Category Archives: Kathy

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Daily Life, Kathy

Too Much Coffee

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When Tim and I began this blog in 2004 we set up the usual categories – family, Bible study, reviews, etc – we never thought to include Coffee as a topic heading.

coffee

What were we thinking? If you do a search for coffee on the Duckabush Blog, more than 30 posts come up. Obviously they aren’t all strictly ABOUT coffee, but coffee is mentioned in some way, shape or form.

I guess if you’re going to give up sleep in favor of blogging (and I’m speaking hypothetically), you need some help from caffeine to survive.

Or so I’ve been told.

Of course, it turns out my love of coffee isn’t just a self-indulgent quirk, it inspires others. I received an email today from Holly, a Seattle blogger, who thought of me while she was buying her coffee creamer today.

She thought of me. While she was buying coffee creamer.

And she emailed me to suggest a fantastic coffee combination – peppermint mocha.

Some people long to make a difference in the world through their ministry, social work, or financial giving – I inspire culinary greatness in the world of caffeine.

Holly, thank you! Only another Washingtonian would truly appreciate my search for delicious coffee at home.

give me some

Stop by and visit Holly’s blog. She is a mom of twins (and therefore a hero in my book) and recently posted a recipe for an amazing Crunchy Milk Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layer Cake that would go beautifully with a tall mug of coffee.

I know we’ve discussed coffee before, and Tim warns me I’m beginning to sound obsessive, but I’m still curious, so tell me about your coffee loves and hates.

Are you a coffee snob?
Do you find yourself thinking Starbucks and nothing else will do?
Do they know your name (and order) at the local coffee shop?
You’ve never been in a coffee shop, coffee drive thru or other over-rated, high priced coffee emporiums and don’t plan to, thank you very much.
Does it take you longer to order your coffee than your fast food take-out?
Are you happy the holidays arrive, not because of the good will, cheer and spiritual significance but because it means pumpkin spice and gingerbread lattes are back?
Nothing fancy, you like it plain black, no sugar or cream.
Forget coffee, tea is your thing.

This one’s for Tim:

You like your caffeine cold, in the form of Diet Coke, and you think chocolate should stay out of coffee and in the Nutella jar where it belongs.

Coming tomorrow – a beautiful family picture from our day at the studio.

Kathy

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Events, Kathy

Even Night Owls Should Watch the Caffeine

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It’s cold and wet here in western Washington. Not only is it raining, did I mention it’s cold and wet, but it’s also dark by 4:30 pm. This does not suit my night owl nature. I like it in the middle of the summer when the sun is bright and shining until late in the day.

Thankfully I have friends who aren’t daunted by silly things like bedtimes and schedules. Oh no, these girls know how to live. All of which means last night I was ordering coffee at Starbucks at 9 pm and heading off for a 10 pm move. Yes, a 10 pm movie! On a school night!

The heady night life of a homeschooling mom.

A few notes to self:

  1. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT drink Starbucks regular coffee at 9 pm. Even ordering it 1/3 regular, 2/3rds decaf is too much. As a night owl you will NOT fall asleep in the middle of a movie. You do NOT need caffeine to stay awake. The caffeine, however, will insure you do NOT fall asleep. For hours.

  2. Do NOT leave the computer turned on with email loaded and waiting your arrival home. The temptation to check blogs, write a few emails, comment on a blog here and there, and then post an entire blog at 3 in the morning is too strong to resist.

  3. Give yourself permission NOT to blog once in a while. Skipping two days in a row, gasp, will NOT cause the world to stop spinning. Think of it as a kindness to your beleaguered readers.

  4. Instead of playing on the computer, head to the kitchen and make your beloved’s lunch. Do NOT wait until AFTER you’ve blogged for hours to BEGIN preparing lunch. This will cause accidental snacking and throw bedtime off by another 20 or 30 minutes.

  5. Do NOT turn on a movie while you are making said husband’s lunch. This will further the unconscious snacking, awaken sleepy brain cells, and ruin any chances of a solid 5 hours of sleep.

There are no pictures of the late night movie outing or of today’s sleepy homeschool teacher. There are times when even I know to leave the camera turned off (to protect the guilty).

On a complete and totally different note (that’s what happens when I don’t sleep – no attention span whatsoever), here are two online savings we used this week:

Christianbook.com:

Code – 251451AH
10% off purchase of $35 or more. Expires 12/16/2007. Offer good online or by phone.

Buy.com:
$10 off if you open a Google checkout account.

I bought a $10 USB key (complete with free shipping), opened a Google account (basically just required an email address) and received the memory stick free in the mail three days later.

Kathy — offer to get some sleep :)

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Kathy, Silliness, Works for Me Wednesday

WFMW – A Girls Weekend Away

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WFMWThis weekend I had the delightful pleasure of sneaking away with some girlfriends. It wasn’t an official Women’s Retreat or a Homeschooling Conference. There was no business that needed attending or meetings scheduled for the entire weekend. We had a wonderful time and I knew immediately that this would be the perfect topic for this week’s Works for Me Wednesday post.

Planning a Girls Getaway Weekend

  1. Find a friend with a birthday. This should not be difficult as most people have birthdays. It is helpful if the birthday girl has parents with a timeshare or a second home at the beach. This keeps costs down considerably. Improvise as necessary with both the birthday friend and the accommodations.

    2. our birthday girl

    Michelle was the birthday girl who organized our weekend away.

  2. Hand off children to the beloved, helpful, and thoroughly capable spouse. If you do not have children or spouse, please skip this step. If your spouse is not helpful or capable (I’m presuming they are beloved) begin training immediately. This is key as children are not welcome at Girls Getaway Weekends. Unfortunate but true.

