How to wear a beanie

I look terrible in hats. I have a big head (always have), and hats just make it look bigger. But my friend Kendra has a simple trick for making winter hats look cool...
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The Best Salted Caramel Brownies You'll Ever Have

When exactly did the world realize that sea salt makes every dessert 1,000 better? Ever since that lightbulb moment, sweet-and-salty desserts have reached a whole new level. Lucky for us, Victoria from A Subtle Revelry has agreed to share her salted caramel brownies recipe that will blow your mind (and make you the star of the show during the holidays)...Read More >

Homeland

Have you guys been watching Homeland? Alex and I are obsessed. The show follows a bipolar CIA agent (Claire Danes), who suspects that a rescued prisoner of war (Damian Lewis), who has just returned to the United States, has actually become a terrorist. It is SO TENSE. You're on the edge of your seat for the whole show.

We got the first season on DVD and have been glued to it every night for the past week. It’s funny when you have the dvds and can watch all the shows in a row, because it gets in your head. Usually when we go to bed, we talk about Toby or life or whatever, but now we get in bed and we’re like, "Oh my gosh! What do you think her deal is?!!! Who do you think was on the call?!!"

P.S. Claire Dane's cryface.

Hair tutorials

For holiday parties and dinners (and even the flight home), feel free to look back through Caroline's hair tutorials. Wouldn't it be pretty to wear three twisted buns with a sparkly dress, or a mermaid braid with a wool sweater? You can find all fifteen tutorials here...

Braids:
* Mermaid tail braid
* Half-up braided crown
* Braided top bun
* Four-strand braid
* Braided crown
* Pretzel braid

Ponytails:
* Messy side ponytail
* Ponytail twist
* Sleek parted ponytail

Buns:
* Three twisted buns
* Top knot
* Rope bun
* Gibson roll
* Chestnut bun
* Messy French bun

P.S. Also, this year's holiday gift guide will kick off this Thursday, I hope you like it:)

(Photos by Jamie Beck for Cup of Jo)

New little darlings

My friend's son's nursery is filled with these baby animal photographs, and apparently her little boy says "good night" to each one every evening. How cute is that? Today photographer Sharon Montrose just launched two new little darlings—a baby camel and a baby zebra. What little faces...
And this video broke my heart...(P.S. Here's their holiday sale.)

(Animal wallpaper by Anthropologie)

Do or Don't: Kids sharing a bedroom

While househunting in Brooklyn, we've been seeing both two- and three-bedroom places. Needless to say, the two-bedroom spots are much more affordable. But since we're hoping to have two children, if we get a two-bedroom apartment, they'd have to share a room.

What do you think? My sister and I shared a room for a while, and I liked it; but Alex shared a room with his much older brother for a decade and was always dying for his own space. Should each child have a room to call their own, or is it fun to share? Did you share a room growing up? I'd be so grateful for any advice...

P.S. Smart way to divide a room, and nursery in a closet.

(Photo by Meghan McEwan)

Motherhood Mondays: Do your eyes light up when you see your child?

Whenever I see or call my mom, she always acts ecstatic. Even though I'm usually regaling her with something super boring ("I’m ordering Mexican for dinner tonight,” "I’m kind of sleepy today,” “Did you see that it snowed?”), she’s always thrilled to hear every detail. And although I’m 33 years old, it feels reassuring to have someone who is so reliably happy that I exist.

Learning from my mother, now that I have a child of my own, I try to never hide how happy I am to see Toby. Even when I'm buried in emails or writing a post, I always look up with a huge grin and eyes twinkling when Toby walks in the door. Even when I'm sick, busy, tired or stressed, I want him to always know, 100%, that I'm glad he's there.

Author Toni Morrison shared a similar sentiment on Oprah years ago: "When my children used to walk in the room...I looked at them to see if they had buckled their trousers or if their hair was combed or if their socks were up. You think your affection and your deep love is on display because you're caring for them. It's not. When they see you, they see the critical face." Does your face light up when your child comes into the room? she asked. Because they notice.

Toby, for one, has definitely noticed. He'll sometimes even come through the door and announce, "Ta da!!!" It makes my heart sing that he believes he's worthy of such fanfare.

What about you? Have you ever thought about this? Maybe every mother does! It's one of those little things that feels really important.

P.S. The first time my eyes lit up.

(I wrote a shortened version of this post for SFGirlbyBay; thanks, Victoria)