Life Lately // Boston cherry picking + Los Angeles Eats

Happy Fourth! We just got back to sweltering Boston and spent the morning up north doing one of our favorite activities – picking delicious fruit at Parlee Farms! Over the years, we’ve enjoyed picking fresh peaches, berries, apples and pears at local farms, but cherries are a first for us and they did not disappoint. The cherry window is very short, so be sure to go soon if it’s on your list! I blogged before about this farm and their delightful cut-your-own flower fields – the owners were telling us they planted an acre of sunflowers as well this year!

In sale news, my striped dress here is currently 40% off with free shipping (no minimum). Continue reading below for a few other holiday sales going on right now!

H&M

Tons of holiday markdown including steals on womens and cute kids / baby stuff! If you’re expecting, also be sure to check out their large assortment of sale nursing and maternity pieces, including these maternity 3/4 length leggings I love that are now $6!

Express

– Tie waist high rise sash pants and mid rise ankle jogger pants (30% off) – remember these super popular pants that I blogged last year? These two current options look very similar with great reviews, and are available starting in xxs petite!

– Mix & match swimsuits (50% off!) – I’ve been wearing this ruffle tie front top + scalloped bikini bottoms on repeat! Wore it here and squeezed into it again here. Their swim pieces are generally good quality with lining, removable bust pads, and adjustable straps if applicable.

Ann Taylor

– $59.50 sandals event – Such a good deal (and not final sale), as this is almost 60% off! Includes these suede block-heeled sandals (“blush” is a pretty neutral), and these crossover leather sandals in classic black or tan.

– My ruched knit pencil skirt from this blog post is now $24 – $28 in two colors!

– These fun red gingham kitten heels are just $36 (from $138) and avail in sz 5+ but note they are final sale

J.Crew

– Striped midi dress sz XS (40% off; straight-cut style), worn above at the farm. As fewer and fewer pieces in my closet fit these days, I’ve been shamelessly repeating outfits from head to toe! More photos of today’s outfit can be found in this blog post .

– Petite work pants and jeans. I can’t come close to fitting in these now, but their Cameron pants (see my review) run small with no waist gap, and they’re usually excluded from sales!

As some of you saw on Instagram, my grandpa has not been doing well so we visited him in LA over last weekend. For the elderly, I feel like physical health is almost directly linked to one’s spirits. The moment he saw us, his face completely lit up and he joined us out and about for the first time in weeks! The trip was worth it just to see him that radiant, excitedly snapping pictures (for his social media which he takes very seriously, lol!) and chowing down at all the restaurants we took him to.

Top left: Traditional Chinese / Taiwanese breakfast at Huge Tree Pastry in Montery Park, CA. Sweet tofu pudding with peanuts, sticky rice rolls (fan tuan), baked sesame bread, and fried donut sticks (you tiao) dipped in soy milk. My grandparents are from Northern China whereas I was born in Southern China. I’m more partial to savory breakfasts and dim sum for that reason, but these simple, authentic dishes made them so happy and nostalgic!

Top right: Udon and tempura at Marugame Udon. Simple but satisfying. Only get the tempura if it’s fresh out of the fryer, as some of it looked rather soggy from sitting around.

Not pictured: Nick and I had dinner one night at Kazu Nori handroll bar after the elderly went to bed. We love Sugarfish so had been meaning to try this! Very simple concept with few but good quality ingredients (fresh seafood, warm rice, crisp nori seaweed wrapper) together hit the spot. Also enjoyed the meal pacing – each new roll is made once you’re done with your previous one.

Not pictured: Din Tai Fung is always a hit.

Top Left: We also tried a few different places in Grand Central Market in downtown LA, and thought this sampler platter at La Tosataderia was yummy. Each of the mini tacos and ceviches had a slightly different flavor profile. The seafood cocktail in the back was good, but I wish it came in a half portion.

Top Right: Tofu stews + short ribs at SKD Tofu House. We’re deprived of great Korean food in Boston, so no trip to LA or NYC is ever complete without some!

While the grandparents napped, Nick and I snuck off to Smorgasburg food market on Sunday for some Shrimp Daddy platters and Chi Chi Dango shaved ice! These dishes brought us right back to Hawaii and were so good on a hot day.

We drove by Echo Lake one day and decided to stop and stroll around. What a beautiful little respite not too far from central LA! We spent about an hour enjoying the lotus flowers, and watching the plentiful turtles, ducks, and bird mamas with their babies. They also have swan paddle boats if you go with kids!