Coffee Cupping.

Coffee Cupping, or Coffee Tasting, is the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. It is a professional practice but can be done informally by anyone or by professionals known as Master Tasters. A standard coffee cupping procedure involves deeply sniffing the coffee, then loudly slurping the coffee so it spreads to the back of the tongue. The coffee taster attempts to measure aspects of the coffee's taste, specifically the body (the texture or mouthfeel, such as oiliness), sweetness (the perceived sweetness at the sides of the tongue,acidity (a sharp and tangy feeling at the tip of the tongue, like when biting into an orange),flavour (the characters in the cup), and aftertaste. Since coffee beans embody telltale flavours from the region where they were grown, cuppers may attempt to predict the coffee's origin. (From Wikipedia)

Went to my first coffee cupping last night at Gray Owl coffee in Norman, Ok. I have to say, compared to these guys I know nothing about coffee. But it was fun trying all the different flavors out and learning that I could actually describe what I was tasting.

We would have several cups sat down in front of us, we would lean in and get a big wiff of the coffee, trying to identify what the flavors were just by the scent, then would quickly take a sip from a spoon and then jot down the first flavors that came to mind. Think of a wine tasting except wayyyy more cracked out by the end of the night once everyone was full of caffeine. My post-it was on the very far left, short and to the point. While the really knowledgable guy's was the one just to the right of mine that was long and detailed. Seemed as though I got mine pretty right on tho for a beginner. ;)

Are you guys really into coffee? Ever gone to a "cupping" before?

-Angela

Vacation!

It starts in 5 mins! Can't wait!

My plans for the holiday:

Hang out with friends

Make some cupcakes

Drink lots of coffees

Visit the family in Bartlesville

Maybe paint a little

Work on putting my place together some more

Deliver these wedding invites I just finished

Blog a lil'

Austin, TX or Flaming Lips show for New years

Partay

What are your holiday plans?

-Angela

Housewarming. Handmade Herbal Bath Blend.

Another housewarming gift I received this weekend.

Handmade Herbal Bath Blend. I loveee the adorable handmade label. But thennnn... Check out that ingredients list! First Ingredient...Cayenne! I am going to try it out tonight and see how it goes.

Looks like it could warm up more than just my house! :0

-Angela

Sunday Thrifting Finds.

Man this weekend was a blast. Went to an awesome Christmas party last night and Chenoa and I had a lil sleepover. Woke up this morning and made some breakfast, listened to some tunes, and then we decided we wanted to go thrifting.

Best find of the day. A little Mid Century Table. Got it at Community Thrift for $15. Love.

Died when I found this print. I have a few other very similar prints. And if you know me you know I love "tree stuff" • Beautiful cream and gold vintage bag. with long shoulder strap.

Vanity tray. Been searching for one for a while and couldnt find one I really liked until today. • Pretty dish I found that I thought would be perfect for holding all my spare change laying around my house.

More "tree stuff". ;) Silver candle with tree bark texture. A great find for me. • Cute throw I found that perfectly matched my stuff. Bluegreen and Taupy color.

This was a hilarious find because I had been getting crap from my friends this weekend for my love of cheap Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Sorry frins but I think it tastes better than Starbucks charred roast. Anyway this was a perfect find to end a weekend. Love the cute 1970s style mug.

The little box was the new find. Bought it because it perfectly matched two other tins I had. I think it's going to hold recipes or tea. The taller one is currently being used for coffee filters. • Pressed flower decoration. If you havent noticed, I love having little elements of nature around my place.

Last but not least. This wasnt a thrifting find, but a housewarming gift from my friend Chenoa. A bottle of Fat Bastard Merlot with a cute little Kimono style holder. Loveeee it. :)

-Angela

Vintage Video Friday! Happy Christmas.

Two posts in one day? Fancy That.

Happy Christmas everyone.

Tis' the season of Vitamin C.

It all starts with that little itch. You know the one. At the back of your throat when you swallow. The sneezes you wishfully think are just allergies. Then a weird feeling of warmth comes over you followed by chills. Yep. You are starting to get sick. And I say.. I will have none of it.

Ever since yesterday when I got that first little feeling, I have been inundating myself with very high doses of vitamin C... via a mysterious fizzing elixr called Emergen-C....and it seems to be keeping it at bay...kind of. I am still feeling rather weak and not like myself but my weakness has not turned into the full blown plague just yet.

And plus... who wouldnt want to overdose on Vitamin C when it is flavored like Acai Berry?

-Angela

Reading Corner turned Christmas Corner.

Remember that reading corner I showed you in the previous post? It has now been the home of my new xmas tree here for a while now. 

