Thursday, August 21, 2025

Why I Stopped Posting My Child's Face Online

I recently made the decision to stop posting my child's face on my social media profiles (including Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

I'm aware that there are a lot of people that I know that still do this. And honestly, that's fine. I do not judge them for that. Everyone has the right to decide what to do with their own social media accounts, AND their kids. But, the fact that I know so many moms and am friends online with so many mom's who do this, I didn't want to post my reasoning on those accounts because I know it will come off as some kind of virtue signaling, or just "look at me and my decisions, they are better than yours". I'm not trying to give that impression. 

Plant Haven

So I figure, I'll post my reasonings on my blog, which hardly anyone reads, much less the people I'm online friends with on those platforms. I'm making it so that if someone wants to dig hard enough, they can and will see my reasons, and that's fine! If they never find this, that's fine too. I'm putting this out there in the world in case the right people do come across it. I'm not trying to say that everyone's values and views should be the same as my values and views. But, if you come across this post, I hope it will give you something to think about!

So with that out of the way...

I'm a fairly new mom. I have a two year old son, and if you caught my last post, you'll know I'm also pregnant with our second child (gender to be discovered!) When I first had my son, I was like any other new mom, posting the newborn hospital pictures on my feed, announcing my sweet baby's arrival, and the subsequent monthly updates. 

I don't think I realized it fully at the time, but even back then I felt... weird about it. As long as I've had a social media, I think I've been like everyone else where I'm trying to pick the best and favorite edited photos in my camera roll to share the highlights that I want to share. I did this back in 2020 when I shared some of my makeup looks, and I've done it on the blog for years when I share some of my VSCO edited photos of my every day life. 


It gets a little weirder to me when thinking about what pictures of my son, my child, LOOK the best that I want to post and share with people and the world. 

Posting my child online, subconsciously made me to ask these questions when considering which ones to post - 

Which of these photos does he look the cutest? 

Which of these photos show my best vsco editing on him? 

In which of these photos does he showcase the kind of child I want to be seen as raising? 

Which of these photos is worthy to showcase the announcement that my son has finally entered the world? (out of the 75 of them I took, trying to get the "perfect photo" for my son's newborn announcement)


Maybe at this point you can start to see where my "ick" has come from at the beginning. Why would I think it's appropriate to have such an appearance mindset towards my baby son?

My son is barely alive. Barely born into this world, and by posting him online, I'm subjecting him to this type of scrutiny, even if only in myself, even without realizing it. 

I recognize that not everyone will even have the same mindset about choosing photos of their children. Maybe no one is thinking anything remotely like those questions above. 

But, as I grew my "mom knowledge", another huge reason to avoid posting my son started to make itself known.

Privacy, safety, and consent. 


The internet has evolved so much since I was young. Predators are constantly finding new ways to be, well, predatory, online. I'm not going to cite my sources here, you can do as much as a google search to find out more about what I'm talking about. But nowadays, AI software is so advanced it can be used to change an innocent photo into something very realistic that can be used for evil. Even apart from AI usage, I have known people personally who was involved and trusted in church, but was actually a child predator. He would google pictures of little girls to use them for his fantasizing and f*etish behavior. Truly disgusting stuff. I would not be surprised if he used pictures on Facebook of friend's kids for the same thing. 

And you know what, sure. Any predator online can do anything they want to any photo online, including of me! This isn't exclusive to children. I have to make my own decisions about my own face online based on that knowledge. But the fact that my child is a minor and is unable to consent to any of that, is where I draw the line. 


My son does not have the ability to decide if he wants to subject his face to random online predators. He is two. It's my job as his mother to protect him in the ways that he can't protect himself. 

If I'm out in public and someone is filming my child without my notice or knowledge, then there's nothing I can do about that, sadly. That person will receive their due payment for their behavior. But subjecting my son to predatory behavior and even just scrutiny online is something that I can control.

Some might believe that their children's pictures are "safe" just because they have their accounts private. 

I thought that too, and to this day my accounts are still private (even thought all my son's photos are removed by this point). 

The fact is, your child's pictures are simply NOT guaranteed safe within a specified group of people just because they are posted on a private account. Screenshots are a thing. And chances are, people you know (or think you know) aren't who you think they are. Remember the dude I knew personally that I mentioned above? He was involved and respected and trusted in the church. Perfect "private friend group" material (also don't worry, he's in jail now).



