Almost Free Foo-foo Coffee

I love Starbucks!!! I do, I can't help it. I reload my card, frequent the joint about 3 times a week and always get the same drink... Iced Grande non-fat Caramel Machiatto.
I knew I had a coffee problem, but didn't know I spent more on coffee per year than I did on my homeowners insurance.
Here's my tally:
$3.65 x 3 = 10.95 per week, $43.80/month, $525.60/year. (This doesn't even include the times that Eric and I go together or any food I purchase) Makes you really think, huh??

I have found a solution to my problem, that doesn't include therapy or hundreds of dollars on an espresso machine. It's the TODDY. It cost a mere $40 at a local coffee place (not starbucks, either) This is a very easy, cold brew system. (brewed espresso not included)
I picked up a bag of Espresso as soon as I could as I had to try it out ASAP.
I had to find the ingredients needed to make my favorite drink. Starbucks had the caramel sauce that they use and wouldn't you know.... they had the recipe for my drink on the side of the bottle. I never knew this, but they use vanilla syrup in my drink, so I got some of that as well.You need 1lb. of espresso and water. Plug the hole in the brewer with the plug provided. Soak the filter in water and place in the brewer. Layer the espresso and water per the directions. Let sit for at least 12 hours to brew.
After at least 12 hours, you remove the plug and let the espresso drain in the carafe.Put the lid on the carafe, place in the fridge and VOILA. It can last up to 2 weeks, depending on the amount of coffee you drink. If you like hot coffee drinks you can warm up the espresso and milk in the microwave, in a separate container.

I highly recommend this method. Easy to use and store. Plus in my case, you are going to save s&*t loads of money. ENJOY!!!

$139 saves marriage

I love my hubby, yet after almost 11 years of marriage, I can definitely say that we don't work well on home improvement projects. I like to be in charge, weird I know. For the most part we know our roles. He mows the lawn, I edge. He sprays the weeds, I prune plants; He rolls the paint, I cut-in at the ceiling and around molding: He cleans the kitchen, I clean the bathrooms.
We've got a few things down. Then there are the unexpected, spur-of-the moment projects. He wants to do it one way, I want to do it another and then..... all HELL breaks loose. Of course I make it sound worse than it is. The moral is: pick your battles

We decided to get a storm door for our front door. We had one at our last house and loved it! It provides that extra bit of protection from the stranger on the porch and when you have dogs, it is a great barrier.We were at Home Depot one day looking at toilet seats and ended up looking at storm doors. So many to choose from!!! I didn't remember there being so many choices and we wanted to make the right choice (not to mention I had to send in the HOA application to get approval for our "improvement" before ordering) so we took some brochures and made our way home.

After little deliberation, we (I ) picked the Anderson 3000 series, self-storing storm door in Almond with nickel finishes. You can go from glass to screen with one hand! Eric went to order the door and hymned and hawed a little over the installation cost. Could he do it himself? Was it worth the money? Reluctantly, he added the cost of installation when he placed the order.
Eric was home the day of the installation, while I was at work. I was so excited to get home and see the new addition. Eric met me at the door.... What a beauty! It was hardly even noticeable. (It's nice and all, but I didn't want it sticking out like a sore thumb)

Here is the conversation that ensued:

Eric: What do you think?
Mel: I love it! It looks awesome!
E: I had the guys change the handle to the opposite side than what we talked about.
M: I think that was a good choice. I had thought about that today and worried there wouldn't be enough room on the porch for people to stand once the door was opened.
E: I watched the guy install this. It took over an hour to do.
M: oh yeah?
E: Yeah! If I had done it, it would be in the yard, in pieces and we would probably be divorced.
M: (Laughing) So the $139 was worth it?
E: Way cheaper than a divorce.

So there you have it folks......if you want to save your marriage, just pay the dang installation fee.

To sleep or not to sleep

I have been wanting to post these pictures for sometime, unfortunately "Chateau Graves" had been full.


Since we moved into this house, over 2.5 years ago, our guestroom has been occupied. We have been the home for separated, broken-up men who needed a place to rest their head for awhile.

I spent some time between guests redecorating our guestroom. I am horrible at remembering to take "before" shots, but I have the "after" pictures! :-) It is just so darn cute I had to share.

