Two years ago my family and I went down to LA for my aunt’s wedding. Before the rehearsal dinner we went to the Old Trappers Lodge, visited by great Tia on my mom’s side, and then wanted to get a cool drink. I had wanted to stop by a tea place and suggested this one I had seen online, Bon Bon Tea House in Northridge, CA.
Bon Bon Tea House’s website isn’t connecting but I was able to see on their Facebook page that they are a Boba Tea House that has been operating since 2014.
They have a ton of different boba tea options; along with smoothies, tea lattes, coffees, etc.
I of course ordered a matcha boba tea, no boba (as I have said before I don’t care for tapioca).
It was delicious and has a cute little outside area you can sit in while you enjoy your drink. I definitely recommend if you are in Northridge.
Two years ago some friends, my niece, and I made plans to go to the Tudor Rose Tea House in Santa Rosa, CA; but some things came up and we were unable to go there.
Instead we tried to find something that was a little closer and headed out to the Tea Nook in Lincoln, CA. Unfortunately, we didn’t call to see if they could fit us in and when we arrived it was closed for a private party.
We were all disappointed and decided to search online for a nearby tea house that would be open and while we didn’t find a high tea place, we did find this cute Boba place; B & B (Bakery and Boba).
I don’t know a lot about the place as they do not have a website and their Instagram was hacked so they had to recently create a new account. I did discover that they opened in 2018 and since then have served baked goods and boba tea.
They had a lot of different teas to choose from. My niece is a fan of taro and that’s what she went with and loved.
I liked that they had so many options, even though sometimes I can be terrible at making decisions. I, my sister, and friend all decided on Rose teas (mine with no boba as I don’t like boba), and I loved it as did others loved theirs.
I can’t recommend the baked goods as we didn’t order any, but otherwise we all really enjoyed being there, and the cafe is super cute. I definitely recommend this place if you love Boba and are in the Lincoln area.
So even though this year is the 210th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice.
I went with a Northanger Abbey quote because I am going abroad to Ireland in the fall!!! I’m so excited!
But even though I am deciding to make this my “Catherine Morland” year (I’m coming for you Mr. Tilney)-I do plan to try and review/post something Pride and Prejudice related every month. Now I know I failed in reviewing Emma (1972)-but I’m really going to try and do my best!
Now on to the year in review!
The Views
This year I had over 56,000 views! That might not seem like a lot to some but I’m thankful for each and every one.
Thank you!
The Top Five Posts
Here are the top five most viewed posts of the year, although again none were posted this year. I guess whatever I post in the actual year is never popular enough? Who knows.
This is a fantastic film and I know it is one of the top viewed as people are always trying to find out which husband ran off with Addie Ross. The answer lies in my review.
Ever since I have posted this it has been my number one viewed post. For 10 years nothing has been able to knock it out of first place. I’m extremely surprised.
First of all I celebrated my 10th Blogiversary! I’ve been doing this for 10 years! Can you believe that?!
Jane Austen Posts
It’s the name of the blog, of course there will be posts on Jane Austen or her works!
Have you watched every version of Jane Austen’s works in film and TV and now wonder what to watch next? That’s why I started making a list of films that have components similar to Jane Austen’s works but not an exact retelling or a variation.
What do you read after you’ve read all of Jane Austen’s works? That’s why I started making a list of books that have components similar to Jane Austen’s works but are not an exact retelling or a variation.
Similar to Catherine Morland’s Reading List, this is a list of gothic films I recommend for the Henry Tilneys and Catherine Morlands out there who are looking for something spooky to watch.
Similar to Non-Austen Reads for Austen Readers this is a list of gothic books I recommend for the Henry Tilneys and Catherine Morlands who are looking for something spooky to read.
On Instagram (@janeaustenrunsmylife) I try to achieve a Bookish Bingo every month. I usually read whatever I like and then see which slot it fills. I write how it fits the categories in my stories and save them for the month and the one after, replacing it with the new month’s selections. It is a lot of fun, and I recommend trying it out.
I also did a countdown to Halloween by reading a chapter of Northanger Abbey everyday, created 31 Days of Hallotean countdown to Halloween, and a countdown to Christmas with my Advent calendar the 25 Teas of Christmas.
July Blogiversary
I celebrated my 10th Blogiversary this year, my niece and I reviewing Austenland. Thank you to all who have been a part these past 10 years. Also on my Instagram I asked a series of questions and posted the results. I asked the following questions this year:
If Austen characters could have any food we have today, which one do you think they would go the most crazy over?
If the Jane Austen characters were alive today, what jobs would they have?
If you could cast any actor/actress in a Jane Austen production, who would it b
If you could cast any actor (alive or dead) as Mr. Darcy, who would
If you couldn’t marry one of Jane Austen’s Main Characters/love interests, which character would you marry?
If you were to make a modern adaption of Jane Austen, which book would you pick and what changes would you make to have it be ‘modern’
Jane Austen opinion you will never be talked out of?
What are your top 5 Jane Austen adaptions/retellings?
What is a Jane Austen themed tradition, oddity, or eccentricity you have/have in your family?