But I want to share child updates with my friends online! Great. Do that without pictures. You can type a post about your child's development and funny quirks without any pictures at all (on Facebook). Or better yet, if my friends want to keep themselves updated on my life and my kid's progress, they can come see me and my kids personally! That's what hanging out is for. That's what a village is for. That's what church fellowship is for. 

This leads me to one last point about no longer sharing my child's face online - which is kind of a perk! I can't tell you how many mom friends I know who, as soon as they had kids, their social medias are just FULL of their kids. It's all about their kids. You go onto their profile, with their name on it, and I can't even find the person, cause it's allllll about their kids! 

Again, this is fine, and whoever wants to do this, is totally fine. But I think a big part of "losing yourself" in motherhood is blending your life with your kids in ways that you don't really need to. Of course, becoming a mother completely changes your life. This is a wonderful thing, this is how it should be! But each individual mother in the world is still a person, and still themselves! Why not utilize YOUR social media, to showcase YOUR updates? And YOUR likes and dislikes? And YOUR hobbies? And YOUR favorite foods? And YOUR milestones? Your profile has YOUR name on it, after all!

Even if you're a mom, YOU ARE NOT YOUR KIDS! 


I'm a new mom myself, but I've already met many many moms who struggle with this. They even come to resent their kids for it! 

We can be great mothers, but I also believe that our individuality is a priceless gift! 

GOD made me, ME. He gave me children, and being their caregiver is part of who I am. But it's not ALL of who I am. Just like being a wife is not ALL of who I am. 

I am me, a child of GOD, made in His image first and foremost. 

After all, if people want to be update on my life, they can come to MY social media and be satisfied. Because it's my social media, and I'm an adult posting myself and/or other adults who consent to be a photo on my page.

At this point I've seen enough and heard enough online and otherwise in my personal experiences in life that this is the conviction I've come to have and therefore must follow through on it. Again, I recognize not everyone agrees or feels this way, and that's totally fine. But I hope that if you have found this post and read my thoughts, maybe it will help your thoughts on it too! 


If you have any thoughts you want to share, feel free to leave a comment!

~ Amaris // ☆

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Life Updates ⟡ Recent Contemplations ⟡ July 2025

 Hello again friends!

(a note before starting - I legitimately didn't know what day it was and thought I had missed my usual Wednesday post. It turns out, I'm right on schedule and not late at all, LOL! Though I do expect to be off schedule here and there in the coming months. Read on to see why...)

------

If you have been reading the blog for awhile, you might have noticed I tend to have a schedule of posting on Wednesdays! I like having a routine when I can, for most things in life. It helps me take the guesswork out of when to get what things done to make sure I do all that I want to do!

My blogging desk setup!

 ⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖ An Interruption of Your Regularly Scheduled Posts  ⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖

This past Wednesday, however, was an exception. I was a bit "under the weather", shall we say. Not the usual way you might think though. I wasn't SICK sick... I was actually pregnancy sick! 

That's right, our little family is expanding. I am in fact pregnant with our second child!

My husband and I have been expecting this for a few months now. I was worried at first, because with my first son, I got pregnant right away when we started trying to conceive. But this time, it took just a few months. I was worried perhaps I was cut open wrong with my C Section and was preventing a new pregnancy. (Believe me, up until we got pregnant, the possibility/worry of that was very real for me. Especially considering how terrible my birth experience was with my son, and how everything was handled by the medical staff around me. But, that is a story for another post perhaps some day ... )

And as mentioned above, I have been feeling the sickness recently. It set in around 4 weeks. I won't directly share how far along I am for privacy reasons - but I'll just say come springtime I will have a new little baby to love. 

It's shaped like a <3

 ⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖ Tummy Aches Are Fun ⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖

Thankfully, the nausea is not terrible, and can be managed. As long as I eat very regularly, and make sure I don't get hungry, I can control how I feel. Which of course, isn't always possible. Sometimes it's too difficult to time it right, and I end up hungry and nauseous. In addition to the morning time, of course I have not eaten all night and can't really help that. So most mornings I wake up nauseous and then the nausea makes it hard to eat food for breakfast. It's really a mental battle getting breakfast down every day! But, once I can finally get down some food, I feel good for the next several hours. 

