Miette is the adorable cake and sweet shop in Hayes Valley. The ambiance and offerings bring a smile to my face!
And here the macrons from Paulette - a gourmet experience. My favorite was the rose and raspberry, Caribbean chocolate and almond wedding cake. They are to die for! A great gift to bring to a party or dinner. They pack them in these nice boxes.
Sometimes I need to indulge, but with the bad economy and a heighten environmental consciousness buying stuff should be absolutely out! It's hard to abstain, but honestly: do I need to add another object to my already filled up house? Do we need anything? I came up with a rule for gifts this Christmas: I will only give gifts that are either hand-made, something to read, something to eat or drink or an experience (like inviting the person to a museum, concert, play or restaurant). So many items end up forgotten in the corner or eventually find their way into the landfill. The stuff we have in our houses demands on top of it a lot of attention, like organizing it, keeping it clean etc. Once you possess objects, your work doesn't stop, because you need to manage them. I want to cut down on this and feel that I don't want to burden my friends with more stuff either. If you give an experience or something to eat, it will be a memory for the recipient that will only take up space in her brain, but not her apartment. It's a great rule to live by yourself and so once in a while I treat myself to a good dessert. I get to indulge without feeling guilty, that I bought something expensive or added another item, I didn't really need. In the attempt to curb my shopping desire I also got more into cooking and baking. It is a very involved activity (just like crafting) and takes up a lot of time and therefore keeps me off the street and out of trouble. Oh, I forgot: Flowers are also allowed. Buying a lovely bouquet of cut flowers once in a while is a sure recipe to bring some beauty into your home, without adding to the clutter of stuff.
