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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Coffee lovers


The hubs and I are slowly becoming coffee snobs. He recently (like year or so ago) started drinking coffee to help him wake up in the morning and now he loves it. He almost likes it more than I do. We recently started trying new kinds and we bought an Aeropress. It is by far my favorite way to make coffee at home. So far our favorite bran is most definitely Stumptown. We heard a lot of good things from a lot of people so I ordered one of their most popular blends for our first try. I am excited to try some different blends from there as well. I'm realizing that I love making coffee almost as much as I love drinking it. I'd love to open a coffee shop someday or possibly a mobile shop!

What kind of coffee do you like? Do you have any suggestions we should try?

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

A * Pour Toi

A * Pour Toi is a wonderful little company that specializes in monthly gift boxes. I got a chance to check out their boxes and see what they were all about. Each item is hand picked and not only delicious but nutritious as well! 
 Here is a quote from their site:

"a*pour toi, which translates to a*[present] for you, is an elegant gifting experience that nurtures the relationships that are in your life through the delight of a present. Founded on the principle of giving with care, elegance and joy, a*pour toi brings pleasure to your life by selecting and providing the finest gourmet items with surprise and delight: delicious food, consciously chosen, makes for a rich life."

images courtesy of a * pour toi

When I went to their site the first time the first thing that I noticed was the lovely aesthetic of the site and the boxes. The design is simple and elegant. I knew I wanted to check out their boxes. When I got it in the mail it had a lot more than I expected it to. Inside I found 4 different types of cookies, lemon candies, white chocolate covered pistachios and chocolate truffles! Not to mention they all came in the cutest reusable bag and the box was pretty neat too! Everything was neatly packaged and so cute. My husband and I tried everything in the box and it was all delicious. The cookies were still fresh and the pistachios were yummy! The customer service was exquisite as well. Julie Hasson, the founder, was absolutely wonderful to talk to and work with.

I highly recommend these boxes. They would be perfect for a foodie friend or really anyone! Check out  A * Pour Toi and order a box! You won't regret it!

I also had a box shipped to my friend Sam. Here's what she had to say about it:

"My best friend, often referred to as my biff, said she was sending me a box with food in it from someone that had seen her blog. I thought it seemed pretty neat, but had no idea what to expect. When I opened the package containing the box it created excitement before I even knew what was inside. The box is clean, yet fancy, and gives the feeling of an important gift, one you can't wait to open and discover what it holds. Not only is the box neat, it opens differently then most...it turns open from one of the corners! It is the little things in life that make some of the best excitement. Ok on to what was in it! Deliciousness! things I hadn't tried before all packed in a cute little fabric bag. The entire thing was just a new experience. I can't help but to smile when I walk by my kitchen table and see it sitting there waiting for me to try the next yummy item! My favorite had to be the white chocolate covered pistachios. Normally I am a dark chocolate fan, but this was a delightful pairing. My husband and I both also really enjoyed the Almondina, which was a cookie with almonds and raisins dipped in dark chocolate. As I said though, everything it contained was delicious. One final thing that I believe truly made it special...the name. A*pour toi. A present for you, the explaination is included in the box as well as a lovely introduction to the company. Both of which make the gift all that more meaningful. It is a great idea and I hope to purchase a couple throughout the year. I'm excited to see what the upcoming months will contain!
Here are a couple of photos of my a*pour toi:"




Thursday, January 3, 2013

2012

2012 was absolutely wonderful. Here's a quick little recap of some awesome things that happened.

We got our sweet baby, Otter.

I went on a lot of biff dates with this lady.

I visited NYC for the first time and I can't wait to go back!

Went on a wonderful anniversary trip with my love to Kansas City.

Celebrated the holidays with family.

Got to meet Juliette Lewis!

Sam and I started our photography business.

So many other fun things happened but these are some of my favorite moments. I can't wait to see what 2013 brings!