Outside of my Home Depot store taken Summer 2025

 ⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖ Supplements Are Somewhat Helpful ⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖

Additionally something that helps the nausea, that I discovered with my first pregnancy (with my son), is taking Vitamin B6. Especially before bed, during dinner or my last snack of the day. I have noticed a significant improvement in my overall tummy feeling the next day when I remember to take it! 

I also take Folate since it's one of the most essential vitamins for early pregnancy, and with my tummy issues it's really hard to eat enough in my diet on a daily basis. Of course, I still try. But I also take the folate. 

Other than that, I haven't been taking anything - I really try hard to avoid Tylenol, since I have read that recent studies suggest that Tylenol consumed during pregnancy can lead to higher risks of (I believe) ADHD and/or Autism in the child (I can't remember which on it is but it could also be both). I did however have such a bad headache recently that Tylenol was the only thing that pulled me through! 

Iced Earl Gray Tea from Course Coffee Roasters!

 ⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖ Other Life Tidbits ⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖

Besides the pregnancy, life has been a season of adjustments recently. Obviously pregnancy is a huge adjustment, especially with all the physical symptoms that come with it (I have had others besides the nauseous tummy, believe me). But life in general for me has been an adjustment for the last several months. 

Mainly the big change of me quitting my full time job in May to be home with my son. There have been many ups and downs since making that decision. 

1. Positive: More time with my son and time to play and develop

2. Negative: We only have one car, which my husband takes to work. Unfortunately his job is too far away from our home at the moment for me to realistically drop him off to keep the car very often at all. 

3. Negative: Having no car means being "stuck" at home, isolated. Similar to the above-mentioned mental battle of having to eat food with a nauseous tummy after a full night sleep on an empty stomach, so too is it a mental battle of keeping my spirits above water when I am stuck at home with no way to leave, all day, with a toddler (whom I love very much. But still). This has caused me to go into a bit of a depression due to the loneliness.

4. Positive: More time to do things I need to do around the house, like chores and food prep/cooking.

With the struggles above, I have not lost hope. Sure, plenty of days I feel hopeless. But I have not fully lost hope, I know that everything is a season, and nothing lasts forever. I have been in many seasons so far in my life, and one thing is for certain - GOD has not forgotten about me. He has not yet let me down, I just get impatient. But I believe and want to slow down and let a season exist instead of just wanting it to be over while being frustrated. Sure, many things about this season are frustrating. But I know He hears me. He tells me so, in little ways. He is always confirming His presence in my life. 

Somewhere, way up there

 ⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖ Other Struggles & Opportunities to Seek God's Will ⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖

One of the frustrations I have had with this seasons is with friendships. I, like many, have experienced friends both come and go in life. Some people are meant to be around for a long time and some only for a short while. I can understand that. But it's been especially difficult to grasp God's design for friendship as something I understand when I have lost 2 major friendships in the past 2 years. The situations were entirely separate from each other, and both caused by normal happenings caused by life shifts. But, they dampened my spirits about friendship. And left me wondering lots of things that I realized I didn't know:

  • What does it mean to "be a good friend", according to the Lord? 
  • How can I be a better friend to those around me? 
  • What boundaries should I have for the people in my life? 
  • What expectations should I have for my friends, and acquaintances? 
  • How much effort is the right amount of effort to put into a person that I want to be friends with? 
  • How much effort should I reasonably expect back from the person I'm putting effort into?
  • How can I not take friendships ending personally, but instead maturely and with wisdom? 
And many more. 
It's been an area that I have felt convicted to seek the Lord on. I know SOME things about friendship that are directly quoted in Scripture off the top of my head. But I want to go deeper. I don't necessarily understand how the concept of those verses, and even the concept of Christ's work directly applies to my personal encounters with people. So, I'd like to find a few books on the subject and seek the Lord in prayer as I meditate on verses on the subject as well. 

I did this same thing recently with the concept of Forgiveness and it helped me immensely! 
Perhaps, depending on how I feel in the coming months of pregnancy, I will post about my discoveries and developments on the subject as way to perhaps stay accountable and committed to the mission.

Coloring while at Course Coffee Roasters

That is all I have for now, friends. I will try to post regularly, and even on my usual Wednesdays, when I can. I know that life will continue to shift as I get farther along in the pregnancy, and I may not feel up to doing everything I really want to. 
But have no fear, I am here. In the background of this blog, living life! You, reader, just don't know it! I will post when I can.
Until next time... 

