thanksgiving yummy-ness.

every year for thanksgiving i make two things:

cheddar-chive mashed potatoes

{recipe found here}

&

a gooey cake
{as referenced here}

what you will need:

1 Box of Butter Golden Recipe Cake Mix

1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese {room temp}

4 Eggs

1 Pound Powdered Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter {melted}

what you will do:
preheat oven to 350 degrees.

empty contents of cake mix in bowl and add in 2 eggs and melted butter. mix well. once mixed, pour batter into a buttered cake pan and set aside.

in a separate bowl beat sugar, cream cheese, and eggs. once mixed, pour the cream cheese batter over the the cake batter and bake until golden brown.
note: the baking part of this recipe is the hardest. the cake is supposed to be gooey but not raw, pay careful attention to the top of the cake...if it seems to be browning too fast make sure to lower the heat.


 this year, i also decided to add one more dish to my list...

brazilian french toast...we brazilians call it rabanada.

{recipe found here}

my grandmother is usually the one in charge of this dish but since i won't be seeing her for thanksgiving this year, i had to take matters into my own hands. although i wont be following the exact recipe i linked {i have my grandmother's family recipe} it's a good one for you to try {i would just nix the rum}.
let me know if you try any of these recipes and what you think...now i'm off to begin cooking!!!!
HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING.

mama with style: heidi klum

heidi klum.

she's a drop dead gorgeous supermodel mommy of four who knows how to make casual cool.  i absolutely  LOVE her jean & sneaker combos and covet every flowy tee she's photographed in. they really are the perfect pieces for a hands-on mommy who is usually on the run with her kids. check out some of my favorite looks {it was so hard picking!}...

photos courtesy of: Heidi Klum Online & People

this one's for the boys...

gap

zara

crew  cuts

 the best thing about these looks is that they can be easily replicated using pieces your lil' man may already own. for instance, he already has the basics like jeans, a collared shirt, and a cozy sweater so all you would need is a cool belt or some cool shoes to complete the look.  i like to stock up on basics from my local target, walmart, and old navy and tend to buy shoes at nordstrom, zara, h&m, gap, and marshalls{MY FAVE}. when buying for my kiddos, i usually stick to the same rules i use when shopping for myself...cheap basics and splurge on one thing like a killer pair of shoes or a cool jacket. this allows you to create tons of fun looks for your lil' one without breaking the bank!

what are some of your favorite places to buy basics for you little guy?

what do you tend to splurge on?

i'd love to hear your own tips and tricks so send them my way!

kenana knitter critters

i have never really been one to buy toys for my beauties.  for one thing, my mother has bought them enough toys to fill a small shed...and the other reason being, i would much rather spend the money budgeted for toys on going somewhere fun with them or buying them an educational video. there are times however, where i come across certain toys that i fall in LOVE with and just CAN'T resist...one such toy would be the

  kenana knitter critters

aren't they adorable?
the best thing is that they are not just adorable toys but they are toys that are making a huge difference in the lives of many families in the rural  african villages of kenya.
how so you say?
well, each critter is hand made {i'm talking hand spun, dyed, and knit} by village mommies who are all part of a self-sustaining co-operative that ensures each knitter earns a fair wage for her work. earning decent money then means they can buy food and can afford medical treatment for their babies!!!!
check out some of the wonderful ladies at work...

so now that you are in the know...make sure to check out and purchase a kenana knitter critter for your own babe(s) . in exchange for your adorable toy {they also serve as beautiful decorative pieces}you are helping another babe in need.  you can find some at my shoppe in hollywood {as seen here} or on the web here. and for more information on the kenana knitters and to see other ways you can help go here.

sister style.

 

On Samirah:

Zara Top

Old Navy Skirt

Stella McCartney for Baby Gap Tights

Minnetonka Booties

On Nylah:

Nymimi Rosette Clip

RBB Reversible Smock Dress

Peek Aren't You Curious Sweatpants

Superga Sneakers

On Samirah:

RBB Cardigan

Knit Ruffle Dress-Available exclusively at The Right Bank Babies Shoppe

Stella McCartney for Baby Gap Jeans

Zara Ballet Flats

On Nylah:

RBB Cropped Sweater

RBB Reversible Shift Dress

RBB Lace Leggings

Superga Sneakers

{dressed up for an engagement party}

On Samirah:

Crazy 8 Dress

Zara Ballet Flats

On Nylah:

Crazy 8 Dress

Target Leggings

Adidas Samba Sneakers

On Samirah:

RBB Slip-Prototype Sample

H&M Cargo Shorts

Ugg Boots

On Nylah:

RBB Baby Doll Top

DKNY Cargo Shorts

Ugg Boots

{date night with papa}

On Nylah:

