I tend to be persnickety about my coffee. I don’t like it weak and I don’t like it old… I’m ok if it’s hot or not, but old coffee (you know, when you put cream in and it turns gray, eeeeeek!). I will avoid that like the plague. So every morning when the coffee finishes brewing, I pour it into a thermos (that has been preheated with boiling water). Now, you would think, that adding boiling water day after day would keep coffee from sticking to the sides of the thermos, wouldn’t you?

Well one morning, I went to rinse my thermos and it poured a ton of what looked like coffee grounds into the sink. WHAT?!?!?! So I put boiling water and soap and everything else I could try… nothing worked. It’s a tall narrow thermos, so there is no way to reach down into it. Haven’t I read something about baking soda I thought to myself? Hmmm,, well, let’s see… add boiling water about 3/4 full, because I was unsure what would happen once I added baking soda… I added 2 Tablespoons of baking soda and it start to expand. I put the top on and gave it a GENTLE SHAKE (with a towel over the top, just because I could almost feel the pressure, which kind of scared me…).  I couldn’t easily unscrew the top…. hmmm, OK, better wait until it calms down before I try again. I left it alone for 4-5 hours, maybe even longer than that. When I poured it out, it looked like the strongest coffee on the planet. At first I thought AHHHHH! Pouring out good coffee??  Nope, all the black stuff on the sides of the thermos that build up over time… are now… tada….

G O N E ! ! !

Just BE CAREFUL with the boiling water! I just gave this a whirl and it worked, but I’m no expert! Did I just get lucky this one time?

F L A S H B A C K !

O n e  Y e a r  A g o:          Artist: Christina Body!

T w o  Y e a r s  A g o:       Port Clyde, Maine Cottage

T h r e e  Y e a r s  A g o:  Artist: Scott Mattlin!

Bright and happy aren’t they? My mother-in-law picked these for me, I put them in a glass of water, and toted them around the house snapping photos and they all turned out gorgeously! This one has pretty bright sun hitting it, but I love how the concrete gives that cool background with the sharpness from the shadow…

These are Black Eyed Susan’s and they grow wild in various areas… my husband calls them “Black Eyed Susie’s” and for some reason that makes me laugh every time he says it. Ahhh, its the little things! Have a wonderful week and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

F L A S H B A C K !

O n e  Y e a r  A g o:           Artist: James Richards!

T w o  Y e a r s  A g o:        It’s going to be a long day…

T h r e e  Y e a r s  A g o:   Artist: Ken Auster

I would say the nights that involve an outdoor fire are pretty much over until November or December. Ooooh, how we’ve enjoyed our fire pit.

So much fun sitting outside underneath the stars when its nice and brisk outside, but you are warm and toasty! I guess if you could do it all the time it wouldn’t be as special, right?

We bought this fire pit from Smith & Hawkins back when they had actual stores (and they were FABULOUS), but now you can buy them all over the place! Hey, always a good Christmas gift for someone?

Have a good day – Catch you back here tomorrow!

F L A S H B A C K !

O n e  Y e a r  A g o:            Charleston Photo…

T w o  Y e a r s  A g o:         Plein Air Painters of the Southeast!

T h r e e  Y e a r s  A g o:    The Majby Chair by Ikea

A funky set up for sure, but wanted to show you that our hydrangeas are in full bloom and they are gorgeous! Fred cut a few and we put them in this jar (they make the best vases, I swear!)… I have snapped photos of them all over the house in the late afternoon sunlight… hmmm, on the floor in front of the door? Perfect, different… gorgeous!

Enjoy your weekend!! Catch you back here tomorrow!

F L A S H B A C K !

O n e  Y e a r  A g o:           Artist: Dawn Whitelaw!

T w o  Y e a r s  A g o:        Fresh from the garden recipe: Zucchini and Onions on Pasta

T h r e e  Y e a r s  A g o:   Morning Glory Muffins Recipe

This plan has charm written all over it, doesn’t it? The house (plan by Southern Living House Plans) is 2,089 heated square feet. This home has 3 bedroom and 2.5 bathrooms.

One thing that I love right away is the breezeway/mudroom/laundry room that connects the garage to the house. What a efficient use of space! This is a great plan because there are so many ways to use it based on how you live… For Fred and I, a dining room really isn’t a big deal, so I would make that an office area, with a place for Charlie to look out the window, I see the perfect spot, don’t you? I would have a cushion made for the bay window, hee hee… that would be his new spot! Perfect! Nice kitchen, with a place to eat that isn’t so large… once again, perfect! Nice porches back and front… I’ll take it!

I like that the upstairs is kept simple, 2 bedroom, one bathroom and a study loft AKA treadmill room or separate “living room” for kids or spouses who watch bad TV (hee), or… storage… once again… OPTIONS!

What do you think?

F L A S H B A C K !

O n e  Y e a r  A g o:            Artist: Susan Graeber!

T w o  Y e a r s  A g o:         Applegate Organic Hotdogs

T h r e e  Y e a r s  A g o:    Lee Greenwood: God Bless the USA