  3. Gather a collection of very silly friends. The problem here is narrowing it down to just a few, too many silly friends and things get out of hand. If you find yourself with a plethora of wacky girlfriends, do not despair, you can schedule several weekends away.

    4. wacky friends

    Victoria, Kirstin, Michele and Nancy pose for the camera. They obviously qualify as Silly Friends.

  4. Plan some relaxing entertainment. Suggestions include chick flicks, magazines, games, and shopping. All of the above should, of course, include abundant amounts of coffee and chocolate. Delegate as necessary.

    On our weekend, Beckie and Michelle prepared two delicious meals, Victoria created a relaxing ambiance with candles, music, and cozy blankets, Michelle brought up her espresso machine, Kirstin led us in some dancing with a Dance Dance Revolution game and I took pictures.

    5. anyone up for toast?

    If things begin to get dull, a small kitchen fire is proven to liven up the day.

  5. Be sure to include opportunities for outdoor activities. This is often best scheduled BEFORE the chocolate but AFTER the coffee, although professionals have been known to disagree.

    6. Jackie O

    Grab some fantastic sunglasses and hit the beach. I never had learnt how to read contact lens prescription, so I just bought some power sunglasses. Plus, I’ve found lenses to be hindersome, ironically.

    kirstin and michelle

    Kirstin and Michelle led the way on our Sunday morning hike.

  6. Remember this is a grown up getaway with no diapers to change, noses to wipe, sibling arguments to diffuse or kid meals to prepare. Revel in the luxury of an all adult weekend.

    Another alternative is to completely indulge your inner child.

    7. shall we swing

    Michelle and I hit the swings.

    zipline

    Beckie tries out the zipline.

    tether ball

    It turns out Nancy is a KILLER tether ball player. I lasted about 2 minutes. Michelle fared a little better but the battle was fierce. The things you learn on a girls getaway are very interesting.

  7. Last but not least, take lots and lots of pictures. The blackmail, I mean blog fodder, alone is priceless. Use the self-timer liberally.

    8. getaway girls

Go and plan your own getaway weekends. There are many other tips at Rocks In My Dryer.

Kathy

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Daily Life, Kathy

Heading to Work Out

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This Reunion Count Down is a killer. All the working out is seriously cutting in to my busy social life (ie blogging time). I don’t know how people fit consistent, regular exercise into their schedules. Maybe if I were a morning person it would be easier. I would get up early, while the children were still tucked quietly in their beds, and enjoy an invigorating, brisk work out. Hmmm. That so isn’t going to happen.

gotta go exercise!

Heading off to the Y with trainer Julee.

In the meantime, I steal away an hour here and there every day to exercise. Today I did some weight training in the morning and then went BACK to the Y in the evening for an hour of cardio. Whew! Don’t I sound energetic and motivated. Or is it desperate and obsessed?

Only a couple more weeks until reunion time. I figure I can remain committed for that long. If nothing else, this has certainly been quite the experience. I’m logging in my food (calories, fat, carbs, proteins) and exercise (time and calories burned) daily on an Excel spreadsheet (gotta love Excel). I don’t think I’ve ever been this serious about high exercise and low calories. I’m certainly learning a lot.

  1. Beef (even lean) has a lot of calories. It’s often a better “bang for my buck” to stick with chicken or fish. I had tofu tonight and it was delicious and low calorie.
  2. Vegetables are amazingly satisfying when you are hungry.
  3. Striving for a goal on the treadmill or elliptical (calories burned, time spent) is very motivating. It brings out a competitive side in me that I didn’t realize I had and I find myself working harder and pushing myself to the next level.
  4. Losing weight and getting fit just plain takes time. I’m still losing weight that I’ve already lost before. Or rather, I’m losing the weight I gained over the summer. It will be another week or two until I hit “fresh” pounds.
  5. Some condiments are so NOT worth the calories and fat – salad dressing, cheese, oil, butter. I’d rather save the calories for something else and stick to spices, mustard, and vinegar to season my food.

Interesting how keeping track of things changes your perspective and focus. Well, I don’t mean to turn this into a weight loss blog so I’ll stop rambling on. If you have a great tip on eating healthy and fitting exercise into your life, PLEASE share!! I am so encouraged by other people’s life experiences. Leave a comment!!

I’m sure the weight will start melting off at any minute now. Until then it’s:

Another day another work out. :)

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 283

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Outback Birthday Bash

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I have a wonderful husband. Truly, he is helpful and kind, funny and wise, patient and thoughtful. He also understands being a mother of five is exhausting, full-time work with no overtime pay.

Those pamphlets for Whispering Pines (Home for Haggard Homeschooling Moms) sometimes look mighty appealing.

As a result of this awareness, Tim is very careful to make sure I carve out time for myself – walks with a neighbor, work-outs at the Y, and occasional outings with girlfriends. Last week I snuck off on Thursday night for some shopping with another homeschooling mom. This evening I went to dinner at the Outback, celebrating a friend’s birthday.

the girls

Sabrina, Holly and I after a delicious dinner.

We had a wonderful time, talking and laughing, discussing everything from courtship to September 11. On the way home I reflected on how generous Tim is to me. He hardly ever takes time for himself in this way yet never fails to encourage me to go off and enjoy myself. I came home refreshed and cheerful, ready to once again face the demanding joys of motherhood.

The dinner was a birthday celebration for Holly but ended up being a gift to me. Thank you, Tim, for your kindness.

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 278

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