Friends, it’s official. tinyDallas is now D Moms Daily.

In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be automatically redirecting you guys to the new site, but in the meantime, bookmark moms.dmagazine.com so you don’t miss a thing.

We’ve also launched a D Moms site on Pinterest, and (in perhaps the most exciting news) D Moms magazine will be on newsstands next Thursday, September 20th. That’s a sneak peek of our cover above… Suffice to say, I’m pretty darn excited!

Cut to one year later and I’m apologizing to you, profusely, as I am firmly in the midst of a major ”oil moment”… I’m even slathering the girlies with oil (much to their chagrin). It’s a family affair.

Herewith my current oil arsenal:

For face: In the morning, I press a few drops of One Love Organics Morning Glory into my visage. The stuff smells amazing and makes me look at glowy (not greasy) and bright and awake. I am addicted. I’ve yet to find it locally, so I’ve been buying it online. At night, I up the oil ante by dabbing some Seabuckthrorn oil (procured at the Whole Foods) around my eye area. My skin has never been happier, truly.

For body: I toggle back and forth between La Tourangelle grapeseed oil from, wait for it…the cooking aisle at the Whole Foods (the lovely and amazing Kayli House who appears in our inaugural issue of D Moms turned me on to this genius trick) and, when I’m feeling especially swish, Clarins Tonic Body Treatment Oil.

What say you friends, are you on the oil bandwagon? If so, what do you use?

In my dreams, a Dorothee Becker Uten.Silo wall organizer (above) is hanging in the girlies’ room, in all its iconic, German- designed glory, housing their pencils and markers and hair clips and errant plastic toys and all the other assorted flotsam and jestam of childhood.

But there’s the matter of paying for ballet lessons and volleyball uniforms and, well, you know…a college fund.

So in my reality, I planning to snap up one of Land of Nod’s “I Could’ve Bin a Container (Wall Organizer)“. It’s not the real deal, but I’m thinking it will do the job. Plus, at $49 a pop, I can swing one for each girl (read: no arguing) and still have cash on the table for higher education.

P.S. I’m also rather smitten with the Sunbeam Little Miss Stella sweatshirt. Millie would rock this action. Just sayin’.

Who she is: Photog extraordinaire, half of husband/wife team behind D Magazine’s Style Sheet, and mom of six-month-old Rennie.

Why we love her: She’s insanely talented and one of the kindest people we’ve ever met. Truly.

Herewith a peek into Kristi’s world…Enjoy!

Always in your handbag: Black Sharpie (not sure why), Pellegrino, Tom Ford black eye pencil (be warned: you might feel like you’ve been maced when you accidentally rub your eyes at 3 am, but worth every bit of having anything Tom Ford on your face), Steiff’s Kleiner Floppy Lamm aka Rennie’s ‘Magic Lamb’, unnecessarily excessive wardrobe options for Rennie.

On heavy rotation: Juicy by Notorious B.I.G., Mr. Brown by Bob Marley, Oddity by Zwicker, Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads, Suffragette City by David Bowie.

On your nightstand: Paris Vogue March 2011(C.R.’s last issue;), Paris Vogue Collections Fall/Winter 2012, D.V. by Diana Vreeland, Coco Mademoiselle, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.

Your “uniform”: My beloved, 2011 investment piece, and two-time StyleSheet-worthy, Roberto Cavalli suede boots, Rag & Bone distressed jeans, and Michael Kors black featherweight cashmere top. For parties: anything head-to-toe black or head-to-toe champagne color.

Your go-to restaurant for family dinner/for date night: For Family: Rise nº1 is our absolute favorite and perfect with Rennie because she loves the tree lights and the vast selection of pop-up books!

Adult Time: Backgammon, dinner, and a movie. Scot makes the most incredible feasts at home! Last time it was roast beef and yorkshire pudding with carrots and potatoes, a bottle (or two) of Malbec, and we watched (most of) The Longest Day.

