Good Morning Tuesday - Tuesday 4

It's time for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 ... just four questions each week for you to ponder and share your thoughts, likes and dislikes.  You can visit others and see their opinions and hopefully make some new blogging friends.

Can we talk about mornings? We all have them, right?

1. Do you jump out of bed or hit the deck running as I call it or are you slow to get up to speed in the morning?

I'm slow to get up to speed in the morning. It typically takes me hours to really get going. I'm a night owl not a morning person.

2. Do you start the day with coffee or tea?  Or do other things help you wake up like washing your face, etc.?

I usually start my day with coffee and cream after making my bed and making a washroom stop. Sometimes I'll wash my face then but usually I wait until I've had my coffee and feel more alert.  Then I'll take a shower including washing face and brushing teeth and and get dressed to start my day.

3. Is the best part of waking up some Folgers in your cup? What brand of coffee or tea lights your fire?

I like the jingle for Folgers coffee but you'll find Maxwell House in my cup instead. I read the other day that the coffee got it's name from the Maxwell Hotel. 

One of his [Joel Cheek] first big customers was the Maxwell House Hotel. The hotel bought some of his coffee to serve in their dining room. Supposedly, the customers loved it so much they demanded that the hotel keep selling it. Joel named his coffee brand Maxwell House after the hotel in Nashville, where this happened. Tennessee State Museum website

 4. In the Netherlands toast with hefty style chocolate sprinkles are a usual breakfast.  Italy also begins the day with rolls or cookies.  Britain and America are eggs, bacon, toast, or cereal.  What about you? What is a typical breakfast for you?

Many years ago I used to eat breakfast more often; usually a cold or hot cereal with toast. On weekends I would have the full American breakfast of bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and toast on a Saturday.  I remember the days well because I was a student or a young career woman.  Saturday was always a time relax and do errands, and meet a friend for late breakfast and a natter. These days I seldom eat breakfast.  When I do it's usually toast and coffee.  Sometimes I have a craving for hot porridge or bacon and eggs and I'll make those if the craving or hunger is strong enough.

I've recently had a huge breakfast of bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and toast. I probably won't have it again for quite some time. In this case I was using up some small potatoes before they went bad.

I'm joining in with Tuesday 4 today.  Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday 4 - Coffee Time

Coffee Time

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

How about a bit of coffee questions this week?   Or, if you drink tea ow anything else, adjust the questions to suit you.

1.  What is your favorite tea or coffee? (KIND or Brand)

My favourite coffee to make at home is Maxwell House regular strength. Years ago I used buy my beans, grind them and home and make coffee in a French press.  My favourite beans were Swiss Wash (decaf) and Guatemala Antigua. I found these two were just the right strength and the Swiss Wash was actually quite nice for a decaf because the Swiss Wash process preserved the coffee flavour.  I no longer have a French press to make coffee but may get one in the future.  A while back, I also purchased a Nespresso Machine (as in the photo below) and like to use that now and then especially with the frother though I haven't settled on the right coffee blend and the pods can be very expensive. If I have just the right blend of coffee and use a French press or the Nespresso machine, I typically will have only one cup of coffee.  It is enough. I guess it must be more concentrated than other coffees.

As for tea, I usually enjoy Rooibos tea (which is decaf) made in tea bag form by Lipton or purchased loose in some health stores. Lately, I've started drinking sage tea at night and sometimes in the morning too for health benefits. Apparently it's supposed to be good at fighting inflammation and reducing blood glucose levels among other things. Rooibos tea also has similar health benefits.

2.  Do you prefer your coffee in the morning, afternoon or evening?

I have a cup of coffee when I rise and usually one or two more during the day. One in the afternoon and if I go out alone or with a friend, I'll also have one in early evening.  When I'm alone, I use this time to enjoy reading a book.

