Quick update

Hello dear friends!!! How have you all been? It's been a while since I last posted here.... as many of you know, I went through a rough patch during my pregnancy... Yes, I am still pregnant, but that rough patch is behind me now... I am still sick in the mornings and things like that but at least COFFEE does not make me nauseous anymore! What a horrible feeling it was! To think that I was going to lose my nightly routines with hubby, drinking our coffee together, forever! I am still NOT DRINKING COFFEE... But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... And I know that I will be soon enjoying my cup of coffee soon!

What's everyone been up to? Many changes? new projects? etc? I hope it's all been good for all of you! I am close to giving birth... (end of December)... so pretty much there hasn't been any change here.... just waiting, waiting and waiting...

I am hoping once my baby is born and I adjust to having 2 girls instead of just 1 I will be able to come back even with more enthusiasm and material for this blog that I love so much....

Please do not forget that this "Coffee Shop" is still open...

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Quote:
"There has never been a better office communication system than the coffee break."
Hugs!

My very new BLOG!

Hello friends! I am so sorry I have neglected the "Coffee Shop" but the mere word "Coffee" makes me want to run to the bathroom for not very pleasant "pregnancy issues"

Anyway.... I hope the "hating Coffee" stage is over when my baby is born... for now... I am excited to introduce my new project.... "Cooking with Fire"  it is my new blog and I am thrilled to finally start it!

I hope I will see you all there!

I've missed you so much!

Paloma.

Coffee Friday... On Monday???

Happy Memorial Day to all! I hope you enjoy it with your family and loved ones... but do not forget to remember those who fight and have fought for this wonderful country!

I should've posted this picture on Friday, but I wasn't home ALL DAY LONG and I hadn't scheduled it, it's been really busy here, the weather has been so warm outside that I cannot stay inside with my daughter, even with all the morning sickness and stuff ... I have to get up and go somewhere, it's not fair for my girl to be inside with mommy all the time, especially with such great weather like this!

Mary from Food Floozie sent me the following picture:

Short caption: A fabulous thrift shop find -- coffee cups that know what matters!

Mary shares a little bit of her blog with us..... I think you'll love it... Just take a peek:

Description of my blog: Food Floozie -- "floo·zie \ˈflü-zē\: a usually young woman of loose morals." Thus a Food Floozie is not a woman who can be seduced by virtually any man, but rather a woman who can be seduced by virtually any food (other than sushi).

Links to my best posts (a 2-parter): Room Service, But No Mints on the Pillows and Don't Get Hungry at the Hospital on a Sunday!!!

Sounds interesting , doesn't it? I hope you go visit her and let her know if you enjoyed the cup of coffee she shared with all of us today! I know I did!


Blessings to all, especially to our soldiers and their families!!!

One Burrito Short of a Combo???

Good morning everybody! So .... My friend Duane Scott suggested "One burrito Short of a Combo" to be the name for my new blog

What do you think?

These are some of the other options I have right now:

Taste of Mexico
Burritos, Nachos and other myths
Tacos, Mole and Beyond

I don't know... what do you think? Any other ideas are welcome!

I want to have a "glossary" section in my new blog, with Mexican terms, culinary expressions and translations of our "Basic Mexican kitchenware"

I also want to break many of the "myths" of Mexican food.... at least in USA

What do you think? Would you help me name it?

Thanks!

Paloma.

You name it! - Big announcements

Good morning everybody! I've missed my Blog so much! But I have especially missed all of you my dear friends!!!

I have some big announcements to make today:

1. I CAN'T STAND COFFEE! ... What??? You must be wondering what happened! Well... as you know ... Pregnancy happened and coffee is banned in my house! Isn't that sad? I do miss my nightly coffee ritual with hubby but I can't even stand the smell of coffee... I hope this goes away soon, let's hope so, right?? RIGHT???

2. I AM ABOUT TO CREATE A NEW BLOG... What??? You must be wondering how I can open a new blog if I haven't been able to keep up with this one lately.... well, you know, being pregnant and in the first trimester has changed many things here, hopefully things will go back to normal soon and I can post more.... Because I truly miss all of u!

3. I AM STILL LOOKING FOR A SMART, NOT TOO LONG, HOPEFULLY BILINGUAL NAME FOR MY BLOG.... It will be about Mexican food (real Mexican food), trying to share more about my culture and gastronomical background... You know? I am trying to show people in USA that Mexican food isn't burritos, nachos and hard shell tacos....

