Half and Half Tea Express

Last weekend I had the chance to take a short vacation to California. While much of that is a story for another day I did want to kick off the week with some of the best boba tea I've ever had. When I knew that I was going to be in the Rowland Heights area of Los Angeles I knew I had to give Half and Half Tea Express a shot, especially after reading Joy's review. The tea didn't disappoint.

Upon walking in the shop you are greeted with some seriously cute decor. They have a garden and natural wood theme going and it works. The menu itself is simple, note the ten options on the board, but those options are well worth the lack of variety. After spending a few minutes agonizing over my choice I decided to go with the caramel pudding (that I knew I would enjoy) and the taro pudding (which I wasn't too sure about).

Not surprisingly the caramel was delicious. The honey boba was the perfect compliment to the sweet caramel pudding and I can think of few things that go together better than milk tea and caramel. Unexpectedly, the taro pudding was the stand-out favorite of the morning. The taro had an almost nutty quality, reminiscent of toasted sesame. With the swwet milk tea and honey boba it was the perfect pair. This is definitely somewhere I would return to the next time I'm in California.

Have you found any unexpected gems while traveling lately?

Blue Cheese Crackers with Heirloom Tomato Tapenade

Thanks to the lovely Margeaux Knight I had the opportunity to write my first guest blog. Take a look at my recipes for Blue Cheese Crackers with Heirloom Tomato Tapenade over here at A Snapshot of Today. And while you're there stick around and check out her fabulous blog, I always find some inspiration there!

Let's Talk About Books

It is no secret that I love books. Reading has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember and while that in of itself is a story for another day it would follow that I have acquired quite the collection over the years. When I started my adventure in organization I knew that I would need to tackle my beast of a bookshelf at some point...

Somewhere along the line I stopped curating my collection. I started keeping just about everything I purchased, even stories that I wasn't particularly keen on. Books sat on my shelf covered in dust and filling me with a vague sort of dread. I'd always wanted my books to reflect my mom's collection. That is, keeping only my most favorite books. The pages that draw me back in time and time again. This is a life-long process, but every path has a first step. Mine? A ruthless sorting of the main block of my collection. Gone are the books of my youth that no longer resonate. Books that have gone unread for well over ten years? In the bin. What remains are my treasured favorites, quite the collection of potentials, and a much clearer picture of what I want my book shelf to become.

Not bad for a day's work. And now to the fun part! Finding these books new homes. Something that didn't tickle my fancy could very well be a treasured favorite just waiting to be found. My re-homing process is multifaceted: I have a selection listed up on Bookmooch, some are going to my favorite used bookstore to be traded in for credit, and others are heading to the donation bin at my library branch.

The best part? Clearing out has made space for some potential new favorites. These came home with my yesterday after my first trip to the used bookstore. City of Ashes because I am determined to read this series before the first movie hits theaters later this year. The two Barbara Michaels' were my lucky finds of the day. She is one of my all-time favorites and I'm on the search for specific editions to match my mom's collection (so I can stop borrowing her's). And what sounds like a fun new series with Tempest in the Tea Leaves. I picked it up yesterday afternoon and I'm far enough in to know that there is some fantastic world building, likable characters, and a particularly wonderful cat. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

I'm curious, do you have a system for managing your bookshelf?

Happy Saturday!

There's something wonderful about Saturdays. Rolling out of bed leisurely and spending a few precious minutes curled with a favorite blanket, the whole day full of possibility. Bliss.

This weekend is shaping up to be a good one too. Full of picnics and a trip to Anthropologie. Some much needed time for chores and some even more needed time to write. There's so much to catch up on! What are you up to this weekend?

Go Mighty!

If you follow me on Twitter, chances are you've seen me mention Go Mighty. From their website, "Go Mighty is a place to outline your goals and dreams, track your progress toward checking them off, and find inspiration to challenge your personal status quo." It's more than a life list, it's a support system. It's pretty darn awesome, and something you will definitely hearing more about in this place.

Now, let's back track a little. What is a life list, exactly? A life list is essentially a more optimistic take on a bucket list. It's a combination of goals, both large an small that you would like to accomplish and experience. It's putting those "one day I should..." or "tomorrow I will..." or "wouldn't it be amazing if..." down on paper. A life list gives your dreams a voice. And by sharing those dreams you'd be surprised how much support you'll find. This isn't a list to beat yourself up over, it's a chance to grow. Maybe a year from now some of those goals will change, priorities will shift, and that's okay! The list is just the beginning.

I've been keeping a life list for at least five years now, and maybe even a little longer. It's been a game changer for me. Putting pen to paper has helped me see where my priorities are, it's helped me do things I never would have thought I was capable of. I very much recommend it. And that brings me to this: Do you have a life list? Are you sharing your stories on Go Mighty? Because I want to see. I want us to be able to inspire each other, to cheer each other on. I want 2013 to be a year of change, of growth, and I want that for you too. I'm tired of my personal status quo, aren't you?

My Go Mighty Profile: Here | Photo is a part of my goal to complete a Project 365.

A Cupcake Adventure

Today I want to talk about cupcakes. On New Year’s Day I was craving an adventure spurred on by a post on Retro Bakery’s facebook page. Hot Chocolate Cupcakes. What could sound more perfect on a crisp winter afternoon? All the chocolate and marshmallow goodness of cocoa, but in sumptuous cupcake form. Of course I had to investigate.

Let’s start with the icing. Marshmallow buttercream with actual mini-marshmallow chunks. Smooth and sweet, but not in a cloying way. Just underneath this fluffy top layer rests a small shot of chocolate filling. This is what brought the hot chocolate theme home for me. If the hot cocoa you grew up on as a child had a solid form, this would be it. I appreciate that the filling didn’t overpower the cake, it was just the right amount of sweet nostalgia. The cake itself is a basic, but solid chocolate that stood up to the airy lightness of the rest of the dessert. Delicious.

Verdict: Everything I love about hot cocoa in one delicious cupcake.

This is the special flavor for January so be sure to give them a try before the month is up! It’s worth the drive, especially at only $2.65 each. Of course I couldn’t resist picking up my usual favorites too. The Maple Bacon and Cookies & Cream are always winners in my book. Have you been to Retro Bakery? What’s your go-to flavor?

Small Bites

To keep my sanity I like to break down large projects into small bites. In this case, organization. I’ve started keeping a Life List over on Go Mighty and one of my newly added entries is to get organized. It’s something that creeps on my list year after year. Organize my stuff. Purge my closet of unused items. Get my photos into albums. As I’m nearing 26, though, I’m feeling more self-imposed urgency with this goal. As I slip into my upper-twenties I don’t want to move forward with unwanted baggage. No more books that have gone unread since the age of twelve. Cheap jewelry with broken pieces? They need to go. There’s a quote that I’ve been using as my mantra through this process: If it’s not useful or beautiful to me it does not need to stay with me any longer.

With that decided, it was the next step that had me at a stand still. It’s one thing to say, “This time, I’m going to get organized!” And another thing entirely to follow through with it. Hence, the small bites. My first area to tackle is the hoard of magazines I’ve been keeping around since my tween years. I will not keep full magazines, I do not have the space, instead I will be keeping the pictures and articles that inspire me and turning them into an inspiration book. This means actually sorting through my magazines, which is no small task. To make this a little less daunting I’ve been taking my lunch to sort through a small stack at a time. This gives me a set time limit of about an hour and it leaves me refreshed and inspired to tackle the rest of the afternoon. See, small bites.

Are you undertaking an organization project for the new year? What has been your first step?