascinating about the gilded age and the sometimes sad and unbelievable true story of the Vanderbilt family, of which Anderson is a part of.

I found a few dresses that work for Valentine’s and beyond if you have something festive planned..

This heart tiered midi dress, and this crinkle mini shirtdress are both lovely!

I really enjoyed this home on AD this week in the Hamptons with a sunken conversation couch in denim and this wallpaper in the dining room..

I’m nuts about the Olympics and especially love the winter version. Ice skating is always one of my favorites and this year Team USA is so good. Read more in this week’s Vogue all about the amazing costumes that are constructed especially for our ice skaters like this look on Nathan Chen by Vera Wang.

I am supporting these athletes that have worked their whole lives to compete in these games. I do not support China, and have shared several things about the Uyghers on my Instagram. Perhaps the best piece to explain what is really happening there is this PBS Frontline piece. Everyone should watch and read this and know what is really happening there.

Are you starting to think (well hope) about travel this summer? I am dreaming of going back to Europe and there was a terrific post on the Rick Steve’s blog about Italy’s under the radar towns. It had me dreaming about fresh pasta and apertivo hours.

If you have younger kids you might like this post I did some years back about Griffin and I making some cool Valentines when he was small for his pals and classmates. I miss those days!

I can’t wait to head over and see what my fellow bloggers are sharing today..

Pinecones and Acorns

Make Mine a Spritzer

Hope it’s a great weekend!

Kim

If you’d like to get an email when I post, please subscribe to the blog here for a post in your inbox a few times a month! Thank you so much, as Bloglovin seems to have stopped working and I no longer post as much on Facebook and plan to do less there.

Some links will generate a small commission. Thank you for supporting the blog!

Valentine’s Day Craft Fun

February 2, 2021 By kimwheeler 20 Comments

I love Valentine’s Day!. It’s just what we need for this darker time of year, and a chance to have a little fun.. and don’t we need it now more than ever. My mom made Valentines always special for us as kids. Waiting for us at our breakfast table was a small gift like cute socks or a plant, like a little cactus and of course some chocolate and some money too.

When my boys were small I did the same giving them a surprise at breakfast and we also started our own tradition of making a special dinner and dessert together. When they were very young we had indoor picnic dinner with candles and spread a blanket in front of the fire at dinner. They loved that! They would help set it all up, make place cards and choose the plates and find flowers in the yard. As they older we moved to the table and I made chocolate dipped strawberries with the guys for dessert.

Griffin making some of the strawberries a few years ago before the remodel.

We melted both white and dark chocolate chips in the microwave. After dipping the berries in dark, we’d take a tiny spoon or spatula and drizzle the white over in swirls. A delicious dessert and pretty placed in a bowl after they harden. ( Very organic in looks too.)

For many years Grif and I made Valentine packages for his school chums when he was little. He always loved doing it and I had fun looking back and thought I’d share some of those too for those who have kids or grandkids. I feel badly for the kids who are missing all the school Valentine cards this year.

I realize it may not be cool to share the food items in the Covid era.. So maybe they can just be made and enjoyed with family at home, or you can find prepackaged treats to substitute.

Note: The boy in these photos is now a college student! Griffin was a great card maker – and still is!

One thing we liked doing is getting cellophane bags, cutting them in half, adding something, like these super balls, and fold a square notecard stapled it over the top with a sentiment. This is what Grif did one year…

Another year we did something similar with Swedish Fish.

..and wrote a cheeky, ‘I’m glad you’re in my school.’ That note was tucked inside and we tied it with yarn.

Another year we made arrows and hearts.

You keep the hearts intact and push a pretzel through them and then with kitchen shears cut a notch to make a bigger heart shape on others. Not sure why we did that, but both came out cute packaged in cellophane bags and tied with red ribbons and we put a velvet sticky heart on each.

Do you have any fun Valentine’s traditions or cool ideas? It might be nice to share more ideas here for families at home all together this year!

ANOTHER FUN ONE…Annie’s watercolor hearts! My friend Annie has the coolest crafts on her Most Lovely Things blog and this was one I always loved and easy with kids. You can do it without the heart punch and just use scissors to cut the heart shapes… Aren’t they cute?

I hope you’re having a good week. I have a Valentine’s gift ideas blog coming too!

Kim

Red Fashion -Not Just for Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2020 By kimwheeler 12 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day! Do you have fun plans today? Tonight we are cooking a family dinner with the sons and doing our chocolate fondue tradition. When my boys were small we would do Valentine’s night dinner as a picnic on the floor by the fire with chocolate dipped strawberries we made together. My own mom always made Valentines special for us with a small gift like socks, a little money and chocolates by our breakfast plate. Valentine’s is the day I got engaged 24 years ago and on that same day my sweet niece Veronica was born. It’s one of my favorite days of the year.

I wanted to share a few lovely discoveries in the fashion world I came upon this week in red, just in time for Valentine’s Day and beyond..

Red has never been my favorite, but I needed a pair of red shoes to wear to a Valentine themed lunch and came across a suede pair of sandals at our local and darling She She Shoes. Feeling a little thrilled with the red, and how pretty it looked, I walked over to Banana Republic to see what they had in the shade, and found this very lovely high necked blouse in lipstick red. I’ve already worn them both in many ways this week. Just these two red pieces are making the bland winter closet staples like my camo pants, dark jeans, camel blazer and brown handbag pop! Thanks to Valentines the closet got a little boost and everything feels reinvented and fresh. I guess it is good to go out of your comfort zone and try a little color, especially this time of year when we can use a little injection of bright with the wardrobe classics.

