Tag Archives: coffee

i will have a venti “absolutely defining sense of self”

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the whole purpose of places like starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. so people who don’t know what the heck they’re doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: tall. decaf. cappuccino.

joe fox  ::  you’ve got mail

such a classic line.  such a classic movie.  such wisdom.  gotta love nora ephron.  gotta love the shop around the corner.  gotta love parker posey.  and, quite frankly, gotta love starbucks.

my current favorite is a decaf americano with a pump of sugar-free cinnamon dolce.  sometimes, i will splurge and make it a nonfat latte.  i wonder what the baristas think of me?  the only way that it could get worse is if i added to that list, half-caf dry cappuccino with a temperature specification.   what does my order say about me?  i suppose that i am a complex, persnickety, preggo.

but that is for fall…whenever the temperature spikes back above 100, my go-to is a venti iced decaf americano.  plain jane and oh-so-yummy.  that perfect coffee jolt.  all robust flavor.  no fuss.  and of course, when i am a non-preggo, i just strike-through that decaf to really give it some get up and go.

what are you currently sipping? 

do you switch it up with the seasons? 

how many syllables is your order?

what does your cup say about you?

do tell!

31 weeks

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cravings & such:  this was a much healthier week.  barely any ice cream! with the exception of one yummy bowl of so delicious chocolate ice cream [made with coconut milk].  self control, folks.  i am still sucking back those smoothies and mucho coffee.  trenta, iced, decaf coffee.  yum.  i think i have consumed more coffee in the past three months than in all my pre-preggo months combined.  it tastes so yummy.  and, really hits the spot when it is hot, which is currently every. single. day.

the bump:  it feels huge.  and it moves and rumbles a lot these days.  little miss likes to use my internal organs as punching bags these days which can cause quite a ruckus.  so strange to have my midsection completely taken over by another person.

cool & cute things:  miss elinor measures over 16 inches long and weighs about 3.3 pounds…and is apparently heading for a growth spurt.  oh boy, get ready belly.  things are about to get serious.

new things:  baby can turn her head from side to side and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as fat accumulates underneath her skin.  by all means, take all the fat you would like.

meaningful moments:  hearing her heartbeat again.  getting kicked in the ribs for the first [noticeable] time.  that was an interesting feeling.  i’m pretty sure i audibly responded with “ugh!  you little monkey…”  buying our not-so-diaper-bag diaper bag.  putting sheets on her crib mattress.

the countdown:  63 days to go.  [gulp]  we are talking two months.  and, i have now entered the doctor-appointment-every-two-weeks phase of the pregnancy.  then, at 36 weeks, it is every week until baby girl arrives.  if i do my math right, that means that we are as few as 5 appointments away from go-time!

current size:  the weight of four navel oranges

three things

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three things i am likin’ right now

chameleon cold-brew from austin, tx

my sweet hubby bought me a cold-brew coffee system for my birthday and i am in love

green + gold + black & white initial stationery from kate spade

gold letter pendant from tiffany & co.

perhaps with baby girl’s initial

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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this was a pretty great weekend.  don’t you just love birthdays?!  what a perfect excuse to eat yummy food, indulge in way too much dessert, spend extra time alone with my man, and do some shopping!  fun. fun. fun.

even though my birthday was technically on friday, i received my hubby’s blessing to commandeer the entire weekend.  we did it up.  we kicked things off early with a whitehouse family dinner on my birthday eve. then we enjoyed a hubby & me date night on friday for dinner and shopping…shopping for baby goodies.  we walked away with a bag of tiny little apparel to begin her wardrobe.  a very merry un-birhday to you, baby girl.  it was so much fun. then we had an ice cream social [okay, there were only four people there but there was ice cream and we were social] followed by some additional baby girl shopping.  this time, it was off to home depot for paint.  wahoo!  and finally, we wrapped up the birthday-palooza weekend with a dinner with my dad, my fianc-ed sister, and her man.  whew!  needless to say, it was a splendid few days.  i feel quite celebrated.  quite full.  and actually, quite accomplished.  i couldn’t ask for more.

here are some snaps. 

date night with my handsome man + citizen public house.  yes.  again. + fondue with pears, grilled bread, and peppered sausage + the famous and scrumptious [gf] fried chicken and waffles with almond butter and desert lavender honey + plate o’ bread and sausage and cheddar and grainy mustard + rockin’ the scarf and looking like a “fashionable, old-fashioned cleaning lady” as ben’s sister katie calls it + a bag of tiny baby goodies for our tiny baby girl + a table-full of gifts from my man.  the contents thereof: a cookbook, chocolate bars from vosages, baubles and a scarf from j.crew, a giant bag of my favorite decaf coffee beans from local roaster matador, and a fancy-schmancy cold coffee brewing system + miss coco.  she was very jealous of the my presents and the baby’s clothes… + enjoying some of the aforementioned fancy-schmancy cold brewed coffee + a vegan peanut butter cookie from tammie coe.  ah.maz.ing + heading out for some ice cream + sweet republic artisan ice cream + some sweet republic press & a sassy face + my huckleberry ice cream + painting supplies for baby girl’s room! + off to church + dinner at the greene house + the california-cool decor + my dad + my b-day balloon + the menu + the goods…tuna; potato gnocchi with sausage, peas, and mushrooms; chicken ravioli; and scallops + some share-able birthday dessert…chocolate bars of yumminess.