I brought my old guestroom with me when we moved and was told it was a little much. Flowers, dolls, knick-knacks, it was quite over the top for any gentleman bunking there.

So I decided to switch it up. Out with the girly stuff and in with something more appropriate for all who come to stay.



The walls are painted lime green amd I spray painted the bedframe black. I bought the comforter set at Target and the throw pillows at Ross.

I couldn't find simple artwork that I liked so I created my own. I bought 3 colors of teal, brown and lime green and 3 blank canvases at Michael's. I figured if they can do it on TV, I can do it to. I found different sizes of circles around the house and started tracing. Then I handpainted each circle. They turned out perfectly!



I chose to have one nightstand and I bought a lamp and a round throw rug at IKEA. And then it was complete. I love it!!

PRICELESS

1 bean bag chair cover - $19.99

2 bags of "beans" - $30.00

How my dogs say 'Good Morning, Mom' - PRICELESS

Summer is here.... time to update

Wow, time flies when you are are having fun..... or when you are just too freakin' busy to notice. Either way it is the end of July and I thought I would share an update.

Eric started the police academy at the end of April. We are down to 4 weeks left! He graduates on August 21st, will have a few weeks left of field training and then he will be off on his own. How exciting!!!! I can't begin to tell you how proud I am. Very few people actually go after their dreams and even fewer accomplish it. The streets will be safer when Officer Graves is patrolling.

Since the hubby has been gone, I have been keeping myself busy. I am no longer selling insurance and am now selling me...... sounds bad, like it should be illegal? Well I promise, Eric has no reason to arrest me. LOL I consider myself talented in many areas and thought why not offer these services to others. So I posted an ad on Craigslist and put the word out to my peeps. I have been painting, cleaning, organizing, staging and doing yard work. This is not exactly what I saw myself doing but I make my own schedule and most important, I am having fun.


I am posting a new slide show of the yard and the "fruits of our labor", or well, I should say "my labor" since I have been doing it myself with Eric being gone. The flowers have been planted and everything is growing. Most of the plants that I have are still young and do have alot of growing to do, but it's still amazing to see how they have look now compared to just a few short years ago.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

So Neglectful

Here we are in July, actually closer to the end of July and I haven't posted a thing in 2 months. Shame on me!!! Unfortunately, I have been so busy painting, cleaning houses, doing yardwork (none of which is happening at my house, mind you) that the last thing I have wanted to do is sit down and blog. I even took pictures of my yard, the beautiful flowers that I planted and the new gorsth on everything and I have yet to post. OMG!!!! what to do, what to do.....
Anyhow, to my faithful followers, I am going to try my hardest to have something new posted by this weekend. Cross your fingers.....

Spring is in the air......

I LOVE SPRING! All of my favorite flowers bloom in the spring. In no particular order, here are my top 5.

I adore Tulips. They make me so happy when they finally pop up. I know..... the simple things. They are easy to plant and maintain. They come back every year and have so many different colors.

Lilac smells wonderful. I seriously think about pulling off the road everytime I see a bush and stealing some. Thank goodness I have one in my own yard as it won't be good for a cops wife to be tagged as the "Bouquet Bandit".

Climbing plants are beautiful and chaotic. It's good to have a little chaos in life. The Clematis is my favorite of the climbers. They come in brillant colors and are easily manipulated to grow how you want them too. Mine has not had the best start to life. As it flourished last year, I gazed in amazement at how fast it grew. To my dismay, my wonderful "kids" ran through that flower bed and broke it off. All winter I wondered if I would get my Candy Cane colored beauty back. The sun came out and POW.... it grew and grew and grew. Can't wait to see those blooms.

Daphne comes next. It doesn't seem to be the most hardiest of the bunch, with its bendy branches. When it rains, they are immediately laying on the ground. You can't beat the fragrance. Mmmmmmm

Last and certainly not least comes Lithadora. This is a hearty ground cover that produces the most vibrant blue flowers. Last summer I found one that has blue/white striped flowers. What I like about this beauty is it doesn't attach itself to the ground, so a it grows, it is easier to shape. Alternative ground cover, like Vinca, attaches itself to the ground so it makes it harder to control. Vinca does have a nice purple flower though.