~ Amaris // ☆




Wednesday, July 23, 2025

pictures from a day // (From my Old Blog Post Drafts)

(Starting from 2025): 

Hello Friends!
This is one of the old posts in my drafts that has been sitting gathering digital dust for years! It was fully written and edited years ago, so I decided to just post it. 
2019 was a fun year where I just started to feel like an adult (I was 21, but due to my sheltered upbringing, I didn't really "feel" adult like until 2019 onward). In any case, this is one of those good memories from before the pandemic craziness that I got good pictures of, edited by VSCO! I hope you enjoy -

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Location : Main Street, St. Charles, MO
Day : Sunday, August 4th, 2019
Company : My sister

--

A worn brick wall //


My sister always likes this particular wall, so depending on what she's wearing, we will take pictures whenever we come here.

Hanging Plants //


The window was too aesthetic to pass up :3

Coffee //


Our blended coffees were melting pretty fast so we could've just gotten iced coffees and there wouldn't have been a difference *shrug*

Chandelier //


Upstairs at one of the vintage shops, the attic was all decorated with old lighting, old bed frames, and old looking wallpaper. It was also super hot up there.

Bookshelf //


It smelled really good and old and papery right here. :3

Mirror //

Another one of the many cute shops on that street.

Plants //


"Wait, stop right there, let me get a pic the plants are really pretty..."

Aquarius //


The embroidery was really cute. They had all the signs, including this Aquarius which is my sign (p.s. I don't do horoscope or anything like that fyi... I just like stars and constellations. :3).

Hello? //


We found a rotary phone in an antique shop. We tried to call mom but it didn't work.

That's all. I just wanted to share a few pics from our day.
Hope you guys are doing good.

~ Amaris // ☆

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Coffee

When I was a teenager (through most of the 2010s), I saw coffee as one two things:

1) The sweet kind of coffee drinks for basic white girls

2) The black coffee for working blue collar people and, like, i don't know, farmers and truck drivers.

Based on my experience, the coffee from the second group didn't taste too good. I had had a sip of it here and there, but never thought much of it, or just thought it was icky. My mom sometimes talked about this coffee, and how she "needed the caffeine to get through the day". So I supposed at the time it was some kind of magic energy pill drink that helped you get by when you had gotten less than ideal amount of sleep the night before.

In my late teens/early 20s, I sorta started falling into the first category. 

Like any teen fresh outta childhood, I liked a good sweet treat that had the "grown up" feeling because there was coffee in it. 

So, I went to a few Starbucks, had a few Frappuccino's. I kind of WAS a basic white girl for awhile... I'll post a pic to prove it... (The drink in this photo doesn't even have "coffee" in it...)

... the only thing missing was a T Swift obsession (who I disliked then and even more now, LOL) - I was in Chesterfield MO here. 

Picasso's coffee was a staple locally owned coffee shop in Saint Charles (near where I lived in Hazelwood at the time) and so I would sometimes go there, because hey! They had the popular icy blended drinks too - but their own version. I didn't care so much that they were locally made, I just thought it was something different than Starbucks to have sometimes. 

Additionally, I didn't go out of my way to MAKE any coffee ever. I didn't have a coffee machine (I think we HAD one, in the household, but it was just a typical drip Mr. Coffee maker that the family could use. I may have used it once or twice but it wasn't a ritual for me), and I didn't have any other contraption to make coffee. Heck, I didn't even know there existed different contraptions to make coffee. 

Here I am at Picasso's, on Christmas Eve 2018... drinking my frozen drink IN THE WINTER XD

In other words, there was black coffee, but it was mostly yucky. And then there were milkshake-like "coffee" drinks that somehow had coffee in it, and because of all the flavorings and sweeteners, it didn't taste quite so yucky. So when I DID get coffee, this is the type I would get. 

That was the entire scope of my coffee understanding as of 2020!

And then..... 2021 happened. 

And everything changed. 

It started when I was hanging out this with this guy who was my friend. He had recently started experimenting with his coffee tastes before meeting me. He and I did lots of things together (not as dates... but as friends. But believe me, we did get questioned XD). We started hanging out to go on walks, and we also enjoyed studying scripture together. And what better place to study scripture than coffee shops? 