Audrey and I were on a bit of a mother/daughter date yesterday, involving some school clothes shopping, a little fro yo, and a pop into the Barnes and Noble, when we happened across the cutest baby book…of all time.

Behold Romeo & Juliet: A BabyLit Board Book by Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver.

Sadly my girlies are both a too old for this bit-o-cuteness, but my sister Jennifer just had a new baby girl (welcome to the world sweet Macie), so I have the perfect excuse to buy it.

This Sunday The Reading Room gallery is hosting “The Yankee Doodles Sing-A-Lot Sing-A-Long,” featuring American Revolutionary era songs and action rhymes . Then after the music, the lovely folks from Oil and Cotton will be leading the kiddos (and grown-ups) in making their own personal flag or banner. Selected artwork from summer classes at Oil and Cotton will also be on display.

Come sing along and bring all tiny patriots and future revolutionaries for this clever back to school program.

I can’t think of a better way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon. Who’s with me?

Details:
The Yankee Doodles Sing-A-Lot Sing-A-Long
Sunday, August 19
4:00-6:00 p.m.
The Reading Room
3715 Parry Avenue

Today is day three of our 2 week “ship” period for the new D Moms magazine (!!!), when we essentially pull together every. single. page. before we send it off to the printer.

To say that I am excited about this enterprise would be a vast understatement. Creating this new publication with my amazingly creative colleagues is akin to birthing a third baby. I am equal parts exhilarated and exhausted. But mostly I just can’t wait to share the end product with you guys!

It hits newsstands on October 1st… Stay tuned.

We’re off at the crack of dawn tomorrow to take the girlies on a little adventure to Marfa. This is the second year we’ve made this trek in August, and it’s become a pilgrimage of sorts. The eight hour drive, vast, wide-open West Texas desert landscape, magical star-filled sky, and, well…quiet of the place, make it a perfect spot to transition from lazy (for the most part) summer days to the bustle of the school year.

People have asked us what the heck we do in Marfa with kids. (I’ll admit, it isn’t the most obvious of choices for a family vacation.) My answer: not a whole lot…which is only partially true. We visit friends, marvel at Donald Judd’s pristine metal cubes and Dan Flavin’s neon light wonders. We wake up early to look for flattened pennies on the train tracks and then linger over Eggs Benedict and good coffee at Cochineal while the girlies play with other diner’s dogs. We ride our bikes down the middle of deserted streets at night and eat (really) good pizza and get ice cream cones from the laundry mat. If we crave a little escape from town, we drive to Balmorea and swim in the icy cold spring fed pool.

But, most important, the four of us come home rested, closer, and wholly recharged.

If you want to do the same, I’ve created a little Marfa guide for your planning pleasure after the jump.

STAY:

El Cosmico       – Liz Lambert’s latest genius project is (in the words of Austin architect and El Cosmico Project Manager, Jack Sanders) “part yurt and hammock hotel, part residential living, part art-house, greenhouse and amphitheater” … It was too hot to stay there in August (at least for us), but I think it would be total magic for a spring or fall visit.

The Thunderbird       – Probably the most oft-recommended place to stay in Marfa, The Thunderbird is a revamped motor-court similar in aesthetic to one of my all-time favorite spots, Austin’s Hotel San Jose.

El Sueno       – We opted to rent a house on our visits to Marfa to allow more room for spreading out with the girlies, and El Sueno was our go-to for both trips. It consists of a large main house which we comfortably shared with another family on our first trip and a cozy casita where just the four of us stayed this time.

Hotel Paisano       – Most well-known as the place that Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor called home during the filming of Giant, The Paisano is old-school in the best possible way. Even if you don’t stay here, you’ll want to hit up the bar at least once for the stellar margaritas and Shirley Temples (which, much to the girlies’ immense delight, were heavy on the cherries).