3.  Do you meet friends for coffee in a café or restaurant? Often or not?

Yes, meeting a friend for coffee is one of my favourite ways to visit with a friend. I'm not fussy as to what kind of restaurant.  With my female friends they usually like to go to a quaint and interesting tea or coffee shop. With my male friends, Starbucks or McDonalds is fine. When I'm alone I usually go to McDonald's where I can enjoy a coffee and read undisturbed.  Unless it's Friday night. McDonald's at that time of week is usually hopping with young people and they make too much noise for me to relax and enjoy a book. How often I meet friends depends on my schedule. I will usually book these meetups several in a row over a few weeks and then go for a while without meeting.

4. Do you have a night time regimen before you go to bed, and how about your first thing in the morning routine?   Does it include a hot drink to relax in the evening or coffee to get you going in the morning?  Does it help to start and end the day right?

Yes, my morning routine consists of waking slowly and having a water, medicine and coffee before I have my shower and begin the day. My days can vary a lot but I always begin with slowly waking. In the evening after cooking and cleaning up afterwards, I usually make a hot rooibos tea to stay warm in winter and relax over reading a book.  In summer I'll have a cold beverage of some kind usually one without too much sugar and this is when I might have some kind of supplement or herbal tea as well. This is also when I meditate and pray more meaningfully because it is quiet and peaceful at this time of the day. Both the morning and evening routines help me start and end the day right.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little Behind But Forging Ahead

Thank you to everyone who left such wonderful comments on my last post. If you missed it you can find it here.

I hope to continue my travel posts in a few days but for now just wanted to pop in here for a moment.

In not so fun news, I finally had the first dental for my bridge work.  As always there were unanticipated costs because there was a deep cavity under there and it required work. My dentist had to remodel my gum to properly get at the tooth. That wasn't anticipated and meant I had to get prescription antibacterial mouthwash and some kind of ointment. It also means 3 dental appointments rather than 2 so the dentist can see how things are going before the new mold is made for the laboratory to make the new bridge. I'll be glad when it's all finished.

I've been busy busy with cleaning, decorating & shopping. The shopping wasn't just for Christmas though I did some of that too.  I was returning some items previously purchased and looking for a new coffee pot. My coffee pot is perfectly fine but very basic.  For some time I've been wanting a coffee maker with a thermal carafe to keep the coffee nice and hot. Well imagine my surprise to find all the coffee pots are well over $100 Canadian. In fact most of them are double and triple that cost and I find that to be too much money.

The best deal I found on line was for a Cuisanart coffee maker with a thermal carafe. Cuisanart is a good brand for kitchen appliances. But then I decided I had better use a gift card that a dear friend gave me for Christmas last year.  The gift card was for a store called Canadian Tire.

Canadian Tire had several pots and I settled on this coffee pot by Hamilton Beach. It doesn't use a carafe because the coffee is kept in a holding container inside the coffee maker.  You can set the timer for how long you want to keep the coffee warm. I've made coffee in it twice already: one very small pot and one larger pot just to test it out. It seems to work just fine.  Best of all I got it for 'free' with the gift card because it was 55 % off and most of the reviews for the pot are very good.  I'll wash and box up my old coffee pot and store it just in case I need it later.

Other than that I bought a pre-lit cedar bough for the top of my bookshelves since I can no longer reach the socket now that I moved the bookshelves around. The prelit lights use triple A batteries and suit me just fine though I may actually return it for a wider bough made of artificial pine needles and berries. When I went to the store the garlands were very picked over so there may not be anything left by the time I return.

My decorating is never over the top but it is a lot for me since I am not a big fan of decorating for the holidays. I love to see the end result but I do not enjoy the process. I have everything up where it should be but now need to work on fluffing up the leaves and garlands and putting the small bulbs on my small tree. I hope to finish on the weekend because I'll be too busy this week to spend time on decorating.  Once I finish decorating I do really enjoy sitting in the evenings with the main lights off and the Christmas lights on. They cast a cosy glow and make me feel very contented and joyful.

