books and coffee shops

Two of my favorite things in life are books and coffee shops. The more quaint, eccentric or charming a coffee shop is, the more I like it. Especially if it's not crowded and the music isn't blasting. 😉 

This is my current reading stack for August, though doubt I will finish. I usually have one non-fiction and one fiction book going at the same time. But in this case, the only book in this stack that I'm currently reading is The Invitation. The book expounds on Oriah's poem of the same name. Are you familiar with it? Here's how it starts out:

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

 It's a little lengthy to type out or copy and paste here, so if you'd like to read the entire poem, you can do so here.

And then, bookstores ~

I discovered a new (to me) coffee shop the other day while in a neighboring town.

 I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in to discover such a charming shop.There were several rooms, all filled with different wooden tables, mismatched chairs, and bookcases filled with tchotchkes and used books for sale.

When I first saw this room, there was a young woman reading in one of the chairs in back, and two other women sitting at the table, quietly chatting. The room you see at the back is a children's room, complete with high chairs, little tables and chairs, toys and books.

This will be a great spot in the winter to curl up in one of those leather chairs by the fireplace with a nice hot cup of coffee or tea. Not that I'm looking forward to winter, by any means! Just saying.

I didn't have much time to browse the books, nor read one myself while drinking my herbal iced tea, but I can't wait to go back one day when I have more time.

Do you have any independent coffee shops in your area that you especially love? What are you reading this month?

💓

at home

 Today's the only day all week that I have completely at home.* And wouldn't you know it - I have a bad headache! Woke me up in the wee hours. I'm wondering if it's the weather...it's bleak. Cold, rainy, and very windy. No editing of the photo below - it really has been that gloomy all day.

 I love to make a big pot of soup in the colder months and then have plenty of leftovers to keep in the fridge. So easy to heat up for lunches or a quick dinner. Today I made a pot of veggie soup - with bacon. ;-) I added a little quinoa elbow pasta to make it more hearty and keep it gluten-free.

Speaking of healthy and gluten-free, I whip up these peanut butter cookies every so often when Brian and I have a hankering for something sweet. As I've mentioned, we gave up white sugar back in April. But, once in awhile, we still want something sweet. These are my go-to cookies because they're tasty, healthy, and amazingly simple to make. They're from the web site, My Whole Food Life. Believe it or not, they only have three ingredients: peanut butter (natural...please don't use/eat the cheap, unhealthy stuff with hydrogenated oil in it), pure maple syrup (again, use the real stuff - not the fake stuff that is nothing but water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and chemicals) and salt. You can find the recipe here. The only downfall? If you use a standard cookie scoop, this recipe only makes seven cookies. You can tell which ones are mine...I stuck some dark chocolate chips on top of mine when I pulled them out of the oven. Yes, those do have sugar in them, but it's minimal because of the dark chocolate and I rarely eat chocolate chips. Once in a blue moon isn't going to kill me. ;-)

 

I know this photo doesn't have anything to do with my home - I wish it did! I was at a local coffee shop yesterday and was absolutely enamored with the decor. I tried that leather chair in the corner before I left and it was heavenly. I could've taken a nap in it. Now... you see the peek of the amazing blue sofa to your right?

This is it. I'm in love with it AND the coffee table. And the wall art and the lighting. I would've taken photos of the other side of the shop, but there were too many people sitting there. The windows in front of the shop are flanked with blue curtain panels that exactly match the color of the sofa. (Later edit: Brenda from Cozy Little House commented, "add books and I'd be in heaven!" Well, guess what? This place does indeed have books! There is a small bookshelf filled with books near the back of the shop. I don't know if they're just to read while there, or if people can borrow them. I'll have to find out next time I go - and take more pictures.)

Back to home. Think my kitties felt the bleakness of today, too? I threw this quilt on the couch and next thing I knew, they were all curled up and fast asleep in it. Except for Mr. Monkey. He knows when I'm taking his picture and has to look extra cute.

*Well, so much for staying at home all day today. My plans have been thwarted. We had to order some photography equipment for Tim and it was delivered to our house today. We didn't want it delivered to Tim's place at school because it was very expensive and we were afraid it'd get stolen. He needs the equipment ASAP, so we're going to meet up with him for dinner. Guess I'd better go and put on a little makeup and change out of my pajama pants. Happy Thursday, everyone.

what weekends were made for

Monday morning again, my friends! Hope you all had a restorative weekend

so that you're ready to tackle whatever this week brings to you.

Brian had a rare weekend off work. We spent Saturday cleaning out the

garage and working in the yard. I dug up some rosemary and parsley and

planted them in pots and brought them into my kitchen. The parsley is already

looking sad and droopy. I also brought in my potted geraniums and a couple

of hanging plants. Between all those plus my usual 15 or so houseplants,

my house looks like a jungle.

