First and Last

Today is the last day of school!!!!   *cue angels singing*  I'm very excited to be out and enjoy summer.

YES, there will be transition and certainly days that are tough, but our calendar is filling up fast with vacation bible schools, free movies, swim days, and pj days.  :)

Here are the kids on the first day of school. 

And now some shots of them this morning before their last day of school....

Then Ford showed up and we decided to get a pic with ALL 5 grand kids.  Don't worry Lovey and Sugar...I will send it to ya! ;)

Rhodes got his pose on. 

Pretty girl.  She is growing up to be so beautiful inside and out!

My little snaggle tooth....

Hope everyone has a great week!!!  HAPPY SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lazy Saturdays

Now that baseball is over, we have our Saturdays freed up again.  So what did we do last Saturday?  Just hang out!  Well, Robert went to town fixin' things on the house.  (I kinda backed into the garage door - and Mr. Fix-it FIXED IT!! )  Plus, there were other little odds and ends that need to be attended to.  I, on the other hand, did like 8 loads of laundry!  Oh yeah!!

The kids played outside.  Their new thing is catching frogs.  Eww.

And bathing them.

More lost teeth.  The other front one is gone now!  Where's my baby going?!?

Rhodes really stepped it up and grabbed the big brush and washed the car!!

I just had to put this pic.  That little polka dot bikini is a size 18 MONTH!!!  Still fits in it!

Poor Lil.

1.5 days of school left and COUNTING!  Hooray for SUMMER BREAK!!!

Baseball Wrapup

Well another baseball season has come and gone.  This completes our second year with this league.  Which means that we know a good many players between all the teams.

Overall we placed third in the season and third in the end of year tournament.  The number one team was undefeated the entire season/tournament and the 2nd place team we could only beat once.  So we played the best we could.  And had some INCREDIBLE games.  It always amazes me how well 7 year olds can play!!

Here are some pics of our last game.


Water gun fight at the ball park - anything to keep them busy! :)

Landon just walkin' up to hit a bomb! :)

Silly boy

Makin plays!!!!

Baseball ready!!

Trying to hide from me :)

We'll see if he wants to play fall ball.  I hope so!!!  I love the ball park!!

Breaking the Mold - Cantata Coffee

Hey Y'all!!  I'm back and can't wait to tell you about this NEW coffee drink that I recently got my hands on.   And my interest in it peaked at just the right time - couldn't have been any better timing really.


I love coffee.  Especially in the morning and mid afternoon.  (It's not like I need a pick-me-up or anything) ;)  For the past 9 months we've been using our Keurig.  It's been.....okay.  The k-cups are pricey, the "use your own coffee" filter is also pricey and messy.  And quite frankly, I couldn't find a coffee that was strong enough (and not bitter) that my taste buds enjoyed.  This was especially evident during the fast when I was drinking BLACK coffee - and every k-cup I tried was super bitter and nasty.  (For sale: Keurig B40) :)


So a few weeks ago, I pulled out the ole pot and filters to brew stronger coffee for Robert and I.  While boring, I guess it worked in the mean time.


But then I noticed my sister and some of her friends on Instagram talking about this "Cantata Coffee".  This went on for a couple of weeks and I knew I had to get my hands on some.  My sister was headed down to the farmers market to get some and I asked her to pick me some up as well.  It it came in this:

 Definitely and interesting little contraption.  But a genius one in the least.  This "bottle" holds 16 oz of Cantata concentrated coffee.  Per their website, the brew is a "New Orleans Blend, a fine balance of coffee and chicory".


So after I decided which of the many ways I wanted to make my coffee (iced), I measured out 1 oz of concentrate and poured it in my glass.  

Voila.  Easy enough. :) 

 

 I added my ice, then water.....

Before I chose to add any splenda or milk, I took a sip.....or two.  And I was pleasantly surprised how smooth the coffee was.  And not bitter one bit - no flashbacks to bitter keurig k-cups!  (Where was this coffee during my fast!) ;)


But then, since I do prefer my coffee with a bit of splenda and milk/creamer, I added just a splash of milk and splenda.  The perfect "pick-me-up" for the rest of the day.

One of the other aspects that really impressed me about Cantata Coffee is the versatility of the coffee!  I've made it hot, iced.....I've even made myself a quick little "coffee shot" before running out the door for a long day.  

There are so many other good things I can say about the coffee -  the health benefits,  the convenience factor, not to mention the brew itself (chicory is the root of the endive plant added to soften the bitterness of a dark roast coffee! how cool!) but you really need to go check it out yourself and tour around the site. 


Curious how it got it's name?  John Sebastian Bach wrote a Coffee Cantata - a lighthearted satire where he poked fun of coffee drinkers!


I know you are wondering where you can get your hands on some of this special coffee, right!?  Well currently, every Saturday in Birmingham BeBe Goodrich (founder) and her "brew krewe" will be at Pepper Place Farmer's Market.  You can also order through their website.  This is a great way to support local businesses!  I know they look forward to expanding AND rolling out new coffee blends and flavors.  The sky is the limit for Cantata Coffee!



Website: www.cantatacoffee.com
Phone - (504) 388-5099
Email: info@cantatacoffee.com
Twitter: @cantatacoffee
Facebook: facebook.com/cantatacoffeebrew
Snail Mail: 712 Hoadley Drive, Birmingham, AL 35213 

 Check 'em out y'all!!