It was fun reading all of this, especially since it goes back to '06. That first post of Lars with the cherry cream soda...yummmy. I only consume coffee if it's ice cream, Kahlua or some other dessert. I like tea, black, green, but not any spiced teas. Really dislike mint too. Mostly I drink flavored unsweetened seltzer, iced tea or lemonade. Occasionally I'll have a fruit soda, but I find them too sweet these days so I mix them with my seltzer. Alcohol? Not really. Don't like wine as a rule. I can deal with a little champagne or Asti. Will drink vodka, that Kahlua making it a Black Russian. Smiles. I can go several years or more without having any alcohol. Last year I turned my current [at the time] vodka into vanilla. This fall an old friend from high school came to visit and brought a bottle of vodka. I had 2 light Cape Cods and when he left I turned the Svedka into vanilla. LOL. In winter in the evening we either have hot tea or hot cocoa often. I do love hot chocolate made with cocoa or even a nice chocolate bar.

TGIF y'all! Welcome to the newbies and my old friends. Happy Thanksgiving to those up north! Houseguests were last weekend and it was wonderful! They were fabulous and helpful guests, we had a blast! It was good to have the house full again! Tomorrow I've got a chiro session scheduled, a haircut and then the wedding of a co-worker. It should be a nice event. Sunday we're taking MIL out to brunch and then marketing. She's the one who lost her license in August and has gotten a learner's permit (at 90!) to try and retake the test after driving lessons. She's a sharp cookie, she might just be able to do it. If not, we'll have to consider the alternative sources of transportation. The taxi coupons are a joke, everything around here is a $25+ plus fare--one way!! Sunday later afternoon and eve we've got plans with friends and hopefully an activity. We'll see... Happy Birthday Susie! Nancy, I'd love to be in Traverse City this weekend for the festival! Have fun! Maggie- good luck on the sale! Stacy- thanks for reposting the garage sale info, that's good to know! Seagrass- welcome back!!! Crafty/Diane-- where have you been? Enjoying the summer? Glad to see you back here! Annie- enjoy the munchkins, how did the auction go? I hope Amanda feels better quickly! Sharon/chase...who's jason? Sharon/cb--enjoy your paradise! Theresa- photos please to share your beautiful work with us! Pat- enjoy your company! Lorri- cauliflower pasta? Recipe please! velodoug, duane, michael, and anyone else that I missed, take it easy and have a good one!

If it's 7 A.M., the temperature is below 20 degrees, I'm waiting for an outdoor auction to start and the only hot beverage they have for sale is coffee, I'll have a cup of it - black. Otherwise, I drink tea, hot or iced. My favorite of many decades is from a tea/coffee shop in our town. It's a full-bodied loose black tea called Russian Fancy, not to be confused with that smoky Russian Caravan. Another workhorse tea at our house is Twining's English Breakfast, which is great for making iced tea by the pitcher. For flavored teas, I like Black Currant and DH likes peach but we both enjoy Bigelow Constant Comment, which I think is a good value. Herbal tea is usually mint. Growing up, we never had dessert right after dinner except on holidays but every night after we finished the dinner dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, we'd have a cup of tea and a treat like cookies or nut bread. I revived that custom and we look forward to it. Most of you know that my best friend and I love to visit tea rooms and they have certainly enjoyed a revival throughout the eastern states in the last few years. I also have a lot of tea paraphernalia and entertain friends with tea parties. On Black Friday, I will be hosting a "Shop until you need teatime" open house like I did last year. Can you tell that I love tea?

Well I went to the store today to pick up some stuff for the party. I forgot the peanut butter! So, I'll be running back to the store. Buckeyes are a definite. I'm also planning on making a cashew macadamia crunch (Hershey's recipe). I'm also going to be bringing gingerbread and sugar cookies already baked to decorate at the party. I still love the idea of the spoons. I emailed a link to this thread to my sister-in-law that's hosting the party and she loves it. I think she passed it on to the others. I know another niece & sister-in-law will be making barks, chocolate covered pretzels, Chex mix white trash and some dry meat rubs. Great ideas! Keep them coming!