Perfection in cup form

Today, I was fortunate enough to consume true perfection in cup form. This is not the first time I've enjoyed this rare commodity, oh no.....probably closer to my 40th time. But, it just occurred to me today, to share with all of you my thoughts on the matter.

Most of you are aware of my love of chocolate. I'm a fanatic! But, I will say this. Chocolate, in it's truest and most enjoyable form does not include the words, dark or white. The only way I will partake of this fine delicacy is when it has the word "milk" in front of it.

Ok, so back to my story. As I was saying. I enjoyed a taste of perfection today. It was in cup form, and I'm sure by the giant picture above you can guess as to what I mean by "cup". First, I would just like to give a shout out to whomever decided to combine peanut butter and chocolate together so long ago! Can you say Nobel prize?

Anyway, I have been a fan of the Reese's brand for many years. The first of course, and most popular is the regular-sized, two-cup package that you can find in most all grocery or gas station stores around the country. They are in fact very popular, and rightly so! So poplular that they have expanded their pb and chocolate line to many new forms. Until recently, they have expanded, but not yet hit true perfection until introducing the Big Cup.

Let us take a moment and go over some of the many selections from the Reese's line of products.

First, as pictured above, the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Most popular and quite delicious, until......

Second, the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Miniature. Again, quite popular, and can almost always be seen in my candy jar during the holidays in it's seasonal colors, but it's chocolate to peanut butter ratio is lacking.

Third, the White Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Honestly, not worth mentioning because it lacks the "milk" word. No offense to you white chocolate fans out there, but....seriously?

Fourth, the Caramel Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Again, when thinking about the perfection of the peanut butter to chocolate ratio, there is absolutely no room for another ingredient.

Fifth, and most recently shelved and disgusting. The Reese's Peanut Butter and Banana Creme Cup. I actually like to refer to it as the "Crap cup". Apparently, Reese's fans are supposed to be lured to it with the lovely picture of Elvis on the front. Did Elvis like to eat crap or what? What is the significance there? I can honestly say, I have never eaten the "crap cup", I actually refuse to partake of it and it's nastiness. I can also honestly say I've never heard of anyone else eating the "crap cup" either, so enough said.

Finally, to the cup that has reached the full potential of being classified as "pefection in cup form". The Reese's Peanut Butter Big Cup (sounds of hallelujah angels in the background)! Again, I don't know which board member on the Reese's Peanut Butter committee thought of the idea, but God Bless him/her! Just when I thought the first form, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, was the best it was going to get, my lips were shockingly and most pleased by the taste of the perfect ratio of peanut butter and chocolate there ever was, in the consumption of the Big Cup! Wow! It just doesn't get much better than that. I dare anyone to try......no, I double-dog dare anyone to try!

Surprise, surprise, and another surprise!

Have y'all been missing me? It's been a while since I last posted something. Sorry for the delay....it's been a busy summer.

I just finished celebrating my 29th birthday this past weekend. It was one of the best ones yet! My hubby, after turning 30 in May, and having the best party ever....thrown by mwah, had some serious expectations to live up to. I think it is safe to say, he met them....and then some!

I don't why it is, but I have been, and continue to be (until this past weekend) impossible to pull one over on. It is something I'm very proud of, but can also cause must frustration for my wonderful, very thoughful husband. Inevitably, no matter how hard I try, I somehow manage to ruin every surprise he has for me. But, this year was different.

About 2 weeks before the big day he informed me that "the gift" had been purchased so not to recommend anything or try to ruin the surprise. As if I would. But then, all I heard for the next two week was how much I was going to LOVE it! Talk about annoying.

As it got closer and closer, and after I had heard about 100 different crazy hints, I could tell that he was just as excited for me to open the present. So, two days before the big reveal was scheduled he gave in, and I got to finally see what all the fuss was about. I could hardly believe my eyes when I opened the unnecessarily large parcel in my living room. It was a Nikon D80 SLR camera.....my dream camera, right there in front of me. I cannot begin to tell you how amazing it is.....I LOVE IT! Just like he said I would.

