Good Coffee- thats CHEAP!

I can not believe I am writing this. Yesterday I had my first experience with truly good cheap coffee. It's the Wal-Mart brand French Roast made w/ arabica beans its a Medium roast. Don't get me wrong, its not a complex flavor, it won't become an instant favorite... However, it holds its own. You can't beat the price and dare I say its better than Starbucks new house blend...

With gas over $4.00 a gallon, I'll be drinking this for awhile...

Give me another cup...

I was over at my friend Shawn's blog and I saw this picture. Do you ever feel like this? I love coffee and I think the caffeine well, it helps to keep me moving. I probably didn't mention this, but I'm taking a class. It seemed like a good idea at the time, I'm cutting down on speaking, but now that we're heading to the final project... I could smack myself! What was I thinking?! I'm struggling part of me needs an extra project outside of my family, outside of the A word, but reality is my time is so very limited. Its that balance thing again. BTW I want you to know I've figured the whole balance thing out, we just need to add another eight hours to each day.

Currently I'm enjoying a San Francisco Bay blend (trying not to feel guilty b/c I don't believe it's fair trade).

Happy Friday

I'm drinking a lovely Kona blend so I thought I would share some "latte art" my neighbor friend e-mailed me.

I've been busy. I'm expanding my website and working on a "secret" project I hope will be very helpful for stressed out parents. I have a heart for "stressed out" parents because frequently I am one! I also have a heart for depressed parents because I'm one of those too!

Speaking of depression I've been very good with my homework "to have more fun." I played guitar last night for the first time in a looonnnnng time. I have also kept up my ritual of reading the Sunday newspaper with my Maple bar. I want to embrace life's simple pleasures more, I don't know how some people live a "balanced life."

Coffee Mmmm Mmmm Good

It has been awhile since I posted on one of my favorite pass times - coffee. I became a coffee snob in the early nineties when I was first introduced to Peet's Coffee. I soon had a Mocha habit that lasted up until a few weeks before I became pregnant. When I lived briefly in Mississippi, there was little to no access to good coffee. We only had one coffee shop south of Memphis that had access to a great Sumatra.

Anyhow, most recently I have been drinking Peet's Arabian Mocha-Java. It has chocolaty overtones that are just excellent. However, my next purchase will not be from Peet's, but from Saint's coffee. My friend Katherine introduced me to this company. One pound of coffee from this company will feed an orphan for a month. So it sounds good. I can enjoy my coffee and help someone less fortunate than myself. I plan to purchase soon, as soon as I do I'll let everyone know how it tastes.

On a happy note, G wrote an essay today. Something about his sentences are quirky, not quite correct, but it was very readable and there was no meltdown. I plan to bring it to his SLP next week. She is great, we are working on pragmatics and reading comprehension. She has some good ideas that look like they can help G.

New Book

Well I am starting book number two. This one will be geared for kids who are a little older 8-12 range. I think I am a gluten for punishment! Just kidding, I'm excited to get started on it. I have a huge file of fun things I've been doing with my kids and the kids I have worked with at church for the last three years. So if all goes well I'll be ready to submit it to the publisher around the first part of next year. I'm just trying to figure out how to organize it... but that's for another blog! Anyhow, if anyone has a great sensory activity they would like to share let me know!

I have been drinking Starbucks Organic Serena Blend. I have mixed feelings about it. At first it almost has a bitter quality that mellows after the first few sips. I can't say I like or dislike it. It is better than Folgers, but not my favorite.

IEP Today

I had an entrance IEP (Individual Education Plan) for G today. We start home school in the fall. It was good, the school will do a few evaluations and we reworked a few IEP goals. The special education teacher also has a son with autism and seemed quite nice. Then she said the thing that scared the heck out of me... she said, "G is going to progress so much this year because you are going to give him so much one on one attention." How much one on one instruction you ask? Try 4-6 hours PER DAY! Yikes! I know its the right thing to do, but I'm chicken. I hope I don't go crazy, that he doesn't go crazy, or worse both of us go crazy! We were on a conference call and thank God because at that point I was chocking on my coffee so I hit the mute button, drank some water and sort of zoned out for a second.

On top of the 4-6 hours per day I need to provide plenty of extra curricular activities for socialization. I'm extra curricularly challenged, unless its a weekly visit to Peet's. Hmmmm does that count? I can teach G to order coffee and chat nicely with the barristas...

The famous "Louise" visits

Today was exciting I got my house clean (an amazing feat) and had a visit with "Louise." "Louise" among other things she is a fabulous photographer. Just look at the back cover of my book, she took the pic. (Although she hates the way the picture turned out after the book was published, but back to Louise...) Louise also is a nanny to two other children besides her own, does all this volunteer work and then complains when she doesn't have a "productive" day. Hey my house is clean and I blow dried my hair I'm really impressed with myself, but I guess I have different ideas of what constitutes productive. ;-P

Coffee I am currently enjoying: Seattle's Best Blend.

The World is Beautiful

I drove through some back roads today it was awesome. I turned a corner and right in front of me was a perfectly golden hill against bright blue sky. It was beautiful, God is an artist. The truth is I am surrounded by beautiful things but I rarely stop to notice. Getting sick has actually been a blessing. I think I'm finally understanding the phrase "stop and smell the roses." I've gone weeks maybe even months without pausing to stop and just enjoy what is in front of me. The truth is I can't remember what all of the doing I did was... However, I clearly remember things like meeting "Louise" for coffee or talking to my daughter while we lay on her bed late at night. Those times when I've paused and enjoyed my friends and family are the dearest to me. In all of our running around have we as a culture lost something? We are rich with technology, entertainment and we all have lots of stuff, but in pursuing these things have we become relationally poor? With this in mind, tonight I have invited Gary & Katherine over for dinner. I hope to pause and enjoy their stories and maybe share a few of mine...

Currently I am enjoying a free cup of coffee from a place that shall remain anonymous. It is not too bad, but then again nothing is bad when you add enough milk and sugar... ;-)