Night Out for a Good Cause, Tomato Bruschetta & Getting Ready for the Fall Cozy Season

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HANDS ACROSS THE VALLEY GALA AT CHARLES KRUG WINERY

Last weekend Jim and I had the good fortune to attend Hands Across the Valley’s 31st annual gala and auction at the historic Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena. The annual event is a fundraiser benefiting Napa Valley’s safety net food programs.

The evening kicks off with a cocktail hour where Napa Valley’s finest vino flows alongside small bites from the best local restaurants. Guests sip and nibble while perusing the evening’s auction lots. This year’s dinner, catered by Elaine Bell, was served family style … which I love.

Jim admired the fancy cars that were part of an auction lot. The cars weren’t auctioned, they’re part of a day trip driving extravaganza.

After dinner, the auction featured Liam Mayclem, a popular Bay Area radio and TV personality, also known as The Foodie Chap. It was Liam’s 5th year as auctioneer and he was his usual dapper, charming and witty self. When the auction ended Time Bandits hit the stage for fun music and dancing under the stars.

Want to know what I wore? Ok, I’ll tell you … my absolute favorite one-shoulder Selani dress by Rails. I’ve worn this dress many times over the summer starting off with our Italy vacation and it’s perfect for early fall.

Dress | Gold Hoops | Basket Tote | Sandals | Sunnies

IT’S (STILL) TOMATO SEASON

It feels like we went from zero to too-many-tomatoes overnight. Last week I shared my go-to, super easy tomato basil pasta and this week I’ve been making bruschetta on repeat. I use Valerie Bertinelli’s recipe but I leave out the olives. I use red, orange and yellow cherry and tear drop tomatoes … the tri-color combo is vibrant and delicious.

STAY ORGANIZED BY THE HOME EDIT

I get very excited with the arrival of a new book, and never more so than the latest by The Home Edit gals, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin. Stay Organized: The Ultimate Guide to Making Systems Stick is the perfect title, and content, for my life at the moment. Having just finished a serious closet clean out I went straight to the Closet chapter for tips on how to better organize and maintain my current degree of semi-order.

The Home Edit: Staying Organized

I’d like to do a better job of maintaining my cleaned out and paired down closet and I know Stay Organized is going to help and inspire me to do it. More on my closest clean out process here, here and here.

DREAM HOUSE DOWN THE STREET

Shall we swoon over a beautiful home? Let’s!

This house is sort of down the street, I drive by it everyday on my way to town. It’s been for sale twice in the last two years and I just received a flyer from the sellers agents Stella and Stephanie bragging over highlighting their record breaking sale and ungodly price tag. The home gives me Hamptons vibes … and I’d love to get a peak inside. Sadly the closest I’m going to get is real estate photos … good enough.

Welcome to a Lafayette family oasis: a traditional estate ideally suited for modern times. This gorgeous gated property embodies New England-inspired elegance across 1.5 park-like acres. Staying home never felt so good. Custom craftsmanship is found throughout the compound’s three buildings of expansive spaces totaling 8, 960 sq. ft., 7 BR/8.5 BA. French doors open to sunlit patios for the best in indoor-outdoor living. The light-filled main residence, with its five-star chef’s kitchen and oversized stone fireplaces, is comfortable and capacious. The La Cornue handcrafted French range and rotisserie are a chef’s dream. Movie nights in the home theatre will become a family favorite. The gracious carriage house, charming studio guest house and custom children’s playhouse accommodate a wide range of needs. Outside, beautiful grounds, oversized porches, swimming pool, cabana and spa make this a special property that offers a unique blend of privacy, pleasure, tranquility and security.

My favorite spaces are the kitchen and outdoor living areas. Let’s start in the kitchen with that gorgeous hood. It looks like hammered copper. The flooring choice is beautiful. I like a darker finish and it gives the house a vintage feel. You know what bugs me? All those can lights cluttering up the ceiling. Building code requires a ridiculous number cans and I hate it. Real estate photos are often taken with lights on, where design photos mostly use natural light and these eyesore cans aren’t so in your face.

What a generously sized breakfast area. I’m fond of round tables. And those rattan chairs with loop de loop backs are so good. Not wild about the chandelier, but I’ll allow it.

Wine anyone? There are those darn cans again. This room could use a good chandelier over the tasting table.

Talk about resort style living. Note to self: start buying Lotto tickets and catch this house next time it’s on the market.

 

GETTING READY FOR THE COZY SEASON

Now that’s it’s officially fall I’m ready to prep for the cozy season. Starting with with what I’m wearing like these super soft and warm sweatpants that I shared last weekend. And, because I’m a late-to-the-party Birkenstock fan, I ordered these clogs as my cozy fall winter house (and out of the house) shoe.

Alo Accollate Storage Leg Sweatpant | Birkenstock Boston Clog

It’s time to up the coziness factor around the house too. And that means getting out the oversized faux fur throws I bought last year to tuck around the bottom cushions of our sectional.

Oversize Faux Fur Throw

And my light colored throws be replaced with autumn colors like these chunky knits from Target.

 

Heavier knits, wools, cashmere and mohair are also cozy additions to sofas and chairs.

 

My fall scented candles have been out for a couple of weeks. I light this autumn scented candle in the kitchen every morning while making breakfast. And this pumpkin, caramel, butter candle is on my coffee table. The delicious, subtle aroma wafts around even when the candle isn’t lit.

 

Also in the kitchen, apples and pears have replaced bowls of citrus that sit on the counter. And next week I’ll pull down my fall bins to retrieve my collection of woven pumpkins to scatter around the house.

 

As for the front porch, where the bulk of my seasonal decorating happens, I’m waiting (patiently?) for a local floral designer to open up her fall wreath orders. I check first thing every morning. My preference is for a eucalyptus wreath (similar here and here) with a long streamer of velvet ribbons in various widths.

 

The rest of my porch stays true to past years, layered natural fiber doormats, a couple of lanterns with small pinecones scattered around flameless candles. Mums will be added to my porch planters … hopefully this week.

 

My favorite thing about the fall season is the food. Comfort food. In between tomato recipes I’ve whipped up a few fall comfort favorites to share next week.

How’s your fall tradition going?

Current Favorites ~

And that’s what I have for you this week.

Let’s see what’s inspiring Kim and Elizabeth …

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STYLE

PINECONES AND ACORNS

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Any thoughts you’d like to share?

I’d love to hear them and you can drop them in the comments below.

Cheers from Snowberry!