HI.

I’ve been in a Hunger Games trance for the past week or so, burning through the entire trilogy as if my life depended on it. Let me tell you how tricky it is to become so engrossed in something at the precise time of the year you’re supposed to be focused on holiday nonsense! Very tricky! I only just finished the final book, Mockingjay, earlier tonight, and I’m still in a stunned daze. The petite has only just gotten through half of the second book, and the tomboy has pledged to at least read the first one. Do you know what that means? My lips must be sealed in the comfort of my own home (for the time being, anyway) – I can’t talk about it all! It’s brutal! I have so many feelings!

We did have a really wonderful weekend, though, when my nose wasn’t deep in a book. On Friday night, M took me on a low-key secret date. She warned me beforehand – “it’s just a casual one, Jonesey, don’t go getting all fancy now!” and so I threw this outfit on. We had dinner with gorgeous vintage motorcycles floating over our heads, and antique toy train sets circling the perimeter of the entire place. They had tasty, old-fashioned sours, too!

On Saturday, we headed over the bridge and under the estuary to Alameda, where some dear friends were hosting a holiday soirée at their home. We’ve been meaning to get together for beer can chicken for months but you know how it is, and we finally got around to it!

Lord have mercy, did they ever feed us! Fresh veggies with homemade ranch, and some sort of mysterious and delicious cave-aged cheese for nibbles. Baked brie with caramelized brown sugar and soft, fresh chunk bits of baguette for scooping up the sweet, warm cheese, bacon-wrapped brussels sprouts, their incredible beer can chicken, roasted pork tenderloin, and freshly baked coconut macaroons for dessert. All the Kentucky bourbon in the world, which M sloshed into her eggnog and I with a splash of ginger ale.

It was amazing, their home is lovely and warm, and we just talked and talked until it was time to take a stroll down Christmas Tree Lane to see all the houses lit up in their holiday finest. We had the incredible good fortune to catch both the Dancing Christmas Tree Ladies and the festively lit motorcycle brigade, too! Afterward, we all had coffee or tea and a light, layered chocolate mousse before presents were opened and we parted ways. It was a fantastic evening!

Of course, we came and collapsed and stayed that way all Sunday long, watching holiday movies like The Family Stone and Love Actually, and It Happened on Fifth Avenue for good, old-timey measure, all snuggled in and nursing a small fire for hours.

Now here we are, five days ’til Christmas and just twelve until the New Year! The other day I said that parting ways with 2011 will be like saying goodbye to an old friend, though I know there are lots of you who can’t wait to kick the old bugger to the curb. 2012 is bound to one hell of an adventure for my girls and I, and I’m so excited to roll up my sleeves and get in there already.

411 on the duds:

Corduroy Skinny Jeans: Levi’s
Silk Geometric Print Blouse: Laila & Savannah
Foil “Tantra” Cardigan: Vena Cava
Studded Suede Ankle Boots: Trouvé
Patent Clutch: Alice + Olivia for Payless
Braided Necklace: Tilly’s
Earrings: Silver Crane Sterling
Bracelets: Made Her Think (cuff) and Juniper Tree (beaded)
Rings (L to R): Made Her Think, BCBG, vintage

This little lace jacket is the best thing ever. Well, the best $24.95 I’ve ever spent at H&M, anyway. (Since the time I got this dress.) Since it’s been all Tahoe! Tahoe! Snow! Snow! here lately (you didn’t think I was done posting those, did you?), I thought I’d give y’all a wee break to show you how delightfully sunny and temperate it’s been this weekend.

It was a perfect Sunday. We slept in, made Eggos and cooked our bacon in a bit of Macallan’s short-lived Amber Whisky Liqueur, which was a very clever idea I had while lying half-awake in bed this morning. A friend gave us about 8 0z. of the precious golden liquid last night and we are savoring every delicious, pecan and maple flavored drop. I gave the dogs some much-needed baths and M tooled around the yard, and then we fetched the petite from her grandmother’s, where we all had birthday cake for her auntie.

And then we went to go and see COUNTRY STRONG, and it was fantastical. Yeah, I said it. F A N T A S T I C A L.*

*This has nothing to do with my crush on Blair, I mean Leighton.

Last night we had dinner in the wine country, Yountville to be specific, to celebrate a friend’s birthday at a restaurant called Ad Hoc (for temporary relief from hunger, you know). Yountville at night is positively enchanting, all the trees alight and the picturesque road twinkling like a pristine Mamet set just waiting to be wrecked by humanity.

Ad Hoc was bustling just the right amount when we arrived, the service was almost impeccable and the courses came out at an indulgently languorous pace – we were there for 3.5 hours! There were two highlights for me: the fried Tolenas Farm quail with blonde castelfranco radicchio and a chili garlic vinaigrette, and their magical, magical monkey bread. I’d never had monkey bread! The birthday boy, who is from Kentucky, couldn’t believe we’d never encountered it before. It was served with pecan ice cream and miles and miles of sweet, golden caramel.

We drove all the way back home and had a round of festive nightcaps at the Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda. That’s a pic of us in our little tiki booth up there – I should have worn my coconut bra!

Nothing much else to report except my excitement at having mastered the fine craft of careless, so-what French braiding! I was going to leave them down in pigtails, but the silhouette was so interesting that I twisted them just above the nape of my neck, tucked the ends in haphazardly and pinned the mess into place. On a whim, I clipped these feathers and rhinestones in like I would fresh flowers and that was that.

Lace jacket, hair clips: H&M
Cowboy boots: Nocona
Dress: Zara

The earrings were a Christmas gift from M – dainty, faceted citrine drops with hand-hammered silver rings, the watch is Guess with a vintage band, the talon bracelet and single feather silver necklace are from Banana Republic.

CONFESSION: Yesterday was the St. George Spirits (makers of the delicious Hangar One infused vodkas) Open House Holiday Party in Alameda, CA. The theme was Cheesy Prom and folks were out in all their awesome 80s glory. Since I was there working and wasn’t sure about how dressed up folks would get, I played it safe with this outfit, since it felt like a nice, balanced Pretty In Punk sort of getup, especially with the cheeky animal print tights. The Building A Mystery dress is from modcloth.com, as well as the super fierce Full Throttle heels.

Not so safe was the decision to wear these shoes out for the first time to an event where I knew I’d be on my feet for six hours straight, but surprisingly I had no discomfort with them at all! Phew. It was a perfect choice, and I can’t even begin to describe how gorgeous the old hangar is. All of the beautiful machinery and stacks and stacks of crates of alcohol, with an incredible view of the SF Bay and the city itself, plus all that wonderful natural light coming in through rows and rows of windows all around.

The main cocktail tastings were all named after classic 80s movies – Some Kind Of Wonderful, Pretty In Pink, Risky Business – and the plethora of appetizers being served were amazing, especially the Mexican nibbles from El Huarache Loco, chocolates from Rechiutti Confections and last but not least, the single malt sweet potato pies, which M merrily ate for breakfast this morning. (We slept in until 1PM and watched Breakfast At Tiffany’s over coffee and leftover nibbles from the party, having induced the most crippling food coma ever after an incredibly filling dinner at Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack in Bernal Heights.)

Thank heavens we only have a 2-day week this week! Hope y’all had lovely weekends. XOXO!