I also continue to be busy with the missions in Kenya. I don't have a lot more to report to what I mentioned in this post but I do have some very good news. The doctor has said that my friend Eunice could be going home in about 2 months as she has been slowly but steadily improving so the family and I are cautiously optimistic. It has been a long, hard road for Eunice and the family and for me so this news was very welcome. If you'd like to make a contribution to her recovery, please see the link on the right side bar or contact me.

Sunday I'll be going to a luncheon with two family friends and it will be a nice time to visit before the Christmas season is fully upon us. One of my friends just had a baby on November 11, 2019, Remembrance Day and  it will be my first change to see the baby girl. I have been busy shopping for little Christmas gifts for those I will see and making it a  priority to wrap them so they are ready to go. I also popped a few extra Christmas cards in the mail though most went in the mail late last week.   Before the week is over I hope to finish wrapping gifts for the family but I still didn't find the time to alter clothing for niece. Once I confirm the measurements it won't take that long.

Do any of you grow ficus lyrata or ficus bambino?  I've been wanting a larger ficus lyrata for some time now but the ones that are a good price at IKEA are sold out whenever I've tried to purchase one.  On Friday night I managed to find a store that was selling some small plants.  Their larger ficus lyrata sell for over $400 Canadian. I was very happy to get two smaller ones for $16 and tax.  Living in a north facing, coldish condo doesn't really help with growing tropical plants which can be quite finicky in our climate.   Even with the heat on,  the drafts that find their way indoors are not good for the plants. That's another reason I don't want to spend too much money on any plant.

Here is a photo of the baby plants. If you know about this kind of plant let me know what you think it is because  I may have actually purchased a ficus bambino and not the ficus lyrata.  In any case I will enjoy trying to make these little plants grow.

I asked why the top leaves were so big and the under leaves were so small. The salesperson said because the growth comes from the bottom. That doesn't make any sense to me since the new shoots are coming out at the top of the plant not the bottom.  I remember days long ago when I lived in other homes. My plants did well in those days and I hope and pray they will do well again.  I find plants are wonderful addition to a home.

I haven't had time to do any reading or movie watching so I'm still making my way through the book on Coco Chanel. I was surprised to learn things about her which cause me to admire her less. I won't say more in case you want to read the book yourself.  I will say that she made a lasting impact on the world of women's fashion and it is good to know more about her.  For that reason alone I am happy to read this very well researched book.

Last, but not least, I picked up this movie from the library called She Walks Ahead.  It's based on a true story about Catherine Weldon, a painter, (played by Jessica Chastain) who leaves New York and travels to the plains to paint Chief Sitting Bull. Chief Sitting Bull is played by Canadian actor, Michael Greyeyes. Of course movies don't always stick to reality so if you are interested in knowing more, read here.  This story was all new to me and a very interesting bit of history.

That's all for now. Have a wonderful week.

A Thoughtful Gift & A Pleasant Walk

"I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun."
Charles Swindoll

Yesterday I had a package from my blogging friend John of John's Island.  We have been friends for awhile now and have come to find we enjoy certain things that speak to simple pleasures in life.  One of those is coffee.

John lives in Seattle and I live in Vancouver. Both of our cities share similar weather patterns and the residents of both simply love their coffee. Do you think it has anything to do with all the rain both of our cities get over the winter months?

My wonderful care package; coffee mug included.

This morning I enjoyed my first cup of these "new to me" coffee. It was very nice!I even got a wonderful mug showing the Seattle Skyline.

It is a dark roast and I usually drink medium roast but I enjoyed this coffee very much. I even drank it black when I normally take cream. 

Receiving the gift was a lovely thoughtful gesture.

You meet some of the nicest people through blogging.

Most of  my regular viewers will know that we've been having a very hot summer
this year with little rain to speak of. One can see the dry grasses everywhere in a city that is known for lush greenery.

Still you can't beat the walks along the waterfront.

 

Joining in with Our World Tuesday