There are no appropriate words...

Well, except maybe "No!"

(Yeah, that's a dog bone.  We like to share around here.)

Check out more photos at Wordless Wednesday!  

Cold Coffee House Style Drinks

I love Starbucks.  But I live 20-30 minutes from one.  And even I lived closer, I don't think my wallet or my rear end would survive spending $5 a day on Iced Lattes and Frapachinos all summer.  But I think I just found something that will double my coffee consumption at home.  And while that in itself might not be a good thing, this new recipe is.  I found this concept in my latest issue of In Style magazine and am hooked.  The article explained that pouring hot coffee over ice rendered it bitter and offered a simple solution called cold brewing.  It's simple and costs a little more than the price of one drink from Starbucks.

1.  Start with 3/4 lb of good coffee.  (I used pre-ground, regular Dunkin' Doughnuts.)  You can use a flavor or grind your own.  Just don't grind it too fine or the coffee will not be easily strained.

2.  Place coffee in a container with 8 cups of cold water.  Use only good water here or your coffee flavor will be affected.  I used filtered water from my fridge.

3.  Let the coffee mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator.  

4.  Strain the mixture with a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.  I used a mesh strainer and strained it 3 times.  The final time I added a paper towel to the inside of the strainer to make sure I got all the solids.

You'll be left with a very strong coffee that will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.  You can use the coffee to pour over ice with milk for an iced latte.  Or freeze it into cubes, then blend with milk for a blended coffee drink.  (I'm guessing that you could make it even yummier by adding a small scoop of ice cream!)

I like to pour 1/3 -1/2 cup of the coffee over ice in a large cup.  Then I add 1/2-1 oz of flavored syrup and fill with fat free milk.  Stir and enjoy!

Making my own coffee at home Works for Me!

American Idol

I've never been a huge American Idol fan.  I usually follow the show once it gets down to the top 10 or so.  Some seasons I really haven't even watched at all.  But this season is different.  It's so good.  I am convinced that any one of the contestants left could have been in the finals on almost any other previous season.  I really do think they are all incredibly talented in their own way.  And I love that each of them is so very different.  It's making each week's show very entertaining to watch what the individuals will do with the theme.  Last nights show was fantastic with the Rat Pack music.  

I've got to wonder though, am I the only one in America who isn't a Danny Gokey fan?  Seriously.  I know he can sing, but that guy just doesn't do it for me.  I like the other four much better than him.  Adam's my favorite at this point, but I love Kris too.  He's just adorable and I love the way he and his young wife look at each other.  So cute!  I don't think he'll be in the finals, but I wish he'd make it another week or two.

Who are you rooting for?  Am I crazy for not liking Danny? Who do you think is going tonight?

Not a "Sunday"...

Mark had a really good day at school today and both his teachers commended his behavior.  I've been trying to use positive reinforcement for good behavior instead of so much correcting for negative behavior, so I told him we could go to Sonic on our way home.  As we got close to Sonic I asked him if he wanted a Jr. Sundae.  He replied, "No, Mommy.  I would like a Monday."  

Disney World Day 3

We decided to spend our second day at Disney at the Magic Kingdom again.  Our Disney guru had advised us that we'd probably want to do this and he was right.  It takes so long to stand in line to meet the characters that you almost need a second day to ride all the rides, especially with little ones who can't stay until 10 pm.  (And let's face it.  I was too tired to stay for the fireworks anyway.)  

Tori and James came with us on Saturday so we were 4 on 2 in kid coverage.  Mostly we played zone, which worked out nicely for all of us.  We arrived at the park about 9:30 or so and decided to hit the ground running.  The park was very light on crowds so we rode The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin's Magic Carpet and the Jungle Cruise all in about an hour or so.  Plus, we walked The Swiss Family Robinson House  all before lunch at 11.  (Which totally made me want to watch the movie again.  Who wouldn't want to live in a tree house like that?!)

Starting off the day with a well placed, "Get off your brother!"  Even the magic of Disney can't cure every thing!

Getting my workout carrying a 30 lb wiggly boy up and down stairs

The boys loved the Jungle Cruise

Mark loved it so much that he lost track of whose leg was his own...  Sorry Mr. Whoever-You-Are!

