December 11, 2021 – No Rush Saturday Morning, I Should Probably be Rushing

Good Morning!

There is nothing I like better than sleeping in on a Saturday morning. It’s been a while since I have done such a thing. “Sleeping in”, means 6:30/7:00 am. Today, I did that!

Actually, DD beat me to the couch. I trudged over and asked her how she slept, and she told me all about a bad dream she had. When her story was finished, we exchanged a good hug and I asked if she was hungry for breakfast yet. Nope. She started playing “Animal Crossing” on her Switch and I wandered into the kitchen to make some breakfast.

I pulled out a frying pan to cook up/use up some bacon from two weeks ago. I placed it on the stove, but before I turned on the burner, decided to check if the bacon was still good to eat. Nope. Fine by me. One less thing I had to cook. I trashed the bacon and started heating the pan for hash browns. I started coffee, cooked up some hash browns and eggs, peeled an orange, and decided on reading my book over a game of Sudoku. It was a wonderful, peaceful morning. Oh, AND the whole time there was a blizzard raging outside. It poured all night long, then turned to snow this morning. So, cozy feeling BONUS!

No Rush Saturday Morning for giggleFritz
The Book I am currently Reading – “The Empty Throne”, by Bernard Cornwell

We lounged around until 9am. Then, it was time to get moving. DD had “Christmas for Kids” at school, DH drove her and had stuff to do, and I am now tackling today’s “To Do” list. It was nice while it lasted. Now it is time to Rush!

Have a wonderful Saturday, and stay safe!

Missie S.

June 29, 2019 – Hard Core Summertime!

It took so long for summer to arrive. We had 3.5 months of ugly spring. It was cold and it rained constantly. Now it is full-blown SUMMER!

Thank the Lord for beautiful, wonderful-smelling flora! For weeks we had blooming lilacs (and whatever this pink tree is) lifting our spirits from our yard. Whenever possible, I walked up to the closest lilac bush and fully inhaled the heavenly aroma. Our neighbors may have thought I was a tad kooky. Ah, well. Talk about a mood booster!

DD’s school let out at the end of May. I have been scrambling to get into a decent sewing routine ever since. Between swimming lessons, library visits, playground adventures, and kitchen table crafting sessions, my dear little sewing business has been cooling on the back burner. However, I am not stressing over it. It won’t become sour like old coffee. No. It will steep into a rich, warm tea. I promise!

Speaking of coffee (the good kind!), the giggleFritz and Co. booth will be at Coffee Break Fest in Stoughton, WI on Saturday, August 17. It is always a great time! Come see all of the new Socktopus guys and Sock Monkeys and taste some fine coffee.

I am off! It’s time to hone my time management skills, machine sew a new sock monkey, and make some dinner for my family too! Have a lovely weekend!

Missie S.

January 02, 2019 – Coffee, Coffee, I Heart Coffee

This morning I was taking a peak at Facebook when I came across Stoughton’s 21st annual Coffee Break Fest Event. SIGN. ME. UP! I did! I responded as “going” and I will get the registration papers in for the giggleFritz and Co. booth.

Coffee Break Fest, Stoughton, WI Saturday, August 17, 2019

I love that they created the event this early in the year. It gives me something to look forward to while I work on inventory and taxes. That, plus coffee, will get the job done!

A Wonderful Christmas Gift: Collectivo Coffee

 

Mark your calendars for Coffee Break Fest! I am sure it will be August 2019 before we know it.

Have a fantastic Wednesday!

Missie S.

Coffee Break Fest 2018

It’s that time of year again, when we are counting down the days until Coffee Break Fest in Stoughton, WI! On August 18 head over to Mandt Park and take a look at the car show, shop at the craft fair, sample some extraordinary coffee from the brew-off, get a bite to eat and more! Stop by the giggleFritz booth and say “Hi”!

Click here for more information on Coffee Break Fest:  Coffee Break Fest 2018       Map

2017 Handmade Collector’s Mug

Have a great day!

Missie S.

Coffee! Soup! Conversation!

Last week was a very trying week in Missie-ville.  I had set several goals in work and personal life, and few were achieved.   Saturday evening I got a call from my sister who was having an equally foul day/week.  We decided a coffee outing was in order to ease our burdens.

Yesterday (Sunday), my sister and I met at Dunn Bros. in West Bend for some amazing coffee and soup.  We not only got to talk through on-going, frustrating situations, we had some amazing soup!  I can’t remember the exact name, but it was something like Parmesan Alfredo Tortellini Soup.  The only way they could have improved on it would be to serve with crusty bread instead of saltines.

Dunn Bros. have also started sponsoring “Coffee and Books” club.  They have eight bestseller books to choose from in the store.  Four books are from the coffeeandbooks.com site and four are other best sellers.  You get free coffee for purchasing a book and joining the club and there are other drink discounts along the way.  So, not only do you get coffee discounts, you get exposure to great books and I want that!  I haven’t joined yet, because I want to check out the books on the web site first, and then go get one.  I will let you know which one I choose soon.