What is the best Austen themed product you have purchased or been gifted?
What is your favorite Jane Austen book cover?
What Pop Culture thing would the Austen characters be into?
What’s your favorite costume/outfit from a Jane Austen film.
Which Austen parent is the worst?
Which character in Austen’s works do you dislike/hate
Which Jane Austen character deserves a novel showcasing them?
Which is the worst film or TV adaption of Jane Austen’s work
25 Films of Christmas
I like to watch a Christmas film every day in December. Theses are the ones I watched this year.
Last year my sister needed some help with my nieces as it was spring break, her husband was out of town due to family illness, and she was working. I had promised my niece I would visit them in Georgia before they moved and found this to be the best time as my work had finally lifted their COVID19 ban on vacations.
While there that week we planned to go to a mall in Florida, but plans changed and we ended up visiting Columbus, GA. I had wanted to visit a tea place in Florida, but as we changed where we were going so did I. I quickly googled and discover a Cat Cafe. And you all know how I feel about cats.
Thats me
My sister didn’t want to go to the Cat Cafe as she felt it was too expensive, but after I told her I would pay for it we headed over there.
I’m not sure how long the business had been opened before we went and unfortunately I cannot find a lot of information as I just discovered (when I was going to link their website to my post), a few months after I visited, it permanently closed.
That’s not good.
As I already wrote the post before my Horrorfest ones, I decided to still post it. While I was there the Cat Café served a variety of coffee, some tea, and had 10 cats that would by cycled out by Pat’s Rescue Cats. It cost $10 an hour for an adult to visit with the cats and $7 an hour for kids under 12. One drink is included with the hourly rate.
When we arrived at the cafè I paid for our time and we chose our drinks. The only tea included with the hour was my choice of a tea bag; my sister ordered a Dolly’s Doughnut (cinnamon bun + vanilla coffee, my niece ordered a Whiskered Mocha (white chocolate), and my littlest niece had a hot chocolate. They told us they would let us know when our drinks were ready and we could go in to see the cats. Because of COVID-19 we had the whole room to ourselves as they could only let so many people in at a time.
The cats were cute and most of them very friendly, allowing you to cuddle and play.
They came into the room and gave us our drinks, giving me a to-go cup of hot water. I was just given the water and then had to leave the room to go to the front counter and make my tea. I thought that was an odd choice as they ask you at the counter what tea you want and you “order it”. It wouldn’t have bothered me if we all had to go and get our drinks, but I felt that if they are preparing the drinks and bringing them to you, then they should do it for all the drinks. And if they were just going to give me hot water, then why not do that before I went into the cat room, as I could have gotten my tea before going in.
After I got my tea and went back to the room, I asked everyone what they thought of their drinks. My tea wasn’t that good, very weak tea bag and no sugar or milk available. My sister and niece did not like their coffees as they both felt the coffee was bitter. My younger niece also didn’t care for her hot chocolate as she said it “tasted weird”. I decided to try it and found myself agreeing with her. It did have an odd aftertaste.
My biggest critique of this place would be to work on their drinks, although I suppose it doesn’t really matter as they are no longer open. The rest of the cafe was cute and fun. I loved the decor, cat items available for purchase, and of course the kitty cats themselves. I hope that they decide to reopen.
Last April my sister needed some help with my nieces as it was spring break, her husband was out of town due to family illness, and she was working. I had promised my niece I would visit them in Albany, Georgia before they moved and found this to be the perfect opportunity as my work had finally lifted their stops on all vacation. I still had to quarantine when I returned, but that was okay. I had a lot of things I planned to take care for my Jane Austen birthday as I quarantined (such as baking, piñata making, etc).
The plan was for me to fly into Atlanta and then we would spend some time in a couple of different shops with my sister and my older niece as the younger niece was going to be watched by a babysitter. I had looked at a couple of places and suggested going to a tea house as I of course try to visit a tea place every time I go somewhere. I was excited as CA was under so many COVID19 restriction and in April of 2021 there weren’t any teahouses open.
While on the plane and using Delta’s free Wi-Fi, I checked my messages and something had happened so we not going to be able visit the tea house after all, instead my sister planned to take us to Ponce City Market only, and afterwards we would be heading to Albany.
I was disappointed, but in a lifestyle center that big I knew there had to be at least one place that served tea. After some searching I came upon eleven tlc. Ponce City Market described it as “Delicious organic, functional teas & lattes that make you feel good from the inside out.”
I sent my sister the link, and we prepared to go there.
I’m not sure how long eleven tlc has been a company or a part of PCM, as there was very little about them on their site, but they strive to have items that promote wellness for your body and for the earth.
I was tempted to get a matcha latte as I usually do, but was intrigued by their lavender latte. It sounded absolutely delicious and as I hate almond milk I had mine made with oat milk instead. The lavender latte I had there was the best lavender latte I have ever had. And as I was in need of tea I felt much better after drinking it.
My sister got a latte with bee pollen in it that is supposed to help with allergies. She really enjoyed hers as well.
I definitely recommend this place if you are ever in Atlanta or Ponce City Market. It was an all around win!
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