After lunch we headed over to Tomorrow Land for a while.  We got Fast Passes for The Buzz Lightyear ride and got bonus ones for The Carousel of Progress.  It wasn't something we would have ridden ordinarily, but it was getting hot and the idea of sitting for a little while in an air-conditioned building was appealing.  Strangely, Mark is still talking about this ride.  He mentioned it today while we were driving.  I wouldn't have thought it would have made such an impression, but hey at least he wasn't still talking about the parking lot tram.

Luke also liked the darkened, air-conditioned Carousel of Progress...

We went back and rode the Buzz Lightyear ride and Tim smoked us all on it.  It's a shooting contest with laser guns.  I don't really remember the premise except that you "shoot" the Z's while controlling your car.  I was slightly handicapped by holding Luke, but managed to score 33,000 points.  Tim scored 330,000.  Yeah, that's why he earned expert in his last marksmanship exam I guess.  

We should have stopped for a picture earlier in the day, but considering it was late afternoon, this one is pretty good of all of us.

Mark decided it was time for treats so we all got ice cream as a pick-me-up.  

We all rode the carousel ride together and the kids enjoyed it as always.

Even Tori and James rode with us!

There are no words... well, not nice ones anyway!

So appropriate!  The funny thing is that Mark's the one who noticed these and wanted to get in them.

Tim is still trying to teach Mark the finer points of shoulder riding, including, but not limited to:  not putting his fingers on Tim's sunglasses, not choking Tim around the neck, not leaning back and not rubbing Tim's hair and/or pulling it.  

Apparently frowning helps you to concentrate harder on a map...

We decided to take a bit of a break and ride the train for a while.  It was getting close to the afternoon parade time and we hadn't staked out a spot and didn't really want to watch it in the sun, so we figured a loop or two in the train would be perfect.  

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur to be honest.  I know we rode a few more rides in there, but we were all exhausted.  We grabbed some dinner and decided to ride one more ride.  We'd picked up Fast Passes for Space Mountain and Tori offered to watch the kids while Tim, James and I rode it.  It only took us 20 minutes or so, but apparently Mark decided he would test Tori's parenting skills.  He told her he needed to potty urgently.  They made their way to the bathroom where Mark promptly sat on the toilet.  Yeah.  Not cool, Mark.  Not cool.  They all survived, but Tori was shaking her head when we returned.  At this point it was definitely time to head back to Tori and James's place.  The kids were asleep before we hit the interstate.  They have slept late every morning this week too.  I guess having that much fun really takes it out of you!  

And me, well I'm kinda hooked on Disney now.  It's just amazing watching your kids there - such a gift.  It makes me want to go back again and again.  A friend of ours likened it to the response that God desires from us when we are in His presence.  How convicting!  

Watch out Emeril!

Mark has been asking for a kitchen for a couple of months now.  At first I thought it was a phase, but he really enjoys cooking with me and pretending that all his toys are food.  So I started looking for a kitchen a couple of weeks ago.  After checking out the new ones priced at $100+ (yikes!) I started checking Craigslist and our local consignment stores.  Unfortunately we live a little far from most postings in Jacksonville so I was holding out for a nearby listing.  It never came.  And I saw this perfect little boys kitchen that was really reasonable and looked very small.  We drove an hour each way, but I think it will be worth it.  Mark is thrilled and it should buy me many hours of quiet play.  So, come on over.  Mark is making fries and carrots with pepper today.  Yum!

Bath time Snack

I can't remember where I read this suggestion.  Maybe in a magazine...  Not sure.  Well, anyway, I give my kids popsicles in the bathtub before I've washed them.  They don't make a mess in my kitchen, on their clothes or anywhere else.  And it's so easy to clean them up afterwards.  The boys love it and Mom is happy because there's no mess!  This is only Luke's 2nd popsicle.  He's a pretty big fan though.  He even says, "popsicle."  Of course it sounds like "pople," but a mother knows these things.  

Popsicles in the bath Work For Me!

*Stay tuned for Disney pictures day #3.  I have a ton of pictures from that day.  (A big thanks to Tori, our photographer!)  So it's taking me a long time to edit them.  But they are really cute and definitely worth the wait.  (Maybe only to relatives, but still...)