On our Wedding Day, just before the ceremony.
(breaks into song)
"it's the most wonderful time of the year!" And no I'm not talking about just Christmas itself...i'm talking about Starbucks Christmas!
Yes it's that time of year already and once again Starbucks is displaying the wonderful red cups and Christmas schwag.
I love this time of year, the peppermint mocha's, the gingerbread latte's and if you are an eggnog lover there are even drinks made out of eggnog. I am also a huge fan of the peppermint hot chocolate.
They also have the little goodies that come along with Christmas time. My personal favourite is the Cranberry bliss bar, but they also have gingerbread loaf.
While browsing around the net for some great Starbucks pictures, I came across this recipe for Cranberry Bliss Bars! If any of you enjoy baking, and decide to bake these up, let me know how they turn out!
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make cake by beating butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt and beat well. Gradually mix in flour until smooth. Mix 3/4 cup diced dried cranberries and white chocolate into the batter by hand. Pour batter into a well-greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges. Allow cake to cool.
3. Make frosting by combining softened cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. When the cake has cooled, use a spatula to spread frosting over the top of the cake.
4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of diced cranberries over the frosting on the cake.
5. Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and shortening. Drizzle icing over the cranberries in a sweeping motion or use a pastry bag with a fine tip to drizzle frosting across the top of the cake.
6. Allow cake to sit for several hours, then slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle. Slice the cake across the width three times making a total of eight rectangular slices. Slice each of those rectangles diagonally creating 16 triangular slices. (http://www.topsecretrecipes.com)
Makes 16 bars.
The Red Cup
While browsing around the net for some great Starbucks pictures, I came across this recipe for Cranberry Bliss Bars! If any of you enjoy baking, and decide to bake these up, let me know how they turn out!
| Cranberry Bliss Bar® | |
| by Todd Wilbur | |
| The tangy cranberries and sweet lemon frosting make this cake bar a holiday favorite that evokes piles of cloning requests when Starbucks stops selling it after Christmas. Now, with this easy-to-make clone, this treat can be a perennial hit. Break out this red and white treat for the gang on this holiday and you might be as popular as the guy in the red and white suit. | |
| Cake | |
| 1 cup (2 sticks) | butter, softened |
| 1 1/4 cups | light brown sugar, packed |
| 3 | eggs |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons | vanilla |
| 1 teaspoon | ginger |
| 1/4 teaspoon | salt |
| 1 1/2 cups | all-purpose flour |
| 3/4 cup | diced dried cranberries |
| 6 ounces | white chocolate, cut into chunks |
| Frosting | |
| 4-ounces | cream cheese, softened |
| 3 cups | powdered sugar |
| 4 teaspoons | lemon juice |
| 1/2 teaspoon | vanilla extract |
| 1/4 cup diced | dried cranberries |
| Drizzled Icing | |
| 1/2 cup | powdered sugar |
| 1 Tablespoon | milk |
| 2 teaspoons | vegetable shortening |
My husband sent me this website about tea, because he knows that I love tea. In fact one of my nickname was teabags in high school-ok perverts not for the reason you think!
One innocent day in grade 11 I brought a travel mug to school filled with tea. I used to walk to school and it was cold out so I wanted to have something to warm me up while I was freezing my ass off! SO anyways, I'm sitting in geography class while some of the guys in my class (our class clown namely) looks at me and says, "ooo you think you're soo cool because you're drinking coffee." To which I replied, "no, it's tea." He thought he was the wizard of oz and deemed me tea bags because I drank tea. How original hey? One of his friends and I had a conversation on facebook a few weeks ago quite by accident (you know when you send someone a message and it goes to someone else with the same first name lol) And he says to me "god do you remember the nickname you had in high school? Little did I know then what it means now" lol But I digress. Now back to my real post.
Anyways, I actually love coffee and tea equally. I am proud to say that I worked at Starbucks while I was in University. Oh and as a side note, if I never had to work again, I'd work there just for fun. It was a blast! Ok ok, back to the tea. So my husband sent me this link, because he knows how much I love exotic tea's. And while browsing this site I noticed they had 4 different categories of teas.
He had originally sent me this site because it had a nursing mom's health tea. So while I was browsing around, I noticed that they would gladly send you some free samples of this wonderful tea, so I thought sign me up! Sadly, it's for American residents only-you lucky bums!
For example today my Pomegranate Green tea told me: "Gratitude is the open door to abundance." The other day my Goji berry Green tea told me, "your heartbeat is the rhythm of your soul."
I've also recently purchased the Green tea triple Echinacea and I'm very excited to try it!
With each tea you buy they give suggestions on how to get the most out of the specific tea you are drinking. They also give you tips on the box about yoga poses, it's all very zen! So if you are looking to boost your immune system, chill out and de-stress with the Kava Stress Relief tea, or just enjoy a warm cup of your favourite blend please check out their selection.
One of my dear internet buddies Lisa was drinking her stress relief tea the other day and it said, "It's not life that matters, it is the courage that you bring to it." And I'll leave you with that.
