Self heating coffee? Huh?      You’re kidding, right?!

Heck no! The people over at OnTech have come out with this nifty container which is self heating!    

Next time you’re waiting in line at a coffee shop, frustrated at taking time out from your busy day, remember that whether you are on your way to work, driving to a soccer game, or just on ehw ay home for a movie night, Hillside Coffee is the most convenient and delicious on-the-go option. Available in four great flavors: French Vanilla, Mocha, Hazelnut, or Doubleshot.

I personally tried the Mocha variety. I was astounded when I took the first sip and not only was it super hot, but tasted really good as well! These little suckers are kinda spendy…I’ve seen them from $2-$3 a piece, but if you’re in a bind, I think it’s a good buy. Of course, you want to keep in mind that just because it feels heavy doesn’t mean that’s the weight of what you’ll be drinking. The junk inside that makes it heat up weighs quite a bit from what I can tell. My professional estimation is that you’re getting about 12 onces of tasty goodness. Not too shabby, really!

Anyway, that’s my recommendation for today. I really enjoyed it…it was a pleasant surprise!  BTW - HERE is a video I took of Lonnie earlier. He didn’t want me to post it, but damn it…he’s just so adorable and handsome. How can I resist?

• Sorry it’s been a few days since I’ve pumped out any Random Randomness©. I’ve either been busy or just simply feeling like crap lately. I feel pretty good today, though, and am not too busy to post something.

• I went to Physical Therapy for my neck/back injury for the first time yesterday. Ouch. The therapist didn’t hardly even do anything, but I’m still feeling it. No pain, no gain, though, so I am doing my best to be tough about it.

• My daughter spent the night at her friend’s house last night. Her friend lives back in Oregon, so it’s such a pain in the keister having to take her over there. It’s about an hour drive…but it’s worth it knowing how happy it makes her.

• I’m making cheese filled Tortellini for dinner tonight. I’ve never made it before, but I’m assuming it’ll be pretty good. I’m hoping so, anyway. I think I’ll use an Alfredo sauce on ‘em. I’m not sure what people usually use, but that’s what I’m going for.

• I’m wearing my angel earrings today. They’re so cute…and since I’m somewhat superstitious, I consider them to be a good luck charm.

• I’m also wearing my super cozy fleece socks today! I love these things. My tootsies stay so nice and warm.

• I’m currently listening to “Ænima” by Tool. I’m not too into it for some reason…but it’s better than silence.

• Lonnie and I watched “The Invasion” last night. While I generally cannot stand Nicole Kidman, the movie was fairly decent. Not the best I’ve ever seen, but also not the piece of crap we watched the other night. I give it one thumb up and one thumb to the side. Whatever that means.

• I bought some new creamer last night. It’s from the fine folks over at International Delight. The flavor I got is Hershey’s Chocolate & Caramel. WOW! That stuff is SO good! I love it!

• We’re going to have to leave to pick my daughter up pretty soon, so I’m going to need to wrap this up in just a couple minutes. I don’t have my make-up on, and the last thing I want to do is embarrass my daughter by showing up looking like doody!

• Lonnie just turned the air conditioner on. I’m already so cold! I wish we were on the same internal thermostat!

• I had a nice talk with my Mom earlier. I felt a lot of tension between us lately, so I went into her bedroom and asked if we could have a talk. We did and things seem a lot less tense now. I’m glad I got up the guts to go do that. I hate feeling tension.

• I need to mow the lawn some time this weekend. It’s not disgustingly long or anything, but it at least needs a good trim.

• I need to get my kids new winter coats before it gets too cold. I have no idea where I’m going to get the money to get them, but I’ll have to figure it out. They need to have warm coats!

• I guess I’d better go put my make-up on and get ready to pick my daughter up now. I will do my best to post some more either later tonight or tomorrow! Thank you to all of my loyal readers who keep checking back. It means so much to me that you’re all sticking with me by reading my blog on a regular basis! You guys are the best! :big hugs:

I woke up early this morning so that I could make a treat for my family…Coffee Cake!  I decided to take pictures along the way so I could share them with my readers.

Soooo…let’s get started, shall we?    

First, I had to set the oven for 350° …

While the oven warmed up,

I sprayed pan with cooking spray …

Once I got all the dry ingredients together,  

I had to whisk ‘em in with an egg and some water…

Now that it was all mixed up properly,

I spread half of the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish…

 

Once there was a fairly level layer of batter

in the bottom of the baking dish,

I grabbed a measuring cup and filled it

with a mixture of cinnamon, sugar,

and other such numminess….

At this point, I sprinkled a lovely layer

of said mixture over the entire pan of batter.

Now that I’d done that,

I had to create different little globs of batter

on top of the cinnamon and sugar concoction…

Once the globs of dough had been made,

it was time to sprinkle more of the

cinnamon and sugar stuff over the top…

As you’ve probably picked up on by now,
there’s pretty much a layering effect going on here.    

Anyway….here’s what it looked like after I’d loaded up the glob layer with the cinnamon/sugar tastiness…

At this point, I grabbed a butter knife and swirled it around a bit…mixing the dough up a bit.           

I really got that knife in there and mixed it around a bit….

I was going for pretty much a marble looking effect…

So, now that all the layering is done,

it’s time to slide the Coffee Cake into the ol’ oven!

Can’t forget to set the timer!

And now that it’s in the oven,  

it’s time to make myself a big ol’ tumbler of coffee!

Can’t forget the Hazelnut creamer.

It makes the world go ’round! 

After a while had gone by and I’d already ingested a tumbler of coffee,

I figured I’d better check on the Coffee Cake

to see how well it was coming along…

Not only was it looking totally flippin’ killer,

but it was smelling soooo good, too! 

I was chillaxing and doing my best to be patient

when I finally heard the timer go off!          

YAY! Time to take the tasty treat out of the oven!!!

Ooooh boy! I can’t begin to tell you

how good that thing smelled!        

Here it is cooling on a rack!

Lastly, here is a picture of the sacred

Coffee Cake with a piece cut out of it…

I can’t express how good this thing was!  

My daughter and I sat on our stools next to the counter

and slowly ate our hunks of cake.        

Haven’t you heard yet? Today is the best day known to man: National Coffee Day!

I am ashamed and embarrassed to admit that had it not been for Eric Anderson’s post over on Pownce I wouldn’t even have known that this glorious holiday was upon us!

(By the way; Eric Anderson has some really awesome Pownceage…and his site is packed full of awesome stuff. He really seems to be an super cool guy with an amazing amount of killer links to things all over the Net. [He’s a designer, too! w00t!] I highly recommend reading what he’s got to say!)

Anyway, back to this glorious holiday! Coffee….ahhh, yes. The beverage of life. As anyone who really knows me knows, I am an avid coffee drinker. I average 2-3 pots of coffee per day. I can’t even begin to express how much I love the stuff. There have been times when I’ve weened myself down and done without it for a week or two here and there…but I always go back to it. Absence from it only makes my heart grow fonder!

Please share your coffee-lovin’ stories with me! I am dying to know if you are as excited over this holiday as I am. I would love to know how you’re going to celebrate…if at all. And even if you’re not, that’s perfectly fine, too. I totally understand that not everyone is an addict like I am. I do know, though, that my BFF Sarah, and my other amazing friend, Casey, will be appreciating this day in some way, shape or form. Even if they go through with their normal routines, I have absolutely no doubts that knowing it’s National Coffee Day will mean something big to both of them! Birds of a feather really do flock together!    

In closing, I would just like to say once more…
HAPPY NATIONAL COFFEE DAY!!!