So... would you help me? Any suggestions for the name of my new blog?

That's it for now.... Oh! By the way... Remember there is a Giveaway coming soon.... Gevalia contacted me to let me know they want me to write a review about their coffee (I will have hubby, who is a coffee expert, help me with the tasting and review) and they will also send me a package of their newest Sweden blend for one of my readers, so ... stay connected for further details!

Love you and miss you all!!!

Paloma.

Win a Home Tasting Party!

Good morning everyone! I am sorry I haven't been posting so regularly lately, if you are or have been pregnant, you know the first trimester can be rough... I must say it's been much better than with my first baby... But, I have just felt exhausted, completely drained and, well... just sick in the mornings and nights....

But, I know it's all worth it... and I am SO EXCITED to be able to experience all this, knowing that life is forming inside of me will never cease to amaze me! What a Miracle!

So.... I wanted to let you know that I was contacted by a Marketing Company... to do a review for the new blend of Gevalia Coffee.... It is coming directly from Sweden, I will be receiving the package soon and will write all about it here... They will also give me a package of this new blend to give away here in "The Coffee Shop" And I am really excited about that, so stay "in tune" for more information about it all...

In the mean time I want to invite you to join the CONTEST on Gevalia's FB page , it's pretty easy and I think if you love coffee you will find it very exciting... The contest is "Name that coffee" and not only you get to name their coffee but the prize is a Spectacular Home Tasting Party with the very Gevalia's Master Taster!

Isn't that cool? If you want to know who Gevalia's Master Taster is and if you are interested in knowing more about the history and the process of roasting, blending, finding, grinding, and packaging the beans I am sure you will enjoy this video:


Ok, that's it for now, as I said, stay connected for the upcoming giveaway... 


Lots of hugs!

Broiled Salmon with ... Boursin!

Good morning everyone! I am glad to announce that I haven't felt terrible (so far) with this pregnancy! When I was pregnant with Natalia I thought I was cursed with some Aztec spell for having a child far from my country (Just kidding LOL!!!) but it was really bad! So... I haven't felt (too) sick ... I must say I am much hungrier though... I've been cooking more too... So here is something I recently cooked for dinner:

Trust me... The picture doesn't do it any justice! It was better than good! I loved it! And this is what you need to make it happen:

(serves 2 people)

1. 2 Pieces of skinless Salmon (about 8 oz?? - not very sure)
2. 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3. Salt and pepper to taste
4. Boursin garlic & fine Herbs Gournay Cheese about half of one 5.2 oz. Boursin package.

1. Preheat your broiler on high
2. Sprinkle the Salmon with the lemon, black pepper and salt.
3. Place the Salmon fillets over a broiling pan (I used a normal baking sheet and a baking wire rack, placed the salmon on top of it so it doesn't cook on its own juices and it's not directly touching the baking sheet)
4. Broil for about 13 mins.
5. Take out of the broiler and spread the Boursin cheese on top of each fillet
6. Put back in the broiler for about 2 or 3 minutes
7. ENJOY!!!

I served this salmon with spinach and cheese stuffed ravioli and broiled asparagus (I just placed wrapped the asparagus with some butter in a piece of aluminum so it would be like an aluminum bag)

It was the first time I broiled anything, I was afraid to do it, I have a gas stove and I didn't think broiling would be SOOO EASY! 

It was so easy and good I am making it again soon!

Of course you have your favorite dessert and coffee later ;)

Day of gifts! it was positive!

Good morning everyone! I know Today should be a Coffee Friday post! But I have to share the news with you....

I am so happy to be blessed by The Lord... He's been good to me!

Yesterday my day started great .... I received a wonderful gift from a fellow blogger and a dear friend, she is a very creative girl! Her hands are always busy! her name is Morgan and you can see some of her creations on her blog: Becoming Homegrown I promise I will post a picture soon of the gift she gave me... it is the perfect gift for someone like me... A "cup sleeve" .... To hold my coffee to go! So whenever I buy a cup of coffee I will be able to "Dress it up", look super chic and never get burnt!

Thank you Morgan for such wonderful and thoughtful gift!!! You are a great friend! Hubby loved the gift too!!!