I spent the next hour and a half drooling over it, while trying to figure out exactly how it all worked. All the buttons are a little intimidating, but I'll make since of it sooner or later. My wonderful hubby also bought me a great bag for it, plus the instructional DVD to learn a few things. (I'm a visual learner)

Later that weekend, as if the camera wasn't enough, I was surprised again with a babysitter for the kids and I night out with some friends for dinner. We went to a great Japanese Hibachi restaurnt (my favorite) called Mt. Fuji. It was really enjoyable and I ate a little too much, like always. Then we went home and devoured my birthday cake that the kids and again, my wonderful hubby made for me earlier that day. Two surprises and one to go!

So, my actual birthday was the next day. It was sunday morning, a working day for me...and I big one at that. We had scheduled our Fall Quarter Kick-off for the children's ministry that day, and I was one busy girl. Everyone at church was told to wear their favorite football team jersey to church for the festivities. I of course showed up in my #6 Cutler jersey!

After the morning events took place and everyone was packing up to go home, there was one last thing to do. My friend, Sean (the mastermind behind surprise #3) decided it would be cool to have everyone in a jersey take a quick picture in front of the church outside. I thought it was a great idea too, so I jumped at the opportunity. Luckily, I had a great new camera to capture the memory.

After everyone gathered together, Sean behind the camera (part of the plan) and everyone else, but myself in the know, we took a few pics. I was up front and squatting down, oblivious of the plan that had been devised. Then.... suddenly....and most surely another shocking surprise, I became very aware of the plan. So aware, so immensely aware....you could say I was submersed in it! They had emptied a gatorade cooler full of ice cold water on my head. What great fun for me! Everyone within a 2 foot radius of me fled, only to leave me dripping wet in the very cool Colorado wind. My hubby, not so wonderful at this point, came rushing toward me with a towel. I guess he was figuring that would get him off the hook after being a very sneaky accomplice in the whole thing (pictures don't lie).

All in all, it was great fun! I will however, like my hubby told the accomplices, get REVENGE!

Galilee in Denver

Wow, I'm tired! Everything that I've been planning and brainstorming about for the past 5 months, is finally coming to life.

Tomorrow night is the start of Galilee By-the-Sea VBS at our church. I am co-leader of this year's VBS, along with my good friend Shaina. We've pretty much been living at the church for the past week or two. It has been a learning experience for me. I've always been involved with VBS to some capacity, but never taken on the role of heading it up.

If nothing else I can sure add a few more things to my resume. Seamstress, set-builder, painter and carver of styrofoam rocks, interior designer, etc.

This year's VBS is Galilee By-the-Sea. We have basically transformed our small church into the town of Galilee. The kids will be broken up into tribes based on the twelve tribes of Israel. Pretty cool. They will be learning the ends and outs of Jewish traditions while enjoying the recreation of what it must have been like to be a kid while Jesus was alive and teaching. All the week's lessons will be all about Jesus. The kids will travel to the Synagogue to here the Rabbi teach. They will gather water from the well for their tribe and they will learn how to bake bread in the bakery. Also, they will take turns in different Marketplace shops each day to learn new trades. There will be a Sandal Maker, a Toy-Maker (Jimmy), a Stone Carver, a Rope Maker, a Carpenter, a Jewelry Maker and even a chance to visit the Farmer's Market to taste and try new fruits.

I absolutely can't wait to see the kids faces tomorrow when they come in the front doors. We of course, have made each kid and all volunteers involved his/her own Biblical times costume to wear while in Galilee. This will only add to the authentic transformation. It is going to be great!

I'm posting a few pics of today's set-up. I'll post more as the week progresses. Please pray for us this week, that God will touch the lives of children and families in a new way through this very important annual event.

Attention Bookworms!

Hey all you bookworms out there. I need some help.

As you know, I'm in a bookclub and I've been assigned to pick the July book. I have no idea what to pick. I love to read, but in the past few years my booklist has been quite short.

