Somethings brewing

Oh how I LOVE the smell of fresh coffee beans.
It's like a small piece of heaven when you
walk into a Barnie's Coffee and smell the aroma
of the dark roasted, the peppermint, the kona and
breakfast blends arousing your senses.

source

I was not always a coffee drinker. I used to find the
black cup o joe revolting actually.
My morning drink of choice then was Mountain Dew.
Long gone are those days.

Now I look forward to turning on my

Keurig coffeemaker and making my single

cup of Black Magic or Kona coffee.

It sets the mood and tone for the day.

In the summer I will hit the local Dunkin Donuts

and buy an iced coffee light and sweet.

Spolied by my high end coffeemaker it's hard to enjoy a cup

from anywhere else unless there is a Starbuck's nearby.

Traveling out of town is pretty hard and I almost want to

pack my coffeepot to go with me.

Have you ever tried to Google local DD's or Starbuck's?

Recently I was needing a fix as I was heading down the interstate

and the GPS instructed me to get off the next exit and turn

around and go back 5 miles.

As depserate as I was I didn't follow the reroute and kept

on until I found an exit that blazened the red bullseye.

Target.

Ah how I LOVE that you have Starbuck's.

I'm not too picky but have you ever realized

that some cities don't have a Dunkin Donuts?

Pensacola doesn't.

When visiting my brother I forget and I've tried to

Google it and the nearest one it tells me is Miami!??

Odd, since I think driving home is a shorter distance

even if it is 7.5 hours.

What is your morning fix?

Your drink of choice?

OH NO YOU DIDN'T: Nov 23

Welcome to the “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” TUESDAY Headquarters. I’m so excited that you’ve decided to play along!

So sorry that I'm slacking today
and did not get this up by midnight.
I went to a lot of trouble and drew an
illustration on paint to go along with this
and could not get it to be big enough to see what
I wrote.So here goes nothing.
Yesterday I decided to go to Dunkin Donuts
to pick up iced coffees for the hubs and I.
After waiting forever to make a left turn onto the
street that DD is on the corner of I slowly
pull up to the drive and as I'm starting to make a right turn
into the parking lot I notice a black Lincoln Navigator behind me.
She pulls in also and I continue to go right following
the parking lot around the building to properly around to the
drive through window. I follow around the building and I'm almost to
the intercom and I spot the Lincoln. She went through the parking
lot on the other side and was trying to get her SUV yanked
back around to cut me off. OH NO YOU DIDN'T!!!
I press the pedal just enough to cut her off and make my
order. The best part. The DD employee took
a little longer than normal to make my coffees!
Hahaha! Karma, it'll get them every time!

Do you have an ONYD moment? Link up!!!

Here are the rules:

1. Write a post about something that the cashier at the checkout, the
guy on the freeway did, your husband, your wife or best friend
may have said or done recently that made you stop and say
“OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” Your posts can be as sweet, sarcastic, or tongue in cheek style YOU choose. You can vlog it, type it or even add photos and cartoons.

2. Include a little blurb or add an “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” button to your blog post or sidebar and link back to my blog. Need some help?

3. Add your link to the Mister Linky form at the bottom of my “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” TUESDAY posts each week. Be sure to use the direct link to your “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” post. To get this, click on your post then copy the URL in your browser and paste it into Mister Linky.

4. Last, but not least…stop by and visit some of the other awesome “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” participants. It’s a nice thing to do. Besides, I’ll be visiting all of your posts too!

Please no Follow Me along posts unless you are including your ONYD post along with it. Thanks and happy Tuesday!

I’m really excited about this and hope you all play along. Spread the word, tell a friend and let’s have some fun! Now go and get your posts ready for Tuesday’s meme. I’m dying to read them all!

Colorado Trip Pre-Shopping

This is what I'm hoping to see lots of
when we get to Colorado in twelve days!
I can't believe that it's almost here and I can't stop thinking
about my trip that it's hard to focus on anything else.
I am trying to clear my mind and enjoy this week.
It is Thanksgiving week!

In preparation for our trip we went to
Burlington Coat Factory and bought some ski
jackets. I was going to borrow a jacket
from my cousin whom I am going to be visiting and
staying with, but I wanted to find something to wear.
I am so pleased that I found the perfect jacket. It's a 4 in 1 jacket system
with zip out removeable inner jacket. I love the colors, it's
pink, brown and white and looks so cute!
Of course the hubs was jealous and HAD to buy one too.