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Around the same time, I received another big surprise..... A surprise I was hoping for but I wasn't sure yet.... And here it is:

As you can see one test wasn't enough for me... I was pretty skeptical so I tested again... But yes, it is a positive result and I am soooooooo happy! Praise the Lord! Our second child! Wonderful news! I am so happy I couldn't wait to share it with all of you!

Thanks for being here... to share my happiness!

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."  (James 1:17, New King James Version)

Bicycles hanging from a wall!

Good day dear friends... I am sorry I haven't been posting these last few days but it's been very happily busy here!

But I still read and enjoy your comments! Thank you everyone for reading and commenting ;) You all make my day!

I went to a small town close to the city where I live yesterday with hubby (he had 1/2 day off) and it was a blast... As part of our "tour" we stopped at a Local Coffee Shop, it was really nice, the decor was more like a "personal library/studio/living room" but... hanging from the walls there were... BICYCLES... Yes, bicycles and it made me think how we can basically use "anything" as part of the decoration of a certain place... Have you seen anything too weird? as decor? Have you ever used anything that people thought it was crazy as an object of decoration? Have you ever had an idea of something that would look cool but it was too out of the ordinary?

Share it with us.... Here is a pic of one the bikes...

Big Hugs!!!

Holding our Good Father's hand!

Happy Thursday everyone! Ready for the weekend? We are almost there! It is a beautiful, warm, bright day here! Yesterday was warm and breezy too! After having a nice day with my daughter I went to pick hubby from work, he was actually in a meeting for some Community group he is part of, he wanted to take a walk with us around the neighborhood, so we held our daughter's hand and off we went about 2 blocks away from home... We were talking and sometimes singing (because our daughter loves to dance) but most of the time we were trying to CONVINCE Natalia to keep holding our hands, we kept telling her it was necessary and that she couldn't walk around on her own, she kept trying to get her hand loose.... and finally we let her walk on her own just for a second.... We had just let her hands go and after a few steps she fell, right on the concrete, making some scratches on her knees, nothing serious of course, but you could tell it hurt.... We explained to her that's why mommy and daddy have to hold her hands when we are outside, she was all happy right away, and it seems she forgot all about it quick enough because she started trying to "escape" from us again.... It made me think how much we are like that, as parents we know we have to hold our children's hands for their own good but still we fail to hold our own Father's hand in our everyday walk! Don't we want to do our own thing sometimes? How many times I've tried to walk "on my own", take my own steps, in the direction I want, we even make excuses and we think we are "big enough" to make certain decisions in our life without God's approval... we think that if we aren't doing "anything wrong" it's ok to choose for ourselves certain things that aren't "too big of a deal to ask our Father about it" but there's nothing too small for God... He cares about everything we do... and His Hand is always there... to hold us when we walk, to pick us up when we fall! And even after falling, we let go of His hand again! why? Well, we are like that! And after some bruises, scratches and some pain we sometimes dare to ask: "Why me?" or we wonder if "it was a punishment from Him" I would say that most of the time... when things go wrong in our lives... It's just a consequence of walking away from Him.... I pray I learned enough from my daughter's fall yesterday! I hope that picture stays in my mind forever .... I hope I always remember to hold my Father's powerful hand!

I have to go now... have to pick up hubby from work for lunch... I am drinking a Frappuccino, enjoying the beautiful day God's given us today!

Have a wonderful, blessed day!

 ^"23The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

 ²⁴Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." (Psalm 37:23-24, King James Version)

Our Starbucks Giveaway winner!!!

We all had fun with the "Monday Moments" didn't we? Sharing what my relaxing moments in the week were was really fun! And it was even better to know what you guys like to do to relax! Especially if each comment meant you were part of our Starbucks giveaway!

Now... It's the moment to reveal who the winner is:

(suspense music) .... (drums rolling)

Blue Cotton Memory

Yes! She is the winner of 4 Starbucks Frappuccinos and 1 $10.00 Starbucks Gift Card! (every comment was assigned with a number as they were received in each "Monday Moment" post, then a random number was generated and that's how the winner was selected!)

Congratulations to the winner! Hopefully we will see her comment here soon! I will be contacting her to get her info to send her prize! :)

Thanks to everyone else for being part of this giveaway! Stay connected! There are more giveaways coming!

Note: I received 4 Frappuccinos and a $10.00 USD Starbucks Gift-card as an incentive to host this giveaway.

