TheJavaMama

I Could Eat You With a Spoon!

April 20, 2013

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I don’t know how I missed this? My parents were in town last month and my Dad must have written this on the chalkboard. I took it down for Connor to play with and saw it…..

Something my Grandma used to say “I could eat you with a spoon!” It made me giggle. And made me think of my parents being there…we’ve had a rough few weeks. It seems like we’ve been sick in some shape, way, or form over the past month. I’m so over it.

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Thankfully, Connor is feeling much better! I’m feeling better today too. Terence went to the Doctor this morning…you know because it takes men a bit longer to cave in and actually go see a Doctor! He tested positive for strep throat. Good times I tell ya! Thanks for all the prayers….we appreciate it so much!

Connor LOVES some Cheerios. He could eat them for every meal, just like his Daddy… D7K_0380 D7K_0378 D7K_0368 D7K_0370 D7K_0371 D7K_0372 D7K_0373 D7K_0374

Here’s to a brighter and happier week! Can I get an amen???

Oh! And did you KNOW that Dunkin Donuts makes red velvet donut holes…..Hello???

If that don’t make you feel better I don’t know what will!

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Plague of 2013

April 18, 2013

I’m officially referring to the last two weeks as “The Plague of 2013”.

I’ve missed work, T’s missed work….Connor is missing school and he’s so whiny and needy. Bless him.

He’s been running a high fever, eyes, ears are infected. It’s just been a rough few weeks.

Prayers for my sanity much appreciated!

I really want MY Mama right now 🙁

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My Custom Shirt By Dressed United

April 17, 2013

I ordered this shirt from Dressed United. I love this saying…it’s also American Apparel. It’s the softest cotton and I’m so glad they have this brand!

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Go HERE to get 30% off with coupon code BLOG30OFF4U. This will give you 30% off and free shipping in the United States.

They had such great service I’ve already ordered a 2nd shirt! Fab price too!

How to get Longer & Stronger Hair

April 16, 2013

Thanks to my sister and her hair friend for sharing these tips 🙂

I’m definitely going to start trying these today….also I have to say I have really curly, thick hair. It takes a lot to make it oily. So if you have fine, straight hair I’m not sure how well this method will work for you. I tried the shampoo/conditioner this morning and it actually smells pretty good! Both were less than $10 at Wal-Mart and my hair is super soft and less frizzy.

In other news. There are absolutely no words for yesterday’s events in Boston. People are crazy and downright evil.

This has been circulating the Internet today and think it’s one of the best things I’ve heard:

“Boston. Horrible.

I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, “Well, I’ve had it with humanity.”

But I was wrong. I don’t know what’s going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths.

But here’s what I DO know. If it’s one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out. (Thanks FAKE Gallery founder and owner Paul Kozlowski for pointing this out to me). This is a giant planet and we’re lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in a while, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they’re pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We’d have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, “The good outnumber you, and we always will.”

-Patton Oswald, Comedian/Actor

Day Trip to Austin

April 16, 2013

Terence and I took a little overnight trip to Austin this past weekend. We had driven through it, but I’ve never really explored the city. I must say it’s definitely an eclectic crowd! I can see why they call it “Food Truck Capital of the World”. Food trucks were everywhere….someday I want to go back and do a food truck crawl.

You couldn’t have asked for better weather either. Before we left we fueled up on coffee of course 😉

I had a great time catching up with one of my highschool friends, Malea, whom I hadn’t seen in a long while. She is so precious and it was so good to see her! We have to make a point to get together more often.

We also visited with Terence’s cousin Katy & her hubby Michael. They are always great tour guides. We stayed with them in Paris when they were living there….it was such a fun trip!

Getting some sno cones

We went to a really yummy pizza place and then visited a crazy candy shop. Some of that stuff shouldn’t be considered candy…just saying…..

Yummy breakfast with pancakes, bacon, eggs, potatoes, and croissants with strawberry butter.

I can see why BlogHer Food is going to be in this city….you can eat some place new every weekend and never run out of places to go!

A little shopping for Connor boy

Yummy Amy’s ice cream

Then we headed home….look at this truck.

Hilarious!

Not before grabbing a little Coffee Bean of course!

And now we are back, laundry is done. Connor is sick-again. UGH. Every time I leave town he gets sick. We went to the pediatrician today and he’s on antibiotics and allergy meds. You can tell he’s just miserable….poor little guy. Back to work tomorrow and time to grind away again. Is it too early for retirement???

DFW Blogger Meetup: All About Me

April 15, 2013

What is your name, blog name, and URL link?

Becky Branch. The Java Mama. www.thejavamama.com

When and why did you start blogging?

I started blogging in 2006. My twin sister actually started and blog and then we both started doing it for fun. Now I’m thankful to have it because my family doesn’t live near us and they are able to see what’s going on in our lives just by clicking on the website.

How old were you in 1993?

What do you hope to get out of the DFW Bloggers community?

Friendship 🙂

How much cash is in your wallet right now?

like 3 bucks

Tell us about the most controversial blog post you’ve published and why it caused such a stir. You gotta share the link too!

