Month: September 2014

Finish This Link Up: Week 36

Your hosts are LISA (Coastlined),  JEN (The Arizona Russums), BECKY (The Java Mama) and NICOLE (Three 31). The link up instructions are simple: answer the prompts in a post on your blog. Then, add the post to the collection list using the link below. Next week’s prompts are located at the bottom of this post.

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CHALLENGE FOR YOU … visit at least three (3) blogs and comment on their “Finish This” post. Even if you don’t know the person, introduce yourself and leave a genuine comment. If you know a blogger who would like to participate in this link up, invite them to join us. Blogging is about building communities!

1. I am serious about

I’m serious about my family, religion, and coffee.  Not necessarily in that order…

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When push comes to shove my family is #1.  I know it may not always show, but it’s true.  I couldn’t imagine life without them.  Of course God is the center of our lives.  We always try to be mindful of the things we do and the decisions we make with a God-centered attitude.  And coffee…well, not all coffee is created equal.  I can definitely tell that when you take away all the sugar and syrup and try a plain old shot of espresso…you can definitely tell the difference!

2. I am most relaxed when
My life is in order.  My house is clean.  I have a blank slate and nothing to do but relax and just chill out and de-stress.  Also, a massage doesn’t hurt 😉

3. There’s no place like
My Nannie and Papa’s house.  The farm is the one place in my life that has always been consistent.  It’s where my Mom grew up.  We moved around a lot because my Dad was in the Army, but we always knew when we were at the farm we were HOME.


Invite your blogging friends and come back next Wednesday for another round of Finish This where we’ll answer another set of prompts!

Prompt for WEEK 37 — September 17
I’m the type of person who
My favorite joke or riddle is
All that really matters is

 

Fall TV Lineup

I’m so excited for all the new fall TV shows coming out!  During the summer there are a few things on…but you know how it goes.  They always leave you hanging until the premiers in the fall.

Here are two new shows I’m looking forward to this fall:

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Black-ish (Reminds me of a modern day Cosby show)

Premieres Wednesday, September 24th 8:30pm on ABC

Andre ‘Dr’ Johnson (Anthony Anderson) has a great job, a beautiful wife, Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), four kids and a colonial home in the ‘burbs.  But has success brought too much assimilation for this black family? With a little help from his dad (Laurence Fishburne), Dre sets out to establish a sense of cultural identity for his family that honors their past while embracing the future. 

black-ish stars Anthony Anderson as Dre, Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow, Yara Shahidi as Zoey, Marcus Scribner as Andre Jr., Miles Brown as Jack, Marsai Martin as Diane and Laurence Fishburne as Pops.

Clips from the show HERE

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Cristela

Premieres Friday, October 10th 7:30pm on ABC

In her sixth year of law school, Cristela (Cristela Alonzo) is finally on the brink of landing her first big (unpaid) internship at a prestigious law firm. The only problem is that her pursuit of success is more ambitious than her traditional Mexican-American family thinks is appropriate. She’s stuck straddling the old culture she’s trying to modernize at home with her working-class family and the modern world she’s trying to embrace in her professional career. Breakout comedian Cristela Alonzo stars in this hilarious comedy about laughing your way down the path of the new American dream.

Cristela stars Cristela Alonzo as Cristela, Carlos Ponce as Felix, Terri Hoyos as Natalia, Andrew Leeds as Josh, and Sam McMurray as Trent.

Clips from the show HERE

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WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING THIS FALL???

 

 

There’s Just Something About Fall…

There’s just something about fall that renews my soul.  The crisp air and the feeling of renewal.  Knowing the holiday season is just around the corner.  People just seem to be nicer during that time of year.

Yes, it’s busy.  School is back in swing & everyone is getting back on their own schedules.  I’m starting to pull out my scarves and boots again anticipating the day it drops below 80 degrees outside.  I love the colors of orange and red all around me.

I imagine myself on the streets of NYC at Dean and Deluca getting a coffee and scone 🙂

I don’t care much for Pumpkin Spice Lattes…imagine that?  I do however secretly wish Starbys will do an early launch for the Christmas beverages so I can get an eggnog fix.

Football season is here.  No matter how many rants and raves you see on Facebook…remember don’t take it personal.  It’s just football!  Let them rant and rave because at least they believe in the value of a “team”.

Should I change my hair color for fall?  Nah…I’m getting gray hair.  I just need a good highlight.  Remember that time you decided to dye your hair dark because you were in the midst of reading the Twilight series and thought it sounded cool?  Yeah…that was awesome.

Enjoy this season of life because you will never get it back.  Cherish your family, but don’t forget to take care of yourself either.

Just because everything at the store comes in “Pumpkin Spice” scent doesn’t mean you NEED it!  Ha!  It’s hard for me to walk past that aroma and not want to fill every nook and cranny of my home (and car) with the feeling of fall.

Yes FALL….it’s all around us and I couldn’t be more happy about it!fall

 

Love from Dr. Smith’s + $200 Visa Gift Card Giveaway

I remember when I became a new Mom how important every little thing was.  Keeping Connor happy and healthy was (and still is) my TOP priority. 