Monday Moment - Starbucks Giveaway wrap-up

Good morning everyone! What a beautiful day! It is Monday, how are you starting your week? Remember that attitude is very important! you can have a good or bad week if you want to, it's usually up to us!

There is something that Charles Swindoll from Insight for Living said, and I really agree with it so I thought I would share it with all of you:

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."

I hope you reflect on that and decide to have a great week and help someone else do the same too!

Now... about our giveaway! It ends today... So... You still have the opportunity to be part of it! The winner will be chosen tomorrow and published here on Wednesday! If you remember, our giveaway consists of:

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

★ 4 Starbucks Light Frapp - it comes with 2 Vanilla and 2 Mocha
★ $10.00 Starbucks gift-card.

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And to enter you just need to make sure you made a comment last Monday (in our Monday Moments Post) or make a comment HERE in this very Monday moment post!

Here is a picture of my "Moment of Relaxation" last week.... This picture shows my daughter, who was really good and let mommy take a quick shower.... By the time I came out of the shower I found her just like this... (I took her to her crib right away of course)

So, there it is.... now you can be part of this Monday Moment and share with us about a moment of relaxation you had during last week, or just comment about mine, or just say hi... anything! your comment will be your ticket to enter our giveaway! And do not forget to publicly follow "The Coffee shop"

Have a wonderful attitude day!

Note: I received 4 Frappuccinos and a $10.00 USD Starbucks Gift-card as an incentive to host this giveaway.

Coffee Friday - Coffee is on Michael Today!!!

Good morning friends! Good morning visitors! The Coffee Shop is pleased to share coffee with all of you.... Today's coffee is a courtesy of  Michael and it comes right from his kitchen , where the magic occurs and where delicious things like Bread pudding with Bread pudding bourbon sauce happen!

So... here is The Coffee Friday picture he kindly sent to share with all of us:

And here is what Michael wants to share about it:

"Happy Coffee Friday:

Above is my take on Coffee Friday.  I think the cup in the middle explains it all " Is there life before Coffee" And actually the answer is NO!

 

My blog,  Michael's Kitchen is my take on cooking, recipes, equipment, cookbooks,  and the whole foodie thing.  I'm a big follower of Classical French and Italian cooking and right now,  I'm hung up on Chocolate!  What would you like to know about chocolate?  

My blog address is  http://michaelinhiskitchen.blogspot.com

  

Here is a link to one of my better post, recipes,  or what ever you would like to call it.  Better chocolate waffles than before

This makes the best chocolate waffles you have ever had in your life!

 So enjoy........ Michael's kitchen...... "

What do you think??? I think you have to stop his blog!

Thanks for this wonderful Coffee Friday Michael!!!

Have a great weekend everybody! Remember our Starbucks giveaway! Just click on the "Starbucks Frappuccino" picture on top of my sidebar to enter!!!

My baby is reading!

 Well... she is not exactly reading... but she takes it very seriously when her daddy reads for her!

So, last night hubby was reading the Bible and Natalia (1 1/2 yrs. old) went to sit on his lap... he started reading for her and ... well... you can see how much she was enjoying it here:




















I am so proud of them! I had to share this video!

Thanks! and remember we have a giveaway going on! for 4 Starbucks Frappuccinos and 1 Starbucks gift card... just click on the "frappucino picture" on top of my sidebar to know how to enter!

Hugs!

Living the "High Life"

Good morning dear friends, followers and visitors ;) I am so happy today... Hubby and I had a great time last night at a "Brewers Game" Hubby got tickets from his work for a "founders' suite" at the Miller Park Stadium and VIP parking tickets too! So, we left our girl with our friends (A&J) They are awesome! We are so happy to know she is fine and having fun when they babysit for us! Praise God for friends like that! right? having people you can trust is so important! and we are blessed to have that in them! ... So, having peace of mind that Natalia was safe and having fun, we headed to the Stadium to watch the Brewers vs Rockies game! The suite was really nice (I like going to a baseball game, and I do not need a suite, but I must admit it was nice having a bathroom right there just for you and the people with you LOL!) it was also nice having people bring food for you and have a GREAT VIEW! It was a lot of fun! The food was: chicken tenders, hot wings, brots (or brats, I don't know, it's basically sausage), hot dogs, salad, pizza and of course crackers, cheese, fruit, cookies, brownies, etc... etc...