I got the LAST white xmas tree at a Kohl's Black Friday sale marked down to $15 bucks. :) (originally priced $50) 

A few people have brought that to my attention that this photo makes my tree look HUGE. So I need to point out that this tree is only 4 feet. It's my lil babytree. 

The thing that makes this tree so special to me is that my grandfather, who is now in his mid-eighties, allowed me to inherit my grandmother's beautiful christmas ornaments this year. So based on when my grandparents were married, had children, and when my grandmother would have bought these; I am guessing these ornaments are from the 50s or 60s. Plus the look of them would tell me no different. 

I've always hated Christmas for as long as I can remember working retail (since I was about 16 until just about a year and a half ago). Now that I actually have time off from work to enjoy family, giving gifts to the kiddos, and not having to fight off rude customers blaming me for ruining their christmas (because they waited until christmas eve to shop).... now Christmas is slowly starting to grow on me. 

-Angela

For Shame! An update about the new place. Finally.

Ok so I found a cute tapestry for Kathleen over at jeremyandkathleen and she told me she was going to link me in her next entry in order to shame me into updating. And ok ok I surrender. The shame has worked. I must update. ;)

Ok so some of you may have already seen this if you are friends with me on my flickr page. But for those 5 readers who arent.. I shall share the UNedited UNartdirected UNfinished pictures of my new place. 

I have actually done quite a bit since these pics were taken and plan on taking some "after" photos once I am all done... or well.. finished enough to be ok with taking more pictures. (because if i waited till i was ALL DONE...it might not ever happen).

So here is the living room. I got rid of those ugly pillows that came with my sofa and the couch looks much better without them. Also got that picture hung and another tree picture above the tv. Dvd player is all hooked up and rearranged. All thats left is to look for some new pillows and a throw to go on the sofa. Probably will take inspiration from a color in that painting most likely. ;) After rearranging this room a zillion times. This just seemed to be the best arrangement for the living room. It is kind of an awkward space. 

View from the sofa. Got some new pics hung on both sides of that mirror. Still can't get the pesky mirror to hang. Tree pic is moved above the tv.  

  

Office clutter is all cleaned up now so I have a clear desk with my orange chair there. And that is an OUTBOX in that tupperware container. A huge one. That self portrait needs to be hung too. In the pic on the right, that little stand there is going to be painted teal and used to hold purses and shoes. Coathooks will be going on that wall. And ive now got a little bowl on that table for mail and keys. Landing strip is almoosstt there. 

Love this little reading corner.  And my dining room now has a giant paper lantern above the table. The bookshelves and the tinyness of my dining area makes my place pretty cozy. 

I love my new kitchen. Its small but it gets the job done so well. If you saw my old one, you would know what a vast improvement this one is. And its so great to have a dishwasher again. You take for granted the little things. And yes. That door leads to a backyard. 

 

It's the little things like wine, fresh flowers, and a welcome mat that make a place feel like home. Private fenced in backyard helps too. I've never had that before and I think its gonna be really nice in the summer. 

 

Of course two of those boxes are still yet to be unpacked.. but wait.. ignore the boxes and look past to the pretty scarf collection...divert divert! :) To the right is my bathroom. The white curtain hides the stackable washer and dryer. I hate seeing washer and dryer sets. I must hide them. Those curtains have been used at my last 3 or 4 places for that very use. 

And THIS is where all the action happens! (or lack thereof..ha) I definitely want to paint or put something on that wall behind my bed but i havent decided what yet. We will see. Would love to put some curtains up to so long as they dont interfere with the natural light. 

Here is my rescued dresser. When I found it, it was completely scratched up and water damaged. Thats when I decided to paint it teal. I still have a whole gallon of that paint left so that is what the little shoe holder I mentioned earlier in the post is going to be painted. Anyone need some teal paint? The other pic is my closet and argyle obsession. The rest of my place has pretty big walk in closets but that closet happens to be kind of awkward. Still working on the most organized arrangement for everything in there. Decorative boxes/bins holding stuff? Shoe racks? All stuff to think about...

Of course there were pics of the unpacked clutter. If you MUST see the rest of my place you can click any of the photos to go to my flickr cause sorry but im not posting the embarrassing clutter piles that have yet to be unpacked.

But it seems there are always new things to be doing to a place. It is never finished. It is constantly an evolution of changing taste and needs. Then those little visions you have itching at the back of your brain just dying to manifest themselves. We will see how It comes along in the following weeks. 

And despite my blogger lazyness. I will even try to update this thing once in a while. 

-Angela