Wednesday, February 19, 2014

coffee talk

 I love my cup of coffee first thing in the morning. It's what I go for the minute
I get out of bed. And I'm a bit of a coffee snob. I like to grind my own beans
fresh every morning. And only two certain kinds will do: Either Dunkin' Donuts
or Trader Joes Breakfast Blend. I've also discovered the beauty of making
coffee via the french press. It makes the most delicious, deep-tasting cup of
coffee I've ever had. I was lucky enough to find this personal french press at
 Goodwill last year. Since I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, this single-
serving press is perfect for me.


 When Brenda of Cozy Little House was talking about home coffee bars
a few days ago and is talking about coffee again today on her blog, I thought
I'd jump on the coffee bandwagon. I do have a coffee/tea/hot chocolate bar
in my kitchen, but not on my counter top. There's not enough room. But I
found a wire shelf in my stash of home decor and put it on the counter to
hold my two favorite winter mugs and some creamers.


The beverage bar is across the kitchen on the butler's table. You'll see a larger
french press. I found that one at Goodwill just a couple of weeks ago. It'll
come in handy when I have company. I do have an automatic drip coffee maker,
but like I said, I'm hooked on the french press right now. The coffee tastes
so much better. Once in awhile, I'll have a cup of tea in the afternoon or
evening (I usually just drink water all day after my morning coffee) -
plus Brian's a tea drinker - so I have an assortment of teas in a
vintage glass jar. And if anyone prefers hot chocolate, I have a homemade
mix - as well as peppermint sticks.



Here's the whole look on that side of the kitchen. As usual, I have a photo-
bombing kitty. That's Clementine under the butler's table.


In other non-coffee news, these past couple of days have brought sunshine
and 40+ degree temps. It not only feels wonderful, but it's melting some of 
that snow. However, tonight into tomorrow we're supposed to get a lot of rain
on top of all that melting snow. And you know what the means: flooding! I'm worried
about our basement. Brian's going to work on shoveling the snow away from the
foundation when he gets home from work today.

I had my first acupuncture appointment this morning for my rotator cuff
impingement. I went through a month of physical therapy in December and
it didn't do much good. It felt good during the therapy, but once therapy was
over, the pain and limited movement came right back. I do the prescribed PT
exercises at home every single day, too. Plus yoga class and yoga at home.
I will not get a cortisone shot unless absolutely necessary. I would like to say
never, but you know how that goes...never say never. I'm a natural health person
and have read a lot of information on the dangers and risks of cortisone - not
only to your soft tissues, but the effect it has on your heart. No, thank you. I will
go the natural route first. I've done acupuncture in the past - for my back. And it
helped tremendously. I have to say that just after today's treatment, I'm a little
sore but my range of motion is already much better. I also had a headache when
I went in and she was able to take that away immediately with appropriately-


28 comments:

  1. At the surgery center this morning, the woman in the next room was having rotator cuff surgery. I had no idea it could be done outpatient.
    I am glad it is warming up but I sure hope your pretty basement stays dry

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    1. Just about every surgery is now outpatient. Even mastectomies. Sad.

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  2. Hi Melanie;
    I too am a coffee drinker, love my coffee! I have cut down now and drink coffee only in the morning. I'm glad your acupuncture helps. A friend of mine has some treatments done every once in a while and feels so much better afterwards. Have a wonderful day, hope you can stay dry and not have a flooded basement. Love and Hugs, Nana

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    1. I only have one cup (a kind of large cup, so maybe 1-1/2 cups) each morning, too. It's amazing how much better my shoulder already feels today!

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  3. What a cute area and I love the red and blue. I have a press too and we use it camping to spoil ourselves.

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  4. Your coffee area is so cute! I told Brenda I was going to have to do a Coca Cola Bar!! I'm with you on trying anything natural first for treatment. I go to a chiropractor on a regular basis (my granddaughter Tiffany is a Chiropractor Assistant) so it's been drilled into our heads that we should try that first. And for the most part, it has always worked! He has just started acupuncture so I don't know much about it yet. I'm sure I'll get into it also.

    Judy

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    1. I'm a big believer in acupuncture - it has really worked for me. I also had just two treatments a few years ago for some nerve pain in my wrist and it's been gone ever since then.

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  5. Well, that looks very cute there! I'm glad you're feeling a bit better. Pain is no fun. If I have my ankle down (meaning not up in the recliner) I'm in pain after about an hour and then I pay for it for days. I have had part of my neck fused from a car accident in 1999 and I do stretches on that with the yoga stretches now so it isn't so stiff. Abi is my photo hog. At least they're cute! Now what are we gonna dish on next week?
    Brenda

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    1. Thanks for the coffee bar inspiration! I'm sure we'll come up with something next week. :-)

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  6. I'm glad to hear that your acupuncture is going well so far. My grandfather swore by it and was kind of an early adopter, when most people thought it was quackery, but it worked for him. Your coffee bar is really nice, that's a very welcoming and homey thing to do, I'll have to think about doing something like that when we have company. I don't think we have room for anything permanent, but I'll see what I can do.