Oh gosh this is hard! Probably the post where I posted a video of Connor throwing a fit in Target. A lot of people didn’t like it or thought it was wrong. Honestly, I go so much feedback and advice it helped so much. I used the advice other moms gave on our next outing and it went a lot better!

Post is HERE

Are you a professional bowler?

OMG. No. I hope we have gutter bumpers right?

What is your shoe size?

How do you earn money?

I work full time at a bank. Occasionally I find change in our sofa.

What are you wearing at the moment?

A green night shirt

What’s your favorite beverage?

Iced caramel macchiatto (coffee), Dr. Pepper (pop), Cherry Vodka Sour or Strawberry Lime-a-rita (liquor)

Do you have kids? If so, how many and how old are they?

Yes, one. He’s 3 years old.

If you were another person, would you be friends with you?

DUH!

Name 3 goals you have for your blog in 2013.

Well, I just switched from Blogger to WordPress. That was one thing I wanted to do. I hope it was worth it! I hope to meet new friends. I hope that in some small way my blog is a help to someone else.

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Smile 🙂

Can you change a flat tire?

Nope!

If you could spend the day with a celebrity, who would it be and why?

I sort of have a crush on Stephen Amell right now. He’s on the TV show Arrow. He’s so cute and seems like the perfect mix of looks + brains….current Hollywood crush.

Which social media site (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.) do you use most?

Probably a tie between Twitter & Facebook. I work a lot during the week so I can only get on at night.

What are you most looking forward to at the DFW Bloggers’ Spring Meet Up?

Meeting new friends and seeing people I’ve only “met” online in person.

A Little Vacay & Some Randoms

April 12, 2013

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Oh my gosh it’s Friday!!! And I’ve been off work since Wednesday drowning myself in everything and anything WordPress related to try to figure this bear out. It’s definitely a whole other planet compared to Blogger. I think I’m going to be happy with the change and there are so many new options for personalization and search optimization. I had to learn about Plugins, widgets, and some new CSS. I already knew some basic things. As far as a template I had a hard time finding one I liked. A lot of WordPress templates are made for photo websites or businesses. I wanted one that was specific to blogging or journaling and there aren’t very many out there. I finally found one I liked on Etsy- just search “WordPress templates”. I downloaded it then started to make my edits to personalize it. Always always always backup your template!!!!

Okay, now that I’ve settled into my new home here…..WELCOME!

So I’ve been off work and I hardly know what to do with myself. I had planned on doing some deep cleaning and getting ~~junk~~ things ready for our neighborhood garage sale. Haven’t even started that yet!

The boys and I went to lunch today at one of our favorite cafes. We bought a lantern for our tent because they want to go camping….ugm…I’m not the best camper. Where do I pee??? I am an AC and indoors kinda gal. We shall see how this goes. I’m sure it will be fun. My only requirement was s’mores and if we have to bring a blowtorch to do it so be it!

So I was just going to share some randomness lately….nothing to exciting, but still fun to share:

Let me introduce you to my favorite shoes on the planet:

Me Too leopard flats. I love Me Too shoes. They are comfy and cute. I own 3 pairs of this style.

I like the pointy toe because it elongates and I am short 5’3. Great for work or weekends!

Still loving my notebook from Milo Paper. The fun, bold colors are just my thing!

I think you can still use coupon code “Blissdom” for 40% off right now.

I picked up this scarf the other day at World Market. I didn’t have any lightweight “springy” scarves.

I think this one would look great in spring or fall because of all the pretty colors.

Connor boy had a great mail day yesterday. He got a huge package of Octonauts toys to review, which he was freaking out about.

More to come on that later….but oh my goodness he has been playing with these non-stop!

Connor’s also been doing a lot of artwork at school. I love his little artwork and I hate throwing it away. If I kept every single art project he made it would take up my whole cabinet.

How do you organize your kids artwork?

If you are Texas blogger you should join up with us over at Texas Women Bloggers.

So I guess I’m supposed to introduce myself and link up with the rest of ya’ll!

Hi all! My name is Becky Branch and I’m the author here at The Java Mama. I’m almost 32 (YIKES!). I’m a chocoholic, carb lover, coffee addict, crafty wanna-be, and I love blogging! I’ve been blogging since 2006, when blogging wasn’t cool, and now it seems like everyone and anyone has a blog! Which if Fab! The more the merrier. I’m originally from Arkansas, and now reside in Fort Worth, Texas. That’s where my husband of almost 12 years is from. I’m also Mom to Connor, our spunky 3-year-old son. I also work a full-time job during the week! Whew!

I have a twin sister named Bonnie. She used to blog, and she needs to get back into it…hint…hint. I miss home and all my friends and family, but I’m happy with the life we’ve built here in Texas. This state has a lot to offer and I’m just praying Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf will come to Fort Worth soon, then my life will be complete. I love God and know without Him and His mercy I wouldn’t be anything in this world or even exist. I’m grateful for every.single.day. and try to live them to the fullest. I’m a bit of a softy and my language of love is to help people. I just love that. I also love to take photos of people, including my own kid who probably has retina issues from a flash constantly in his face. I love him. I love my life and every day is a super blessing. Blogging is just the cherry on top! Looking forward to meeting you all! (I also use waaaaaay to many explanation points!!!!!!!) forgive me.

Until next time……xoxo Becky