It was a blast! We left just a little bit earlier to avoid the traffic and be able to pick our daughter a little earlier, we picked her up at 10:35 p.m. (had we stayed longer in the game we would've been picking her up at around 11:30p.m.)

Oh! what a good time! Of course the Brewers won (YAY!) and we were really excited! I can't wait to go again! (with or without a suite!) ... Here are some pics:

Note: (If you haven't entered the giveaway, go back 2 posts and comment to enter! or click on the "frappuccino image" on my sidebar)

Easter... (Starbucks Giveaway)

I just wanted to share with all of you a beautiful anthem by Joseph Martin (I learned it on Easter and I loved it!) .... 

You are The Christ

you are the Christ, you are Messiah.
you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
you are the King, you are the Savior.
you are the way, the truth, the life,
you are the Christ! O Lord most high, you are the Christ!

Once unto ev’ry man and nation comes a moment to decide.
What will our answer be to Jesus? will we in faith reply? ...
you are the Christ, you are Messiah.
you are the Christ. the Son of the living God.
you are the King, you are the Savior.
you are the way, the truth, the life,
you are the Christ! O Lord most high, you are the Christ!

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About the giveaway... Well... you are still on time to enter! You just need to go to the previous post (or click on the "Frappuccino Mocha" image on my sidebar) once you comment there (or in the post next Monday) you will have a chance to win the 4 Frapps and 1 Gift-card ... So... hurry and don't wait until next week to do it.....  Oh! and do not forget to follow "The Coffee Shop" too....

I am so happy to have been chosen to do this giveaway.... Yesterday I received 4 Frapps and a gift card from Starbucks too! as a "thank you" for doing the giveaway! So hubby and I went to Starbucks right away! I couldn't wait to enjoy my frapp... so... the picture had to be after I was done with it! LOL!

Thank you all for joining and following "The Coffee Shop" ... Thanks also for your support! Do not miss our "Coffee Friday"

Monday Moment - Starbucks Giveaway!

Good morning everyone! As I told you before OUR GIVEAWAY Starts Today...

First I am going to have my "Monday Moment" segment (as Starbucks calls it) and it is just a snap of last week.... a picture of a moment of relaxation I had..... and I must say that I actually enjoyed many moments like that! But... I would say here is my best one:

That is my girl ready to kiss me... The day was JUST MARVELOUS! really warm outside, after a cold winter it is really nice to have a day like this! where you can actually enjoy light clothes and a good walk by the lake with your daughter.... I would say that even when the day was busy I probably had some of the best moments of my life! The weather was perfect, having my daughter run around all happy! so happy that she would stop every 5 minutes to give me a kiss! That was just total bliss! A great moment to just relax... away from my routine, chores, laundry and even TV!

Now... The GIVEAWAY...

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

★ 4 Starbucks Light Frapp - it comes with 2 Vanilla and 2 Mocha
★ $10.00 Starbucks gift-card.

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You might be wondering how you can win this.... And it is VERY VERY SIMPLE! just follow "The Coffee Shop" and make a comment on any of the 2 "Monday Moment" segments -beginning TODAY and next Monday too-, (like the one above). By commenting, you will be automatically entered to our Starbucks give-away. The name of the winner, which will be drawn randomly after the last Monday Moment post wrap-up will receive the 4 Frapps and the gift-card and will be announced here on "The Coffee Shop"

It is THAT SIMPLE...

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! I really did! I will share more about it tomorrow!


Note: I received 4 Frappuccinos and a $10.00 USD Starbucks Gift-card as an incentive to host this giveaway.

Starbucks Giveaway!!!

Good morning and Happy Saturday Sharefest to all those sitstas who know what I am talking about! :)

Today I am so happy to let you know about our new giveaway! Our friends (and loved) Starbucks are giving away:

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

★ 4 Starbucks Light Frapp - it comes with 2 Vanilla and 2 Mocha
★ $10.00 Starbucks gift-card.

