Happy Birthday, Catie

My little sister Catherine turns 18 years old today! Getting together has been a more difficult task theses days, but yesterday my brother Chris and I decided to take Catie out. We started at The Jolly Pumpkin in downtown Ann Arbor for some amazing food and drinks including a cheese sampler platter, a truffle pizza Catherine and I split, and the JP burger with a side of their famous truffle fries for Chris. We absolutely loved the atmosphere there. It was as if we were transported to NYC's West Village, one of my favorite boroughs in the city.

After dinner, drinks and nice conversation, we stepped out to some live music and stuck around for a bit to take it all in. We walked over to the State Theater a few blocks away to see 50/50. I'd highly recommend it if you haven't seen that movie! The soundtrack was great, and I really liked Anna Kendrick's character too.

Once the movie was out we walked a few blocks until my sister and I spotted this dimly lit bar called The Raven's Club. It was the perfect spot for grabbing a drink after the show. She and I ordered a couple coffees, mine with a shot of Bailey's and hers with cream. We split the seasonal apple and rhubarb crisp over a candle lit table, which complimented our coffee quite well. The night turned out to be a lovely one. Happy Birthday Catie, xoxo!

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a few extras:

- the pop of bright blue in this fall ensemble.

- this chocolate chip cookies recipe

- these festive treats

- design your own cards/memory books with pinhole press.

- warm up with these fall dishes

Cupcake Delivery

(photo source)

My cousin Niki turned 25 a few months ago and I'm not sure about her, but I know I'm dreading turning 25 this year. I don't want a party or gifts (well, maybe a gift or two wouldn't be the worst). In my opinion, the best gifts to receive are the edible kind, which  was how I got this gift idea.

A gift of this sort may not be ideal for anyone since it depends on your geographic location, but lucky for me (and her), Niki lives in NYC! I vividly recall her and I shopping along Bleeker Street last summer, and making a stop at the infamous Magnolia Bakery for a mid-day treat. We each picked out a decadent cupcake and couldn't help but devour them shortly after we shot a few photos. :)

This year I wanted to make her birthday special by sending a few delicious cupcakes straight to her door. I originally wanted to go through Magnolia Bakery, but unfortunately they didn't have a location in Brooklyn. Though I did find an alternate route that was closer to her neighborhood called Crumbs! They makes cupcake gifting so simple + fun with many flavors to choose from!

On their website you'll find an option that allows you to create your own six pack. They provide a number of pictures and details describing their unique cupcake selection--from peanut butter cup, to cappuccino, to blackbottom cheesecake brownie, there's lots to scroll through. After making your selections, they even provide the option to add a birthday card. Simply specify how you'd like them to personalize the card and voila!

If this isn't for you, check out more of my gift ideas, here!