Highlights

Posted in Accessories, Breakfast, Film, Food by C.

It’s my first week back into the “real world” after a short break. It’s been pretty chaotic getting back into the swing of things, but as the week comes to a close I’m beginning to find my stride again. When I think about the highlights of my life lately, I think about how much one can accomplish if you just put one foot in front of the other and get it done. By nature, this is equal parts easy and difficult for me to do. I very much have the personality that I like to meet any challenge and won’t back down until it’s to my satisfaction, but there are those times I let procrastination settle in – particularly when it’s something I don’t feel like dealing with anyway. For example?

…My air-conditioning. Since I moved into my own place (away from the constant breeze of west side living), my A/C has been deciding to work properly only when it feels like it. The problem is that I’ve been letting it behave that way for a year. I finally got to a place after a 100 degree preview last weekend of what’s to come and decided that it was time to address it with my landlord once and for all. Of course, when they came to test it to see what the trouble was, it worked swimmingly (don’t you hate when that happens?). Despite this, I told myself I was not going to accept it any longer, even if it meant having to press the issue. I was now in a space to deal with it and when I’m in that space, nothing can stop me (blu-hu-ha-ha-ha!). I marched downstairs and told my landlord with a polite, but firm tone that I wanted it replaced. They changed it the next day. Mission accomplished.

On a different note, you might have noticed a little make-over to All that Glitters this week. Thanks to my friend Tonya over at Budget and the Beach, I’ve been thinking a lot about our recent lunch where the talk was all about blogging. More to come as I develop a new creative and visual approach to my site. I’m so excited to share my ideas with you!

A few other smiles that made my week (that interestingly involved breakfast food on two occasions)?

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{The BEST pancakes I think I’ve ever had from Du-Par’s on 3rd street.}

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{Cranberry Orange Muffin and an Intelligentsia iced latte from Graffiti made my Sunday morning as we made our way to see Iron Man 3. It was an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up…for the muffin, the latte, and the flick!}

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{Enjoying a thoughtful handmade birthday present.}

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{May’s Birchbox is here!}

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{A super cool belated birthday card from a friend.}

Have a great weekend! Star Trek Into Darkness – TONIGHT! xx

18Jan2013

Highlights: Wrapping up the Holidays

Posted in Accessories, Breakfast, DIY, Fashion, Film, Food, Fun, Treats by C.

Mid-way through January already…geesh! It’s been so much fun reminiscing about a very memorable holiday season with you! I’ll be wrapping up my winter adventures with a few fun extra highlights gathered during my Christmas vacation. Next week, I’m looking forward to officially wrapping up the entire 2012 calendar year with a look back at all my favorites in film, leading up to my top 10 personal favorite blog posts of the year! Enjoy the long weekend gang! Here are this week’s final highlights from the holidays:

{My new earrings worn on New Year’s Eve. LOVE.}

{New year, new way to make breakfast. While I’m no stranger to making breakfast on a Saturday morning, I have to say it was a nice change of pace on a Thursday morning over the long vacation to get up and try something new. Rather than scrambling plain eggs, I decided to punch things up and add some bacon and spinach and opted to make roasted potatoes and toast on the side. I couldn’t have thought of a better way to start a Thursday.}

{Making my first cup of tea in my new tea kettle that I got as a Christmas gift. There’s something so ritualistic and cozy about making tea the old fashioned way on a hot stove.}

{As a stocking stuffer, I received this awesome sweet treat from Baked By Melissa. 3 mini cupcakes dipped in chocolate. What a great idea! I found out that you too, can have these bite sized goodies delivered right to your door step from their New York based shop. Check out their website for details.}

{Baby it’s cold outside. Luckily, this new super soft scarf from The Gap helps.}

24Sep2012

Blu Jam Cafe

Posted in Food, Treats by C.

Location: 7371 Melrose Avenue, Mid-City

Blu Jam is an awesome place for breakfast if you have some time on a leisurely Saturday to wait up to an hour for a table during their busiest time, but I was in a rush on my way to the office and decided to perk up my Monday morning not too long ago with a quick stop here for the best latte fix on Melrose! I don’t know what it is that they do differently to their caffeinated beverages, but I suspect is has something to do with that blender behind the counter. It’s the last place the mixture of espresso beans, milk, and vanilla powder meet before the perfect shade of tan hits my not so eco-friendly plastic cup. Rich in taste, creamy, and cool. $4.50 well spent. And while not much cheaper in theory, a superior alternative to those who are currently pissed upset with Starbucks for screwing over disappointing their Gold Rewards members last week by removing soy milk and syrup on the house to its most loyal caffeine addicts. Here’s to supporting local small businesses and sticking it to “the man.” 🙂

(Shhh – don’t tell “The Bucks” but Blu Jam’s coffee is better anyway).

T’was a happy dance on a Monday. Well, as happy as you can be for a Monday morning (strike 1); sitting in traffic (strike 2); contemplating what you want to do for the weekend, but realize you still have 5 days to go (strike 3).

Have a great week and may it be full of caffeine!

29Aug2012

Strawberry Smoothie: A Homemade Jamba Tale

Posted in Breakfast, DIY, Fun, Treats by C.

I woke up one morning last week wanting something different to start the day. The caveat being that it needed to be quick to make, easy to take with me on the way to work, and ice-cold because I knew a hot summer day was ahead of me.

Thanks to Pinterest, I’ve been collecting ideas for awesome smoothies, but found certain things that turned me off (i.e. Greek Yogurt) within the recipe. So I took a chance, trusted my taste buds, my instincts, and went with an admittedly safe, but very yummy Strawberry Smoothie. My first homemade concoction. Jamba Juice would be proud! Well, maybe not so much. I’m sure they’d prefer I come in and spend $5.00 on one of their smoothies, but you get the point. 🙂

It took 4 simple ingredients:

-1 cup of ice

-1 and 1/2 cups frozen strawberries

-1 cup vanilla yogurt

– 1/3 cup blue agave sweetener

With the press of a button, I had breakfast ready in just a few minutes. I grabbed my reusable travel cup, filled it up, and placed it in the freezer while I finished getting ready for work. 20 minutes later, I made a quick stop to the kitchen to pick it up and out the door I went.