The Flavors of Coffee

I love flavored coffee. I have been drinking it for a while so I've been through a few "phases." I really like Gevalia Kaffe (And, believe me, I have the "free with purchase" coffee pot, mugs, and canisters to prove it.) One of my all time favorite coffees is a Gevalia: Pecan Torte. It has an amazing nutty aroma and taste. I have not found anything like it and that is sad because I only have 1/2 pound left. The actual coffee price is not bad - it's the shipping and handling that kill you. And they have never been anything but pleasant when I cancel my membership. I do feel compelled to offer a reason or even a story with my cancellation. Perhaps it's entertainment for them.






WE INTERRUPT THIS PREVIOUSLY READY POST FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT. THE COFFEE SUPPLY CRISIS HAS BEEN AVERTED. YESTERDAY, I BID ON, AND WON, 2 POUNDS OF PECAN TORTE COFFEE. I REPEAT, THE COFFEE SUPPLY CRISIS HAS BEEN AVERTED. THANK YOU.

Nine boxes of chocolate raspberry decaf were also available for a steal. I bid once and then decided that it was just more coffee and money than I needed right now.

I divide coffee flavors in two categories: nutty and fruity; pecan, hazelnut, pumpkin spice vs. blueberry creme, raspberry chocolate and bananas foster. Christopher Bean makes a lovely Bananas Foster, but their Pumpkin Spice has, for me, a very unpleasant after taste. I thought, perhaps, I didn't like cinnamon in my coffeebut this weekend, while organizing my coffee stash, I unearthed a half pound of Giievalia pumkin spice and I liked it.

I've decided to pick favorites, establish suppliers. Eight o'clock brand makes a lovely and very inexpensive hazelnut. My Banana Foster will have to come from Christoper (so watch out for those "buy 6 bags, get 25% discount" emails. Chocolate Raspberry and Creme Brulee can be purchased at Target. I like Folger's Caramel Drizzle, available at Walmart.

Then there's the regular vs decaf discussion. Weekends and holidays need regular coffee, evenings requre decaf. And don't forget iced vs hot.

Oh, yeah, can't forget we get FREE coffee at work; regular, unflavored. I drink a very large mug of hot coffee, flavored with sugar free vanilla, hazelnut or caramel creamer and plenty of little pink packets.

The snowfake cup on the left is not a mug. The large blue green container on the right, now that's a mug

Please DO NOT put me in charge of hair!

Headband attempt #1

Permanently raised eyebrows

Headband attempt #2

a little more bang, please.

Headband attempt #3

Bows are better!

Boys are better?

Are You Smarter Than a 4 Year Old?

Do not automatically answer "yes." I know some amazing 4 year olds.

I would continue to take Lia to school for sheer entertainment value. Oh, yeah, I meant educational value.

Day 1: I learned from a breakfast place mat that Australia has Lia's name in it. Confident, I stated that must be the only country like that in the world. Silly me, I forgot about Somalia.

Day 2: We spotted a truck painted like a zebra on the way to school. I asked, "Why does the truck want to be a zebra?" The question stumped Lia until we were close enough to read the back window. "Animal Problems, " she explained. "It catches snakes!"

Day 3: I learned all the words to the "Sponge Bob Square Pants" theme song:
Who lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea? SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS!
Absorbent and Yellow and Porous is he. SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS!
If nautical nonsense is something you wish SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS!
Then drop to the deck and flop like a fish! SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS!


Day 4: Lia told me she was saving her money to buy a car when she is 16. I asked her what kind of car. She wasn't sure but possibly a panda car, pink and purple. We worked together to come up with: In the Pompano, Portugal Palace the Princess ate peas and peanuts on pumpernickel pizza while parading in her pink and purple Pokemon panda Porsche.

Day 5: We are in the car during Mary Welchel's radio program and she is explaining the acrostic T.H.I.N.K. before you speak. Each day she has added a letter: True, helpful, inspirational, yesterday was "necessary" and today was "kind" Today's broadcast was interrupted by Lia saying, "Hey, we heard this yesterday!" I explained that Mary was going to tell us what the letter "k" stood for. However, when we got to "n", Lia told me she knew a joke about the word necessary.
Knock, knock
Who's there?
Isabella
Isabella who?
Isabella necessary on a fire truck?

Last night I joined the family at the ball bark to watch Lia and Lucas play.

Lucas at bat.

Lia on the bench.

Landon in the bleachers.

Logan on the way!

My Small Part in a Great Adventure

Brenda and Scott have gone to Vietnam to get Logan. That in itself is a story to be told at another time. Meanwhile, Brenda's sister, Bonnie, is staying with six year old Lucas, four and 3/4 year old, Lia, and 6 week old baby Landon. To help out, I am taking Lia to school (vpk) every morning. Oh, yes, and I do her hair. I am terrible at hair so I am very grateful she does not wear a ponytail. I do not have a morning routine so I have arrived at a different time 3 days in a row. This morning I figured out that I need to leave the house at 6:45 in order to be the most help. Lia's car seat transfers easily and then I leave it at school for Bonnie to pick Lia up.

