do this RIGHT now.

i don't know if i am usually the bossy type.
do those people know? 
i don't know.
but i am telling you.
read this.  go to the store.  and start this RIGHT NOW.
you will be happy you did.
okay?
step one: take a pound of ground coffee (i used 8 o'clock bean). 
dump it into a huge container.  big enough to hold two gallons of water and then a bit.
add two gallons of water. mix it around to get all the grounds wet.  cover.
walk away until the next day.

the next day (at least 8-10 hours later) strain the coffee mixture through a strainer and paper towels or cheesecloth.  (look Q i bought paper towels!!! only because they didn't have cheesecloth).
this will get out all the grounds.
if you used the same container to steep and store...wash it good before putting the coffee concentrate back in there. 

put in the fridge. 
leave it alone until it is frosty cold and you are sweating buckets.

i then filled my cup with ice to the top green line and then coffee concentrate to that line too.
then added a fun creamer selection...this one was caramel macciato.
delish.  perfect.  wonderful.  awesome.  did not need to add sugar or anything else.
it went down WAYYYYYY too easy. 

iced VIA from starbucks costs $6 for six servings.
this cost me about around the same amount for ten times the servings.
and i love it more than the VIA.  and you know how much i love my starbucks.

thank you pioneer woman for changing my life.
i will make and keep this idea forever and ever and ever and ever.

you can thank me later.

however i can get it...

For weeks now I have been craving chocolate cake with coffee frosting...finally I made something even better.

Brownies with coffee frosting. :)

I just made a regular box of brownies...Betty Crocker Hershey's is my favorite.

For the frosting:
1/4 cup of soft butter
1/4 of coffee (I poured it straight from the pot)
confectioners sugar

I slowly blended the first two together with a few tablespoons of the sugar to get it going...then added more sugar until I got it to the consistency that I like...it ended up nice and fluffy.

And SO tasty.

Like coffee and chocolate flavored heaven.

Go make some.
xo

Welcome home Starbucks...

...welcome home. It's official. We are together again. Starbucks and I. We even have the doctors approval for our relationship (at least 24oz of it). We left the doctors office and went straight there. Ahhh...yes. I can heart mornings again. And yes, this new creation of mine is extremely simplistic but that is exactly how I wanted it to be. I love these little blocks and I made them with the hopes that some little one will love them some Jesus just a little more this Christmas. :)

So here is the ottoman that I was telling you about...it has seen better days but seemed a shame to just throw it out............lightbulb!! :)
We dismantled the top...came off pretty easily...

We cut and screwed and glued a new heavy duty top onto it...

We put trim around the edges so the goods won't roll off...

Then gave it a few thick coats of chalkboard paint...ta da! A fun new train/car/art table for Moses!! :) He loves it already, it's the perfect size for him and even has a drawer for storage. :) Now it just needs to move out of my kitchen and into his bedroom. :)

I plan on sending out an email later on tonight about the swap...if you want to participate there is still time...I hope to send out the email before 10ish tonight. :)

Hope your day is great!! :) xoxo

A warm hello...

Well, hello there friends! Hope your day is shaping up to be a good one! Doug had two WHOLE days off in a row so to me it seems like he has been home for ages (for those of you just tuning in...Doug has been working his bum off...overnight, for days and days in a row and often we would find out about his daY off the morning he was too have it)! We took advantage of his time off and got lots done...took Moses to the park (top priority per Moses), upgraded Moses' room from baby to bigger boy, cleaned out Moses clothes and sadly removed the 80% or so that no longer fit him...then came to the realization that even if we have another boy...the seasons and the sizes most likely won't match up for hand me downs, cleaned up the yard and explored our city just a little.

He is going through a pocket phase at the moment. All things go in his pockets...or "pock" as he calls them. Yesterday I removed no less than 25 rocks from his pockets. We also asked him twice today if he wanted a little brother or sister and both time he said sister. :)

And remember the bedroom redo I was working on forever ago...well it has reached a semi-done phase...cause to me a room is never "done".

Here is a before...blech.

And another before...

And here we are now...warm and cozy...

Inviting, too! We plan on adding more white frames above the bed since we will soon have another sweet face to photograph.

I really love it!

And here is today's treat...inspired by the offering of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte that I saw in the window today(but did not have...yet...I am sure it is in my near future). Fall is here! My next favorite Starbucks seasonal tradition is when you get your order in the holiday red to go cups!! :) Any who...above are the yummy and fabulously wonderful from the oven snickerdoodles. Perfect. :)

Here's the recipe(you can click to enlarge). You should go make some. :)

And a p.s. for all of you who may be concerned with my caffeine consumption...I am very good and limit myself to one caffeinated beverage per day...if any...mama's got cravings you know. :)

Loose ends...

I have a handful of things I have been meaning to post or share...and since Doug is working late, I thought I might catch up. But first, thanks to everyone who took time to comment for me...I really needed to hear the same answer over and over again and I intend to take your advice. Delete (emails), (mark as)spam, ignore(any or all contact). I am even thinking of getting rid of anonymous comments, too. That is my plan of attack. Not out of malice but in an effort to protect myself and family. I know that ignoring her is the right thing...it just helps to know that everyone else thinks it's the right thing too, you know? So, thanks fabulous Blog friends. ;)

Above is a favorite shot of mine that I got of Moses last week during our heat wave and we introduced him to the sprinkler...set on 12in of sprinkle mind you.

And this is another favorite...he is trying to drink the water...he would go from one end to the other...this boy is too cute! I love his little hands and chunky thighs in this photo.

This is another great shot from last week...I was watering my plants and he kept running into the spray of the water...before we knew it he was soaked and I was spraying him full on with the hose...he loved it! He never noticed that his diapered bum was hanging out of his drenched pants. This boy has a special place for all things water!

