Friday Knows Tea

Summer is such a good excuse for shaking, stirring, and otherwise mixing up tasty cocktails to cool you down. While I'm generally an "Irish whiskey, neat" kinda gal, the sunshine tends to make me super feisty. During the hot months I find myself craving salsa (both the food and the music), grilling with friends, hanging outside with my kiddo, and DEFINITELY a parade of fun cocktails. The lovely Beca, owner and creator behind The Shrubbery , was way into the idea of coming over for a cocktail tutorial afternoon. Mixed drinks are not my area of expertise, so I was really amped to get some education on the subject. I infused the booze, picked up some assorted citrus at the store and eagerly awaited the arrival of my dear friend. Ok, at this point I'm going to hit pause on the story of a delightful afternoon for those of you who don't know how to infuse spirits with tea. It's seriously easy, instantly makes cocktail hour more interesting and will absolutel...

As you probably know, I perceive the world with my taste buds. My dominant form of synesthesia is Lexical-Gustatory. This means I literally taste words, ideas, feelings, personalities, etc. The overwhelming majority of my blends are direct translations to leaf of the flavors my brain-mouth is experiencing. Today, I wanted to share with you the way I experience one particular flavor profile: Love. To be specific, I'm talking totally bonkers, swept-up, overwhelming, skin-tingling passion. The kind of Love you feel when you find yourself clicking over and over and over with someone. The kind of Love that makes all the garbage and difficulty of the dating world worth it. The love you feel for family, close friends and pets is a different (though still yummy) flavor. I'm particularly fixated on this tasty, tingly sensation because I'm right in the middle of it these days. For the last two months, I've been in the midst of a crazy whirlwind romance. It's bee...

Let's talk stress. I don't know how many times a day I think or say or just blind-panic over the seemingly inescapable reality that I don't have enough time to stay on top of my life. Especially as an adult, and ESPECIALLY in the city, where everything feels so pricey and so fast-paced. I often let myself think I need to keep moving to survive. This shark/hummingbird mentality prevents me from enjoying my life more than I would care to admit. I recognize the importance of slowing down and recharging my batteries. I am an intelligent, capable woman with a firm grasp on the concept of self-care. In theory, anyway. In actual practice, here is what happens: "Oh look, my to-do list is approaching Epic. Let's prioritize and go item-by-item until it is finished and I feel accomplished and totally in control of my life." "Ok, first task is taking longer than I anticipated. No big deal, it's still early." "Crap, I only have (insert time countdown her...