So one day in April of 2021, he takes me to Upshot Coffee Brake Shop in St. Charles. 

At Upshot, during one of our early studies. You can even see his bible open in the background. We were just friends and, unknowingly, had started on the adventure of a lifetime.

And I had my first SPECIALTY, well-made latte ever. When I tell you, my world was changed. It was from that first sip that I finally understood - that coffee was not all that I had supposed it was. That coffee was not as limited a concept as I thought it was. There were possibilities here. There was... how shall I say it, flavor

GOOD flavor. 

My friend and I continued to hang out. We went to other coffee shops too. I discovered that black coffee, when actually brewed well, actually TASTED good. Frequent words used to describe black coffee that I had heard and also used myself, such as "burnt tasting", "bitter", "dirty", no longer applied. 

At Upshot. One of our many coffee scripture studies together. Building a foundation of scripture for our marriage - and a love for good coffee!

When brewed correctly, I now knew new words to describe the many different notes that can be found in different regions of coffee - "chocolate", "berry", "citrus", "oat", "nuts", "toffee", "jasmine", "raspberry", "caramel", "smoke", "herbs", "date", "cherry", etc., you name it!

And I even further learned, that it did not just matter how it was brewed, but also how it was sourced, WHERE in the world it was sourced, and also HOW it was roasted.

Basically, I learned that every single step of bringing coffee to the cup makes a difference in how it will taste. 

At Course Coffee Roasters. This is a cortado with sparkling water.


From the region it was grown in, to the temperature used to brew, to how LONG you wait to consume it AFTER it was brewed... EVERYTHING makes a difference. 

So it was no longer a wonder for me that there are so many coffee cups out there that frankly taste disgusting because they don't get it right on just ONE (or more) of those levels!

I know I am sounding like a total cringe-y millennial know-it-all coffee hipster. But when you think about the complexity. All the layers. All the expertise. There are so many ways you can get coffee "wrong". But when you get it all RIGHT... you get something truly beautiful and at the least, eye opening. 

This is at Quarrelsome Coffee, in 2023-ish (they have since sadly closed) with a pastry they sourced from Knead Bakehouse

But let's get back to my story. Me and this guy (who, I'll just spoil the story for you, did end up dating me later in the Summer of 2021, and yes, we eventually got married, and yes, he is the one I call my husband now!) continued to visit coffee shops because we both realized that our understanding of the subject was beginning to broaden in ways we hadn't imagined before. 

At Upshot, in Summer of 2021. With Cody!

You could really call this the "golden age of coffee" for me and Cody. 

We were trying new places and developing our palates for the stuff. And through it all, we were growing close the Lord and close to each other, even falling in love. 

At Course Coffee Roasters - shortly after we started officially dating, Summer 2021

It was in the Summer of 2021 that we discovered the coffee shop that would become more dear to us than any others we had visited thus far, or any that we would visit after. The coffee shop that was so consistent with their coffee drinks, and was so hospitable in their kindness, that it became a second home to us of sorts.

As my relationship with my soon-to-be husband deepened, my troubled relationship with my own family began to deteriorate. GOD was pulling me one way, and my family another. Without going into the nitty gritty of it all, it got to the point where it was so bad that I needed to leave my own home. I lived in my fiance's basement for awhile, having nowhere else to go. 

On our wedding day at Course Coffee Roasters - April 2022. Photos by Mary Ann Prahlow

In those darkened days of Winter, 2021-2022, we found a place of solace and comfort in the seats of Course Coffee Roasters. 

We met there to continue getting to know each other, while praying and honestly stressing about the complexities of our situation. All the while, Course Coffee was a safe place when I didn't have a home, and didn't feel at home almost anywhere. 

At home at Course Coffee Roasters, St. Charles MO.

Finally, my fiance and I got a place of our own in March of 2022, just a month before our scheduled wedding. The stress of life and the stress of our family's situations started to ease. 

In April of 2022, we got married! It was joyful and happy, although scary and uncertain in other ways due to the family issues. 

On our wedding day, at Course Coffee Roasters (photos by Mary Ann Prahlow)

But aside - to honor Course Coffee, and because we just freaking loved the place and their coffee (and coffee in general) so much, we had our "first look" right outside the shop, and even had some pictures taken inside the shop.