He had originally sent me this site because it had a nursing mom's health tea. So while I was browsing around, I noticed that they would gladly send you some free samples of this wonderful tea, so I thought sign me up! Sadly, it's for American residents only-you lucky bums!
For example today my Pomegranate Green tea told me: "Gratitude is the open door to abundance." The other day my Goji berry Green tea told me, "your heartbeat is the rhythm of your soul."
I've also recently purchased the Green tea triple Echinacea and I'm very excited to try it!
With each tea you buy they give suggestions on how to get the most out of the specific tea you are drinking. They also give you tips on the box about yoga poses, it's all very zen! So if you are looking to boost your immune system, chill out and de-stress with the Kava Stress Relief tea, or just enjoy a warm cup of your favourite blend please check out their selection.
One of my dear internet buddies Lisa was drinking her stress relief tea the other day and it said, "It's not life that matters, it is the courage that you bring to it." And I'll leave you with that.
I was cruising facebook and noticed that someone had posted this poem written in the 60's. It's interesting, and makes me feel better about being a "mean mom." I was watching Dan in real life a few months ago and when Dan walks in to his parents cabin with his three girls in tow (two of them teenagers) his dad asks him how things are going, his reply: "well they hate me", and his dad simply says, "well that means you're doing something right."
"The Meanest Mother" by Bobbie Pingaro (1967)
I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate
candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs or toast. When others
had cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can
guess, my supper was different than the other kids' also.
But at least, I wasn't alone in my sufferings. My sister and two
brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. You'd
think we were on a chain gang. She had to know who our friends were and
where we were going. She insisted if we said we'd be gone an hour, that
we be gone one hour or less--not one hour and one minute. I am nearly
ashamed to admit it, but she actually struck us. Not once, but each
time we had a mind of our own and did as we pleased. That poor belt was
used more on our seats than it was to hold up Daddy's pants. Can you
imagine someone actualy hitting a child just because he disobeyed? Now
you can begin to see how mean she really was.
We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath. The other kids always
wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of insults because
she made our clothes herself, just to save money. Why, oh why, did we
have to have a mother who made us feel different from our friends?
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night
and up at eight the next morning. We couldn't sleep till noon like our
friends. So while they slept-my mother actually had the nerve to break
the child-labor law. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make
beds, learn to cook and all sorts of cruel things. I believe she laid
awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us.
She always insisted upon us telling the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth, even if it killed us- and it nearly did.
By the time we were teen-agers, she was much wiser, and our life
became even more unbearable. None of this tooting the horn of a car for
us to come running. She embarrassed us to no end by making our dates
and friends come to the door to get us. If I spent the night with a
girlfriend, can you imagine she checked on me to see if I were really
there. I never had the chance to elope to Mexico. That is if I'd had a
boyfriend to elope with. I forgot to mention, while my friends were
dating at the mature age of 12 and 13, my old fashioned mother refused
to let me date until the age of 15 and 16. Fifteen, that is, if you
dated only to go to a school function. And that was maybe twice a year.
Through the years, things didn't improve a bit. We could not lie
in bed, "sick" like our friends did, and miss school. If our friends
had a toe ache, a hang nail or serious ailment, they could stay home
from school. Our marks in school had to be up to par. Our friends'
report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for
failing. My mother being as different as she was, would settle for
nothing less than ugly black marks.
As the years rolled by, first one and then the other of us was put
to shame. We were graduated from high school. With our mother behind
us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the
pleasure of being a drop-out.
My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four
children, a couple of us attained some higher education. None of us
have ever been arrested, divorced or beaten his mate. Each of my
brothers served his time in the service of this country. And whom do we
have to blame for the terrible way we turned out? You're right, our
mean mother. Look at the things we missed. We never got to march in a
protest parade, nor to take part in a riot, burn draft cards, and a
million and one other things that our friends did.
She forced us to grow up into God-fearing, educated, honest adults.
Using this as a background, I am trying to raise my three
children. I stand a little taller and I am filled with pride when my
children call me mean.
Because, you see, I thank God, He gave me the meanest mother in
the whole world.
Introduction to Wordless Wednesdays on my blog
In Canada November 11th is known as remembrance day. In the united States it's Veterans day.. many countries observe the end of world war one in some way at 11 am. This is because WW1 ended the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour when Germany signs an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside of Compiegne in France.
Since the War ended in 1918 there are very few veterans from the first world war that are still around. I wonder if in 20 years this holiday will still be as significant as it once was. Many business's continue to open as long as they are allowed to on this holiday, just to make a buck.
It makes me sad that the people who died for our country are put on the back burner. What's even worse is that many young people don't really know all that much about WW1.
Its amazing that so many people had pride in our countries and lied about their age to go and fight for us. Many of them under the age of 18 willing to fight and die for our freedom.
So let us remember all of those who fought for this world, all those who died, and all of those who lived to shape this world in a crucial time.
I'll leave you with this:
Flanders Fields By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
It was written by a Canadian Lieutenant Colonel who witnessed a friend die before him in the war. He also perished in the war. Part of this poem is featured on the Canadian 10$ bill. So if you are ever in Canada check out our 10$ bill and our tribute to him and those who have fallen. May God protect all the loved ones who protect our countries.