Coffee Break

I am not a coffee expert or anything of that sort, but the one thing I do know is
before I came to this city I was drinking Starbucks, or standard drip style coffee at most diners of America. I do not have anything against Starbucks coffee but i do know it is full of calories, and the flavoring they use is full of artificial colors and flavors.
When walking around Melbourne there are cafes on every corner and to sit outside and catchup with a friend or read the paper alone with a latte is a fave past time of mine.
Yes any other city in Australia will have coffee, but I believe it is the cobblestone alleys lined with trendy cafes, the vibrant sound of a barista frothing milk mixed with quick conversation and a warm and cozy feeling that makes Melbourne the best place to drink coffee.

This weather makes me so happy!

Sun all week!! I truly believe that the weather has a strong influence on people. Today there is not a cloud in the sky....

Taco Truck-Melbourne

The other day my friend Kana and I had a little lunch date with a truck. Not just any truck, a TACO TRUCK! These guys drive around to certain areas of Melbourne and post where they will be on Twitter and Facebook, and people show up. Simple as that!
For all of you jaded people in LA and NY with food trucks on every corner, there are only a small amount of food trucks in Melbourne so these guys are extra special! Plus they really do have the BEST fish tacos, and they even serve them Baja style with the white sauce and cabbage! Just the way I like it! Recently they have built another truck so they might be in two places at once! Follow them HERE. Your welcome.

P.S. How cute is the truck??

St Kilda Favorites

The first time I came to Melbourne, my boyfriend took me on a date to a nice restaurant on the beach. It was love, not only between him and I, but the location where the restaurant was, St Kilda.

St Kilda is my absolute favorite area of Melbourne. It is a small suburb along Port Phillip Bay, if you didn't know Melbourne is located next to a Bay. Yup, no waves here. I'll admit, St Kilda is one of the more trendy areas, so it is expensive to live in, and because of the action surrounding, it is full of tourist and backpackers. But St Kilda is a short tram ride (trams 16 or 96) from the CBD (Melbourne's central business district), has some of the yummiest food, best bars, attractions and it is right along the beach. What is not to love?

St Kilda Faves

Luna Park(top)- This amusement park, has been open and running for 100 years and was actually styled from the original Luna park on Coney island. The main entrance face is a Melbourne Icon. 

The Esplanade Hotel or The ESPY- Dating back to 1878, The Espy was first a private home to a wealthy Philanthropist, then it was turned into a "Hotel" and entertainment venue after his death. There are many bars or pubs here in Melbourne called Hotels, and the reason is because in the early days, bars were only allowed licenses if they had rooms for their customers to sleep in. Even though most are just bars now with no rooms available they have kept Hotel in the name. Kinda confusing. All in all its a bar, music venue, and restaurant on the beach. 

Radio Mexico-The mexican food craze has FINALLY hit Australia! woooo! When I moved here there were hardly any Mexican food restaurants, and the ones that were around were...um...not so mexican. And since I am from California and Mexican food is everywhere I totally missed it. Radio Mexico just opened up this year, and has Tacos, ceviche, and so much more! They even have $5 cans of (enter Spanish accent) "Tecate Cerveza". Oh yeah.

Aussie Thanksgiving

When the holidays roll around I always have mixed emotions. I am so far away from my American friends and family, and I have a great people here in Aus too! But no matter the holiday, I always try to make the most of it.

Thanksgiving is strictly an American/Canadian holiday and unlike Halloween no one here celebrates

it unless u are roped in by a North American. This year was my 3rd and most successful aussie Thanksgiving. 

We had an abundance of help, with my bf and his sisters helping with the food and decorations, his oldest sis even made custom place settings to go over the silverware (shown below). We had a big dinner of 11 people. And it went perfect!!

I have to say it is always a weird feeling having Fall traditions, when it is spring time here.

If you are curious our menu was:
•Turkey
•Stuffing
•Mashed potatoes
•Green beans with bacon, cranberries and feta ( these were a hit, I got the recipe HERE)
•Salad
•Yams
And Always....Deviled eggs!
Then for dessert......of course Pumpkin pie and apple cider!

Hard Rubbish DIY

Ive never been one to pass up a DIY project. And in Australia, they have a thing called "hard rubbish day". Basically everyone puts their unwanted large items like, mattresses, couches, tables, tv's, out on the curb and the trash people come around and dispose of it for you. Most of it is really well, rubbish. But sometimes there are little gems just waiting to be made pretty again! So i found this beautiful piece sitting out on the curb near my house and I saw the potential. All up the whole project cost me about 50 bucks.

Supplies:
2 cans of black spray paint
1 can of primer
1 small can of gloss black paint
1 small can of "tacoma teal" paint
1 plastic drop sheet
Wood filler
Masking tape
Paint brushes
Turpentine


1: mixed a new paint color with paint i already had.
2. I gave the whole dresser a big wash and sanded every inch. Sanding helps to take the previous finish off to help the new paint stick.
3. I bought a wood filler at a hardware store and filled in the small cracks and chips. Let that dry for a few hours.
4. Primer that baby! I bought a white primer spray paint and coated all of it. Let dry.
5. Spray painted all of the base with a satin black spray paint.
6. Hand painted the drawers with my pre-mixed color I named "tacoma teal" and the handles with a gloss black.
7. Gave the whole dresser a second coat once it was dry the next day.