Our wedding day, after our first look. At Course Coffee Roasters (photos by Mary Ann Prahlow)

For our honeymoon, instead of a "honeymoon", we decided to have a "Coffee Moon". 

We took two weeks off, and decided to go to as many coffee shops around the St. Louis and St. Charles area as we could. 

At Maypop Coffee & Garden Shop in Webster Groves, MO (a really nice neighborhood in our area!). This was taken during our Coffee Moon in 2022.

It was an absolute BLAST! If you are ever near St. Louis, believe me, you have GOT to visit some of them. There are so many wonderful shops here! We are quite the coffee scene, and for most of my life, I had no idea! 

The top contenders in this area are (as of now, and in my opinion):

Taken at Sump Coffee - probably my favorite coffee shop other than Course. Especially the interior decor and design! This was taken I believe 2021 or 2022.
 

Not surprisingly, when we had our first child, the first place we took him after coming home from the hospital, was Course Coffee. 

Cody the new dad - and Malachi the new son! in June 2023 at Course Coffee Roasters.

And, as all of my knowledge of good coffee evolved, of course my home brewing evolved as well. 

Currently we have a small espresso machine, a French press, and an Aeropress. I personally use the Aeropress every day for my home iced lattes (using beans from Course Coffee of course). 

I also frequently experiment with coffee syrups to add to my lattes. My current favorite is a syrup made with sugar, water, molasses, cardamom, cocoa powder, almond extract, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. It's quite delightful!

At Road Crew Coffee & Cycles during our Coffee Moon in 2022

While I mainly make iced lattes at home (and the occasional black coffee), my favorite go-tos to get out are:

  • Traditional Cappuccino 
  • Traditional Cortado
  • Cold Brew
  • Nitro Cold Brew
  • Traditional Espresso Tonic

If you had told me in 2018 that my life would become so intertwined with the love and knowledge of coffee and my romance love story with my husband would be so involved with coffee, I would not have believed you. 

At Course Coffee Roasters - doing more Bible study. This was late 2021 early 2022 about.

It's something truly unique in my life, that I love both independently and with my husband together as well! I'm so glad that coffee is so much more to me than "icky black stuff" or "sickeningly sweet milkshake stuff". It has truly brought a richness and joy to my life that wouldn't be there otherwise. 

And the cool thing is too, that coffee is so many different things to different people! 

At Calvin Fletchers Coffee Company, which we stopped at on a road trip passing through Indianapolis, IN, in 2024. It was a worthy pit stop!

To the basic white girls, iced frozen sweet coffee is still something for them. Coffee is something for the trucker on the road at 5am. Coffee is something for breakfast, it's an after-dinner delight. It's an afternoon pick-me-up. Ther's something for dairy-free people and dairy-loving people. It's something for true coffee hipsters to brag about. It's something to the people of St. Charles who support their local shop. It's something to the people around the world where coffee is sourced, as a source of income for them. Heck, there's even something for non-caffeine drinkers, with decaf! It's a multi-faceted thing that means so much to so many. 

And for me, while my story is one among many, it just means a lot to me too.

Preparing for the birth of my son, March 2022 at Course Coffee Roasters.

So that's my story of coffee! My husband and I still share coffee drinking as a common "love language". We still go to Course Coffee all the time. We still try new shops here and there, though not as much as we used to, what with having a toddler now!

I hope my story inspires you to try your own local shops in your area, and develop your taste for this wonderful, versatile beverage. 

The first latte I ever had at Course Coffee Roasters, this was in 2021. It was a seasonal drink they had called a "Golden Compass", it had turmeric and black pepper and was delightful!

If you need a place to start, I would recommend checking out on YouTube:

To name a few favorites!

Farewell now, and thank you for reading!

A beautiful shot by me and my little iPhone, taken at Coma Coffee, most likely in 2022. 

Do you drink coffee? What's your coffee "story"? What is your favorite coffee drink? Let me know in the comments!

- Amaris ☆ //



Wednesday, July 9, 2025

The Four Things Tag (REVISITED)

Hello Friends,

As of late, I have been reminiscing on this old blog and looking at some old posts. 

That's when I came across this post, The Four Things Tag, which I published in October of 2018! Which was quite a long time ago. 

I thought it would be fun to revisit these questions to see how my life and my preferences have changed. 

