Today's Reason to Smile ~ Happy St. Patrick's Day!

There are so many things right in this picture on my Saint Patrick's Day Morning.

I'm rockin' out my layered gold necklaces from Rocksbox.

I'm seriously owning some green eye shadow & eye liner from Bare Minerals.

My hair is actually behaving thanks to the art of reading instructions on a hair oil I was reviewing the night before . . . and my skin is happily glowing thanks to Radha's Argan Oil and Cremo's Face Wash & Moisturizer.

PLUS, I am holding a golden mug filled with Moustache Coffee.

But the best part is that I FREAKING REMEMBERED TO WEAR SOMETHING GREEN on Saint Patrick's Day!!

I just don't own very many green items.  I never, ever have.  As a small child, I was the epitome of the girly-girl . . . except that I wasn't afraid to skin my knees when running or riding on my bike in my frilly dresses (no really, they had lace; they were frilly).

My favorite color was of course pink, and this was back before pink & green were cute.  There were no cute combinations of pink & green in the 1980s.  To make matters worse, I could never remember to wear green on St. Patrick's Day, and I was subjected to the constant pinching of my compatriots throughout elementary school.

So, today's reason to smile is remembering to wear green! 

A Coffee Lovers Happy Place! Friends & Espresso Cups from François et Mimi!

 It is true that I am a coffee addict as a result of my years in graduate school.  However, I was definitely set up for the weakness by my wonderful Wanda & Daddy.  I grew up with the morning grind of the coffee, the whir of the espresso machine, and a house constantly filled with the wafting scents of dark, earthy coffee.

So, when I am pretty thrilled about this opportunity to share the amazingness that is François et Mimi's Espresso Set with you!  I packed up my espresso cups and toted them over to my friends' apartment for gaming night where I tested out these darling espresso cups on all the boys!

Product Description:

- Set includes four espresso cups and four matching saucers

- Made of high quality porcelain that is high-fired

- Lead free

- Each cup holds 3-4 fl oz

What We Love about François et Mimi's Espresso Set:

- Extremely attractive!  This set has really lovely lines!

- The cups & handles are well balanced; they are comfortable to hold!

- The cups sit perfectly on the saucers, and the saucers are also well balanced, which creates a delightful experience!

- They are dishwasher safe!

Unfortunately, this item is not currently available on Amazon, but when it is, you will be able to find it here!

Verdict: YAY!!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Tomoson.com and made possible by François et Mimi.  Products were provided in exchange for my time in assessing their quality and writing an honest review about them. All product information is gleaned from the manufacturer's product description.  All opinions are my own based on my experiences with the product.  All photos are my own. 

Celebrating Curves! A Day for Self-Love

So, today I came across two wonderful articles on Bustle.com that I really want to share with all of my lovely readers!  As I continue to work on an update to my Foray into Fashion Posts (Part #1 and Part #2), these beautiful moments are certainly inspiring for me!

First, is an article entitled, " 7 'Fat Girls Can't Wear That' Rules Totally and Completely Disproven" by the amazing Marie Southard Ospina:

Next, is an announcement regarding a new line at Target:

and Marie Southard Ospina's perspective!

I really hope you all enjoy these articles today!  And smile, you're beautiful regardless of how curvy or non-curvy your body is! :-)

January's Moustache!

No, I'm not growing a moustache!  I'm talking about the most amazing Coffee Subscription Box on the planet, Moustache Coffee Club!

Each month I get a box of the most amazing single origin roasted coffee beans I could imagine!

This month's bag was roasted by the Lord Windsor Roasters.  The beans were roasted on 12/23, and I received them on 12/27!  Wow! 

These magnificent little gems originated in the Kivu, Rutsiro District in Rwanda, and were produced by Kigeyo Washing Station.  They grew at 1800-2000 meters. They are Bourbon varietals and were processed by washing.  (I have very little idea what any of this means, but I'll learn eventually!)

What most interests me is that Moustache Coffee Club always includes the tasting notes for each bag of coffee they send to customers.  The tasting notes of this month's bag were: Caramel, Sweet Raisin, Sparkling Acidity.

Aka: Amazing!

The best smell ever!  Freshly roasted coffee!

I love the varieties of coffee I receive from Moustache Coffee Club.  They offer a number of subscription options as well as a free 1 oz. sample of their amazing product!  You can order your coffee beans whole or ground.  (I get whole, because I love my French Press!)

For more information or to subscribe, I'd love it if you used my referral link! 

Missing Stories - Reflections from the Ohlone Greenway

Have you ever come across an apparently random, but definitely human made, sight?

The Bay Area's Ohlone Greenway runs through my apartment's property.  For those of you lucky enough to not know what this is, its a pedestrian & bicycle pathway that runs near the BART tracks from El Cerrito all the way down to North Oakland.  Needless to say, we get lots of foot traffic of all types right through our apartment property.

Because of our geographical situation, I've seen all kinds of things, and I often wonder about the back story.

This morning I was walking the Barley-Puppy on the Ohlone Greenway, and on the way back to the apartment we passed this neat arrangement of seemingly random items.