I was looking at the trendier jackets but
when the hubs spotted the more ski style jackets
that had hoods and were triple lined, it was well worth it!
The best part, the price!!
Each jacket cost $59.99 and if you check the prices
online the sell for $125.00-135.00 and
in stores they go for $175.00 to $190.00.
We scored big buying them at BCF.
I am so ready now. I can't wait to be in this colder
weather and see snow and actually play in it
with the kids.
Look out Colorado!

Friday Fragments #121

It's so good to have something to write about
something to say. I have missed my time to sit

and blog and let it all go.

My husband must have gotten sick from our camping trip because he has been ill since Monday and it seems flu like. I'm not a fan of him getting sick because men are downright big babies when they get sick. BUT I have actually been very gracious and tending to his needs in hopes that he'll feel better for the weekend.

Tonight my little guy was asking about daddy being sick and why was he sick. I tried to explain that daddy had a germ inside of him that was making him feel bad. Little E says " is it in his mouth mommy? You know mommy, daddy's cold is dangerous." Dangerous? That was just too funny!

I let the kids stay up a half hour longer tonight to watch the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special and I said to Miss K, "oh yeah, you're watching Peanuts." She looks at me and says "no, it's not". My bad! I know them as the Peanuts gang! Kids these days.

I am so proud of our new puppy. It took me one day to teach her to sit, one day to teach her to lay down and she has learned her name in three days. So far so good. We have had about four potty accidents and I forgot how much poop a big dogs does. It's been awhile since I've had a large breed dog.

I've been so busy with the camping trip and our upcoming trip to Colorado in 16 days that I haven't been thinking much about Christmas itself. I have so many things to plan out. Christmas cards? Christmas photos, which I will need before the cards. Shopping.....putting up the tree. I am not looking forward to the tree,a new cat and a puppy should put a few more gray hairs on my head.

I was sad to discover that my local Polish delicatessen closed it's doors due to the downturn in the economy. And the local Hallmark card and gift store is closing two days after Thanksgiving. The small businesses are having a hard time hanging on, when will this end?

Hope y'all have a great Friday!!
Great weekend!

Camping Trip November 2010

I have finally found a moment to sit down and
blog about our four day camping trip on Veteran's Memorial Weekend.
I never realized how exhausting camping can be.
The actual sleeping in a tent on an air mattress
wasn't too bad, but I think my back and neck
might disagree. The worst part of camping is
the mountain of laundry that multiplies when you get back.
I washed laundry from Monday to Thursday.
How is that possible?
I can't believe that on day 2 of camping I said
"I could do this ALL the time. I love the simple life.
I think I could live in the woods forever."
Yeah, really.

The sign to our camp site

Our home away from home

Little E and our friend N watching the hubs make a fire

Miss K and our friend Miss N sitting by the fire
in the dark with their shades on.
They were too cool for this.

Mr Cool

The hubs popping Jiffy Pop popcorn

This was how we heated water for our outdoor shower

It was chilly so to prevent any one getting sick we bundled

Little E was having a moment
and wasn't much for posing

My friend Erin and I discovered bear scat
when we walked to the bathroom
so we took the kids on a nature walk to show them

Th girls were more interested than the boys

My pretty girl even in the dirt, woods and poo

Baby A and her daddy, she had the best seat this weekend

Even behind the dirt she has a pretty face

Chilling out a camp after the days hunt
unfortunately the guys got nada

The kids enjpoying roasted marshmallows

I treated Miss K to ice cream
and told her she needed to eat it then since
I couldn't keep it frozen

The last night at camp

The last morning at camp and
Miss K wasn't ready to go just yet....

Even though it was exhausting to come home
and try to clean house, wash 12 loads of laundry, potty train
our new puppy and get back in the groove of the weekly routine
it was ALL WORTH IT
The kids had a blast and I hope they don't forget it.

OH NO YOU DIDN'T:Nov 16

Welcome to the “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” TUESDAY Headquarters. I’m so excited that you’ve decided to play along!

Last week I complained about my mother in law and boy she is on the top of my charts yet again. This weekend my husband and I took the kids camping with his mother, his step dad, some other family members and my friend Erin and her family. We hadn't been at the campground more than ten or fifteen minutes after introducing my friend Erin's four kids. I don't remember exactly what was said first but my mother in law says, "oh two kids is enough. YOU don't need anymore". OH NO YOU DIDN'T! Who in the hell does she think she is???!!! I wasn't even in the conversation and she is gonna stand there and tell ME that I don't need anymore kids. When did she ever think that she had a say in how many kids I need or want? Needless to say I blew her off and didn't let on that I was fuming.
The crap that she says or does is just one of the reasons I don't enjoy hanging around my husband's family.