He loves to play in this bucket with water...he likes to sit in it...legs up, crocs on, bum down and water up to his eyeballs if he can get that low!

And this is long over due...but sweet Mrs. April sent me a box of goodies...a comfy shirt, note pad, paper soap and a cute little coin purse...which for some reason, Moses has claimed. :) Thank you thank you my dear April! I get the best love from friends in the mail...so much so that I have been hiding from my mail lady...because to deliver a package to me she has to go out of her way and walk it to my door...the other day I was telling Doug about this and what does he say..."She thinks you're the QVC lady"...thanks honey...that makes me feel so much better!

And then...just last week...the kind Mrs. Julie sent me some patterns to try out...I knew they were coming to me...what I didn't know was that she also included a big 'ol bag of Starbucks coffee and a coupon for a free Starbucks chocolate bar....tasty. Thank you sweet friend!

And it must have been my week for Starbucks...cause my honey brought me home a brand new mug. He loves me...he really loves me. :)

And here is one last thing that has been on my mind...ok, so you know how I said that I am not one to worry? Well that is generally true...I am not by nature a worrier...I am slightly neurotic (in a charming and not weird way mind you)...and I make my husband help me contain it. For example...we have a code word that I will use if I am being kidnapped. HaHA! I can't believe how crazy that sounds as I type it. But seriously...we recently had delivery guys at our house...and Doug was unable to be there. So it was just me...so I told Doug that I would call him as they got there and make sure that they heard me tell Doug that I would call him as soon as they left. Doug was under strict instructions to do something if he didn't hear back from me. And if I called and used our codeword then that would mean that I was being kidnapped. Because of course I would tell the kidnappers that my husband knew to call the cops if he didn't hear from me. As crazy as that sounds...just saying it out loud to Doug made me feel better and I was no longer worried about being kidnapped. So, I guess I am wondering if this is a normal kind of crazy...or what? :)

And p.s. check out the crazy hail we got last night!

Lake Love Flashbacks

We went to the lake this morning. Moses was in love!

He did a lot of this. And a LOT of walking through the water. He is completely fearless in the water and that makes me and his swimming champ of a dad happy too.

Here he is saying "cheese".

And even though I felt like a complete tubba in a bathing suit and was having some serious stomach pains...we had a great time. Moses is sleeping it off. :)

We stopped at this out of the way little coffee place. Not sure if you have heard of it. The other day when we were at Target they were handing out samples of a new Lemonade Frappuchino and I was dying for a real sized one. When we tried to order one today (at a different location) they were appalled that we ever knew about it...because it is not due out for few more days. I can't wait...that sample was yummy.

And just for fun...here is Moses and I at the lake last year (2007).

And here we are the year before that. (2006)

I hope your weekend is blessed. I know mine already is. :)

A pic, a peek and a present.

One of my favorite things. This clock is bigger than Moses. :)

This phrase has been stuck in my head since the pillow I made. Look for this sign in the shop soon...need to claim it? You know where to find me. :)

This is what my honey brought me last night. :) He loves me and I love him and it. YUM!
You need one....today...it's as good as you think it might be.

I Heart the Weekend.

So far we have...

Introduced Moses to sidewalk chalk!

Got a hair cut.

Played with water...

...and loved it...

...a LOT!Given daddy lots of lovin'.

Got some goodies at yard-sales! The Starbucks mug was .10!!!! I actually got the canister from Starbucks where we stopped for a treat! I thought of both of you Meg and Scottie!

Happy Saturday Lovelies!

Lots of great fun...

Hello friends! Hope you are as happy and pleased with your life as I am in this moment! Yesterday was Doug's day off. I have made it one of my personal missions to try to make his days off as fun and enjoyable as possible...this man works so hard for his family...I want his days off to be awesome...you have to plan awesomeness you know? We started the day with cinnamon rolls for breakfast...how can you have a bad day with that kind of start? I have also decided to make Tuesdays a pseudo day off for me too...I do less Etsy and less bloggy stuff and we try to do at least one house project and spend lots of time together just enjoying being together and having fun. Last night while we were watching NOTHING on TV I remade some cupcakes (see above). LOVE them! I also found some micro-mini-tiny marbles that may work as sprinkles...I also got some suggestions for other sealer and seed beads...I may give those a try too. The cupcakes are in the shop now if you must have them. :) You can get that cute pin cushion from Kristi...go HERE.

Today started as a bleak day...wet, gray and dreary. Moses and I ran some errands and since I was in Starbucks anyway, I decided to treat myself to a white chocolate mocha...and was instantly taken back to the days that my friend Q and I would sit in Barnes and Noble for hours...sipping, snacking, knitting, reading each other funny books or interesting magazine articles. Those were the days...and so are todays days, too. :)

And THIS idea really made me like myself for being me today. So I am in love with those fun, chunky necklaces that are so popular at the moment...but I refuse to pay $15-20 or more for ONE necklace...made of plastic mind you. So while I was in Micheal's today I saw these beads and remembered all of the short silver chains that were sitting in my jewelry box at home(because every pendant you get comes with one) and realized that I could make them myself...these three cost me less than $10. Each set was $2.99. Is it just me or is that great!?!This is all done...and waiting to be picked up by its new owner. :)

We found a new use for our AC/heater fan thingamajig. Fills the sky with bubbles and I don't nearly pass out from lack of oxygen. :)

And here is a new item I am working on...personalized magnets! Here are Moses and my sweet niece Kyleigh. :) This is what happens when you try to hold them both at the same time...one is happy and the other screams. :)

And finally...all these sweet goodies came in the mail from Ms. Amy. Vintage purse handles, trims and a lovely pink tupperware. :) Thanks friend! :)


That's all for today! Hope you are well and blessed!!