The family has skype so Brenda and Scott have talked with children every night. Their story is told briefly on http://www.ourjouneytologan.blogspot.com Pictures are promised tomorrow.

Routine?

Sunday, September 14, 6:54 AM. I am headed to church. I need to hang the Joy Fellowship Posters, finish and distribute the Moldova mission trip prayer cards, and get beverage napkins for the first time guest class before first Sunday School. Even with these hiccups in my regular schedule I am impressed with how routine my day feels. Sister Carol had her first graduate class in Tampa yesterday, Friends Brenda And Scott are just about to set foot on Vietnamese soil and meet their new baby boy, my 70-ish next door neighbor is home alone because her husband is in the hospital - again. And then there is Ike...and thousands of people waking up to no electricity or water.


So, this moment for me is quiet and yet it is still LIFE. Is any moment of life unremarkable just because it is not extreme? We speak (too often) of how fast time flies by. Aren't all moments remarkable?

What's on your dvr?

I still haven't erased the finale of So You Think You Can Dance. I did erase the Steven Curtis Chapman/Larry King interview and the GMA appearance because I can still see them elsewhere. My cable bill came complete with a $30.00 charge for the movie channels I had received free for the first month. (Believe me, I called and had that taken off my bill) I still have No Reservations on the dvr. I have one episode each of The Cooking Loft, Rescue Chef and Save My Bath and because I was curious about the shows. I recorded The Early Show the day SCC was a guest and now I can't get it to stop so I usually find show or two when I check to see what else is there.





Then there's Jon and Kate Plus 8. I wanted to see a specific episode so I hit that one touch record button and now there are a gajillion episodes on my dvr. (Are you sure they don't have their own channel?) When there is nothing else to watch I just play an episode of J&K. (You wouldn't want me to go to bed, would you...?) I watched an interesting episode last night. Jon and Kate answered emails. This viewer asked about genetics:

All 8 of your children have the Korean characteristics. Is that common?



KATE'S (word for word) ANSWER: I don’t know because my kids are my kids; but I do know that when I was pregnant with Cara and Mady, Jon’ s mom said to me, "I hope you do not expect your kids to look like you." And I said "Well, no, actually, I was hoping they would look like John. (picturing little china doll babies) and she said "because the Korean genes are very dominate." And she was right. (The producer asked) So, everyone in the family is Asian except for you. Does that bother you? (Kate answers) Not at all. I love it. The more Asian they can look the better and I actually wish I was Korean and we all know that. Producer: Why? Kate: I don’t know, I just do. I think they are beautiful. I think my kids are gorgeous and I don’t care how they look, they are my kids. I never cared once that they don’t look like me.

Caulk Talk

If I accomplished nothing else during my room mate's two week absence, I needed to recaulk her bath tub. My friend, Nancy, came by to see what needed to be done. She loaned me her caulking gun and the rest of an opened tube of caulk. The first night I planned to caulk, I couldn't get the gun to work. Turns out the tube of caulk was clogged. Well, that wasn't the challenge the next night. The caulk was flowing like marshmallow topping on an ice cream sundae. By this time it was do or die. I had to get it done or it wouldn't have time to dry. After the deed was done I took the time to look on the internet for tips. I found a tool which applies the caulk in a beautifully even strip....for the next time. (Sorry for the poor quality of pictures - I might try again. Flash was too bright, room light was too dark. )

I did manage to replace the handle and flapper on the toilet by simply reading the directions on the back of the package.

Beware of Bundling

I might have to give my favorite new toy back to the bright house cable company. My room mate's employer pays the road runner portion of our cable bill. Until now, this has been 75% of the total amount, basicallly breaking down to $45 /$15. When I reflect back on what the cable salesman said with educated ears, I realise that he said my cable bill would only increase $5. What I didn't not understand at the time was that in order for this to happen the bill would be "bundled," in other words, the more services you have the less you pay for some services. The roadrunner portion of the bill is now less than half its previous amount and the cable portion of the bill has more than tripled. In all fairness to the cable salesman, who besides me would think of road runner and cable separately as I do? Furthermore, the $15 rate I was paying for basic cable (the first 20 or so channels) is no longer available. My new rate is $19.95, before all the additional fees and taxes.

Now I have a decision to make. My part of the new cable bill amount is $56 and that is a $30 increase over basic cable. That does include 6.95 for the dvr. You can have ALL the new channels if I could just keep my one touch "record" button. (My VCR does not work properly even after I remember each program I want to record.) I have thought through several ways I can cover this financially, but should I?

I did ask what will happen to basic cable in February of 2009. When all tv is digital, will basic cable be digital as well? No, the cable company actually changes those channels from digital to analog now and will continue to do so in February so no basic cable dvr, now or then.

I have decided to keep the cable for a couple of months. We'll see how it goes.