It's five days until Christmas. Where did this year go? This past week, it's been a full agenda of having a good time - a work party, a blogger brunch and the Christmas equivalent of Friendsgiving dinner with a bunch of pals. On this rainy Oakland Sunday, I'm taking it upon myself to keep warm and dry by sharing my favorite outfit of the past week of party with you . Just you. I've tried on a million, ok a couple of hundred, combinations of sequined, faux furred and be-glittered items from my closet, but this is the one that just felt the most right. The most festive without straight up draping myself in baubles and also the most luxe. With layers of gorgeous texture and a little polyester thrown in for good measure.  Feline fine, rawr. So this ensemble is truly built around this sweater. Doing my feel-good bit for charity this holiday season, I invested in this cashmere sweater (yep, this is an investment piece I've worn a massive one time) by Char

If you're anything like us and our family + friends, the holidays are all about sharing the responsibility and more to the point, the work. No one is ever expected to provide an entire feast from start to finish. If you're invited, you're bringing something . Even if it is just a six pack of beer. This is one of my go-to dishes for these occasions. It is easy to make, its flavors are warming and apt for the season and it feels indulgent but you're still filling your daily vitamin A, C and fiber quotas.  Ingredients, serves 12: - 4 large sweet potatoes, about  albs - 1/2 a cup of raw brown sugar - 3 tbsp of butter or if you're making this vegan, veggie shortening - 1 tbsp of freshly ground nutmeg - 1 tbsp of freshly ground ginger - 1 tbsp of cinnamon - 1 tsp of coarsely ground pepper - 1 tsp of sea salt  Equipment needed to make this recipe, and life in the kitchen in general, easier: - Hand held blender and large mixing bowl, or a food proc

Typically, in Umami Mart 's own words, "a curation of bar tools and glassware from Japan, as well as a bottle shop dedicated to sake and Japanese beer" , this Oakland based boutique is stocking a gorgeous collection of ceramics and holiday trinkets from Danish makers Studio Arhoj for your holiday gift shopping pleasure. Striking a rare balance between simplicity, modernity and personality - for the record, I've never found myself thinking that ceramics have personality, but these do. In droves - these functional and decorative storage pieces will bring life to any kitchen or bathroom counter top.  Looking to add a hint of kitsch-yet-sleek (thanks to that muted gold) and effortlessly stylish Scandinavian design to your holiday decorating? These tree ornaments have you covered.  So fricken cute, they're sure to please everyone in your family. From young kids to maybe even putting a smile on the face of a critical aunt or a curmudgeon-y, bah humbug-i

1.  OAK + FORT I've been lusting over this minimal brand since discovering them through Instagram earlier this year. Specializing in OS, simple and clean silhouettes - that work oh-so-perfectly with my apple shaped body - I released a small squeal of pig like joy when I learned of their 30% off Black Friday / Cyber Weekend sale. Photo credit:  OAK + FORT Straddling the line between athleisure and minimalism (yes, that is possible) this wool blend, almost tracksuit ( set-e01 ) will stylishly enable many cozy - because it's officially winter in Oakland - weekends. I'm envisioning a casual Sunday brunch wearing this paired with white sneakers like these  Saucony's  and this Isabel Marant Étoile  coat  thrown effortlessly over the top. Photo credit:  OAK + FORT They also have wonderful, minimal jewelry and I could not resist these  earrings. Getting a pair in both gold and silver in geometric circle and triangular designs for ultimate outfit versatility. 2.

For our most recent guest blog, we shared our top 5 places to hit up on Oakland's Broadway. We started our day with breakfast, at Authentic Bagel Co. shown above, and ended it with a donut - but we did plenty more that eat. Read about our adventures here .

Top to bottom: - exterior of Bob's Barksdale Restaurant //  M emphis, Tennessee  - people watching, people eating //  Bob's Barksdale Restaurant,  M emphis, Tennessee  - on every southern table //  Bob's Barksdale Restaurant,  M emphis, Tennessee - star spangled still life   //  Bob's Barksdale Restaurant,  M emphis, Tennessee - pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs & grits   //  Bob's Barksdale Restaurant,  M emphis, Tennessee - mixing console from Ardent  // Stax museum of American soul music,  M emphis, Tennessee - the Hammond organ on which Green Onions was recorded  // Stax museum of American soul music,  M emphis, Tennessee - detail shots of Issac Hayes' insane Eldorado Cadillac   // Stax museum of American soul music,  M emphis, Tennessee - external wall detail - green & blue color study  // Stax museum of American soul music,  M emphis, Tennessee - stride by  // Shirley's

Like everyone else and their momma, we're super into the lace up flats trend. We invested in a couple of pairs from Zara, including  these  beaut's below, but are already scheming more. They  may  rub our ankle a little, but despite the pain (nothing a couple of bandaids couldn't take care of) they have have this magical way of instantly elevating any casual outfit. With their sandal vibe and the full coverage and comfort of a flat, they're the perfect bridge between summer and winter footwear - aka fall footwear, baby. Despite our pretty relentless Bay Area Indian summer, due to an office that blasts AC to near Arctic like conditions, we can still play with autumnal layering (even if we do have to strip down to the studs on our commute).  Layering like patterns with each other is a li'l  thing  we like to do, so we were stoked to learn of Zara's (this is not a Zara ad, promise) dedication to the  co-ord set . The mixing and matching is already thou

We rely a lot on mixing up our accessories, mostly meaning shoes, to breathe new life into our look. This week was no different. These ASOS  heels  stay within our trusted neutral palette, yet they play wonderfully with different textures and have a totally walkable heel.  We'd love to claim we are a heels everyday kind of gal, but that'd be some straight bs. More often than not, we're all about a solid sneaker . After being on a white sneaker kick for a while, adding in this splash of color, courtesy of COMME des GARÇON Play x Converse, was just the step into color play we needed to liven things up for fall. It's been a hair in a low and messy bun with simple, minimal jewelry kind of week (actually, that's most weeks). I'd be lost without mini Scünci claw hair clips and simple earrings like these Madewell, copper, gold and silver micro hoops .  These hot pink and maroon Banana Republic  tassel pumps  are  way  out of our usual comfort