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 It’s so hard to watch you baby get sick or have any sort of pain.  One thing that was really hard for us was diaper rash.  I remember asking friends and family what to do & what products they recommended for the problem.  Several of my friends mentioned Dr. Smith’s Diaper Rash Cream. I had never heard of it, but that very day I ordered some and anticipated the arrival.

It didn’t take long before we were hooked!  Dr. Smith’s Diaper Cream cleared up Connor’s rash overnight.  Now it’s my favorite product to give all my new Mom friends at baby showers and parties. 

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Dr. Smith’s not only has the best diaper cream out there they also stand behind their product 100%.  Everyone on the Dr. Smith’s team is SO nice!  If you ever have any questions about the product they are quick to answer and customer service is a top priority. 

Dr. Smith’s has a NEW product out that is a spray.  Dr. Smith’s Diaper Rash Spray is gentle, fast acting, effective and a breeze to use.  I know many Mom’s out there who would go crazy over this product.  Diaper Rash treatment is inevitable when you have a new baby.  Now you can take it with you anywhere without the mess!  If I have another baby someday (big IF) then I can’t wait to use this because I didn’t like the mess of a cream.  This is the best of both worlds because you get the healing effects in Dr. Smith’s Diaper Rash Cream in a SPRAY.

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If you would like to try this wonderful product it’s available at most grocery and drug stores.  Find a location HERE.  

Dr. Smith’s has generously offered one The Java Mama reader the chance to win a $200 Visa gift card & Dr. Smith’s Prize Pack.  Also, three runners-up will receive a Dr. Smith’s Prize Pack too!

This giveaway begins Monday, September 8 and ends Sunday, September 14, 2014.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Exhausted!

This past week has just been exhausting!!!!  It seems like we’ve had something going on every single minute the last few weeks and when I get home all I want to do after work is VEG.

I’m so ready for fall weather and leaves, scarves, boots, pumpkin candles…oh my!

I had a great visit with my sister, Stephanie, and Jarrett this past weekend. It was quite exhausting shopping with two boys and we had some bumps….but overall we had a good time and the boys just LOVE each other.

We ate lunch at Taco diner and then got Sprinkles ice cream sundaes.

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Then we headed to North Park Mall and shopped around for a bit.  Later that night we went to a wine bar and had some good girl talk.  We came home and watched a movie called Contagion and if you ever want to get freaked out about how fast a pandemic can kill the world then watch that movie!

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My allergies have been killing me lately.  I wear my glasses sometimes, but most of the time wear contacts.  I’ve been wanting some new frames….any ideas???

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Some friends and I are having the cutest giveaway on Instagram and it ends TOMORROW!!!  Go enter…just search for #celebratepsl

A Visit with Family & Friends #DunkinAtHome

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Dunkin’ Donuts. I received product samples to facilitate my In-Home party as well as a promotional item to thank me for participating.

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My sister and our good friend Stephanie came to visit from Arkansas this weekend.  We had a great time visiting, watching movies, and dining.  I wanted to do something special for breakfast Saturday morning because they didn’t get in until after midnight and I knew they were tired.

So, I got up early and drove to Dunkin Donuts to get some breakfast and we had a little party 🙂

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My sister and I LOVE our coffee!  I had plenty of coffee to offer our guests.  We all tried out the new Dunkin’ Donuts Bakery Series® coffee that morning.

There are SO many flavors to choose from:


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With flavors like Caramel Coffee Cake, Blueberry Muffin, Chocolate Glazed Donut, Jelly Donut, Old Fashioned Donut, and Cinnamon Coffee Roll how can you go wrong?   I’ve tried the Caramel Coffee Cake and it was delicious!  I also tried the Cinnamon Coffee Roll and it’s one of my favorites too.


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The makers of Dunkin’ Donuts® bagged coffee are on a roll, introducing NEW Cinnamon
Coffee Roll Flavored Coffee, the latest addition to the Dunkin’ Donuts Bakery Series® line

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The Bakery Series has a great variety of flavors. There was something there anyone would love to drink.  It’s the perfect blend of coffee with a hint of pastry goodness mixed in!

The Dunkin’ Donuts Bakery Series® is available wherever you buy groceries.

Also, don’t forget that National Coffee Day is coming up on September 29th!

Check out Hungry Girls’ blog for some yummy iced coffee recipes to celebrate & this video for Dunkin’ Donuts Chocolate Cinnamon Coffee Malt recipe.

Chocolate Cinnamon Coffee Malt

Entire recipe: 100 calories, 4g fat, 52mg sodium, 15.5g carbs, 1g fiber, 10g sugars, 2g protein

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes or less
Chill: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp. malted milk powder
2 tsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 packet no-calorie sweetener
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
6 oz. fresh-brewed Dunkin’ Donuts® Cinnamon Coffee Roll coffee

Directions:
In a microwave-safe mug, combine malted milk powder, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, sweetener, and cinnamon.

Add 1 oz. (2 tbsp.) hot water, and microwave for 1 minute, or until chips have melted. Mix vigorously until uniform.

Add coffee, stir well, and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Stir well, transfer to a tall glass filled with crushed ice, and enjoy!

MAKES 1 SERVING

We had such a great time visiting and enjoying our Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee.
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We even let the boys join in too 🙂
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