Do you have an ONYD moment? Link up!!!

Here are the rules:

1. Write a post about something that the cashier at the checkout, the
guy on the freeway did, your husband, your wife or best friend
may have said or done recently that made you stop and say
“OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” Your posts can be as sweet, sarcastic, or tongue in cheek style YOU choose. You can vlog it, type it or even add photos and cartoons.

2. Include a little blurb or add an “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” button to your blog post or sidebar and link back to my blog. Need some help?

3. Add your link to the Mister Linky form at the bottom of my “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” TUESDAY posts each week. Be sure to use the direct link to your “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” post. To get this, click on your post then copy the URL in your browser and paste it into Mister Linky.

4. Last, but not least…stop by and visit some of the other awesome “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” participants. It’s a nice thing to do. Besides, I’ll be visiting all of your posts too!

Please no Follow Me along posts unless you are including your ONYD post along with it. Thanks and happy Tuesday!

I’m really excited about this and hope you all play along. Spread the word, tell a friend and let’s have some fun! Now go and get your posts ready for Tuesday’s meme. I’m dying to read them all!

OH NO YOU DIDN'T:Nov 9

Welcome to the “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” TUESDAY Headquarters. I’m so excited that you’ve decided to play along!

This weekend we planned on going to the corn maze on Saturday with the kids. The trip was planned for five weeks in advance once the area events had put out their calendars for fall events. Our camping trip was planned a few months ago for the same weekend that my husband's mother and stepfather go. It was decided after some urging from my mil that the hubs go hunting too, during the camping trip. Fine. But of course the hunting trip doesn't come without strings. Two weekends ago it was expected that the hubs goes to the gun range and sight in his rifle. Somewhere between that weekend and last weekend his mother calls him to see if he was going to go "scout" his spot to set up his tree stand on Saturday, the same day of the corn maze trip. Of course as always, the hubs tries to make everyone happy and doesn't tell her no. He probes me to see what time we're going. I told him we are leaving the house at 10am.
So his mom calls him at work on Thursday. He avoided the call at first and then called her back. She wanted to make sure he was going with them and they would pick him up at 8:30am. He told her he wasn't going with them. She says to him "can't you just get out of it?" OH NO YOU DIDN'T! She did not just tell him that he should go scouting with her instead of spending a weekend with his family. He told her "no. I don't want to get out of it. I'm going to the corn maze with the kids." She didn't like it.
I can't believe that she said that! Ever since I married him she has been a thorn in my side when it comes to him choosing her over his family. Before we were married she could call him and get him to be at her beck and call, but things have changed. His priorities have changed, his mother is not #1 anymore. She needs to realize that his family is #1 now.

Do you have an ONYD moment? Link up!!!

Here are the rules:

1. Write a post about something that the cashier at the checkout, the
guy on the freeway did, your husband, your wife or best friend
may have said or done recently that made you stop and say
“OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” Your posts can be as sweet, sarcastic, or tongue in cheek style YOU choose. You can vlog it, type it or even add photos and cartoons.

2. Include a little blurb or add an “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” button to your blog post or sidebar and link back to my blog. Need some help?

3. Add your link to the Mister Linky form at the bottom of my “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” TUESDAY posts each week. Be sure to use the direct link to your “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” post. To get this, click on your post then copy the URL in your browser and paste it into Mister Linky.

4. Last, but not least…stop by and visit some of the other awesome “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” participants. It’s a nice thing to do. Besides, I’ll be visiting all of your posts too!

Please no Follow Me along posts unless you are including your ONYD post along with it. Thanks and happy Tuesday!

I’m really excited about this and hope you all play along. Spread the word, tell a friend and let’s have some fun! Now go and get your posts ready for Tuesday’s meme. I’m dying to read them all!

Favorite Lady

It's Monday already and this week it's not a BIG deal
since it's going to be a three day work week!
We leave Thursday morning to go camping
with friends and family in the woods. I'm REALLY excited!!!
I'm also VERY excited to let you know that
one of MY favorite ladies, Laura The Purseblogger
is featuring ME on her blog today!

So head over there!
It's an honor and I feel all warm and fuzzy because
I'm a favorite lady!
Love ya all!

5QF: November

Wow! I'm on a roll, two blog hops in one day! I love it when I remember to look at the 5QF questions on Thursday night because I always forget by Friday morning and I'm so busy on Fridays. Tomorrow will be no exception. I hope I haven't over scheduled myself.