It is a bookclub with some ladies from my church so keep that in mind when you make suggestions. It doens't have to be a Christian book, by any means, but I would like to keep it appropriate.

These are the books we've already read or plan on reading:

The Persian Pickle Club

Plainsong

Sisterchicks on the Loose

A Bride Most Begrudging

Peace Like a River

My Sister's Keeper

If you know of any great books out there, I would love to hear about them.

Thanks!

See ya!

We're about to head out to go camping for the weekend. We are going to the beautiful Sand Dunes National park in southwest Colorado. Andy's birthday is this weekend.....the big 2! This is the only weekend until after VBS in late June that we will be able to get away. We are very excited!

Before we left, I wanted to check on all my plants. You remember that hanging plant in front that has the nest. Well, 4 eggs have recently been deposited in it. I have to be careful when watering from now on....don't want to drown any baby birds.

Good place to do some Hatchin'

Our home has become a good place to do some hatchin'! At least, that is what the neighborhood birds think.

Two years ago, we had the pleasure of watching a robin lay her eggs in our front door wreath. It was pretty cool, because we could open up the main door and get a good look at the baby birds on the glass door without bothering them too much. The girls loved checking on them every day.

Well, this year we have mangaged to woo two separate birds into building a nest around our home. One, the first, is in our backyard. Again, a robin has built a lovely nest on the top of our backdoor light. I was able to get a good pic of the eggs in the nest while Simon (our very tall friend) was here for Jimmy's birthday. Andy loves looking out the window to see the birdie. He looks up and says, "Yook, Mom.....a birdie.....tweet, tweet, tweet!"

The other nest I found the other day when I was watering one of my hanging plants on our front porch. A little bird, what kind I don't know, has found a lovely little spot inside my flower basket. There are no eggs in it yet, but I'll be checking on it in the days to come. If I spot any, I'll let y'all know.

Just today I was able to sneak a picture of the baby birds in the nest while the momma bird watched me from our back fence. It was a little scary.....the things I do for my blogger fans. I hope you appreciate my close to death experience. She did a few dive bomb fly-by's!

Helping hand

True Story:

After dropping the girls off at school this morning, Andy and I were off to run some errands. I have a lot of "to do" things this week in preparation for birthdays and such. So, one of our last stops was the grocery store.

I try to limit my grocery excursions to once every two weeks, so you can imagine how my buggy looks on shopping days. For a family of five the buggy can fill up real fast.

Well, today was no different. I had that buggy maxed out! I don't think I could have fit one more item. I guess I could have tried balancing something on Andy's nose, but I doubt he would have liked that. One of the last things I had to pick up (with an already full buggy) was a new crock pot of all things. What was I thinkin'?

Anyway, the check out went good.....slow, but good! A lot of times I have to watch the check out people so they don't try to just bag 3 items per bag. I end up leaving with 30 bags in what could have been 10. Ok, sorry for the rabbit trail.....back to the story.

So, I've paid and I'm all loaded up. I have managed to somehow balance the crock pot box on the front handle of the buggy. Andy is no longer visible, but I know he's strapped in tight.....and were off to the parking lot.

About half way to my car items start slowing falling to the ground. I of course have to stop, put the crock pot box down, while delaying traffic to pick up my string cheese and lunch meat. So, as I'm hunched over gathering my groceries I hear a man's voice next to me.

"Can I give you a hand?" the stranger's voice says.

"Oh, that would be great. Thank you." I say.

As I stand back up and look his way to make eye contact to thank him further I notice something. And this is the great part.

The helpful stranger is actually smiling at me while handing me my string cheese with his hand. His only hand. The man literally only had "a hand" to give.

I'm sorry, but it took everything in me to not crack up laughing. It's moments like these that I'm glad my mother was not with me. She would have lost it for sure.

Note: My story, in no way should be taken as a chance to laugh or make fun of people with missing extremities. It was just the situation that presented itself.....I couldn't help myself.