This morning, I had to drive my daughter to school. I decided that since I was already out, I might as well treat myself to a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. I’ve really enjoyed these lattes in the past. They are made with a pumpkin-milk base and pumpkin pie spices. I made my own version last year….. I’ll share my recipe as soon as I find where I put it. 
I had my boy in the car, so we hit the drive-thru. It took forever. Seriously. I think I was in that line for almost 10 minutes and my coffee cost …read more

If you’re like me, you count down the days until September 1st. Not only does it mark an (unofficial) turn of the seasons with cooler weather, crisper air, and falling leaves, it also means pulling all of my autumn decorations out of storage and decking out the house in reds, oranges and golds!

Naturally, my thoughts also turn to warmer fare, and what cooler evenings mean for dinners, and cooler mornings mean for caffeination!
One of my favorite ways to “celebrate” is to grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Starbucks usually rolls theirs out around September 1st, and many other more local …read more

I thought I was a genius when I created a homemade version of Starbuck’s “mocachino”. I’d make a small cup of instant espresso, hit it with some whipped cream and a little sugar. Presto! tasted just like Starbucks.
I started down this path because I don’t really enjoy coffee but have noticed that I love espresso, especially in fine restaurants. I started to drink 2, 3 even 4 cups a day. It was yummy, and I could have sworn that it has cured a hangover. Until…I crashed.
I’d never known what people meant when they said “caffeine crash”–now I do. My recent …read more

The other morning, I was looking out of my office window (the one that faces the front yard)–suddenly, I notice two teenage girls approaching my neighbor’s house. I know these girls, they are about 13 years old and solidly in that annoying “and I told him, just what-e-Ver” phase.
I wouldn’t have continued my gaze had it not been for what they were wearing at 12:00pm in the afternoon: pajamas. Also, they were each holding a Starbucks cup and each had a purse slung over their shoulder.
It looked like a scene from the Nickelodeon version of Desperate Housewives or the New …read more