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    1. It's funny how people used to think natural remedies were quackery, but now they're embracing it again. I'm glad I have room for a coffee bar in my kitchen - it's a fairly large kitchen, but the downside is that I don't have a separate dining room.

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  7. Hi Melanie - your coffee bar is adorable. So is Clemantine :) I had rotator cuff/frozen shoulder issues last winter and it was excruciating. I didn't wear a coat the entire winter because I couldn't lift my left arm with horrendous pain. I couldn't even put my hair in a pony tail or use my left arm for most things. I did the physical therapy as well, and in the very last sessions, my therapist practically killed me by stretching and raising my arm, etc. But it worked. I'm about 95% recovered at this point. Not sure I'll ever get that last 5% back, which is most noticeable when I go to bed because I used to put my left arm up under my pillow with my head on it. That position still isn't comfortable for me and probably won't ever be. I really feel for you and hope you get some relief very soon!

    Donna

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    1. Thanks for the compliments on the coffee bar and Clementine. I totally hear you on the shoulder stuff - that's exactly what I've been going through. Last night was the first night that I was able to sleep on my left side (the bad shoulder side) in a long time! If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend the acupuncture.

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  8. Mr. C is a big coffee drinker and I set up a coffee station for her a few years back. I am l like you Brian, a tea drinker. While growing up we all drank tea, Hot tea in am and cold tea throughout the day. You coffee bar is really nice and stacked well...coffee, tea and hot cocoa! I have been doing acupuncture for the last 4 months, and the last think bothering me is my rotator cuff. One thing about acupuncture like you felt, in the beginning after treatment the discomfort comes back quickly, but as each session is done the time between last so much longer. 3 months ago I could not have supported my self up off the floor, now I have not problem. My injuries were more extensive, but I swear by acupuncture. We are also working on my being able to "support" my head, my neck became very tight after surgery, it really limits my time on the computer. It was beautiful today, and Mr. C "picked" out huge chunks of ice out of our gutters, and our sidewalks are floated, hope it doesn't cause problems in your basement or ours...but itsn't our dungeons! Take care!

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    1. I am so glad to hear that acupuncture has been working for you, too! Here's to dry basements...

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  9. I think Clementine is a wonderful accessory there :)

    I hope the acupuncture will help with the healing and pain ...it sounds as if it's already working miracles ! :)

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    1. Cats are always a good accessory, aren't they? ;-)

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  10. Your little coffee spot is lovely!! Hope that the acupuncture works for you and that you can get pain free. xx

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  11. Hi Melanie,

    Everything about your coffee bar is so pretty, and practical! There's nothing like that first cup of steaming hot coffee, (I spike mine with hazelnut or caramel), even the aroma of it brewing, pure indulgence!

    Hope you are feeling better with the acupuncture treatments; they certainly sound relaxing.

    Happy Thursday!

    Poppy

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  12. I don't drink coffee at all, but Steve swears by his French Press.

    Good luck with your shoulder. Steve is now pain free (at least in his shoulder) after replacing the parts in his right shoulder last year and a good clean up on the left shoulder last week. His shoulder replacement was painful, but he has heard that the rotator cuff is far more difficult to recover from.

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    1. It only takes a few minutes to make coffee with a french press - I'm surprised more people don't use them. I suppose a lot of people have gotten used to the convenience of a Keurig, but I don't even want one of those. I like my coffee as fresh as possible - that's why I even grind my own beans every morning. When I heard about Steve having another shoulder surgery, it made me shudder. I hope he does well with his recuperation. Yes, rotator cuff injuries are hard to recover from. I'm doing my best to heal and keep well!

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  13. Clementine looks so sweet! I don't have room for a coffee bar but I love the idea since I drink a lot of coffee.

    My ortho always wants to push those cortisone shots on me because of my knee. I refuse to do so as well. PT really helps but I have to keep it up and when I start feeling fine, I usually let the exercises slide until I start having issue again :) Is acupuncture helping?

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    1. I'm glad you are refusing the cortisone shots. I've only had one acupuncture treatment and it's already helped. She wants me to come in every week for a month and see how I feel after that. I'd highly recommend it for your knee!

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  14. I have to admit I'm a coffee wimp. I love it weak, loaded with flavored creamer and sweetened with stevia. But I love your little coffee bar! So sorry about the shoulder. I had a frozen shoulder last year and it was so painful. It took weeks of physical therapy, plus lots of at home therapy to get my range of motion back. I still have a tiny bit of stiffness in it, but not too bad. I hope your's responds to therapy quickly. Thank you for sharing at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a lovely weekend! ~Deborah

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    1. Ah, so you like a cup of creamer with a little bit of coffee! ;-) I'm glad to hear your frozen shoulder cleared up with PT and home therapy - I have hope for mine!

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