Cupcake Bliss

I spent my New Years in my hometown, Palmdale, CA. Most of it involved eating and sleeping... my mother managed to get me to make some earrings for some family members in the Philippines, but mostly, it was eating and sleeping. The highlight of my two-day-food/coma-stay with my family were these little cupcakes.

My sister, Michelle, and sister-in-law, Jie, introduced me to these mind-blowing cupcakes. They know the best places to eat and aren't afraid to try new things... Well, when this shop popped up in Palmdale, my sisters fell fast in love :P These pretty little things come from a shop called "Nadia Cakes." The first one I tried, and which is still my favorite, was the red velvet cupcake with a cream cheese frosting. The cupcake itself was moist and delicious and the cream cheese frosting was light and airy and overpoweringly sweet. I ate the whole thing and asked for more (I know, I know... diet, right? These cupcakes are WORTH it).

Later on, when we went to go pick up a pizza for dinner, I decided we needed more cupcakes and dropped by the cupcake shop to pick up some more treats. Now, they're not cheap, but you do get what you pay for. Each cupcake comes out to under $3. And if you buy a dozen, its $28. But you get to pick from flavors like strawberry, lemon drop (my second favorite with its lemon filling), caramel macchiato... and more! Each one is just as pretty as the next and I'm sure, just as moist and delicious.

The cupcake I had today were left overs from yesterday and they're still oh so yummy. The guy who helped us yesterday said, "We try to focus on the moisture." Let me tell you, keep doin' it, because they totally rock.

So. If anyone from Palmdale is reading this, or if you're planning on visiting (I don't know why you would but if you do), do check out Nadia Cakes. Their address is 39604 10th Street West in Palmdale. They do custom cakes too. Check out their site on www.nadiacakes.com.

THOUGHTS ON THURSDAY: A New Year

This week, at my store, I put together the huge theme table that is supposed to be giving people exactly what they're looking for this time of year. Over Christmas, it was half humor and half FOOD books. And it was a hit. Now? ALL DIET BOOKS.

I know that with the new year coming, more and more people decide that now is the time to start a new diet. And I have to admit that I am falling prey to the "Man, I need to lose weight" train of thought. I could stand to lose a few pounds. Maybe more than a few pounds. It would not only help my health but probably my wallet as "big girl" clothes are WAY more expensive than "tiny girl" clothes. Which, personally, I think sucks but eh.

I've always been fuller than most girls. I've never been "thin." But I haven't always thought of myself as "fat." And it doesn't help that my parents call me fat, too (cultural thing, I'm told... to call people fat and call them out on their flaws like if they forgot to tweeze or don't have the money or time to wax their upper lip). Or that I live in the land of the beautiful: OC, CA.

Overall, I'm happy with my life. I have a wonderful boyfriend. I get to create things in my free time. I have loving siblings and a nephew who is just a bag of giggles. And I have a job...

But... I do compare myself too often to other girls and wish I weren't so big. Maybe when Monday rolls around (they say not to start a diet/exercise routine at the end of a week- new years is on Friday), maybe I'll try to think more positively about myself and about life. Oh, I'll try to be a bit healthier as well and maybe start a work-out routine, but I think more importantly, I should change the way I think... and my attitude about things.

Hmm... I have tiny hands. Take that, tiny girls.