I have to say that our home is at it prettiest in the spring. When we moved here in Summer 2006, I have to admit, I really missed my other yard. It was lush and established with all kinds of planted bulbs, ground cover, roses, a lilac bush, clematis and so many others. My grass was so green (thanks to the sprinkler system my wonderful husband and father-in-law installed) and it was the envy of the block. I love color but really like things easy to take care of. Now that I have "furry kids", my backyard is dedicated to them. Don't you worry, I still have my green grass, although it is not so envious these days, and all of my top 5 faves. I decided against planting bulbs in the back fearing that little paws might trample them. There is losts of grass for ball chasing and a huge patio for Mom and Dad. My front yard is just to show off to the rest of the neighborhood. :-)

Enjoy these pics of the Past and Present!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

It's back to work for...Officer Graves

Folks... We have hit another milestone. Eric has been my "steady schedule man" for the last 10 years, and was a stellar employee up to and including his last day on February 25th.

When he originally gave notice, he had planned on only having a couple days off to lounge around and relax until he was off to a crazy schedule. Lucky for him, things were not planned out as quick as we thought and he ended up having over a week off. Yeah for us!!! We had a plethora of gift cards that we just hadn't gotten around to using, so we finally did. We had dinner at Stanford's to celebrate his last day; we ate at the The Cheesecake Factory, used my Pottery Barn gift card to buy a super cute vase (let me tell you how excited he was about that. :-)) and he tagged along to bowling with me (he never has been with me since I started, as it begins so late on Monday nights). It was really nice just to spend time together.

Eric was finally sworn in, as a full time officer this past Thursday. (for our friends and families.....you know the city but I am keeping the name private) Both sets of his parents were there as well a few regular and reserve officers. Unfortunately, there was no time to go out and celebrate as it was off to work for Officer Graves. He will be working weird shifts until he leaves for the academy in June. Then he will be gone M-F, home on the weekends.

In the ten years that we have been married, we haven't really shaken things up. This is definitely going to make things interesting. I am so very happy and proud of this man I love with all my heart. He followed his heart and made his dream came true.

P.S. Who doesn't love a man in uniform? :-)

It's Official!!!!!!!

Eric has finally been hired, full time, as one of Gladstone's finest. It has been a long process, which included waiting, more waiting and just a little bit more waiting. However, it is done and I am so proud of him. He has wanted to be a police officer for most of his life. Being in the reserves for 1 1/2 years put him a bit closer to that dream. With his patience and dedication he will give the policing community a good name. Just be careful if you happen to be speeding through Gladstone. He just might get'cha.

It's a little late but HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I started this post about 3 weeks ago, then got busy and totally lost my train of thought. I figured I better finish it before 2009 is over. :-)

A new year is here and I can't believe it. December was a huge whirlwind. We had the most unbelieveable weather that Oregon has seen in some 50 years. It definitely made it hard to get around and a bit nerveracking when we did venture out. Thank God for Eric's training at the academy as he was the lucky one to drive us everywhere. (I love you honey, even though I gripped the door for dear-life most of the time.) Being "snowed in" gave me lots of time to think about life and all that I am so grateful for. So, without further adeau, in no particular order, here is my list:

1. HOME - If it wasn't for hard work and some sacrifice, I wouldn't have a roof over my head, heat to keep me warm and food to make me full. We are fortunate that we have extra room to be able to help out a few friends in tough times.

2. FAMILY - without parents/grandparents, I wouldn't be here. They love and support me which gets me through every day. They have given me more than I could ever ask for. I am who I am because of them.

3. HUSBAND - I thank a higher power every day that I was lucky enough to find a wonderful man who loves me for me. I am very proud that he has persued his life long dream of being a police officer. You are my hero!

4. WORK - Even with the economy down, Eric's job has maintained steady as well as the paychecks. I am lucky to be self employed, to choose when and where I work. I help so many people in so many ways.

5. FRIENDS -I have so many friends that love me and would do anything for me. I couldn't ask for a better group. I didn't see them nearly as much as I would have liked to in 2008, but they are never far from my thoughts.

With that being said, heres to a prosperous new year. God knows we could use it. I have decided not to make any resolutions, because frankly, I NEVER keep them. I write them down, tell everyone I know and by Februay 3rd, I have already fallen off the wagon. I am going to keep all of the things that I am going to do better to myself and maybe, just maybe I will actually accomplish some of them. Here are a few wonderful memories from the holidays.