Camping

I'm so excited to be going camping with friends.  

So excited that I created an etsy treasury to celebrate.  

You can see it in more detail here.

Easy as Pie

pie in the morning I, a photo by shauna | glutenfreegirl on Flickr.

Well, this morning as I was looking at Creature Comforts Blog, I realized how much longer I look through that particular blog because of the "You might also like:" section below each of her posts. So, with a quick google search, I found that it's as easy as pie & you will now see these little links below each of my posts.

Click on http://www.linkwithin.com/learn

Fill in the section on the right with your blog details 

and then click GET WIDGET.

This will automatically open your blog platform (such as blogger).

Click INSTALL WIDGET and the click ADD WIDGET.

It's that easy.

Babylonstoren in Cape Winelands, South Africa

I realized that I never shared more photos from my holiday a couple of months ago, so I decided it was about time.  

The highlight of this trip was the amazing accommodations that I got to experience.  I was pampered beyond belief and have the dreamiest memories because of it.  

One of the most special places of all was Babylonstoren, a farm hotel about 45 minutes outside of Cape Town.  The Cape Dutch farm is nestled into the Drakenstein Valley with gorgeous gardens and vineyards surrounding the property.  

There are bicycles for guests to explore the grounds, 

and let me tell you - the grounds are worth exploring.

This is the jaw-dropping view as I walked into my cottage (just one of fourteen).  The glass-walled kitchen/dining area brings the garden into the cottage.  

The living area is such an inviting spot, especially in the evening 

with a roaring fire and a good glass of wine from the 

vineyard down the road.   

And my obsession with white on white decor had me nearly leaping throughout the cottage, as every room had a crisp casualness that was sophisticated and rustic at the same time.

The gorgeous arrangement that you see here was like a little bouquet garni for the bathtub.  As I soaked in a steamy bath that night, the scent of these in my bath water was so relaxing.

And how often does one flip through a magazine to turn the page and find the room in which they are sitting staring back at them?!  It was such a strange sensation.

I did a little dance when I saw that my cottage had a Nespresso machine - one of my best friends that I'd been missing while on holiday.  We reunited with sweet harmony.

Instead of flowers awaiting me in the room, there was a crate of fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden.

And who wouldn't fall in love with a property that leaves turndown (lavender) cupcakes instead of the stereotypical chocolates?!?

Since I visited in the middle of the week during low season, the restaurant was not always open.  As compensation, a huge plate of charcuterie and fresh bread was brought to my cottage to accompany my bottles of wine for dinner each night.  Nothing beats fresh bread with local cheeses, vegetables and tasty meats. 

Even thought there are plenty of common outdoor areas, each cottage has its own outdoor space for eating and relaxing.

Ducks and chickens add a little whimsy to the gardens.

So often in this area, crushed peach pits are used for paths.  It looks like reddish gravel until you get real close.

I cannot recommend this property enough as a place to escape to a simpler life.  One could stay at least a week and still have plenty to explore in the area. 

I love you Babylonstoren.

Hot days of

Technically Summer is not even half over which is fabulous news for me because there are still so many things I want to do on my Summer to-do list.

Visit Montauk

Swim in a lake

See an outdoor movie

Ride a roller coaster

Go to a batting cage

Bicycle the Green Way

Have drinks at the Bryant Park Summer Cafe

Go camping upstate

Picnic in the park

Build a sandcastle

So, 5 down & now 5 to go to "complete" my 2011 summer experience.

Six Wishes

Last year I put together a custom cupcake themed birthday outing for my dear friend Karolina. I mapped out 6 cupcake bakeries in NYC that we could walk to without traipsing all over the city.

I made an accordion book with water-colored cupcakes on each page with 6 real candles tucked into the imaginary frostings. At each of the cupcake bakeries, she got to blow out a birthday candle for a total of 6 wishes throughout the day.

Of course we rated each cupcake experience as we ate our way through the day too.

While the Cupcake Cafe was by far the most beautiful to look at, the horrendously rude service (and frosting that too closely resembled plain butter) put it towards the bottom of the list. This saddened me because with such a whimsical and happy decor and cupcakes as gorgeous as these, there should be nothing but smiles at this place.

I have never been able to figure out the obsession with Magnolia Bakery. Yes, it feels like you're stepping back into a 1950s country store and the jars of colorful sprinkles charm the visitors, but after that, I start to lose interest. Of course we stood in the ever-present line to get a mini-cake though because the 2nd wish was waiting.

I am happy to announce that my interest did perk back up with the discovery of their amazing banana pudding.

The wonderful Sweet Revenge was at the top half of the list with by far the friendliest service (who would expect less from a fellow-Hoosier?). And who wouldn't love a place that pairs wine with cupcakes?! Both the sweet and the savory treats were tasteeeee.

BabyCakes in the East Village caters to the vegans in the group.

The nostalgic store was a sweet experience.

We made it to Sugar Sweet Sunshine just as they were closing, so the "collage vibe" of the store was visited only briefly to get a tasty treat to go. Even though we were there as they were trying to clean up & leave, we were waited on with a smile.

The over-all winner was Butter Lane. While the customer service could take some major pointers from Sweet Revenge, the limited mix and match options have never disappointed with freshness and tastiness.

I'm sorry it took me so long to post something about this outing, but it was a fun one to remember.

To see a map of my tour, click here.