Iced Chocolate Coffee

The other morning I made a pot of coffee. I made my cup up as usual by putting a good amount of vanilla creamer in, adding coffee, and stirring. I knew something was off with the first sip. Checked the bag of coffee and, lo and behold, I had gotten a bag of dark roast. 

So what does one do with a pot of super strong coffee? Stick it in the fridge for iced coffee later, of course!

After spending some time on Pinterest, looking for the perfect recipe for iced coffee/ frappes, I decided to come up with something of my own. It turned out so good, I immedietly made myself a second one!

Here's what I did:

First, I mixed a good tablespoon of cacao powder with hot water. This makes it a creamy paste and it won't be gritty in the final product. 

Then, using my Tribest Personal Blender, I mixed the cacao paste with coffee, milk, and agave nectar. When mixed, this concoction becomes super frothy and delicious. Finally, I added a few ice cubes and mixed again. Delicious! 

For the second iced coffee, I added a crumbled Oreo in with the ice. I probably won't do that again. The cream part didn't mix in that well and ended up being cold, greasy climbs. Blech!

Here's the recipe (sans Oreo):

• 6 oz cold, strong coffee
• 4 oz milk ( I used 2 %)
• 2 T cacao powder + enough hot water to make a paste
• 2 T agave nectar
• ice cubes (use as many as you want to get the thickness you desire. I use just enough to make it super cold without making it too "icy")

First, stir together cacao and hot water from the tap. Next, add coffee, milk, cacao paste, and agave to your a blender. Blend well. It will foam up and become beautiful. Finally, add in ice and mix to desired consistency. I like adding the ice last, as I can mix the other ingredients really well without shredding the ice to nothingness. 

That's it! Here's what it looks like:

Sorry for the crap quality. I was fighting horrible lighting and the desire to drink my coffee ASAP. 

Don't you just love the foamy/ creamy top that's created when you blend milk and coffee together? It's something magical....

My Earliest Memories

That's me there in the center. The one leaning awkwardly to the left. I've always had to be different I suppose. 

While looking over a list of "questions to ask your spouse" this morning, one caught my eye. 

"What is your earliest childhood memory?"

The first picture to flash in my mind was me as a young child, sitting in a high chair at a restaurant. Apparently I was hungry, as I was banging my spoon on the highchair demanding food. 

Then I remembered a dream I had of my grandpa, my dad's dad. It was not long after he passed away (when I was five) that I dreamed of Papa Mason. In my dream, I was out and about in town and came across Papa. I took him back home with me, and we all had a cookout to celebrate the fact that I had found him. Then, I remember we got in the car and drove him back to where he had been found. I begged him to let me go with him, but he told me that I couldn't go where he was going yet. 

I've often wondered why I had this kind of dream about him. I was only five when he passed, and I don't really have any memories of the man himself. I remember what he looked like. I remember being in the hospital with family when he passed. I remember my grandma scolding me for coloring on the newspaper before he had a chance to read it (Yes. I colored on newspapers. You kids with your fancy coloring books don't know what you're missing!). But I don't have any memories of spending time with him, except for in that dream. 

Then I turned in my thoughts to an earlier time. Before I started school, I spent time with my dad during the day. He worked nights, and mom worked days, so he was an early version of a "stay at home dad." I fondly remember spending our afternoons together. We would watch My Favorite Martian and Flipper.  Then he would spread the old quilt on the floor and would lay down with me for my nap (and his I suppose since he worked all night and took care of me during the day). 

At some point, I spent my before school days with the above mentioned grandma. I have LOTS of memories of spending time with her, though most of them involve her telling me what NOT to do. A fact which probably says more about me as a child than it does about her as a grandma. I was NOT to climb on the kitchen cabinets. I was NOT to color on Papa's newspapers until he had a chance to read them. I was NOT to go down to the old barn/ shed by myself. I was NOT to slide down the pole (antenna stand) that stood so temptingly close to the edge. So many NOTs!

The year of the big March Blizzard, 1993. I"m in the middle (again) , the one in the red jacket standing behind my dad. 

Most of my elementary years are somewhat of a fog, but I seem to remember having had a certain knack for innocently replacing one word for a completely wrong, and sometimes inappropriate, word. For example, I remember watching a news report about bad weather headed our way, then running through the house screaming, "Daddy! Daddy! A tomato is coming!!!" 

Another time, I remember overhearing a neighbor kid say a word that, in my brain, translated to a picture of the StarSHIP Enterprise. Imagine my surprise when I was scolded for using the word at the dinner table that night! Apparently it didn't mean the same as SHIP at all...

Those are my earliest memories. What are yours? Do you recall anything from your childhood that you look back on and laugh at now? Please do share in the comments below. I can't wait to hear from you!

--Miranda

Baby, Baby, Baby (You know you sang it in the annoying voice of THATperson.)

Now before you even ask, no. The answer is no. I am not preggers.  But it seems like everyone else is lately. Therefore, I have been busy. Busy knitting tiny, adorable little things: hats, sweaters, bunny buddy blankets, you name it, it's been on the needles.

I love knitting baby items. They're so cute! And so tiny! And did I mention CUTE? And talk about instant gratification! I started a baby cardigan a little over a week ago and it's already mostly finished!

Speaking of which.....

The Newborn Vertebrae pattern, by pekapeka patterns,  is simply genius. I first heard about it on the Electric Sheep podcast (which is FABULOUS by the way). After checking the pattern out on Ravelry, I could not stop thinking about it until I had dug through my stash and gotten it on the needles.