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

Isn't it a great gift? I am so happy "The Coffee Shop" was considered to be part of this great opportunity to give those of you who love coffee (and Starbucks) a gift that will allow you to treat yourself! and not only that... but you will be able to try their new flavor (and light!! for those watching their calorie intake)

So.... You might be wondering how you can win this.... And it is VERY VERY SIMPLE! For the next two weeks beginning April 5th, I will be featuring a new Monday Moment segment (about a moment during the week previous to that Monday where I could sneak away from my chores and found a moment to relax.... basically a snapshot and a small caption). During this time you can share your own "special moment". By commenting, you will be automatically entered to our Starbucks give-away. The name of the winner, which will be drawn randomly after the last Monday Moment post wrap-up will receive the 4 Frapps and the gift-card and will be announced here on "The Coffee Shop"

So, it is THAT SIMPLE... You basically just need to comment IN ANY of those two Mondays "April 5th or April 12th) and you will have a chance to win! Of course I will also ask you to publicly follow "The Coffee Shop" (this will not be a requirement to be part of the giveaway) but... hey, why not join? You love coffee, I do too and we can have a great time together!

So.... start following us now.... that way you will not forget to comment on Monday!!

Happy Easter everyone!!!

Coffee Friday - Easter!

Happy Coffee Friday everyone! I am just stopping by really quick to write this post because I had to share a "Coffee Friday picture" .... but I've been SOOOO INCREDIBLY AND WONDERFULLY BUSY that it's kept me away a little bit... (The days have been SOOOO BEAUTIFUL and the weather so warm that I've refused to stay home! LOL! My daughter and I have been outside LITERALLY ALL DAY LONG the past two days! It's been awesome!)

So... Here is the Coffee picture:

This picture was shared on my Fotolog group by a dear friend who has a beautiful life and shares with us snaps of it in her Fotolog

The caption for this picture was:  "Jesus is risen" ... It is not related to coffee... But it is related to THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT in the life of a Christian! So.... Have a Happy Easter and REJOICE .... FOR JESUS IS ALIVE!!!

" ⁴And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

 ⁵And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

 ⁶He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

 ⁷Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." (Luke 24:4-7, King James Version)

New Starbucks Flavor - Vanilla Frappuccino Light!

Hello my friends! :) How are you doing today? I hope yesterday's quotes inspired you to love, to smile, to enjoy and forget about any anxiety...

Before I tell you about the new flavor of Starbucks.... I want to let you know about my daughter's test results.... I want to praise God because they were all great, they were testing for "diabetes insipidus" it has nothing to do with sugar or insuline but it is still scary.... It is a life time condition that prevents the body from keeping any fluid, the person is always thirsty and there are excessive amounts of urine... My daughter had those symptoms but Thank God she is fine.... And she is actually drinking less water now and she is not desperately thirsty as she was.... I know it is God who keeps her healthy... To Him be the Glory!

 ² Bless the LORD, O my soul, 

    And forget not all His benefits:

 ³ Who forgives all your iniquities,

         Who heals all your diseases,

 ⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction,

         Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, (Psalm 103:2-4, New King James Version)

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And now about Starbucks... Yesterday I received an e-mail from "Mary Ann" on behalf of Starbucks.... She made nice comments about the quotes yesterday (Thanks Mary Ann, I am glad you enjoyed them) and she also let me know that Starbucks has recently introduced a new flavo,r let me actually quote what she has to say about this new beverage:

"Vanilla Frapucchino Light - This rich beverage contains 50% fewer calories and 60% less sugar than their classic Vanilla flavor, making it that much easier to justify the indulgence!"

 She is also inviting bloggers to post an image on Monday about some time in the past week that they were able to sneak away from their hectic life for a bit of relaxation even if only for 5 minutes. It could be a photo of yourself, an illustration, a picture of your cat- anything.  I am taking the challenge and I might even follow this project as a "tradition" for "The Coffee Shop" I think every picture I post might have a cup of coffee in it! j/k... Anyway I think I will post a picture every Monday about it!

So, That's it for today! I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.... Mary Ann said they would send me a sample of their new Frappuccino.... once I try it I will let you know what I think!

Hugs!

Tuesday of quotes.... and verses!

Good Tuesday everyone! I hope you are ready to enjoy a cup of coffee (ok, you can drink milk, tea, chocolate or anything you prefer!) and read our Tuesday quotes and verses...

Take this time as a moment to reflect..... just take a deep breath and read this peaceful, happy quotes.... and to gain wisdom from The Book.... The Bible.... which.... by the way.... is the God's living Word.... so it will not just stay in your brain... but it will go directly to your heart... making changes to it.... basically a heart surgery....