EAT:

The Get Go       – By far our most frequently visited spot in Marfa…It’s like a perfect über miniature gourmet store meets Whole Foods. It’s a bit pricey, but being able to get organic plums, good wine + cheese, homemade bread and (the almost impossible to find) Dr. Bronner’s Rose soap in the middle of the West Texas dessert makes it more than worth it.

Cochineal       – Beautiful, simple, spare and really, really excellent food. (It’s sort of the culinary equivalent of Donald Judd’s art.) You have to make a reservation for dinner, but the equally excellent breakfast is a pretty low-key affair. We rode our bikes over there for big plates of French toast, breakfast tacos and eggs benedict both mornings of our stay.

The Pizza Foundation       – Maybe the best pizza I’ve ever eaten…Truly.

Food Shark       – A mobile operation that serves (a fantastic) lunch a few days a week in the pavilion in the center of town… Each day we were there, we witnessed a crowd form promptly at 11:30 when the truck opened and the pavilion stayed packed with locals until the truck pulled away a few hours later.

The Miniature Rooster       – An artful “diner” that serves interesting, “elevated” Southern food infused with some Indian influences…(trust me it works). I had a crazy good trio of beet and arugula salad, roasted cauliflower with capers, and shrimp and grits topped with a poached egg. As a side-note, I caught a glimpse of the contents of their glass-front, walk-in refrigerator on the way to the restroom and it was as beautiful as a Flemish still-life.

DO:

Art — Part of what makes Marfa so special is the ability to view high art in the middle of a such a vast and rural place (and decidedly outside of its typical urban environs). It’s startling to move between the stark desert landscape and the series of six army barracks that have been renovated to house Dan Flavin’s giant fluorescent light sculptures or the huge space filled with rows of Judd’s aluminum boxes collectively reflecting an ever-changing sky. Ultimately it’s this beautiful mash-up that makes Chinati       different from anywhere else I’ve ever been. The girls are completely mesmerized by this place.

Unlike traditional “museums” you can’t just visit Chinati and walk around on your own, rather you’ll need to book a guided tour in advance. They have several options, from hour-long sessions focused on a single artist to a full-day tour that takes you through the entire property. You can also book tours of Judd’s personal studios      , libraries and his former home through the Judd Foundation. We’ve yet to do this for fear that the girls are a bit young, but it’s at the top of our list for our next visit. In addition to the profusion of Judd’s work in town, there’s also Ballroom Marfa       as well as a number of small galleries.

Nature – One of my most blissful moments of our trip was riding our bikes home in the dark after dinner and pausing to gaze up at the star-filled sky (there’s really nothing quite like the majesty of a star- filled west Texas sky). In my core I am drawn to loamy, misty environments rife with fog and towering trees, but somehow Marfa just rocks me in the best possible way. It is achingly beautiful. I would highly recommend carving out an afternoon to drive to Balmorhea State Park       for the scenery alone, but, especially in the summer, swimming in the icy cold springs is a must.

Shops — Similar to the restaurant situation, there are just a handful of shops in town, but each one is artful and special (there’s no schlocky pandering to tourists). Don’t miss Buck Johnson and Camp Bosworth’s brilliant art shop, Wrong      , Marfa Book Co. (which is unsurprisingly heavy on gorgeous art and architecture tomes), Fancy Pony Land       studio and store and Tienda M for beautiful Mexican pottery, textiles and ethereal Dosa dresses. In addition, JM Dry Goods and the tiny gift shops at El Cosmico and The Thunderbird all boast a nicely edited selection of treasures (Bolivian rugs, Turkish towels, candles, cowhides, peasant tops, straw bags, found items, etc…) that feel totally reflective of the region.

Image via Sweet Firefly

Our friends Tim and Julie came over for dinner Saturday night toting some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted. Truly. It was homemade goodness from Richardson’s Sweet Firefly… one container of chocolate and one of sea salt to be exact.

It is some crazy yummy stuff. And given that it’s going to be in the triple digits again today, I’m thinking you have the perfect excuse to go get a scoop (or two), yes?