Wow. I am not tired tonight. I am guessing it's the coffee. I had half a cup of Kona coffee from my Keurig machine. Bad idea. It's very strong coffee and now I'm not tired. Got up late this morning but was lucky enough to still get Miss K to school on time. I might not get as lucky tomorrow. Wish me luck!


1. If you could have any talent and turn it into an occupation, what would it be? To be able to read minds like that guy on the show Heroes. It would be very practical in the investigative field that I really wanted to pursue before children. I love to figure things out. I never take anything for face value and always analyze what is said to me. I do over analyze and it gets me in trouble sometimes.

2. Would you rather have a house at the beach or a cabin in the woods? Cabin in the woods! I love the mountains so this cabin would be in the woods on a mountain. I would have a hammock on a surrounding porch with lots of room to roam in the nature. I would have plenty of space to have all my dogs and horses. What a dream!

3. Is there any meaning or reasoning for the names you chose for your child/children? yes. I wanted an Irish name for my first born even though we had no idea what the gender was. And we paired the names we picked with middle names from our families. I picked my son's name the same way but we knew what he was. If I have another, it will have a name from Irish descent as well. I'm part Irish and proud of it.

4. What is your guilty pleasure? (I know we've done this one before, but I'm guessing people's "guilty pleasures" change frequently. At least, mine do!) brownies! Lately I have been craving chocolate, gooey brownies! the gooey the better!

5. Do you live in a house that is deep cleaned or straightened? uhhh, both. Actually I have been really bad about my deep cleaning but anyone else would never notice because all my friends say my house is SO clean. I know where the dust bunnies are though. I just haven't had the time to vacuum them up. But overall the house is pretty spotless and always, always straightened.

Friday Fragments #119

I really like Friday Fragments
they remind of how my mind is always thinking.
I might start on one thought which leads to another
then another and another and before I know it

I forgot what thought I started with.

* This week has flown by already and tomorrow is my baby brother's birthday. I was going to buy him a card and a gift card and mail it. He always gets me a gift card. But since Wal mart didn't have a great selection of Brother cards I went to Target. Browsing the isles I found the perfect gift, a set of four Simpson's drinking glasses. He LOVES the Simpson's and I couldn't resist. Now I have to carefully wrap each glass in paper and pack them in a box with shipping popcorn to ship to Pensacola. I wonder how much the shipping will cost me. I should have stuck to the gift card, but I like more personal gifts. They get remembered.

* I got the call yesterday that the puppy we had a 2nd hold on at the Humane Society went home with the family who had a 1st hold. I got the butterflies in my stomach when I saw who was calling, hoping that they were saying we could come get her. Sadness hit me instead.

* I wasn't going to go look at any more dogs at the shelter. Who was I fooling? I drove there again this afternoon with the kids. They had a few puppies and we took out a female Catahoula Leopard Hound Mix puppy to play with. I guess the first puppy was not meant to be because this dog is far better! We are 1st hold and we are taking Bella and Ryelee ( my other dogs) to be introduced to her tomorrow. I took a few pictures of her on my cell phone but I'm having problems getting the phone to email them to the computer.

* I can't believe how cold the weather is already getting. A cold front is moving through and has been all day with rain and wind most of the afternoon. I stepped outside a few minutes ago and the temperature has dropped several degrees. I have been waiting for cold weather since it turned October and it never happened. Time to pullout the sweatshirts!

* Shoe shopping is no fun! I used to like to shop for shoes but I have to take a 3yr old and find him more shoes. Little E has wide feet and I've been lucky to find Skecher's skateboard style shoes that fit. But he has outgrown them and now we're down to 2 shoes besides flip flops that he can wear.

*I'm going to the doctor tomorrow for a regular checkup on how I'm doing on my medication. I have to tell the doctor that we need to change one of my prescriptions. One of the side effects is excessive sweating and I've got it. I take this pill in the am and within an hour of taking it I am sweating like a pig. It's horrible. Hopefully he can recommend another pill and it works just as well.

*I'm on the lookout for a sewing machine. I borrowed a Sewing Genie from my mother in law and what a joke that was! I tried to replace the bottom bobbin and trying to do that create havoc. The machine would not sew. I tried multiple times, my husband tried multiple times and then he broke the needle and then it jammed. And the directions were very vague. No help from google either.

* 30 days until we leave for Colorado!! The count down begins.

* I'm meeting with a pet sitter tomorrow to take care of the animals while we go camping. This will be the first time I have left the dogs at home while I go away. I usually kennel them but with the cats, the bird and the fish this is the best route. She charges per trip, not per pets so it's very reasonable.

