Coffee Lover

I love coffee.

I REALLY love coffee.

I love coffee so much that when I wake up I get excited

that it's almost time to have coffee.

I love coffee SO much that I require two coffee machines.

On the left is the Cuisinart Grind & Brew. On the right, the Nespresso D290 . Ironically BOTH were Christmas gifts for The Hubster. One grinds and brews any whole bean and the other brews espresso pods. The cabinet above the most used appliances in our kitchen is dedicated to warm beverages: teas, mugs, pods, hot cocoa, loose coffee beans and other fixins....except for the Splenda- that lives on the counter in the nice canister (which was labeled as a coffee canister!)

Why TWO machines?

Because we looooooove coffee at our house. We use the big pot is for weekends or when we will both be home for coffee. The one cup brew is for just that- when we want a single cup.
Or speciality drinks.

I love speciality drinks.

I REALLY love speciality drinks.

I love speciality drinks so much that the milk frother The Hubster gifted me is
quite possibly the best Christmas gift I have ever received.

Um...I guess Christmas is more coffee-based than I realized!

My favorite speciality drink is the Caramel Brulee Latte from Starbucks. I was able to score the syrup and crunchy topping so I could make these babies at home, any time I want!

I love Starbucks.

I REALLY love Starbucks.

I love Starbucks so much that it comes on many outings...

like in our NYC and Chicago trips

In the airport on the way to my BFF's wedding

At the hospital, when we were getting ready to take our brand new bundle home

DC

Disney World

The Beach

wow. I never realized how many family snapshots we had that had the tale-tell green straw in them!

Starbucks is the bean of choice at home too!

 A sneak peek inside our over-flow pantry:

yep- count 'em... TEN bags of Casi Cielo. My favorite. It is seasonal- usually comes out in mid to late January and sticks around until it sells out. We buy a case or two!

Ahhhhh... coffee.

I love it hot or cold, but it has to have skim milk.

Creamer is optional, Splenda is not.

**DISCLAIMER**

I am in no way affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this post. I do not/have not been compensated with monies, free machines or free coffee by any of these companies. However- should they WANT to compensate me, I am game! This post is written expression of my own personal opinion and love of the mentioned products.

Take a Walk With Me on the Sunny Side of the Street

Someone The Hubster and I once knew was having a rough week and through the course of being a friendly shoulder to lean on I offered every positive I saw in his situation. It's just what I do- it is how I see things.




He looked at me and said, "You always walk on the sunny side of the street, don't you?"




At first I didn't really know how to take that...Really, what is so bad about being on the sunny side of things?? A lot of people say I am bubbly and I was called Polly Anna once by a lady who was trying to be mean, but I took it as a compliment!! I even had a woman ask me if I eat Skittles for breakfast every day... the answer to that is no. But I do eat chocolate every day. maybe not for breakfast (usually.) but it is in my daily nutritional intake in some form.

So I decided not to be offended. My glass is usually half full. If it happens to be half empty, at least my favorite beverage in the entire world is in it!

This rule of thumb has done me well. I don't sweat the small stuff and I always find the silver lining. Focusing on the positive in any situation will get you through everything. In my house we like to live by the idea that everything happens for a reason. We may not like it or understand it, but in the end things will work out as they are supposed to happen. Why torture yourself in the process?

I like to think that my positivity benefits my health... maybe it's why I look a little younger than my age.  Maybe I am adding years to my life instead of shaving them off. Maybe it is why I enjoy the simple things.

Maybe it is the daily dose of chocolate....

No way! If solving the world's stress were as simple as daily consumption of chocolate goodness the pharmaceutical, alcohol, psychology and stress ball industries would have gone belly-up long ago! It's all about your attitude!

Here are some common things people say to me:

- I don't know how you "deal" with kids all day!-

 Quite easily actually, I see the greatness in their little smiles. They do amazing things all the time. Besides, when else can you get away with coloring and playing with play doh?!

- Wow, your plate is full! Five kids and two jobs?!-

Well, my second/retail job is very part time- it is kind of like "paid time off from my kids". It's a hobby that I get paid for and I enjoy it. That money funds awesome things for those kidlings AND I get spend time with yooooooou, helping you find something fabulous to wear to the cocktail party you have coming up!It's win-win-win

-FIVE kids?! I can barely handle two!-

I look at it this way: I am extremely blessed... five pairs of arms to hug me, five smiles to greet me at the door, five happy bellies that loved the dinner I made, five good night kisses, five homemade Mother's Day cards, five helpers of chores, in the years to come I have five kids to yield babies (because I will certainly be missing having little ones around) and when we are elderly... five outstanding people plus the previously mentioned offspring to care for us. You, dear frantic stranger, only have two. I like my odds better!  