Above and below, you can see my friend Jeanne’s darling red booties she wore to the lunch. SO COOL! I once saw a woman in Paris with almost the same boots and a trench coat and it was perfection. I adore Jeanne’s fun outfit. Her Diane Von Furstenberg lips knit skirt is darling and I have always liked the mix of pink and red.

If you can’t get to She She Shoes, my red suede sandals can also be found here and here. Similar red booties to Jeanne’s are here, here and here. My jeans are Madewell Cali Demi Boot.

Banana also has this darling XOXO sweater.. How cute is this in black or grey? It was hard to choose, but I bought the black. I know it’s cute enough to wear it all year long. Right now it’s 40% off this weekend and I think they have free shipping also.

Happy Valentines to you all in whatever way you celebrate. I’d love to hear any traditions or memories in the comments if you can!

xoxo

Kim

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Valentine’s Gifts

February 7, 2018 By kimwheeler 4 Comments

Valentine’s Day is literally a week away. It pops up before you know it and I do love it. I try to keep it Valentines all month long at home, with pink in my kitchen and hearts about the house. February is such a short month, but it’s special to me in a lot of ways. I got engaged on Valentine’s Day 1996, and my niece Veronica was born on the very same day! It’s also the month my beautiful mom Suzanne was born. She was a Leap Year baby and born February 29, 1940.

Right now, it’s warm, unseasonably so even for California. I am trying my best to soak it in and enjoy. I’ve been distracting myself a bit with all the cute Valentines’ themed things and I have to share a few as they are pretty cute. A few ideas for a friend or maybe just for yourself..

– I am starting to love square scarves again like I showed in my last post. I could wear this Echo I Heart You scarf with so many things.

– I love these Tory Burch Espadrille Mules. I can see these for running about all spring – equally as cute with skirts as with white jeans. The khaki color is another great choice in this shoe.

– How cute is this Anthro metallic zip clutch? I am crazy about these for makeup bags and travel. This is particularly pretty and also comes in a gold and beautiful blue-silver. All were just marked down.

– This J. Crew heart wrap skirt is darling. I love it with these sneakers with a pop of red! It’s also available from Nordstrom here.

– J. Crew is killing it with their T-shirts this season and this Love First one is adorable. It comes in a navy with light blue print too. Another fun piece to layer with jackets and skirts. Both the shirt and T are an extra 30% off for Valentines online if you use code xoxo from J. Crew.

Our family tradition is to cook a big meal with some fancy dessert together. When the boys were small I would always get them a small box of candy from See’s along with something cute like a pair of socks and some cash. My mom always did that for us as kids and it would be at the breakfast table on Valentine’s morning. Do you have any traditions you can share?

Kim

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Valentines Fun

February 14, 2013 By kimwheeler No Comments

I’m loving Valentine’s week! It’s just a fun time right before we take a week off of school for ski week here… I really get into making little treats, decorating the house ( I love this bowl, shown above, forever and always dig it out) and working on class cards with my younger son. Here’s what we are working on for class today…A fun little idea found on Pinterest- where else?

These were really simple and we cut blue paper to fit in clear bags with wavy scissors…

Griffin wrote, “I’m glad you’re in my school.” We filled them with Swedish fish and tied tops with blue yarn.

I think it’s so nice to make your own Valentines. These took almost no time. Last year we did this.

My camellias are blossoming like crazy now! We have pink, white and red and they seem to take turns blooming. The red started first. I am grateful to whomever planted these below our giant sequoia. They are one of my favorite things at this house. Isn’t it amazing how certain plants just sprout in the Winter? Nature’s calendar never ceases to wow me.

In other news, my son Griffin’s play was on stage after rehearsing since October! Groovy finished last week and was so fun. I’m really proud of him and all the kids who stuck it out so long.

Griffin after the show in costume with pals Abby and Seraphina.

Some of the moms of show kids worked the cast party dressed in 60s outfits… I got to wear a vintage 60’s poncho from the costume designer’s box. I wish I could have kept it! What a find.

I checked out Trader Joes’s today and couldn’t resist these primulas in these old recycled pots.

I can’t decide where I like them best.. For $3.99 these are a bargain…

…A great little Valentine gift too.

Yesterday, was one of the most fun events of the year to me, the SAP Ladies’ Day Lunch. The SAP Men’s Tennis Tournament has been held in the Bay Area for 125 years and sadly, will be no more. Women are invited for a special day to watch the professional men’s tennis and then have lunch hosted by Macys and La Crema Winery, meet players and take photos. We also received swag bags with generous full-sized Skinceuticals serum and cream.. Test driving it as we speak and I’ll let you know…( I think they were honing in on the most likely sun-damaged crowd- tennis players.)

This was a treat. I love tennis! At the lunch. Great wine too- Did I mention that?

Aussie and cutie, Lleyton Hewitt was fun to watch..It’s crazy how fast the men serve! I’d run if they put up one of those serve speedometers near me… It would be embarrassing to know how slow I actually am.