So without further ado, here are my New Answers: 


  The Four Things Tag  

~*~*~*~


 Four Jobs I've Had 

~ The Home Depot (all different positions!)
~ Bowlero (bartending was my favorite position at that job!)
~ Michael's (my very first job, cashiering)
~ A graphic design and logo embroidery small business in Creve Coeur

Me in 2021 at my Home Depot store! I have lots of good memories there :)

❊ Four Things I Don't Eat 

~ Junk food (except maybe twice a year... and I always regret it XD)
~ Red Dye 40 (or any artificial dyes - when I can help it!)
~ Ultra processed foods
~ Candy
(Are any of the above even "Foods"?? Lol)


❊ Four Places I've Lived 

~ Childhood home in Hazelwood, MO
~ Small Apartment in Creve Coeur, MO (I had to look up how to spell "Creve Coeur" I still don't even know XD)
~ My fiance's basement (for a short time - we're married now Lol) in St. Charles, MO
~ (Current): Two Bedroom Apartment in St. Charles, MO

My beloved spice shelves at our current apartment here in St. Charles, MO! I installed them myself using hobby boards from Home Depot. I am quite proud of them.

 Four of my Favorite Foods 

~ Pretty much ANY curry (but Butter Chicken is a fave - It's probably the ultimate white people favorite of Indian food LOL)
~ Grass Fed Steak (especially during menstruation or the luteal phase!)
~ Seafood of any kind (especially scallops and salmon)
~ Nourish Bowls of any kind (Pictured is this bowl here)

Recipe is from Peace Love Hormones


❊ Four Movies I've Watched More Than Once 

~ Julie & Julia
~ The Incredibles
~ The Founder
~ Twilight (my husband and I rewatch the movies every year for his bday!)

From Julie & Julia (2009)

 Four TV Shows I Watch 

~ Breaking Bad (rewatch every 5 years)
~ Avatar: The Last Airbender (you can't beat perfection)
~ The Office (ongoing, all the time)
~ Legend of Korra

"I believe, Aang can save the world"


❊ Four Things I'm Looking Forward To This Coming Year 

~ New business opportunities
~ Learning to can (I canned a few things last year with a friend, I'm going to learn how to do it myself next month so I can can whatever and whenever I want!)
~ More time having fun with my son (continual and ongoing since I quit my job)
~ Cooking new things all the time!


 Four Things I Can't Live Without 

~ My Bidet! Seriously I don't know how I existed without it! BEST $30 I ever spent!
~ My Dutch oven, I use this one weekly to make my boule shaped sourdough!
~ My Study Bible I've had since 2011
~ My family (my husband and my son)

My beloved study bible!


❊ Four Places I've Visited 

~ Branson, MO
~ Colorado (in 2011, for a family wedding)
~ Florida (in 2003, for another family wedding)
~ San Antonio, Texas (in 2010, related to my Dad's job)
(I need to travel more, LOL)


❊ Four Pet Peeves 

~ When people don't clean up after themselves
~ When my house plant is doing well until I change it to a new pot, and then, BOOM. Dead. 
~ When I accidentally get coffee grounds in my coffee while making it. 
~ When I'm JUST about to fall asleep and then my son wakes up in the night.


 Four Things I Wish I Could Do 

~ Travel more (especially to Europe)
~ Own a house (someday... it's hard for us zillenials)
~ Garden (especially herbs and tomatoes!!)
~ Write better

Me in August of 2021. I had just started dating my future husband :)


❊ Four Subjects I Studied In School 

Oh man, school was so long ago LOL. Instead I'll name "four educational topics that interest me"

~ History of Shipwrecks (I listen to a LOT of videos about shipwreck stories, LOL)
~ The size and age of the universe and the curiosities to be found in the cosmos
~ The History of Rome
~ Home economics, since that's basically my life now :)


❊ Four Things Near Me Right Now 
~ A Pothos Plant
~ My Son (always, he's 2 Lol)
~ Our Patio
~ My son's climbing triangle


~*~*~*~


Well, there you have it. My answers have definitely evolved a lot! For one, I'm married now, living independently with my husband, and am a mom now! My likes and dislikes have changed a lot, but they've also stayed the same in many ways! 
This was fun. In another 7 years, maybe I'll take it again. I hope I am still blogging then! :)

If you're reading this post, I TAG YOU! :)

- Amaris ☆ //


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