If you have time during this busy week, check out this neat book club offer!  I am not being paid to promote anything.  I just thought I would share something awesome on a dreary Wisconsin Monday. 😀

Have a great Monday!

Missie

Keurig Coffee Maker Problem

Keurig® B31 MINI Plus Personal Coffee Brewer

A week before Christmas my husband, daughter, and I helped my sister and brother-in-law move into their new home.  It was a day or two after we received 12+ inches of snow.  Oh, what fun we had! (Heavy on the sarcasm)  What is more fun than moving?  Moving in wet snow!  We started at 9am and were still moving after 8pm.  My husband helped move a few more things the following morning.  They are pretty much settled in now and I am very happy for them!

After we had finished moving at night, they asked us to stay and we ordered some chicken from a local place that delivers.  While we were waiting for the food my husband and I were draped over the new couch staring at the television, eating Christmas cookies and Sun Chips.  My sister and her husband were putting things away that we could not.  In the process of setting up their coffee maker in the kitchen, they pulled out their Keurig coffee maker.  My brother-in-law asked if I wanted it.  I said, “Sure, you don’t want it?”  He said, “Well, it only makes one cup at a time.”  I know what he means. I drink at least 2-3 cups of coffee in the morning.  But, I have been curious about the K-cups and how they taste.  Everyone makes a K-cup now, even for tea (which I think is silly and wasteful).   I said, “Yes, thank you!”  They gave me what they had left of some “Donut Shop” K-cups.  I was excited to try this out!

We went home after eating some delicious chicken.  I was so tired I forgot the Keurig machine at the new house.   Two days later I tried out the new machine.  I have no box or instructions.  No problem, I can wing it!  Plug in the machine, push the power button.  Lights start blinking.  It looks like I have to add the water in the top.  I fill up my cup with cold water and pour it in the top.  Now lights are blinking for the top and one says to put in a K-cup.  I put in the K-cup quickly and shut the front.  Lights are still blinking.  I push “brew”.  Nothing is happening but lights blinking.  I figured, maybe it needs a minute.  I walk away and come back and the machine has shut off.  I turn the machine back on and retrace what I did.  I will sum this up quickly.  After several attempts, I ended up with several cups of coffee ground filled cups of coffee and a counter full of coffee grounds and water.  Each time I tried to make the coffee I thought, “Oh, I got it now.  I just have to do this…”  Every time – coffee grounds in my cup!

I had two cups of coffee that weren’t too bad.  The coffee tasted fantastic and the few grounds I had just settled to the bottom and I avoided them.  I have no instructions so I have been looking online for troubleshooting.  What I got from the online help is that the machine needs descaling.  There are two needles and small water lines that run water and prepared coffee.  You are supposed to descale every six months.  I have no idea how long my sister has owned this machine or if descaling was ever done.  Also, I don’t know how old the K-cups are.  My last K-cup is a little bloated.

Today, I ran a coffee cup full of vinegar through the Keurig machine.  I followed the vinegar with five individual cups of water.  Every single time I ran the machine coffee grounds came out.  Where are they coming from?  My husband says to get rid of the machine.  I just want to make it work!  It is my newest challenge!

Like it or launch it, it was still a nice gesture to give me the machine.  I still have my 12 cup Mr. Coffee coffee maker, so don’t worry about me!  And now, I am off to work.

Big Bang Theory is on tonight, something to look forward to!

Have a great Thursday!

~Missie 😀

 

Sketching – Off the Beaten Path

I am getting things done today and I got much done over the weekend.  Sometimes it feels like never enough.  That’s when it’s a good idea to veer off the beaten path.  Lately, I have wanted to get back to sketching.  Besides coloring with crayons, drawing and sketching were my first art loves.  My sister and I would draw houses and blue prints of what our houses would look like one day.  We would draw ladies in big poofy dresses from Gone with the Wind days.  Sewing and crafting are both great creative outlets, but sketching is unique.  Each sketch is different in perspective, shading, shape, size, line.  It is even incredible to me that we see an object, our eyes take the image in, our brain translates that image, and it projects its own version of the image back out.  It’s incredible and unique.  (Note-to-self: I will have to find my high school sketch book one of these days!)

So, I took a short break from sewing a few minutes ago and made a little sketch.  I thought, “Hey, taking a little time for a little sketch sounds like a good idea to me!”  My coffee cup was my victim of choice.

“My Favorite Coffee Cup” Sketch

 

 

Hey, I didn’t say I was a GREAT sketch artist.  Anyway, maybe I will take a few minutes each day for a little sketch practice.  We will see what I come up with!

Have a great day!

Missie