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-

placed needles. Amazing!

Linking up to: Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday and
Green Willow Pond What We Accomplished Wednesday 

finding the little joys

 I'll be honest ~ this new year hasn't started out so well. Due to privacy issues,

I can't say a lot, but suffice it to say, there's been a lot of worrying and anxiety

going on. I know that worrying doesn't get me anywhere and I try so many things

to let go of that worry and anxiety ~ including prayer ~ but, sometimes it just really

sucks me in. I know I'm not alone in this. Everyone has problems and worries.

Financial troubles, marital problems, illness (physical and mental), addictions,

 death, problems with kids, stressful jobs, lack of employment, cars breaking 

down...the list goes on and on.

I think one that that helps is looking for the little everyday joys in life. They are 

there if we really look. We all know about keeping a gratitude  journal, but I 

prefer to capture these little joys in images instead.

I was out with a friend yesterday (oh ~ that was definitely a mood lifter, too!) and

we stopped at Trader Joes. I love their $3.99 bouquet of flowers. I put them

on the kitchen table...

a few on a stool beside my desk...

 

the purple ones went in my bathroom...

 

 

and a few more went in the main bath.

 

 My favorite British print publications...

Coffee at an independent coffee shop...

 

The beautiful green eyes of my neighbor-friend's cat, Aura...

 

 Some of my houseplants in a sunbeam...

And, standing in awe of a beautiful winter sunset outside a bedroom window.

 What little things have brought you moments of joy lately?

travel the world over to find the beautiful

 Happy July! Couldn't ask for better weather here in northern Illinois these past

few days ~ sunny, temps in the 70's, and low humidity. And what a bonus: both Brian

and Tim were off work today. I had written in my June 7th post that Tim was moving out

in 3-1/2 weeks. That moving day was supposed to be today. Long story short, 

Tim is taking one last math class here at the community college that he's been attending,

 so now he's not moving out until mid-August. He'll only have one week to get settled

 into his new place before he starts school at the university, but I'm sure he'll be fine.

Seeing we don't have much time left for the three of us to all be together, we

took a day trip to Cedarburg, Wisconsin. It's one of those charming Midwest towns

with specialty stores, wineries, beautiful inns, and wonderful restaurants and 

coffee shops. We stopped at Water Street Brewery for lunch.

Belgian Wit, Pale Ale, and...what's this odd beverage out in a brewery?!

Yep, yours truly doesn't like beer, so I went with the wine. Cheers.

The food was delicious and more-than-plentiful. I had fish tacos and cilantro-lime rice.

 Mr. Garbage Disposal Brian had to finish my food for me.

Brian had the portabello mushroom pizza.
 

And, Tim had a huge, honkin' burger and fries.
 

 We strolled off our lunch up and down the main street of downtown Cedarburg.

Tim got a little bored, so he went off on his own photography adventure...did I ever

mention that he's a fantastic photographer? I know he's my son and we all tend to

brag about our kids, but seriously - he's amazingly talented. In high school, he won

first place in the Visual Communication Contest and then went on to State, where he

won third place in Photoshop Design. One of his photos is the cover for the book,

The Length of Light. And he did his first wedding shoot this past winter in Gatlinburg,

TN. If you have a chance, check out some of his photos at Mr. Tim Photography.

I digress! Back to strolling and admiring the buildings and flowers...

This adorable pup was tied up in front of a coffee shop. I just had to sit and pet her

and talk to her while her human was in the coffee shop.
 

 Loved this collage of vintage pictures on the wall of the coffee shop.

What a perfect day to just relax and truly enjoy the beautiful weather, each

other's company, and some good coffee. Iced tea for Brian though. He's not

a coffee drinker.

Last stop - a chocolate shop. Look at all that temptation!
 

I didn't get anything, but Tim wanted to try the Belgian chocolate-covered bacon.

I think it sounds rather gross, but Tim really liked it! 
 

 You don't have to travel far to find the beautiful. Sometimes even just

a day trip is good for the soul.

simple sunday

 What a blechy day out there.

 I start my day with coffee and computer time.

My screen saver is me and Tim last year on my 50th birthday.

 Brian spent the day repainting the main bathroom.

The color is Lazy Gray by Sherwin Williams.

 Baking Snickerdoodle bread and eating a grapefruit - I eat one just about every

day in the winter. Love them!

Brian taking a break from painting...eating lunch and reading the Sunday paper.

Monkey loves to lie on newspapers. He jumped up on the kitchen table (which he's

not allowed to do, but he looked so cute and comfortable, I let him stay) and made

himself at home.

I actually did a dreadmill workout...

Winding down our day with a simple supper ~ roasted veggie pizza

(California Pizza Kitchen frozen) and a glass of wine.

 Linking to Sunny Simple Sunday and Gratitude Sunday.