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as i was assembling the collection, i realized that this weekend was a pretty fabulous tour of some great local venues and vendors from the scottsdale/phoenix area.  fox restaurants, citizen public house, sweet republic, matador coffee roasters, tammie coe.  we are blessed to live in a cool town.

the saturday evening post

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can you believe it is almost april?  what is happening folks?  wasn’t it just christmas?  jeepers.

also, it is 90 degrees here.  ninety.  nothing much more to say about that…

hubby and i went out to a totally crazy dinner last night at cb&cb [cold beers & cheeseburger].  it was everything that we dreamed it would be…lots of meat and cheese and toppings and fries.  so good.  i took plenty of snaps of the glorious food and our extreme happiness while consuming said food.  these pics will appear on the blog on monday but keep in mind that if you are the kind of person who enjoys instant gratification…you can follow our adventures on instagram. snap by snap.  find us @swankyanddapper.

in addition to the fun dinner outings, we will mostly stick to our weekend usual – groceries, a good long run, a saturday morning coffee run, church, spending time with family, and just take it easy.  doesn’t get much better than that.

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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a warm welcome to a new week!  hubby and i had a simply splendid weekend together.  here are a few little snaps…

waiting for the baroque concert to begin + my handsome and remarkably talented hubby leading those strings while the youth soloists are featured + a post-concert splurge at jalapeño inferno + we split some queso and mini chimis…it really hit the spot as our evening snack :) + my current obsession in a cup…32oz iced decaf americano from coffee bean and tea leaf.  big coffee flavor in a huge cup with heaps of tiny ice cubes.  i can already tell that this will be my go-to summer beverage.  it was lovely to sip on our 80-something days…and will be even more refreshing when it is 120 outside [eek] + weekend breakfast snapshots…harissa eggs with gluten-free bagels [a guilt free indulgence] and savory sweet potato hash + charlie’s adorable face…he likes to sit as close to me as possible + driving around town on a warm spring day, just me and my man

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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this was an especially delightful weekend.  here are some selected snaps.

 starting weekend a few hours early.  there’s nothing better than leaving work early on a friday! + hubby & happiness + the buddies savoring the rare extra minutes of lap time in the afternoon + bringing out my springtime bag for date night + heading out for a double date with friends…plus their sweet little girl + yup.  true food.  again + eco-chic design elements + the lively atmosphere + dinner with friends plus miss marley…who was such a sweetheart enjoying her iPad entertainment [a fabulous restaurant lifesaver for parents, by the way] + our tablescape: menu, iPad, puffed snacks, and playthings + local veggie crudités + bison burger with parm and mushrooms with sides of kale salad and hash + a post-dinner stroll with the stroller + saturday morning tradition – coffee from matador coffee roasters + charlie faces & coco faces during a lazy day + spinning some them crooked vultures on penelope while making dinner + just a little something ben whipped up:  burgers with hatch chiles and cheddar and bacon, spicy sweet potato wedges, harissa ketchup.  my hubby is quite the guy [and yes, that makes two nights in a row of burgers] + traditional harpsichord meets the modern iPad.  now that’s my kind of blended church service.  another reason why i love cbc + eye spy, with my little eye…a charlie!  taking the buddies on a little car ride to visit my dad with charlie eagerly awaiting our arrival in the backseat +  a perfect arizona day + some post-church lunch with dad at the greene house + chatting and eating some goo-ood food together + hearing about dad’s life while mom is away visiting grandma in the great white north + miss sadie may – the ridley beagle + hanging out with the buddies + charlie, keeping an eye on things for us.  he is such a good guard dog + finishing up the weekend with some couch time, tea sipping, and family cuddles

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see you soon, dear weekend

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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a smattering of my favorite recent snaps. mostly moments from our wonderful weekend.

scrumptious french-style omelettes with lavender + charlie hoping that papa will drop a tasty morsel + a perfect saturday morning meal…omelete & bacon & cinnamon dusted apples & peanut butter + topping off the meal with the most amazing coffee ever from matador coffee roasting company [a stone's throw from our front door!] along with some yummy biscotti…you know, for breakfast dessert + the buddies staying close by, hoping that we will share the biscotti + an afternoon run to in-n-out for some burgers [the loyal blog readers might recall that i mentioned a burger break here...let the record show that we did indeed take a 10 day hiatus from burger consumption. do the math, people.  that's pretty darn good for us.] + our sunday morning drive + the idyllic arizona mountainscape + our church, nestled in the heart of paradise valley + charlie helping papa with the dishes before bedtime