lavender matcha

46

Today is my 46th birthday!

I started the day by receiving a truly amazing gift from my family…I can’t wait to find the perfect place on the wall to hang it!

I decided that taking a “Hit the Bricks” tour on historic Main Street in St. Charles, MO, would be the perfect way to spend the day, because I would get to see something beautiful and interesting AND learn something, and I wasn’t disappointed!

I finally got to try the lavender Frappuccino using my Starbucks birthday reward…it was just as delicious as I imagined!

We had my favorite dinner, Reuben casserole, and since we also have Starbucks at home, I made a lavender matcha to go with it:

And Bunny made me an amazing tiramisu for my birthday dessert…I’ve come a long way since the years I used to make myself a tiramisu layer cake for my birthday!

It was unbelievably delicious!!!

Roald didn’t come to my birthday party this year, which was the cause of great sadness, but I set up a photo shoot so we could still get a birthday picture together…it’s tradition!

I also got to watch a few of my favorite movies today (one of them might have been a Christmas movie, and another might have starred Donald Duck), and generally feel very special…it was a great day!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2025 Getaway–Day Two

The second day of our Combo Breaker trip was one of my favorite days of the whole year, because we took the Metra into Chicago!

Bunny’s first objective is always to find the pigeons and feed them, and it was a successful mission!

We walked close to 10 miles…down to Buckingham Fountain, up the Magnificent Mile, and everywhere in between!

It was a chilly, rainy day, but that didn’t (if you’ll pardon the pun) dampen our spirits!

It was nice to take a break indoors at Water Tower Place, though, and we stopped in a few of our favorite shops while we dried off and warmed up.

We visited the Starbucks Reserve Roastery again this year, and this time, we actually figured out the menu and ordered some drinks…I got a lavender matcha malt (shocking, I know), and it was absolutely amazing…I’m going to try to recreate it at home!

Of course we stopped by Marshall Field’s of Blessed Memory, where we admired some of the historical details of the building and bought an entirely too expensive (and small!) box of Frango mints.

But eventually we had to get back on the train to head back to the hotel…we always ride upstairs on the return trip.

Back at the hotel, we switched to Combo Breaker mode and got to work alphabetizing badges. Once that was done, it was time for another swim and more game time in the lobby.

Up next…a trip to Italy? And the real preparation for Combo Breaker begins!

Tasty Tuesday–Lavender Matcha

Iced lavender cream matcha season at Starbucks may not last all year long, but now that I’ve learned how to make one at home, I can have it any time I want!

Iced Matcha

  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • 2-3 tsp. matcha powder
  • 1 cup milk (Starbucks uses oat milk, but you can use your milk of choice)
  • 1 Tbsp. simple syrup

Whisk matcha powder in hot water (I used an electric whisk). Add milk and simple syrup, and whisk until well blended. Add ice if desired.

Lavender Foam

  • 3 Tbsp. cream
  • 2 Tbsp. milk
  • 2 Tbsp. lavender syrup
  • Purple food coloring and dried lavender (optional)

Whisk cream, milk, lavender syrup, and food coloring until frothy. Spoon desired amount on top of iced matcha and sprinkle with dried lavender.

Mani Monday

This week’s mani is inspired by the return of my all-time favorite drink from Starbucks, the lavender matcha! I went with a pale purple and green color scheme, featuring Holo Taco’s aptly named “Lavender Syrup” plus “Mint Mojito.”

2024-25 School Year–Week Twenty-Three

Ladybug continued reading Jane Eyre this week. She also started Murder on the Orient Express. In psychology she learned about IQ tests and the difference between general intelligence and emotional intelligence as well as the difference between fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. In writing she practiced writing different forms of parallelism. We read about John Knox and John Wesley in religion.

Chickadee continued to work with systems of equations and also converted between celsius and fahrenheit in pre-algebra. We read about the Zulu in Africa in history. In science, she finished the chapter on the superstructures of the human body. We continued The Bronze Bow. We also began our Lenten Jesus Tree readings and Amon’s Adventure. We stopped by the library to see the baby chicks once more before they move on…they’ve gotten so big!

Speaking of birds, we’ve been on pip watch and absolutely obsessed with Jackie and Shadow’s adorable babies…the Big Bear Bald Eagle Live Nest cam has been on pretty much all day all week here!

We celebrated making it to March and the return of our very favorite Starbucks drink, too!

One more week of school, and then it’s time for spring break!

Tasty Tuesday–The Perfect Flavor Combination for Spring

I always figured that if I was going to have a full-on Starbucks addiction, it was going to be because of some kind of new coffee creation. Imagine my surprise, then, when I discovered that the best drink I’ve ever had there is actually tea based!

The Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha is my new favorite. I’ve always been kind of obsessed with lavender as a flavor (I’ve made lavender lemonade and lavender shortbread, and I’ve been considering adding it to a rub for meat), and I love matcha, so I’m kind of ashamed I never though of pairing them before. As soon as I saw this item on the menu, I knew I had to try it, and I’m embarrassed to think of how many of them I’ve had since. It’s a bright, floral, (and yes, possibly even grassy) beverage that’s absolutely perfect for spring! I love it so much, I don’t even mind the oatmilk (although I have gotten it with plain old whole milk, too), and I was inspired to recreate the flavor at home with matcha milk boba tea topped with lavender lemonade whipped cream from Target:

I know Starbucks seasonal flavors don’t stay around forever, and I’m already dreading the day this one leaves the menu, but maybe it will come back next spring!