I went through and added the #ppsips tag to all of my coffee photos. Not surprisingly, there were almost 200 photos involving a coffee cup or coffee. In my defense, I tagged a few icees and such too. I post quite a few pics of coffee and I’m cool with admitting that.
My name is Pamela and I post pics of coffee on Instagram.
I’m sitting in my new coffee nook as I type this post. I’m staring out our big bay windows watching the world wake up. There’s frost covering the ground and the bird bath is frozen solid. I’m covered up and cozy in my favorite fuzzy blanket given to me by my oldest niece. Matthew is sitting next to me, likely catching up on the news while I’m reading about removable wallpaper. If this is sounding too glamorous, I’ll point out that just inches away there are tubs stacked head-high of decor from my birthday party and there are definitely cake crumbs on the counter. Life isn’t perfect, you guys. I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea.
However, this post isn’t about my immediate surroundings or the weather outside. It’s about change. It’s about dealing with that change, or better yet, learning to welcome and embrace it. The last several weeks have been allll about change. Imagine changes in my home, my business, and my family. I almost want to call it a major overhaul, yet I know that’s a bit dramatic. One of these changes was moving the breakfast table to the dining room to use as a temporary workspace. This meant, moving our morning coffee spot to the chairs in the breakfast space. This seems simple, and for many people (like my husband) they wouldn’t miss a beat. For me, even something this small can be overwhelming.
On one hand, I love to be spontaneous and adventurous. On the other, I value a routine. I think that I feel balanced as long as the routine is the most prevalent and that some consistency remains among the spontaneity. When I feel like everything is changing at once, I feel anxious. And that’s precisely how I’ve felt the last month or so. As I sit staring out this new window, I think about all of the changes. I realize that I want these changes. I realize that they’re all good and that everyone is still alive amidst the chaos. I realize no one was harmed in the making of this story. We’re alive. We’re well. And we’re happy. Thinking through these things makes me want to “go with the flow” and “embrace change,” while knowing that those two principles don’t ring strong in my emotional wardrobe. Nonetheless, as I sip coffee (that’s likely getting cold as I type) from a new location, I understand that I’m practicing being gracious through the transition periods. I’m practicing bravery or better yet, courage. My hope is that when the next wave of changes roll through, I’ll be even better at navigating them.
It’s a bit silly to think about how much aversion I have to change sometimes. Why would someone put up such a fight when they know change is inevitable? When they want the change? I can’t answer those questions yet, and I know that I may not ever understand. However, I can hope that I’ll become better at it. I can consider each new endeavor as practice. I can focus on staying calm when I see that things are adjusting around me. I can learn to love to sip my coffee from this new nook and understand that someday…maybe even soon…I might sip it from somewhere else.
First of all, I’m still pretty new to the coffee world. I’ve only been drinking coffee for a little over a year and a half, but boy, it doesn’t take long to become a fan! Since I’m still quite the coffee drinking novice, this post probably won’t mean much to you experts out there.
At the risk of sounding incredibly silly and trivial, starting to drink coffee has literally changed my life. It was suggested by a friend that I try it, and I was hesitant because I strongly disliked the taste. One day, Matthew suggested that I try the white chocolate mocha from Starbucks, and I was hooked. Let’s just call it my gateway drink. Since then, I’ve probably spent a quarter of a million dollars at Starbucks. In no time, the people at my local spot would have my coffee ready by the time I made it to the checkout counter. I even took them a Christmas present! You call this crazy. I call it service.
To make a long story short, I knew that I’d have to branch out from my daily Starbucks for two reasons. One, the white chocolate mocha has twelve pounds of sugar in it. That’s just not good for the figure. Plus, we would likely have to take out a second mortgage to keep funding my new habit. Nonetheless, I was totally convinced of coffee’s magical powers.
After getting used to the coffee taste through the white mochas, I decided to ease myself in to less sweet options. (Spoiler alert: If you think this post will end with me drinking black coffee, you might want to check back in ten years. Not there yet.) Next, I moved to the hazelnut and caramel macchiato. These are equally delicious but have a fraction of the sugar. After adjusting to something not quite so sweet, I finally took the biggest step of all….making my own coffee at home.
This sounds a little silly, but it was so difficult! I’ve learned that I work best with only a few options to choose from, and I had no idea where to start on the coffee isle! Not only was I overwhelmed by the options, it also didn’t taste very good. In October, I decided that making a decent cup of coffee at home would be one of my 2015 goals. (You’ll notice that this goal didn’t make the final cut because I was actually feeling pretty good about my progress by mid-December!)
Today, I’m sharing details of my new coffee love because I’ve finally found several at-home options that I like. Again, these are not super fancy options that’ll blow your mind. Instead, they’re simple, affordable products that can be found at practically any grocery store.
My favorite coffee blend is the Community Coffee Hotel Blend. Everyone kept telling me to try to Community Coffee. I was stubborn for a bit and stuck with Folgers because I wasn’t trying to get all fancy. Boy, what a difference! After switching to Community, I don’t know why I even wasted my time with Folgers. We also tried the peanut butter brew from Buzz Brews that we found on our trip to Dallas, and it was delicious!
My next important discovery has been creamer. Any serious coffee drinker knows that creamer will make or break a good cup of coffee. My tip top favorite creamer at this point is Bailey’s Irish Cream. I’ve also come to like several of the International Delight creamers including Almond Joy and Hazelnut. (I’m a huge fan of hazelnut, apparently.) I love how many options International Delight offers and have enjoyed making my way through the options.
I’m definitely still learning and experimenting in the coffee world. Even though I’m getting better at making coffee at home, I still thoroughly enjoy my trips to Starbucks and other local spots. I am proud to be making progress on making my own coffee though. It’s definitely more convenient on Saturday mornings when I’m not quite ready to change out of my PJs! Lately, I’ve been considering taking my home brewed coffee to the next level….with an espresso machine. I live on the wild side!
If you have any suggestions for the most delicious coffees or creamers (or espresso machines), please share! I’ve enjoyed trying different products, and I’d love to find some new favorites. Leave a comment below if you have a favorite that I should try. Here’s to delicious cups of coffee! And dreams of espresso machines! And starting coffee mug collections!