November

This is going to be one busy month for us. Busy weekends make the year go by fast, I'm not sure if anyone else feels that way. After breathing a sigh of relief that we survived Halloween and all the festivities that it holds, we're off and running again.

This weekend we are taking the kids to a corn maze with our friends, something I've been looking forward to for five weeks now. Our county fair starts this Thursday Nov 4th and goes through to Sunday Nov 14th. We were planning on going the first night because it's free admission but I'm not sure now. They changed the calendar and the cheapest night to ride the rides is next Monday. So we'll see. We missed the fair last year and I am looking forward to some greasy corn dogs, powdered elephant ears and sweet homemade kettle corn.

Of course I'm looking forward to riding the rides, playing the games, checking out the crafts and art work displays and petting the farm animals. The kids love walking through the poultry holding area and looking at all the ducks, chickens, guinea hens and peacocks. I wish that the school Miss K attended had a 4H club. She would really enjoy raising a chicken for show.

Nov 11th-14th we're going on a camping trip into Ocala. I'm excited and nervous about camping with the kids, since this will be the first time and it's primitive camping. The only luxury we have is bathrooms. We invited my friend Erin and her family to go and they'll be joining us on Thursday and Friday. Hubby's stepsister and her family and his mother and her husband are going. It's also the first weekend of general gun season for hunting.

I'll be packing lots of games, outdoor activities and books to keep everyone occupied during hunting time. At least it doesn't start until Saturday morning. I'm hoping to walk around the camp and check out the nature, maybe see some animals.

Before you know it Thanksgiving will be here on the 25th. I haven't even begun to think about my shopping list for Black Friday. I'm hoping to tag along with Erin and her sister Sarah so I don't have to go alone. Hubby will be staying home with the kids so I won't have my sidekick with me.

Going into December we're leaving to go to Colorado. So I have to start thinking about what I'm going to be packing and make sure I'm not missing anything. This will be our first family vacation since before I had Little E. My husband will get to see snow for the first time and get to play in it! So somewhere in this month I hope I find the time for me.

What are your plans for this month? Anything exciting?

OH NO YOU DIDN'T:Nov 2

Welcome to the “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” TUESDAY Headquarters. I’m so excited that you’ve decided to play along!

Miss K's art teacher at her school is a girl I went to high school with. We really weren't friends, more like acquaintances who tolerated each other while we were in the swim team. She and I also had a mutual friend that I was very close to, so again we were expected to tolerate each other. So you'd think after 16 years after graduating that people would grow up. some people don't.

This girl is also part of the administration at the school, equipped with her own walkie-talkie and the power to discipline those around her. She has given Miss K a hard time since Kindergarten but she has finally decided she wants to show her power off to me.

To ensure that Miss K makes it to class on time, I've started walking her to her classroom which is on the other side of the campus from parent parking. I usually get her there in between the first and second bells. Once the second bell rings they make an announcement that all parents need to exit the campus or go to the office and get a visitors pass. I'm usually walking to the van when the second bell rings. Never before have I been approached about leaving the campus.

But Ms. Art teacher comes up to me and says to me and my friend Erin, " I can't keep you guys out of trouble. But you guys are leaving later and later everyday and you need to be off campus".
What?! Are you serious!? "Oh No You Didn't"!!!

She actually found her moment to get at me, or so she thought. I looked at her like she was naked. That shocked, WTF moment. I wonder how many other parents she scolds as they are leaving the school. My guess is none. But she couldn't resist giving me crap or Erin for that matter.

Do you have an ONYD moment? Link up!!!

Here are the rules:

1. Write a post about something that the cashier at the checkout, the
guy on the freeway did, your husband, your wife or best friend
may have said or done recently that made you stop and say
“OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” Your posts can be as sweet, sarcastic, or tongue in cheek style YOU choose. You can vlog it, type it or even add photos and cartoons.

2. Include a little blurb or add an “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” button to your blog post or sidebar and link back to my blog. Need some help?

3. Add your link to the Mister Linky form at the bottom of my “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” TUESDAY posts each week. Be sure to use the direct link to your “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” post. To get this, click on your post then copy the URL in your browser and paste it into Mister Linky.

4. Last, but not least…stop by and visit some of the other awesome “OH NO YOU DIDN’T!” participants. It’s a nice thing to do. Besides, I’ll be visiting all of your posts too!

Please no Follow Me along posts unless you are including your ONYD post along with it. Thanks and happy Tuesday!

I’m really excited about this and hope you all play along. Spread the word, tell a friend and let’s have some fun! Now go and get your posts ready for Tuesday’s meme. I’m dying to read them all!