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Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking.

It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

I Corinthians 13:4-8

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The perfection of wisdom, and the end of true philosophy is to proportion our wants to our possessions, our ambitions to our capacities, we will then be a happy and a virtuous people - Mark Twain

Wisdom is better than rubies. - Proverbs 8:11

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. - Proverbs, 15:17

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And just to share some more about love.... Hubby and I just love doing simple things together... it makes our relationship so much stronger... there's no need of fancy stuff... some crackers and cheese are a big thing if you want it to be like that! so I want to invite everyone to enjoy the little things of life.... not worrying much about money... having it or not.... everything passes.... It is good to work but not to be anxious about anything... Those things that matter the most are not money related... Take a walk with your children, hold your husband/wife's hand, drink a glass of grape juice (it always makes me happy), enjoy your family! share with them, smile with them!

And be always grateful for your blessings!

Coldstone and Michael's kitchen

Good morning and Happy Sunday everyone!

Thanks for the great response to our last Coffee Friday! It was a lot of fun! I am also so thankful to have your "get well" wishes and prayers for my daughter... I will tell you more about what we are testing once we get the results....

I wanted to share some pics with you... Last night hubby, our girl, and I went on a date to Coldstone... Hubby had "chocolate devotion" and I had "cheesecake fantasy" ... I think I should've had the chocolate devotion one... it looked really good... but at least the cheesecake fantasy had strawberries and blueberries so I could share those with our daughter, it was so much fun!

Here is a picture of hubby giving her some chocolate ice cream:

Looks cute, doesn't it? well, that is just because I couldn't get the picture right after this... Natalia spit it all out, it seems she didn't like "chocolate ice cream" .... it's not a big deal.... As I don't want her to eat too much sweets but it was funny though! I thought she would love chocolate ice cream, I should've known better, since she loves chewing celery and eating broccoli, carrots, zucchini, etc... I guess I should not ruin that!

Something else I am very happy about... is our new follower Michael... He sent me an e-mail because he wants to be part of our Coffee Friday feature... he grabbed "The Coffee Shop" button and his blog is just DELICIOUS, his latest posts are all related to chocolate and I am sure you can't resist that! So, go stop by his blog, you will not regret it ... "Michael's Kitchen"

Ok... I have to get ready because it's getting late for church... Hubby is preaching today :D

Coffee Friday... By Ginny Marie!

Happy Coffee Friday everyone! Thanks for all of your comments! I've been trying to respond to each of them here on my blog so if you've written something I've almost for sure said something about it! I just have some comments pending to answer (the ones from last post). It's been a hectic week, my daughter has an ear infection and it's on antibiotics, please keep her in your prayers as she will have some other tests (for some other issues that might be nothing God willing) done tomorrow.


Now our Coffee Friday pics:

here they are (with the captions by Ginny Marie):

 Happy

Sad

If you still do not know who Ginny Marie   is, you have to stop by her Blog! "Lemon Drop Pie" . And this is what she wants to share with you about it:

"I started Lemon Drop Pie to reach out to young breast cancer survivors like myself, and it has changed to a blog about everything from motherhood to faith to coffee!

Here are a couple of my favorite posts:
Sticky Little Hand Prints
What's in your Mug Today

I hope you enjoy reading my blog! I'm glad that The Coffee Shop is still open!"
 
Now you know you have to stop by it and say hi to her! She is such a great, optimistic woman! And I enjoy everything she writes and  her comments! The Coffee Shop wouldn't be the same without her, that's for sure!

And now on some additional things I would like to say... well... just like the pictures above, life has its happy moments and its sad ones too. We all have things to face each day, some minor problems, some bigger problems, struggles, fears, challenges, opportunities, sad or upsetting things... But still each day the sun shines above us all and even when we might see it all dark there is always hope.... So do not get discouraged, keep fighting, keep walking and keep improving! Do not throw the towel no matter what! And if you need a friend or someone to just listen (sometimes it's easier to vent with strangers) just come to The Coffee Shop... not for the blog itself but because I will read and if you want me to... I will pray... and if you ask for it I will tell you what I think about it.... or not.... whatever you prefer, just know I am here! It has been really nice for me to know that you are there... you, yes... whoever you are... who reads, who laughs and/or cries with whatever I write and for that I thank you!

So... I hope you have a wonderful and blessed Friday! Enjoy it and Enjoy your weekend!

