a fresh new look

As the 2 year anniversary of this blog is quickly approaching I decided that it was high time Akhmatova got a fresh new look...

Enjoy!

one fabulous house

Teepee in the playroom + books around the dining table = One fabulous house

[On Table Tonic via Hither & Thither]

totes cute

Loving these The New Domestic totes. 
Totes cute!

moonrise kingdom

Yes. Yes. Yes.

cabin fever

Catch a little cabin fever over at Cabin Porn.

the joy of books

Books are awesome. So is Type, the bookstore in Toronto where this little book adventure was filmed.

oakland, my oakland

I'm so proud. My beloved Oakland made it on the New York Times' 45 Places to Go in 2012. It ranked in at #5, right after London. So, seriously, if you haven't been to Oakland recently, come visit.

One of the topics of conversation on this last vacation was where do we go next? A short list: Cuba, Sweden and Norway, Berlin, Shanghai, Brazil, Maine, Uganda...

One location on the New York Times list I wouldn't include on my own is #20: SPACE. The idea of floating out into space is comparable to being adrift on the ocean in a lifeboat atop 20 million miles of deep dark water. No, thanks. Given the chance, would you go to space?

[illustration: john mattos]

uruguay + argentina

Happy New Year!

It feels like forever ago since we got on the plane to go on vacation. I was worried about the long plane rides down and back with a one-year-old, but Stella was a dream. The flights were easier than we anticipated. She's getting to be quite a little traveler.

We packed so much into those two weeks: a beautiful wedding on an Estancia outside Montevideo (Stella partied until 2 am), lounging with friends at La Pedrera beach where Stella took her first steps, a lamb roast, fireworks at midnight on Christmas Eve, a jeep ride over sand dunes to secluded Cabo Polonia, meeting up with my parents for the last week of our trip, lazy walks around Colonia del Sacramento, a ferry ride from Uruguay to Buenos Aires, a visit to Recoleta Cemetery, catching up with an old co-worker/friend in San Telmo, people watching at Bar Dorrego, lunch at Bar 6, shopping in Palermo SoHo, a trip to Carlos Gardel's house, late night games of Bananagrams and glasses of wine with my parents, sushi at Ceviche, amazing osso bucco and wine at Gran Bar Danzon, the awe-inspiring views at Iguazu Falls, watching Stella take more steps around the apartment we rented for a week in Recoleta, perusing the shelves at El Ateneo (one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, but a horrible selection of books in English), many stops at Freddo for chocolate maroc and banana ice cream...and so much more. What a trip. I've only managed to post a few photos from our trip so far, but I will post more soon. Enjoy!

on holiday

We leave tomorrow for our Uruguay + Argentina vacation. 

I can't wait until we're actually there, all in one piece in Montevideo. It's going to be a LONG trip made up of 3 plane rides with our active and opinionated one-year-old followed by a wedding just a few hours after we arrive. Yep.

Right now I'm dreaming of the days we're going to spend at the beach, walking the streets of Buenos Aires, and breathing in the mist of Iguazu Falls.

Happy Holidays, have a smashing New Years, and see you in 2012!

[image: Georges Dambier]

swimsuit dilemna

Shopping for a swimsuit in December is an odd thing. On Friday night I realized that I needed a new swimsuit (or 2) in preparation for our trip to South America this coming week. We'll be spending 5 days at the beach in Uruguay, and the bikini I wore in Mexico a few months ago was feeling a little big then. Swimsuits are something you kind of need to try on, but as no store anywhere near where I live carries them at this time of year I had to go online. I settled on these simple Volcom suits. Fingers crossed...

Polka dot top

Polka dot bottoms

Black bikini top

Black Cheeky Bottom