smile

I continue to see articles about toast. Yes, that is what I said… toast! It is turning into the newest fad. $3, $5, $7 slices of thick toast. Some with cinnamon and sugar, others with jelly, or other savory toppings. It is locally made, and sliced thickly, and toasted to perfection. Much of my research shows that this new toast trend first popped up in the San Francisco area, but is starting to make its way across the country.

It is a funny thing when you think about it. Of all the crazes, cupcakes and cronuts, even locally made ice cream with crazy ingredients are all things that are a bit more complicated to make at home. Yet, toast, one of the easiest items to make in your kitchen is now a luxury item in bakeries, cafes, and restaurants. Maybe it is just a current fad and will not last.

An article on ABC states:

“The Mill’s offerings change often, but selections, priced up to $3.75 per slice, can be country bread with butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar and sea salt, or whole wheat bread with house made pumpkin butter. The trend has spread to Los Angeles, where Sqirl charges $7 for thick-cut local “burnt” brioche bread topped with house made ricotta and seasonal jam, and New York City, where The Smile offers buttered multigrain toast with local honey, raspberry jam or almond butter for $3.75.”

A group in San Francisco is even petitioning the mayor to get the cost of living under control, blaming the tech community for having the ability to purchase luxury items such as a piece of $7 toast. Wow, what is the world coming to these days? I am not saying I am against $7 toast, I think we should each decide for ourselves what we purchase. I am not one that would want to purchase a piece of $7 if I could purchase a whole loaf for that price. Call me cheap, or thrifty, I just think a bit more about the economy of things. If I did fork over $7 it better be a damn good piece of toast.

What do you think about the new toast craze?

One of my favorite things about Chris’ face are the laugh lines around his eyes. They are precious to me. I have watched them change over the past 10 years, and hopefully I have been one to help add to them. Those precious lines that show happiness and honesty. You can usually always tell when someone is giving you a real smile or laugh, just by the lines around their eyes.

There is nothing that makes my heart sing and a smile grow on my face than someone else laughing. The sound of a baby or child giggling uncontrollably is the sound of bliss in my ears. What could be better? On the other end of the age spectrum, is the man at the end of the below video. So precious.

I am not a fan of advertisements, but I have to give credit where credit is due. This VW ad campaign is clever, because it brings out your emotions. Instead of VW telling you all about their cars, and what is new, they instead speak right to your heart. They encourage you to stop, take a break, breathe, and laugh. You forget they are selling a product and allow you to just remember VW. The theme of this video is: “It’s not the miles, it’s how you live them.”