Coffee

Coffee drinking is like a tsunami!!!

Interesting coffee information.

• 2 billion cups a day. 
• Vietnam has the second highest volume of exporting coffee beans behind Brazil. 
• Coffee is hand picked. 
• American coffee drinkers drink an average of 3.5 cups of coffee per day.
• 400,000,000 cups consumed per day in America alone.
• Coffee has antioxidants so it is good for you in moderation.
• 7%  annual growth rate.
• 1 in 5 cups of coffee is decaf.
• Ethiopia started eating the fruit and then in the 9th century someone mixed it with water.
• Middle east drank it first then spread through the world.
• Who knew that there was a barista competion held in the US every year.

Bill and I tonight watched how it works on coffee as I'm sure you can tell by all the little coffee facts up above.  Most of them I had no idea.  I figured some of the numbers were huge but didn't realize that much was consumed everyday.  I have realized while watching this show is that I am not a true coffee drinker.  I like coffee a lot however I can't drink it plain I have to doctor it up.  I'm not to concerned with coffee itself. I'm not hard core like some people apparently.  However, I can tell if it doesn't taste good.  Still though I LOVE MY COFFEE EVERY MORNING even doctored up.

Looks Slightly Like A Painting

The skies are the best on these pictures.  They look so warm and inviting.

Can't Stop Playing

I just can't stop myself from changing pictures into even brighter, color rich pictures.  I am having SO much FUN.  I can't resist.

Me

I am having way to much fun with the computer program...I hope that you enjoy the pictures as much as I do.

New Program

Original

New

Original

New



I have always had this program on my computer but I wasn't sure of how to work it so today I decided that I was going to play around with it and see what I was able to do with some of my pictures.  I really like the first one that I was able to do with the rock and sign.  It turned out really well I think.  I'm excited to be able to change and retouch my pictures without a really expensive program.

Fireplace 2

As we "Bill" was laying the tiles down and up the wall we realized that there was about a 7 inch hole that we couldn't fit an entire tile without cutting it.  I decided that cutting a tile that we had to put in that hole wouldn't look the best so we took 2 tiles up to Home Depot and started playing around.  It took some time to find the perfect tiles.  I wanted glass tiles but they need to sparkle but not over do it.  Taduh!!  We found the perfect tile that matched the tile we have, but we were short one package so we found the decorative tiles and everything just came together!  I'm so excited about it all and it looks great very put together.  We still have to grout it which Bill will hopefully get to it today and then put in the mantle and drywall.  Yay!!  Getting closer and closer to being down with the fireplace project.

Japan

Some of you might know that I have family in Australia.  I have a great aunt and uncle and second and third cousins on my dads side.  I have always wanted to go down and visit them but of course the plane tickets are expensive.  Thats a different story though.  Now to the real story.  When we were at my parents house about to leave to come back home my mom mentioned that she was going to go to Japan with my Aunt Barbara (australian) and wanted me to come with her.  It would be an all girls trip to Japan.  It would be my Aunt Barbara, my mom, maybe my other aunt, and me.  We would be going in April sometime.  I'm so excited that I hope to have the money in time to go.  The whole reason for the trip is that my Aunt Barbara has gone to Japan for many, many years.  She has taken Japanese for many years and is still taking it to this day.  She will be our translator.  Yay.  She also does taiko drumming so we will hopefully be able to watch her drum.  It should be a fun trip all in all.  I can't wait until I have the tickets in hand and standing in the airport.

Petrouchka / Carmen

Petrouchka -
The first ballet.  It is from a classic ballet from back in the day.  It began very dark.  A puppet and his puppet master.  The puppet throughout the ballet get's a conciousness and breaks free from his puppet master.  He then free's other puppets from themselves and the puppet master.  The entire play was very dark from the lighting to the costumes.  Unfortunately, Sadly, I was trying not to fall asleep with the wonderful music lulling me there as well as having everything so dark.  So sad but I'm so glad that I made it through without to many troubles. Just lots of yawning.

Carmen -
The next half after the intermission was Carmen.  Another classic.  This one was extremely upbeat.  The music, some of my favorite pieces.  I'm sorry I can't name them because I know nothing about music but I can say I'm sure most people have heard the pieces of music.  This was a great one.  Carmen, the main character falls for a man that has a finacee.  When she gets into a fight she gets put into his care.  He falls and runs away with her, leaving his finacee behind.  Where they stop Carmen falls for another man leaving the first.  The first man is completely jealous and eventually kills Carmen.

They were both fantastic, the second better then the first.  I'm so happy that I bought season tickets and can't wait until the next one in December.

The First Ballet - October 9th, 2011

 Our first ballet together.

Aiden really wanted in the picture as well.

Bowling With A 2 1/2 Year Old

My best friends son, Aiden.  This was his first trip bowling.  He has gone with Danielle and I but this was his first time actually playing the game.  It was so much fun and entertaining to watch him through the entire process.  He LOVED the balls.  He didn't even care so much about how many pins he hit down it was all about the ball and it coming up through the hole to get again.  He was very patient and waited for his turn for the most part.  Bill and I did pretty good the first game.  I won.  My better game is my first game, the second game not so good.  Aiden beat both of us on the 2nd game.  Sad to lose to a 2 and a half year old but so much fun.

Aiden's first game he got an 88.

Second game he beat both Bill and I with a whopping 120!!

Fireplace

Getting closer and closer to have the fireplace complete.  We just have the top tiling to do and then we will be moving onto the drywall and the mantel.  I'm excited to actually having a mantel now once everything is complete.  It's been years since I have had one and even then I guess it wasn't mine (It was my parents).

Feeling A Little Like Mrs. Claus

So my story begins with a free box of apples.  A woman came into my work and asked if we wanted apples.  I said sure thinking only really about 5 to 10 apples.  Little did I know that she meant 40 - 50 apples.  What to do?  What to do?  Apple pies were the answer.  I started with one for just Bill and I (to try them out) and then today I started my endless amount of baking.  I was able to make 12 pies with still 2 or 3 pies that I think I can still make.  Now to the real story.  I think that I found my gift.  The gift that God gave me.  I think that my gift is to make people smile and happy by baking or crocheting gifts for people.  I love the joy that it gives me to see someone smile and I really believe that even if they had a bad day for whatever reason I made it a little bit better.  The reason I say that I feel like Mrs. Claus is that Bill and I delivered 5 pies tonight going among our friends and delivering them with the words "Happy Fall Greetings".  Mama Griffith, I wish that you were still down here and then I could have delievered a pie.  Emily and Beci, I wasn't sure if you guys could have one.  I only gave away a few so if you would like one let me know and I will swing by and deliver. 

October

It's the first day of October today in case you forgot.  Bill and I drove into Portlandia today.  Visiting my dad and brother, driving up to Vancouver, Battleground, and Washougal.  It was a wonderful drive however I noticed that since the first storm last weekend all the trees are instead, as they were before the first storm turning red, they are turning BROWN.  Not fun.  However I'm glad that there are many more trees out there that haven't started dropping there leaves.  I'm hoping by next weekend that the leaves will be turning their wonderful colors of reds, greens, oranges, and yellows.  Bill and I have our first ballet as well as an RV show and again will be travelling out to Portlandia.  I can't wait to see the tree's and the colors that they are turning.