Tea and See's and Maya Gold...mmmmmm

Oh my gosh. Green & Black's Maya Gold.

I don't usually splurge on a chocolate bar that costs almost $4, but was feeling like I needed/deserved something special the other day.

I picked this up, as I was treated to Green & Black's before by Cam and Cassie, so I knew it would be delicious.

The Maya Gold has orange and spice, and when I tasted it, it immediately brought back memories...

My mom LOVED See's candy and especially a little "Tea and See's". Her favorite tea was Constant Comment, which is kind of an orange spice. She would fix us our cup of tea, and then we would sit down and indulge in a few See's candies. This usually happened around Christmastime.

The mix of lucious chocolate melting in my mouth with that wonderful spicy orange tea is something I'll always remember, and when I tasted this chocolate it was like having the tea and chocolate mixed together in a bar!

Oh, yeah...darn you, Green & Black's...I'm hooked now!

Summer is Sweet!

Tonight we took a little walk up to a blackberry patch that I discovered. We skipped dinner and went straight to dessert:

We've enjoyed this treat a few times in the last couple weeks. Oh yum!

I think half the fun of blackberries is the challenge of picking them. Maybe they taste even sweeter for the effort!

Three Words

Saw this posted on Facebook today:

The first three words I saw were:Experience, Freedom and Happiness.

Now, mind you I don't believe in any of this Facebook hokey stuff, but it did make me stop and think.

Experience. Yep, that I've had a plenty. Should I start with all the various jobs I've had, or lessons learned the hard way, or children I've raised? What about amazing sights, sounds, and memories. Life is full of experience and experiences. I cherish each one for what it has taught me.

Freedom. Check. I love being on my own. I recently got a second job (again), and for that I'm not whining or feeling put-upon, instead I am elated, and thankful. There is so much pride I get for doing things myself and providing for myself and my girls. I like working hard and earning my money. I think those that rely on others (or the government) to provide for them are truly missing out on one of life's great experiences (see above), and are robbing themselves of their dignity. (Don't get me wrong, I know some folks need help through hard times, I'm not talking about that, I'm referring to people I actually know who are able-bodied but don't put out an effort to support themselves and instead look for ways to get a free ride.)

Happiness. For sure. I'm happy because of my experience and my freedom and my kids and all the blessings in my life, and that I have self-worth and am self-reliant.

Experience, Freedom, Happiness...interesting how they all kind of work together and compliment each other.

Thanks Facebook for the perspective today!

What are your 3 words?

Picky Much?

So my daughter had a friend over today that has never been to our house before.

I told them we were having sandwiches for dinner (it's hot, and I'm broke, what can I say?), and this little girl says, "I only like one kind of sandwich. I only like peanut butter and jelly with extra jelly, and I only like certain kinds of jelly so I'll have to look at your jelly first, and I only like Cheetos not any other chips."

The response from me: "Well, you're probably going to be hungry then."

I guess in my younger-mothering days I would've been more sensitive, but unfortunately this girl got the I've-been-there-done-that mom that I am now.

That was not the end of her pickiness either. Probably won't be back for another playdate. Just sayin'.

I've had a lot of kids at my house, but that was a bit much.