RBB Peasant Blouse

Stella McCartney for Baby Gap Jeans

Crazy 8  Leopard Ballet Flats

On Samirah:

RBB Embroidered Tunic-hand me down

Joe's Jeans

Converse Sneakers

eat, drink, and be scary.

i know halloween is way over and thanksgiving is right around the corner but i just HAD to show you some pictures of the AMAZING party my oh-so-talented friend angela of bambina mia threw this year.  i cringed when i saw the pictures on her blog...not by the thought of eating zombie brains or cockroach cupcakes but by the simple fact that i was not able to attend her freaky little shindig. uuuggghh to having to choose between two different events you really want to go to!!! anyhow, take a look at her blog and see the rest of her genius-NESS on display.
oh yeah, and one more thing...not only does angela makes some of the cutest little onsies ever (take a peek here) but she also plans events. so make sure to give her a buzz whenever you need to throw a kick-butt shindig of your own.

a simple moment. washing the car.

the other day i took samirah to the office and i felt like a HORRIBLE mother.  not because i took her in with me {she has actually come with many-a-times and really enjoys it} but because i was so consumed with what i needed to get done that i found myself being very short and very impatient with her. and i mean VERY impatient.

 as i drove home that day i stared at her angelic little sleeping face in the rearview mirror and was filled with remorse. i regretted not being a little more patient and making her day of working with mommy a fun experience. instead, i made it a day where all she heard was, "sit down!", "don't touch that!", "don't do that!", "don't go there!", and "do you wanna time out?"... my poor baby.
now i do realize there are some days i will have more patience than others...but  the point of my post is not about being patient with my kids.  what i'm talking about is much deeper than that. it's a harsh reality that i must face as a mother...a working mother. that reality is BUSY-ness. the kind of BUSY-ness that makes me forget to enjoy the simple moments in life. especially the simple moments with my beauties.
that night, as I drove home, i thought about how fast time flies and how i need to slow down and constantly remind myself that my babies won't be babies forever and every moment i  have with them is a precious gift.
and i'm not just talking about the disneyland, holiday, or birthday party moments...
i'm talking about every moment. 
especially the simple moments.
****
so today i want to share one of those moments from this past weekend.
  a simple moment that consisted of a sunny afternoon, my car, soap, a bucket, a sponge, a hose, and lots of scrubbing.  nylah was so into it{mimi was under the weather and decided to nap instead} she would shoo my hand away if i tried taking the sponge from her or even showing her how to do it. i could hardly handle the cuteness of her running back and forth from the bucket to the car over and over and over again...i wanted to just scoop her up and squeeze her!  upon feeling the urge to say, "okay now, thats it", i  remembered the vow i made to myself to enjoy every moment with my babies...so i let her scrub to her hearts content. then she and papa rinsed the car and took it for a drive to air dry.
thats it. a simple moment. 
a simple moment where i stopped everything to enjoy my baby girl...

shoppe tour.

last week i received an email from a sweet customer telling me she loved the shoppe.  her email made me smile. the highest compliment you can give a business owner is to tell them you love their establishment. she ended her email with, "the funny thing is i was trying to explain what your store looked like to my sister over the phone and was having a hard time doing it. the best i could do was say it was funky and sweet...".

in response to her kind email i decided to take some pictures of the shoppe and email them to her with the subject heading, "to help you explain".

so since i had those pictures i thought it would be fun to share them with you as well. here you go...a virtual tour of The Right Bank Babies Shoppe...

 if you live in the LA area make sure to stop by and say hi!

mama wants...

this fluffy white bedding...

Anthropologie Cirrus Bedding

a pair of cardones {i fancy the ones on the left}...

TOMS Grey Cardones

a neutral colored furry coat...

Juicy Couture Faux Fur Swing Coat

and the perfect pumpkin cobbler recipe...

{if you have one send it my way!}

wee people.

a few months back Free People contacted the right bank babies offices requesting some hair accessory samples.  we were a bit perplexed as to why the popular women's label wanted children's accessories but either way we obliged.  

after a series of exchanged emails we found out the label was branching out and creating the children's version of free feople which they adorably dubbed "wee people".  

in the end, they didn't take any of our hair accessories but they did choose to use three of our fall 2011 designs in their holiday catalogue and their website...I'M STILL FREAKING OUT ABOUT IT!!!!

take a look at what they chose:

{our tweed pant}

{our jeans}

{our miss kitty bloomer}

i have seriously browsed through their website like a hundred times already (no joke).

the styling in brilliant!! these free people people are going to cause some serious damage on this mama's bank account for the holidays.

here are some of the non-RBB looks i'm LOVING...

{and my FAAAAAAVE}

i was tempted to paste the entire website onto this post but i'm going to let you check it out yourself....
GO HERE and then come back and tell me what you think!