What makes this pattern "genius" you wonder? Having spent my fair share of time around newborns, I can attest to just how much "stuff" ends up dribbled down the front of whatever adorable outfit they happen to be wearing. Milk. Slobber. Spit Up. You name it, it will find its way to the front of a little one's clothing. But not on this cardigan. You see, the Vertebrae cardigan DOESN'T HAVE A FRONT! Huh? What? It's a back that wraps around the sides and has sleeves. That's it. (I'll give you a moment to let that sink in.)

The other reason this is so great, is that it keeps baby's back and arms all snuggly during tummy time.  Here in Georgia, it never really gets THAT cold (with the exception of this past winter's "Snowmageddon"). So a little cardigan, knit out of lightweight cotton is appropriate during any season. In summer, it keeps the AC chill at bay. In the winter, it's a perfect layering piece with a long sleeved onsie.

I'll post a finished picture when I get there, but here's what it looks like for now:

I've am knitting it out of some KnitPicks Comfy in the Planetarium color way. All that's left for me to do is the ribbing on the sleeves and the button band. Which will have no buttons. I can't wait to finish this!

Enough gushing. Let's move on to something that has actually made it off the needles.

The Aviatrix hat, by Justine Turner,  has been in my queue for quite a while now. I always loved the style, and after reading the pattern, I couldn't wait to get started. While most hats are knit in the round this one is shaped by starting at the back, and using short rows to form wedges up and across to the front. Then you pick up stitches on either side and knit the ear flaps/ strap. It's a quick knit, only taking a couple of evenings to complete.

And here's the finished product!

It's kind of hard to tell, but the button that I dug out of my grandma's button stash is the perfect burnt orange color that looks awesome next to the dark teal. 

And that's it! I did finish a few other things, but alas and alack I did not take photos before giving them away. *Hangs head in knitterly shame* 

(Sarah, if you're reading this, think you could snap a few photos of the bunny buddy for me when you get back in it's vicinity? That would be super duper!)

Thanks for making it to the end of this kinda long post. Leave a comment and let me know what you think! Do you knit? Sew? Stitch? Craft? Are you working on a project that you just absolutely love? Let me know about it in the comments thread below! 

Can't wait to hear from you!

Keep it real!

Miranda

What I Wish Present me could Tell Past me about In-Between Me (or, What I Learned During my First Year of Marriage)

         As a bride to be, I could often be found gazing dreamily into the distance, imagining just how perfect my life would be "once we were married."

• Once we were married, I would be happier. 
• Once we were married, I would  be with my husband ALL THE TIME! (this seemed like HEAVEN at the time)
• Once we were married, I would be busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. He would walk in from work, rush to my side, and tell me how glad he was to be home, how much he loved me. Birds would sing. The sun would shine. The house would be immaculate. 
• Once we were married, life would be perfect. 

Boy, was I wrong. Now, don't misunderstand me. I have LOVED spending the last year getting to know my husband. We have laughed together (and, let's face it, occasionally AT each other), shared inside jokes, cooked together, spent time being lazy together, and simply enjoyed each other's company. But, dear reader,  life has been faaaaaaaar from perfect.

And so, I began thinking. What do I wish I would have known before we tied the knot? If I could travel back in time, what would present me tell past me that would help in-between me?

This is the list, in no particular order, of what I learned during my first year+ of marriage. The list of things I wish I could email to past me.

1. He's not going to talk your ear off every evening. In fact, some evenings, he will barely speak at all. This is OK. You already knew this about him. Find another way to deal with your need for communication. You will learn to appreciate his quite spirit. This aspect of his personality makes him an EXCELLENT listener.

2. He will patiently listen to all of your complaints. He will let you cry on his shoulder when you've had a rough day. He will not try to fix it. He will just be there. You will love this about him.

3. He will fix your flat tire at 9 o'clock at night. Even though he's worked all day and is tired. Even though he's had back pain for the past week. He will do it without complaining. Be kind to him. Watch how your words sound. Think before you speak.

4. You will not fall asleep together every night. You're two different people. You have different habits, different schedules, and different internal clocks. This does't mean that he doesn't love you. This doesn't mean that he doesn't want to spend time with you. It simply means that he's not sleepy! Put your big girl panties on and deal with it!

5. He is not a mind reader. If you need something, ask for it. You don't think less of anyone else when you have to ask them for help/things. Why should it be any different?

6. Having to ask for what you need does not, I repeat, DOES NOT in any way lessen the giving of it.

7. Sometimes you will just need a hug from him to make everything all better. Refer to numbers five and six.

8. Do not listen to the lies of the enemy. Learn to recognize what thoughts are not your own. Over-thinking will be the cause of 90% of your problems.

9. You are not "just" a glorified housekeeper. You are not "just" his personal chef. You are not "just" his maid. You are his wife. He loves you. He chose YOU! Never forget that. If you start thinking otherwise, see number eight.

10. You will adopt two awesome kittens together. They will destroy things. They will cause messes. They will steal your heart.

11. He will love the kittens.

12. You will love that he loves the kittens as much as you do.

13. It's OK to spend time apart. It's healthy to spend time apart. You will want to spend time apart.

14. Take time for yourself. Do what you enjoy. Let him do the same.

15. He will not make you happy. It's not his job. Find your happiness in Christ.

16. He will not rush to your side the second he comes home from work. He needs time to chill. Go to him. Hug him. Tell him you're glad he's home. Then give him some space. You'll both be happier.

17. Your house is never going to be immaculate. See number ten.

18. The laundry is never going to be "done" again.

19. There will always be pee on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night. Learn to avoid it or clean it up yourself.

20. Life will NOT be perfect. It will be messy. It will be hard. It will make you cry, scream, and want to pull your hair out. But it will be good. It will be blessed. And you will be glad you chose this life with him.

P.S. He will cheat at Words with Friends. You will have no proof. But you will suspect it with every fiber of your being. ECHE? How is that even a word???