We could've continued on with the home projects on Sunday ~ after all,

they never end, right? But we decided getting out of town would be more

fun, especially on a gorgeous autumn day. We decided on the town of

Geneva, which I've written about before. They have a quaint little downtown

area with some really neat shops and restaurants, and gorgeous houses.

While we were walking around, I saw this house and my heart stopped.

I just had to get a photo. Those columns. And dormers. And huge porch

off a second-story bedroom. Swoon.

Look at that roof with the x-beams underneath it. Gorgeous architectural details.

And while we were standing there gazing at this house, a little doggy ran out

of the open door on the second story and out onto the porch. I told Brian this

type of set-up would be perfect for our cats! They could be outdoors without any

risk of getting hurt. Dreaming...

Another beautiful building I found on our walk was this church - St. Marks.

I love the stone and the red door.

 

 I was looking forward to stopping into two of my favorite stores in Geneva:

Cocoon and Deja Vu Thrift Shop. I was disappointed to find that the thrift

store was closed on Sundays, so no bargain treasure hunting in store for

me yesterday, but I did find a pretty beaded bracelet at Cocoon. Oh man, I

love that store. It's one of those stores a woman could go crazy in - IF you

had a lot of money. 

I loved this side table: I am finding myself drawn to these metal barrel side tables

 lately. But not for $300! This one had a granite top.

While walking around, we stopped at an independent coffee/tea shop

for iced tea. I love the character and "artsyness" of most independent

coffee shops.  Check out this stairway. I love the bright yellow walls, the

stained glass window, and the huge, colorful paintings. I would love to

do something like this in my own, boring stairwell.

Ummm...yeah.

These potted coleus plants sat outside the coffee shop. I love how

the vibrant colors last long into the colder weather. I must remember

to get some of these next year. When I was 12 years old, I remember

wanting a coleus plant. I have no idea how I knew about them - I must've

seen one somewhere and asked my mom if I could have one. At that

age, I didn't even know that I liked plants - until I saw the coleus. So I 

ended up with one large coleus plant in my bedroom for quite awhile.

Thank you for the sweet comments about my grandpa. His funeral

is tomorrow in Kentucky. I never did get around to blogging about my

thrifted finds from last week's Goodwill jaunt with Penny. Hopefully, in 

the next post! For today, I must go tackle the housework and laundry,

plan the weekly dinner menu and make a shopping list, work on

a couple of decluttering projects, and then I have yoga class. 

Happy Monday!

beautiful butler's table

 Brian had one last day of vacation left, so we took another day trip.

This time we went to the town of Evanston, just north of Chicago. It's a gorgeous

culture-filled town along Lake Michigan, home of Northwestern University, and

 boasts tons of unique restaurants and shops. This is also the town Brian

grew up in, so it's extra-special to him. But, before I get to that butler's table...

We had lunch at Dixie Kitchen - a true Southern, Cajun, and Creole

restaurant. Loved the decor in the restaurant...

And the food - wow! I haven't had fried chicken in about 15 years. I normally

stay away from unhealthy food like that. But I just had to try some. I only ate

a wing and a couple of bites of the breast meat. It tasted exactly like the fried

 chicken that my mom used to make - and she's from Kentucky - so

she knows how to make darn good friend chicken! There were also grits, cole

slaw, a corn muffin, and smoky collard greens. Needless to say, most of this went

home with me. And that was with Brian eating some of it, too! 

 Later in the afternoon, we stopped at our favorite Evanston coffee shop -

 The Brothers K - for herbal iced tea. This place has a hip and bohemian vibe and

you'll find a lot of Northwestern students, as well as writers, locals, and young

 moms with babes.

Brian's eyes are the same color as the wall. :-)

 Now. On to the place where I found the butler's table - Secret Treasures.

I think it's a good thing that I live far enough away from this place, that

I can't just jump in the car and make a quick trip. Even though this store

is on the small side, it's packed with all kinds of lovely goodies. The

owner is personable and friendly, and the prices are fantastic. There were

furniture pieces outside of the store...

 and here is the beauty that came home with me.

I didn't even know what kind of table this was at first; just that I loved

the x-legs and the tray on top. It's a little banged up, but I hope to sand

it and paint it down the road. It fits perfectly in front of my living room window.

I could even see other uses for this table, such as when we have a party -

I could use this to hold all the beverages, ice bucket, and glasses.

I could also picture it holding stacks of books and some lovely candles, or

being used as a bedside table.

Have a beautiful weekend!

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