Love,

Tuesday of quotes....

Good morning! Are you ready for some quotes on this beautiful Tuesday? Spring is here and you can start to feel that flowers are coming! (The picture above was taken last year of course) ... Now, grab your ____ (cup, glass, bottle) of _____ (coffee, tea, water, soda, anything you prefer) and enjoy these quotes and verses that I hope will make us all reflect today:

"If you don't think every day is a good day, just try missing one." 
~Cavett Robert

"Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day."  ~Author Unknown

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." Proverbs 18:10 

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." 
Proverbs 16:3

Did you know that this coming Friday our friend Ginny Marie will be "making coffee" for us? Yes! On Coffee Friday! She will be sharing her coffee with us!  So do not miss it!


Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Time traveling... to the past!

Last night we had a very nice surprise... A friend from Mexico called and asked if him and his wife could stop over just to say hi.... I think I was probably 19 when I last saw him (I am 31 now) and he now lives about 35 mins. away from where I live! Isn't that amazing? How smaller can the world get? We come to find each other 1,700 miles away from where we used to be.... It is just incredible! It brought really nice memories... Like when we used to be part of "plays" in church... we shared funny anecdotes, some updates of the people we used to know and talked about the authentic Mexican food we miss so much and you can NEVER find anywhere in the USA... no matter how "authentic" they claim to be..... We miss the tacos on the street and laughed at the mere idea of "taco salad, taco casserole and taco soup... and even worse.... TACO MIX" (sorry) ....it was all fun... Almost like we never stopped seeing each other... Like just re-starting a "pending" conversation... I felt 19 and in Mexico again.... LOL! We had coffee and a cheesecake kringle, I met his wife and his 5 yr. old... He met my hubby and unfortunately my girl was sleeping already.... It was cool! and it was nice to talk to someone in Spanish!

I am sure God sent him... I was very nostalgic and feeling home sick yesterday.... and there you go... an old friend from Mexico knocking at my door!

Coffee Friday / Treasures in Heaven

 Hello my friends... Today is day for Coffee Friday... So... as we've been doing in the past here is a coffee picture:

"El petit Cafe" Cornella de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.

This picture was shared on my "Coffee Lovers" fotolog (as you might know I have a group of people who love coffee and share pictures of coffee) the picture was shared by "Anita" here is her page: Anita's fotolog

As you can see I've been sharing pictues of that fotolog group lately... I haven't received any pictures of any of "The Coffee Shop" followers lately.... so I hope you take one soon to share it here ;)

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Ok... That was our Coffee Friday picture.... 

I also want to share something I was reading the other day...

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20, New King James Version)

And I was thinking how... sometimes we just talk about the "Not making treasures on earth" part... but we do not think or do anything about the other part... which is making treasures in heaven....

how do you think we could make treasures in heaven? If we stop loving the "earthly" things and accumulating for our satisfaction here on earth.... is good.... but it's not everything... we need to think of what's eternal.... What do you think we could do?

Have a wonderful Coffee Friday! And... share with us what you think "making treasures in heaven" means.... we might get good ideas... so we can work on that!

Today is a new day...

Hello my friends... thanks for all the words of wisdom, for your encouragement and prayers... I am sorry if I sounded all weird in my last post.... I was just... too discouraged... too sad about the news I watched.... but you all helped me see clearly... and "The Coffee Shop" will continue... :)

I will try to post regularly... I will try to answer to your comments here in my blog.... I love you all :) I am honored with the friends I have here...

I want to also thank those who also sent me messages through Facebook and e-mail... :) Your words meant a lot!

About my relationship with God... well... He definitely wants me to be closer to Him... but the blog does not necessarily keep me from being close to Him (unless I am blogging all day long) ... same thing with my daughter... I can still be a good mom and blogger LOL!

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Yesterday was a good day... Hubby had 1/2 day off and we went to the park... the day was beautiful and we enjoyed seeing our 18mo. play and enjoy the sun and the wind on her face! She was so happy

Here is a video:



It was really a blast! Then we went to Starbucks... Hubby had a "Cafe Mocha" YAY!!! I convinced him to try something different, he always has just black coffee... no sugar, no cream of course! he really liked it! I had a capuccino, it was ok but I think I will stick to my frapuccino mocha! :)

"Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness" Lamentations 3:22-23