A broken scooter with the upright bar, handles, and wheels missing.

One wheel that definitely doesn't go with the scooter base.

Two shoes - mismatched - of the same variety; neon colors and cleats.

Stuff doesn't just fall into picturesque positions like this.

Someone arranged this junk.

That means, someone, at some point had all of these random items in their possession.

What is the story, or stories, of this half-rotted, broken scooter, a lone wheel, and two sad, mateless, neon, cleated shoes?

#OccupyingComps

Around the time the #occupy movement was really rocking things on the streets of NYC, Chicago, SF, Oakland, and other cities, I, and several of my colleagues entered into the weirdest year of a doctoral program - comprehensive exams.

In his great insight and hilarity, he nicknamed his journey through this season of grad school, #occupycomps.

Admittedly, I have been avoiding active progress on my comps since the end of October.  I'm still examining out my stubborn insistence to figure out why my usual tactics of self-motivation continually fail me . . . and why I am continuing to fail myself.

I mean, graduate students, by and large, are not the most disciplined creatures in the world.  Surprised?  Think about it.  We have been in school for forever, and the one glorious thing about school is that there is a structure into which one can insert oneself to ensure that one does what one must do in order to achieve one's goal.  There are scary professors, deadlines, penalties, etc. all of which help keep us, otherwise lazy but curious, individuals hurtling toward the end of some dark tunnel.

Well, on the way down that tunnel, some of get stuck.

And apparently when we get stuck we end up occupying, or residing, within that section of the tunnel.  This occupation one might say, is not the ideal, because instead of passing through, we simply stop.

And comps is an ooey-gooey sticky place to get stuck.  In an attempt to dislodge myself from this goopy mess, I've joined a writing group that will attempt to hold group members accountable to actually doing something each week or two.

So, here's to #notoccupyingcomps, but rather getting the f#ck done so that I can move on and subject myself to writing some obscene number of pages of stuff that will somehow be my dissertation!

Moustache Coffee Review October

I am not quite a coffee-snob, but I have very definite options about coffee.  Growing up, the smells of coffee were associated with waking up, mid-afternoon conversations, and decadent desserts!  I was bound to become inseparable from my own coffee cup.  In December, Hubby sealed the deal by getting me my own french press and hand burr grinder.  I'm in love, and the perfect morning begins with the churgling sounds of my electric tea kettle followed by the timer telling coffee is ready!

I tried Moustache Coffee via their 2 oz. free trial.  I'll admit that I wasn't thrilled at first, but the coffee grew on me.  Then came my August Bag.  I was done.  Totally addicted, and I'm never looking back.  I can only splurge on one bag of coffee a month from Moustache since they run $18.50/ bag.  So, I've been savoring October's bag all month, and trying to make it stretch.

Let me tell you about this month's roast.  Everyone has different ways of determining good coffee.  For me, I am most impressed with how much I like it cold, but I hate cold coffee.  Not iced coffee.  Cold, used to be hot, sat-out-too-long tepid coffee is one of the worst things to me.  Ugh.  

But let me tell you, this coffee I'll drink until the cup is empty no matter what temperature it is! Its smooth, with the perfect balance of acidity and chocolate.  That description card says "creamy body," and its no joke.

So, I say all of this to say that I am going to be loyal to Moustache Coffee for a long time.  Their customer service is great.  Their team has the best sense of humor.  Not to mention the story behind their company name is priceless!  If you enjoy coffee, this is one subscription box not to overlook!

If you want to check them out, I'd love it if you used my referral link so I can keep funding my coffee habit on a doctoral student budget.  But if not, you can also google them! :-)

+The Moustache Coffee Club

Thoughts on Amora Coffee

In my obsessive hunts for free things to avoid preparing for my comprehensive exams this past summer, I stumbled upon Amora Coffee.

They run a pretty sweet deal!  $1 for a bag of coffee a silver coffee scoop (pictured above) with free shipping!

However, if you fail to cancel in time, or adjust your order, you'll get sent 4 bags of whatever roast you ordered for your first box (cost = $14.95/bag), along with a free coffee canister.  Customer service had mercy on me, closed my account and refunded $25 of the cost of that second box.  I have to give them serious credit for their customer service.  Yes, its based in TN, so turn on your charm, use "sir" and "m'am," and I'm sure they'll treat you just as well.

If I had continued subscribing, I would have gotten a free travel mug, and eventually a very nice coffee maker.  But I didn't, because, well, this isn't about free stuff.  Its really about coffee.

So, the central question!  How is their coffee??  The bags pictured are their medium roast called Elegante.  Its coffee.  No exciting notes of anything.  No complex flavors.  Just good 'ol coffee.  I'd say that if you are a poor grad student, take the bag of coffee for a $1, and then cancel your subscription.  At least its a cheap, decent bag of caffeine for your early mornings or late nights!

If you're interested in this deal head over here: http://www.amoracoffee.com/ and click on the red box on the right side of the screen entitled FREE OFFER.

If you're interested in really good coffee via subscription, stay tuned for my upcoming review!!

#food