- Ugh- laundry for three people is hard enough! I can't imagine having to do it for SEVEN!-

 I like clean clothes and even though ours seems to magically pile up, it won't magically wash it's self. I am thankful that we have this much clothing to dirty, folding is therapeutic, it gives The Hubster something to work on while I am away (yes ladies... my husband does laundry! The right way! Did I score or what?!) and putting away their own clothing is a great starter chore for the youngins. Should I ever win one of those contests where you get a chore done for you for a  whole year- guess what I am picking! Until then, Mr. Head of the Herd and I have to do it. Simple as that.

- You are awfully perky... -

This one makes me giggle. I always want to say "well, yeah... I had Skittles for breakfast!" Instead I smile and say, "Aw, that is sweet, thank you!"

See?! What did I tell ya?

I can find the good in anything!

Optimism keeps me sane in a world of negativity, otherwise I would single handily keep Hershey, Dove, Godiva, Lindt and Mars in business! Who knows- maybe my sunny disposition will really brighten someones day or week and that is well worth annoying the general population with my rainbows and heart bubbles!

Blushing Bride-to-Be

No, not me! I have been married for eons (not really... fourteen years and it really has gone by quickly!) My little sister Lindsay is getting married in a year and she has included me in the planning process which is super exciting for me... although I promise not to totally take over. I will save that for my own kid's weddings!

So the theme is kind of like Shabby Chic/romantic garden/neutral elegance. Colors are ivory, champagne and a splash of blush pink. Over the last few months I have watched her change her mind a whole lot of times (which is typical for her). First the theme was black and white damask with hot pink accents. Then the pink changed to light pink. Now we are into the neutrals, which suit her beautifully.

 The dress has ranged from the ultimate fluffy, tully, impossible-to-walk-in-much-less-sit-in dress to the "whipped cream" style to something fitted and super sophisticated. The bridesmaid dresses have been short, long, satin, chiffon, strapless, one shouldered and sleeveless. I have tried on flowing and fitted, things that look like prom dresses and others that look like nightgowns. Really- this has been a process. But a really fun one and I hope this doesn't get me banished!!

Linds lives in Ohio and I live in Virginia so we have to plan visits for wedding shopping. Easter weekend was used for dress shopping. It was our second go-round at it and this time we played by the rules: we had an appointment and had done research onto what we wanted to try on. This saved us no time, it still took hours. I suppose a consultant who actually did her job would have helped a lot but we have yet to find that at a David's Bridal. We didn't let that stop us- we were on a mission!

I have promised not to post a picture of THE dress- but here is a little peek at the contenders:



A little cheeky fun! This one LITERALLY filled the entire dressing room.



This one was her top pick from our first trial session. She didn't want to try it on and I made her.  It was in the 1,200 ballpark and was marked down to 800.

This was my #1 for her. I think it ranked #2 or #3 for her.

In both dress shopping trips Lindsay has gone in for a specific dress and then doesn't love it.  Didn't even LIKE either. Her face says it all...

...Yes, the face says it all!! This one is THE dress. But remember my promise? Yeah, I am bummed not to be able to share it with you- but wanted to show her expression. This. Is. The. One.

BRIDESMAID DRESSES

In each photo I am holding *THE dress* to give her a good idea what they look like next to hers... so I had to crop it out for the sake of...my promise.

My sister is really drawn to this one. My legs beg her not to be. At least it controlled the dreaded armpit chub we women all seem to have!

My favorite- but the color wasn't right. Or the style.

shabby flowers. Looking back at these, I like this one more than I did at the session

satin and organza

GAH! That promise is ruining all my fun!! The flower over lay was good though, right?! HA!

There will be another dress shopping session with all 'maids this summer and the BIG REVEAL will come in May 2013



The Anniversary of My Weight Watchers Journey

I realized today that I hit a big milestone... the one year anniversary of my RE-RE-RE start of Weight Watchers.

*a little back story*

Eight years ago, when baby number three was four months old, I struggled (with no success) to get my size 18 pants to merely button. This was the largest I had ever been. I don't know for sure but my guess is that even a size 20 wouldn't have fit that day.

That evening I marched myself to the Weight Watchers meeting in my town. It was a Thursday in July, and my weight was 214.4

That was my second attempt at WW but my determination was much stronger. The meeting place and staff were friendlier this second time and over the course of three years I lost over 50 pounds! Some people do that in less than a year- I took the scenic route!

Those pounds were very easy to keep off...until baby number four came to be. I didn't even come close to gaining ALL of my weight back, but probably a good twenty pounds crept back on. I dabbled in WW but never really followed plan like I had before.  Right around the time baby four turned a year old we got the shocking news that number FIVE was on the way- so there went any efforts I had been making!

When our youngest turned one year I made the decision to try harder with my Weight Watchers. FOR REAL. I have to admit, despite having five kids and being at the weight loss game for a while, I was still looking pretty good.

Fast forward twelve months to today, March 27, 2012: I discovered that I have lost 12.2 pounds in one year. As disheartening as that was at first, I realized that losing twelve pounds is a heck of a lot better than gaining twelve pounds, right?! This also kind of puts me on the same path I was on eight long years ago. I am starting out in a better position and with the knowledge and experience to back me up!

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE!

weightwatchers.com