{Coffee bar}

We have a new coffee bar at work.

It's a French antique.

I just can't wait to learn how to use it!

{Merry}

My Christmas present to myself this year: a vintage 1930's Neiman Marcus dress, found at Elizabeth's Timeless Attire.
Well it's actually a peignoir, but I just wear a white silk slip underneath and call it a dress.
Right now it's snowing outside.
I have a steaming cup of coffee and cranberry-orange muffins I baked earlier.
My kidney infection is slowly getting better.

 

{Adventures}

Yesterday I went back to the cave.
It was perfect- overcast skies, good-smelling air, crisp temperature.
Saw a white-tailed deer, giant millipede, salamander, transparent crayfish, 4 bats and a giant cave wolf spider.
I managed to get up and down the mountain without falling!
Unfortunately I was only able to get one good shot before the battery ran out.

This morning I woke up and had my coffee.
I looked down at my stomach and saw a black spot.
Thinking it was a scab, I tried to pick it off.. and it wouldn't budge.
It was a tick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was horrified and nauseated.
I had it burned off of me and now it's gone.

 

{Coffee: black juice of life}

Everyone knows that Scandinavians love coffee.
My family comes from Norway
Therefore, we drink coffee.

A lot of it.
I've been drinking it since I was twelve and it didn't stunt my growth.. I'm 5' 10".

Anyways..

Trader Joe's has it some good coffee!
 

Their bay blend ($5.99 for 12 oz) is dark, dark and dark.

Very reminiscent if the coffees I would order at cafes, growing up in the bay area of California (San Francisco).

It is a blend of Mexican high grown and Colombian excelso beans roasted extra dark.It's like coffee to the tenth power!
 

I've been hooked on the Scandinavian blend ($6.99 for 13 oz) since I discovered it last winter.

This one is a combination of medium and dark roasted beans.

The dark beans hail from Colombia and Peru, while the medium beans hail from the Dominican Republic
 

Last winter I also came across gingerbread coffee!

There is actually real ginger and spices mixed in with the beans.

Once brewed, cloves and ginger mingle with the coffee-aroma.

Very Christmas-y.
 

I've always wanted to visit New Orleans.

I find the architecture, history, culture, cuisine and cemeteries very interesting!

So when I spotted this Cafe Du Monde chicory coffee ($5.20 for 15 oz) at 99 Ranch Asian Market, I just had to buy it.

I would have preferred that the beans were whole.. I love grinding my own coffee beans.

But they weren't and tasted great anyways!

Spicy coffee.

 

This is where my coffee lives.. inherited from my Mom..